Jewelry Expressions by Anita is Up and Running

Ahhhh...success at last - I have my new name (JEWELRY EXPRESSIONS BY ANITA) and my Artfire site is in place. (For anyone new to this blog, it was previously named BeaDazzled by Anita, as was my Artfire site.)

I have listed some of my jewelry on Artfire today and will continue that process over the next few days. I do not have my Facebook page back up as I am awaiting a response from the Facebook team to see if they can get my page back up so I can rename it, or if I have to create a new page. It would be nice if I could get my old page back, but what will be, will be.

Thanks to those of you who helped me out with picking a new name. You gave me a lot to think about before choosing Jewelry Expressions by Anita. I will be in touch with you via e-mail in the next day or so to thank you personally.

Have a wonderful day!
Anita

BeaDazzled by Anita has a new name!

I want to thank everyone who e-mailed me or commented on the blog regarding a new name for my jewelry business. It has been a struggle coming up with a name that would work, but the new name will be(drum roll please): Jewelry Expressions by Anita.

I hope to have my Artfire store and Facebook page back up and running over the next few days. Once that is complete, I will contact those of you who participated in helping me with suggestions for a new name. I appreciated all the feedback - it was extremely helpful in sorting out what would or would not work.

Thank you!
Blessings,
Anita

HELP ME PICK A NEW NAME!

My BeaDazzled by Anita Facebook page was removed and I consequently found out that "Beadazzled" is a trademark name. Therefore, I am TEMPORARILY disabling my Artfire access from this blog and I am going to change the name of my jewelry business.

But, I need YOUR help! I have been checking on some ideas and doing searches on-line for name conflicts. This is a list of possible new names we've come up with so far:

Anita's Trinket Box
Ashton's Trinket Box (my granddaughter)
Emerald Lane Jewelry Boutique (my birthstone)
Anita's Handcrafted Jewelry
Anita's Wire & Beads
Anita Hearn Jewelry Creations
AAA Crafted Jewelry
Anita New Trinket
Anita’s Jewelry – Shimmer! Dazzle! Sparkle!
Bangles by Anita
Beads and Bangles by Anita
Anita’s Bangles
Anita’s Jewelry Cache
Anita’s Trinkets and Treasures
Anita’s Treasure Chest
Anita’s Jewelry Box (or Chest)
Anita’s Jewels(or Jewelry) and Trinkets
Anita’s Handcrafted Jewelry Creations

I am open to suggestions - so if you would like to vote on one of these names, or if you would like to suggest a name, please e-mail me by FRIDAY, FEB 12TH at:

ajhearn@roadrunner.com

I will attempt to shorten the list to 2-3 names and let you vote again. Once I have my Artfire store and Facebook pages up and running again, I will have a promo for all of you who participate. Thank you.

BEADAZZLED ON FACEBOOK - BECOME A FAN!

I created a page on Facebook for BeaDazzled today - I hope you and your friends will become fans! Please share the page with your friends and family! Thanks and have a wonderful week. Anita

Link: Copy & Paste

http://www.facebook.com/pages/BeaDazzled-by-Anita/136809478056?v=app_6261817190#!/pages/BeaDazzled-by-Anita/136809478056?v=wall

Egyptian Coil Bracelet

I took on a new wire project this week - an EGYPTIAN COIL BRACELET. I downloaded the free tutorial from http://mckjewelry.blogspot.com/2006/08/egyption-coil-tutorial.html. So my thanks to Marie Cristine! I had fun making this bracelet, starting out using inexpensive 19 gauge stainless steel wire that I picked up at a local hardware store. Having never worked with stainless steel wire, it was harder to work with than copper as it stiffens up as you work with it. But the end result was worth the effort. After making my first piece, I moved on to 18 gauge copper wire with the results pictured. I am very pleased with this piece and my advise if you decide to make this bracelet is to keep each wire length the same, check each piece after coiling to see that each piece is still the same length. Be consistent in each step you do so that the final piece comes out well balanced. I really thought the bracelet was beautiful in its natural copper coloring, but decided to patina it and absolutely love the antiqued look from this process. If you decide to make this, please share a photo with me! If you have ANY QUESTIONS regarding this piece, or anything else on my blog, please e-mail me through the blog!
Have a great week.
Anita

New Artfire Items Posted

Visit my Artfire store and start shopping for Valentine's day! I've posted a few new items on Artfire today and hope to add a little more every day. I've added some of my copper wire hearts, a lampwork bracelet, a red, Crystallized pendant on leather cord, and a lampwork necklace with copper accents, on leather cord. The lovely Lampwork is hand crafted by my friend, Jeanne. If there is something on the blog that you're interested in, but can't find on Artfire, please e-mail me - I will be happy to accommodate you.

