A Little Light

when I asked for sunshine on my palms
the day gave light
touched the lines and grooves
and filled in the spaces that spoke my name

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Tangerine Dream

i am a tangerine dream

light energy

fire dance and spark

{for more}

Channeling Ocean

when I am ocean

I am free

spirit of the water

the sky reflects me

{for more}

Happy New Year and Newness All Around!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I'm super psyched about 2014, and here's why:

All about the pics!
I have been trying really hard to keep a catalogue of my work, and have finally gotten a rhythm going. I realized I had quite a library of pictures, so I decided to start a tumblr. It's still a work in progress, but I will be posting new work there at least once a week. Check it out: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/sunraycreations

Batik Batik Batik
I learned how to batik on a trip to Bali, and have been hooked since. It's not the most portable art form, though, so when I moved I had to give it up. Now that I'm all set up in my new place, batiking is back on the table. It's been so great to get my hands on fabric again, and there will be much more to come.

ocean rose

Taking this show on the road!

I recently left my artist community in the Marshall Islands to move to Mexico. The move has been great for me, but I've really missed the community work that I was doing with the local arts ngo, Jambo Arts (check there out here). Jambo is hosting its 8th biannual art exhibition in April, and I can think of nothing I would like more than to help/participate. So, I've got a gofundme campaign set up to help with the ticket, as it is pretty pricey to get out there. Please check it out, share, and donate if you can: http://www.gofundme.com/5ksjqw

Giant Dream Catchers

I love dream catchers! They are beautiful delicate pieces that can created in so many different colors, sizes, and flavors. This week I was feeling a bit down and all my hands wanted to do was make dream catchers, BIG dream catchers. I have to admit to feeling better for it.

dream big

Happy Monday, everyone!

Stone Love

I love working with gemstones. I love the feel of the stones. Some are opalescent. Others cool to the touch. Some are heavy, and some are fragile as bird bones Each stone has a vibration, an aura, if you will. And if you're willing to listen, to receive, the stones will share.

This week has been all about rocks and wire. I got my start making jewelry this way, and it was such a joy to explore this space again.

Purple Light ring (Amethyst and Sterling Silver)

Lollipop Tree dangles (Jasper, Copper, Sterling Silver)

Now that my jewelry pliers are all warmed up, I have so many ideas for stones and wire. For more wire wrap jewelry from this week, check out my Facebook page.

Cheers!

Dreamweaver

I've been thinking a lot about dreams and dreamers lately, and even wrote a pretty lengthy post about them over on my other blog Life Explorations. Many cultures have their ideas about dreams and how to manifest them, but I would say that no dream symbol is more well-know than the dream-catcher. According to Dream~Catchers.org, dream catchers originated in a time of nightmares. Their design came from an elder's vision of a spider's web attached to a hoop. This is pretty good tidings, since a vision, itself, is a sort of dream. The hoops were hung over beds to catch the bad dreams and let the good ones slip through.

Silver Lady Webs with Aquamarine embellishment

While my little dream catchers are not exactly the same as the original design, the intent is the same. We take in so much energy throughout our day, much of it negative. What better way to filter the bad and take in the good, than to hang dream catchers from our ears.

Night Sky Webs with Blue Aventurine embellishment

I had a great time make these, and also got to play with some embroidery floss and stones that I've been carrying around for quite some time.

For more dream-catcher earrings, check out my Facebook page.

If you've had any experiences with dream-catchers, please share them in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading

Beauty of Bone Part 2

The little jewelry experiment I started with my calaveras beads ended up being an epic fail! I didn't even take pictures because it was not pretty. I did, however, find my rhythm with a different design. I'm quite happy with the results.

Blue on Blue Calaveras 

I love how the dark blue calaveras and the brilliant turquoise tassels play together. These are really fun earrings to make. I'm a big fan of tassels and had a blast making them in other colors. For pics of more calaveras earrings, check out my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/sunRaycreations/226959264486 

Thanks for reading!

