Craft Dinner!

Special Intro Offer Ends Soon!

2012-01-09T20:47:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know that the introductory price for these two kits from Goddess Leonie are going up in price on Friday, January 13 (yes, in like three days!).

Grab them NOW!

How to do a Sacred Space Clearing Kit

7 ways to clear negative energy & help your home lift you!

Whether your goal is to feel happier in your space, get more money (or creativity or love) flowing through your space, or just feel calmer and more at ease in your space, the sacred space clearing techniques in this kit can get you there. $19.00 until Friday!

Creating With Kids Mini Workshop

"We mamas, we need our art. We need our art to breathe, to heal, to shine, to glow. We need our art to be the women we are meant to be. But when we become mamas, somewhere between the nap, the mess and the mayhem, we forget to find the time and space for our art.

There must be a new way. This 40 minute video workshop will teach you how to create with kids – how to make it happen, remove the frustration and have a divine experience doing it.

Creating with Kids will teach you step-by-step, in the most intimate of ways, how it is possible. This is part reality TV glimpse into two goddesses messy tangle of paint and love… part instructional video… part spiritual awakening." $13.00 until Friday!

Please note: All Goddess Circle members get these kits + all Goddess Leonie's other products all FREE with their membership. The membership is definitely the bestest value option EVERRRRRR (Over $900 worth of kits, workshops, videos, worksheets and more for only $99 a year. This includes the 2012 Planner/Workbook./Calendar!).

Creating Your Goddess Year Workbook, Planner and Calendar

2012-01-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

The 2012 Creating your Goddess Year workbook, planner & calendar is an incredibly popular and useful tool to help you plan out and make happen your most incredible year yet! Over the last three years, thousands of women have used this workbook with the most amazing results.

It’s filled with over 100 pages of worksheets and a printable calendar to help you dream, manifest, set your intentions, plan and cultivate your amazing new year. The workbook has been lovingly handwritten and rainbow illustrated … perfect for you to print out, soak up the rainbow colours of and get thoroughly inspired by!You’ll get clarity on what you need 2012 to be. What you want to create during it. And most importantly, how to make it happen.

I've tried several online planners and this one is honestly, in my opinion, the most inspiring. It's beautiful to print out and put in a 3 ring binder, as I did with mine. The content is thought provoking and so useful! I'm taking all of January to plan the rest of my year, with the help of the Goddess Guidebook. I forsee that this will become an annual ritual for me! I couldn't believe that it is only $9.95! You can't lose!

Goddess Leonie Dawson is the creator of GoddessGuidebook.com, one of the longest running creativity, spirituality and business blogs on the web. Leonie is a writer, blogger, retreat leader, globe-trotter, visual artist, mama and vessel of wild creativity and sage self-guidance for the 20, 000 Goddesses who orbit around her virtual altar each month. Her strategic musings and practical wisdom have been featured on Problogger, Tiny Buddha, spirituality magazines like Goddess, Spellcraft, Life Images and Spheres and in three of SARK's best-selling books on creative fulfillment and freedom. Find her on Twitter @goddessleonie, Facebook and at her blog, GoddessGuidebook.com.

Do you have a plan for 2012?

Santa's Little Helper

2011-12-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

This free greeting made with Smilebox

Art Journal Everyday

2011-11-15T08:44:00.001-05:00

I'm art journalling every day with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer! I started out by making tags, an idea that I got from Tim Holz. I am heavily into Tim Holtz Limited Edition inks, Claudine Hellmuth paints and Balzer Design stencils right now! Tags are fun and I can stick them in my journal as bookmarks or page elements. There's one more girl...

Whimsical Workspaces - willowing & friends

2011-10-17T09:12:00.000-04:00

Whimsical Workspaces - willowing & friends:

'via Blog this'

Mixed media supplies can be so overwhelming! Thank goodness for this free workshop at Willowing.ning, hosted by the generous and talented Tamara Laporte and coordinated by the talented and generous Rhomany!

It is not too late to sign up and get re-creating your art-making space. You will thank me!

More Small Art

2011-02-23T08:09:00.003-05:00

ATC Triptych, Sun, Moon & Rising Signs, by W. T. Gibson

Here's my triptych for Small Art for the Faint of Heart! I used stamps by Kimberly Crick for my Moon and Rising signs and a crown from Alpha Stamps. I don't have a source for the month stamps that I used for the background of the middle panel.

(If you like the stamped images then you will be happy to know that I am selling them as Domino Pendants in each of the twelve signs of the Zodiac! I will post pictures one of these days. They are quite beautiful! The images are embossed and coloured with Copic markers.)

Here is the front of my Artist Trading Card. I used two puzzle pieces as a closure, an idea that I got from Trading Card Techniques and ATCs, by Lisa Vollrath, Tim Holtz and Michele Charles, from my favourite book publishing company, Design Originals. Isn't that a neat idea?

Have you made any art starring yourself?

Art Project, powered by Google

2011-02-04T13:55:00.001-05:00

Image via WikipediaArt Project, powered by Google
Explore museums from around the world, discover and view hundreds of artworks at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share your own collection of masterpieces.

I'm at the MOMA - the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, right now, then off to the Tate, in London!

Astonishing!

Thank you Google!

Some Small Art!

2011-02-01T12:14:00.002-05:00

Some student work for you to enjoy, from my eCourse, Small Art for the Faint of Heart, lovely little Artist Trading Cards! I am so pleased with how the Small Art course is going so far! The art alone is amazing but the insights ... that is what I am really enjoying! I am learning so much myself, about myself, this way. I know the others are too and it is fun to be a part of!

It is interesting that we have Fire signs, Air signs and Water signs taking part, but not one Earth sign! lol I'm not surprised! Earth signs are so practical and cautious! Do they have any fun though? lol Dear Earth signs, there is a sale on for the month of Valentine's, should you find yourselves in a particularly generous mood!

Right now we are having a look at patterns in our relationships! This should be interesting!

There is still time to join us!

Won't you?

:: images courtesy of Pegi Eyers and Arlene Holtz

Journaling Workshops Abound!

2011-01-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaArt journals are so familiar to me...I take the concept for granted. Recently, after reading my last post, someone commented on Twitter that they had never heard of Visual Journaling! I guess that is true of lots of people! If you haven't seen an art journal, or artist's sketchbook, you are in for something that might be quite overwhelming, if not inspiring!

Leonardo da Vinci had some nice sketchbooks. He would scribble things in it, jot down ideas for inventions ... write Leo loves Mona, over and over....

I just got my 9 x 12 journal to use for the Strathmore Artist Papers workshops! It's almost the one I was supposed to get, but Michaels didn't have that one. Yay!

The guts of my first two pages are assembled already and I have a picture in my head, lots of colours mostly.....I'm going to really use the heck out of my new-to-me Cricut Expression from ProvoCraft to embellish my journal! (Does anyone know how to tell the Cricut Ex what size you want if the screen doesn't light up? But I digress).

Have a look at Strathmore's free Journaling classes! Check out the other journaling starts for 2011 that I am linking to. I keep finding more!

Do you keep an art journal?

The Sketchbook Challenge: The Sketchbook Challenge BEGINS!

2011-01-02T20:48:00.002-05:00

Journal page in second hand dictionary.

Think I will combine this with the Strathmore Journal Workshops!

The Sketchbook Challenge: The Sketchbook Challenge BEGINS!

Thanks for the head's up, Violette! I love the first prompt for January!

}W{

Happy New Year 2011! Doing This ...

2011-01-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

Learn visual journaling techniques from experienced artists through free online videos and downloadable instructions.

Get inspired from other students in the virtual classroom, keep motivated with ideas and tips from the instructors, and discover the creative and emotional benefits of journaling!

Visit Strathmore Online Workshops

Let's Make a Little Art!

2010-12-27T13:20:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!

The eCourse starts on this coming Saturday, which is next year! lol Are you ready to learn about yourself and the significant others in your life? Are you ready to be the Star of your own art? Are you ready to have fun?

Sign up now for this eCourse and you will save $5.00! Can't afford $25.00 either? Email me! We'll talk!

You will be able to do this alongside of all the other things that you want to do ... the format is friendly and it may change your life. (I have no doubt that it will change your life, but I want you to find that out for yourself!). There will be lots of surprises and monthly prizes!

See you there!

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

2010-12-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

}W{

Tell Her Craft Dinner Sent You!

2010-12-03T14:03:00.000-05:00

Look what Nelly of Vanillery Garden gave me for you guys!

You will love this mixed media sewing and fashion and .....so much more including the Mori lifestyle that influences it! Nelly is studying Graphic Design in Austria, and brings much charm and skill to her classes! Remember to say that you are a Craft Dinner reader to claim your coupon!

Doors

2010-12-02T10:52:00.002-05:00

Doors
Originally uploaded by PaperScraps

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls." ~ Joseph Campbell

Yesterday I got a newsletter from Kathryn Antyr, the Collage Diva, about inspiration that she had received from Jamie Ridler's Wishcasting Wednesday. Jamie asked the question "What do you wish to invite in?" This led Kathryn to choose 12 pictures of doors that she had photographed and craft them into an advent calendar! Behind each door is ... what she would like to invite in to her life!

I love this idea, love doors, love advent calendars....except, for me, the question became "What would you like to open the door to?" And that reminded me of the famous Joseph Campbell quote, above. I am going to think about this and then make some Small Art!

You can purchase Kathryn's door pictures or have a look at the doors on Flickr or .... and I really like this one .... go out and take your own pictures of doors to use in your art! I have quite a few already. Doors are so interesting!

What are YOU going to open the door to in the new year?

Small Art for the Faint of Heart

2010-12-01T14:34:00.003-05:00

Image via WikipediaSmall Art for the Faint Of Heart

In one month, my eCourse on Art & the Stars begins! Small Art for the Faint of Heart involves making matchbox shrines, ATCs triptychs, domino altars, and more, using astrology as our inspiration! Which seems like quite a unique concept to me!

The projects are small, which makes them doable, and rather adorable! You will learn what your sun sign, rising sign and moon sign are, what they mean and how they influence you! You'll discover the Sun or Zodiac signs of the significant others in your life, and make small art that celebrates them! We will have 12 months to get to know our own birthcharts, our positive and negative attributes, how we react to things, how we appear to others, our element, our power colours, and so much more!

