On My Path

Laytonville Art Walk - Saturday!

2011-10-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

I'll be there! Will you?

How wonderful is it that our little town is going to have it's first ever art walk? Pretty spectacular I think. I often wish our town was more artistically active and have often fantasized about opening a local art cooperative, but I'm just not the right one to be organizing such things. I've got to send a huge thank you to local businesswoman Tara who owns the Tattoo shop, "Tattoo Magic." She has put so much work into making this a reality. Thanks Tara!

Last I heard there will be over 30 vendors (myself included). Exciting! Oh and what makes it even better is that proceeds from the raffle go to buy art supplies for the local school. That makes me verrrry happy.

Hope to see you there :)

Shay

Thank You Bloggers!

2011-09-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

That there is my bad ass handwritten computer graphic skills. Yep... aren't you glad I'm not a professional hand writer or computer graphic -"ist"?

This is my big thank you to my fellow bloggers out there. I adore you. I love learning from you, being inspired by you, laughing with you, being entertained by you, sharing in your trials, and in general experiencing a bit of what it is like to be you.

Many thanks!!

Oh.. bead soup post is directly below this one :) .... Rock on!

Bead Soup Reveal Day!

2011-09-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the components Suzette sent and the finished necklace.

What a blast this has been! Really, the whole process of being a participant, getting a partner (Suzette of Ellie's Bijoux) , meeting my partner, picking out bead soup for her, receiving my soup, thinking about what to make and getting excited to see what she makes, looking at some of the participants blogs ahead of time, watching Lori pull the whole thing together, using all the components to make a necklace, blogging about my partner and her work, photographing my new challenge piece and coming here to pull it all together and blog for the reveal day. Whew!

This type of challenge is so much fun in that it takes me out of my usual creative process. I feel like I created something that I never would have thought of had I been completely on my own. It was lots of fun starting off with the pieces Suzette sent me, then scrounging in my own stock to decide what I wanted to mix in. I found a pyrite moon to place behind the cute bird charm, jasper beads that mimic the rectangular focal, 3 colors of silk that I braided into the neck piece, as well as horn, jade, and serpentine, copper and brass, and wood. What a great color palate she sent me to work with and we surprisingly sent each other quite similar colors. Check it out:

Thanks Suzette for sending me such a fun bunch of pretties!

For this bead soup party, we were to send our partner a focal piece, clasp, and coordinating beads. The rule is that you must use the focal and clasp, but not necessarily the others. When I got my package, I thought that I'd end up using every piece that she sent me, but the necklace turned out to be "done" before I got to use quite everything. I used most of it though! Some participants will make multiple pieces with their lot, but I chose to make just one piece. I also decided to make it a lariat style necklace with no clasp so I took the clasp and turned it into a link to hold the wire spiral. Here's how I altered it with a bit of oxidized copper wire:

Now that I've shared my piece with you, please join in the blog hop and enjoy posts from the other 361 participants. You are bound to find lots of new artists and blogs to follow. I already have! Here's another fun thing to check out, thanks to Lori Anderson putting it together. It's a map of all the participants locations. Now that is 362 people from 21 countries in 5 continents! Click here to see the map.

I want to give a big heartfelt thank you to Lori for all the work you've done to pull this together. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Okay, here they are:

