It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!!!!

I almost wished away the whole summer because I knew it would be almost over before this book came. Such is the way when you pre-order. But last week it finally arrived and I'm so excited.

A Charming Exchange

The photos are delicious. You can see the detail in each piece. The projects are fresh. New (to me) links, one's that I've never seen before. My head is still reeling from all the incredible eye candy.....but the best part....the instructions for the projects are well written and stepped out. Even a jewelry newbie could make beautiful pieces. It's written in Kelly's voice....just like she was sitting there next to you. It's about jewelry, it's about sharing, it's about collaboration (one of my favorite things!), it's about making some awesome pieces of art jewelry. I totally love this book. (It's right up there with Semi-Precious Salvage by Stephanie Lee) I feel inspired and can't wait to get some bench time. If you love swapping, charm swaps, making jewelry....this is a book that you should have. But it won't be on your bookshelf, this is the book that stays on your bench. The one that you grab to have a peek at to get your creative juices flowing while you're listening to your 'tunes' and sipping your coffee. Job well done ladies! You guys ROCK.

Photo used with Kelly's blessing ;-)

Some new things

It's late and I should be sleeping. But instead I'm going through some photos. Took almost 100 pictures off of my camera tonight so I've been tagging and sorting. But here's a few that I wanted to share.



This first one are some inchies that I did for a swap on the BookArtz group. They are 1 inch square. I did 16 of each color & rec'd some wonderful returns. They were fun to do.

These are the the beginnings of the pile of returns that I sent back from the charm swap that I hosted. I wrapped up the packages before I stuffed them into envelopes. They've been received by the participants and everyone is enjoying their returns. It was another fun swap. I had started to make a second set, ended up using some for fill ins, and a few became earrings before I was even finished- I'll have to grab a photo of those too.....I liked those!

Copper and sapphire swarovski crystals for a swap on Adornmentz. The copper was treated to a heat patina then hammered around the edges for texture.

Oh, these are terrible photos. But they are on the other side of the country now so these pix will have to do. For the same swap- copper washers hammered, then married with indicolite swarovski crystals.

And lastly, for the same swap, hammered and heat treated copper together with emerald swarovski crystals. The theme was earrings using swarovski crystals in case it wasn't obvious. Although I don't use them very often, I did really like this design. I'm going to do some more with little gemmies. Iolite, garnet or moonstone- I've got some pretty little rondells of those 3 stones. And all three would be pretty with copper. Notice how there's a crystal on the ear wire too? It was a nice touch to bring the design together, however.....I think I should have given them a LOS dip. Next time.....it was an after thought. I should have the returns from this swap in the next week or so. Looking forward to it!

More pieces out of the tumbler and photographed.....but it's time to me to head off to dreamland.



Be happy!

BookArtz Charm Swap

I almost forgot to post the pic of these charms. We're doing a charm swap and here is a few of my offerings. I'm looking forward to adding some of the charms from this swap to my bracelet that I always wear.....you know the jingly one.





I cut the copper sheet, used my new dividers....straight lines can be a beautiful thing. Then I filed the edges and corners. Drilled holes. Tumbled them. Grabbed some pages from an old book (1920's) and started tearing & burning. The smell of vintage paper burning isn't pleasant. Then I used gel medium to adhere the paper. I scanned this before I added jump rings so that I could get a better scan. Then I added the jump rings & bagged them up. Twenty five of them. Well I made more, but 25 are for the swap.

My oldest had a look at them while I was working on them & said they looked like something from the movie National Treasure. Then I realized that I had made them right after we watched the movie. Sometimes it amazes me where inspiration comes from, when you aren't even paying attention or looking for it. That's the best kind!

Lots of other things going on around here. I do have some pieces that need to be properly photographed. I envy people who have the knack to hang a piece on a tree and have an awesome picture come out.....I still struggle with every photograph. Lighting is my main issue.....and I'm still working on it.

The last ET Deco

The last Eiffel Tower deco from the RR. Mailed this off today to it's owner, hope she'll be happy with it.

Art time has been scarce lately, but this afternoon I got to work on a couple of things so hoping I'll have more to post soon. Yup- I'm not nearly as prolific as some of my art buddies!

