Sunday Blog Reading

What a gal, was Lulu! Vintage Treasure Necklace ©Barbe Saint John

I'm working on editing photo's today and updating the Saints & Sinners® website. I have a ton to do, but realistically will probably only add a very few. I wish I had the space to have Open Studio day. Maybe right before we move, and everything is in boxes, I'll be able to have a sale...

Later I'm going to take a break and do some quality blog reading! There area a bunch of great posts on this Sunday's Bead Bloggers:

A Bead A Day Looking to make some super-sized jewelry just perfect for a princess? Lisa uses large blueberry briolettes and a swarovski mix to create just that!



About.com Jewelry Making Tammy ask in this quick poll about how you use social networking to promote you and/or your jewelry business.



Art Bead Scene ABS is here to help you with your business. Check out Zazzle to customize your earring cards for your jewelry business.



Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts Book Review: Wrap, Stitch, Fold and Rivet



Beading Arts How many people out there are participating in the Bead Journal Project this year?



Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi's button maker is the reason for this new vintage image necklace.



Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva This week's Wednesday Wire is a free tutorial, "Matchin' by Wrappin'."



Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Learn about the Raku firing process and see the results of Melanie's new Raku adventures!



Humblebeads Heather shares some time management tips for creatives.



Jean Campbell Jean reviews Kate McKinnon's wonderful new addition, Sculptural Metal Clay.



Snap Out of It, Jean! There's Beading to be Done! Jean is delighted to review Totally Twisted by Kerry Bogert! You will LOVE this book which focuses on wire and art beads!



Strands of Beads Melissa discusses the process of reworking a weak necklace design - the revised version of which now appears on the cover of The Best of Step by Step Beads.



The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Like Czech glass? Andrew hosts a giveaway courtesy of Raven's Journey. Find out how you can win these luminous beads!

Share the Love inspired by the City of Love! Parisian Pinks Bead Lot Giveaway.

Parisian Pinks Beadlot Giveaway!!

I haven't done a giveaway in ages, so its well overdue.  So to share the love, I've gathered up a pretty lot of jewelry making goodies for a City of Love inspired giveaway.

It started with this collage pendant I made. The bezel setting is from HHH and it measures roughly 1 7/8" across and 2 1/4" long.  Done with vintage collage images in dusty pinks, its a nice centerpiece for a statement necklace.

Than I started gathering some beads in the color range of the pendant. There will be more, but many tried to run away while taking the photo. Theres an assortment of vintage plastic, faux pearls, glass and silver beadcaps.

All you have to do is leave a comment below, I'll pick someone at random on June 7th. If the winner is also one of my blog followers, they'll get an EXTRA suprise from me!!!

Getting my Industrial Chic on!

"You're Number 1!" Necklace.

Check out the Objects and Elements blog to see how I got my Industrial Chic on.  I am the first of the Objects and Elements design team to have some of my Industrial Chic™ by Susan Lenart Kazmer™  designs showcased on the blog.  Over the next week or so, you'll be able to see what the other girls did with their Industrial Chic components.  

 I thought these #1 resin pendants were especially pretty. I created this pretty little necklace with with iridescent chiffon ribbon, pink sari ribbon and a pink quartz bead.  Simple, sweet and thoughtful, it would make a great "just because" gift for your BFF or anyone you think is #1 in your life.
 
I love everything in the line and had a ball playing with all the components we got. I couldn't wait to go to Michaels earlier this week and see the complete line and get a few (alot!) more things to work with.
 
If your local Michael's store doesn't have the components yet, talk to the manager. Let them know you WANT to get the Industrial Chic products and ask when they will get them. Having been a retail store manager in a past life, I know sometimes stock doesn't get put out as quickly as it gets in.
 
I apologize I am late about posting my giveaway.  I still need to take photos of my giveaway lot. Yesterday went awry with a myriad of commute delays and I spent more hours commuting to my errands then I did actually doing them. I'm going to take photos now, and will post the giveway tomorrow!

Change is in the Air

Yesterday, I ran away from home. Not far, mind you but I needed to get out of the loft and go somewhere OTHER than the SFVS Emergency Hospital.  Don't get me wrong, SFVS is a wonderful facility, with caring staff and I HIGHLY recommend it for pet emergencies and specialy services if you are in the Bay Area. I just needed to do something a bit more positive.   So, I got on a train and took it down the peninsula to Michaels.  Unfortunately I forgot my cellphone at home so had nothing to listen to on the ride down, thankfully I took a notebook with me and jotted down some ideas about my booth setup for the gift fair.