The Hostess, Lori Anderson and her partner, Manuela Wutschke

1. Aimee Wheaton and Barbara York

2. Alice Craddick and Sandra Richardson

3. Alison Sachs and Amy Severino

4. Allison Scott and Cynthia Abner

5. Amanda Cargill Austin and Charlene Sevier

6. Amanda Davie and Patsy Evins

7. Amber Dawn and Kim Ballor

8. Ambra Gostoli and Christine Hansen

9. Amy Freeland and Christine Altmiller

10. Ana Krepel-Novak and Eleanor Snare

11. Andrea Morici and Hope Smitherman

12. Andrea Trank and Jayne Capps

13. Andrea Turini and Charlene Jacka

14. Angela May and Emanda Johnson

15. Anitra Gordy and Elizabeth Owens Dwy

16. Ann Rishell and Debbie Price

17. Ann Sherwood and Lynne Bowland

18. Anna Lear and Barbe Saint John

19. Anna Sabina and Erin Siegel

19. Nan Emmett and Erin Siegel

20. Astrid Boyce and Birgitta Lejonklou

21. B.R. Kuhlman and Deanna Chase

22. Barbara Bechtel and Bryna Lumb

23. Barbara Blaszczyk and DaviniaDesign

24. Barbara Judy and Holly Westfall

25. Barbara Lewis and Cathie Carroll

26. Barrie Edwards and Lyn Foley

27. Becky Fairclough and Jana Tarhala

28. Bella Borgouise and Gillian Lehman

29. Beth and Evie McCord and Erin Prais-Hintz

30. Beth Bricker and Heather Pyle

31. Beth Emery and Cassie Donlen

32. Bobbie Rafferty and Cindy Cima Edwards

33. Candice McGinnis and Sally Anderson

34. Carol Bradley and Cece Cormier

35. Cathy Khoury and Molly Alexander

36. Carol Tannahill and Hilary Frye

37. Carrie Tahquechi and Cris Peacock

38. Cat Pruitt and Cindy Gimbrone

39. Charlene Gary and Doris Stumpf

40. Charlotte Pevny and Kate Gardenghi

41. Cherrie Fick and Cathie Carroll

41. Claire Maunsell and Cherrie Fick

42. Cheryl Roe and Jenny Vidberg

43. Chris White and Norma Turvey

44. Christa Murphy and Kathy Alderfer

45. Christie Murrow and Dana James

46. Christina Miles and Collette Collins

47. Christine Brandel and Elizabeth Woodford

48. Christine Damm and Cynthia Deis

49. Christine Hendrickson and Debbie Goering

50. Christine Stonefield and Dee Wingrove-Smith

51. Cilla Watkins and Johanna Rhodes

52. Cindy Wimmer and Riki Schumacher

53. CJ Baushka and Cory Celaya

54. Courtney Breul and Joanna Matuszczyk

55. Cristi Clothier and Kathleen Robinson Young

56. Cryss Thain and Serena Trent

57. Cynthia Tucker and Kitty Durmaj

58. Dana Johnson Jones and Eva Sherman

59. Davinia Algeri and Janet McDonald

60. Deci Worland and Lara Lutrick

61. Diana Ptaszynski and Kristy Abner

62. Diane Cook and Kerry Bogert

63. Diane Hawkey and Jen Judd Velasquez

64. Dorcas Midkiff and Jill Harris

65. Doris Radlicki and Heather Goldsmith

66. Dot Lewallen and Gaea Cannaday

67. Elisabeth Auld and Jennifer Justman

68. Erin Fickert-Rowland and Geanina Grigore

69. Erin Grant and Julie Jones

70. Eszter Czibulyas and Helena Fritz

71. Fiona Christie and Michelle Heim

72. Gail Zwang and Genea Crivello-Knable

73. Geneva Collins and Jana Haag

74. Gretchen Nation and Heidi Post

75. Heather DeSimone and Karin Slaton

76. Heather Marley and Terry Carter

77. Ingrid McCue and Jennifer Pride

78. Jackie Ryan and Nicole Keller

79. Janna Harttgen and Joanne Tinley

80. Jean Yates and Lori Anderson

81. Jelveh Jaferian and Jenny Davies-Reazor

82. Jenni Connolly and Jennifer Heynen

83. Jennifer Cameron and Kristi Bowman

84. Jennifer Geldard and Lisa Liddy

85. Jennifer VanBenschoten and Kim Hora

86. Jess Italia Lincoln and Lori Greenberg

87. Jill MacKay and Lori Bergmann

88. JJ Jacobs and Karen Tremblay

89. Joyce Becker and Kathy Welsh

90. Judy Glende and Karen Sinkowski

91. Judy Riley and Kelly Morgan

92. JuLee Wolfe and Julie Bean

93. Julianna Cannon and Julianna Kis

94. Julie Nordine and Lesley Watt

95. K. Hutchinson and Shea Zukowski

