Cindy Dolezal Designs

Second Saturday State of Your Studio Blog Tour

2011-04-09T10:19:00.001-06:00

Wow. It's already the second saturday in April?? Check out the Beads of Clay Second Saturday State of Your Studio to get into the studios and into the minds of some pretty creative people. The state of my studio is kind of like the state of my mind right now. Kind of chaotic. Everything halfway done. Half assed is one of my favorite terms, sorry. I'm moving my studio AGAIN. Long story. On the up side, moving really forces you to pare down, throw out, LOOK at what you have and what you need.

I like change. I've always been pretty open to change. I think I must have some Bohemian in my background somewhere. I love it when the weather changes. I love watching little children learn and grow and change. That saddens some people to see their little ones grow but I think it's fascinating. I actually like moving. It's an opportunity to redecorate, rearrange, repurpose. Still some changes are very very difficult but it really helps to think of them as part of a whole Circle of Life kind of thing. Everything has a reason, a purpose. I didn't know where this post was going when I started it. Now I do. Kind of random. But hey, like I said, that's kind of the way my mind is right now.

April Art Bead Scene Blog Challenge

2011-04-04T18:12:00.000-06:00

I love doing the Art Bead Scene Blog Monthly Challenges. They come up with such interesting pieces of art for the inspiration. Here is this month's inspiration piece.

Finches and Bamboo, Northern Song dynasty (960–1127)

Emperor Huizong (1082–1135, r. 1101–1125) Chinese

Handscroll; ink and color on silk; 11 x 18 in. (27.9 x 45.7 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

John M. Crawford, Jr. Collection, Purchase, Douglas Dillon Gift, 1981

My first thought was there wasn't alot to this. Not alot to draw inspiration from. But I loved those little green bamboo leaves and I was actually drawn to the bottom right corner and thought that would make a cool bracelet shape. I had some wood and other natural material bead in different sizes and shapes that I put together. I also had some silk ribbon in the color of the bamboo leaves. The inspiration piece was done on silk so I thought that was a nice touch. I used my own ceramic bamboo colored leaf pendant as a focal for the bracelet. I think it's cool and funky and fun. I was going to add a little bird charm but I try to keep myself from interpreting these too literally so I left that off. What do you think?

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-03-30T09:47:00.000-06:00

It's Bead Table Wednesday. On my bead table are two necklaces I put together in honor of Spring. I had a little box of beads from Mary Harding that I received in a swap quite a while back. That little box has been sitting in my swap drawer. I have always been mesmerized by the color combo and knew I wanted to use them together. I got this Wildflower Heart Pendant from Mary and a colorful assortment of beads. Red, bright apple green, a yummy little dark lavendar bead, and the prettiest blue beads, all Mary's ceramic beads. I know I've looked at that box about 700 times literally but then one day I look at it again, and a design is born. I think it was those little orange glass bows that I picked up somewhere that perfectly matched the color of the wildflowers in Mary's pendant that brought the whole color scheme together for me. Plus I had some green silk ribbon with unfinished edges that went so well with the green beads. I added my pink ceramic beads and some copper findings and I absolutely love this necklace. I'm wearing it today to a March Birthday Lunch with my pottery group with a lavendar cardigan. Gorgeous. Thanks Mary!!

I was still in the Spring mood and I put this bright little number together. It's lovely too. I might have to deal with all the threads in my unfinished edge silk ribbon, though. I like the look but not sure everyone else will.

Happy Beading. Happy Spring.

Three Beautiful Things

2011-03-25T11:38:00.002-06:00

I love this blog. Every day she writes about Three Beautiful Things that have brought her pleasure. They are simple things. So here goes mine:

1. It's pottery day. I get together with my pottery group on Fridays. Good work and good therapy.

2. I get to go see my table today. A young friend is crafting a table for me using some metalwork that came off of my grandmother's house after she died.

3. Dark Chocolate Truffles. I had a dark chocolate truffle this morning with my coffee that I had saved from last night's dessert. mmmmmmmm

Emotions in Earth Project - The Form

2011-03-23T14:51:00.000-06:00

At Beads of Clay we are doing a year long project called Emotions in Earth. The goal is to make some form of body adornment. It does not have to be classic jewelry or even have to be wearable but it should reflect your emotions, your life, and of course should be made of fired clay. I have a friend who does ceremonial face masks for people. She makes a mask of your face with the same stuff they make casts out of. Then you cover it with plaster of paris and decorate it to reflect your feelings. I had been trying to get together with her to do my face mask for some time. But when I started thinking about my Emotions in Earth project, I realized I also needed a form for my project so I had her do that for me at the same time. Here she is getting ready for the ceremony.

And here I am, after being covered in this material. It was actually quite soothing. It doesn't take long to dry but you have to stay perfectly still while it dries. So very relaxing. Looks pretty eery.

So for my Emotions in Earth project I had decided I wanted to make some sort of breastplate. I think because of its proximity to the heart where your emotions lie. I love the way this form turned out. After I finish with it as a form, I think I'll hang it in my studio. I just love the way it looks.

And here is my face mask. Willette says the first thing she does with the mask when she removes it from the person is hold it in her hands face down and give it to the person in their hands, face down so they are holding their face. Then she has them turn it over. Some people are kind of freaked out by holding their face. Some people will give it right back to her feeling uneasy about holding it themselves. And some people don't like looking at their face. It's not like looking in a mirror. Something about the 3D image doesn't hide anything. People don't really recognize themselves that way. I thought it was all very cool. It's very weird looking at your own face that way. Almost like what I imagine it would be like to have an out of body experience and see yourself for the first time.

So this is the beginning of my project, Emotions in Earth. I am very excited about this project and now that I have my form, I'm ready to get started. Stay tuned....

2011-03-14T12:05:00.001-06:00

The random number generated from comments on my blog was number six!! Congratulations rockcreekcreations. You won my little brown bird bead and my yellow new leaf pendant.

And Christine Hendrickson followed the link to my facebook page became my 36th fan. 36 was the random number generated from my facebook page so she wins my little blue bird sculpture and my green leaf pendant with recycled glass.

Send me your addresses so I can get these to you. Thanks for the comments.