For $2.50 a month, this 12 month eCourse will not only teach you about yourself, but also about mixed media techniques that you may not have tried yet! It will provide you with images, quotes and ideas that you can make each project with as well as giving you enough material for other projects!

All the Art will be Small!

Halfway through each month will be our GiveAway! Yay! Presents! That's right! As a student, you will be entered to win a fabulous prize from one of our friends, including Rings & Things, Mori Cupcake, HHH Enterprises, The Beadin' Path and Winged Heart Studio, among others!!!

Have you signed up for Small Art yet?

Mori Cupcake---Enter the Forest ////Trailer

2010-11-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

}W{

bubbl.us - free web application for brainstorming online

2010-11-05T16:43:00.001-04:00

This is extraordinary!

bubbl.us - free web application for brainstorming online

Calendar Challenge!

2010-11-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

February...
Originally uploaded by marvin4pet

This photo is from a selection of calendar pages by Jill, of Third Age Musing! You can find the actual Calendar Challenge on Jill's blog and learn how to make your own!!!

Thanks to Goog, of Journey of a Mermaid, for the head's up about this neat way to journal everyday! Goog is tremendously inspiring and I encourage you to check out her blog!

Decorate Clothes Pins - Use Rubber Stamps to Decorate Clothes Pins for a Card Holder

2010-11-02T18:54:00.001-04:00

I used marker pen & glitter on these! Great for hanging freak flags!

Decorate Clothes Pins - Use Rubber Stamps to Decorate Clothes Pins for a Card Holder

Free Planners

2010-11-01T10:29:00.001-04:00

Start the month off in control! Well, try lol!
Free Planners

Mixed Media Art Resources

2010-11-01T10:22:00.000-04:00

This is one of my Squidoo Lenses. I really hope that you will interact with it!

Mixed Media Art Resources

}W{

Great Pumpkin (Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show)

2010-10-31T10:33:00.000-04:00

}W{

Guest Blogging!

2010-07-22T09:42:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm guest blogging for the breath-taking Violette while she is away for 2 weeks! I am pretty thrilled and feeling quite zippy about it! The Twisted Rose Tutorial is up this week, that I shared here earlier, and next week I will have a completely new tutorial to share! Make a date for next Monday on Violette's Freak Flag blog! Thank you Violette! Bon voyage!

Making any zines or ATCs? I think that ATCs are the ideal place to start for someone who feels like they are not one bit crafty. I'm going to be putting together an ATC starter list and kit, inspired by my highschool chum, Liz! She is interested in crafting because I am....that's sweet...and because she can also see how there might be some stress relief involved, and other good things. I'm going to see if Liz and I can meet on Skype to craft together some afternoon, with supplies, that even the non-crafty, will have on hand! I will let you know how that goes! Do you have any friends that do absolutely nothing crafty?

Speaking of zines, the amazing news that I have saved for last, is that I have a very special contributor for my zine, Day Dreams! Volume 1 is about Small Art, and the mystery contributor shares with us her love for the Small! This is huge, people! lol

Before I go, I must share with you this pant-wettingly funny blog I found, how, I don't really know. Hi-lar-i-ous! It's called Remarkably Domestic, and written by Beth, and I just stumbled on it this morning. The Martha Craft Challenge posts caught my eye and one in particular made me, well, just read them and see what happens. Don't take a sip of coffee and then read them, either. Fair warning. A valuable contribution to the crafting world!

If you would like to win a copy of my first zine, you can! Stay tuned for the HOW, coming soon!

>W<

Going Postal Update!

2010-07-13T15:31:00.002-04:00

Aries absolutely going postal over the soggy, opened envelope!

The Sun shone and shone and then it finally rained! That was the day my zines from Su M. at Tangle Crafts in England arrived! The envelope was kind of wet and .... opened! After a tiny freak-out, I grabbed my camera to record this ... this ... devastation. What if something had fallen out? What if I had been robbed? Everything was there though! Phew! However, the trauma of blurry addresses and gaping envelopes took my breath away for a moment! And you can see how upset Aries was!

The fabulous, damp contents!

But what a wonderful package - a trove of treasure! The zines are packed chockfull of information on weaving ATCs, french knitting, ATC swaps, time management, doll making a la Oddball Charms, oh, all sorts! Interviews, book reviews, how-to's! Very nice and cheap at the price! The yarn is lovely! So, you read them, which is a pleasure, and then you make things from the instructions, another pleasure, and then you take photos and share them here, an absolute delight for all of us!

Have you made any ATCs for the Going Postal project? Are you making any zines?

>W<

The ‘Going Postal’ Zine Project

2010-07-07T08:01:00.000-04:00

photo courtesy of TangleCrafts

I wish I could remember how I came across Su Mwamba's TangleCrafts. Her site is a tangle of crafts, indeed! An eccentric combination of crafts, creative ideas, unexpected projects and compelling designs!

Strangely enough, it was Su's weaving zines that captured my attention ... I have a bit of a collection of french knitting tools....did you call it 'corking' when you were little? 4 nails in a wooden thread bobbin....wrap the wool around and around, the length feeds down through the hole in the bobbin....knitting jenny....love finding them at thrift stores.

Anywho, I discovered the Going Postal Project while poking around over there.....and am determined to participate! We have until the end of August to submit an ATC on any number of themes provided ... and the returns are delightful!

The themes are:

an ATC with your interpretation of the theme ‘postal’
an ATC with your interpretation of the theme ‘postage stamp’
an ATC with your interpretation of the theme ‘mail art’

The rewards are:

a mini-zine featuring the ATC you have sent alongside at least 2 other people’s work on the same subject.
May also feature your contribution in a gallery on the TangleCraft blog.

The Going Postal Project in more detail.

Are you going to design an ATC and send it to Su? Will you show us here too, please? Fun!

Cloth Paper Scissors Creative Flag Challenge

2010-07-05T14:56:00.003-04:00

The Day Dreamers and I made Creative Spirit Flags out of canvas, and sent them in to Cloth Paper Scissors, to be part of CREATE with Cloth Paper Scissors 2010 Art Retreat!

The one on the left is by Deb Thompson, Canadian nature artist! See the paintbrush? Nice touch, I thought! Deb expresses her creative spirit with beautiful paintings and her flag shows that perfectly!

The other amazing spirit flags are by Jenny Hunt-Vanin, Lynne Versteeg, Melanie Davidson, me (mine is the Zentangled hand) and one not posted yet, by Crystal Wilson.

What does YOUR Creative Spirit Flag look like?

*Create!*

Metta Zine!

2010-06-30T11:47:00.004-04:00

My Metta zine about Art Journaling from iHanna in Sweden arrived and I have been taking it with me everywhere, to soak up the charmingness and information!

It is a lovely publication, visually, and so informative and friendly! iHanna shares her own experiences, likes, favourite things and so on. How can you go wrong with that formula!?

Violette shared the link to iHanna with me and of course, I am forever grateful! What a find! So inspiring! I will be talking more about this zine in July, rest assured. It has given me the confidence to work on my own little project!

Do you Art Journal? (Love how it is also a verb!)
>W<

Craft Dinner Looks So Pretty!

2010-06-16T19:19:00.001-04:00

For absolutely no other reason than that my new friend, Violette, has set my Creative Juice flowing, I have refreshed the look of Craft Dinner! Isn't it lovely? It really represents me right now and the things that I am currently loving ... representing as an artist ... beautiful colours and designs ... art journaling ... painting ... markering ... napkins ... collage ...

What is getting your Creative Juice going this week?

Happy Birthday Violette! Congratulations Bohemian Bliss Winner!

2010-06-15T14:21:00.001-04:00

It gives me so much pleasure to give this away as part of Violette's birthday celebration!!!

Congratulations to Jenny Vanin! You are going to Violette World!!!

And thank you so much to all of you who took part! Let's do it again soon!

Boho Bliss Workshop Giveaway!

2010-06-08T19:42:00.007-04:00

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!

Since Tuesday, June 15th, is Violette's actual birthday, we are going to do the giveaway then, noon my time, around 9:00 a.m. Violette's time!!! Can you wait one more day?!?! Alright, see you tomorrow!

Boho Bliss is so colourful, just like Violette, herself! The best part is that you actually learn how to build your art journal from scratch! So your new, mad skills will include book making, painting on fabric, making gratitude beads (!!!), creating a ruffle from a fabric you make...well, there's more, but you can check it out yourself!

Remember, if you commented on both my post and Violette's post from June 1, you are already in!

If you've never entered before, tell me why you would like to take the workshop. Don't forget to tell Violette, too, on her June 8 post!

Have you watched the video yet? In it you will be introduced to some of the techniques that Violette demonstrates in the workshops!

You have until Sunday, at midnight, June 13, 2010, to leave your comment! We will draw the names on Monday and announce it in the afternoon!

The Winner and a New Violette Giveaway!

2010-06-07T09:11:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Edie Dyer! You have WON Journal Bliss the Book & the Workshop!

Thanks to everyone who entered our first giveaway, and especially to Violette, who made it all possible!!!! You are all automatically entered to win the next amazing gift from Violette, Boho Bliss!

Bohemian Bliss Mixed Media Journal Book
Have you ever wanted to own a poofy richly decorated artsy book fitting as treasure in a pirate's treasure chest? Well now you can create your own whimsical and inspirational journal book from scratch in this Mixed Media 5 session class! You'll be making and embellishing your own beads, painting a face on fabric, and creating and binding your own book!

Class 1: Painting faces – learn how to paint a face with acrylics on fabric
Class 2: Create a fabric cover for your book
Class 3: Make ruffles, embellishments and handmade beads
Class 4: Create colourful background papers, get some ideas and tips for collage and journaling
Class 5: Bind your book and add funky embellishments to it.

In this class you'll receive 5 videos and 5 PDF's!

You are already entered to win! Stay tuned for more contest details and once again, thanks to everyone who participated.

Remember you can learn all sorts of free art techniques from Violette on her blog, and at her ning!
Have you made your frog stencil yet?

Violette: The Colour of Inspiration!

2010-06-04T12:54:00.002-04:00

Violette, Peace Princess!

I am so pleased to share this interview with you all! Violette Clark of Surrey, B. C. CANADA (yay!) is genuine, vulnerable, insightful, intuitive, brave, funny, generous, gifted....I could easily keep going, but first, the interview!

