MK's Creative Musings

Fun Events Ahead

2012-01-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

I was really disappointed when Adorn Me 2012 was cancelled because of low registration numbers. I was really looking forward to taking classes, seeing all the friends I have made over the last few years and meeting new friends.

Diane Cook's Class Adorn Me 2100

But I have found some other classes to take:

When Adorn Me cancelled Richard Salley offered a 3 day workshop to his students at Spring Beads during the same time period. So I jumped on that. Afterwards I will visit my uncle in Austin, plus my sister and brother-in-law will also come out from California. So that should be a fun week.
I have always wanted to take a class with Nina Bagley. When I saw that Valley Ridge Arts Studio was going to host her in June, I put the Jan. 14 registration date on my calendar. Luckily I got a spot.

I hope you have some fun learning events in your future. MK

Education Encore

2012-01-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

The first day of classes was great. In my "Working with Wire" class the first thing we learned was to make simple loops and wrapped loops. I got so busy working with the students I did not get any pictures. But here are some great videos on making simple loops:

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl3Y8SkafEc&feature=related

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvR4jdvz_7g&feature=relmfu

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qjNzvE2-D8&feature=related

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5nFdMkGUTI&feature=related

In my "Mixed Media Jewelry" we started off making fabric and
Tyvek beads. Here are some of the finished products:

Here are two great tutorials to make Tyvek beads by
Carolyn Saxby:
Part I and Part II

It was a fun day, MK

What Have I Been Up To?

2012-01-19T06:03:00.000-08:00

I have been taking a little vacation from my blog. But I have been busy as I am sure you have been. Here is a sampling of what I have been up to:

Teaching at The LH Bead Gallery

Leather Wrap Bracelet

Triple Strand Necklace

Pepping for Teaching at the Education Encore program at Gulf Coast State College

Here's Nancy Johnson at the Fall session

Becoming a Trial Director at the CityArts Coop. I have put my jewelry in the gallery and have sold some.

Patinated Earring

Journaling with Women of the Fringe. Ann Morrell opened her house to us and gave us a workshop on art journaling.

Ann Morrell and some of the other ladies

Start of a Journal Cover

Making a Fan Book with The Experimental Artist Book Arts Guild (TeaBAG). Pat Phillips put together a kit for each of us to make. Mine is almost done.

A book in progress

Pat tea stained all the edges of the pages for us.

Hibernated some, working on jigsaw puzzles
Reading "Island Beneath the Sea" by Isabelle Allende for Book Club Virgins (BCV), the small book club I belong to.

Well you get the idea. Plus I am trying to get a few entries together for the Arabesque show that opens Jan. 29 at the CityArts Coop.

Til next time, MK.

Happy New Years

2011-12-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M20QJ-o0rsY&feature=related

Home Again

2011-12-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

Trying to get back into the swing of things after being away for Christmas. I know I have a huge to-do list, but feel I need a little down time.

Trying out an upgrade to MacJournal. My attempt at using BlogPress from my phone did not work while I was away.

Simple Solutions

2011-12-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

The last two days here in Northwest Florida have been fabulous weather wise. Sunday I bundled up in layers of clothes and braved the chilling wind to attend a party. Yesterday I was at the beach in shorts and a tee shirt picking up shells.

In fact it was a great shell finding event, but I controlled myself and only picked up a handful, as I have tons of shells. But who can pass up all of them?
You know sometimes there are simple solutions to the many obstacles that face us. I have been complaining about the trash bags I bought because the bag just collapses into the trash can when I put trash in it. I had bought the mega-count box in August and still have tons of them left. Lisa at the LH Bead Gallery has the same kinds of bags and she took a minute and showed me how she ties a knot on one side and the bags work perfectly. Now why could not I have thought of that? I do not know. Maybe my brain isn't wired that way.
That set me to wondering what other problems in my life have such simple solutions that I have not thought of. Maybe I need to share some of my obstacles and frustrations and maybe other know of their simple solutions. Not that I want to burden you with my myriad of problems. But if I vent a frustration or two every once in a while, be kind and let me vent.
One thing I have learned about living alone these last few months, I do on about the slightest little things to friends and strangers too. I guess I need an editor.
Hope to share some studio goodies soon as I spent the day yesterday cleaning and getting organized so that I can create today & tomorrow. So I better get to work.

Godspeed, Mary K

TeaBAG

2011-12-10T15:46:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was our monthly "The Experimental Artists Book Arts Guild" meeting where we each made a book related item to give to another member. I wanted to share what I made:

It is a little book pendant I made with some copper I had etched and patinated.

Of course I forgot my camera and my phone. But a good time was had by all.

Godspeed, Mary K

Women on the Fringe

2011-12-09T09:30:00.001-08:00

This time of year is so crazy, it seems like I have been running non stop, with very little time to work in the studio. But this weekend I have a few days with no obligations and hope to be creative, plus my house needs some tender loving care.

One of the highlights of the week was meeting with the ladies of the small fiber art group I belong to called Women on the Fringe (WOTF). Usually we meet in the library of So. Walton County. But this time, we met at a shop in Freeport called Yards N Yarn. It is a little off the beaten path but aren't some of the best places like that. It is the only fabric store in the area, plus they are getting in some fabulous yarns as seen by what I bought:

At our meeting we share what we are working on. We all started out with a shared interest in making art quilts, but we have branched off onto other interests, such as art journaling, doll making, book arts and yes me the jeweler. I was asleep at the camera when Ann Morrel showed off her wonderfully artistic journal covers she has been creating, but I did get some photos of Mary Richardson's marbled papers:

I oohed and ahed over them.
Today I am attending The Experimental Artist Book Arts Guild (TeaBAG) where we will be exchanging book related gifts that we have made. I have been squeezing in 10 minutes here, 30 minutes there to get mine finished and I did this am. Will share next time.

Till then, Godspeed, Mary K

Challenge of Color Blog Hop

2011-11-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Reveal Day for Erin Prais-Hintz's Second Challenge of Color Blog Hop. The rules were pretty simple. Erin provide the participants 12 color families to choose from:

Of course I choose teal, surprise, surprise. Once we picked our color family, she gave each of us a color palette provided by Design Seeds. My palette is called Embellished Hues:

One rule I give myself is to work with what I have. I went through my stash and gathered up some beads that might work and played around.

I like what I had started with and thought about making it into a bracelet, but I really wanted more yellow in the piece than the little bit that was in this focal bead. Yellow is always a challenge for me and I had very few beads that were this color. I also really wanted to use the pearls, but it just was not working. Then I thought about the gray color and thought sterling silver would be awfully close. And then I remembered to go through my crystals and found a few that were close to the yellow. I ended up making three pieces:

Necklace with Lampwork Bead from Unknown Artist

Wire Wrapped Bracelet

No yellow, no pink, but I had to have some earrings.