For being 2pm on a Monday, the store was busy....ESPECIALLY the jewelry section! I thought I'd be able to leisurely look thru everything, pick and choose, etc... but NO! There were people in front of EVERYTHING I wanted to look at or get LOL. I grabbed thru and over peoples heads to get stuff. I got some of the Industrial Chic line, but a good portion of it was empty! Good for Susan, bad for me! Also they didn't have any Beacon Glue other than Fabri-Tac. I am looking for the stuff I used at CHA I think it was 3-1? Anyway, I wandered around the entire store, going up and down every busy aisle just looking at stuff.  As I came out of Michaels, I could see the train pulling away. URRGGH! they only run once an hour and without my phone I didn't know what time it was. Crude.....so I had an hour to sit in the wind and think over more things going on. 

Last night, I went thru some blogs I like to read but haven't kept up on in a few months. As luck would have it, one of my favorite blogs: Christine Kane.  She had a post about reinventing ones self.  It's an excellent read and one of her points in particular hit home with me.  In action point #3- Slow Down to Speed Up-she said "I said NO to the good so I could say YES to the Great." and referred back to a previous blog post titled "Good vs Great"..  Lightening bolt of clarity - I wish I had read this when she posted, I think it would have saved me a couple of months of stress. Her blogpost sums up exactly how I've been feeling and unable to fully put into words.... We are all feeling the crunch and when you see there are straws (opportunities) to grasp, you grab them!  I have been guilty of  what she calls "at least I have something” mindset.   I was grasping as many paper straws as I could which are nice, but i really want that one huge, lush,  bright curly Silly Straw.  I am glad to be reminded of that.

I also spent some time yesterday soldering and turning bezels into links. I want to incorporate more handmade findings into my necklaces, but the boutique ladies LOVE the lobster clasps.  By creating these, I can have the loop part of the closure at least be handmade and unique. Somehow, I turned my pickle into a weak electro plating solution and all my brass and sterling have a light coating of copper. Time for a fresh pot of pickle! I think I'll make a seperate one for copper now so I don't have this problem again.  I sanded some of them but left the others as is.   I would like to pour resin  into the rest of these today but as usual it's raining and humid so I may put it off until tomorrow. I suppose I could do some more soldering today and have a tidy pile of them ready to go later this week when it stops raining

Also this week, I'll be doing a giveaway of a jewelry making lot - I pulled out some silvertone components, pearls and a french resin pendant piece along with other beads to give away! Keep an eye out for that on Thursday!

Shifting Gears and Getting Back On Course

It's been a really tough week. I've spent alot of time tending to my very ill cat and mulling over the events of my life the past couple of months. I'm a big believer in Intention/Manifestation, Law of Attraction and plain ol' positive thinking.  Most of the time, I'm in the zone and can go with the flow. Sometimes, I fall out of the mindset and get sucked into being negative.  I fall back into focusing on the negative rather than the positive, focus on the problem rather than the solution.   I realized I made some decisions I though were good, but that weren't really in my best interest.  By focusing on things that weren't truly are in my best interest, I inadvertantly knocked myself off my course.

My friend Margot recently wrote on her blog:  "Either you're an extra in someone else's movie, or you're the writer, director and star of your own show ".    It's so simple yet so profound.  Am I creating my own life or doing grunt work for someone else? hmmmmmm  I'm taking this week to shift gears and refocus. I've let alot of things go by the wayside that should be priorities,  Lesson learned, now its time to get back to work.

Tonight however, its blog reading!! I haven't spent enough time on my own blog or looking at anyone else's the past few months. I've missed out on all kinds of news, swaps and fun stuff.   I also want to send out a huge congratulations to all my fellow bead bloggers who made it to the finals of the BEADSTAR competition!! Well Done!!

This Weeks Bead Bloggers:

• A Bead A Day -Lisa explains her thoughts behind part 1 of a new bracelet project. \
• About.com Jewelry Making - Tammy recently took a trip to the Bahamas and discovered some souvenir pennies in her purse. They were so bright and shiny they had to be turned into jewelry.
•  Art Bead Scene - It's the fifth month anniversary of the ABS Carnival Blog! Come see how we've grown!
• Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts - Take a jewelry class with me at CREATE!
• Beading Arts -  The new Rubber Glass silicone has inspired Cyndi to create some beginner projects!
• Carmi's Art/Life World - In an effort to use all that she buys, Carmi repairs and recycles vintage metal from Paris.
• Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva - Cindy's starting a new feature on her blog - The Wednesday Wire! Come take a look!
• Earthenwood Studio Chronicles - A gift from a local potter starts Melanie on a new clay adventure: Raku!
• Humblebeads -Heather explores 23 days of inspiration as she gets ready for the Bead & Button Show. See how Van Gogh has inspired her through the years.
• Jean Campbell - Jean's just full of travelogues, isn't she? This "she went to a Kansas bead retreat.
• Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio -Voting has now opened in the Bead Star competition, come check out my 5 entries!
• Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! - The best wedding I never went to! My editor's incredibly romantic wedding -- Australian Beading Magazine
• Strands of Beads - Like several of her esteemed colleagues, Melissa has a few pieces in the Bead Star competition to show off this week!
• The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton - Andrew has six finalists pieces in the Bead Star competition. Please take a moment to vote!
• Missficklemedia.com - Vote for your Bead Star Favorites!

