Resolutions for the New Year!

Increasing the possibilities!

I have been doing a lot of soul searching the past few months about changes I want to make, things I want to let go of and how to go about it.  For me, the biggest is learning not to have to be in control all the time... not to have to be a perfectionist...to remember that everything usually works out the way it was supposed to anyway!  So, I have set my sight at just letting go, being more spontaneous, and trying new things. 

I recently found this quote-

and it got me thinking-how often I forget to act like I did when I was younger-to be open to new possibilities, have fun, laugh more.  I love learning new things, so why not try new experiences?  I've started my list and I'll share as I mark them off.

Do you write resolutions for the new year? 

How many do you keep?

Merry Christmas!

Hold your family close and have a wonderful Christmas!

 

 

 

Late Birthday Present

Excited!!!

For my late birthday present, my husband decided to have cabinet made to hold "all" of my beads, findings, etc.  We discussed the way I would like it to look-size, height, number of drawers and paint color.  I didn’t go with him to explain the use and my vision for the cabinet to the cabinet maker. 

So, I’m wondering…mistake? Will it be what I envisioned? 

Here is what I got!  MORE AND BETTER THAN I IMAGINED!

Thank you to Jerry, the cabinet maker!

"Twisted Sistah"

Two Years Ago I Fell in Love!

 

I was in  Diane Cook's jewelry class in Houston, Texas about two years ago and the student next to me had on the most beautiful necklace I have ever seen...I fell in love with it.  She made it in Diana Frey's "Twisted Sistah" class at Art Unraveled in Arizona the year before.  Well, I knew I would probably never get to Phoenix even if the class was ever taught again.  But that didn't stop me from drooling over it. 

I looked up Diana's blog and began to follow it in hopes of seeing a class.  Come to find out she lives on the west coast.  But what about me?  Where could I take the class? 

 

The Fates were with me!  YES!  She was going to teach the class online beginning in September.  Of, course I signed up and this is my "Twisted Sistah" necklace.  The wait was definitely worth it, Diana is a wonderful teacher. Her teaching style-giving extra details and safety information is right up my alley.

 

This is my necklace and I love it!

 

 

 

What classes have you taken or are looking forward to?

 

 



The Challenge of ...Social Media!

I'm new to all this...Blogging...Facebook pages...Pinterest...Etsy!  When I say it has been both confusing and hard for me, I'm not kidding.  Too many things to try to figure out at one time. 

I am a little bit of a perfectionist-no that isn't true you, I am very much a perfectionist.  I might as well own up to it.  I decided to start a blog but before that could happen-I needed  no I had to have everything just right complete with a pretty blog design. Karen Valentine of Valentine Design  set up and designed my beautiful blog.  I could not love it more, it feels like me. If you need a design, Karen is your woman! 

So now I have the beautiful blog and am trying to learn how it all works-hard  for an old girl!!  I should have patience, after all I didn't grow up with a computer in my hand-but I want to know it all now and it is a challenge trying to figure it out.  How bad is it when you have to ask your 13 year old grandson how to do something?  But no more complaining, I'm very lucky to have children and grandchildren who are so computer savy!  I keep Whitney, my daughter-in-law busy with questions!

So moving on to Facebook-I have my own personal page, should it be hard to add a business page?-I would have thought not-but yes that is not easy either.  And what about Pinterest and selling on Etsy?  Taking good pictures-I won't even go there.  I guess it is getting harder to accept that I'm getting older and some things just don't make sense to me. 

But I do like to learn new things, I'm hanging in there and I will get it.  Eventually!!

I'm saving Flicker, Twitter and Instagram for later...much, much later!

 

How about you....what challenges have you had learning how to use 

social media and how have you managed?

Help is welcomed!

Getting Ready for the Holiday Show

The Carteret County Arts & Crafts Coaliton will begin a three week Holiday Show in just one week on November 18.  This will be a first for me and I have been working like crazy trying to get new pieces made. I don't really know what to expect but I'm sure I will learn a lot.

These are a few of my newest creations...I love using bits of the past in my jewelry

The pendant was made from a vintage drawer knob

plate and an earring.

 

A snippet of vintage lace is encased between

soldered microscope slides.

 

 What do you get when you take an old watch, vintage

rhinestone chain, and a 22 caliber shell casing?

...a great necklace!

This is what I have been up to...

It has been a while since I have made any jewelry, so there is no time like the present to get started again. This is some of what I have been up to.

 

A small compact with a bit of vintage lace and a bead are the focal of this necklace.



I found the tiny tin that held watch maker's parts at Cameron's Antique weekend.

I love crazy quilting and used a snippet in the hand soldered pendant.



 

What have you made lately?

 

 

Prettying up my Workspace-Computer Chair Makeover

What a difference an hour can make!

 

 

Am I the only one with an ugly old hand-me-down computer chair in their workspace.  I have wanted to upholster it for a while and just kept putting it off-I don’t know why it has been so hard to tackle.  

 

Why do we put things off that make such a change with so little effort?

The ugly chair before…

The back comes off

One yard of fabric and a few staples

And the transformation…I love it! Why did I wait so long?

