My charms are in the mail!!!!

    With a little nudging from my friend , Rita, of Toltec Jewels I joined in with the Beads of courage challenge organized by Jennifer Cameron. I've never made multiples of anything before and this challenge involved producing 11 charms to send off to Jen so she receives them by Oct. 20th. She'll organize everybody's contributions and send 10 charms back to each of us. Mine went off by Canada Post today. They told me they'd get there in 4-6 days but we'll have to see!

What fun it will be to get 10 different works of art from jewelry artists whose work I am in awe of. The Beads of Courage part involves a set of all the charms being auctioned off on eBay and the proceeds going to the organization Beads of Courage which supports children with serious illnesses .  It's a great charity and an admirable one to donate to. Here is their information.

     This group of jewelry makers donates time, energy and money to this charity. The money raised by the eBay auction of charms is donated totally to this charity. Last year $1500.00 was donated and hopefully we'll see more this year.

The reveal for this challenge is November 14th and that is also the day of the auction. I hope all of my readers will remember and check out the auction on that day. I'll be revealing the charms I made on my blog that day but they have to remain a secret until then.  Here are some teaser pics to pique your interest. See you on the 14th.

You'll have to come back November 14th to see what I made

Gemstone and Metal Blog Hop

I finally have the chance to be in one of Lisa Lodge's blog hops. I have always enjoyed seeing what everybody creates using the jewels selected and sent out by Lisa of A Grateful Artist  Pine Ridge Treasures. When I saw the first notice about this hop I jumped at the chance to participate.
When I received my goodies from Lisa I immediately started planning what I would do and forgot to take a picture. I remembered halfway through the project so here is a picture of some of them.

Silver Leaf Jasper gemstones and antique brass metal .

My first impression of these stones was that the colour of the jasper is very dull especially with all the bright jewel tones we've been seeing this summer.  So there was my challenge....to brighten up these stones which are quite beautiful but needed something. I decided to work with the reddish-orange stones in my blog kit and use that family of colour to highlight the grey stones.

Carnelian and Agate gemstones with Silver Leaf Jasper

Jasper with antique brass clasp and Carnelian dangle

Lamp Work  Beads from Judith Billig

 I ventured further into the colour wheel and used some soft orange lamp work beads in this bracelet which is my favorite of the three. Probably because it feels more summery than the others which seem more suited to autumn.

Please hop on over to Lisa's blog to enjoy her creations then check out all the other participants. I can't wait to how everybody met the challenge

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Katrina Taylor, I Wanna Go Out

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog

Margaret Pelech, Big Margaret

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware (May be delayed a few days)

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Robin Reed, Artistry HCBD

Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry

Cassi Renee Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons

Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things (May be delayed a few days)

Becky Pancake, Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Judy Campbell, Macmillanmarie Jewellery Design

Nan Smith, Handmade Jewelry Nanmade

Marde Lowe, FanciMarDesigns

Linda Anderson, From the Bead Board

Leithleach Alainn Seodra, Alainn Jewelry

Lisa E. Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs
Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

My favorite time of year!

I always breath a big sigh of relief when Autumn arrives each year. For many people it is just the harbinger of winter but for me it is a much needed respite from the hot, humid weather of southern Ontario. I loved summer when I was younger and healthier but since my heart disease appeared I can't tolerate the heat and humidity and spend most of my time indoors in air conditioned comfort.
I also love the clothes at this time of year.....wool sweaters, jackets, cozy scarves and socks.I love going for a brisk walk on a cool, sunny day and not break out in a sweat after 5 minutes! And the changing colours are so inspirational!

September has always felt like the New Year for me and I find it easier to get started on new projects and get organized for the rest of the year. I've been playing all summer with new jewelry techniques and having a blast experimenting with polymer clay but now it's time to pull it all together. I am getting  my jewelry and components photographed and will be adding to my Etsy  and Zibbet shop this week. Stay tuned!

Here are some of what I've been working on over the summer. Some will be in my shop and some are stepping stones to future projects.

              Polymer Clay, Acrylic Paint and Gilders' Paste Zentangle Experiments

                         

Summer Earrings

                                        Birthday Bracelets for my BFFs

                                                   Adora Bunny

Happy September!