When Life throws you moldy lemons.............

"Burdens are the foundations of ease and bitter things the forerunners of pleasure."   Rumi

There are times when Life gives you lemons, then there are times Life throws a truckload of stinky, gooey, disgusting moldy lemons at you.  We're having the latter right now. BIG honking moldy lemons everywhere.  What do you do when life throws you big moldy lemons? You certainly aren't making lemonade out of them I can assure you that.

The past month has been pretty sour, and the past week in particular very, very stressful. I'm not going to get into negative specifics about everything happening, but its been a real downer here. I try to stay focused and stay positive but when you are sideswiped by problems, you have to take a look at where you are and how far you've gone off track in order to get back to center.  There's a lot of change going on, and trying to ride the waves without drowning is #1 priority. in our lives right now.  

So what do you do when Life hands you moldy lemons? Part of me wants to pick them up and throw them back but thats not productive nor helpful. What to do with all the crap being flung in your way and turn it around to your advantage?   You can make compost. Take all that mess plus anything else that's garbage in your life,  put it into a pile and let nature turn it into something useful eventually.  Not immediately gratifying, but certainly beneficial in the end. 

Industrial Chic Line by Susan Lenart Kazmer

 photos copyright Michaels® Stores

. Industrial Chic by Susan Lenart Kazmer™ is now exclusively available at Michaels® stores nationwide!  They were supposed to be stocked in all stores by May 15th, so run down to your local Michaels and get some for yourself.  The line is amazing and unlike anything else you've seen at a craft store. They are quality reproductions of Susan's signature style.  There are charms and pendants like the ones pictured above but also beads, ring blanks, gorgeous  findings like faux typewriter key hook and eye closures, some AMAZING chain, and a mass of other wonderful goodies. I'm so happy for Susan and I'm especially thrilled for everyone who will get these lovelies to add to their own jewelry, altered art and journal creations! Susan's got some great demo videos and some how to's posted on the Michaels website for everyone to enjoy. 

Sadly there is no Michaels store IN San Francisco, and I don't drive. I am going try and get to a store this weekend sometime to get some for myself. As part of the Objects and Elements design team, we got a few of these goodies to play with a few months ago. At first I thought Susan had given me things from her own worktable, I had to call Jen our Design Team Den Mom to make sure I got the right stuff because it is THAT good!

Also be sure to peek in on the Objects and Elements blog.  We'll be celebrating the Industrial Chic line by showing off some of the designs we came up with along with some blog hops and other fun surprises that you do not want to miss!

Join the fun at CREATE!

I'm coming to Chicago to teach at CREATE!

The CREATE Retreat was designed by the editorial team at Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. It's  by artists for artists and is going to be amazing. The event will have 28 teachers over 5 days, an Artists’ Faire to buy interesting supplies and finished works and Artist Challenges with opportunities to win special prizes

Along with some other amazing women, I'm teaching 3 mixed media jewelry classes

Wed, Aug 25:  1-4pm Casting Call: Putting Your Resin to Work (3 hours)

This will be about learning to work with resin, colorants and inclusions and making molds.

 

 

Thursday, August 26: Mixed Media Memorial Necklace (6 hours) 9:00am-4:00pm
 

 A one of a kind, memorial necklace with a resin centerpiece.

 

And last but not least:

Friday, August 27: Jewelry Alchemy (6 hours) 9:00am-4:00pm

Taking your old and broken stuff and make something new and glamourous.

Registration is open, for both the entire retreat or for individual session registration. Click HERE to go directly to the registration page. There is also a limited number of opportunities for you to become the Teacher’s Pet while participating in a workshop. Click this page for more info, I'd love to have a teacher pet in each my classes!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mom's out there. This is my very first Mother's Day that I get to enjoy with my daughter. I am so thankful and blessed to be able to say that! I would also like to express a huge heartfelt thanks and say Happy Mother's Day to my daughters Mom, Bonnie. While I've never been depressed on Mother's Day like a lot of Birthmothers tend to be, it is great to have your child wish you a Happy Mother's Day.

I spent my day working on a class proposal that isn't coming along very well....I've spent hours and hours trying to finish is, but it just is NOT ready to come together yet. Unfortunately I have a deadline and can't just let it come around on its own. Don't you just hate when that happens? LOL I've got ONE more idea to try out then I may just accept defeat. Don't want to but sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war.