Beads-of-Clay Open Studio Blog Tour

2011-03-06T09:00:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the Beads-of-Clay Open Studio Blog Tour. This is an annual event and there are lots of participants who are having sales and giveaways on their blogs plus a huge giveaway at the Beads of Clay Blog. So check them all out. But first:

The theme for this years Open Studio Blog Tour is Signs of Spring. Well of course there are fat little buds and tender new growth, birds and nests and eggs and flowers and green grass and warm breezes...but really, all of that is just Mother Nature's way of Spring Cleaning. Through the winter leaves have fallen off of trees covering the ground but now it's spring so in swooshes Mother Nature and blows those decomposing leaves around making way for new growth and green grass and flowers and those fat little buds begin to appear again on the branches of the trees and it all starts all over again. So I figured if Mother Nature was doing her part I better follow suit and do some spring cleaning of my own. So here is a picture of my bead table before...

And after.

The only thing on the table now are my two sets of giveaways and a box with my BoC giveaway donation on it's way to Mary. So leave a comment below about your Spring Cleaning experiences in the past or something you'd like to tackle in the future. Here's what you'll win. My little brown bird bead and my square yellow new leaf pendant.

I'll do the random number generator thing and pick a winner when I get back. Please leave your e-mail address so I can notify you. Or check back here on Tuesday. That's one giveaway. Then go to my facebook page, there's a link on the right, click the like button on my page, and you could win this. My square green leaf pendant with recycled glass and my little blue bird. He is not a bead. Just a bird. For more of my birds and leaves and other things go to my etsy store http://www.cindydolezal.etsy.com/ and mention this Blog Tour and you'll get free shipping and a 10% discount.

Happy Spring!!!!

Bead Soup Party Big Reveal Day

2011-02-26T00:01:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Lori for organizing this whole Bead Soup Party. This is my second one. I got some great soup from Mallory. She is a great glass bead artist. This Soup Party is huge. I think 210 participants. That's 210 Blogs to visit. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll just show you. Here's what she sent me.

Mallory made the glass focal heart and sent lots of coordinating glass beads, a silver metal clasp which I love the shape of, and a button which I think is mother of pearl.

And here's what I made.

I used some very cool coated wire that I actually found at the hardware store and I just loved the color. It was just the color of some of the colored pearls she sent. I kind of nested the heart with the wire. I love this necklace. I wear it often and always get compliments. I used Mallory's focal and the clasp and lots of her beads in this necklace. I still had lots of her beads left and that great button. So I made:

this bracelet. I added one of my ceramic beads ( had to get ceramics in there) and some glass beads I picked up from Jen Velasquez' destash shop. I thought that was fitting because she was my last Bead Soup partner!! Okay, I know you have lots more to check out. Go!!!!!

