Now I get it!

Almost as soon as I had posted the previous post about these gorgeous beads I purchased from Lisi, I had 8 (eight!) comments about the beady goodness -- more than any of the previous recent posts. So I suppose I know what you want to see here:

bead p*rn!

(made famous by Kelly Morgan from Silver Parrot)

The photo above represents the 10 out of 80 beads incorporated into jewelry already, most commissions from friends. Tomorrow, I will post some photos of beads I recently purchased from Brazos Collection. I will be going back this week because they just got in a HUGE shipment from their suppliers!

LandArt Bracelet Challenge

As you all know, I am a big fan of the self-taught Land Artist, Richard Shilling. He lives in the Lancashire region (Northwest) of England and makes his art in the forest, meadows, and beaches near where he lives.

I have posted several of his works on this blog and many of you have found his work to be as inspirational as I have. I have corresponded with Richard and he has agreed to allow us to use some of his beautiful photographs of his ephemeral works for this challenge. If this challenge is successful and well received by you, dear reader, I will host another challenge at a later date.

Now, for this challenge. The images:

Here are the individual photographs:


Ice and Snow Sandwich Towers


Constriction Balance


Middlewood Trust Project


Icicle Sunset


Mayday Colour Totem

Here are the details of the challenge! {With Thanks to Kelly Morgan of the Silver Parrot for the text I modified for this post! No reason to re-invent the wheel!}

Select one of these photos and create a bracelet whose color scheme is inspired by the photo. Post it on your blog with a bit of explanation as to why you chose that particular photo and how you incorporated the color scheme into your bracelet. Come back here to the comments and leave a link to your blog post.

Please post a link to Richard’s site in your blog, so that he benefits from this challenge as well (http://jrlandart.blogspot.com )

Prize: Some Beady Goodness (one pound of assorted beads and things) and a surprise! More about that in a later post.

Rules:

1. You can create and post as much as you like, but you will only get one contest entry.

2. For anyone who publicizes the challenge (and links back here) on their blog, Facebook or Twitter, I will put in a second entry – MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE ME A COMMENT SO I KNOW YOU DID THIS.

3. I have to limit this contest to people with shipping addresses in the U.S. unless you’re willing to pay the shipping on your prize. If you are outside the U.S. but are willing to pay shipping, make sure to note that in your comment so I know about it.

4. Deadline to post your entries and comments is midnight May 31st.

5. Winner will be randomly drawn from all the entries on June 1st.

That should cover everything, but feel free to contact me with questions.

You know you want it!

This item is the most popular item in my Etsy shop {LINK} by far and it all came about in a challenge hosted by Kelly at Silver Parrot Designs {LINK}. I was the big winner of the challenge and I want to pay it forward and at the same time celebrate my 100th post (this is post #87).

This great bracelet could be your if you win my

Pass It On Challenge
(rules and post links are here; {LINK})

There may be more prizes depending on how many participate.

There are three ways to get your hat in the ring:

1. Find a budding artist in need of encouragement (whatever medium you work or enjoy)

2. De-stash some object/items/tool/books from your studio and pass them on to the budding artist

3. Blog about it with a link to yesterday's post {LINK} and tell me about your blog post with the URL address (counts as one entry)

4. Comment on yesterday's post {LINK} (counts as another entry)

5. Become a follower of my blog, remind me in a comment if you already are a follower {LINK} (counts as yet another entry)

Easy peasy, you can do this! And just think, some budding artist you know will truly benefit!

PASS IT ON Challenge

In mid-December I received an incredibly bountiful package from Kelly at Silver Parrot {LINK}for winning her Bracelet Challenge giveaway and blogged about it here {LINK }. In the envelope were three books and a box of beads. It was so exciting! What I did not write in the post is that I had already purchased the Enchanted Adornments book, so it was a duplicate for me.

What could I do but to pass it on.

There is a young girl at church who is blossoming before our very eyes, from a sullen early teen to a lovely young lady with much, much more confidence. She creates the cutest felt food characters (French Toast with a French mustache, happy little cupcakes, that sort of thing). She also makes jewelry from what she has around.

I thought, “Someone should encourage this budding young artist!” So I did.

