Getting ready for Arts on the Ave.

Not much new happening here.. been busy moving into my Studio at the Rotary Centre..  been painting some shelves and putting some of my jewellery on the wall.  Looks good on my burlap picture frames

I have started to get ready for Arts of the Ave at the end of July.. have to be all ready as we will be away and come back just before the date.  I have some new ideas that I want to get done..

Where does the time go... I have been busy moving into my Studio ..  113
                         at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna.. 
Setting up classes and getting all the 'supplies' into the studio.. nice & big and loads of storage...
.

I will be offering classes in Art Glass.. beginner sun-catcher, mosaics, fused glass pendants, Wire work jewellery, and Fragment Art Fusing for now... More to come !!

 

 

                             Fragment Art Fusing

I Will be at the Rotary Centre Friday  June 17  from  10:00 - 4:00

come down  for a meet and greet !!

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop

Thanks to our hostess  Linda Anderson

Well the time has come to unveil my pieces for the Swap N Hop... I received my goodies from the talented Lori Schneider of:  www.beadaddicted.blogspot.com  Here is what I sent Lori:

And here is what Lori Sent me:

I could see that I had my work cut out for me.. I started by picking out a few of the elements that Lori sent and then just following my natural instincts for designing the piece.  I did not have any preplanned ideas for the most part.  I was fortunate that I loved all the colours Lori sent me.   I had some turquoise, red, black, lime  #6 seed beads to add some contrast to the maily turquoise beads.

Here is a sweet little choker necklace I made with the cherry picture..

just added some green glass leaves.

 

Love those memory wire bracelets.

 

 

 Love this sea urchin focal bead..  added some red seed beads for accent. Put the clasp in the front to add scale and interest.

focal clasp

 This elephant was a bit of a challenge.  I ended up gluing a large bail on him and balanced him with two extra large round silver beads.  I graduated the beads for the necklace from large to small.

For this focal piece and lovely clasp I added some green glass leaves, used the white/turquoise beads(interspersed with black seed beads) and some large turquoise beads  (interspersed with lime seed beads)

 

I really loved this fold form copper piece that Lori sent. I hammered 2 holes in the top and added some jump rings and them a piece of twisted copper wire which I put solder on the end to keep in place.  I used my own handmade  glass head pins as stamens for the silver
flower and added some vintage, very tiny, sparkly seed beads to the flat patinaed beads.  I then soldered the flower pieces onto the back of the fold formed copper piece.  I am very pleased with the out come of this piece.  I have wanted to try fold forming for a while now.. so this will inspire me to get busy and try it.
I used a beautiful vintage chain and hammered copper clasp to  finish off.

 



Linda Anderson - Hostess - http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com/...

Linda Anderson http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com Natalie Davidson http://www.northshoredays.com/

Marcy Lamberson http://www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com Kathy Lindemer http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/

Dita Basu Http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/

Kristina Peck http://tealeavesandtinyhats.blogspot.com/ Shai Williams http://www.shaihasramblings.com/

Catherine La Vite http://www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/ Christina Hickman http://vintagetreasuresjewelry.blogspot.com/

gloria allen http://wingsandbeads.blogspot.com Teresa Schurter http://treezstreazurs.com/

Maria Rosa Sharrow http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com Susan Kelly http://mimismilesdesigns.blogspot.com

Jenny Kyrlach http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/ Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com

Terry Jeanette Carter http://tappingflamingo.blogspot.com Lee Koopman http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com

Laurie Vyselaar https://lefthandjewelry.wordpress.com Marianne Baxter http://simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com

Divya N http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com Kelly Hosford Patterson http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/

Johana Nunez http://www.artincendi.com Kari Asbury http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog

ROBIN REED http://www.willowdragon.blogspot.com Kristina Hahn Eleniak http://www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com

Robin Lynne Showstack http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/ Rosantia Petkova http://bairozan.blogspot.com/

Claire Fabian http://saraccino.blogspot.de/ Inge von Roos https://ingetraud.wordpress.com

Rachel Mallis http://mintmonarch.com Sam Waghron http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk

Lori Schneider http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com Fay Wolfenden http://torchfairy.blogspot.com

SEEDERS

Suse Stelljes http://pearlify.blogspot.de Ginger Bishop http://www.lilmummylikes.blogspot.com

Nelly May http://www.smellynelly.blogspot.com Rebecca White http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/

sheila Prosterman http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com

Palak (aka Pallavi Asher)http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/ Krafty Max http://kraftymax.net

Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/ Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com

Katy Heider http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com/ Deborah Apodaca http://deborahapodacadesigns.blogspot.com/

Heather Richter http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/ Tami Norris https://tamisdesigns.wordpress.com

Brandy Scozzari http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com Catherine King http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com

Kathleen Breeding https://www.facebook.com/99BOBOTW/ Veralynne Malone http://veradesigns.blogspot.com

Bobbie Rafferty http://beadsong.blogspot.com Lori Blanchard http://alainnjewelry.wordpress.com

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop

Just a few more hours & I will post my pieces for the Bead Peeps Swap N Hop.. so excited..  I finished them last Wednesday.. Just had to tweak a few of the photos.. luckily

I had great sunshine to take them in...

New Bead Shapes

Another beautiful day in Paradise...Hard to stay indoors & work but have tons of stuff to do !!                
    My new wonky heart bead !!

My latest landscape bead.. unfortunately it cracked when I put in cold water then hot water..  So will definitely make some more but will make them thicker. This was just an experiment..  What do you think???

Swap N Hop Beads have Arrived !!

Went to get my mail today and in my post box was the bead package from my bead partner Lori Schneider of beadaddicted.blogspot.com !!  Wow  what a lot of beads and findings.

I love them all  and my favorite colour of turquoise.. just happens to be my birthstone as well.

I can see that I have my work cut out for me !!

Hop N Swap beads have Arrived !!

Here's a collage of some of the pieces I sent to my partner Lori.. she received the package yesterday..  I cannot believe how fast they got to the Boston area!!

Basically I made everything pictured above except the blue vintage beads !! All the lampwork, copper wire, forged copper pipe, clasps and the pendant hangers (for the lampwork bead dangles)
I am going to put some of my glass beads up on my Etsy site...

Beads on their Way

My beads are on their WAY... mailed them last Thursday

Here's a little peak at the beads I sent.  Hopefully they won't take too long to get to their destination.... near Boston...All the way clear across the continent. !!  I live in a town of about 150,000.  All of our mail has to go to Vancouver and then on it's way to the final destination..

Beads to Go

Getting ready to send my beads to my bead partner.. they are just in the kiln now.  Will be ready to take out after they cool down !! I know I have till  March 15  but I am a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to doing things so hopefully will get them out a few days early !!

Partner Reveal

And now for the name of my partner ...  Lori Schneider of beadaddicted.blogspot.com   I am still busy making some lovely beads !!!

Have to get an idea  of what  colours Lori likes !!!

Torch Work

Going to do some work at the torch today.. I have a few ideas that I want to try out... Saw some beads with trees on them so will make some using my own techniques.... usually a lot of trial and error to make something new and have it come out like what I picture in my mind.

Here is my first try.. I can see that I need to make a lot more  ....   maybe by my 10th try I will have one that I am happy with !!!

Swap N Hop

 Yeah !! I just did a cut & paste for the Swap N Hop  badge ....I am  not very savy about all things technical  .... We will be getting our partners tomorrow... can't wait to see who I will be paired up with !!

Valentine Window Charms

Another wintery day, softly snowing outside... Great time to go in my studio and make something.... working on these adorable Valentine window charms.

I have been experimenting with copper, pewter,  stamped words and solder.  I have made the head pins holding the crystal with copper wire and lamp working.  Think I will include some of these with my Swap & Hop goodies.  Can't wait to see who I will get for a partner !!

Signed up for the Bead Peeps  Swap  N  Hop bead.  Very excited to be participating.
 Will try and add a badge in the next little while... in the mean time I have to get busy on the torch and do some lampworking !!!

 

Think I will make some more of my hammered copper pipe donuts.. I  hang some of my bead dangles from these !!

Burlap jewelry display board

I am in LOVE with burlap... here is a tutorial on how to make a display board.

I had some  bulletin boards lying around and then found some more at the

paint the frame

use glue gun to attach the burlap

just add jewelry !!



  Women's Shelter thrift store and I  did see some at the dollar store.. this is so easy.
  I used the plain side of the board..the cork side is still useable ....e-mail me if you have any questions.

January is almost half over... Have been trying to clean up my studio so that I can post  some pictures of it when it is looking reasonably tidy !!

I've also been web surfing looking at different set ups for taking photos.. After countless configurations  I think I have finally come up with one that I am super pleased with...  Now to find a big piece of very white paper to use as a background.

