Bead Original

Oh, Graceful Leigh, Where Art Thou?

2012-02-17T17:01:00.001-05:00

You all may be wondering where I have been lately. My job at Kaplan has become busier this term. First, I have a new course that I have never taught before. This means brand new lecture notes, and brand new course preparations. Obviously, this takes some extra time! In addition, I am also now evaluating student portfolios to determine life experience credit and going through training for that.

Victory Bracelet

2012-01-21T15:00:00.022-05:00

Today, we went on an outing to The Southern Museum in Kennesaw, GA. My son, Liam, went on a school field trip there earlier in the week and became a little obsessed with it. So, he really wanted us to see it. The museum was very nice, filled to the brim with Civil War history, and we each learned new things. In one, non-Civil War exhibit, some French items from WWII caught my eye. The bracelet

Backs and Bears

2012-01-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

Earlier today, I was trying to put Christmas decorations away, when my upper back went out once again! It has been repeatedly going out for the past three weeks. I have decided it is time for me to see a Chiropractor to see if that offers any relief. Because of my back, I have not done any Of Towers and Turrets workshop catch up this weekend, which was my original plan. During our New Year's

Christmas in L.A. and More Mixed Media

2011-12-27T23:28:00.000-05:00

Hope you have been having a wonderful Holiday! Much fun was had by all when we went to Los Angeles to celebrate Christmas with my brother-in-law, his wife, and their three children. The four cousins caught up on play time (with some major negotiations being made over taking turns with the new Christmas toys), while adults drank, dined and had some great conversations. A cousin train led by my

My Love Affair with Miriam Haskell Jewlery

2011-12-20T16:49:00.000-05:00

My work for Of Towers and Turrets continues. I have been slightly sidelined by back problems (again!). However, I should be back to painting and building my mixed media backgrounds tomorrow. Some of my work. Don't these remind you of Sari fabric? If you have been following my posts, you will know that I have been continuing to discern my jewelry-design style. One thing that I am certain of is

Of Towers and Turrets

2011-12-15T20:47:00.000-05:00

Mixed media and mixed metal? Could I ask for a better combination? I think not. The first half of the Of Towers and Turrets workshop focuses on the mixed media/collage elements. We eventually use these skills to create collage images that we encase into hand crafted pendants. This will include making our own bezels- a technique I have been very curious about learning. My palette today. Today,

Soldering Along

2011-12-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

As I posted previously, I have been trying out a soldering technique new to me. After choosing an image and cutting it to size, I sandwich it between glass and wrap it in copper foil tape. I brush on gel flux, and then use a soldering iron and solder to create a framed metal charm. I am doing a lot better than my former attempt. I finally understand the amount of heat I need from my particular

Copper Mine Field

2011-12-09T13:50:00.001-05:00

Today I wanted to try out a new technique. It involves sandwiching an image between two pieces of glass, lining that glass with copper foil, and then using a soldering iron to seal the copper. I love the look of these types of charms and pendants and was very curious about trying to construct one. I cut the image from a photocopied, antique Holy Card, then wrapped it in copper foil. First,

Christmas is Coming

2011-12-03T22:58:00.003-05:00

We put up our Christmas tree today. We all love trimming the tree, and Liam especially enjoys being the one to put on almost every ornament. He also loves helping with the lights as well. I always play Christmas Carols as we add our many sentimental decorations to the tree. I was also very excited because an art piece I ordered arrived today. I used some money I received as a Birthday gift to

Wrapped Fabric Bead

2011-11-29T14:16:00.000-05:00

The weather outside is frightful! Hovering a few degrees above freezing, and rainy. On days like this, when mother nature seems indecisive, I would just prefer snow. The Georgia mountains to our North are supposed to get some snow as the evening progresses, but just what they term a "wintery mix" here in the city. Don't these beads remind you of snow? I was excited to have time for one of my

2011-11-28T20:24:00.000-05:00

I hope all my lovely readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a house full with extended family like my mother, sister, and in-laws. Aside from your standard turkey, we had apple-raisin stuffing, sweet potato casserole, corn bread, mashed potatoes and turnip greens. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I have been chomping at the bit to get back into my jewelry studio. Deryn Mentock and Sharon

Tea Box Swap Reveal

2011-11-18T16:36:00.001-05:00

I am very excited to give you an update on the fun altered tea box swap I was a part of. My partner, Tammy, and I asked one another a few questions to have a better feel for our personalities and what we might enjoy receiving in our boxes. Then we got to work! Here are some pictures of the box I altered for Tammy. In retrospect, I feel like I should have added more ephemera to the lid. Here

