Jodi Horgan - The Beaded Path

Paradise Lost

2010-03-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

Our family was lucky to escape winter for a few days last week. We made our way to the warm and sunny beaches of Grand Cayman Island. My husband goes for business meetings and we all tag along. My kids were obviously thrilled because they got out of school for a week. I think we all needed the escape. The ever increasing amounts of snow and gray was taking its toll on all of us.

We swam, lounged, and drank virgin daiquiris by the pool. We ate and ate and ate enough for many weeks, but it is hard to resist the wonderful fish and sticky toffee pudding. If you've never tried it, you must. I recommend it paired with vanilla ice cream.

(image from chtiryworld)

(image from bbcgoodfood.com)

I was hoping to share some of my own photos, but my camera decided it wanted to take a dip in the ocean too. So I'm off to buy a new camera this week.

Now that I'm relaxed and refreshed, I'll be starting some new beading projects and will start sharing as soon as I've gotten a new camera.

Yellow Sunflower Cuff

2010-02-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I needed a pick me up from all the snow that is now piled up around me.

I've had this beautiful yellow flower cabochon from Lisa Peters Art. This cabochon reminded me of the sunflowers we grow each summer. However, yellow is a really difficult color for me to incorporate into my pieces so this beautiful cabochon has been waiting to be used. I pulled out my trusty color wheel and decided to pair the yellow cabochon with purple. The color combination provided me with that color pick me up.

I decided to embroider the yellow cabochon with bronze seed beads. I wanted to mimic the feel of flower petals so I added the two rows of fringe beads in bronze and rainbow opaque. The centerpiece is attached to a metal cuff that was covered with genuine purple leather. The underside of the cuff is lined with lavender ultrasuede. You can see more pictures of the cuff here.

If you'd like to see more of Lisa's work, you can find more of her lovely beads, buttons, and cabochons here.

Continuing Explorations in Silk

2010-02-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

I'm continuing to play with silk soutache braid. Here's my most recent creation. I made these for the Thursday Sweet Treat Weekly Challenge. You can see more pictures of these earrings here. Head on over to Thursday Sweet Treat to see what others made this week.

Etsy BeadWeavers February Challenge

2010-02-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

Voting has started at the Etsy BeadWeavers blog. The theme was the ocean, which provided a wealth of creative directions. Obviously, this appealed to many team members because there were an incredible 46 entries. Voting goes until February 15.

My entry was my bead embroidered purse "Bottom of the Ocean". Please take a moment to stop by the blog and enter your vote.

A Few Snow Photos

2010-02-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

Just a few photos of our snow adventure the last few days.

Juno swimming in the snow.

The imprint of a bird taking off or landing, not sure which.

The window in the tree house.

One of the apple trees.

A Beading Marathon

2010-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

On the eve of my 30th birthday, I took up running. As a stay at home mom of two (at the time), I felt like I needed something to focus on, besides the kids and getting the laundry done. I signed up for a 5 K and started training. Fortunately, I have a good friend who was a runner and she provided some good training advice. I was off and running. I carved a little time out every other day to run. It did my mind and body good.

Many years later I still run, sometimes not as much as I'd like. I've run countless 5K races and have now completed two half marathons. What have I learned? Consistency is key and you just have to do it (even when you don't feel like it). Some days the run will be great. You'll feel incredible afterwards. Then, there will be days when it takes every ounce of effort to get your butt out the door and you'll still feel crappy at the end of the run. Fortunately, most of the runs are good and I did feel pretty good afterwards.

I applied these same techniques while working on my bead embroidered purse. Bead a little bit each day and the project didn't seem too overwhelming. But like training for a marathon, you have to listen to your body and mind. There were days when I felt like I'd never complete all the beading. There were days when got into a groove and the beads seem to sew themselves. Sometimes I sat there staring at the piece not knowing direction I was headed. But like running, consistency is the key and I kept at it even when I didn't feel like.

I hope you come take a look at the result of my beading marathon here.

I feel exhausted and proud now that it done. I'll do another purse, but maybe after a few shorter projects. But I will be back and I will do another half marathon in the future too.

Happy beading and running!

Earthy Green Earrings

2010-02-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

I just listed these new earrings in my etsy shop.

I've been doing a lot of experimenting with silk soutache trim the last few weeks. I ordered many yards of the trim for an on-line supplier. They had the most beautiful colors.

I love earthy colors especially greens. The trim was a perfect match to these ceramic beads I found.