By the way, Violette's birthday is June 15th! Why not send her some special birthday wishes!

~~~

Hi Wendy,

Thanks for taking the time to interview me......here are my answers:

Who are you and what do you do all day? What do you do all night?

My name is Violette, I'm a mixed media artist, teacher and author. I also teach a variety of classes from art journaling to graffiti purse painting. My book Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts to Unleash your Inner Eccentric came out last year. I've created some online classes based on it. So what do i do all day? I make art, brainstorm ideas, work on projects for magazines, plan workshops, sometimes teach in the schools. I spend a lot of time e-mailing pitches to magazines and blogs and newspapers. Work on Social Networking, blog almost daily (5 days a week), read art books and business books (mostly at night though). Oh.......i live in beautiful British Columbia in the quaint little community of White Rock. I live in a purple magic cottage too. My home is a big inspiration for me.......it was my original canvas. It's a riot of colour!

Sign?

I'm a gemini through and through! I was born on June 15th in Casablanca Morocco.

What got you started?

Well i've been an artist my entire life but i guess what made me aware that i had some talent was when i was in grade four and i drew a picture of Twiggy - who was a famous skinny super model at the time. All of my classmates said the drawing was great and it was then i realized that i had found my calling. When my marriage came to an end 14 years ago my world kind of opened up in a colourful way. I surrounded myself with friends who believed in me (i call them my Bohemian Tribe) and encouraged me to do whatever i wanted to artistically. It's as if i was given permission to colour on the walls. It was very liberating. So i guess at the age of 41 i virtually came alive artistically and began to embrace colour in a big way! All kinds of magical things happened after that......one of them being a dream which told me to paint my doors. Afterwards i contacted the TV show Weird Homes and because they loved my painted doors so much they shot a segment on my home. Things kind of opened up after that! You can see the Weird Homes segment on my youtube channel: creativeboho

What keeps you going?

I love encouraging and inspiring women to embrace their creativity. I also love to encourage women to live outside the box a bit. This keeps me going - knowing that i am making a difference in women's lives is what gives me juice.

What stops you?

My vicious inner critic at times stops me or a bad review or a nasty comment. Sometimes it doesn't matter how many kind e-mails i receive, one bad review can haunt me for days - strange how that happens. I kind of mope around for a bit and then get my act together and get back on track.

What's new and exciting?

What's new and exciting? Well there isn't a lot that is new around - everything seems to have been done before - basically it's just a question of revamping things and putting your own twist or view on it. On the materials/supplies front though there are so many new materials that it's baffling - the selection sometimes is overwhelming. You don't really need a whole lot to begin creating - a permanent black pen, pencil, eraser, acrylic or folkart paints and some watercolours. I especially like Twinkling H2O's but you can use anything really! Hmmmmmmmmmmm.............i suppose in regards to technology - no other time has it been easier to connect with your favourite artist as it is now. With the advent of blogs, facebook, twitter etc......you can connect in the blink of an eye. Technology has made it easier to take classes from teachers who live to far away from you - online classes make that a breeze. Skype makes it easier to get coaching from creatives too. I guess rapidly changing technology is the newest thing of all.

Best advice?

Do you mean the best advice i've received? I supposed it's from Joseph Campbell the famous Anthropologist who said "Follow your Bliss". If you pay attention to what gives you juice that's where your joy resides..........go after that! The world will be a better place if you do!

Favourite colour?

Do i have to pick one? Right now it's Chartreuse, Orange and Purple :)

Favourite crafting tool?

Micron pens and Twinkling H2O's - you probably meant one tool though?

This time next year?

This time next year I hope to have several more online classes ready to go and some e-books as well. Hopefully my Etsy store will be generating more interest as well. I'll probably be thinking of working on another book proposal by then too! My Creative juju will hopefully continue to increase and I'll be churning out more projects for magazines!

Thanks so much Wendy!

Love,

Violette

www.violette.ca, www.freakflag.ca
"Joyful art that feeds the soul!"

My book is released - Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts to Unleash your Inner Eccentric

Violette on: Youtube Twitter Facebook

Have you entered to win Journal Bliss, the book and workshop, yet? Check my June 1, 2010 posting for more details!

Napkin Art & Technicolour Faces

2010-06-03T15:51:00.003-04:00

Sisters000053
Originally uploaded by Sharon@norah'S

Sharon Tomlinson is offering a brand new online workshop on her ning this month!

Technicolour Faces:
"Class tuition is $55.00. Registration will start as soon as I can get it up. The class will actually start June 18th. That will give a couple of weeks for the Artist to gather and get ready. It is so much fun when starting with a big group all at the same time. The energy is so exhilarating and inspiring and I hope you will all join in. ~ Sharon"

I first found Sharon's collage work with napkins in Cloth Paper Scissors and fell in love with her art and her process! The napkins add a magical dimensions and her way of painting quite unique!

Please sign up for the class at All Norah'S Art! You'll love it!

Hoopla!

2010-06-02T20:54:00.000-04:00

Last night I took my first hula hooping class! I laughed for an hour and was the worst one out of 3 other students! Luckily I have a deep core of self confidence and our teacher is a long time friend of mine!

The picture is of our beautiful teacher, Basia, spinning not one, but two, hoops! The hoops are filled with water and you can buy them from Basia, who makes them herself! And look at her! Obviously hooping works!

I am seriously not good at it but Basia promises that I will get better. Today, for $2.00, I bought a small hoop at The Bargain Shop, to practice with. So far, not so good! lol Small hoops are harder because they go faster but we will see. Perhaps, when I have mad skills, I will spin the small hoop, nonchalently, from my wrist.

This is the most fun exercising I have ever had, since I was a kid, I guess. If you take yourself really seriously, don't do this! If you don't want to have a riot, don't do this!

Supposedly, it really tones you and strengthens you! Which couldn't hurt! I'll tell ya, I'm feeling my calf muscles, my ab muscles hurt, my arms are tight and ... that's all just from laughing! Can't wait till next week!

Violette just painted her canoe turquoise and pink!

What's the craziest thing that you have done to get in shape?

Win Journal Bliss by Violette!

2010-06-01T08:11:00.005-04:00

June is Art Journal Month on Craft Dinner and we are starting it off with Craft Dinner's first Grand Giveaway!!! On a scale of 1 to 10 on the Excited Metre, I am at 10!!! If you haven't met talented Canadian, Violette Clark, yet, you will love her! I interviewed Violette earlier in May and will share that interview with you later this week.

Thanks to Violette, we are giving away Violette's On-line Workshop AND her book, Journal Bliss!

***

How to enter: You have until Midnight June 6, 2010 (Sunday) to 1. leave a comment on this post and 2. on Violette's June 1 post! 3, 4. Follow each of our blogs and Monday morning, June 7, 2010, we will use a random number generator to choose the lucky winner! I will email you!

If you have been wanting to start an art journal, this is a wonderful course and book to start with! If you have been art journaling for ages, you will love Violette's colourful and positive approach!

Good luck!

***

JOURNAL BLISS WORKSHOP:

Learn how to create groovy backgrounds, bodacious borders, fanciful lettering, doodles and faces in this fun four week course with me, Violette! You'll receive a PDF file and video every week.

You'll be able to upload your art on NING and connect with others in the forum. During the once a week live chat you can get your questions answered by me. You'll be encouraged to follow your Bliss by accessing your very own Unique Creative Expression. Playing with paint, lettering and faces has never been so much fun! Let that inner child out to play and silence your Inner Critic.

Week one: Groovy Backgrounds – learn how to create backgrounds using a variety of techniques such as scrap painting, collaging, stenciling, stamping and writing.

Week two: Bodacious Borders – Create fun, exuberant borders to enhance your Journal pages

Week three: Fanciful lettering and Doodling – learn how to add your special twist to your art.

Week four: Making faces and putting it all together – learn how to create easy faces to personalize your journal pages. In week four we'll be also putting all the elements together to create exciting and vibrant pages which help you Unleash your Inner Eccentric!

Water Bottle Bracelet Kit!

2010-05-03T11:37:00.001-04:00

My super fab kit arrived from Eco-Heidi! Everything I need to make 3 bracelets IMMEDIATELY, and a bunch more with a little bit of cutting!

Look, you can see the bottom of the scissors in the bottle! How did Heidi get the scissors in there?

The best part was grabbing the bottle...and nothing else....and heading off to Crystal's for an afternoon of eco-friendly crafting with everthing I needed, neatly contained! Love it! Thank you Heidi! You rock!

I ordered my kit from Heidi from the Cool 2 Craft Boutique! I watch Cool2Craft TV LIVE! on the net every Monday at noon, and that is how I found out about this great kit and all sorts of other cool crafty things! It's a great way to spend your lunch hour!

You can check it out through the link in the sidebar or join through Facebook. Just enter "Cool 2 Craft" in Search.

I made a skinny bangle by wrapping it with fibre and a wider bangle that I covered with one of the enclosed fabric strips. Photos coming!

These are so fun to make that I'm sure I will have lots to show you! Stay tuned for my interview with Eco-Heidi, this Wednesday in my Craft Trends column at Handmade News and check out my Paper Roses Topiary on the Cool 2 Craft blog as part of Floral Week!!! Thanks for featuring me Tiffany!

Do you use recycled stuff to make crafts with?

Paper Rose Topiary

2010-05-01T18:49:00.003-04:00

Paper Rose topiary
Originally uploaded by Sister Wend

April was full of pictures and blogposts that inspired me to action, many of them by Alisa Burke. She really has been redefining my creativity as I have already mentioned in an earlier post! Because of her, I started an Art Journal, made Queens out of toilet paper rolls and made a twisted rose topiary out of flyers! I might be leaving out a few things...I was seriously inspired! Anywho, wanted to show you how easy it is to just twist and coil, twist and coil. Experiment with how tight you coil or twist. You can vary the results easily by increasing or decreasing tension and using different parts of the flyer where one colour predominates.

