What's on the Desk..Getting Ready for the Holidays... Week 2 Spa Night and Candle Light

It's a two-fer week, mostly because candles alone would be a really short blog post but also because the two go together so well! I'm not going to lie I have ALOT of wax so making my own candles is just a matter of melt, pour into the mold, top off as it wells and pop out of the mold when cool. It's fun for me to play with coloring and fragrance and I Love the way several pillars look when grouped together and placed on a tray or mirror, especially pretty in front of the vanity mirror (double the candles!) while you're soaking in the tub filled with the same wonderful essence wafting from your candles. Talk about aromatherapy!

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

Spa night is all about those wonderful items you surround yourself with to pamper and enjoy. Whether your idea of pampering is a long luxurious soak in the tub or a massage by candlelight. See I told you they went together! Items to consider for spa night are bath salts, bubble bath, louffa sponges, body cloths, massage oils, potpourri, candles, pretty trays, glass jars, small scoops, and a basket or really cool crate to present it all in.

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

You can do as I do and melt and pour your wax to make candles, or you can buy sheets of bees wax and make your candles by laying the wick along one edge and rolling tightly into a taper candle or a small pillar, presto one hand made candle! You can buy candles at the Dollar store or you can buy artisan crafted candles such as the beeswax candles shown in the photo. I like to group them on a tray or mirror but another really pretty option is to find a really pretty sheet of wrapping paper or scrapbook paper and place that inside a frame under the glass just as you would a photo. This one again can fit any budget, flea market vintage frames, dollar store frames, or custom framing in exotic woods.

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

The wonderful thing about spa night is you can give everything the same aroma or you can make formulas. Use one for destressing, one for recharging, one for romance, one for pure fun or evoking memories, whatever aroma fits the bill for you. I have bottles and bottles of essential oils and fragrance oils from lavenders and roses to jasmines and amber. Some blend together for the most heavenly scents, others I use singly like lavender to treat a minor burn or peppermint to quiet an upset tummy. Making basic bath salts is pretty much a breeze, you just mix equal parts of epsom salts and sea salt add a few drops of fragrance oil and tadaa! If you've never made anything before equal parts is the really short way to say if you use one cup of this, use one cup of that too. :) Again you can let your budget do the talking, you can make, buy at Bath and Body or even Wal Mart or you can buy artisan crafted spa products. If making your own salts has got the crafting bug going for you here's my favorite website, FromNatureWithLove.com Not only do they stock all the good stuff for making all your spa products, they have the recipes too!!

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

Flower Soap http://www.etsy.com/listing/60261267/soap1-handcrafted-hibiscus-flower-soap

Bath salts http://www.etsy.com/listing/85280373/honeysuckle-bath-salts-from-the-dead-sea
Massage oil http://www.etsy.com/listing/59845351/monoi-de-tahiti-body-and-massage-oil-4oz
Mirrored Trays http://www.etsy.com/transaction/62595317
Chocolate Truffles http://www.etsy.com/listing/85299801/chocolate-truffle-wedding-favors
Beeswax Candles http://www.etsy.com/listing/45580546/handmade-100-percent-beeswax-candles-8

hmmm maybe I could've split this into two blog posts! Til next time! Dana

What's on the Desk.....Getting Ready for the Holidays.... A Weekly? Gift Guide with Crafty How To's

This year like many years past I've taken the Hand Made Pledge. Meaning I pledge to make or buy hand made items for a good portion of my Holiday Gifting. Going Hand Made allows you to get creative with your Christmas budget, and who couldn't use a little creativity in the budget?.

Source: thehandmadegiftguide.com via Dana on Pinterest

As it happens the best and most memorable Christmases for me were small, paid for entirely in cash and largely hand made. I'm also the crafty sort and with a hand full of items I can make some pretty cool gifts. You can be the crafty sort too, even if you've never made anything before.

Over the coming weeks I'll give you some ideas and some instructions for creating so you can make at least some of your Holidays Hand Made. These are a few of my favorites to help get you started. You can keep them simple or really go all out it's completely up to you and your budget.

Movie Night Gift "Basket"
I have not only given this gift but I have also received it and loved it!
A favorite movie, some microwave popcorn (with or with out seasonings), a couple favorite candy bars, and a cool bowl to put it all in.
You can keep it simple and just pick the candy bars and seasonings up at the grocery store, you can make your own candy and treats, or you can go all out and buy hand made and gourmet treats like the effervescent chocolate shown here

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

Popcorn bowls can be as simple as a large bowl picked up at the Dollar store. Left as is or decorated, you can buy hand painted bowls (as shown here) or go all out and buy an artisan hand thrown ceramic bowl.