I have a number of pieces to photograph and post, but here's the first pair. The center is a ceramic bead. Four layers of silk trim surround the bead and curls around two pyrite beads. The earrings are backed in black ultrasuede. You can see more pictures here.

Amoeba or Raindrop? - You be the judge

2010-01-23T13:12:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I found these great wrap sweaters. I love them and I bought them in three different colors. However I needed a brooch to dress them up and keep them closed if needed. Here's the brooch I made.

The rivoli is an incredible shade of blue/green. While I was beading it, I kept thinking it looked like amoeba especially when I added the fringe. But now when I look at it, it reminds me of a rain drop.

What do you think?

A Few More Hearts

2010-01-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

I posted a few more bead embroidered heart pins to my etsy shop today. Please stop by and check them out.

Have a great weekend!

Sharing My Heart with You

2010-01-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

Like many others I've been overwhelmed by the holidays and the new year. Blogging wasn't the only thing that wasn't getting done on the list. Now that I feel like my head is above water, I will be trying to get back on the blogging horse.

The last few weeks have been filled with lots of activity on the beading front and I'm excited to start sharing some with all of you.

A friend of mine started this great website for 'tween' girls called iTwixie. iTwixie is the ultimate online hangout for 'tween' girls. They inspire and unite girls ages 8-14 on a site that is safe, age appropriate, and fun. Since I have a 9 year old daughter, I love that she has a safe on-line place to go to interact with other girls her own age and have fun while doing it.

I had talked to my friend last year about developing a project for the site. Finally, after a few starts and stops (on my side), my bead embroidered heart pin project is debuting today on the site.

I hope you'll go check it out and share it with any 'tween' girls in your life. The project can be viewed by anyone. I'm also offering kits in my etsy shop for anyone interested.

A Little Piece of Art on Your Wrist

2009-11-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-11-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-11T10:56:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-10-28T04:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-26T16:57:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-14T13:12:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-10T18:01:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-02T16:03:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-28T18:37:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-26T17:49:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-08-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-08-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

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.

White Turquoise Bead Embroidered Cuff

2009-08-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is today's newest post to my etsy shop.

Back in June, I went to a new bead show that came to town and found these beautiful white turquoise beads. The beads are just beautiful. Each one is different. The all have the traditional black matrix. Some have a pink hue and some have a brown one. They are really versatile and many colors complement the stones.

I love how the white turquoise pops against the various shades of pink, purple, and gold beads used to embroider the entire cuff. The cuff is also embellished with pearls, pewter beads, and bugle beads. The base is a metal cuff and the underside is lined with pale pink ultrasuede.

You can see more pictures here.

Autumn Sunset

2009-08-04T10:23:00.001-07:00

Okay, so here's the second day of posting something new to my etsy shop.

This bead embroidered pendant was created with a fossilized coral cabochon. It is really an incredible stone. I didn't want to do too much and take away from the stone. I added the fire opal beads for added interest. I like how they added to the circular feeling of the piece. For a simple pendant, it has a lot of natural detail. I decided to call it Autumn Sunset because of the orange hues. You can see more pictures here.

I'm hoping to take some more pictures today of the other pieces I've finished. The weather man is calling for rain, so I'd better get it done soon.

What are you trying to get done today?

New Turquoise Pendant

2009-08-03T16:16:00.001-07:00

I've given myself a personal challenge this week. I'd like to post a new item to my etsy store every day this week. I've been steadily working on pieces for the last few weeks and really need to get them photographed and posted. I only have a few more weeks before my kids head back to school. The first week or two is really crazy. Making sure everyone has what they need and getting back on schedule is really difficult. I wanted to make an effort to pay attention to my shop while I can.

So here's the first piece...

One of my favorite color combinations is turquoise and brown. With that in mind, this pendant came together without much effort. The pendant is actually three separate sections connected by Swarovski crystals in between. The top section is made from a turquoise bead. I surrounded it with seed beads and then added the Capri Blue Swarovski crystals for detail and texture. The center section is a Mocha Swarovski rivoli this is surrounded by seed beads and turquoise colored glass beads. A coin pearl embroidered with seed beads makes up the bottom section. The pendant hands from gold neck wire, but would also look great on a piece of leather.

If you'd like to see more pictures you can check them out here.

Have you given yourself a challenge this week?

Butterflies

2009-08-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

The butterflies are abundant right now. With all the flowers that blooming, there is lots to eat. Here's one that was able to catch with the camera.

The butterflies were the inspiration for these lifelike butterfly pendants I created. I just listed them at my etsy shop. You can check out more pictures of the Pink Butterfly here. The Orange and Purple Butterfly pictures are here. These were really fun to create. They are a great reminder of the beautiful butterflies flying from flower to flower.

