happy .....

only one more day...

just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to participate in mellisa's jewelry auction to help her raise money for komen race for the cure... 

all of the jewelry pieces include her beautiful ceramic work... 


and now, a thank you to heather of humblebeads for coming up with the 'fun with focals' challenge... she got me good and there is some serious brain stretching going on here... i have been walking around completely distracted with a blank look on my face... until the 'aha' moment occurs... she has even set up a flickr group to submit your entries - though you do have to post a link on the correlating challenge blog entry... 

'only as high as i reach can i grow, only as far as i seek can i go, 

only as deep as i look can i see, only as much as i dream can i be.'

- karen ravn

challenge #1 - create a horizontal focal:

'summer's stain' is all about copper and beautiful purple and toffee beads by leann of summers studio... i have had them a while, but no other beads were up to the task of complementing them... until i happened to get the faceted glass from artbeads last week... also used mykonos spacers and heavy gauge copper spiral caps... 

challenge #3 - embellish with jump rings: (got too distracted with this one to go in order, and we do have until nov. 6th to get the entries in...)

'dandelion diptych' was waaaay too much fun to make... decided to split a pendant 1/2 nickel and 1/2 copper but place the pattern of etching over both sides to make a complete whole... then put it together with the jump rings... it started to feel like a corset to me (i decided i need to try this laced up with wire as well)... because it was feeling really masculine even though the pattern was a natural motif, i thought i should add some things to soften the effect - a piece of amazonite, some light blue-green embroidery floss, small rustic ivory beads... curved some copper links for 'flow'... 

which challenge will you take on? :0) 

reach high ~

you're braver than you believe...

'promise me you will always remember:

you're braver than you believe,

and stronger than you seem,

and smarter than you think.'

christopher robin to pooh

mellisa at chinook jewelry is participating in the susan komen walk for the cure... she has decided to have a jewelry auction to raise funds -  & what a great way to help... if you win, not only have you helped an incredible organization, you get to have a unique keepsake as well... as we have discussed a number of times on this blog, it is a disease that has affected so many of us or those we love... i worked with mellisa to create a number of pieces to add to her offerings...

'hearts aflutter' was made with mellisa's beautiful heart pendant... her work is very feminine and it was nice to switch gears a bit... vintaj always looks so great with pink, so we were off! mixed beads - pearl, ceramic, stone, embroidery thread, vintaj accents... 

'hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.'

- georges iles

'hope whispers' started with mellisa's matte pink button... i etched a vintaj blank and added an etched ivory lampwork bead by mika at pinocean with some raspberry delicas for color... pink czech beads and african trade beads... a wrapped circle link of vintaj wire ... everything about this necklace seemed soft... 

'hope never abandons you; you abandon it.'

- george weinberg

'hope will set you free'... when you are feeling like the world has you trapped, know that hope can liberate your heart... created a copper cage to hold a beautiful little heart charm by mellisa... etched 'hope' tag on vintaj and copper bird charm just outside of the cage to represent freedom... cherry quartz & smoky topaz... double vintaj chain... 

mellisa has also created some pieces of her own... please stop by her blog... the bidding has started at $10... the holidays are coming... if not for yourself, maybe one of these could be a gift for a loved one...

thanks to all of the incredibly talented beads-of-clay artists yesterday for their open house!

and promise me you will always remember... 

ruby & me

the october art bead scene challenge was a piece of folk art by ruby c. williams... ms. williams was born in the 1920s, living in a community established in th 1860s by freed slaves - among whom was her great-grandmother.. she is very proud of this, close to the land and her family... her first art was created in order to draw more attention to her produce stand, self - built and on her own property... for along state road 60 in hillsborough county, florida you will see many of them... 

she uses her painting to speak for her, in the hopes of avoiding rudeness... for passersby will stop and offer advice to her on how to handle being an artist, and what she should paint... 

i have an admiration for those who can work simply and relay bigger messages... primary colors, a simplified background and a rectilinear design create balance and grab our attention... 'i do everything from the bottom of my heart, whether shelling a bucket of beans or making a painting.' you can sense this in her work, i think...

