Time for Holiday Bracelets as Gifts

I gathered some of my past and present bracelet creations for inspiration as I start to make new ones to sell and to give as gifts. And what would be better than a yummy, full charm bracelet? A yummy, full charm bracelet with a full, yummy bottle of wine!
The top three bracelets are my own. The first one is my Blythe Bracelet. This one has been through a few iterations. It first started as the result of a charm swap a few years ago in the Arte-du-Blythe group, hosted by Miss Vicky of Cut-It-Up fame. Then I added a few kitschy things to it. But in preparation for Blythecon 2012 in Dallas I sent it to Natascha of Insanely Sweet Jewelry on Etsy to bling-it-up another notch.
Next is my All Pink bracelet with a favorite handmade ceramic goth girl charm by Melanie of Earthenwood Studio. I love to look at it but often forget to wear it! Plus, as much as I do love pink, I hardly ever wear the color with the exception of fuschia now and then.
All of these bracelets contain many elements by the talented Amy Labbe of Art-i-Cake. I especially love the playful bracelet I flung on a wine bottle to photograph, and then realized what a great gift idea. This bracelet has a lot of my favorite things: Mini Lalaloopsy, a tuxedo cat, a Blythe maryjane shoe, vintage enamel flowers, soldered charms, pearls, rhinestones, multiple chains and BLING!.
Time to get busy and make jewelry to sell in my little display at Feja's Salon and Day Spa.

Is This Art?

Yep. I think it IS art. Beautiful art. Just not my art which, sadly, seems to be on hiatus. But before I wail about artist's block, I should report I am having a great, creative time over on my other blog. My vintage doll play is taking up my free time of late, and seriously cutting into my reading, painting, jewelry-making and everything else-time.

However, I did have time to finally get bitten by the Troll bead bug--probably the last person on the planet to experience that, or so it feels.

It started a month or so ago with the three glass beads in the middle of the brown bracelet. There are a couple silver Troll fillers there also. Actually, it started earlier that same week when I discovered a bead store at my local mall which sells lampwork Troll knock-offs on the cheap. I didn't plan to go All Troll when I bought them; I planned to make something with them. But, as a victim of a classic successful cross-over retail strategy, I happened on to authentic Troll beads and chains and clasps at my local greenhouse, when I went in for crossover Vera Bradley.

Like a sensible (crazy?) shopper, I left the Vera there and came home with the start of my first Troll bracelet. While at the greenhouse, I discovered they also had already-strung Troll knock-off bracelets, too. Knowing I could cut that bracelet apart with my jewelry tools at home. I bought a brown knock-off to fill up the brown bracelet I had just (seconds ago) started. It is in the top photo.

Since I still had knock-off beads and parts leftover, and came across some more imposters at the local Jo-Ann's, I now had the beginnings of both a pink and a beach-y themed bracelet. Conveniently, said smart greenhouse was having a Troll bead trunk show, and there I got one turquoise with lime dots Troll bead as well as a silver crab, and another knock-off (beach-y theme) bracelet to take apart.

Throw in a trip to Brighton in the mall, where their beads are just as cute and some definitely cuter and cheaper, and here I am with my mini-collection of three very different Troll bracelets. I wear one nearly everyday. Do you have a Troll bracelet? Or Pandora, Camellia (sp?), Brighton or? Is it a work of art?

What I've Still Been Up To

I've been making jewelry- frantically it seems- until 2 a.m. Friday, 3:3o a.m. Saturday and for eight hours straight on Sunday- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. without a lunch break. I'll even accept the title frantic or manic, because it does seem when I get "on a roll" as they say, time just flies, to use even more euphemisms, and I don't even want to stop.

It's almost therapeutic, I think, to express myself this way. It bewilders even me sometimes. Some of these beads I bought more than a year ago, and just simply have stared at them ever since, unable to make anything happen. I'd string some up and then cut them back apart because I didn't like what I had created. And now, all of a sudden, everything looks good to me, makes sense, matches, falls into place. My wire-wrapping and bead-crimping skills seem to have returned.