This is a cool project to start May and I like how it keeps the momentum of Earth Day going. Catch Alisa Burke's tutorial here.

This is how I made the roses:

Choose a flyer or newspaper and rip or cut it from the fold.

Separate layers. I then fold them in half lengthwise.

Pull the strip through your fingers and tie a knot in one end.

Twist and coil. Glue. Twist and coil. Glue. Twist and coil. Glue.

And there you have it!

Make a whole bunch! To make the topiary, I then took two styrofoam balls, shoved the bigger one onto a dowel, about a quarter of the way in. I then bruted the dowel entirely through the smaller ball. I shoved it in, first on one end, and then the other, working it gently through. Then I used pretty pins to fix the flowers on the balls. You can paint the balls and the dowel if you want, add a ribbon, stick it in a terracotta pot and there you have a really beautiful centre piece as well as a conversation piece!

These would be nice at a handmade wedding!

If you make some, will you please tell me? Thanks!

Accidental Skyline

2010-04-26T15:48:00.001-04:00

I love the internet, especially when I win cool swag, as I did from the I Love to Create blog! And I love stencils, because I can't really draw, and I like the look of graffiti! So, these stencils and this paint made me very happy! Alexa, the Swell Designer, sent me the Punk Princess set and again I thank you, Alexa!. It's 3D paint!!! One of the stencils is of a city skyline, a motif that I have always loved. I'm very urban lol. I've been waiting for just the right idea for these items and, yay, I got a great one on the weekend!

First of all, I was showing some of the girls in my craft gang, The Day Dreamers, how to do neato backgrounds by squirting a couple of different colours of paint on a canvas or paper and then just scraping across the paint with an old credit card or a putty knife. People are always so impressed with how this ends up. It can also go terribly wrong so don't overdo the colours and amounts. It's easier to add than it is to take away. I used an 8" x 8" canvas to demo and brought it home where it sat around for awhile. Until today, when I suddenly grabbed it and stencilled in the skyline! Outlined it with a black pencil and then painted it in with acrylic. It looked good just like that, except that the whole city seemed to be experiencing a blackout!

There was no way that I was going to paint a gazillion little, tiny windows on all the buildings. And then * poing *.... the words ~Iridescent Glitter~ sprang into my head. Yes! I outlined the buildings with it and then used a paint brush to smooth it all out and...good grief! It now looks like thousands of tiny lights are on in the city!

The canvas looked like this until I used the stencil.

And now it looks like this, after the stencilling and glittering! Isn't it cool? Before I stencilled it, I fooled around with a silver paint pen and a gold paint pen around the edges. Doesn't the glitter look like windows? I love it! Thanks so much to Alexa and the I Love to Create gang for their great products and generousity!

P.S. Just because it says that these are fabric stencils and paints, you don' t have to listen! Wait till you see what I am going to do with the 3D paints! I will give you a hint! I am transforming a piece of luggage into a colourful and portable ride for my crafting gear! Oh, I guess I just told you what I am doing! lolol! Wait till you see it though!

Happy Birthday Earth Day and Famous Canadian Crafternality Heidi Boyd!

2010-04-22T14:09:00.002-04:00

Heidi's birthday was last week and I was torn between reviewing the book then or today but today won out! Cause Earth Day is soooo much older than Heidi!!! (There, that's your birthday gift from me, Heidi, lol!)

Heidi graciously sent me a copy of her inspiring book, CraftCycle, because we went to separate schools together, in Montreal. (This is funny on many levels, but you might have to be from Quebec to appreciate it. And even then, it is not really THAT funny).

Anywho, the Book has been borrowed by one of the Craft Gang, again. It already looks reused! We all really like it! The projects are both wantable and doable, mainly because of the FANTASTIC DIRECTIONS! Seriously, I need baby-step-by-baby- step directions and Heidi delivers! It is totally understandable! I really like how it is laid out by the Seasons, as well, because this helps you to develop a closer relationship with the cycles of the Earth and kind of ups your interest in what happens to it...making crafty recycling even more meaningful.

I want to go over a few of the projects in more detail, when I get the book back (AHEM!) and revisit it often here on Craft Dinner, but for now, let me just tell you that Heidi is giving away an autographed copy of the book on her blog, to celebrate Earth Day! Yay!

So go there now!

Happy Earth Day! (Pssssst, if you don't win a copy, you could click on my Amazon linky bit over there and down a bit, and get one that way!)

Recycled Roses

2010-04-22T10:43:00.003-04:00

IMG_3043
Originally uploaded by mealisab

The minute I saw this post by the catalytic Alisa Burke, I had to make these roses! I grabbed a Shopper's Drugmart flyer and started twisting, twisting, twisting.

I like it! So I made a topiary! Alisa Burke's tutorial is super!

Why not make something like this for Earth Day?

I made the topiary...so far... you see below!

The Crafty Chica on Good Morning Arizona Talking about WUITLOG!!!

2010-03-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

What Would You Do With 350 lbs. of Glitter!?

2010-03-01T16:30:00.001-05:00

Kathy Cano-Murillo's book Waking Up in the Land of Glitter Released Today! Watch the trailer!

This next one is by Maya Cano-Murillo and was taken at CHA so you will spot lots of crafty friends in it!

You can buy the book through my Amazon link on the right hand side!

And check out Kathy's 31 Days of Glitter to celebrate National Craft Month!

Review: Zentangle Basics and Zentangle 2

2010-02-21T16:13:00.001-05:00

As you know, I discovered Zentangle a few weeks ago when I visited the blog of Suzanne McNeill, who is, among other things, an artist, craft trend setter, craft book publisher extraordinaire and Certified Zentangle Teacher! Her company, Design Originals, is a leader in the craft book industry and I have several of their titles. Design Originals has a book for every technique or craft that you could wish to know about!

Suzanne is part of a group on Facebook for Friends of Zentangle and I started to communicate with her through comments. Suzanne very kindly offered to send me a copy of each of her Zentangle books, and when I regained consciousness, I emailed her my address!

I brought the books to the Urban Craft Market and made many new converts! We are organising a Zentangle show and I will post the pictures from that here. All the Marketeers love Zentangle and made other things even after our Crafternoon was over, including a wooden letter sign! Marketeers who scrapbook were excited to see how you can use Zentangle to decorate pages, saving a lot of money and making it a much more personal momento!

The 81/2 x 11 format of the books make them very manageable, especially if you want to keep them open to refer to while you Zentangle...and you will! The covers are lovingly Zentangled and there are 19 pages of delightful patterns and how-to's to sample! The thing that takes Zentangle beyond just doodling is that there are official patterns established by the developers of Zentanlge, Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. While you are free to 'ad-lib', the fun, for me at least, is in incorporating specific recognizable patterns.

There are 24 patterns in the first book, some from Rick and Maria, some from Suzanne and others. It is very amusing to try and create your own patterns! The book explains beautifully how to start and how to continue. The patterns are large and the steps to make them are shown clearly. There is also a very helpful smaller legend at the back of the book which enables you to see all the patterns at once. All this is true of the second book as well AND it has 25 new patterns to try! I love the idea from the second book of compiling a pattern journal! Both books are well laid out and the techniques are very easy to follow. There are many suggestions and illustrations for using Zentangle for everything from home decor (see my switchplate) to fashion. I highly recommend both of these books but...they should come with a warning! Zentangle is VERY addictive! I know some people say that and don't mean it, but I REALLY MEAN IT!!!

Many, many thanks to Suzanne for sending me the books and getting me hooked on Zentangle!

Suzanne was recently on Inspired at Home Radio with Tiffany Windsor, talking about Zentangle. Please enjoy it! Then get Zentangling! I can't wait to see what you make! Zentangle has opened my crafty floodgates!

The Face of Zentangle

2010-02-05T13:19:00.001-05:00

the face of zentangle
Originally uploaded by artchicapoo/Jade Adams

Yet another brilliant Zentangle idea found on Flickr! So inspiring! I'm off to find magazine pages with faces I can use!

Have you used faces in your Zentangle patterns yet?

I Zentangled a Craft Stick!

2010-02-01T13:45:00.001-05:00

1. Paint craft stick white.
2. Stamp faces on stick. (The stamp I used is ATC6 by Jill Meyer for Hampton Art Stamps-love it!)
3. Go over with finepoint marker.
4. Divide rest of stick into 'squares'.
5. Zentangle them!
6. Colour edges of stick with marker.

Doesn't that look awesome! A bookmark or display piece...a pendant? What else could you use these for?

Here are some more examples of things to do with craft sticks at The S. S. Reflections and Lisa Vollrath!

Design Challenge with Heart!

2010-02-01T10:53:00.003-05:00

Rings 'n Things sent me a beautiful bunch of Valentiney type beads...in December! There was no way that I was talking about Valentine's Day then, but I am happy to do so now!

As well as the lampwork beads, I also received some rather charming gunmetal filigree findings findings.

I've almost finished something very pretty with them and will post the pix soon! In the mean time, check out what some of the R&T Blog Design Partners have made! The links are in the left hand sidebar under Bead Challenged!

Full Moon DreamBoard

2010-02-01T10:26:00.002-05:00

Full Moon DreamBoard
Originally uploaded by Joanna Young

Oh my goodness! We are having a Dream Board/Vision Board Crafternoon, this Saturday, at Craftdymion, home of the Urban Craft Market!

I love this one by Joanna Young! If you can't make it to our Monthly Dream Board Crafternoon, let me take you to the source, as far as I am concerned, namely Shakti Gawain. I have been making Dream Boards, or Treasure Maps, as Shakti calls them, for years! They are fun! And they work! Do you make Dream Boards?

February: KISS Crafts with Heart!

2010-02-01T10:12:00.001-05:00

Of course, our KISS crafts for this month are all centred around hearts! Since I'm still madly Zentangling everything in sight, allow me to share this month's first KISS Craft, from the blog of Suzanne McNeill! What a great blog by the way! I love the behind-the-scene glimpses of one of my favourite craft book publishers, Design Originals! You'll find the full instructions for this simply, satisfying heart there, as well as some other lovely Zentangles!

Have another heart! And another!
Heidi Boyd's Felt Hearts
A Crafty Chica Heart on a Tote

KISS Craft 3!

2010-01-25T08:44:00.001-05:00

The story behind these stars is as amazing as the technique itself! Enjoy this week's star! Don't forget to post your photos! I will post one too as soon as!

