Goodbye and Hello

 Day of The Dead Shrine  - my first project in my reclaimed Studio.

It has been a while since I have posted anything on this blog. I seem to have outgrown it. I started this blog originally to help promote selling my beadwork on Etsy and to keep in touch with other beady types. But I have grown a bit and I'm flexing my wings differantly, so it is time to start a new blog. It is called Cenya 600 and in it I will be discussing inspirationsl bits about lots of differant types of artisan crafting and art. I still make and sell beadwork, but I sell much more at our local Saturday Market than I ever did on Etsy. I have made many friends in the art world and it has helped me to move into new territory which I find very stimulating. In addition, I have finished painting the studio and have moved all of my art supplies back in there (except for my beading, which stays in the beadroom inside the house). So I now have a very inspirational place to create all types of art.
I think you will like the expanded interests - not just beading anymore - and I invite you all to come follow me there. This will be my last post on Emerald Window. It has been a wonderful ride with all of you and I hope it continues on Cenya 600.

 

Sherbet Sugar Skull and A Sweet Little Heart

I have been playing with some new color combinations and came up with this skully in sherbet colors.



And I made this sweet little heart in blues and a bit of purle. It's an itty bitty heart.

Two More Barrettes

Finished 2 more barrettes and wanted to show them off.

This large scarab stamping has been sitting in my "bits and bobs" drawer for more than a year. I never knew what to do with it.

This blue number has a calla lily and lots of crystals. 



Release the Kracken!

I'm still working on Barrettes. But now I'm making another kind to suit the discriminating tastes of long hair everywhere.
I made my last batch of barrettes using a base that looked like this:

But many would-be customers complained that they wouldn't stay in their hair and asked if I had any of the other types of barrettes. So off I went to the hair supply store to buy differant barrettes. And this is what I found:

I was hoping that they would have differant names, so I could distinguish them, but the word "barrette" didn't even appear on either package. One simply said "Effortless Beauty" and the other was labeled, "No - Slip Grip".
So my "No - Slip Grip" Barrettes are pictured below and my "Effortless Beauty" Barrettes may be seen on the prior blog post.

I call this an octopus, but my son said it looked like the Kracken from "Last of the Titans".

This is one of my favorite colors of green and I wish I had long hair so I could keep it.  I'm working on a blue barrette now. Hoping to have it ready for Saturday Market tomorrow.

Barrettes!

In my pursuit of beady goodness, I have decided to make barrettes!

I thought of this when several customers asked if my Winged Hearts were pins or barrettes. And some seemed disappointed that they were pins.

So I whipped up six or so and shuffled them off to Market where I sold one immediately.

Most were Winged Hearts, but not all, as you can see from this sweet little purple item.

I used to have very long hair, but never really wore barrettes, so you can imagine my perplexion when one lady said, "Oh, those aren't the type of barrettes I use". I hadn't paid close enough attention to the differant types in the store, so I asked her what type she used and off I went to the hair care supplier to buy some differant types of barrettes. So now I am beading away again and by Market this week-end, will have barrettes of several differant ilks for the discriminating customer. 

WINGS!

I had a very good day at Market last week and sold almost all of my Winged Hearts. So I've been busy making more. Here's a sample.

I haven't put any of them in my shop, but would be happy to sell them if any of you are interested. They are $20 each with free shipping.

New Work

Some new items I have made for Saturday Market...

Reclaiming My Studio

Once upon a time, my son asked if he could move back home for "3 months or so". He was having a tough time and had lost his job, so I agreed. I let him move into my studio since I wasn't using it at the time and he didn't want to live in the house proper.

Well, 3 months turned into 3 years and my poor studio took a beating in the hands of a young man. But, he has moved out now and I can finally reclaim my space.

As you can see, I have to repaint everything, from the ceiling to the floor.

I need to pull a hideous credenza out from under the counter and do a bit of landscaping up front. There are "Glow-in-the-dark" stars on the ceiling that need to be scraped off before painting.

I intend to paint it in fun colors and hang bulletin boards along the long wall. Since I have a bead studio in the house, my beads won't go out there, but all of my other art supplies will, along with my art books. I want to use it for teaching a couple of classes, inviting my artist friends over for "Inspiration Parties" and to do a semi annual studio sale.

Now all I have to do is get the ladder out there and start scraping those stars off the ceiling!









Bijou Bits

I recently opened a new shop on Etsy because I was finding myself inundated with little bits and bobs and beads that I didn't need, and I thought this would be a great way to clean my closets and make a little cash. Cleaning out old jewelry boxes left me with some pieces of costume jewelry that I didn't want.

I also make glass cabochons from antique postcards, and thought I could make extras and sell them as well.

And I bought a large quantity of antique French Seed Beads and decided to sell some of them. Sorting through my bead drawers (Yes, I have drawers full of beads) made me realize that I could easily part with some of them.

And I found lots of cute little clasps that I won't use and put them in the shop too.

So please feel free to browse through all my little bits and pieces. The shop is called Bijou Bits and can be reached here. 

More Beaded Pretties

I promised some more pictures of what I've been beading lately. These are two brooches made of glass cabochons that I created from scans of some antique french postcards. This one (above) has antique french seed beads in celedon green accenting it.