Birthdays and Blue

2009-07-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been MIA the last few days. It has been a busy week. My daughter's 9th birthday was this week and we had a lot of activities the last few days.

Last night we had her "friend" birthday party. She decided to have it at our local "paint your own pottery" place. The girls got to make their own charms to put on a bracelet. It was a lot of fun to watch their creative process. I love that they got to be part of each step of the process - picking stamps, cutting the clay, and painting. They even learned how to make roses out of clay. It was very cool. They were very serious about the whole thing. They were working so hard that they were really quiet. Not your typical birthday party. When the bracelet are done, I'll take some pictures to share.

I actually finished these earrings last week, but am finally getting around to posting and sharing. An amazonite cabochon and a blue pearl are the focal points. The earrings are embroidered with size 11 pale blue seed beads and size 15 blue metallic seed beads. A metallic blue drop hangs from the bottom. The earrings are backed in slate blue colored ultrasuede and hang from sterling silver ear wires. You can see more photos here.

I made these as part of the Thursday Sweet Treat theme "It's Going to Be A Bright Blue Day". You can see what other artists submitted here.

Tiny Flower Earrings

2009-07-27T12:32:00.001-07:00

Since, I've obviously been focused on flowers the last few days, I decided to relist my Tiny Flower Earrings on Etsy. These adorable earrings are perfect for any occasion. Two glass flower beads are surrounded by seed beads and hang from sterling silver ear wires. The earrings are backed in black ultrasuede. These bead embroidered earrings are so light weight, you won't even know your wearing them.

Texture and Shape Inspiration

2009-07-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I took the pictures for color inspiration, I was also took the pictures below. I thought they were really interesting examples of texture and shape. They also looked like alien life forms, but that's another blog post. Anyways, I'm really interested in textures. Maybe that's way I like beads so much. I love the way beads feel and how I can change the texture of a beaded piece by sewing the beads in different ways. Now I'm thinking how I can interpret these textures into beaded pieces.

Color Inspiration

2009-07-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Nature is a great source of inspiration. Right now I can take a quick little stroll and see so many colors, shapes, and textures. Today was no exception. Our gardens and field are filled with so much color right now, it's hard not to find something to spark a new idea. I thought I'd share some color inspiration with you.

Where do you find inspiration?

To Fringe or Not to Fringe?

2009-07-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was rainy and rather cold for mid July in Western Pennsylvania. With that in mind, I created this one-of-a-kind art pendant. The piece was inspired by large raindrops. You know the kind that are huge and make a huge splat against your wind shield.

Although I am really happy with how it turned out, I can't decide whether or not I should add fringe to the bottom. To fringe or not to fringe, is the question. So what do you think?

France on My Mind

2009-07-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Julia Child's "My Life in France" and I loved it. I remember seeing Julia Child on PBS when I was a little girl. She had a really interesting voice and distinctive manner. I had recently seen the trailer for the new movie "Julie and Julia" and decided to pick up "My Life in France". Julia had such and interesting life. I love that she moved to a foreign country, couldn't speak the language, and ultimately decided to master the art of french cooking. Amazing and brave. I love that she had a incredibly supportive husband. I love that she was interested in even the smallest details. (I'm into the details.) She had to convert the French recipes into American recipes with American ingredients and measurements. She adapted and worked hard, but most of all she never felt sorry for herself or at least she didn't mention it. And she did this all after the age of 35!

I'm now reading the book by Julie Powell, "Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously". In a moment of weakness, she decides to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in a year. She started a blog so that others could follow her progress. I would say that this was equally amazing and brave. I pretty sure that Julie Powell, also had an incredibly supportive husband. After reading about some of the recipes in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," I'm not sure I'd have the courage to even try to cook them. Let alone feed them to my family.

I'm all about pictures and I needed some to post with this blog entry. So I went to Etsy and found a few things that caught my eye. These items are distinctly French to me.

Enjoy!

Paris Monument Map Journal from moonlightbindery

Eiffel Tower Glass Paperweight from prettyoriginals

Fleur-De-Lis Scrabble Tile Pendant from IMCreations

A Lot of Green (Beads and Garden)

2009-07-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

I am surrounded by green. Green beads and green garden. I thought I'd share a little of that green with all of you.

I finished these sweet little earrings awhile ago, I just haven't gotten a chance to take a lot of photos and prepare them for my Etsy shop. (Boy this sounds a lot like my last post.) The small cabochon in the center is an amazonite. I surrounded it with three different colors of green seed beads. It reminded me of all those great green colors you see at the beginning of summer.

