Monday, July 18, 2011

More Bargello

Here is some more bargello style jewelry in different color combinations.  This one is in honeysuckle pink, peapod and Beeswax on a black background.



These two sets below are created from the same bargello colors.  I showed the blue one below to you before but when the same bargello slices are arranged on a different color background like the turquoise shown here, it gives a whole new look.



Friday, July 15, 2011

Summer Night Concert at Fireweed Art Studio

We had a great time at the Fireweed Art Studio yesterday where some of our jewelry pieces are sold and I am teaching classes there this summer.  This is Lynn Erin who is the main artist and owner of the Fireweed Art Studio.


Every Thursday evening in July and August, there is a live outdoor concert on the front lawn put on by Lynn's partner, and great musician, Sylvain Vallee of the Vallee Music Studio.


The weather didn't seem to want to cooperate at first and there were off and on showers right up until it started so some of us were huddled under umbrellas to keep dry.



When the music started the rain stopped and the sun broke out which made the music even more enjoyable!  That is Sylvain on the far right on the keyboard in the photo below.


There were about 100 people who turned out last night which was a nice number considering the rain and all. There was quite a variety in music and we are already looking forward to next weeks concert.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Set-up at the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts

We set up our display at the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts today which took a lot of planning and arranging.  This year our set-up features some of our new "series" designs.


We painted some picture frames to add a little more style and color to our display.


As part of our Bargello series we have some basic pendants.  These ones I used the Tibetan silver bezel frames which I show how to fill without using any glue, in my tutorial, Fabulous Faux Turquoise.  We order larger quantities of these frames at a time so have some available for sale in our ArtFire Studio.



Sunday, July 10, 2011

Finished more beach bracelets

We finished off a few more beach bracelets in some new colors.  They are strung on cotton cord with a slider clasp so they are easy to put on and take off as well as comfy to wear at the beach.



We added these along with some more rings to our display at the Fireweed Art Studio in Scotch Creek making our beach bling jewelry line even more complete.  (Click on the photos for a larger view).


My first Beach Bling Jewelry making class is this coming Thursday here at the Fireweed Art Studio.  My students will make their own beach shells and by the end of the class will go away with several jewelry pieces of their choice created from them.  Click here for more information as well as an up-to-date class schedule.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Embossed Clay Earring Tutorial Featured

I just discovered a new site today called All Free Beaded Jewelry.  It is a site that lists all sorts of links to free tutorials for jewelry making on the internet and they featured our Embossed Clay Earring Tutorial there.


  

Of course you can make these earrings in other colors or shapes and are great for coordinating with your favorite outfit.


We have more free tutorials available on our blog for you to enjoy and you will find them all listed at the top of this page.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Surprise

A package arrived today that we had ordered from the U.S. a week ago Monday.  We ordered the day they ended the postal strike and were worried things would be backed up at Canada customs due to a mail backlog but we received it in good time.  We have some classes scheduled and were in desperate need of some tools such as acrylic rollers, shaped cutters and tissue blades for our students to use.


We were also low on some findings that were needed to finish off some pieces for the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts show.  Now we aren't so pressured for time in adding the final touches and we can be ready for set-up on Monday.  Here are a couple more bargello style necklaces in black and white for a different look.




All the little black rondelle spacer beads are made from clay as well as the cubes.  We make these in matching colors by the hundreds now and I share my little secret on how to make both in our Making Rondelle Spacer Beads tutorial which has become quite popular.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Balancing act with Buttons, Bargello and Beach Bling

Things are extra busy for us this time of year with the Shuswap Festival of the Arts just around the corner.  It is an 8 day show where we have our work for sale in the gift shop there.   It seems there is always so much to do before then with finishing and tagging everything and fine tuning our display.  This year has become more of a balancing act with button orders to fill, custom orders to finish and preparing for several classes to teach.

We finished off some more bargello style jewelry this time with some slight design variations.  The earrings were quite popular and we sold out so we are making more.


I love creating bargello style patterns in the clay.  After the various blends are created, they are stacked, sliced, and then arranged like a quilt pattern on a clay background.  I'm currently working on some more color schemes and will have some to show you this week.