Both of these lovely hanks are from the Artfire Studio Beads and Babble
Can't wait to receive this order to start working!
About Me
- Sophie
- Nova Scotia, Canada
- I'm an artisan and writer. I love my dogs, country living and being "happily ever after" married to a wonderful man.
Follow me on
Custom order!
Someone from Twitter approached me about doing a custom order for them today. YAY! I won't divulge too much about it right now, but I'll show you what I bought for it.
Both of these lovely hanks are from the Artfire Studio Beads and Babble
Can't wait to receive this order to start working!
Both of these lovely hanks are from the Artfire Studio Beads and Babble
Can't wait to receive this order to start working!
Good moon rising
Monday, November 23, 2009
I miss having a specific topic to write about; something I had when I was a columnist for HMN. So I've been thinking about how I could bring that back into my life. Seeing how much fun many of my blogger peers are having by doing features of other artist and bloggers, I decided to expand the scope of my own blog to do a weekly feature.
Once I'd decided to write features, the second point to consider was what topic to focus on. I wanted to try to develop a bit of a theme, or rhythm. I love discovering new things; that's one of the joys of sharing in the online art community. I find that one of the best ways to discover new things is by doing a search with a random keyword. I've been doing this for years with Google when I've been bored. Lately, Stumbleupon has automated this little hobby of mine. It's surprising, the things that pop up that you normally would never think of looking for otherwise. So I figured, "Why not do the same with my favorite online handmade venues?" I think it's worth a shot and I'm bound to come across some interesting finds. I plan on sharing the best of what I discover with you weekly. This should be fun!
******************************************************************************************
For my first feature, I chose the search word "moon". Blame New Moon; everyone I know has done nothing but talk about this movie for days now and I guess the word "moon" was the first that popped into my head when I sat down to think over my feature for this week.
Right off the bat, I found two wonderful artists with moon related themes that I thought were worth sharing. The first is a studio aptly named Purple Moon Gifts run by Kirsten Tippett who has been making and designing jewelery for over 17 years. Kirsten runs two types of studio. One displaying finished jewelery pieces and the other supplies for jewelery making. What caught my eye in relation to my search word today were these adorable little moon face beads.
It's wonderful to sit around and admire the finished work of talented artisans, but it's also a bonus to find a great supply shop to feed our own creative drive. What I love about supporting artisan run supply studios is knowing that behind all those beads and findings is a real person, not just some overstock depot. So if you are in the market for really cute jewelry making supplies, PMG Jewelry Supplies is a great place to check out.
******************************************************************************************
My second choice this evening goes to naokosstoop. A wonderful little studio on Etsy run by a Brooklyn based illustrator named Naoko Stoop. The style is not one that I've encountered before, but I've totally fallen in love with unique and graceful beauty of these illustrations. This particular print is from a collection of illustrations called the Brown Paper Bag Collection. This one is called Moon No6.
This studio offers a lovely collection of prints, original drawings and note cards. A definite worthwhile find. I wouldn't be surprised to find myself returning to this studio the next time I'm looking to find a really cute and original illustration.
So that's it for my first random word search feature. I'm hoping to be able to do one every week, so check back often to see what other fabulous finds I've come across.
Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
I miss having a specific topic to write about; something I had when I was a columnist for HMN. So I've been thinking about how I could bring that back into my life. Seeing how much fun many of my blogger peers are having by doing features of other artist and bloggers, I decided to expand the scope of my own blog to do a weekly feature.
Once I'd decided to write features, the second point to consider was what topic to focus on. I wanted to try to develop a bit of a theme, or rhythm. I love discovering new things; that's one of the joys of sharing in the online art community. I find that one of the best ways to discover new things is by doing a search with a random keyword. I've been doing this for years with Google when I've been bored. Lately, Stumbleupon has automated this little hobby of mine. It's surprising, the things that pop up that you normally would never think of looking for otherwise. So I figured, "Why not do the same with my favorite online handmade venues?" I think it's worth a shot and I'm bound to come across some interesting finds. I plan on sharing the best of what I discover with you weekly. This should be fun!
******************************************************************************************
For my first feature, I chose the search word "moon". Blame New Moon; everyone I know has done nothing but talk about this movie for days now and I guess the word "moon" was the first that popped into my head when I sat down to think over my feature for this week.
Right off the bat, I found two wonderful artists with moon related themes that I thought were worth sharing. The first is a studio aptly named Purple Moon Gifts run by Kirsten Tippett who has been making and designing jewelery for over 17 years. Kirsten runs two types of studio. One displaying finished jewelery pieces and the other supplies for jewelery making. What caught my eye in relation to my search word today were these adorable little moon face beads.
It's wonderful to sit around and admire the finished work of talented artisans, but it's also a bonus to find a great supply shop to feed our own creative drive. What I love about supporting artisan run supply studios is knowing that behind all those beads and findings is a real person, not just some overstock depot. So if you are in the market for really cute jewelry making supplies, PMG Jewelry Supplies is a great place to check out.******************************************************************************************
My second choice this evening goes to naokosstoop. A wonderful little studio on Etsy run by a Brooklyn based illustrator named Naoko Stoop. The style is not one that I've encountered before, but I've totally fallen in love with unique and graceful beauty of these illustrations. This particular print is from a collection of illustrations called the Brown Paper Bag Collection. This one is called Moon No6.
This studio offers a lovely collection of prints, original drawings and note cards. A definite worthwhile find. I wouldn't be surprised to find myself returning to this studio the next time I'm looking to find a really cute and original illustration.
So that's it for my first random word search feature. I'm hoping to be able to do one every week, so check back often to see what other fabulous finds I've come across.
Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
A few new pieces
Just wanted to share a few of the new pieces I've put together since I've started working on my crafts again. Looking at these, I can definitely see a difference in style from my previous work. It was not intended as I simply create along the current wind of inspiration, but I think it's neat how these pieces came out.
I can easily see this piece being used as a hair decoration for a beach wedding.
This little flower is so classy. I love it!
It seems as though "classy" is my theme lately. Maybe it's just the colour palette I've chosen for my recent pieces.
Now this little piece is not what I would call classy, but it is definitely cute and fun. I never intended to give it antennae but it certainly looks like that's what happened!
This is another in my "classy" pieces series.
This is a bit of an experimental piece, and I'm not sure what I think of it. I mixed opaque and transparent beads to give a bit of an effect.
Well, that's what's new. I'm hoping to be able to keep up with creating a few new pieces every week.
I can easily see this piece being used as a hair decoration for a beach wedding.
This little flower is so classy. I love it!
It seems as though "classy" is my theme lately. Maybe it's just the colour palette I've chosen for my recent pieces.
Now this little piece is not what I would call classy, but it is definitely cute and fun. I never intended to give it antennae but it certainly looks like that's what happened!
This is another in my "classy" pieces series.
This is a bit of an experimental piece, and I'm not sure what I think of it. I mixed opaque and transparent beads to give a bit of an effect.
Well, that's what's new. I'm hoping to be able to keep up with creating a few new pieces every week.
On the road again....
... that is, the road to success, hopefully. My crafting hiatus seems to have come to a close, (thank goodness - I was starting to go a little bonkers) and I'm ready to start work on my crafting and marketing of said crafts.
I have to say, if it weren't for the crafty people I meet online everyday, my funk might have lasted longer, but seeing what everyone is up to is inspiring and makes me want to jump in and play.
