A Little Piece of Art on Your Wrist

While preparing for my recent art show, I made a lot of new cuffs. These ones are a little different from the others I usually make. These ones have a beaded centerpiece and then the cuff is covered in ultrasuede.

Here's one that I made using one of my handmade cabochons with an Alphonse Mucha print. You can wear a little piece of art work on your wrist.

You can see more photos here.

Don't forget I'm offering free world wide shipping today through Monday. All items purchased during this time will be shipped on December 1, 2009.

FREE WORLD WIDE SHIPPING

Yep, that season is upon us. So get a jump on your shopping this weekend from the comfort of your home.

I will be offering FREE world wide shipping from my etsy shop between Friday, November 27-Monday, November 30, 2009. All orders placed on these dates will be sent out on December 1, 2009.

I'll be adding new items over the next few days, so stop by often.

If you have a minute come on over to ETSY lots of sellers are offering a variety of special offers. Maybe you'll finish all your holiday shopping by next Monday.

New Cuff

I love these 1/2 inch bead embroidered cuffs. They are perfect for everyday wear and they are lightweight. I just listed a new one at my etsy shop.

I've had these long bugle beads for awhile. I've used some for long fringe on bead woven earrings. I hadn't really tried to use them on any cuffs. They fit perfectly across a 1/2 inch cuff. These bugle beads are twisted and have a beautiful color that is both blue and purple. The texture of these beads provide a lot of interest to a simple cuff. The abalone provides a nice contrast and breaks up the line of beads. The beadwork is attached to a metal cuff and the underside is lined with ultrasuede.

You can see more pictures of the cuff here.

Guess who came to dinner?

Well not dinner (although there were wine and hors d'oeuvres), actually the art bazaar I was participating in this last weekend.

Sherry Serafini, the bead embroidery master herself.

The previous weekend she had invited me to an artisan open house that she was doing. We spent a little time catching up and she wanted to know what I was up to so I invited her to the show. And like that she was there. Her support and encouragement meant the world to me.

If you've never seen her work, you can find her website here. If you have a chance to see her in person (either a class or art show), I highly recommend it. Her classes are great. She shares so much information and is genuinely interested in you. She encourages you to work outside your comfort zone to create something that truly comes from your heart. It is a great experience.

Additionally, she has some really incredibly cool new pieces in her collection. Her neckpieces and purses are show stoppers!

So Sherry, if you are out there. THANK YOU!

Art Bazaar Preview Continues

Here's a few more things I'll have at the Art Bazaar, which starts tonight at 6:00 pm at the Boyd Community Center. You'll find more information here about the event.

This is a pendant made with with one of my handmade cabochons using a print of a Alphonse Mucha illustration.

The second is a pendant using another handmade cabochon of a sea shell print.

Art Bazaar

Sorry folks about my hit and miss blogging the last few weeks. Now that the BIG charity event is over, (as I wipe sweat from my forehead) I've got an art show this weekend. I've been madly beading the last few weeks. I've got most of my ducks in a row for the event and I'm crossing my fingers.

So, if you find yourself in Pittsburgh this weekend, you can find me here this Friday and Saturday. It is the Art Bazaar at the Boyd Community Center. The event is benefiting Art for Autism. Join me and over 30 other local artists and get some holiday shopping done while supporting a great organization.

Here's a sneak peak at a few items I will be selling at the show.

All dressed up and I have a place to go

Tonight is the night. It's finally here. After months of preparation and the last few weeks of coordinating ticket sales and seating, the benefit performance of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes for Child Watch of Pittsburgh is here. It is going to be SPECTACULAR. So many people have worked to make this event a huge success. The theater is going to be packed.

I was originally working on the bib necklace to wear to the event, but due to some technical difficulties and lack of time, plan b is going into action.

This past weekend I finished these earrings. These earrings came together so easily. It was like all the parts were meant to be. I just love them. So mama's got a new pair of earrings (and shoes) and ready to hit the town.

