U-Design Bead System

We've had several requests from stores to make some large hole beads similar to the Pandora or European style for them to sell.  I finally worked out a way to make them more consistent in size and shape.  We now have them in a wide selection of solid colors and patterns as well as various shapes and sizes.

We are calling our new bead collection the "U-Design Bead System" , where we create the beads and "you" design your own bracelet or necklace.

You can read more about it on our website and we will be adding more bead designs as we make them.

I will also be making some of these beads in my live demo this coming Friday evening at the Fireweed Art Studio in Scotch Creek (north shore of the Little Shuswap).  We will have a wide selection of our large hole beads and braided leather cord in different colors on hand for those who want to design their own bracelet, anklet or necklace.  It should be a lot of fun and we are looking forward to it.

If you are in the area, there is also a live outdoor concert with Sly Valley, so bring your camp chair and have a good toe tapping time!

Making a Glamour Necklace from a Button

When we were delivering a button order the other day to Katja's Quilt Shoppe, she had a huge tub of buttons on their counter they were sorting through.  For someone such as me who loves to sew cannot resist running my hands through all those buttons and taking in all the fun shapes and colors.  I came across one that really caught my eye and came home with me that day.  I could visualize it remade with polymer into some beads.  This is the button and a mold I made from regular scrap clay .....

... and here are some beads that I made from that button:

And here is a necklace I made for myself (yes, you are seeing correctly -- this is a different color than the beads above -- I wanted a necklace to coordinate with a bracelet and earrings I already had.)  Now all I need is a special event to wear this too!

.... I later made some buttons with shanks from that same mold.  I applied mica powders to each one to create different color combinations.

We were at Katja's store again today and so decided to look through her tub of buttons again and found a lot more to play with.

A Trip to the City

We took a bit of time out today after the busy week with the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts show.  I do not get out much for shopping these days so Dave decided to treat me with a trip into the city and have breakfast out to start.  I managed to pick up some new sandals for myself as well as find some supplies and packaging for our clay pieces.

These boxes are perfect for packaging our "Forget-Me-Nots" dishes.  I took one along with me so we could find the right size.

We also delivered some new jewelry items to Katja's Quilt Shoppe in Kamloops.  Along with our brooch-pendants and earrings, they now have a selection of our quilt patterned rings, lapel pins and zipper charms.

Floral Collar Necklace Prototypes

Whenever we create a new design I like to play around with making a prototype or two first.  Generally these pieces are added to my own jewelry collection.  When we are happy with the design we will create similar pieces to sell.

This is the first floral collar style necklace I made before I created the "Sunflower" one that was entered into the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts show.

This has become one of my favorite pieces to wear so I decided to make another one but this time in the colors to go with a new top I recently purchased.  

I always like to make a watch strap to match my jewelry pieces.  This one I made with only leaves so I can wear it with most of my floral themed items.

Forget-Me-Nots

I made some small dishes to go along with our flower theme this summer.  Dave came up with the name  "Forget-Me-Nots" which I really like!  They are perfect for keeping a ring or other odd jewelry pieces handy and I made them in an assortment of colors.  Of course I had to add my little lady bugs for that finishing touch.

Favorite Flowers

We went mainly with a summer floral theme for this year's Shuswap Festival of the Arts.  Here is a sampling of a few more pieces that are available in the gift shop which is open until this Sunday July 22.

Lapel Pins

Brooches / Pendants

Secret Garden

This is the third piece I entered into the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts show in Sorrento.  It is a box for your hidden treasures that I titled "Secret Garden".  I used a cardboard tube to create the base form and then removed it after baking.  I then built onto that clay form adding several layers inside and out.  The box went through about 7 firings in total.  It is 6" high and 6" in diameter.

Summer Sun

We just arrived home from the opening of the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts show.  There was a lot of new work from different artists this year which was good to see.  It was a nice surprise to see the blue ribbon next to one of my entries.  It was for the sunflower necklace I titled "Summer Sun".

Garden Party Goblets

Here is the home of the ladybugs I promised to show you in my last post.  They are on leaves attached to the stems of glassware that I made for the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts show that starts this Saturday, July 14 until Sunday, July 22 in Sorrento, B.C.

I had this idea for quite some time and maybe I will eventually find the time to make as set for ourselves some day. 

Ladybugs

I decided that one of my projects I have been working on for the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts show needed the final touch of adding some lady bugs.  Joan Taylor makes the best ladybugs so I turned to her blog post where she shared her tips on how to create a cane for some inspiration.  As you can see, I made quite a large cane and since it turned out better than I had expected, I am glad I did as now I will hopefully have a large supply of the little critters.

You can see one of the items I have added these cute little bugs to.  It is a surprise for now but as soon as I take some more photos I will reveal more in my next blog post.  In the meantime, have a great weekend.

Interesting Sights of Chase

We had some family visit for the day and so went for a drive to see a few sights in our little village of Chase.  I thought I would share them with you.

This is Chase Creek Falls just on the edge of town.

One of the things I love about this area is the variety of art that is available here.  This is a Teak Showroom just outside of town.  The teak is mainly reclaimed stumps that are more than 100 years old and then carved into anything from wall decor to furniture.  You can read more about it and meet some of the carvers on their website All Things Thai.

This is a piece we couldn't resist and followed us home.

I love the entrance to his farm
where the teak showroom is.

View of the gate as you leave....

We are a little laid back in this area and I really liked the hours sign on the door.  These are kind of the hours that all artists should adopt?  lol

Happy Canada Day!