Sunday, August 30, 2009

And The Winner Is:


Soy Pea won the Orange Blossom Anklet! She’s just started a blog about blog giveaways that you may want to check out (http://soypea.blogspot.com). Congratulations, Soy Pea!



Here’s The Husband, with the Hershey’s Chocolate tin I used to hold the names as they came in.



And here he is with the winning name.


Thanks, everyone, for looking at my shop and entering the contest. One happy by-product of the structure of this contest is that people left such complimentary comments about my work. That was an unexpected boost for me. Again, thanks!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Wonders of Technology

When I was a kid learning math, we used popsicle sticks to aid in addition and subtraction. Later, pocket calculators were the ultimate in mathematical accoutrement. But nowadays, I use my cell phone to price out my jewelry.


I usually put a price on my jewelry as I'm preparing my posting for Etsy. And I'm usually doing that when The Husband is at work. When The Husband is at work, I have my cell nearby in case he texts me. Not only is it convenient to use the calculator on my phone, it's sort of fun. I guess I think that because the calculator function on my old cell required DNA from Albert Einstein in order to understand how it worked. The one I have now is a breeze to use. You'll see me at bead stores, tapping on my cell phone keyboard, figuring out discounts or pricing out a package of clasps. And I sit at my computer or at my work table, dissecting jewelry, piece by piece, to remember what components I used and looking up their individual cost.


We live in amazing times! I've been reading a lot lately about the Gilded Age, the late 1800's to the early 1900's, and they thought the railroad and electric lights were cutting edge. And they were, at the time. But I don't think Edison or Vanderbilt could have predicted the technologies we have at our fingertips today. I don't want to sound like an ancient specimen, but when I was a kid, if you didn't catch a movie in a theatre, you had to wait and hope it would play on TV to see it and if you left your new record album in a hot car, you'd come back to melted music. CD's, DVD's, home computers, microwave ovens~I've seen them develop and appreciate them and so many other things we didn't have when this ole girl was a kid!

Oh, don’t forget Bear Chick’s Blog Contest. Go to my Etsy shop (http://bearchick.etsy.com), tell me in a comment to this blog which piece in my shop is your favorite and have a chance to win the Orange Blossom Anklet.


www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Look What I Made Today!


I love taking classes and with the economy being what it is, I haven’t been able to take many lately. But I couldn’t resist the Stained Glass Pendant class offered at The Beading Place in Tustin, taught by Katie Casey. I know Katie from The Bead Society of Orange County and I knew I’d have a good time and learn a ton.

Here are my two fledgling creations (1 1/2" x 1 1/2"):


They are basically designs stamped on glass, then embossed and colored with alcohol inks. When that process dries, you add another piece of glass to protect the color and solder them together. Sounds easy, huh? Hmmm… Yeah, after a lot of hard work and practice!



I did the pumpkin first and by the rule of beginners luck, this one came easy. It is by no means perfect (too much scattered black embossing, uneven color) but the process went smoothly. The heart, one of my fave themes, gave me endless problems. Moral of this creative story: make sure the embossed lines are intact~untact lines let paint spill out into other areas of the work… Also, be more gentle with the paint bottles or the drop you’re trying to let fall on the glass will be the size of Denver…


When I signed up for this class, I thought it was the charm class, which is similar but uses paper collage instead of stamping/painting, which I‘ve been doing for some time. To be honest, what I really wanted to take the class for was the soldering portion. I haven’t soldered in over 30 years and even then, they just threw a soldering iron at me and said, fix this… It wasn’t a skill I could claim. So learning the stamping and painting process was a huge bonus. I’d always wanted to play with alcohol inks but never had occasion to try them. And I have a stash of 300 rubber stamps and a heat gun from the 80’s, when The Husband and I were into stamping and card making. So I’m all set, whether I want to stamp or do collage.


August 24 Addendum: My friend, Deborah, loved the heart pendant so much, I gave it to her! It was a real boost to me that she liked it so much :-)

Oh, and don’t forget Bear Chick’s Blog Contest. Go to my Etsy shop (http://bearchick.etsy.com), tell me in a comment to this blog which piece in my shop is your favorite and have a chance to win the Orange Blossom Anklet.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Bear Chick’s First Blog Contest!


Let’s get right to the Good Stuff.

What you can win:
Orange Blossom Anklet


This may be my favorite chain pattern~it’s so delicate and feminine. I used silver plated jump rings, faceted orange glass dangles and a magnetic clasp to create a 9” anklet that will take you from summer to fall in style. Winner can request slightly shorter or longer length.



How to Enter:
Go to my Etsy Shop (bearchick.etsy.com), take a look around and tell me in a comment on this blog what your favorite piece of jewelry in the shop is. Easy peasy! Enter as often as you want.

Deadline:

The Husband will draw a name from all the lovely folks who have left comments on August 30. I’ll contact the winner and send out the anklet ASAP.

