Category Archives: My Craft Studio

I love making things. It started with diaper cakes and cupcakes for baby showers, then on to wine cork crafts (bottle hangers and “corky people”) and now jewelry and the popular farmhouse garland. You never know what I’ll make next.

Learning to Paint

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A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about my trying to learn to paint, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Now, right now I need to re-write that sentence. I’m not TRYING to learn to paint. Because trying means I may just end up giving up, instead of learning. 

And that’s not my plan.

I’m learning. Not trying to learn.

I have a lot of books about painting, and I’ve been following them and experimenting with techniques and ideas. Probably not as much experimenting or practice as I should, because I’m just anxious to get started.

I’ve found lots of reference photos on line that I’ve downloaded for future use, and really working on my sketching. I’d say I’m not great at it, but that’s a negative thought. I’m learning more and actually getting better at it. I still erase a lot, which I know I shouldn’t, but when I’m ready to put my brush to paper, I want something to paint that I’ll enjoy.

My first attempt was, of course, a flamingo. I have several favorite pictures I want to try, but the one I chose was one with a crown of flowers on her head, using a picture on a set of outdoor coasters.

I was determined to end up with something art worthy, and actually it’s not that bad for a first attempt. The proportions aren’t entirely right, and I’m not totally pleased with her neck, but she’s not bad.

Here’s the progression of my first work. Amateurish, yes, but I’m learning! And I’m practicing. Better yet, I’m keeping at it, and though I don’t have time to do a little every day, I’m not giving up.

I even started a new piece of art yesterday, and I’m working on the final touches. It’s a step up from this one, and I’ll show that off when it’s done.

The main thing is, I’m following through and not giving up.

Is there something new you want to learn? But not sure how good you’ll be at it? There’s only one way to find out.

Get in there and start trying. Then keep up with it and work on your skills. In whatever we do, the more we practice, the more we work on those skills, the better we’ll become.

Giving up after a few tries because our skills aren’t immediately perfect isn’t the way to improve them. Practice, practice, and a bit more practice and then see what happens!

Thats what I’m doing.

If I See a Picture in my Mind…

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Why can’t I draw/paint it? After all, it’s there in front of my eyes. I can see it. Clearly.

So what’s keeping me from taking a pen or pencil and sketching it on a piece of paper? What’s keeping my from painting it in the beautiful colors I see in my mind’s eye?

If it’s there where I can see it, why can’t I capture it so others can see it?

What’s stopping me? Actually it’s the fear that I can’t do it. My fear that it won’t be perfect. That it won’t look right. That it won’t be like what I see in my mind, because I keep telling myself I can’t do it.

What? Because I want it to be perfect as soon as I start. And that just isn’t going to happen. Because each of us has to start at the beginning of something…practice…keep at it; until we get to a point where we can say we’re pleased with what we created.

Like most of us, I don’t want to start out at the beginning and make mistake after mistake until I get it right. I want to be able to do it perfectly the first time.

And how many of us can say that we did that?  I daresay not many.

I know how to sew. I used to make most of my clothes a very long time ago. But I didn’t start out making tailored suits and such; I started out with aprons and simple skirts before I learned how to do the more complicated things.

I play the piano. Not a lot any more, although I’m starting to get back into it. When I first began, I could only play a few scales. I took weekly lessons and to practice daily. I had to learn how to read music, work at it, and that took time, and patience. I actually was very good at one time, and will be again, as long as I take the time to work at it again.

So why am I so frustrated when I try to do something else creative and I don’t do it right the first time? 

Most likely because the older I get, the less patience I have. I want to do it NOW, and not take the time to learn how to really make the most of the talents I have. I think I can draw and paint, but like the new music student I used to be, I couldn’t sit down that first day and play an entire song. I had to take my time and learn. And it didn’t happen overnight.

And now, although I have the desire, I finally realize I can’t just sit down and create a beautiful work of art without putting in the time it takes to learn how to do it. 

So what do you think? Is there something you want to do but don’t think you can? Try it. The only thing stopping you is yourself. 

Now I know I wrote about this last year, and I still haven’t really started my project. At least not like I wanted to. But I did try it, and finally finished my first piece. And yes, it’s a flamingo. And like my usual perfectionist self, I’m not totally happy with it.

