Excuses, Excuses and More Excuses!

I know, I know, anyone who still reads this must think I'm a total flake...and, well, I wouldn't blame you!  I think about my blog, but just rarely get over here.  I could say I'll be around more often, but let's just say--I'll try!  These two guys take a lot of my time and interest these days--

who can blame me for wanting to hang out with my sweetheart and our precious grandson instead of digging in like a hermit with my beads and baubles?  With two precious grandsons to melt my heart and make me smile, and play 'til I'm exhausted--don't blame me for forgetting about beads, and blogs and everything else most of the time.  It won't last long enough, so I'm going to savor it while I can!

 

I have managed to find a little time lately to work on a few simple designs, just to try and get back in the swing of things.  I've gone back to my lampwork roots for now, and put the gemstones on the back burner, but who knows what will strike my fancy next week.      

 

I enjoy so many things that settling down is difficult, especially when I have the luxury of choice these days.  But a recently returned art glass artist tempted me back to my beads and now I'm getting excited about all the new ideas and beautiful art glass that seems to be having a revival--at least for me.

 So, tell me how you've been?  I have my excuses, what are yours?  Maybe I'll try a contest, or tutorial or something to draw you out of your shell, so you'll talk to me again?  Or maybe I'll go back onto hiding....

    Whatever you're doing, I hope you are happy, and healthy and enjoying every day! 

Raku, Enamel and Me

 Last week I splurged with some cash I had sitting in my paypal account and purchase a few enamel beads from Kristen (theBeadSwede) on etsy.  I love every thing enameled. and when I saw her shop I had to have a couple of pieces to play with.  When they arrived I was delighted--they were very well done, quick to ship, and a perfect size for using in jewelry. 

 At the same time I was digging thru my bodacious, but slowly dwindling lampwork stash and ran across some gorgeous raku  discs and orphan urchin beads by Dawn Scannell (Art Insomnia)  that I was toying with for bracelet design...I just happened to lay one of my new enameled beads next to the bracelet I was working on, and a new idea to pair them together made me think it was meant to be.

 I like asymetric, saturated color and mixing metals...so all together they went in a frenzy of organization  before I lost my excitement about these components...or decided to hoard them in my stash, because I couldn't part with them...Copper and 22k gold vermeil, an amethyst gemstone charm, an enameled copper flower charm, a whole wrist full of the most gorgeous saturated, detailed lampwork treasures and it's a bracelet!

I had so much fun with this...now I can enjoy a whole strand of favorite things together--it's like they were meant for one another.  They're off to my etsy store one day soon, but today, I think I'll just enjoy!  Thank you Dawn and Kristen for making such beauties to brighten my day!

How to Turn Sizzle into Fizzle

Yep, I'm talking about my sizzling summer sale of the past week.  It was a phenomenal fizzle.  I'm not complaining, but just musing a little about what's happened to my little 'business' that really has been more of a 'hobby that paid for itself'.  I know I suspended my blog and didn't pay any attention to my etsy store for a couple of years while we were off trying to figure out some family issues, and I know the economy has shrunk the potential customer base, and I also know that there are almost 22000 lampwork bracelets and almost 25000 lampwork necklaces on etsy and jewelry has just saturated the market which certainly figures into the equation...but I also know there are some innovative and fabulous designers out there who are selling alot of beautiful jewelry even with all that. (Whew, how is that for a world record run-on sentence, lol)  I have to conclude my designs are a little stale, a little underwhelming, not innovative enough.  I think to distinguish yourself ,you have to be exceptionally innovative, original and find a niche where the market isn't so saturated.  Right now, I'm just I'm falling short. I get plenty of views and even lots of favorites in my etsy store, but I suspect it's mostly other jewelry designers looking for inspiration rather than buyers finding just what they're looking for at my place.  Hint to you other designers out there:  you probably aren't getting much sellable inspiration in my etsy store, because nobody is buying what I'm selling!  For sure, lampwork jewelry is a hard sell right now,and that was my original niche in the jewelry market. Another thing I've noticed is sterling silver and vermeil are used very sparingly right now.  Presumably to save costs, but I'm seeing designs with base metals and czech glass that are more stylish and selling for as much as my artisan lampwork, gemstone and sterling silver designs...so it's not the materials, it's the designer and maybe a little bit--the marketing. 