And here's one of my garden's. This is the one I call my "house garden". Just because it is closest to the house. In this garden, we have tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, basil, cabbage, and a lot of beans. I love it right now because it is a sea of green. Everything is full and flowering and hopefully we will soon be picking. Well, technically we have been picking lettuce, but nothing else yet.

Southwest Inspired Cuff Finished

2009-07-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I finally got the cuff finished. Sometimes it seems that I get projects almost done and then finishing the final step takes so much effort. I am really happy with how this cuff turned out. I'm debating whether or not I'll post it to my Etsy shop.

Last weekend I finished two more cuffs and I hope to find sometime this week to get them photographed and posted. Again, that final step takes so much effort.

I've not been doing much beading this week because I've been working on a knitting project. Friends of ours just welcomed their first baby on July 4th. I started a baby blanket at the end of May and I'm still not done.

Do you see a pattern here? Do I have a problem? I think I need to work on my "finishing" skills. At least I admit that I have a problem. If you have any suggestions or advice for my problem I'll welcome the input.

But, the sun is shining today so I think we'll go swimming instead.

The Wonderful World of Wildflowers

2009-07-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a really odd day. Raining when we woke up, then cloudy, and then the sun poked its head out from behind the clouds. My oldest daughter and I decided to take a walk. It seems that in the last week all the wildflowers just took hold of our fields. We headed down the back road, dogs leading the way. We got to the top of the hill with only a few flowers in hand and the thunder started to roll. We decided to take the turn to the tree house just in case we needed to seek shelter, which we did. Fortunately not for very long, because it is not fun to be in the tree house with 2 German Shepards in a thunder storm. The brief showers passed and we continued picking as we went along. We returned with this lovely bouquet. We found Queen Anne's Lace, Butterfly Milkweed, daisies, purple clover, and a bunch of others that I don't know the names.

Black and White Cuff

2009-07-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

I love this dramatic black and white cuff, but it didn't start that way. When I first started work on it, I was extremely frustrated. I usually work with a larger palate of colors. I wanted to try my hand at working with only black and white. I pulled every black and white bead from my ever growing stash. I had acquired the two quartz stones awhile back. I figured that they would become the centerpiece of a neckpiece or cuff, but would be surrounded by a rainbow of colors. As usual, I didn't have a specific plan when I started the cuff. I arranged the cabochons and started beading. Well, after only a few rows of beads I quickly decided that only black and white was not going to do. I was going to have add another color. Focusing only on the black and white, the cuff had no depth and no character. Gray was the natural choice. The addition of gray gave a pleasing step between the black and white beads. The cuff was also embellished with pearls, shell beads, glass beads, and hematite beads.

So after, a rather dissatisfying start, I was over the top at the finished piece. It is truly a piece of art to wear.

You can see more pictures of the cuff at my Etsy site (www.jodihorgan.etsy.com).

Something New Something Blue Cuff

2009-07-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

This incredible one-of-a-kind cuff was created for the Etsy Beadweavers July Challenge "Here Comes the Bride...". Inspired by the items every bride needs on her wedding day (something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue), I created this cuff with a twist on the classic.

The cuff was created with 9 mother-of-pearl cabochons. The cabochons were embroidered with delica seed beads and embellished with more than 250 Swarovski crystals in crystal AB and white opal. The underside of the cuff is a beautiful slate blue ultrasuede.

If you'd like to vote please visit the Etsy Beadweavers' Blog between Julty 9th-15th to see all the entries and vote for your favorite. http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com

My cuff is number 21.

On My Beading Mat

2009-07-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share what I've got on my beading mat this weekend. I've started a new cuff with a southwest theme. The center is a turquoise stone. I've embellished the cuff with pearls, raku beads, pillow beads, seed beads, and more turquoise beads. I've finished beading the cuff and just need to attach it to the base and finish the backing.

I wasn't sure how much I would get done because the garden required a lot of attention. But it was a very productive weekend. The weather was perfect for gardening (not too hot with a nice breeze). The garden looks a lot better and I've got a cuff almost done.

Happy 4th of July and Some More Red, White, and Blue

2009-07-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to search Etsy for some more red, white, and blue. Here's what caught my eye.

The first are Czech glass flower cone beads from sultryaffairbeads.

The second comes from goosegrease, custom wedding cake toppers.

And finally, these beautiful blue lampwork disks from hmbstudios.

I hope you'll take a minute to check out these Etsy shops.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July! I'll be weeding and beading.