But the thing is…I actually did it! It’s not great, but not what I thought it would be.

But it’s a start.

So now I’m going to stop beating myself up and resolve to learn to draw and paint the right way. I bought a couple of books, and THIS time I’m going to actually do all the exercises in them and practice my skills before I try another painting.

At least that’s my plan.  I may not ever sell a painting, but if I practice, and try it, and work at it, at least maybe I’ll create something frame worthy. For myself, if no one else.

And that’s what counts. So here I go….

Next time I write about my painting, I’m going to include a few pictures.

And hopefully in a few weeks!

Crafting Fall Pumpkins

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Over forty years ago, there were colorful painted pumpkins in our family’s Halloween decorations. That was back when it was commonplace for us all to carve pumpkins for our Halloween decor without being told we were celebrating the devil’s holiday because we dared to decorate our homes and porches with pumpkins with carved faces and a candle inside them.

My uncle, who was a talented hobby artist, was obviously ahead of his time, and he decided one year to paint faces on the pumpkins rather than carve, so they’d last longer. They were colorful, and extremely creative. Unfortunately I have no pictures of them, because “back then” we didn’t memorialize such things.

I am fairly certain that if my uncle had lived to retirement age, he would have spent those golden years painting all sorts of wonderful things, as well as pumpkins, along with his hobby of bird carving.

Fast forward to now. 

It seems like every year Halloween decorations come out earlier and earlier. This year they were out by the end of August! And along with the truly Halloween decor are the pumpkins. Now we can get not only real ones, but craft pumpkins that we can decorate with all manner of designs, and even better, we can keep them from year to year to use over again in different displays. 

And as a crafter, I really do appreciate that. If I have to succumb to fall and all of its decor styles, then I can at least do something creative and fun with it. Here are two I made a couple of years ago.

It seems like all kinds of things can be used now. Flowers, chalk paint, feathers, glitter on stems, acrylic paint, decals, glue-on jewels, even nail polish that’s mixed with water to produce colorful swirls.

Or try a unicorn birthday cake topper for two little girls’ special pumpkins?

How about a headband with gold deer antlers, deer ears and leaves for the top of a very special little boy’s first Halloween pumpkin?

And another mermaid cake decorating set for a mermaid pumpkin for two special granddaughters in their mermaid bedroom at Grandma and Papa’s house?

Two years ago we gave our granddaughters their own little pumpkins to decorate themselves. They had a really good time. And they were very proud of their creations!  (So were Grandmom and Papa!)

Yes, if I have to go into the fall season, and let’s face it, what choice do I have, at least I can use some creativity to make it a bit more fun.

What fall decor have you done this year?

Quick! Grab Some Beads!

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One morning I was trying to get some jewelry inspiration and it just wouldn’t come. All these trays of beads just wait to be partnered up with their friends, and I was just at a loss. 

Had my creativity decided to leave me? Instead of writers’ block, did I have beaders’ block? Jewelry makers’ block?

I kept looking at the boxes, opening them up, staring at the beautiful colors and shapes. Beads I’d bought with a plan, and some I’d bought just because I really liked them. Even though some of them seemed to be saying “pick me!” nothing really seemed to stir in my creative side.

Why is it that when you’re really in the mood to create you just can’t get past that final hurdle? Has anyone else felt this way?

So I started looking through random pictures I’ve collected of bracelet styles for inspiration, not to copy those styles, but to spark the creative me back to life. 

Those of you who’ve seen and bought some of my creations know I tend to design on the more conservative side. Most of my jewelry is designed with conservative patterns. A center focal bead or group of beads or charms, with equal amounts of beads and styles on each side. Very symmetrical. Almost predictable. 

Looking at some more of the newer designs I’d saved, I noticed quite a few looked like a hodge podge of colors and different shapes and sizes of beads. Almost like they were randomly thrown in a little pile on a bead board, and then strung together and in whatever order the designer picked them up.

And they were really interesting. In fact I liked several of the styles.

An idea struck me. Could I really be adventurous enough to just grab a few beads at random and throw them together to see what I could come up with? After all, that is so not like my style…

So…I figured what the heck..I can always put them back in their correct little homes.  And some I hadn’t even cut apart yet from bringing them home.

But you get the idea. Maybe it was my time to step outside the box, as the saying goes. Or outside the beader’s box.