Now here's the bottom line.  I have boxes full of findings, gemstones, artisan lampwork and all other kinds of quality jewelry designs materials...I can either try to sell it all off at cost or below or use it for therapy--to please myself.  So, of course for the most part, as you might guess, I'll keep playing with my little treasures, use the materials I have to design things that are esthetically pleasing to myself.  Keep some, gift some, keep an etsy store and pretend I might sell some...and generally do what I started out to begin with--have a wonderful hobby that gives me a creative outlet where I can go and forget some of the everyday stuff that clutters my mind with confusion.  Fortunately I have wonderful family and friends who at least pretend they are delighted to get my little treasures--and for the most part I think they are--if only because it is a little handmade part of me that I made with love and my time.  And that is quite enough for me, shouldn't it be quite enough for anyone?  And who knows...maybe I'll get my mojo back and think up something fabulously innovative and gorgeous that will bring the world knocking at my door...and if I don't it's still cheap therapy!  (well, maybe only cheap while I'm working thru my bodacious stash, built up when I could sell everything I could make)  >^..^<

Thanks for listening to me think out loud....

Sizzling Summer Sale

What's summertime without a sale?!?  Check out my etsy storefront for a coupon code to save 25% on everything in the store.  It's time to make your favorite designs part of your wardrobe before they're gone.  Sale ends Thursday, July 12th so don't delay!!!

The Great Experiment

While not exactly a patriotic color theme, this pendant with it's beautiful detailed colors and harmony brings to my mind the great experiment that is the United States of America with it's melting pot of cultures, all brought together---maintaining our individually, but woven together in unity.  Our founding fathers, with inspiration from our Heavenly Father, crafted a constitution giving us the opportunity to stretch ourselves as we take responsibility for our own lives--giving us liberty to do so and the opportunity for our own pursuit of happiness.

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Now a little about the beads in these two pieces.  These were torched by one of my all time favorite lampwork artists--Julie Wong of uglibeads.  As far as I know, she's retired from the torch now for several years.  She was making one of a kind, highly detailed, and precision perfect beads with fabulous stringer detail long before anyone else, I was aware of.  Such a perfectionist she is, and it shows in her beads.  I've held these for a long time knowing there would probably never be anymore Julie beads for me, but finally I've put them into a couple of designs that make me happy.  I value them highly,reflecting the art I consider them to be, and it won't hurt my feelings if they stay in my inventory for a long while; since to me, they are timeless works of art that gladden my soul.  Love you Julie--nobody does it better. 

And on one final notel--happy 4th of July---Independence Day---my beloved country!!!  Long may our Star Spangled Banner wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Spring Cleaning=Destash

Yep, selling off some of my stash---too many treasures, too little time.... a small sampling...

 You can check them out in my vintage/destash etsy store-- http://www.allweneedislove.etsy.com/

I'll be adding some metal beads and gemstones soon as well.  Just trying to whittle down to a reasonable amount for the occasional hobbiest I've become.

Some Random Thoughts

Just some random thoughts here....instead of making soup with my stones, I've decided to just use them to embellish my soup tureen...see, I told you I'd find a way to use them....lol.

 I can tell it's summertime here at the beach, I actually see people when I take my walks now. Mostly I'm used to solitary walks on the beach, where I'm surprised to see more than one or two people along the whole strand...lots of birds, and dinky crabs, even a jellyfish or two and the neighborhood sealion--but people, not so much...but now they're coming to enjoy what I enjoy.  I especially love to watch the familys with children--building sand castles, running in and out of the surf, laughing and playing...reminds me of when my grandson is here and I can share in his delight of everything surf and sand..and makes me miss him all the more!  Solitude is sometimes overrated...there's a time and a season.

Yep, once upon a time I did Viking knit and I found this piece stashed away in my treasure trove of goodies, so I put it in my etsy store last night  http://www.rickitic.etsy.com/  I also 'reopened' my vintage/stash store on etsy http://www.allweneedislove.etsy.com/ and added some lampwork from my stash.  It's time to let go of a few things that haven't called my name for awhile and declutter.  Do they call that Spring Cleaning?  Not sure, but today is the first day of the rest of my life!  Have a good one!!!

