Pink/White Flower Brooch

This Pink/White Flower Brooch is created by Jenny Lawson. She has made this brooch using a mixture of white and baby pink beads with both large and small seed beads. It measures approximately 6 cm in diameter and is about 2.5 cm high. You can find out more about this piece at http://www.freewebs.com/craftcove/beadedbrooches.htm

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Running in Circles

Spent all day down at the Rock and Roll Marathon- wow there are sure a lot (13000+) of people who think punishing themselves for 26.2 miles is a fun way to spend a few hours. Personally, I'm happy to be the chauffeur and cheering photographer! After standing for over 3 hours I feel like I had quite a workout too though!Finally added a bunch of pendants to the website that came out of the kiln well over a week ago. These little guys coordinate with my zinnia connectors. I seem to get on a roll making certain patterns and neglect others for a while- this morning glory stained glass pattern is one of the neglected designs so I made up a few. I had a few duds in this kiln-load, more warping than usual. I had made a lot of my pendants thinner than my standard and rushed them so there are some wackadoo curves that showed up. Needless to say those guys didn't make it to the website!

I think my petal pink glaze is so sweet and it plays nicely with other colors! It's just the color I need after this weekend of "May Gray" and drizzle that we've had.

Sale Item of the Week!

I'm doing my sale item of the week a day early - because tomorrow I get to announce the winners of the Top Commentators Contest! I'm so excited :) It'll be fun :) Anyway - here's all the info about this week's sale item:

I had a lot of fun putting this necklace together! It's a nice mix of the sweetness of Spring and a little bit of punk. I made it using black hemp and white wood beads. Each bead has fun spring flowers on it. 

No Metal - perfect for anyone with metal sensitivities! 

The necklace is approximately 16 inches long.

Hemp Jewelry Information:
As you wear your piece the fibers will bind tighter together and it will slowly gain a "smoother" appearance than it does initially. Hemp itself is very diverse in it's uses, and has been around for thousands of years! It's use in macrame become popular because it's not too slippery and it's very sturdy. Macrame has been around for centuries, and it's use in jewelry has recently seen a revitalization. I hope you enjoy my pieces!

This week the necklace is only $16 plus $2 shipping and handling! 

Taking a Route, I've Never Pursued

(Vintage Jacket, Charlotte Russe Dress, Dirty Laundry Boots)

"Set me Free"

Do you remember this project I talked about? 

Well it's finally done!

This has been one of, if not the, hardest projects I've ever done. Letting myself go and just create randomness was much harder than I ever imagined it would be! I usually couldn't work on it for more than 1/2 hour at a time because my brain would just start tweaking out on me :P

Ironically enough - even the center piece was really challenging for me. I would have thought that would be the easiest part since it was the only part with a pattern to it (my own btw). However I couldn't come up with a color combination I liked! 

The finaly result was actually take 3.

I chose to name this piece "Set me Free" because butterfly's, to me, are very light hearted and free creatures. Combine that with the free form of the rest of the pattern, and it just seemed appropriate!

This bracelet is approximately 7 1/2 inches long. It contains 7 different colors of size 11 seed beads, 4 colors of size 6 or 8 seed beads, pearls, hex beads, square beads, and even a few pieces of amethyst! It is fastened using a bead with another butterfly, and a loop closure of seed beads.

This piece is OOAK - One of a Kind. No reproduction will ever be made. I couldn't even if I wanted too :)

Like what you see? You can buy it here for $70 plus $3 tax :)

I worked on several other small projects while creating "Set Me Free" because there were times I wanted to keep creating, but I just needed to take a break from it! One thing I made was just for me. Hey - Sharla - it's purple! :P Sorry the picture is fuzzy. I had a bad asthma attack last night and my hands are really shaky today, I'm amazed I was able to get semi-decent shots of "Set me Free" - I didn't try to hard for this one since I'm not listing it :P

Tutorial: Bead Weaving A Bracelet

Have finally completed the tutorial for making bracelet using bead weaving method. This tutorial is using pictorial step by step guides that are easy for even a beginner to pick up the skills.