Altered Tea Box Swap

2011-11-07T19:28:00.001-05:00

I belong to a mixed media website called Mixed Media Art. As part of one of the forums there, I am taking part in an altered tea box swap. (For an example of an altered tea box, click here). We take an empty tea box and alter it, then fill it with goodies for our swap partners. My starting point . . . I am all done with mine, but cannot post until my swap partner receives it. I will definitely

Finding Time for Jewelry (and Maybe Some Icons)

2011-11-04T00:54:00.004-04:00

Lately, I have been feeling frustrated and a bit unsure about whether I truly have the time I will need to devote to selling my jewelry, or if this will just be a craft for pleasure alone. My husband travels a lot for his job (not to mention his additional full time job volunteering for various church activities *wink*). This leaves me flying solo more than the average mother. Public Domain

Check out the Feature article and Giveaway featuring my Sister-in-Law's Ornaments!

2011-11-02T22:02:00.001-04:00

My sister-in-law was interviewed and her awesome Etsy ornament line is featured for a giveaway at Thompson Family-Life Product Feature, Interview & ...: Definitely check out the interview and fun giveaway!

Mary's Graces: New Give Away from Deb at Geckostone

2011-10-29T23:27:00.000-04:00

There is another beautiful giveaway going on at my Etsy Team blog. Check it out! Photo courtesy of Marys Graces Blog. Mary's Graces: New Give Away from Deb at Geckostone: A beautiful 3x5 embellished print of her original watercolor called 'Mary of the Earth.' Deb says this..... " I did manage to finally fini...

My Absence

2011-10-27T21:04:00.000-04:00

I realize I have been absent from posting for more than a week, which I really hate. First, I was distracted by my in-laws visiting. Then my son, Liam, celebrated his 8th Birthday with a spies and sleuths themed party here at our home. Finally, my students have turned in their final projects, and I have been in a grading frenzy. On top of that, I have been plagued by a bit of a cold. Let's just

Mary's Graces: Give Away hosted by Holly at FoodForTheSoul

2011-10-17T16:35:00.000-04:00

Hi all! The giveaway deadline for my Etsy Team's giveaway was extended to October 21, so check it out!Mary's Graces: Give Away hosted by Holly at FoodForTheSoul: Our next give away is hosted by Holly from Etsy Shop FoodForTheSoul and she offers this beautiful chaplet and words... "Hello Everyon...

The Best Laid Plans

2011-10-15T21:04:00.001-04:00

Originally, I was going to work on my workshop items today. However, I went a bit overboard yesterday cleaning our house and also washing one of our dogs. As a result, my upper back went out (I am prone to periodic back problems). This has confined me to bed for most of today and I was unable to do the type of metal work needed to continue my necklace design. Courtesy of The Vintage Moth.

Style Notes

2011-10-11T22:44:00.001-04:00

The workshop I am enrolled in has us think about what design style category our jewelry creations fall into. I am not sure yet what my particular style is. I got some excellent advice from two, well-respected jewelry designers- Lori Anderson from Lori Anderson Designs and Deryn Mentock (my workshop instructor). Some of the more experienced women in my class also had important things to say about

I Like it- I Really Like it!

2011-10-08T18:50:00.000-04:00

My lessons in The Build Zone continue. I have purchased extremely inexpensive aluminum wire to practice various techniques with. This way, I do not feel awful if I have to throw out the parts I make mistakes on. I also feel free to repeatedly practice certain jewelry making skills. Most recently, I have been crafting different style headpins. Here you see a spiral headpin, a paddle style, and a

Facing Fears

2011-10-04T13:12:00.000-04:00

As The Build Zone workshop progresses, I continue to practice various techniques. S-claps, which I tend to be better at than wrapped loops, making jump rings, and using my mini torch for small amounts of soldering. Yes, that is right- I faced my greatest fear- turning on and using my soldering torch. I have a Blazer Micro torch. Obviously, extreme caution is necessary when using the torch, and

The Build Zone- it's a Wrap!

2011-10-02T14:12:00.001-04:00

Today I spent several hours practicing my wrapped loops technique. This is one of the lessons from The Build Zone. To perfect wrapped loops one needs to practice and practice . . . and, did I mention, practice? You can see that I still need to work on my technique a bit more. However, I am headed to a meeting at church followed by the Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis' Feast Day.

More Orange Lights Needed

2011-10-01T22:04:00.000-04:00