Earring Giveaway....

at Earrings Everyday!

I thought I would re-create the earrings from my Bead Soup the other day, since I got so many sweet comments on them, this time using very cool borosilicate artisan beads from JavaBead.  Embellished with my hand formed copper bead caps and torch-fired enamel headpins.  Simple design, but they pack a punch!

How can they be yours?  Head on over to Earrings Everyday and...

1. Leave a comment.
2. Follow Earrings Everyday
3. Blog about the giveaway or Earrings Everyday in general (provide link)
4. Share on Facebook or Twitter

and, because I love my readers, earn extra entries by commenting here and/or following my blog!

Winner will be drawn Sunday evening.  Good luck!

My New Addiction!

I am in deep trouble!  A portion of my last 2 hauls from ArteBellaSurplus.  Part of me wants to curse Karen, but the other part wants to hug her!

The Art Bead Love Tour

Have you seen this gorgeous strand of handmade art beads?  I want every single one of them!

Go visit Love My Art Jewelry to see how you can get the chance to choose some of these for your very own!

Soup Ingredients...Bead Soup, that is!

I'm finally getting around to showing you the beadsoup I received and sent for this Fall's Bead Soup Blog Party extravanganza!

As I mentioned before, my partner is Mary Ellen Parker of BeeTreebym.e.  She creates wonderful nature-themed polymer clay components.  Without further ado, here are the selections she sent...

Lots of copper beads (those smooth round ones are going to be enameled, I have a feeling!), an African brass leaf bead, faceted quartz (I think), shiny smooth fancy jasper nuggets, Swarovski crystals in a lovely copper shade...check out the tiny ones strung on matching thread, a handmade clasp from MissFicklemedia, and the focal, a lovely polymer clay leaf pendant.  My photo does not do it justice!  I have some ideas, but actually haven't started work on anything yet...stay tuned!

Wait....what did I send to Mary Ellen, you may be wondering?

I started with the focal - a mixed metals pendant that I created with brass, copper, a brass stamping, and leadfree solder.  I decided the clasp would be in the same style, with a swirled hook in brass added to the mix. 

With a mixed metal focal and clasp, my color pallette was wide open...I had these gorgeous red Czech glass faceted beads in my stash...they have a cool finish that has a tiny bit of turquoise and a metallic color, so in they went.  I decided the pyrite lozenges would complement the rest nicely.   I had already decided to enamel a few beads to go with and I think these turned out great. Last, but not least are some turquoise Czech glass beads with a metallic "Picasso" finish. 

I can't wait to see what Mary Ellen creates with them!  Please remember to mark your calendars for the big reveal on September 17th!

Thanks for stopping by!

Just Because

Some of my daylilies and stargazer lilies before it got so freakin' hot this past week...

Roses that J got for me after I dropped over $200 at Costco the other day...I love it when there are enough blooms in a bouquet to split it up into little ones for around the house!  My Fenton milkglass vase is in the downstairs loo, and my beloved blue McCoy is right next to my bed!

Enjoy!

Giveaways Galore!

My blog reader has been filled with giveaways lately..and some really great ones!

Over at Art Bead Scene, they are celebrating the release of Beads 2011, which is chocked full of gorgeous art beads from lots of my favorite artists!  Go on over and read Erin's post, see a sampling of the prize package, and find out how you can be entered into this totally rocking contest!

If that weren't enough, Anne from Gardanne Beads is celebrating her 1000th sale and 2nd anniversary on Etsy by having a sweet giveaway of some of her lampwork and enameled beads!  She is also offering a 10% coupon on purchases from her Etsy shop, but hurry, as it expires tonight!

Over at Vintaj, they are having their first ever Art Bead Partner product giveaway!  Go over and leave a comment, and mention my name so we can both win!!

And just in under the wire, Andrew Thornton is giving away a cute set of metal ImpressArt Design stamps from PJ Tool Jewelry...hurry through, the drawing is tonight!

Last, but definitely not least, Melinda Orr is giving away one of her gorgeous bangle bracelets in celebration of 100 followers!  Don't miss out!

So, what are you waiting for...you have some blog reading and commenting to do, don't  you?

Happy Friday and a huge Thank You!

Just stopping by quickly today to say hi, and thank you in a big way for all your kind words of congratulations and kudos regarding my SBS Wire project!  That means so much to me :)

I've been laying low a bit this week, doing some Spring cleaning in our cluttered, messy house.  I have taken some time to play, however...mostly with my post-Stephanie Lee Metal Magic knowledge and doing a bit of enameling....no pictures yet on that front, but they will be forthcoming.  Trying to finish up a piece for the March Art Bead Scene Challenge, using that gorgeous tropical color pallette, before March ends!

The Man I Love

J came home this week with his head almost shaved!  This is called a #1...he says he is getting used to it so that this summer he can shave it completely...but not the beard!  He's a nut!

Hope you are all having a great day!

Happy Bloggy Anniversary, Andrew Thornton!

Andrew Thornton is celebrating his 4th bloggy anniversary!  He is doing so by taking his normally fabulous Thursday giveway over the top!

Look at all the art beads, findings, and very cool pieces!  Go visit his blog for details...all it takes to enter is a post on his blog, but hurry!  He randomly chooses the winner on Monday!

Stare deeply into my eyes!!!

Carnelian disks wrapped with Sterling

I promised more ring pics...Let me preface by saying, I don't normally list these rings for sale on my site or Etsy.  They are fun, usually experimental and very simple creations that I tend to crank out a few days or so before an arts market or show.  These kept staring at me, literally, and I thought I would shoot them at least for blogging purposes!

fluorite flowers and sterling...I have a strand in many variations of these shades.

labradorite coin, Czech glass, blue quartz

Carved amazonite flower (one of my favs), oops, same coral ring as yesterday, and a sweet muskovite square.