Source: etsy.com via Dana on Pinterest

Putting it all together is a snap! Just take your movie, popcorn, seasonings and candy and arrange it in the bowl until you like the way it looks. Wrap it up with a basket wrap, curling ribbon and bows.
Effervescent chocolate can be found on Etsy in the trufflepigletchocs shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/77574580/effervescent-chocolate-bar
and the popcorn bowl can be found on Etsy as well in the KudosKitchenByRenee shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/79041618/large-popcorn-painted-bowl

I hope you liked Movie Night :) I'll be back with Cookies and Cocoa, Spa Night, Hand Made Ornaments and Your Own Personal Art Gallery!
Til next time!

Dana

Dragon's Eye the pendant has been finished...

and I thought I had the hoop earrings finished too. But they had a small latching problem - one would randomly come open and not relatch. No rhyme or reason just pop I'm open. So back to the desk for them. Too bad too, they were really looking cute.

I was looking at the list thinking it looked longer than what was actually on the desk and realized, I finished that ring awhile back and never mentioned it! It's finished! I made two small stackable bands and paired them with another woven ring I had made and they just look really cute together and are a really comfy set.

Eye one of Alex's Dragon Eye set is done. I'm really happy with the way it came out if I do say so myself :D



I won a pair of lamp worked beads from Bastille Bleu Lampwork and they just happen to be this weeks colors for the color combo challenge. Think I'll weave up some leaves to add to them and make earrings. If I hurry I might even make it in time for the challenge deadline!

Til next time!
Dana

Octobers Currently on the Desk......

It's been a very productive couple of weeks, finished up my custom orders and got them all mailed off and delivered, made a couple tiny metal roses and a couple other flowers and decided to get started on Alex' eye pendant.  I thought the timing appropriate as it's October and Halloween is sneaking up :)

As luck would have it, school pics came home and Alex set them on my desk.......as I was pulling out the eyes to work on. Paige immediately saw the photo op, what are sisters for if not for spotting photo ops lol




Having already made the connection of Halloween on the way, I thought it might be fun to show the progress photos in that same way..........



We're going for something of a dragon's eye effect. He saw an eye on Etsy he really loved and asked for that type of style. Bless him for understanding copy rights "I like this style, but don't copy that one, I want it done in your style." I'm pretty sure I did something right there :) The sketch has been worked up , he's approved it, and we're playing with the placement of elements for their best effect.

Christmas items have been making their way into the shop and I've tried to provide price points for most budgets. I think I'm prepared for the season to begin.

Currently on the Desk: *Forged hoops - still waiting to recut the ends, forge, file, and drill again. *The beadwoven necklace *The bead embroidered set - *The Labrodorite heart waiting for weaving and scrollwork........

Til Next TIme See Ya Then!

A Glimpse.........

I broke down and bought the ribbon ends and extender for the ribbon choker. I've decided to list it with the option of the clasp at no extra charge. I really want to stay true to my design but something about it just didn't feel finished. So now it's become a semi custom piece and that works so much better for me.

On the desk this week..... I completed a custom order for a Rose Quartz and sterling butterfly, another order for a WickWire style skeleton key, and am in the process of searching out components for another custom order.

A tiny yet wordy glimpse into how my brain works.... Surfing through various vendors searching for a 3-4 inch sterling feather suitable for embellishing with 4mm czech glass beads not really finding what I want but finding  a smaller feather here and there. Not writing any product numbers down or where they were because they weren't quite right. Decide to write a note to my customer to let her know where I'm at and double check her request............ NOT 3-4 inches,  but 2-3 inches! head/desk Ummm where was that feather at? It was 2.75 inches, and perfect for wrapping, where was it....where, not here..... where??? GONE  ugh!

ok she's not in a hurry, it's not the only feather in the world.  Start the search again and take notes of where I'm finding what.

Not much selection......one more search, jackpot! Love these feathers, except they're all stampings.......hmmm the designs are awesome though. I could drill holes where I need them for embellishing......I could put those beads wherever I wanted them......cool.

Hubs comes home for lunch and I tell him how the one I really thought was perfect just disappeared *poof* and tell him how I thought I could drill the stampings.