The only thing on my mind when I am spending so much time making jewelry is that I'd also like to be painting, drawing, writing, making collages and altered art assemblages. In fact, I even keep an art 'to-do' list. I don't like to have "works in progress" as I mentioned some time ago. It's just not my style to have several things (or even two) going at once. It bugs me. I like to finish one thing at a time, although I will admit to having another afghan about half done. But, I really have to take breaks from crocheting or my golfer's elbow comes back. It happened once before- lower than tennis elbow and aggravated from repetitive motion- like crocheting.

So, what's on my to-do list? I have two 10 x 10 canvasses and some paint and colors in mind for some impressionistic painting, a la Ceza'nne for a Somerset challenge. I have some weird parts gathered up for an Alice in Wonderland challenge. I want to make a little robot out of scrap parts. I have a couple doll heads waiting for bodies out of bird cages or bottles. I have an Americana canvas I want to paint. I have a project on "colors" that I want to do. I have some rusty numbers I want to use. I want to do some more rubber-stamping and card-making to submit. I have a nicho I want to fill. I have at least one more charm bracelet in mind, and I just accepted an invitation to a Marie Antoinette charm swap and maybe a fabric journal page swap. I have a poem about escalators in my head and a short story about waking up at Teesha Moore's fun house in my pajamas. I have a novel started (okay, so that's a major WIP). I have five short stories that need edited and sent out. I want to make some more sugar skull ATCs. And I do want to finish that afghan. Nevermind about a full-time job and sending a child to college. Weeds to pull? What weeds? Girls just wanna have fun and do art.

I attended a nice little wedding this weekend in Michigan in the midst of all this creating. Congratulations to my co-workers Amy & Brian who are on their way to an Alaskan cruise now, via Vancouver.

Where's all this jewelry going? Not sure, but definitely for sale soon. Happy creating. How great to live in a free America where we can be as creative as we want, whenever, however we want.

Postess with the Mostess. Squee!

Everything thing about this post makes me squeal with delight. In fact, I have been on cloud nine for the last 12 hours, barely stopping to sleep. I AM the postess with the mostess, simply because I feel like the luckiest blogger in the world, well, the www world anyway.

Yesterday I happened upon Altered Art Circus by Lisa Kettell at Barnes and Noble (Quarry Books, 2009, ISBN-13:978-1-59253-487-6; or on Amazon). I say 'happened' because I wasn't expecting to find it on the shelf yet. The publication date has been February 2009 for about the last year and a half, or ever since the author, Lisa Kettell of The Faerie Zine, invited me to submit a piece of art for the book's gallery.

At the time I started making this 3D sculpture representative of Marie Antoinette, my intent was to make Lisa a gift for all her work in our art group. I don't think I even knew then the book had a circus theme, or certainly I would have drawn on my great love for circus art! Nevertheless, I made the 18" 'Marie' in one day, and sent her east to live with Lisa. I never really believed the piece would make it into the book- either because of some mail disaster only I would experience or because it was edited out for being "no good." Every artist has those thoughts, especially one who has never been published in a real book until now. A 'real' magazine, yes. 'Real' books published via Blurb or Lulu, yes. But a real publishing house with a real editor (who didn't cut out my picture)? C'est Magnifique!

Here's a couple more links to my other Marie figures here and here. I have one still for sale on etsy, and I sent the rest off last summer in hopes of finding their way into Stampington's new Marie Antoinette magazine.

But as for being in Lisa's book, I am over the moon! And I share the Gallery with so many wonderful art friends like Bella and Wanda and Ann-Denise. And I share my page with the inimitable DeBriNa Pratt of Spark*Your*Imagination. Thank you again Lisa!

Another great art friend who roams these same circles is Viv Neroni of New York. Out of the blue (and I say that because I haven't been reading everyone's blogs as faithfully as I should) Viv sent me the most darling pin-keep (above), which I won in a contest on her blog. Viv and I swapped goodies once before. She makes the most darling tiny felted bears and paper clay figures and posts the most delicious photos on her blog. Viv is also Violet's 'new mom.' Violet is of the Blythe persuasion, and I only now realized 'V' is the perfect letter. No wonder Viv kept Violet's name after 'adopting' her.

