Dana's Jewelry Design

New Projects

2012-02-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my rag quilt yesterday and DH has been using it ever since. I got the idea to make one from my sister-in-law who has one and I fell in love with it when visiting during the holidays. Hers was a bit different as it had squares and rectangles and I just used squares. The next one I may do some rectangles or triangles, who knows, but I wanted to do one and finish it before I started something else.

Rag quilts are made with flannel, squares are quilted and then sewn together with the seam out on the front side. The seam is clipped just up to the sewing line all around. When you wash and dry, it will get softer and the seams will fray and get all cool looking. It is just a cozy quilt to curl up with on a Winter's night.

Since I finished the quilt, I started working on some art charms for a swap I'm in. I've talked about this Art Charm group here before but for those of you that don't know, it is a Yahoo group formed by the authors of the book "Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry", Christine Hansen and Peg Krzyzewski. I have a button on the right hand column if you are interested in checking it out. We have a ton of fun. This swap has an Ancient Egyptian theme, so I've been researching symbols on the internet. If you have any ideas, I'd love for you to leave me a comment.

I chose to use copper wire and turquoise for my stones. I like how the little stone charms with swirls turned out but not so sure about the lotus flower... looks more like a lobster to me in the heavier gauge wire. LOL The pyramids aren't bad but the rectangle with the wavy lines is the symbol for "pool of water" and I like that one the best. Too bad it takes the most time to create. I need to make 20 of these puppies. I may end up with a mixture of different charms but I think the lotus flower is out.

Just because I didn't have enough to do, I volunteered to work on a project for the Orthopedic Association for the children who are patients in the Oncology Department at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. The kids get tokens when they get poked or a dressing change and then they can turn those in for a prize but they needed something to keep their tokens in. So, I'll be making little drawstring and snap baggies for the kids. I went through my stash of cotton material and found some that was kid themed and started cutting and sewing. As I told the organizer of this project that I wanted it to be on-going, I probably will be needing more material. If you have any kiddie cotton that you want to donate to the cause, I would love to take it off your hands. I'll post a picture when I get a few of them completed so you can see what they look like.

Cheers, and have a great week.

Back into the Swing of Things

2012-01-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

Well my trials with finding a new computer has finally come to an end. Yesterday I talked about a new tablet that I was trying out and after playing with it for a day, realized that tablets really won't replace a computer. Just to do the blog post yesterday was stressful and the learning curve was huge. So, off to the electronics store I went again and found a wonderful little Toshiba Ultrabook. It's lightweight, 13"and really fast. All really important things when cruising the internet, blogging and playing on social media sites. Now I'm back in business and won't have to worry if my computer will boot up.

With the busy month we have had I think I am finally getting back into my normal life. DH is recovering nicely here at home, strength and appetite returning and back to his old self. So, I revisited some things that I had put on the back burner and decided to get back into it. Today I submitted a proposal to teach at a local bead show (Puget Sound Bead Festival) and finalized some paperwork for teaching at Art and Soul Portland. I'm hoping I'll be accepted at the bead festival and submitted 3 different gem tree designs for them to choose from. I will be teaching a Bonsai Gem Tree class at the Portland Art and Soul in September. Here is the info if you would like to check it out. http://www.artandsoulretreat.com/retreat-Portland2012-2394-workshop.php Art and Soul is a mixed media art retreat that offers all kinds of classes ranging from jewelry design, painting, art journaling and now my gem tree sculptures. I may have to look at taking a couple of classes myself.

Here is a look at the new classes that I will be teaching this year at Shipwreck Beads. I will continue to teach the Standard Gem Tree and the Pine Tree classes this year. Click HERE to check out the dates and times of classes.

Have a great week everyone and I'll let you know how it goes on all those other projects.

A New Toy

2012-01-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

I've been struggling with my laptop for the past month and DH told me to finally just go out and buy another one. I had a Toshiba netbook and unfortunately the store didn't have anymore of them in stock but they did have some new tablets with keyboards so I thought I would give it a try to see if it would work for me. So here I am typing away on this thing and today it is better than yesterday as I continue to get used to the keyboard. The tablet is an ASUS Transformer with a keyboard docking station. Last night I was trying like crazy to figure out how to copy and paste a url into this post to show you what it looked like.... heck I would have been happy to be able to copy the picture but alas, I couldn't to it so here I am trying again.

http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/

Finally success at copying a link. So you get the idea. Still haven't figured out how to copy a photo or link it or even add one .... ugg. I think this is going to be a big learning curve.

If any of you use a tablet to post your blog posts and upload photos, please let me know how it is going and if you revert back to a desktop or laptop computer for these types of posts.

The New Social Media

2012-01-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

I think that a lot of us crafters and home based business owners struggle with how to market ourselves and our artwork and this is where social media comes in. I know a lot of artists that don't even have a Facebook account for their business page.... okay why not? It is free and you can promote all you want. How many marketing strategies in life are FREE? So go now and create a page. I have one... actually I have two one for my jewelry business and one for gem trees but the Dana's Jewelry Design page gets updated more frequently kind of like my blog here.

My newest thing is Pinterest. Unlike Twitter you can search the entire site for things you might be interested in. Such as books, DIY projects or Tutorials, Home decor, Fashion, etc. I have several pin boards that are related to jewelry such as my tutorials I have written and jewelry organizers. One of the boards I have that I continue to go back to is a DIY or Things to Make board. I love to find ideas either from other pinners or from blogs that I might want to make one day. If you aren't a member of Pinterest, it just takes a minute to request membership and it is also free. If you would like to follow me, I have a button in the right hand column.

For months.... okay maybe years I have wanted to do a video of making a gem tree, well I had a customer want more detail on how to build the trunk of her tree and so I took the plunge. Since DH was still in the hospital, I used our digital camera and set it up on a tri-pod (next time I'll use the video camera). A few minutes later I had made the video and after much nail biting I was able to upload it to YouTube. I wouldn't say I am technically challenged but I felt this was a big step for me. I do plan to make a few better ones but here it is in all it's glory. LOL

Okay, I'm off to make some bran muffins. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Thankful

2012-01-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for every one's prayers and healing energy for my DH while he has been in the hospital. He is still there and recovering slowly. Since I have been driving up to Seattle to the VA Hospital everyday, it has given me the opportunity to spend some time people watching while there. It really is amazing and humbling to be surrounded by so many veterans. Quite a few are older but I have been surprised at the number of younger vets. It really does hit home when you are surrounded with them everyday and understand the suffering and life changing experiences they went through for our freedom.

Needless to say I haven't been in the mood or even home much to do a lot of crafting or jewelry making. I did come home early from the hospital today to take the dogs to the groomers. They were stinky dogs and now they are clean... won't stay that way but for right now this moment, clean.

The spaniel, Buddy, never looks that different but the Shitzu, Leo gets shaved when he gets groomed and always looks so much smaller. Now when they want to sleep with me tonight I won't cringe due to their muddy paws and smell. I had to bribe them the second time to get them to sit still for the photo. What you can't see in the photo is a couple of treats on the table. Amazing what they will do for a treat.

Tough Week

2012-01-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last week was a tough week with DH home trying to recover from surgery. By Wednesday we knew it wasn't going well and so on Friday the 13th we took him to the emergency room. Of course they admitted him, stuck tubes in him everywhere along with needles and sent him to ICU where he has been ever since. He wasn't eating at home and they aren't feeding him in the hospital either but they did start a feeding tube .... thank heavens even though he hates it. He's lost quite a bit of weight and doesn't have much energy but they have another CT scan scheduled in the morning and hopefully it will show great improvement with all the antibiotics they've been pushing in him.

With traveling back and forth to Seattle to the hospital it has finally decided to be Winter and snow, snow, snow. I probably won't make it back up there for a couple of days but at least I made it today. Since I'm planning on being snowed in for a couple of days I did make it to Joanne Fabric and bought some more flannel for another rag quilt. I should have the first once completed tomorrow and I'll post photos then.

Update 1/20: I really never finished this post and now I'm back to it. When I started writing it was Monday and now it is Friday again. DH was admitted to the hospital one week ago. Things were progressing until Monday night when he had a Pulmonary Embolism. Thank heavens his nurse was with him right when it happened and they got him on oxygen right away and started the blood thinners. So, needless to say this has been a very stressful week with all the procedures and doctors milling around trying to do everything in their power to get the blood clots dissolved. While he was in such critical condition I stayed at the hospital with him but came home last night in all the snow and ice. That was a fun drive... yea right.

I did get out and take a few photos of the downed limbs of our trees and some other pictures this morning that were just pretty so that I could show DH when he gets out of the hospital.

The Dogwood Tree

Porch Rail (downed limb in the distance)

Backyard Broken Tree

The trees are still just covered in ice but the temperature is finally rising and most of it should be melted off the trees by later today.

I do have to thank everyone for their prayers and healing energy that was sent DH's way. It is so appreciated.

A Little Healing

2012-01-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

As the patient recovers here at home, I'm trying to get some things organized. Other than finishing up a special order for 14 gem trees, I have my craft room torn up getting things together that I might want to take in the motor home. Is it possible to pack the entire craft room? Hubby is hoping not! I do have an organizer bag with 5 bead boxes that will fit in the overhead in the bedroom and 6 plastic shoe boxes that will fit in the overhead in the living area... that's my entire storage, so no sewing machine or other large pieces of equipment can go. There are some things I have to take such as my gem tree supplies (wire, gemstone chips, wire cutters and glue) and my sketching/drawing supplies (pens, pencils, sketch books) maybe some painting supplies (acrylic, watercolors, brushes, paper, container for water). I'm also thinking some jewelry making supplies and some other mixed media. I'd really like to take my soldering stuff but that might be another whole box of stuff. Writing it all down it sounds like a lot but this is stuff I use all the time. How can I be gone for any length of time no matter how short and not have things to work on? Ugh, I may have to look at everything again.

Today, DH has spent the majority of the time in bed. Probably for the best as he hasn't been getting a lot of sleep lately and in so much pain. Since the incision is oozing (I know sounds gross) and red, I made up a healing oil to rub around it, not on it. Hopefully that will help the redness and speed some of the healing. I did make a salve/ointment today to use as it heals a little bit more to fight infection.

I did a simple recipe that is Jojoba Oil and Beeswax combined with Essential Oils. I made mine a little greasier than normal but I wanted something softer. Most of the time you would use a 3 (oil) to 1 (beeswax) base and then add your EO's and this time I did a 2 to 1 combo. My EO's were Lavender, Sandalwood, Tea Tree, Frankincense, Myrrh and Patchouli which are all anti bacterial type of oils. I actually like the scent and it doesn't smell like medicine. I'll let you know how it goes on DH but I used it on a scrape on my arm and it is less red than this morning.

