Morgan and I just got back from a trip to Santa Fe.
Highlights include:
Kakawa Chocolates. Their elixirs and peanut butter bars are phenomenal! I won’t lie: We had their chocolate every day.
Raspberry mint truffle at Kakawa.Elixirs and some truffles from Kakawa.
We also fell in love with the restaurant Cafe Pasqual’s. (A big thanks to Robin for the recommendation.) We ate there twice and regret that we didn’t have more opportunities to do so.
Skeletons were spray painted on some of the walking men in Santa Fe. They made me smile.This statue also made me smile. I would like to go back and really take in more art.
Morgan took me to the Museum of International Folk Art, which also had some fantastic pieces. I really loved the special exhibit on tramp art.
This is one of a few metal sculptures at the Folk Art museum that really caught my attention.
I found particular inspiration in some cabochons I purchased at the Nambé flea market. I’m eager to make some beaded bezels out these.
Some cabochons ready to be included into some bead embroidery. It will feel so grown up using real gems.The turquoise on the bottom left may or may not find a home outside of my possession.
The Labradorite is particularly lovely. And, I’m excited about the turquoise from the Royston mine. Gems aren’t really my thing, but I’m willing to learn. I never thought I was crazy about turquoise, but the greens are pretty fantastic.
And, a quick visit to the Museum of Encaustic Art made me eager to break out my griddle and encaustic paints. I think that will be a good activity for when my holiday shows are over. Speaking of which, I have a home party on November 3 and back-to-back shows on November 18th and 19th. I need to make some pieces to get ready for those.
Since the last post I finished these items, among others.
Another Fordite pendant.Bead embroidery with a piece of glass that I fused.One of two more shawls that I’ve worked up. I might have a problem.I saw some metal pendants that had been beaded around. I knew I needed to give it a try. Step one: glue the metal piece to some bead backing.Step two: color in the bead backing so the white won’t show through.Step three: Start adding beads! (Sorry about the really bad lighting!)Ta da! This is as close as I’ve come to a process series. Yay!!
Heavens! It’s been a month of Sundays since I’ve last made a post. Chalk it up to both a busy schedule and lack of motivation.
The last month in a nutshell:
I’ve been making stuff. I’ve been worried that none of it is good enough. I’ve been selling stuff. I’ve been relieved.
Still plugging away at keycaps. In fact, I ordered some single ones two days ago and am excited to get them. Orange! Olive drab! Yay! Fun will be in the air. I admit, however, that rows and profiles still stymy me. I will get my head around it all. One day.
In the meantime, a few are awaiting resin, including these two.
I’ve given up on the idea of recreating fordite with resin. However, I put one of my fordite/glass cabochons to use. I started out with the wrong color of beads on the outside. I realized my mistake and made the change. This is why I need to document my work. (I think I have my first 2018 goal.)
Fordite meets bead embroidery.
This past weekend Seattle’s dry-and-hot spell broke. The rainy, gray days had me longing to break out yarn. So, I spent a lot of time this week working on the tea house wrap. I used a b-day gift card to get some of the Caron Cakes yarn in blueberry parfait.
Caron Cakes. Blueberry Parfait. Lovely.
I love the colors. I love how soft it is. And, I learned that going up a size in crochet hook really gives you a better drape and overall feel of the yarn. I used one ball to make this granny “square” shawl. I have to say, I love how this yarn has some wool in it. I is really great to work with.
These colors are me, too.
Speaking of birthdays, mom got me a Fiberista club gift. And the Eastside Ponders gave me a beadcrate subscription. Yay! Now, where’s that delayed gift of extra time?
But then there are these colors in the Big Cakes”! Im already looking for the ideal pattern.
I’m taking another week off in two weeks. The goal is to make and make and make some more. I’d like to be ready for my three or four holiday shows. Maybe this year I’ll have more time to enjoy the holiday season? That would be great. What if I actually bought Christmas cards instead of making them? Naaahhh…
Before I go, I’m also happy to report that the beau recently got a new job. He is so excited; it’s pretty great to see. His excitement made him extra sassy, but it’s all good.
I’d better get back to it. I promise to do my best to document what I make. At least I promise to try.