Bib Necklace Update

Well, I finished the beading on the necklace last weekend. I made a trip to the bead store to look at chain and decided it just wouldn't do. So instead I bought three strands of pearls, chain and a clasp. I'm thinking that there will be three strands of pearls on each side that meet at the top together at the clasp. I'm going to add some chain to the clasp so that they necklace will be adjustable. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to go back and finish the necklace, but the picture shows how it might look when it is done.

So, what do you think? Did I make the right decision with the pearls?

Stop the train, I want to get off

I've been MIA for awhile because I've been working on this HUGE charity event coming up next week. My job took a lot long than I would have ever expected, but it is a good thing because the event is going to be a tremendous success. However, I will be extremely happy when it is all over so I can back to some normal routine. I think that my kids are starting to think that the phone has been surgically attached to my head. So only 5 days to go and this train will come to a screeching stop!

In the few moments that I haven't been focused on this event, I have been beading. It has been a must for me to find a few minutes here and there to bead. It is my stress relief. (Oh and by the way, I have an art show coming up in two weeks, so beading for business is a must too.)

I've been working on a bib necklace that I may wear to the charity event. It is a dress up occasion so I'll be wearing my usual uniform (black dress pants and black top) so the necklace will take center stage.

Here's what I've got done so far...

I'm thinking that I will attach silk ribbon from the top edges so that the necklace can be adjustable, although I've also had thoughts about using chain.

What do you think ribbon or chain?

Creativity at Any Age

Last week was my youngest daughter's 6th birthday. She decided to have her birthday party at our local "paint your own pottery" place. The age range was 4 - 11. Boy, they were a really creative bunch. Everyone was working so hard that it was actually quiet. The adults could hardly belief that it was a kid's birthday party. It was so much fun to watch the kids working on their pieces. Each of them had a specific idea and were very precise in their work.

The kids made HUGE cups and saucers. Perfect for a huge cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. The adults even got into the fun and made travel coffee mugs. The picture above shows the kid's finished pieces. I can't wait to see them when they are done being fired.

Silver Button Earrings

I just listed these Silver Button earrings in my Etsy shop. I really love these earrings and it was hard to decide to post them. I recently picked up these triangular drops and they are great. They have a really beautiful finish, kind of gray and brown. They were a great complement to the earrings. I used a matte gray, matte bronze, and shine bronze seed beads. The earrings were also embellished with silver pearls and hematite beads.

You can check out more photos here.

Do I need a vacation?

Not a lot of time today for a long post, but I wanted to share some other new pieces I've finished recently.

The first is a bead embroidered ring made with a handmade cabochon of a sea shell print.

The second is a bead embroidered cuff using another handmade cabochon of a sea shell print.

Do you see a theme here? Or is just me. I think I need a vacation.

Dreaming of an Escape

I've been dreaming of an escape. A trip where the ocean is clear blue, the sand is warm, and the temperature is a constant 85 degrees. I'm dreaming of an escape from the mountain of laundry, dishes, cleaning and sick children. Yes, the flu found its way to my house last week. Of course, it was not welcome, but it came anyways.

I recently finished this cuff and I know that it was inspired by my thoughts of escaping to an island paradise.

This bead embroidered cuff was created with three turquoise cabochons. The cabochons are surrounded by seed beads. The cuff is embellished with numerous pearls and Swarovski crystals in three colors (caribbean blue opal, pacific opal, and capri blue). The names of the crystals were inspiration enough. The cuff is one inch wide and is backed in black ultrasuede.

I admit that once it was finished, I did stare at it envisioning my favorite beach and hoping that I'll soon be visiting.

Are you dreaming of an escape? Where would you like to escape to when things become overwhelming?

Snow Day in October

Yes, you read right. I saw snow today. Yes, I did double check the calendar. Typically we don't get snow this early in Pittsburgh. Last night the weather man informed us that the last time we had snow this early was in 1972.

I'm not too happy about this snow or unexpected cold weather. I am headed on a camping trip this weekend with my daughter's girl scout troop. Fortunately, we are staying in a heated lodge, but it created a packing nightmare. Heavier jackets, mittens, hats, and long under ware were added to the packing list. I'm hoping the weather man is incorrect about any accumulation.

