Events and Opportunity

This post is a collection of upcoming events and new contests.

The first is Flint Handmade.  I try to attend this show once a year.  I have good friends in the area and I love the work the community has undertaken to revitalize an area hit hard by the downturn in the automotive industry.  Friends, Art, Good Food, everything one could possibly want to enjoy a good day.

 

I'll be at The Loft, come join us if you're in the area.  For more information please visit Flinthandmade.com.

In honor of Mother's Day, Artbeads is sponsoring a contest but hurry, it ends May 7.  Click on the link below the picture for more information.



Make it for Mom Challenge



I love the writings of Cat Ivin's, her blog Olive Bites is informative and a fun read.  She also sponsors the best giveaways not only of her own creations, but that of other artists she's met along the way.  This month's giveaway is one of her cork board sets for mom (or to keep for yourself).  Click on the link below the picture on how to enter.

Uncorked Giveaway

Thanks for stopping by and if I don't win, I hope you do.

Renewal Step Two

If you read my previous post, one of my goals this year was to reinvigorate my art.  I've invested in a lot of different supplies over the years, but haven't practiced enough to utilize them or the skills I've picked up in classes.  I was quite grateful that Anne, from El Milagro Studios, began posting tutorials and invited us to play along.

I had to break one of my goals, "not to buy any supplies" to get the gloss gel medium, but I felt it was well worth it as I was still using a lot of what I already had.  Anne has directions if you'd like the play along, here I'm just showing you my results and a couple of things I've picked up in the process.

First Lesson Learned

No matter how aggravated you get at your child's mess, don't throw everything away.  I am not a neat person, but even I have my limits.  Unfortunately for my daughter, when I reach my limits, a purge usually follows.  She made valentines from foam hearts when she was about 4 or 5, the kind that you had to punch out of the background foam.  I had saved the left over outline and they would have been the perfect stencil for this project.  Nope, in the last purge not a single piece of foam remained but two of these flowers (you don't know how tempted I was to go the Michael's and buy another bucket of them, $4.99 cheap).  I had a small heart cookie cutter so I was able to make a stencil using Anne's directions.  

 This is what I created following along with Anne using the gel medium and a bin of beads I've collected from leftover projects.  Anne mentioned that her beads bled into the gel.  I've had the problem with resin as well.  There are a couple of types of beads to avoid if you don't want this to happen; color lined and dyed.  I'm sure some others will do the same, but those two I know will cause problems.  My beads are larger than what Anne used and the effect is much lumpier.  In the first heart, I tried to cull out the larger ones; on the second I just let it be.

 This is how it looks after a day of drying.  It still has a lot of drying time left.  The bleeding I'm getting around the edge I think is from the alcohol ink I used on the mat board and not from the beads.  I'm curious to see if the white will disappear completely.  I don't really like a couple of the beads sticking out, but I stopped myself from picking at them....patience.

Second Lesson Learned
You really do need patience to get good results.  I didn't like my background color and squirted diluting liquid all over it and nearly ruined it.  I'm not upset about the near mishap, I could always paint over it, it was wasting a quarter bottle of the liquid...not cheap stuff.  Of course I had to relearn this lesson with the next project.  I didn't let the layers dry completely and nearly ruined my background again....patience (that little white spot in the middle of the page is from the paper coming off on my hands).

 This project involved gluing a sheet of paper to the background.  This time I spray painted the background lightly with black then overcoated it with Pepeo Setacolor transparent paint in Oriental Red with a very wet brush.  I used the same color on a page from an old poetry book I use for a prop in my photos.  I adhered it to the mat board with gloss medium/varnish (yep I had gloss medium but not gel, go figure).  I then lightly tapped on alcohol ink in Slate to tone things down a bit.

Now I had a dilemma, I didn't have any foam left and I didn't want to use the little heart I had cut out earlier, it was so much smaller than the mat board.  

Did I tell you I have a lot of different supplies?  This is a die cut board from my scrapbooking endeavors.  I punched out a few of the shapes and I had a pretty good stencil.  Not as good as the foam, cardboard will not stand up to repeated washing, and it didn't lay as flat so I had to be really careful applying the gel.  This time Anne used German glass glitter.  Crap, I didn't have that so I used some microfine glitter left over from one of Heidi's projects (she's banned from glitter you know).  In hindsight, I probably didn't need this deep of a stencil and could have gotten by with one of my brass stencils (it would be dry by now too, lol).  I'm not sure what the results will be, the glitter may not show up enough since it's so very fine.