Good Luck!!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Saturday, August 15, 2009

I Love Bats and I Love Cats


So, I was thrilled to find Blacklilypie.etsy.com! Among other really cool artwork and creative stuff, artist Tara Fortin sells her Batcat creations. I've been biding my time, visiting her shop now and then, waiting for the right things to come along. And, finally, the time was right! Isn't it funny how we lurk and peek and finally, the moon aligns with our favorite radio station or something just as cosmic, and we're finally ready to make an order?


As well as creating ATC's, I also collect them. When I showed "Innocent Batcat" to The Husband, his response was, "He doesn't look that innocent to me..."

What could be better than a cozy Batcat reading in his cozy living room for the perfect bookmark? I bought this as a Christmas gift... Hmmmm... I may have to give her something else...


And here is the ultimate Batcat, hangin' upside down like all Batcat's should. The quality of this card is really amazing. It's not just printed on a notecard, the artwork is mounted on cardstock that's mounted on more cardstock, so it's really a substantial artpiece. I was very impressed with how well it was put together. Now I gotta find a frame!

All of my little treasures were wrapped up in an inner envelope inside the mailing envelope with a Blacklilypie sticker and Tara also included a little extra postcard, that's now on the wall at The Day Job.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I Light Up My Life!

I bought an Ott Light on sale quite a while ago. It's been very comfortable, sitting in it's box, waiting for me to find a place for it. This weekend, I finally carved myself out some dedicated space on a table in our living room~no more sitting on the floor! My back rejoices!


So, I dug around in the "work" room and found the Ott Light. Plugged it in and turned it on. Yea! Errr... After having it on for an hour or more, I realized that the bulb was still swathed in bubble wrap. Aren't the Ott people thoughtful to wrap up the fragile bulb? Fortunately, it hadn't gotten hot enough to melt the wrap onto the bulb. Whew!



Anyway, besides admitting my little goof, I wanted to say that with the Ott Light, I can really distinguish colors. Last night, I was making a pair of earrings. I was using a couple of different types of beads, in violet, which normally would be hard for me to distinguish in regular light. Oooooo, with the Ott Light, I could really see the subtle differences in color. Pastels can be really troublesome and the little glass pearls I was using always give me fits because they're so light and pink looks like white looks like violet.


Just wanted to throw out some positive info for y'all to use. In the immortal words of a classic Alka Seltzer commercial: "Try it, you'll like it!"

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Midweek Vacation Day


The Husband and I took today off to collect my prize winning (!) necklace from the OC Fair. We slept in a bit ~ luxury ~ then drove to Costa Mesa where we had breakfast at our fave restaurant, Ruby’s. It always helps to have a coupon. I’m really big on coupons these days!

After our yummy breakfast, we walked it off at South Coast Plaza. When I first moved to Cali, I lived within walking distance of South Coast Plaza when it was in it’s infancy. There were more fields than houses in those days. So I always have a little nostalgia when I’m there. Nowadays, you can walk from the smaller mall to the mother mall via a bridge over Bear St, which is kinda cool. The Husband found some Wall E gee gaws on sale at The Disney Store but was not happy that someone spelled our name wrong:


The big, original South Coast, for you non-SoCal folks, is a pretty hoity toity place. You can find any store ever mentioned on Sex and the City, from Ferragamo to Prada. Some of the store windows virtually sparkle with diamonds, like the misspelled “Carter”, Harry Winston and Tiffany. *sigh* Here’s a beautiful set of doors with lilies of the valley etched into the glass. Gorgeous!


After more walking and browsing in Z Gallery and Barnes and Noble, we headed for the OC Fairgrounds. I tell ya, those folks are very organized and they made my first experience with them groovy. And to my delight, I got a red ribbon! They didn’t display the ribbon when I saw my piece the day we went to the fair, so I was happy to actually have gotten one.



With my necklace and my friend, Teresa’s, scrapbooking entry safely in the van, we stopped at Ikea, where we were not really surprised to find they’re selling houses. Ok, not really. They’ve partnered with a mobile home company to show both the homes and Ikea products in them. Two homes were on display in the parking lot and they were actually quite nice. Here I am on the porch of the bigger one.


So, we had a lovely day, a special, yummy breakfast, got in a lot of walking and were able to spend some quality time together. Even though I dragged him around a chi chi mall, The Husband can always create a good time (see first picture). I’ve promised to go with him to the Palm Springs Air Museum in November, so I can take more pictures of him having a good time!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Saling Solo


The Husband spent the morning preparing for a music gig he has tonight, so I went saling solo.

My very first stop was a virtual jewelry bonanza! It was in one of the nicer parts of town, where the houses are McMansions, usually on hills. I noticed it was really quiet when I parked-not too many cars-but there was a yard sale sign so I figured I was in the right place.