Steven & Chris!

2010-01-19T15:44:00.000-05:00

To celebrate this new decade, my employers are starting 2010 with a Bang! BuyCanadianFirst.ca has teamed up with The Steven and Chris Show on CBC for a fabulous contest where you could win a $1000 shopping spree in the BuyCanadianFirst.ca Gift Guide!

For details and to enter the contest, visit the CBC website by January 22nd.

Good luck, mes amies!

Zentangle Sampler

2010-01-15T12:42:00.003-05:00

zentangle sampler
Originally uploaded by *carolion* is on hols & has a new addy

I have been doing drawings like this in my journals for years, but just recently discovered Zentangles on line! I have not stopped drawing samplers for two days! I will post mine when my camera is fixed. In the meantime, check out these links!
Design Originals' Suzanne McNeill's Zentangle Mask!
Beez in the Belfry, Sandy Bartholemew's extremely helpful site.
Home of Zentangle
Squidoo Lens on How to Zentangle
and browse around on Milliande's ning for all sorts of zentangle and general artsy goodness!

KISS Craft 2! Lucky Paper Stars!

2010-01-11T12:02:00.004-05:00

This is the Best Craft Ever! So simple, meaningful and empowering! You don't need special papers...just grab a shiny piece of junk mail, cut a strip 3/8" x 10", tie a knot and you are off! You will find that the star is very good about telling you where to fold next! Everyone loves getting these too!

Thank you, Zakka Life for such fantastic directions and photos!

Let's make star KISS Crafts all January! Then hearts for February! Yay!

More Paper Lucky Star links:

Instructables
Folding Trees
Black Heart Queen has free Lucky Star paper for you to print out!

Trendy Turquoise 2010!

2010-01-06T12:32:00.004-05:00

One of my favourite colours is the Pantone Colour of the Year! Congrats, Turquoise! It looks good on you!

I've written all about Pantone, the colour people, and the crazy fun you can have over on their site on my Handmadenews.org and iCraft.ca blogs. You can also read a slightly different take on Turquoise on my BuyCanadianFirst.ca blog! All short bytes, you won't be there all day! Well, maybe on the Pantone site...hee hee!

Then I went Turquoise hunting around Rings & Things, The Beadin' Path and HHH Enterprises! My awesome design partners have lots to offer in Turquoise! The Turquoise and Tiger Eye stones, sold together at Rings & Things and pictured above, blew me away! I mean, they took all the guesswork out and came up with a truly winning combo! I love, love, love it and never would have thought of putting the two together so successfully!

The Beadin' Path sorts their magnificent vintage lucite by colour! How great is that!? Look at these Italian vintage lucite turquoise barrel beads! Mouth watering!

HHH Enterprises whole site is turquoise and I think its bee-yoo-tee-full! I wasn't expecting to find and fall in love with this belt, but I did!

Is anything turquoise in your life?

Wish Upon a Star Thread Bracelets - First KISS Craft of 2010

2010-01-04T09:47:00.001-05:00

KISS Crafts are crafts that I want to share with you because they are super simple, yet rich in content. They instantly gratify yet have long lasting repercussions! They don't demand a lot of space, but they take up a lot of room in your heart and in the heart of the person you give one to! Keep It Simple Sweetie is what K I S S stands for, in this crafty case. You will not need many supplies or tools either, although you are always welcome to upgrade! But I do recommend using things like junk mail and old phone books, where apropo, for the most part.

KISS Crafts are meant to lift your heart, make you smile and encourage you to share your art by making 2 and passing 1 on. I really hope that you will show me what you make, too!

My first nominee for the KISS Craft category is from the Crafty Chica of course! If anyone gets this concept it is Kathy Cano-Murillo! We will be visiting her often for more ideas but this first one is a great one to start the year! The Crafty Chica's art always inspires me and lifts my heart and I know that you will love it too! Please take a photo of your bracelets when you make them! (Don't forget to give one away!).

The Crafty Chica's Wish Upon a Star Thread Bracelets.

Enjoy!

Off to a Good Start in 2010!!!

2010-01-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

Well, my crafty friends, here we are, one day and a decade later!

Let's see what we get up to! I'll show you mine if you show me yours! Heck, who am I kidding! You don't even have to show me yours!

Glad Rag Swag Bag

2009-12-31T13:44:00.000-05:00

Having received my second mailing of goodies from Rings & Things but being separated from both my cameras for reasons long and boring, I was at a loss to show you my loot. Then my brain woke up and I got these pix for you to look at!

Please go to A Bead a Day to see the full bounty of beads as they came to the mailbox of Lisa Crone. Oh, and her new book is out!!!! It looks wonderful and I am humbled to even have the same beads as Lisa! lol!

Here's an awesome close-up of some of the beads from Rings & Things:

These are black 'faceted helix sparkly glass beads'. Helix. "A helix (pl: helixes or helices) is a type of space curve, i.e. a smooth curve in three-dimensional space. It is characterised by the fact that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases." -Wikipedia

A space curve! So Tardis and Dr. Who! Seriously, you need to see these beads in real life! They are subtle yet happening! They are beyond faceted! To me, they whisper 'Vampire Steampunk'. Yes, I know, steampunk again. I have the most amazing thing to grace these beads with and then I will show you!

In the mean time, please do visit the blogs of the others playing with these beads, some of whom are listed in the sidebar on the right. My right.

Happy New Year! All the best for 2010! Keep sparkling!

Ebony Wood. Would You?

2009-12-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

It's beautifully organic, delicious to the fingers, a puzzle. This is what I made with it. My Ebony Wood necklace.

I attached this very beautiful Walnut wooden Tree of Life pendant, that Sarah at HHH Enterprises sent me. (You can also get Tree of Life Pendants at R&T or other types of wooden pendants.) It took no imagination whatsoever, on my part to do this, but it had to be done. The link attaching the pendant to the chain is made of turquoise faux leather and wrapped with fine brass wire. Turquoise and chocolate are very hot and trendy this season so score one for me in that department and another in the darn, that look's good together department.

Wrapped the faux leather ends with brass wire and made a hook and eye clasp.....

....and there you have it! I'm thinking turtleneck. You?

Always thought that I needed a fuller bust but apparently I need a taller one too! lol

Time Flies!

2009-11-18T10:21:00.002-05:00

Here is my first creation with the swag batch I received for cleverly winning the Rings & Things Blog Partner Contest! As you know, these packages are put together by Dave Robertson, R & T Web Optimizer, and the man really takes the Optimizer part of his job description seriously! Who amongst us has not enjoyed at least one Twitter or FaceBook interaction with Dave? Anywho, he's also, ummm, a bit, uhhh, well, unconventional in his selections....check my last post to see what I'm talking about! (Okay, lazy, he sent Tim Holtz Ideology scrapbook embellishments with the jewelley making stuff! *whirls finger beside head*).

Ha ha Dave! Using scrapbook stuff is all the rage in the funky mixed media jewellery in the spotlight lately! It's so Steampunky! That's the vibe these vintage styled pieces gave me anyway and above is the result! Let me walk you through my process here a bit...the 'why' of my design.

I started with the Hammered Oval Cable (Antiqued Brass Plated) chain. I was already thinking Steampunk because of that crazy little embossed brass corner piece and the watch hands. At this point, on an unrelated craft emergency, I had to go to Michaels, the Arts & Crafts store near here, to get some 12 x 12 paper. Like most of you, I go into craft stores knowing exactly what I need, head right to it, check out and leave...I'm sorry; my lies sicken you, don't they?! Suffice it to say, while getting the paper, I was distracted by a nicely sized, coin shaped piece of Opalite, which is Chinese glass with a haunting glow to it....to me, a very Steampunk type of glass.

(Sidebar: I learned all about Opalite from R& T years ago, and it was their truthful Opalite info that made me their fast friend!).

I also found those sweet little leaf and word tags dangling off the bottom and the little bird at the top of the opalite bead. Rings & Things has similar danglies. I used brass wire to make a double eye-pin to put through the opalite bead and then I did something heretofore never even considered...I glued the Opalite bead inside the brass cormer frame!!!! (Have you noticed how its okay to glue things to things now in jewellery making? So I did!) I had to manipulate the frame a bit, but it knew it was being manipulated, and it didn't seem to mind, so I quickly had the large coin shaped Opalite snugged inside the frame.

Disoriented and dizzy from the glue fumes, I now had a rather visually heavy pendant, which meant that I needed more chain to balance it.(More, not less chain, is all the rage right now!) Having 2 kinds of such brass chain, I quickly attached them to each end of the length of oval chain. I then attached the watch hands together with a link from one of the smaller chains, and made them into half of a toggle clasp, sliding them easily through one of the oval links. I like it and prefer it when necklaces close in the front.

Isn't it beautiful how the Opalite seems to change colour?! The tag dangly says 'bloom', the bird and the watch hands remind us that time flies and to live for the moment and the entire necklace, I think, evokes a delightful memory of a past that hasn't happened yet.

What do YOU think? (I know you can hear me!).

It's Raining Beads! And Findings!

2009-11-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

Cor, what a week of fabulous mail deliveries! Took this later in the day so it is rather shadowy, otherwise I think you can see the many cool things sent to me by Rings & Things for winning their Blog Partner Contest!

I'm intrigued to find what appear to be scrapbook embellishments! So glad my Tim Holtz token has an "E" on it, for Edward, my dh! Watch hands, a frame, a metal corner...these are from Tim's Idea-ology™ line.

There are also the cutest little glass Christmas charms...a tree, a stocking, an adorable pengy penguin, a gingerbready bear and two decapitated snowmen! Well, the heads of the snowmen lol! I know that they want to be earrings but there are a few other things I'm trying first with them!

I'm loving the three different types of chain, especially the Ebony wooden chain.

Oh and right there in the middle, and a little to the left, is the most darling little bottle, with a screwable closure and a hole for a jump ring! It looks like a fairy's perfume bottle or maybe a flask for those hard fairy days!

Okay! To work!

(SO not work! lol)/

Thank you Dave and Rings & Things! Please stand by!

Bounty From The Beadin' Path!

2009-11-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

Mouth-watering greens, pinks, and purples! Shiny and matte and moonglow! Rounds, ovals, rondelles, top-drilled, flowers and drops! Ga ga with gratitude over this heavenly heap and already have a couple of ideas for each item! Thanks again to Heather at The Beadin' Path for choosing such rich colours and finishes and shapes for me to play with!