Also on Artfire, and a great gift for Easter, is my COLORS OF FAITH BRACELET, made up in sterling, pewter, and Czec fire polished beads. It makes a lovely gift and a portion of the proceeds are donated to my church Missions Committee to help support our local food pantries.

Thank you for looking!

SALE EXTENDED

I am extending the sale on Artfire until 4:00 p.m. today. The prices on Artfire reflect a savings of 10% off the regular price. Click on the Artfire logo at the right. Thanks for looking!

MORE WIRE AND LAMPWORK

I have spent the day creating some more wire and lampwork pieces, as well as two copper focals. One of the focals is a gift, and the others I plan to place on Artfire. It's been a wonderful creative day! And a very hot, muggy one as well!

WORK THIS WEEK....

I've been doing some new items this week - not yet posted on Artfire. I've been playing with metal and wire wrapping, and one new necklace with lampwork and seed beads. The metal piece is done with copper and aluminum. We'll see what tomorrow brings! Have a great week! :)))

July 31: p.s. I have reloaded the pictures for better viewing. Note that the lovely lampwork bead is by Shelly Beads. Her web site is listed to the right on my blog. I hope to get some of these items listed on my Arfire site today!

NEW A SNEAK PEAK - NEW DESIGNS!

I've been doing some work in sterling silver and learning how to solder. Soldering was a real challenge for me, but I did finally get it - at least the jump rings - it's a start. The designs are pretty much unplanned - I just start something and see what it works into. I hope to get some of these items on Artfire within the next week. Thanks for looking!

A BEADAZZLING GIFT FROM JEANNE

At the spring craft show that Jeanne and I did together, I told her I'd love for her to make me a "BeaDazzled Doll" for my display. So..........she did this wonderful red beaded doll and I fell in love with it instantly! She said, "I think that's going to be your BeaDazzled Doll." She left it at that and a few days later, she gave it to me. I am so thrilled - I absolutely love this doll, but most of all because it was created by Jeanne - my friend of many years. THANK YOU, JEANNE - for sharing your talents and for your gift of friendship.

Vist Jeanne's web site at: http://gammiebrat.blogspot.com/ to see more views of the doll (and clearer, too)!

A FRESNO CELEBRATION

We were in Fresno to see our youngest daughter graduate from Fresno State with a Masters in Business Admin. She had a 4.0 gradepoint average and we are very proud of her, as is her hubby Andy and his family.

While there, of course, we shopped til we dropped. I made a trip to Barnes and Noble where I purchased a wonderful book - Beautiful Wire Jewelry for Beaders by Irina Miech. I highly recommend this book - it had wonderful "wirework designs for all levels." I also visited Beads Etc. (http://www.beadsetconline.com/) in Clovis and brought home some goodies from there!!! I just can't visit a bead store without finding something to bring home and they were very helpful.

We had a wonderful time, and it's good to be home. Now, it's time to get back to the business of beading and wire work!!!

A JOURNEY IN METAL

I created this pendant a week or so ago while having morning coffee...I seem to be most inspired in the morning...anyhow, I wanted to string it and this is what I came up with. I really enjoy cutting the wire and making the chains myself - tedious, but it's a "feel good" when it's done. Now that I've gotten my tools, I hope to become more adventuresome.

Some new wire wraps....practice, practice, practice!

Well, I am practicing. I have many, many beautiful stones to work with from brother Bob's collection. I am continually amazed at nature's beautiful artwork. I have been all over the Internet watching every video tutorial I can find on wire wrapping. Sometimes I hit a block and just don't know what step to take next on a wrap. So, I go back to watch the videos again and hope for answers I may have missed the first time around. They make it look sooooo easy!!! I have a special order for someone and I will post the picture (triangle shaped, beige on top, green on bottom). I also rewrapped the black and white stone (it's snowflake "something" - can't remember). My husband has a book on rocks and minerals that I will have to borrow to see what I can identify. I made some wrapped earrings in the herringbone weave - my first pair - also needing practice, but love the look! Thanks for looking. Anita

THE FINISHED PRODUCTS...

