EveryDay Jewelry by Lynette

Four Generations Photo

2011-12-31T12:58:00.000-08:00

Great Grandma Baumgarten with daughter, grandson and great-grandchildren on the Fisk side.
Pastor Jonathan Fisk, Grandma Lynette Fisk, Great Grandma Ruth Baumgarten (front) with Fisk grandkids (l-r) Trinity Promise, Anastasia Aviella, Chloe Elkanah and Fides Athanasius. Photo taken November 2011 in Naperville, Illinois.

Jonathan's Recent Installation

2011-12-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

Bethany Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois, installed Jonathan Fisk as their third pastor in November, 2011. Check out the podcast.

Pastoral Staff with their wives and family.

It was a great week, which included celebrating Thanksgiving. Great-grandma Baumgarten was there and got to spend time with her Fisk great-grandkids.

Jonathan and first son, Fides, enjoyed a moment at the post-ceremony congregational dinner. (no, he wasn't really choking, but trying to get his fist into his mouth, like any normal 6 month old.)

Jonathan and his family had just moved into a house in Naperville a week before installation day and house-guests.

Beaded Christmas Trees

2011-11-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

At Eclectics Gallery's Ho Ho Ho Show last Sunday, people commented on my beaded Christmas tree earrings.

While I like these, I think they are a bit too "conventional" so I've been working on some others which I like more, though they take just as long to make...but I like that fact they are not the same and not "perfect" trees.

I really like my Charlie Brown trees best...

Vintage Brooch Re-purposed

2011-11-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

This vintage brooch with its unusual color combination of brown, green and pink, was in a stash of a customer's mother's jewelry, entrusted to me to make into something wearable...

It just didn't fit with the other brooches, which mostly went into one large, "statement" piece...

So this week I took beads from another piece from the same customer - a set of various glass beads knotted onto gold-toned cording - and use the best ones to make the square brooch into a wearable necklace.

Not all the beads here were created equal - some were made of colored glass, others were clear with a color coating, which was coming off. But there were plenty in the brown and green shades needed.

In my own stash, I found a near perfect matching earring - just had to replace one bright green rhinestone with a deep pink and I had a perfect match.

The strung beads on the necklace were augmented with a large Swarovski crystal and a few other vintage beads.

The clasp was custom made from shiny brass wire to fit the scale of the piece. Sure hope Marjorie enjoys wearing her mother's unusual brooch.

Faerie Wings and Animals Mashup

2011-11-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Laura has knitted another doll - this time a faerie, complete with little knitted wings!

This one was a commission for a friend at work. Faerie doll and hat for a small relative. Turns out, the buyer likes the doll so much, the little girl might NOT receive this gift!!

Next project - Santa hats!

Danielle's Green Dream

2011-10-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

So, about a year ago, Danielle (from Minneapolis, college classmate and friend of daughter Laura's) found two fused glass pieces she loved. "Make me a necklace..." she said. Now, Danielle is one of those women who are unselfconsciously stunning. She's the young wife and mother of 3 with a speaking career and the style of a super model.

Her taste in jewelry tends to the big and bold and fabulous. Huge rings. Bold bracelets. Boots. Scarves. Headbands. Birds in her hair (seriously, at a wedding!) And it wasn't a live bird.....

She has the knack of wearing the unusual or something that would look awkward or even ridiculous on most of us and making it look good. (never mind that she is half my age....and probably half my weight....I'm still slightly envious.)

So this gives my quite a lot of room to make something with her glass pieces that not everyone would wear. I finished one last night and am actually wearing it today before I mail it to her. (Got to make sure it doesn't scratch, that it sits on the neck correctly, right?)

Here's the piece of glass - a twisted green and silver dichroic fused glass figure 8. The necklace uses these colors plus black with silver wire and findings. Some beads are plastic, some glass.

Combining disparate pieces is possible in a piece like this, which includes a piece of a broken vintage rhinestone bracelet, a cracked-marble, plastic beads, green and crystal vintage Mardi Gras beads from back when they actually threw out real beads instead of the mass-produced plastics of today.

There are also some funky glass beads, a large faceted quartz bead, a silver earring, a piece of rhinestone chain and part of a restrung 60s era multi-strand costume jewelry necklace.

The base chain was once a biker chain to attach to a wallet, so the clasp is correspondingly large.

So Danielle, it might take another year to make something with the other piece since I really need to spend my studio time on items to sell......but I hope you like your creation.

Silvain - Keeper of the Forest

2011-10-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

As an admirer of art dolls, I've been wanting to try my hand again. Silvain, Keeper of the Forest, is the most recent result.

Silvain's head was sculpted from Sculpey clay, cured and painted. I wanted to make him Elvish, so tried a mix of green acrylic paint, which I promptly tried to remove, with mixed results....which I rather liked.

Hence his blotchy, semi-painted complexion.His eyes are cobalt blue glass beads.

His body began as a bundle of willow twigs (an idea I got from seeing a doll made by Minnesota artist Brenna Busse), with twig shoulders and arms wired in place with copper. Longer twigs were added to make him stand alone and his hands were attached with wire and glue.

Hand were sculpted over a wrapped wire armature, giving him long, thin fingers that should be break-resistant. They were also treated with acrylic color to match his face. Wire from the hands was glued and inserted into a small hole drilled into the end of his twig-arms. His tight-fitting sleeve was then over-wrapped with cord to secure.

He wears a simple tunic and a leather mantle, composed of animal skins, leaves, hair and grasses (i.e. silk leaves, velvet, leather and fiber scraps, raffia and yarn). Trims from an old pair of sandals connects the cloak in the front.

A few wooden beads, a small brass bell and some beads are hidden in the fibers.

Silvain's head was completed with a metal cap (old brass filigree earring) and feathers. He also wears small brass ear studs and has pointed, elvish ears.

He is holding a talisman made from a polished fruit seed, with a tassel of fibers, seeds and beads.

Though today he stands in Eclectics Gallery, yesterday he was outside, checking the weather, wishing it would rain in the woods soon.

He loves the autumn when he can walk through the leaves and put the trees to sleep for the winter.

October Tomatoes

2011-10-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Oct 25th, was 85º in Pleasant Hill, Mo. Way to hot for October, but I'm still picking tomatoes. We've had an outstanding crop, especially of cherry and small pear tomatoes. The best plant came up volunteer from seeds dropped last summer by the tomatoes I missed!

I've picked and roasted (cut in half, tossed with olive oil, garlic and salt) a few thousand of these sweet babies this fall. Roast for several hours at 220º until nearly dry but not burned.

They look like this when picked....earlier I only needed to pick red ripe ones. Lately I've been picking green ones too, since we've had a couple light frosts. After sitting for a few days in the house, they all turn red.

After roasting, I pack them in more oil, waterbath process and put away for Christmas gifts. The roasted tomatoes are so sweet, tangy and delicious. Great on pizza or tossed with pasta!! A half pint jar holds about 1/2 cookie sheet full.

Picked this batch yesterday - could be the last ones. Now we'll see how many of these ripen - some are really green.

My Creative Progeny....

2011-10-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

Laura - my lovely daughter - the one who still at 30+ calls Mom when she needs a costume - is one of the new generation of knitters. You've seen them - the anti-craft, slightly sinister, subversive knitters who take traditional skills like knitting and crochet and use them to create their own amazing things. It's part green-recycle-reuse-repurpose and partly a way to make something cool out of an old-fashioned technique.

This is great, because in the process, the skills of knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidery, and more are reviving, being passed on to more generations and being transformed in the process.

My daughter is an intuitive knitter - she never uses a pattern but comes up with her own creative designs. (Along the way she's also learning. Her first knitted animal - an orange cat for her niece, Choe, was stuffed with stray pieces of yarn - so this cat literally left yarn "hair-balls" around the house. Now she makes a neat little muslin pillow stuffed with fiberfill for each padded shape.

Now she's making The World's Ugliest Best Friends....each a quirky animal with a matching hat for the recipient to wear.

Her current menagerie (available at Eclectics Gallery in Kansas City) includes a dragon, a horse, a duck and a cat....each with a coordinating hat.

Each is unique - the first duck was made for niece Anastasia, and included a hat that looked just like the back end of a duck....it was awesome.

However, Anastasia was not thrilled about everyone laughing at her "duck butt" hat and she wouldn't wear it.

The elephant hat gives the wearer matching ears...

I love her creations....nearly as much as the Laura and Aaron dolls she made for her nieces. (Since they live nearly 2000 miles away and rarely see each other, the girls have soft fabric character dolls dressed and coifed like Laura and Aaron. They come to visit for special occasions, like when Grandma comes to visit.

More about them another day....

1969 Clarinda Girls Okoboji Reunion

2011-09-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

16 or so girls from Clarinda High School Class of 1969 met at the Inn at Okoboji in Mildford, Iowa for a weekend get-together to celebrate our shared milestone birthday!

back row, l-r: Pam Tritsch, Marta Brockman, Karen Carlson, Elizabeth Adams, Rebecca Roe, Ramona Kanne, Dee Hartman, Kay Varley, Ruth Davis, Diana Troester, Joy Hartstack
front row, l-r: Lynette Fisk, Catherine Herzberg, Nancy Beattie, Mary Kay Nieman

Wine, snacks, chocolate, dinners out, walks around the lake, shopping and LOTS and LOTS of talking! What a great, fun weekend. And we're not done - tomorrow lines will be drawn in the sand as the Iowa/Iowa State game takes place and then we kiss and make up to take a boat ride on the lake.

Thanks to Becky (Black) Roe for making all the arrangements! Thanks to Nancy Beattie who made the extra effort to come despite her recent surgery. Thanks to everyone who drove, who brought goodies, scrapbooks and lawn chairs.

We're having a great time reminiscing, sharing photos, bragging about grandkids. And we're still going. Ready for cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday to us!! 60 is Hot!

Blue Moon

2011-09-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

This new piece is going into the Arts on Grand gallery in Spencer, Iowa.....

It's fun to repurpose old costume jewelry - but I do get distracted by the tiniest of details. You would not believe the time spent in August just on rhinestones: researching the best prices for replacement stones, measuring, comparing colors with online photos, ordering and waiting, being disappointed in the quality from one vendor, ordering again....then popping off old or loose stones, cleaning and removing old glue, resetting or gluing in replacement stones! (I use 2-part epoxy - those puppies will not fall out!).

But IMHO (in my humble opinion...) you can't have too much bling on this type of piece.
This piece includes:

large blue rhinestone brooch
small blue and pearl brooch
large pot metal shoe clip - all stones gone
rhinestone circle earring with blue rivoli added
moonstone sterling earring drop
rhinestone ball bead
silver metal stamped earring
length of vintage silver metal, pearl and AB rhinestone bracelet
pieces of beaded chain in silver with pearls and blue links
vintage 2-hole rhinestone spacer bar
3mm blue Swarovski bicone crystals
large blue Czech glass bead
vintage pearls, crystal, and glass beads
fine silver balled headpins
silver jump rings
silver craft wire
vintage clasp
pieces of rhinestone chain
rhinestone earring (faux Diana style)
blue, cream an crystal drops

I am getting the hang of the asymmetrical design - the trick is to design on a dress form, not on a flat bench. Time is lost crawling around on the floor searching for dropped jump rings or beads, but it's the best way to create something that hangs properly on the neck.

Amber Sunset Necklace

2011-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

One more necklace completed....called Amber Sunset. It's a sparkly confection of vintage jewelry pieces, chain, pearls and crystals.

Metals are all gold-toned. Crystals and rhinestones range from dark pink aurora borealis to salmon to red. Length is about 18", although it fills up the neckline nicely. It looks heavy, but is actually quite comfortable.

Elements include:

part of an amazing, vintage necklace with pearls and rhinestones
large starfish brooch with pink rhinestones, white antiquing and iridescent cab settings
double heart pearl and rhinestone brooch
leaf dangle with stone
large gold-tone metal flower brooch
gold sunburst vintage earring
salmon lucite cab in gold setting earring
vintage round brooch with red and orange rhinestones, pearls
lucite/foil earring setting
Swarovski Siam crystal bicones
Pink AB vintage crystal beads
Red Czech crystal beads
Vintage pearl beads
Various reclaimed pink dangles from vintage jewelry
Vintage double ring twisted Gold plate chain and findings
New rhinestone clasp, brass wire, headpins

Currently on display and available at Eclectics, 7015 Oak Street in Kansas City, MO. Find us on Facebook at Eclectics Gallery.

Whoo-Hoo!! Sold it, Jan. 27, 2012! Thanks to whoever you are - please wear it lots and tell everyone to check out Eclectics.

Etsy Treasury

2011-08-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

What a great way to start the day - an email from a fellow Etsyan who has included one of my peyote-stitched bracelets in a Treasury.

TheBeadedbead (curator of this Treasury) selected all peyote-stitched items, in aqua/teal/turquoise and lime green. It's a beautiful looking page with yummy items from great beaders on Etsy.

Really shows the versatility of peyote stitch - from flat to tubular to sculptural...

It goes from simple

...to complex and it is still the same great stitch.

Check it out and visit the various shops of these talented beadweavers.

Noir Fleur - the Black Flower

2011-08-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

I love buying old "junk" jewelry and recently found an Etsy shop that sells great stuff - do not know how many hours a day this vendor must spend sorting, or where she finds her "finds" - but I'm addicted.

I first found Savage Attic when searching for rhinestone jewelry for a friends' wedding in May....now I visit her shop nearly every day. Recently, a lot of black beaded jewelry caught my eye and soon it was on its way to my studio. Combined with other black and gold beads, pins, findings and brooches already hiding in my stash, last week my vision came together as Noir Fleur.

This piece is comfortable (I'm actually wearing it now!), not too heavy and could be worn with something very classy - your best LBD. It would also work great with a crisp white shirt and a little black leather jacket.

Gold metal (brass and some gold-plate) brooches and chain, black glass and acrylic beads and brooch, a large black/gray/cream stone bead of unknown pedigree, rhinestones and glass pearls, a couple old earrings and some found metal pieces and dangles.

Clasp is also re-purposed...and matches perfectly.

My current fave is the "statement necklace" - ever since seeing Mrs. Obama where a fab Tom Binns necklace at the Kennedy Center Honors....

So great - wonder how he attaches those old pieces together??? Or maybe they are NOT vintage pieces, but new ones??? Anyway, that's what I like, in case you want to get me something for my birthday.....
but for now, guess I'm content making up my own creations.

Bead Stash Blues

2011-07-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

In response to a post on Beading Daily which asked readers how they store their personal bead stashes....I took another look at my studio. Messy, again. But still my "happy place"....when I am home long enough to be in there.

Beading Daily was asking about stash storage - which would take me all day to share, and is likely similar to many others who have bead additions. But since I frequently take my beadwork on the road when we travel I thought I'd post how I manage to include quite a few of my beloved seed beads.

I prefer my seed beads in clear tubes for easy viewing. (Somehow, it looks like more beads, although a 2" filled ziplock baggie actually holds about the same amount.) I have a great wooden box that is about 4 inches deep, measuring roughly 10" x 12", which is divided into 9 spaces. Each space will hold nearly two dozen upright bead tubes, sorted by color group, with room for a scissors, wire snipper, needle box and thread. This box sits on the floor between my feet, where I can get at them when we drive all day. (My hubbie loves road trips....not a flier....and he's retired. This is my sanity.)

When packing for a trip, I get inspired and see many potential bead combinations that I might need so now I just take lots. By no means is this all of my seed beads, but they can't all come....I'm seriously in love with seed beads, but not completely bonkers.

Of course, along in the back seat is a tool bag with my favorite pliers, a few findings, crimps and spools of wire....just in case.

Sweetie Belle

2011-06-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it. I am ADDED (Attention Deficit Disorder Extra Distractible).....but my latest favorite thing to create is widely known as Statement Jewelry.

After making Rachel's wedding necklace (see previous post) I tried again, using reclaimed vintage brooches, earrings, beads and pearls. Nothing in this is innately valuable - the white daisies are some type of hard plastic, the petals of the large blue brooch are also plastic.

Blue plastic and metal brooch
Gold and pastel brooch
Brass flower with blue rhinestones
Enameled 3-flower earring
Section of white daisy bracelet links
Metal earring with large Aurora rhinestones
Yellow and blue faux pearls
Blue glass oval beads
White and Pink glass beads (various shapes)
Antique Faceted glass Mardi Gras beads
Large blue Rhinestone set dangle
Bezeled glass chain

The large center brooch is brass or gold-colored metal with enameling, aurora rhinestones and glass pear and navette cabs. All the beads and faux pearls came from reclaimed jewelry. I replaced corroded wires and used new shiny brass headpins for all the dangles.The clasp is custom made by me....but the back dangle is from a real Mardi Gras necklace from back in the day when they actually threw real jewelry from the floats.

I love re-using these pieces. It looks great on and the individual pieces would just be sitting in an old box somewhere, unused...

Now, what to do with it? I never wear these colors! So maybe it will go into Eclectics Gallery or to my Etsy store....but first pricing, the most difficult thing for me.

OK - It's on display and for sale at Eclectics Gallery in Kansas City. But if you want to purchase it, contact me through my Etsy shop at www.bylynette.etsy.com. Price is $240.

Weddings.....

2011-05-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Just spent the weekend at the best kind of wedding - someone else's daughter! Got to be part of the wedding "in crowd" by virtue of Dale playing for the service AND daughter (Laura) being in the wedding.

Without going into TOO much back-story, the bride (Rachel) was in college with Laura, was in Laura's wedding and we've gotten to know her well over the past 8 years. Rachel is a professional church worker (read: not rich) AND on the board of the Haiti Mission Project, has spent time in Haiti including since the hurricane and in fact was marrying a Haitian man (read: not the type to spend $20,000+ on wedding stuff).

She picked a lovely, simple asymmetrical dress from a well-known bridal chain and Laura asked if I couldn't please make her something to wear with it. Her colors were navy blue (which the bridesmaids wore) and sparkle, so we planned to loan her several rhinestone bracelets to wear to bling up her dress. The one-shouldered top was perfect for an asymmetrical statement necklace, using ivory, rhinestones and pearls.

The result (shown below) used 3 strands of vintage faux pearls, a partial rhinestone necklace (plus some additional lengths of rhinestone strands) and a stand of clear beads. Other items included were:
silver metal filigree with crystal rivoli (from an angel brooch)
a pearl and rhinestone earring
a gold flower earring
a gold-tone earring with white metal flowers with rhinestone centers

a rhinestone rivoli pendant

a blue glass setting and a couple blue faceted dangles
a link from a broken silver bracelet
several blue pearls, faceted crystals and lots of ivory pearls, with brass balled headpins and s few bead caps adding touches of gold.

It was great fun to create and the bride loved it. She looked stunning. And everything in the necklace was repurposed/reused.

Tiaras for Mum

2011-04-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

Don't know why a farm girl from Iowa would love tiaras (hate pageants, BTW) but I do.Maybe it was watching "A Queen for a Day" on TV in the 50s (when I was a VERY SMALL CHILD!!!)

Sparkles. Jewels. So much cooler than barrettes.

So now I can just make them. and I have been doing just that.

Some of these are wearable....but I know that most people who may love tiaras and crowns most likely won't wear them much....so some are really designed for your Queen Mum (Mom) to hold her crown jewels (Grandkids photos).

Like this...(aren't my sister's grandkids and my nephews cute???)

I really like the copper and turquoise combination.

But tiaras to wear are cool, too, like this one from stained glass.

Yup, it's a bit heavy. So, ask any monarch if wearing a crown isn't hard work!
This one is lighter....

Then there's this - made from an old silver-plated basket. It was all dented and bent, partly detached from the very crumpled bowl. Found it in the back of my friend Dewey's truck (he's a metal recycler...good friend to have!) Now it's a circlet crown, of sorts. Maybe Laura will like it.

Such fun. Happy Spring.

Statement Jewelry - 2nd verse

2011-03-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

This lapis collar has been bumping around in my head for two years, ever since I bought strands of luscious, large round, oval and rectagular lapis (or something that LOOKS like lapis) beads at the local gem show.

Building the collar was an organic thing, gradually adding pieces and trying to keep the shape working (and hanging) properly. Also included are some sparkling faceted Chinese crystals, a lovely vintage filigree floral pin

and an costume jewelry earring that was my mother-in-law's.

Bits of chain, jump rings, gold-toned beads and a spool of vintage 70s brass wire were all that was needed. I used the wire to make a wrapped hook for the back and did put a few beads onto a 2" dangle to weight the back and keep it centered. I'm wearing this, at least this week on our trip to Chicago - but will make another. This one was a learning experience and I've got ideas for changing my connection techniques....

Statement Jewelry

2011-03-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

Ha! It worked! Starting a new medium (foiled & soldered glass pendants on fiber garlands) got me creative again. And guess what? My jewelry is bigger - literally. Not a tiny seed bead in sight.

Statement jewelry is in (for a couple years now....) and some of the outstanding designers I love are making totally amazing things. I guess this one makes a statement too - as in "I love wearing jewelry!!"

Inspired by my garlands and seeing fibers used in various ways in jewelry recently (just about everywhere...) I went back to my wonderful stash of cream colored silk from making my daughter's wedding dress in 2003 and found yards of leftovers, which were used to make yards of bias strip to wrap cotton upholstery cord.

I added a strand of pearl beads from deconstructed multi-strand castoff, a strand of strung faux pearls and several vintage rhinestone jewelry pieces. One of them was an earring from my mother and the large blue centerpiece is a pin found recently in a resale shop. The rest were dug from my cherished bins of vintage jewelry.....

A few little sew-on individual rhinestones were added randomly to emphasize the blues below.

The "clasp" is a vintage silk-corded button toggle which slides easily through the looped cord at the back. This piece used as many sewing skills as it did jewelry-making techniques.
My husband thinks its "gaudy" but I'd totally wear this - and will, if it doesn't sell at Eclectics Gallery. However pricing is my bugaboo. I'm thinking this should be priced at $185.....it did take a long time to construct and it contains all those great vintage pieces....we'll see.

Honeydew with Pearls

2011-02-25T20:23:00.000-08:00

One more garland complete - Honeydew. Reclaimed creamy satin drapery cord, cream embroidered satin ribbon, green organza ribbon and a remnant of beaded trim.

Glass triangles are accented with dangles of glass, crystal and pearls.

The scary part is the only supply newly purchased is the glass and solder. All the beads and ribbons and pearls and fibers are from my stash...

More Groovy Garlands

2011-02-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

Actually, these are more romantic than groovy....

What can you do with stained glass scraps, a few beads, leftover wired satin ribbon and scraps from a failed sewing project? Ta da!! This yummy combination of olive greens and caramel browns. And yes, you must remove (tediously) the wire from the satin ribbons or it won't hang right!

This would look great hanging in a gloomy office cubical! Measures 42" from hanging points.

Do they permit that sort of thing??? Then there's this dramatic silver silk and burgundy swag with the coolest mirror glass . . .

I finally found a place to use some faceted garnets along with some burgundy beads actually taken from real, vintage Mardi Gras beads, from back when they really threw out glass beads instead of the pressed plastic they use now.

This one is 37", not counting the end fringe.

How I Got My Groove Back....

2011-02-22T14:15:00.000-08:00

Been having trouble getting creative lately, but finally dosed myself with an antidote, ....and it wasn't Taye Diggs nor our recent trip to San Diego.

I started something completely new and different - which means SHOPPING, NEW TOOLS and a new MEDIUM. So far I've probably spent over $200 - not sure since I'm afraid to hit the "Summary Report" button in Quick Books.

But I now have a working soldering iron, glass cutter, a box of lovely glass from the scraps bin (read: cheaper) at the local Stained Glass Station. And so far I've made 3 girly garlands from glass, beads, silk, fibers, ribbons and chains....This one is Miss Havisham's Wedding Garland.

I found myself working into the wee hours, learning the soldering steps, then making the little glass triangles. But combining the glass with the fibers into a garland that hangs happily takes time too.
This one is Medieval Fantasy - I got carried away with the hand-dyed ribbons (which I bought a while back, not knowing what they'd be good for) so that the pretty amber fern-textured glass is a little lost. It needs to be in a window with light shining on it.

It looks very cool close up, in person - it's currently for sale in Eclectics.www.eclecticskc.com

My goal was this one - it's been living inside my head for a while and now it's hanging in the gallery.

Grey silk, vintage silver chain, beads and dark mirror glass....Thru a Glass Darkly. The beads at the bottom of each glass mirror are vintage cracked marbles! From back in the day when it was cool to heat marbles then drop them into cold water to see them crack (NOTE: if you try this, be sure to use safety precautions - we're talking very hot glass here!) These were clear marbles, have tiny bales glued to them and were strung on a chain as a necklace. It's one of my saved weird old jewelry items I thought I'd never use!

Garlands each measure about 45" long, with 7 or 8 pieces of glass and a loop and a little extra on the end for hanging. Of course, I can't just have ribbons and stained glass triangles (about 3-4" long, 2-3" wide at the top) without adding jewelry elements.

Can't wait to make more. I bought some great glass colors and am really getting the hang of the soldering, thanks to the repetition!!

I think they will look great hanging above a mirror or with a strand of twinkly lights or in a window.

But best of all, I made something new AND have some new tools to boot!

Coming Home again...

2011-02-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

'Nuff said....

This was BEFORE we could get into the house or garage! Fortunately it was only about 40º so not so bad for shoveling. This was on Saturday and by the next Wednesday, there was NO SNOW! Wonder if it's the last of the season?

Gettin' Outta Dodge

2011-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

My DH loves going to visit friends in San Diego (where we lived for 16 years) during the winter, so he planned a relaxed trip for us on the train, scheduling us to leave on Tuesday, Feb 1. As you may know, 2011 has been a snowy year and yet another snowstorm was headed for Kansas City, with blizzard warnings for Tuesday. So we high-tailed it west, changing our tickets and leaving 2 days early. (Warning: AMTRAK is convenient but bumpy - a whole lot of rockin' and rollin' makes it difficult to sleep, even with a sleeper berth.)

Soon we were basking in sunshine, mooching off our friends Liz and Gary and eating at all our favorite San Diego haunts. This was lunchtime at The Prado in Balboa Park.

We were actually cool at night, since that desert, dry heat stuff goes away in the winter, even in San Diego. But we only needed sweaters with our flip flops.

Watched palm tree trimming from Liz's deck and felt bad for the golfers in Phoenix who battled icy greens.

Enjoyed the Mercado Farmers' Market in the Little Italy neighborhood near downtown San Diego. If you are there on a Saturday, do NOT miss it.

Gotta love the French bakery products - yum! Thanks to my friend Kathie for taking me there.

We got back this morning - and spent 30 minutes digging out our driveway before we could even get into our garage!

So much for relaxing - and we are out of shape from sitting around for nearly 2 weeks. But it is always great to be home again.

I Love Snow

2011-01-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

I know, it's cold, it's messy and slippery driving in it but snow makes the world so beautiful and white and pristine. It was just lovely watching (from INSIDE my cozy home) as the yard filled up at the rate of an inch an hour last night.

Digging out is not so much fun, especially for retired folks with bad backs or other infirmities....is wussiness an infirmity? But small towns in Missouri (like Pleasant Hill, where we live) are also home to outdoorsy types with big boy toys - like four wheeler, offroad-type toys. Who knew they could be equipped with snow scrapers on the front?

Our neighbor's nephew generously cleared our driveway after doing Joe's driveway. Although it is cold, it did look like fun - and he not only pushed snow from the drive into the street, he also cleared the curb so the US Mail could get to the mailboxes. He wouldn't take payment and didn't give me his name.....

...but when he left, he was headed down the street toward the dead end, where another neighbor was struggling with a snow blower. Thank you, Joe's nephew!

This photo is for my granddaughters - their stuffed penquin looks right at home in the snow.

But Frank (the penguin) didn't sit there long, not even wearing his custom-knitted muffler from Aunt Laura.

Happy Snow Day from the Fisks in Missouri.

Adding to the Family Tree

2011-01-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

I decided our Fisk Family Tree (see previous post) needed a visual for the entire Fisk Family. So I added one of my little beaded fishies....

Since FISK usually means FISH [English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller, or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling a fish in some way, from Old Norse fiskr ‘fish’ (cognate with Old English fisc)] that seemed the most obvious choice. Of course, there is also a French derivation [(Origin French) From Fisc, revenue, public funds] but how boring is that?? Hmmm, of course, that could mean it would be a money-tree but that's not too accurate.

With Dale's love of fish 'n chips, my love for sushi and everyone loves salmon....fish it is!

A Special Christmas Tree

2010-12-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

My daughter saved this gift for the last one of the evening on Christmas Day. (We wait and open gifts slowly on Christmas Night - after all the worship services are over, the dinner has been enjoyed and cleaned up, the candles are lit and soft carols playing on the iPod....and we take about 3 hours. It's lovely.)

She went out to the car since she had not wrapped this one....and presented me with the

Fisk Family Tree.

Mounted on a wooden base which she covered with my favorite olive green in an embroidered taffeta fabric, the tree itself is made from wire - lots of it. Using 16 and 18 gauge wire, sequins and imagination, she wove a fanciful tree to hold amazing charms representing everyone in our family. Her cohort was Meridith, my daughter-in-law, who crafted charms symbolic of herself, our son, and their family of daughters. My daughter, Laura, made charms to represent Dale and me, plus herself and her husband, Aaron. The tree is accompanied by a scroll tied in ribbon with each person's first and second name, birthdate, the meaning of their names and a description of how the charms were selected.

It is simply fabulous. I'm sure we'll be adding charms to this tree for years as more grandchildren are born and they marry and have babies. Laura said she saw the idea in a Martha Stewart Living magazine, but Laura took it to another level.

Dale B. Fisk - Farmer of the valley
The key to this family and the cultivator "farmer" of music. The bells represent the music of your life, as well as the key to your home.

Lynette Yvonne Fisk - Little beautiful archer
The peacock feather represents an arrow, though more appropriately represents you, with an intricate, beautiful ring to show tenderness and creativity.

Jonathan McAdam - Gift of God
A box to represent a gift and a crucificix to represent the greatest gift God has given.

(especially appropriate for Jonathan is a pastor.)

Meridith Elaine - Good friend with golden hair

A letter for a friend with the "M" seal on the closing to represent "Meridith".

Chloe Elkanah - Fruitful one created by God

A wedding couple, New Baby and New Arrival charms are hung on a diaper pin used on Chloe as a baby. This is all to show "fruitfulness". (Chloe is currently 6 years old.)

Anastasia Avielle - Resurrected one whose father is God

The butterfly is a symbol of resurrection and it is yellow because that is one of Anastasia's favorite colors. The cross shows "whose father is God" and is a pendant that Anastasia received when she was two. (She is currently 3 1/2.)

Trinity Promise - Baptism saves

Father, Son and Holy Spirit pendant for "Trinity" with a shell from our family trip to Ocean City, NJ, to represent baptism or "Promise". (Trinity is 18 months old.)

Unknown Baby Fisk - "Button"

The buttons are from Hungary - the place where this portion of the family tree began (Jonathan met Meridith when teaching English in Hungary.) When Button is born, we will replace the charm with something more personal, but the buttons can stay to represent any other people who may follow, Lord willing.

(The new baby, expected in June 2011, has been nicknamed "Button" by the girls. When their mother explained how small a newly forming baby is by holding her fingers about two centimeters apart, Chloe said "That's about as big as a button!"

Laura Ruth - Loyal friend crowned with laurels

The leaf represents a love of nature, surrounding the image of a spritely woman. The ring is a baby ring also representing leaves and the Rose of Sharon.

Aaron Douglas - Exalted one from dark waters

The wire is a piece of Mig welding wire (from Aaron's current grad school projects) surrounding a Celtic knot showing his Celtic origins and a piece of padauk hardwood, which rises to the surface of even the deepest waters.

Quiet Time

2010-11-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

A quiet holiday at our house this year. Daughter Laura and husband are in the Twin Cities with friends at a "friend's-gather-to-cook-unusual-foods-and-sip-adult-beverages-all day" weekend. Everyone cooks something they have never made before while everyone else watches, then everyone eats. Sort of a Julie and Julia/cooking class with friends marathon. Sounds like so much fun - would love to have been there when Laura "killed" a lobster today.

The rest of our family is far away - Philadelphia and Iowa. Friends who like my cooking couldn't make it from San Diego this year. And since Dale played for church both Wednesday and Thursday services and I was scheduled to work at the gallery today, we couldn't go anywhere.

So we cooked a smallish turkey, made pies and other "trimmings" and took naps. Not a bad way to spend the day....thankful for many blessings and time with each other.

Steampunk Pendant Class

2010-11-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

While it was a long day, yesterday end with a four-hour creativity party. Four people took my Steampunk Pendant class at Eclectics Gallery - it's always such fun to watch other people come up with something completely their own using the same kits. (Steampunk pendant kits include a 1.25 x 1.5 inch copper rectangle, old jewelry chains, rivets, eyelets, screws, washers and old watch parts.)

The class teaches them some beginning metalworking techniques - filing, drilling, riveting, texturing and patina on copper - and everyone ends up with a pendant on chain or a pre-made necklace.

This one is almost done - missing the main event, which is a watch work piece that missed getting into the photo. Bella was a newbie who learned fast! Her grandma Nina already knew her way around jewelry-making and provided us all with some exercise as we crawled around looking for a teeny tiny watch-part that fell onto the charcoal-colored carpet. But we found it - it was the piece that looks like a miniature crescent wrench.

Joann also knew her way around jewelry making, but was new to using rivets and copper.

Our biggest glitch was using a 2-part epoxy to attach the tiniest watch gears. We had a 15 minute epoxy that really needed 2 hours to set up properly, so that caused us some grief, but everyone was very flexible and we learned as we went.

First Snow of the Season

2010-11-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Visiting my sister Kristin in northern Iowa this past weekend, we woke up to 4 inches of soft, wet snow.

It was perfect snowman-snow, covering trees, cars and building with fluffy beauty -and disturbing people's plans. My sister was concerned about the patio cement pour scheduled for today......likely not going to happen til Spring now.

We left early enough on Saturday to drive south to my mom's house before dark, and drove out of the snow about 40 miles south.....bringing fatigue and a cold home with me. But it was magical to see the world turn blue-white!

Ahead of the Curve Bead Kits

2010-11-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

My pattern for an even-count peyote bracelet was published in the March/April 2009 issue of Step by Step Beads.

Although that mag has been combined into Interweave Press's other beading mag, Beadwork, the patterns are still available and Interweave keeps promoting them! Hurrah! I keep making bracelets using this pattern, varying the colors and beads sizes to make unique bracelets.

However, some people really want to replicate my Olivine Green color combo. I can tell you the beads were gathered from hither and yon and some are hard to find. Now when I find them, I buy lots, so kits containing JUST BEADS for this pattern are available at my Etsy site.

Don't have that issue or the pattern? Not a problem - it's available purchase and instant download for $4 from the Interweave online store. You'll need a beading needle #12 or #15 and beading thread. (Fireline is my preference)

Remember, published patterns are for personal use, not to make commercially.....but these bracelets make great "I made it myself" gifts! Don't be afraid to try other colors!!

Concordia Reunion

2010-10-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Apple Core Beads

2010-10-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

My little apple core beads got noticed in my long-neglected ArtFire.com listing! Tis the season for fall fruits, so I guess the collection curator searched me. See my tutorial for making these beads, published in the October 2009 issue of Polymer Cafe.

This year I'm making other things - covered egg ornaments and mummies and broomsticks.

I think Baghead is my favorite, but this mummy is cute, too.

He inspired my smaller Mummy Face Brooches.....

Each one slightly different, with varying amounts of graveyard aging - they have been buried for many years, some of them. You think it's clean in those old tombs???

I was also curious about making broomsticks. I used raffia with both copper wire and twigs, using wire, wrapping and stitching for different types of brooms. Not exactly Harry Potter's Firebolt or even an older Nimbus 2000, but perhaps useful for someone. These are about 4" long. The earrings were shorter...

View ALL my new eggs and seasonal stuff on my Picasa web album here.

My Studio

2010-09-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Classes - people are always asking me to teach them. But my studio space - though big - is cluttered and the table that should be available for students to sit at is covered in storage things. Alright, covered with stacks of papers, books, a storage hutch snagged from my son's office, and generally just junky. I clean it off when I need to use it.

No longer! Once I get things sorted out, there is now lots more storage space to organize plus an 8' workbench height counter - with a vise!

Gotta love Craigs List. And Dewey - he's a Tennessee boy from my little country church who hauls scrap. He not only provided a truck, a trailer and 2 burly guys to move this behemoth (actually an old nuts and bolts cabinet from an hold hardware store) from a guy's basement, but they installed it into my walk-in basement and he had a formica countertop that just fit - off by only 1". He also added the vise.

Those boxes in the back are the 65 drawers . . .

which will soon hold my stuff. I have plans to label maybe paint the drawer fronts so I know where things are, but NOT today.

I know some of you are jealous, admit it. But you should have seen what I didn't buy - a 10' long shoemaker's polishing/grinding/stitching machine, with ventilation system. I do not think it will ever leave that poor guy's basement. It was his father's who had shoe-repair hobby and who obviously collected a lot of stuff.

So, I'll post the finished results someday soon.

Vote on Etsy Beadweavers Bollywood Challenge

2010-09-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Beadweavers united - on Etsy. The Etsy sellers who love beadweaving have their own team to co-promote sales of their work. Each month this group has a challenge - and September's challenge was Bollywood.

You can view some truly amazing beadwork and participate by voting for your favorite. To vote, visit their blog here, where you can view each of the below pieces up close.

Then vote for your favorite, on the right side of screen. Note: I'm not in this challenge, but there are some fabulous pieces here.....

Etsy - again. Seriously, check it out

2010-09-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, twice in a week an item from my Etsy shop has been selected for a Treasury (read, co-promotional selection of cool items on a theme, selected by another Etsy seller).

This time an artist from Turkey included my Apple Core Beads in a grouping about Autumn Colors. Thanks, Sema! Had a great time exploring the various items in this group. Love the birds...

The thing is, none of her items are in this grouping. So I had to go check out ZuZu's World. She lives in Turkey and does Turkish lace - with traditional scarves and shawls, but also making jewelry with individual flowers she crochets and connects into long wearable strands. Very cool. Reminds of "long ago days" when I wore daisies on my prom dress. Yep, I'm that ancient.

So while I'm exploring Etsy, I stumbled upon something completely different....a guy who makes clocks using recycled items....like old computer hard drives,

tape deck reels, record players, dead Apple iBooks (yep, it happens).Shop is called PixelThis. So if you need a gift for a geek, or a lover of electronic gear this is a good place to shop.

Favorite Colors - Desert Sky

2010-09-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite color combos of the many bracelets I've made from my original pattern "Ahead of the Curve" which was published in Step by Step Beads Magazine in 2009 is this combination I call Desert Sky. I am always partial to turquoisey-aqua-blue beads and this combination used a matte bronze 8/0 hex and a bronze 8/0 metallic bronze hex from Beadin' Path.

It's amazing how bead sizes differ, even with beads marked 8/0s. But the graduating sizes is what really makes my pattern work - the changing bead sizes and thread tension make the curves curve....

I also used this bronze hex bead in another color combo I called Amber Sky. It's in there between the 11/0 amber round and the bronze twist hex. Someone purchased this one so it's gone, but I'm trying to be fanatical about taking photos of every piece finished.