Now that the weekend has come to an end, I hope everyone is now relaxed and refreshed. I know for most of you it is back to work tomorrow so have a great week.

The Longest Week

2012-01-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

This week has just dragged by with DH going in the hospital on Tuesday for surgery and traveling back and forth to Seattle every day just got old. Well he is doing great, home now and snoring in his chair. I think it will take a couple of weeks for him to be back to his normal self but that's okay as long as he is home.

So obviously no jewelry making for me this week but I was productive while sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. I did take my sketch book and supplies and decided to do a few Zentangles. So, here are the tangles I've done this week with a look at a couple of sketches inspired from "Sketchbook Delight" an on-line course offered by Alisa Burke.

These first two tangles are based upon traditional Zentangles in that they are created in a drawn box with strings.

These next two tangles, I tried to fill more of the sketch book page.

These are two drawings additional drawings. The one filled in with colored pens is a pattern from our carpet and the other is watercolor where I tried a repeating pattern in the shape of a flower.

I have a long way to go with my sketching and drawing skills but the more I practice, the better I feel about what I have created.

Have a great weekend.

A New Year

2012-01-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here we are in 2012 already. Didn't 2011 go by fast? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was making my New Years Resolutions for 2011.... which didn't go too well. I'll have to look back at them to see if I was able to accomplish any of them. I do know that I wanted to have all my Christmas presents made by June or July... that didn't happen but I did make all my presents this past year which I think was a huge accomplishment.

I did get a few new items listed on my ArtFire studio for sale. The one thing I'm not really good at is taking all the photos, fixing them and then getting the items posted. I love making things but it's the other stuff I have a problem with. Still have a ton more to do as I figured it wasn't going to sell itself sitting finished in my studio.

These are just a few of the items that got listed. To check out everything here is the link. Dana's Jewelry Design.

DH is going in for surgery tomorrow, so we are trying to get several jobs around the house completed today as he won't be able to lift heavy things for awhile. Nothing serious but surgery doesn't come without risks and that is what worries me. I guess I'll pack up my sketch book and kindle and try to keep busy at the hospital since not much will get accomplished around here until he is able to come home. Maybe I'll even get some inspiration from being in a different environment for a few days, not sure what kind of inspiration I can get from a hospital but you never know. Just trying to stay positive.

Have a great week and maybe I'll get around to photographing my sketch book for you to see what I've been up to.

Packaging is Everything

2011-12-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

Years ago I used to take a lot of time to create special Christmas paper (brown Kraft paper that I stamped and painted) to wrap my presents in and make elaborate bows with decorations, but in the past few years it's been purchase the bag at the dollar store and stuff the gift in with some tissue paper. Well not this year. Since this is a handmade holiday, I figure the bag needs to be handmade also. I got the idea from a Pin on Pinterest to the Purl Bee's blog where they featured a tutorial for a 20 minute tote. If you want the instructions, which I pretty much followed, check them out Here. My handles are a couple inches shorter and the bag width is also a couple inches less.

Here is a picture of their totes, great fabric by the way.

Here is mine. I used left over holiday fabric. I didn't want to have to go out and buy fabric just for a gift bag so am using what I already have. These are great as they can be used over and over.

My next special thing besides the totes are the embellishments. I had painted tags a couple of months ago, see post here, to use and now I just needed a little decoration/ornament type thing. These are so super simple to make and can be worn as a pendant, charm or hung on your tree.

Soldered glass charms. I used microscope slides that someone had given me along with holiday card stock and some vintage images. I'm loving the ones that are the simple gold glitter embossed paper and am thinking I'll just have to keep this one for myself.

I think I'm almost finished making presents, but you never know what I'll dream up to make next.

If you want to follow me on Pinterest, just click the button on the right. If you don't know what Pinterest is.... well you can go to their web site and ask for an invite or just leave me a message and I'll send you one. It's a great place to get really cool ideas for decorating, cooking, crafts, art, you name it, and it is probably there but it is also a place for you to bookmark all those things you find on the Internet that you want to remember or share which is called Pinning. It is quite fun and now quite addicting.

Well I have lots more to do tomorrow and this week to get ready but when I have a bag all filled and embellished, I'll post another final picture for your viewing pleasure. Until then, have a great week.

Holiday Hum Drums

2011-12-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

Has the stress started yet? I do know a few people in my family that haven't even started thinking about Christmas yet.... come on people it's only 2 weeks away. We hit the big warehouse store today and got a few things for our open house on Christmas Eve. I think DH said we spent more in this one trip than we did the entire month last month but I have a good start on the fix'ens. I even started looking through my gift pile to see what I still had to make before the big day. I still have a couple of hats and wrist warmers, dish cloths and a few hot pads. We'll see if I get to the dish towels.....maybe that will be a plan for next year.

So how are you doing? Have you made all your big plans, traveling or staying at home?

I do have a new item for Christmas this year, it is a notebook/journal with pictures by DH and myself from our travels. If you need a quick gift for someone, there it is. You can order it directly from Blurb and get it within about 5 to 7 days so there is still time.

A Penny for your Thoughts by Dana and Paul James | Make Your Own Book

I'm thinking next year of doing one of my paintings as a weekly calendar although I like the idea of the notebook as it isn't date specific and you can use it for just about anything. I do still have a recipe book of DH's moms favorite dishes in mind to do. I know the family would enjoy that one. Ideas?

It's been Christmas Party after party for the past week. Saturday we went to our gem and mineral club's annual party... lots of good food, awards, gift exchange and the new officer installation. It's always a fun time. We also have an ornament contest and unfortunately I didn't win again... :-( I made these great little bird nest ornaments with gemstones as the eggs. They were fun.

We have one more party this coming Wednesday which will be a little different as we haven't attended one from this group before. They have a white elephant auction for charity, so that should be a riot. I'll be sure to take a few pictures.

I'm currently trying to get my classes scheduled for next year at Shipwreck Beads and new classes written up. I've already submitted one new class which is the Falling Leaves Bracelet.... tutorial was posted last month. Other than that, I'll still offer my Standard Gem Tree, Pine Tree and Holiday Tree. New tree classes that I'll be writing up is the Crystal Willow and maybe the Lace Leaf Maple. I've had students interested in learning them so I guess I should get busy.

Stay sane and safe. If the stress gets too bad just have a glass of wine and watch a good holiday movie.

Expectations

2011-12-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is not my usual post, so if you don't want to be depressed, don't read it.

I was all geared up for writing this post and not caring who was offended but am thinking better of it....may change my mind as I go but I do want to talk about expectations and not just any, but those we impose on others.

Do we place unfair expectations on those we love? How do we communicate what those expectations are or do we just assume they know what they are? It's a dilemma. We want to do the right thing and think we are then bam!!! out of no where comes this accusation that we are bad. Most of the time I don't have a bad bone in my body and DH doesn't either, so where does it come from. Frustration? Past experience? It's not even about them, which is sad. I was fighting mad (crying actually) earlier and I don't get mad too often but now I just feel sorry for them and us. So, I sit here with tears, of not just frustration but of loss. How do we communicate what we want without being thought of as greedy, bold, heartless, aggressive or just plain rude? At this point, I would say that communication would have gotten you everywhere and I wouldn't be sitting here writing this crying and being frustrated.

There will be words. I'm sure more words then either of us want to hear and more tears.... mine of course because I don't think they cry.... I take that back (still a little mad), I'm sure they do, but why would they want to cause hurt. Of course, it comes back to that EXPECTATION, one that we don't know about. We would never say you are terrible or you are bad at (whatever you do) because we love you no matter what you do or say.

Now it appears that we have lost you, given up on a relationship and now that frustration and sadness has turned into sorrow, mine because DH has given up. We will never have that friendship, relationship, family love and support that we once had and not only is it because of expectations but now it due to lack of communication.

I do hope they have a Merry Christmas because I doubt we will see them. I do find that the holidays are always more stressful. Maybe that's all it is, but somehow I think it goes deeper than that and that's something none of us can fix.

So, if you have gotten to the bottom of this post, then the message must of meant something to you or you want to make sure we are okay... Well, we are okay and I'll be better tomorrow but today I will feel sorry for myself and those I love and for the loss of something we probably won't have in the future.

Pacific NW ArtFire Guild

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today I was a guest blogger on the Pacific NW ArtFire Guild blog. Check out my interview with Rhonda from Roban Studios.

http://pacificnorthwestartfireshops.blogspot.com/

If you look back one posting on that blog you will find my interview.

Here is a sneak peak at some of Rhonda's work from Roban Studio.

I hope everyone is having a great week. By the way if you are still purchasing Christmas gift my ArtFire studio will continue to offer FREE SHIPPING for the month of December. Go shopping. Shop Handmade and Shop USA.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sale

2011-11-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well I wouldn't be a very good marketer of my own creations if I didn't tell the world about my wonderful sale. This will be the first time that I have put everything in my shop on sale.... may be the last so here is your chance to get that piece you have been drooling over.

Now through Cyber Monday, November 28th, everything is 30% off plus you will get FREE SHIPPING to anywhere in the US. If you live out of country, you will still get the 30% off.

Wouldn't you love to have this Ruby necklace.... yummy and perfect for any holiday gatherings you might go to. Original price is $90.00 but with the 30% off that would make it $63.00.... WOW, I'd be tempted myself.

How about this beauty. Turquoise and Sterling silver. Turquoise is December's birthstone or at least one of them. Original price of this piece is $80.17 and the sale price would be $56.12. I must have lost my mind since I can't even make a piece with sterling silver in it for that price anymore.

Oh well, my loss is your gain. Better grab it while you can.

Use coupon code BlackFriday2011 for the sale. SHOP NOW BEFORE THE GOOD STUFF IS GONE.

Here is the link to the shop. http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/danasjewelrydesign

Special orders do not receive the discount. Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Tangling with Zentangles

2011-11-18T22:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, so now you are wondering what that title is all about, well Zentangles is a drawing art form and has a growing following. If you are a doodler then you are probably doing a form of zentangles and didn't even know it. Rick and Maria, the zen masters of this art form explain it as a method of creating beautiful images by repetitive patterns. There's lots of information on Zentangles out on the web but if you want to check out the official site, just go to zentangle.com.

So why am I talking about this now? Well I found a Zentangle instructor, Laura Harms who is celebrating her 200k hit mark and giving away 3 prizes of zentangle goodness. The prize packs are great and would make a wonderful gift for the holiday season to get someone started or for something special for you. Here is the link to her celebration post, just leave her a comment and you'll be entered. http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/2011/11/passing-celebration-on-to-you.html

Now I bet you are wondering what a Zentangle looks like, well here are a few of mine that I have done on ATC size paper. I'm not very good but hey you don't have to be good to tangle.