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life

3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane

4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio

5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations

6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things

8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe

9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto

10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio

11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas

12. Rachel Walsh, Balanced Crafts

13. Marian Hertzog, M's Place

14. Mary McGraw, MK's Musings

15. Sarabeth Burke, Chronicles of Sarita

16. Deci Worland, Gem Trails

17. Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

18. Laura Zeiner, Stick Lizard Designs

19. Kristin Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs

20. Cathryn Brooks-Williams, Chile Cats

21. Holly Westfall, Silver Rose Designs

22. Janna Harttgen, Palima-Lim

23. Libby Leuchtman, Libby Leu

24. Rebecca Anderson, Songbeads

25. Deb Hunter, Living On Air

26. Diana Ptaszynski, Suburban Girl Studio

27. Jennifer VanBenschoten, VanBeads

28. Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter

29. Cyndi Lavin, Beading Arts

30. Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul

31. Stefanie Teufel, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

32. Patricia Gasparino, My Life Under the Bus

33. Tari Khars, Pearl and Pebble

34. Kristi Bowman-Gruel, Kristi Bowman Design

35. Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle

36. Becky Fairclough, Chameleons Designs

37. Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead & Metal Works

38. Lynne Bowland, Islandgirl's Insights

39. Barbara Lewis, Painting With Fire

40. Lorelei Eurto, Inside the Studio

41. Stacy Hartis, Sissy & Jack's

42. Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions

43. Marcie Abney, La Bella Joya

44. Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

45. Nan Emmett, Spirit Rattles

46. Melissa Mesara, One Eared Pig

47. Amanda Davie, Articulations

48. Cherin Poovey, Lanyard Lady

49. Virginia Joste, ViviBijoux

50. Andrew Thornton, The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

51. Lori Dorrington, Lori's Glassworks

52. Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

53. Kate Gardenghi, Tropical Blonde

54. Serena Trent, PinkIce Jewel's Blog

55. Malin de Koning, Beading by Malin de Koning

56. Shai Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

57. Francy Inman, 8 Second Studio

58. Amy Freeland, Copper Diem

59. Lisa Liddy, Joolz By Lisa

60. Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

61. Mary Harding, Mary Harding Bead Blog

62. Stacey Curry, Star Hitched Wagon

63. Leslie Gidden, Mad Maggie Designs

64. Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

65. Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats

66. Linda Djokic, Lutka and Co.

67. Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass, and Recycled Trash

68. Laurel Steven, Rue's Daftique

69. Ingrid McCue, Wrapped In Silver

70. Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit

71. Diana Hawkey, Diana Hawkey

72. Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

73. Jeanette Ryan, Jeanette Blix

74. Jackie Ryan, Silver Lodge Gems

75. Jean Yates, Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Be Done!

76. Debbie Goering, Prairie Emporium

77. Valerie Norton, Hot Art

78. Jana Trupovniece, Stories of the Secret Garden

79. Amy Severino, Amy Beads

80. Emma Thomas, Fred Beans Nook

81. Karen Zanco, Everyday Gypsy

82. Suzann Sladcik Wilson, Beadphoria

83. Janet McDonald, Singing Woods

84. Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Designs

85. Kristina Johansson, Wild Roses and Blackberries

86. CJ Bauschka, CJ Bauschka

87. Angela Barribea, Re: Angela Rae

88. Marcy Lamberson, Studio Marcy

89. Tanya Floyd, Glass Migrations

90. Lisa Kavanaugh, Beading Bliss

91. Sue Hodgkinson, Hello Gorgeous

92. Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Bead

93. Nally Parfyonova, Nally's Creations

94. Karyn White, Releases By Rufydoof

95. Emanda Johnson, Artemisia Studio

96. Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

97. Cindy Dolezal, Cindy Dolezal Designs

98. Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue

99. Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads

100. Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings

101. Nicole Valentine-Rimmer, N. Valentine Studio

102. Jacinta Meyers, Jamberrysong's Creations

103. Charlene Gary, Gray Girl Studios

104. Rubiee Hayes, Glitter and Keys Galore

105. Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations

106. Elizabeth Freeman, Turquoise Sky

107. Shelby Foxwell, Sundown Bead Designs Rhetoric

108. Lynda Moseley, Diva Designs

109. Grace Danel, Grace Beading

110. Lois Moon, Que Onda Quitman

111. Agnes Shapiro, Beader Bubbe

112. Terry Carter, Tapping Flamingo

113. Judy Glende, Judith B. Designs

114. Mary Ellen Parker, Bee Tree By Me

115. Barbara Bechtel, Second Surf

116. Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer

117. Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

118. Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie

119. Ronda Adams, The Ravished Heart

120. Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe Designs

121. Anna Lear, The Laughing Raven

122. Susie Hibdon, Vintagesusie & Wings

123. Amanda Austin, Sea Shore Glass

124. Jennifer Velasquez, Jen Judd Rocks

125. Hazel Ward, All Those Things

126. Brenda Salzano, Salzanos

127. Dee Gordon, Runako Designs by Dee

128. Anna Denisova, Anita-M

129. Margaret Saari, Mags-Jewelry

130. Genea Crivello-Knable, Genea Beads

131. Penny Neville, Copper Penny

132. Angela Blasingame, Hopemore

133. Helena Fritz, Beadwork by H's Blog

134. Stephanie LaRose, Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

135. Stephanie Haussler, PixyBug Designs

136. Diane Cook, Rosa & Josies

137. Maryse Thillens, Glass Bead Art

138. Jennifer Pride, Jewelry by J.P.

139. Shannon Chomanczuk, For My Sweet Daughter

140. Lisa Godfrey, Bead Happy

141. Heather Pyle, Welcome to My Muse

142. Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings

143. Liz DeLuca, Creative Arty Facts

144. Sig Wynne-Evans, Beaded Bear's Nonsense

145. Loretta Carstensen, Loretta's Boutique

146. Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads

147. Amber Dawn, Inventive Soul

148. Shelly Graves, Stars Dance With Me

149. Jess Italia Lincoln, Vintaj Blog

150. JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

151. Carrie Tahquechi, Carrie T

152. Staci Smith, Staci Louise Originals

153. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Quiet Area

154. Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

155. Magdalena Sikora, Poranna Gazeta

156. Nicole Keller, Nicki's Reef

157. Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye

158. Noemi Baena, Fire, Metal, and Color

159. Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman

160. Barbara Blaszczyk, Labotorium Flory

161. Collette Collins, Firefly Myst

162. Carola Greiser, Polymer Clay Shed

163. Joanna Kopijczuk, Bizuteria z Filcu

164. LeAnn Weih, Summers Studio

165. Cassandra Watsham, Design by Cassandra

166. Anna Motz, Stunning

167. Shea Zukowski, Gr8findings

168. Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads

169. Lisa Boucher, Lisa's Clay Happenings

170. Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope

171. Alison Crenshaw, Beads by Earth Tones

172. Dorcas Midkiff, Wondrous Strange Designs

173. Melissa Rediger, Sea of Glass

174. Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre

175. Julie Nordine, Julie Nordine
Credit River Art Glass

176. Menka Gupta, Menka's Blog

177. Patsy Evins, Patsy Evins Studio

178. Cherrie Fick, En La Lumie're

179. Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux

180. Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

181. Lyn Foley, Lyn Foley Wearable Art

182. Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

183. Natalie Schuetz, Natalie S Perlen

184. Kim Hutchinson, Running on Ink

185. Haley Frank, Wide Eyed Smilin

186. Grace Caputo, Suddenly Last Summer

187. Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, Skye Jewels

188. Erin Siegel, Erin Siegel Jewelry

189. Janea McDonald, Organized Chaos

190. Kristi Evenson, Colie Bug & Co.

191. Linda Inhelder, Must Haves Jewelry

192. Hilary Frye, FryeStyle

193. Whitney Lassini, Whitney Lassini

194. Nancy Schindler, The Rabbit Muse

195. Pam Brisse, The Blue Between

196. Beth Bricker, Vintage Sweets

197. Ruthie Stickney, Rose Works Jewelry and Gifts

198. Rose Noble, Lady Noble Designs

199. Karen Williams, Baublicious

200. Claire Maunsell, The Next Bend

201. Christine Damm, Stories They Tell

202. Kerry Bogert, Kab's Creative Concepts

203. Wendy Blum, Sand & Sea Designs

204. Juli Cannon, Julsbeads

205. Jenny Robledo, La Dona Boutique

206. Krista French, French Elegant Jewelry

207. Pam Krinski, Ewa Beads

208. Melissa Meman, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love

209. Dana Jones, Dana's Jewelry

210. Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

One Year Old

2011-02-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just realized. My Blog is one year old. My first post was February 11, 2011. So Happy Birthday Blog!!!! Here's a trip down memory lane from past posts. Thanks for following.

My Inspiration

2011-02-10T11:01:00.001-07:00

One of the blogs I follow is NKP Designs. Natalie does beautiful ceramic beads but she apparently also does watercolors. I have never worked with watercolors. I always heard that is the hardest medium to work with. Also I am not a painter. But I saw a painting called Unity by Monica Stewart of four women of different nationalities and was really drawn to the colors and the four women. I have three beautiful daughters who inspire me to no end. I thought it would be great to have a similar painting but with my three girls and I instead of women of different nationalities. I ask a friend who was taking a class to do it for me but she was very intimidated by the idea. So I had a bunch of acrylics from different craft projects and decided I would attempt it myself. I really love the way it came out. I'm having prints made for each of my girls. The only reason I attempted this is because in the original painting the women don't really have facial features, just different coloring and costumes. I cannot paint faces. But my girls and I are all very different as far as coloring and hairstyles and such so it really worked out well.

