Lest I Forget to Say Thank You

There are a lot times when I lean on my mom for help...to help me set up or break down for a show, watch the kids so hubby and I can enjoy some time together, take care of all the pets (no small undertaking), and the list goes on and on...she's always ready to jump in. At times I forget how lucky I am to still have my parents and that they live close, but not too close.
Recently, I finally got around to one of my mom's requests, new earrings. It's the least I can do since she does so much for me and my family.

It can be easy to forget to say Thank You. These are just a small token of my appreciation.

Shelby

Earring Swap Reveal

I know you've heard me say it a hundred times before...but I love earrings! They complete me! Anyhow, a couple weeks Diana of Suburban Girl Studio issued a call. She was hosting an Art Bead Earring Swap and was searching for participants who love earrings (me) and art beads (me).

This swap was loads of fun and I'm excited to have a couple pair of new earrings, in a style different from my own. But the best part of the swap for me was that I get to actually see, touch, and wear beads by artist that I'm familiar with but who's beads I've never purchased. Not that I don't purchase art beads, I do! But it's kinda like going to a restaurant, you're thinking you might want to try something different and you like the description and/or the looks but in the end you just get the same ole' thing because you know that you'll like it...that's me! You could say I get stuck in a rut, I like same ole', same ole'. I am so glad that I was able to participate and paired with such great partners!

I was pair with Diane Hawkey, who's beads I've never purchased but have admired via my computer screen and in magazines, and Lori of Artfully Ornamental. I was super excited to make earrings for both of these ladies, and what can I say...I couldn't wait to see what they made for me!

Diane came through with two pair of fabulous earrings! And in my favorite colors, blue (ok, really aqua) and green! I was absolutely thrilled! Just look at those gorgeous art beads she made!

I wore one pair one day, and the second pair the next day.

Next in my mail box were earrings from Lori. She used only art beads in the earrings she made, ceramic round beads by Keith O'Connor, once again who I've only stalked, and a briolette style drop with an image coated with resin that Lori made herself. Check out Lori's blog to find out how she made her bead.

I'm off to check out the earrings the other girls made and received, I hope you will join us.

Diana Ptaszynski http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com
Jan Onipenco http://moltenmayhem.typepad.com/
Patti Vanderbloemen http://myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com
Mary Harding http://www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com
Diane Hawkey http://www.dianehawkey.blogspot.com/
Lesley Watt http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com
Jenny Davies Reazor http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog
Melinda Orr http://www.orrtec.blogspot.com
Cilla Watkins http://www.tellyourgirlfriends.com
Stephanie Haussler http://www.pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com
Sally Russick http://www.thestudiosublime.com
Susan Kennedy http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com
Amy Freeland http://www.copperdiem.blogspot.com/
Marla James http://marlasmudmoments.blogspot.com/
Pam Sears http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Tania Spivey http://www.moobiegracedesigns.blogspot.com/
Kathleen Lange Klik http://www.modernnaturestudio.blogspot.com/
Lori Bowring Michaud http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com/
Erin Prais-Hintz http://www.treasures-found.blogspot.com/
Gail Barnett http://www.atlastanewyearsresolution.blogspot.com/
Linda Landig http://www.lindasbeadblog.com/
Sharleen Newland http://www.shaterraclaystudio.blogspot.com/
Dee Elgie http://cherryobsidia.blogspot.co.uk/
Mary Shannon Hicks http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/
Lisa Johnson http://whimsyswonders.blogspot.com/
Shelby Foxwell http://sundownbeaddesigns.blogspot.com/
Keri Lee Sereika http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com/
Cheryl Brown http://www.dragonflybeads.ca
Linda Younkman http://www.lindysdesigns.blogspot.com/
Kari Asbury http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com/
Fay Wolfenden http://www.torchfairy.blogspot.com/

I Heart Earrings

Recently I was fortunate enough not to miss the deadline for the Art Bead Earring Swap hosted by Diana of Suburban Girl Studio. This is huge for me, as I may go as long as a week and not catch up with my blog buddies, therefore I miss many challenges and swaps:( But not this time, I got in under the gun and was super happy because I LOoOove earrings! I'm sure you've hear me say it before, I can't go without 'em or else I just feel naked!

For this swap I was paired with Lori of Artfully Ornamental and Diane Hawkey. We had to create a pair of earrings, using at least one art bead, for each of our partners.

