MonkeyBlues- Extra Fun Fused Donut

Cari comes from Sunny Southern California she makes all her glass jewelry in her home garage studio. Lucky Duck!

I have admired this fused piece of Cari’s aka MonkeyBlues for some time now I bet she didn’t even know that? This piece pushes her creative limits. I enjoy the shape and and trickling glass dangle that hangs in the middle it comes with a leather cord. I am a lover of any thing artful and Cari seems to do just that with her Tailored Fused Glass Necklace.

I thought this was a great achievement so I added Cari’s feature link in April,07 Brag pages Library of outstanding design in Beadbugle.com online Magazine.
http://www.beadbugle.com/html/brag_page_-_current_month_.html

I met Cari in our EGA Street Team she is a sweet heart and a pleasure to chat with, so glad I met you Cari. You can see her EGA interview and get to know Cari even better here. www.etsyglass.com

 

wire wrapping test

wire wrapping test

Originally uploaded by shoozles67

This is the video I did last spring on how to wire wrap. It is in slow motion so you can see the steps to wrapping a glass cabochon. I sell these class cabochons in my etsy shop with grooves and with out. I apologize ahead of time the video cuts off at the end because my battery ran out GRRRRR. I have plans to do this over but maybe this is a start for all of you great jewelry designers out there.

Flickr controversy about videos

I thought it was a positive new thing to add videos to flickr. I was quite excited. All things change and grow. Flicker owners are expanding for new generations although I highly doubt teens will come to flickr to buy a pro account to up load a mini clip when utube is a free for all. There are options if a person does not want to view videos on flickr. I hope I don’t lose friends because I up load videos? Yikes

Besides how can the world evolve to moving photos like in the Harry Potter movie if photos and video do not merge? haha

All change creates chaos- some people like to stand in the boat LOL

 

Gotta see what you are wear’n? beeczarcardsandgifts

Well as promised I have to show you my trade I made with my newest flickr friend M-C1

She has some lovely items in her shop cards, art, photography and buttons but ya know every girl has got to have a mirror and what better way to do it, than in fun beeczarcardsandgifts style. These little button style pocket mirrors are sturdy and great for your purse and as I told Marie-Claire owner of (beeczarcardsandgifts) what goes better with jewelry than a mirror? Gotta check your look in these cute button mirrors and here is the greatest thing she can customize them for you. When I got my package I opened it up to find a sweet surprise, she had printed a picture of my favorite kitten on the back of one of the button mirrors. That was the best ya know?

What a great trade, what a great lady please check out her Etsy shop beeczarcardsandgifts

Thanks M-C

 

Bangles Are Back – Inspiration from Target

I search for the newest thing in fashion accessories all the time. I go to department stores and look around and see what is selling, I watch people shop. I sometimes engage with them about what they are looking at or even purchasing. For some reason I am completely comfortable doing this, must be the several years of craft shows and Home Jewelry Parties- heck I don’t know but they all talk to me and I find out just what I need to know. At least what I need to know to sell in my area/location.

This week my big adventure was Target, I saw lots of big earring hoops and bangles. I saw a lady pick up some bangles. I immediately said remember bangles when we were kids (we looked the same age) and she smiled and said yes and put them in her cart, I think target owes me commission LOL

My creative wheels started turning. I had to figure out a way to add my glass to the bangle cause ya know it is always about incorporating my glass. HA! It did not take me long. I ordered some nice hypoallergenic bangles some time ago thinking I could use them and this was the push I needed. So here is what I have new from the studio this weekend and fresh from my Target excursion. No trip or event is wasted, I must always take a piece from the places I have been and make them a special part of my creativity. New to My Etsy Shop.

 

What art is about: Improving, that’s all I care about.”

Chinese brush painting is about quiet serenity and modesty. Each piece is meant to be a step forward. An inner reflection. A quiet discussion. It’s about moving forward.

Ren Adams says “If I am improving, that’s all I care about.”

Chinese brush painting: single-stroke painting which uses hand-ground inks and watercolors.
Artist Ren Adams also likes working with oil pastels on plastic Yupo paper (it creates neat watery effects) she says.

I my self am fascinated with the creative process. I think Chinese brush painting seems much different than traditional painting. So I asked her about her her process. I really love what she says about the paintings, such a beautiful way to put it just makes me think about paining and what it means to live in the now. Her reply “When I’m working on my brush paintings, they are done in one sitting. They might take only a few moments or a few hours. Brush paintings are meant to live in the “now” and to be a form of immediacy, so I can’t set them aside and come back to them several days later (in most cases). They need to be completed in one thought. Sometimes I can be at my painting table for hours and hours in a row. Other times, it’s only a matter of minutes.”

Adams rents space at an art studio in downtown Albuquerque (The Factory on 5th Art Space). “In between paintings, she says she usually sits outside and engage the other artists. Then they all retreat to thier own studios to create.”

Ren also Says and I have to quote her again because she said so well “Art is a sensation, a sense of humor, a sense of elation, a tantalizing window… it’s pure energy, pure thought, and pure darkness, and pure light. “

I really enjoyed her shop and the things she feels about art, she expresses it so well. Although she and I don’t do the same kind of art I connected with what she had to say, I feel what I do has changed my life, she just put it in words I could recognize.

Thank you Ren for sharing that very personal look into your process.