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-02-09T02:15:00.014-07:00

It's Bead Table Wednesday. Where you get a peak at what's going on at bead makers and designers bead tables. Here's mine. Take a look at others here on Flickr. This is one of my new Hairy Beads. They are two sided faces with hairy fibers around the outside. I love them. This one is Forest Fairy.

February ABS Challenge

2011-02-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

I love the inspiration painting for the February Art Bead Scene Blog Challenge.

I had some tangerine ceramic beads I had made a while back. I was waiting for inspiration to use them in something. When I saw the lanterns in the painting I immediately thought of them. I added some of the greens and soft purples from the painting and some little yellow jade chips. When you string three or four of them together, because of their irregular edges, they remind me of the lillies. I added in some cream colored organza ribbon to mimic the fabric of the little girls' dresses and then I had these adorable little flower beads so I dangled three of them at the clasp to represent the roses.

This was a fun bracelet to make. I don't make a lot of bracelets. It's difficult for me to get the size right. I have a small wrist so I tend to make them too small for most. If I make them bigger I can't tell if they are too big. And I'm too impatient to wait til I ask some one else to try it on before I finish it. Anyway, I think it came out great. I love the colors.

Putting the Pot on to Boil

2011-01-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Yayyyy! My Bead Soup arrived in the mail. I've been checking out Bead Soup Blog Party blogs and it's funny, the predominant color for this Soup seems to be blue. Darker, winter blues. My soup I sent to Mallory was my blue ceramic feather focal with some of my blue and brown alphabet beads and some black glass beads and other natural material beads with brass findings and my brass clasp. Mallory did a great feature on me on her blog For the love of beads. Thanks Mallory. Happy beading.

Mallory sent me this gorgeous soup which was also lots of blues. Completely different beads. She sent me one of her beautiful lampwork hearts. She must have done some snooping around and found that I heart hearts!! She also sent more lovely glass accent beads and a pretty silver colored toggle and a button!! I definitely want to work that button into my design. I don't use them often but I love the unexpectedness of buttons in jewelry.

I can't wait to get started designing my pieces. Per the Bead Soup Party rules I need to use the focal and the clasp I was sent. I can use them together or use them in separate pieces. I can use as many of the accent beads as I want and add anything from my stash to make my jewelry. You can check out more Bead Soup on Flickr. This should be fun.

I Heart. I Don't Know Why...I Just Do

2011-01-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

BOC Happy New Year Contest

2011-01-10T18:16:00.001-07:00

At the BOC Blog they are having a contest. All you have to do is list two of your favorite jewelry making suppliers with a link and link it to your blog. One of my favorites is http://www.vintagejewelrysupplies.com/ . She always has free shipping and she carries lots of brass findings, stampings and chains. I love brass and copper. She also has lots of copper and other metal findings too. I just gave myself a Christmas present and ordered from her in December. I love the big jump rings and the chains that I can't find at my local craft store. And love her prices.

My other favorite online supplier is http://www.bisquebeadsupply.com/. I can get bisqued beads and also kiln furniture for firing my ceramic pieces.

January Art Bead Scene Challenge

2011-01-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

Look at this incredible inspiration piece for the January Art Bead Scene Challenge It's called Brown River. I love the colors. And I actually already had a piece that I had just made that fit this inspiration piece perfectly. My necklace was actually inspired by the paper Bead for Life bead, it's the striped one, which was a gift. The colors in it are yellow, purple and brown. I even had the brown silk ribbon in the piece that to me so resembles the Brown River in the painting.

So since I'm already done with this challenge, I'm going to join Jen Judd's photography challenge on her blog which is also related to this piece of art. Sounds like fun!!

To my late husband in this new year

2011-01-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Dear sweet friend. I cherish the moment I learned of your existence!

Love from me to you!

( I totally stole this comment from another blog)

Earth Mother

2011-01-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

I don't often name my jewelry. But every once in a while one of the pieces just says, "Hello, my name is .......". I was working on this piece after being inspired by some beads I received from Star Girl Jewelry in a Holiday Bead Swap. I had the little two sided clay face charm that I had made for a challenge piece I did a while back. I removed the charm from that necklace because I actually liked that piece better without the charm. But I digress. This necklace is for a very special person who happens to have a special birthday coming up. She has two precious boys so the two little faces were perfect. Thus the "Mother" part of the name.

When I put the charm on the copper chain, it looked lonely. As I said, I had received some copper hammered leaves and beads and that fabulous orange glass ring in the bead swap. I rarely work with orange so I love these swaps for that reason. It encourages me to work with materials and colors I wouldn't normally work with. Anyway, when I added the circle I first thought of the sun, but then when I added my orange clay bead on the other side, it became the sun and the the ring became the earth with the copper leaf. And that's when she spoke and said, "I am Earth Mother". The colors are earthy and warm, just like the recipient of this piece.

Thanks, Marianna Boylan of Star Girl Jewelry for the inspiration and to Lori Anderson for organizing the swap. I'll let you know how she likes it.

State of My Studio

2010-12-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Over at Beads of Clay they are asking the question, how has this season affected the state of your studio? Well, I've been doing some holiday jewelry shows, bead shopping, getting packages in the mail from swaps, getting ready to send out packages for swaps and everything has ended up on my work table. Hmmmmmm.

Bead Soup Blog Hop

2010-11-13T07:42:00.002-07:00

Lori Anderson who hosts the fabulous Bead Soup Party each year is hosting a more intimate gathering where the participants send their partner a piece of jewelry that they either aren't crazy about, hasn't sold, has been sitting around for too long, whichever. Then the partner takes it apart and makes it into something else. Sounds like fun. I didn't get in on this one but you can watch. Starting Monday November 15 hop to these blogs and see the before and afters.

Here's one I'd like someone to revamp. Needs some uummmppppfffff!!