96. Karen Firnberg and Karyn Bonfiglio

97. Karen Williams and Kimberly Roberts

98. Karen Zanco and Polly Barker

99. Kari Carrigan and Laura Twiford

100. Karin von Hoeren and Laura Blanck

101. Kate Richbourg and Lorelei Eurto

102. Kathleen Lange Klik and Maria Clark

103. Kathy Engstrom and Keri Lee Sereika

104. Kay Thomerson and Loretta Carstensen

105. Kelley Fogle and Laurel Bielec

106. Kelly Ramstack and Sally Anderson

107. Kim Stevens and Tiffany Long

108. Kristi Harrison and Mandy Williamson

109. Kristi Kyle and Lana Kinney

110. Kristina Johansson and Sue Hodgkinson

111. Kym Hunter and Laura Sanger

112. Laura Zeiner and Susan Kennedy

113. Laurel Steven and Mary McGraw

114. Laurie Hanna and Lisa Boucher

115. Lesley Weir and Liz DeLuca

116. Linda Djokic and Tracey Weiser

117. Linda Inhelder and Pam Brisse

118. Linda Landig and Lori Dorrington

119. Linda Murphy and Lisa Hamilton

119. Line Labrecque and Marianne Baxter

120. Lisa Lodge and Monica Johnson

121. Lois Moon and Melissa Muir

122. Lola Surwillo and Therese Frank

123. Lori Bowring Michaud and Marci Brooks

124. Lupe Meter and Norma Agron

125. Maggie Towne and Marge Beebe

126. Malin de Koning and Susie Hibdon

127. Mallory Hoffman and Shirley Moore

128. Marcie Abney and Patty Miller

129. Marcy Lamberson and Melissa Clarke

130. Margot Potter and Suzann Sladcik Wilson

131. Maria Grimes and Wendy Blum

132. Maria Horvath and Melinda Orr

133. Maria Rosa Sharrow and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp

134. Marian Hertzog and Melissa Mesara

135. Marianna Boylan and Sandi Lee James

136. Marina Dobrynina and Michaela Pabeschitz

137. Marsha Neal and Miri Agassi

138. Mary Ellen Parker and Melissa Meman

139. Mary Elliott and Tamara Soper

140. Mary McGraw and Laurel Steven

141. Melissa Pynn and Michelle Buettner

142. Michelle Hardy and Niki Meiners

143. Michelle Mach and Moira McEvoy

144. Missy Rappaport and Mags Sarri

145. Molly Alexander and Poranna

146. Mylene Hillam and Nicole Rennell

147. Nadezhda Parfyonova and Stacey Curry

148. Nan Emmett and Nancy Peterson

149. Nancy Boylan and Natalie McKenna

150. Natalie Monkivitch and Niky Sayers

151. Natasha Lutes and Pam Ferrari

152. Noemi Baena and Penny Ilagan

153. Pamela Petry and Rebecca Sirevaag

154. Pat Haight and Mary Shannon Hicks

155. Patty Gasparino and Vonna Maslanka

156. Penny Neville and Sandi Volpe

157. Pepita Bos and Wendy Chamberlain

158. Raida Disbrow and Rebecca Watkins

159. Rebecca Anderson and Sabrina Staub

160. Regina Santerre and Rose Binoya

161. Rhea Freitag and Tari Kahrs

162. Rochelle Brisson and Teri Baskett

163. Sally Russick and Tracy Bell

164. Sandra McGriff and Shay Williams

165. Sandra Wolberg and Sara Hardin

166. Sarah Elder and Salla Small

167. Saskia Kaffenberger and Sharon Gardner

168. Sharon Palac and Shannon Chomanczuk

169. Shay Stone and Suzette Bentley

170. Shiraz Biggie and Tammy Powley

171. Staci Smith and Tracy Stillman

172. Stacie Stamper and Tracy Martin

173. Stefanie Teufel and Vicky Taylor

174. Stephanie Dixon and Stephanie LaRosa

175. Stephanie Haussler and Valerie Norton

176. Suzanne Tate and Terri Wlaschin

177. Sweet Freedom Designs and Tammy Jones

178. Tania Spivey and Tari Sasser

179. Tara Plote and Terry Matuszyk

180. Terri Gauthier and Deana Hager

181. Theresa Fosdick and Tracey Nanstad

Thanks so much for joining in the hop! I'm off to bed and can't wait to get up tomorrow and check out what everyone made :) Happy sleeping, creating, waking, working, playing or whatever else you are doing!

~ Shay

My Bead Soup Blog Partner

2011-09-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

