Bead Soup Blog Party - Soups Ready!

I realize that I have neglected to blog about the soup that my BSBP partner, Niki Meiners sent me, but I wanted to keep it to myself for a little bit.  This is my first BSBP so I wasn't really sure what to expect.  Niki did her research to see what metals and materials I work with the most and then decided to send me something that would push me outside of my comfort zone.  *Which by the way is the goal of the BSBP!

She sent me a silver toggle clasp and earwires and sent some copper findings.  Guess what?  She did that because she sent me 2 sets of beads :) 

This is the first set.  Niki created these clay tiles using a Mokume Gane technique blending orange, pink, and yellows with a little blue and purple.

She also sent some cute coordinating beads in orange.

Then she included another set of tile beads with a copper glow to them just as a little extra something.      Woo hoo! 

And here it is all together

An interesting soup that is going to push me to think outside of the box when coming up with my final piece(s).  But you will have to wait until the reveal date on Sept 17th to see what I and the rest of the BSBP participants create.

Much Love,

Shell

Bead Haul

I wasn't lucky enough to be able to travel to Philly for Bead Fest.  I did, however find a wonderful bead show in Chattanooga, Tennessee that is within 15 minutes of my home.  There weren't many vendors, but I had a wonderful time with my mom perusing all the goodies and came home with some beautiful selections.

All of these lovelies came from Seven Seas Beads.  They are absolutely stunning ceramic and natural gemstone.

These are some gorgeous carved Agate roses that I found from a different vendor *alas I cannot remember their name.

These vintage lucite blue and white and the ceramic bead also came from Seven Seas Beads.

These are from a different vendor.  I just had to have them.  The colors are wonderful!

These are from the same vendor.  I love the colors and the shape of these beads.

Again from the same vendor.  Some lovely glass pearls in a variety of colors and some czech glass rondelles.

And these are lovely recycled glass beads made in Africa .

That is my haul from the small, local bead show in Chattanooga.  I feel blessed to have found out about it and came home with some beautiful beads.

Much love,

Shell

A place of my own

No...not an apartment. Although at times that thought has occurred to me ~ not always easy finding a quiet space with a big family. I am speaking more of a place of my own to sit and create.  As most jewelry artists do, I started by sitting at the dining room table while creating my pieces. Until recently that suited my needs and it kept me to close to the heart of the home. Then I noticed that there wasn't much space left for us to sit and eat.  So with encouragement from some friends, I decided to carve out a little niche just for me.

So I started searching for a little space in whatever room I could find some space in.  My house is not very large and small rooms with a big family tend to fill up quickly.  Luckily my mom found a new table for her house and passed to me the dining table and chair set that she has had since I was little.  The new table fit more comfortably in my dining room than the table we currently have.  So when I swapped the tables out, which left some open space in the dining room.

So I pulled up a table from many moons ago from the basement and set about trying to create my space.  It is still a work in progress, but I have a space of my own that is "off" limits to children, spouse and pets alike :).

My work table with no clutter - of course I just brought it up from the basement.

Then I decided to go through and reorganize all my beads, findings, and other misc tools of the trade

Now to begin to fill up the cool tray that I found for such a steal a little while back.

Then I decided that I couldn't live with the traditional plastic bead trays that I have always had a love/hate relationship with, so I went looking for storage.  I found the cutest cart at an office supply store on sale.

Isn't the bunny cute?  My husband and I watched the light box tutorial from Auctiva that Ruth found and shared with so many of us.  The video features a lawn gnome. My husband teased me when I went in the store to grab the tissue paper to remember the gnome.  Alas they didn't have any so I came out with this bunny and he now has a permanent place in my work space.

Now that I am settling in and beginning to work. And as much as I would prefer order in my little space, it more often than not looks like this.  Always filled with pieces in the midst of creation.  New beads that I have purchased but don't want to put away just yet.

 I am still searching for just the right wall shelving and displays.  As I come across the ones that I have in my head, I will update the space and post more pics.

What does your space look like where you create?  Share with us in your blog and feel free to include a link in the comments below.

Much Love,
Shell

Artist Spotlight - Wendy Baker of Bendywho and Sleeping Dog Studio

Yay!  A new feature.  For now this feature will be monthly, but I hope to be able to expand to weekly as I learn more about all the wonderful jewelry and bead artists that are out there in the big, big world.

This month the Spotlight is on uber fabulous Wendy Baker. 

Many of you already know Wendy from her facebook fan page Bendywho by Wendy Baker and her Etsy shop Sleeping Dog Studio. Maybe you have even hopped by her blog Wednesday 3 o'clock where Wendy gives us peaks into her life at home, in the studio, and at shows.  

I want to take just a moment to thank Wendy for taking time out of her very busy and hectic life to answer these questions for me.

I had the opportunity to ask Wendy a few questions.  Here they are with her thought provoking answers.  Mixed in are photos of her awe-inspiring designs.  These and many many more can be found on her facebook fan page bendywho by Wendy Baker.

What do you love most about designing and creating your own jewerly? 

*i get to pick things that intrique me and then play with them until i either give up, get some kind of good or bad result, get bitten to keep working on some technical evolution, or just try to form something i saw in my mind's eye.  i also like wearing my creations to see if anyone else is as curious as i am.

What are some of you favorite materials to work with and create with?

*loads of influences both passive and actively have settled around me to shwo me how other artists express themselves. i always loved the wire and 3-d expressions that Alexander Calder could fabricate with a spool of wire and a pair of cutters.  he could travel anywhere and then create what he saw in his mind. so i love wire...a lot.

also, i have sewn since i was 12. the idea of taking something flat and creating functional 3d wearable art is so gratifying, i have been through a lot of different media, which i suspect is simply a result of materials available and interests evolving over time.

 

How did you get your start in jewelry designing and what have you learned over the course of being a designer?

* i grew up near beaches on long island. my friends were all lifeguards, so i would visit them while they worked and i tried to get a tan. i have always been a collector as well as someone who made stuff from other stuff. so being at the beaches and finding shells, as well as being a child of the sixties, i wound up macrameing necklaces with things i found and waxed linen string. i have always played with stuff i found and played with making other things from it. + my mother is a great gardener. i have 2 black thumbs. i have been able to play with the floral pieces i found to make my own version of lush gardens. i like trying stuff and looking at magazines. also the time before i fall asleep or as i am waking up is vital for my random connecting of dots in creative ideas floating through my mind.

What gives you the most pleasure in career as a jewelry designer? 

*since i am currently making jewelry, i am smitten with a person approaching me to comment on my jewelry out of the blue. this is often done while grocery shopping. this approach validates my sense of accomplishment. more importantly, i enjoy the beaming faces of ladies who try on my work. it seems to transform their expressions.  this is great to watch and feel responsible for!

Where do you get your inspiration for your designs from?

*i read magazines, look at art work, get out of the house to do some errands. it clears my mental cobwebs. this is a really great way to rejuvenate my system.

I really hope that you have all enjoyed this peak into the life of the wonderous Wendy Baker, I know that I have.

If you would like to be featured on the Artist Spotlight, please send me an email.  If you have any suggestions for other questions on future spotlights, please leave a comment.

Much Love,

Shell