Jumat, 31 Desember 2010

A New Chapter...

As I say goodbye to 2010...


I think about the many moments that I have known this past year...


I think about those times where I aimed for the stars and soared passed them...


I think about the everyday miracles that I tend to take for granted...


I think about the times of darkness that took the colors away...


I think about the flashes of synchronicity that seem to seek me out...


And I think about the possibilities that have yet to unfold and of what the future may hold...


Thank you all for being there with me on my journey this past year. I look forward to all the places we will go together in 2011.

A happy, healthy, and creative new year to you!

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Monthly Challenge Blog Tour

Thank you for joining us for our first Monthly Challenge blog tour!  Our participants created jewelry inspired by our Monthly Challenge painting and blogged about their creation.  Visit the links below for a look into their creative processes and inspiration.  Check out the awesome prizes that YOU can win at the bottom of this post.
Paulmbo Polymer Jewelry created three versions of her entry and you can get a peek into the creative process where she shows how she made the mold for her pendantHere is the second take of her pendant paired with vintage jewelry components. And the third time is a charm, it's amazing to see how using different colors for her focal bead can completely change it's look. 

Mad Maggie Designs shares what happens when her muse strikes.  I love the beaded toggle clasp, it's a beautiful detail.

Zenith Jade Creations was in inspired to pair her polymer clay focal beads with gemstones in two fairy themed designs: 1st entry & 2nd entry

Kristi Bowman Designs pulled out a de-stashed treasure and lampwork beads for her necklace.

Beautifully Broken Me takes her cues from Fitzgerald's use of color in her necklace.  I love the copper and resin bezel paired with the Picasso glass beads in a warm red.

For My Sweet Daughter alters Vintaj findings with alcohol inks in her woodland pendant.

Birgitta Lejonklous was inspired to create a wearable storm with her porcelain pendant.  She created two pieces of jewelry mixing art beads and fibers for this challenge and ended up with a whole series of pendants for more fairy inspired jewelry.

Subversive Bead Surprises rose to the challenge with seed beads and resin this month.

Too Aquarius created a drool worthy necklace of polymer clay floral components with glass accents.

Makin-Art paired a collection of seed bead leaves with a beautiful glass lampwork bead in her unique necklace.

Klassy Joolz found a perfectly whimsical focal bead for her lampwork bracelet.

Ex Post Facto carved out some time at the last minute during the busy holiday season to whip us this robin inspired creation. 

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And now for the goodies!  We have three special blog tour sponsors.  The first two prizes will go to one of our blog participants.  The other 4 prizes will go to 4 lucky readers.  To enter in the reader giveaway leave a comment.  I will randomly draw our 5 winners on Monday.
One of our bloggers will win a copy of Cynthia Thornton's Enchanted Adorments thanks to Andrew Thornton for sending us copy.  This lucky blogger will also receive a pair of ceramic pendants from Spirited Earth.
Now for 3 of our lucky readers, I have three beadmaking books from Lark Books: Ceramic Bead Jewelry by our own Jennifer Heynen, Making Metal Beads by Pauline Warg and The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking by Kimberely Adams.

One of our readers will also win this charming pair of ceramic pendants from Spirited Earth.

To enter to win the books and pendants let us know in the comments below if you plan on our entering the monthly challenges in 2011 and what would make you more likely to enter.  (Noting that I can not help with adding extras hours into days.) Do you want to know the challenges ahead of time?  Are you tired of art inspired challenges? Let me know your thoughts for 2011! Blog participants you can enter the reader giveaway too.  You can leave a comment until Sunday at midnight to enter.

You still have until Midnight tonight to enter our monthly challenge and win beads from Gaea and Fired Up Ladies.

Have a Happy New Year!

The Last Card Project of 2010

I decided to mail Happy New Year cards this year instead of Happy Holidays. This way, I'll be the last card people receive and hopefully the card will stay out little longer into the new year!

The project was fairly straight forward for me. My Janome sewing machine did get a few hours of work as I whipped up these last 50 cards for 2010. I opted to sew the main image to card stock, but it looked a little plain, so the addition of a little bit of gold webbing made it much more festive.

This was a point at which a coffee break was needed.
I was wondering why I didn't just mail out Christmas cards like everyone else....its not like I don't have a couple of hundred in inventory.....

But soon, the main card was done and the insert and label were in place.

My last step was to sew on these tiny brass number 1 charms.
So many of my jewelery supplies end up on art cards!
Happy New Years Everyone!

Kamis, 30 Desember 2010

The Year in Review

I hope you have found our monthly challenges inspiring over the last 12 months.  I love seeing everyone's creations and I'm astounded by what our creative readers submitted.  Here is a review of 2010 with my favorite picks from each month.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of your wonderful art bead jewelry designs in 2011! 

Join us tomorrow for a blog tour of this month's submissions and don't forget to blog about your creation and leave a link at this post. (Click on the link.)

 
January - Magpie by Claude Monet

 
February - Luna Park by Vestie Davis

 
March - Almond Blossoms by Vincent Van Gogh


 
April - Insula Dulcamara by Paul Klee

 
May - The Juggler by Marc Chagall


 
June - Marcelle Lender Dancing the Bolero by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

 
July - Blue Feather by Alexander Calder

 
August - Sunrise by John "Jack" Savitsky


September - Persia by George Barbier

 
October - Drama Medallion by Hildreth Meiere

 November - Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt

 
December - The Storm by John Anster Fitzgerald

Check out all of the submissions for our monthly challenges on the Art Bead Scene's Flickr Group.