The 'beady' looking photo (top) is a work-in-progress. It's starting with stringing assorted tiny seed beads from a bead soup by Beverly Gilbert of Gilbert Designs in Washington. I met Beverly at Art & Soul, Portland, in October and made two pendants in her class. It is tiny work that requires reading glasses and a task light. See that sliver of a curved beading needle? It's a wonder I can string anything. This strand so far is sort of a freeform Peyote stitch, which I am glad to have finally learned. It really is easy.

I'm planning to use the strand when fully-formed to encase either a 'jingle' shell as shown above or a piece of beach glass or some other shell and a tiny starfish, and that will form a pendant just like the amber one I made at A&S. But, shhhh! Don't tell. It's going to be a gift for someone special who favors shells.

Finally made something! Take that, Muse!

Anyone who has had his or her muse and mojo run off together knows the joy in my headline. A frustrated creator also knows the experience of spending hours piddling on something only to dislike it enough to tear it apart and start over. And a muse-less, mojo-less person like me would understand why I got excited about simply gluing a piece of clip art into a pendant.

So the above are my results, two-plus months after I bought the supplies at Art & Soul, Portland. I was excited with the colorful collage sheets offered at the ArtChix booth.

And, after a ridiculously-long absence from the ArtChix Yahoo! Group, I was lucky enough to have my pendant chosen for the home page art this week seen here. Thanks Cindy! (and Helga!)

And if that weren't enough, I got a nice comment from the very sweet and gentle Bone Folder (can a bone folder be sweet and gentle?) Mike Jennings of Hannah Grey. Mike and wife Shosh have a fantastic e-store, and are two of the sweetest artists you'd ever want to know. Mike says Shosh is having an art drought. Boy, do I know the feeling! And how about a drought with guilt?! I 'owe' Mike and Shosh some art samples plus a promised 'dolly box' for the Hannah Grey Design Team, and I just can't make a thing to save my life. But, I know it will come- if past experience and quantity of supplies are any indication. Take heart, Shosh!

I was enthused with the ease of the resin-like DG3 Art Gel when I tried it at Collage's free make-and-take in the Art and Soul lobby. In fact, I loved my little Paris pendant I made there, which someone else apparently also liked, because it disappeared during its 24-hour drying period. Who knows? Maybe my muse took that and bolted.

Once home, the supplies sat on my desk until this past weeked. They were joined by some beautiful glass beads I got on another trip as well as my bead soup kits from Gilbert Designs. Everything just kept staring at me, until I finally put most of it away. That in itself is unusual, because I usually organize everything away as soon as I get home from a trip. Maybe my muse can't operate around a messy desk?

While at A&S I scooped up alcohol inks for making glass slides, daubers, said slides (Memory Glass), accompanying frames, bracelet blanks, pendant blanks, two sketch books, charcoal, collage sheets, ephemera, all from Collage on Alberta. In fact, I spent so much maybe my muse left me to get a job. Or perhaps I horrifed her? Overloaded her senses? That's probably closer to the truth.

So, the other night I felt motivated to make a bracelet to wear with a particular outfit. The glass beads were the right color. I had all the stringing supplies: toggle clasp, spacers, pliers, Soft-Flex all laid out in front of me. I perused my latest copy of Stringing. Every thing was so cool! I looked at my stuff. Nothing. Strung two bracelets. I'm a little OCD when it comes to stringing very symmetrically, and symmetry just isn't in style right now (see Stringing). My muse laughed at me! I cut the bracelets apart, filed the beads back into their little cubbies and put everything away.

My next adventure went slightly better. I decided to make the pendants shown above. There's nothing to it. In fact, the ArtChix inchies were already sized to fit the pendant blanks. The pink one is art from a couple different sheets, a little charm and some seed beads. The round one is clip art of a crab from ArtChix, a starfish from Hannah Grey, a shell and some seed beads. When your muse is happy with your arrangement, you simply fill the pendant with DG3 Art Gel, which hardens clear overnight. Voila! Done. Put on some ball chain, and you have a necklace. Not very challenging, but I'm working without my muse and my mojo, so I have to ease back into creating after a bit of an absence.

I know everyone talks about their muse running off, but I had had a good run, nearly 18 months of frenetic creativity in every spare moment, weekends spent without sleeping, juggling multiple projects, writing for four or more blogs, coordinating groups, swaps, fat books, submitting art and articles like crazy for publications, working on an art book proposal, writing fiction. Eek! No wonder my muse needed a vacation. Now if I could just go with her!