Erin Prais-Hintz http://www.treasures-found.blogspot.com/

Jen Velasquez http://www.jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com/

Johanna Rhodes http://www.firephoenixcreations.blogspot.com/

Laurel Steven http://www.laurelsteven.blogspot.com/

Loretta Carstensen http://www.designsbyloretta.blogspot.com/

Lori Anderson http://www.prettythingsblog.com/

Mallory Hoffman http://www.rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com/

Marianna Boylan http://www.stargirlshop.blogspot.com/

Norma Turvey http://www.beaddreamsandmoonlitfantaseas/

Sharon Misuraco http://www.goinoffthebeadinpath.blogspot.com/

Stacey Curry http://www.starhitchedwagon.blogspot.com/

Tyne Bodenburg http://www.tynebodennecklaces.blogspot.com/

Celebration

2010-11-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

As my Celebration post for ABS Carnival Bloggers I am celebrating life and nature through pictures. No words could ever do the splendor of nature justice. I recently went on a 4 mile hike in the Guadalupe Mountains in west Texas. I'd like to share some of that splendor with you. Enjoy!! and Celebrate!!

Swimming to the surface

2010-10-17T13:42:00.000-06:00

I hope I didn't lose anyone. I know I've been gone for a while. I feel like I've been in a fog or underwater since my husband passed away in July. I have been just dabbling in clay for the last 3 months. Mostly because I needed to attend my weekly clay group/therapy sessions. But I couldn't really bring myself to add any color to anything. I haven't even worn any of my jewelry in the last 3 months. I guess it's my way of mourning. I didn't wear black all the time but I had trouble adding that extra splash of color to outfits. It just didn't seem appropriate.

But I feel like I am slowly swimming back to the surface. I can see the light up there, even that sparkle when the sun hits the waters surface just right. I've been waiting for the right inspiration or jolt or something to spark the designer in me. I think it was a combination of several things. I moved and had set up a small but comfortable studio space in my new home. Then I just waited. There was plenty to do in the mean time. I was recently very inspired by Art Bead Scene's October Monthly Challenge. I loved the mix of metals and the muted colors of the inspiration piece. So I began laying out a design but I kind of stalled. Then, I mentioned to a friend who is also a clay bead artist and jewelry designer that I was really experiencing a design block as I was admiring a beautiful piece that she had created. I also mentioned to her that I hadn't worn any of my jewelry for the last 3 months. So she placed her beautiful piece around my neck. And by the way, I had on the perfect black blouse to showcase her lovely creation. And told me to wear it that day. So I did. And I have to say, it felt great. Here is Deana's piece and if you are local, she is having a preview sale at her house on December 3 before we do the Ardovino's Holiday Market in Sunland Park, NM. on December 5. E-mail me if you want her address or directions to Ardovino's.

After wearing this piece for the day, I went home and finished up my Art Bead Scene October Monthly Challenge Entry. And here it is.

I'm excited to be back in the wonderful world of color as they used to say in the Disney advertisements. Wow, I'm really dating myself there. I know there will be hard times to come. But the clay and the color and life going on will keep pulling me back. I also have a brand new grandson to celebrate. He fought hard to get here and to get strong and healthy. I will fight too.

Exploration-whether you want to or not

2010-07-28T09:49:00.001-06:00

I should have no trouble with this month's ABS Carnival Blog Theme of Exploration. I am suddenly and unexpectedly embarking on a whole new journey at a time in my life when I was very comfortable staying just where I was. As one friend put it, "It's the end of an era".

I lost my most cherished, beloved friend, lover, husband and confidant last week. I have no choice but to explore lots of other possibilites. Everything in my life changed in one instant. This is the first time in my life ever that I will live alone. But I am not alone.

I will explore options by myself that I would never have dreamed of doing by myself. Buying a smaller home. Deciding what to keep, what to part with. Deciding what to eat for dinner, what to watch on tv without regard for anyone else. But I do so completely shored up by his memory and his strength. I can feel him holding me up and keeping me strong.

There is a poem by Ruth Bell Graham in her book Sitting by my laughing fire... called Plenty and in it she says,

I have been

so generously provided for

in happiness,

good memories,

family,

and true friends;

and more than all-

His presence and His Word;

perhaps it is a "sign,"

as mountain people say,

that winter is to be

a tough one.

If that is so,

let it be;

my larders are well stocked."

My larders are well stocked. So off I go to explore.

We Have a Winner

2010-07-12T09:02:00.000-06:00

So without further ado.......... The winner of the Welcome a Marine Home Raffle .... is...... Clara Resler!!!!!!! Congratulations, Clara. I used the Random Number Generator Widget to pick a winner and it picked number 123. I put everyones name on a spreadsheet the appropriate number of times, if you bought 10 tickets I entered your name 10 times. Then put the total number into the random number generator page and VOILA!!! So the winner was totally random, but I have to say that Clara was my first and has been my Best customer!! So Congratulations Clara. And thank each and every person who contributed. This was fun and I'm so excited that Shivon and her family can be in North Carolina to greet this adorable face when he comes home.

July Art Bead Scene Blog Challenge

2010-07-03T11:24:00.000-06:00

It's a new month and time for a new challenge over at Art Bead Scene Blog This time the challenge is based on a sculpture called Blue Feather instead of a painting. I had the perfect pendant already made for this challenge. Perfect color and shape just sitting in my stash waiting for that Ah HAA moment. When I saw the sculpture I had that moment. I also had some pyramid shaped beads I had made that I thought depicted the triangular shaped feathers or birds in the sculpture and some small metallic glazed discs for the round shapes in the sculpture. The only thing I had to do was figure out how to include the blue feather aspect of the sculpture. It would add color and a linear shape to my piece. Then I thought, blue feather. I have a collection of naturally shed feathers that I clean and sometimes dye. I had a dove feather that actually had a blue tint to it so I added a little more blue to it, wrapped it with copper wire that I patinaed and added that to my assymetric Blue Feather Necklace. What do you think?

Pretty cool, right? But if you check out the Art Bead Scene group on Flickr you won't see this necklace. As much as I love it, the natural feather was much too literal an interpretation of the title of the sculpture. The sculpture is so sleek and modern. My little blue feather just softened this piece up too much.

So, on to plan B. I needed something bright blue and sleek. I had some paper beads in a nice bright blue from Bead for Life but they were too small and I needed one long bead. So I made my own paper bead. I had the right color paper and I had been experimenting with resin, so I rolled up my paper, glued the end down and covered my bead with resin and waited...and waited... for it to dry. So now what do you think?