There are a lot of books out on the market to help you create the patterns. The one I have is called Totally Tangled by Sandy Steen Bartholomew.

I haven't done any tangles in awhile but I always keep my book, pen and paper handy.

So, what have I been doing, well making Christmas gifts. Here is a sneak peak..... no looking family members.

Since I know I can't trust my family members to not look, I won't say who they are for but I've crocheted several scarfs, made a jacket and aprons. I still have lots to do but I at least have a good start.

If you are interested in crocheted items, here is a link to a quick and easy scarf. http://craftdisasters.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-gifts-90-minute-scarves.html

The apron is a McCalls pattern and is really easy. Here is the link to the pattern but you can also find it at any fabric store that carries patterns. http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m5366-products-5099.php?page_id=843

The crocheted hat is one I found on-line and is also super easy to make. Lion Brand Yarn lists several on their site as well as the one I used. It is call the Blue Tweed Hat.

I have a couple of other things I'm working on such as the scarf pins (still need to do that tutorial) and some coasters. Okay, so now would be a good time for those family members that have special requests to send me an e-mail or give me a call otherwise I can't be held responsible for what you will get.

End of Season Show

2011-11-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we did our final show for the season. It was the Opal, Gem and Mineral show held in Puyallup at the Fair Grounds. It is a pretty large show in comparison to other rock shows and usually you can find some good material. I started out making jewelry on Friday then on Saturday and Sunday moved to making gem trees with hubby.

Our find of the show was some Ethiopian Opal chips that a vendor sold to us cheap since it was too small for them to sell for jewelry making. It has lovely color and flash. We purchased 200 grams and it came in assorted colors so I sat one afternoon separating it into three color piles. My favorite is the yellow/amber color but I have more of the white/clear. It's all quite beautiful even in this small size and it will make a beautiful gem tree.

One of the other demonstrators at the show was Cheryl Matson a glass artist. She teaches at the Pratt Fine Art Center in Seattle. Along with admiring all her beautiful works of art I did happen to purchase some of her orphan beads to use in my designs. Here are some of her beautiful pieces from a glass garden to beads.

Don't you just love this necklace. Such beautiful colors and this is all glass. If you are interested in the Pratt School and what they might offer, here is the link. http://www.pratt.org/index.html

I would just love to take some of their classes but plan to do a lot of traveling the first part of the year. Maybe I'll look at something from them this Spring or Summer but in the meantime I enrolled in Sketchbook Delight an online class by Alisa Burke. I really need to learn to capture my ideas for designs whether it is for gem trees or jewelry down on paper so that I don't forget them later. Alisa offers several on-line classes and if you would like to check them out here is a link to more information. http://www.alisaburke.com/onlineworkshops.html So, in future posts, don't be surprised if I show you glimpses of my sketchbook and how it is progressing.

I've been trying out this new blogger template for the past week and am still undecided as to whether I like it or not. I miss having my banner and all the links and buttons on the sidebar but it is a cleaner look for those visiting and wanting to read posts. Any thoughts?

Making a List and Checking it Twice

2011-11-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

I've finally started making my Christmas presents for this year. I had wanted to get them completed this past Summer but nooo I had to wait and now I'm stressing over everything I have yet to do. I did find a great little quick crochet scarf pattern that I've worked up and altered for three of the gifts, a scarf, infinity scarf and a neck warmer along with some wrist warmers which are kind of like a fingerless glove. I love them so much I may have to make me a pair.

After making these few things, I decided to make a list of who I was making for and what I was making them. What an eye opener, I can't make these scarves for the men as they are too lacy, so now I'm in a quandary. What to make the men and I have more men than women? My list of ideas for men weren't very good or even original but included hats and BBQ aprons.Now what to do? I think I'm in need of big help in the idea department. Once I get my list together completely, I'll share the links to the tutorials I find or other ideas.

If you read my last post then you will be wondering where those photos are of the Museum of Flight. Well here are a few from my phone camera. This was my first visit but I'm sure it won't be the last.

Here are a couple more that hubby took with the nice camera..... he did a little photo editing to jazz them up a bit.

Falling Leaves Bracelet

2011-11-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a tutorial in quite a while and thought it was about time. I just love these little leaf charms and wanted to make a bracelet so here it is.

Don't you just love the Fall colors. I made this one with Copper wire but you could use Gold, silver or bronze and it would be fantastic.

Supplies Needed:

· 20 Gauge copper wire (soft)

· Various crystals or Fall colored gemstones

· Head pins

· Open jump rings

· Premade Copper Chain Bracelet

· Round nose pliers

· Ruler

· Wire Cutters

· Chain nose pliers

· Jewelry Hammer

· Stainless Steel block or anvil

· Wine cork to use as template

1. Gather all your materials.

2. Cut several lengths of wire to 4 1/2” depending upon how many charms you want on your bracelet.

3. Wrap one wire around the cork or 3/4” dowel leaving one end shorter and twist tightly.

4. Remove the wire from the cork.

5. Cut the short end off.

6. Make a wrapped loop with the other wire.

7. Shape your loop into an oval.

8. Using your round nose pliers twist towards the center of the loop twice on each side to form the leaf.

9. Harden the leaf on the stainless steel block with your hammer.

10. Add beads/crystals/gemstones to headpins and make a wrapped loop.

11. Add 3 dangles beads with your leaf to an open jump ring.

12. Attach jump ring to bracelet.

13. Finished bracelet has a total of 9 leaf charms.

I wore this bracelet out tonight as we went to the Museum of Flight in Seattle and it was very comfortable and lightweight. Hopefully I'll have a few pictures to share with you of the museum tomorrow but until then enjoy the tutorial.

Our Days are Numbered

2011-10-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it is almost November. Yes, our days are numbered, the holidays will arrive before we know it. I have been seriously thinking about what to do for gifts this year. Last year I made most everything from aprons and placemats to a daily planner. This year I'm kind of at a loss but if I'm going to be making things I best be getting started. I did make some cute decorations that I'm going to hang above our mantel this year.

I used acrylic paints vs. my normal watercolors that I'm used to but I think they turned out cute.

I did finish a couple of necklaces yesterday one for me and another one for a birthday present. Not saying who it is for in case they are reading this. I hand knotted each crystal with silk before adding the chain at the back. Not sure if I think it is finished but for now I like them the way they are.

So now I'm all about planning my next projects. I have lots of yarn so I may try my hand at some crochet scarfs for some of the ladies in the family. If they work out I'll post the link to the pattern and share my quick tutorial on a scarf pin. I still need ideas for the men so if you have any, leave me a comment.

Holiday Swaps

2011-10-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

For the past week I've been having fun working on some art charm swaps first my Autumn Quick swap and now the Christmas Ornament swap. For the Autumn swap I made some wire leaves and some tree of life charms.

I had a hard time coming up with any ideas for a small ornament charm so I made three different styles. Then since this is beginning of the holiday season I painted some holiday tags to go with them. I love the tags so I'll probably make more to put on my packages this season.

The small tag charms are wood that I covered with holiday scrapbook paper, painted the edges, glued a metal sentiment on the front and sealed the whole thing with Glamour Glaze. The round balls are scrapbook paper rounds that I folded in half and then glued to shape a ball, then inserted a head pin with a small pearl and then sealed it. The third charms are swirls of gold tone wire with a large amber crystal in the middle. Now to put these all together and get them mailed to the swap hostess.

Hopefully everyone is having a great week so far. Today I had to take the little monster Leo to the vet to get his annual shots. He was such a good boy and now is crashed out on the pillow on the couch. He wasn't about to look at me so that I could take his picture...humm I think he might still be a little mad.

I'll leave you tonight with this great shot from our vacation of the locks at the Panama Canal. Hubby has really gotten into HDR photography and this is one of my favorites that he has altered.

Make and Takes?

2011-10-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a show coming up first weekend in November and I want to do something a little more interesting so I thought about having a Make and Take. Has anyone tried this and are they usually free or do you charge a little for them to cover the supplies? Here are some ideas I was trying out.

First is the wire wrapped beaded cocktail spoon. The spoons you can get for around $1.00 and then it is just adding some 20 gauge wire and beads, so not a lot of cost. The second is a wire pendant. Using copper in 14 gauge wire, I made a few curvy bends with a loop at the top and bottom then added a large gemstone as a drop. The real cost here was the stone as not much wire was used so about the same cost as the spoon but I could use cheaper stones. The third option is the key fob. The corks I have a ton of so no cost there, just the copper hardware, some 14 gauge copper wire and a few beads. I already had the copper washers but I could probably get the silver metal tone ones at the hardware store cheaper.

Which would you be more inclined to sit down and make? Any other ideas? I would love to have your opinion. Oh and thanks goes out to my good friend Glenda for the beaded spoon idea.

New on Kindle

2011-10-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Now you can buy my book "Gem Tree Sculptures" on the Kindle. I went out today and purchased one... now isn't that sad that I have to purchase my own book. If you have a Kindle and have been wanting to get a copy of my book this is the perfect way and it is only $9.99 vs. $17.99 for the paper copy. The book's photos and graphics are in B&W so they look just as good on the Kindle as the book. Here is the link to the Kindle edition.

Okay enough blatant advertising. How about a few more pictures from our trip through the Panama Canal. We took a 19 day cruise on Holland America from Vancouver, BC to Fort Lauderdale. So the last pictures I shared were of our stop in San Diego and next we went to Puerto Vallarta. We did a city highlights tour and I think the highlight for my hubby was when he took this picture. I really just wanted to pet the iguana and next thing I knew it was on my shoulder and a gecko was on my head.

We did go to the city center and see Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. There were so many visitors but the church was definitely at the heart. The pictures we took of the church didn't turn out as well as we would have liked due to the sun being in the wrong position.

There was lots of shopping to be expected and I would say aggressive vendors but not as bad as other places. We just had to learn to walk away if it wasn't the price we were willing to pay.

Here is one of the vendor shops located right at the port.

Lots of colorful wares but we held back and didn't buy anything..... at least not at this port.

Stay tuned .... more vacation photos coming.

Today's Collection of Artists

2011-10-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today's collection of ArtFire artists are from all around the Pacific Northwest. So, the message is buy local and buy handmade. Click on any of the pictures to view that artists shop.

Pacific Northwest Artists

Curated By: danasjewelryd...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Back from Vacation

2011-10-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you didn't even miss me but we went on a 19 day cruise through the Panama Canal. It was fantastic. If you ever get the chance you really don't want to miss it. Along with stopping in San Diego we stopped in several ports in Mexico then Guatemala and Columbia. We were not able to stop in Panama City to get off the boat but cruising the locks was the highlight of the trip.

I think we took almost 2,000 pictures and we are now just trying to process all of them, get them edited and then will be able to post a few to share with others.