The earrings I created are going out in today's mail.

Check back on June 7th for the reveal. I can't wait to see all the earrings everyone created and received!

Ouch!

Tears...Unfortunately there was a tugging battle with an access door yesterday afternoon, and the door won. Several of my fingers were cut badly, right at the crease on both hands, I had to go to the ER for a tetanus and stitches. Let me just say, I've never had stitches before, and hopefully never again, DANG! So, this brings me to some sad news (sad for me), I probably won't be seeing my bench for about a week:( I definitely couldn't coil any wire, and filing probably isn't the best idea, as I don't want to get any filings or dirt in the cuts. But, I have to look at the bright side, this will give me a chance to catch up with the "business" end, photographing, tagging, pricing, and putting a few more pieces in my Etsy shop. Plus, last week there was at least one fairly productive day, see...

 Lately, I've been wrapping more using rondelles, nothing over the top, but right now I like it

love the pyrite, it's hard to tell from the picture but they are little eye catchers

something simple

these have sold, but I think they would be a nice gift for a little girl

Keeping my fingers crossed for a quick heal!

Earrings

Source: polyvore.com via Shelby on Pinterest

Love Pinterest? I do! Unfortunately I find myself spending lots of time, that I don't have, browsing everything from great recipes to outfits, and drooling over gorgeous places I hope to visit one day. But alas, recently I came across this pin and totally love the simplicity of this outfit, and those earrings...LOVE! Don't they just make this outfit?

So, I sat down to copy put my own spin on the earrings.

A lot the same, but a little different. I like!

Or these would look equally as nice, don't you think?

available in my Etsy Shop

52 Pairs of Earrings & BTW

This is my 7th pair of earrings for the 52 Pairs of Earrings a Year group. These were created on one of those days when I really didn't know what I wanted to do. There were lots of silver discs already punched, so they got domed and soldered together. Only the concave area is patinaed with silver black. I really like the contrast, except that some of the patina must have chipped/flaked off in the tumbler. If you look real close you can see where the silver is shining through the dark. No problem, I'll just reapply, carefully. Overall, I love how they turned out considering my state of mind that day.

Moving on...

This is today's bead mat. You'd never know it but there is lots going on on this bead mat, hence the mess:) Today I brought some "stuff" inside to work on. It was super chilly in the garage, a nasty rainy day, and there was lots to do in the house. I stole away to the table several time to work on projects in between doing my house work and other errands. All in all it worked pretty good, but I will be so excited when it warms up and I can work out in the garage without freezing. Plus, no fire in the house unless it's a butane torch:(

52 Pairs of Earrings

So proud of my little man! Tonight he crosses over from a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout. Rightfully so, the pack leaders make this event, the Blue & Gold dinner,  a big deal. One of the happenings go on during the event is a silent auction. I offered to donate a couple pairs of earrings, and these earrings are also my third and fourth pair of earrings for the 52 Pairs of Earrings a Year challenge.

Love, Love these! I'm gonna bid on them, and if I don't win...grrr! I'll just make myself a pair!

These earrings are such a nice length. A faceted carnelian is wrapped in a herringbone weave with a faceted turquoise disc dangle.

Faceted smoky quartz with a textured disc dangle. I opted for a criss-cross texture to compliment the facets in the stone, then oxidized to bring out the detail in the metalwork.

I'm glad that I can contribute to this event and hope that these earrings will bring in lots of $$ for the boys!

Have a great weekend!

Weekend and New Work

It was a fabulous weekend!

I had a excellent show on Saturday! The arts festival coincided with the towns sidewalk sale, and perfect weather conditions had people out in droves. I even made a few purchases myself (which I'll share in my next post). It really was a wonderful day! Then more of the same on Sunday...wonderful weather, and spending time with the family. But working up to the weekend, I kept myself busy creating some new pieces.

Sterling Silver Gingko Leaf Earrings

Messages - Sterling Silver Metalwork Earrings

These earrings sold, of course, they were my new favorite, so I'm thinking something very similar may be in the works soon.

Arizona Desert - Sterling Silver, Turquoise & Lampwork Bracelet

I hope your weekend was just as wonderful!

Working on the Shop

I'm anxious to see what went on at ArtBLISS over the weekend. I was super bummed that I couldn't make it this year, but happy that I still get to see all the happenings and the new projects. While home, away from all the happenings I decided to get to work on my Etsy shop. Some of the new listings...