Selling at USD1 only. If you are interested, make the payment thru my paypal account at janecgy@yahoo.com and indicate the name of the tutorial as Tutorial: Bead Weaving A Bracelet. I will then send you the tutorial within 24 hours through email.

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Surgery Went Well....

photo credits...

Thursday's surgery went very well. I will be recovering for a few more days being advised to rest for seven days. I can still get around and do things, but I have to favor my left arm taking it real easy on it. I'm still going to try to drop cards over the weekend, but should return on Monday...I hope.

In the mean time....have a great weekend!

Friday's Featured Artist - Chelsea Lynn Designs

Welcome once again to Friday's Featured Artist! I'm excited about feature my friend Larry today. I've gotten to know Larry because of BHR and plurk - and let me tell you he is one awesome guy! He's been a major encouragement to me, and I'm excited to let all of you meet him. So without further ado...

1. What type of art work do you do?

I'm a scrollsaw wood artisan I've been addicted to the scrollsaw for going on 22 years and I use recycled and recovered wood in as many pieces as possible

2. How did you get started doing art work?

I've been artistic and creative all my life so it naturaly progressed as I got older they say its becuase I'm a Libra but I don't know about that

:-)

3. Do you do any other crafts?

Yes I love to paint Landscapes and lighthouses are one of my favorite subjects I paint on just about anything I can get my hands on including saws rocks old boards. I try very hard to use recycled pieces in all my work.

4. What's your favorite piece in your shop right now?

That would have to be my fretwork Christ on the Cross I'm very proud of that piece and draw my inspiration from it

5. Where do you sell your work?

I sell at local craft shows and I have a shop on Artfire at ChelseaLynnDesigns.artfire.com

6. Do you blog?

Yes I have a blog at chelsealynndesigns.blogspot.com

7. Are you on any social networks you'd like to share?

I twitter at twitter.com/Glorybound67 and Plurk atplurk.com/ChelseaLynnDesigns

8. Do you watch or listen to anything while you work? If so, what?

Yes I'm alway listening to Blockhead Radio at blockheadradiolive.com or my oldies from the sixties and seventies

9. Tell us one random fact about your self *wink*

I am disabled and on oxygen but I try really hard not to let it limit my creativity in any way.

Larry is also involved in a couple of endevours to help other artisans that I wanted to let him share about - so here they are :)

Well the Crazy Train was born out of the Artfire Forums it was the brainchild of Paula Picard of Picard creative It was a little idea to help promote each other that turned into cross country express. Larua from LaDeDa Creations is now in charge of the the CT project and I write and voice all the radio ads on Blockhead Radio (which BHR has donated the airtime for). You can still sign up for the crazytrain by looking in the artfire forums for the signup thread But be warned theres a long waiting list we headed toward 200 riders on the train and I'm not a third of the way through the ads each ad runs 2 days.

The Indie Arts Studio was yet another of Paula Picards Ideasshe set up the origanal site then brought me onboard as a web master for the site. the site is for artisans to promote there shop and arts and thats all its for right now until July it is free to put up your ad on the site starting in july it will cost a small 10.00 per month fee to advertise we don't keep this money for ourselves all the money will be put into ads for the site to draw traffic to the site and all the artists ads. we think this will be a very sucsessful way to advertise as we will be able to pool all of our money to buy bigger and better ads. you can see the site at http://www.indieartsstudio.com/Indieartsstudio.html

I've been a busy little bee...

