Bees and Flowers

Broadway Setup

Today is the last day of our show at the Monticello Public library.  I think this has been one of our better shows.  People have been really nice and seem interested in our explanation of how we make our pieces.  We have had several people state that they would contact us for custom work, so great show.  I also about had one woman (and me) in tears.  The woman stated it was a little late to learn art and I said it was never too late.  I said was in the military and I never thought I would create art.  The woman said I want to thank you for your service and then she said she was going to cry because she was really appreciative of those of us who serve.  Of course then she about had me in tears - I have to say that was one of the most awesome thing that happened at the show yesterday.

Yesterday was the first reveal day for the first group of Bead Soupers.  If you have not checked out all the great creations head on over to Lori's blog and check out the list.

Okay, on with this week's macro shots.  I used photos I took earlier this month of more flowers and of two bees.  I don't know the name of these flowers but I love the color of them.

Enjoy!

If you would like to see what everyone else is taking macro shots of head on over to Studio Waterstone and check it out.

I am off to start blog hopping to see everyone's creations and then mom and I heading to Monticello to talk with customers and then tear down and come home.  I hope you have a wonderful Sunday too!

Miscellanous Stuff and First Reveal Date for BSBP

Yesterday was the start of our three day show, Broadway, at the Monticello Public Library.  Mom and I have to have all the inventory checked in (almost three hundred pieces) and then start the setup and then mom's craziness of organizing the table.  I usually run and hide at that point :)

I think last night was one of our better opening nights at the show.  We sold the elephant wall hanging, an elephant pendant, the lotus necklace (I love that necklace), the three rose necklace (bottom middle), tree of life pendant, our copper leave bracelet (which I never thought would sell), and lots and lots of interest about how we create our pieces.  Everyone seems really interested in our little speech on how we create the bowls/plates/pendants/lampwork beads/Viking Knit.

Even though it is not madatory to be at the show mom and I always go each day.  On Saturday and Sunday we sit and work on our Viking Knit and explain how we do it, plus it shows the customers how the Viking Knit is made.  We usually have a slide show running but I think my computer is on its last legs and mom wants to work on the slide show presentation.  I am thinking of purchasing one of those picture frames that shows images to put on the table so people can see the sawing, enameling, and assembly process.

I had to share this necklace image - last minute creation for a friend of ours - plus she is a wonderful customer and supporter of ours.  She was the one who first asked if we could make a Tree of Life pendant and off we went :)  Our friend works on campus and asked if we could make a patriotic themed necklace for one of her donors.  The donor was going to London for the Summer Olympics and thought the eagle pendant would be perfect.  So mom and I brain stormed, with help from our friend, and came up with this piece.  Mom and I were happy with the piece and my friend loved it - I had to ask her to make sure she actually gave it to her donor and not keep it :)

I also wanted to remind you today is the first day of the Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal.  I won't have time to start today (maybe after the show) but I plan on stopping at everyone's post to see what they have created and I seriously can't wait.

I just wanted to remind you of the goodies we received from Karin.

Here is a teaser shot of our first piece.  You will have to come back on August 11th for our reveal date.  I am so excited to share what we created and to see what Karin creates with the goodies we sent.

Here is a list of the first group of Bead Soup participants: (if the links don't work please go to Pretty Things and check out the list)

Hostess, Lori Anderson, PrettyThingsBlog.com

Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

Alicia Marinache, All The Pretty Things

Amanda Tibbetts, Amanda Made

Amber Dawn Goldish, Inventive Soul

Annita Wilson, AW Jewelry

Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool

Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit

Candida Castleberry, Spinning Spun Sugar

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Cassie Donlen, Glass Beadle

Cheri Reed, Creative Designs by Cheri

Cheryl McCloud, One Thing Leads to Another

Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe

Christina Hickman, Vintage Treasures Jewelry

Christine Hendrickson, Clamworks

Cilla Watkins, Tell Your Girlfriends

Cindy Wilson, Mommy's Dream

Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio

Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie

Cory Tompkins, Tealwater Designs

Cris Peacock, Cris' Page

Cynthia Deis, Shiny Little Things

Cynthia Machata, Antiquity Travelers

Cynthia Wainscott, Exotic Peru

Dana Hickey, Magpie Approved

Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Designs

Dana Lang, Tumblestone Handmakery

Debbie Price, Green Shoot Jewellery Designs

Denielle Hagerman, Some Beads and Other Things

Diane Valasek, Dragonfly Close

Doris Stumpf, Glaszwerg

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell, Dee-Liteful Jewelry Creations

