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I'm really glad you are here. Hope you find some things that get your creativity surging.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine

I'm so lucky to again be published in Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine.  Check out the Summer issue.


Sunday, April 7, 2013

About a year ago I purchased a pair of bronze clay dragonflies from Summers Studio on Etsy and they've been hanging out waiting for a home ever since.  Last week my very generous friend, Diane Cook, gifted me a pair of shimmery green and gold briolettes. They reminded me of dragonfly wings right off.  I love them together.


Sunday, January 27, 2013

White pelicans migrating back to the Pacific Northwest

I love it when you nature gives you little surprises. That happened today.  A good friend mentioned last night at dinner that white pelicans had taken over a pond in her neighborhood.  It's the first time they have come.  I had never seen a white pelican.  So, today I gathered my camera and went for a look.



They were a little shy at first - floating away when I pulled out the camera...


But then curiosity got the better of them and they floated back...


...until a cormorant diving nearby began stirring up the fish...then they got moving that way.



Saturday, January 26, 2013

Metal Pods for Adorn Me! 2013

I've been playing around a bit this week practicing new ideas for my metal pod class at Adorn Me!  Take a look.









Sunday, October 21, 2012

Angel Wings Necklace

Ordered some lovely metal wings from Barbara Lewis and created this little sweetie.  Completed her with a Stephanie Lee style chain from a recent online class I took.




Sunday, October 7, 2012

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Grand finale of Sabrina Staub bead soup.  Sabrina's lampwork is absolutely stunning.  I so love these little orange and yellow toned beads she made.  I wear a lot of these colors, so I was especially delighted to see these lovely beads.



Sabrina also sent me some really cool ceramic beads that I love.  I am a turquoise lover, so they are right up my alley!  



Sabrina, this was so much fun.  Thank you again for such a wonderful soup.

Friday, September 7, 2012

A month or so ago I got a lovely package of beads in the mail from my BSBP 5 partner.  We enjoyed each other's beads so much on the first round that we decided to do a little side swap on our own.

Here is what the lovely and talented Sabrina Staub sent to me:


And here's what I did with the beautiful soup.


The fabulous strawberry Sabrina made called out "keep it simple" to me.  It would be beautiful hanging on a choker by itself, but I added a few stash beads and bitter green enameled beads to bring out the colors in the strawberry.



Sabrina sent a lovely combination of lime green and dark gray with a copper-colored swirl.  She also sent some really cool lentil shaped beads that complimented the copper swirl.  I mixed in a green bead left over from Kashmira Patel's soup.  The colors were perfect together.




I love these orange and charcoal beads Sabrina made, but I have to admit that they were the most difficult to come up with a design.  I'm still not sure I did them justice and may at some point try again.  I had a focal I made in a Stephanie Lee class that had a touch of orange in it, so I used that as my main focal.  I added some fibers and a chain that I oxidized.  What do you think?



This focal Sabrina made is absolutely gorgeous.  I have lots of purple in my stash, so it was easy to come up with some complimentary glass beads.  This bracelet is strung on wire with a magnetic clasp.  I love it!





Sabrina sent the beautiful lampwork blue beads.  I had some raku in my stash that I liked with them.  I strung the bracelet using the waxed linen Sabrina sent the beads on.  It was my first time to use waxed linen and I discovered that I totally love it.




There are two more pair of earrings that my photos didn't come out well on.  I will try again tomorrow, so check back.

Thank you, Sabrina, for this amazing soup!







Saturday, August 25, 2012

BSBP 6 - Third Reveal

Here's the lovely soup I received from Kashmira Patel:


And here is what I did with it:


Here are a few closeups.

I don't normally work with large round beads so the focal was a bit of a challenge.  I played around with stringing it, but it just seemed to need a different look.  When I discovered some cream colored sari silk with a gold thread in my stash, I decided to go chunky bracelet.  I added some of the beautiful glass large hole beads and the disks Kashmira sent, tied a few knots, added some olive leather also from my personal stash and made a brass closure.


I wanted a totally different look with the remaining green and blue beads and disks so I scoured my stash and discovered a leftover shell from a stained glass lamp I made a few years ago.  With my focal in place, the rest came together rather quickly.  I created torch-fired enamel headpins in colors complimentary to the beads and wrapped them around blue leather cording to hold the beads in place.  I had a lot of fun creating this piece and it is my favorite of the three.



 I still had the clasp and some silver pieces Kashmira sent to play with.  I added some enameled headpins (since I'm a torch-fired enamel addict) and created a fun little bracelet.




Thank you, Kashmira, for all these fun materials.  You stretched me as an artist by sending elements I don't normally work with.  It has opened my eyes to another world of possibilities.

Check out the other participants in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party.