Crafting In Public

This Saturday I attended my first crafting in public event. I was joined by a knitter and a pastel artist. We had chocolate cake, lots of laughs, and got down to the business of creating. We got a fair amount of attention from the waitstaff, who couldn't believe the creations that were coming together before their very eyes. I forgot my camera, so wasn't able to get any shots of the first day, but we'll be meeting up again next week for more public displays of craftiness. Here are two pieces I finished during the event.

These labradorite half mandalas were commisioned by a co-worker. I love the pop of blue.

Sodalite, labradorite, and pearl drops for a poet friend. It took me a while to figure out the colors, but I really like how they turned out.

What did you do this weekend?

Waking up Wired

Try as I might to sleep in this morning, it just wasn't happening. So, as I rose before the sun, I thought to myself, Let's make some jewelry.

Here's what came of the morning madness:

These beads have been staring at me from my craft table for a while now. It was nice to finally put them together, and I really like how the colors are working. This was also the first time I made my own wire clasp. I think it turned out pretty well.

These pretty painted beads have also been sitting on my table for a minute. The holes in these beads are really large, so the only way I could work them was from the side. I really like how they turned out. They remind me of cherry blossom trees.

What is a creative morning without a fail. I really wanted this ring to turn out funky and fun, but it just feels funky. Probably should have had my cup of breakfast tea before touching this little project. I'm not crazy about the colors or the composition. Any one have any ideas on this one?

What did you do this morning?

Break out the Rollerskates and the Disco Balls!

So, I took a few days to feel sorry for myself after the auction flop, and in my internet skulkings I found the most amazing seed bead jewelry to date. I don't know if you know brokenfab already, but if not you must check it out. I never would have thought to combine the funk of disco with seed beads, but these designs make me want to grab some hot pink lipstick and rock out to Ziggy stardust. Love love love!

(source)

(source)

The Moment has Arrived!

I've been talking about if for days, and now here it is: MY FIRST BLOG AUCTION PIECE

I call these Feather Headdress earrings.

They were inspired by this beautiful Mexican dancer.

I hope that you all love them as much as I do. The minimum bid for these earrings is $20. If you want to make them your own, just post your name, bid, and email address in the comment section. The person who places the highest bid by Tuesday morning will get to sport these lovelies all year.

Happy Bidding Everyone!

A Ring Thing and Auction Auction Auction!!!!

When I first started making jewelry, I strictly worked with wire and gemstones. That was a good 10 years ago, but the itch has come back. As I sat at my craft table last night, looking at all the little bags of rainbow colored seed beads, all I could think of was how nice it would be to play with some wire. I love working with seed beads, but sometimes I need to have more freedom to play. So, I grabbed my collection of copper wire and gemstones and came up with this little free form gem.

It felt great working the wire into form. So great, in fact, that I made three more ring frames to pile up with pretty stones and swirls. Hopefully I'll be posting pics of these lovelies soon!

In other news, we are days away from the first auction piece being revealed. To kick off auction season, I'm giving away some earrings! Just post your name and email address at the bottom of this post if you plan on participating in Monday's auction. The winner of the "surprise earrings"will be chosen at random and announced on Friday, August 12th.

Last, but not least, here's the photo that inspired Monday's auction piece.

Let the Auctions Begin!

Jewelry making is a passion of mine that continues to grow and evolve. I strive to continually create unique pieces that are eye-catching yet wearable. With that idea in mind, I will be conducting monthly auctions through this blog with the hopes of allowing more people access to fun jewelry pieces. The first auction will start on the 15th of August. In order to view and bid on pieces just click on the link to the auction piece and post your bid and email address in the comments area. I will post a minimum bid on the blog before auction day, along with details and a photo of the auction piece. Auctions will last for 24 hours. The winning bid will be the last highest bid placed within the 24 hour time frame. The winner of the auction will be contacted by email with information on how to receive their jewelry item. Here's a sneak peek of the August auction item.

My Jewelry Is In a Store!

Today I had the great pleasure of meeting with one of the lovely ladies that run The Bag Lady store in Charlotte, North Carolina. The store features hand-made artisan items made by and with the purpose of uplifting women. I've carried prayer malas in their store before, and they also carry my poetry chapbook. Now, they have some of my new earring looks, many inspired by my trip to Mexico. Here is just a sample of what I'm displaying. If you're in the Charlotte are, check out the store. The address is 1710 Kenilworth Ave, Suite 200.