Elaine Robitaille, Too Aquarius

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Enikö Fabian, Perl-eni

Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

Heather Davis, Blissful Garden Beads

Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto Jewelry

Hilary Frye, FryeStyle

Ilenia Ruzza, Ilenia's Unique Beaded and Painted Jewelry

Inge von Roos, Inge's Blog

Jami Shipp, Celebrating Life

Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle

Jean A. Well, Jean A. Wells Handcrafted Artisan Jewelry

Jean Yates, Snap Out of It Jean! There's Beading to Do!

Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions

Jennifer Pottner, Rock Candy Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten, Jewelry, Art and Life

Jenny Davies-Reazor, Jenny Davies-Reazor

Jenny Vidberg, Shyme Design

Jessica Dickens, My Jewelry, My Life, Me

Jessica Klaaren, Beadful-Things by Jessica

JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

Joan Williams, Lilruby Jewelry

Judith Johnston, Judith Johnston

Judy Riggs, Rigglettes

Judy Turner, Silver Rains

Julie Anne Leggett, The Peaceful Bead

K Hutchinson, Jumbled Hutch

Karen Meador, Dreamcatcher Ranch

Karyn Bonfiglio, Plus Size Bangles

Katherine Gale, Terra Beadworks
Kathleen Lange Klik, Modern Nature Studio

Katja Benevol Gabrijelcic, Slovonske Technobe

Kelli Jacobson, Creative Moon

Kelly Ramstack, Adventures with Kelly

Keri Lee Sereika, Pink Lemonade

Kim Ballor, Vitamin C... A Daily Dose of Creativity

Kim Bender-Hora, KimmyKat

Kirsi Luostarinen, Kirsi Luo Korut

Kitty Bozzini, Kitty Lampwork

Laura Demoya, The Bead Therapist

Laurie Hanna, Laurie's Jewelbox

Leah Curtis, Beady Eyed Bunny

Lesley Watt, The Gossiping Goddess

Linda Inhelder, Must-Haves Jewelry

Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog & Meanderings

Lisa Liddy, Metal Me This

Lori Dorrington, Lori's Adventures in Etsy Land

Lori Poppe, Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads

Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations

Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things

Marion Simmons, Shade Tree Studio

Marla Gibson, Spice Box Design

Marta Weaver, Marta Weaver Jewelry

Marti Conrad, Marti C's Clay Blog

Maryse Fritzsch-Thillens, GlassBeadArt, Lampwork Beads

Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio

Michelle Hardy, Firefly Visions

Mikala Coates, Maybe Just Perhaps

Mowse Doyle, HoCArt

Nan Emmett, Spirit Rattles - Spirited Earth

Nancy Boylan, Snazzy Doodle Designs

Nancy Peterson, Beading From the Heart

Nicole Rennell, Nicole Rennell Designs

Niki Meiners, 365 Days of Craft

Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats

Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas
Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs
Pamela Gangler, She Always Loved Pink

