Artisan Clay Trunk Show and Staci Louise Originals Drilling Demo this weekend! Be there!

Look at us!  Aren't we cute?

We are wearing each other's work :-)  Staci is wearing a necklace that she made as one of the Artisan Clay Design team challenges and I am wearing a necklace that Staci made for me YEARS ago!

Today was the day that I set up my Trunk Show at Bead of a Feather in East Greenville, PA..... That is just a 20 minute drive from my home and just a few miles from Staci's. 

Staci is doing a couple of demonstrations at the shop tomorrow.  I love the subject, drilling your beach finds, sea glass, shells.... for your jewelry making.  So.... be there!  Staci is your girl for tips on making jewelry that will LAST!  BE WEARABLE!  Hang straight!  Not be junk!..... which we happened to discuss while setting up the show ;-)

Thanks for coming by and setting up the show with me today Staci!   You rock!

After this weekend my work will travel to Beads of a Feather's Kutztown location..... SO..... if you are in the area, this is YOUR chance to see a larger selection of my work than is available online.... after this, my work heads to New Jersey before stopping in Virginia :-)

In other news.... I am super famous now  ;-)  .... My bead is featured in a new E-Mag put out by Interweave called Live Wire..... I downloaded my copy last night and I am really impressed!  I hope to work up the project and show it off soon!  So there you go!  I'll say I knew you when ;-)

Don't miss our Artisan Clay Design team reveal next Friday!  This month we are working with my glass fused donuts.... It should be fun. 

I hope you are having a great summer!  Mine has been a blur of choices and people and hope for the future...... and this weekend.... camping with my girl scout troop.....in 100 degree weather.... but I think we will figure it out.
(and I even get to hang out with my Clay Bead and metal buddy Melinda Orr at THE BEACH on Monday!  OH my gosh!  What fun!)

Trunk Show at Azillion Beads! and SALE!

            This is just a quick post to let all you West Coast, namely Oregon folks know that for a  limited time you can pick up my beads at Azillion Beads in Eugene and Bend.

I sent a lot of my newest work--- including my new donuts with the painted edges and TONS of funky disc beads and funky links like in the last Artisan Clay Design Team Challenge.--- SO.... Please stop by the store and tell Pam that I sent you!

My own trip out to Oregon is coming fast!  I will close the etsy shop for around a week, while I am away, so please use the coupon code RELAX to receive 15% off your http://www.artisanclay.etsy.com/ purchase up until the time I close down shop next week.

State of your Studio--a bit of the week

Friday--making beads... the kids were making hats.

Stamping the cards for the Bead Cruise beads

All sanded

Empty and headed to pick up my Trunk Show beads on Friday afternoon

Packing beads for Bead Boutique Kansas City, MO on Monday

I stalled out when I realized that I didn't have any more bubble wrap... Picked some up at the shop on Tuesday.

All packed up

Beads and Tally Sheet and tape and paper and it's all done :-)

Trunk Show EXTENDED! And Open Studio BLOG HOP SALE this weekend!

Philly folks!

  The Artisan Clay Trunk Show at The Bead Garden in Havertown has been extended for one more week! 

Get 'em while they're hot folks!  After this week my beads will be packed up in a big box heading to Kansas City, MO...   So, if you are in the Philly area... go to the Bead Garden... If you are in the North Kansas City area.... check back for more details about my next Trunk Show scheduled to begin around Mid-March....

And if you are nowhere near either of those areas..... come by this blog and my Etsy Shop this weekend and SHOP my BEADS OF CLAY OPEN STUDIO BLOG HOP SALE AND GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA!    ha!

If I'm really hardworking and I don't get dressed and don't stop for food ( for either myself or my children) than I might have some really fun experimental beads to share with you... on Sunday..... to giveaway.... maybe. 

And if I don't then I will still have a killer sale and great bead studio spring cleaning surprises in every order.

Look What Staci Made! And what's new?