A couple of changes in the direction I want to take have finally become clear to me. First, I'm going to stick to smaller beaded pieces, for now anyways. My plan is to stock up my studio with many more pieces in order to give people more of a choice. I was getting discouraged, working on large flower arrangements and bouquets. I'm keeping the door open for custom orders on for large pieces, but for now, I'm going to put my effort into creating smaller and fun accessories.
The second point which has become clear to me is how bored I get, only doing one type of crafting at once. I need a variety of things to keep me interested and challenged. I've thought a lot about what type of craft I would enjoy doing and would also offer a quicker turnaround than beaded flowers. Polymer clay seems to fit the bill quite nicely. I've been doing a lot of reading on the types of things that can be done with it and the possibilities seems rather endless. I like that. A lot. It's also rather easy to get into, no huge investment needed; financially, for equipment or space. Those are all important points to me.
I know it may seem backwards to approach a crafting business in this manner. Most people fall into doing something they love and afterward they develop a business. In my case, I love too many things and it's just not feasible to over extend myself in that manner. Creating things makes me happy, that's what I love. The medium in which I work is almost secondary. I've never met a craft I didn't like. Combining that creative drive with a marketable product gives me a sense of purpose. That sense of purpose gives me strength. Maybe it's a way to regain control over my life, (which often feels beyond my reach of control) even if only a little bit. I don't know how else to explain it.
So, in an effort to get the ball rolling again, I've done a few things. First, I've set up a Flickr account and I've posted all my crafting pictures there. Through this, I'm hoping to expand my circle of online crafty acquaintances.
If you're on Flickr, or just curious to see my pictures, please visit my photostream,
and add me as a contact!
I've also finished a few beaded pieces that had been laying around, half finished for months. I've also created some totally new pieces, a few of which have already been listed. I'm trying to be more active on Twitter and following a few more crafty blogs.
Specifically with regards to my business, I've taken on a more confident mind set. I did some shopping on Etsy and Artfire for supplies. When the day comes when pieces start selling, I will be ready with return mailing labels, organza gift bags, up-to-date business cards etc. I think I was a little afraid of pushing sales before, because I didn't feel that I would be presenting my work professionally.
So there you have it. That's the whole story, and then some. My aim, going forward is to really get my name out there. Follow more blogs, and be followed in return. Keep this darn blog updated ('cause we all know that would help) and generally make it known to the world that I'm here. Can't be that hard, now can it? ;)
Have a suggestion to get me started again with online visibility and marketing? Leave me a comment!
I have to say, if it weren't for the crafty people I meet online everyday, my funk might have lasted longer, but seeing what everyone is up to is inspiring and makes me want to jump in and play.
A couple of changes in the direction I want to take have finally become clear to me. First, I'm going to stick to smaller beaded pieces, for now anyways. My plan is to stock up my studio with many more pieces in order to give people more of a choice. I was getting discouraged, working on large flower arrangements and bouquets. I'm keeping the door open for custom orders on for large pieces, but for now, I'm going to put my effort into creating smaller and fun accessories.
The second point which has become clear to me is how bored I get, only doing one type of crafting at once. I need a variety of things to keep me interested and challenged. I've thought a lot about what type of craft I would enjoy doing and would also offer a quicker turnaround than beaded flowers. Polymer clay seems to fit the bill quite nicely. I've been doing a lot of reading on the types of things that can be done with it and the possibilities seems rather endless. I like that. A lot. It's also rather easy to get into, no huge investment needed; financially, for equipment or space. Those are all important points to me.
I know it may seem backwards to approach a crafting business in this manner. Most people fall into doing something they love and afterward they develop a business. In my case, I love too many things and it's just not feasible to over extend myself in that manner. Creating things makes me happy, that's what I love. The medium in which I work is almost secondary. I've never met a craft I didn't like. Combining that creative drive with a marketable product gives me a sense of purpose. That sense of purpose gives me strength. Maybe it's a way to regain control over my life, (which often feels beyond my reach of control) even if only a little bit. I don't know how else to explain it.
So, in an effort to get the ball rolling again, I've done a few things. First, I've set up a Flickr account and I've posted all my crafting pictures there. Through this, I'm hoping to expand my circle of online crafty acquaintances.
If you're on Flickr, or just curious to see my pictures, please visit my photostream,
and add me as a contact!
I've also finished a few beaded pieces that had been laying around, half finished for months. I've also created some totally new pieces, a few of which have already been listed. I'm trying to be more active on Twitter and following a few more crafty blogs.
Specifically with regards to my business, I've taken on a more confident mind set. I did some shopping on Etsy and Artfire for supplies. When the day comes when pieces start selling, I will be ready with return mailing labels, organza gift bags, up-to-date business cards etc. I think I was a little afraid of pushing sales before, because I didn't feel that I would be presenting my work professionally.
So there you have it. That's the whole story, and then some. My aim, going forward is to really get my name out there. Follow more blogs, and be followed in return. Keep this darn blog updated ('cause we all know that would help) and generally make it known to the world that I'm here. Can't be that hard, now can it? ;)
Have a suggestion to get me started again with online visibility and marketing? Leave me a comment!
The Internal Discourse
There's always an excuse to postpone doing what should be done, isn't there? As of late, I've had more than my fair share of excuses to pick from, but I'm not here to write about all the reasons I've been MIA. Previous posts already address most of the major issues, and now I'm looking to start fresh. Problem is, I'm not sure where to start anymore.
Since my departure* from HMN, I've been thinking quite seriously about what direction I'd like to take with my work, both artistically and through writing. Everything seemed so clear in my head at the beginning of summer. I felt energized and inspired. Maybe the problem was that I became too consumed and lost perspective. Truth is, I'm not sure what happened, or how I got to where I am, but changes need to be made in order to move forward. I'm currently at a stand still and I don't think I'm going to be able get the gears going again until I've had some time to meditate on the whole situation.
There are a few strong and recurring themes that dance around in my head, late at night when I can't sleep.
1. I need a creative outlet to keep me sane.
2a. That creative outlet takes on many forms, always has and probably always will. I get bored very easily and love to bounce around to different projects.
2b. Completion of projects is rarely the ultimate goal. Half finished projects used to bother me and make me feel bad. I've come to appreciate the time I can spend being creative rather than looking at ways to produce finished pieces.
3a. Ironically, I draw a sense of personal satisfaction from categorizing my creative efforts into neat little labels. Writer, knitter, French beaded artist. etc.
3b. Being officially recognized under one of those labels is even more rewarding. I haven't decided yet if the reward is internalized or for show/comparison; a public benchmark. I'm leaning towards believe the latter. Does that take chip away at my integrity?
4. I don't actually believe that any label could ever properly describe who I am, or what I'm capable of.
5. The above points worry me. It's one thing to craft for fun and relaxation and quite another to attempt to make a business of it. I'm confident in my abilities to run a small business as I've had the experience before and found it to be one of the most rewarding of my life. In that instance though, my lively hood did not depend on creative whim. Point 2b could prove to be especially problematic.
6. I've always heard that the happiest people are those who've combine doing what they love with what earns them their bread. In my case, I'm not sure that what I love is marketable. Or perhaps, I love too many things to devise a focused marketing plan.
7. I feel as though I'm standing at the cross roads of major decisions. So far in my life, I'm not convinced that I've always made the best decisions. The fear of taking another wrong turn feds my inertia, and doing nothing is still considered making a choice in my books. Doing nothing is no longer an option I am comfortable with, but I am unsure as to what path to take instead. It's a circular argument...