In honor of today's flakes, I just listed this adorable Snowflake pendant in my Etsy shop . It is a handmade cabochon made from glass and specialized paper. The cabochon is surrounded by speckled pale blue, gray, and metallic blue seed beads. The pendant is backed in slate blue ultrasuede and hangs from a ribbon cord necklace. You can check out more pictures here.

Wishing you warm thoughts this weekend. Please send warm thoughts my way. I have a feeling I'm going to be cold (at some point) the next few days.

Super Star Earrings

At last years Academy Awards, Angelina Jolie wore these incredible emerald earrings by Lorraine Schwartz. They were breathtaking and caused a lot of buzz on the red carpet. They are worth $2.5 million!

These are my "Angelina Earrings". I used a emerald green swarovski rivolis for the top section and a green agate teardrop for the bottom. The earrings are bead embroidered with dark green and silver seed beads. The earrings are backed in black ultrasuede.

These are statement making earrings and would be perfect for any red carpet event or maybe this year's office Christmas party. You can check out more pictures at the Etsy shop here.

Ladies Who Lunch Ring

Today I listed a new piece in my Etsy shop.

This is another piece I've made with the glass cabochons I've been making. I love this picture. It reminds me of a woman who has time to get dressed up and lunch with her friends. This woman is not me, but I'd like to be her sometimes. So even if you don't get to lunch with your friends (while wearing your long white gloves), you can wear this ring and dream it.

The ring is embroidered with red and purple seed beads. The beadwork is attached to a silver plated adjustable ring. The underside of the ring is covered in red ultrasuede.

You can check out more pictures of it here.

Perfect Autumn Day Part 2

Luck was on my side. We got a second beautiful day. With my camera battery now charged, I ventured out to capture some of the beauty.

Inspired by the colors of the season, I pulled out this cabochon that I bought months ago. I personally find working with red and yellow very difficult. I've challenged myself in the past and haven't been happy with the results.

I purchased this cabochon months ago and I have two round ones that match it. It reminded me of a sunflower. I purchased it from Lisa Peters. You can check out more of her beautiful handmade ceramic beads, buttons, pendants, and cabochons at her shop here.

I'm happy with the results so far. This is going to become a bracelet, which I hope to finish this week and will post the results when it done.

Do you have a color that you find difficult to work with? Have you overcome your color issues and how did you do it?

End of the Season

Last night it was really cold here. The kind of cold that indicates winter is right around the corner. I haven't made it out to the flower garden, but I expect that the frost took the rest of the zinnias.

Zinnias are one of my favorite flowers. They are extremely hardy. They can tolerate too much rain or lack of it. This year we had a lot of rain and not a lot of heat. They are a wonderful cut flower and can last more than a week once cut. Best of all they have a really long season. We actually had so many that we sold them this year and donated the money to a charity.

So as I am mourning the end of the zinnia season, I'm sharing with you a picture of zinnia from my garden and the ring that was inspired by it. Until next year zinnias. Enjoy!

Perfect Autumn Day

Today was an incredible fall day here in the east. The trees were just gorgeous. Puffy clouds floating along the blue sky. I headed out the door with my camera to capture some of this glory. And then, I discovered the battery in my camera was dead.

So instead of a beautiful picture of this fall day, I'm sharing a picture of a pair of earrings that I just renewed in my Etsy shop. The gold and cranberry color reminded me of the some of trees on the hills this weekend.

These bold bead embroidered earrings are made with two square jasper beads and glass pearls. The jasper beads are surrounded by seed beads and cranberry colored pearls. The part of earring is made from gold colored glass pearls that are also surrounded by cranberry colored pearls. The top and bottom are connected by a tiger's eye bead. A very full fringe of seed beads and drop beads hang from the bottom.

Peacock Earrings

Here's a new pair of earrings that I've recently finished. I actually had completed the base of these earrings earlier in the summer. I wasn't going to put a large fringe on them originally, but I just wasn't happy with what I was putting together. I put the earrings away for a while.

In the process of unearthing my dining room table, I found the half done earrings and with new eyes immediately figured out how I wanted to finish them. Maybe it is also because I found the dagger beads at the same time. I didn't set out to mimic a peacock feather, but once they were done that's what I think they look like.

