Quick! Grab Some Beads!

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?

Engagement Photos

A few weeks ago our daughter Ashley went from Virginia Beach to Honolulu to visit her friend Erin, who is also one of her bridesmaids. A portion of this blog is re-posted with Erin’s permission from her blog, Crafty Girl Problems.

“Aloha! During Ashley’s visit she asked me to make a few things for her upcoming engagement photos. I said, “uh duh, yes.” We made a few stops at craft stores around the island and we got our materials. I spent all week working on little signs in our down time. I even had the bride to be help with the base painting and top clear coats. She pretty much let me do my thing and trusted my artistic hand all while giving good ideas and opinions to make the signs turn out even better. I think I taught her a few of my crafty ways too!
CandA
Ashley and her fiance Chris are huge dog lovers. Between the two of them they have two fur babies and have their minds set on another pup before their wedding in 2015. Ashley and I were throwing ideas out there for her signs and we came up with a sign specially for the pups! With that, my pallet addiction took over, yet again. I honestly think that the sign for the pups could possibly be my favorite of my recent crafts. I just love the little milk bone on the left side of the sign. Be sure to tell me what you think.
Our Humans

When I first walked into this local craft store (a week before Ashley got here) I had my eye on this little string of hearts. I was teetering on buying it for Kristen’s wedding but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of how to use it. When I took Ashley to the craft store I was pretty happy when she wanted to get it.
Hearts

We had the best idea to print her wedding date on it and I love how it turned out.
Finished Hearts

After seeing all of my chalkboard paint works of art, Ashley knew that she wanted one for herself. Here is what we came up with. A beachy sign for the beachy couple.
Chalkboard

Such a busy touristy week and I still had time to make all of these little cuties! Can’t wait to see how the engagement photos turn out! Congratulations love birds.”

Erin, you and Ashley did a great job, and I promise you will be helping out with more decorations and ideas for the big day in 2015!

Ashley and Chris had their engagement photos taken this week, and we’re so excited about how they turned out that we have to share. The signs were used perfectly, and their dogs actually cooperated with our photographer! Course, they were all dressed up in their blue polka dot bow ties, so they had no choice!
dogs with signs
Please follow this link to see more of Ashley and Chris’ Engagement Photos. We love how all of the signs were used, as well as how beautiful these pictures of our daughter and future son-in-law came out. Special thanks to our very talented photographer, Amanda Hedgepeth Photography in Virginia Beach. And for those of you who read our blog featuring the starfish wedding cake toppers, how do you like Ashley’s photos with her ring being worn by the starfish? (I just wonder how Amanda got her to actually take it off her finger??!!)

Feel free to leave your comments on either our page, or our photographer’s page.

Corky Friends

I don’t remember why I started collecting wine corks, but I just did% and although I don’t like champagne, I started off collecting them as well% and decided they needed to be recycled into something fun after they had no more use in a bottle. And their shape is just so unique. And then there are the Petronius corks…..

Now here’s a bit of trivia I bet you didn’t know — have you heard that the first wine corks were actually used by the French monk Dom Perignon, who is also sometimes rumored to have invented our modern day champagne? Well, we don’t really know for sure if that’s true about the corks or not, but it sure makes a great story! (And he really didn’t invent champagne!)

But we really do like those shapely champagne corks because they just lend themselves so nicely to becoming cute little “people”, dressed up in beads and ribbon and all styles of dress!

Cork People

Some of them are couples and make great cake toppers, and some of them have actually become beach bathing beauties with really colorful beach hats! And even flip flops…..

Since I liked playing with dolls so much as a little girl, and each one had her own name, naturally I couldn’t resist naming my bathing beauty cork creations. After all, I don’t want the to feel like I don’t love them…and they’re just so cute!

P1120006

And even though it’s just the beginning of summer, we can already imagine what kind of Halloween and even Christmas characters these fanciful corks can become! So many possibilities….

Now we can’t ask you not to re-name them when you take them home, but they’re really used to their names, and I’d have to confuse them.

You DO understand…..???

Welcome to our first “Cake Bite”

Welcome to our first entry in our “Cake Bites” blog! We’ve been working on our site for several weeks now, and we’re so excited to finally get it all up and running! We hope you’ll stop by often to see what’s new in our world of cakes and corks. Non edible cakes, that is!

Why call this “Cake Bites”? Well, we’re planning to feature little bites of goodies and ideas that should whet your appetite to explore our site and our stores just a little more.

Now for a little “bite” of trivia to start you off — have you heard that the first wine corks were actually used by the French monk Dom Perignon, who is also sometimes rumored to have invented our modern day champagne? Well, we don’t really know for sure if that’s true about the corks or not, but it sure makes a great story! (And he really didn’t invent champagne!)

But we really do like those shapely champagne corks because they just lend themselves so nicely to becoming cute little “people”, dressed up in beads and ribbon and all styles of dress!

Cork People

Some of them are couples and make great cake toppers, and some of them have actually become beach bathing beauties with really colorful beach hats! And even flip flops…..

Since I liked playing with dolls so much as a little girl, and each one had her own name, naturally I couldn’t resist naming my bathing beauty cork creations. After all, I don’t want the to feel like I don’t love them…and they’re just so cute!

P1120006

And even though it’s just the beginning of summer, we can already imagine what kind of Halloween and even Christmas characters these fanciful corks can become! So many possibilities….

Now we can’t ask you not to re-name them when you take them home, but they’re really used to their names, and I’d have to confuse them.

You DO understand…..???