Travelin'

For the past 2 months I have been traveling and picking up all sorts of good inspiration for the year of jewelry making that I have ahead of me. With nothing more than a white hand towel and a bag of seed bead tricks, I set up my work stations in Cali, Mexico, New York, and North Carolina. I had fun checking out the jewelry scene in all of these places. I was able to pick up some cool new gemstones in Cali, which I’m super psyched to work with. The most inspirational place, however, was Mexico. I was there for almost a month, and had the chance to travel around and check out the seed bead scene. From Quintana Roo to Chiapas, the inspiration was flowing. Here are just a few pics of those journeys and what is coming forth.

Enjoy!

Coming soon: Info on Monthly Auctions

Bottles and Cans

I have been meaning to post some of the recycled goodies that have been coming out of my studio lately, and just haven’t had the time. Well, here goes. I love the versatility of soda cans and bottle caps. I truly can’t wait to see what else comes of this new addition to my beading toolbox. Anyone out there who's into upcycling, I would love to hear how you do it, and what materials you use. Feel free to post any ideas here :)

When It Stopped Being About Love

I've just finished reading La Bella Joya's wonderful post on the amateur phase of jewelry making. It really got me to thinking about where I am with my jewelry and where I want to be. I don't remember when I picked up my first set of pliers and mangled some sterling silver wire into a pendant, I just remember that the feeling was heaven. I haven't looked back since. It went from gemstones, glass, and wire, to seed beads, to soda cans, and who knows where it will lead. And yes, that feeling that you get when people say "You made that?!" is still very much with me. The only trouble is that "How much?" has been added on to it. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to have a client base that wants to buy my work. It makes it a whole lot easier to keep myself in bead supplies now that they little gems are paying for themselves. That said, I've just spent the past 2 weeks preparing for a big sale that I have two more weeks to prep for, and I'm exhausted. Mainly, I'm tired of making what feels like the same pair of earrings over and over again. While I would love to be spending my time cutting up soda cans and experimenting with bottle caps, I have a deadline to meet. And what would be the point of making a whole lot of earrings that haven't been "tested", meaning simply that I don't know if people would actually buy them. Well, the point would be that this is very much where my free spirit artsy soul wants to play right now. So, where do I draw the line between supplying and creating. I wish I had an answer. I could not be more grateful to the amazing people who have purchased my jewelry, and I want them to keep coming back. I also want time to play! How do I manage the 2? Any suggestions?

Spirals

I absolutely love energy spirals. I was thrilled to get 10 spiral focal beads in my bead order last week. I have really enjoyed playing with colors and shapes as I've made spiral earrings.

I've got 4 more of these fantastic little spirals to work with. I can't wait to see what comes up.

I'm still waiting on Nauruan sandal beads. Unfortunately, my dear landlady's husband has a case of gout. I'm hoping that he will have a speedy recovery. Until then, I'll be longingly staring at my little beaded sandal.

Friday's Gem

I LOVE working with gemstones, so I've decided to dedicate Fridays to these fabulous rocks. Gemstones add dimension to any bead piece. They add dimension in color, shape, weight, and feeling. The stone I'll showcase this Friday is the beautiful, yet unassuming,

Aragonite

This calming stone can range in color from a deep honey to a milky yellow. It is a calcite. It is said to have calming properties, and to encourage meditative states. I can honestly say that the experiences I have had working with aragonite have been very calming and meditative. This may be because I find beading calming, but I won't discount the energy of the stone! Aragonite originates from Molina de Aragon, in Guadalajara, Spain. It can also be found in Slovakia and the US. It forms naturally in caves as stalactites. It also forms naturally in the ocean, often on mollusk shells.

If you haven't work with Aragonite before, it's worth a try. It is a wonderful neutral tone. It presents a great balance for more vibrant colors. Because of its varied color range, and the milky striated nature of the stone, it also works well by itself.

Sources:

Wikipedia

Beyond The Rainbow