....So here I stand, twirling these ideas over and over in my head. I've been having a similar internal discourse for as long as I can remember. I think pondering such question is one of the few things that separates most of us from our childhood. These feel like grown up questions to me anyways. What I'd like to know is, where are the grownup answers hiding?
*There were some serious changes made to the organizational structure. Based on those changes, I reevaluated my goals and chose to move in a different direction.
Since my departure* from HMN, I've been thinking quite seriously about what direction I'd like to take with my work, both artistically and through writing. Everything seemed so clear in my head at the beginning of summer. I felt energized and inspired. Maybe the problem was that I became too consumed and lost perspective. Truth is, I'm not sure what happened, or how I got to where I am, but changes need to be made in order to move forward. I'm currently at a stand still and I don't think I'm going to be able get the gears going again until I've had some time to meditate on the whole situation.
There are a few strong and recurring themes that dance around in my head, late at night when I can't sleep.
1. I need a creative outlet to keep me sane.
2a. That creative outlet takes on many forms, always has and probably always will. I get bored very easily and love to bounce around to different projects.
2b. Completion of projects is rarely the ultimate goal. Half finished projects used to bother me and make me feel bad. I've come to appreciate the time I can spend being creative rather than looking at ways to produce finished pieces.
3a. Ironically, I draw a sense of personal satisfaction from categorizing my creative efforts into neat little labels. Writer, knitter, French beaded artist. etc.
3b. Being officially recognized under one of those labels is even more rewarding. I haven't decided yet if the reward is internalized or for show/comparison; a public benchmark. I'm leaning towards believe the latter. Does that take chip away at my integrity?
4. I don't actually believe that any label could ever properly describe who I am, or what I'm capable of.
5. The above points worry me. It's one thing to craft for fun and relaxation and quite another to attempt to make a business of it. I'm confident in my abilities to run a small business as I've had the experience before and found it to be one of the most rewarding of my life. In that instance though, my lively hood did not depend on creative whim. Point 2b could prove to be especially problematic.
6. I've always heard that the happiest people are those who've combine doing what they love with what earns them their bread. In my case, I'm not sure that what I love is marketable. Or perhaps, I love too many things to devise a focused marketing plan.
7. I feel as though I'm standing at the cross roads of major decisions. So far in my life, I'm not convinced that I've always made the best decisions. The fear of taking another wrong turn feds my inertia, and doing nothing is still considered making a choice in my books. Doing nothing is no longer an option I am comfortable with, but I am unsure as to what path to take instead. It's a circular argument...
....So here I stand, twirling these ideas over and over in my head. I've been having a similar internal discourse for as long as I can remember. I think pondering such question is one of the few things that separates most of us from our childhood. These feel like grown up questions to me anyways. What I'd like to know is, where are the grownup answers hiding?
*There were some serious changes made to the organizational structure. Based on those changes, I reevaluated my goals and chose to move in a different direction.
Trying to get the ball rolling again
Well, there's no doubt it's been a difficult summer. We are slowly getting over the shock of loosing my husband's mum a few weeks ago. Cancer is a bitch.
I've really been neglecting my art as of late, but I'm slowly trying to get back into the routine. It's helpful to have an outlet at times like these, but sometimes finding the energy is the hard part.
My current project is a brooch from a family member. No pictures yet, but by the end of this week, I should have a few pieces ready for display. So check back for an update on that.
I'm also very proud and excited about the latest development over at HMN. My husband, James is the latest writer to join our dept! I've always loved reading him, and I think he'll be taking our dept. into new directions that are going to be both fun and informational.
My latest article is on a topic that is close to my heart; French Crepes. My mom made them a few times a month as Sunday brunch growing up. In recent years, I've perfected a delicious dessert filling that I'm happy to share with you here.
I've really been neglecting my art as of late, but I'm slowly trying to get back into the routine. It's helpful to have an outlet at times like these, but sometimes finding the energy is the hard part.
My current project is a brooch from a family member. No pictures yet, but by the end of this week, I should have a few pieces ready for display. So check back for an update on that.
I'm also very proud and excited about the latest development over at HMN. My husband, James is the latest writer to join our dept! I've always loved reading him, and I think he'll be taking our dept. into new directions that are going to be both fun and informational.
My latest article is on a topic that is close to my heart; French Crepes. My mom made them a few times a month as Sunday brunch growing up. In recent years, I've perfected a delicious dessert filling that I'm happy to share with you here.
Finding the muse.
To the few faithful readers I have the privilege of having, I apologize for my extended leave of absence. Trust me, I'm more upset about it then you are, although that doesn't make it any better, I admit.
As evidenced by the last post on this blog, James and I have had a rough summer. This past week we also lost one of our chickens. So now we have three freshly dug graves. It's hotter than hell outside and the heat gives me migraines.
My paying job is quickly getting very hectic again as we are starting up our annual 4 month harvest season.
To sum it up in two words: This sucks. But I'll try to be positive. So let's look at the good stuff.
Writing for HMN remains a constant source of personal satisfaction. Coming through on deadlines and receiving feedback from fellow writers, craft enthusiasts and the Twitter community is immensely rewarding. Makes me feel productive, creative and gives me the sense that I'm not completely wasting my life.
Last weekend an aunt of mine whom I hadn't seen in many years dropped in for a short visit while she was visiting the maritimes. She bought a tiger lily and a clover. My first sale! Does it count if it's family? I'll say that it does. Later on this week, good friends of mine approached me to buy a hair clip for a family member of theirs celebrating her birthday this week. Wow! Sale #2. We attended this birthday celebration last night and had a wonderful alfresco evening. Even the bugs were reasonable. This morning I received an email from someone in my extended family, requesting a lapel pin. Could this mean that things are actually starting to move along now with this little venture of mine? I'm hopeful that it is! Now if only I could get my butt in gear and start creating again....
In lieu of the obligatory crafty picture this round, here's a picture of me, fresh off the press from this morning. I thought it was time to get a decent head shot out there in cyber space so that people would get a sense of who I am. Might facilitate making friends on this networking playground.
Now if only Twitter would stop giving me trouble uploading this, I could make a proper debut.
As evidenced by the last post on this blog, James and I have had a rough summer. This past week we also lost one of our chickens. So now we have three freshly dug graves. It's hotter than hell outside and the heat gives me migraines.
My paying job is quickly getting very hectic again as we are starting up our annual 4 month harvest season.
To sum it up in two words: This sucks. But I'll try to be positive. So let's look at the good stuff.
Writing for HMN remains a constant source of personal satisfaction. Coming through on deadlines and receiving feedback from fellow writers, craft enthusiasts and the Twitter community is immensely rewarding. Makes me feel productive, creative and gives me the sense that I'm not completely wasting my life.
Last weekend an aunt of mine whom I hadn't seen in many years dropped in for a short visit while she was visiting the maritimes. She bought a tiger lily and a clover. My first sale! Does it count if it's family? I'll say that it does. Later on this week, good friends of mine approached me to buy a hair clip for a family member of theirs celebrating her birthday this week. Wow! Sale #2. We attended this birthday celebration last night and had a wonderful alfresco evening. Even the bugs were reasonable. This morning I received an email from someone in my extended family, requesting a lapel pin. Could this mean that things are actually starting to move along now with this little venture of mine? I'm hopeful that it is! Now if only I could get my butt in gear and start creating again....
In lieu of the obligatory crafty picture this round, here's a picture of me, fresh off the press from this morning. I thought it was time to get a decent head shot out there in cyber space so that people would get a sense of who I am. Might facilitate making friends on this networking playground.