So I started to try my new ideas. And one bead led to another. I fought the urge to make the bracelets in a pattern, repeating the same ones in the same order. And for me, that’s not easy. 

But I finally found myself playing with them more. Moving them around on my board until I liked the arrangement.  It takes longer to do a piece this way, because the beads have to complement each other, but blend well together without following a specific pattern.

It’s like creating a piece of art you can wear. And it takes patience which I’m slowly learning to develop.

Everyone has their own artistic style. Some of us try a medium we think we’d do well in and don’t do too well. Some of us try several different mediums before we find the one we really enjoy and find we have a talent for.

For me, at least for now, it’s creating jewelry (as well as writing my blog).

Here’s some more pictures of the jewelry I’ve recently created.

Now that you’ve heard more about my jewelry art, what kind of art do you do?

Let’s Make a Hat

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As a little girl I loved playing “dress up”. So did my daughter, and now her own two daughters. And of course that included hats! 

I particularly liked playing with my mom’s hats, thinking those hats made me look so fashionable! Mom had a lot of them, because in the 50’s almost all women wore hats to church, and she was no exception.

And of course, as little girls, we always had to have new hats for Easter Sunday, to match our new dresses and shoes. We all looked so great, or we sure thought we did.

Back then the department stores even had separate hat departments with tables and tables of ladies hats to select from. After finding the perfect one it would be lovingly boxed in a square or round hat box which was also used to store those special hats in bedroom closets.

But wearing hats sort of gradually went out of style in the 60’s, but my mom still kept those hats in the attic, and I found several of them when I cleaned out her house 15 years ago. 

Sure wish I’d kept them! Because we could’ve used them for our latest project.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with all of the fancy hats that are regularly sported in England at royal formal events, and other special occasions.

And then there’s the Kentucky Derby. Famous for the spectacular horse race itself, the first jewel in the Triple Crown, but also famous for the magnificent if not often outlandish hats worn by the ladies, and some of the men as well.

Now it’s become increasingly popular around the country to have Derby Day festivities at local restaurants, wineries, and breweries, featuring televised races, various contests, and now…hat making!

A few years ago my best friend and I had a Mother’s Day hat-making tea party which was a lot of fun. Of course mine was a work of art featuring a flamingo. What else!?

This year was even better! My best friend Karen Gould has her own marketing and event company, Main Stream Events, and on occasion I help her out for certain events.

This year we held a Kentucky Derby hat making event at New Realm Brewery in Virginia Beach. And we had a great time! I had made several hats for the event to use as displays. It’s really not hard. All you need is a hat, a glue gun, and ribbon and flowers. Or anything else you’d like to add!

To say the event was a big success is an understatement! Not only did we have a great time helping our participants, but the hat designers had a great time as well! They were all very creative, and put together their own personal masterpieces with very little help from Karen and me.

We even had men as well as children decorating hats! 

I think we may even have some new fashion designers! What do you think?

Flamingos Love Jewelry

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Designed just with them in mind!

Seriously… they were begging! And have you ever seen a flamingo on her wings and knees? Almost crying for me to make some flamingo bracelets and necklaces for them.

It was really a sad sight to behold. So what choice did I have? After all, it’s not nice to disappoint the flamingos!

But I had to have the right beads or I couldn’t create the perfect collection. It had to be just right. Something fun, but casual. Bright colors to match their bright feathers. Lots of pink, of course, but I also needed touches of contrast, white and yellow were good, but I also tried a few other color variations. Some worked. Some…not so well.

The biggest problem, however, is how to make bracelets and necklaces that the flamingos can actually wear. Their wings don’t have wrists at the end, so bracelets are a bit of a logistical problem. Necklaces are a bit easier, though, as long as they have someone to fasten them around their necks.

I finally was able to make a couple necklaces, and of course they loved them! Now they’re fighting over who gets to wear them first since I’ve only made two so far. 

The problems of being a flamingo mom….they just don’t end.

But I have managed to make several bracelets for them. And actually by trimming the feathers on their beautiful wings just a tiny bit, they’ve managed to get them on. 

You should see them flouncing around and showing them off! But they refused to let me take pictures of them wearing their new jewelry because, well they didn’t want all the other flamingos to be jealous and squawking for me to make some for them as well!