I love it!
I made the Flower-cupish bead at center.
Staci bezeled a fossil for the bottom part of the focal.  She's so super fancy!
Check out Staci's Blog here

I'm been a busy bead maker this past few weeks.  My birthday sale was a much bigger success than I imagined it would be and so was my last trunk show and so I have been a very busy bead maker.  I fired the kiln again yesterday and made a bunch of new disc beads for Heather Power's Bead Cruise.  I also have my next Trunk show lined up in Kansas City, Missouri....   because I'm taking myself and my daughter's to Kansas City for Easter and why not schedule my next trunk show to be picked up in person???  Yes!  Why the heck not? 

Next I should schedule a trunk show in the Portland area I think...  Why the heck not?  I'm sending myself on a vacation to see my great friend Debra.  Because I love her and I miss her.  And I don't let many people close to me and she is very close to me.... yet very far--- Eugene Oregon to my Philly burbs far.

I can't really believe how busy my spring is with travel and camping trips.  I haven't been on a vacation in 2 years and now I'm going on 2 vacations and 2 camping trips before June!  I am very excited, yet very nervous that I'm not going to be able to handle my workload with all this fun.  --And be the awesome momma my kids deserve at the same time.

I am 99.99% sure that these little hearts are in the current issue of Stringing Magazine..... I have seen a photo of the layout online and I have been told by a customer that they saw the earrings in the Magazine, but I have not yet seen a copy or received my earrings back in the mail.  I think that there is even a second pair of earrings in the issue that I designed... but these things get fuzzy for me, as they happen so far in advance and I don't usually contribute very often.   So... once I get a copy, I'll do a little "fancy like in the magazines" post.

So all the beads in this post are in my etsy shop as of this moment and more new pieces not pictured.... and soon I will add things from yesterday's firing...  As soon as I pick out pieces for the Bead cruise and for my greedy little self!
Oh yeah!  I get to go to the Berks Bead Bazaar in Reading this weekend with my girlie Staci and squeeze some hugs out of Joan Miller and Lisa Peters!  Watch out ladies!  I'm gonna get you!  It's been too long!

Trunk Show at The Bead Garden!

I set up a trunk show at The Bead Garden in Havertown, PA yesterday!  What a great shop!  I could not believe how much great inventory Leslie has in her store. There was lots of activity when I was there too!  Fun place! 

I left a small display of beautiful jewelry made by GREAT ladies like Carol Dean Sharpe (Sandfibers), Staci Smith (Staci Louise Originals) and yours truly...

  I included tons of charm sets in the show.

and lots of smokefire,

and hearts and pendants and cabochons of course!

I wish I had better photos for you.  My camera has been acting really poorly lately.  It just hasn't been the same since my trip across the country last spring.  I guess my next purchase will be a new camera,  Do you have any suggestions for a good one? I would really love to know your experiences! I have really enjoyed my Nikon Coolpix for the past *cough* 7 or 8 years :-) 

Trunk Show at Bucks County Beads!

I set up a really big trunk show this Saturday at a great bead shop in Newtown, PA.  Bucks County Beads is such a beautiful store!  The Trunk Show is in store until January 11th.  Kathy is also having a great trunk show of really good quality gemstone stands right now. 

Here is a little taste of the pieces I have at the show.  I sent all kinds of small charm sets, donuts, cabochons, pendants, smoke fired beads........

And Bead Sets too!

My girls and I went to the Camden Aquarium with our girl scout troop on Sunday.  How I love those kids!   We've been taking turns being sick and well and sick and well and it's been a day by day thing.  We had been to the hospital with my youngest just two days before but we were all ok on Sunday.  Now today it's my older daughter's turn to be sick and I'm home from my office job to take care of her.  I'm really hoping not to get sick until my regular day off.......    

Most of the time the kids were taking pictures.

I really like driving the Schuylkill Expressway -- I wouldn't want to drive it everyday, but I'm always headed some place fun when I'm on it.  I love driving up and seeing the Art Museum next to the river.  It is such a historic and impressive looking building.

They got some good shots on a really rainy day.