Now if only Twitter would stop giving me trouble uploading this, I could make a proper debut.
In Memoriam
I tend not to focus too heavily on my family life on this blog, but events of the past few weeks merit their own entry; it's with a heavy heart that I write the following.
Monday July 20th we found ourselves unexpectedly having to put our cat, Tommy to sleep.
The details of his life prior to coming to live with us are nebulous. As we were preparing to move to Nova Scotia from Montreal in the summer of 2005, a very large gray tabby decided I was the person he wanted to live with. I was working as a groomer at a pet supply store and they often housed cats that were looking for new homes. Tommy was one of those unfortunate abandoned. He'd been living at the store for months, and while people felt "pity" for him, no one would take him home because he was so obese. As I often sat in the store waiting for clients, Tommy would venture over to see me and within a few weeks it was clear I was a favorite person of his. We don't know how old he was, but only that he'd gone through several homes before being unceremoniously dumped. I'm generally not a "cat person", but in this case, he chose me, and I am not one to turn my back on an animal in need.
We spent 4 tumultuous years of nasty biting and temper tantrums (who could blame him, with that sort of shady past) but also wonderful, cold winter nights where he slept on my pillow wrapped around my head like some sort of living fur hat. He was a trooper, suffering the presence of 3 dogs, of which he was not overly fond, but tolerated as long as they didn't pester him. I hope that he was happy with his choice of forever home. We enjoyed the years we spent together and will miss our silly little dancing bear.
Wednesday July 29. After a long, long battle with Westie Lung Disease, we faced the difficult day where we had to put our West Highland White terrier, Cody to sleep.
Cody came into James' life about three years before he and I met. A small pup with way too much energy and a bit of mischievous nature, Cody was from day one a daddy's boy. I remember the first time I met Cody, I thought he was adorable and full of life and it was obvious to me how close a bond he and James had. Over the years, I developed my own bond with Cody, taking him to work with me in a plaid pet travel bag on the city bus. Or the day I decided to groom him for the first time (before I was trained as a groomer) and did a horrible job with a pair of kitchen shears. Through the years that followed, Cody and I had many other opportunities to get his look down right. Although the classic Westie head just never worked on him. He was always a rough and tumble sort of guy and didn't like the prissy details or a perfect groom. You can see in one of the pictures, he got himself filthy, jumping into a ditch full of mud. I will always remember how delighted he was to see me when I came home and how he loved nothing more than to lie on either one of our chest and snooze.
The past year has been very difficult for all of us. Watching every day as he lost a little more energy, a little bit more of his spunk and fierce terrier attitude. We'd known about Cody's illness for almost 3 years. He was diagnosed very young with this disease; at 7 1/2 years old. On the flip side he lived much longer than we had ever expected and for that, we are happy.
Many years ago, James had set up a web page for Cody and an email. He updated it tonight for the last time. :(
The house feels very quiet without our two boys. In the span of two weeks we've gone from a family of 6 to a family of 4. Karla, our greyhound celebrated her 13th birthday this past May. A bit of arthritis is her only complaint, so we hope she will be with us for a good while longer. Shiggy, our Chinese Crested is going to be 5 in November. His lively spirit and loving nature have been of great comfort these past few
weeks.
One last picture; a rare one of both of them sleeping side by side.
Monday July 20th we found ourselves unexpectedly having to put our cat, Tommy to sleep.
The details of his life prior to coming to live with us are nebulous. As we were preparing to move to Nova Scotia from Montreal in the summer of 2005, a very large gray tabby decided I was the person he wanted to live with. I was working as a groomer at a pet supply store and they often housed cats that were looking for new homes. Tommy was one of those unfortunate abandoned. He'd been living at the store for months, and while people felt "pity" for him, no one would take him home because he was so obese. As I often sat in the store waiting for clients, Tommy would venture over to see me and within a few weeks it was clear I was a favorite person of his. We don't know how old he was, but only that he'd gone through several homes before being unceremoniously dumped. I'm generally not a "cat person", but in this case, he chose me, and I am not one to turn my back on an animal in need.
We spent 4 tumultuous years of nasty biting and temper tantrums (who could blame him, with that sort of shady past) but also wonderful, cold winter nights where he slept on my pillow wrapped around my head like some sort of living fur hat. He was a trooper, suffering the presence of 3 dogs, of which he was not overly fond, but tolerated as long as they didn't pester him. I hope that he was happy with his choice of forever home. We enjoyed the years we spent together and will miss our silly little dancing bear.
Wednesday July 29. After a long, long battle with Westie Lung Disease, we faced the difficult day where we had to put our West Highland White terrier, Cody to sleep.
Cody came into James' life about three years before he and I met. A small pup with way too much energy and a bit of mischievous nature, Cody was from day one a daddy's boy. I remember the first time I met Cody, I thought he was adorable and full of life and it was obvious to me how close a bond he and James had. Over the years, I developed my own bond with Cody, taking him to work with me in a plaid pet travel bag on the city bus. Or the day I decided to groom him for the first time (before I was trained as a groomer) and did a horrible job with a pair of kitchen shears. Through the years that followed, Cody and I had many other opportunities to get his look down right. Although the classic Westie head just never worked on him. He was always a rough and tumble sort of guy and didn't like the prissy details or a perfect groom. You can see in one of the pictures, he got himself filthy, jumping into a ditch full of mud. I will always remember how delighted he was to see me when I came home and how he loved nothing more than to lie on either one of our chest and snooze.
The past year has been very difficult for all of us. Watching every day as he lost a little more energy, a little bit more of his spunk and fierce terrier attitude. We'd known about Cody's illness for almost 3 years. He was diagnosed very young with this disease; at 7 1/2 years old. On the flip side he lived much longer than we had ever expected and for that, we are happy.
Many years ago, James had set up a web page for Cody and an email. He updated it tonight for the last time. :(
The house feels very quiet without our two boys. In the span of two weeks we've gone from a family of 6 to a family of 4. Karla, our greyhound celebrated her 13th birthday this past May. A bit of arthritis is her only complaint, so we hope she will be with us for a good while longer. Shiggy, our Chinese Crested is going to be 5 in November. His lively spirit and loving nature have been of great comfort these past few
weeks.
One last picture; a rare one of both of them sleeping side by side.
Another hair clip
I really enjoy making these little flowers and I think they make very sweet little hair clips. I posted this one in my shop this morning.
I'm thinking of making this particular style of flower larger but will need larger clip to attach them too, something like an alligator clip. I'm also on the look out for a wig and mannequin head to be able to take "in context" pictures. I think seeing my hair clip being worn would give a better sense of perspective and style.
I've also just changed the template of this blog - if you hadn't already notice ;). I was finding the 2 column template unbalanced and prefer being able to spread things out a bit. Leave me a comment, let me know what you think!
I'm thinking of making this particular style of flower larger but will need larger clip to attach them too, something like an alligator clip. I'm also on the look out for a wig and mannequin head to be able to take "in context" pictures. I think seeing my hair clip being worn would give a better sense of perspective and style.
I've also just changed the template of this blog - if you hadn't already notice ;). I was finding the 2 column template unbalanced and prefer being able to spread things out a bit. Leave me a comment, let me know what you think!
Red is my favorite colour
Red is by far my favorite colour and when I shop for beads, I am inevitably drawn to red beads. I spent some time yesterday putting together a few red fantasy flowers, trying to use up some of my supplies.
This first piece, a single blossom includes yellow and orange, but the red is what really makes it pop, at least I think so. This little hair clip is now listed in my shop.