Miss Vicky's Fall Workshops: Fun at the Funny Pharm in California

My good friend, the inimitable Miss Vicky Breslin wants to help west coast crafters get their holiday projects done early, while holding to the "Handmade Pledge." So, she is offering a series of great workshops at her shop in Colfax, CA in her historic apothecary building, and in her home location, the gold-rush town of Dutch Flat, CA.


Her 'No Frill Fall Workshops' will be Nov. 18 -23, (Tuesday through Sunday), 9am-9pm at The Funny Pharm, 30 North Main Street, Colfax, CA and 32770 Main Street, Dutch Flat, CA. You can even stay for the week! Sleeping Arrangements: Tues, Wed or Thursday at the Dutch Flat Hotel next door to workshops.

Rooms are based on 2 people in a room 50.00 per night or 5 people in a room, 30.00 per night. Please call Vicky directly to book the rooms at 530 389-2233, or 530 220-4103. To keep the expenses down there will be a potluck breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dessert too!

No frill Class fees: $10.00 per class plus supplies.

Card Making Class: Use a hand printing press. It works with the vintage wood type. You can make all of the holiday cards you wish & have a fun time doing it! Vicky will show you how to set the type.....the rest is up to you. Black ink will be provided. This will be available all days!

5 Minute Collage: Learn how the experts make such amazing collages for their background art projects. It is a very fun, fast moving and a surprising hour of fun. Available every morning at 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Soldering Class: Vicky will bring a soldering iron & all supplies needed to make all kinds of glass hanging stuff!Like houses, ornaments, ovals, rectangle & squares.You can use your 5 minute collage paper too. Every day at 10:30 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Gift tags: Using Glimmer Mists & Stencils we will make tags that will dazzle. You can monogram them with the printer!Every day 12:30p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Altered Silverware: This is the most creative silverware possible. You can make a hanging piece of silverware, a rack for the kitchen, place card holder, pin or necklace.
Every day 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Image Transfer: Learn how to use the new Golden digital grounds to copy all kinds of images to all forms of materials. Paper, fabric, foil, gel skins, acetate etc. Every day 4:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m.

Image Transfer BookMake: a cloth book using the fabric transfers made in the image transfer class. 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday.

Chart Your Path: Paint on a piece of wood. Learn how to measure it out & make compartments to house all kinds of ephemeraThis is a very fun class to do on a cutting board.5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday

Game Board: Make a game board using your family photos. We will use scrabble letters to spell out family names. You will need a vintage game board for this project. 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Thursday

Convex Glass: Use our vintage convex glass to house a fun moveable art piece.You can make it on a card. canvas or whatever your heart desires. These are all very old pieces. Learn how to drill holes in them and screw them into your piece. Friday 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Bracelet: Everyone loves the button stacking class! Vicky will teach you how to stack & add beads. We will then turn our pieces into a fabulous bracelet. Friday 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Resin Jewelry: Make fun jewelry out of resin. We will make a few charms & turn them into a fabulous necklace or a charm bracelet.Saturday 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Frozen Charlotta Jewelry: Using these very vintage dolls we will make a very unique piece of jewelry! Give her wings or a saltshaker hat. Guaranteed beauty.Sunday 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Cupcakes: Crochet the icing & then add a vintage flower to the top made out of vintage sheet musicSunday 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Wire Working: Using rebar you will create rustic looking ways to enhance old bottles. They make great hanging candle lightsTuesday. Wednesday and Thursday 11:00 to 1:00 p.m.

Initial Photo Necklace or Magnet: Make a fabulous initial & back it with a darling vintage hand tinted photo. Then solder it for the amazing finish. These make the most charming gifts. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 2:00 p.m. to 4:00

Crown Making: Using cardstock we will make the most amusing crowns. We will add vintage jewels to bedazzle them. Tuesday 11:00 to 1:00 p.mSo let's have some fun & get our holidays started.

Remember to take the handmade pledge!

Please make your reservations now: Miss Vicky 530 389 2233 or email vicky@cut-it-up.com .
You will be given class supplies list when you register!