I'm sure I will be referencing this trip here for quite awhile. We invited my mother along for the ride so she shared the room with us. We have done this for our other cruises and it works out great for her but she does have to sleep on the couch. We were able to upgrade to a Deluxe Suite which makes it easier to have more than 2 in a room and boy are we spoiled. Huge balcony, laundry done for us as well as our own lounge with espresso coffee, lunch with the captain and so many other perks. Here is what our room looked like before we messed it all up.

This is the large balcony that had a table with 4 chairs and 2 lounge chairs. They did come in handy for a little private sunning. If you can't tell, this is my mother and I.

Our our first stop on the cruise was in San Diego (we got on in Vancouver, B.C.). We took a tour of the city as I had never been to San Diego before and now I really want to go back. So many things to do and see. We went into the Old Town and I fell in love with the gourd art. Here is one picture of some ornaments made of gourds. We didn't have room to purchase a lot of stuff or I would have bought several. Really works of art.

One of the other highlights of San Diego was Balboa Park. This place is absolutely amazing. All kinds of attractions including museums and performing arts, parks, gardens and more. You could spend a week there and still not see it all. The park has 1200 acres and was started in 1892 with Kate Sessions donating and planting 100 trees a year. Can you imagine! The architecture alone is worth seeing.

Okay, enough for today. There is so much more to share. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm off to finish up putting away all the laundry I did today.

Essential Oils, Do They Work?

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've started getting back into essential oils and adding them to my own lotion and base oils. I love the smell of the natural oils vs. all the perfumes and other stuff you find out there. I used to make my own lotion and really should start again but I digress. Do the oils work? I think on some level they probably work better. Hubby tends to get cold sores on his lip and just fights with it for a week or more, so I made him a blend of oils to use then I also got a small tube of Abreva which he wanted to try. In this case, he felt that the oils were more of a benefit than the Abreva. We will soon find out if the sore heals faster than if he didn't use it. The last time the sore lasted 7 days and right now we are on day 2. If you suffer from cold sores I would recommend you try the oils. There might be a blend out there already but if not you can make your own. These are the combination of oils and amounts that I used.

8 drops of Tea Tree
3 drops of Lemon
5 drops of Lavender
8 drops of Geranium
6 drops of Chamomile

Blend in a small dark bottle. Apply one drop to a cotton swap or cotton ball that you have wet with water and apply directly to the sore.

There are some really good brands of essential oils and I try to find the ones that are organic. Check a local health food store as they will probably have a good selection.

If you want to have a good reference book, my favorite is The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood.

I'll let you know how the cold sore therapy goes and if the time frame decreases. Now to work on a blend for tendinitis.

Collection for the Day

2011-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share this cute batty ArtFire collection with you today. Enjoy and if you want to check out any of the items, just click on them.

Ive Gone Batty

Curated By: RaigeCreations

ArtFire.com

Indie Design

Collection for the Day

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

A collection of great green items from ArtFire. Can you find one of mine?

Refreshing Green

Curated By: danasjewelryd...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Soap

What a Fun Day

2011-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for the Bead Soup Party post, click HERE.

Well I had a wonderful visit with a friend of mine from Chicago. She flew in to teach at the Art & Soul retreat in Portland this week. Since I won't be around for it, I was able to pick her up at the airport, have lunch and visit with her for a few hours.

I think we are getting closer to being ready to go on our trip but do you ever feel you are completely ready and packed? I still have to check my kindle and make sure I have enough reading material, some games are packed such as the farkle dice and playing cards so I think the relaxing times are covered. Hubby did try to lift one bag tonight and I think it will weigh out over 50 lbs.... cr@p. Okay, so now that plan is to redistribute the weight between the two bags. Maybe I'll move all the shoes to the lighter bag. Good thing we are taking two big bags versus our usual one large and one medium.

Our leave you tonight with a picture of Buddy our spaniel mix dog. He tends to guard toys, bones and in this case a pig ear.

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for the Bead Soup Party post, click HERE.

Guess what Peg comes today and I finally get to meet her and talk to her in person vs. just on the computer or phone. Now you are wondering who is Peg. Well she is the one and only co-author of the book Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry. I started making these little works of art last year and fell in love with them. They are addictive. If you have read my blog before then I'm sure you have seen some pictures that I've posted. Here is one from last year.

If you are interested in checking out Peg's book, it is available on Amazon.com. Peg also teaches at various art retreats around the country and soon she'll announce a new teaching venue for her and it might be in international waters. I'm seriously thinking about going to that one.

Speaking of art retreats, I did submit teaching proposals to three for 2012. Maybe I'll hear back from at least one of them. Just to give you a clue as to what I would be teaching....it would be gem trees or a form of gem trees as some of them don't have gemstones on them at all. More about that coming.

Have a great weekend.

Tough Day

2011-09-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for the Bead Soup Blog Hop Click HERE.

It was a tough day for the little guy today as he went to the groomers. He is always so happy and full of energy after but during they say he lays flat on his tummy and won't move. I can just see him doing that. Right now he is sound asleep next to me on the couch laying on a pillow. Boy to have a dogs life.

I always find it difficult to pack for a trip and I'm still trying to figure out what to take for a 19 day cruise. I hear we will have 5 formal nights, good thing I can wear things more than once and there is a laundry on board. Then the planning to make sure you have taken everything you will need for that many days. It's not like I can just run out to the mall to pick up something I forgot. So, I have lists, lists in my head and on paper, not that it will help me any as I'm sure I'll forget something.

We have one more fair day tomorrow and I'm looking forward to scones and raspberry jam for breakfast. I hope everyone is having a great day and if you are from the Bead Soup party, thanks for dropping by.

The Bead Soup Party Reveal

2011-09-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

A couple times a year I participate in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog party. This is such an inspiring event as it pushes your boundaries to try new things and use different supplies that you wouldn't normally purchase. After we sign up, Lori pairs everyone up and then we send our partner a clasp, pendant or focal bead and a selection of beads. They in turn have to make some thing with those beads and now show them off during this big blog hop. There are over 300 participants, so that's a lot of blogs to visit but I'll be starting bright and early tomorrow morning. So, finally I get to show you what I made with my bead soup. My partner was Christie of Charis Designs and to start off I'll show you the wonderful mix of beads she sent me.

Now we all get in a rut sometimes and I'm just as susceptible as anyone but who couldn't be inspired with this mix. I just am in love with blues right now. Okay, so there was a funny coincidence in that we both sent each other the same metal to work with as well as blue beads and as I'm writing this I jumped over to her blog and we both created items that look very similar or that you could wear with each other. Check out what she made on this post. I made this set before we left for our Napa trip and just had to take it with me. It was fun to wear and just a bit edgy.

As you can tell I used the bronze chain on one side of the necklace and some brown leather knotted with beads and jump rings on the other and the pendant just works to set it all off. The bracelet is made with stretch magic more of the ceramic beads, bronze spacer beads and some Kyanite square beads I had in my stash that mixed well with the other blues. I don't normally like stretchy bracelets but this one is so comfortable. I can't wait to play with some more of the beads she sent me.

To visit some of the other participants in the party, check out Lori Anderson's blog for the full list.

Where has Summer Gone?

2011-09-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. It has been a busy end of Summer for us. We did make it back from our vacation in Napa and it was so wonderful as always. Bought way too much wine, did a little shopping, relaxed a lot and even had a few interesting day trips out in the wine country. But boy did all the stuff hit us when we got home. I had a jewelry show two days after we returned so I frantically got organized and everything priced before the show. The Puyallup Fair started just a couple days later and we volunteered to work 3 shifts at our Gem and Mineral Club's booth so we have worked two shifts so far, one on Saturday and one on Monday ...more to follow on this. I taught a gem tree class at Shipwreck Beads on Sunday, then I realized that all the Art and Mixed Media Retreat proposals were due this week ....ugg. So, I quickly made some additional trees, took photos, wrote tutorials and got the proposals completed and e-mailed yesterday. I'm feeling a little less stress now... just a little through.

So a little bit more about the Fair. It is a standing joke with our family that we always purchase something at the Fair so this year was no different. Each year it seems we find something expensive to purchase, a few years ago it was a Gas Fireplace then 2 years ago it was a Sleep Number bed, last year was a Silk Comforter, which we loved so much we purchased another one this year for the motor home. We always purchase some smaller items such as aroma fans,dog brush (helps with shedding), those rubber clogs that were and still are popular, sheet set, faucet sprayers and shower heads, wham shammies, squishy pillows, dehydrated ice packets where you soak them in water and freeze then you can use them in coolers, pepper jelly, pickled garlic, honey and kettle corn. All that plus food that we ate there such as krusty pups (corn dogs), scones, Earthquake burgers, scones, Perogies, hot dogs, curly fries, scones, BBQ ribs and sandwiches, scones, ice cream cones and oh did I mention the scones. It is so much fun going to the fair and as much as I hate to admit it, the vendors hawking all their wares is some of my favorites as well as the artwork that has been entered for competition.

We do complain every year that the scones get smaller and the price seems to get larger but we buy them and eat them anyway. Hubby said that this scone booth was the first one at the fair and he should know as he has been going since the 50's. It is always fun to go early in the morning, sit down with coffee and a couple of hot scones with raspberry jam....yum. So glad we have one more volunteer day at the fair.

Here is one of my new trees. It is called Painted Leaves. Yes, I know the name is a little simple but I couldn't think of anything more appropriate. Definitely a mixed media tree vs. a gem tree.

A few new bracelets that I still need to get listed on ArtFire. These were inspired by some that I saw on vacation. Stretchy with sterling silver and gemstones or crystals with dangles. A little bit out of the norm for me but oh so much fun.

Don't forget about the Bead Soup Party Blog Hop. We will be hopping all over the blogosphere on Saturday visiting blogs and seeing all the beautiful creations people made from their Bead Soup. So don't forget to come back on Saturday as I will be revealing the jewelry pieces made from my soup.

A Little Wine or Maybe a Lot

2011-08-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

This week is our sojourn to Napa, CA. We are always on the quest for new and interesting wines and different wineries. We like the small family owned wineries as they have a little bit more personal feel. First stop on our list was Jessup Cellars. Oh my, what wonderful wines. I recommend making a reservation for a tasting as you get personalized treatment but you can just walk in also. I think the tasting fee is $20.00 but if you buy then it is waived. They are very liberal in their pourings and in fact will pour more wines than what is on the tasting list. We've been wine club members for over a year and love all the wines we have received but my favorite is called Jewel which is a red wine blend. Of course that would be the name of my favorite wine. They don't have any for sale right now but they do have the other red wine blend called Table for Four which is really good also.