I'm pretty proud of my control here, there were a lot of open spaces on that board I had to avoid and a very high risk of seepage under the stencil.  It's not as smooth as I'd like it, but I was afraid to play with it too much.  It would have been easier had I found the quilt basting spray I was looking for (of course I found it AFTER I finished).  It's similar to the light tacky spray you use on stencils to hold them down while you paint.  But, who knows, it may have damaged the background and I did fine without it.  I'll post a follow-up picture when both dry completely (could take awhile, it's pretty thick and it's cold in the house).  I'd used the heat gun, but I'd probably melt the gel....patience.

Check out Anne's blog for instructions and to learn more.

Winter Wonderland

Winter themes typically involve crystals, glittering snow, ethereal fairies in winter white garb, angels, ice cycles, and children frolicking.  A winter theme involving jewelry will often capture that imagery in spectacular ways and I am looking forward to the responses to Artbead's Winter blogging theme.  

As we leave January and enter February, Michigan's winter often has a harsher look.  The snow is no longer pretty but grimy with dirt, we begin to tire of huddling for warmth, and our arms ache from shoveling mounds of the no longer white stuff out our driveways.  By the end of March, when it is still frosty cold in the Midwest, I will admit to being downright grumpy and feeling more like Robert Brynes, "Winter is Nature's way of say 'Up Yours'.  Should snow fall in April, you'll hear a collective groan from even children who would rather go to school than huddle one more day in the cold.

It was this imagery of winter that captured my imagination.  My husband's yells from the other room as the hockey game played locked in my response to the theme.  I wanted to show winter in an industrial city like Detroit; beautiful but grimy, hard edges and raw power, a raw uncut diamond and a dangerous yet elegant opponent.   

My husband is from the Detroit area and I'll never forget my first Redwings game.  It was before we were married and we went to Joe Louis arena with his parents to watch them on New Year's.  Needless to say, it was an incredible experience.  Nothing beats being at a live game; the pounding of the men hitting the boards, the roar of the crowd, and yes the excitement of the fighting surely chases off the winter chill. 


Hockey, like winter, is many things.  It is beautiful; the shear grace of the players as they maneuver, their unrestrained joy as the puck reaches it's target, the equal joy when a goaltender thwarts a goal, all of it at amazing speed on thin little blades of steel.  It is also brutal, not many players make it through a career with their front teeth intact.

Winter is also breathtakingly gorgeous.  Freshly fallen snow is like a blanket of fine opals while nothing compares to the sun glistening through ice.   And there is no doubt that winter is the harshest of seasons especially to those without adequate heat and shelter. 

Industrial Chic

After a few searches, I selected these items from Artbeads:

I chose the charms as a literal representation of the Redwing's team and the black agate coin beads represent the puck.  From my own stash, I selected stainless steel jump rings to represent the skates.  A hockey sticker and a plumping washer add an industrial element to the back.  A sterling silver washer and sterling wire completes the front of the bezel, effectively invoking the beauty of the season hidden under a layer of patina.  The bottle cap I used originates from Labatt's celebration of Stanley Cup winners.  Usually, I cull the heavily scratch caps from my collection, but these hockey caps are relatively rare and, after all, hockey is a tough sport.  A pristine, unscratched cap would be a bit out of it's element representing what it means to be a Stanley Cup champion.  

The silver bezel was not my first choice.  I've been experimenting with a wire wrap bezel that allows the edge of the bottle cap to show to make it more apparent a bottle cap was used.  However, I still have not captured the right look with wire, it's too delicate and pretty for the more masculine look I wanted.   After two scraped attempts with wire, I found this sterling washing in my stash, left over from a class with Anne Mitchell.   I gently formed the center circle of the washer with pliers, then hammered it to fit the cap.  The rivets holding the layers in place are a combination of aluminum welding rivets and eyelets (where an open area was need for the charms).  

The reverse of the pendant is more industrial looking but still mirrors the front.  The necklace is not quite reversable, (unless you don't mind seeing the hockey player from behind).  I see a lot of potential in these pipe fitting washers from my late step-father's garage.  I believe he would be quite proud that I found a use for them and did not allow them to go to waste.

The chain alternates between the black agate coins wire wrapped with sterling wire and chain maille sections done with square stainless steel jumprings in a Jens Pind pattern.  I love the richness of stainless steel, it is every bit as beautiful as sterling yet tougher.  These rings are 18 gauge, the heaviest I can use with my hand strength and I envy those who work with the heavier gauges.  The Jens Pind pattern is one of my favorites and is a suitable look for men and women alike, and is especially elegant in 20 gauge sterling. 