I love the image in this one. I call it "Drama Girl with Horse". Ha. 





I'm Back!

I know I have been gone a long time. I had to deal with my mother's death and my second journey with breast cancer. But... I had my last chemo treatment and I am getting stronger every day and I'm ready to return to cyberspace.

I have been beading steadily while going through my treatment, so I have quite a few bits and pieces to show. I went through a heart phase around Valentine's Day and made many of these "Crazy Heart" Brooches.

I'm partial to green and purple, so these were two of my favorites.

But I liked the hand offering the crystal in this Teal number.

I have a lot happening now. Saturday Market starts up in April, My son moved out of my Garden Studio, so I'll be repainting it and moving much of my art process back into it. I plan on offering classes and hosting art inspiration groups there.

I'll post more pictures in the next few days. I have been very busy and my beading has been my therapy, so I have many differant styles that I've been playing with.

Till then....

Hilarious Snack

What a great way to get your kids to eat a snack!

Homeless Dogs

Our Dog, Red.

I recently read Nan Emmett's rant about people who don't get their dogs spayed. AMEN, SISTER! But my post today is on a different line. It's homeless dogs. I used to see homeless people with dogs and I'd think "What kind of idiot would get a dog while he's homeless?" But then the kinder side of my brain said "Maybe they had the dog before they were homeless and couldn't part with their friend and companion.".
I see MANY homeless folks on the streets with their signs and if they don't look like druggies or alcoholics (I'm not funding any one's addictions) than I give them a buck or two if I can spare it. But when I see someone with a dog, it breaks my heart. So I have started a one-woman campaign to make sure that at least a few of those dogs don't go to bed hungry.
I bought a big bag of dog food and split it up into 1 gallon Ziploc bags. I added a milkbone or two for a treat and I keep them in the front seat of my car. When I see a homeless person with a dog, they get a couple of dollars and a bag of dog food. It won't end hunger for homeless dogs of the world, but it helps a little and I get endless doggy smiles and tail wags from it.
One more thing before I go. What started this whole "Feed the homeless dogs" thing was a scene a few weeks ago. I was coming home and was stopped at an intersection. On the corner was a man with his dog. The car in front of me honked and beckoned them over. They gave the man two hamburgers from the McDonalds down the street. So what does he do? He takes the meat patties out and gives them to his dog and he eats the buns. There's a special place in heaven for that dog owner.

Makes Me Go "Awwwww"

Found this picture on Facebook. Not sure who took it, but it's adorable.

Halloween

It may just be the first day of Autumn, but I've been thinking HALLOWEEN! It's one of my favorite holidays. I loved dressing up (my favorite costum was a fortune teller)and of course I loved the candy, but there  was more to it than that. It was walking on that edge of fear and thrill. Being in the dark , being ditched by the older siblings, running from door to door before the boogie man could get me. And I LOVE Autumn.
So when my daughter came to me and said she was doing fundraising for Race for a Cure (Breast Cancer), and wanted to know if I could help out, my first thought was Halloween Brooches! So I've made some up and 100% of all of the proceeds go to her fundraising efforts. I'm putting one a day in my Etsy Shop or you can order directly from the blog here. Just leave me a comment saying you want one and I'll get in touch.

The pins ABOVE are approximately 2 inches (5cm) across. They have a black ultra suede backing and they are $17.00 (US) each. Shipping is free. I have a couple more that I am finishing up and I'll get them posted in the next day or so.

These last 2 are an inch and a half across (3.5cm) also have black ultra suede backing. They are $14 (US) and that includes shipping. Again, ALL proceeds go to RACE FOR A CURE.

Day of the Dead and a Contest

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is coming up on November 2nd. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is a day of honoring your ancestors that is celebrated in Mexico and many of the southern states in the US. One of the customs of the celebration is to make tiny, colorful Sugar Skulls that are decorated with icing as treats for the children. I love making my sugar skulls out of beads. They last longer and have less calories. Ha. I make them as brooches or necklaces and sell them online and at the local crafter's market.

Although most sugar skulls are bone colored. I have a serious market for the black skulls -- mostly among younger customers. This one has a gold tooth - for a bit of whimsey.

One of our local galleries - The Maude Kerns Art Center - has had a Day of the Dead exhibit each year for a very long time and I have always gone to it and promised myself that the next year I would create something to submit for it (it's juried). Well, this year I finally did (and was accepted!). It is titled

 "The Grandmothers" and is a beaded bit that celebrates the lives of my Mother, my maternal Grandmother, and my maternal Great Grandmother. I made the sugar skull out of large, size 8 seed beads. Then I sandwiched photos between glass and did a netting stitch to bind them. Finally, I made a garland of marigolds (used often for Day of the Dead) out of TINY size 18 seedbeads that were like dust specks. Each flower is the size of the end of my little finger and took an hour (each) to make. The base for all of this is an old mantle clock case that I found at a garage sale for $3.

The Exhibit runs from October 14th to November 4th in Eugene, Oregon.

And finally, my favorite bead store, Harlequin Beads, holds a beading contest each month. This month's theme is "Seed Beads", so I created the heart above to enter in it. The prize is a $100 gift certificate in their shop! They sell online as well. So check them out here.