54 artists are participating, check them out:

1 Norma Turvey ~ Teal ~ Color Crave

2 Jeannie Dukic ~ Green ~ Mineral Tones

3 Mary McGraw ~ Teal ~ Embellished Hues

4 Jo Tinley ~ Red ~ Decadent Tones

5 Rebecca Anderson ~ Pink ~ Tulip Tones

6 Kristi Jaro ~ Red ~ Temple Entrance

7 Stephani Gorman ~ Green ~ Dew Tones

8 Melissa Meman ~ Green ~ Fruit Star

9 Kathleen Lange Klik ~ Teal ~ Silk Hues

10 Cynthia Riggs ~ Red ~ Autumn Comfort

11 Heidi Post ~ Teal ~ Flora Bright

12 Cece Cormier ~ Teal ~ Merino Teal

13 Amy Freeland ~ Gray ~ Cultured Tones

14 Alice Peterson ~ Blue ~ Island Play

15 Rose Noble ~ Gray ~ Autumn Stacked

16 Kristina Johansson ~ Yellow ~ Sunny Flower

17 Kirsi Luostarinen ~ Teal ~ Dragon Hues

18 Tari Kahrs ~ Orange ~ Citrus Tones

19 Mallory Hoffman ~ Purple ~ Petaled Dark

20 Molly Alexander ~ Brown ~ Peppered Tones

21 Regina Santerre ~ Red ~ Frosted Berry

22 Emanda Johnson ~ Teal ~ Color Purl

23 Amy Severino ~ Orange ~ Winged Tones

24 Bobbie Rafferty ~ Teal ~ Lime Hues

25 Tanya Goodwin ~ Gray ~ Pecked Tones

26 Lisa Lodge ~ Blue ~ Nocturnal Tones

27 Hope Smitherman ~ Blue ~ Bloom Tones

28 Linda Landig ~ Green ~ Cacti Dark

29 Ambra Gostoli ~ Teal ~ Perched Autumn

30 Lori Bowring-Michaud ~ Blue ~ Sharpened Blue

31 Pippa Chandler ~ Teal ~ Hungarian Hues

32 Keirsten Giles ~ Purple ~ Mineral Brights

33 Jennifer Justman ~ Blue ~ Autumn Rays

34 Sandy Richardson ~ Purple ~ Moroccan Brights

35 CJ Bauschka ~ Teal ~ Teal Air

36 Shaiha Williams ~ Teal ~ Sushi Hues

37 Kay Thomerson ~ Purple ~ Autumn Spectrum

38 Sally Russick ~ Purple ~ Golden Gate Tones

39 Cilla Watkins ~ Purple ~ Autumn Infused

40 Shirley Moore ~ Purple ~ Frozen Heather

41 Jenni Connolly ~ Gray ~ Paw Tones

42 Tamara Soper ~ Green ~ Field Tones

43 Sharyl McMillian-Nelson ~ Blue ~ Nested Blues

44 Jen Velasquez ~ Pink ~ Sweetened Tints

45 Maria Grimes ~ Red ~ Bright Bloom

46 Elisabeth Auld ~ Gray ~ Petaled Tints

47 Susan Kennedy ~ Pink ~ Zinnia Tones

48 Shannon Chomanczuk ~ Gray ~ Autumn Leaf

49 Holly Westfall ~ Yellow ~ Sprinkled Tones

50 Patty Gasparino ~ Red ~ Color Carton

51 Angela Little ~ Pink ~ Singapore Brights

52 Lizzie Zawinski ~ Green ~ Budding Hues

53 Kristen Stevens ~ Pink ~ Scooped Tones

54 Dawn Doucette ~ Brown ~ Jarred Tones

Have fun,

Bead Swap

2011-11-29T14:42:00.001-08:00

I may not have mentioned this, but I recently participated in one of Lori Anderson's sponsored Bead Swaps. It was a low key event; the only requirement was to send your swap partner some beads, not junk beads, some of you good stuff. Lori said think of it as a Christmas present. We don't have to blog about it or make anything just an excuse to share our stash and get some new goodies.

My partner was Kay Thomerson of KayzKreationz. And this is what she sent me:

Love the buttons and how she labeled everything.

I am going to try and make a thing or two using the beads and buttons she sent me as a starting off point. I seem to work best with deadlines and challenges. Speaking of challenges, tomorrow is the big reveal day for Erin Prais -Hintz's Challenge Of Color Blog Hop. I actually was finished a few days ago which is a biggie for me. I am usually the queen of the last minute. Please stop by tomorrow and check it out. Now if I can just some color back into my blog.

Till tomorrow, MK

Buy Nothing Day

2011-11-24T08:28:00.001-08:00

Having spent more than a few years working on the floor of various retail organizations on "Black Friday," even when I was in the buying office, I have avoided shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. Nothing is worth getting up before the crack of dawn and standing in line to buy something. Now I find out this is the 20th anniversary of "Buy Nothing Day." While I am not buying as a protest, I do feel we have over commercialized this holiday. This year I am going to give mostly handmade, either what I have made or someone else has made. In fact I hope to spend Friday in my studio making gifts

I do plan to go out and shop on Small Business Saturday. I am a firm believer in supporting local mom and businesses.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:53:00.001-08:00

My daughter and I will be cooking up a storm today. What about you?

Challenge of Color Blog Hop

2011-11-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

I think you all know I love a challenge. When Erin Prais-Hintz posted that she was going to host another Color Challenge, I was game. I entered the one last year.

This year we picked our color and she matched us to a Design Seeds Palette. If you haven't discovered Designs Seeds you need to check it out. What a great site for color inspiration. Anyway I picked Teal (Surprise! Surprise!) And here is my wonderful palette entitled "Embellished Hues":

The challenge for me will be the yellow and the neutral, but my plan is to use them all. The blog hop date is Wednesday, November 30.

I am trying out the new blogger. Check out all the ways you can view the blog, by clicking the "Classic" button up on the top left hand side. I can't decide which view I like better but am leaning towards "Snapshot." But I do miss the color of the old blog and need to figure how to get some back.

MK

Cleaning and Rearranging

2011-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Back in August/ early September I began moving my studio to the larger back bedroom, which has great light and tile floors. But then I went away to Heather Power's Inspired by Nature Retreat, came home and started up with Education Encore and my life got super busy.

Education Encore Field Trip to The LH Bead Store

But the last few days I have got my studio in order and been cleaning house also.

My vacuum cleaner broke a belt back in early August, or maybe it was late July. I ordered the part and it has been sitting around for 3 months or so waiting for me to put it on the vacuum. Luckily I have mostly tile floors; but two of my large area rugs are deep piled and really need vacuuming. Finally I pulled up the manual on my computer and tackled how to change a belt. Not being mechanically inclined this was a challenge to me and one of the many new hazards of single life I have been facing. But hurray, hurray, I changed the belt. I almost had to go across the street and ask my neighbor to help me, as I has a hard time stretching the belt to get the rollers in place but I finally gave it a good pull and everything fell in place. I vacuumed the living room area rug and the machine purred and picked up all the dirt. I feel like I should get the Good Housekeeping Award or something.

I did take time out today and signed up for Mary Ann Moss' online class called Remains of the Day. I got inspired to do this after I saw Lelainia N. Lloyd's Flip video of her 2011 Journal . I am hoping this is a way I can use up all my bits and pieces. And don't you love the title.

Button Swap

2011-11-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

I have been quiet lately and have not posted. It seems life has been busy and I have more to do than I have time to do it in, so have not been on the computer as much.

But I do want to share the lovely tin of buttons I received from Jo Chandler in the Buttonfloozies button swap:

With a tin decorated like this you know it it going to be filled with wonderful goodies:

That was a fun swap.

2011-10-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

I am sure I have mentioned it before, but I have a thing for buttons. I have found a great web site called Buttonfloozies. Right now we are in the midst of a button swap. We were suppose to mail a decorated tin full of buttons to an assigned partner by October 21. I was partnered with Jo Chandler and since she has received her tin of buttons from me, I thought I would share what I sent. I can't wait for Jo's package to arrive, but it is coming from Australia, so hopefully it will get here next week.