Red, White, and Blue

2009-07-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Since I didn't have anything red, white, and blue to feature I went searching on Etsy. I stumbled upon this beautiful watercolor print. The print is from the shop of LaBerge. The print reminded me of all the strawberries we've been picking from our patch and the wild ones growing in our fields.

If you have a minute go check out LeBerge's shop. She has a wide variety of prints and original artwork. Enjoy.

Red, Purple, and Bronze

2009-07-02T12:09:00.001-07:00

I was hoping to post something in red, white, and blue, but unfortunately, I don't have anything in those colors. So the closest were these earrings. The center is an oblong piece of red glass that is surrounded by pale purple and bronze seed beads. A small bronze flower bead cap was sewn at the top. Red daggers and purple Czech glass beads make up the fringe at the bottom.

These are fun, flirty earrings. They are pretty long, but very light weight.

Custom Order

2009-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine wanted a simple pendant that she could wear every day with just about everything. She picked a fossilized coral bead for the center. The one she picked is incredible. It is very detailed. It looks like tiny little flowers. We decided to keep the focus on the beautiful bead and surrounded it with various black seed beads. I alternated between shiny and matte to give the piece some added detail. The pendant hangs from a leather cord that has added beads on either side. The pendant is small, only about 1 1/2 inches wide. I delivered the piece to her this morning and she was very happy. So I'm happy too.

New Pierced Earrings

2009-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

I finished these earrings the other night. I was working on them for the Thursday Sweet Treat theme "Whirling Colors in Mid Flight". Unfortunately, due to an extremely crazy week I never got them submitted in time.

I've used the teardrop beads before, but this time I turned them upside down. This provided a whole new design direction. These are bead embroidered pierced earrings. The gray teardrop shell bead is surrounded by seed beads in cream, gold, and purple. The earrings are also embellished with purple jasper beads and Swarovski crystals. Shell fringe hangs from the bottom. The pierced earrings are backed in black ultrasuede. The posts are sterling silver plated.

If you'd like to see what other people submitted for the "Whirling Colors in Mid Flight", you can check them out on the Thursday Sweet Treat blog.

A Tutorial and Giveaway

2009-06-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, Natasha at Thursday Sweet Treat approached me about writing a tutorial to feature on her blog. I decided to take her up on her offer and I've been busy writing, taking photographs, and rewriting. Today that tutorial is making its debut on Thursday Sweet Treat. The tutorial teaches how to make a Bulls Eye Pendant like the one pictured above.

Here's the best part if you go over to check out the tutorial and make a comment on her blog, you could win the pendant pictured above. So I hope you'll take a moment to go check it out. The giveaway begins today and runs through midnight June 29th. The winner will be announced on June 30th.

If you decide to make a pendant, I'd love for you to share it with me. Happy beading!

Tiger Lilies

2009-06-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the tiger lilies bloomed. They are everywhere. We have a line that surrounds our small garden near our house, but you can see them everywhere along the roads right now too.

Orange and yellow are not at the top of my list of favorite colors, but I can't deny that these are beautiful flowers. I now feel challenged to try beading something using the same color combination as these lilies. I find yellow a really difficult color to work with in beading. I'm sure that is because it is not one of my favorite colors, but I also struggle to figure out how to complement it with other colors. I took a few moments over the weekend to study these flowers and I'm warming to the idea of yellow and orange. Maybe it is the deep red that separates the two. I have a few other projects in the works, but my head is now filled with a number of ideas. Oh, only to have more time to bead.

Is there a color that you find hard to incorporate? Have you been able to overcome it?

Pyrite Earrings

2009-06-20T08:01:00.001-07:00

Here's the next pair of earrings. These earrings use a square pyrite bead and a pewter bead as the focal points. The beads are surrounded by matte gray and metallic blue seed beads. A beautiful metallic blue dagger bead hangs from the bottom with Czech glass beads on either side. The earrings hang from sterling silver ear wires and are backed in black ultrasuede.

It is a rainy weekend here so I hoping that I can get some more beading done. I'm also glad it's raining because I just don't feel like weeding the garden. I'd rather weed through my beads.

Purple Jasper Earrings

2009-06-18T11:22:00.001-07:00

Somehow last weekend I found a lot of time to bead. I finished two pairs of earrings and two pendants. Now the hard part is getting everything photographed so that I can post them to my Etsy shop. Here's the first pair.

