Warm or Cool Color Scheme Challenge

I blogged about the start of the last section of the Beads-of-Clay color scheme challenge today---- This time I found examples of different Artists work with clay beads. It is on the beads-of-clay blog here

In other news, my ride to the airport will be here in a few minutes. Vacation starts today. Sunny southern California is the first stop. Then we work our way east.... in a southern route..

Fancy.... Like in the magazines ;-) And SALE

I added some of the beads featured in BEADS 2010 to my etsy shop this week.

Tulip

I actually added 4 tulip pendants in different colors and different stringing options to my shop. 2 very good customers snagged 4 tulips as soon as I listed them. This one I added the next morning. It is the same color and design as my Art Bead on the cover of BEADS 2010.

Powder Blue Drops

These little drop/ charm beads are in the magazine in different colors. I see 3 different colors on the cover,
Deep Dark Drops
And 3 more on the table of contents page.

Purple Drops

I also wrote a project that uses this size and shape clay piece as a cabochon.

As soon as I get a copy of the Magazine I will know what other beads got in the issue.... and I will add them to my etsy shop. ( sent a bunch of different styles in) I will be adding project kits so you can make the necklace project I wrote as well. You can always order this style of charm on my Artisan Clay site made to order to your quantities and colors--- I mention this since I will be traveling next week and if you would really like something specific--- it would be best to let me know, and I will make time for it :-)

This piece is a tiny bit larger than the small drops. It is teal front and back and has such a great blue glass area. I have been wearing a pair of earring in this color since before Christmas when I shopped my own sale :-)

SO--- you may have missed it. I am having a SALE in my etsy shop up until I close it for vacation early next week. What's the sale??? It is a Buy One Get One sale~~ with a twist. For every item you buy from my shop you will receive "special fabulous secret surprises"

I know some of you guys have made really awesome designs with past Fabulous Surprises and I have a BLAST trying to pick pieces that may suit your style. Any hoo-- the shop will be closing before mid-week for my trip across the country so get it if you want it :-)

Bead Love!

I am so excited! I just won a necklace made by MaryLou Holvenstot!MaryLou had an Easter egg hunt in her etsy shop yesterday. She announced it on Facebook and I checked my clicking finger tired until I found the Egg! I won a great little chain necklace from her Etsy shop.

The necklace I am wearing in the photos was made by MaryLou just for Me! MaryLou made it for me when we were working together on some collaborations for the Bead Fest Philly show last August. The necklace features a round Raku bead made by MAKU studio and a ridged disc bead from me. I can't wait to get my second piece of jewelry from MaryLou!

Check out her shop www.time2cre8.etsy.com :-)

New Floor! New space!

I was able to put the new floor in the attic yesterday! Yay! Now I can start moving things in and setting up yet another studio space--- Ha! My whole property is Studio space! Anyway, I will be trying to pull myself together and keep more tools up here, instead of everywhere-- cause there is a new era of extended family starting around here. The idea is to make this a Art Making storage area--

I will bring up waist high storage shelves today, which I hope to make into a counter workspace.

Happy Holidays!

Dead Man's Cave / Native Land

We took a family hike last Sunday... All the mosses were bright green and poking out from the leaves packed down from the winter's snow fall.

The moss and lichen were really beautiful and stood out a lot compared to other times of the year. Soon there will be leaves on the trees and more ferns on the ground and the lichens will fade a bit with warmer weather.

I love moss. Rich soft pillow-like moss, feathering up in mini fern leaves. Things have been really busy around my family, and we took the day to just be together in our native land :-) We all needed to leave the to-do list for a few hours, and go climb the mountain.

Some of you might remember me talking about needing to get away and to take in other landscapes..... It was a few months ago. Well, life presented a need. I am so happy about that!

I will be driving from Los Angeles to Philadelphia in a few weeks! I am so excited! I am going to drink in all the fabulous natural beauty I can find in this wide wide country! I love road trips!

Ok, back to Dead Man's Cave--- My husband is in this picture. He is the little guy (no so little really) on the right of the tree at center. This cave is at the top of Haycock Mountain. A friend from work says that people a long time ago used to call this area Dead man's Cave because a civil war deserter made it his home during the war. He was a Dead Man if he was caught. That is such a cool story that we psyched up the kids with a hike to "Dead Man's Cave" ...... and you know what, we could have lost our kids in some of the boulders, it was pretty dangerous for them, so we did the buddy thing and boosted them across the really tricky parts. Bringing a rope to tie around their waists would have been a good idea!

It turns out that dead man's cave is the home of a bunch of vultures. It was really creepy coming up to the cave and there being a creature inside. Then when it got out, a dozen vultures circled me and the kids while Josh checked for the best route for us to follow. It was a totally cool vulture hide out!

It was a really fun time!

This week I am putting in new flooring in the attic and moving a lot of my studio equipment back up there. There are 2 rooms in the attic and I used to use one of them for my studio when we first moved, but now things have taken over the entire house. I would like to get working in a "work space" again now that my home dynamic is changing and my Mother-in-Law is joining the household.

So... all this is why I have been a distant blogger lately. I still haven't blogged about my slip workshop last month! Yikes! Maybe I'll get to it in June ;-) Life keeps bringing me all kinds of excitement, I just can't keep up. :-)

-k


PS. I feel like having a sale. I will need to close my shop for my trip, so up until I close my shop (@ the 15th of April) I will give a free item for every item purchased in my shop. That will probably be a bead if you buy a bead, and that will probably be a jewelry item of some kind if you buy jewelry. The free item will be a good one, made by me, and completely decided by in the moment! :-)

Beads 2010 Cover

Beads 2010 is now available for pre-order....... Here
And that means that we get to see the cover! Woo Hooo!!! I see 4 of my beads on the Cover and I wrote a project inside! I see a lot of great ceramic beads on the cover. Go Clay! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!