Oh, the ones from yesterday were the coral (above), a pretty grayish, white striated agate coin, and a really pretty lapis with nice touch of pyrite matrix!

I will make them to order for anyone interested...since I tend to be handicapped when it comes to predicting what sizes I need for shows. I have actually made them while a customer waited, but I don't really like to, as I can't oxidize and tumble them...fun!  These are all $20 each, except the carnelian swirly ones which with all the wire go up to a whopping $25  :)

Edited to add...I have been narrating this to myself as I type in a distinct British accent...quite sexy, I might add :)

Got my Bead Soup Mix!

A sweet package came in the mail recently!  It was my bead soup mix from Kate Clawson!  Very cool stuff!

Every thing was nicely packaged in the pretty little matchbox, along with a scrolled note featuring the same paper, then tied with raffia!  I love greens, and this mix will be fun to work with...I have some great ideas mulling around in my head.  I think my favorite part is that unique little suggestive looking leaf toggle :)

Thanks Kate!  Hope you have received your stash and are pleased with it!

Art Bead Scene - May Monthly Challenge

With only a few days left in May, I finally finished my 1st ever challenge piece for Art Bead Scene.  This month, the challenge was based on the fabulous painting, The Juggler, by Marc Chagall.   I have always loved this painting, and as soon as I saw the green and blue (one of my all time favorite color combinations), I knew I had to create something.

Months ago, I won a gorgeous bead from lampwork artist Jelveh of Jelveh Designs in one of her generous blog giveaways.  I had been saving it for something special, and I think it really fit the bill for this challenge.  I also wanted to showcase my torch-fired enamel work that I have been creating lately, so after getting the stash all together, I set to work.  The design I had in my mind's eye, kept changing as I worked, though. Here is the final result after a bit of evolution from bracelet,  to necklace, and back to bracelet again!

My inspiration from the painting came initially from the color palette, but something else kept pulling me in...an emotion was evoked that I can't verbally express, but I think I captured it!   I initially also included a tiny torch enameled bird charm to tie into the "bird-ness" of the painting, but in this last iteration, I decided it was not needed and took it off to be used in a future project.  I have named the bracelet "Keepin' the Balls in the Air" :)

Good Times!

Yay, me!  I am the winner of Andrew Thornton's most recent Thursday Giveaway...these fabulous, colorful lucite pieces I raved about last week!

Thanks again, Andrew!  I can't wait to play with all this juicy goodness :)

May 1st...Garden Walk

It is an absolutely gorgeous day today in Frederick, Maryland...almost hot!  A lot of yard/garden work to be done but we seem to be moving very slow so far :)  I went to Weight-watchers, worked out and came home to the 8 yr old still in his jammies playing his DSI, and hubby in the basement practicing electric guitar...at least a load of dishes was running!

I picked up the camera and took a walk around the yard to see what is blooming today..

This unopened iris looks like an alien pod...

I absolutely love old-fashioned bearded iris...can you tell?  My Mom always grew them in all colors.

This is a gorgeous purple clematis I've had for several years...just starting to put out its flowers.

One of my hubby's favs...lily of the valley...I always think of Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy" singing "I'm Lily...of the Valley..."

Phlox, dianthus or "pinks" as I grew up calling them and an unknown shrub that was here before us...I kept it because I love the little white flowers!

We just planted this small japanese maple...we had some shrubs that were damaged in all the snow and ice we had this winter, so we yanked them out.  Behold one of my plant stakes made from old wrought iron fencing embellished with lampwork beads!

Okay, this is just a mess...a couple summers ago, I planted lemon balm because I love the smell, and in Latin, it is means "sweet Melissa" :)  Unfortunately, even though it smells divine, it takes over your yard and is really difficult to pull out.  I haven't decided what to do with it yet!

I planted this last year and can't remember what it is called, but I love the varigated leaves and pale periwinkle blooms...it loves shade and inhabits the side yard with my hostas.

Thanks for taking a stroll with me...I am going out today to get some annuals to add some more color here and there!

Pink and Orange...

Pink dogwood just below my deck....I love dogwood...at my childhood home in Alabama, the white variety grows all through the woods.  I need to plant a white dogwood.

Orange birdies...mixed metals (copper, sterling silver, and some sort of alloy), hand-wrought earwires, and carved mother of pearl birds.  I upcycled the birds from an ancient pair of earrings I  had never worn.

Hope to do lots of gardening this weekend if the weather holds up...everything needs mulch.  Would also like to get some jewelry pieces finished...if I can tear myself away from a time waster I have re-discovered.

Let's go back to 2002-ish, my jewelry making was mostly stringing and I discovered lampworked beads.  I took a class. I loved it, bought a beginner's sample pack of glass and tools, and was about to scrape up the money to buy a torch and kiln when it dawned on me that it might not be the right time...my son was only about a year old then, there was really no space in the house for it, plus our finances were not that happening.  Packed the glass and tools up in a box. 

Fast forward to 2010...just got a torch for enameling fun, and I love it...I have some pieces that I am trying to finish up to show you.  But, wait!  Don't I have a sample pack of glass put away somewhere? and a marver? and bead release? Yes!  Think this glass will melt in this little torch?  Yes!  Think I could make an actual bead? Yes!  Hmm, no kiln...wait!  I have heated vermiculite for enameling!  Yes, I know they need to be annealed, but I am just practicing :)   Big sigh...here we go again!