Goodies & Clay!

Ok, so I used my gift card from FireMountain Gems that I received for winning second place in the Cab Category and I bought a few things I needed (and wanted). Thought I would share these goodies with you all.

From left to right: Christie Friesens' 'Under the Sea' polymer clay creations book. Mostly I got it because of the turtles. I just love turtles! The large cream colored bust display which is showing off my winning piece just beautifully. A black leatherette bracelet display which will display my bangle and cuff bracelets at my upcoming show. (2 weeks!) Size 15/0 Gold Luster Rocailles which I was almost out of and needed to make the matching cuff and earrings to Martian Queens' Collar. I started working on the cuff last Thursday. A polishing cloth and a jar of jewelry cleanser. Another bracelet/watch display which my husband has said he'd like to use to take pictures of his watches. (He collects them- the watches I mean!) Three different sized bead scoops. Love them!! And two spools of black Nymo Thread.

This last week I pulled out my Polymer clay and made some fun pieces with it. I made a couple of bracelets with matching earrings for grown ups and then some stretchy bracelets for the kiddies that I'll be selling at the Hyde Park Square Art show in a couple of weeks.

Two weeks from today is the big day! This week I am planning on finishing off working on inventory. I have quite a few pieces all ready made up and photographed, but I need to work on tagging and display. That I will reserve for the following week.

Hope you all have a great week ahead of you!
Louisa

Gearing up for the Hyde Park Square Art Show!

As some of you know, on Sunday October 4th, is the Hyde Park Square Art Show. I believe this will be it's 43rd year and there will be over 200 artists show casing their artwork. This is my second year participating in this show and I am very excited about it. I was fortunate enough to be able to get the same space as I had last year- right in front of Tellers Restaurant and just a few doors down from Greaters' Ice Cream (very important!) Anyway, I just thought I'd give you all a little glimpse of some of the items I have been working on for the show.

Thank you for looking!
Louisa.

Exciting Things Happening!

Ok, so it's been a little while since I last made a blog entry, but that's only because nothing much was really going on throughout the summer. But, now I finally have a few items worth blogging about and am ready to share.

First, some of you know that I worked part-time for a couple from Church who own a door company. I was their receptionist and my 5 months with them has once and for all confirmed that I dislike paperwork- with a passion! I know that it's an important part of any business, but I just am not a paper pusher! I did, however, learn that there is a whole lot more to doors than just opening and closing them! So, what am I doing now to contribute to my family's financial well being? I have been hired on part-time at A World of Beads in Tri-County! I am very excited to be working with this group of very talented beading ladies! I have shopped at A World of Beads for over ten years now and am thrilled to be able to work in an environment with so many lovely beads and bead related things and be inspired by the ladies I work with and our customers! So, if you live in Cincinnati or are visiting, please come and see us at A World Of Beads Tri-County. Also visit the website at: http://www.aworldofbeads.com/

My next piece of exciting news is about the Fire Mountain Gems Annual Beading Contest. As you recall, earlier this year I completed my piece the 'Martian Queen's Necklace' for this competition. I finally received it back from its 3 month stay at FMG in Oregon yesterday. They did things a little differently this year in making the contestants wait until their pieces were returned before we knew if we won anything. Last year they listed the winners online. This year we had to wait (impatiently!) for our pieces to return home. I wasn't home when FedEx tried to deliver my package yesterday, so as soon as I got home I grabbed their door notice from my front door and rushed down to their facility in 5 o'clock traffic! I had to wait another 10 minutes while other customers were being helped and 5 more minutes while the clerk was locating my package, then I ran to my car and opened it right up in the parking lot! I won Second Place in the Cabochon Category! Very exciting and I'm so glad the wait is finally over!

My last piece of news is that I will be participating in the annual Hyde Park Square Art Show again this year! It's a juried show and is very difficult to get in to. It is a big show with over 200 artists of all sorts from all over who come to show and sell their craft. So, the month of September will be dedicated to making pieces to fill up my booth! If you're in the area please stop by and check out this show on 4 October, 2009.

Thank you!

2010 BFAC Piece

I know it's been a little while since I last blogged about anything but I've been busily frustrating myself with this years Beading-For-A-Cure piece. The selection of beads and colors this year is gorgeous, but my poor little brain just couldn't come up with a design that would come together. I made three attempts at the original design and it just wasn't working out. Then I made 2 beaded beads that I was intending on using in my design and opted to not use them. Then I just said 'Forget it!' and went with the flow and whala! this is the result.

I started off with 2 Tubular Spiral Peyote ropes and joined them together to form a 'v'. I then added the focal bead and the the bugle bead fringe. Next came the Montee and then I beaded around it with the other assorted seed beads that came in the kit. Lastly, I made a beaded beaded for the closure and a 2 loop loop for adjusting the length. Sweet and simple! Now if only I had come up with this idea 3 weeks ago....

Fourth of July Jewelry!

Hello All! It's been a while but summer has had me busy with yard work and a few more hours at work each week and of course, beadwork.

Up for sale in my Etsy and 1000 Market Stores are a Fourth of July Ruffled Bracelet and Earring set. (Pictured below)

I also finished a commissioned piece today. It is a variation of the Zulu Necklace I made a few months back and sold last month. The Client wanted me to use more muted, earthy colors and the piece in the photo below is the result.

Next I'm gearing up to start on next years' Beading-For-A-Cure piece. We have some beautiful beads in lovely colors to work with and I already have a design in mind and on paper. Now we'll just have to see how it comes out!

Big News!

Ok, so it's been a while since I last made a blog entry but that's only because there wasn't much of anything going on that was new in the world of Beaded Extravagance. I have been beading and I also have been working on the backyard a little since our beloved doggies trampled all my Hostas and the pond needed cleaning and rearranging. So, now I'm back to blogging because I have some big news.

Last week Friday I received a letter in the mail from FireMountain Gems letting me know that Martian Queens Necklace is now in the second round of judging!! What does this mean? It means I get to pack her up and send her all the way to Oregon for the final round and hopefully a glamorous photo shoot! I'm really excited about this and am impatient for the results. I will have to be very patient because I won't know about those until August!


My other big news is that I finally have made sales on Etsy! My first was about 2 weeks ago. I sold my Ruffled Bracelet. Then I came home today and was checking my emails and I found that Zulu Diamond Necklace and Ndebele Star Bracelet had sold too! This is very exciting! I'm glad that I've finally started having sales- I was beginning to lose hope.... So tonight I have some packing to do for tomorrow it's off to the Post Office!

On a personal note, this weekend I made a big decision. Most of you that know me personally know that I have grown my hair out to be about waist length. This weekend I had my hair cut and am donating the 16 inch long ponytail to Locks of Love. I've been wanting to do this for a long time and wasn't sure that my permed hair would be accepted. They now allow permed and dyed hair, just not bleached hair. I am happy to be doing this because it will bring joy to some person who has lost their hair because of medical treatments. I have plenty of hair and it grows so fast so I don't mind sharing. Below is a photo taken by Valerie of me wearing Martian Queen's Necklace in my new do!

Have a great week!

2009 Duveneck Memorial Art Show

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for the long absence. I was very busily preparing for the 40th Annual Duveneck Memorial Art Show which took place last week Sunday on Mother's Day. We had a beautiful day with sunshine and cool breezes coming off the Ohio River in Covington Kentucky. I had never been to the show- this was also the first time I participated in it. George Rivers Clark Park is a tiny piece of grass and trees on Riverside drive in historical Covington Kentucky. There are some gorgeous old houses there that I wish I had had the time to look at, but as it was we arrived a little late. Parking was at a premium so we unloaded the cars after I got my papers and found out where my 10x10 spot was. Chris (my sweet and patient husband) then had to park both cars a block away while Valerie ( my sweet and not quite so patient daughter) started setting up the tent and tables. I had chosen to enter The Martian Queen's Necklace in the Amos Shinkle Contest and placed it in the center fountain (it's dry!) along with other entries for that contest and the Duveneck contest.

There were a lot of painters at this show- which is fitting because Mr. Duveneck was a painter himself! I had two very talented painters on either side of my tent.

At precisely 10:33am, the judges came out and began making their rounds judging the artists fro the different contests. I found out about an hour an a half later, that I had won first place in the Fine Craft Category! That was so exciting! And nerve wracking too because the judges came around to our tent and presented me with my blue ribbon and photos were taken and questions were asked and I'm just a shy girl who loves to bead! I thought that was the end of that and I could get on with selling my work, but not too long after that a gentleman with a camera and microphone came around and interviewed me on tape! I couldn't stop shaking! Oh well...

At noon the show officially began and the crowds came through to admire and purchase our wonderful works of art. I made my financial goal and I won a prize and I was very happy with that after a long and exhausting week scrambling to get ready for this show!

The great majority of my preparation two days before the show was my booth set-up. I had finally decided what it was that I wanted the booth to look like and there was a flurry of buying of displays and tablecloth, tables and fabric. Then to put it all together and make it look professional and presentable. Two nights before the show, I set everything (except the tent of course!) up in my living room to arrange things so the displays look balanced and pleasing to the eye. I also purchased a tent screen to put around the tent sides because at the Hyde Park Square Art Show last year, people were using my tent as a cut through and it was rather annoying. It also helped to keep the bugs at bay!

All in all, I enjoyed this show and look forward to participating in it again next year! Now, back to my TO DO LIST....


P.S. Thank you to everyone who has left all the wonderful and encouraging comments here on my blog! They are VERY MUCH appreciated!!