The second thing I worked on were small red lilies.
These blooms measure 2 inches across and the narrow petals makes them look quite delicate. So far I have only two made up, but I think a small arrangement of 5 with some delicate foliage will be very pretty. I'm hoping to have this piece done by and listed by the end of the weekend.
Today is also when the follow up to my book review for Vintage Baby Knits gets published. It's a Q&A with the author, Kristen Rengren and the readers of HMN had some fabulous questions. The article turned out wonderfully I think and I'm quite proud of this project on the whole. A big thanks to my HMN editor for all her help getting this piece to the finish line.
To read the Q&A, please follow this link!
This first piece, a single blossom includes yellow and orange, but the red is what really makes it pop, at least I think so. This little hair clip is now listed in my shop.
The second thing I worked on were small red lilies.
These blooms measure 2 inches across and the narrow petals makes them look quite delicate. So far I have only two made up, but I think a small arrangement of 5 with some delicate foliage will be very pretty. I'm hoping to have this piece done by and listed by the end of the weekend.
Today is also when the follow up to my book review for Vintage Baby Knits gets published. It's a Q&A with the author, Kristen Rengren and the readers of HMN had some fabulous questions. The article turned out wonderfully I think and I'm quite proud of this project on the whole. A big thanks to my HMN editor for all her help getting this piece to the finish line.
To read the Q&A, please follow this link!
Pure white and Vintage style
I've decided to list the first completed all white lily as a stand alone bloom. It is such a lovely piece, and at the rate I'm going these days, it maybe a while yet before I have the bouquet completed. As it stands, it can very easily be finished as a brooch or hair accessory so I've left those options open, but I worry sometimes that by offering too many choices, potential customers may walk away in a cloud of indecision. I think that for pieces like this though, it deserves that kind of customization possibility.
This weekend is also big for me in that my very first book review is now live on HMN. A lovely vintage baby knitting pattern book. Check out the review here. Leave a question for a follow up Q & A scheduled for next Friday and get info on how to enter to win your own copy! Lots of neat stuff going on that way for sure. Really looking forward to doing another book review as this one was so much fun to do.
This weekend is also big for me in that my very first book review is now live on HMN. A lovely vintage baby knitting pattern book. Check out the review here. Leave a question for a follow up Q & A scheduled for next Friday and get info on how to enter to win your own copy! Lots of neat stuff going on that way for sure. Really looking forward to doing another book review as this one was so much fun to do.
The latest in a long long line of busy
Seems I'm always playing catch up these days. While the chicken is cooking for dinner, I'm taking a few minutes to post some new content on my poor neglected blog.
I'm making some headway on the all white bouquet. One lily done and petals enough to make two more are finished. Hopefully I'll have a bit of time to post some progress pictures later this week.
Most of my time lately has been taken up lately with
HMN, promoting writing, researching. I love doing all of it, I just wish there were more hours in a day. I'm very excited about this upcoming Friday as well. I'm reviewing a new knitting book, Vintage Baby Knits. It's part of a blog tour so there is a lot of hype around that. My review is going to be live on Friday of this week and there will be a follow up the following Friday with an author Q&A.
Should be lots of fun. Stay tuned for updates!
I'm making some headway on the all white bouquet. One lily done and petals enough to make two more are finished. Hopefully I'll have a bit of time to post some progress pictures later this week.
Most of my time lately has been taken up lately with
HMN, promoting writing, researching. I love doing all of it, I just wish there were more hours in a day. I'm very excited about this upcoming Friday as well. I'm reviewing a new knitting book, Vintage Baby Knits. It's part of a blog tour so there is a lot of hype around that. My review is going to be live on Friday of this week and there will be a follow up the following Friday with an author Q&A.
Should be lots of fun. Stay tuned for updates!
Summer time is busy time.
It's been ages since I've blogged, so much so that I'm not sure I remember everything that has happened in those few weeks.
Firstly, I just love writing for the Just for Fun department over at HMN and I have 4 articles already published with a 5th on the way for sometime this week. Follow my tweets for up to date info on that.
I did not get as many pieces listed in my shop this month as I would have like to, but I think that the road ahead for July is smooth enough and I hope to list at least 1 new item per week, if not more. I am rather proud of my latest listing and it is my first bouquet officially for sale too, so I'm very excited about that.
I'm quite excited too since it's received more views in three days than any of my other items. Either people really like it, or the price tag is getting a bunch of curious window shoppers. Doesn't matter to me. Either way, I'm just thrilled that my work is being seen and hopefully admired by that many people. I do think Twitter plays a major part in the increased views and I'm slowly warming up to this whole system. I really didn't want to feel tied down to what seemed to be a very intense marketing tool, but so far, I'm enjoying posting links and updates as much as I'm enjoying reading what others are up to. It's really quite fun actually.
I also really love the gallery feature on Artfire. Since I've worked on a lot of large pieces that I made as gifts, I like being able to show that work off to potential customers to give them ideas for custom orders. One of the many reasons why I love Artfire. The latest piece I added to my Gallery was a bouquet of daisies; a birthday present for my mother in law.
Firstly, I just love writing for the Just for Fun department over at HMN and I have 4 articles already published with a 5th on the way for sometime this week. Follow my tweets for up to date info on that.
I did not get as many pieces listed in my shop this month as I would have like to, but I think that the road ahead for July is smooth enough and I hope to list at least 1 new item per week, if not more. I am rather proud of my latest listing and it is my first bouquet officially for sale too, so I'm very excited about that.
I'm quite excited too since it's received more views in three days than any of my other items. Either people really like it, or the price tag is getting a bunch of curious window shoppers. Doesn't matter to me. Either way, I'm just thrilled that my work is being seen and hopefully admired by that many people. I do think Twitter plays a major part in the increased views and I'm slowly warming up to this whole system. I really didn't want to feel tied down to what seemed to be a very intense marketing tool, but so far, I'm enjoying posting links and updates as much as I'm enjoying reading what others are up to. It's really quite fun actually.
I also really love the gallery feature on Artfire. Since I've worked on a lot of large pieces that I made as gifts, I like being able to show that work off to potential customers to give them ideas for custom orders. One of the many reasons why I love Artfire. The latest piece I added to my Gallery was a bouquet of daisies; a birthday present for my mother in law.
Trying out new things.
Lots of things have been keeping me very busy this week. Writing for HandMadeNews.org is proving to be even more fun than I had anticipated. I just love putting together these little articles and I love seeing them be published through this fabulous site. At this point, I have two articles published under the Just for Fun dept. and I just submitted two more to my editor this morning.
My creative focus seems to be a bit choppy though and I haven't been able to bring any projects to a finish the past little while. I've started several pieces, including a cherry tree banzai tree and a bouquet of red chrysanthemums.
Here's an in progress picture of the chrysanthemum bouquet.
The flowers are a very basic shape. My focus was more on the colour. There are 2 colors of red beads in this arrangement, strung on 2 different colour of wire. The overall effect gives 4 different hues of red. There will be a total of 16 blooms in this bouquet. Hopefully, the colour variation will come out nicely. I'm thinking of adding a few white wild flowers to the mix, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I spent the last little bit this afternoon trying my hand at something I hadn't done before. Wire wrapped jewelery. Here's what I came up with:
One of my favorite beaded flower supply is actually the wire. I bought several spools of 26 gauge copper wire a while back and I just love the way it feels and looks. It's very soft and warm and has a beautiful sheen.
I combined the wire with natural rose quartz that I had left over from another project.