Ok, don't worry, I know today is the day for Friday's Featured Artist, it will be up later today! I'm kinda short on time this morning and I want to make sure I do justice to this wonderful artisan's work so I'm going to put it together this afternoon when I have more time :) 

I've been a busy bee listing lately. Renewed items, putting items in Artfire that I've had in Etsy, even a new item in my Mom's shop! (see the first picture) Remember that if you leave a comment on what your favorite piece is (and why!) you'll earn TWO entries towards my top commentator contest :)

Walk With Me

(Men's Hanes Shirt, F21 Skirt, Dirty Laundry Boots, Grandma's Belt)

Koreans are health freaks. I haven't seen one fat person since I got here and my body is considered average. i.e., I'm not considered skinny although I'm considered tall and voluptuous, which i find really funny hehe

From the food they eat (I haven't eaten anything gross yet, Thank God) to the work outs they do people really take care of their health. (some take care of their health a little too much)

This area is located right behind my grandma's house and the whole asphalt floor or whatever has some kind of cushion underneath it so that people could run, walk and work out without getting a sprained ankle.

I wish the States had something like this. I'd be running around everyday then.

Superstellar Red Carpet necklace

A stunning creation from Miriam (CieloDesign)from Israel. Her favorite beading activity is bead weaving. Apart from jewelry making, she is also an avid Tarot reader, teaching and lecturing throughout Europe. Find out more about Miriam at her shop here at www.cielodesign.etsy.com

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I love Artfire!

I've seen a lot of things that I really like about Artfire since I joined, and I've been super excited this week! First they brought live the new studios. Which means we get to do a lot of customizing. So now my studio is purple themed, and I have two promo buttons on the sides for different groups/teams I support. I need to get one up for my blog next... Anyway, go check out my shops new look! 

NOW they brought back the Free Ride program! Which means that every verefied account that signs up using my link gets me credit towards not having to pay a monthly fee! So if you've been thinking about signing up, or upgrading to a paid (verefied) account, and you LOVE me, please use my linkage! You can click below - and I'll also be sticking a widget on my left side bar :) 

Thanks and I hope your having a great day! 

Register on ArtFire.com

Accessorizing your look with jewelry – the bride’s guide

For a bride, adding the jewelry to finish off her look is that final touch that brings the entire ensemble together. There are a few items to consider when selecting your bridal jewelry that will help you narrow down your selections.

First, consider your dress. Is your dress white, ivory, champagne? Select pearls and crystals with that color scheme when thinking about your jewelry. Does your dress have a pretty embellishment of crystals or crystals and pearls together? You are going to want to translate that directly to your bridal jewelry. In addition, consider your wedding band and engagement ring. Are you wearing gold or silver colored bands? Select bridal jewelry with the same metal tones to keep your look congruent.

Secondly, what style neckline does your beautiful bridal gown have? The necklace style you choose should coordinate with the neck style your gown has. For example, if you have an open back gown, then a beautiful long lariat style necklace would be the perfect way to accessorize with that gown. Many bridal gowns are strapless, almost any style necklace can match with a strapless gown. If you are looking for a simple look, go with a single strand or y drop pendant style necklace. If you are looking for a more dramatic flair, choose a choker or a multiple strand necklace with beautiful beading.

The third and item to consider is finding a bracelet and/or a pair of great earrings to match that fabulous necklace you’ve chosen. There are a great variety of options for earrings, from chandelier and linear earrings to drop styles and posts. As long as you keep your color scheme congruent throughout, you really can’t choose the wrong pair. A bracelet is that final touch that brings your whole look together. Follow the same rules as with the earrings and your color selections will sparkle and shine together.

Lastly, choose jewelry that is sized right. Finding a jewelry designer that can create beautiful bracelets and necklaces that actually fit the way you need them to is key. If you have a long neck and a plunging neckline, you may need that twenty inch necklace, but if you are looking for a shorter style necklace, the option needs to be there so you look put together.

What ever jewelry you choose to wear will become a great keepsake for you and your family. Wearing your bridal jewelry after the wedding is a great way to keep that special day and all of those memories alive forever. It’s nice on anniversaries to take out that necklace, earring or bracelet that you wore on your most special day to remind each other of the commitment you made together.

http://www.bonitaj.com/

info@BonitaJ.com
888-430-2623

Which is Your Favorite Piece?