So a few posts ago, I shared a link for the Bead Soup Blog Party that Lori Anderson is putting on, and I've got to tell you, she is working hard on this blog party! She puts this on 2 times a year and this time there are 362 participants that she took the time to match up with one another. Once we got matched up, we put together a batch of components including a focal and clasp, to send to our partner. Lori said to put together a batch of pretties that are not something that we are looking to get rid of but rather something we would send to our best friend. I loved having that guide in my mind while putting together my goodies. On September 17th, I'll be revealing what I made with my package of beads, as well as the links to the other 361 members blogs. That's going to be some serious blog hopping!

Okay.. and now to introduce you to my lovely bead partner, Suzette Bentley of Ellie's Bijoux. I hope you'll take a moment to check out her wonderful creations. She also participated in the shadowbox challenge that I just did, so you may already be familiar with her site! Suzette is a very sweet woman and she sent me a great bunch of earth gemmies which I'll show you right now! Here you go:

I can't wait to get my hands on these and see what happens, and I'll tell you, I better get to it soon because the blog hop is just 9 days away! I have a couple of ideas what I may make, but I never know until it's done, so we'll see. Isn't it a gorgeous collection that I get to play with? So many possiblities! Thanks so much Suzette!!

Here's the lot that I sent to Suzette, and I really can't wait to see what she creates with it. Woo-hoo!

~ Shay

I Am So Blessed...

2011-09-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today I got to ride my bike up the hill to our local market - kind of an informal little farmers market with lots of love, peace and yummy food. Yesterday was the first time I rode my bike in over a year and a half due to my wrist issues so needless to say, I am a happy woman!

So, today, as I was riding up the very dusty dirt road and loving life, I got to gaze at the tremendous view of the close and distant hills. Love.. It. I went to the market to pick up our local CSA (community supported agriculture) veggies. Boy do I love CSA! We got garlic, onions, potatoes, peppers, green beans, tomatoes, basil, apples, carrots, and beets. I also bought some homemade blackberry jam, extra green beans, homemade bread, cookies, blackberries and dinner for two. Oh ya... and our weekly bouquet of flowers. And on top of that I got to chat with folks and make a connection with 2 sweet women who are interested in some jewelry so we'll be getting together to talk about what they'd like to have. How awesome is that?

As I had to strap it all to the bike, it was kind of a fun little adventure, with the flowers peaking their heads up into the wind. Fortunately I was a pretty good wind block, though there was a casualty or two. When I got home, I decided to snap a few photos to share with you! So... here you go :)

This lovely woman is Amber. She is part of the team

that puts together the yummy CSA veggies! She's also wearing a garnet and lapis necklace that she bought from me at the market.

A couple of pics of my bike with loot on the back. That crate is full of veggies and flowers!

A side saddlebag holding my leather jacket, homemade jam, and bread. Score!

Above are a few photos of the market. It's called the "Gravel Pit" due to that big dug out dirt hill behind everyone. In one of the photo's you'll see some jewelry set up - that's my stuff, though I don't typically get up there to vend because I'm such a wuss in the heat! It's such a great little gathering of locals buying and selling local goods, eating food, and partaking in locally made beer and wine.