Yesterday we ventured out again after doing a little grocery shopping. We cook our dinners at the condo vs. eating out each night as we do have a full kitchen. First stop was Hope and Grace. We found this little boutique winery last year and I just love their Chardonnay. They also just released a new Malbec which hubby liked. Then onto to Peju. We visited them about 4 years ago and haven't been back as we were trying others out but decided to go back this year. What a change in the winery. They have made some beautiful changes in their tasting room. We had our tasting in the marble room. Floors, countertops, everything was made of this wonderful green, brown marble. They have some wonderful sculptures outside also.

Today was an interesting day. My turn to drive us around and I thought I would take the Silveraldo Trail and hit some of the wineries up to St. Helena but I took a little detour. Yes, it was planned the moment I knew I made a mistake, I decided that this was the new plan. We went into the hills, around corners, up and down until we finally came to a lake. Don't know the name but took a few pictures anyway and then headed back toward Rutherford and came upon another lake...took more photos and continued on until we found a winery that looked interesting. It became our first winery stop of the day.

Rutherford Ranch was a pleasing surprise. We tasted several of their wines and then decided to join their wine club. They had the best Old Vine Zin that we have tasted in a while. So we had to buy a few. Knowing that we were going to get our first club shipment later in September that's all we purchased but the wines are very drinkable and affordable.

Walking around St. Helena was fun. We had lunch at a sidewalk Italian cafe and did a little shopping. Found a cool toss pillow all embroidered with California regions, hit up another shop called Findings that had some funky jewelry (yes I bought something) and then headed back down Hwy 29 towards home.

We just couldn't stop with one winery so found another one on the list that was along the way and recognized it as a sister winery of the Frances Ford Coppola winery that we are members of called Rubicon Estate. The Coppola's purchased it in '75 from Inglenook Estate which was world renowned. I was so disappointed in the Rubicon wines since we love the Coppola wines. The people at the winery are very nice, the grounds are gorgeous but the wine was very pretentious. Heavy, dry and not drinkable unless you had some really heavy food which we did not. Tastings are $25.00 and you get to try 5 wines. I really don't recommend this winery if you are just out having a good time and wanting to try some good drinkable wines.

Tomorrow is another day so hopefully we will find some fantastic wineries and if not I'm sure we will have a good time trying.

Soup Anyone? Bead Soup That Is

2011-08-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

I finally got all my mail delivered from the post office from being gone for a week and wow, what I had waiting for me. I got soup. Bead Soup that is. I am participating in a Bead Soup Blog Party organized by Lori Anderson of Pretty Things. We got our partner assignments, shipped out a few beads along with a clasp and focal piece and now we are to make something out of the soup we received. Here is mine.

We must think alike as I also sent her bronze findings and chain to use. I love the blues in this group as there are some Blue Aventurine, some ceramic and crystals along with lots of other pretties. I'm totally in love with the Green Sheen Obsidian cabachon and at the bottom is a Malachite cabachon. I plan to wire wrap both real soon but not for this challenge.

My partner for this challenge is Christie from Charis Designs. Feel free to visit her blog and her ArtFire studio. If you would like to see what I send her, visit her blog post HERE.

I still have a lot to do before we leave on our next adventure. We will be in Napa for a week. This is our annual trip but we moved it from March to September so that we could enjoy a little warmer weather and to actually see grapes on the vine. Most of the harvest starts after we leave but that's okay we have fun just visiting the wineries, shopping and eating. I'll have to get to work when I return to finish up making something out of all those wonderful beads but until then I can stew on it for a bit. LOL.

Have a great day and I'll try to remember to take some photos of the ArtCharms I'm sorting tomorrow. The theme was Woodstock and the Groovy 60's. These charms are going to make a great bracelet. Oh the anticipation.

Camping in the Trees

2011-08-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well we are camping where there are trees but I just happened to have made some trees....gem trees that is. I will show you a picture but before that I have to tell you that they are not finished, no roots yet and they haven't been mounted on a rock. I also made a new tree that I'm going to call a Charm Tree or maybe a Memory Tree, humm I guess I haven't made up my mind yet so if you have any suggestions let me know. The purpose is to hang charms or pictures or I guess anything you want off the loops. Might be a little hard to imagine without anything on it yet. I already have an Earring Tree design but you could use it for those also.

Here are the other lonely trees without there bases.

One of these trees will be donated to the Harvest of Hope auction to benefit Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and a couple will be sent to the gallery in Oregon. If you are ever passing through Lincoln City, Oregon and want to check it out, it is called Rock Your World on Hwy 101. They've been open since May 31st and so far the trees have been doing really well. Here is their Facebook page if you want to find out more about them. http://www.facebook.com/rockyourworldgallery

Now a couple of camping pictures. One of our spaniel Buddy and the other is me holding Leo.

Buddy's favorite place in the whole motor coach is on the front dash. He will even ride up there when we are traveling down the road.

Leo's favorite place in the coach is anywhere I am. I swear he just follows me around like a little puppy...no pun intended.

Have a good day everyone...tomorrow we are off to the beach for the day.

The Wonders of Camping and Crafting

2011-08-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

We decided to take off for a few days and go camping but since I had some much to do I brought all my jewelry and gem tree making supplies to keep busy. I usually get so bored while we are camping as I'm thinking about all the stuff I could be ~~getting into~~ creating while at home. Problem solved, just bring everything. I didn't bring everything but I have a box of jewelry stuff, a box of art supplies and a box of gem tree making supplies. Who knows what I'm going to have to pack if we Winter down in Arizona. I'll have to start thinking about that soon so I can get all organized.

Anyway onto to the pretties. Everything has sterling silver findings except for the bronze chain necklace and earrings. I love the bronze metal but sterling still sells best. These will be up in my ArtFire studio soon but if you see something you like just e-mail me or leave me a comment and I'll quote you a price.

First we have an Aquamarine bracelet with sterling silver spacers and small freshwater pearls. I just love this color of blue and it isn't that watered down bluish green that you normally see.
Then we have about a 20" pearl and agate necklace made with sterling silver links. I wanted something neutral that would go with most everything but not just all pearls. I guess you might say it is an updated pearl necklace.
My favorite, bronze links in an asymetrical design with Picasso Jasper. The earrings match. Necklace is about 36" in length and perfect to wear doubled.
On the bottom row is a delicate Love, Faith and Hope sterling bracelet with light pink crystals and freshwater pearls. I thought this might appeal to someone that would like to honor a friend who has gone through Breast Cancer. Perfect colors and sentiment.
Fluorite nugget double bracelet. This one is not for the faint at heart. The Fluorite has small sterling silver beads between them with an extra large sterling toggle clasp. If you need some healing spirit, this bracelet is guaranteed to make you feel better if not physically then mentally.
The Pink Botswana necklace I took apart and re-did it by hand knotting between each bead with grey silk. An instant classic and so now with the light pink champagne color and grey tones.

I'm kind of jewelry'ed out now so maybe tomorrow I'll get out my gem tree supplies and crank a few of those babies out.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Bead Soup Party Time

2011-08-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for these Bead Soup Blog Party's. I just love getting to know new people through their blogs and seeing what they create. There are a whopping 363 participants this year...WOW, I know I'm going to be busy visiting blogs in September. We just got our partner assignment today and mine is Christine from Charis Designs Jewelry. She also has an ArtFire Studio so if you want to pay her a visit, I'm sure she would be tickled pink.

I've already started a pile of beads but want to get more input from Christine on her likes and dislikes before shipping it out to her. If you aren't familiar with these bead parties. This one is hosted by Lori Anderson at Pretty Things blog. There is usually one large bead soup per year with several in between. This one is by far the largest that I've been a part of. So, Lori partners all of us up, then we contact our partner, find out what they like to work with in regards to beads, colors, metals, etc., ship them an assortment along with a fancy clasp and a focal bead or pendant. Once we get our beads soup from our partner then we have until a designated time (September 17th) to make something with it. Then we post pictures on our blog and talk about our experience. Oh, we also visit all those other blogs to see what wonderful things they have created. I can tell I'm going to be busy.

If you would like to take a look at my Bead Soup post from last year....here it is.
This one was from this past Winter 2011 and so far has been my favorite.
This bead soup was from this years Fairy Tale/Spring bead swap.

There has been so much more going on that I've been losing track of days...I know, how can that be but really it does happen. I taught a Gem Tree class at Shipwreck Beads yesterday to 3 great people. If you are interested I teach at least one class there a month. Here is the link to their web site Shipwreck Beads.

Today was my dad's 75th birthday and we did a BBQ for him with family. Talk about rushing around to clean house this morning. Ugg and two dogs that just wouldn't quit bringing in leaves and twigs. Food turned out great thanks to hubby and his wonderful grilling skills and the house didn't look too bad either. Now I have a somewhat clean house I'll have to tackle laundry and all the other stuff tomorrow that I've been putting off.

I'll leave you today with these pictures of my students and their wonderful little gem trees.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Be Blessed.

Show Musings

2011-07-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today isn't my typical clean house and laundry day as that is normally tomorrow but Summertime is a busy time for us and on Thursday we leave again for yet another Gem and Mineral Show. We were at Tenino, WA last weekend and had a wonderful time. I demonstrated soldering copper and hubby did gem trees. Gem Trees is always a big draw and on Sunday I abandoned my copper for teaching tree design along with him. Sometimes we have shows where kids or even adults want to learn and some just look, this one was quite busy with 2 students on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. It was just a little bit more on Sunday than what hubby is used to dealing with. Teaching always gives us a sense of satisfaction and of passing along the knowledge that someone else so generously gave us. We have found that at these shows we teach for free if we have the time, these free teachings usually get paid back to us 10 fold of which we are so grateful. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of us teaching but I did get a pic (with my phone) of hubby at the table.

Here is another demonstrator, Robin, who was showing how to carve soapstone.

I can appreciate what she does as carving one piece of stone takes her about 4 times as long to finish as one of my gem trees or several pieces of jewelry. She worked on this fish all weekend.

Here are a few copper pieces I finished on Saturday. The mix of circles will be a bubble pendant after I construct the bail. As some of you know I usually work with fusing fine silver but with the price of silver I really didn't want to just sit and play so switched to soldering the copper. A bit messier with the flux, solder and pickle that you have to lug around but I'm able to create much the same styles with the wire.

I wish I could say this was a relaxing week but yes, we are once again getting ready for another show. This coming weekend is the Northwest Federation Gem and Mineral Show in Chehalis, WA at the Lewis County Fairgrounds. This is a new venue for the show and hopefully one that will be successful for the sponsoring club. I still haven't decided if I want to demonstrate just trees with hubby or take my copper along also. I may e-mail the organizer to see what they think. I'm sure the more different types of hobby related crafts the better.

I think after this show we will be finished for the Summer before the couple of shows we have scheduled for the Fall start up. Maybe a few weeks breather.