He asks, "Did you buy them?"

"uh, no"

"But you said the one you wanted sold out just that fast."

"They're trending right now. I don't think I've ever seen one sell out like that before"

"And you didn't buy these?"

I just bought $30 worth of feather stampings and some bead caps.  Part of my brain says really?? The other part says heck yeah! See that sheet over there these little bead caps will be perfect practice and then you'll have some sweeet solid caps! Look at the lines on those feathers, are they not the perfect design for practicing a little repousse??

LOL Good thing I like them and am finding inspiration in them cause there were three or four others not from this vendor that I have for her to choose from and she could still pick one of them!

Currently On the Desk has had it's first completion :) Yup I picked up needle and thread and rolled a hem for the ends. It's been a busy and emotional few days around here with my oldest daughter moving to New Mexico and I needed an easy and quick project to do and this was it! The ribbon measures in at 21 inches and ties at the neck for an on the neck choker for an adult or a sweet necklace for a younger girl. This is newly finished and not yet listed- you're getting the sneak peak at it! Now that I've finally got it hemmed up I wonder if I shouldn't use a fold over end with an extender chain, hmmm, Always something isn't it?

One down.....maybe.....I think ....and a bunch to go........

til next time!

I'm All Caught Up!

ArtFire actually closed all their basic studios and I've been in a flurry, taking new pictures, revamping descriptions, and getting it all moved on over to my Etsy shop. All while trying to get all those new pieces I had finished and just waiting to be listed put in the shop too.  I decided on a one a day approach,  giving me time to take plenty of pictures, edit and get descriptions and pricing done. That worked really well, so well in fact that everything is listed - I have nothing waiting for prices, photos, or descriptions. It is really a nice feeling knowing all I have on the jewelry plate is creating and a very neglected blog. oooooooh The blog!

Quick! What to write about? I could pick one of the new listings and tell you a story about it or better yet.......... I have (as always) several pieces in progress. Why not let you take a peek in my studio as I plan, sketch, work out the details and create.  That has pretty much been my intention for this blog all along so it feels pretty good being able to finally share that with you. And it might just ensure a more active posting

I actually have an in progress photo of the beadweaving piece I'm working on now. It was for this last weeks color challenge, LOVED the color palette, have been saving this heart for just such a piece,  was so excited, and bam LIFE at the door! It reminded me of the peacock I made for week 2 of the challenge and the updates I had here about it and I thought how cool would it have been to have pics to go with the story.

sooooo.....Here's the plan, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I'll post pictures of the beads, sketches, and/or progress shots of the list *Currently on the Desk* I'll  update the list when I finish one or add another and provide the corresponding photo. I'll post what I think of it, does it need tweaking, a this one or that one decision made, and whether or not it's causing me any grief. I still belong to the Color Combo Group on FaceBook so there's almost always something in progress on my desk and I have a stack of sketches and a whole folder full of inspirational pieces from other artists, if by chance I should ever get all my in progress pieces finished - it's happened once or twice!

Currently on the Desk:
*Forged hoops - oops! I misdrilled the hole on one earring for the latch so I need to recut the ends, forge, file, and drill again.
*Ribbon choker and simple pendant awaiting a rolled hem to finish. Probably won't take five minutes if I just pick up the needle lol
*A beadwoven  necklace with a gorgeous lampworked focal first couple of inches have been started and it is going to be a pretty one!  Day to day life has slowed me down on this one, these tiny beads need a clear head and I have had a head ache for several days now,  hoping the cause goes away and soon!
*A bead embroidered set - gorgeous gorgeous colors in these stones! Beads are laid out and waiting for that first stitch! Seems like I've been planning this one for ages, but it's more about me trying to live up to the beauty of these stones and do them justice. I want all the details to be just right - I'm starting to think I may just have to dive in........
*A ring and pendant eyeball set for my son. Still in the sketch and detail stages. He's been after me to make these for ages and we finally found the eyes he liked.
*A Labrodorite heart waiting for weaving and scrollwork........ the design has been sketched out, the first wires have been cut and kissed with flame and then....... we found the eyes lol
*Woven ring - it was an I need to fiddle with something so let's weave on a scrap piece of wire when I realized it was the right length for a ring, but I want the ends flame kissed so I stopped weaving to torch it and I keep forgetting to grab it when I light the torch up lol