But they would let me show them off on this beautiful jewelry stand our daughter gave me for Christmas. What do you think?

So now I’m busy sorting out beads and charms to use in their new Flamingo Jewelry Collection. They haven’t said yet if they’re going to let me sell any of them or not, but just in case, here’s one that I’m thinking about selling. But don’t tell them yet! 

However, if you want it, it’s your chance to be the first one to own a bracelet from this exclusive collection! Just email me for details.

And please don’t tell them about the flamingo styled farmhouse garland I made. I have them listed for sale as well, but if they find out they’ll not give me any peace until I either make some for them to use at their dinner parties or take them out of the store and give the garlands to them! Decisions, decisions….

All I can say is, “keep thinking pink!” Because there’s more pink coming!

Crafting an Egg Tree

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An Easter Egg tree, that is!

After doing my wine cork Christmas trees, I still had a few styrofoam cones left over and was wondering if there was anything I could do with them besides save them for next year.

Then I looked on Pinterest. There were a lot of Easter Egg trees in there, but they were either all made with pieces of ribbon or those big plastic colored eggs that open up to put candy in. That didn’t really do it for me. Too big and bulky.

So now that I had an idea…how to carry it out? And when I have an idea, I don’t rest until I figure a way to do it.

So I decided to check out my first go-to stop for non-jewelry making projects. Dollar Tree, of course. And luckily they had bags of small pastel colored foam Easter eggs. How perfect! I didn’t have a clue as to how many I’d need, but I figured I’d make several different sized trees, so I’d start with 12 bags. Each had a dozen eggs in them, so I figured I was good.

Then I realized I needed something for the top. I couldn’t use my leftover Christmas tree stars for Easter, but I found some Easter bunny heads on dowel sticks, probably designed for sticking in flower pots, but they were perfect for my trees!

Pleased as I could be with my purchases, I went home and planned my tree. The next day I set up on my kitchen counter and got to work. I don’t use hot glue in my craft studio because it’s too messy and my craft table has a tablecloth on it, and well, you can imagine what a mess that could turn out to be!

Gluing on the eggs was fairly simple; just time consuming. I hadn’t counted, though, on the glue dripping slightly through the eggs on the bottom row and sticking to the counter (it didn’t do that with the wine corks!). Fortunately dried hot glue isn’t that hard to get off if you do it quickly.

What I  hadn’t thought about, though, was how many of those little eggs it took to complete a tree. I’d started making a medium sized one which was almost finished when I realized I probably hadn’t bought enough eggs to quite finish two trees. Oops!

Then I remembered I’d bought over half of the bags of eggs they had at the dollar store, and I knew if I waited, I wouldn’t be able to get enough to make all the trees I wanted to do.

So I headed back to the store and got…eight bags. All they had left. Now what?

Fortunately there was another dollar store a mile or so away so I headed there, hoping they still had them. And as luck would have it, they did!

I bought 32 bags. Almost all they had in the store! I think the cashier thought I’d lost my mind. And I probably had.

But now I had enough to make another set of three trees as well as two more small ones for our granddaughters!

Egg tree assembly is really fairly easy as you can see from the pictures below. You just glue the eggs on in a row starting from the bottom. There will be gaps because of their shape, so I used bits of green moss to fill in the areas where the foam showed through. It’s a bit messy, but when the hot glue dries, trim the moss up as needed. And now you’re ready to put your bunny toppers on. I cut the dowel sticks off the bunny heads from the dollar store and substituted floral wire to make it easier to stick in the foam. And please pardon the quality of the pictures, because I just don’t get the best pictures when I’m creating at the same time!

And one last hint. These take a lot of hot glue, so be sure you have enough glue sticks on hand! I lost count of how many times I had to refill my glue gun! But at least it’s now ready for my next project!

Trying Something New

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What do you do when your best friend asks you to go with her to a slumping class!?

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “You like wine, and collect wine corks and wine bottles. You’d really like this.”

I must’ve looked at her like she’d lost her mind. Then she smiled and showed me what she’d made at the slumping class she’d gone to a few nights before. And it was definitely something I wanted to try. 

Even though I’d never heard of the term or never even thought about such a project. Even though my daughter had given me a slumped wine bottle for Mother’s Day last year. 

I just hadn’t known what it was called then. And neither did my daughter or my best friend.  

