jewelry

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Creative Project #11 for February……a little bit of this and a little bit of that!!!

Phew!!! Today has been quite the day.  I have done a bunch of creative things.
First I started to make a silver heart bezel for a ring that has been in my head.  With all the filing, polishing, and soldering that took most of the morning.
Then I had to gather tiny pieces of sea glass and shells to fill the bezel.
I was inspired to do this ring after joining a group on flickr called “Ring A Week” (RAW).
You HAVE to visit that page and see the awesome creations that are being submitted.  There are so many talented jewelers there that I have been intimidated to post anything.
This isn’t the greatest picture of the ring.  The resin in it is still drying, so it is the best shot I could get right now.  I will post a better picture over the weekend.
I also have a rack full of quilts to quilt.  Quilt tops that others have made and they have hired me to quilt for them.  So I knocked one of those out today also.
I also made some new beads at some point today, and some new earrings, but the beads are being annealed and while I write this post the earrings are in the tumbler for their final polishing.
Then I put some time into my swaps…..trying to finish some pieces for an embroidery swap I am in.
I have had a quilt top in my head for a while now that I started picking away at today also!
You can find a pattern for a smaller block here at my friends blog, House of Krom.  It is a free pieced block and is tons of fun! I figure if I do a few blocks a day that in no time I will have enough for a quilt.
It has been a busy, busy day!  And some people think I don’t work!! HA!
Tomorrow is the big day for my 100th post and giveaway, so come back to tomorrow and sign up to win 🙂
Hope you have all had a Happy Friday!
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Creative Project #7 for February……Valentine’s Day is a week from today!!!

I have been on quite the roll lately with my blogging!! I am very proud of myself!
For Create! day 7 I am still in feeling the Valentine’s spirit, and got such a great response to my heart jewelry that I thought I would make some more with a slightly different twist.
Floating Hearts Earrings:
The glass beads are dark pink with black swirls.  The hearts are made of fine silver wire and soldered.
Just in case a matching pendant was needed, and since I had so much fun with this pattern:
I was looking through my box of finished beads, trying to decide what I would make and found I had enough beads to do earrings and a pendant.
The top bead was so much fun to make.
I had all this space to doodle on with the stringers.
Now my head is bursting with heart designs and ideas for jewelry!
Just five more posts until I do a giveaway for my 100th post! I think that will fall on Saturday.  Here is how it will work…..first you will have to comment under the post, on Saturday, for your first chance at the giveaway……..BUT…if you become a follower of my blog that will give you an extra ticket in the drawing.
I am still trying to decide what I will giveaway, but will decide soon!
Until tomorrow……happy creating!
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Creative Project #4 for February…….Valentines!

Happy Friday everyone!
It dawned on me yesterday that I should probably do some Valentine’s themed projects.  So that was my goal with my *Create!* project for day four and since I am on a roll with the jewelry, that is the direction I went in.
I am not a matchy-matchy type of person so to me the pendant and earrings can be worn together, but I know to some that just wouldn’t do.
All the beads are made by myself, and all the silver wire is fine silver wire.  The colored pink wire on the pendant is colored copper wire that is non-tarnish.
I think the earrings are my favorite.
Now I need to get back to finishing my orders that are almost done!  So if you ordered something from me at the show last weekend, then you will probably see me next week!
Have a great weekend.
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Creative Project #3 for February (and a surprise for me)

Today was a bit of a rush for me since Thursdays are my day to go into town, grocery shop, run errands etc…..  BUT I did manage to do something creative!  This challenge is really giving me a chance to try out patterns that I have had for a while.
Most of you know that one of my favorite books is “Totally Twisted” by Kerry Bogart.
Well she has patterns for sale at the interweave store also, and I purchased this pattern called “Pacifying Pendants“.  I had to work with the beads I had made so it isn’t exact, but my version I guess.
Some of you may remember a few months back I was making these pendants…..
That is when I was playing around with PMC.  At the time I only had a torch to fire the silver with and this was the only pendant that didn’t melt before my eyes.  Now I have a kiln I can fire PMC in, but with the shows I have been doing there wasn’t much time to *play*.  It is way up on my list to try some more PMC projects with my kiln very, very soon!
To top today off I received my Potholder Pass package from Amy!!!
Amy and I have become fast virtual friends and she and I are moderating the potholder swap together for this round.
What an awesome package!!!
Do you see that eyeglass case?  Amy makes those…she prints the fabric and everything!
Check out her Etsy Store and see the really cool creations she has for sale from her printed fabrics.
I am so in love with these potholders that I want to frame them!
I just adore free pieced letters and green….perfection!
Hope you are all having a great week!
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Hooray December!