Found a part of my tri-pod that I forgot I had. A little piece that screws on the bottle of the camera and then just clips onto the tri-pod... LOL   which makes it easier to install & uninstall the camera !! My son had put another piece on the camera when he was taking photography (many years ago) & when he was out this summer I gave it back to him as he is now into photography again. 

This piece makes it so much easier to take pics.

The colour in this pendant is very true to life !!

Wow .... I certainly have not been taking care of my blog lately.  I did so many shows this fall I kind of forgot all about my blog.... Hope 2016  (gosh  that sounds strange to say) is a more productive year !!

I've changed the name of my Etsy Shop to: 

 http://BeadsBitsBaubles.etsy.com 
 it just seems a more fitting name as it kind of says what I sell.
 

I've been busy in the studio working on  some orders, making some more lamp work beads as I was getting really low on beads.... and making a new wine bottle Charmer...  also made some fabulous cake testers out of stainless steel which were a BIG hit at my shows.   Here are some some pics ... 

Wine Charmer....  give to your hostess on bottle of wine  or keep for your self & hang in the window!!

Cake Testers   could also be used for Hair Sticks !!

New Vintage Goodies

Can't believe August is almost over.  Had a big custom order of 27 hammered pennies with initials on them and a couple with LOVE and a flamework flower on them.  That was a lot of work...especially when I had to clean the pennies when done to get a lovely shine.  Yesterday I went out and bought some Tarn X..just pop the pennies in the solution and presto...nice & clean...easy ..  peasy ..would have saved me an hour at least if I had known about it before..not to mention my dirty fingers....thank goodness for Google !!!

 I did have time last week  to head on down to the Women's Shelter & drop off some stuff and then buy some more vintage jewellery.  I am trying to really stream line my house... We have lived here 16 years now and things do have a way of pilling up !!

These will be taken apart and cleaned shortly... I already have a few ideas in mind.  

I have a date with the Kelowna Farmers & Crafters Market this coming Wednesday from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm...LOL  I am not usually an early riser so it will be a new 'thing' for me... If you are in town drop around to see me !!



New Blog Post

I simply must say that it has been a very long time since I last posted:

Have had our 2 teen grandkids here for the last 5 weeks..  Managed to squeeze in  'Arts on the Avenue' ..a fabulous art venue which I took part in.. lucky for me that my fabulous daughter Stacy was here to help me.. It was super hot.. at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celcius..  it was crazy busy.. my best street venue yet..... I will definitely take part again next year.

I have been busy making some new items... It seems all my extra long necklaces sold very well... so I am busy redoing all the shorter ones with extention chains so they are all adjustable.  I think that is the way to go.

The copper chains sold very well along with the silver ones.

I have a date  for our 'Kelowna Farmers Market'  to sell there as well.

I have revamped most of my display props to burlap  and I left some of them in black velvet for contrast.  I even covered 'Zelda'  ( my busty girl) with burlap for a cohesive look..

 

 

The grandkids go home to Montreal on Wednesday so I will have more time to upload some more of my jewelry to Etsy.  I am either buying food, cooking food, or cleaning the kitchen... teenagers are a bottomless pit it seems..  Our granddaughter Sydney grew one whole inch while she was here !!!

 

 We all went horseback riding last week... 2 hours on a horse...very hot but the scenery was worth it....Think I will give that a pass next time...unless I wear a cushion on my bottom...

DIY Burlap Necklace Display

Just finished making my new DIY Burlap Necklace Display.. Went to the Women's Shelter Thrift Store ( I love to see what I can find) and picked up this rotating thing (don't know what it held.. my guess is some kind of condiment in a restaurant and it is fairly heavy so it won't tip over easily.)

I then rolled a sheet of Bristol board into a cylinder and used my hot glue gun to secure the cylinder down the side.  Decide how high you want the cylinder to be for your size of necklaces.  I made mine 16 inches as my necklaces are long.

Then I rolled my burlap around the cylinder and attached it with my glue gun all around the bottom and down the side.  I left about 6 inches of burlap at the top and then glued around the top and tucked the excess burlap into the cylinder. 



When it is all glued just slip the cylinder over the rotating device.

I glued a ribbon around the top to finish off. Here it is with my necklaces on it:

I used miniature clothes pegs to hold the chain at the top but you could use pins also.

This is a great display as it doesn't take up to much table room and I can put about 15 necklaces or more on it.  It can be adapted to any kind of rotating deice.

Hope this was helpful for you.  If you have any questions please e-mail me & I will try to help you.

I am making co-ordinating burlap display pieces so stay tuned & I will show some more of my display pieces.