Now I Remember Why I Quit Beading

An hour into a 15-minute job to make a lariat belt into a necklace for Caroline at my office reminded me why I gave up jewelry making after a few years. It really is tiny, tedious work! One definitely needs octopi for this craft also. And, I understand why jewelers wear those gigantic headlights. I used to be able to do this without my glasses, but I couldn't see anything this time.

After finding my reading glasses, I shortened what was once a belt that would have gone around Caroline twice into about an 18-inch necklace. I took the pendant part off of the belt, removed some of the findings (it was super long), and put it back together.

That's when I realized I forgot to string it into the middle of the necklace. So, I thought I'd take the easy way out and add it via jump ring. I managed to do that, but in fiddling around I nicked the main string. It would have held, it was 12-pound test weight and Caroline barely weighs 12 pounds herself (size O). But, I got all done and thought, "no, this is not satisfactory. I would not wear this."

So I unstrung the whole thing, cut off the crimp beads and the clasp and started over. From scratch. Happy Necklace, Caroline. I'm starting to like it for myself.

ZNE Book Club for a Good Cause

I am so excited to be joining the ZNE book club for August. We are studying Sally Jean Alexander's Pretty Little Things http://www.sallyjean.com, already one of MY favorite books! I already have assignments in reading, writing about my studio space, posting a photo and have a collage assignment to create and post. Sheesh! Just like school- only better!
Even nicer is that the book club fee goes to support an animal rescue farm site, a Place to Bark (see the right side of my blog), run by Bernie Berlin, a collage and ATC artist.
Besides this little bit of work, my ATC/ACEO group on ebay has given out individual dares for an ACEO to complete and post, and I am waiting to get my assignment. ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals and ATC stands for Artist Trading Cards.
An example of another dare was "What would Medusa look like if snakes didn't exist." So, you get the idea...
As well, my ebay "Respect-Artists who Love Art" group has a challenge due tomorrow based on the word "rock"- any interpretation/any medium. I have a couple of ideas but nothing done yet, plus I am off to Michigan for the cancer walk. Sheesh again!

Jewelry Art

Here are some of my favorite bracelets I've made using handmade ceramic beads from earthenwood studios.http://earthenwood-gallery.blogspot.com/. Check it out!

The Halloween one is my favorite and also includes a sterling web and spider from Penny Michelle http://www.pennymichelle.com/. Check that out too! Most of my other findings are from Bead Source in Fort Wayne. Some of my jewelry is for sale at Canal Street Gallery in Winona Lake and Boutique Exchange in Warsaw, both in northern Indiana. I used to also sell at Inspire Me! in South Bend and Park Boutique in Goshen. I probably should get some around on ebay or etsy! I need a business manager!

Melanie at Earthenwood pictured these on her blog, and http://earthenwood-gallery.blogspot.com/2007/08/by-gina-smith.htmlI am quite flattered. I just tried to take some better pictures to send her, so I thought I would go outside. My Kodak Easyshare usually works pretty good on "beach" setting for anything bright, but it was just toooo bright. The camera even fogged up- now that's humid and/or disgusting! Back inside in the cool..... taking a little time to add this to my blog.

Melanie also reminded me about another great artist: Karen Fincannon, who made the ceramic cat on my desk. Check out her beautiful beads, ceramics and paintings at http://www.karenfincannon.com.

There are so many things I want to make I don't know what to do first-plus, so many great magazines to read. I just got Art & Life #8 by Teesha Moore, an art journal zine in full color, and a back issue from 1992 of hers called "Play." She has great stuff for sale on her website.http://www.teeshamoore.com/.

I also got Somerset Home and Somerset Studio Gallery and Somerset Memories. But, no time to read if I am going to make stuff.

AWLA on ebay is having a challenge Aug. 10-17 for the best piece of art made with the theme "rock." I have some ideas so must get busy. I am also in a secret swap there, and would like to find a fat book or ATC fat book swap. If anyone has one, let me know.

Plus I just got some new rubber stamps and need to mount them. Stamp On It in Grand Rapids has nice, inexpensive blocks. Really, who has time to work? Good thing I love my job! Happy Creating. I am going to cook a fabulous birthday dinner now. Certainly food can be art as well.