This is my favorite time of the year!  I love the weather, Christmas, the decorations……everything!
What I love most of all is my busyness is over for about a month!  In the last month, or so, I have travelled to Nassau to do two art shows where I got to sell my quilts and jewelry and I ran into friends that I have not seen in years!
It was really windy and I could not use all my jewelry displays, so please excuse the horrible table display.  It didnt stop people from buying and that is what counts!  The joy of outdoor shows!
In between the two art shows we had dog agility trials here…..
My potcake, Trixi, got her Novice Standard Agility title and two legs towards her Novice Jumpers with Weaves.
Above are most of us with our ribbons!!! YAY!!!
It was a week of training, trials, great friends and food!
Speaking of food…….back in August I went *VEGAN*!  I’ve been a vegetarian on and off for the last 17 years and swore I could never give up cheese.  Now I can’t believe I didn’t do this before.  I feel like a million bucks, my running is better, and I have lost most of the weight I had put on over the last two years.  So in the midst of my busy life I have been trying new recipes and enjoying every step of this new lifestyle.  I will have to do a post on the whole story another time.
After the two art shows I organized a dessert auction in aid of the humane society I work for, Friends of Abaco Animals.  It is called “Designer Desserts”.  We auctioned off some amazing desserts (and some were vegan!) and sold some vegan cupcakes.
The auction started off pretty slow but in the end we did better than 2009!  The money from this fundraiser will help spay and neuter more Abaco animals.
The day after the auction my friend, Amy, and I had a display of vegan food and environmentally friendly cleaning products at an environmental film festival put on by Friends of the Environment.
People were pretty impressed with our food.  We had raw energy cookies, black eyed pea hummus, no-egg nog (made from walnuts), vegan cupcakes.  I hope more people can realize the impact of slaughter houses on our environment, not to mention the impact on the animals and our bodies!
When all of this was over, last Sunday, we were finally able to get together with family and friends for a thanksgiving dinner.
When January comes (and it is coming very quickly) I will be preparing for an art show, Art for the Parks, which is the last weekend of January, and possibly another art show before that (which is a bit of a secret for now).
So I am going to throughly enjoy December…..family, friends, food and holiday gatherings……cannot wait!
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Guess Who???

I can’t believe how long it has been since I last posted.  I am so thankful for all the emails I have gotten asking where I was and if I had given up on blogging.  For those of you that don’t know, here is what happened…..
 Four days after that last post my golden retriever, Maya, passed away.  I knew my next post would have to be about this and I just wasn’t ready.  I am still not ready.  Putting it into words just makes it seem so much more real.  Maya was my faithful obedience dog for about 8 years.  We sure had our ups and downs, but that just made me love her more. She was never an easy dog to train and always had a mind of her own….kind of like me!
The above picture was her finishing one of her Rally Obedience legs.  Her and our 10 year old yellow lab, Lucky, were best buddies.  He is still looking for her and it breaks my heart.
They had this strange little game they played when they went outside.  Lucky would go out first and wait at the back door for her to come out…..he still waits, with that crazy look on his face…..I’m not sure how to tell him.
Life goes on after a loss.  I have shows to get ready for and orders to fill.  Thankfully my artwork is my therapy and is a great place for me to get lost when I don’t want to think about anything else.
In between the two upcoming art shows we are having agility trials, and I have been training one of my potcakes, Trixi, for the last year.
At our last trials she finished her Rally Novice title, so I am hoping for an agility novice title this time.  The last few weeks she has been more confident and has made me so proud.  She is a slow and steady learner, but once it clicks she never forgets.
One piece of jewelry I completed in the last few weeks and am especially proud of is this piece…..
One of my online/blogging friends asked me to make this for her, Kristen Beason.  Kristen is a halloween artist (she does other themes as well) and I am totally in love with her work and have a few pieces.  So I was flattered when she asked me to make something for her.  Go check out her website and blog.
Below are a few art quilts I have been working on as well….
“Hansel & Gretel”
“Morning Songs”
“Undersea for Baby”
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I Kinda Fell Off the Face of the Earth