The clasp is a textured sterling silver magnetic hook and a ring of fine silver I made in a PMC class I took with Kate Mckinnon.  The final piece is not a traditional winter look, but I believe I captured both the feeling of winter in Detroit and the fun of that first hockey game.

As a final note, I selected two additional items from Artbead's; a link that reminded me of an Octopus and a another that reminded me of a goalie mask.  They didn't make it into the design, but I believe I'll purchase another set to use as earrings.  So for now, I'll keep them a surprise. 


You can learn more about the products used in this project at Artbeads (the product codes are included in the picture) and find charms here and semi-precious stones here.


Disclosure: The above mentioned beads from Artbead.com were kindly provided free-of-charge by Artbeads.com, within the frames of Artbeads.com blogging program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author.  You can find additional participating artists and their blogs on Artbeads' facebook page. 

Grow and Renew

It's common to begin the new year with a list of resolutions.  There's something about flipping that new page in the calendar that makes you want to set some goals to build upon the previous year's experiences.   I have three goals this year:

• Reduce consumption by recycling and utilizing materials on hand.  This one I believe will actually spark creativity.  The only breaking of this rule will be for custom orders.  No doubt it will be hard to maintain as I'm tempted daily.  In order to achieve the next goal, this one must be enforced.
• Earnings will be applied to improving my web presence and investing in artwork.  By keeping to the first goal, the second will be much easier to achieve and much more satisfying.   My main goals are to do at least one juried art show, take control of my .com website, and create a unique brand.
• Really explore all the different creative avenues at my fingertips (and use those supplies I've collected over the years).  I have the ideas, but I have not yet learned the techniques (and the patience) to implement them.

These goals are primarily business centric but they correspond to my more personal goals of simplifying and living well (healthy, positive and giving).  I've begun a new adventure with Liana Spiegel, Marmalade Hills, and she is a wealth of inspiration; both personal and business.  I'll write more about that at a later date, when we come back for our great adventure in Chicago.

Business Investment
A lovely lady discovered my shop and purchased three of my cuffs.  Her words of encouragement brought light to my day and her purchase allowed me to begin the steps toward becoming more professional.  I commissioned a logo as my first business investment.  Like many of my journeys, this began in a round about way on the internet.

GoodQuillHunting

GoodQuillHunting
I met Christina Neit, GoodQuillHunting, through Etsy and through Facebook not long after I began using both sites.  I continue to be bewildered at the connections that occur by happenstance.  If my memory were better, I could almost do the "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon" game on how one post led to Chris creating my logo (and hopefully more fun stuff in the future).   

You'll find me complaining (okay, whinning) about how much time I spend on the internet and how that time is wasted.  Much of it is because I lack the discipline to get in and get out in a timely fashion.  But there's enough that leads to wonderful people and great opportunities that I'm learning to relax and let it flow (I really need to try meditation).


In December 2009, I saw the banner above advertising the Haute Couture beading contest that Chris sponsors.  My comment at the time, "Stunning. That's a skill I'm sorely lacking. This banner will get attention".  To which Chris replied, "if you ever need one let me know".  A little seed was planted in the brain.  I entered the contest and this is the shot she used to show my entry, she created one for each of the 76 entries.

 

You can see all the entries here and the winning entries here.  It's worth taking the time to look.  All were amazing, but the winning entry is unique and spectacular even in a world of amazing bead artists.  But I digress; I was left with a very positive impression and started thinking about how to improve my picture presentation. 

Traveler's Blues by GoodQuillHunting

It was this shot and necklace that won me over completely.  I knew that Chris' was an incredible beadwork artist.  However, this arrangement also showed me that she had an gift for composition and marketing as well.  This piece has gone to a new home but she assured me she has more of these cabs, so maybe a new creation will be available soon.

Bird in the Hand by GoodQuillHunting

This collage soon followed Traveler's Blues and I was smitten and continued to hope that she would begin offering her services for sale (okay, that sounds funny, but you know what I mean).  In December 2010 (almost one year after I saw that first banner), Chris opened up her shop for graphic design.  

Izze Cuff with Color Logo

I know there are many good designers out there; what Chris has given me is personalized service and an artist eye for details.  When she created my logo, I provided very little in terms of direction.  She knows me and my shop through Facebook and Etsy; but even with that knowledge she had a feel for what I needed and guided me towards something better than I envisioned.  Her customer service is outstanding.  When I wasn't placing the logo correctly on my shots (the limitations of the freeware I'm using), she offered to do it for me while I was waiting for my software to arrive. 