Luscious Lampwork

It's time to take a look at some of the dazzling lampwork I have in my stash and see what I can do with some of my beauties...so out came my box of Manuela Wutschke's beads that I've been hoarding and here's my latest effort....if you think I like bold colors, you might be right!

Talkin' to Myself

Yep, that's pretty much it--just talking to myself.  Isn't that how it should be, after disappearing for so long? I seem to have these little interludes of motivation and then fall by the wayside again.  You know once it's on the web, it never dies, so let me share some fun stuff!  I'm going to be a grandma again--this will make our second grandchild.  One almost three year old gorgeous, exhuberant boy and another baby boy-in-waiting to be arriving in mid-September.  We are all so excited. One family in Texas, the other in California--that will be the hard part on the grandparents---how to be both places often enough to enjoy both families.  I guess that is always the way...Since one set of grandparents live in Brazil, I won't complain about not being close enough!

Mitch and I have a peaceful respite here at the beach while he pursues some of his business dreams, still in California, in spite of my best efforts, lol.  Texas had my vote--our son's family, warm friendly people, and a vibrant, optimistic mind-set that won my heart...I think it was a whole summer full of nothing but 100 degree plus weather that nixxed the deal, and sent us scurrying back to California to regroup. 

Enough of the family stuff, here are a couple of new designs inspired by my walks on the beach...

Something Old....Something New

Back from the dead?  No, just awakening from a loooooong sleep.  Life is always full of twists and turns, and it's been awhile since I've been in a place where I could do much but just take care of life.  No guarantees I'll be around alot, just sayin' I'm here today and maybe tomorrow too!  I'm still enjoying the relaxing pace of knotting gemstones on silk cord, but I've also gone back to my early love of artisan lampwork, dug thru my stash and added that back to the mix. 

Hence, something old--a gorgeous focal pendant by artist Catherine Ondrey that I've held on to for several years, knowing that she doesn't intend to do anymore work in this style and something new---a double strand necklace with faceted turquoise stones to feature her beautiful focal.

There's a few more tricks in my bag...maybe...

Endless Summer

Well, with warm sunshiny days and beautiful sunsets like this, it did seem like summer was endless last week at our cozy little beach cottage! We woke up to a drizzly rain and foamy surf this morning, so maybe we will have a little autumn after all.

Inspired by my 'window to the sea' I just had to put together a little homage to the beach with one of my delightful lampwork beads by Vickie Miller, some turquoise stones and a little bit of silver. More coming sooon...my workbench is calling.....

Sooo...Are you Curious????

Here are the fruits of my labor yesterday--after playing and playing and playing again with the limited stash I had, this is the neckace I made from the beads in the picture I posted yesterday. I was going for something quite long--36" long in fact that was playful and modern. I wanted more artisan lampwork, but I just had to make do with little accents I had. So cinnabar, Bali sterling silver and onyx had to fill in the gaps. Wouldn't it be fun someday to give a half dozen designers the exact same supplies and see what we all come up with. I'm sure there wouldn't be a similar piece in the bunch. That is the really fun thing about jewelry design to me. There is no right or wrong and you can let your own muse sing, as much or as little as you like. Life is like that really, we all have the right to choose our path and wouldn't it be boring if we were all exactly the same??? I certainly think so!

Who said "The world is so full of a number of things, I think we should all be as happy as kings!" Find something to be grateful for today! My list is overflowing.

TIP OF THE WEEK: How DO you String a Bracelet ???

Remember all this week--buy one get the second item of equal or lesser value 50% off...plus leave a comment to be entered to win the beautiful rose quartz bracelet shown on Monday, February 2nd post!!!

So, if you don't already make some of your own jewelry, maybe you've always wanted to, but weren't sure where to begin. Let's start with the basics....I'm not going to write a complete tutorial for stringing in this post...but I am going to link you to one.

Now when I was first learning I found a wonderful tutorial online and it's still my favorite---with step by step pictures and directions. The tut is by Julie Ferguson at www.fergiebeads.com . Go to the website and on your left click the heading--tips and tutorials. Click on 'how to make a bracelet and dangle' and you're good to go! This same basic skill works for bracelets, necklaces, ankle bracelets, etc. It's easy peasy...so get going!!!