Salsa - Big Colorful Enamel, Citrine, Apatite Earrings

colorful enamel and lots of jingle jangle

Domino Effect - Textured Mixed Metal Earrings

love all the texture in these earrings

By the Light of the Moon - Ceramic Owl, Unakite, and Palm Wood Copper Necklace

one of Nan's fabulous pendants, with lots of earth tones

Ink - Teal Lampwork Baubles, Turquoise, Coral, Sterling Silver Beaded Necklace

really love this necklace...lots of great movement, so I've been giving it a little test drive lately

I'm really slow at adding new pieces, but I'm hoping to list a couple a week. There are only three shows left for this year, and two are pretty small, so instead of letting everything sit all winter...I'm gonna list it. After all, in January I made a commitment to get my shop back in order. I guess better late than never...yes?

September and Show Recap

I sit here now thinking about how much I love September, and can hardly believe that the middle of the month is upon us. There is so much about September that I enjoy.

I love the transition of the season, holding onto the last bit of summer with the brisk mornings and warmer afternoons. The beach is a dream, the crowds are minimal, and the water is still warm, but no lifeguards (that stinks!) With the return of school, a chance to get back to a schedule after the chaos of summer, not saying that once school starts it's not just a chaotic...just scheduled chaos. And with the chaos of summer, I rarely have the chance to visit my bench : ( so with the welcoming of September I can get back out to my shop! This is great, considering most of my shows fall between September and November.

This past weekend, was one of the largest shows I participate in. It was a great success! The weather was wonderful, and the show was well attended. Being that my blog has been on hiatus, and I haven't shared many of my new pieces lately, I thought I'd share some of the pieces that found new homes over the weekend.

Are you seeing a pattern here? It seemed to be a blue, green kinda day.

Now, back to to enjoying September, which includes new work : )

BTW Malfunction

It's the same ole racket...there just aren't enough hours in the day, so my blog is suffering. I was bound and determined to post today, at least try to get back in the grove and what better time to jump back in and show what's on my bead table. Sounds like a great idea, right?...except that when I got around to photographing my bead table, the battery in my camera? Dead! Ugh!

Moving on to Plan B...instead here are a couple pieces that were recently finished, just in time for the craft show I exhibited in this past weekend.

I really like this style bracelet-the charms and a nice big hook clasp. I made this bangle so that I could "destash" my bead table, if you will, except for the starfish. I sawed it out...practice, practice.

I love Nan from Spirited Earth pieces. There are many times I've pulled out one of my coveted pendants to use, rubbed it a few dozen times, and decided that I wasn't ready to part with the pendant yet. Crazy right?! But this time, it was different...I was ready, and I've been on a starfish kick lately. Besides, I can always get more, yes?

These earrings were made to go with the above necklace. I'm wiped out of the lovely Thai starfish, so once again I made my own.

Finally, these earring (below) were donated for the Chinese auction. My little sister put all her tickets in to try and win them...no dice:(  BUT...I know someone else will enjoy them.

I've been going crazy lately texturing metal discs, but that's for another post.

Hopefully I can get back to my blog again this week.

More Metal

I haven't chatted about it lately but I'm still loving the metalsmithing. Still taking classes, and trying to figure how I'll get my session in once the kids get out of school. Here's a peek at some of the pieces I've finished as of recent...

The stone for this necklace is a beautiful Apatite. It's the most beautiful shade of blue. I love, love this necklace, but can't keep 'em all, right?

the back

Love this one too...Larimar necklace

I cut out the back on this pendant, the back of the stone is as pretty as the front.

Prehnite earrings, this is my first pair of earrings. I'm looking forward to making a couple more pairs, with different stones of course.

I've got some more metalwork projects in the mix. They are a little more time consuming to complete, and once I get started I don't want to stop, so I have to pace myself.

Giving Back

A couple weeks ago, I was asked to donate an item for a silent auction to benefit La Red. It's impossible to contribute to every organization that requests a donation, although I try to give as much as possible, even if it's a small item.
For this event, I've donated these two pair of earrings.

These earrings were a treat to create. I was totally entranced once I began...forging the metal, adding texture, the beads, and the curly vine, everything just flowed.

These are just a simple pair of enameled earrings.

Contributing is a great way, for me as an artist, to give back to my community. I'm honored to be asked, and happy to contribute. Hopefully, these earrings will help in La Red's fundraising efforts.