this piece spoke to me at 'go'... while i can appreciate all kinds of art, feeling in color & simplicity is my favorite... i love keith haring... my interpretation focuses around an enameled orange red tag by barbara lewis which approximates the shape of the cow's body... rustic red porcelain bead is encircled in gunmetal wire to evoke the head, used orange czech glass, red porcelain, yellow porcelain for the udder, a turquoise glass bead from marie at bleu verre, green polymer clay from jibby and juna which provided a nice solid flat area of color, white raku bead by keith o'connor, black & white seed beads... because the piece was designed to promote what she was selling, i made an etched 'MILK'  tag (in caps like her!) from a vintaj blank...

a big thank you to jennifer heynan/jangles for this selection... 

and this i hope for you ~

a very dear friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer last year... i made a promise to myself that she would receive earrings from me to help her feel beautiful even when she had lost all of her hair, was feeling sick, was feeling sad... last month she had her reconstruction, a year after her mastectomy... and i hope that this will be the last pair of earrings i give her with breast cancer in mind... 


a lover of quotes as well, she shared with me one of her favorites~

'in the depths of winter i finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.'

~albert camus

these 'double entendre' earrings are meant to be a play on breasts (or tatas)... and a farewell address, hoping so much for her that this closes out a chapter in her life's book... 

there are a number of women in the blogosphere trying to raise money for this disease... mellisa of chinook jewelry design and kelly snelling at 'a charming exchange' are two that i know of with auctions... erin of 'treasures found'  has shared information on blogging for a cause... 

hopefully, someday, we will be able to bid cancer itself 'adieu' ... 

we're back -

just got in from viewing 'where the wild things are' ... for me, this was - in regard to both cinematography and storytelling - quite simply one of the most raw and beautiful movies ever ... and, yes, i am a very sensitive person, but still... 

awaiting the wild things -

i am sure that like me, many of you are awaiting the release of 'where the wild things are'- filled with curiosity and a child-like desire to go back in time for just a little while... in some theaters, it opens at midnight tonight... sendak's book was published in 1963... his wild things were inspired by family visits to relatives living in brooklyn... giving pinches on his cheeks, stating things like, 'i'll eat you up'... 

the 'really rosie' movie came out when i was around ten and was one of my favorites; it was  right up there with 'it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown'...  this is my book that i got thru the scholastic weekly reader program way back when... the kids got a kick out of seeing that i really had been small once, as evidenced by the writing... and that i am old, because there is no room #18 in the school anymore - they go/have gone there too... we actually have the soundtrack in my car - listening to carol king sing 'one was johnny' is great for the early school run...  

years ago, when i got the book, i found this quote and taped it inside... i had forgotten it & was glad that i found it... 

this is an exhibit going on in nyc... i was kind of sad when i looked up the please touch museum in philly this morning... when emily was little, sendak had collaborated with them and created an area that was dedicated to his books - 'in the night kitchen', 'where the wild things are', etc... there were max costumes that the kids could put on and a slide of pouring milk that went into a large bowl... i was going to include that here but i don't see any evidence of that being there anymore...

and last, but never least, is one of my wild things - who is happily back to color after a short blonde hiatus... 

this time we did a fade from very light pink to cherry bomb... 

the movie is described as  a comedy... but i am bringing tissues... i always cry at the movies! 

to each her own - part 3

there are a number of round robins going on at the time... i am involved in one with lorelei, kerry & barbe...


this was such a fun experience... and powerful... i swear, my head would get light sometimes - i don't know if it was all of that creative energy i was touching or what... between 'assessments' i would hit the fridge for my palette cleanser - a swig of chocolate soy milk - and then go back... yes, my weakness, chocolate soy... and i stand at the fridge, door open, drinking out of the carton - good thing i am the only one who really likes it!


i was a bit inconsistent with my before pics - meaning i sometimes forgot in the excitement... so i will be borrowing from kerry...