Technique Postcard

Every month Karen posts a link to a technique on BookArtz and then there's a postcard swap using that technique. This one was just a blending of acrylic paints but here's the postcard that I mailed off. I love the pic of this guy!

Finished tumbling a batch of metal so there should be new jewelry pieces soon. I'll post them here as I photograph them to post on etsy.

New Earrings

I love these pearl earrings. They are oxidized and that gives the wire wrapping such dimension. I've just listed this pair in my Etsy store. All of the findings: the oversize ear wires, the jump rings and the headpins were made by myself. Then I wrapped the pearls, oxidized them and hand polished them to a beautiful shine. (Can't tumble pearls). They have a nice swing to them as the pearls move around as your head moves. And the color feels very much like spring to me. Someone will enjoy these for a long time. ;-)

And there's one more pair....

This pair starts with a scroll made from a vintage dictionary. It's then wire wrapped in sterling silver and a spray of gray and peacock pearls dangle from the bottom. My camera didn't pick up the iridescence on some of these beauties. This pair can also be found on Etsy. This is similar to the pair that I made for myself (a few posts ago) and I got so many comments by email and people walking up to me that I thought I'd make another pair. The only difference with this pair is I've used the oversize ear wires on these. The sterling findings on this pair were also made by me.

I also made my Mom a pair of earrings for Mother's Day but didn't get a photo of those. And today after weeks of waiting.....a very special pearl order was delivered. Loads of pretties in that box & I can't wait to get started playing with them. I got some copper, black, peacock, green and this batch has some larger pearls.

Scroll Charms

I really haven't been around too much on the "boards" or here. I've been working on things that aren't art related. But I did want to share some of these with you. They started out for a charm swap but I think I'll use them for some things that I've got upcoming. I did a few in silver also that I'll be making into earrings, but I think these will be a great addition to a charm bracelet. The green ones are made from hand painted paper & the other from a vintage dictionary. These are done with copper with a swirl at the bottom. See that lone swirl at the bottom? I do everything in stages. First the scrolls, then they are sealed. Then it's time to wrap the scrolls, and swirls to go on the bottom. There's a lot of wrapping/ twisting at the same time.....a lot of hammering at the same time.....and then wrapping & twisting. As the pieces are ready to be assembled- they go into a bag to keep the tarnish to a minimum until I'm ready to put them together......then I'll grab a handful to "age" them. Copper gets a lovely warmth to it after a few weeks of sitting out.

I really haven't been able to spend the time in here to make things, but here shortly I'm hoping to get in here to wrap up some things. But I will say that my idea journal is filling up.

Time to go get dinner ready.......if I could get the little ones to cook I'd have more creative time.......we're years away from that happening! Thanks for stopping by. Sometimes I'm amazed at how many people come by for a visit ;-)

New Earrings- Paper & Pearls

Those that know me know what a tough day today is for us. DH did a major project to keep his mind busy. But it wrecked my creative space until the "improvement" is done. LOL. So I didn't get as much done as I had hoped~ I was rather hoping to keep my mind busy too. On a better note, the improvement is in the space where I create so it should allow me more room & better storage for all my junque!

I did finish a pair of earrings & dug out the camera to take a pic. (yes I know....still need better pix) These are sterling silver & a variety of pearls with a vintage paper "bead". I really like these, they are long & feel kinda sexy swirling around. The drop just happens to be a great length. This pair is for me but I think I'll make a similar pair for my etsy space.

I'd love to hear what *you* think of them!

More Charms

I was just looking through my blog & had a sudden realization that I forgot to post these charms. (Yup....I'm sooooo loving charms!) These I made in November but mailed them in to the hostess in January. These are for Amber Dawn's swap on the ICE Group. It's a 21 for 20 swap. I spiraled copper, hammered it then added beads & wrapped a loop. Yup, lots of practice on spirals & wrapped loops. Once I was more comfortable I made the wire bead & the heart one. I like that one. The puzzle pieces were primed, painted with 3 colors (Navy, Sage & Copper) and sealed with varnish on the sides, top & bottom. Holes punched then sealed again. Some have text added to them. Added purchased jump rings. I'm excited to be getting the swaps back although I know (from being a hostess myself) what a daunting task they have ahead of them. ;-) I can be very patient, it'll be well worth it in the end.