I made the cabochon with resin and paint. A happy accident indeed!I found orange flowers that did not fade when they are dried and pressed.More dried flowers. Just waiting for resin.
It’s nice to start with an image of sunflowers, isn’t it.
I’ve been listening to an audio book about sticking to what you want to do, whether you want to lose weight, save money or attract people to your business. The book is called Stick With It. Guess what. I’ve been forcing myself to listen to it. I get it: small, manageable goals, repetition, community, engaging rewards. Sadly there’s such a big difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it.
It would be beyond pitiful if I couldn’t finish it. And so, after a few days’ break, I’m back at it. But soon I’ll turn it off so that I can read the book club book.
This was one in a series of pendants I made to satisfy a special request. I loved pressed lavender!
This week I was able to make a few pieces that I wanted to make. There was pure joy in that, and I’m excited to find some time to do more of that. I also made and put out a new beaded pendant on Saturday, and it was the first item to go. I need to start stockpiling lucite cabochons.
A “for funsies” key with the word “Love” stamped into it. I’d like to try etching it with my Dremel etcher. (How to correct for my horrible penmanship?) This dark blue and copper pendant won me over despite my initial doubts. I think it’s a color combo that’s worth revisiting.
This week also gave me some big lessons. First, the faux Fordite doesn’t look anything like Fordite. That’s a bummer. And I’m not sure it can be done in a curved mold. I think it will need to be flat. I started some new pieces. And, I did not use white oil paint to color the resin. The paint I used was too thick, and small bits of it sank to the bottom of the molds, leaving white pock marks. I tried getting the paint out, but that’s an exercise is frustration. So, I’m starting over.
The white spots are oil paint. I love all of those color combinations, and it breaks my heart to look at these. I can already imagine how much fun it will be to use them as cabochons in a bead embroidery project.
I also tried sealing painted sides of keycaps. I started with brushing on resin. That resulted in uneven lines and brush marks. I built silicone “stands” and tried another coat. That just “emphasized” the unevenness that was already present.
(I should include a photo, but it would be another photo of heartbreak. Maybe once there are some successful keycaps, I’ll show photos of both to compare and contract.)
I was ready to chuck them all and give up working on keycaps for good, but either the experimenting crafter (craft scientist?) in me kicked in — or the audio book *is* working. Next I tried two coats of varnish on one and a sealant spray on the other. I think the spray is ideal as the sides won’t get that much “action” anyway. Regardless, I think I have an action plan and this week I’ll tackle a few more.
On a much happier note, Bead World released their fall classes. My wish list, despite having done many of these things, includes metal etching, enameling and using a jeweler’s saw. Now seems like as good of a time as any to pour over the list and then decide whether I’ll sign up or let Youtube plus book content be my guide.
Wow it’s been hot in Seattle. Because it gets stupid hot at the market, I decided to take the day off. And by “taking the day off,” I mean adding items to my Etsy store and working on pendants and keycaps.
Online store maintenance and the photography it requires is a chore, but I understand that it’s something I need to do. And, I realize that I need to be willing to put in the work. Plus, there’s the hope that I’ll be able to be at the market about every other weekend and have more full weekends to spend running amok with Morgan.
And, it’s a funny thing, but now that we’ve reached the halfway point of the market season, I have a feeling of relief. This is very much the slower half, so now I can let my mind drift to knitting projects. Silly me, I can’t seem to daydream about doing nothing — like most rational people wood.
This was a really busy week: dinner with a friend, seeing the Violent Femmes with my niece and brother and checking out the Seattle Art Fair with Morgan. There was some great art, but the crowd provided the better visuals. Oh, and I love that glitter can be considered a medium in a mixed-media piece. It inspired both of us to make some art. Maybe some night this week.
There was a resin piece that had the look of a big slab that had ice-cream-scoop-size dollops taken out of Fordite. I’m not sure why I can’t describe it properly, so it’s best to see it here.) Not too long ago I found a tutorial for making faux fordite out of polymer clay, which really would result in better cross section colors. But I’ve decided to try a similar approach with resin in molds. Here’s the start. Pretty much I’ll be pouring layer after layer of colored resin into molds.