I think this is a much better representation of the sculpture. That paper resin bead is shiny and sleek and really adds that linear quality I needed. Check out the rest of the entries for this month's challenge at Art Bead Scene. Click on the View this month's entries button on their blog.

2010-06-28T13:39:00.000-06:00

To celebrate a very successful Bead Soup Party, Lori is having a giveaway on her blog of a beautiful pendant she made with a Jennifer Cameron lampwork bead. Check it out. And stay tuned for more Bead Soup coming up in January. Yeah, it's along time to wait but we have to get through the holiday shows and such.

It's Souuuuuuuup!

2010-06-25T03:00:00.001-06:00

So, are you sick of soup yet? I didn't think so. This is my first time participating in a Bead Soup Party and I'm having a blast!!! I love being among such talented people. It's inspirational. And speaking of inspirational, my Bead Party Partner is Jen Judd Velasquez. She's already had her reveal with the beads I sent her. If you haven't seen it, you really should. I was blown away by what she did with my humble ceramic pendant and the rest of her soup! So here is what she sent me.

That large spiral focal is recycled green glass. She added some other cool earthy things like wood, turquoise colored round beads, her own copper wire beads, more glass beads, a copper clasp and some coppery silk ribbon. She did her research and new the colors I love. But I don't think I've every designed without ceramics. So the challenge was on.

As soon as I opened the package, that spiral screamed out, "I want to be a clasp, I want to be a clasp". So I made it both. A focal and a clasp. I used mostly the beads Jen sent, adding just some light green glass beads, the same ones I sent to her, I think, a large copper ring to complete the clasp and some copper wire at the ends of the silk ribbon. And ta-daaaa!

It's simple but the clasp/focal really makes a statement I think. I love the ribbon at the back of the neck. It's very comfortable to wear, which I've done and have gotten lots of compliments. And I can wear this with practically anything. I had some beads of Jen's left so I made a bracelet adding a few of my ceramic beads. (Well, I had to get them in there somewhere) I used the clasp Jen sent me on the bracelet. Kind of Wilma Flintstone but again, it goes with everything.

Okay, keep going!!! The party's not over yet!! Hop back to Lori's blog for today's schedule. Thanks Lori for putting this party together. It's been a blast!!

You're Early

2010-06-24T10:30:00.000-06:00

You've had enough Soup for today. Come back tomorrow for my reveal. Here's a teaser.

2010-06-22T09:29:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know this Bead Soup Party thing is getting some of us beady people a little riled up, but really, have you seen the giveaway that Denise Yezbak Moore is doing on her blog? It's a little nuts if you ask me. But hey, I don't mind gaining from someone else's temporary insanity, as long as no one gets hurt. It's a huge chunk of beads and things and WE get to decide if it's all given to one person or split six ways. So go check it out and weigh in. Somebody is going to be VERY happy at the end of this.

It's Bead Soup Party Time

2010-06-19T11:32:00.000-06:00

Today is the start of a week long bead soup party!! I'm not scheduled to reveal until the 25th. But go check out everybody else's Soup!! This Party is off to a great start. Check out Lori Anderson's blog for links to each days schedule. Be sure to check out Jen's blog to see what she created with MY ceramic focal pendant! It's beautiful.

Welcome Home a Marine Raffle

2010-06-16T16:04:00.000-06:00

I'm raffling off this necklace and earrings set to help send my sister and her family of 5 to North Carolina to welcome home their Marine when he arrives home from Afghanistan in August. After spending 8 months overseas I can't think of anything better than seeing your family waiting for you when you step foot on American soil for the first time.

The necklace features a handmade ceramic pendant by me stamped with a sea turtle design on luscious terra cotta clay and glazed in ocean greens and blues. The necklace is beaded with coordinating blue green glass beads and some green glass chip beads. I connected silk cording at the back of the necklace for a comfortable fit and added a gold colored metal clasp on the side. The earrings feature the same coordinating beads.

Raffle tickets are $1.00. If you e-mail me at cndula@elp.rr.com and let me know how many tickets you want, I can invoice you through paypal and you can either pay with a credit card or with a debit. I'd like to make it a minimum of 5 tickets if you are paying with a credit or debit card to offset the paypal charge. If you'd like to send a check, email me and I will send you my address. I will announce the drawing time at a later date depending on the response we get. I will ship this anywhere in the U.S. to the winner.

SALE AND GIVEAWAY!

2010-06-12T11:35:00.000-06:00

Artisan Clay is having a 25% off sale for the length of Bead and Button. Through Sunday, I think. She's also doing a giveaway, so check out her blog, and her etsy store for the sale and giveaway. She does thrown pendants with colorful glass in her designs. Great starting point for any project. SALE AND GIVEAWAY!

Congratulations

2010-06-10T13:34:00.001-06:00

The winner of my first ever Birthday Blog Giveaway is... LOIS MOON. Congratulations, Lois. I think we must be related somehow. My middle name is Lois and my grandmother's maiden name was Moon. Send me an e-mail with your address and I'll get your goodies in the mail to you right away.

Special thanks to The Hunter for aiding me in my very technical approach to choosing a random winner. I printed all the names of everyone who left a comment on my Birthday Blog Giveaway post and he pulled one out of the bowl. (The Hunter is none other than my adoring husband). I used to follow a blog where the blogger referred to her husband as The Composer. I loved that, but it didn't quite fit my husband. The Hunter definitely does.

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and for the comments. I started out celebrating my birthday and having 20 followers and by the end of the giveaway, I have 41!!!! Wow.

Statement Necklace

2010-06-01T02:43:00.000-06:00

I'm a Carnival Blogger over at Art Bead Scene Blog. We post each month about a specific topic and then Cindy does a post incorporating everybody's blog on the Art Bead Scene Blog. This month so many talented bead people are at Bead and Button so Cindy is doing it a little differently. Some of us who aren't busy with Bead and Button have chosen to create a Statement Necklace in honor of Bead and Button and post about that. What is a Statement Necklace? Well, think about how many kinds of statements one could make. That's how many different kinds of Statement Necklaces one could make.