I put together a box of goodies from my stash: inexpensive duplicate tools, a bag of costume jewelry parts I had been given, earring findings, and these two books to instruct her. I gave the package to her yesterday and she was very excited! I cannot wait to see what she makes. I have encouraged her to set up an Etsy shop and I hope to help her there.

It cost me next to nothing, and yet I got so much joy from seeing her face light up. It is like planting a seed, so small and almost insignificant, and yet, there is no telling how far a little nurturing will go and what type of fruit it might produce.

Here is my challenge to you:
1. Find a budding artist in need of encouragement (whatever medium you work or enjoy)

2. De-stash some object/items/tool/books from your studio and pass them on to the budding artist

3. Blog about it with a link to this post and tell me about your blog post with the URL address (counts as one entry)

4. Comment on this post (counts as another entry)

5. Become a follower of my blog, remind me in a comment if you already are a follower (counts as yet another entry)

So, that’s three chances to win.

When I post my 100th blog-post, I will announce the winner of a random drawing (this is post 86, so about 2-3 weeks – around St. Patrick’s Day). The prize is the Bindweed Beetle Bracelet, which only seems fair since it was the winner in Kelly’s bracelet challenge and the start of the bounty {LINK } back in November.

Now get out there and pass it on!

It is a week until Christmas.

It is a week until Christmas.

This has been a very unusual season for me. I am still unemployed, so my husband and I have not sent out Christmas cards, and gifts will be ones that I am able to make.

However, right now my time is dedicated to helping my father take care of my mother who had double knee surgery last week. It has been such a great pleasure to spend so much time and attention on her. We are enjoying a mystery of intrigue as I read to her chapter after chapter. Her recovery has surprised us all. It is especially wonderful, because she has been in so much pain for so long.

That’s my excuse for not posting in a while. But I do have something to share.

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY!!!

Kelly at Silver Parrot, who is the soul of generosity, sent me a huge package from her GIVEAWAY which arrived last week.

Inside was a box of the cutest art beads she de-stashed, some gorgeous hand dyed ribbons . . .

And . . . not one, . . .

not two . . .

but three –

THREE artist beading books!

Now I think I am going to make a couple of really cute necklaces for my nieces for Christmas with all this wonderful inspiration. Thanks Kelly!

Photos later.

I am going to buy a Lottery Ticket!

My luck is turning and I need to cash in on it while the getting is good. I won the bug-bracelet challenge hosted by KJ at Silver Parrot.

My Bindweed Beetle Bracelet was selected to win a stash of beads and some art books, including GreenGirls Studio’s new Enchanted Adornments. I am so excited I can hardly see straight. And what is more, the company was pretty impressive, Lorelei Eurto did a couple of bracelets, Cindy Wimmer, and . . . well, the list is long and bracelets are gorgeous, so check out KJ’s blog to see the contenders.

This luck comes on the heels of an intense weekend. I was hostess for the regional chapter of Studio Art Quilt Associates . I was nervous about this because I am a relatively new member and I was concerned that we would have a light turn-out. We did, but it was great because several of my fellow guild members showed up and filled out the ranks.

After the meeting I went to the local arts center to hear an artist talk about her show she just installed. The artist is Susan Lenz, and she is one to watch! Her installation is titled “Blues Chapel” and it is a mixed media installation piece (the whole exhibit is considered a work of art in and of itself). Textiles, graphics, sculptures, found-objects all represent some aspect of the early female blues singers who, for the most part, are forgotten. It is a very moving show.

In her talk, Susan also showed us another body of work that is taken from an unusual source. She makes small, beautiful, hand-embroidered quilts that began their lives as silk fabric grave-rubbings . I saw her blog and read every word about this second series and was just over the moon to get to see it in person in her artist’s talk. She has been kind enough to let me use this image here in this blog.

One of the loveliest things about this weekend is the openness and encouraging spirit I have encountered from KJ, my guild friends, the SAQA members, and Susan Lenz. I feel the “reveal” for the next part of my life/career is just around the corner and it is going to be artistic and wonderful.

Bug Bracelet Challenge

Found out from reading Lorelei’s blog that KJ of Silver Parrot Designs is having a Bracelet Challenge on her blog this week using one of these bug pictures as inspiration.

Check out KJ’s Blog for the rules and details and leave a comment there.

I happen to have the perfect beads for a bracelet inspired by those gorgeous beetles!