BABE! BAY AREA BEAD EXTRAVAGANZA

This is a shameless plug for the last show I am doing this year! BABE! November 17th and 18th.  beadextravaganza.com

I should be writing all about the things I have been doing, which is a lot, but that is my problem. Too much to do! I am finding myself running from one thing to another with little preparation in advance. So, now I am updating my blog at the last minute so if you come here after reading my latest newsletter you will see something new! 

I could write a book on all of the things I have done in the last month but that would be so boring for you! Yes or no? I am never sure how much personal things you want to know. Or if you just want to know about beads and jewelry.  Please leave a note in my comment section below to let me know! I would really appreciate it! 

I am obsessed with everything to do with Day of the Dead or Dia De Los Muertos, the Spanish word. It is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and the world.  It wasn't something I was familiar with when I lived in Minnesota but I came to find out about it when I moved to San Diego. Especially because it is also my birthday. It is also the christian holiday of All Souls Day and All Saints Day.  Tradition is to honor those who have passed by building altars called ofrendas using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods of those passed. 

This is a typical altar.  



My main focus is the sugar skulls and 



the painted faces.  

I watched a lot of you tube videos on how to do this. It has been something I wanted to do but just never did. So this year I was taking my grand girls to Disneyland for a Halloween party and I decided the time was right.  

I can't wait to do it again next year. Maybe I will even practice first! Ha!

In honor of Day of Dead, Halloween, and my birthday, here are some sugar skull focal beads I have been working on.  

My next project is to make a necklace with one and add a body using other beads. At my last show a customer and I were talking and we came up with all sorts of ideas.  I have started working on it but haven't finished. So next time....  

Have a great  Thanksgiving! And if you are in the Bay area of California I hope to see you at BABE! 

And as always, I am at Studio 9 at Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park, San Diego. My etsy store is on vacation right now but that will change after BABE! 

Thanks for checking in! 

Jan

THE LAST HURRAH FOR THE SUMMER!

Yesterday was the first day of fall and here in the eastern sierras it started out windy and chilly. By 5pm it started to hail. It quickly turned to snow but with thunder!  I watched out the window as a layer of snow started to cover the ground.  I made hot chocolate and turned up the heater.  I don't know how cold it got but we were cozy in our little cabin. 

 

View from our front window

 The dogs got me up early and I was anxious to see what it looked like outside.  A beautiful layer of snow on the ground and on the trees.  I remember this from my years in Minnesota. The first snow. Wanting to keep it pristine and not make tracks.  I haven't missed snow all these years in California. But somehow snow in the mountains is different.  The trees are different and of course there are mountains. 

 

About 6:00am

The dogs were having a great time on the deck running back and forth and playing in the snow. But I knew what they were really wanting to do.  Make those tracks!

I leave my heavy coats here along with warm socks and a scarf. I forgot gloves and a hat at home! I am not serious about snow or cold weather! The sun was out and the snow was starting to melt so I knew that once I started walking I would be fine.  I did put some socks on my hands to start!

Steve was curious to see what his boat looked like so that is the first place we went.  Oh my! Lake Mamie was like glass and the trees, well just look at how beautiful!  The boat was covered in snow as I knew it would be.  No tracks down on the dock and I didn't want to disturb that snow. 

Lake Mamie

We saw fishermen waiting for the snow to melt so they could go down to the shore to fish. And others just looking at the beauty like me. 

I knew the dogs wouldn't be happy just looking around so I took them to the other side of Lake Mamie where we always walk.  Well, I walk and they run in circles, in the water, up, down, more circles, more water, you get the picture. 



Lake Mamie with Crystal Crag in background

Aggie eating snow and Lily making a dog snow angel

It is always beautiful but with the snow it was another kind of beauty.  Most likely the snow will be all gone by tomorrow.  A high of 58 today and in the 60's tomorrow. Maybe one day more for fishing then the boat comes out of the water for the drive home in a day or two.  The umbrellas and chairs come in and everything gets buttoned up for the season.  I hope my little flower garden makes it through the winter but I won't know till next June or July. Depending on how much it snows this winter and how quickly spring comes determines when we can get back in the cabin. 