I've used lots of things I love in this necklace. My first love is ceramic beads. The focal pendant, the round bead and the little discs are my handmade ceramic beads. I've incorporated some glass beads, some metalic edged silk ribbon, copper chain, copper wire in different gauges, and then my next love, my hand made copper clasp. I'm so into copper and so into clasps.

Check out the rest of the Statements!!

Cindy
Jeannie
Jen V
Kate
Mary
Nicki
Island Girl
Sharon
Janel
Marcie
Christine
Lyn

LAST DAY TO POST A COMMENT Happy Birthday Giveaway

2010-05-29T07:00:00.001-06:00

Okay I've been talking about it and overthinking it. I was going to have a giveaway when I reached 20 followers. But by the time I got around to it I had 24!! And today is my birthday so I'm giving YOU a present. Just leave a comment and be sure to wish me a Happy Birthday and I'll randomly pick a winner. You will receive at least the pendant pictured and maybe I'll throw in some coordinating "stuff". It's a surprise!! If the winner is one of my non beady friends or fam I'll string this on some cording so you can wear it.

Shut Up and Show Me

2010-05-28T10:55:00.000-06:00

Just eye candy

2010-05-18T08:53:00.000-06:00

Remember I said I had joined a Bead Soup Party. This is way better than a cookie exchange. No calories. I thought it would be easy to put together a mix of one of my pendants, some coordinating beads, a pretty clasp. Not so easy. I agonized over it for a week. I put together two groups and waited and waited. One group became a statement necklace for another challenge that I'll post about later. This group went to Jen. Check out her blog. Her style is way more colorful and fun than mine. But I bet she can do wonders with these. I can't wait to see. She is sending me a group of beads too. A focal, a clasp and some coordinating beads. Then I will make something with her beads and she will make something with mine. We don't have to use all the beads in one project. Then on June 19th everyone will post their finished piece on their blog.

Copper

2010-05-15T19:07:00.000-06:00

Besides clay I love working with metals. My favorite is copper. I just learned how to make these fabulous copper headpins for making bead dangles and such with copper wire and a torch from this post at Art Bead Scene Blog by Lynn Davis.
Can't wait to use these in a design. But for now I'm just having fun making them. I love copper with clay beads. Both are so earthy and warm.

2010-05-12T09:14:00.001-06:00

It's the second Wednesday!! There's a great giveaway over at Beads of Clay Blog featuring these prizes from me and lots of other prizes from from Beads of Clay members. Go check it out. All you have to do is leave a comment and you could be randomly picked to win these prizes. What have you got to lose.

Bead Soup Party

2010-05-08T23:25:00.000-06:00

Another Swap. Another challenge. It's a Bead Soup Party

Check it out here and stay tuned for the results. I'll post about what I send to my partner. Then what I receive from my partner. And then I'll post about the piece I create with my partners beads, and what my partner creates with mine. I can't wait!!

Swap Necklace

2010-04-25T12:50:00.000-06:00

We had a pendant swap on Beads of Clay Yahoo Group. We were paired with a partner, we send each other a pendant. We each design something with the pendant we receive. Then send in a picture to our BoC Flikr group This is the pendant I got from Melinda Orr at Orrtec Designs.

Here is my finished necklace. I had a perfectly matched little blue bird bead I had made. I knew as soon as I opened Melinda's package that I wanted to use it with her pendant. I think we must have used the same glaze.

2010-04-18T16:36:00.000-06:00

Check out the current monthly challenge at Art Bead Scene Blog April Challenge This is my entry in the April Art Bead Scene Challenge.

Yeah!

2010-04-14T19:13:00.001-06:00

I entered a necklace in the Beads of Clay Tetradic Challenge. I blogged about it here. Well I actually won! and today I received my prizes. A beautiful boxed set of Mary Harding Beads and Pendants. Mary has always been an inspiration to me. I feel like she just walks through a beautiful wooded paradise and just spots these perfect little pearls of scenery and then she goes back to her studio and creates them. These pictures will not do them justice. You have to see her work in person. Her blog is at. I can't wait to create something with these "pearls".

Custom Gifts

2010-04-08T09:16:00.000-06:00

My niece asked me to make small personalized trinket dishes for 7 of her fellow graduates this year. > I'm pretty sure none of them follow this blog. Otherwise I just ruined the surprise. (Dont' tell Shelby, but I did one for her, too.)

She gave me the names and picked the general colors. Usually I don't like doing custom work because a lot of customers don't have a clear vision of what they want until you finish it and then they know what they wanted different. But Shelby seemed to be pleases. All she wanted was that they were each "a little different". I think they came out great.

I think I can, I think I can

2010-04-06T06:57:00.000-06:00

I was notified that "beads" by Cindy Dolezal Designs are featured in this upcoming issue of Beads 2010 in the Rings section. I think I see one of my beads on the cover. It's almost completely buried but I think I see it. It's not available til April. I can't wait.

Easter Beads

2010-03-30T16:58:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you but when I finish coloring a dozen or two eggs for Easter I always hate to throw away the Easter egg color in the cups. So this year I threw in some large unfinished wood beads I had and colored them. Similar beads were featured in Martha Stewart Living Magazine last summer or spring. She used fabric dye but these came out great. These are just the large unfinished wood beads you find at the craft store. Usually for kids to string. They are great light weight colorful beads to add to your creations! Have fun.

Anticipation

2010-03-29T10:13:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I make beads just to feel the clay in my hands. With no real end in sight. This clay hasn’t yet decided what it wants to be. But sometimes I have a whole finished piece of jewelry in mind. Before I can start on the project I have to go through the whole process of making the beads I have in my head. I let them dry before I can get them in the kiln for the first firing. That’s usually not so bad in the middle of summer here. It’s pretty hot and arid so they dry quickly. But in the winter it takes longer. Then there’s the firing, glazing, firing again. Sometimes it turns out just like I had anticipated. Just as often the whole thing, which has a mind of its own, turns out to be something quite different.

A lot of potters refer to opening the kiln as Christmas morning. It really is like that. I can’t tell you how many times when I was starting out, I would open the kiln when it was still too hot. I just couldn’t stand the anticipation any longer. Sometimes the results of that were disastrous. So I’ve learned to force myself to be patient. I usually leave the kiln to cool overnight and open it in my pajamas with my first cup of coffee. One of my favorite things to do.