So what do you think? Should I expand my creative outlet and make more jewelery of this type? The jewelery market is already loaded with very talented artisans, but it's just so much fun to make. Give me some feedback. I'd love to hear what you have to say!
My creative focus seems to be a bit choppy though and I haven't been able to bring any projects to a finish the past little while. I've started several pieces, including a cherry tree banzai tree and a bouquet of red chrysanthemums.
Here's an in progress picture of the chrysanthemum bouquet.
The flowers are a very basic shape. My focus was more on the colour. There are 2 colors of red beads in this arrangement, strung on 2 different colour of wire. The overall effect gives 4 different hues of red. There will be a total of 16 blooms in this bouquet. Hopefully, the colour variation will come out nicely. I'm thinking of adding a few white wild flowers to the mix, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I spent the last little bit this afternoon trying my hand at something I hadn't done before. Wire wrapped jewelery. Here's what I came up with:
One of my favorite beaded flower supply is actually the wire. I bought several spools of 26 gauge copper wire a while back and I just love the way it feels and looks. It's very soft and warm and has a beautiful sheen.
I combined the wire with natural rose quartz that I had left over from another project.
So what do you think? Should I expand my creative outlet and make more jewelery of this type? The jewelery market is already loaded with very talented artisans, but it's just so much fun to make. Give me some feedback. I'd love to hear what you have to say!
Sunday projects
I spent a nice quiet day getting some new pieces done up.
I received a large parcel from an aunt of mine this week, she's very much into crafting and occasionally sends me her surplus. This time she sent me a bunch of seed beads!
There were some interesting beads in there that I really wanted to showcase. Here is the first piece.
The second thing I got done up was a little pair of hair clips. Very simple and cute with faux pearl centers.
As a small thank you gift to this aunt, I will be sending her this brooch tomorrow.
Hopefully she'll like it!
One of my goals for June is to complete another bouquet, but this time I want to make all the flower various shades of white and use different types of beads. I've started a lily with very tiny faux pearls. Check back often to see progress pictures on this project!
I received a large parcel from an aunt of mine this week, she's very much into crafting and occasionally sends me her surplus. This time she sent me a bunch of seed beads!
There were some interesting beads in there that I really wanted to showcase. Here is the first piece.
The second thing I got done up was a little pair of hair clips. Very simple and cute with faux pearl centers.
As a small thank you gift to this aunt, I will be sending her this brooch tomorrow.
Hopefully she'll like it!
One of my goals for June is to complete another bouquet, but this time I want to make all the flower various shades of white and use different types of beads. I've started a lily with very tiny faux pearls. Check back often to see progress pictures on this project!
HandMadeNews.org
Being a member on Artfire is a gateway to other fabulous opportunities, one of them is HandMadeNews.org. It's an online mag published by Artfire, with a constant supply of fresh new articles written up by fellow artisans covering "News of the hand made world, or just the crafts in in".
I've been reading some of the articles over the past week and have found some really interesting, and funny pieces. The handmade crowd is definitely a fun bunch. Then I noticed they were looking for new editors, columnist and contributors. My first reaction was "Oh I'd love to do that, but I would never be good enough to write a column". That was Tuesday night. I had a wrestles sleep that night and woke up feeling an intense pressure to reevaluate my priorities on this matter. I thought about it all day and after hours of giving myself a pep talk, I figured, "what have I got to lose?".
I sent in my application Wednesday night and I have to admit, writing that 250 word sample article was easy as pie and fun once I'd decided on a subject. I've always loved writing, and it's been a not so secret fantasy of mine to be a publish writer ever since I was a little girl. Blogging has been great in that it allows me to self publish all the time and I get immense satisfaction from having my "stuff" posting online.
So once I'd handed in my application I waited, and waited for what seemed like an eternity. While driving my husband to the airport this morning, I asked him how long he thought I should wait before sending them an email to verify if they had even received my application (irrational fear of internet submission failure...) and he said, "Oh wait at least a week". What?!! This is the internet, land of instant transactions, instantaneous Twitter updates and over night celebrities. I couldn't imagine waiting that long.
When I got home a little while ago, I checked my email and noticed a response had come in from HMN. Yesterday!!! How could I have missed it? Turns out all my self doubt and anxious anticipation of possible rejection were all for nothing. They were "very impressed" and would love to have me join their team.
So far my start in business has been great. One week in and I've got a great shop on Artfire that people really seem to like, I have a spot at this years Jost Winery Christmas Open House to sell at their little craft market and now this. Can't wait to find out what other opportunities will come knocking on my door.
I've been reading some of the articles over the past week and have found some really interesting, and funny pieces. The handmade crowd is definitely a fun bunch. Then I noticed they were looking for new editors, columnist and contributors. My first reaction was "Oh I'd love to do that, but I would never be good enough to write a column". That was Tuesday night. I had a wrestles sleep that night and woke up feeling an intense pressure to reevaluate my priorities on this matter. I thought about it all day and after hours of giving myself a pep talk, I figured, "what have I got to lose?".
I sent in my application Wednesday night and I have to admit, writing that 250 word sample article was easy as pie and fun once I'd decided on a subject. I've always loved writing, and it's been a not so secret fantasy of mine to be a publish writer ever since I was a little girl. Blogging has been great in that it allows me to self publish all the time and I get immense satisfaction from having my "stuff" posting online.
So once I'd handed in my application I waited, and waited for what seemed like an eternity. While driving my husband to the airport this morning, I asked him how long he thought I should wait before sending them an email to verify if they had even received my application (irrational fear of internet submission failure...) and he said, "Oh wait at least a week". What?!! This is the internet, land of instant transactions, instantaneous Twitter updates and over night celebrities. I couldn't imagine waiting that long.
When I got home a little while ago, I checked my email and noticed a response had come in from HMN. Yesterday!!! How could I have missed it? Turns out all my self doubt and anxious anticipation of possible rejection were all for nothing. They were "very impressed" and would love to have me join their team.
So far my start in business has been great. One week in and I've got a great shop on Artfire that people really seem to like, I have a spot at this years Jost Winery Christmas Open House to sell at their little craft market and now this. Can't wait to find out what other opportunities will come knocking on my door.
The strength of a community
This past week has been nothing if not busy. Between my day job, husband/pet obligations and sleep I squeeze in a few hours every evening furthering my artistic pursuits and consequent success in business. (Hopefully)
I spend a considerable amount of time online during this segment of my day, perusing business/handmade related articles, blogs, and forums trying to find some nugget of inspiration, business savvy or opportunity. Well this evening, the third option fell right in my lap and I was so hugely impressed with what I found, I just had to share it.
indieartsstudio is an online catalog of handmade artisans. If you're shopping for handmade goods, this place is the one stop spot! I'm so impressed by this simple little site because of it's lack of pretense. It's totally a "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" type of thing. Both shoppers and sellers stand to gain big from this. It's all about pulling together and making the most of what handmade artisans have to offer. The big economy is in the pits, lets have a go at doing it small, for ourselves and our online community. Now that's a sentiment I can get behind.
I spend a considerable amount of time online during this segment of my day, perusing business/handmade related articles, blogs, and forums trying to find some nugget of inspiration, business savvy or opportunity. Well this evening, the third option fell right in my lap and I was so hugely impressed with what I found, I just had to share it.
indieartsstudio is an online catalog of handmade artisans. If you're shopping for handmade goods, this place is the one stop spot! I'm so impressed by this simple little site because of it's lack of pretense. It's totally a "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" type of thing. Both shoppers and sellers stand to gain big from this. It's all about pulling together and making the most of what handmade artisans have to offer. The big economy is in the pits, lets have a go at doing it small, for ourselves and our online community. Now that's a sentiment I can get behind.