Now that byhand.me has their spotlights fixed - it's time to do a run down on some of my most recent listings or relistings! Which is your favorite piece? Leave me a comment and let me know! All comments about what piece you like will earn you TWO entries into my monthly top commentator contest! 

In the Forest

(Vintage Jacket, super old F21 dress, Chinese Laundry Shoes)

I can't wait till it gets super hot so I could go to the beach.

But then again, I realized that I don't really have any friends here in Korea. lol

I'm a loner...

Feature Thursdays....

Today's feature is about a blogger friend of mine, Duni, who writes her Lovely Purses blog. She always has new pictures of bags she is working on and designing. Duni lives in Germany and sells her purses online on Dawanda. Duni has been enamored with vintage fabrics since 8 years of age when she acquired her first piece. As you can figure, this little piece led to quite an extensive collection of fabrics in which she features in her pieces. To combat creative road blocks, Duni dons her sketchpad and turns to the fashion media for inspiration. She also finds inspiration watching romantic comedies, keeping all her designs and ideas in sketchbooks in various places in her home.

Peace Bag

Dunibagz

Duni has watched her products evolve as fashion evolves and newly designed materials become available. Her bags have even found newer shapes in place of the more traditional shapes of purses. While working her wonders at the sewing machine, Duni prefers to hear silence to minimize distractions, save for the occasional bird singing by her window. On an alternate craft-medium, someday if time permits, she would really love to develop scrapbooking skills. Duni truly admires those with artistic scrapbooking skills using papers and embellishments. Perhaps someday she will design little pocketbook scrapbooks to sell along with her purses!

Vintage Red

Duni prefers to keep her sales on the internet. According to a recent poll in Germany, the incident of internet sales are on the rise. Duni likes how simple and easy it is to conduct transactions online for both sellers and buyers. In reflecting on her most memorable moments in her business, Duni feels that working with difficult fabrics would fit the bill. I don't know about you, but I have had a few bad brushes with difficult fabrics in the past (whew!), so I totally respect artisans who can work with them easily. As far as obstacles in her business, Duni identifies time as being her biggest nemesis. She recognizes that one has to get a lot of exposure to grow their business and she is working on a website as well as promoting her site with her blog, business cards and on Dawanda itself. However, she is a freelance translator and tutor during the school terms (she speaks fluent English and German) and this prevents her to produce the amount of bags she would love to produce. Perhaps over time, Duni will be able to meet her goal. She is a very motivated, disciplined individual and I have no doubt she will excel!

Sleepmask Millifluer

I asked Duni if she had any advice for new business owners and this is what she had to say:

"Stay focused, be determined, be dedicated to your chosen craft, follow your passion!" Duni, I couldn't have said it any better myself!



Now, mosey on over to Duni's shop and drop a comment on what you think about her sweet bags!

Last Chance!

It's the last chance to save money in my Etsy-versary sale! Everything in the shop is 20% off between now - and whenever I wake up tomorrow! Do you have something you've been keeping your eye on? Now's the chance! So head on over to my shop and check it out :) There are a few new items too...

On a totally different and completely random topic - I've discovered that I do enjoy cooking. I've never really had a chance to learn to cook too much because between health problems and just being insanely busy...there was never much time to cook! So I knew the basics, and I can follow a recipe really well, but there weren't a lot of dishes in my repertiore. 

Then, when I got really sick we took a bunch of foods out (mainly milk) that took away over half of the dishes I knew how to cook! It was so frustrating! Add that too being a newly wed, both of us being picky eaters, and just not having the energy/health to cook much...

Yeah, for awhile there I was just completely depressed about the whole cooking thing. Lately though, I'm enjoying it! I've finally found enough dishes that we both like, and that are easy to make when I'm not feeling great, that cooking in and of itself doesn't stress me out. So now I'm having fun branching out and exploring some!