Before Snow

 

After Snow

 

I will back to making beads and jewelry soon! And my etsy shop will be back too.

I have two shows coming up this fall. If they are in your area, please stop by!

Art Glass Guild Patio Show - Sat & Sun - October 12th & 13th
Spanish Village Art Center, Balboa Park, San Diego
Click here for directions and more info

BABE! Bay Area Bead Extravaganza - Sat & Sun - November 16th & 17th
Marriott Convention Center, Oakland, CA  Classes & Bead Bazaar
Click here for more info  

Thanks for stopping by! 

Jan

NEW BEADS & OTHER NEWS

Not a very enticing title, "New Beads and other News".  But I do have new beads!  

My bead Buddie, Donna Struthers, (many of you may know Donna as we have always done the San Diego Bead Bazaar together.) has decided that her days of doing bead shows are over! (I still hope to convince her to join me once in awhile.)

Getting ready for a show can be stressful. We often feel like we shouldn't work in the garden or have coffee with girlfriends. We feel like we should make beads instead. We can never have enough beads and jewelry.  

While Donna has decided to only make beads when she feels like it I have inherited her beads!  We have a similar style but yet different.  I love to use her beads so why not just buy all of her beads? That is what I did!  It is a win win for both of us!  I now have more beads! 

I want to share them with you. 

 
Most of them are hollow beads in browns, golds, white, and green.  They all have a mat finish.

 

 

Here are some fun focal beads with an unusual shape, color and texture.  

Aren't they great? I can't wait to use them in my jewelry designs. If you are interested in any of these beads, let me know.  I will be putting some of the beads on my etsy store but not until September. 

My retail studio in Spanish Village Art Center has been stocked with new beads and new jewelry. If you are looking for something special or just looking be sure to check out Studio 9.  Hours are 11am to 4pm every day.

Take care!  Thanks!

           Simple necklace with dichro nugget; torch fired enamel  leaves and open cog as bail.

BEAD SOUP BLOG PARTY

I have watch Lori Anderson do the Bead Soup Blog Party for a couple of years. I enjoyed looking at bead stashes that were sent out and then seeing the final pieces that were made. Very inspiring! So this time I decided to jump on the band wagon so to speak and sign up.  It is the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party! I have been paired up with Marti Conrad, a ceramic bead artist.  Here is the stash she sent me:

 

They are so lovely!  The green beads and the large focal are the ceramic pieces she made.  The beads on the left are wooden!  I love them!  On the right are some red/gold gems.  The colors go together so nice! I am already thinking about how I will use them.  So different from what I make and that is the point of this. Lori pairs people up so we have to work outside of our box.  

I don't want to post what I have sent Marti as she has not received it yet!  And I want her to be surprised.  So stay tuned for more on this fun game!  

If you want to see who else is participating in the party (there are three different groups!) go to Lori's blog. Click here.  

CYBER MONDAY SALE STARTS NOW!!!

In appreciation of you, I am having a Cyber Monday sale on all of my "torch fired enamel beads" listed in my etsy store. It starts NOW and goes through Monday, Nov. 25th. 20% off all the beads listed!  Use the coupon code ARTBEADS20. 

I am doing this sale in conjunction with the ladies at Love My Art Jewelry. Visit their site at http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com.

I am exhausted listing so many beads. Lucky for me, my husband Steve, took the photos. That made it a lot easier!  I had hoped to list some glass beads and jewelry but just ran out of time. I will let you know when I post them. 

Here is a teaser of some of the beads I posted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CUSTOMER APPRECIATION EVENT AT MY STUDIO IN SPANISH VILLAGE ART CENTER NEXT WEEK. 

 

 

 

TRUNK SHOW THIS SATURDAY - NOV. 10TH

Greetings from Bead Land!

Do you know what Torch Fired Enamel Beads are?

 

 

Stop by BEADOLOGY BEAD COMPANY this Saturday to see what these NEW beads are all about! 

