"LAMP WORK BEADS BY JEANNE"

Some of you who follow this blog know my friend, Jeanne (AKA Gammiebrat). Well, she has been creating beautiful lamp work beads and I created a bracelet from some of her beads. I hope you enjoy seeing this bracelet as much as I enjoyed making it. It's hand-crafted in sterling silver with Bali accents. I am very proud of Jeanne and all she has accomplished in such a short time! She has found yet another niche! Have a wonderful day.

HOME SWEET HOME!!! WIRE WRAPPING BOOK HAS ARRIVED!

AFTER SOME DELAYS, WE FINALLY MADE IT HOME. OUR SECOND FLIGHT WAS OVERBOOKED, SO WE SPENT THE NIGHT IN CHARLOTTE! UP AT 4:30 A.M. TO CATCH A 5:30 SHUTTLE TO CATCH AN 8:00 A.M. FLIGHT TO PITTSBURGH. BY THE TIME WE PICKED UP MS. LILY AT THE HOWLAND PET RESORT, IT WAS 12:30 WHEN WE ARRIVED HOME. LILY WAS SO EXCITED WHEN WE PICKED HER UP, AND SYD HAS NOT STOPPED MEOWING SINCE WE ARRIVED HOME. I AM UNPACKED AND EVERYTHING PUT AWAY, AND NOW CAN SIT DOWN TO READ MY NEWLY ARRIVED BOOK BY DALE ARMSTRONG, Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping. Til later. Anita

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!

PET JEWELRY

I was talking to my cousin Patti today about my jewelry business and she told me that one thing that always sells, good times or bad, is something for your children or something for your pet. So, I'd really like your feedback on this. Being a pet owner and a grandma, I wouldn't mind putting together a jewelry collection for dogs and cats or children...maybe even both. But I want to find out what sells...I need to know what people would look for to adorn their pets. I know that the small children love the Cinderella-type bling, so that shouldn't be too hard. I spent some time on the internet looking at what other people design for their pet lines, but nothing really jumped out at me. So, all you pet owners, what kinds of bling would you like to see your special kitty or pup wearing? This could be fun. Thanks....Anita

Playing For Change: Song Around the World "Stand By Me"

I HAD TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU...TURN OFF THE MUSIC AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG AND TURN UP YOUR VOLUME - this is worth hearing...Two young men went around the world getting street singers to all sing the same song, and then they dubbed them all together into one version of that song. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM&feature=email

COLORS OF FAITH - FUNDRAISER

I thought I would share with you our latest fundraiser to benefit the Missions Committee of my church - the Colors of Faith Bracelet. With Easter upon us, I thought it would be the perfect project. We hope to have all bracelets ordered by March 31st so we can have them delivered for the Easter holiday.

The colors are represented as follows:

Blue is for Faith - Rejoice in His spirit

Red is for Love - May He keep you close in his loving care.

Black is for Courage - May God's presence guide you.

Aqua is for Trust - Know that God is there, answering your prayers.

Green is for Blessings - Each day is a gift from God.

Pink is for Peace - May he fill your heart and bless it each day.

The components of the bracelet include Czech glass beads in the appropriate colors, sterling silver beads, pewter daisy spacers, and a pewter toggle. The pewter definitely helped to keep the costs down so I could sell it at an affordable price. For each bracelet ordered by the end of April, $10 will be donated to the Missions Committee. I purchased enough components to make 40 bracelets, and with the help of my friend Jeanne, who also had some things to order, we were able to take advantage of the discounts from http://www.firemountaingems.com/. I'll let you know how we do. With the beautiful pastel shades included in the design, it's a perfect bracelet for spring and summer, too! I hope you enjoyed the project. Anita

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

NEW BLOG FOLLOWERS

Well, I asked for followers, and I sure got them! WELCOME and thanks to all of you for signing on. I see that most of you create jewelry, and some of you have other areas of expertise as well. I saw lovely jewelry and beautiful quilts, and I think I may have a crocheter in there, too!
I also crochet - mostly doilies. I am currently working on a pattern by Patricia Kristopherson...her patterns are very intricate and a definite challenge. But when completed, they are beautiful. I will try to post a picture of my progress.

Please feel free to comment on anything relative to the blog. I look forward to getting to know you and sharing viewpoints and jewelry techniques.

A LESSON IN LIVING

I received this via e-mail and thought it worth sharing.

STONE

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT.

DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT;

AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE. THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT. WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND,

"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."

THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,

WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH.

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING,

BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM. AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM THE NEAR DROWNING, HE WROTE ON A STONE: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND ASKED HIM, "AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW, YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?'"

THE FRIEND REPLIED, "WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY. BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US, WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

- AUTHOR UNKNOWN-

DO NOT VALUE THE THINGS YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE, BUT VALUE WHO YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE!