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}

Earring Challenge Grand Finale

After much holiday eating and a little fun in the sun, I'm back to share the last earrings I made as a part of my earring-a-day challenge. I will say, that this was indeed a challenge. Trying to make art happen while juggling my work schedule and dealing with life stuff was not easy. Making art isn't just about having time, it's also about having inspiration/energy. I did my best to keep up the momentum for this challenge, but there were just days where the energy was not there. That said, I'm glad I did it, and would certainly do it again.

conch nautilus spirals

leonardo nautilus spirals

pop of orange dangles

These and many of the other pieces featured on this blog will be featured at the next Isla Mujeres Artist Fair, this Thursday! I'm really excited about the new spiral work and the new paintings that have come through this process. I'm hoping for big sales and lots of new connections.

Artist Fair!

And as for what's next in projects for me, I'm working on a photography book. I hope to be sharing pages soon, and am looking to publish some time in January.

Stay tuned!

Earring Challenge Weekend

Apologies for the delayed post, but the weekend didn't allow for much blog time. I have new earrings to share, though. And I have a new design! *happy dance*

Here's the roll call:

Day 7

I decided to try my hand at some simple dream catchers. I'm not totally convinced by these, but it was a pair of earrings done.

pajaro catchers

Day 8!

For day 8, I decided to try dream catchers again. But, I cut my wrap thread a little too long, so I ended up with something that looked more like a constellation. Interesting, but I'm not totally convinced by these earrings either.

fire constellation catchers

Day 9!

For day 9, I had a little more time to play with beads, so I decided to experiment with a spiral design I'd been playing around with in my head. I love how simple yet pretty these little spirals are. They remind me of nautilus shells.

aqua nautilus spirals

Day 10! (That's today!)

I've got a full plate today, and am not sure if an earring is going to happen. So, I decided to start work on today's earrings last night and finish them early this morning. Maybe fudges a little bit on the timeline, but I'm happy to have some earrings done, just in case. For today we have a cute pair of half mandala earrings and more nautilus spirals.

complicated creamsicle dangles

neon nautilus spirals

Thanks for continue to follow the earrings challenge. Comments are always welcome and appreciated!

9 days down, 6 days to go!

Earring a Day Challenge, Day 3

Yesterday I got the chance to have an art play date with my good friend Pamela. She's a fabulous painter, mixed media artist, and photographer. Check her out here.

We listened to disco funk and let the creative move. Pamela worked on a sequined Guadalupe collage, and I created these fun little half mandala earrings.

disco dangles

twist of lime dangles

Last night was a blast, and I hope to have another art play date soon.

3 days down, and 12 more to go....

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)

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

What they do with beads in Nauru

My landlady is an absolute joy to be around. She is funny, thoughtful, and incredibly caring. Recently my friend L and I took her to get her ears pierced. I promised her that I would make a pair of fabulous earrings as soon as she graduated from her starter set. Last night I took her those earrings, and she oooed and aaahed and then handed them back to me.

She won't be able to take her starter set out until Saturday, and she was afraid that if she kept the earrings she would be tempted to try to wear them. What a compliment! As us ladies where doing jewelry talk, her husband came over and eyed a bracelet that I was wearing. He told me that his mother had beads. I thought this was an odd thing to say, but I asked him if his mom did bead work. He told me that she did, but that she was dead now, and he wanted to give all her beads to me. I was floored. I also immediately accepted his offer. It turns out that his dear mom was a fabulous beader. My landlady brought over a purse and a sandal (!) that she made. The beads that she used are round plastic beads from Nauru, which is a small island in Melanesia. I can't wait to get these little things on my beading table! And I'm going to be ambitious. Bead sandals, here I come!

A Flurry

These past few weeks have been a flurry of bead activity. In just a matter of days I have begun a color study, ordered new and fabulous beads, made loads of earrings, discovered how to bead a sandal Marshallese-Nauruan style, and taken on a bead apprentice. I will be sharing pictures and insights with you over the next coming days. I hope that in the meantime we will all get the chance to happily bead away :)

Results of my latest beading challenge

I, like many artistic types, get burned out at times. It's very easy to do when you labor over a piece and see it collecting dust on a shelf. The market is full of amazing artisans, which is a beautiful thing. It can also make you feel like one in a crowd though. Trying to kick myself out of that feeling, I challenged myself to make a new piece every two days. Crazy! I know. That challenge was to end on July 31, but I think I'm gonna call it quits at the end of this week. It was fun, but a bit intense. Here are the results of the madness:
















Clockwise from left: Red Rose, Sun and Surf Cuff, Get Funky Necklace in Red and Turquoise, Huichol Poppy Earrings, Gold Head Band.

Please comment on the pieces. And please share any challenges that you've participated in. Did it help to kick start things for you, or was it just a pain?