One more charm swap & this one I'm hosting. My charms are a smattering of ones I've made and ones that I've been playing with. Have been doing some experimenting. More playing with wire & some other things. I will update more about this soon because like the other swaps....I want to start a blog to have a somewhat permanent/ long time record of this particular swap. I've got the go ahead from the list Mom's, now I just need to get it set up & stuff. This weekend will be dedicated to wrapping projects up & working on the computer. ;-) I've got to back it up, upgrade some programs & I want to do some tweaking on my settings.

Another Paris Deco

Honestly....not sure that I like this one. But it needs to go on to its next destination by mail tomorrow so it's gotta fly. This is in one of the decos for the RR in the BookArtz group. While I know what I don't like about it, I couldn't "fix" it without starting over. I used a napkin as a base for my background & didn't like the way it looked, then I didn't seal it before adding a glaze so it muddied it up. So I added more color with the neocolor II crayons. Have I mentioned yet this month how much I love mine? Even though I've barely scratched the surface with various ways to use them, I love the way they add a bit of color to what I'm working on.....and I like them smudged a bit. ;-) Tonight is the Superbowl & if the game is a snoozer then I'll get started on the next Paris deco in my pile, if not then I'll start it tomorrow.

I need to make more hand painted papers though.....I've hit the bottom of my pile. So I'll also be cleaning off the workspace in that part of my room here & starting on some of those.

Teeny Tiny Collage

After seeing these tiny 1 x 1 collages on Christi's Blog- I just had to give it a go. Boy oh boy.....this is small! There's not much room for anything & I found the hardest part to be- cutting out the images. When time permits.....I'll make more. ;-) I see them popping up on various blogs so I'm sure I'll be swapping them soon. It is certainly a great way to use up scraps! And I need that since I save even the tiniest pieces.

Edited to add comments:

Patty M said...

Stacie, Love your little 1x1's. I have worked on puzzles but this is another challenge. Will have to try. Great Blog.

1:56 PM

Keri said...

This is the first time I have seen such tiny pieces of art. I love them. You're right, it is hard to cut out such tiny things. It's also hard to get to much detail in such a tiny ploace. You did a wonderful job. You have also inspired me to use up those little scraps I usually toss away.

9:11 PM

Stacie said...

Thanks ;-) Between these & some altered business cards I'm using lots of scraps up. Guess I'm really jsut making room for more!

S

More Paris

My mind has entered a fantasy world for a little while. Well not so much fantasy because I did have the good fortune of visiting the city of lights when I was younger, in the early 80's. It was a long time ago. But.....my mind gets to go back there because of some projects that I have coming up. A Paris Chunky book, which I have been painting backgrounds for the last few days. And a deco RR with the same theme. I know.....normally I don't like deco RR's, but it's on BookArtz & some wanted to do a deco but have never done one before- so that's the way it was set up. Here's my deco.

Did you ever finish a project then want to change something? For some reason I thought that piece of paper should overlap the black piece......till I was done, now I don't like it. But it was too late to change it. Now I know next time I won't do that! ;-) But I did like all the layering on this.

The binding was new for me but I really liked it. I've got another one started but it's on the back burner right now so I'll just work on it when I'm in the mood. Really want to finish this chunky book first.

Not so Vintage

This is a spread that I did in an AB. I think my friend Brigitte will be surprised. She's probably expecting something a bit more vintage. I hope I don't disappoint her. There ARE a couple strips from a really old bookpage. It wouldn't be from me if I didn't add that! ;-)

Edited to add comment:
Stacie! I love this page. I am impressed with your original artwork and the fact that you don't use much of the premade artwork (stickers...lol) that so many of us use. This is just a really neat page!

Cathy

Lottery Entry- Out of Africa

This was my offerring for our lottery on the deco group. I haven't worked much with this theme so I really enjoyed this. It didn't scan well- it's brighter in person. The red is more vibrant & the gold is bright. We'll know Monday who will win this & the other gorgeous entries for this month. I'm feeling lucky though!