I do feel that anyone that donates their time to demonstrate or teach for free at any show deserves to be congratulated on your selfless generosity. I know of several wonderful craftspeople that would not be so willing which is a shame to keep all that knowledge to yourself and not share with the world. I do know that a lot of us paid for classes to learn what we know and others are self taught but others are not so fortunate. Thanks to Tony, Kari, Robin, Chuck, Paul and Sandy for so taking time out of your busy life to share a weekend of knowledge with so many.

If you want to get out and do something a bit different this weekend, come to Chehalis at the Lewis County Fairgrounds, Friday-Sunday. You'll find us at one of the demonstrator tables.

A Little Bit More

2011-07-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted just a little bit more or needed a little bit more? More time, more money, more stuff, more food, more dogs, more family...okay maybe not more family, especially with the holiday and all those parties behind us. Hopefully everyone had a great holiday and didn't shoot off a finger or a hand with the fireworks. I do know that the dogs are really glad the holiday is over along with all those fireworks. They aren't big fans.

I did get a chance to make a few new jewelry items this week but I really needed to make a little bit more. I have gem trees for the gallery in Oregon to complete and get mailed, some special orders and ArtCharms that are due to be mailed on Monday.

The first project was a wedding necklace for my niece who is getting married next Saturday. It looks like a double strand but they are single strands that you put together in the back with an "S" clasp. I added an extension to the pearl necklace so that it would be a little bit longer but you can wear them the same length together or separate. I thought she might get more use out of a little bit more versatile piece.

This next piece I made using vintage typewriter keys. The keys are glued on to a bracelet with disk blanks. I've tried it on but haven't worn it anywhere yet but am looking forward to wearing it.

This last piece I was playing around with copper wire and copper solder which I had never used before and created the double "s" stations on the side. Added a bit of copper chain and there you go.

Well that's what I've been up to. I do have some ArtCharms I'm working on so hopefully I can get them photographed and up tomorrow so you can see some of the fun things I create also.

New Jewelry .... Yea

2011-06-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

Finally for the past couple of days I have made some new jewelry pieces. Most of these will be listed for sale soon on my ArtFire studio but a couple of the earrings are for a special order. I've been playing with my hobbies for so long that I decided it was time to do a re-do in my studio of the jewelry that's for sale.

These first two necklaces are already for sale. Lots of chain and crystals what could be better.

These pieces are made of either sterling silver or fine silver. I really hate to use my supply of silver on pieces that people may or may not like since it is so expensive. I guess the important thing is that I like them. The Bubble pendant necklaces are my favorite. I was just playing around with some extra links and decided to solder them together in a random pattern. They look really cool on.

I'll be making a few more new pieces tomorrow so we shall see what special things I come up with.

What Would We Do Without Hobbies?

2011-06-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but my craft room is overflowing with stuff. I organize and put things away just to get it all back out again. I have a wonderful table that is quite large for the very small room (we put it together in the room) and I seem to only have about 12" of space to work in. I guess when I had the smaller table I had even less working space but really. I do have a ton of hobbies stored in there (room is only 7x9) from all but business jewelry making stuff to my sewing machine, plastic totes of fabric, sewing notions, gem trees and supplies, ATC stuff, rubber stamps, altered art, crochet books and yarns, beads, beads and more beads along with torches, firing bricks, hammers and all those metal working tools. When I think about all I have in that small little room, I'm kind of amazed I have any room to work at all.

I was hosting an art charm swap with a 4th of July theme and those all got mailed this morning so I was able to organize it a bit more. Here are the few jewelry pieces I made out of my stash of charms. I'm sure I will wear the earrings and necklace more than the bracelet but I like the look of the bracelet and after the holiday will hang it on the wall with one other one.

I also started working on some ATC's for a swap with the Red Lead Yahoo group, I haven't swapped with them before and am looking forward to it. I love ATC's as they are little works of art that you can store in a book if you don't want them out. Most of mine I keep in a sports card collectible sleeve in a binder as they are the same size as the baseball or football cards. These are the ones I finished up today.

Now to go and clean up my mess yet again. Maybe this time I'll actually put the boxes away in the cupboard where they are supposed to be versus on the floor.

I guess one of these days I'll have to post some of my jewelry creations with you. I do have some special orders to work on so I better get crack'n.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week.

What's Up With These Bags?

2011-06-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today I made a bunch of these little bags. It seems that every time I make some I end up making a ton. These are special bags which I can't tell you why as some people may be reading this blog and I really want it to be a surprise. Oh wait, if I wanted it to be a surprise I shouldn't have posted it right? Probably, but I wanted to post it anyway.

All of the fabric I used commemorate an upcoming holiday. Can you guess which one? Man, was it that obvious. Well hopefully the receivers will like them.

This week is just flying by. We have our contractor here to finish up some of the remodeling and handyman fix it jobs this week and boy is the varnish to the wood floor making my sinuses act up. I'm glad I took the dogs to grandpas house for the day. I can just imagine little doggie varnish footprints all over the house....not going to happen let alone what the fumes would do to their sensitive noses. There is only three places where he put varnish on the floors today but that's enough to smell up the whole house. I did open the windows and doors and turn off the heater...yes, I did say heater and yes, I do know it is June but it is still chilly here. I'm not sure Spring is going to come let alone Summer.

Well time to put a sweatshirt on and plan dinner. Humm, eating out is sounding like a really good idea.

Fun Day Today

2011-06-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Each month I try to schedule a gem tree class at Shipwreck Beads in Lacey, WA. Today was the class. I had 7 students all ready to learn the mystic of twisting together wire to create a tree. What fun, but I always have fun teaching and sharing the hobby. Here are a few picture of my students, their finished trees or working on their trees.

Everyone finished their tree and either glued it to a rock or piece of wood. Some great trees were created today and to look at them you wouldn't know that this was their first gem tree.

If you are interested in taking a gem tree class, the next one I have scheduled is July 2nd. I'll be teaching the Pine Tree style. Here is the link. Pine Tree Class.

I'm still working on my art charms for the Patriotic charm swap but I've painted them with acrylic paint on both sides, resin on one side and spray poly on the other. I still have yet to drill holes in them and then add the jump rings. Since I'm hosting this one I wanted to make something special to send back to the charm participants and I'm leaning towards a small drawstring bag made out of Patriotic fabric that could be used to store charms or another piece of jewelry. I should have them all finished by Monday so I'll post a final picture then.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Tomorrow we are off to mom's for dinner so I'll probably bake a pie to take with us. Humm, I think that means ice cream too. Yummy.

What's Next?

2011-06-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well we have sufficiently recovered from our rock and gem show last weekend although my body still feels like it needs more sleep. I'm just not used to manual labor especially for 4 to 5 days straight. DH and I worked the kitchen making deli items for the workers and attendees of the show. We did have some help which was greatly appreciated. We just aren't used to standing on our feet (on concrete) for 8-9 hours a day. This was our 9th year to run the kitchen and our last. I think I want to do something different next year, but we will see what next year holds and determine our fate then.

I did receive my fabulous round robin necklace exchange completed. What a joy to see the contributions and thought that everyone put into their charm that they added to my necklace.

I know this isn't everybody's style but I love it.

I've said this before but if you are interested in art charms (mini works of art) or want to learn more you can join the Yahoo group or there are a couple of books available on Amazon (I have both) that are great resources. Here is the Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtCharms/

I'm also hosting a art charm swap with a Patriotic theme for the group. So far all the charms I've received are wonderful. Hosting is new for me so I'm sure you will hear all about it. I did start my charms yesterday. I had something in mind and couldn't find one of the components I needed so went with a different design. They are wood stars that I am painting and then will seal. I'm still debating on whether to wire wrap them or drill a hole for the jump ring.

Hopefully everyone is having a great week and if you need something to do this weekend, I have a couple of spots left in my Standard Gem Tree class at Shipwreck Beads on Saturday. Here is the link to the info. http://www.shipwreckbeads.com/catalog/Classes/Wire-Working-Classes//orderBy/sku/itemsPerPage/20/page/1/item/14CS0611

Cheers, Dana

The Bead Soup Reveal

2011-06-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Finally today is the reveal of the results of my bead soup. Lori Anderson at Pretty Things organizes Bead Soup parties a couple times a year. This one was a Fairy Tale/ Fantasy based in color and design. Lori paired us up to exchange beads and then we were tasked to make something with those beads. Now I get to show you what I made. I received two soups, but unfortunately I have only had time to make a couple of pieces with the first one. This soup is from Loretta and is predominately green and purple with the purple being Amethyst.

There was so much to work with here with the glass beads, a couple of polyclay beads, amethyst and some cute metal ones with flowers on it. She even sent me some memory wire which I had never used before, so I dug right on in. This is the first piece, a bracelet on the memory wire which highlights the glass frog because as Loretta put it you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.

This next piece I used only the amethyst pieces she sent and added one of mine which is the flower at the bottom. I donated this piece to the Puyallup Valley Gem & Mineral Clubs raffle. Proceeds of the raffle support scholarships for students majoring in Earth Sciences.

I have one more soup left and several beads that would make a great bracelet that came from Eve. Maybe after this hectic weekend I'll be able to concentrate on making something out of it.

Now if you would like to follow us in the blog hop with our bead soup, check out these links. I can't wait to see all the fabulous things that were made.

Fairy Tale/Spring Bead Swap Blog Hop

Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

Rebecca Anderson, Song Beads

Courtney Breul, Beads By Breul

Loretta Carstensen, Designs by Loretta

Evelyn Hall, Dragon Lady Evelyn

Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Design

Tara Plote, Newbie Beader

Christine Brandel, A Hot Piece of Glass

Lisa Sittniewski, Alterity Art

Joanna Matuszczyk, Filcowe

Jenni Connolly, Jenni Bead

Geneva Collins, Torque Story

Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

Sally Russick, Wireworked

Mary McGraw, MK's Creative Musings

Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

Stephanie Haussler, Pixybug Designs

Shai Williams, Shaia's Ramblings

Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

Sweet Addy Designs

Valerie Norton, Hot Fused Glass

Hopefully everyone is having a great weekend.

A Sneak Peak At Some Soup

2011-06-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

A couple times a year I participate in a Bead Soup blog hop. Lori Anderson is hosting a mini one this Spring and we will be hopping all over the blogisphere on June 4th. I just happened to get two soups sent to me one from Loretta and one from Eve. This normally doesn't happen so I must have just been lucky, I love a good challenge.

I've already made a bracelet out of the Lampwork and smaller beads and a necklace out of the Amethyst from Loretta. The necklace will be donated to the Puyallup Valley Gem and Mineral Club Raffle this coming weekend.

I haven't made anything out of this soup yet from Eve but there are some really pretty lampwork glass beads that I might combine with some of mine and then dangle the butterflies and some of the other beads for a charm bracelet. I think it could be quite whimsical.