A few new pieces
After spending all of yesterday setting up my Artfire shop I decided I'd dedicate most of my day to working on some new pieces.
I took apart the mother/daughter brooch of an Aster and Lily of the Valley that I had done a while back. I wasn't too pleased with how it came out and I thought the Aster was pretty enough on it's own to be used as a hair clip.
Then I turned my attention to some vibrant orange beads I had in my collection that had been calling to me for a while. I tend to be inspired by colors. Sometimes when I get stuck I just lay out various strands of beads and let the colors come to life in my head. This is what I did in this case, and these beads wanted to become a gorgeous 6 petaled flower.
This particular color reminds me of persimmons and bright summery things, I also wanted to experiment with the shape of the petals so I made three petals facing in one direction and three in the other. The effect is subtle and my husband didn't notice it at first until I pointed it out to him. The outer most row of every petal usually starts down from the top and goes down the right side of the petal. In this case I reversed the wrapping technique so that the wire would remain on the back side of the petal and in doing so, I also reversed the order of the rows to run right-to-left instead of left-to-right.
It's quite possible that no one else will notice without having read this article, or else wont think it make any difference on the aesthetic quality of the piece, but I know it's there and that makes me happy, that in turn probably makes me a little off center, but oh well.
At this point I can't decide whether I prefer it as a brooch...
or a hat pin.
I guess that'll be a decision left up to the person who purchases it down the road. Both these items will be listed in my shop probably by tomorrow. I attempted to post the listing a little while ago, but had some, ahem, technical difficulties. Enough said.
I took apart the mother/daughter brooch of an Aster and Lily of the Valley that I had done a while back. I wasn't too pleased with how it came out and I thought the Aster was pretty enough on it's own to be used as a hair clip.
Then I turned my attention to some vibrant orange beads I had in my collection that had been calling to me for a while. I tend to be inspired by colors. Sometimes when I get stuck I just lay out various strands of beads and let the colors come to life in my head. This is what I did in this case, and these beads wanted to become a gorgeous 6 petaled flower.
This particular color reminds me of persimmons and bright summery things, I also wanted to experiment with the shape of the petals so I made three petals facing in one direction and three in the other. The effect is subtle and my husband didn't notice it at first until I pointed it out to him. The outer most row of every petal usually starts down from the top and goes down the right side of the petal. In this case I reversed the wrapping technique so that the wire would remain on the back side of the petal and in doing so, I also reversed the order of the rows to run right-to-left instead of left-to-right.
It's quite possible that no one else will notice without having read this article, or else wont think it make any difference on the aesthetic quality of the piece, but I know it's there and that makes me happy, that in turn probably makes me a little off center, but oh well.
At this point I can't decide whether I prefer it as a brooch...
or a hat pin.
I guess that'll be a decision left up to the person who purchases it down the road. Both these items will be listed in my shop probably by tomorrow. I attempted to post the listing a little while ago, but had some, ahem, technical difficulties. Enough said.
Grand Opening Announcement!
I'm a pleased to announce the official opening of my Artfire shop today!
I have posted a few items and will be continually updating with new pieces as time permits. I am ecstatic and exhausted!!!
I have posted a few items and will be continually updating with new pieces as time permits. I am ecstatic and exhausted!!!
Opening soon and some babies on the way.
I've been taking things a bit easy the past few weeks, was on vacation doing other things. Now I'm back in full swing and things are really starting to move. I have 4 finished pieces ready to list!!! More projects are in the works. I expect to have my grand opening this weekend, so stay tuned for an update!
In other news, our peahen has finally found a perfect spot to cover her eggs and she's been sitting on her clutch since yesterday. Another 28 days and we should have some peachicks running around. I don't know what the chickens will think of little babies running around but it should make for some great adventure this summer. :)
In the mean time her mate is looking all over for her. She's quite well hidden.
In other news, our peahen has finally found a perfect spot to cover her eggs and she's been sitting on her clutch since yesterday. Another 28 days and we should have some peachicks running around. I don't know what the chickens will think of little babies running around but it should make for some great adventure this summer. :)
In the mean time her mate is looking all over for her. She's quite well hidden.
Change of venue.
Ten days out of surgery and I'm fit to be tied. I need to get back to creating but my hand is still much too sore and lacking strength to get back to work, so in the mean time I've been doing lots of research.
I think that the main thing I'm taking away from this week is how many tools are available for online selling and especially the force that drives the handmade movement. I have to admit, it's all a bit overwhelming and at this point.
Having said that, I had a bit of a crisis this week; I can't load Etsy! I don't know if this is a problem on my end or theirs, the problem has been ongoing for at least two weeks now. I've spend hours putting together a banner, writing up a profile and getting my shop ready to open, now 95% of the time I can't load the site. I tried different browsers but that didn't help.
Out of frustration, I went looking for other similar venues and to my surprise, I found several. Artfire.com seems by far to be the most promising and I've signed up with them. I'm really impressed with the sense of community that comes through on their forums. No problems loading their pages either. Sounds like a rather basic thing, but apparently not all venues are created equal... So Etsy has been dropped even before I was able to make any use of it.
I've also just discovered VoteHandmade. What a fabulous site!
Overall, I have to say that despite a few hurdles, I'm extremely positive about the opportunities available.
I think that the main thing I'm taking away from this week is how many tools are available for online selling and especially the force that drives the handmade movement. I have to admit, it's all a bit overwhelming and at this point.
Having said that, I had a bit of a crisis this week; I can't load Etsy! I don't know if this is a problem on my end or theirs, the problem has been ongoing for at least two weeks now. I've spend hours putting together a banner, writing up a profile and getting my shop ready to open, now 95% of the time I can't load the site. I tried different browsers but that didn't help.
Out of frustration, I went looking for other similar venues and to my surprise, I found several. Artfire.com seems by far to be the most promising and I've signed up with them. I'm really impressed with the sense of community that comes through on their forums. No problems loading their pages either. Sounds like a rather basic thing, but apparently not all venues are created equal... So Etsy has been dropped even before I was able to make any use of it.
I've also just discovered VoteHandmade. What a fabulous site!
Overall, I have to say that despite a few hurdles, I'm extremely positive about the opportunities available.
Mother/daughter brooch
I spent a bit of time working on my latest idea tonight and created my first birth month brooch. (pictures to come in the next few days).
I used my birth month, May and my mom's birth month, September. I'd never made either flower, nor did I have any reference books to help me on this one, so I looked at some pictures of Lilies of the Valley and Asters online and let the creative juices flow. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I think I'm going to find some white 15/0 beads for the next LotV I make, I think they would be prettier made with smaller beads.
In less than two weeks I go under the knife for carpal tunnel. As much as I'm looking forward to be rid of night time numbness in my hand, I'm just starting to feel as though I'm really progressing in developing ideas and building up inventory for opening on Etsy. I hope this hiatus wont set me back too much. I plan on spending my recovery time continuing my research into the world of business, marketing, craft shows etc. Should be informative and I know this is necessary prep work that will help me along later on, but I know I'll much rather be actively creating.
I used my birth month, May and my mom's birth month, September. I'd never made either flower, nor did I have any reference books to help me on this one, so I looked at some pictures of Lilies of the Valley and Asters online and let the creative juices flow. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I think I'm going to find some white 15/0 beads for the next LotV I make, I think they would be prettier made with smaller beads.