Up the driveway I climbed, tables of knick knacks in view. When I got to the top, to my delight, there were two (!) jewelry displays to my left! Mind, you never want to show your delight, joy, happiness. Keep it casual~never let it show that something is important to you. The antiquing books tell you that, so you don’t run the risk of someone else thwarting you just for sport of it and so the owners don’t try to take advantage. I just stay low key because it adds to the satisfaction later~the Great Huntress and Her Swag!


There was an entire wall of necklaces. I picked up anything I thought had chain or earring component potential.



In a jewelry case on a table, the colorful earrings, necklace and bracelet naturally caught my eye, all to be taken apart and reconnected with new chain weaves.



The gold chains are all so different and then there's the chain that's all “crystals" (near the top). I’m sure I’ll find good uses for the sparkly colored pendant, green and rhinestone thingies and the butterfly made in Italy.


More chain detail and one of the five chandelier crystals I got. I loved the smaller crystals at the top--can you say necklace and earring set?


I love the shape of these chains! Don’t know if I’ll use it for one long chain or a couple of different pieces. Oh, decisions, decisions!



The white piece on the right has potential for earrings and maybe a couple of necklace pieces. Oh, boy, am I gonna have fun!

Two good things about today’s foray: The weather couldn’t have been nicer. Sunny but a nice breeze. So pleasant! And I got to see a little Bengal cat and his housemate, a sweet fluffy dog who liked to be petted. Some of the best saling experiences I’ve had have been meeting friendly animals along the way!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

The following is an email I got from the No Kill Advocacy Center, a wonderful group I've supported for the last couple of years. This is their reaction to Michael Vick being reinstated to the NFL.

Even though the attached letter (please click and read if you have a chance. It's very well written and reasonable) was sent to NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell, I forwarded it to Mr. Goddell's email address with the question, "What's the matter, wasn't OJ available??"



Dear Fellow Animal Lovers,

Working to reform the humane movement to bring it back to its original mission of saving lives, we have experienced many unexpected and heartbreaking moments of animals being betrayed by their so-called protectors. But last week was especially brutal, when not only the Humane Society of the United States, but other national groups released statements supporting the reinstatement of Michael Vick, the most notorious animal abuser of our time, into the National Football League (NFL).While HSUS recruited Michael Vick to be a spokesperson and stated that everyone deserves a second chance, the ASPCA issued a statement praising the Commissioner of the NFL:
…[T]he Commissioner has been particularly thoughtful and has weighed every factor in his deliberations. The ASPCA can only offer him our gratitude for the gravity to which he has lent the issue of animal cruelty, as well as the provisions that the Commissioner has set forth to ensure that Mr. Vick has a positive impact on the NFL and his community.Opportunities for redemption are rare—but that is exactly the opportunity that awaits Mr. Vick…
For us, at the No Kill Advocacy Center, the facts of Vick's brutality speak for themselves. They include killing dogs in the most horrific ways imaginable.

There are many, many words that come to mind to adequately describe Vick’s reinstatement by the NFL—intolerable, obscene, outrageous, and shameful. But as for the words chosen by the large, national organizations—redemption, a positive impact, thoughtful, gratitude, hope, right—we can only shake our heads in disgust.Read our letter to the NFL by clicking here.


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Saturday, August 1, 2009

Saling, Saling!


Betcha can guess what I’ve been up to this morning! Yes, went to a few yard sales and a Mercantile Flea Market in uptown Fullerton. AND Tall Mouse’s 43rd anniversary sale (all full price items 43% off!). Quite a busy day. And I must say, KFC’s new grilled chicken is FABulous! Just so ya know…



First, here’s The Husband posing in front of a wicked cool mural on the way into the Mercantile market.


And here’s some of the morning’s loot.


Who can resist cats, especially when all the rhinestones are intact!!


I love big clear lucite beads and these are SQUARE! I can picture the earrings and other cool stuff now!


Aren’t these lampwork beads pretty? I love the colors!


This bagful of $1 colored plastic goodness should not and could not be resisted! A few of the beads are corralled by a string of gorgeous amethyst I got for ~ gasp! ~ 75% off at Tall Mouse, a local arts and crafts store.


These are the pretty things I got today. I also got some connectors for chains and other little, practical jewelry making stuff. And in preparation for a class on glass charm making, I got a soldering iron, copper tape and glass squares. But, really, how photogenic are those?? Well, they will be when they’re part of new, fun jewelry, but right now, not so much :-)

After all that shopping, it’s time for a cool beverage and a few minutes of being a cat lap. Both my kitties love lap time and they both have their distinctive ways of cuddling ~ my boy cat likes to just plop on my right leg and fall asleep with his head under my arm, my girl cat first has to stand on my lap and have her butt rubbed, then she sits and kneads my chest, then flops across my lap and cuddles under my chest. They’re my babies and I love cuddle time, even if it means less reading and jewelry making time.


www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com