To see the finished products and to do the blog hop, come on back Saturday for all the fun.

I also worked on a couple of Round Robin Necklace charms today, got them finished and mailed to the next person on the list. Here is one of the necklaces. The theme is birds. I added the Lampwork bead with the bird on it that has an Amazonite dangle at the bottom which coordinates with the other colors. I love this necklace and how it is turning out. Just one more round for this one and then it is on it's way home. I can't wait to see mine when it is finished. Right now it's in Hawaii getting it's final touch from Cris.

It's really been a productive day with getting some shopping done for the upcoming Gem show (I'll be coordinating the deli) and getting some of these jewelry pieces made. I did have to take the little dog to the vet today as he has been limping for the past couple of days. Turned out he had a laceration on his paw in between two toes and needed 3 stitches. Poor thing. He has also been milking it for all it's worth and wanting to be carried and to lay on you. Right now he is all curled up in the blanket with his hurt paw sticking out.

Have a great day!

A Smelly Project

2011-05-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

I do tend to volunteer for some odd jobs and today's was no exception. We have our annual Gem and Mineral Club show this coming weekend (June 3-5) in Puyallup, WA and I'm not sure how I managed to volunteer to make all the display case favors. I did find the instructions and the transfers but was hoping for some help but with going on vacation and other things, I just didn't get around to organizing any help. Oh well, I didn't have anything else to do today anyway. So, I am making tumbled marble/stone coasters. I found a site with the instructions and the club decided that would be a good project for case favors. If you are interested in doing some of these yourself, here is the link to the instructions on Vintage Image Crafts. They also have lots of images if you are interested in vintage pictures. Instructions can also be found on the waterslide decal transfer sheet package. I'm sure there are several types but I used the Lazertran for copiers.

Do yourself a favor if you do make some of these and do them outside. The smell of the pure turpentine is terrible. I haven't put the sealer on them yet....that will be tomorrow's job and then the cork backing. Some are turning out okay but we shall see once they are finished.

I do hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend where we honor those who have fought and given their lives for our freedom.

Catching Up

2011-05-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to get things caught up and accomplished. I"m not sure why I don't do this all the time...lazy I guess.

We made it back from our Alaskan cruise on Sunday and it was great. Talk about scenic cruising, this was the one for that. It was a little chilly but being from WA State we are used to that. One of my favorite parts of this cruise was watching for wildlife such as these Orcas.

Then there was Glacier Bay. What a fantastic site. That large snowy thing behind my mom and I is the glacier.

We even had time for a little shopping...okay a lot of shopping.

So, now we are back, the vacation is over and time to get down to business. I had gem trees to ship to Pacific NW Gem and Art Gallery on Monday and for the past couple of days I've just been getting caught up on all my art charm swaps that are coming due, oh and unpacking and laundry. Why is it that if you have all your laundry done before you go on vacation, when you come home you have more than if you didn't go at all. Usually, I only have two loads per week but this time I had three. How does that happen?

Today we had a rainy cold day and I noticed that my lilacs were blooming. Now lilacs are my favorite flower so as soon as the rain stopped I ran out and cut some to have here in the house. You never know if the rain and wind keeps up, I might not have any blossoms left to enjoy outside.

Hope you are having a wonderful day.

Big News

2011-05-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes fate has a way of knocking you in the head. Take for instance the last gem show we did in West Seattle. It is just fate that we happened to be at another gem show where the organizer saw us and asked if we would demonstrate at her show at the last minute and we just happened to have that weekend open. Then at the show I met a woman who purchased one of my gem tree books and was commenting on how wonderful the gem trees were and how they would be great in a gallery in Oregon that she had visited.

As fate or luck would have it, I contacted the gallery (Pacific NW Gem & Art Gallery) and sent pictures and low and behold I will be commissioning some of my gem trees there. Yea, what fun. I've already made one special tree to be sent to them and am working on one more. The other trees I send will be from stock I already have. Happy Dancing....woo hoo. We actually did pretty well at that show in terms of sales. A few books, a couple of custom jewelry designs that I was able to make there and lots of gem trees were sold.

Here is Hubby with some of the gem trees.

This is one of the new designs I made at the show. All in fine silver except for the sterling silver chain.

In one of my last posts I was complaining about our office not being finished, well today the contractors showed up to finish the job....yea. Hopefully things are now coming together here at home so we can finally get the house back in order and all the office stuff out of the living room and in the office where it belongs. I'll post finished photos soon.

I still haven't given up my charm swaps or bead swaps and in fact will have a blog hop coming soon. Lori Anderson organized a Spring Fairy Tale swap and we are shipping our beads to each other today. My partner is Loretta of Designs by Loretta. She does some wonderful polymer clay work. You can check out her Blog or her ArtFire studio to take a look. I only hope she likes beads.

Okay, I'm off to get some beads shipped and finish my portion of a Round Robin necklace. Have a great day everyone.

Dana

Gem Show Season has Started

2011-04-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend Paul and I are demonstrating at the West Seattle Gem and Mineral show. He is demonstrating gem trees and I am fusing fine silver. I was able to get a couple of pieces completed and a special order for a customer at the show who wanted a pair of earrings. Check out this link to the West Seattle Herald. There was a reporter there taking a few photos and talking to a few people. He did get a snapshot of one of my gem trees in the display case. If you are in the area or want to get out in the beautiful weather tomorrow the show is at the Alki Masonic Lodge from 10-5pm. It's a small show, a few vendors, display cases, gold panning, silent auction, door prizes, demonstrators and a deli if you get hungry. Here is a photo I snapped with my phone of Paul and Tammy a friend of ours who is one of the vendors there Crystal Rich. You can see some of their items behind them such as spheres and mineral specimens. I've bought several mineral specimens from them in the past to use as gem tree bases.

Here is a photo of my gem trees in the display case.

We have several more shows we will be doing this Summer in July including the WA Agate Society show in Tenino on the 23rd and 24th of July and the Regional Gem Show in Chehalis which is the 29th-31st of July. We also do a couple of shows in the Fall in Castle Rock and one at the fairgrounds in Puyallup. I'll provide more info on those shows when we get a little closer to the dates.

If you are interested in taking a gem tree class vs. just watching us, I have two scheduled this Summer at Shipwreck Beads http://www.shipwreckbeads.com/catalog/Classes/Wire-Working-Classes/. The first one which is already up on their web site is June 11th from 2-5 pm and then second one is July 2nd from 1-4 pm. You can register on-line at Shipwreck Beads or call them directly.

Since it's such a beautiful weekend, finally, here in WA state, go out and have a great time tomorrow in the sunshine.

One Step Forward, One Step Back

2011-04-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

We've had a frustrating couple of weeks while we wait and wait some more for our office furniture to be finished. We hired a cabinet maker to custom build cabinets and a Murphy bed for our office/spare bedroom. Everything has been cleared out of the room since early March, the carpet was ripped out, walls refinished and painted and a small window seat build by our handyman. Now we wait. It was looking promising when they showed up today to install but of course things just couldn't go smoothly. The wardrobe cabinet was built too large so it and the Murphy bed couldn't be installed in fact the wardrobe had to be taken back to be rebuilt. Now I ask what else can happen. As it is, this remodel of the office is taking longer than the complete gutting and remodel of our kitchen last Summer.

While we have been living with office stuff and boxes all over the house I just had to clean and organize my studio to have one tranquil place in the house. I should really clean and organize it once a month but just can't seem to get myself to do it. I went in there today to get away from the cabinets being brought into the office and it was so clean and organized I didn't know where to start or what to do. I guess I'm going to have to get it messed up again to get creative. Here is a few pictures of the clean studio.

As you can tell it isn't a very large room so I have to make the best of all the space in there. I still need to organize the open bookshelf cabinet a bit more but I just kind of wore myself out and had to stop.

This is a sneak peak of what how the office is coming along.

This side of the rooms cabinets are finished except for the shelves, hardware and other small details. I love how the leaded glass turned out.

This is the wardrobe cabinet that they had to remove and are rebuilding. It is small but a guest really won't need that much room to hang things up. It's not like they are going to stay long or at least that's what we hope.

Here is the Murphy bed as they were unloading it out of the truck and dismantling it so it would fit into the room.

Poor Murphy bed in pieces and it is still in this condition tonight....just waiting to be put back together again.

and now a fun little collection to share.....

Aurora Borealis

Curated By: danasjewelryd...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

A Diversion from the Norm

2011-04-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was supposed to be our Spring Barrel Tasting over in Eastern WA but hubby had a Gem & Mineral Federation meeting on Saturday over there and the family just couldn't work out all the details for this year....next year for sure.

We did have a good time visiting with my step-brother and attending the local gem and mineral show over there. Driving over the passes was interesting as they were still getting snow. There are some pictures at the end of this post that I took as we were driving through.

One of the items on my wish list to look for at a show this year was a dapping block and other metal working tools....well there was an Oregon business vending at the show and they had just the right things, so I spent money. Well my business spent money but I have been playing a bit today with some copper sheet metal, cutting it into disks, pounding them, doming them, putting words on pieces, punching holes and you name it just causing all kinds of noise. So much noise that I made the house alarm go off this morning....LOL, note to self, turn alarm off before pounding on metal. The business is FeelingStone Gifts. It was a mother-daughter team and they do some wonderful wire work. I highly recommend checking out their website.

Funny thing about attending some of these shows is that you never know who you will see or what you will see. The same woman (Jackie) of FeelingStone Gifts, that I bought my tools from just happened to have purchased one of my gem tree tutorials a couple of months ago....now how do you like that. She and her daughter made several trees that were for sale as well as on display in a case. It was really nice to be able to see what someone else was able to do with one of my tutorials who did not attend a class. She had purchased the Pine Tree tutorial. I think she did a great job both her and her daughter.

Before I even when into the show, I stopped in to the meeting with my husband and a woman from the West Seattle Gem Club asked if both hubby and I would demonstrate at their upcoming show. Yes, I think it was a very productive weekend even if we didn't get to go to a ton of wineries and drink lots of wine.

So if you are in the Seattle area April 30th - May 1st, you may want to check out the West Seattle's Gem and Mineral show at the Alki Masonic Temple, 4736 40th Ave. SW., (W Seattle), WA. The hours are 10-5 both days. We will be demonstrating gem tree design. I will also be signing copies of my book for sale as well as finished gem trees and gem tree supplies.

Today I'll leave you with some of these photos of Snoqualime Pass from our weekend trip. They aren't the best photos as I was inside of a moving car taking them at the time.

Yes, those are skiers.

Playing with Charms

2011-04-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

The other day I got a bee in my bonnet and finished several groups of ArtCharms for swaps that I had been putting off...one of them I had just signed up for...LOL will I ever learn. NO, NO, NO

So these are my charms.

