just in case you were contemplating.....

Lens: Helga Viking
Flash: Off
Film: BlacKeys B+W

My first ever video and an intro to a tutorial....

So, I've been pondering about what to do for a fun tutorial and I was inspired by Malin's little vlogs she's been making. I think it is so fun to hear all the voices of those whose blogs I read everyday, don't you? It just makes it all so personal.

So today I had a giant brainstorm. It was such a lovely day and I was reading everyone's blogs that I lurk on about snow days and snow storms that I thought to give you all a little vacation.

There is an actual tutorial bit coming, but being my first vlog tutorial, I need to edit it down a bit.

When you see the meaty-goodness part you'll see what I mean....but I think it turned out rather well being my first one and considering I shot it with my right hand while painting with my left hand and simultaneously being distracted by weird-o people jogging with their entire heads wrapped in scarves....Seriously...it was nowhere near cold enough for that. Without a stiff wind it was actually quite warm in my long sleeve shirt and jeans.

Anyway, it may take me a few days to get it edited but in the meantime enjoy a little taste of the salt air and sunshine!

Good....

Feeling grossed out today by all the Steelers posts on my Facebook (because I'm a PA girl) and all of the complete crap that is around us all the time. What we're taught to feel, to think, to follow, to be.....

What if we just seized the opportunity each day to follow our own idea of beauty, to spread it, to cultivate our own vision.

Amazing.

Out of the Nest and a SALE.....

I just love it when happy customers send me photos of my beads all grown up and out of the nest. A few came in recently and I thought I would share them with you....




Erica made this lovely necklace with one of my Joy tabs! I'm not currently producing the joy tabs, but if you want one, feel free to email or convo me and I can whip one up.



Lettie from For Giving Works made a couple of gorgeous necklaces with my wings. This one is available in her shop. Wings in Blue & White are available here.



Dawn at Northern Adornments sent me this lovely photo of one of the pieces from the Breeze Collection worked up with some lovely simple chainmaille. Pretty! Speaking of the Breeze Collection. I've discounted it from normal price and you can find lots of pieces (some not before listed!) on sale in the shop right now!



And last but certainly not least, is Rebecca from Songbeads! Whoah! Have you checked out her blog??? I just found it in the last month or so and I am in lurrrrrrv. I've found some amazing new blogs lately and hers is right up there. And I was all puffed up like a peacock when I found out she was a customer!

As I mentioned above, there is a wee clearance sale going on in the shop right now. I'm wanting to tidy it up, reshoot photos, and add some new pieces. So, all the Whisper & Breeze Collections are on CLEARANCE. Most are 40% off or more. And for my readers, save an additional 10% off when you use code CLEARANCESALE0111 at checkout. If you don't see anything in the clearance section, feel free to use the coupon on anything!

Wedding Sketches...

Just thought I would show you what I've been working on lately... a WEDDING!
I made an initial inspiration sketch-up of the photos the bride sent to me of her dress, potential floral scheme and some other inspiration...


in the initial sketch up there was a wedding dress, but I can't put that out there, you know!


I will tell you...it's a beach wedding. The groom and his party will be wearing baby blue casual beach shirts, the bridesmaids will be wearing black dresses of their choosing and pretty ornamented slaps( that's flip-flops, for all you non-florida people!) -that's black silk flowers in the photos, I think!

And I'm making gorgeous jewelry to match!


initial design sketches



We're still in the final design phases, shooting ideas back and forth and discussing details!

It is really quite fun! I'm enjoying the creative process of working with a client on such a momentous occasion and making such crucial decisions that will make everything perfect on such a special day!






The difficulty with doing everything online in a short time span is I don't have fabric samples in person and the local shops here, while lovely and accommodating do not have the inventory I'm seeking.

With the constraints of matching color, I'm left to guessing with stuff on the internet (again matching color on the screen to what I need), then 2nd and 3rd guessing color choices....Very frustrating. I'm pairing it all together though and it is all working out.

