Tiny snow pals

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these little guys yet. Maybe make one very busy tacky necklace? Maybe use each one in something dainty? Depends on my mood at the time I guess. I've been  in a tacky mood lately with all the Christmas stuff  at every turn. I even bought a little blue tree for my kitchen. It has Mary Englebert teapot lights and cinnamon cookie ornaments on it now. I plan on making white felt cookies with blue bead sprinkles to hang on it after Christmas and leaving it up year round. Why reserve tacky just for Christmas. Maybe I'll start a new etsy store called "Tastefully Tacky". Wow I like that! Don't steal that idea. Back to my snow friends, their features are watch parts,swarovski crystals,beads, wire and bead caps.

Snowmen fun

This is what I've been making instead of cleaning. Well it is a gift actually. This idea came from the zine Cloth Paper Scissors. I love that magazine! Our snowman has a hat made from a vintage thimble and vintage tin. It is topped with a felt ball. His lovely attire is made from bells,beads and stars which hang from chain which is connected to a soldered collar. He bottle body is filled with glitter and snowflakes and the outside has paper snowflakes and S N O W. My daughter things he has to much bling. I'll bling you I say. I will make her one with a more rustic touch.

Christmas and free time. WHAT!!!!!!!!

You would think that after all the shows, wholesale and consignment orders I've done this fall I would be ready to put done the soldering iron for a while. Normaly I would be a little burnt out but not this year for some reason. When I know I don't have to do something , I'm pumped and cranking stuff out. When I have to, I don't want to. I wonder what a psychologist would say about that. The tree is finally up and most of the presents bought. Now I get to play and play I have been doing. My kitchen looks like a mad scientist lab. Instead of cookie cutters and sprinkles, there is liver of sulfer,pickle,a disc cutter and a rock tumbler. I got my felting machine out and dusted to off and now need to get a pipe cutter. Don't ask, I got a new book. Some of this mass creative hysteria is for my friends and families Christmas gifts. I promise I won't poison my family. When I start making cookies I will clean my kitchen counter extremely well. 

I can't believe I won the "City of Oaks" contest I entered. I'm so proud! My competition was great and I believe I only won by a point or two. Who cares, I won, I won!

Revival Antiques Show

If you have never been to Revial Antiques on Capital Blvd you are missing out. It is huge and they are the greatest people and the prices are great. They also have a store at the flea market at the fair grounds. I was invited to come and set up my jewels at their Christmas open house. It was so much fun. There was food, spirits,coffee and hot cider. A great jazz band and very nice customers. I was told I could use anything I wanted to display my jewelry. I felt like a kid in a toy store. This wasn't even like work. My sweet hubby sat on a beautiful goose neck rocker with his laptop and his coffee and assorted goodies. When I wasn't chatting it up I sat on the matching sofa and stitched with beads. They also carry decorative items that are not antiques but have the look and are dirt cheap. I'm still kicking myself for not getting a wood carved acorn that was $2.00. I had a small stash going all day. By the end of the day I ended up with several Christmas ornaments, a wire basket, glass bowl and a cabnet. I'm still trying to figure out where we could put that rocker and sofa we were sitting on. They were so comfy and both pieces were only $295.00

Metals Club Competition

My metals club had a contest at Ornamentea. The theme was "City of Oaks". We had to make every component of the piece down to the jump rings. I am very proud of my necklace. I'm new to cutting sheet metal and using a saw. I love the way my acorn tops turned out. The teensie water color painting was not nearly as challenging as the acorns. I don't care if I win, I'm just thrilled that I had the guts to compete with silversmiths and college art grads. It is a very neat group of people in this club and they are always so willing to help us inferior metal workers. 

Charm Swap

I'm particapating in a Charm swap at Ornamentea, the greatest bead store in the world. You make 10 charms and you get back 10 made from other people. How fun is that! These are my charms. I needle felted wool roving into tiny pies. The pans are bottle caps.

Studio of Shame

I'm hoping to shame myself into cleaning today. This is how my studio looks when I'm on a creative roll. I don't think I will be in that new magazine on artist studios.