Adopt-an-Ancestor swap

Wood swap

Under the Sea swap

Jeweled Wings swap

Now if I can just NOT sign up for any more for awhile I can get caught up on all the other stuff I should be doing.

Since we are talking about charms, I have a play date tomorrow with a fellow ArtCharm member. We are going to be soldering glass charms. Oh, how fun is this going to be. I am definitely going to take my camera and take lots of photos. It should be a riot.

If you happen to be reading this and are interested in ArtCharms as an alternative art form or as jewelry and want to learn or participate in swaps, then I highly recommend this Yahoo group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtCharms/ The originators of the group are Christine Hansen and Peggy Krzyzewski authors of the book Making Mixed Media Art Charms and Jewelry. Great book by the way.

A Little Messy

2011-04-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to take a class vs. teach a class, so it was soapstone carving. I've been wanting to try for quite a while but didn't know where to start. A friend has been carving little wizard figures out of soapstone and he agreed to teach so this was my opportunity. As you can see from the pictures we started with a triangle shaped piece of stone and did a little sketching with a pencil on the stone and then just started carving and filing. After about 3 hours it still isn't finished but I'll finish it up here at home. It is supposed to look like a wizard but I'm not sure if mine does....maybe a gnome or an old fashioned Santa...? I'll post a picture when I'm finished.

If you follow my posts here on my blog then you may remember me talking about an upcoming jewelry party where I was going to donate 30% of the proceeds to a local charity. Well the show was last Wednesday and it was a success. We raised over $200 for the Westgate Orthopedic Guild to benefit Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. I'm so pleased that I'll be able to present them with a check at their May meeting.

If you are interested in hosting a jewelry party with some of the proceeds donated to charity, please contact me at djames50 at gmail (dot) com.

One of the other things I had been working on the finally came to a close was these Victorian folding fans. Here is a picture of the complete table setting with them as the centerpiece with the flowers. The whole table looked wonderful and my friend Glenda did a great job organizing everything...oh and the Bunco and lunch were good also.

Here is a close up.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. We had the kids over for dinner today so after carving stone and cooking, I'm tuckered out and ready for an early night.

Have a great one.

Giving Back

2011-04-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

I titled this post giving back as I'm getting ready for a jewelry show for a Guild I belong to and will be donating 30% of the proceeds a local non-profit organization that supports Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. I've been hard at work getting some new items made, making jewelry bags, designing new labels and just sorting through all the jewelry I have available. I'm excited about this show as it does give back to the community and helps pay my bills which are all good things especially if you ask my hubby. I might even be able to buy a few more beads or heaven forbid some silver....I think the price of silver is another story especially when the price of silver closed at $37.72..Yuk.

I would show you a picture of my craft room but shudder to think of what you might think. Oh my, it is such a mess right now, sewing stuff, jewelry stuff, paper crafts and various other items crowd the table in there. Yea I know, it's that way all the time. I thought I was the messiest crafter around until my Art Charm group I belong to had a Where you "Work" contest. We all posted pictures of our crafting space...and guess what, I'm not the messiest. My husband couldn't believe it until I showed him some photos. It was fun seeing everyones work area and how some of them organize all their stuff. Lots of great ideas for containing things. One of them is a hanging shoe organizer that you put on the back of a door. All those little pockets can hold all types of goodies.

With the mess in the craft room we continue to live with the mess in the living room until our office is finished. We are now waiting on the cabinet maker to install the custom cabinets and the Murphy bed. It was supposed to be completed today but they were running behind and the cabinets aren't finished yet. I just want to get all the mess cleaned up before we have to pack it up again to refinish the hardwood floors in the living room. Will we ever be finished?

I think with everything going on I'm just tired, oh and to top it off I'm teaching a class tomorrow at Shipwreck Beads in Lacey, WA. So, if you are in the area, come join us. Here is the link to the class info. http://www.shipwreckbeads.com/catalog/Classes/Wire-Working-Classes//orderBy/sku/itemsPerPage/20/page/1/item/14CS0411 I'll be teaching my Standard Gem Tree design.

I'll try to remember to take photos of the class and jewelry party to share with you later in the week but until then I'll leave you with this photo I took of some art charms for a swap I'm participating in called Adopt-an-Ancestor. I made these using Tim Holtz Fragments which are thick pieces of plastic that I just glued the image to the back and then sealed. These photos are of my husbands family and are from the 1920-40's.

My Symmetry is Asymmetrical

2011-03-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

There is so much going on around here that I'm not sure where to start.

First off I would like to offer my hope and prayers that those who have family in Japan, find their loved ones and no further damage will come to that country from the aftershocks and tsunami's. We've had the TV on more these past couple of days than we normally do and it is really just so sad to see all the devastation.

I haven't had Internet much this past week as our office is undergoing a complete remodel but that has been good for me as it forced me to get in the craft room and start getting jewelry ready for upcoming shows. I have one the first week of April where 30% of the proceeds will go to benefit the Westgate Orthopedic Society which raises funds for Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. This will be my focus this year along with finding my niche in jewelry.

For months I've been playing with art charms, ATC's, mixed media projects and all kinds of hobbies but not my business so now it's time to focus. That's not to say I won't be doing those projects but they will be fit in and not the focus.

I've come to realize after years of making jewelry that I personally do not like symmetry in my jewelry so most of my newer items look like a mis-mash of beads and chain. It does take a different kind of person to feel comfortable with this style but I think it looks so good.

In this next group of photos you will see two of my newest multi strand necklaces, the start of a round robin chain with art charm dangles and a few of my Winged Jewels art charms.

The Turquoise, Apatite, Coral and Sterling silver came about as I found 3 Turquoise and mixed bead necklace that hadn't sold. I took them all apart and then grabbed some additional beads and created this one. I love it and it feels good on, not too heavy.

The black and white necklace is actually Black Spinel, Freshwater Pearls, Black Onyx, Crystal Quartz, Fine Silver links and Sterling silver chain. This is one of my preferred styles to make as I love fine silver chain and the layered look, so why not combine it into one necklace.

The large link chain is fine silver links that I made and combined with some leftover sterling silver chain. This will be a round robin necklace with the additional links for my team mates to add their charms. I can't wait to see how they interpret my start on this "Found Objects" piece.

Last but not least are the little charms that look like butterflies. These are for an art charm swap titled Winged Jewels. I've combined iridescent leaves with crystals on a black wire base. They are kind of fun.

Along with all the jewelry and charm making, the dogs did get a bath yesterday. Here is Buddy not looking too happy.

What the Heck

2011-03-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

Just about the time I think I'm getting all caught up with projects, more just seem to slip in unnoticed. Okay, so maybe I did know about them but until I really start thinking about all the things I have to do, I have the time or at least I think I have the time. I'm going to have to start keeping track of all the things I have to do and their due dates. I won't bore you with all the things I have on my plate right now but I will share one that I am especially looking forward to.

I belong to the Westgate Guild of the Tacoma Orthopedic Association which supports Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. Every year we have an auction/dinner in October and every year we try to come up with new ways to make money and make it fun. This year we decided to put some higher end gadgets on a ubber cool silent auction table. We already have one person signed up for a Kindle (I may have to bid on that one myself) but we have lots on our list and no money. So, here is where I decided to do a little bit more. I offered to do a jewelry home party with 30% of the proceeds (cash) going to our Guild to help purchase some of those items. Not only does this benefit me but our guild members will get something in return for their money vs. just giving the guild money. I also offered to do other home shows with this same option for any of our members. My first party will be at our next meeting in April. So, now I'm going through stock, making a few new pieces and trying to get organized. I had kind of forgotten how much work it is to get ready for a home show...actually any show. The past couple of years the only shows I've done is with my gem trees and books and that's easy to put together.

So, do you want to have a home show between now and the end of September? If you do, one of your options is to donate the 30% of sales to the Westgate Orthopedic Guild. There are other hostess options.

Want to see some of the items that will be at the home show?

Black Onyx and sterling earrings on handmade sterling silver ear wires.

Sterling silver chain necklace with Freshwater Pearls, Smokey Topaz, Champagne Quartz and Jasper.

Fine Silver hand fused links with Mother of Pearl, Black Onyx, Snowflake Obsidian and Labradorite.

Would you like to see more. Check out my ArtFire Studio.

Now for something coming up this weekend. On Sunday, I'm teaching my Tree of Life & Hope at Shipwreck Beads, 1-4 pm. I know there are spots still open so if you are available come join me. Here is the link. http://www.shipwreckbeads.com/catalog/Classes/Wire-Working-Classes/Tree-of-Life-and-Hope/

This is what we will be making. These are so much fun.

Don't forget I'll be drawing a winner of my Bead Soup giveaway tomorrow so if you haven't entered yet, you have until 5 pm PST, on Saturday, March 5th.

Have a great weekend.

What's in a Bag?

2011-02-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

I can tell you that my bag is my most frustrating thing ever. I seem to never have the right size or color, style, type of material or something and I end up going and buying something else that I think I'll like. I don't like heavy bags so that limits what I will carry to small light weight bags and then I can't seem to get all my stuff in them. This is a big worry to my husband as I just either make or buy more bags....I have a limit on shoes but not bags. LOL. I think he is wishing he had put the limit on bags now. Ha ha too bad.

So, back to the reason for my ranting, I purchased a Miche bag several years ago at our local fair. Carried it for 6 months or so and then decided it just didn't work for me, too small, stuff kept falling out, etc. A month ago a friend of mine asks if I would attend a Miche Bag party....who knew they were still around and now gaining popularity, well I told her I would come to hers but I already had a bag and didn't especially like it. "Oh, but now they have two new sizes and they have fixed the problem at the top of the bag and they are just so much better" she said. So, I went to their web site to check out the new styles of covers and sizes. They seem to be better and they do have a bigger bag, kind of like a tote bag. If you have never seen or heard of these bags you can check them out on their web site http://www.michebag.com/.

Okay, I keep getting side tracked. Last night my friend and her husband came over for dinner and she had one of the new "standard" bags and yes they had fixed the top but just wait, she opens her bag and out pops a liner with all her stuff. What a great idea when you want to change purses. I'm sure you can now guess where this is going, yes, I made myself a liner. It fits inside my Miche bag and several other bags I own so it is very versatile. The Miche folks have one that they sell, smaller but it has more pockets. I used some scrap fabric and pieced these two together. I like the black and white one but I messed up on the pocket, and the tabs were too big so the second one fixed those problems. I'm not crazy about the color but who cares, they go inside a bag and you really don't see that much of them.

Now I will be tempted to buy more covers and possibly that bigger bag tomorrow night at her party....oh, what have I gotten myself into.

If you are looking for the Bead Soup Party blog and my giveaway you can check it out HERE.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.