I'll try to show a few of the things that you could do with these, especially the drops and flowers. I can tell you right now that, if you just put a jump ring through either of the flower pieces and hang them on a chain or ribbon, you'll be stylin'! The top drilled purple beads are so pretty that if you just strung them on memory wire, elastic or tiger tail, as is, you'd have a great looking bracelet! Actually, a simple strand of any of these luscious beads would be delightful at the wrist or neck.

Because the beads are so lovely on their own, the challenge, as always, is to show them off without overwhelming them! Whenever I make a bracelet or necklace, I decide first which beads are going to be the stars of the piece, which beads will be the supporting players and which beads will chime in from the chorus. So let's see what kind of production I come up with using these!

And The Winner Is.....

2009-11-09T11:24:00.006-05:00

.....ME!!!!
I've written about Rings & Things before, and you've met Russ Troll Bead here and followed his travels, so it should come as no surprise to know that I entered this and my name was drawn! What a lucky duck I am to work with the thoughtful choices put together by R&T's own Web Optimizer, Dave Robertson! I can't wait to see what my first package contains! I'm not in this alone either! Have a look at Just a Tish's blog and Dawno's blog. (I'm afraid to because I want to come up with my own take on things, which is really, quite difficult, what with inspiration to be found everywhere! But our styles are all so different that it should be quite interesting!)

Now, MY news from Rings and Things is thrilling, isn't it?! YOUR news from Rings and Things can be thrilling too! These guys are so generous and they are really showing it by giving designers this opportunity:

"A jewelry contest of creations made from Rings & Things products.

We invite you to show us your favorite handmade designs.
Designs don't have to be jewelry—they can be anything!

Entries accepted Jan 1 thru Feb 28, 2010.

Winners announced the 1st week of June.

Winning entries (with credit to the designer) could be featured in our catalog

& promotions—that's exposure to more than a million people a year, worldwide!

You can turn around and use this for "as seen in" promotions of your own."

How cool is this! Fun for YOU and ME, thanks to Rings &Things! How perfect! Thank you Rings &Things! YOU rock!

Indie North Gift Guide!

2009-11-02T10:29:00.000-05:00

Beth Smith of Indie North http://indienorth.com/, has put together a really lovely looking gift guide and I am thrilled/proud/pleased to have an ad for Winged Heart Studio and the Peterborough Downtown Craft Market in it! Beth has a huge readership and she toils endlessly on behalf of Canadian Crafters to promote them and their indie businesses! If you are making a point of shopping local this year, have a look at the Guide. Or just look at it from a design standpoint! It really is well done visually! Thanks Beth baby, for a great job!!!

iCraft Marketing Boot Camp Starts November 1, 2009! (SUNDAY!!!)

2009-10-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

I have shops on Artfire and iCraft and I know that you have at least one shop somewhere or are thinking of starting one, especially with the gift giving season looming! Just wanted to let you know about iCraft's Boot Camp which is starting very shortly - November 1, 2009.
What I like about Boot Camp is that it is daily and that it also includes marketing advice, to-do's and how-to's for marketing your business where you live! So there ya go!

If you aren't interested, no worries. If you are, here is my referral key WHICH WILL ENTITLE YOU TO 6 MONTHS OF FREE ICRAFT.CA MEMBERSHIP!

My Referral Key: e0049cba8b.

I have never done the Boot Camp before and I am expecting it to result in improved shops and actual sales! Boot Camp is FREE when you join iCraft! It's a good deal and iCraft has a very attractive demographic that you may not be reaching with your other shops.

Oh, and they give away rather amazing stuff!

Below is a blurb from Christine Skaley, the Program Creator and then a little discussion I had with Alison Lynch from my Artfire Canadians Guild about rating venues with an article by Linda Harrell of Indie CEO. Hope this helps you sell lots!

Cheers, Wendy

About this Program
This is going to be a 28 day marketing program (weekends off) that will get us into the habit of effective and consistent marketing, with low to no cost methods: and at least 30 minutes of your time daily. Bootcamp will be about establishing routines and disciplines to do the daily marketing activities needed to keep your business growing. It will be about meeting some of your online neighbours and icraft family, so from hereafter you will always have a support system.

There will be 2 new daily threads started by me, Christine Skaley.
Day 1 - Check In and Day's Assignment.
Day 1 - What Happened?

Throughout the day I'll encourage you to post questions and communicate freely in the forum, about what you are doing... You can brag, debate, question and even argue... but no whining. Next day you will again see 3 new threads, and so on and so on for each of the remaining days.

We will try and get everyone including newbies out of the gate with at least one sale. I hate zero. It looks fat. :)

We will make this fun and interesting with free stuff too!
To sign-up for this program and to qualify for iCraft incentives, please go to "My Profile" and check "Yes, sign me up for the "Sellers' Bootcamp" program!" checkbox.

***********************************************************************************************

Alison Lynch has sent you a message on Artfire Canadians

Hi Wendy,

I've actually been checking out icraft.ca as another possible selling venue.

What's the dynamic like in terms of shoppers who visit the site? I really like the look and feel of iCraft, and would appreciate any insight you could share.

Thanks
alison

Oh cool, Alison, glad this is helpful! I chatted with 'GalleriaLinda' who is very involved in the Boot Camp program and the iCraft forums generally. Here is an excerpt that I think you will find extremely relevant! Linda is from Florida and that is why I asked her about why she was using what I think of as a Canadian venue.

me: why iCraft, which is to my mind, primarily a canadian venue?

lharrellmail: I love iCraft because it has a different demographic. I find that my jewelry does not really click with the major demographic of Etsy.

You can go to www.quantcast.com and see demographics for venues. Very important.

Plus, the iCraft admin are so great and easy to work with. And, I love their bootcamp.

Their one-page listing sheet is SUCH a time saver.

me: very interesting! so you have sold more on iCraft?

lharrellmail: Yes I have made more sales there - even with my paltry time investment (because of working).

lharrellmail: Yes - on iCraft. More sales in shorter time than Etsy.

me: have you written an article about rating venues on quantcast on indie ceo?

lharrellmail: http://indieceo.blogspot.com/2008/12/selecting-right-selling-venue.html

Treasure Box!

2009-10-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

It all started with the tag in the top right corner. The deal was that, if someone commented on a HHH Enterprise blog post, they could win one of these little beauties, with their name or initials or a word, stamped into it! And I did and I did! This lead me to be in touch with Sarah, over and over again, who, tired by my saliva-laced comments and drooling, over-the-top praises, sent me a box of treasure to see what I would make of it. (Or to shut me up lol).

Wow! I opened the box, and this, as seen above, is what was inside! There is a ducky little tiny bottle with a cork that you can wear as a pendant or use for shrines, for example.....laser cut wooden pendants, some cool heart findings, a little 'stone' charm that says 'PEACE', a HUGE peace sign medallion, a really unusual watch face with wood inlay, interesting glass slide pendants and stunning, double hinged, glass lockets with doors that open! Many of these glass pendants come in packs of six! They come in many different shapes, too. You'll find it hard to choose! The house ones are darling! The huge round one looks good empty but I have several ideas for what to put in it! They also have pendants that resemble little shadow boxes! iyiyi!

I am crazy about the supplies that can be found at HHH Enterprises, because, although I mostly make jewellery I also make other stuff, too. I like to mix it up! Their blog showcases project ideas that are geared to people like me who make and sell mixed media jewellery. Best of all, they share ways to make beautiful jewellery while keeping the costs down! Their stuff always seems to pack a big pow, even before you do anything to it! I mean, look at those lockets! They are already perfect as is, with the charming ribbon and cord necklace. But what if you switched out the ribbon for a slinky little snake chain? Slam a photo of your dog in there on one side, a snap of the boyfriend on the other, and you're happening! Best of all, you can switch it all out again for the next event. I love 'em. They are like mini-art exhibits that you wear! And they come in so many shapes! So, yeah, I'll show you a few ways to play with those. I'm also very excited about those wooden pendants! Aren't they cool? They are about 2 inches and made of walnut. Again, a big bang already, hang 'em on a ribbon, off ya go. A really lovely, no effort necklace.

Stay tuned for the results!

Count Your Blessings!

2009-10-11T09:23:00.000-04:00

My Course at The Learning Source.ca!

2009-09-29T18:39:00.002-04:00

Jewellery Making
Price: $45.00
Learn the foundations of handcrafted beaded jewellery making, using various stringing media including tiger tail, memory wire, stretchy elastic and satin cord with sumptuous beads. Bring any bead supplies that you may already have. Additional costs for supplies. During the mini workshop you will be creating a bracelet and earrings. * You will need a basic jewellery pliers kit which must include round nose, flatnose, & cutters. They usually also come with a couple of different styles of flatnose pliers.You can get these for a very good price at Walmart. I will have pliers at class that you can borrow if you would rather try before you buy! We will be making a bracelet using tiger tail, because this is the hardest kind of stringing media to use but the best choice for most beads. The bracelet kit includes beads, tiger tail, crimps, clasps, jump rings and everything else you might need to make your first beautiful bracelet! I have very specific earrings that I want to teach you how to make. These earrings are beautiful and will teach you how to master some rather challenging techniques. The earrings kit and bracelet kit for the workshop cost $15.00.

The Learning Source Jewellery Making Course

Silent Sunday!

2009-09-20T11:42:00.002-04:00

my wists | clone this

Stop The Presses Saturday!

2009-09-19T11:41:00.001-04:00

Handmade Entrepreneurs, Part 4, Beth Smith of Indie North!

Friday's Feature!

2009-09-18T11:40:00.004-04:00

Bead Crazed! An Artfire Canadian!

Real Name:: Lisa Lutz

Artfire Shop Name:: http://www.BeadCrazed.artfire.com

Twitter Name:: http://www.twitter.com/beadcrazed

FaceBook:: http://www.facebook.com/lisa.m.lutz

Blog:: http://www.lisalutz.blogspot.com