Cover of decorated tin.

As with buttons, I also have a thing for vintage images and have a substantial digital collection. I printed one onto some fabric for the cover of this tin.

The buttons I sent

Crowded into the tin

Since Jo said she like all kinds of buttons, I sent a sample of old and new, plain and fancy, whimsical and fun.

Till next time, MK

Reflections: Day 4

2011-10-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

The last day of the "Inspired by Nature" was equally as jammed packed as Day 2. We started by having breakfast at the house and then packed up all our belongings as we had to be out of the house by 10 am. Then off we went to the Van Buren Trail at Van Buren State Park, where we hiked to the covered bridge.

Along the way Heather urged to take lots of photos for inspiration. Here are some of mine:

I will finish this post on Saturday, as Blogger is not recognizing my cropped pictures. In fact I hope to catch up on Blogdom on that day also. I have not had time these last few weeks to read all the blogs I follow.

MK

Reflections: Day 3

2011-10-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

My third day in South Haven, Michigan and my second day at the. "Inspired by Nature Retreat" was jammed packed with activity.

We all went to breakfast at The Golden Brown Bakery and I had some delicious blueberry pancakes. Yum, yum.. Then we headed over to the Farmer's Market to be inspired by all the colors and textures.

Next on the agenda was the bead store, where I found a few goodies and then we wandered all over the place, and ended up at a little store that sold commercial sea glass by the pound, which of course I had to have. Lunch was at Clementine's.

Then back to the retreat house where we all made lovely bracelets with Humblebeads of course:

Heather made us three different kits based on one of the design from her new book, Jewelry Designs from Nature, and within that kit we picked different seed bead colors. So the odds of any two bracelets being exactly alike were slim. I had picked the sea as my theme and loved my colors. Here are some works in progress:

Garden Theme

Woodland Theme

Some of the participants had never tried bead weaving, but the instructions were easy to follow and we were all successful. (I will try to get a picture of my completed bracelet and post.)

The fun was not over for the day, as we made another trip to the beach for a gorgeous sunset.

And of course finding more rocks on the beach. Then back to the house for home made pizza and cake.

And then came the "Bead Mix Party," where we each brought a 16" of beads in either teal, green or purple. We put all the beads in a big bowl and took turns getting a scoop of beads. We worked on a project based on our mix, but mine is still sitting in his baggy half finished. I do plan to finish it, but have been concentrating on Education Encore preparation and LH Bead Gallery projects to teach.

Anyway the day was long and jammed packed with activity. I crawled up to my bedroom exhausted but full of inspiration.

The next day was even more fun and jammed back.

MK

Reflections Day 2

2011-10-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

On my second day in Michigan, I spent the morning exploring South Haven, eating breakfast and lunch and shopping at a great thrift store. And then it was time to check in at the retreat.

The Woodman House

The Beach near the Retreat

The house was steps from Lake Michigan. Those of us staying at the house settled in and then awaited the arrival of all 15 of us.

Once everyone checked in the fun began. Heather Powers demonstrated making molds that would be used to pour resin into.

We made our molds then added the resin. Of course they had to set up over night. So we left them to do that and went out to dinner and then came back to catch the sunset, which was not much to see, but the rock collecting was great.

Every day I was there I gathered rocks and it was a good thing I flew Southwest, as I am sure my luggage was over weight by the time I was finished. I was inspired by Mary Newton, a fellow attendee, who designs jewelry with small rocks she has drilled.

I did create some things while I was at the retreat, which was jammed packed with activity on the next two days. So will keep posting the fun over the next few days.

MK

Reflections Day 1

2011-10-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

I have been back from Heather Power's "Inspired by Nature Retreat" for a couple of weeks. It literally took me a week to recover from the trip. I guess I just wore myself out, not wanting to miss a single thing. And I think the next time I go on a three day retreat, I will give myself more time to travel and explore.
The setting for the retreat was South Haven, Michigan on the east side of Lake Michigan. I flew into Midway Airport in Chicago and got a real taste of Chicago traffic when I decided to take in the Rings 'N Things bead show, which was 16 miles from the airport, but took me an hour to get to.

I then drove to South Haven and stayed in this cute inn. My room was the corner one of the top. I luckily got there in time to see the sunset over Lake Michigan, but boy was it cold.

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal Day

2011-09-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the reveal day for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Party. Back in August she partnered us up with another jewelry designer. I was assigned Laurel Steven of Rues's Daftique. And was I ever lucky. Here is what she sent me:

Bead Soup from Laurel

I want to tell you this bead soup practically made itself. This was one project that the beads spoke and I listened. I played around a little with placement and the piece came together like a dream:

Laurel Steven's Polymer Clay Focal

Laurel Steven's Clasp Highlighted by Antiqued and Patinated Brass Triangles

Stones and Beads

Full View

These are the partner pairs.