But then she found a shop to display and sell her craft items and their main business product involved slumping. She found out later they’d been doing it for ten years.

Has anyone looked up slumping yet to see what it is, or did you just scroll down quickly to find out?

Slumping is a technique of heating glass in a kiln, to about 1300-1500 degrees, in this case mostly wine bottles and decorative liquor bottles, letting them cool, then decorating them to use as cheese boards, jewelry holders, candle holders, etc., or displaying as a piece of art, either on a stand or hanging on the wall.

I’d seen the finished products before at craft shows and gift shops, but had no idea what the process was called. But being a craft minded person, I was always ready to try something new, so I said why not?

So that’s how my friends Karen and Mary Jo ended up in a slumping class a week ago. I had no idea what to expect, but it’s always fun to learn something new.

I was skeptical at first, but our instructor Tina made it so much fun, and explained everything to us in detail in a really fun way before we got started. 

There were probably a hundred or so already slumped bottles for us to choose from to use for our creations. We each chose something different of course. Not that we knew what we were doing, but Tina assured us we could do it

The idea was to take either decorative papers or fabric and mod podge them on the back of the slumped bottle. The paper or fabric shows through the glass to make a really great piece of art. 

The tricky part was actually choosing the paper or fabric we wanted to use with our bottles. After all, there were probably over 500 pieces of paper and fabric to choose from. A bit overwhelming, I must say. Plus since we were mostly making cheese boards, we also had to select a small cheese knife to go in the neck of the bottle as part of the finishing touch.   

Of course you know I had to choose a flamingo knife; what other theme would I come up with?

Karen decided on sunflowers, her favorite flower. Mary Jo decided on a mermaid theme to go with the fish bottle she’d selected. Let’s just say actually designing the background, selecting the materials, then cutting the various papers or fabric to the correct size, and positioning them just right  took the majority of the time. The cuts had to be fairly precise, and involved a lot of trial and error before we were ready to actually “glue” them on with the mod podge.

One little trick we learned was the addition of paper on the back as well, printed side out, of course, to add an extra bit of interest. Or in my case, to hide the printed price on the back of the paper, using what else but a few more flamingos.

Tina’s technique involves 3 separate applications of thin layers of mod podge smeared quickly over the paper or fabric with a sponge brush. After each application the bottle was placed on a wire rack she called a grill, which has heater under it to more quickly dry the piece to a tacky feel before the other layers are done, one at a time. 

Once the “grilling” was complete, little round rubber feet were placed on the bottom so the finished piece can be used as what it was intended for, without scratching the table or countertop.

The last step was decorating the neck of the bottle. And there were at least three drawers of beads, buttons, wire and twine to select from. A crafters’ heaven! I chose to use silver solder to do a wire wrap around the top of my bottle with pink and green bead accents. The others used a combination of twine and beads.

So here are our finished products. I think we did a good job! And yes, I may try it again.

Christmas Cork Crafting

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Since I have a large collection of wine corks I decided to do something more with them this year  than the garland and ornaments I’d already made a few years ago.

So I got the brilliant idea to make some of those wine cork Christmas trees I’d seen all over Pinterest. How hard could they be, I asked myself? They really look fairly easy.

Sort of. But what you don’t realize is that wine corks aren’t all the same size. Some are longer than others. Some are thinner. And try as you might, they don’t always fit on that styrofoam cone the way you want them to. It was a bit of a challenge at first.

But I was determined to make it work, and I finally did. They aren’t perfect, but then again, that’s part of the fun of crafting. Each piece I make is unique, my own creation. And I’m probably my own worst critic, not always happy with what I make, even though most people don’t notice the imperfections I see.

It was also a bit of a challenge decorating them, because I wanted to do something different. I’ve had a collection of large metal beads for several years that I’d originally bought for wine cork bottle jewelry, and while those turned out well, they just weren’t that popular. So what to do with the leftover beads has been a challenge. They weren’t quite right for most of my bracelets, but I couldn’t bear to get rid of them.

However they were just right for my wine cork trees. Their slightly curved shape fit perfectly around the corks in strategic places that needed a fill-in or a pop of color. So I ended up designing the trees around the beads.

And no, I’m not going to sell any of them this year. I’d have to charge too much for my time! But they are fun to make, except when I get the hot glue all over my fingers. That hurts!