My fall back though? If it's leftover it'll probably find it's way into an egg burrito for breakfast or lunch :P I tried a lemon chicken recipe the other day that was ok, but the hubby didn't really like the rice that it cooked in. Which was funny because I liked it and usually HE'S the rice freak. Anyway, there's some chicken left over from that with just a hint of lemon flavor to it. So I fried up the chicken with some onions and garlic, mixed it into some scrambled eggs, and put it on a tortilla with lettuce and olives! Ok, olives for me, and cheese for the hubby :P I miss cheese, but there's no reason to make him miss it too!

So that's my randomness for today :P

Bead Weaving Tutorial Starflower Earrings Tutorial

Watch this video to stretch your herringbone stitch skills

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Tuesday's Tips #5

Can you guess what today's tips are about? That's right - joining teams and guilds! I chose banners from two of my favorite teams to start out this post today. The Etsy Bloggers and the The Stalkers. I'm on several other teams (more on that later) but these two hold special places in my heart! The bloggers because they are the team I have been a part of the longest, they have some awesome people, and they feel like family :) I'm still pretty new to the Stalkers over on Artfire, but I love the mission of promoting others, without telling them what we're doing! 

Ok, enough about me, WHY am I bringing up teams and guilds? Because I think that they are a very important part of the selling experience. 

If you remember last weeks tips I talked about making connections through your blog. Well, another important place to make connections is in the communities that you sell in. Forums can be great tools as well, but I think that teams and guilds provide the core of the support you need.

Simply put, most teams exist for a purpose. It might be to promote a particular type of art or craft, it might be a unified passion, it might even be a common location, but whatever it is you are likely to be surrounded by a community of people who have similar interests. If you have a question or need support, these are the best people to turn to! I've learned a lot from my various team mates and I consider it to have been invaluable experience. 

I also know that MANY of my sales have been either direct sales too or trades with team mates. Now how great is that?

Before I say anything more I should say that I don't know as much about other selling venues. I'm on etsy and artfire - but look around whatever other sites your on and see if they have teams or guilds or something similar! 

So how do you find the team/guild that's right for you?

1. Location based is always a great way to start. It's the best way to find out about local events and resources.

2. Does your shop specialize in something? Like jewelry, paintings, cards, or knitting? Well there's probably a team all about YOUR medium! Which can be great for personal growth in your artwork :)

3. Do you have a passion like blogging, being a Mom, or living green? That's right, there's teams for that too.

Things to look at when choosing teams to join:

1. What are their requirements? Do you meet them?

2. What do they require of active members? Is it going to put to much on your plate?

3. Is it an active team? Or is it just kinda sitting there doing nothing? A team that's really active might be too much for you if your schedule is full, but on the flip side there's really not much point in joining a team that's completely stagnated.

Now since I'm talking about teams and guilds I want to give a shout out to my teams and guilds! Before I do...just be aware that I'm a stay at home disabled woman ... therefore I have more time on my hands than most of you!

On Etsy:

 ~ The Etsy Bloggers - because we love to blog and we love each other! Search "etsybloggers team" to find our stuff :)

~ Team Big Damn Crafters - geeks who love the show Firefly and love to create new items inspired by the show! Search "teambdc" to find our stuff :)

~ The Etsy Bead Weavers - because we love to work with tiny little beads to create beautiful creations :) Search "ebwc" to see our monthly challenge item and follow our blog to vote in the challenge each month! Search "ebw" to see the rest of the teams incredible work :)

On Artfire: Still getting to know these guys - but having fun!

~ The Stalkers - Not as scary as it sounds! Each week our fearless leader picks a different shop - and we all go out to promote it! I love doing this :) 

~ Pacific Northwest - There's that local connection I was talking about!

~ Blogfire - Um, did I mention that I love to blog? I missed the last carnival and I was sooo sad :(

~ Artfire Beadweavers Guild - Haven't really had a chance to get to know these guys yet, but I love to weave beads so there I am!

