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!

Chicklets Blog Hop!

Wow! Talk about a challenge! I was very excited to sign up for Toltec Jewels blog hop using the oh so sweet chicklet beads made by Sue of SueBeads. I even sent off to her and bought more of them because I like them so much. However once the bead arrived from Rita last month my muse deserted me and  try as I might nothing with this bead worked. The soft,greyish green colour just wasn't doing it for me!

Believe me,  I tried every combination I could think of. Contrasting colours, complementary colours, no other colours  ( just clear glass), metal including copper, brass and silver, adding other art beads, making something in polymer clay to go with it, wire wrapping, symmetry and assymmetry, lariat, sead beads, sari silk, waxed Irish linen and so on.  I truly believed that I was going to fail this challenge due to lack of inspiration. 

A couple of years ago I bought Stephanie Eddy's  Lazee Daizee  and played around with viking knit for a couple of months. It didn't turn out great and was time consuming so it's been tucked away until now. I have an idea to make something for a friend's birthday this summer so I pulled it out to use. I came across this coloured wire in my wire stash and it reminded me of my green nemesis bead so I thought I'd give it a try. I hadn't done viking knit for a long time so I did a trial with the seafoam green before pulling out the pricey silver for the gift. 

Guess what? I really liked how the green seafoam viking knit turned out so it became my bracelet for this challenge.

I used the Chicklet bead as the focal and framed it with two oval blue green azurite ovals that I've been wanting to use for months. The sterling flower spacers are from my Bead soup sent to me last year by Rita of Toltec Jewels so it seemed appropriate to use them in this challenge. I still haven't figured out the fastening and I have to do some work on the wire ends of the viking knit but I am happy to have made this. And I didn't fail the challenge!!!

Thank you Rita for hosting this great Blog Hop. It was a great idea and definitely a challenge for me! Thank you for sending me the bead and for pushing me yet again outside my comfort zone. I'm looking forward to seeing what everybody else has made.

Here is the amazing list of all the other talented artists in this hop so please hop along and check out their creations. I know it's a bit overwhelming but do what you can and be sure to go to Rita's and Sue's blogs to see their work.

Guest of Honor & Featured Artist:  Susan Kennedy

 

Sue Kennedy's blogs:                               SueBeads...A Beady Girl's blog

                                                            Art Jewelry Elements

Sue Kennedy's website                            SueBeads

SueBeads Art Beads                                SueBeads

 

Hostess:

 Toltec Jewels                                           http://www.JewelSchoolFriends.com

Artists:

Linda Anderson                                       http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Reno                                           http://jenrenjewelry.blogspot.com/

Shirley Moore                                          http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com/

Kristen Stevens                                        http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com

Marybeth Rich                                         http://forestofjewels.blogspot.com

Jael Thorp                                                http://jaelsjewels.blogspot.com/

Melissa Trudinger                                     http://Beadrecipes.wordpress.com

Andrea Glick                                            http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/

Nan Smith                                                http://wirednan.blogspot.com

Blanca Medina                                         www.peru-medesigns.com

 Shai Williams                                            http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com

Carolyn Lawson                                       http://Carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com

Rana Wilson                                             http://Ranaleadesigns.blogspot.com

Robin Reed                                              http://willowdragon.blogspot.com

Robin Showstack                                     http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/

Sheila Prosterman                                     http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com

Karla Morgan                                          http://Texaspepperjams.blogspot.com

Kari Asbury                                             http://hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com

Kelly Rodgers                                          https://www.facebook.com/BeadinBlackBlue

Jayne Capps                                            https://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com/

Mischelle Andrade Fanucchi                    https://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com/

Heather Richter                                       http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com

Chris Eisenberg                                       www.wanderware.blogspot.com

Kathleen Breeding                                            http://www.zibbet.com/99BottlesofBeadsontheWall

Linda Landig                                           http://lindalandig.wordpress.com

Crystal Thain                                           http://beaddragons.blogspot.com/

Cheri Reed                                              http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Heather d-Entremont                               http://frugalmadougall.wordpress.com/

Dini Bruinsma                                          http://angazabychanges.blogspot.com/

Lori Schneider                                         http://www.beadaddicted.blogspot.com/

Tammy Adams                                        http://www.paisleylizard.com/blog.html

Melinda Orr                                            http://bandanagirl.indiemade.com/blog

Lennis Carrier                                         http://windbent.wordpress.com/

Cynthia Machata                                     http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Hodges                                    http://thewhisperingseas.blogspot.com

Debbie Rasmussen                                  http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/

Tanya McGuire                                       http://tanyamcguire.blogspot.com/

Charlie Jacka                                          http://clay-space.com/blog/

Ev Shelby                                               http://raindropcreationsbyevelyn.blogspot.com/

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson                        http://sharylsjewelry.blogspot.com/

Jasvanti Patel                                        http://jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com

And the winner is........

I've been very neglectful of blogging lately but I will explain why later in the post. Right now I owe all the participants and readers of the second annual "My Country blog Hop" a followup giveaway. I was touched by all of the response to my blog hop and there was such enthusiasm that I feel sure |I will continue it again next year. I've entered all the names of the participants and other blog readers into random.org to choose the winner. And the winner is.....Dini of angazabychanges.blogspot.nl. Please send me your postal address, Dini and I'll send these Canadian earrings off to you. Congratulations, my friend!