These are the final photos of my wire-wraps, as necklaces. I hope to post them on Artfire after the holiday.

WIRE WRAPPED POLISHED STONE

I decided today is the day I tackle a wirewrap from a tutorial. I have done some free-form wraps, but nothing structured. The tutorial was one I found on the internet and although directions were vague in some areas, I think I got the gist of it. The polished stone is from my brother Bob's collection - it was his hobby. He is deceased now, but was very supportive of my jewelry making hobby, and I know he would appreciate that I chose one of his stones for this learning adventure.

Addendum: I decided to try another, again, one of Bob's polished stones. Isn't nature WONDERFUL in its design!

MY FIRST CRAFT SHOW

DONE! I did my first craft show with the help of my friend, Jeanne! Thanks, Jeanne! You were a great help to me. We had many visitors and many oohs and ahhs for the jewelry and for Jeanne's wonderful, artsy, beaded dolls, which she displayed on the table - see her dolls at http://gammiebrat.blogspot.com/. All in all it was a good first show for me, albeit not very profitable. Considering that there were many, many beaders at the show and taking the economy into the equation, I still felt it was a successful day. Why? Because I got to see how other beaders/crafters worked their booths and how my pricing compared to others. I had business cards and larger post-card type flyers on the display, so folks who were interested in my jewelry walked away with my name, my Artfire address, and my blog address. I did get a special order and also someone who was interested in having some family jewelry restrung. I signed on to do another show in the fall and I am told it's generally a more productive craft show. So, we'll see how that goes. We met some really wonderful jewelry artists and shared business cards and general information related to the craft. And we met the many people who stopped by to browse! That's always a plus and you get great feedback as to what type of jewelry people are drawn to.

I would love to hear about your craft shows and experiences, what works, what doesn't work....so please add a post to this blog and tell me what works for you! We can all learn from each other. Thanks for blogging with me. Anita

LEARNING TO WORK IN COPPER

I promised myself I would try something new over the winter months, and although it's almost spring now (yippee!), I have begun to work with copper sheet. I love the look of copper, the colors you can achieve, so I purchased a 12x12 piece of copper sheeting, grabbed my scizzors, and cut myself out a square piece of metal. I cut the square in half to make to triangles and flattened and smoothed the edges with my chasing hammer. After this, I used the ball side of the hammer and created some texture interest into the copper by simple pounding. I attached a piece of copper wire at the top and folded the pointed top edge of the copper over the wire and hammered to hold it in place. I used a small file to soften the corners of the piece and then decided then to curl them under, for effect, as well as eliminating the sharp point from contact with the skin. Now, mind you, I know nothing about metal work and was simply going on things I had picked up from jewelry shows and videos I watch. So, IF ANYONE OUT THERE DOES METAL WORK, PLEASE GIVE ME SOME POINTERS!! To continue, I found some green tinted sea shells I had wire-wrapped previously and decided they would be a perfect addition to the earrings and added them to the top/front of the pieces. And voila, put on the earwires, and my earrings were done.....but, that was not the end. I decided I needed to purchase a butane torch to add to my metal working supplies and did so at my local hardware store, along with a piece of firebrick from our local brick and stone company for 50 cents. I was ready for my next step in metal work!!! But, I was a little nervous, so waited til my friend Jeanne (and fellow beader at http://gammiebrat.blogspot.com/) was over and while Jeanne worked on her resin beads, I braved the butane torch for the first time. Now, I am telling you this, because I decided to do some more work on the earrings. I fired them up, annealed the metal, and decided to put some waves into them. I also wanted to get some color into them through the annealing process, but must have waited to long and lost the lovely colors...definitely a timing issue there. But, did end up with my lovely copper earrings shown above...not too bad for a novice who doesn't know what she's doing!! PLEASE, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK...I CAN TAKE THE CRITICISM, AS THAT'S HOW I HOPE TO LEARN. And...let me know if you liked the post.

p.s. - I added a third picture of some metal that I torched and I did get the colors I wanted - pretty, yes? So, I am learning...it's a process. Any ideas now what I should do with them. Jeanne suggested filing, smoothing, and making pretty fish out of them! Tell me what you think. Thanks for reading my post. I hope it will encourage anyone out there to try something new. It's a process and it's fun! Anita