Here are the other participants of the third reveal:
Hostess, Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

Agi Kiss, Moonsafari Beads 
Alice Peterson, Alice Dreaming
Alison Sachs, Beads by Earthtones
Amanda Dittloff, Passion Smashin'
Andra Marasteanu, Bijoux de Monanage
Angie Szlovak, SweetBeads
Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations
Ann Sherwood, Ann's Blog
Arlene Dean, A Glass Bash
Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution
Barb Solem, Vivi Magoo Presents
Barbara Blaszczyk, laboratorim Flory
Bianca Odenthal, Zydies Glasperlen
Birgit Klughardt, GitesBeads
Bobbie Rafferty, Beadsong Jewelry
Bonnie Coursolle,  Jasper Gems
Cece Cormier, The Beading Yogini
Charlene Jacka, Clay Space
Cherrie Fick, En La Lumie're
Cheryl Foiles, Get Your Bead On
Christie Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Christina Miles, Wings n Scales
Christina Stofmeel, Feng Beads
Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design
Cindy Cima Edwards, Live to Design
CJ Bauschka, 4 His Glory Creations
Claire Smith, Embergrass Jewelry
Cynthia Riggs, Cynth's Blog
Dana Fowler, Trunk Full of Treasure
Dawn Pierro, Turtle Moon Designs
Dee Elgie, Cherry Obsidia
Donetta Farrington, Simply Gorgeous

Dot Lewallwn, Speedie Beadie
Eileen Snyder, Dorset Hill Beads
Elizabeth Bunn, Elizabeth Beads
Eva Kovacs, Ewa gyongyos vilaga!
Evelyn Duberry, Sheba Makeda
Fay Wolfenden, Torch Fairy
Fen Li, Bead Flora Jewels
Gail Zwang, Angel Moose Enterprises
Geneva Collins, Torque Story
Grace Dorsey, Fan of the Flame
Gretchen Nation,  Art Food Lodging

Hannah Annear, Squintessential
Hajer Waheed, My Beaded World
Heather Goldsmith, As I Bead It
Heather Otto, The Craft Hopper
Heidi Kingman, My Bead Therapy
Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope
Isolina Perez, Isolina Perez
Jacqueline Keller, CreARTelier
Jane Haag, Did You Make Something Today?
Janeen Sorensen, Wild Vanilla Designs
Jean Peter, Jean P. Designs

Jennifer Judd, Jen Judd Rocks
Jennifer L Justman, Soul's Fire Designs
Joanna Matuszczyk, Bizuteria z filcu
Joanne Brown, Jo's Jewels
Joanne Lockwood, Jo Bunkum
Joyce Becker, Joyce's Joyful Gems
Judy Riley, Three Red Beads
Karen Mitchell, Over the Moon Design
Karen Williams, Baublicious
Karin von Hoeren, Creative Ideen

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams
Kashmira Patel, Sadafule .. always in bloom!
Kate Richbourg, We Can Make That at Home

Katrin Lembke, AllesPerle
Kathy Combs, Torched in Texas
Kathy Lindemer, Bay Moon Design
Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz
Kelley Fogle, My Life, One Bead at at Time
Kelly Hosford Patterson, Traveling Side Show

Klaudette Koon, Only Road
Lara Lutrick, Lampwork Beads by Lara
Laura Guenther, Blue Antiquities

Laurie Lalonde, Simply Mod Jewelry
Lilik Kristiani, Soul of My Embodiment
Linda Younkman, Lindy's Designs
Lisa Chapman, Beach Cat Beads
Lisa Lodge, Pine Ridge Treasures
Loretta Carstensen, Designs by Loretta
Lori Bergmann, Lori Bergmann Design
Lori Dorrington, Lori's Adventures in Etsy Land
Lupe Meter, Gem's PC Corner
Lynn Davis, LLYYNN

Malin de Koning, Beading by Malin
Mandi Effron, Craft-o-licious
Mandy Williamson, Mimi's Beading
Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter
Maria Rosa Sharrow, Willow Street Shops
Marianne Baxter, Simply Seablime Jewelry
Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre
Marjolein Trewavas, Room for Change
Marelene Cupo, Amazing Designs
Marsha Neal, Marsha Neal Studio

Marta Kaczerowska, uhuhu
Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs
Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes
Menka Gupta, Menka's Jewelry Blog
Michelle Burnett, Reverie and Revival
Michelle Escano-Caballero, The Cabby Crafter
Miko Wiropati, Uniquely Yunikua
Milla Hope,  LB Creative Arts and Crafts
Mimi Gardner, Other Curiosities
Miranda Ackerley, MirandackArts
Natalie McKenna, grubbi

Noemi Baena, fuego, metal, y color
Pam Ferrari, Ferrari Originals
Pam Sears, Crazy Creative Corner
Penny Neville, Copper Penny
Rachel Baron, R. Baron Designs
Rachel Myers, Rockabead Jewelry
Rana Wilson, Definitive Designs by R. Wilson
Rebecca Anderson, Song Beads
Rebecca Sirevaag, Becca's Place
Riki Schumacher, Riki Jewelry 

Rose Binoya, Ahtee's Blog
Rossana De Gaspari, Rdegas Blog
Sally Anderson, Wild Sally Road
Sandi James, Do Be Do Bead Do
Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe
Sandra Wollberg, City of Brass Stories
Sarah Goode, Pookledo

Sarah Small, blog by salla
Shai Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings
Shawn Mills, Shawn Marie Designs with Bent Wire
Sheila Davis, Stone Designs by Sheila

Sheryl Stephens, Babble Bead
Shiraz Biggie, Secret Song Designs
Solange Collin,  Ahowin Handcrafted Jewelry
Sonya Stille, Dreamin' of Beads
Stephanie Dixon, The Dixon Chick
Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads
Susan Sheehan, Strands of Thought
Suzann Sladcik Wilson, Beadphoria
Sweet Freedom, Sweet Freedom Designs
Tabatha Dinger, Modernly Created
Tania Hagen, Pelima Jewellery Design

Tanya Boden, Fusion Muse
Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas
Terry Carter, Tapping Flamingo 
Tracy Stillman, Tracy Stillman Designs


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

I am so excited to again be published in the fall issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine.  It comes out next week, but here's a sneak peek.