I'm finding it very valuable to follow my instincts with certain purchases and letting it all fall into place. I'm very confident that it will be beautiful and perfect for the ladies of the wedding party!

Keri Smith

feldman by keri smith on Flickr

I really don't know why I haven't visited Keri Smith's blog and website until now...I just never made it there. All you artsy-fartsy peeps out there will probably recognize Keri as the author behind such paradigm shifting work such as Wreck this Journal and How to be an Explorer of the World.

As an honest review, I find her books to be sort of a novelty to me. I've never bought one but I love them. I pull them off the shelf at B&N sometimes when I'm there. It is what I strive to do on a daily basis, to think about things in a different manner. They are the epitome of out of the box thinking. That being said, I might get to a point someday where I need more of that thrust in my work than I have within me and they would all be handy little workbooks.

But I love her blog and her website. It is just so refreshing. I was having a moment last week....

OKAY....

A DAY.

I was having a DAY. or a DAY and A HALF.

One of those days where you just feel like you SUCK. And nothing on the earth is going to change your mind.

And THAT is the day I found Keri Smith's blog. and suddenly I didn't feel like I sucked anymore. I felt normal.

YAY!

What made me feel better? It was this post. And the little free PDF's that she gives you and specifically, the page that has "HOW TO FEEL MISERABLE AS AN ARTIST"

GO THERE.
NOW.
FEEL BETTER.
OR BOOKMARK FOR A DAY WHEN YOU FEEL REALLY SUCKY AS AN ARTIST.

Today I'm in love with.....

...these. both already sold but view the amazing work of this wordy artist here.

Nathalie Lete

If you haven't seen this video yet, take a minute and go to the Anthropologie facebook page and watch this video of French artist, Nathalie Lete painting the windows of the 5th ave. Anthro in NYC. So pretty. Wish I could see it in person!

Just stopping in...

....to show my newest. I'm most excited about my new wing pendant. It is a hand carved piece that I've molded and then each piece is hand stamped after molding with a piece of a quote by Rumi. This is the new direction my work is taking and I'm so thrilled.

I started out with this bead and jewelry adventure about a year and a half ago and I think, through work and struggle, I'm coming out of my awkward tweenage years and starting to develop a unique style that I'm very proud of. I already have more carved pieces in the works and will be excited to introduce them soon!

This pendant comes with a pendant loop, but as all are made to order, I'm happy to drill a hole if you're working on a specific design, or add a jumpring to the loop if you want to add it to a chain or cord.

Available here.

It just occurred to me....

...that I never posted about my new coastal bead collection. I will be working this week on posting different types of listings with different variations for purchase. Right now, I only have one collection listed all together. I really love how these turned out. They almost look as though I plucked them right off the beach in Cape Canaveral where I often stroll and pick up shells.

Included with the set above are a coral branch, two types of seashells,and a coral textured round focal. The set is custom made to order and you can choose to have your holes drilled or pendant loops attached. Find them here.

So inspiring...

If you are an artist or you wonder about artists, you must go read this article and download the podcast about the Beerhorst family. It is amazing. This family captures what is important about artmaking and living life as an artist. They don't have traditional jobs, they have six children, they are urban homesteaders. Really cool podcast about living the life you are meant to live found via Craftsanity. They have an etsy shop where they also sell their work online.

found via miniature rhino.

a little inspiration...

Spent the day today, doing some writing and thinking about things a little different, sort of trying to change gears a bit on some work that I'm doing. I went over to TED.com to watch the Elizabeth Gilbert talk on creativity and I ended up watching the one above as well. It is really interesting.

Swoon.....

I've been so busy working on my first craft tent display and production for it! I am so excited and can't wait to show you all some pictures. My hands are busy painting and my fingers are getting calloused from wrapping wire! Hopefully, it won't be all for naught or else I will.....ahemmmmm, have lots to list in my shop next week!!!

