Etsy Wire Goddess Team Treasury
Here's a treasury I made up of fellow Wire Goddess Team members. Feel free to click on any picture to get more details about a piece. Hope you enjoy it!
Laurel Moon Jewelry is having a Giveaway of Earthenwood Studio Beads!
Hi Friends!
Check out this fun lot of beads that are being given away! They were all made by Earthenwood Studios and collected by Laurel Moon Jewelry. She's decided to let some of her beads go and share the wealth with one lucky reader! Go check it out and it could be you!
Shadowbox Reveal Day!
4. Gray Girl Studios
8. Shay Stone- Shays creative journey
10. the Beading Yogini
Shadowbox Reveal Day Is Almost Here!
Woo-hoo! I have been having fun with this challenge, and I am so excited to see what other folks created with their great little enameled boxes. I really can't even begin to imagine what fun creations we'll get to see on Saturday. I sure hope you will join in the fun and do a blog hop with me. I'll be revealing the piece that I made with my stunning little box, as well as the links to the other 22 participants blogs where they will share what they made. Fun huh?
As IF I Needed Any More Art Supplies ...
I went to a local consignment/thrift shop that I had never been to before and found some fun art supplies, which I imagine you can glean from the title, I * do * not * need *.
But when has need been a factor in us art supply hoarders? Sigh... You'd think I especially should know I shouldn't get more when I'm in the midst of cleaning my studio and trying to figure out where in the heck I can fit what's already in there, let alone that new (used) tacklebox of enamel supplies that I bought from a local artist letting them go - Score! Who cares that I've never used enamels, and don't have a torch or kiln. I want to have those things so I might as well be prepared!
I got some sharpie paint pens that paint in oil colors. I didn't even know these things exist. Cool! I've been reading some inspirational books that I got from our "local" (2 hour drive) Borders book store that is going out of business. I have really mixed feelings about this because I am fairly anti-corporation, but damn I do enjoy that store! I equally love my local used book store and smaller new book stores, but honestly, they don't have many craft books and those are the kinds of things that I can't commit to buying (and thus ordering) until I can see them in person. Borders is my guilty pleasure art book place. So while very sad that they are closing, I did take advantage of the going out of business sale. I got books primarily on mixed media techniques because I'm feeling a huge desire to play with that, and on artistic journaling (using mixed media techniques). All of that to tell you that these paint pens will be awesome additions to my arsenal!!
I also got these photograph coloring inks which I can't wait to play with, as well as an old photo of a local bridge in 1944, to practice on.
And now for my favorite part of this purchase. I can't tell you why, but I'm wildly attracted to this old photo of a blurry cat. Don't ask. I really don't know why. I find it rather eerie and ghost like and I love it. I don't know if the cat has a black chin spot or it if's mouth is open, but I like to imagine it is giving a odd little moan. I'm not usually attracted to that kind of thing. Go figure. I see it as a happy haunting cat. It doesn't look happy, but it is in my pretend world.
Dang.. there are so many blog posts I want to do and so little time! Now that my hands are letting me create again, I've got a small custom order for a ... get this... FIVE year old who loves my jewelry - How cute is that?! As well, I'm doing Lorelei's shadow box challenge that I haven't even started yet because I can't find my studio table, a bead soup blog party which isn't for another month but I received my lovely beads so my head is already spinning on that one (another blog post). Ummm.. And I want to post about my vending set up, photos of my messy and clean studio (don't be fooled, the clean photos are from quite awhile ago), my bead soup blog partner, and someday I want to share how the solar energy works to power my studio and our home. And.. who knows what else!
And on a totally unrelated topic. Check out these old crates I bought at another "local" antique/junk store. Needless to say I LOVE them. I'm a bit of a wood crate slut.
How could I possible resist these paints when they came in a little wooden box? Who cares if I don't *reeeeeaalllly* need them. What does need have to do with creativity???
Much love!
S
Skeleton Keys...
Here's a sneak peak at my new creations with skeleton keys. I haven't had a chance to photograph them yet, so I threw them on the scanner so I could show you a glimpse. There are so many directions to go with these puppies! I've loved these keys since I was a child, but didn't think about using them in jewelry until I saw other artists using them in their work, and my tastes started to open up more to mixed media pieces. I've purchased some on Etsy, but most have been purchased by my father (thanks Dad!) on the east coast where they are more readily available. Around here, if you go to an antique shop, they just never have any. They sell as soon as they come in. I've embellished them with gemstones (chakra and pride rainbows), stones collected from Spirit Lake in Utah that I also got on Etsy, and Sea Glass from England, including some "End-Of-Day" glass. I'll write more about those in future posts. Needless to say, I am having fun creating again.
Happy Creating
~Shay
Fun, Beautiful Weather and Great People
After sleeping a bit extra today, I thought I'd tell you about vending Saturday. It was the kind of event that makes me so happy to live where I do. There were about 8-10 vendors for this small event. We had a very yummy homemade lunch put on by the Garden club. The weather was beautiful if a bit warm, but I did have my canopy and a pretty decent shady spot under a tree. I sold a handful of pieces including Cheshire Moon, which is pictured above. That one went to a fellow vendor and herbalist who I really like so that was pretty cool. I don't have photos of the other pieces I sold -- mostly smaller pendants. I also put out an assortment of rocks for people to fondle and buy and sold a few of those. Folks tended to like the ammonites the best. And the people... well I love them. That's pretty much what I love about this town of 1100. Well that and the river and mountains. The people are so wonderful though - strong independent women (and men of course, but this was a highly women oriented gathering). Of all sizes and shapes - some with tattoos, piercings, dreadlocks, kids, partners, doctors, farmers. I don't find myself using words very well right now, but suffice it to say that I love the eclectic nature of folks around here. Lots of herbalists, hippies, farmers, ranchers and everyone in between. It's a community that's rather invested in sustainability and being kind to one another. I really appreciate that, and while I sometimes yearn for the city life and all the culture and activities offered there, I'm happy to call this town my own. Yep.. good old Laytonville, CA.
I got to meet some new people and vend with others that I've known for a bit. There was an open mic with people playing guitar and singing. There were little workshops on composting and the medicinal properties of everyday herbs. The crowd wasn't very big, which could have been better, but the event had gone on a break last year and I think people weren't very aware of it happening. I think next year will be more attended and advertised.
Today I'm utterly exhausted. I did a lot of running around getting ready, then the loading and unloading twice in a day was pretty trying. On top of that I had to get my partner's wheelchair on top of the car because inside it was full with my set-up and merchandise, so by the end of the day, after I was loaded up and getting her chair up there, I was ready to fall over and sleep. It's all worth it though!
I got nice compliments on my set up, which is always great to hear. I'll post some photos of it soon. It tends to change every time I vend because I do it so infrequently. This time, I added some slatted boards - I can't even think of what they are called right now - but they hold dowel rods from which necklaces where hanging. I was thinking it's a bit too busy looking, but I got a number of kind words about them and they were great in the breeze (not falling over). One thing I did better this time was to have my merch all priced before the show. You'd think that's common sense, but I never seem to get there. Well, okay, about 10 things weren't priced but I can handle that! This time Jesse and I got to sit back and watch people more. One thing we noticed was that the big piece of malachite I have was a serious guy magnet. They liked to pick it up and explore it. The women, which is my primary customer, looked around a lot. They tended to come into the booth and look at the left wall first. I'm not sure if that is the natural tendency or if it's because of that side having the sterling silver items, while the other was more gemstone necklace type stuff. I think it's probably the natural tendency. I know someone had talked about how one shops and which way their eye sweeps - but I can't remember which way it is.
Almost everyone who took the time to examine the hanging necklaces went to two of my Goddess pieces - both of which are primarily white and silver. I found that very fascinating. These are the two:
My favorite part of the day though, was at the end. I had decided that I wanted to let go of some of my older wraps - primarily copper wrapped single stones and sea glass. I contemplated selling them cheaply online, giving them to another beginning vendor to sell, and giving them to my local second hand store. Then I realize how much fun it would be to run around and tell everyone that I was letting go of some of my older work for free, and boy was it fun! Some were customers, some were older friends, most of the vendors, and a handful of new people I met. I'm not even sure of how many pieces went because I was running around telling people while Jesse was showing which ones. I'd guess though, that about 20 people or so went through the pile and took at least one thing - sometimes 2 or 3 things. Yey! That made me SO happy. What a perfect way to end the day huh? Of course it left me wishing I could just give my pieces away, which I know is not an unusual thought amongst sellers. I'm still trying to work on that idea - to figure out how I can sell things at a lower price or donate more or something that will get them into more hands and bring smiles to their hearts. I've always wanted to do giveaways, so hopefully that will be one way to go about it. I have a huge grin on my face just remembering the giveaway and the way people's faces lit up when I told them what I was doing.
Okay, on that note, I've got to go throw some dinner together.
Hope you are well!
Shay
Vending this Weekend
Long Valley Garden Club
I've been in a whirlwind of activity going through all my vending supplies and merchandise. It's been a few years, I think, since I last pulled out the EZ up and all. Last night I polished lots of earrings and chains, thought about how to set up, and finished a couple of pieces. Today, I have so much to do I can't even think clearly yet. I guess first stop is to make a more orderly "to do" list so that I can get my butt in gear! It's so crazy for me when I vend so infrequently. I usually don't do it because of the issues with my hands and not being able to haul stuff around, but thank the Goddess they are doing relatively well right now. Woo Hoo!!
The problem with not vending much is that I never have my S**t together. My displays are not quite satisfactory to me. I'm always trying to figure out how to take less stuff and be able to set up and tear down more quickly. In the past, I vended at festivals that were 3 days long so it was a little easier to take a couple of hours to set up, but for a 6 hour show, I'd like to have a simpler design. On top of that, I have too much jewelry to fit in my booth and since it is all one-of-a -kind, I hate to leave something out. They all want to come out and play - you know?
It's been fun getting ready though. I have 3 new types of pieces that I haven't even shown anyone yet because I haven't photographed them. They involve skeleton keys, sea glass, and little miniature bottles with pretties inside (not necessarily all together, but sometimes) . I've been inspired by all of these things for awhile so it's been fun to finally be able to get into creative mode again. Over a year ago, I puchased something from a fellow Etsy seller that came in the cutest tiny little bottle, so of course I had to search and find some so I could create with them. I've had them in my supplies for about a year or so. I'm calling it the "California in a Bottle" series, as they contain lots of things that are special to me about being in Northern California - sea glass, redwood tree needles and bark, local flowers that I collected and dried, lichen, kelp and more. Fun! I'll be sure to post some photos when I get a chance. OH!... I just realized that I do have an image of the bottles. Lets see... ... looking... okay, got it. Here you go:
You can't tell from the photo, but that smallest bottle is only about 3/4 of an inch tall. Too cute!
Okay then... back to work for me.
Love ya,
Shay
Wonderful Tutorial Deal from Perri of Shaktipaj Designs
Okay peeps,
This is one serious deal for anyone who loves to make jewelry from wire. It's coming to you from Perri Jackson of Shaktipaj Designs and she is offering a $200 value for $35 to a limited number of folks. The tutorials are instantly available for downloading once you make the purchase.
I jumped on the deal myself because Perri is a great detail oriented artist with clear descriptions and a style that is completely her own (and a great woman as well!) The photo above shows just 6 of her 21 tutorials. She's got lots to teach us! Here's the link to check it out for yourselves:
Shaktipaj's Awesome Deal - thanks Perri!
Have fun!
Bead Soup Blog Party!
Hey Friends,
Here's another fun thing I just signed up for. If you want to join me and a bunch of other creators, click on the image and check it out. Sign ups end tomorrow though (Aug 3rd), so don't wait!
Inspired by Iza Malczyk's tutorials
About me...
- Shay Stone
- Simply put, I'm a wire and gem jewelry freak! I like to string, twist, weave, wrap, form, and decorate with gems, wire and other earthy beauties. If you want to know more please click on the "About" tab at the top of the page. To contact me, check my blogger profile (click below) ... Thanks!
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