Greetings from Tucson!

I'm here and am having the time of my life!  We left Maryland on Thursday and arrived at the Crystal City Doubletree, in Northern Virginia, right outside of D.C.  We decided that since our flight was leaving at 7 a.m. on Friday morning, we would do a park and stay deal and get a cab to the airport from a close-in hotel.  I was up at 3 a.m. in the morning ... couldn't  sleep.  The trip was great.  We upgraded our tickets to first class using frequent flier miles.  Not only was it a comfortable flight but we had free baggage ... each of us could bring two bags weighing a maximum of 75 lbs for each bag.  This cut down on the amount we had to ship ... which was ridiculous as it was.  Everything for our booth, though, fit in our luggage.

We rented a Casita at the Doubletree for our stay because there were three of us.  We're also staying for nearly two weeks so we wanted to be able to spread out.  As luck would have it, having the Casita really came in handy because it became my classroom.

Here's today's workshop ... do you see anyone you know?

The living area is huge! We had eight in the workshop.  The time flew by ... when I got to my booth I found out that Denise Peck and Karen Keagan of Interweave had stopped by to say Hello!  These people are incredibly busy trying to see as many people as they can in the time they're there.  Andrew referred the Fusion Beads group to my booth, where they giddily went through the beads like girls in a candy shop!  The flew away as quickly as they had arrived, leaving us to prepare the invoice and package up their goodies!  Boy was that fun!  

Of course, people look at me wide-eyed when I tell them that this is my first bead show!  But, it's really not much different from the craft shows I used to do to sell my pottery and then my jewelry .... the art form just keeps getting smaller and more intimate.  More tales later!  

I promised you a preview ...

I promised you a preview of enamel artworks for the To Bead True Blue and Tucson Bead Shows that will be looking for a new home.  I know there's somebody out there who will take them in ... they don't take up much space and eat very little!

This is a decal fired onto an enamel pendant.  It has a clear coat of enamel over the surface which means the imagery is permanent ... which is always a good thing!

"Your House or Mine"

More decals ... I really like this ... the chintz one is a project in the book.  Clear enamel on top protects the decal. 

  These are fun and the colors can be wild and crazy ... only limited by your imagination! 

Fused and reticulated sterling on top of an etched copper pendant.  The white is liquid enamel that has been etched to a soft matte surface.  

"Grunge" is what I should call this series.  I love this organic, natural look.   Adjusting the flame and controlled overfiring is how we get this look. 

"Grunge," detail

Look at the difference a reduced flame makes.  One is bright and clear, the other is muted and soft. 

Little sayings from a 1935 Montgomery Ward catalog. 

This one's for Nancy Schindler, my Bead Soup Blog Party Partner ... that's a lot of words ... if I don't have them in the right order, forgive me!

Love this one ... it's sweet, but not tooo sweet!

Detail of Sweet!

The Queen and Eye

That's it for now ...  I have to get back to work in the studio.  Enough playing on the computer ... for now!  See you later ...

Teal Treasury by Renate

Yesterday morning found me going to my etsy shop to see what excitement might be in store for me there.  Guess who I found ... it was Renate of Put a Little Magic in Your Life telling me that she had put a set of my beads in her beautiful treasury!  This treasury is one of the most beautiful ones I've ever seen, but that's not because my beads are there ... no way.  I ended up "favoriting" nearly all of the shops ... some were already favorites.  I am humbled to be in the presence of these very talented artists.  Thank you, Renate. :-)

Come back tomorrow ... there will be photos of my new work.  I can't wait to show it to you!

Be Prepared!

I was trying to come up with something catchy for my booth in Tucson to advertise the torch firing kits when I had this "eureka" moment. I think it's because I've been working with a 1935 Montgomery Ward catalog to make decals for enamel pendants and charms.  Those vintage images have sunk into my noodle.  The kit that we're offering in Tucson is a little different from the one we offer at our website because we won't have vermiculite and brackets with it. I had to draw the line with what I could bring to Tucson.  I just couldn't see myself checking in a bale of vermiculite as baggage!