So what teams are YOU on? 

Busy Week...

Picture Credit

Therefore, I have to take a break on the Tips Tuesday. I have my final dental appointment today to have the temporary crowns replaced with the porcelain crowns. I can't wait! I had the Zoom whitening treatment a week ago (I don't recommend getting it done unless you love pain you can't control!), but it sure looks great. Took me up 8 shades whereas the ones you buy at the pharmacy can only take you up 3-4 shades. I will never regret getting mini-dental implants, however, please be sure to go to a reputable cosmetic dentist. I am fortunate enough to live in the same area as the man who perfected the mini-dental implant, Dr. Todd E. Shatkin. He took the standard dental implant and perfected it into the mini-dental implant.

Tomorrow I have to get my son to school at 5am for his Boston trip and Thursday I am having surgery, so I may have to lay low this week. I will definitely get the Thursday Feature posted, so please be sure not to miss it.

I hope everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Memorial Day!

Wow! I've had a buuuusy day :) But it's been fun :) No, I didn't go out and do anything, my asthma has been so bad lately that planning anything was pretty much out. The good news is - I've been breathing clear all day! Which means I've gotten a lot done - and lots that I want to share!

First, I did a treasury blog in honor of our Troops, and I put a simple tribute on my Jedi blog.

I've also done a bunch of listing on Artfire - pieces that you've already seen on my etsy - but I'm excited about putting them on Artfire! Plus they put the studio fusions live to day on Artfire. Basically, we have a lot of customizability now! I really like it :) Go check out my shop to see how it looks and see the new listings! 

I made myself a new bracelet this weekend - and I promised some people I'd show it off - so here it is! And yes, I said, it's actually for ME :P I don't do that often enough >_>

I also started a new project this weekend that is a big stretch for me! Here's what I started with...

Don't you just love the snazzy super-girl pajama pants? My evil twin made them for me :)

Ok, so I'm making a free form peyote bracelet. I've seen a lot of these out there in various forms, and one of my Etsy Bead Weaver team mates encouraged me to try it. I've been wanting to try one but not sure where I wanted to start or what I wanted to do. Then over at Thursday Sweet Treats this week the challenge is for butterfly's. That's when I knew! The center does have a pattern, a butterfly, but the rest is just as the spirit hits me ;)

What you see here is 3 days of work so far. Which is...incredible for me these days. Usually three days and I'm done with a project. Unless I don't really work on it, but I have been working on this! It's not that I haven't been working on it, it's that I can't work on it for very long stretches at a time. My friend who encouraged me to try one said it could be very "zen-like," not for me! Not having a pattern is actually really challenging for me. I'm not sure why. 

I'm enjoying the challenge though. I don't think it'll be done in time to submit it to Thursday Sweet Treats, but the important part to me is the journey and the growth as an artisan :) I'm not sure if I'll do any more like this once this is done, but I do know it'll be awhile before I'm ready to try another one! 

Just a quick reminder - I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop for my Etsy-versary! 

Have a wonderful rest of your Memorial Day :)

Guess Who's Back?

The shoes I've packed for my trip

(Random white flannel, Hollister Shorts, Dirty Laundry Boots)

For a month, unless I find the perfect pants that fit me well, you guys will only see me in shorts/skirts or dresses due to the fact that I totally forgot to pack my jeans. No wonder everything fit in one big luggage.

Aimeeways,

I am now in my grandma's house in South Korea and she has the best view ever. I was here like 6 years ago and I remembered the amazing ocean view from her place and the ocean view is now even better since Korea has gotten their own little bridge across the water.

Aside from being amused by all the high tech in this small country,

I realized that driving in a foreign country can cause a major traumatic experience. I was seriously horrified by the way people drive. No offense to anyone but I think Korean men might have the worst road rage ever..

After yesterday's horrifying driving experience I have now handed the key over to my grandma's driver and have absolute no interest in driving here again. haha