These bead embroidered earring s use an amber Swarovski flat back crystal as the centerpiece. The Swarovski crystal is surrounded by size 15 seed beads in a dark cranberry and bronze square seed beads. A purple jasper bead is stitched above the crystal. A gold drop hands from below. The earrings are backed in eggplant color ultrasuede and hang from gold plated ear wires.

These earrings aren't very big and they are super lightweight. They're great wear everyday earrings.

Skipping Stones Cuff

2009-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

While on our recent road trip, we took a few moments to skip stones on Lake Champlain. My youngest daughter was so excited when she got a stone to skip two times over the water. We could have stood there forever skipping stone after stone.

I created the Skipping Stones Cuff to capture that memory. The center stone is a lavrovite stone. The stone is a combination of black, gray, silver, and blue. Each of the stones I bought is slightly different. Some have black spots and others have blue streaks across them. Three dark blue Czech beads are randomly placed on each side. Surrounding each of these Czech beads are seed beads that mimic the ripples of the water. The base is a metal cuff and the underside is covered with navy ultrasuede.

Photo Contest

2009-06-15T10:47:00.003-07:00

Today, I enter the photo of my Pink Zinnia Ring to Timothy Adam's Etsy Worthy Photo Contest #2. The winner gets free advertising for their Etsy shop.

So... if you have a minute, stop over at his site and check out all the photos.

Etsy BeadWeavers June Challenge

2009-06-11T15:53:00.001-07:00

The entries for the Etsy BeadWeavers June Challenge Humor are in and voting has started. Twenty-one talented artists submitted their pieces based on the theme "Humor". Please take a moment to check out the entries and don't forget to vote for your favorite.

http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

Although, I didn't get a chance participate in the challenge, I'm already working on a piece for the July theme "Here Comes the Bride". As soon as voting has finished for June challenge I'll share what I've done so far.

Sharing the Love

2009-06-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I woke to a little surprise. Two of my blogging pals shared with me some blog awards.

Thank you Natasha at Thursday Sweet Treat and

Jenjen at GottaLoveMom

It is my pleasure to share these awards with a few other bloggers that I follow. I hope you'll take a moment to visit their blogs and leave them a comment.

1. http://karenhilton.typepad.com/ Go check out the adventures of Milo and his family.

2. http://www.arunningmom.com/ Are you a runner and a mom? If you are you'll understand.

3. http://blog.thelonebeader.com/ Come check out the most amazing beaded creations you'll ever see, especially the current project. The White House. A must see.

4. http://triz-beadingmania.blogspot.com/ Another incredible beader. I love her use of colors.

5. http://kerrieslade.blogspot.com/ You have to check out her beaded dragon. And btw, she makes the most beautiful flowers.

6. http://mkcphotographybymichelleciarlo-hayes.blogspot.com/ I'm not sure what I love more the photos or the stories behind the photos.

7. http://simplyadorning.blogspot.com/ Really beautiful jewelry.

8. http://colourchallenge.blogspot.com/ I eager to see what she finds out and shares with the rest of us.

The First Pick

2009-06-08T18:10:00.003-07:00

It was a good weekend. Beautiful weather and we picked the first strawberries out of our strawberry patch. We planted the patch three years ago. The first year, we had no strawberries. Last year we picked a enough to eat right from the patch plus some to make triple berry jam (strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry). The patch looks great this year. The plants have doubled in size from last year and we've got lots of green strawberries on the plants.

As I took these pictures I was imaging a little beaded strawberry. I will add it to my notebook of ideas. I'm working on a project right now so it will have to wait.

Oh, the reason for two (very similar) photos, both of my daughters wanted to have a photo of the strawberries they picked and they wanted me to post both pictures. So I did,

Moulin Rouge Sunflower Pin

2009-06-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, my family has been working hard to get our gardens prepared and planted. Although we grow a lot of different things, my favorites are the flowers. Sunflowers and zinnias are always planted. A few years ago, I stumbled upon these Moulin Rouge sunflowers. I thought that they would be a nice addition to the sunflower garden. We were all so excited when they finally bloomed.

From far away these sunflowers look black. The contrast between the dark flowers and the bright yellow sunflowers was very dramatic. When you get up close, you can see that they are really a dark crimson. They have a velvet look to them. And as you can see below the bees really love them.

Last weekend, my daughter helped me plant the first round of sunflowers (about 1,500 seeds). Of course, we planted more Moulin Rouge and we will now wait very impatiently for them to grow and bloom.

In the meantime, I posted my bead embroidered Moulin Rouge Sunflower pin to my Etsy store. Check out the listing to see more pictures of the pin.