It's an altered condom. I made the poly clay piece with a mold. There's fabric, paper, mesh, lumieres, a button and fabric paint on this piece. I attached a pin thingie to the back so it could be worn as a pin. I really should try to get a better picture. LOL.

Been very busy with family things so this is the only thing that I've done all week. I'm hoping to have a creatively productive weekend. ;-)

Altered Postcard

This is a postcard that I did using the technique from Try it Tuesday by Claudia Roulier. This was a new transfer technique for me & I had some challenges- probably due to the humidity. I will definitely do more of these as I really enjoyed the process.

BTW- people are getting their Shades of White book & are really happy with it. :-) It was a great project.

I'm working on a couple of decos tonight, but I think I'll head off to bed as the layers aren't dry yet. I'm hoping to finish up quite a few projects in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments.....it really does make me smile.


Edited to add comments:

audrey said...

This turned out great. Love the image.

3:14 PM

Stacie said...

Thanks Audrey, it's from Art-e-zine. I should put a link to that in my sidebar. Note to self.......add that. ;-)

Hey Audrey- I'm in FL too. Port Saint Lucie to be exact.

3:40 PM

Jeri said...

Great work - I like it!

2:27 PM

Mail Art

Guess I haven't really finished much this week. Been spending toooooooo much time on the computer. Website isn't much further along as I veered off on a Photoshop tangent. So, more computer stuff to do but not much to show for my time.

This is a mail art piece that I did manage to finish this week. My postman is loving the mail art as much as I am. ;-) This piece started it's life as a cabinet card that I've collected. And of course some vintage text & music sheet worked it's way into the piece.

Edited to add comment:

Keri Pettit said...

Stacie, This is so pretty!! Pretty in a great big gourgeos way!
VEry creative. Love the colors, textural look, the girl. Well, all of it!
Keri

Finished the Altered Purse

Well, really first I altered a pair of jeans & made a purse, then I altered the purse. This was for a swap. I got the pair of jeans at a thrift store. I used lumieres, acrylics and staz-on inks. The trims are glued on with fabric glue. Still not sure if I like it better with or without the belt, but now that's up to it's new owner. ;-)

Edited to add comments:

tammy said...

Stacie - I'm so happy to be the new owner! And, I'm partial to the belt! LOL! The more danglies and sparklies the better in my book! I'll treasure it always!

3:09 PM

Stacie said...

Thanks Tammy~ I'm looking forward to the next one!

Stacie

4:43 PM

Keri Pettit said...

The belt is a keeper. Great project! Do you need Tammy's address it is, 2547 Quail Canyon ... LOL

8:24 PM

Stacie said...

LOL- that's funny! Thanks for the compliment~ it's already at Tammy's house....in her studio pix it's hanging up on her shelves. When I get all my swaps cleared out I do want to make another- or two. And I think for this next purse swap I'll try something different. ;-)

Stacie

Altered Papers

I really like how these papers turned out. I made a little atc book with them. The papers are layers & layers of paints, glazes, inks & stamps with some gesso mixed in for good measure. The look is a little grungy. I've done a few sheets of these lately- I just add another layer when I walk by it. Then when I think it's done I can make a little book & have some left over for another project. I also love these little atc books!

Outside "my" box

Well- I tried another technique from the current issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors (Summer 2006) and it took me outside my normal boundries a bit, but I stretched & I really liked it. I took the background & used it in a deco. I could play some more - enjoyed it! I'm really liking combination of paint & paper that I've been playing with lately. It's more fulfilling to me than just paper.

Oops- I cut off the top of her crown when I scanned her!

Behind me

As much as I love swaps, I'm glad that most of them are behind me. I've got lots of things that are almost finished so hopefully I'll be posting in the next few days. Here's a slide mailer that I did for a swap that Annette is hosting. The style is much grungier than my usual, but I had fun with it. Just layers & layers of stuff. I hope the recipient likes it. Although the swap didn't specify that one was needed- I decided to break out the soldering iron & add a slide to it. There will be more of that!