This is Amy Rouse who is an herbalist and vitalist who vends her lovely goods at the market, and is also wearing a necklace that she purchased from me. Here's her website so you can check out her awesome goods. www.backyardremedies.com

I hope you all are feeling the love!

~ Shay

Etsy Wire Goddess Team Treasury

2011-08-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

The shadowbox reveal day is finally here! As I'm writing this post on Friday evening, I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and see what everyone made with their cool little enameled boxes. If you didn't catch my original post, please check it out here. I want to say a big heartfelt thanks to Lorelei Eurto for organizing and hosting this challenge If you haven't checked out her beautiful creations, please do because they are lots of fun . And please do check out the generous Sara of C-Koop beads, who supplied all the gorgeous enameled boxes for Lorelei to share with us. She has all kinds of neat enameled beads, pendants, earrings and such. Thanks Sara!

Okay, before chatting more, I want to share the list of participants so you can blog hop with me and go check out their creations. Here you go!

1.Lucid Moon Studio

2. Ann Rishell

3. Malin de Koning

4. Gray Girl Studios

5. Maria Grimes

6. Beads of Busy Gals- Elizabeth

7. The Silly Pearl

8. Shay Stone- Shays creative journey

9. LissC

10. the Beading Yogini

11. Grubbi

12. Jenny Davies- Reazor

13. Beth of Elizabeth Williams

14. Artybecca

15. Stefanies Sammelsurium

16. KreativeKsapylet

17. Shirley- Beads & Bread

18. Hilary Frye- Frye Style

19. Heather Wynn Millican

20. Staci Louise

21. Suzette- Ellie's Bijoux

22. Marina - Fanciful Devices

23. Andrew Thornton

Are you hopping?? Please do and if you'd like to read more about my process, you can find more below.

This is my gorgeous box as it arrived to me in the mail. When I first opened it, I was stunned by the blue color and loving rocks the way I do, I immediately thought of lapis lazuli.

Being one who works with wire, I had a slight hope of getting a box with more than one hole on each side so that I could run multiple wires through the box (I think some have 6 or so total), but it created even more of a challenge to work with just the two holes, which was great. One of the reasons I wanted to be in this challenge was because I had never worked with a component like this before. Mostly I refer to the fact that it is a little box, but also, I'd never used an enameled piece. I had absolutely no idea what I would do with it and that made it very exciting for me. I'm also not one who designs things before I make them so trying to formulate a plan wasn't so easy. I did eventually come up with a rough idea for a winged heart, so that's where this piece took me. And I have to tell you - I had so much fun making this! I used sterling silver wire, tiny micro-faceted rubies inside the heart, faceted garnets and pretty smooth lapis in the wings. I made the chain with more of the same, including some small faceted lapis beads and 4 larger faceted rubies.

Here are a few more pic of the work in progress:

Alright, it's just about midnight here, so I'm going to post this so the early risers will be able to see.

I hope you all enjoy this and the other 22 shadowbox creations that I've linked to above -- I'll see you in the morning!

Shadowbox Reveal Day Is Almost Here!

2011-08-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

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?

See you soon!

As IF I Needed Any More Art Supplies ...

2011-08-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Long Valley Garden Club

Alright! Well I'm taking a trek off the mountain this weekend to show my jewelry at the Long Valley Garden Club in Laytonville, CA. The show is on Saturday from 10am - 4pm and while I don't think any of my blog readers are in the area, you just never know eh?

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

2011-08-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

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!

New Etsy Listings

2011-07-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Desert Dreamer

I thought I'd share some photos of pieces I've been listing on Etsy over the past days. They are mostly in the Goddess Series and the Winged Ones. It's strange to be listing pieces that I created quite awhile ago, but that's what happens to me sometimes -- I create something then it sits in a basket until I get to photographing and listing it. I tend to call myself lazy, but in reality it is more of a depression thing that stops me. I sure do love these times when it's not holding me back.