Please See her shop at PlasticPumpkinDesigns

 

Serendipitous Gifts

I really enjoy fusing some days are harder and I really have no feelings about the things that came out of the kiln and then there days that I open my kiln and a gift has come from the heat, A piece I could not have imagined nor dreamed. Unplanned and unique surprises just make me giddy and set the tone for the day and can last for weeks.

This pieces was so serendipitous. I opened the kiln and I swear there was this- A bird on that sump and those little Autumn leaves flying about. All I had to do is then paint a beak and tidy up the ground line. I love when gifts like this come out of the kiln

I am really trying to get back to the swing of things. I am pooped from the weekend show and Gallery opening. So forgive my break from all creative input to my blog and flickr and my shop has been pretty much relisting items which I really hate to do because it is all about being fresh and knowing customers or admirers need to see knew stuff or they may get bored.

I wish everyone a little serendipity this week it is a joy and gift.

 

90 Day challenge- I found more Stuff I like! ThatsHeadley

I am really enjoying the 90 day Blog challenge. I am getting a chance to look in shops I have never seen before and finding a great deal of talent in them.

Today My feature is on ThatsHeadley Etsy shop- Her shop is decked out for Christmas already and I found the cutest Christmas tree earrings, so whimsical and perfect for the holiday but she has so much more in her shop So you must have a see. there are some great beaded items classically done with stone and beautifully wire wrapped. She is also a member of the Art Jewelry Collective and the Etsy Texas Crafters (ETC) http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=25865

She says she rarely makes two pieces alike, because she likes to have fun wearing jewelry, and seeing herself coming and going is not fun! Thought that was funny LOL! She does custom work so feel free to contact her. You can see her creative blog here. http://thatsheadley.blogspot.com

I enjoyed looking in her shop, I think you will too.

 

My glass voodoo-Studio Marcy

Have you ever had the need for a voodoo Doll?
Some weeks just beg for a voodoo doll -Don’t they?

All in good fun!

My EGA Friend Marcy Sensed I need one a few months back and thought a well deserved poke to a glass doll would cheer me up, she was so right. I got the cutes little glass doll from her, complete with needles and seriously any anger I had was erased by the cuteness and the sweetness of her gift. I love what Marcy says “No Stink’n Think’n” it will bring you down. I love the great support I get from my EGA friends. Sometime I don’t even have to say any thing direct in our forum they see the need and jump to pump me up. Thank you everyone!

Marcy is always positive and kind with a twist of sarcasm that can make us cackle. It shows in her work for sure. She is super funny with her quirky titles and descriptions in her etsy shop, her work is truly amazing I am a proud owner of 2 of her items and will come back for more. Her sculpture beads are so captivating you just have to have one so you know what I mean. Make sure you stop by her shop and see all the fantastic fun she has to offer. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=34983

You Rock Marcy

 

Scenic Focal Pendants-the story they tell

One of the greater memories I have of my children is taking them to the park with kites. Now imagine, three- 4 1/2 yr olds with kites and 1 chubby little mom trying to get kites in the air very fast. OK, now that you have that in your head imagine me trying to enjoy this in any way. I would get one up, go to the next and then the next, only to look where I started to see I needed to begin again. I did this for quite awhile then magic happened I got all three boys with a kite in the air! I enjoyed this all of 4 mins then the wind changed direction and yanked the kite right out of Sam’s hand. I chased that kite string like a dog ! Only to be defeated by a very large tree- The kite was caught, the struggle was ON,  I spend the next 25 mins (seemed like 2 hours) pushing little boys up a tree to see if the string could be reached. HA! That was a wash! My then 4 1/2 yr old Sam looked at me and said it’s okay mom, I won’t cry (did I mention I love this little boy) as we walked to the car he turned to look at the kite flying in the wind, caught by the tree and he said “that tree sure is having fun flying my kite” SIGH! What a beautiful way to look at it. He didn’t lose the kite he gave it to the tree.

I will never forget that day and what he said and what it means to have your kite caught- Life is so like this, we get caught, we struggle, but in the end we just have to let it go.

 

My Newest Idea-Alternative to metal bails

Please see my new blog for official instructions on this rubber channel. http://shoozles-wearyourart.blogspot.com/2008/09/hidden-rubber-channel-alternative-to.html

When I started fusing 8 years ago, the silver bails you see on pendants were nowhere to be found so all my pendants were made with a channel that was made with fiber paper. The fiber paper does not burn in the kiln therefore it leaves a channel/hole that goes through the glass pendant. It was all I knew when I began fusing, then I discovered wire wrapping and that evolved then came the standard silver bails. I am as usual looking for innovated ways to make pendants look and function different. Early this summer I started making sterling silver roll bails those are nice too and it really steps up the piece since the silver is expensive and I make the bails by hand. Within the last few weeks I have been working on a new way to wear the pendants- A no bail alternative to all these other devices.

This is called the hidden rubber channel. I spent some time wearing and testing the strength of this and have found it to be quite nice, not to mention how great is lays on a neck, plus comfort. I have to say the thing I like best about it -NO BAIL, the piece stands on it’s own like art hanging in a gallery.

If you have any questions about the hidden rubber channel just drop me a line. Trust me it is a great new way to wear pendants. To find products with this alternative channel go to http://shoozles.etsy.com