The beginnings of my faux fordite. It will be much cooler to see theses when they’re out of the molds.
On a completely different note, twice this week people at worked asked me for advice/help with jewelry and craft projects. It’s a nice feeling to sit with. Especially after being scolded for adding a “just” in front of bead embroidery, when a friend of an acquaintance asked me what I make. Was it snotty of them to point it out? I don’t think so, mostly because I’m always diminishing what I do when I speak about it.
That leads me to keycaps. I might always feel like a fraud. Is what I do valid? Is it only the stuff that is cast from molds the real deal? These are difficult questions for me. But I’ll keep plugging away.
On? No? You decide.Damn the reflection that’s obscuring the adorable coffee cup image. Harrumph!
It doesn’t hurt that I attended an event on Thursday, for work, where I heard a handful of women speakers talk about how women, especially, are subject to feeling like frauds/imposters/hacks. Ding, ding, ding! What does it take to break through that horrible way of thinking? I also got another piece of advice from the author I interviewed last Tuesday. His day told him to “figure out what you love and then find people to pay you to do that.” Sounds like sound advice to me.
Lastly, this week also brought an email saying that the physical location of Fusion Beads will be closing at the end of September. I’m guilty of not being there enough, but it has a special place in my heart. That was the first local bead store where my love of jewelry making blossomed. I took so many classes there, and I’m eternally grateful for all of the inspiration and advice I found there. I need to make it there. Soon. Until then, it’s best to think about that line from that Semisonic song. “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Here’s to looking forward to what that beginning will be for the Fusion Beads’ employees and and for me—and where it will lead us.
Remember when my week of vacation was some 30 to 40 days away? This time tomorrow I’ll have nearly a full day of work behind me and my summer week off will be something to dream about for next year. It’s crazy how time passes. Damn that Steve Miller for identifying so correctly that time keeps on slipping into the future.
Anywho, it’s been a busy couple of weeks — busy enough that I’ve been too lame to make a post.
Because there are still many things to do before I call it a day today, this will likely be another visual-heavy post, which, I understand, is not the right approach to blogging.
First: Keycaps. Morgan and I went to the meet-up at the Living Computer Museum on the 22nd. I was backwards and shy and didn’t want to talk to people. I even sat off to the side and read while he checked out keyboards. Morgan walked around with some of my keycaps in a small box, and got some great feedback. A couple of photos/mentions even ended up on Reddit. I still feel like a phony (or outsider), but I keep plugging away. We’ll see what happens.
Some of my second round of keycaps. The one with the blue background and yellow flower is my favorite.Alcohol ink and metallic mixatives make for a lovely combination.This hedgehog was a test. Can I draw something small on a piece of tissue paper and submerge it into the resin? Yes, I can. And the results, while needing to be finessed, aren’t too shabby.As this dried, the colors lightened up, but it’s lovely. Morgan wonders what the next step is. Park of me wants to leave it as is.
Second: Art-o-mat. I got my 50 pieces ready by drilling holes and adding string. Then I packaged them up and they’re on their way to North Carolina. Yay!!
The 50 Art-o-mat pieces before I drilled holes.
Here are some of my favorite flowers-in-resin pendants.
Here are the pendants with strings attached. The stripes of color are pleasing to me.
Here are all of the pieces boxed up and ready to be put into Artomat machines. Yay!!!
Third: Just making jewelry. In addition to keycaps and Art-o-mat pieces, I made some jewelry. I was the shut-in I dreamed of being — at least for the firsts three days, and it was amazing. How can I make this my regular life?
One of the great things about being on vacation was that I had the time to dig into beads I’ve had for awhile and do something with them. What a satisfying feeling.Bad photo. Fun “pillow” beads.I don’t typically care for purple, but I like this. There’s some iridescence that the photo didn’t capture.Someone aside from me will love this. Right?I was asked to make something with both dark and light green lucite cabochons. This, too, is lovelier than I thought it would be.
Anywho, I need to read a book to prep for an interview on Tuesday. I also need to finish a birthday present, and I want to bake some banana bread with some Skippy Peanut Butter Bites mixed in. The question is, do I throw a few chocolate chips in for fun?