The piece above is called "Desert Dreamer" and boy did I have fun making her. I enjoy making everything I do or I wouldn't be doing it, but something about these eclectic Goddess pieces that have lots of goodies and energy are sometimes especially fun. They put me in a more energetic almost frenetic energy space -- very "in the zone". I feel like I'm dancing through the studio and spinning around trying to find what calls to the piece and wants to join the goddess. How much fun is that?!

Here's some of the yummy stuff in Desert Dreams:

Green Kyanite

Serpentine

Rutilated Quartz

Sunstone

Aquamarine

Peruvian Opal

Turquoise

Apatite

Carnelian

Aventurine

"Fire Agate" (carnelian I think)

Amber

Copper

Brass

Silk

Whew! It excites me just listing them all :)

This piece is called "Star Seeker":

Star Seeker

She's got lots of neat things as well. I particularly like the solar quartz that looks like an eye right in the center of the hammered sterling silver teardrop. She's also got a hand carved bone goddess, kunzite, quartz, Karen Hill Tribe fine silver drops and leaf, repurposed white coral, Australian opals, lots of sterling silver, and a neat double sided operculum shell, which once was the door to a creature's shell (well 2 doors seeing as how it's a double sided piece). Pretty neat eh?

And here is Dream Walker and her collection of stones:

Dream Walker

Lets see... she has:

A red coral Goddess and stunning faceted apatite and turquoise, amethyst, more coral, some Karen Hill Tribe fine silver drops and leaf, a piece of genuine sea foam green sea glass from England, and lots of sterling silver. Yummmmm.

Previously on my blog I showed some of the Winged Ones that I had made. Here's a recap of them minus 1 that has yet to be listed.

Winged Ones Series

The last piece that I'll share for now was made using ancient glass from the Roman Empire. It's said to be about 1000-2000 years old, which I think is pretty wild. This glass is most often seen with iridescent coloring that happens in the oxidizing process over the centuries. For this piece I chose 3 rounds of glass that were pure in their blue green color and one that is a paler green with some whitish formations on it. I can't help but wonder what purpose these pieces once served and who they belonged to. The glass discs have been paired with Australian opals, sterling silver and some more Karen Hill Tribe silver drops.

Power Of Three

I hope you all are enjoying yourselves, wherever you are out in this wide world of ours.

Things To Come

2011-07-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a quick glimpse of jewelry pieces that I am in the process of listing on Etsy. Only a few are "new" pieces that I've finished over the last year while my hands have been bad. The others just haven't made it to the virtual world yet.
...

Okay... I know you can't really see a thing except my cute cat who is sleeping on top of the scanner where a kitty obviously belongs. The necklaces are hanging to the right. More photos to come :)

I Have Been Chosen .... (Scared Yet?)

2011-07-19T11:46:00.001-07:00

So... this wonderful artist, Lorelei randomly selected me to participate in this pretty neat shadow box challenge. Here's her post so you can learn more about it: Lorelei's Shadow Box Challenge

Now, you may be surprised because I have been overwhelmingly absent over the last year due to problems with my wrists. F i n a l l y... they are coming around and creating is soon to happen! Why not start it off with something that makes me absolutely nervous and excited? Yep, that's what I've chosen to do in putting my name "in the hat" with Lorelei's challenge. I was one of 23 folks chosen to create something with these nifty enameled boxes made by C Koop Beads . On August 27th, there will be a big blog fest where we all show our creations. I have NO idea what I will make with the little beauty that I will soon receive, which makes it even more exciting - no?

You may not even know that I've had a growing interest in mixed media jewelry -- that I've been collecting old skeleton keys, numbered tags, silk and the like. Will I make something completely different and out of my range or will I primarily incorporate gems and wire (which is still out of my range when given a cute little enameled box to incorporate). I have no idea and while this may seem like a very small adventure to some, it's a bit of a leap for me. I have made virtually nothing in a Year - if you are a creator, you know how painful that is! My creative juices have been held down and put away and I can feel them roaring back to the surface. Yipeeeee!