WHERE:      BEADOLOGY BEAD COMPANY

16085 Goldenwest

Huntington Beach, CA

www.beadology.net

(714) 841-8242

                 WHEN:       Saturday, Nov, 10^th  10am to 4pm

Ok, here is the scoop on my new beads! The beads are metal. I start by putting a mandrel through the bead hole and then heat them up in my torch. (The same torch that I use to make my glass beads.) I dip the hot bead in a powdered glass, enamel, and put back in the flame to melt. I add about 2 or 3 coats. 

Since the price of silver has increased over the last couple of years, I have been looking for a less expensive alternative to silver beads and dangles for my jewelry designs. I found it with these enameled beads. I still get to sit at my torch and make beads. The color palette for the “torch fired enamel beads” is the same as my glass beads so I make complimentary glass beads. How less expensive do you ask?

The torch fired beads are priced at $6 to $3!

Here are some samples of my jewelry designs using these new beads. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Jan

INSPIRATION

Lately I have been thinking a lot about where I draw my inspiration for my beads and jewelry. I want a statement that describes my work in just a few words. I am having a lot of trouble doing just that. When I read where an artist gets their inspiration they talk about nature, the ocean, the desert or even recycled products. Me, I like color! I am always seeing colors that I can use in my beads. One day I was driving by a Taco Bell and I noticed their color scheme on the building. Mustard, clay tile, purple, olive green and khaki. I kept repeating the colors in my head till I got home. I made some really fun beads with those colors! I have a jewelry collection I call "Out of Africa". The colors are khaki, black, ivory, mustard, red roof tile, brown, and coral. I used patterns that I saw on fabric. Unfortunately, the patterns were very hard to put on a small bead! LOL! I am drawn to bright colors usually. I love the bold colors of Mexican decor and the soft colors of French Country. Do they compete with each other? How can I describe that?

Where do you get your inspirations? You may do art, interior decoration or just admire the work of others. But you too are inspired by things around you. Do you look at magazines? What kind? I tend to look mostly at the jewelry magazines; Step by Step Wire Jewelry, Bead and Button, Art Jewelry, Lapidary Jewelry Artist, and Belle Armoire Jewelry.  My latest favorites are Jewelry Affaire, Somerset Studios, and Where Women Create. They are all published by Stampington & Company.  For me they are showing all sorts of things other than just jewelry which I have found refreshing.  Do you subscribe to newsletters or blogs? I subscribe to toooo many! But I really enjoy reading and sometimes just looking at the photos. Lately I have enjoyed three newsletters I get from Interweave Publications; Cloth, Paper & Scissors, Jewelry Making Daily, and Beading Daily.  They have lots of photos which I like and great tips for all sorts of crafts.  Even if it isn't a craft I do I have found lots of inspirations from them.  Plus of course I have purchased some great digital project sheets and magazines.  (I am getting rid of my stacks of magazines all over the house to getting only digital magazines. ) Purchasing their products is probably the main purpose of their newsletters BUT I really do get inspirations without purchasing anything.   Most of the time anyway! LOL! I would love to know about places you go for inspirations. Please post in comments below. I am always open for new inspirations. Thanks!

OK, I have babbled long enough so are you ready for some photos. Maybe I have already lost you and I should have put them up front.  Oh well!

I got a new photo set up. I am still working on getting the lighting correct but here are some photos of my torch fired enamel beads and jewelry.

 

 

Large Cones enameled with sky, bitter & tequila slush;

They make a great pair of earrings just as they are.

 

Steel wire wrapped into a heart & enameled in sky, tequila slush & marigold.

Wire wrapped with squiggles (double balled headpins)

Hearts; enameled in sky, tequila slush & bitter.

I think these would make great earrings or dangles for a necklace or bracelet.

 

 Another version of hearts.

Earrings - Purple bead caps with purple crystals.

 

Enameled bead caps; colors sky, bitter and tequila slush;

 

English Garden Dangle Necklace - colors foxglove, marigold, lavender

Discount Admission Coupon for Bead Bazaar

Admission is $3 but here is a coupon for $1 off admission. Click HERE for the coupon.


Thanks!


Jan