New Fish

2010-09-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Spending most of my time working on my hand-made pages for our gallery's new cookbook, so my beading is slower right now.

But I have managed to finish two more fish while watching "The Pillars of the Earth" with Dale. Introducing Toni the Tiger Fish....

And her cousin, Rooster. Not sure what kind of fish Rooster is, but he sports a fancy raku tail I found at Shepherdess Beads in San Diego on our vacation in July.

BTW, our gallery (Eclectics Gallery in Kansas City) occasionally publishes a hand-made, limited edition cookbook that is a piece of art. The unveiling will be sometime this month....we only make 40 copies and all recipes pages are hand-made by gallery member artists. They are unique and amazing and also have good recipes! Curious??? You should be. The cost is $65 - a real bargain considering the hundreds of hours we are spending. My studio is a blizzard of papers, inks, glue, ribbons, and other mysterious elements that you'll see on my pages. Stay tuned....

Braided Peyote Bracelet

2010-09-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

The recent August/September issue of Beadwork Magazine included another of my peyote beadweaving projects....called Braided Bands.

This design grew out of a curiosity question: what happens if I stitch narrow peyote strips and braid them? It didn't work - the bands slipped around too much - so I added small tubes of Delicas to hold the "braids" together. The article is called "Braided Bands."

What is very cool is that a reader already has not only made my bracelet, but come up with her own variation. Vicki-Anne Carter from Australia sent me a photo of her creation (and gave me permission to post).

The pattern is simple, basic even count peyote stitching but the trick comes in keeping track of several narrow pieces. Vicki-anne added two more strips and created a very cool bracelet. By the way, Vicki-anne does a lot of beading. Check out her Fickr pics - do a member search for Vickiannec.

One of the things I like about this pattern is that if you use 3 bead colors, weaving in stripes, the two outside colors swap places from one end to the other.

Now I'm working on my sculptural peyote fishies, taking a short break from bracelets. The fish actually take more time and use a lot more beads than the bracelets.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

2010-08-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

Dr. Seuss was right - you can't have JUST ONE fish. Today we say good bye to Alpha Beta, who has been adopted and is on his way to Etna, New York.

bye bye Alpha Beta

Here are the next two fishies to join my beaded aquarium:

Little Nemo - just because Clown Fish are so adorable and my granddaughter Anastasia loves anything orange -

Little Nemo

He not shy and loves the camera.

Little Nemo mugs for camera

And this little Green-lipped Frillery, who sports little diamond shapes on his sides and back.

Green-lipped Frillery

Meanwhile it was 103º today in Pleasant Hill - not too pleasant, but at least the driveway isn't icy like last January! I'm going fishing, with my beads in my basement.

What I did on my summer vacation...

2010-08-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

We escaped the Kansas City summer heat for a couple weeks by DRIVING to San Diego, going thru Kansas, Colorado and Nevada on the way out and through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri on the way home. It was nearly 100º most days - except for our stay in San Diego, which was heavenly at 75º and breezy. I shop for beads when I can and spent half a day in Gallup, NM, buying beads and tools.

In the air-conditioned car, we listened to "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" on cd and watched our enormous and diverse American landscape speed by. And as always, my beading tray was on my lap every day.

Alpha Beta Fish

Here's what I completed this trip....

Alpha Beta

I always bring a huge (like 2 of those plastic storage boxes full) stash of seed beads when we travel. You never know what color scheme will inspire me, so I come prepared.

Zebra Fish

But I didn't bring any dagger beads - those longish little paddle beads with the hole at one end - so I was shopping for them everywhere.

Zebra Fish Tail

Daggers make great fringe and fins and tails for fishies.

Carl Carp

This black and yellow guy was the first one - see, no daggers on him at all.

Carl Carp

I think he's a carp or goldfish, like the kind who live in Japanese garden pools.

Neo Neon

I soon found a bead shop in western Kansas and started buying dagger beads, chippies and potential fish eyes.


Neo Neon

Some of these guys had to wait till we got home to get their eyes.

Scary blond with eye makeup!

And this guy has movable eyes - they can look in any direction.

Blondie

Actually with those black eye lashes and pink fins, I'm pretty sure this blondie is a girl.

For the record, the fish idea is NOT mine. But my fish do not look like those from the Bead and Button Mag. article in 2001 by Georgia McMillan. The idea came from her - I try not to forget a good idea - and I have several much cruder fish I made that year who live with my Christmas tree decorations.

I hope to come up with a great way to wear a fish as a pendant or pin. They are so 3 dimensional it seems wrong to pin them flat....maybe a mobile with several, although that may price it too high for "afishianados" who visit Eclectics Gallery, where these will be for sale.

We are back home in Missouri, and it's going to be 95º plus all week. Our first day back was the hottest day of the summer and I spent it helping Laura (lovely daughter) and Aaron (super son-in-law) move across town. Schlepping boxes is a crazy job in this heat and humidity, but hey - she's my daughter. Try to Keep cool.

More Faux Bone

2010-07-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here's another Faux Bone (c) ring - designed to intentionally look like you are wearing a band-aid.

From Faux Bone
It worked - my son asked solicitously if I had cut my finger! It is actually quite comfortable to wear. My DH hate it, my daughter think's it is "strangely appealing" - and she hates the sight of blood.

Simply made, it uses Faux Bone's properties of strength and ability to shape when hot. NOTE: Faux Bone by Robert Dancik is available exclusively at fauxbone.com.

Eclectics' 19th Nervous Breakdown

2010-07-13T08:28:00.001-07:00

My Viking Knit Jewelry

2010-06-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Just what I needed - another way to make jewelry! But viking knit is slightly addictive and easy to work on in front of the TV screen with a movie going on (unless, of course) reading sub-titles is required.

This one uses brass wire - which is half-hard to start with, so required some finger strength, especially when drawing down. But the double-Viking-knit shows up nicely.

Steampunk Pendant Redux

2010-06-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Steampunk is tempting - this class is being offered again, TOMORROW NIGHT, at Eclectics Gallery in Kansas City. Looking forward to meeting 3 new students and spending the evening stamping, hammering, drilling and playing with tiny bits of metals, watch parts and gewgaws (that's an old word for ephemera, I guess - much older than me, thank you very much!)

I hope to take photos of what my students come up with and post them later this week. Although the enrollment deadline has passed, we will be offering the same class again in August. Contact me or leave a message at Eclectics Gallery (816-361-6643) to receive dates and times for the next class. I'll set up one-on-one dates if that works better for you.

Stars Stuffed in Jars

2010-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I recently met an artist who used "starsstuffedinjars" as her email address - I love the imagery of that! Last night was a perfect example of stars everyone that phrase brings to my brain. This summer Missouri has been humid, warm and RAINY. But finally last night the sky was once again clear, filled with stars.

Standing on my deck late in the evening, the sky about the woods behind my house was filled with stars, the trees, flowers and grass were filled with fireflies! It was magical. A few crickets made the silence friendly and it was cool enough to sit and let the twinkling fill my senses.

I TRIED to take a picture, but even my cool new camera couldn't grab the fireflies lovely lights. (Could this be because fireflies are really faeries, who won't be photographed?) More likely that their tiny lights were way too far away from me standing on the deck. But it was a great way to end my busy day.

Steampunk Pendant Class

2010-05-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Taught a class at the 2010 Kansas City Bead Society's annual Bead Blast last weekend - basically a cold connections project, using a copper rectangle, old watch gears, washers, beads and eyelets or rivets.

This one was my display sample and uses a variety of riveting types: balled copper wire rivets, brass escutcheon pins, large and small eyelets. The sample also shows optional letter stamping and was heavily patinated with liver of sulphur. Students purchased a $20 kit, which gave them a copper blank, a variety of beads, gears, eyelets, chain, pins and a purchased cord necklace to hang their pendant upon.They also had access to wire and additional bits from my supplies as needed.

I also demonstrated annealing the copper with a mini torch and making holes in the copper and other pieces using a rotary drill, a hand twist drill, a hole-punch pliers and a disk punch.

This class will be offered again at Eclectics Gallery in Kansas City in June, 2010.

Motivated to buy

2010-05-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

The recent Brookside Art Annual (in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, MO) is always a great place to find art to fill your eyes, to inspire you and to purchase - which of course is the whole point for those hard-working artists.

This year I found a potter whose work I just love - rare for someone who lived through the 70s. Much of the pottery I see at art fairs is fabulous - but meant to be displayed as sculpture or fabulously expensive or both. Functional pieces are either not my colors or are sometimes remind me of (eek) 40 years ago. Which means my daughter loves it and it just looks the same to me.

However, Thomas Feyrer (of Lizard Tongue Clayworks in Watertown, Wisconsin) caught my attention. Check out his style on his website. He only sells at shows and from his studio, so if you see him, grab something!

I decided my table really needs a gravy boat with the ostrich skin look (top photo) and the bowl with the oval spots is great both for oatmeal and lattes.

Bluebirds

2010-04-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

Saw my first Eastern Bluebird today - a pair, on my upper deck! The female was sitting in a planter, mouth open like she was hot and tired. The male hopped around the deck, onto the glass-top table. And they chatted....I heard them.

I know anthropomorphizing animal behavior is just silly, but it look just like they had been flying long and hard, and were hot and tired. So they stopped on a shady, protected deck to rest and scout out the housing in the area. (We have a bluebird house cleaned and ready in the yard.) They discussed things back and forth, and the female complained she was SO TIRED she just couldn't look more today.

I quietly went downstairs and put fresh water into the birdbath and set out some dried mealworms - just in case. Later, I tried to set out a dish of water onto the deck for them, but they flew off when I stepped out. But she was back a couple hours later....sitting on the finch feeder hook, surveying the yard. Welcome, welcome, blue birds. We hope you choose to nest in our yard again this year.