The Hostess, Lori Anderson and her partner, Manuela Wutschke

1. Aimee Wheaton and Barbara York

2. Alice Craddick and Sandra Richardson

3. Alison Sachs and Amy Severino

4. Allison Scott and Cynthia Abner

5. Amanda Cargill Austin and Charlene Sevier

6. Amanda Davie and Patsy Evins

7. Amber Dawn and Kim Ballor

8. Ambra Gostoli and Christine Hansen

9. Amy Freeland and Christine Altmiller

10. Ana Krepel-Novak and Eleanor Snare

11. Andrea Morici and Hope Smitherman

12. Andrea Trank and Jayne Capps

13. Andrea Turini and Charlene Jacka

14. Angela May and Emanda Johnson

15. Anitra Gordy and Elizabeth Owens Dwy

16. Ann Rishell and Debbie Price

17. Ann Sherwood and Lynne Bowland

18. Anna Lear and Barbe Saint John

19. Anna Sabina and Erin Siegel

19. Nan Emmett and Erin Siegel

20. Astrid Boyce and Birgitta Lejonklou

21. B.R. Kuhlman and Deanna Chase

22. Barbara Bechtel and Bryna Lumb

23. Barbara Blaszczyk and DaviniaDesign

24. Barbara Judy and Holly Westfall

25. Barbara Lewis and Cathie Carroll

26. Barrie Edwards and Lyn Foley

27. Becky Fairclough and Jana Tarhala

28. Bella Borgouise and Gillian Lehman

29. Beth and Evie McCord and Erin Prais-Hintz

30. Beth Bricker and Heather Pyle

31. Beth Emery and Cassie Donlen

32. Bobbie Rafferty and Cindy Cima Edwards

33. Candice McGinnis and Sally Anderson

34. Carol Bradley and Cece Cormier

35. Cathy Khoury and Molly Alexander

36. Carol Tannahill and Hilary Frye

37. Carrie Tahquechi and Cris Peacock

38. Cat Pruitt and Cindy Gimbrone

39. Charlene Gary and Doris Stumpf

40. Charlotte Pevny and Kate Gardenghi

41. Cherrie Fick and Cathie Carroll

41. Claire Maunsell and Cherrie Fick

42. Cheryl Roe and Jenny Vidberg

43. Chris White and Norma Turvey

44. Christa Murphy and Kathy Alderfer

45. Christie Murrow and Dana James

46. Christina Miles and Collette Collins

47. Christine Brandel and Elizabeth Woodford

48. Christine Damm and Cynthia Deis

49. Christine Hendrickson and Debbie Goering

50. Christine Stonefield and Dee Wingrove-Smith

51. Cilla Watkins and Johanna Rhodes

52. Cindy Wimmer and Riki Schumacher

53. CJ Baushka and Cory Celaya

54. Courtney Breul and Joanna Matuszczyk

55. Cristi Clothier and Kathleen Robinson Young

56. Cryss Thain and Serena Trent

57. Cynthia Tucker and Kitty Durmaj

58. Dana Johnson Jones and Eva Sherman

59. Davinia Algeri and Janet McDonald

60. Deci Worland and Lara Lutrick

61. Diana Ptaszynski and Kristy Abner

62. Diane Cook and Kerry Bogert

63. Diane Hawkey and Jen Judd Velasquez

64. Dorcas Midkiff and Jill Harris

65. Doris Radlicki and Heather Goldsmith

66. Dot Lewallen and Gaea Cannaday

67. Elisabeth Auld and Jennifer Justman

68. Erin Fickert-Rowland and Geanina Grigore

69. Erin Grant and Julie Jones

70. Eszter Czibulyas and Helena Fritz

71. Fiona Christie and Michelle Heim

72. Gail Zwang and Genea Crivello-Knable

73. Geneva Collins and Jana Haag

74. Gretchen Nation and Heidi Post

75. Heather DeSimone and Karin Slaton

76. Heather Marley and Terry Carter

77. Ingrid McCue and Jennifer Pride

78. Jackie Ryan and Nicole Keller

79. Janna Harttgen and Joanne Tinley

80. Jean Yates and Lori Anderson

81. Jelveh Jaferian and Jenny Davies-Reazor

82. Jenni Connolly and Jennifer Heynen

83. Jennifer Cameron and Kristi Bowman

84. Jennifer Geldard and Lisa Liddy

85. Jennifer VanBenschoten and Kim Hora

86. Jess Italia Lincoln and Lori Greenberg

87. Jill MacKay and Lori Bergmann

88. JJ Jacobs and Karen Tremblay

89. Joyce Becker and Kathy Welsh

90. Judy Glende and Karen Sinkowski

91. Judy Riley and Kelly Morgan

92. JuLee Wolfe and Julie Bean

93. Julianna Cannon and Julianna Kis

94. Julie Nordine and Lesley Watt

95. K. Hutchinson and Shea Zukowski

96. Karen Firnberg and Karyn Bonfiglio

97. Karen Williams and Kimberly Roberts

98. Karen Zanco and Polly Barker

99. Kari Carrigan and Laura Twiford

100. Karin von Hoeren and Laura Blanck

101. Kate Richbourg and Lorelei Eurto

102. Kathleen Lange Klik and Maria Clark

103. Kathy Engstrom and Keri Lee Sereika

104. Kay Thomerson and Loretta Carstensen

105. Kelley Fogle and Laurel Bielec

106. Kelly Ramstack and Sally Anderson

107. Kim Stevens and Tiffany Long

108. Kristi Harrison and Mandy Williamson

109. Kristi Kyle and Lana Kinney

110. Kristina Johansson and Sue Hodgkinson

111. Kym Hunter and Laura Sanger

112. Laura Zeiner and Susan Kennedy

113. Laurel Steven and Mary McGraw

114. Laurie Hanna and Lisa Boucher

115. Lesley Weir and Liz DeLuca

116. Linda Djokic and Tracey Weiser

117. Linda Inhelder and Pam Brisse

118. Linda Landig and Lori Dorrington

119. Linda Murphy and Lisa Hamilton

119. Line Labrecque and Marianne Baxter

120. Lisa Lodge and Monica Johnson

121. Lois Moon and Melissa Muir

122. Lola Surwillo and Therese Frank

123. Lori Bowring Michaud and Marci Brooks

124. Lupe Meter and Norma Agron

125. Maggie Towne and Marge Beebe

126. Malin de Koning and Susie Hibdon

127. Mallory Hoffman and Shirley Moore

128. Marcie Abney and Patty Miller

129. Marcy Lamberson and Melissa Clarke

130. Margot Potter and Suzann Sladcik Wilson

131. Maria Grimes and Wendy Blum

132. Maria Horvath and Melinda Orr

133. Maria Rosa Sharrow and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp

134. Marian Hertzog and Melissa Mesara

135. Marianna Boylan and Sandi Lee James

136. Marina Dobrynina and Michaela Pabeschitz

137. Marsha Neal and Miri Agassi

138. Mary Ellen Parker and Melissa Meman

139. Mary Elliott and Tamara Soper

140. Mary McGraw and Laurel Steven

141. Melissa Pynn and Michelle Buettner

142. Michelle Hardy and Niki Meiners

143. Michelle Mach and Moira McEvoy

144. Missy Rappaport and Mags Sarri

145. Molly Alexander and Poranna

146. Mylene Hillam and Nicole Rennell

147. Nadezhda Parfyonova and Stacey Curry

148. Nan Emmett and Nancy Peterson

149. Nancy Boylan and Natalie McKenna

150. Natalie Monkivitch and Niky Sayers

151. Natasha Lutes and Pam Ferrari

152. Noemi Baena and Penny Ilagan

153. Pamela Petry and Rebecca Sirevaag

154. Pat Haight and Mary Shannon Hicks

155. Patty Gasparino and Vonna Maslanka

156. Penny Neville and Sandi Volpe

157. Pepita Bos and Wendy Chamberlain

158. Raida Disbrow and Rebecca Watkins

159. Rebecca Anderson and Sabrina Staub

160. Regina Santerre and Rose Binoya

161. Rhea Freitag and Tari Kahrs

162. Rochelle Brisson and Teri Baskett

163. Sally Russick and Tracy Bell

164. Sandra McGriff and Shay Williams

165. Sandra Wolberg and Sara Hardin

166. Sarah Elder and Salla Small

167. Saskia Kaffenberger and Sharon Gardner

168. Sharon Palac and Shannon Chomanczuk

169. Shay Stone and Suzette Bentley

170. Shiraz Biggie and Tammy Powley

171. Staci Smith and Tracy Stillman

172. Stacie Stamper and Tracy Martin

173. Stefanie Teufel and Vicky Taylor

174. Stephanie Dixon and Stephanie LaRosa

175. Stephanie Haussler and Valerie Norton

176. Suzanne Tate and Terri Wlaschin

177. Sweet Freedom Designs and Tammy Jones

178. Tania Spivey and Tari Sasser

179. Tara Plote and Terry Matuszyk

180. Terri Gauthier and Deana Hager

181. Theresa Fosdick and Tracey Nanstad

For a total of 362 people making jewelry!

I am at the "Inspired By Nature Retreat" when this posts, but plan to visit everyone when I get back on Tuesday

Fun on Saturday

2011-09-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I spent the afternoon in Pat Phillip's studio. Her studio is set up for silversmithing with stations for soldering, drilling and polishing, sawing and handwork. It is a wonderful work space. She worked with me in making a sterling silver bezel. My soldering was successful!!

I hope to collage some of Rick's handwriting and then add resin then add some patina.

I have not packed yet for the "Inspired By Nature Retreat." As I am flying out in the morning, I have my work cut out for me this evening.

