Time For A Break

This picture says it all for me. It perfectly expresses how I'm feeling.

I've been keeping up with all the beading blogs, websites and forums I enjoy, and realized just how limited my time is. I have to back away from this for a while, give myself a chance to recharge my batteries. Let myself create for a while and not worry if I remembered to post it on Flickr, deviantArt, Etsy, my website, my blog, PhotoBucket, the Beading Circle, JewelryArtists.org, etc.

Between my real life and all its complications and my bone-deep need to Just Make Art, I see that the 'social networking' and self-promotion activities will be minimal for a while. Once I've rested and had a chance to evaluate my direction, get my bearings and just BREATHE for a while, I'll get this all figured out.

If You Love Beads

You should read this post over at The Jade Dog's blog.

And then go to her Etsy shop.

And then snag some of those great beads for yourself, while doing a nice thing for some nice people.

'Nuff said.

Industry Envy

BAO IOTW 8-25, originally uploaded by Sand Fibers.

Check this out - Bead Art Originals Items of the Week

These guys - I am sooooo jealous. They are so organized, so good at this team stuff. I've been having trouble grabbing the spare moment for creating with no serious thought to promoting.

My teammates at the Bead Art Originals knock me out. Like,

KA - BAO!!

A Sale, a Sale, and a Gut-Wrench

My most recent sale on Etsy:




And these are my most recent Temporary Price Reduction (sale) items on Etsy:




I've taken $20 off on all three - and the sale is good until the 15th of September.

. . .

Now for the gut-wrench. I finished the Desert Study #1, and I've put it up for sale on Etsy.


I also finished The Dreamtime, and listed it on Etsy.


I can't believe I'm letting them go.

My Search For Delinda Is Ended!

With a small change in her name, I found Delinda just up the road in Taos. Her focus is now sculpture, which if you check out her online gallery, you will note is nothing short of spectacular.



Unable to locate her or her publisher, I found a copy of her book, The Illuminated Beading Manuscripts Book II: The Loom, through an online bookseller. It arrived this morning. Aside from being a perfect resource on loomwork, it also had some contact info on the last page. I did a reverse phone-lookup, and from that extrapolated to a web search that found her current website.

Reading her bio reminded me of how important it is to grow, to change, to constantly evolve. Becoming well versed in one medium, we should never be so comfortable or complacent with ourselves as to discount the importance of being challenged, of trying new things, of stretching ourselves in search of our limits.

While her beadwork was (note the past tense) a small part of her artistic repertoire, her current works have the power to inspire us, no matter what our medium might be.

What I Did With My Odd Bits

and







I made keyring fobs, of course. I'm currently working on some beaded tins - see if you can make head or tail of these sketches -




I'm also working on an embroidered bracelet as well as teaching myself more chainmaille patterns (thanks to The Jade Dog), but I found myself with a few spare minutes and the need to empty a container filled with some practice samples. I no sooner put them up for sale at Etsy when one of them sold!!

That's what I'm talkin' about when I say

Ska-BOOSH!!

(belated) Happy Etsy-Versary to the Jade Dog

If you're not aware of The Jade Dog, well - you should be. Aside from being an amazing jewelry designer and fellow member of the Bead Artist Originals Etsy team, she's also my daughter and the person responsible for goading me into having an Etsy shop as well as this blog. It's her two-year anniversary of being on Etsy, and I'd like to extend her celebration beyond just the day.

If you have a few minutes, visit her blog here --> The Jade Dog Online and drop her a comment. Tell her I sent ya!!

Cheers!!

WHERE IS DELINDA V. AMURA??

Dream of the Nymph by Delinda V. Amura

I've been searching for any current information on this incredible artist/author, off and on, for several years and I'm coming up against a brick wall. Her website vanished some time ago - does anyone out there know if she's still teaching? Or even still among us? Examples of her work on the internet are so tantalizingly few and far between and I hunger to see/know more.

Desert Study #1

I feel like it might not be done. I wore it all day today and loved the way it felt. I'm not sure I like the beads I used for the closure - the color doesn't feel quite right somehow. I'm going to stare at it for a few more days before I put a price tag on it.

I was visiting all my faves over at Flickr when I came across some photos uploaded by The Jade Dog - when I read the caption, I went right to her Etsy shop and made a purchase - check out her blog posting HERE, and perhaps you can find something wonderful for yourself while doing a nice thing for a lovely family. I met the young woman from whose estate these beads have come - she was a bright, creative soul indeed.