Passementerie

2010-04-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Reading one of the (too) many craft newsletters coming into my email paid off today with a new word. Passementerie. Not a new word, but new to me, so all thoughts of my morning tasks vanished as I dropped everything to find out what this wonderful-sounding word meant. Wikipedia gave my the definition. The art of making elaborate trimmings or edgings (in French, passements) of applied braid, gold or silver cord, embroidery, colored silk, or beads for clothing or furnishings. Or tassels - think sultan's palace or exotic drapery fringe, or just fabulous pull for your ceiling fan.

This fabric angel from Eclectics Gallery is a great example.

Found this revelation on the Quilting Daily Blog, then simply googled the word....gotta love the internet, no matter how distracting.

Now I have yet another way to justify keeping bits of old trims, lace, braid and gimp - someday I'll used them in a passementerie project.

Faux Bone

2010-03-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Faux Bone - another new jewelry and art medium - brought to us by the talented Robert Dancik. Since I have signed up to demo how it works to my friends at the KC PMC Guild in June, I decided I'd better starting using it. Note the Faux Bone is a type of PVC sheet, manufactured in 1/16", 1/18" and 1/2" gauges, as well as bracelet forms and other things. Available directly from the Faux Bone site. Here's what I've come up with, so far...

This is a faux bone disc, carved, stained and shaped (with my heat gun), then bolted onto a hammered copper ring with some added stones and a brass clockwork sprocket.

Here I tried making a spinner ring, but obviously didn't measure properly and got a ring shank that was way too big, even though I was using a really big faceted stone (held in place with brass wire riveting and some copper daisy spacers. So I improvised with some additional brass wire.

This was actually the first one I did - a simple wrapped shank with some flat stones riveted on with a brass nail, trimmed and riveted into a brass bushing.

The Leaf Dangle Ring can double as a pendant, just hang it from a chain or chord.

I'll do more - though my DH thinks they are weird.

Happy Spring!

2010-03-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is just silly - who says God doesn't have a sense of humor? This was my deck last night when I went to bed - the first day of Spring 2010....

This morning I measured - we got a full 8" yesterday and last night. Today it's melting fast, but was enough to cancel a lot of events.

I bought my lettuce and pea seeds this week, but it will be a while before our sticky Missouri clay backyard is dry enough to dig in.

Felt Food You Can Wear!

2010-02-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

My friend Jenny at Eclectics - an artists' cooperative in Kansas City (where I sell my stuff) saw my felt food and said, "I think some people would love to wear these. Why don't you make some smaller bananas for pins??" Of course, she makes a lot of cool woolen things to wear, like flower brooches made from old, felted wool sweaters or other fibers, like this heart.

However, I dutifully tried it while staying out of my studio to protect my poor fractured arm - hand sewing shouldn't be considered a high-impact activity, right? Today I placed some of my results into my gallery inventory for all to see.

Actually the banana was easy - it was the strawberries that were tricky. A single felt strawberry is easily made from a semi-circle of red felt.

Fold in half and seam up the radius edges. Knot.
Add running stitch around the top (the round edge), draw tight and knot.
Stuff with fiber and stitch closed.
Cut a 3 or 4 lobed green leaf piece.
Stitch leaves over the hole and whip stitch around all leaves.
Add tiny yellow embroidery stitches to simulate seeds.

Voila! A strawberry! Sounds simple, right? Well, it is - IF you are making a whole strawberry.

If you want to make a half a strawberry, which is flat on one side (for the pin-back to be attached, which is what I did) it's a bit more complicated. The above photo is a whole strawberry. This is two half strawberries....look the same right?

Nope - the back is flat. And it doesn't even show! Wonder if anyone really will want to wear one of these???

Annual February Ice Storm Hits Missouri

2010-02-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

Well, Old Man Winter must like the Show-Me State - he's sure hanging around this year. Since moving to the KC area nearly 4 years ago, I've been under-whelmed by the winters....until 2010. We have truly had winter weather this year - not just once, but repeatedly. Today is no exception - freezing rain, ice coating the blades of grass, the dogwood tree buds, the willows and the fences.

I didn't sleep well last night - waiting to hear the crashing of broken ice-laden branches which are often the result of winter ice storms. But so far, the streets have stayed wet and the trees have held up under the ice. That could change tonight, with colder air, wind and continue wet stuff falling!

So I am officially ready for this winter weather to be finished and spent yesterday in my studio, making jewelry with GREEN polymer beads.

And copper wire, of course. Since my fractured arm still hurts, and I'm not supposed to hammer metal, I used my torch to ball up the ends of copper wire and made jewelry with tangled wire beads.

Its fascinating how a little torch fire can melt the ends of wire into little balls or tear drops, often leaving them a great rosy red color. These wire tangles go great with other colors too. All-in-all a productive day, today I'm giving my arm a little rest.

"So Impressive!"

2010-02-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

My 5-year-old granddaughter Chloe and her 2 1/2 year old sister Anastasia called me yesterday, upon receipt of their shopping bag full of Felt Food!.

Chloe called me right away and said, "Grandma, it is so impressive!" (yes, that's really how she speaks!) It's great to be appreciated. My son and his wife are careful about toys coming to stay in their home - no Chinese plastic permitted, not too many pieces ( Legos are an exception...) and no junk. But he knows I've figured out how to get around the limits - this gift is NOT plastic, reinforces healthy eating and it's handmade. They have to keep it!

They loved the sushi and the cookies and the veggies.

And the pretzels.

I used an expandable onion bag, added a fun-felt collar and drawstring so they have a usable holder for the small items.

I also made a shopping bag from old plastic grocery sacks, fused together with an iron. (Be sure to sandwich the plastic sheets between paper before ironing!!)

All in all, a great result from my Felt Food experiments. I'll be teaching how to do this type of Felt Food at classes offered at Eclectics Gallery - an artists' cooperative in Kansas City. Students will get hands-on experience, will make some food in class and receive a set of patterns for a wide variety of fruits, veggies and other yumies.

Felt Food - Another new obsession

2010-02-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Well, actually, I don't think making felt food is new - just new to me. Just gotta love blogging and reading other peoples' blogs. Great ideas going on out there. So, why felt food? Many of today's parents are understandably disenchanted with plastic toys - for lots of reasons. This group includes my own son and daughter-in-law, and greatly affects how I shop for my 3 granddaughters.....thoughtfully. This is a good thing.

So, when I found pictures, ideas and a couple free tutorials for felt food - ideal for playing house if you are ages 2-6 as my grands are - I was inspired.

So this weekend I spent hand-stitching and machine stitching a variety of delights. Here's a few cake doughnuts, including one I couldn't resist.

I really liked how my banana turned out - it doesn't come apart, but is oh so peel-able.

The free tute from American Felt for a cut-up-able carrot was fun, but I like the more realistic whole carrots too.

I plan to make more whole veggies - so the girls can pretend shop and fill their grocery bags with healthy stuff, just like Mother. My eggplant turned out great - sure glad I found the purple felt a the bottom of my felt box.

I also made a fried egg, and tried for a hard-boiled egg - though it's not realistic enough for my taste. I'm sure the girls won't care.

My favorites are the strawberries and the soda crackers, also from American Felt. They turned out pretty realistic. Thanks to a blog by Kari called UCreate

Next on my list - whole wheat bread slices for sandwiches, zucchini, and pasta.Check out One Inch World. She's got great ideas and more tutorials for felt food, including needle-felted food. I've been resisting needle felting, but now I must try it, just so I can make felt tomato slices.

Heart Felt Valentine Showcase

2010-01-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

See handmade items from local Kansas City artists at Eclectics Gallery's Heart Felt Valentine Showcase. Friday, January 29, 2010, from 5-8 pm at 7015 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri. (Just off the corner of Oak and Gregory). Check out Eclectics' blog and join the mailing list there.

This gallery features only hand made artisan pieces, mostly from local artists. We have 12 members and a large bunch of consignors and you are sure to find something for your special someone here.

My display includes my signature peyote scalloped bead bracelet, including this triple-wide amber and teal lovely.

Also have a double hand-ful of peyote rings in various sizes. These mostly larger sizes, designed to be worn on your thumb or first finger. They are very sturdy - I have been wearing on on each hand continuously for weeks and they survive showers, washing dishes and much more.

Also for sale at Eclectics is an elaborate necklace of hammered steel wire, filled with jasper, crystals and pearls on a long mutli-strand seed bead necklace.

Soon to come - faerie doors, faerie garden gates and who know what else!

Eclectics Gallery in Kansas City

2010-01-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

I've just joined a new gallery in Kansas City called Eclectics, which is so exciting. Eclectics is NOT a new gallery, but has been around for 19 years. But they graciously accepted me in via their jury process and we're getting ready for the new year re-opening on Monday, January 18 -- a great fresh new start for the new decade.

In 2009 I became a member of another KC gallery - Images Art Gallery - where I learned about the local art scene, met loads of talented people and made a bunch of friends. Painters are a breed apart ! They need vans just to carry their art around, while I can put my complete gallery jewelry display into a couple large shopping bags. Somehow I'm not at all drawn to painting myself for some reason - perhaps because my muse needs a more tactile medium....topic for another post sometime.

Anyway, I am very grateful to Images Gallery for accepting me into their midst and also for graciously saying goodbye.

More about Eclectics soon - I don't know much yet and am still retagging my stuff for Monday's opening.

My Copper Charm Necklace

2010-01-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

Earlier, I posted a pic of all the great copper charms I received from our Kansas City PMC Guild copper charm exchange. When I went to put my charms onto a chain, my inner chaos broke out, and I just felt that a basic "charms on a chain" bracelet or necklace wasn't right for me. Here's what I did instead....

Read more about it on the KCPMC Guild blog here.

Customer Satisfaction

2009-12-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

A customer called me this week - she had purchased one of my beaded bracelets from Arts on Grand gallery in Spencer, Iowa, as a gift for her mother. The bracelet broke. This is a disaster! But it is fixable.

One of my favorite bracelet color combination is Desert Sky. This one is in my Etsy shop.