The center piece is a dyed mother of pearl tear drop. They are surrounded by seed beads and Czech fire polished beads. The fringe is made from seed beads, Czech fire polished beads, howlite beads, and dagger beads. These are big earrings - 3 inches long. But still incredibly light weight. They are backed in black ultrasuede.

Scallop Shell Pendant

This morning the sun poked it head out for a very short time, but just enough for me to get some pictures taken of the new pieces I've completed.

Here's another piece using the handmade cabochons I've been making. The focal piece for this one is a beautiful print of a scallop shell. I added a second tier to the pendant made from african turquoise. I love this color combination of orange, brown, and turquoise. The pendant hangs from a ribbon and cord necklace.

A Trip to the Bead Store

Wednesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. It is half way between the "work" week. This year we don't have any activities so I'm home in the evening which means I can sometimes get some beading done. Additionally, my youngest goes to school a full day on Wednesdays so I can plan mommy only trips or appointments for those days.

Well, today was a trip to my favorite bead store - Crystal Bead Bazaar. I haven't been there in months so it was nice to catch up with the owner and check out all the new items she has added to her stock.

I picked up some seed beads, pearls, and glass drops. She has added a beautiful array of antiqued silver chain, so I got some of that too. The last time I was in the store, I was checking out this beautiful raku ceramic cabochon. I was so glad it was still there. So I got that too.

Now I'm full of new ideas and can't wait to get to work on some new pieces.

A Visitor

This weekend, my husband discovered this little guy in our basement. The kids were THRILLED. I was NOT! He was little, only about 3 inches long. He's a ring neck snake. The kids were hoping to keep him as a pet. I firmly put my foot down.

I not afraid of most critters, except mice and snakes. Unfortunately, I've had way too many runs ins with both mice and snakes. I'm pretty sure we have a large black snake living in the basement. My rule is as long as I don't see him, he can stay because he keeps the mouse population down. A couple of months ago, I ventured to the basement to get some empty canning jars and discovered a 5 foot long snake skin. Again, the kids were THRILLED. I avoided heading to the basement unless it was absolutely necessary and I took one of the dogs with me. Yep, I'm a big wimp.

I have some felt that has a snake skin pattern printed on it. Maybe I'll bead a faux snake skin cuff. But that the closest I'm getting to any snakes.

Black, Gold, and Penguins

I purchased a handful of these black Swarovski crystal rivolis a couple of months ago. I originally thought they would find themselves in a neckpiece. However, when I finished the "Joie de Vivre" cuff, I decided to the dig out the rivolis. I've been holding onto these gold daggers waiting for the right pair of earrings to incorporate them. I'm usually so sick of a color combination after I've finished a piece, especially if it is a cuff or neckpiece. I think I was influenced by the fact that Pittsburgh Penguins kick off their season tonight. Something that we are looking forward to here at our house. There's been a lot of coverage of the team this week because they will be raising the banner representing their Stanley Cup win last year.

Black and gold are sacred in this town and you can never go wrong with black and gold.

Good luck Penguins!

New Bracelet - Joie de Vivre

I am really enjoying working with these new cabochons I've been making. Here's another new piece.

This bracelet was created for the Thursday Sweet Treat Blog Theme "Spreading Joy". I just love the picture of the woman. She looks so happy and joyful. She reminds me of a flapper girl.

I surrounded the glass cabochon with cream colored seed beads, black Swarovski crystals, and small gold bugle beads. The cuff is then embellished with black delica seed beads with gold Czech beads randomly placed around the cuff. On either end of the cuff are gold coin pearls. Additionally, I made two cut out sections on each side. The burgundy ultrasuede, which backs the cuff, can be seen through the cut out sections. The cuff attaches with hook and eye closure.

Please go check out the other pieces created for the "Spreading Joy" theme on the Thursday Sweet Treat Blog.

Butterfly Pendants

I recently have been exploring new techniques to add to my work. I was interested in creating some of my own cabochons. After doing a little searching, I decided I wanted to try my hand at creating cabochons with specialized paper and glass. I'll describe how I made these cabochons in another post, but I wanted to share some of the first pieces I completed with these new cabochons.