What have you done to improve your view?

 

A Charm Bracelet Started It All!

 

How My Journey Began

 

 

It was 2008 and there I was just minding my own business browsing through the latest jewelry magazine and then WHAM on the back cover was the most beautiful charm bracelet featured in an ad by Fire Mountain Gems.  It had soldered glass charms, pearls and was calling me. 

 

I have always enjoyed making things and have tried most every kind of handwork in the past.  My philosophy has been that I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to.  Liking the bracelet so much, I knew I had to learn to solder and try to make one.  I took a class at Ornamentea in Raleigh to learn the proper soldering technique, went home and played around with resizing pictures

and this is what I made.

 

The next step in the journey came as I was reading Artful Blogging magazine in late 2010 and came across a beautiful article by Diane Cook of rosa-josie's blog. I found that I had a natural affinity for her jewelry and the vintage heirloom feel she created.  I started reading her blog and came across a reference to classes in Houston, Texas at Adorn Me 2011.  This was all foreign to me, but with a push from two of my daughter-in-laws, I decided to go.  When I say this was a big step for me-I'm not exaggerating.  It seemed frivolous and a little out there to do but I signed up. March 2011 found me in Houston just to take two of Diane's classes.


Rhinestones & Rosaries Class



Etched & Layered Cuff Class
 

 

This was the beginning...follow your heart and dreams and you will find your passion!

 

What started you on your way to finding your passion?

Bloggers Conference in Raleigh, NC

Hope to meet you there!

I'll post pictures and tell you all about it when I return.

Yard Sale!

Sometimes you find a treasure...sometimes you don't

 

I look at going to yard sales and estate sales as treasure hunts.  In most hunts the treasure never appears. But sometimes, luck is with me and I find treasured items that to some look like junk.  But to me, they are small prizes that avoided the trash pile and will be turned into beautiful jewelry.

 

Treasures from a recent estate/yard sale

 

Does anyone have suggestions for cleaning silver? 

I have already tried silver polish and this is as clean as it gets.

 

 I'll post a picture when I use some of the treasures...but until then-Good Luck  Hunting!



Last Saturday's Excursion

Checking out a venue

I'm new at doing shows and so far, have only participated in outside shows.  Several friends were doing a show in nearby New Bern, so I wanted to check it out as a possibitily for next year.

Saturday found my daughter-in-law, my youngest grandson and me on a little trip to New Bern Convention Center.

The venue was lovely, right on the water with a beautiful view.

Inside there were lots of artists, classes, demonstrations, and activities for children.

(Vendors had help unloading their wares, furnished skirted tables, volunteers to relieve them

and best of all-tempeature controlled setting!)

Pamela Holiday with her beautiful pottery

Beautiful Paintings

Activities for children

Barbara Bell with her beautiful felted hats

Nan Gilbert of Beads in My Bonnet

Sue Lawrence of ELEMENTS  Artful Accents for Your Style

Classes

After the art show there was still time for a stroll down the beautiful streets of historic New Bern.

Views of the bears painted for New Bern's 300th Anniversary Celebration.

Some impromptu street musicians

And lunch at a quaint little restaurant

I think this show is for me!!

Love/Hate

Have you ever sold a piece that you really loved?

I like every piece of jewelry I make but sometimes there is that special one that I want to keep.  Before you put it up for sale you ponder…but then try to sell it with the thought…maybe it won’t sell and I’ll keep it. I did that recently.   

I was in a thrift shop and found an unusual glass and wire flower.  There was a friend in the shop and wondering if I could use it in jewelry, I approached her and guess what…coincidence…she had donated the very piece for sale.  Anyway, it looked interesting, so I bought it. 

This is the glass flower-

 

The petals and leaves were wired together and wrapped with thin stripes of foil.

 

This is what I made.  The green and aqua beads are from a necklace that I found at a yard sale.

 

 I love it when an idea comes together!

 I recently did a show and the necklace was one of the first pieces I sold-love/hate! 

I wanted to keep it but let it go to someone who loved it enough to wear it away! 

 Oh well, I still have more glass leaves and petals-

Just Jump in!!

Just Jump in!!

Easy to say…hard to do!

How to start?  What to say? Do I have anything interesting to contribute?

Is anyone interested?

I know I can't be the only one with these thoughts running through their head before jumping in as they say.  Rationally I know that I’m not the only one-but still it is hard to open up and put myself out there! 

I have read many first blog posts to see how different people started and followed to see how their posts progressed and finally have realized-that you do just have to jump in and just start…so here goes.

My start…

So a little about me-I live on the beautiful coast of North Carolina.  You can see the ocean from our little historic town, Beaufort.  And only a few minutes drive to put your toes in it.

I have always loved hand work and have tried many different types.  Love most things vintage with a story, the romance of the 40’s, family history, collecting postcards, reading and romantic movies.

About 5 years ago, I became interested in making a soldered microscope slide charm bracelet.   Took a soldering class and this journey began, turning into my elusive (until now) passion.

And so I begin my blog journey…

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my new blog! I hope you find many things to delight and inspire you. Please come back back when I have had a chance to fill it with wonderful things. :)