Treasury!

Treasury features!

Green... with Envy! (features my Green Ruffle necklace)
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=17644

Eyes so Blue You Could Drown (features my Peacock necklace)
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=17488

Tis all for now!

Sing Praise!

There is nothing quite like getting an email from a happy customer right after they've received an order. I got an email Saturday from the lady who asked me to wrap some Alaskan stones for her:

HI, JAMA,
JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I RECEIVED THE PENDANTS AND ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM. I WORE ONE LAST NITE AND WILL WEAR ANOTHER ONE TODAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH AND HOPE TO SEE YOU SOMEWHERE ALONG THE "ART TRAIL".

THE ROCKLADY


I spent part of the weekend working on my entry for the Etsy-Beadweavers November Challenge, Ancestral Expressions. I'm still kicking myself for forgetting to upload my last image to Flickr and tag my item, but oh well. The winners from the last challenge were awesome. Heck, all of the entries were incredible! It's humbling to see yourself in the image matrix among such talented artists.

Back to my entry... my original thought was to incorporate something from each of the elasticities that make up this person named Jama. I started researching, but just wasn't happy with any of the ideas that came to mind. I'm pretty happy with the way it's turning out. I've got about a 1/2" left of stitching, then putting the clasp on and adding some embellishment. I hope to at least finish it tonight, since it's my night to get together with my fellow lady artists and chat for a few hours while creating.

Just Breathe

The auction is over and I can breathe again for a bit. As always, I wish things would have sold for more and I wish the crowd would have been larger, but everything sold and people got some great deals on original pieces. My feet were killing me by the end of the evening after playing Vanna White in heels, but I survived, as did my mother, who happens to be the treasurer for our organization. Kate was a blessing, helping my mom out, as was my step-dad and my awesome friend Patty. Don't know what I'd do without them lately. Even Amber got into the groove, helping Mom bid on Patty's garnet set. And the appetizers! Michele Espinosa and the gang at the Oak Barrel are incredible. I really hope the restaurant is a huge success.

I say I can breathe, but I still have quite a bit to do.

• Barktoberfest at the park today with Amber & Buddy
  
• Amber soccer game tomorrow
  
• Chamber lunch Wednesday
  
• update inventory
  
• Meeting with youth leadership member Wednesday
  
• Finish Halloween costume
  
• trick-or-treating with Amber 10/31
  
• My grant application for marketing materials is due 11/1
  
• I need to get ornaments ready for Lee's open house the second weekend of November
  
• I have a show that same weekend in Somerset
  
• repair work to finish for a customer
  
• the Maker's Mark pendants to finish and get out to the gift shop
  
• the Etsy-Beadweavers Challenge entry to finish
  
• coffee beans to order for the gallery
  
• catch up on my filing
  
• scrub the gallery
  
• Nude 2009 entry to think about (due 10/31) - Nope, not entering this year
  
• Painting series to finish (15 paintings)

Sometimes, to do lists give me an anxiety attack :)

Hop Hop Hop

Tonight is the Marion County Arts & Humanities Council 4th annual art auction. I always freak out when it gets close, but this year has been especially bad, with all sorts of other things going on with the business and in my personal life. I literally didn't finish getting everything ready until a few hours ago. I can honestly say that, even though I'm a control freak, I'm looking forward to just being a board member next year instead of the president!

I've got two pieces in the auction this year - a painting and a jewelry set. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so I don't mind donating more than one piece. I tend to donate pieces that I've had for a while or that I'm tired of looking at :) Sounds horrible, doesn't it? BUT - they're pieces that I've received lots of compliments on and that people have expressed interest in. It's just time for them to rotate out of my hands & into someone else's.

The sun has finally come out after a nasty, drizzly day. It's now 5:08pm and I'll be here til 7 tonight, then off to the auction at the Oak Barrel at 7:30. I only hope that people have started to think about the value of art. The economy isn't all that great, but there are some incredible pieces in the auction. There always are. I just wish I could get people to realize what an investment it is in both their own futures and the future of the arts in our community.

White Girl Rapping

Ok ok... so it's wrapping, but still...

A lady that I've met on several occasions brought me two neat stones from Alaska to wrap in sterling wire. I'm pretty pleased with the results, especially since I hadn't wrapped a stone in a while. They're simple wraps, but I didn't want to take away from the stones themselves.