Crafters Downtown Market

I had a great show this weekend! Thanks so much to all the wonderful friendly people who visited my booth in the heat. I am hoping the rest on my shows will be cooler this year. After a show you would think I would be ready for a break but it is the opposite for me. I get really pumped . I have some great new ideas, my mission rings to do, charms for a charm swap and a competition for my Metals Club. Geez, I need to get off this computer and get busy.

the process

The last step is we go in the rock tumbler with stainless steel shot and go for a bumpy ride. The ring comes out shiny and clean and ready to go spread the Word and love of Jesus. Thank you God for using me in this way!

the process

The rings are added one at a time and remember have to be pickeled after each one. My studio is upstairs and the pickle is downstairs in the kitchen near the sink for safety  and washing. I got my exercise with this project. Hmmm do I see more symbolism? As you can see it is a dirty mess. I can relate to that during the course of my life.

the process

This is where it gets difficult. The ends HAVE to be perfectly flat on the base or it won't stick. It took me about 4 attempts before I nailed it. This is the foundation of the piece. You guessed it more symbolism. We try so hard and think we got it and ***** we mess up. Well back to the pickle to get cleaned up again. Every time the flame hits, it has to be pickled again.

the process

Out of the pickle, they are white and clean

The process

Hear is where we start. 16 gauge sterling wire soldered into rings. When sterling is fired it goes from shiney pretty to black. How's that for symbolic. We start out shiny and new and once we get into that fire we get dirtied up. The rings get a bath in the pickle (acid) to get all the crud off. More symbolism, God picks us up and cleans us off.

Time is all off

No! I am not up at the wee hours bogging! I have to fix that.

Trinity Misson Ring

Well it is finished. My prototype for my ring to raise money for Hearts and Hands for Haiti! I don't know the price yet and it will be a while before I get several made to post on Etsy. It is a tedious process and time consuming. Plus sterling prices are terrible so it may get a little pricey. All profits 100% will go to this organization. I've prayed about how my art could be used for God's glory and this is what came from that request. Each ring will be different, as we were created to each be an individual. Each circle represents Father,Son and Holy Spirit. The hammered textured ring is for Christ for obvious reasons. I thought about filing to make the circles more perfect but threw that idea out quickly because none of us are.

Stephen's big adventure

Visit my oldest son's adventures into the Outback by visiting his blog. I don't know how he got so smart. He bought his first snake when he was 9 years old. He saved every penny of his own money. I knew then he was serious. We bought the set up equipment for his birthday. He used his own money to buy his food and kept his cage clean. That ball python lives in his office at University of Texas . He will probably out live us all. The moral of this story is , that if your child is passionate about something, run with it. People often asked me how I could stand having a snake in the house. I'm not afraid of snakes but my hubby is. If that child could save that much money and work that hard for it, how could I not allow it. His love for reptiles has led to graduate school so stick that in your hat all you nay sayers! 

Haiti

This is an oil I did for my mission man husband. He goes to Haiti whenever he can, to visit an orphanage  where we sponser a child. We had a picture of Duval on our frig. One of my son's friends asked who the black kid was. He answered "That's my brother". I love my boy! Hearts and Hands for Haiti is a wonderful organization. To learn more about this group and the beautiful children they serve go to www.heartsandhandsforhaiti.org

I am in the thought process of designing a ring to sell in my etsy store in which 100% of the profits will go to the school that helps these wonderful people (our brothers and sisters).

This is my latest work in progress. I was suppose to finish it over the summer BUT I didn't so I guess I will be dragging it back to art class on Thurs. Sorry Lynn. I don't think I will ever do anything this massive in pencil again.

This is my first wholesale order of vintage storybook charms! Thanks Cynthia

Bad Blogger

I have proven to be a bad blogger. I thought I would keep this up but alas, I have not. Preschool is starting and many shows so it will only get worse. Some of my pictures have disappeared. I don't know how to fix that so bear with me.

This has been my first day setting up my blog. I'm "computer challenged" so this was a huge job for me but it was fun. I will learn as I go and will ask for lots of help from friends and experienced bloggers.