Please visit this talented artist!

Thrifty Thursday!

2009-09-17T11:37:00.003-04:00

Gorgeous felted bag. $2.00. St. Vincent de Paul. : D

Wendy's Wednesday Web

2009-09-16T10:04:00.003-04:00

Found an outstandingly simple, yet deeply, creatively satisfying thing to do with my camera that combines many of my loves...collage, photography, taking pictures of Peterborough....I also love how you can use shapes instead of actual .... well, I'll let you read it!

Kudos to Cathe Holden, once again! Don't forget that she is also responsible for my cute blog buttons and inspired me to get bird nest making! This week Cathe is actually blogging about Sister Diane's truly inspired new book, Kanzashi in Bloom and the flower that Cathe couldn't help making. But that's another story.

Take-Out Tuesday

2009-09-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

This week's take-out treat from the Peterborough Downtown Craft Market is Crystal Wilson! Crystal makes polymer clay pendants and colourful beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings. She is influenced by natural elements and magical symbols and her pieces are well-balanced and appealing! Visit Crystal's Etsy shop and her PDCM page! She is at the Market almost every Sunday and we love having her! Come meet Crystal at the Market between 11 and 4 every Sunday at Peterborough Square!

Make My Monday!

2009-09-14T11:05:00.003-04:00

The Beadin' Path sent me some....River Rock Beads! They are huge nuggets of recycled glass! Quite gorgeous in a mythological way! And a challenge to a fresh faced designer like myself! I try not to look at what everybody else has made with similar materials before I add my two cents....or, in this case, a quarter!

I have a crazy design in mind that I will get started on today! It involves thinking outside the rocks. Hee hee.

Time-off with the DH!

2009-09-06T14:48:00.001-04:00

Please feel free to browse the Peterborough Downtown Craft Market by clicking on the picture!
I'll be back next Monday!

Stop The Presses Saturday!

2009-09-05T21:12:00.001-04:00

Trendspotting in the Movies!!

Last week we looked to the various store flyers, delivered to our door, for ideas on what was trending in fashion, decor and even hardware. Armed with this knowledge, we crafters, artists and designers can make informed decisions regarding the unique gift items that we make. This week, I'd like to suggest another place for you to spot trends that you may have overlooked, so grab your popcorn, we’re going to the movies!
Last year's huge movie success, Twilight, is still making its influence felt on clothing, jewellery and fashion accessories. Items with a Twilight theme will continue to swell in popularity each time a new chapter in the series is brought to the screen. Even if you aren't a fan of the vampire genre, it was hard not to be aware of the furor surrounding the film and to see its effect on the handmade crafting world...

Read more at my Craft Trends Column at HandMadeNews.org!

Friday's Feature!

2009-09-04T15:48:00.002-04:00

Today we are featuring the talented and supportive Patricia Wood, of VerreDesign: a Quebecoise glass artist and jewellery designer extraordinaire! Patricia is a member of Artfire Canadians, and she has a blog, Etsy shop, Artfire shop and lots of other links that will please you. Her glass and metal work are superb! Please do have a look! You are sure to find a wonderful contest to enter!

Thrifty Thursday!

2009-09-03T14:26:00.002-04:00

Oh St. Vincent de Paul! Thank you for your many blessings! $.50 each!

Wendy's Wednesday Web

2009-09-02T14:13:00.004-04:00

Well, I've been wandering again! I just have one spot that I want you to check out this week. Tell me what you think!

Take-Out Tuesday

2009-09-01T15:31:00.003-04:00

I'm borrowing from an earlier posting of mine on this, the first Take-out Tuesday, where we visit the Peterborough Downtown Craft Market for a little something to go! This week's Take-out Talent is Deborah Sikora.

The fabulously multi-talented Deborah Sikora and I took Metal Jewellery Making at the Peterborough School of Art, but met years ago when I managed Blue Sky Bead and she taught there. Debbie is a member of The Bead Hive, a group of ladies who...bead, dude. She is also currently selling her work at the Peterborough Downtown Craft Market. You can check the site for dates when Deb will be selling there.

Unlike me, Debbie has the patience of Job and so excels at the most beautifully detailed chain maille. Quite gorgeous! Come to the Market and see some! K? She makes all sorts of jewellery but her creative talents go far beyond 'just beads'!Deb also makes fab paper craft gifts, sculptures and much more. You'll see!

Make My Monday!

2009-08-31T10:41:00.005-04:00

It's another Beadin' Path Design Partner Project! I started with 20 Vintage Lucite Yellow Moonglow Barrel Beads and Vintage Lucite, Bright Spring Green Moonglow Round Beads, 14mm. There are 15 beads per strand.I used 8 in the actual necklace and held 4 back to make earrings. I used faux leather cord in yellow and green, the exact same shades as the beads and attached crimp endings to each end of cord. I don't tend to measure things because I'm too impatient, so I just kept folding the cords in half and cutting them to get the right size. I was going to use chain but wanted something a little more exciting. The cord is perfect and fits right in with the Woodstock influence trending now due to the music festival's 40th anniversary. You may remember me saying that I am trying to make jewellery that doesn't have clasps. I love being able to throw this over my head and wear it at different lengths. I also used big 9mm jump rings for a contemporary, modern look. The real key to making this design are the silver-plated crimps, 6x2mm tubes with loops,
from Fire Mountain Gems. They finish the ends of the cord beautifully, don't they? The cord was just the right size, but to make it easier to put the crimp tubes on, I cut the cord on an angle and applied a drop of glue to hold it tight.

Silent Sunday!

2009-08-30T14:52:00.001-04:00

Trendspotting From My Couch!

2009-08-28T14:11:00.004-04:00

As my colleague, Scarlet Leonard wrote last week in her article on Trend Sourcing, you can learn alot about what’s trending just by being observant. I want to share with you a little secret based on that principle, which will help you to spot trends from the comfort of your living room!

Here in Peterborough, Ontario, Wednesday and Friday nights are flyer nights. Yes, trend sourcing can be as easy as flipping through the flyers! I spot fashion trends in the department store flyers like Sears, Walmart and Zellers. I look for design and décor trends in Canadian Tire and Home Hardware flyers. Michaels, WalMart and Zellers flyers provide me with insights into crafting trends. Remember though, that trends cross markets, so the trends I find in decor will cross over to fashion and crafting, too. Continued at HandMadeNews.org. Craft Trends Dept.

photo of fringed bag courtesy of stacyleigh.etsy.com

Wendy's Wednesday Web

2009-08-26T13:56:00.005-04:00

Wow, I feel like I just wrote this yesterday.....but its been 7 days and I've had a cold during that time! My summer cold, the one that builds me up for the rest of the year. But enough about me! Let's see what's happening webwise this week!

1. Sara at Soft Flex Girl is on Day 2 of her Seven Days of Inspiration posts! I've already seen something I never would have thought of on my own! Thanks Sara!

2. The Crafty Gardener made me hungry! I also learned something that I am definitely doing in my container garden next season! Yummy! What a great idea!

3. In another attempt to get me quilting, Austen at Make+Do blog talks about 'quilt-alongs'. I could do that.....!

4. Jamie has a great post on Things to Avoid When Blogging in 2 parts. I'm almost scared to read it!

5. My darling friend, Juana, of the Cat Who Fishes blog, is back from her holidays in the Italian countryside and she has lots to do now that she's home again! I missed Juana but Flat Juana and Flat Wendy decided to stay in Canada for the summer to keep me company and will spend the fall in Italy!

6. It's all trial and error when it comes to working with bronze metal clay and Jen of BeadFX takes us through her experiments. Fascinating results!

7. Margot is Down Under!

8. Tammy Powley has a great post about blogging and references She's Batty (see #4, Jamie) and HandMadeNews.org!

9. Beth, of Indie North, has nothing to say about Radiant Red!

10. That's Pretty and Jewellery n Herbs both had crazy weeks and live in Peterborough, so here they are: 2 4 1!

And that's that for another WWW!

What are you doing this week?

My Hand Made BlueBird of Happiness Nest Necklace & Earrings

2009-08-24T14:11:00.001-04:00

I only have women named Amanda model my jewellery...lol! This Amanda is my editor at HandMadeNews.org! Isn't it whack that she bought my Bluebird of Happiness necklace!? I was thrilled of course. And doesn't it look beautiful on such a beautiful girl! Amanda would look exquisite rendered in marble, don't ya think? Very classical.

Thank you, Amanda, for buying from Winged Heart Studio and for going to the trouble of taking the picture!

Canada Rocks!

2009-08-23T12:43:00.001-04:00

I meant to post this ages ago....isn't it awesome! It's what first brought me to the wonderful Crafty Gardener blog!

Make one and take a picture!

Photo generously shared by Crafty Gardener!

Canada Arts Connect

2009-08-21T12:17:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to give a shout out to Des at CAC for her dedication to and support of the Canadian Arts scene and its inhabitants! Her site is fascinating, even if you have a job!

****

Canada Arts Connect is where Canadian Artists, Writers, Musicians, Photographers, Actors, Dancers, Designers, (and all other arts professionals) connect with jobs.
-
Created and run by an artistic professional for artistic professionals, it is a site that is meant to help those in the field find the jobs and employers out there.
-
Jobs - Current listings for jobs in all artistic fields.
Pro Lists - Names and links of professionals currently looking for work in the artistic field.
Tips & Hints - Advice and wisdom for artistic professionals.
News - News related to Canadian artists and artistic careers.
Links - Resources for artistic professionals.
--
If you have any questions or comments about the site please feel free to contact Desirée Ossandon at cac(at)desireeo(dot)com.
-
Who is behind Canada Arts Connect?
The site (and everything related to the site) is run by Desirée (D. Cole) Ossandon. If you would like to find out more about me, you can check out my site at www.desireeo.com.

Wendy's Wednesday Web

2009-08-19T09:43:00.015-04:00

Introducing WWW, (don't make me say it all, lol!) Every Wednesday I will share my fascinating findings via my secret sources! ( 'sources' not 'sauces'). Handpicked tidbits from the Crafty Canadian, that I think you may enjoy! Shall we?!

1. Confessions of a Housewife Crafter caught my eye this week. Scarlet is a fellow Craft Trends Dept. columnist and her blog is pink! A light scarlet? Once you're there, check out Scarlet's links to her Artfire shop, column and other things. I know firsthand that she has just started something called Artisan Lincs that she is quite excited about. Ask her! Oh and careful, she makes jewellery! hee hee!

2. Another pal-o-mine, Xane at House Morbid, has new stuff in her shop everyday it seems. She offers lovers of the strange just what they want! Don't be scared! Go have a look at her Artfire shop and read her Craft Trends columns. Her take on things is interesting and will snap you awake if you don't watch out! She's sweet AND scary.