On that happy note, I think I will make a large mug of Jasmine Green Tea and crawl into bed and do a little Bead Blog Hopping. Won't you join me?

Bead Blogger Links:

• A Bead A Day What does swarovski sparkle mean to you? Lisa shares the happy feeling brought on by sparkly stars.


• About.com Jewelry Making Tammy has some fun in the sun summer time jewelry tutorials for you, including a cute turtle charm necklace.


• Art Bead Scene Free Project Alert! ABS has a new necklace project for free on their website! Beading Arts Cyndi has launched the first installment of her brand new e-book on bead embroidery...and it's free! Hurry over for your copy!


• Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi finds a way to incorporate vintage turtle beads into a necklace. Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva Cindy works through her to-do list and lists a new set of glass birdhouse beads.


• Jean Campbell Jean's been at the grindstone, but also at the gardens...check out these beautiful images from the MoBG!


• Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Lorelei is back on track this week and is giving away coordinating beads with Sab's help, from BeadBead.biz!


• Snap Out of It, Jean! There's Beading to be Done! Jean brags! Yes, she really brags! It's worth a look because it's cool!


• missficklemedia.com Should I patina or leave the metal bare naked?

Book Review: Wrap, Stitch, Fold and Rivet

Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet: Making Designer Metal Jewelry by Mary Hettmansperger


Ms. Hettmansperger is an amazing art jeweler. Hettmanspergers style is organic, abstract, a bit raw and a smidge wild-this is not for everyone. Personally I love it, other people prefer more ‘tame’ jewelry. Having said that, do not let that distract you from this book. You can do every one of her projects with different materials and come up with some VERY chic and unique jewelry.

This book focuses on using cold connections and using metals like copper and brass. If you have little or no metalworking skills or have limited space/funds/time then cold connections are the way to go. And many people start their jewelrymaking journey this way too!

This book shows that you don’t have to be a “professional metalsmith” to craft your own fabulous art jewelry. Some of my favorite projects are the Bean Pod Pins and the Moving Parts Necklace.

The book is well written with clear instructions. The first section goes over tools, materials and techniques that will be used. The projects start off with projects to get you used to manipulating metal and it ends with using fiber techniques of weaving to make some really cool jewelry. Each project has gorgeous photos and is supplimented with hand drawn illustrations. There is a gallery section in the back to keep you inspired.

Some reviews have said “this is not for beginners”, I disagree. It is very MUCH for beginners (and all levels), who are interested in art jewelry. Its a wonderful book for jewelrymakers of all levels to push your boundaries and expand your creativity. I highly recommend it, so order it today!

Playing with fire and making new friends

 

I have been playing around with torchfired enamels. I got into enameling about 5 or 6 yrs ago with a class at Beadissimo (RIP) with the uber talented Steven James. I came home from that class with a few enameled bits of copper and a deep lust for enameling. I had to get a kiln, and talked my husband into an early birthday gift. I enameled so many things with that kiln. I loved it.

After moving to this apt with no ventilation and no place for my kiln, I sold it to a wonderful PMC artist. I have kicked myself MANY times since letting it go, especially since copper and bronze clay came out. But most often when I would go thru my enameled pieces. I missed watching glass melt onto metal. Last year I bought a tiny beehive kiln. It works fine, but the size is limiting and it takes longer to fire a piece than the kiln.  Recently I was turned onto torch enameling and decided to give it a shot. My first attempts were less then stellar to say the least LOL.   I'm still learning  but I can get my fix now of glass melting on metal. I did these pieces this past weekend. Its fun to see what the enamel will stick to and what it won't - you don't' really know until you try it. 

I made these pretty earrings with some of the pieces  I enameled. I even got busy and just put them on my website. 

 I also took a BUNCH (over 240!) of photo's today and have a week full of photo editing waiting for me.  Yay.......................(insert mopey attitude here)

ON a happier note, my friend Maija is looking for more friends. And to entice more people to friend her she is going to give away this lovely apron when she reaches 200.  Isn't it gorgeous!

 

So if you want a chance to win it, go over to her blog and enter!

Steampunk Form & Function Design Competition

Calling All Steampunk Artists, Designers and Craftsmen

Modvic and Steampuffin have created the Steampunk Form & Function Design Competition in partnership with Brute Force Studios and the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham MA.

If you'd be interested in entering pieces in the competition, please visit www.steampuffin.com to find out more. You also could be chosen as one of four Steampunk artists that will be featured in a film documentary about the competition -- SteamFusion: How Steampunk Artists Infuse Modern Technology into Victorian Homes & Objects.

How cool is that!