Then Suddenly It Came to Life

2009-06-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was reading the Etsy forums and I came across a delightful post. Another Etsy seller (Natasha) was starting this blog project called "Thursday Sweet Treat". The basic plan was that each Friday she would post a theme and then on the following Thursday she would post what artists created based on that theme. I followed for a few weeks and finally decided to participate. Since then I've submitted many pieces and have really enjoyed see how other artists interpreted the weekly theme. In addition, Natasha has shared interviews with other artists, support, and inspiration.

So... this weeks theme was "Then Suddenly It Came to Life". She asked us to take our favorite childhood book to life with one of our creations. I chose the book "Magic Friend Maker" by Gladys Baker Bond. The story begins with a lonely girl in a city neighborhood who longs for a friend. She finds a friend after sharing a special stone she's found. The girls share many fun times together, often playing with the rock, the "magic friend maker". When the owner of the rock must move, she shares the rock with her friend so that the magic can work all over again with a new friend.

In the story, the girls discover that the rock changes color when they put it under water. The piece of abalone I used for the centerpiece of the cuff reminded me of that stone. I created the cuff around the abalone's colors and the colors from the picture on the front of the book. The one little girl wore a green dress and the other a purple one. The bead embroidered cuff is embellished with seed beads, Swarovski crystals, pearls, glass beads, and bugle beads. I used black ultrasuede on the underside of the cuff.

Purple Passion Cuff

2009-06-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

The Purple Passion Cuff is finished. This cuff came together really quickly. Sometimes I lay out all the beads and I just instinctively know what goes where and what bead comes next. All the beads found their spot and settled into place.

The cuff is 1/2 inch wide with a purple cat's eye as the centerpiece. I embellished the cuff with lots of different seed beads, bugle beads, pewter beads, pearls, Swarovski crystals, semi precious stones, and glass beads. I used various shades of purple, pink, gray, and silver. As always the underside is backed in ultrasuede and of course, this time it is purple.

More Purple Inspiration

2009-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm hard at work finishing the cuff, but I wanted to share a few photos of the irises that are blooming near our house. They are an wonderful shade of purple with hints of blue. I love the little yellow hairs that grow from the center of the petals and the purple veins that meet them.

Iris is a genus of between 200-300 species of flowering plants. Iris comes from the greek work for rainbow. I believe this type maybe a bearded iris, but I'm not sure. Never the less, they are lovely.

Pursing Purple

2009-05-28T09:33:00.001-07:00

These lovely flowers are blooming all over our property. I have no idea what they are, but I love them. We also have these incredible purple irises that just opened the other day. The thing is that I feel like I am surrounded by purple flowers right now. It makes sense that my newest project would use purple as the primary color.

After the road trip and spending Memorial Day weekend planting the vegetable garden, I finally got to do some beading.

As I mentioned in a previous post my next project was going to be a cuff. I decided to use an oval purple cat's eye cabochon as the centerpiece. I've used 4 sizes of seed beads, bugle beads, pearls, pewter beads, and glass beads to embellish the cuff. The cuff is primarily shades of purple with hints of silver, gray, and reds. Whenever I use a lot of different beads, the end result always reminds me of a crazy quilt.

P.S. If you know what the flowers (picture above) are, please let me know. Thanks.

A package in the mail

2009-05-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love when a package arrives in the mail. This lovely package arrived the other day, but unfortunately I've been away and I didn't get a chance to open it up until now.

So many possibilities. Maybe you'll see some of these on the new cuff I've started.

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!

This picture was taken at Fort Ticonderoga, New York. At the request of our son, we added this to our road trip agenda.

After leaving Vermont, we headed south. After a little driving and a ferry boat ride, we arrived at Fort Ticonderoga. It just happened to be opening day at the fort. Fortunately, since it was a Thursday, it was pretty quiet.

The fort has a long history that spans both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The fort was originally built by the French between 1755 and 1759 and was called Fort Carillon. In May of 1775, the fort was captured by Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys. This was the first American victory of the Revolutionary War.

Please take a moment on this Memorial Day to remember American's fallen soldiers. It is these brave men and women who gave their lives fighting for our freedom for over 200 years.

Road Trip

2009-05-24T10:53:00.001-07:00

I've been out of the loop for a few days because our family took a quick road trip. My husband had a business meeting in Vermont and we all tagged along. It was absolutely beautiful and we jam packed a lot into three days.