3. Dawno's been dipping into her bead stash again, trying this, reworking that. I love what she came up with and how she got there! Oh Dawno!

4. Here in the PeterPatch (that's Peterborough, Ontario to you), I have managed to resist quilting. Quilts are so pretty and intricate and too hard for impatient me. That's why I love Lois Tuffin's Scrappy Quilter blog! I love how she sorts through everything and brings me the cream of the crop. I love the pictures of the pretty, pretty quilts too! This week she wants selvedges, whatever that is. It makes for a very cool, fabric collage!

5. I've got a feeling that something's getting glittered over at the Crafty Chica's blog and ta da! I am right! I never expected that it would be a Coke bottle though!

6. MAN! Incredibly exciting news from our fellow Canadians at BeadFX in Toronto! Let me quote! "We are so, so excited and proud of Stephanie Dixon! Stephanie, whom some of you know as our crochet instructor, and others know as one of our celebrity inspiration designers has just been accepted as a Create your Style Ambassador! This is a very elite group, with only 34 ambassadors world wide!" Congratulations Stephanie and BeadFX for having the sense to hire her! Awesome achievement!

7. I am strangely attracted to this Moulin Rouge Tiny Top Hat Headband by Margot Potter for ILOVETOCREATE and modeled by Ms. Avalon Potter, (no relation to Harry but yes, related to Margot)!

8. Vintage Pix read my mind and painted some fabric, something I ALMOST did last week, but ended up colouring in a bandana with markers. I like how Carolyn's stuff came out better lol!

9. Jessica at ecocesseries got Greenspotted....and it looks good on her! It's not easy being green, but Jess has it going on!

And that's it for this Wednesday!

Sneak Peak!

2009-08-19T08:29:00.003-04:00

Here's what I'm working on this week with my Beadin' Path Vintage Lucite Beads Designer Challenge! I have something simple but spectacular in mind! Stay tuned!

HandMadeNews.org's Blog of the Week

2009-08-13T09:50:00.005-04:00

How exciting! My interview with Austen Gilliland, editor of Canadian Living's new blog, Make+Do, has been featured as the first article ever in the brand new column, Blog of the Week! Read it at HandMadeNews.org!

Beadin' Path Design 2B

2009-08-11T14:03:00.008-04:00

The beautiful Amanda kindly modeled my necklace. I need to measure it but for now, suffice it to say that I used all 40 of the heishi beads this design was based around! Plus, the necklace, as you can see, comfortably and hiply fits a couple of times around the neck! For more fun, wear it one length and loop it in a knot as I did or try it as a gorgeous bracelet!
Since the last photos, I've added some

Vintage Flexible Plastic Deep Grape Swirl Flower Centers (ridiculously grapey!!! yum!!!) and

some Vintage Lucite Lemon Moonglow Half Round Buttons w/metal Shanks!

I also made matching earrings (dangling off display) and this awesome bracelet with memory wire which I will blog more about later! Its very cool!

Well?

Beadin' Path Design 2A

2009-08-07T13:16:00.005-04:00

Wow, these beads are vivid...so inspiring! The colours are feeding me, lol!
On the top left, you can see where and what I started with....40 beautiful Vintage Lucite Lilac Moonglow Heishi Rondells. Then added the awesome baby blue sequins as caps. Just got a bunch of magnificent sequins at the dollar store and it all came together! Made little spacers of about 10 sequins each on eye pins and then joined each unit with jumprings! I love it!

My thing right now is jewellery without clasps that can be used in more than one way. Versatile and relatively easy. Less is more. And its faster and easier too! Tell me what you think so far. I'll post the finished product next time!

My First Design For Beadin' Path!

2009-08-05T14:32:00.009-04:00

Started with a pleather cuff that I got somewhere a while back and using clear beading filament, sort of wove the purple lucite moonglow beads through the holes! You can see the filament on the underside, so if I were going to sell it, I might glue some material over it. I love it!

Cuffs are HUGELY in right now...and I'm a Craft Trends columnist so..... I would know! lol!

Do you like it?

I'm a Beadin' Path Design Partner!!!

2009-08-05T09:16:00.007-04:00

One day I was on Twitter.....on one of the many days that I was on Twitter...on Twitter as usual, lol,... when I noticed that The Beadin' Path's Heather was asking for retweets of her post. The 30th retweet would win a $50 bag of vintage Lucite beads. Free beads! Retweeting is a breeze from Tweetdeck or Seesmic Desktop. Anywho, wasn't the 30th tweeter. I read the tweet that said I hadn't won and then went off somewhere to another web page or something, and, more or less, forgot about it.

BUT, when I checked back in to Twitter (compulsively) there was a Direct Message for me, from Heather, asking if she could send me a similar bag of beads. The 'catch' was that she wanted me to make something out of them and mention it in my blog. Can you imagine the nerve!? lol. Well, since this is 'all I have ever wanted'.....I said "Yes please!"

It just seems so fun to have someone else pick the beads and tell you to make something! I can add things out of my own vast stash of course and I already have 2 brilliant ideas for what I am going to make!

Now, you know that I am a firm believer in Vision Boards. When I first found out that there was such a thing as partnering with a bead company this way, I very much wanted to do it! I mean, come on! I even wrote this desire on my Google profile page!

So there you go! Vision boards, people! Write down what you want and then get to work!!!

July Part 2 - The Month that Flew!

2009-07-26T21:12:00.004-04:00

Hand Made News and Artfire

2009-06-29T12:38:00.003-04:00

Have some rather interesting articles over at the Craft Trends Department that you might like to peruse:

I've interviewed Russ Nobbs , the owner of Rings and Things, one of the world's best jewellery supply companies, as part of my ongoing Craft Trendsetters series. He is one interesting beadnik, my friends!

Pop Art is a Father's Day tribute to The Mantastic Crafter, Patrick Murrillo. If you love The Crafty Chica, read her daughter Maya's tribute!

Vision Boards for sale are kind of a new craft trend!

Artfire pulled out all the stops for their Search Engine Optimization Week (SEO) and has done it again this week with their Social Media Series (SMO)! Even if you don't have one of the FREE Fusion Studios from Artfire, the education that you can get from them is priceless!

As always, enjoy!

The Market Report, 2

2009-06-29T12:19:00.006-04:00

We've been experimenting with Sundays at the Flea Market and have not had much luck making our table "rent". Last Saturday was good however, so there ya go! I think that we will stick with Satudays and use Sunday to enjoy the weather, canoe, and road trip a bit with Mom. Sounds good, yeah?

He weighs us up!

2009-06-25T13:13:00.001-04:00

He weighs us up!
Originally uploaded by Sister Wend

This summer, my friend Juana from Rome, sent her flat self here to visit and I am sending my flat self to Rome! Along for the ride is Russ Troll Bead from Rings & Things in Spokane, Washington! They are hanging out in Canada for Canada Day and my Mom's 92nd birthday on July 3rd. Then off to Rome!

I'll be posting more pix as the adventure continues!

The Peterborough Fairy Door Project

2009-06-18T11:51:00.005-04:00

Jefferson Market Fairy Door Interior
Originally uploaded by anikarenina

I am coordinating The Peterborough Fairy Door Project!

If you are an artist and you want to make one or if you have a venue that you would like a fairy door for, please contact me!

I think that this will bring the city and the artists a lot of wonderful publicity. We can do the Fairy Doors of Peterborough poster, a map of the Fairy Door locations, t-shirts and so much more!

Great tourist attraction! What do you think? Neat, eh?!

The Ann Arbor Fairy Doors.

I'd Like to Thank all the Little People....

2009-06-10T11:52:00.005-04:00

This blog was given the One Lovely Blog Award by AliciaMae at the Blogfire Guild Blog! Per the rules, I am passing the award along to 15 lovely blogs, yet to be announced.

Here are a few rules that need to be followed to accept this award that I am going to present to you.

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. In this case, it would be an award from Wendy T. Gibson at Craft Dinner!

2. Pass the award to 15 other lovely blogs you’ve newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. You can't give it back to the person that gave it to you!

Craft Dinner!

Special Intro Offer Ends Soon!

Creating Your Goddess Year Workbook, Planner and Calendar

Santa's Little Helper

Art Journal Everyday

Whimsical Workspaces - willowing & friends

More Small Art

Art Project, powered by Google

Some Small Art!

Journaling Workshops Abound!

The Sketchbook Challenge: The Sketchbook Challenge BEGINS!

Happy New Year 2011! Doing This ...

Learn visual journaling techniques from experienced artists through free online videos and downloadable instructions.

Let's Make a Little Art!

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

Tell Her Craft Dinner Sent You!

Doors

Small Art for the Faint of Heart

Mori Cupcake---Enter the Forest ////Trailer

bubbl.us - free web application for brainstorming online

Calendar Challenge!

Decorate Clothes Pins - Use Rubber Stamps to Decorate Clothes Pins for a Card Holder

Free Planners

Mixed Media Art Resources

Great Pumpkin (Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show)

Guest Blogging!

Going Postal Update!

The ‘Going Postal’ Zine Project

Cloth Paper Scissors Creative Flag Challenge

Metta Zine!

Craft Dinner Looks So Pretty!

Happy Birthday Violette! Congratulations Bohemian Bliss Winner!

Boho Bliss Workshop Giveaway!

The Winner and a New Violette Giveaway!

Violette: The Colour of Inspiration!

Napkin Art & Technicolour Faces

Hoopla!

Win Journal Bliss by Violette!

Water Bottle Bracelet Kit!

Paper Rose Topiary

Accidental Skyline

Happy Birthday Earth Day and Famous Canadian Crafternality Heidi Boyd!

Recycled Roses

The Crafty Chica on Good Morning Arizona Talking about WUITLOG!!!

What Would You Do With 350 lbs. of Glitter!?

Review: Zentangle Basics and Zentangle 2

The Face of Zentangle

I Zentangled a Craft Stick!

Design Challenge with Heart!

Full Moon DreamBoard

February: KISS Crafts with Heart!

KISS Craft 3!

Steven & Chris!

Zentangle Sampler

KISS Craft 2! Lucky Paper Stars!

Trendy Turquoise 2010!

Wish Upon a Star Thread Bracelets - First KISS Craft of 2010

Off to a Good Start in 2010!!!

Glad Rag Swag Bag

Ebony Wood. Would You?

Time Flies!

It's Raining Beads! And Findings!

Bounty From The Beadin' Path!

And The Winner Is.....

We invite you to show us your favorite handmade designs.Designs don't have to be jewelry—they can be anything!

Entries accepted Jan 1 thru Feb 28, 2010.

Winners announced the 1st week of June.

Indie North Gift Guide!

iCraft Marketing Boot Camp Starts November 1, 2009! (SUNDAY!!!)

Treasure Box!

Count Your Blessings!

My Course at The Learning Source.ca!

Jewellery Making

Silent Sunday!

Stop The Presses Saturday!

Friday's Feature!

Thrifty Thursday!

Wendy's Wednesday Web

Take-Out Tuesday

Make My Monday!

We invite you to show us your favorite handmade designs.
Designs don't have to be jewelry—they can be anything!