Patricia Johnson, Patricia L. Johnson Glass Art

Patti Vanderbloemen, My Addictions ... Handcrafted Jewelry by Patti

Perri Jackson, Shaktipaj Designs

Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads

Renetha Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts

Shannon Hicks, Falling Into the Sky

Shannon LeVart, Miss Fickle Media

Sharon Driscoll, Right Turn Art Werks

Shelby Foxwell, Sundown Bead Designs Rhetoric

Shelley Graham Turner, Fabric of My Life

Sherri Stokey, Knot Just Macrame

Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

Skylar Bre'z, Brising Beads

Stacie Florer, Soul to Substance

Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue

Stacy Alderson, Iridal's Attic

Stephanie Haussler, Pixybug Designs

Stephanie Stamper, Rainy Day Designs

Sue Hamel, The Bottle Cork and Crystal

Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux

Szarka, Magpie Gemstones

Tammy Jones, Jewelry Making Daily

Tania Tebbit, Glass, Craft, & Artful Goodness

Tanty Sri Hartanti, TJewellicious by Tanti

Terry Matuszyk, Pink Chapeau

Tina Bosh, Every Good and Perfect Gift

Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass and Recycled Trash

Vonna Maslanka, Just Vonna

Enameled Pieces and Goodies from the Art Fair

Mom and I worked in the studio on Sunday, I took Saturday to recover from all the shopping Lisa and I did at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair.

While I was enameling mom worked on one of our pieces for the Bead Soup Blog Party.  Also, just a reminder that this Saturday is the first reveal date of our Soupers.  Mom and I have a show Friday, Saturday and Sunday so I will be making my rounds when I can, and I can't wait to see what everyone has created from their goodies!!!

Here is what we worked on:

Paying homage to Karin and her awesome seed beading.

This is what mom has been working on with some of the ingredients from what Karin sent us.  You seed beaders are one crazy bunch of artists let me tell you.  There was a lot of swearing going on, well there was when I started this piece :)  Mom was kind enough to finish it for me.  I can't wait to share it with you all!!!

Here are the pieces I enameled:

Elephant pendant

Birds and Bamboo Plate/Wall Hanging

Koi Plate or wall hanging

I do have to say these are some of the best pieces I have enameled in a long time.  The koi was really interesting to enamel; mom had an image of the koi and colored it in so I knew where she wanted the colors.  I will have to take a better image because you just can't see the colors very well, but I love it!!!

Now onto the goodies from Ann Arbor - yes I went a little crazy. I did have a budget but I sort of slipped on one booth and took out the credit card.  Friday was a mad house of people because it was so gorgeous out and the credit card machines were on over load.  There was about 5 minute wait if you used your credit card.

Okay, on with the show:

First place went shopping

A gift for mom

For me

This booth was awesome - went a little crazy here :)

Gift for mom

Gift for mom

Scrimshaw Artists

I didn't see the details until I looked at my monitor - awesome!!!

 She does work in pencils - fantastic work.  I plan on putting the cards in frames and hanging them on my wall at home once I figure out where I can hang them.  I am running out of wall space for all my paintings and photographs :)

I really loved her paintings but couldn't afford them.  So, she made prints and made them into pendants you could purchase so that is what I did.

I loved his photographs and I finally broke down and bought a rusty truck photograph.  I can't wait to get these all on my walls!!!!

This is the artist booth I broke down and got the credit card out.  I have been looking out her booth for the last four years and I said I am going to do it, buy some of her pieces.  She had a fair special going on so I bought four of her prints.

So, that is it for my goodies.  Lisa went really to town on purchases but she done good to.  We are already planning for next year and the spending spree to ensue.  I hope you enjoyed the photos of the enameled pieces and the goodies.  Now I have to go buy frames for everything and get them hung on the walls.

I Heart Macro - Fire Hydrants

My favorite time of the week - I Heart Macro Sundays.

This past week was our (Lisa and my) annual trip to Ann Arbor, MI for the Street Art Fair.  I am giving major kudos to Lisa for hooking me on to taking photos of the fire hydrants on campus.  Last year Lisa noticed the hydrants and pointed them out to me and this year I took lots and lots of photos of the nine hydrants above.  I am not going to bore you all with the photos just going to share a few of them I took.



Love the paint swirls



Love the drop of white paint flowing

I think this is my favorite with the rust

This comes in at a close second

Love the letters you can see through the paint

Just love that gold color

Now I did modify these photos with Pic Monkey, so not straight from the camera.  I love the rust on the photos and I wanted to enhance that.
Mom and I are working in the garage today to finish up some pieces for our show next weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I also want to take pics of what I bought from the art fair and share what Lisa bought too.  We both made out like bandits this year - so many goodies (mine, mine, all mine!!!!).  I am off to sweat over the kiln and enameling some awesome pieces and I can't wait to share those images!!!