I don't have any expectations about this challenge except to actually make something again, get over the fear of sharing it with a bunch of people, and have lots of fun.

So.. welcome back people :) I know I'm the one that's back, but it felt right to welcome you.

My Jewelry is now in a store!

2010-11-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

Good news! I finally took the plunge and contacted one of my favorite stores to see if they might be interested in carrying any of my work. Leslie, the owner of Three Sisters in Ukiah, CA, was a sweetheart and both took 6 pieces on consignment and invited me to do a trunk show next week in celebration of kicking off the holiday shopping season. I'm really thrilled to have some things in her store and to do the show.

Three Sisters has been one of my all-time favorite shops over the years. In their own words, "We specialize in gifts that nurture body, mind and soul for the entire family." In my words, it's a place of magick, gemstones, the Goddess, healing energy and so much more. I'm always sure to take company there to go shopping whenever anyone visits and love supporting them and the various local artists that they support.
Exciting!! Thanks Leslie!

The show is Nov. 18th from 5-8pm. I'll be set up in the store in Ukiah, California, which you can find by checking out their link: Three Sisters .

Here are the pieces that she chose to sell in the store: (plus one that I don't have a photo of). Hope to see you there!

New Etsy Listings and what I've been up to lately

2010-10-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! While I can't say that my hands are letting me create yet, I can tell you that I'm getting on the ball with photographing and listing new pieces in my Etsy shop. You wouldn't believe how many pieces of jewelry I have hanging around in my studio! The top two photos are one in my Goddess Series, and a pair of earrings that go nicely with her. They are made with sterling silver and tourmaline - Yumm! I'm offering 10% off of both pieces if bought together. That's $27 for you who don't want to figure it out!

I'm also getting my Facebook business page going. There's not much there yet, but if you want to check it out you can find me here : All That I Am on Facebook.

Hmmm... Things have been busy around here with 2 different friends visiting. We've had a great time. One has gone on her way back home and the other will still be around for another couple of weeks. I've been running around like a maniac in my spare moments reading up on how to better market my Etsy shop and am considering doing an Arfire shop as well. This stuff is so time consuming but fun! I've been perusing the forums on Etsy to learn more about SEO (search engine optimazation). For those who don't know what that is, it is basically about how you word things on your web pages in order to have the best chance at showing up in a google search. At least I think that's what it is. Boy is there a LOT to learn! So that's me - busy busy busy!

The next 3 photos are part of a series called "The Winged Ones" that I posted about back in December of '09. I started these about a year ago now. No... I don't have any problems getting things listed for sale....

First up is ElvaNea. She is the Queen of the Winged Ones, and is very scrumptious in mico-faceted apatite and garnet:

ElveNea

Next up is MaraFae, who's delightfully warm in her autumn colored stones of amber, rhodolite garnet, Mandarin garnet and the gorgeous and fairly new to me, green chrome diopside:

MaraFae

And lastly, for now, is JenaBell - such a cute little wispy thing in peridot, citrine and amethyst:

JenaBell

Here is another piece in my Goddess Series. She is The Moon Whisperer:

The Moon Whisperer

The last two photos are of pendants, one with green amethyst and Australian Opal, and the other with apatite and amethyst. Here you go :

Her Warrior Shield

Ocean Sunset On Waves

Whew - only 3 1/2 months?

2010-08-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my blog as well as others' blogs. After my last post at the beginning of May, my carpal tunnel TOOK OVER. It took over mind, body, and spirit. I can't remember what I've said of it here on my blog, but I have it in both wrists and at my worst, cannot pet my cats or wash a dish. It gets pretty bad. Needless to say, I also couldn't type or use my mouse, but that's not so much what kept me away as it was the draining of my spirit by the old depression, which is very prevalent in my life. I realized somewhere along the way that I figured everyone knew what was going on with me as I dropped out of this online society because I had updated how things were going on Facebook, but of course we are not all on FB. So - apologies to any of you who wondered where I went.