I finished my Bead Soup Swap piece last night and took some pictures today and then I hope my delayed post will work.

Keeping Busy

2011-09-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

My house is still in turmoil. I began moving and rearranging furniture a few weeks ago in the three bedrooms. I moved my studio to a bigger room, but ... do you believe it: All my stuff still does not fit and is overflowing onto the floor. I have to let go of some things. My shed is overflowing with garage sale stuff. And then there is the no man's land of Rick's shed and all his back yard junk to be gone through. So I have enough to keep me busy for awhile.

Last weekend I went to see my friend Lois Carter in the play "Glorious." If you ever get to see a production of this play make sure you see it. It is hilarious. Monday, my friend Janice Cronan took me to see "The Help." I had read the book when it first came out and loved it and the movie did not disappoint. I also began teaching again last week on both Wednesday and Saturday.

Education Encore is just around the corner so I got my registration and first two weeks of handouts ready to be turned in for printing tomorrow. For one of the handouts I still had one project to photograph. First I spent two days looking for the aluminum sheeting I had ordered. I found it this morning on my work bench. I knew I had put it in a safe place. Plus, my camera had disappeared and I finally found it stuffed between two of the cushions of the couch. So I was able to finish the project and get my pictures done and add them to my handout. Mission Accomplished.

Heather Power's "Inspired By Nature Bead Retreat" also is just around the corner and am looking forward to that. Plus I found out that Rings & Things" is having a Bead Show the day I fly into Chicago, so have to take that in also.

I still have a teaching proposal to finish and tons of thank you notes. But have made progress on both of those fronts. This week Women on the Fringe is meeting after out summer hiatus. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

Till next time, MK

Sunset

2011-08-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

While the family was here last week we went down to the beach one evening and caught the sunset. It sure is one of the pleasures of living here on the Gulf Coast.

When I took my sister to the airport I stopped at Borders and did a little retail therapy. One of the books I bought was Art Saves by Jenny Doh. And yesterday while helping out at the bead store, I designed a necklace and 2 pairs of earring for a lady attending her niece's wedding in Carmel, CA next week. Both the book and the act of creating has gotten my creative juices stirring again. Now I just have to put my studio in order. I have decided to move it into another room. Unfortunately all I have now is total chaos. At least I have plenty to do.

Till later, MK

My Partner's Bead Soup

2011-08-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and thoughts. Needless to say, I have been overwhelmed.

I do want to share the lovely bead soup I received from Laurel Steven. You know it is going to be good when you open the package and find another package.

And then you open the envelop and you find this:

Oh boy it is a lot like Christmas or a birthday. I could not wait to open each and every one of those little packages.

Brass Open Link Chain

Laurel typed a description of each of the ingredients.

Copper wire hook and eye made and patinated by Laurel

And she made some of the ingredients.

Polymer focal made by Laurel

And her friends made some of the ingredients

Brass plates antiqued by her friend Terrill Halander

And she added goodies from her stash

And some were from her friend's stash

Stone beads fro Lynda Moselay

And all these ingredients are definitely inspiring.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

2011-08-16T04:17:00.000-07:00

Life is so short. One day I was a wife, the next day I became a widow. My husband of 21 years passed away in his sleep last week. Life will not be the same without him. But I have been surrounded by family and friends, and we have shared some fabulous stories about his life and how he touched our lives in so many ways.

As I emerge from this cocoon of love and helpfulness of my friends and family, I realize my life must go on. It is time for me to get back to all the activities I enjoyed in the past and again find my passion in creating.

I received my bead soup from Laurel Steven in yesterday's mail, but I have not opened it, as I want to take a picture of her packaging. So will wait for the sun to come hope and take some pictures to share with you all.

Till then, Mary K

One more thing

2011-08-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Red & Black Cuff

Another thing I accomplished in the past week was to finish this cuff I have been working on for quite awhile. I am not 100% happy with it, as I feel the reds clash but it is done. I find bead embroidery to be very relaxing and try to have a project available.
What do you do for relaxation?
MK

2011-08-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

I have been quiet this past week I know. Last week had to have been one of the hottest weeks in a summer of hot days. Luckily I did not have much on my agenda and got to stay home and hibernate in the air conditioned house.

My focus last week was trying to get my weekly lessons put on Power Point for my "Working with Wire" classes I will be teaching at Education Encore starting September 23.

Spring Mixed Media Class

I will be teaching "Mixed Media Jewelry" 2-1/2 hours in the morning and "Working with Wire" 2-1/2 hours in the afternoon on each Friday for six weeks. I like to be prepared. I have taught "Mixed Media Jewelry" a number of times and but need to add some new, fun projects. But this is the first time for "Working with Wire" so I am starting from scratch. I got a lot done and have weeks 1 − 5 done, except for adding pictures to weeks 3-5, plus week 6 is coming along nicely. So I am feeling I have things under control.

I also worked on a new project to teach at The LH Bead Gallery. I still need to add a clasp, which I will do tomorrow, when I visit the store, as I did not pick one up when I got my supplies for this project.

A glimpse of things to come

In addition I had time to make something for the "Inspired by Nature" challenge that Heather Powell of Humblebeads has been having to promote her new book. The theme was "Inspired by Tiger Lilies." I had plans for a bracelet and earring and maybe a necklace. I patinated some copper disc, chain, components, and wire in preparation for these projects. I did get the earrings done and am happy with them. But I needed memory cutters to cut the chain, as it was a pretty heavy gauge. But I have not been able to find them since February or March. I am not sure if I lost them at the Spring session of Encore, or at Adorn Me 20101, or in the never never land of my studio. Anyway I could not cut the wire. So I will pick up a new pair of cutters tomorrow when I am out.

Inspired by Tiger Lilies Earrings

I read a great book by Alice Hoffman, titled The River King. she is such a great storyteller and has a lyrical way with words that is magical.

And then I did a marathon watch while beading of Flash Forward on Netflix streaming. I get like that sometimes. I start an old TV series that I missed and just watch the whole thing. I did that with Damages, Torchwood, Person Unknown and a number of others. Of course I only do that with the ones I really enjoy.

Until next time, MK

It's Party Time!

2011-08-03T03:33:00.000-07:00

Sign ups have begun for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party. If you have never participated you do not know what you have missed. I am all signed up and can hardly wait to see whom I am paired with.
Check out here to see what I made last time. For full details go to Lori's blog and while you are there sign up.

2011-08-01T04:01:00.000-07:00

When I saw Andrew Thornton's July Reader's challenge on his blog I knew I had to enter. There were really no rules. You could use as much or as little of the kit to create your project. So here is what I started with:

I fell in love with the ceramic tube by Keith O'Connor, as the colors are some of my favorites and the ceramic leaf by Melanie Brooks of Earthenwood Studio was fabulous and was also going to be part of my final product. Because Andrew's handcrafted copper coin tied the two pieces together I wanted to incorporate it into the design. Unfortunately, the lampwork glass bead by Bernadette Fuentes though gorgeous ended up not working with my design.

I knew that I wanted the ceramic leaf to hang from the chain and I envisioned a focal circle and Andrew's copper coin served well when I added an extra hole.

Some closeups:

The Focal

Sari Ribbon Entwined in Chain

The Clasp

It was a challenge as I tried to use everything, but I finally focused on what worked for me and my aesthetics. It seems if you stay true to yourself, everything falls into place.
Here is a list of the other participants so please visit them, I can't wait to see what everyone made:

Katie James, Sarajo Wentling, and Margriet Schnabel will have pieces shown on Andrew Thornton's blog.