Busy Weekend

2010-03-21T14:30:00.001-06:00

What a great weekend! I took my new convertible to Santa Fe Beadfest this weekend. My first road trip in this car. My first big bead show. I got to stay with my sister in Albuquerque then drove up to Santa Fe for the bead show. When I went inside it was beautiful outside. A friend and I kept hearing that it was snowing outside but we were too busy looking at beads to pay much attention. Then we kept hearing that it was "really coming down out there" and we finally thought, we better check this out. We knew we had to drive back to Albuquerque and didn't want to get snowed in. When we looked outside there was about three inches of snow on the cars and it was "REALLY coming down out there". So we opted to head back. Fortunately once we got to I 40 it wasn't too bad. We did encounter two accidents which slowed traffic considerably but we made it back okay. So our bead show experience was cut short but we saw plenty of beads. The next day we had planned to hit New Mexico Clay and stock up on supplies for our pottery group. That's always a fun shopping experience. We don't have anything like that locally and we saved a ton on shipping. We probably got about 350 lbs. of different clays.

The next stop was Trader Joe's to stock up on wine. Another great shopping experience. I know. If you're reading this and you know me, you're probably thinking, but she HATES to shop. This is true. But beads and clay and wine? That's my kind of shopping.

I did take some new beads out the kiln. I love the chunky yellow ones. And the square pendants with glass were a fun experiment. I think they turned out great. I picked up some cool wooden stamps that are just the right size to stamp a design into these squares and then add glass. Stay tuned for that.

Soak Up The Sun

2010-03-17T03:53:00.000-06:00

My friend turned 50 and she decided she wanted a "Wake" for her birthday party. We had a great time. I have to admit it was a little creepy walking into a dark room lite with candles and seeing her "laid out" under a white shroud. She laid there so still as the guests arrived. Several of us tried to get her to giggle or something but she stayed quiet and still for a long time. There was a eulogy and then we rose her from the dead. Her son put together a video of pictures to her favorite song "Soak Up The Sun" by Sheryl Crow. I made this necklace for her in honor of that song. It so fits her. I had made the brightly colored sun buttons. I strung those with waxed linen which reminded me of rope that you often see around the beach. I added the dyed turquoise beads on one side because they went well with the suns. I've wanted to use the dyed turquoise but when I bought them I was thinking fall colors. But they really are bright. The other side of the necklace is a double strand of some water colored stone chip beads. Those really made me think of the beach. And some brass chain. I altered the copper washers and I love the copper in this. Copper always reminds me of sun. I made the clasp with another altered copper washer and copper wire. I stamped Deana on one side of the clasp and Happy 50 on the other side with my new metal stamps which I love.

This necklace is totally not my style. It's very bright and has a lot of different elements in it. Ceramic buttons and beads. Waxed linen, brass chain, copper, turquoise and stone beads. But I think you can definitely tell I was inspired by the song.

Beads of Clay Challenge

2010-03-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally figured it out. They call it a challenge because it's CHALLENGING!! Wow, the current Beads of Clay Color Wheel Challenge really had my head spinning. Tetradic color scheme. Four colors on the color wheel with a LOGIC relationship. That must be the part that threw me. I don't think logically. But here it is. I was determined to make myself tackle this challenge. It wasn't easy. I never would have put these colors together. Red-orange, yellow, blue-green and violet.

Empty Bowls Dinner

2010-03-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

I collected these bowls from my pottery group for a charity event called EMPTY BOWLS. Bowls made by students at El Paso Community College and local artists were auctioned off at a dinner and silent auction on February 20 benefiting the West Texas Food Bank. The bowls can be functional or decorative. Our group was very happy to donate some of our bowls for this great charity.

Best Laid Plans

2010-02-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had beautiful spring weather here. Yesterday my husband and I made very ambitious plans to start digging up a new plot for our garden today! Well, this morning I woke up and it's raining. So IT'S A STUDIO DAY!! Bye!

Catch Up

2010-02-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

I went away for a long weekend to celebrate my 25th Anniversary. Technically, it's not til August but it's too hot to travel in August. We went to Nashville. We both took our cowboy boots. We hit honky-tonks every night. Slept til 10 a.m. at least. I checked out a bead store but came home empty handed. (How did that happen) I did stop at Barnes and Noble before I left and picked up a book to read on the plane. It's called Metalworking 101 for Beaders by Candie Cooper. http://www.candiecooper.com/index.htm It was just what I was looking for. I've been experimenting with copper wire and now I'm ready to tackle sheet metal. I'm looking forward to incorporating some handmade metal findings, the clunkier the better for me, into my ceramic beads and jewelry. Stay tuned...

Art Bead Scene Challenge

2010-02-16T14:29:00.001-07:00

I entered this necklace in the Art Bead Scene February Challenge. Read about the challenge here. http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2010/02/february-monthly-challenge.html I received the red pinwheel focal bead in a bead swap from Marti Conrad. Check out her etsy store here. www.martic51@etsy.com. I thought the red color and the pinwheel design both went very well with the February theme of the Challenge. A painting called Luna Park. I called this necklace Luna Roja. Red Moon. I added turquoise glass beads and brass findings and chain.

Heart Bird

2010-02-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

Besides beads I love making little birds. I just gave this one to my granddaughter for Valentine's Day. I always make a big heart cake for her Daddy cause his birthday is Feb 13. So I had to have something for her. I make my wings in lots of styles but this one has heart wings.

I've been installed

2010-02-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

This is a new one for me. My brand new neighbors were remodeling their new home. They came by my Studio Sale and bought, among other things, a tile I had done in black clay with a red heart on it. They recently told me I should come look at their completed kitchen. They had my heart tile installed in their backsplash. I was so excited. I apologize for the picture. Not a lot of natural light so I had to use flash. But here it is.

2010-02-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog. I've been toying with the idea of a blog for some time now. It's like an online journal where I can verbalize, what's the word for verbalize in writing, my thoughts and share ideas in my life and in my studio. I hope you'll follow me and get a glimpse of design projects in progress. I can't wait to get started.