Last week I shipped off bunches of enamel. I'll be teaching the Painting with Fire technique to 37 students ... I can't wait.  I love teaching! I'll get a chance to meet Andrew Thornton ... he's going to be in next Monday's class.  I've had some wholesale inquiries about my work, there are parties to attend, people to meet.  My booth is right next to the booth of Karen Ovington.  She makes the most extraordinary glass beads.  The ones I love most of hers are those that look as though they've been dug up from an archaeological site!  I've been eyeballing her work for yearrrrs.  Unfortunately there has never been a convenient time to take one of the few workshops she offers a year. Julie Picarello will be right across the aisle.  She makes absolutely awesome polymer clay pendants and beads.  Come hell or high water I'm meeting Patty Lakinsmith.  She's a member of Love My Art Jewelry with me.  Ohhh so talented she is! She's at a different location but I'm sure there'll be a lot of cabs in Tucson over the next three weeks. :-)  

I know I'll come back tired ... but really inspired by being with such talented people. But, I have to tell you, one of the really good things about preparing for this show has been the things that are coming out of the studio.  I'll be posting them in a few days. I can't wait to show them to you.  I hope you like them!

Cat Whiskers Treasury

Who could come up with a treasury for Cat Whiskers?  Well, Louise did!  It just goes to show you what an artist's eye she has, to create such a lively treasury.  Louise obviously is very talented by the looks of the things in her shop!  I love the "poppy pinwheel bowl!"

Giveaway at Pretty Things

I have to say I chuckled when I looked at the thumbprints on my blog roll ... because they were all of, Ta Da! ...

Lori Anderson of Pretty Things is offering these great stamps from Impress Art.  Her blog post today has some really beautiful examples of what great metal stamping looks like.  She's having a giveaway drawing on Tuesday, January 25.  If you want a chance to win, go to Lori's site and follows the directions.  Make sure to check out P.J. Tool Supply ... looks like a great place to drop some dough!

Merchant on the Move ... portable credit card solutions

Hi guys!  Check out my blog post on LMAJ about this:

A tool treasury ... for us tool junkies!

Treasuries like this can be seriously dangerous for me ... I love tools.  I remember going to an estate sale where a man in his late 70's greeted me with, "I love a woman who likes tools!"  My torch-firing kit was included in this great mix of metalsmithing tools created by Adobe Sol, who makes gorgeous work ... you must go to her etsy site!

Let's make a play date!

Treasured Snippets, Portland Art and Soul, September, 2011

Treasured Snippets, Portland Art and Soul, September 2011

I've got a lot of teaching in 2011. Who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon with great people who leave the workshop with smiling faces?  It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Aside from teaching at arts center in Maryland and St. Pete, I'll be teaching at some great art retreats and bead shows for the very first time. On April 28, I'll be giving a Painting with Fire Workshop at Art and Soul, Hampton, VA and on April 10, I'll be at  Bead Fest Wire, King of Prussia, PA.  You guys have seen tons of examples of the wonderful beads made by students who attended other PWF workshops, but I did want to mention that Painting with Fire Artwear will be exhibitors selling enameling supplies and torch-fired enamel beads and pendants at Bead Fest Wire.

In early July, I'll be teaching three workshops at Art and Soul, New Orleans. We have the PWF workshop, but the other two are Enamel Explorations and Forging Away.  Take a look at some of the projects for those workshops.

Forging Away

Forging Away

Enamel Explorations

Enamel Explorations

Enamel Explorations

Enamel Explorations

On August 20, I'll be teaching Forging Away at Bead Fest Philadelphia.  On the August 21 I'll be teaching Painting with Fire. Painting with Fire Artwear will also be exhibitors selling enamel supplies and torch-fired enamel beads and pendants. Now we're back to where we started ... in Portland in the Fall where I'll be teaching Painting with Fire, Enamel Explorations, Forging Away, and my newest class, Treasured Snippets.  I hope I'll have the opportunity to meet many of you during 2011 ... and to have some of you in class.  We cover a lot of territory in the workshops ... and have a great time doing it!  Speaking of which, I can't wait to show you some new beads I made yesterday!

Steps to making an S-clasp

Hi guys!  If you want to see the steps involved in making this S-clasp, check out my post at the  Love My Art Jewelry blog. See you there!