Unfortunately, those shiny little aqua size 15/0 hex beads are brittle. They don't break the beadweaving thread (I like Fireline Extra Fine) but the beads themselves break with too much stress, causing the weaving to pull apart. The good news is I have another bead of the same size and color that I am substituting and I can replace her bracelet. This is the only bead I've used that seems flawed in this way.

SO, if you have purchased this combination and the beads break just by wearing, please contact me. This doesn't mean I can guarantee all other of my bracelets from ever breaking or from accidents caused by abusive wear, but they should not just fall apart. That would be bad business indeed.

Holiday Rushes

2009-12-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

My big rush is over - getting those granddaughter gifts wrapped and mailed was a project that had to meet the shipping deadline. But wrapping packages is one of my very favorite Christmas activities. Set the iPod to my Christmas playlist, put on my warm boots (the basement floor is cold!) and spend a few hours in solitude, creating mini-works-of-art with paper, ribbons, tags and tape. Bliss.

I also had a flurry of Etsy Christmas shoppers - Hurrah! So I recently shipped off some bracelets and some bracelet kits.

I'm working to restock my faerie gate supply, so have made a couple new wire gates.One whimsical, (4.5" x 6")

And one traditional (4" x 5")

Find them in my Etsy shop

Experimenting with Copper Clay

2009-12-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Kansas City chapter of the PMC Guild (i.e. KCPMC Guild) met this week to exchange copper clay charms. These folks are used to using silver clay to create so the copper clay, with it's different properties and more complicated firing procedures was new to most of us. These are the pieces I received after swapping an equal number of charms made by me.

My charms looked like this. As you can see, I was the only one who opted for lots of black antiquing rather than the shiny polished look or the matte "from-the-kiln" rainbow patina. YBNRML?

To see more, go to the KCPMC guild blog.

It's Spring Down Under!

2009-12-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

In the midst of our wintry weather and bare trees, its hard to imagine setting up little faerie gardens in the back yard . . . but that's what's happening in Australia. I recently sold a couple of my faerie garden gates to Etsy customers from Australia. Perhaps simple things just make me happy, but it was a thrill to ship off my handiwork to the Land of Oz!

The first gate went to a creative mom, planning a faerie birthday party for her 6 year old daughter - complete with faerie invitations, costumes and a new gate for the real faerie garden in their back yard. Check out their wonderful faerie birthday party and more at http://liscassey.blogspot.com/. (Lissy's a scrapbooker and a VERY creative mum!)

The gates are about 4" x 5" and usually made from copper, steel and/or brass tubes and wire. Sometimes I also make wooden gates, like the faerie beach-house gate below. I used recycled slats from a salvaged old rolled blind that I just couldn't throw away when we moved cross-country. Dale thought I was dingy, but those thin wood slats work just great and are better off in a faerie garden than in a landfill in Calfornia!

Traveling Apple Core Beads

2009-11-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a simple email can make my day. Two days ago I received a simple message on my Etsy conversations inbox...."I talked about your darling earrings for the craft exchange on my blog today!" with a link to her Bei Mondi blog.

I had completely forgotten that a few weeks ago I uncharacteristically responded to a "round robin" craft exchange....it was from a good friend and did not require receiving lots of emails. So I sent off a pair of my apple core earrings, added my name to the list and forwarded the exchange to the required number of crafty friends. They most likely did not reciprocate since I have not received anything in exchange, BUT I did score some blog "ink". It's always cool to know someone likes what I did. Very encouraging.

Thanks for the link, Leslie! Check out her blog here. She's another artisan jewelry artist/mom/blogger/et al.

You can see more of my apples and apple core beads in my online photo album.

They are also for sale in my Etsy shop.

Feeling Slammed

2009-11-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

It is simply amazing how little studio time I'm getting these days. I've gotten so involved with local arts groups that it seems I am only working on guild projects. Thank goodness deadlines motivate me or nothing would happen.

So, check up on me at the

Kansas City Polymer Clay Guild (www.kcpcg.blogspot.com or www.kcpcg.org)
Kansas City Chapter of the PMC Guild (www.kcpmcguild.blogspot.com or www.kcpmcguild.org)
EveryDay Fisk Family Stuff (http://bylynettetoo.blogspot.com/)
ByLynette's Etsy Shop (www.bylynette.etsy.com)

Gardening with Mom

2009-06-25T17:12:00.001-07:00

June is for gardening - before it gets TOO hot and muggy in Missouri. (We sort of overshot and managed to spend the last 4 days sweating buckets!) My sweet 82 year old mother was visiting this week and we managed to turn a corner of my yard into an entryway to the garden. We dug out patchy grass and sod, laid down that black garden weed barrier, stepping stones and a layer of bark. We planted a few baby hollyhocks against the fence and some creeping thyme between the pavers....although it may not survive the current heat. I'm watering!!

Here are the results of our efforts....
BEFORE:

and AFTER:

I think I'll eventually decide to bury the downspout pipe, when it cools off a bit. Quite an improvement, huh?

Gone to good home!

2009-05-30T14:04:00.001-07:00

Thanks for all the interest in the letterpress cabinet. It has gone to a good home in Washington state - and one of the movers had a couple old empty drawers he was selling at a garage sale, so I still have some empty spaces for workshop storage!

More about the Letterpress Cabinet

2009-05-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

There are 20 drawers (sorry, my memory was bad..) and 3 are empty. View more pictures here.
Price is $1000 plus shipping - or you can come pick it up. Bring a truck - the cabinet won't fit into a car! I have tried!
The cabinet measures 25.125" wide x 20.75" deep x 44" high. I suspect that some font sets are split into two drawers, but not sure. The top of cabinet overhangs slightly, measuring 26.5" wide x 21.5" deep, not quite 1" thick.Weight of the 20 drawers with type (sans outer cabinet) is 188.9 lbs. An empty drawer weights 1.5 lbs. so the type itself weighs 159 lbs. I'm estimating the empty cabinet weighs 45-50 lbs but have no way to weigh it.

There are 3 sizes of Greeting Monotone™ Std Regular view font here

and several sizes of a Times Roman style including an italic, 2 sizes of what looks like Copperplate or Plate Gothic, a Bank Gothic Medium,
a nice script similar to this, a wide Gothic with really round C's, an engraved font similar to Bernard Modern, and a very tall, Blackletter-like title font that I cannot find in a font list. See below. Click any photo for a larger view or the view more pictures link above to see more.

Hamilton 24 drawer cabinet with 18 drawers of type

2009-05-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Anyone want a lovely oak Hamilton letterpress typeface cabinet, with type? I bought this hoping to use the letters to impress into clay for jewelry - works fine, but too tedious and slow to be something that actually works. Still haven't lived down my husband's dismay, and would like to sell it. Warning: the lead type is HEAVY. Would sell type separately. Hope to post fonts - there are a wide variety of sizes, including some great old-school stuff and some teeny tiny 6pt newspaper types.

Please contact me at bylynette @gmail.com if you are interested.

Laura's Faerie Wings

2009-04-21T08:35:00.001-07:00

Here's a shot from Laura and Aaron's wedding - wearing their wedding wings. Laura made nearly 60 pair of wings for her wedding - to give as gifts and favors. She makes wings as gifts and will soon be teaching you how at a class at Vintiques in Kansas City.

Natural Easter Eggs

2009-04-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's almost Easter and when my kids were home that always meant making cinnamon rolls, cardomom dove rolls (recipe originally from Sunset Magazine) and coloring eggs. We still do, even though not so many. But....for those who actually read this blog, here are a couple easy ways to naturally color hard boiled eggs for Easter treats or anytime.

For many shades of brown, tan, and rust - gather 2-3 hand-fulls of dry, yellow onion skins. If your grocer allows, just dig them out of the bins. Or husk them off a bag of onions you buy. The trick is DRY, papery onion skins. Put them into a stainless steel cooking pan, add the eggs and water to generously cover the eggs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit in the onion water. The longer they sit, the more intense the colors become. The ones in the photo sat overnight. This is how my Grandma used to color eggs for us.

For the great robin's egg blue - buy a small head of red cabbage. Shred it finely in a food processor and place into heat-proof strainer seated over your egg-cooking pan. Bring a teakettle of water to boil, and pour boiling water over the cabbage. Use this strained cabbage water to cook your eggs in OR let your pre-boiled eggs steep in the cabbage water. Again, the longer the wait, the deeper the color.

There's more - spinach for pale green, tumeric for yellow, beets for rose, etc. Google "natural egg coloring" or click here.

Bead Sources

2009-04-04T17:47:00.001-07:00

Recently, a peyote-stitched beaded bracelet pattern of mine was published in Step by Step Beads. If you are looking for the EXACT beads I used, check here. I have listed my sources, to the best of my ability. My bead stash goes back a while and some exact beads are not currently available from the same sources.

EveryDay Jewelry by Lynette: Polymer Clay Easter Eggs

2009-03-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

EveryDay Jewelry by Lynette: Polymer Clay Easter Eggs
Vintiquesworkshop Blog

Polymer Clay Easter Eggs

2009-03-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick tutorial on prepping egg shells for decorating for Easter egg trees - or any time trees!
1. Buy eggs- be sure they don't show hairline cracks. You'll need a small bowl, wooden spoon or kitchen mallet, a couple small needle tools and some water. I use a wire turkey lacing skewer and an aluminum potato baking skewer, but I'm addicted to kitchen gadgets and have this stuff! A skinny wooden skewer would work fine.

2. Sit egg upright in egg cup or carton, small end up. Using the smaller sharp tool and wooden spoon or kitchen mallet tap the sharp tool into the small end of the egg, leaving a very small hole - 1-2mm.

3. Reverse egg position and make a 2nd hold on the bottom with the small tool. Repeat tap with the larger skewer to make this hole slightly bigger, up to 1/4" - but be careful not to crack the egg. Alternative: twist the point of a paring knife in the hole gradually enlarging it a bit.