Since the blog hop and while participating in a couple of others I've gradually changed direction in my studio. I feel like I've dropped off the jewelry making world and landed in p.c. heaven. I've been dabbling in polymer on and off for the last year but have just recently become completely immersed in it. All thanks to Ginger of The Blue Bottle Tree who has put together the most fabulous tutorials on creating with pc.

This is the one I've been playing with and it's great.Clear, step by step instructions and many,many colour photographs of every step and lots of inspirational ones to spark your own creativity. I have bought a few tutorials but this one is by far the best. If you're thinking of exploring polymer clay any of her tutorials would be a good place to start. I have multiple beads and pendants at various stages of development but none are yet ready for public viewing. Soon........!

Wilkomen, Bienvenue, Bienvenidos and Welcome!! (Selamat Datang to LiliKrist!)

Welcome to "My Country Blog Hop" hosted by yours truly. 25 participants from all over the world will write a blog post featuring little known facts about their country and also show an artistic creation that was inspired by their country.
I created this event to connect with artists and bloggers worldwide who are happy to share their home with others. Last year was the first time I did this and it was lots of fun so I decided to repeat it. I hope you enjoy!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

 Today is a holiday in Canada to celebrate the birthday of this fabulous country and I am sharing it with all of you. I hope you enjoy what you see and learn about my "home and native land". There will be a lot of links for you to click on if your interested because I didn't want to make this post too lengthy.
To many Americans and others we are that cold and snowy country at the top of the map where we all speak French and grow "Biebers"(LOL). But there is much more to Canada than that. Yes we have snow and cold but we also have thousands of fresh water lakes ( the largest area of freshwater in the world) and gorgeous summers to enjoy these lakes.

Lake Superior

Kayaking

Fishing in Ontario

The lakes are so huge that when my English friends were visiting the 14 year old thought the shore of Lake Ontario was the seaside!

I guess size is relative but we are a very big country. second largest by land mass after China! It's our population that makes us seem small compared to the rest of the world. According to Wikipedia we are the most sparsely populated country in the world! Lots of room for everybody who wants to visit and even stay. If you are considering immigrating you won't be alone. Canada is one of most diverse countries in the world with representatives of every ethnicity and culture .

Gosh , I sound like a saleswoman for Canada  and have just realized I could go on for hours telling you all the great things but that's not why you're here. I hope the above information opened your eyes to some of what makes up this great country and inspires you to look into more when you have the time.

With so many national characteristics I was stymied about what to create. I have been having great fun lately playing with polymer clay and the vignette below shows just a few of our national icons. (remember I'm just a polymer clay newbie!)( The curling rocks are lamp work beads from Glass Bead Art)

Curling match between Benedict Beaver and Percival Polar Bear with the Inukshuk as referee.

I had a lot of fun creating these animals. Hope you get a kick out of them!

I just had to make some Canuck jewelry so here it is . I worked long and hard to make a maple leaf out of polymer clay and this is the best I could come up with. (really steep learning curve with pc.). I'm also on a roll experimenting with waxed Irish linen thread and tried hand knotting to make  this illusion style necklace in Canada's national colors.

 A couple of months ago I won the Art Bead Scene monthly challenge and received some of Mary Harding's wonderful ceramics. She very nicely made me these little maple leaf charms which I hung from sterling ear threads. They are super comfortable  and look really cute on.

That's the end of my contribution to this blog hop. Please go to the blogs listed below to see what all the other participants created. Comments left on my blog will be entered in a draw for something Canadian! (I haven't decided yet what it will be. Any requests? Mention in your comment and I'll see what I can do.)

Hostess: Nan Smith  (Canada)                            wirednan.blogspot.ca 

1. Ana (Portugal)                                          http://acbeads.blogspot.ca/                                    

2.Rita  (Orlando)                              http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com/                           
                                                                        

3. Dini (The Netherlands)             http://angazabychanges.blogspot.ca/                                           

4. Robin Reed  (Indiana)                    http://willowdragon.blogspot.ca/                 

5. Lilik Kristiana   (Indonesia )               http://pcbylik.blogspot.ca/                             

6. Karla Morgan  (Texas)             /       texaspepperjams.blogspot.com

7. Karen Mitchell (South Australia)                  www.overthemoon-design.com

8. Jayne Capps  (Oklahoma)               mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com             

9. Melissa Trudinger  (Australia)                  beadrecipes.wordpress.com

10. Johana Nunez  (Puerto Rico)                                http:artincendi.com

11. Kepi  (Alberta)                                          kepirasmussen.blogspot.ca                                    
12. Deb Fortin  (Ontario)                                       studiok24.blogspot.ca  

13. Divya  (India)                                                                              jewelsofsayuri.com

14. Tammy Adams  (Arizona)                             paisleylizard.com/blog.html

15. Kay Thomerson  (Texas)                        kayzkreationz.blogspot.com                                          
  16. Bairozan  (Bulgaria)                                                            bairozan.blogspot.ca

17. Carolyn's Creations  (           )        carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com

18. Lecia Woessner   (New Orleans)                  copperroses.blogspot.com

19. Linda A.  (Wash. D.C.                           FromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com

20.Inge Van Roos (California)                          ingetraud.wordpress.com

21. Natalie   (New Zealand)                  http://www.northshoredays.com

22. Lori Schneider (              )                            beadaddicted.blogspot.com

23.Mary Harding (New York)maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com 


24. Bouchra Rebai (Algeria)                          bouchrarebiai.wordpress.com     bouchrarebiai.wordpress.com
25.Michelle McCarthy  (Florida )         Fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com