I’ve also just completed my first wine cork snowman, based on more photos on Pinterest. He was a lot easier than the trees, and I think the plaid Christmas ornament hat (from the dollar store of course) really makes him festive! And even better, my husband painted the corks white for me. And if you try it, be sure to paint it after your snowman is assembled and glued together. Much easier and it saves on paint.

What next? Well I do have some styrofoam cones left, so you never know….

Or I may find another hat and make another snowman. Or I could just make my own hat for him. You can still use snowmen after Christmas!

Have you done any special crafts this season? Or maybe some wine cork trees? Feel free to post pictures in the comments section. We’d sure love to see them!

Behind the Scenes

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“Oh that bracelet is really pretty! Maybe I should try doing that. It really looks easy.”

Well, it is. Sort of. 

But you don’t know what goes into the making of a bracelet or necklace. It’s what you don’t see before the bracelet is finished. 

I didn’t know what went into it all before I became hooked on making bracelets and necklaces. 

At first, I’ll admit, I copied designs I found online. Well not totally copied, but fairly close. But those were for me, and certainly not to sell. 

Then I started making my own designs, which was a lot more enjoyable and creative. 

Getting ideas and then finding the right beads is a lot of fun. Usually. Unless you can’t find what you’re looking for. So many times I’ve had a particular color and style of bead in mind, but can’t find it in the local craft stores.

Ordering online is the only other option. I don’t paying for shipping, but sometimes there’s no other choice if Amazon doesn’t have what I need. And I hate waiting, but what other choice do I have?

Now I do have a rather large assortment of beads in the studio,  since I’ve been doing this for awhile.  

 But it seems like there’s always something else I need.

Putting the design together is usually easy, as long as you have an idea what you’re going to do. I use a bead board to plan the jewelry out which allows me to not only see the design as I go but also make sure the size is correct. Which is very important.

Then comes the part I really don’t enjoy. Stringing is not that bad, and I have several different kinds and sizes of beading filament and wire that I use. 

Note to newbies: be sure to allow yourself enough filament to have at least an inch of filament at each end so you’ll be able to tie off the bracelet without the beads coming off. Yes,it’s happened to me many times, and I scold myself for doing it every time! You’d think I’d learn eventually. If the ends aren’t long enough to tie your knots correctly, you’re going to regret it. 

And be sure to use a bead stopper on each end of the almost finished bracelet or necklace. My favorite are the “bead bugs”. I like the name, but they really work well. I probably have 20 sets of them so I can make a lot of bracelets or necklaces at one time. Then complete the final steps with several pieces at a time.

Because for me, the most difficult part of finishing a stretch bracelet is gluing the knot, which is an extremely important final step to be sure that knot holds. Why is it so difficult? 

For one thing, it’s very precise, and the smaller the beads, the harder it is to tie the knots and position the glue correctly. I use a brand called G-S Hypo Cement which dries quickly, and because of the type of applicator, it’s fairly easy to get the right amount on there. Let the glue dry for a few hours, snip the ends off, and you’re done.

The problem, you may ask? Getting  the cap back on the tube in exactly the right place. Plus my astigmatism makes it even harder! You can see from the picture below that it’s very slim and tiny. I love the way you can manipulate the drop of glue, but let me tell you, putting that cap back on is not easy.

The other closure types, lobster claw or toggle clasps, can be easily as frustrating until you master the art of the crimp. (Just make sure to include the clasps in the overall length of your jewelry.) Putting the actual crimp bead on isn’t really that difficult. But finishing it off with a crimp cover? Let’s just say I haven’t mastered it as well as I’d like. The crimp covers are small, and have to be positioned just right to cover the crimp. And with astigmatism, it’s worse than putting the cap on the glue!

And if you mess up on these last steps, well, you sort of have to start over. Which is certainly not fun.

But the finished products are definitely worth it. 

Gratitude, Thankfulness, and a Little Spice

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We’re already well into fall. October is already gone and Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. Where’s the time going?

For me it’s going too fast. I don’t have nearly the time I need to get ready for all the festivities and shows that are just ahead. 

Creating jewelry for the fall has lagged behind a lot more than I wanted, with all the other projects I’ve been involved with. But the busy-ness of life is just that. Busy-ness. Sometimes it takes over your life to the point that you are so busy being busy, you don’t accomplish anything.