One of the places we stopped was Shelburne Farms which is right outside of Burlington, Vermont. Shelburne Farms was an estate owned by William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt and was a model agricultural estate established in 1886. It is now an education nonprofit that continues as a working farm with Brown Swiss Cows. They transform the cows milk into an incredible cheddar cheese. The estate home, which sits on Lake Champlain, was transformed into an Inn. The historic farm barn houses a children's farm yard that is filled with chickens, sheep, calves, goats, and pigs. It is a wonderful place to visit for children and adults.

Right now the lilacs are in bloom all over Shelburne Farms and Vermont. Every time the wind blew, the air was filled with their sweet scent.

Inspiration for new beading projects was every where on this trip. All the wonderful colors of nature were abundant. I think this picture will help guide me on the new cuff I'll be starting this week.

A blank canvas

2009-05-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

So it is time to start something new. I've been busy with custom orders for earrings and pendants. It is time to start a cuff. Time to pull out all the cabochons, pearls, seed beads, glass beads ... basically the whole stash.

So here it is. A blank canvas. Anything is possible.

Any suggestions?

Angelina Earrings

2009-05-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Do you remember those gorgeous earring that Angelina Jolie wore to the 2009 Oscars? Her stylist hit a home run that night. Beautiful black strapless dress with show stopping jewelry. In addition to these incredible earrings, she also wore a matching ring. Who knows maybe a ring will be next?

Here's my interpretation of the earrings.

The top part of the earring is made from Swarovski rivolis. The bottom section is made from green agate teardrops. These are definitely red carpet, show stopping earrings.

By the way, I dropped off the pendant to my friend today and she loved it. I just happened to be her birthday so that made it even better. Happy Birthday Lynn!

Finished

2009-05-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

The project I showed you last week is finished. I found a little time on Sunday to complete the pendant. I used four different colors of seed beads on the top and bottom sections. The top is enhanced with gold glass pearls. The bottom was embellished with cranberry colored pearls. I backed the pendant with black ultrasuede and attached it to black leather cord. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I hope that my friend is happy too.

What do you think?

Creating New Memories

2009-05-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to get a little beading done this weekend, however, I have a much more pressing project to complete. My 8 year old daughter is becoming a Junior Girl Scout next week. I'm lucky enough to be one of leaders for her troop. I've been with this group of girls since they were in Kindergarten. I can't believe how much they have grown. It really does go quickly. We've done so many things together - craft projects, camping, field trips, picnics, and cooking. So many memories are part of each badge and patch on those Brownie vests.

So... this weekend I'll be sewing patches on Junior sashes and thinking about the new memories that we will make.

Do you think they will mind if I add a few beads?

Progress and a Pens Game

2009-05-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last night was a great night for hockey and beading. The Pens and Capitals played game 7 last night. While the Pens played, I beaded. It was a good combination. The Pens had to win last night's game in order to move on to the next round. I admit I was a little nervous so it was good to work at the same time. Fortunately, the Pens won and I made some progress. It was a good night.

Start of a New Project

2009-05-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I met with a friend to begin a custom piece. The end product will be a pendant. She picked these beautiful fossilized coral beads and a gold coin pearl.

I found these fossilized coral beads at the Bead Mercantile Show that was in Pittsburgh in March. They are really unique. I love the detail in the beads and each one is different. The one she picked is especially pretty. It reminds me of a flower.

Starry Night Ring

2009-05-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

I created this ring to match the "Night of Stars" neckpiece. When I bought the Swarovski rivolis for the neckpiece I wasn't sure how many I would actually use in the final piece. I had an extra rivoli leftover and decided that a ring was a perfect addition. That's how the "Starry Night Ring" was born.

I recently found these ring blanks on Etsy. The shops is ChristianHaylie. I really like these ring blanks because they have a large pad to attach beadwork and they are adjustable.

My First Post and a Favor

2009-05-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

And so it begins. I've been thinking about starting a blog for a long time. I just recently finished the neckpiece pictured here for the Etsy Beadweavers May Challenge and decided that this provided the perfect opportunity to get started.

The Etsy BeadWeavers is a group of beaders who market their creations on Etsy.com. The Beadweavers' creations are different from many of the traditional beaded items, in that they are woven from hundreds or thousands of tiny beads to create intricate designs and pictures. These weavings take the form of both art and jewelry. Each piece takes many hours to

complete, with some larger pieces taking weeks or even months.

Each month the team hosts a theme challenge for its members. The May Challenge was "Hollywood Red Carpet Creations". The neckpiece pictured here was my entry to the challenge. It is called the "Night of Stars".

Here's the favor part. Please visit the EtsyBeadWeavers' blog between May 9th through May 15th to see all the incredible entries in this challenge and VOTE for your favorite! http:www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com