It is kind of embarrassing how long it has been since I posted.  Thank you for the emails asking where I was and if I am okay.  It makes me happy that there are people out there that like to read my ramblings! Life has been like a roller coaster.  My 10 year golden retriever, Maya, has been sick the last two weeks and needing a lot of my attention, then on Sunday my 17 year old cat passed away.
“Snorkel”
I adopted him when I moved to Abaco, and he was by my side through a lot.  It was kind of sudden even though he was 17!
In the midst of all of this I have deadlines looming, and it is not easy for an artist to work when they have emotional and mental stress.
I thought I would post a few projects that I had finished, just so you know I am still around.
“Love Birds”

“Fish Kiss”

“Whimsical Seating”

“Bahama Pottery”

I have more items to show you that I need to photograph and download.  Hopefully I won’t be gone so long in between posts this time.
Thanks again to all of you that checked on me.

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Bead Soup Party Reveal

Today is the day for the reveal of my Bead Soup Party necklace!
Be sure and go over to Lori’s blog and check out all the jewelry artist’s blogs.  There are so many participating in this party that the party hop will go on for a week!  Everyday a new set of artists will reveal their creations.
You can also go the the Flickr page where most participants will be posting pictures also.
My partner for the Bead Soup Party was Janet from Singing Woods Blog.  Go check out her blog.  She sent me a selection of beads from the wonderful ceramic artist Gaia.
This is what I got in the mail from Janet, in case you forgot or missed that post……
Here is what i created with the bead soup I received……
The chain to the left of the pendant is made by me out of copper and sterling silver wire, soldered together for links.
I did ribbon at the back of the necklace.  I have done this on a few necklaces lately and found it to be very comfortable, and I thought that ribbon was perfect for the focal.
I had a few beads left over to make some matching earrings also.
Hope you like what I made Janet!
Don’t forget to check out everyone’s blog and see all the wonderful creations!
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More Mail!!!

Today the mail goodness continued!!!  I received my pillow swap package in the mail! 
I cannot believe how well my partner figured me out!  
Not sure if you can see it too well in this photo, but those four flowers in the middle are crocheted, and the back is totally crocheted!
And the color combination is perfect.  Above I photographed the pillow on my window seat in my studio.  Below it is on my deck (but i would NEVER leave this outside)
And here it is on my couch……
Where, oh where shall I display it?  I will probably keep it on my window seat, in my studio, and put it on my couch when guests come over.  I love this pillow so much!
I am trying to finish up my pillow for my partner so I can mail it out on Monday.
I also received four more blocks for my 3.5 inch block swap……
There is a picnic quilt, a watermelon, utensils and a pitcher of lemonade.  The lemonade block was complete with a lemonade recipe!
Here are the blocks I have so far together.  I have 8 more to receive.
These blocks are going to make a really cute quilt!
My pictures today are a bit dull because it was stormy and overcast when I took them, but couldn’t wait to show you!
Don’t forget this Saturday is the start of the Bead Soup Party reveal!! There are so many jewelry artists participating this round that the group has been split up to show off their creations.  My day is this Saturday.  Come back on Saturday to see my reveal and hop around other jewelry blogs to see what others have created.
See you on Saturday!
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Stepping Out of My Color Comfort Zone

Not sure how many of you have noticed, but every piece of jewelry I have created this month has been in blues and greens (maybe with a hint of purple).  So last weekend I had a gift to make and decided to throw in some RED!  This friend has adopted a potcake, and for those of you that don’t know……potcakes are the Bahamian mutt.  Like this one here……
That is my potcake Trixi.  Potcakes are smart dogs who are always willing to please.
Here is the necklace I made as a gift.  “Potcake Love”
I am having a great time with the book “Totally Twisted” by Kerry Bogart.  Every jewelry artists need to take a look at this book.  Great techniques and even some tips on color.
This necklace is made up of sterling silver and copper components, as well as copper colored wire (that is non tarnish) and my own flame worked beads.
As I was looking back over my photographs of the jewelry I had made this month, I could not believe that EVERYTHING was blue and green, or some shade close.  So for this necklace I threw in some red to push myself outside of that color comfort zone.
I also have components pulled for two more necklaces.  One color combo is pink and green and the other is red, orange and pink.
Hopefully I will finish those in the next few days, and be back to share those finished pieces with you.