Some packaging ideas ...

My last blog post was on January 2, 2011 ringing in the new year!  Well, the bell's been rung ... enough already!  Time to move on ...

I've been very busy getting ready for To Bead True Blue and the Tucson Bead Show. If you happen to be in Tucson for this big event, stop in and say "Hi!" at G149 in the ballroom.  I'll be there ... along with my entourage ... my husband and son. :-)

Everything seems to be falling into place, but it's not been without a lot of hard work ... and there's "miles to go before I sleep." (Frost)  Torches, enamels and bead pulling stations to be shipped.  I started off offering four workshops spread over the 8 days of the show.  I wanted to be able to offer a more individualized learning experience for the students, so I limited the number in each workshop to 6.  These have all filled, so I've added one more ... February 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

But, where I really needed to focus my attention was on how to present my work to the buying public, including to bead stores who would be buying wholesale.  There's an Art and Soul yahoo group for teachers where Diana Trout generously introduced us to Chubby Cards from Zazzle.  I first heard of Zazzle from Heather Powers at Art Bead Scene, but soon lost the information in the sieve I call a brain. Because Diana's a mixed media artist, she's thinking ATC, but I'm thinking ... cards for my pendants and earrings where I can give info on the back about the making and care of the items.  This is what I came up with ...

The image on the front is a photo where the opacity has been adjusted.  The back has a "care and making" statement.  These just arrived yesterday.  I had to stop jumping up and down when I saw them because I kept hitting my head on the ceiling of the car ...

I came across these great punches for earrings.  One is for lever back earrings and the other is a straighforward punch for french earwires.  I've always punched the holes myself, but because I don't use a template, it's anyone's guess whether the holes are straight ... which can really affect whether the earrings look as though they're the same length.  

Easy Earring Cards

Below is a how these all came together, with the help of cellophane bags from Uline and some great moss green organza bags.

I love it when a plan comes together!

This is what my dining room table still looks like ... one day soon we'll be able to eat here again instead of eating taco salad in the bedroom in front of the t.v.!  Don't tell anyone we did that last night ... shhh!

The sorting of beads into trays.

Below is a photo of some of the sets of beads.  We have different trays for the Lights, Brights and Earth Tones.

Sets of beads ... 

If you believe in the power of prayer, say a little prayer for me ... I could sure use some help besides the members of my family who have been pressed in to service.

What the Universe says about resolutions!

Some time ago, Mary Jane Dodd referenced this site.  I have come to anticipate my messages from the Universe. Here's the latest ... 

"Barbara, soon the new year starts, so now's a great time to: 

1. Wipe the slate clean. 

2. Focus upon what you really want.

3. Chart your course. 

Right? 

Well... only if you want to risk having to repeat these steps for the same wishes next year! Maybe this is splitting hairs, but here's an adventurous alternative: 

1. Give thanks that life is... just as it is (and that it's been... just as it's been). Because of it, you're now "READY." 

2. Define what you want in terms of the end result. Don't worry about the hows, or even the course. KNOW that what you want is ALREADY yours in spirit, by divine LAW, just focus on the certainty of this ownership, understand it, claim it, and "it will be on earth, as it is in heaven (spirit)." 

3. LET THE UNIVERSE show you the way via your impulses and instincts that appear as you take inspired action. Don't worry that your first steps seem silly or futile. And if you don't know what to do, do anything! Go! Get busy! Do not insist on intermediary successes, only upon the end result. 

2011 is going to be your year (it already is),

    The Universe"

I thought this was excellent advice!  For a great inspirational video, keep going ... 

We Have a Call to Create Winner!

Happy New Year everyone!  It's 10:52 a.m. and I'm still not dressed, but propped up in bed playing in cyberspace!  I hope this isn't going to be the face of things to come ... I need to get busy!  But, I did want to tell you that we have a winner at Love My Art Jewelry.  Isn't this a gorgeous piece?!!!

Stormy by Erin Fickert-Rowland

Even though the monthly winner is chosen at random, I can't imagine a more beautiful piece to represent the icy winter months!  Great work, Erin!