Here are two butterflies I created with paper, glass, and bead embroidery. They are wonderfully simple, but the pictures under glass are incredibly detailed.

Over the next few days, I'll share other pieces I've completed with these hand made cabochons. I have some more photos to take so that I can prepare these for my etsy shop.

Spider Earrings

I realized the other day that many of my items in my ETSY shop had expired. Since Halloween is just around the corner, I decided I would relist my bead embroidered Spider Earrings. When I purchased these beads, I instantly thought they looked like spiders. The beads have a beautiful metallic quality to them. They seem to change color depending on the light.

On a somewhat related note, I was shopping at Jo Ann Fabrics the other day with my youngest daughter and all the Halloween stuff is already on sale. And the Christmas items are already out. I had to take a double take. It is still September, right? I guess Valentine's items will be appearing around December 1 at this rate.

My Artist Statement

I've been in the process of applying to some juried art shows. As part of that process, I've had to tackle the writing of an artist statement. I, of course, put this part of the application process off until last. I found it daunting to convey what I do into 3 short paragraphs. It is hard to put into words why I create the pieces I do. Fortunately, I have a very supportive husband, who helped me pull something together. The other good thing is that artist statements are supposed to evolve throughout an artists career. I feel confident that this is a good starting point and it can change as I change.

So here it is...

I work in bead embroidery, which is the art of taking beads and artifacts and sewing them into one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. Taking inspiration from nature, I seek to incorporate a variety of textures and colors into the work, while attempting to arrange the materials in a way that creates a sense of movement and light.

As an artist and family farmer, I find that the changing seasons impact my work. When the fields are green or the sunflowers are blooming, my palette reflects that landscape. When the dogs have an encounter with a porcupine, the quills sometimes find their way into a piece.

These native elements, along with fossils, abalone and gems tie the work to our natural lives and history.

So have you written an artist statement? Was it hard for you too? Please share a link to your artist statement, if you have one. I'm curious to see how others describe themselves and their work.

Now that this is done, I'm getting back to beading.

I'm FINALLY Back

Okay, I know it's been more than a month since I posted here on my blog. Life has been a little crazy and I needed to get my family life in order. Well, not that it is ever really in order, but I needed to feel like I had some control over it.

My kids went back to school and it always takes us a couple of weeks to get back into the swing of things. We've now got a few weeks under our belts and I think we all feel a bit more settled.

I have been beading in what little time I've had. I've actually got a number of new pieces to share. I've been trying some new techniques and want to share that too. I'm also preparing for some upcoming shows. I've had to spend time taking a lot of pictures, which is not my favorite thing to do.

Yesterday, I decided that it was time to start tackling my workspace. I actually should call it the dumping ground. I've taken over our dining room. This wasn't a big deal because we don't ever dine in there anyways. Unfortunately, I tend to just dump everything on the table. When it gets bad, I organize. Well, for the last month I have been dumping and dumping and dumping. I think my kids actually started putting their stuff on the table too.

So here it is. Not good. My mission - GET ORGANIZED. I'm good at organizing, but not good at keeping it up. So I'm sure that the dining room will look like this again at some point.

When I start new projects, there is a flurry of activity, then I get interrupted and the project is placed on the table. By the time I get back to it, I might have a new idea rolling around in my head and another new project is started. Again an interruption and another project is added to the mountain. It is a terrible cycle, but a reality for me and I suspect others.

Finally, I'm adding a picture of my constant companion. This is Argus. He's my shadow. While I was taking pictures of the table, he was right there at my feet. I'll talk about Argus more another day, but I will say this. He never adds anything to the table and he never complains about what it looks like. So I love him.

A Blog Break

As you've noticed, I haven't posted anything for too many days. I think I need a break. My two oldest kids start school next week and I've been so busy trying to get their lives organized that there just hasn't been much time for beading or blogging. Who knew that preparing for 4th and 5th grade required so much work. New backpack, new binders, new school supplies, new shoes, and of course new clothes. It is a lot of work. Plus trying to do it all while shopping with all them with you would wear down anyone.

I do hate to see summer end. We've had such a good summer, albeit, short and not to hot. I love the summers because we don't follow too much of a schedule. I hate to have it all end, when it feels like it just started. The start of school makes me realize that my kids are one year older.