I also finished the log cabin quilt patch ornament for the Marion County Homemakers. The ornament is on its way to Frankfort, to the Thomas Clark museum where it will hang on the Christmas tree there. Our community is currently working on its quilt trail and I've been honored to be a part of it. I feel like I haven't done much, but I have helped approve patterns, lay things out & pick color schemes.


Lastly, I mended a purse for a friend, beading along a broken strap. Pretty happy with the results, I am. (says Yoda....)

More tomorrow about meeting the fabulous Annie Howes!

Me? Impatient?

Even though I know I didn't place in the Swarovski "Create-Your-Style Naturally Inspired" contest, I'm still eager to see all of the semi-finalists and winners on the website. Winners were supposed to be announced yesterday in New York, so I keep checking the website to see if images and winners have been posted. I know that would be quick turnaround, but I never claimed to be patient with anything besides my beads! Actually, that's the one comment at shows that always makes me giggle. "You must be so patient!" My standard response is "Only with my beads. Ask my 5-year-old and she'll tell you I'm not patient!"

Today is "to-do" list day. I need to wrap a boulder opal for a customer, finish a Christmas ornament for an organization, work on my Maker's Mark pendants and finish at least one of these necklaces on my desk!

New Listings!

I've been busy this morning (uh, afternoon now...) listing things on etsy:

Crashing Waves-Necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16174586
Crashing Waves-Earrings:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16175038
Iris-Necklace:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16175438
Iris-Earrings:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16175644
The Ocean is Gray:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16171856
Green Ruffle:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16171519
Winter Ice:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16170588
Black, White and Red All Over:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16168439
And the one I just finished! The Wanderer:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16167848

Hooray! I have two more pieces that are almost finished, but a list of ideas in my head that I want to start on. I also got 4 dozen clear bulb ornaments, to do Victorian netting around for Christmas. And I need to start on my Maker's Mark pendants. And I need to work on the MCAHC auction... and then.... and then...

On a much lighter note, I bought my daughter Amber a box of beads and some elastic over the weekend, and we beaded like mad while watching movies. There's some quality bonding time for you :) We also worked on her costume last week. We got wings & a skirt at the dollar tree, then picked up a leotard and tights, adding tons of glitter paint. Over the weekend, we picked up a white peasant skirt for me, which we're now glittering up so that I can wear my wings & we can be fairies together. I love Halloween!

Weekend Wrap-Up

The weekend at St. James was wonderful. We had perfect weather for the art fair, even if we are suffering from a horrible economy. Sales were good, I met a lot of nice people, handed out almost every one of my postcards and even had The Harvest recognized by several readers of Bead&Button. The best part of my weekend came in the form of a lovely fellow beader on Friday. She recognized The Harvest and kept trying on another piece of mine that I called "Garden Necklace." (I wish I had a photo!) After several tries, she decided to purchase the piece. I knew it was going home with someone who would appreciate it, which made me really happy.

Sunday, she returned to tell me that she'd worn the piece to work the day before and had been chased around by her co-workers, wanting to know where she'd purchased it! That was a wonderful feeling.

Since coming back, I've restocked the gallery and realized that I'm quite behind on prepping for the Marion County Arts & Humanities Council's art auction. Oops! But, I've snagged the help of three lovely ladies to help contact artists & businesses. They'll be my saving grace!

Today has been repair day on several customers' vintage jewelry. I don't mind the repair work and I try to keep it fairly inexpensive!

Next projects are a quilt patch Christmas ornament that will hang in Frankfort, KY in the Thomas Clark museum and some netted, Victorian glass ornaments, once I get the bulbs from my sister.

Feature & St. James!!!!

The lovely and talented Zoya Gutina featured me in her September newsletter. Thank you SO much, Zoya.

St. James Court is this weekend and I've started to freak out even more. I told my friend Anne that I'm afraid they're going to tell me it was all a mistake when I get there & I actually didn't get juried in! There are around 750 juried artists & craftsmen from across the US at this show & it's repeatedly ranked in the top 10 shows for the US. It's scary & exciting!

I've also listed my challenge entry for the Etsy Beadweavers October Challenge "Animal Instincts." I actually finished this piece a few weeks ago for the challenge, but wasn't sure that I'd enter it and planned on doing another piece. With all of the festivals, etc. going on here, I didn't get a chance to finish my scarab piece, so the "Zebra of a Different Color" is my entry. Im pretty happy with it's funky dye job. Gives me ideas for my own head!

Please visit http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ to vote on the October challenge from October 9th until the 15th and see the beadweaver team members amazing works of art!