Doings

2011-07-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

During this past week I have been able to finish a few pieces of jewelry. But in the middle of it I spent 24 plus hours without air conditioning. And in Florida that is a crisis. When I got home from teaching on Wednesday the inside of the house was 83 degrees. I thought that was odd as I usually only turn the thermostat up to 80 when I am not going to be home. My husband had been home a little while and had not noticed it. (He loves the heat.) He checked things out and found that the fan on the outside unit was not running. He called the AC service and luckily someone could come out within the hour. But the news was not good. The compre$$or had gone out and it would cost more to repair than to get a new outside unit. They were able to put it in the next afternoon. Luckily we had been having cloud cover and rain, so it was not as hot as it usually is.

On Thursday I worked in my studio as long as I could take the heat and the humidity and then ran off to Pier Park, where there is a Borders Book Store. The books are only 20% off, but the magazines were 40% off. I picked up a couple that I normally do not buy so that was fun.

I got this heavily encrusted fringe bracelet turned into The LH Bead Gallery for a class I am teaching at the end of August.

I finished this seashell bracelet that I have been working on for almost three weeks. The shell beads were made by Lisa the owner of The LH Bead Gallery. The spacers were made by Julsbeads. I added crystals and Czech glass to give the feeling of sea urchins. I am happy with it.
Yesterday I put the finishing touches on the challenge piece I created for Andrew Thornton's July Reader's Challenge.

And lastly I been working on my travel plans to Heather Power's Inspired by Nature Retreat. I guess when I saw the post for this retreat it hit me that this was the perfect get-away for me. A venue close to Lake Michigan, which has to be cooler than Florida, a small group of participants, great workshops and activities planned, affordable and an inspirational hostess. I think there are still a few spots left if it sounds good to you.

MK

This 'N That

2011-07-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

I spent some time practicing Barbara Lewis' Immersion Enameling technique last week. I need to practice a lot more. At first I had the air vent hole blocked on the torch, so I was not getting any oxygen and made a mess of the ones I tried to do with the yellow flame. But in this pile there are a few I like. I am going to try to practice more every day . I am determined to master this technique because I really like the results.

This week I am teaching a couple of classes at The LH Bead Gallery:

metal stamping class sample

I really like how the metal stamping bracelet came out.

fringe necklace

The fringe necklace shown above was made by one of my students earlier this summer. It is made with lucite flower and crystals.

I have been working on my Power Point slide shows for the jewelry design classes I am teaching at Education Encore this fall. I will be teaching Mixed Media Jewelry again and Working with Wire, which is new this fall. The new line up is not of the web yet but sure be there soon.

What have you been up to?

How I Love Giveaways

2011-07-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

There have been some great giveaways lately and here is another one from Lori Anderson of Pretty Things:

I do not know about you but this is on my wish list. So head over to her blog and leave a comment to be in the drawing. Good Luck!

Zen Style Decluttering

2011-07-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

I came to the realization that my creativity needed a cleaner studio. Things got shoved and piled in there when my granddaughter visited last month and I have been trying to work around the mess ever since with very little success. So I took the Zen approach as outline in this Zenhabits blog entry.
I have four work surfaces in my tiny studio:

An old chester drawers that is the perfect height to pour resin, cut out fabric, etc;

Chester Drawer top

a table for my sewing machine with an ironing cover & iron at one end;

Sewing Table

a bench where I do my metal work;

Bench & Storage

and a beading table.

Beading Table

So I took everything off of each surface, cleaned the surface and examined each item individually for usefulness and put back what I only needed. I know to some it still looks cluttered, but I am happy with the results. I can work again and that was the idea.
I did add to my giveaway pile. But I still have piles of stuff that does not belong on these surfaces and at yet does not have a home. Of course that is my biggest problem, not enough space for all my junk. But I will continue in this approach and examine everything and find it a home or give it away.
On my beading table I did leave the beads that are part of the Andrew Thornton's July Reader's Challenge.

I have ideas muling around in my head so I better get busy.
mk

Great Giveaway

2011-07-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

Laura Twiford from Souvenirs from Life is hosting a great giveaway. Its a double flush cutters by Swanstrom. How helpful these would be when you are making your own jump rings. So head over to her blog to get all the details.

MK

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T12:18:00.001-07:00

Package from England

2011-07-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

I entered Lori Anderson's latest Bead Swap and my partner was Johanna Rhodes from Warwickshire England. We had been partnered up in the last "Fairy Tale" Bead Soup Swap Party, so it was fun to be in another swap with her. The theme was "Earthy Colors," which is right up my alley. But in rush to get it in the post office I did not get any pictures of what I sent.

But here are the goodies I received from Johanna:

She made the glass heart herself and I can see the pearls and seed beads in a future cuff.

Pictures are not great as there is no sun today, which is a great thing, as we are desperate for the little bit of rain we are getting today.

Hope the weather is great where you are.

Fun Day at the Library

2011-07-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

When I saw the announcement of this workshop in my email I got excited. The Panama City Artists July workshop was entitled "Encaustic Painting" and was going to be at the library. Kathleen Mason was to be the instructor. So I signed up immediately.
To accompany the workshop, Kathleen has some of her creations on display at the library:

Kathleen is one of her favorite pieces.

Kathleen discovered this affordable method using soy wax chips, Crayolas and canvas board. Tools include a craft iron, blow dryer, griddle and a few brushes, and shared this technique with us. I really enjoyed the process and hope to do some more.

Kathleen doing a demo.

Trying it out

Artist at work

More artists at work

Most of the attendees were painters. I just like to play with color. Here are my creations:

This is the first one I did

Tonight is "Girls Night Out" at The LH Bead Gallery. Need to find something to work on. Till next time, MK

Getting Back to Normal

2011-07-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

I dropped my daughter and granddaughter at the airport on the 4th of July as they returned to Colorado. Life is slowing getting back to normal, whatever that is.
Friday was TeaBAG (The Experimental Artist Book Arts Guild) meeting day. I had missed June's meeting where they made paper. Check it out on Facebook. We meet at the St. Andrews Publishing Museum and Visitor Center and our books that were on display at the Niceville library have moved to this venue:

Isn't this a fabulous desk!

Our program this month was on Suminagashi, the ancient art of Japanese marbling. Marie Brusher provided us with supplies and demonstrated the process:

Jan Bennicoff, Marie Brusher & Pat Phillips

Here are some of the pieces I made:

My favorite made on rice paper

Watercolor paper

Brown Paper Sack Paper

Another one on rice paper

The technique takes some practice and sometimes I was successful and sometimes not. I want to experiment with what I created with resin and see what happens.

Happy Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

And while you are celebrating this weekend remember to say a little thank-you to the men and women who serve in our armed forces.

MK

Lazy Summer Days

2011-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

My granddaughter, Hunter, from the Denver area has been visiting with us the last two weeks and will be here for another week. I sure have been enjoying her company and thus have not blogged in a while. We have been having lazy summer days, with Mary, my daughter who lives here, helping by taking her to the beach. Hunter favorite things to do are play "Animal Jam" on the computer, read "The Warrior" series, write stories, and swim.

Hunter and Moon Song

Her visit coincided with us getting a new kittens and they have really bonded. Both are so much fun to watch play.
The only thing I have done creativity wise is repair a necklace Hunter won at a arcade. It was just all shells and I jazzed it up with Czech glass and chevrons.