first up - lorelei

lorelei's pendant and kerry's glass really set the stage for a feminine necklace... i liked the way kerry introduced purple to the design... 

i added some lampwork glass from mika at pinocean, mary ann at linden avenue designs... made a copper bird charm & flattened a vintaj bead cap to make a small flower... i also extended the chain with some antiqued copper chain to pick up the bezel... added a porcelain bead at the clasp with a dangling melon seed bead... and STOPPED - it's hard to keep reminding yourself that there are others who will be adding... 

next up - barbe  (i had to borrow kerry's pic)

her theme was simply red -

since i was last up for barbe i kind of let loose... starting with the pendant, i added a red soocho jade cube and a czech glass bead in deep red with silvered edging... i paralleled the right side on the left by adding a second strand of beads... glass, crystal & porcelain... above kerry's awesome red ring, i added a red raku bead by keith o'connor... when i look at the pendant, i see a woman glancing at herself askance, not head on with confidence, a bit unsure... the back of the pendant has words on it like 'develop' and 'come into being' ... so i etched a copper charm with a heart to remind her to love herself... lastly i extended the chain, added a raku red lampwork bead by blue seraphim to a copper hook clasp... left an opening in the chain in case she wanted to get the length just right for her now that the pendant is so long... 

kerry - 

to me, kerry is about color and a clean, modern edge... barbe has promised her an awesome pendant - so keeping that in mind, i moved to other parts of her necklace... decided to try to create some weight on the sides to balance a nice pendant... 

i made 2 sterling charms - 'find joy' and a butterfly... even though things can be tough, kerry's joy seems to emanate from her creations... i had a 4 point floral link that i added and then played upon the blues that are present... a teal-ish mykonos ceramic round, 2 lampwork glass beads from mika - the brown one is edged in a light blue that makes it really interesting... and a glass bead made from a recycled (rum?) bottle by bronwen heilman of ghostcow ... used handforged headpins and brushed them lightly so they have a soft silver finish that puts them between the shiny silver and gunmetal grey... 

mine - 

i love how mine is coming along... 

i just added an etched ivory bead from mary ann... 

off these will go on tuesday to barbe - i really hope she likes hers as it is now finished... 

you are going to love this ~

[artist] noun

1. a person whose work shows exceptional creative ability or skill.
2. a person who expresses themselves through a medium.

this definition of the artist comes from the inside cover of a new magazine called 'touched creatively' ...  jodi ulschmid is not only an artist who has her own etsy shop & blog, but is also the editor of this magazine and its companion blog ... her mission is one that fills my heart with gratitude & joy... both magazine & blog profile those who are pursuing a personal path paved with the hard work & dedication it takes to follow their inner muse...

'if you can change the way people think, 

the way they see themselves,

the way they see the world.

if you can do that, you can change the way people live their lives.

and that's the only lasting thing you can create.'

- chuck palahniuk

jodi is trying to do just this... in an age of mass production and dollar stores, items that have been touched by the hands and imaginations of people are sorely needed... but more importantly, the public needs to see the value of these creations... objects of daily art that reaffirm our connection to each other,  to the unique voice we all have... objects that keep our environment from being sterile... some of my most favorites possessions (even though i try very hard not to be attached to material things, i have a deep love and appreciation for all kinds of art... and so i like to be surrounded by some of them) have fingerprints embedded in them forever... i love this!

'weathering the storm'

i would like to share with you what she wrote to me when i enquired how and why she branched out into the publishing world:

'I grew up knowing I wanted to create, but people around me always said 'you can't make a living from fine art'. So the closest major to what I most enjoyed was Graphic Design. After graduating and finding a good design job, I found there was something still missing in my life. When hearing so many co-workers say they 'wished' they could be creating art from their home, my mind started to wander. Then my husband and I had our little girl and my world changed. I realized how quickly life passes by. I didn't want to miss the big moments in my daughter's life and I figured what did I have to lose doing art and design from my home? I also didn't want to be the person who just 'wished'; I wanted to see what I could make happen.