So, I'm off to enjoy the last few days of summer with my kids. Maybe I'll steal a few moments to get some beading done and I'll be back soon to share it with all of you.

Gone Fishin'

Sorry I've disappeared for a few days. We've been taking a stay-vacation. Each August, my husband takes a week off and we stay home. We try to get a few projects done, the kind that need more than a weekend. (We are working on a pond, but that's another post.) We also try to do some things with the kids that we don't get to do the rest of the year. The last few years we've been renting a pontoon boat and gone fishing. It is always a fun day. Everyone gets to fish. The boat is big enough that we don't get tangled lines too often. It is one of my favorite things to do. So I thought I'd share a few photos from our trip. 

I've also been beading, however with not much success. I started a cuff that I've now ripped apart 2 times. So I'm rethinking what I was trying to do. It is really frustrating when you can't get what's in your head on to paper, or in my case beading foundation. I'm going back to the drawing board and starting again. Hopefully I've something new to share in a few days.

When you hit a road block do you step away for a few days or push ahead trying again right away? 

The Fruits of My Labor

Although, it was hot and humid today, I braved the heat to make blackberry jam. We didn't have the best year for blackberries. The weather just wasn't right, not warm enough or enough rain at the right time. However, I did pick some yesterday which is not the easiest thing to do. We have wild blackberries and they have a lot of thorns.  My legs and arms bare the scars of battle. Fortunately, I had some frozen from last year so I didn't have to pick that many. 

I will endure heat, humidity, and thorns because in the middle of winter there is nothing like some homemade jam.

Zucchini Babies

We have been overwhelmed by squash. In the spring, we planted a couple of different varieties. Although, I do love squash, I just can't look at another one. We've had such a huge crop that we've been giving it away to every man, woman, and child we know. 

Last weekend, I just couldn't pick any more so when we returned to the farm on Saturday we discovered that some of the zucchini had quadrupled in size. The girls decided to pick the big ones and pretend that they were zucchini babies. I was informed that I am now a grandmother to an extra large zucchini name "Kini". The photo above was taken prior to a little stroll with one of the zucchini babies. 

Sweet, don't you think?

Challenge Complete?

Okay, so I didn't exactly meet my challenge. My challenge was to post new items each week day this past week to my etsy shop. Since I met a few challenges (computer and etsy), I didn't actually get everything posted. However, I have posted new items to my blog this week. So I going to feel somewhat satisfied that I met my challenge. I do acknowledge that it wasn't what I originally planned, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Anyone who has a husband, children, pets, etc. is very experienced with going with the flow.

Well, here's the last of the new items. And I DID post these to my shop today. I purchased these filigree drops last year from dimestoreemporium on etsy. They are brass finding that have been hand aged. I just love the look of them. They look old and weather, like they've had a life before they came to me. Because they are so detailed, I didn't want to do too much beading. I attached them to beading foundation and used bronze size 15 seed beads to embellish the edge. The earrings are backed in burgundy ultrasuede and hang from brass ear wires. They are incredibly light weight. You can see more pictures of the earrings here.

Over the Moon

This was my submission to this week's Thursday Sweet Treat Blog. The theme was "Over the Moon". I created this one of a kind art pendant.

The moon was created with four pyrite beads that are surrounded by a variety of seed, Czech, bugle, and glass beads. The dark side of the moon was created with several different types of black beads. A cascading fringe hangs from the bottom of the pendant. It was created with Czech and seed beads. The pendant hangs from a simple circular neck wire and is backed in black ultrasuede.

So I intended to post this to my etsy shop to keep up with my personal challenge. But due to an unfortunate glitch, my computer keeps losing it's connection and I can't get it posted to on etsy. I get the whole description typed into etsy and then try to move on to the next step and I lose the connection. This has provided an unending amount of frustration. I'm hoping the issue is with etsy and not my computer. I haven't had a bit of trouble getting things posted here.

So I'm going to say that at least I got a new item posted on the blog and hope to post this piece, plus another new one tomorrow on etsy.

I hope that your day has been less frustrating than mine.