However, these last few days have enabled me to have a spurt of creativity, and I’m delighted to introduce our Fall/Thanksgiving bracelet collection. 

Only one of a kind of each piece. But they’re all created with love as well as attention to color and detail. If you’re interest in purchasing, please email me for information.

Working with the Heishi beads was a bit of a challenge at first, I must admit. They go together much differently than regular glass or gemstone beads. But once I got started on this collection, I found it to be a fun challenge to come up with the right words to use with my bracelets. 

I love the personalization, and although none of this collection uses actual names, they can certainly be custom made. As long as I have the letters in my bead collection, that is.

I’m discovering as I go along that the alphabet beads don’t always have enough of the letters I need for certain words. Especially the multicolored beads, and as you can see, I’ve had to combine beads from other sets to get the word I needed. But it works, and adds a few unexpected pops of color as well.

Just don’t do what I did and spell a word wrong if you’re making your own personalized jewelry. I did that and had to redo half of the bracelet…fortunately I caught the mistake before I’d finished it off!

Heishi bracelets are designed to be worn in stacks, 3-4 at a time. Although they look equally nice being worn one at a time. Personally I love the stacking because I can show off more of my creations at one time.

Here are some of the collections I’ve done.

Welcome Fall

Fall leaves, pumpkins, and fresh-baked apple pie. What sounds more like fall than that combination? And don’t forget the Gobble (for the turkey, of course)!

With Gratitude

Thankful.  Grateful.  Gratitude. Isn’t that what the Thanksgiving season is all about?

Spicy

This was a fun set to create. It was harder figuring out what spice names to use than actually doing the designs. These would make a great gift for someone who really enjoys cooking.

If you’re interested in buying any of these items, please email me for information.

And check back often to see what else we’ve come up with. Christmas is coming, you know!

Obsessed With Beads

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Once you start collecting a few beads…you just can’t get enough of them. There are so many styles…colors…shapes and sizes…so many different materials. You want them all. But then what do you do with them?

That was my situation. But let me start at the beginning.

When my husband decided we needed ANOTHER Christmas tree several years ago (we already had SIX!) he wanted to do a wine themed tree. Which led me to start collecting wine corks so I could make a few garlands to put on the tree the following year. Well, my cork collection grew as friends contributed their corks, as well as my asking for wine corks at restaurants when we went out to dinner, and I soon had a large collection of them. Then I started buying a few beads to add to my creations.

One thing led to another, and I found myself making not only wine cork Christmas garland, wine cork Christmas ornaments, but also wine bottle hanging “jewelry” and other cork creations, combining any number of my colorful beads with the corks. I even started collecting champagne corks (and a few Petron corks) and making what I call “corky people.” It was so much fun!

But I quickly became obsessed with all the bead choices and eventually decided to expand my creativity into making my own jewelry. At first I only made bracelets and a few necklaces just for me, and for my granddaughters, but one thing led to another, and I realized I had to sell some of my creations in order to fund my obsession/hobby. After all, how many bracelets can you wear at one time? Three, four, maybe five in a stack, but when you’re working remotely you don’t get to show them off as often!

I already had an online shop called The Beaded Cork which sold my corky people, corked wedding cake toppers and wine bottle hangers as well as diaper cakes and cupcakes, but I’d put that on hiatus for a little while. 

So I renamed and redesigned my store, which was not the easiest thing in the world to do, but after several weeks of categorizing products, taking photos, and pricing and writing up product descriptions, my shop was launched on Etsy.

The shop had an assortment of farmhouse garland, beaded corky people, necklaces, and of course all sorts of bracelets, including kids’ bracelets. However, after several months I decided that it was taking too much time to manage it as well as work full time. But if you’re interested in any of my pieces, please email me and let me know what you’re interested in.

And a former bedroom has now been turned into a craft and jewelry studio where I can play with my beads in my own space without having to move my unfinished work to make room for other things. Plus I have room to create other items when the mood hits me! (Which is what the vase of silk flowers is for that’s sitting on my table.)

With my own space who knows what else I’ll come up with as I go along!

And if you have a particular jewelry or garland idea in mind, contact me and we’ll see what we can come up with.

And now, back to my studio. The beads are calling.