4. Insert the smaller skewer completely thru the egg a couple times to break the yolk.
5. Holding egg over a small bowl, carefully BLOW into the small hole forcing the egg out the larger hole on the bottom. (Eggs will be scrambled, but good to use. Put into covered container and save for breakfast.)
6. Rinse bowl and fill with warm water. Hold egg, large hole down, into water and SUCK (not TOO much - raw eggs are not healthy) drawing some water into the egg. Shake a bit, and BLOW again, releasing water. Repeat, changing to fresh water as needed, until clear water blows out. It only takes 2-3 times.
7. Allow egg shells to dry completely. 10 minutes in a very low oven (200º) works great.
8. Grab that empty egg carton to carry your eggs to my class or your studio. The eggs are ready to cover or paint.

Experimenting or Broadening?

2009-03-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last night was one of my favorite nights of the month - the night the Kansas City chapter of the PMC Guild meets. (The Precious Metal Clay Guild is a national organization for people who work in PMC). This is an eclectic group of artists who nearly all have a wide range of interests and skills who also (have, are or will) work (ed) in PMC.

Now, if you know me or you've seen my stuff, you know I do beadwork, play with wire (copper, silver and iron), create with polymer clay (check out the KCPCG), fabricate in sterling silver, do a lot of sewing and creative cooking and am a retired computer geek. And now I'm also trying resin and learning to sculpt doll heads from my friends at MCODA.

To me, this is normal. I may have ADHD and I know I'm easily distracted. And production work is NOT my thing. I'd prefer to make 100 pieces that are all different than make 3 of the same thing.... But it was brought home to me how not-normal this is to some people when one of the members said to me (at least twice) "You sure do like to experiment!" And it's true. I also like to learn new techniques. Just because I've never done something is no reason that I can't.

So, here's my latest experiment: a little creature, sculpted and clothed with polymer clay on a wire armature. I'm not sure what his name is yet, but I think he's British, somewhat Tolkien-esque. Maybe Algernon or Digby. In the photo he's holding a strand of hand-twisted yarn, but he's currently standing in my living room with a small basket waiting for spring flowers.

Teaching Classes at Vintiques

2009-03-16T13:59:00.001-07:00

Classes have started at a new location in Kansas City - at Vintiques, the coolest (and largest collection of) ephemera in the Midwest. Sheila and Craig have a wonderful place to browse, imagine and get your creative juices flowing at Vintiques at 3rd and Grand in downtown KC, MO. Since their winter remodel, they now have a great classroom space, stocked with equipment for all kinds of art and crafting. Check out the upcoming classes at the workshop blog.

I taught my first class - a beginning wireworking class - to a couple of highly creative students who should be teaching themselves. Oh wait, they ARE going to be teaching too! (Making soldered glass window charms, I think...) What fun we had, sharing techniques, exploring ways to use treasures from our stashes and making something wonderful.

Next up from me: a Beginning Polymer Clay Caning class (Saturday, April 11) and during Faerie Weekend, we'll be learning to Make a Faerie Door (using polymer clay) Saturday, April 25. And my daughter, Laura, will be teaching a class to make your own Faerie Wings.

I'm also working on more classes - covered switch plates, more basic wire work, peyote stitch beading, and more. If they had a kitchen, we could also do some cooking classes, but that might be too much. How about Easter eggs - out of clay, of course.

Apple Core Bead Featured in Bracelet

2009-03-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

One of my customers has used an apple core bead she bought from me in an bracelet for sale in her Etsy shop! Check out Freshwater Designs' Original Sin Bracelet . Her website is http://freshwater-designs.blogspot.com/

Profile

2009-03-09T15:17:00.001-07:00

Jewelry should be affordable, fun and made from anything. Re-cyled, re-purposed or re-used, unconventional and easy to wear daily. This blog will be about my art, my inspirations and who knows what else.

When my husband retired 2 years ago I became upemployed, and I love it! Who really needs to do network management when you can hammer wire all day? My jewelry studio moved from a small, dark bedroom to a roomy daylight basement and I can finally get at all my tools at once.
Now I am making jewelry (nearly) every day, experimenting with new techniques and beginning to use use huge bead, wire and found objects stash accumulated over the last 45 years - yes I really do have jewelry I got when I was ten! Working in beads, wire, silver, copper and steel, polymer clay, and PMC. Next on my list: resin. Someday I would like to try lampworking and stained glass.

Non-jewelry hobbies include sewing, theater costume building, gourmet cooking, travel and feeding the birds in my backyard. And I am still doing computers....helping other artists get their websites started.

Basic Wire Wrapping Class

2009-03-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

What a great time we had yesterday in my first Basic Wire Wrapping class at Vintiques in Kansas City. (Check their upcoming classes.) Two great students, a few beads, wire and tools made the afternoon fly! We used bits and pieces of old jewelry, 20 - 22 gauge craft wire and designed components built with "wrapped loops." Students learned some basics about working with wire, and the tools that help (bench block, bench pin, rotary tool, center punch, rawhide mallet, round nose & chain nose pliers, crimping tool and flush cutters).

We practiced making wrapped loops, learning to manipulate the wire with pliers or fingers, first following the rules, then breaking the rules on purpose. I showed them a custom wrapped loop hook clasp (download my free tutorial) and

how to improvise a closure using existing bits from old jewelry. We also demonstrated making a wire spiral, work hardening wire with a rawhide mallet. It was great to see how different personalities,

styles and stashes produced such different results.

Published!!

2009-03-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

The March/April issue of Step by Step Beads (published by Interweave Press) has arrived, along with my first published beadwork pattern. I usually don't get too excited, but I have to admit, this feels really cool, especially since they used my bracelet project on the cover.

This gives a serious boost to the confidence and makes me want to do more. NOTE: If you can't find this in stores, you can purchase it online.

Are you also a beader, jewelry artist or other creative type? Look for opportunities to show your stuff. Seriously, you might have come up with something other people would love to see or try. Step by Step Beads has two things going right now - the 2009 Bead Arts Award has a categories for clay, glass and mixed media beads, plus jewelry and beaded objects. Deadline is May 1. They also have a Colorworks challenge - to make jewelry using the orange-purple-green tertiary triad.

Look for calls for submissions on the websites of your favorite art and craft publications.

Check the links, read the rules, take some pictures, and send your creation to someone! The worst that can happen? They say "no thanks"....but they might want you! Go for it!

International Sales

2009-02-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

Made my first international sale this week - to someone from Spain who loves my apple core polymer beads. Hand sculpted, aged, sanded and polished by me! They are about 1" tall and ready for making into earrings or charms.

They started as the solution to visualizing "lost innocence" and I think they are much more interesting that a perfect, uneaten apple. Some are more aged than others....some are freshly eaten. The whole apples must have a bruise or a bite or a worm-hole.

See more on my Etsy site or here in my online album.

Joining

2009-02-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

In metalsmithing, you join metals with hot joins (solder) or cold (rivets and other fun stuff) joins. But I have also recently experienced several WARM joins....and feel like I'm getting more connected with the Kansas City area. The people at these places made me feel not only welcome, but at home. By the way, my jewelry is available for purchase at all of them.

Gardenology, a very cool shop in Lenexa, Kansas tool some of my apple core and wire/bead earrings as well as a display of beaded bracelets to sell. They were appreciative of my jewelry and made me feel great. Check out their online shop too.

Images Art Gallery in the Kansas City Crossroads District has accepted me as one of their 3-D artists. Most of the gallery is filled with 2-D art (paintings, seriographs, fiber art, etc.) but now I'm there too, along with some other gifted artists.

Arts on Grand in Spencer, Iowa is considering my beaded bracelets - but I must pass their jury process first. Since my sister, Kristin, who lives in Spencer and pushed me into applying there, I'm hopeful that they will want to have me.

Step-by-Step Beads Magazine

2009-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

What an honor! My even-count peyote stitched bracelet pattern is being published in the March/April issue of Step-by-Step Beads. Thanks to this bracelet being in my Etsy shop, it was seen by an editor and she liked it. This bracelet is one of my favorite color combinations for this pattern. The closely-related greens work well and the use of tiny size 15/0 seed beeds make the bracelet seem delicate. Of course, I love the sparkle provided by the irredescent size 8/0 hex beads. To see more color combinations of the same basic pattern, you can check out this photo album.

Polymer, Peyote & Prose

2008-10-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my sister/author Kristin (and Lulu.com online publishing) there is now a real published book about some of my jewelry. How amazing is that?

A collaboration with my youngest sister has resulted in Polymer, Peyote & Prose - a small, colorful collection of photos, poetry and stories about some of my art. Kristin is a published author who writes about artists for magazines like Kansas! as well as Christian vacation Bible school curriculum for Concordia Publishing House. (to be updated)

My mother was thrilled and wants copies for her friends. But I'm hoping that it will be a cool addition to my "sales table" or be helpful when applying to galleries. It is a very cool feeling to see your art in print, in color. A preview of Polymer, Peyote & Prose by Kristin Kaldahl is available online at http://www.lulu.com/content/1364127 where it can be ordered by anyone. View all the books in my Lulu storefront at http://www.lulu.com/bylynette.

I want to publicly thank Kristin for her time and creative efforts. And if you have any urgings to get your own work published, I highly recommend checking out http://www.lulu.com/. On-demand self-publishing is simply the coolest use of technology around.

Fall Pendant

2008-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Using brass wire, silk ribbon and linen cord, glass, jasper, and metal beads fill a hammered steel leaf pendant that combines a variety of textures and warm fall colors.

Bargain outfit

2008-07-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

This photo-journey is for Liz...."Necessity is the mother of invention" - so when I found a bargain skirt in an unusual blue hue with no top to match, I bought two the same. Total cost: $13.20. It's light-weight, can be literally wadded up in my suitcase and reversed if I spill on it. Great for summer cruise wear.

Insects/Small Creatures KCPCG Challenge

2008-07-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

Today I finished my Insects/Small Creatures KCPCG Challenge piece, just in time for next Tuesday's meeting deadline. To see pictures of the process go to my online Picasa web album.

Begin Blog Now

2008-06-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

As the writer of Ecclesiastes said, "For everything there is a season...." and my blogging has begun. This is certainly only a test, so I can see what it looks like. Perhaps more, later.