Shell necklace on Hunter

You know you live in a small town when you take your granddaughter to the library for an event and the events shows up on the front page of the paper. The educator from Zoo World was doing a presentation and we went to see it.

Look at the alligator!

Till next time, MK

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2011-06-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying all the chatter about The Bead & Button Show. I remember when the magazine first came out. When I moved to Panama City in 1990, no one I knew beaded. The only place that carried beads locally was Wal-Mart, and then it was just some Chinese E beads and a few other things. I really missed the bead stores I had loved when I lived in California and Connecticut. Then one day in late 1994, I spied a Bead & Button magazine at the news stand and instantly grabbed it and of course started subscribing immediately. Each month I anxiously awaited each issue and devoured it instantly. Those early magazines were ad free, just page after page of bead projects and stories. Then more magazines came out and I subscribed to them all.

I would really like to attend the show one year, take classes, and shop, shop shop. But this year I am doing something that means a ton more to me. Tomorrow I am taking a quick trip to the Denver area to visit my daughter and my nine year old granddaughter and then return home with my granddaughter on Monday. She will be visiting us for about three weeks.

So this week I have been de-cluttering and cleaning the house, so have had virtually no studio time. In fact I have not even been able to get in there to clear off some space so we can play when we get back. But I figure there will be plenty of time when I get back.

Fairy Tale/Spring Bead Swap Blog Hop

2011-06-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here we are at reveal day for the "Fairy Tale/ Spring Bead Swap" hosted by Lori Anderson. By the time I started working on this challenge, Spring had given way to Summer here in Northwest Florida, with temperatures in the high 90s and no rain for months. But as I worked, I thought of those early days of Spring, where everything is a certain green that only lasts a short time before it gives way to the darker green of summer. My partner for this swap is Johanna Rhodes, who sent me the following:

I was not sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to work with the green paper beads. Thursday, (yes I know I like waiting to the last minute), just before I was going to sit down and work with the beads, I got a notice that money was taken out of my account for my digital subscription to Bead Trends. And of course I had to take a quick peek before I sat down to work. On page 54-55, there was a project called "Faithful" by Judith Glende, that became my inspiration. In it she had used paper beads and combined it with chain, a vintage pendant and key, and a stamped piece of metal. Plus she used a asymmetrical design. That made me think of the ceramic pendants I had received from Nan Emmett of Spited Earth last year in a Bead Swap hosted by Lori Anderson. So I went to my stash and found one that had a flower in the perfect color. Now I had an inkling of where I was going with this project. And here is what I ended up with:

ABUNDANCE

ABUNDANCE

PENDANT FROM SPIRIT EARTH

Check out the rest of the Fairy Tale/ Spring Bead Swap Blog Hop:

Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

Rebecca Anderson, Song Beads

Courtney Breul, Beads By Breul

Loretta Carstensen, Designs by Loretta

Evelyn Hall, Dragon Lady Evelyn

Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Design

Tara Plote, Newbie Beader

Christine Brandel, A Hot Piece of Glass

Lisa Sittniewski, Alterity Art

Joanna Matuszczyk, Filcowe

Jenni Connolly, Jenni Bead

Geneva Collins, Torque Story

Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

Sally Russick, Wireworked

Mary McGraw, MK's Creative Musings

Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

Stephanie Haussler, Pixybug Designs

Shai Williams, Shaia's Ramblings

Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

Sweet Addy Designs

Valerie Norton, Hot Fused Glass

Wisdom

2011-06-02T06:54:00.000-07:00

Today I am working on a project where I need a word or a saying to stamp on some metal. I wanted it to relate to Spring. I keep a running list of words and short sayings, but nothing fit what I was working on, so I googled "One Word Quotes." Haven't found what I wanted yet, but I came across this poem and I especially like the phrase, "...decorate your own soul..."

I think that is my attempt as I explore various art and craft media, I am trying to decorate my own soul. What about you?

WISDOM

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between

holding a hand and chaining a soul

and you learn that love doesn't mean possession

and company doesn't mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises and you begin to accept

your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead

with the grace of an adult not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build your roads today

because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans

and futures have ways of falling down in mid-flight.

After awhile you learn that even sunshine

burns if you get too much so you plant your

own garden and decorate your own soul

instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure

that you really are strong

and you really do have worth

and you learn
and you learn...
~Veronica A. Shoffstall

What I have been up to

2011-06-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have been quiet lately but I have not been idle. Here is some of what I have been up to:
I baked two Blueberry Cream Cheese Pies. Rick was gone for 5 days visiting his parents in the Augusta, GA area. As they are in their 80s he is making more of an effort to check up on them and do a little maintenance around the homestead. Anyway he came home with a bunch of blueberries. I made one of these pies and we loved it so I made another. Plus I made Blueberry Muffins.
Last week I taught these two classes at The LH Bead Gallery:

LUCITE FRINGE NECKLACE

MULTI-STRAND KNOTTED NECKLACE WITH MACRAME CLOSURE

Today I have been working on another project for the bead store:

Wire Mesh Necklace Ingredients

I have having fun with this project and hope to have it finished soon.

Ann's Doll

2011-05-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

In the Art Bead Scene Blog from Wednesday, Jennifer Jangles wrote a great article about "Larger Picture's on Your Blog." I find that I enjoy and spend more time on blogs that have pictures and try to have at least one on my blog each time I write. She found a way to make the pictures even bigger and has posted her method in this article.

This post of mine is a test of her technique. At the Women on the Fringe (WOTF) meeting earlier this month, Ann Welsh brought one her dolls made from 2 canvases to share with us.

The doll opens up to reveal a heart. She is still a work in progress, as Ann wants to have the insides be more finished looking.

I like the size of the first picture. The second's orientation limited its size. If I had cropped it some it would have been better. But am happy with the technique and hope to use it again.

Great Give-Away

2011-05-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

Art Bead Scene is having a fabulous give-away in celebration of the magazine Beads 2011. You do not want to miss this one.
Here's hoping I win.

2011-05-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

I had time Monday and today to finish a sample for a class I will be teaching at the LH Bead Gallery on June 8. In my last post I publish a picture of the great materials I had to work with:

And here is what I created:

close up of Fringe

And here is what the whole thing looks like. As you can see I did not use everything and then yesterday after book club I had to stop by the store and get more chain and a couple of more charms.

Tomorrow I will be teaching this bracelet at The LH Bead Gallery:

I guess you could not tell that I live near water, in my case the Gulf of Mexico.

2011-05-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

Time Flies

It seems like the year just began and here is it May. The beginning of May always has two great events that I usually attend.

The first is the opening reception of Panama City Artist Show and Sell at the Visual Arts Center, which was Friday night. This year it was a little more special as I had two pieces accepted:

Spirit of Haiti

Washed Ashore

On Sunday I attended ArtsQuest, which is always on Mother's Day weekend. I especially wanted to attend this time because two of my jewelry friends had booths.

Lou King of "Totsy"

Lou King got a ribbon for "Best Booth," which is fitting as her background is interior design. She got interested in jewelry design a year or two ago and took classes from myself and Connie Nabholz and then let her creative imagination go wild. She is one talented lady and an inspiration to us all.