It was my husband who sparked the idea of the magazine. He told me about a new company, MagCloud, that prints magazines for anyone. He suggested that I publish one featuring my art with someone else's. Little did he know I would end up with several artists across the US in my first issue. Why did I get so many artists? Well, I know that there are many people wanting to create. Some are just starting down their creative path and some are looking for more exposure. The purpose of Touched Creatively is to form connections, to inspire individuals of possibilities within their own lives, to encourage creativity and promote the handmade community. Handmade work can't even compare to mass produced items and buyers need help seeing this. Originality, quality, thoughtfulness and care goes into the making of a handmade item and this is what Touched Creatively wants to showcase.

I am a firm believer in following your dreams. You'll never know what could happen unless you try. I'm continuing on my creative journey, always learning and being inspired by the world around me, and hoping to touch hearts along the way with special meanings and purpose.'

this community is so nurturing & proactive... let's spread the word about jodi and 'touched creatively'...

flaming color

'october's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter.'

~ nova blair

'autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains,

a torch flung to the trees.'

~ faith baldwin

every one has a strength, something they do exceptionally well - i really feel that erin at every heart crafts has the market on leaves... it took me so long to get one because i just could not decide which color i wanted to work with... & when it arrived i was instantly overcome with a feeling of needing to place berries near to it... deep red/oranges... evocative of the season... and so i did... 'autumn's fire' features berries of lampwork glass, carnelian, ceramic and pearl... soldered rings in copper and sterling are connected with forged & paddled double ended sterling bars... vintaj brass chain with its warm brown color is paired with a length of lavic & picture jasper beads (there are so many jasper names)... 

'delicious autumn! my very soul is wedded to it,

and if i were a bird i would fly about the earth seeking 

the successive autumns.'

~ george eliot

a small antiqued bird charm nestles in amongst the cluster... 

hope the season is beginning to show itself in your part of the world!

new blogger & zombie walk update -

'there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children.

one is roots; the other, wings.'

-hodding carter

my daughter emily has started her own blog - she is a free spirited creative writer with an inherited tendency toward the sarcastic... and, as tamekah once commented on a post here, kids see the world through a fresh lens... it's thought provoking, refreshing, sweet and challenging... everything they are supposed to be! she is also a cinema & literary fiend... a child i am very proud to be able to call my own... 

also, nj zombie walk is estimating at upwards of 1500 participants in the lurch through asbury... we are already psyched for next year! oh, & i thought you would probably appreciate this, while watching 'zombieland' i was figuring out how to make woody harrelson's turquoise necklace - geek!!

remember - it's all fake ! :0)

'the job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.'

- sir francis bacon 

mission accomplished!

so as i mentioned yesterday, the nj zombie walk was held in asbury park... a city very near and dear to my heart that is experiencing a cultural revival...

base camp was in the old carousel house where at the city's lowest point the full sized horses were auctioned off...  early in the day they had tony mandile, a professional demonstration & brian keene who writes for marvel and dc... this is what emily wants to do for a living - prosthetic make up... so she was there for all of it... i brought the little one around 3 (yes, the little one, because as anyone knows the little ones worship the big ones) to get his makeup done... i paid for professional make up so i could see it for myself and duplicate at halloween... 

the artists were full out ready and each represented their interpretation of what a zombie looks like...

 

 

i am not a horror movie person, i did my time with that as a teen and early twenty something... for emily i have seen 'sweeney todd' because we love tim burton and the actors he works with and 'zombieland' ... i was wondering yesterday how many people went to the movies that night in costume!

 

this is the old casino where at 5pm the zombies all gathered...

these are my zombies!

 

 

they guess-timated that there were 1000 participants...

my 'celebrity' moment - these guys are one the front page of the website... 

i was so excited - they look so real, don't they?

the zombies walked down the boardwalk and then

out into the town... 

 

tired zombies! and hungry - but not for brains! :0)

october is my favorite month, halloween my favorite holiday - there are no expectations except to  have fun... and so it begins ~