In less than two weeks I go under the knife for carpal tunnel. As much as I'm looking forward to be rid of night time numbness in my hand, I'm just starting to feel as though I'm really progressing in developing ideas and building up inventory for opening on Etsy. I hope this hiatus wont set me back too much. I plan on spending my recovery time continuing my research into the world of business, marketing, craft shows etc. Should be informative and I know this is necessary prep work that will help me along later on, but I know I'll much rather be actively creating.
First Bouquet!
I was hoping to finish work on my first beaded wedding bouquet by next weekend. I beat my schedule by a full week and I'm absolutely thrilled with how it came out. It's a little smaller than I was planning it, but it's just the right size to cover both hands. It's small and sweet and packs a punch of beautiful colour. Makes me want to get married all over again, just so I could use it! The stem will be finished with a light yellow ribbon (I think, still have to go shopping for it.)
My next project will probably be birth month brooches. One possibility I'm thinking for these would be as baby shower gifts for the mommas to be. One flower for their own birth month, and another for their baby's, combined into one very sweet little brooch. I think the idea would work well for Mother's day gifts, wedding shower present (bride/groom birth month flowers) etc. I'm so excited about all the possibilities.
My next project will probably be birth month brooches. One possibility I'm thinking for these would be as baby shower gifts for the mommas to be. One flower for their own birth month, and another for their baby's, combined into one very sweet little brooch. I think the idea would work well for Mother's day gifts, wedding shower present (bride/groom birth month flowers) etc. I'm so excited about all the possibilities.
Another lily and a dahlia
I finished the two coloured lily a few weeks ago. I'm pleased with the overall effect, but it was a lot of work to string all the beads individually, so I'm not sure I want to under take too many more in this style.
I wanted to try a new type of flower so I followed a dahlia pattern in one of my books. This one is also two toned, but the colours are so close that it's not very noticable other than for a very light effect.
At this point, I'm thinking of making a few more dahlias, a dark red one for sure to tie in the colours of the lily, some various little wild flowers, maybe another lily and see what type of bouquet all of those will give me. So far, I do like the two flowers together.
My plan is to have this bouquet finished before my carpal tunnel surgery in two weeks. Wish me luck! After I've had a few weeks to heal, I'm hoping to get back into full swing by late May.
I wanted to try a new type of flower so I followed a dahlia pattern in one of my books. This one is also two toned, but the colours are so close that it's not very noticable other than for a very light effect.
At this point, I'm thinking of making a few more dahlias, a dark red one for sure to tie in the colours of the lily, some various little wild flowers, maybe another lily and see what type of bouquet all of those will give me. So far, I do like the two flowers together.
My plan is to have this bouquet finished before my carpal tunnel surgery in two weeks. Wish me luck! After I've had a few weeks to heal, I'm hoping to get back into full swing by late May.
Lily
I wanted to see what design I could come up with just by looking at pictures of lilies. The interesting thing is there are countless variations in natural lilies, size, colour, shape etc.
This lily has been through a few changes since I started working on it probably about 3 months ago. The first incarnation was not laced at all, and it didn't retain it's shape very well, the petals were also very loose. I took the original apart and reassembled it more sturdily. I also laced the petals, first individually, and then together to retain the shape of the flower. Then I added leaves, and beaded the stem. I finished the stem with green wire all the way down. I really like this finishing touch as it adds a bit more sturdiness to the finished piece and looks a bit more polished then simple floral tape. These pictures show it as it is now.
There are a few elements such as petal shape and size that I'm planning on fine tunning along the way with new projects. I've currently started work on another lily; this latest one is orange and dark red and will be patterned like a tiger lily. After I see how the first one turns out, I may decide to continue with that design and create a bouquet. This is the first petal that I completed last night. I'm not sure what I think of the colours at this point, or the dispersal of colour, but I'll hold off judgement until I have more petals assembled to see the overall effect.
This lily has been through a few changes since I started working on it probably about 3 months ago. The first incarnation was not laced at all, and it didn't retain it's shape very well, the petals were also very loose. I took the original apart and reassembled it more sturdily. I also laced the petals, first individually, and then together to retain the shape of the flower. Then I added leaves, and beaded the stem. I finished the stem with green wire all the way down. I really like this finishing touch as it adds a bit more sturdiness to the finished piece and looks a bit more polished then simple floral tape. These pictures show it as it is now.
There are a few elements such as petal shape and size that I'm planning on fine tunning along the way with new projects. I've currently started work on another lily; this latest one is orange and dark red and will be patterned like a tiger lily. After I see how the first one turns out, I may decide to continue with that design and create a bouquet. This is the first petal that I completed last night. I'm not sure what I think of the colours at this point, or the dispersal of colour, but I'll hold off judgement until I have more petals assembled to see the overall effect.
Gift for my mother
We finally have a battery charger that works and so I've taken a few pictures of the little hydrangea plant I created as a gift for my mom.
It started out as an experiment in creating little balls of floral buds, I wanted to see how they would look. I had a lot of blue beads, so started with that.
The basic design for the floret is used in geranium, lilacs etc. but I'm sure it can be used in a multitude of other ways as well. As I progressed along, I started to find that the buds reminded me of the blue hydrangea my mother gave me on my 27th birthday. With that in mind, I set out to create a little plant to give to her in return.
It didn't quite come out the way I would have liked it too. I ran out of the primary blue I was using and I had to change beads. As my husband pointed out, in nature plants are seldom perfectly uniform and he thought it gave the plant a more natural look. I think he was just trying to be nice. In this case, not only did I use two different colours, but the beads are also differently cut and are not the same finish. The darker blue has a square cut interior with a silver lining whereas the lighter blue are round cut and transparent. I think in this case, the difference in cut and style is what I'm not happy with rather than the colour difference.
If I decide at some point to create another hydrangea, I might consider mixing two different shades of the same colour throughout the florets. A lighter interior with a darker edging, or something like that.
I actually did decide on that design element for the leaves and I am really happy with how those turned out. The outer edge of each leaf is highlighted in a slightly lighter green. Making leaves or petals like that takes much longer as the last row of beads has to be hand threaded, but I think the additional time was well worth the effort.
It started out as an experiment in creating little balls of floral buds, I wanted to see how they would look. I had a lot of blue beads, so started with that.
The basic design for the floret is used in geranium, lilacs etc. but I'm sure it can be used in a multitude of other ways as well. As I progressed along, I started to find that the buds reminded me of the blue hydrangea my mother gave me on my 27th birthday. With that in mind, I set out to create a little plant to give to her in return.
It didn't quite come out the way I would have liked it too. I ran out of the primary blue I was using and I had to change beads. As my husband pointed out, in nature plants are seldom perfectly uniform and he thought it gave the plant a more natural look. I think he was just trying to be nice. In this case, not only did I use two different colours, but the beads are also differently cut and are not the same finish. The darker blue has a square cut interior with a silver lining whereas the lighter blue are round cut and transparent. I think in this case, the difference in cut and style is what I'm not happy with rather than the colour difference.
If I decide at some point to create another hydrangea, I might consider mixing two different shades of the same colour throughout the florets. A lighter interior with a darker edging, or something like that.
I actually did decide on that design element for the leaves and I am really happy with how those turned out. The outer edge of each leaf is highlighted in a slightly lighter green. Making leaves or petals like that takes much longer as the last row of beads has to be hand threaded, but I think the additional time was well worth the effort.
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