I'm looking forward to doing more work with her as I wrestle the huge task of taking over control of my .com (bet you didn't know I had my own website).  You can see more of Chris' work on the following sites:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Etsy
Artfire

Holiday Accoutrements

Christine's Beadworks

What's On Your Body

Get it?  Not what's in your wallet but... Okay, I guess if you have to explain your witticism it's not that witty.  I thought it would be fun to see what you wore over the holidays.  Over on Anne's blog  I saw holiday socks my mom would love and some fuzzy flannel pants Anne wore outside taking pictures, and thus was born the idea for this post.  

I support handmade and treated myself to a few items before the holidays which I wore proudly over the week long celebration that occurs between Indiana and Michigan.  Someone asked me why I buy jewelry when I can make it, and the short answer is I get more enjoyment supporting another artist and proudly stating this is an "insert name here" original.  I don't get to splurge often, but I've enjoyed every piece given to me or purchased.  Of course, I wear my own creations but there is something special about wearing a piece from someone you admire.  This blog piece may come across as one giant advertisement for Etsy, but I don't recommend shops unless I've purchased from them, and I don't recommend them unless I've loved what I've purchased.

Underneath the Layers

Don't worry, I'm not going to show my undergarments, this is not about that type of accoutrement (what a fun word, you may see it again).  When I first joined the Etsy community, I also joined a team or guild.  The first was Micetsy and its members are Michigan artists with shops on Etsy.  Each year I try to purchase from this team in my gift giving to support handmade and the local economy.  I stumbled across Liana and her shop, MarmaladeHills through the team and purchased soy candle tarts and gave them to my daughter's teachers and beer soap samples for the men's stockings.  I sent her link to a friend who loves artisan soaps and she told me how wonderful Liana's products made her skin feel.  Long story short, I purchased a few of Liana's products and love them.  

Marmalade Hills

 So, under it all I wore Dark Ale Beer Cold Processed Soap (actually a gift from Liana, thank you again!); Coffee Butter Sugar Body Polish, Tea Tree Blossom Ultimate Body Butter, and for the face; Tea Tree Cucumber Complexion bar, and her Facial Serum.  My skin glowed.  My daughter loves the sugar polish and on her list is the Gingersnap scent (maybe for her birthday).  

Jewelry

WondrousStrange

Wait, what about clothing?  I did receive a very special Christmas present, but I'll save that until the end.  The item I wore every day during the Michigan holidays was the bracelet that you see above (since it's for sale I can't wear it to Indiana and around the smokers in the family).   It is one of my own creations and complements just about everything I own.  Although it's my piece, I did support two Etsy artists in making it.  The first is a shop called WondrousStrange.  She makes lovely ceramic pieces as well as other artwork.  The buttons above are what I purchased, the one in the bracelet is one she threw in the box as a gift, wonderful!

The leather is from an Etsy artist from Montreal, Santosleather. I purchased this leather from her to make a cuff for a good friend and I've been back to her shop several times.  Exquisite leather and excellent customer service. The cuff pictured above is Loretta's and features this gorgeous leather and the Druzy stone purchased from Beadsaddict, another favorite shop.  Unfortunately, Loretta didn't get to wear her cuff for the holidays.  I was late mailing it and she left to visit her mother before it arrived.  Her husband has the box safe and sound waiting for her return.

GypsyMoonArt

The piece above is from GypsyMoonArt, another Michigan artist. I've been a huge fan of Shannon's for sometime now and a sale allowed me to purchase one of her pieces for myself.  It's so easy to wear, and looked fantastic with the earrings below.  I'm also in awe of Shannon's photography; jewelry is not easy to photograph and the picture above would look as good on my walls as the pendant does on my neck.  

BlackWaterSiren

These earrings are from BlackWaterSiren and are my favorite earrings.  They were made by shooting through sheet metal and are my nod to my brother's passion for guns and his own talents as a non-practicing artist (the art really never leaves your soul).  

On Top of It All

I was fortunate to make a few sales that made these purchases possible.  I'm very thankful to my customers both near and far who've discovered me along the way.  I'm also blessed with a wonderful family who supports my passion and a husband who works so very hard in this economy.  When he found out how much I loved Santos Leather, he purchased this wonderful jacket for me for Christmas.  It's been waiting in my closet for New Years, when I will wear it proudly and try to keep from stroking the leather all night long.  I just recently discovered DH stands for Dear Husband.  All this time, I thought there were a lot of men out there with the initials DH (I can be quite dense sometimes).  My DH is thoughtful, caring, and has been the light of my world since I met him.  So I close this posting with a picture of his wonderful gift. 

