Fun and Summery

Today I have been working to get some new jewelry inventory made for a local seller.  

I have 2 necklaces in this style and I have been wearing them almost non-stop.   So-----Fun and summery won!

What are you up to on this fine Monday?

I've got mail!

I received my package of Humblebeads from Heather Powers last week!

Oh Boy!  I lucked out big time! 

What a gorgeous pile of beads!  I have no idea how to start.  Usually I am a fan of the mental sketchbook....you know look at beads, day dream for a week about possible connection points, pull out all possible findings and whip it together.  I don't think that approach is going to cut it this time.  There are just too many beads and too many possibilities!  I am going to have to actually take out a piece of paper.  GASP!    Ha!  Whenever I grab the sketchbook I am reminded of why I never thought I could get anywhere as an artist when I was a youngster. 

How could a person make art when they can't draw worth a darn?  

A ha! The mental sketchbook was born.  I discovered that my brain makes it's own drawings... and I can follow them just as well as an actual drawing.  Sometimes I feel like an engineer.  I'm always working out a construction project, be it wearable or be it with wood and nails....  Laying on my pillow planning my next big project into the night. ;-)

On second thought, I think I may arrange the beads in different ways and photograph the options and pick out my favorites before I put it together.

What about you?  Do you sketch out your designs?   Do you have a design method???  A plan of action?

PS--I blogged about the bead soup blog party on the beads of clay blog today.  What's in the soup?--http://beads-of-clay.blogspot.com/2010/05/whats-in-soup.html

Just playing around

Whoo Hoo!  I am just playing around with my new laptop.  I took advantage of my day off today and finally took my wireless router out of the box.  I've installed photoshop and now there will be no living with me.  I'm sitting on the couch, and scooting the occasional dog nose off the keyboard. 

This beautiful necklace was made by the wonderfully generous Carol Dean Sharpe aka Sandfibers.  The photo was taken last month while I was in New Mexico, enjoying the drive thru "The Land of Enchantment" and thinking about my favorite New Mexicans :-)  I truly truly love this necklace by Carol!  It makes me feel so elegant and like I'm wearing a big hug whenever I put it on.

I LOVE Tools!

Everyone gets giddy over a trip to the hardware store, right?  Tell me it's not weird to freak out over new drill bits.  It's got to be normal!  I mean even my Starshine bolted up the stairs for her safety glasses. --(her very own, and don't you forget it)    Yep, we're tool girls.  I'm the kind of chick who pats herself on the back for buying a new drill as a self given birthday present at 17 yrs old. 

So....  Let me tell ya about true friends!!!!  My girl Staci gave me this Dremel, because she got a new one, and she TOTALLY ROCKS!  XOXOXO!

Stringing Magazine's Summer Issue!

HEY GUYS!!!!   I am pretty sure that I have some work in---

Stringing Magazine's Summer issue

I think I have 3 pairs of earrings inside.  One Pair features my Recycled Glass Drops, another pair includes my smoke fired clay tube beads, and the last one has the hand dug clay ovals that I listed in my etsy shop this week.  June 22nd is the newsstand date.  I checked out the table of contents page and I am really excited to see so many friendly artists included in this issue!  It should be a great one!

What's New?

Blues Link

Well......  Lots of stuff!

2 sided Large Vertical Bead

I added a lot of work to my etsy shop this week.  It's a lot of Funky Hand worked beads and pieces made with clay that I dug myself local to my home.    I just realized that I dug this clay about 6 years ago.  It's a pretty silly story.  I was a very pregnant potter, and my husband had just severed that tendon on his hand.  He had this weird Edward Scissor hands torture devise on his hand and I was big as a house and there we were shoveling buckets full of clay.  Between us we could not carry the buckets to the car.  My Mother in Law and her husband were visiting from California at the time and we had to make them carry the clay out to the road. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47786116/burnt-sienna-handworked-clay-pendant-or

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47939085/beautiful-blue-handworked-clay-pendant

Around the studio, I have been firing the kiln every week. The milky turquoise color is a new glaze for me. I have also been trying a few things with coloring clay. I am firing some test pieces right now. I tried to make a blue and a green clay. The color looks really light on the unfired clay, so I am curious to see how the test pieces will look when I open the kiln tomorrow.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47930111/daisy-drops-in-hand-dug-clay-matched-set

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47915357/posie-in-blue-and-brown-2-stoneware?ref=v1_other_2

I have a group show in a little less than a month, and I will be switching over to finished jewelry mode. I think I am going to be a earring machine this coming week!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47855026/round-hand-dug-clay-pendants

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47784536/sprockets-stoneware-clay-bead-set-in

The past couple of week have been full of friends and family as well. We went camping with a group of friends. I had too many Marshmallows and too much wine and just the right amount of fun. My cousin got married on Saturday and we had a blast celebrating with the happy couple.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47786116/burnt-sienna-handworked-clay-pendant-or

 With all the craziness of my studio moving, I haven't had a chance to make them the wedding present I have planned.  I gave my cousin a big bag of beads and an IOU instead!  Somehow, I think she will be happy to wait :-)

How about you?  What's new?  Are you enjoying the spring?  Weddings, Graduations, Anyone?

Soup Ingredients I am mailing today (LATE)

Late last night I realized that I was late to mail out my Bead Soup pack to my partner.  Yikes! 

Heather said she likes teal, purple, olive copper and nature. 

I found so many teal, purple and olive beads..... good thing I didn't have any copper or nature cause I probably would have tried to stuff that in a box too! 

I think my brain doesn't like decisions past 10pm. 

Also I have had so much kindness poured on me this week from artist friends....and I am feeling like giving as well.......and.....    I have a pile of beads Heather kindly gave me a few months back, and now she will have a little pile of my work too.  I kind-of want her to be able to make something that she likes for the swap.....  so many options make sense to me  :-)