So as soon as I post this off to you I'm out to the studio to work my rump off.

I will leave you with the gorgeous work of Sugarboo Designs this morning for inspiration. I first saw these awhile back on Poppytalk but I didn't know they had such an extensive line of work until I saw them over at Coastal. Rebecca Puig & her husband Rick started Sugarboo Designs together a few years ago. Their mission is to make handmade products that add soul to the home. Each piece is made one at a time and many are based on original paintings by Rebecca.

And //shockingly// enough, they're from Athens, GA. All my favorites right now seem to be from Athens. I think we need to coin a term for all the great work coming out of Athens, sort of like the Black Mountain School??? Okay, maybe not. It was just a thought.

p.s. I would just like to add that the last piece with the frame with the Pueblo indian prayer is one of my very favorites. It reminds me of my family and why I wake up and do everything that I do everyday, especially my dear grandpa who passed in April. I was not able to be home for his funeral but I included this quote on the arrangement we sent....such a blessing we enjoy from all the lessons learned from our family :)

Straw Bale Dream House!

Today, I am in love with this. You could say this is my dream house. I just love all of the reused elements and the careful consideration they took in building it.

Since I have adopted the South as my home, my perfect dream house will have a wraparound porch, preferably almost as big as the house. Environmental sustainability a definite plus, although I just adore the old southern cracker-style low country feel but knowing it was made of straw bales?! Part of it would be screened in to make a sleeping porch or area to escape the bugs. I just love all of the reused elements and the time it took to make it.


Those gals over at Beauty Everyday are just incredible. Please check out their gorgeous blog. everyday. :)

Do you ever?????

Do you ever search random words on Etsy just to see what comes up? I love searching odd words on etsy to see what transpires. These are all things I found using the search term "matrix". I was thinking about The Matrix as I drew today and as I sat down this evening and found these Matrix tagged items on Etsy.... enjoy....


...and I learned something new....apparently matrix has something to do with the patterns in stones. bonus education!

a year of color......

One of my intentions for 2009 was to engage myself artistically, in a meaningful way, with other artists in order to inspire and exchange ideas. I visit several blogs regularly, and am totally enamored with Kari Ramstrom's blog, Artsy Mama. Kari is currently hosting a private blog named A Year of Color, which anyone can join by purchasing a subscription through her Etsy shop. Both of her blogs are filled with gorgeous inspiring photos, ideas, projects, and interviews.

If you can't get enough of home decor, craft, or diy magazines like me, you will find her blogs so inspiring, you may not even need to splurge on that guilty pleasure of a $5.99 magazine.

I'm currently participating in a swap coordinated through the Year of Color blog, themed "All that I Love.." I will be posting pictures of both the items I am swapping and the items I receive in the coming weeks. I don't dare post the items yet for fear I will ruin the surprise for my swap partner....but i do hope she is as pleased with them as I am!

collections

center, the last supper; top left and right, two vintage ladies; bottom left, brokeback mountain; bottom center, the blessed virgin.

one of my bizarre collections is vintage paint by numbers. i've had a penchant for them ever since i can remember. i don't have too many because i'm a)cheap and b)very particular. i like them to be very strange and kitschy and well priced. here is my collection as hanging on the wall in the kitchen chez mike's. i call the landscape one on the bottom , brokeback mountain because it a pastoral scene complete with cowboy riding a horse and the cowboy's shirt was painted pink. Classic!

BOLO: artsyrubbish

hope (dream)
connect with nature (sold)
get wet

I just love the casual comfort of these tiles!!! Tess of artsyrubbish takes pride in upcycling colorful ads and discarded paper into beautiful works she has named meditation tiles. Finding the "diamond in the rough" she thoughtfully combines color and pattern to create each tile. She says that when she is creating these tiles, "I am also focusing on thoughts of abundance, health and peace in hopes of spreading these things from that feeling place...to hopefully all corners of the world."