SantosLeather

What Inspires You

The Rest of the Story
This phrase from Paul Harvey has become a frequent visitor to my blog.  It's not always possible to tell the full story in a short blog piece and sometimes the rest of the story doesn't happen until much later.  This is the case in the "What Inspires You" contest hosted by Artbeads.  I wrote about this contest earlier, and I believe I did a bit of whining about not being able to define my inspiration easily and lamenting that I was not going to enter this particular contest.  

Well you can see from the button above, and my shameless plug to vote for me, that I did in fact enter.  I thought I'd share the evolution of this necklace's creation. 

Japanese Owl Necklace

It all started in at a bead show in Flint Michigan, hosted by Flint Handmade.  A good friend of mine, Sue lives in the area.  She joined me at a show I was doing in Ann Arbor a few weeks before Flint's show and after a good meal and a couple of beers, I roped her into letting me spend the night with her and helping me out with the show.

This is Sue working hard in my booth.  Of course, before the show,  she took me to a local market that had beer and soda by the bottle.  I kid you not, there were at least 3 huge isles, floor to ceiling of the most amazing selection I've ever seen.  It was hard picking out a few interesting caps, uhmmm beverages,  out of so many (they were a bit pricey or I would have bought more).  When we stumbled across the Nest Beer, Sue bought a bottle and I bought a bottle ($5 each)...have I mentioned what a great friend she is.  We drank it up that evening and I bought these two amazing caps home.

 
I knew I wanted to bead around these so I prepped both with resin and set them aside.  I had been using cotton fabric out of my stash for my cuffs and had recently begun using oilcloth for durability.  The problem with oilcloth is that it's limited in designs and a bit stiff, although still very lovely.  I'd read about laminated cotton and a couple of my favorite fabric designers, Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler offered this in a handful of prints.  Needless to say, while on vacation Up North (it's a Michigan thing) I made my husband stop and a fabric store I had seen online.  My intention was to get ultra suede but when I saw Kaffe's laminated cotton I fell in love immediately.  It has all the suppleness of his cotton fabric with the durability of oilcloth.  It is luxurious to use on cuffs (and completely throws out my intention to use up my existing stash).

My first owl was transformed into this amazing cuff.  (I know I shouldn't say amazing in reference to my own work, but it really fit the adjective for me; comfortable, cute, unique).

I pulled the colors from the fabric and they went perfectly with this little guy.  When I was invited to join Artbead's blogging program with the Autumn as the theme, I once again knew this little owl would be perfect.  Using the fabric as my guide I choose beads from their website that fit the colors and complimented the bottle cap.  I took a chance on the funky fringe beads and I know have a new favorite embellishment bead.

Japanese Owl Necklace

When I look back at most of the pieces I've created, my inspiration doesn't come from a picture, or nature, or necessarily anything concrete.  It comes from an amazing focal point, a problem that needs solving, and my color wheel.  It comes from friendships, good food (and yes good beer), as well as the challenge to try something new, be it a new bead or a new technique.  It's hard to show in pictures, but it's a drive none the less.  


Inspiration also comes to me from the work of others I admire.  A fellow Michigan artist, Shannon Lovorn, has a shop on etsy called Gypsy Moon Art.   Her shop is a work of art and her jewelry is amazing.  I keep missing her at shows, but she is one of my favorite wire work artists and always inspires me to reach deeper into my inner artist and work to improve the look of my shop.  When I saw this piece she did sometime ago, I knew I wanted it (alas it sold before I got the chance) but I also knew I wanted to create something with that wonderful cameo she used.

While in a class by Annie Hesse, I chose to depart from the class project and use this cameo in pendant.  The pendant design came quickly, but it took several attempts to get the neck strap they way I wanted it, but I love the final result.

Gothic Wedding

Shannon's original piece captured my attention in a way that's hard to describe.  Everything from the photography, to the elegant bezel, to the chain.  It's a beautiful design, as are all her designs and I hope I've done justice to my muse.  You can see more of Shannon's work in her shop and on her blog. 

More to Follow

I have a backlog of blog entries partially due to procrastination, partly due to a writing slump, but mostly due to a backlog of pictures that I need to take or edit to tell the story.  So to move me along, I decided to do a short list of what's to come.

Where do you get all those bottle caps?

Subtitled "Things I'm thankful for and no, I don't drink it all."

 

Studio Space

Subtitled "Work habits, and things needing improvement"

Craft shows and Friendships.

 

It's never too late to learn.

Plus a follow-up on my favorite resources, teachers, and products that was the original purpose of this blog.  I've learned so much recently and I planned to intersperse the above articles with some of those tips that have made creating a bit easier.