Connie Nabholz of Cee Jay Creations

Connie Nabholz won "Best in Jewelry." And she is deserving of that ribbon. I visited all of the jewelry booths and there was a lot of talent at this show. But Connie's work is in the realm of art. She is a fabulous beadweaver and wire worker. She also teaches at The LH Bead Gallery and nationally.

I treated myself to a little treasure:

This little bird was created by Cindy Hirt of Really Mixed Media. She said she started as a weaver and then got into stained glass and from there things just mushroomed. The bird will go in my kitchen just below a copper seahorse sitting on driftwood.

As a side note, my friend Ann Morrell made all the ribbons for ArtsQuest.

Today I am challenged to create "Trinkets and Circles Necklace" as a sample for The LH Bead Gallery for a class I will teach on June 8. Here is what I have to work with:

I am not sure what it will look like when I am finished, but I think it is going to be fun to create. How can I go wrong with these fabulous ingredients.

Till next time, MK

2011-05-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Rambling thoughts

I have lived in Northwest Florida for twenty years, but I have not gotten use to the mosquitoes, the humidity, the bugs or the mold. I keep thinking I will get use to these things but it just does not happen. At this time of year these things become more prominent and persevere for a long six months more. I often wonder what it was like before air conditioning and cannot imagine how people coped with all these things. The positives are the sunshine, the Gulf of Mexico, the fabulous sunsets and vegetation. I focus on these things and try to ignore the rest. I lived in California for twenty years and do miss the weather, but do not miss the the population density of that area. Another thing about this area I like.

So what I am trying to say. Despite these adversities, my creativity had blossomed and flourished in this environment. I guess I have followed the adage "Grow where you are planted."

Right now I am in a little slump though. I am critical of all I do. I work a little and then analyze what I have done and am usually not happy. I am just going to have to silence this "Inner Critic." Thus I have begun a visual journal where I tell myself it doesn't matter; I am the only one who will see what I have done. And if I don't like it or mess up I can just turn the page and make another one.

What so you do to quiet the "Inner Critique?"

2011-04-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Road Trip
Yesterday was installation day for the The Experimental Artist Book Arts Guild (TeaBAG) show at the library in Crestview. So we made a day of it. Celeste drove and I met her on Highway 98. Then we picked up Susan. On the way we stopped at Yards and Yarn in Freeport. Then we met Mary R. at the Cracker Barrel on I-10, where we had lunch. Then we were off to the library.

The library provided us with three cases and we filled them up. For more pictures, visit Celeste's blog; she took some great photos.

In addition to making books, I have to admit that I am a confessed bookaholic. I just sold tons of books at my yard sale and donated the leftovers to the Friends of the Library Book Store. So I really had no business buying more when we stopped at a thrift store. But they were having a book sale. How could I resist 5 cent books. And my companions felt the same way. All four of us left with a bagful. Here is my pile:

We finished our excursion at Margies. If you have any interest in sewing in any tiny way and you are traveling on I-10 near Creatview, this is a must stop kind of place. I had planned to take some photos, but got so carried away looking I forgot to do that. The shop is just crammed pack full of fabric, notions, thread, books, and many hard to find items. It is impossible to take it all in. Since I am really trying to buy only what I need, I restrained myself and only brought 3 spools of thread and 2 packages of buttons:

As we headed back home we commented on what a great time we had and how smoothly the installation went. That is what you get when you are dealing with great people.

2011-04-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

TeaBAG Show

TeaBAG (The Experimental Artist Book Arts Guild) is setting up a show at the Crestview Public Library on Friday. It is a little bit of a hike for me, but one of our members lives up that way and exposure never hurts, plus it is an incentive to finish projects. Anyway I was busy yesterday finishing up a couple of books. The above one is my take on the "Paper Bag Journal" featured in an article by Sue Bleiweiss in a Cloth, Paper, Scissors a few issues ago. I still have one more book to finish and it involves the Secret Belgian Binding. Now I just need a block of quiet time to get it finished. We shall see.

Yesterday was a good news day. Two of my fiber art pieces got accepted into the Panama City Artist Sale and Show, which runs May 6 – June 12, 2011, at the Visual Art Center.

I have taken a little break from jewelry design, but will be teaching "Pearl Knotting" at The LH Bead Gallery on Thursday. Then I need to get busy designing projects for classes in June. I have some great ideas. I think taking a little break sometimes gets the creative juices going.

2011-04-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Clean Sweep, Part 2
During the winter I had done an initial clean sweep on my house and piled up stuff in my shed to sell at a garage sale. Last Friday and Saturday my daughter and I finally had the sale and today we hauled off the left overs to the Rescue Mission Thrift Shop.

I feel richer and lighter and the good news is my shed is functional again. I have grand designs for my shed as I want to insulate it and add electricity and use it as a studio where I can do both jewelry torch work and surface design on fabric.
Now I need to make another clean sweep and get rid of even more stuff.

2011-04-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

Hope your day was spent with family and friends.

2011-04-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day 2011

2011-04-21T01:00:00.002-07:00

BUTTON SWAP REVEAL
Today is the day for the Button Swap that was the brainchild of Michelle Mach.
The rules were simple. Each participant sent their partner three beads, and one of them should have something special about it. Then we were to make at least one project with at least one of the buttons. The project could be jewelry, home decor, clothing or whatever. I thought of jewelry right away and did not consider anything else. I gave myself one more rule in that I had to work with what I had in my stash; no going out and buying more stuff.
I was lucky and was paired with Loretta Carltesnen, who sent me three giraffe pattern polymer clay buttons that she made:

Giraffe Patterned Polymer Clay Buttons

I was excited about these buttons and combed through my stash for beads to go with them. I found very little. I left the beads and buttons on my beading desk for a week or two or maybe longer. Then I had a brainstorm and I hope you like what I made.

Giraffe Necklace

Close-up of Focal

I remember I had a necklace that was made up of carved African animals. I never wore it and it hung on my mirror for some reason. I took it apart and took the giraffe and drilled a hole in it it to rivet to a piece of etched copper I had made that I thought looked like a giraffe pattern. The whole necklace came together once I did this.

As an added bonus, Michelle Mach is having a give-away. If you comment on any, you can win a set of buttons. Basically each comment on a different blog gets you one entry. So if you comment on all posts, you would have 25 entries. But if you made 25 comments on my blog, you would only get one entry. The full rules are on Michelle's blog.

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Here are the links. Happy Blog Hopping!!

1. Cat - Boo Beads

2. Cindy - Sweet Bead Studio

3. Cory - Art with Moxie

4. Cyndi - Beading Arts

5. Dita - Alankarshilpa

6. Donna, Marti, and Michelle - Beads & Books

7. Erin - Treasures Found

8. Hope - Crafty Hope

9. Inca - Zerenity Design

10. Katrine - Army of Sock Monsters

11. Krista - French Elegant Jewelry

12. Kristie - Artisan Clay

13. Linda D. - Lutka and Co.

14. Linda L. - Linda's Bead Blog

15. Lody - Lody's Beadworks

16. Lori - Pretty Things

17. Loretta - Loretta's Boutique

18. Malin - Beading by Malin de Koning

19. Mary K -You are here

20. Maryanne - Zingala's Workshop

21. Melinda - Melinda Orr Metal & Clay Jewelry Designs

22. Saskia - Perlendistel

23. Shannon - For My Sweet Daughter

24. Shirley - Beads and Bread

25. Stephanie - Confessions of a Bead Hoader