Of course the first step is to get your supplies together. Julie's tut tells you what tools you'll use. You'll need stringing wire...Julie, uses beadalon, but I prefer soft touch or soft flex...either will work. You'll need a pair of crimp beads--try to get sterling ones...they are sturdier than base metals. I like to use bullion or french wire to finish off the ends of my bracelets, but it's mostly cosmetic, not essential. Julie doesn't use it in her tut, so it's up to you. You'll need a clasp--so many choices, pick your style! And of course the beads you want, to reflect your design ideas--gems, crystals, pearls, lampwork, resin, metal...the choices are endless...here's where the fun comes in. If you want a dangle or two, you'll need head or ball pins, plain or fancy to wrap your dangle. I like a finished length of about 7 1/2 inches...your clasp will add about 1 to 1 1/2 inches to the length, so the 'bead' part of the bracelet will only be about 6 to 6 1/2 inches before you finish with your clasp...so now that I have you totally confused...go look at Julie's tutorial and then come back and see if it doesn't make more sense...and send me a picture of what you make, OKAY?

If you don't have a clue where to go for supplies, your local beading store should have everything you need or want. If you prefer shopping on the internet, here's my fav one stop shopping store.... http://www.artbeads.com/ What I like about artbeads is--they carry quality supplies at reasonable prices and ship absolutely any order free anywhere in the U.S. They ship quickly and have all the basics. I primarily purchase wholesale...but when I'm in a pinch and don't want to place a huge order with my wholesalers, I still turn to artbeads for a little this or that....it's quick with free shipping it's a deal! So if you want 2 crimps, a small spool of beading wire, and a clasp...they're not going to make you feel like a nuisance, so that's my little tip for you.

P.S. Etsy and Artfire are great online places to go if you're looking for artisan beads, gemstones or other goodies to use in your designs--I'll talk more about them in another post--- http://www.etsy.com/ and http://www.artfire.com/ Maybe you'll find your own favorite place that I've missed...but I hope this will help you get started if you've wanted to, but been just a little afraid to make a start!

Three New Valentine Bracelets To Share...

Three more new bracelets to share today...definitely in a romantic/Valentine's mode with lots of florals and feminine colors and just a little saucy. The Heart of Africa $94.00 in black and white with just a touch of pink and tangerine. Let Me Call you Sweetheart $84.00 features encase floral lentils in spring green and pink. Midnight Lace $77.00 in tan, black and white with beautiful encase florals and etched whitehearts.

Of course all the bracelets have only sterling silver components and artisan lampwork by various artists--Jena Fulcher, Kimberly Lynn, Corina Tettinger and Melanie Egan if I remember correctly. Natural gemstone charms finish off each piece.

Have A Heart

Well, I held onto this little stash of beads for awhile. Love the 'Lily Pulitzer' colors of spring green and pink. I think it's because they remind so much of my garden in the back yard with all the pink roses that I love. Two artist's beads contributed to this design--Jena Fulcher and Barbara Gorko. They both have a way with florals that I love. Have A Heart $81.00 has only applied florals--little rosettes and forget-me-nots on transparent and opaque bases with some rubino encase with the green dots for a little pop. These are so delicate and well done that I love the feminine look you get while mixing them with the other lampwork and silver in this piece. I take great pleasure in choosing just the right silver pieces to compliment the lampwork---I hope you can feel the love that goes into every design.

Today's a great day to express your appreciation to someone you care about. There are so many people around us that make life better. Reach out with a hug, a smile or a thank you and brighten someone else's day...and make your own better for the doing!

Close To My Heart

This locket charm bracelet 'Close to My Heart' is my latest addition. The heavy duty double link chain was handmade and the Turkish filigree sterling locket will be perfect to hold your favorite little treasures. Additional charms are an artisan lampwork bead by Catherine Howard and gemstone briolettes--smokey quartz and champaign citrine, with various complimenting freshwater pearls. Not much else going on here except spending time playing with jewelry design. I did take time out last night to cheer my daughter on at her soccer game, which was a fun outing on an unseasonably balmy evening!