Right now I am sitting in my studio for the first time in almost 4 months. I couldn't really even visit it because of the emotional pain. To be cut off from creativity was too difficult - plus there wasn't really anything I could do in here. When I started to get better I tried a little painting but that was too much for the hands - that lasted for two days.

So, now, here I am and I can't really use my pliers yet, but had to come up here to get some stones for someone who wants to do some healing work. I'm sitting in my office chair looking out the windows at the distant hills and am feeling really happy. It's like a dear old friend has contacted me out of the blue. I'm finally meeting a bit of myself again. At the same time I'm trying not to get too excited because it doesn't take much for me to knock myself on my butt again. Twist that wrist the wrong way or bump it hard and I'm back a week or two in my progress. My emotions are so connected to my hands it is amazing. Not really surprising though, our hands are quite the magical beings and it's not much fun to be without them.

But anyway, right now, I am loving being in my studio and am hopeful that in the near future I can try to make something again -- or at least photograph and list some jewelry. I just want to have my spirit in the jewelry world!

Thanks to all my friends for their support and kind words in this sucky process of mine.

If you are wondering if I've thought about surgery - it is in my mind, but I'm not convinced that it'll do the trick. On the medical scale of CT, I am very mild. The docs tell me that you can be mild with high pain because as you have greater CT, you become more numb and thus less pain. The doc's also haven't jumped on the idea of surgery. I haven't gone back to talk to them about it in these months because I'm trying to take a more holistic approach to healing.

In any case, sorry I just disappeared!! I'm sending much love to you all and will be back and creative as soon as I can :)

I like a good Zentangle session ... Do You?

2010-05-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is my 5th Zentangle. What is a Zentangle you ask? Well, my answer is a kind of meditative, repetitive, organic doodle. The concept was created by Rick and Marie over at Zentangle.com. I don't work for them or anything, though they do certify folks to become Zentangle teachers. They don't know me at all, but I sure like this thing that they have created!

I think they started it a number of years ago and I have no idea how I heard about it, but once I went to their site, I was hooked. It's so perfect for me - doodling with a fine ink pen on nice little squares of paper. I LOVE it! When I first started looking zentangle up online I saw all kinds of neat example so I started to experiment and try to figure out how they make all those neat patterns. I quickly learned that I could do their patterns or create my own - I like to do a little of both, but usually use theirs. Here I am talking like I'm a seasoned pro but I've only made 5 of these things!

I'd like to make it a daily ritual, sitting down and making a ZT (I'll call it a ZT because it's easier on my poor little typing fingers). They give all kinds of reasons for why creating them can help you, but the bottom line for me is that it helps calm me, focus me, bring me to the present. That's something that is always good for me

I'll leave it up to you if you want to check it out at all. I just figured since this is my creative blog kind of thingie, I might as well share these:)

Here are my first 4.

Oh, by the way, these are each on a square 3.5 inch piece of paper. The one at the top of the blog is done on a specially cut piece of quality paper from zentangle.com. They're neat little squares with a kind of washed looking edge, though you can't see that in my photo. The others are on scrap paper I had.

Happy creating and let me know if you get into Zentangling too!

Shay

More on "Green Amethyst", or Prasiolite

2010-05-04T13:23:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I shared a photo of this piece that I made for my mother. My dear friend Swati, commented to the effect that I was teaching her something new in regards to "green amethyst", and I realized I better get my butt in gear and do some research so I'm not sharing false information!! So this post is a little about this green stone :) I am not a specialist - just explaining as best I understand. I welcome anyone to add more or correct me!

The first thing to know is that it is a variety of quartz - just like amethyst, citrine, and rose quartz are all different types of quartz. Some quartz has a specific iron compound that when heated turns green. Without that compound, heated quartz will usually turn a yellow or brown color. I believe that even though it is called green *amethyst* it didn't have to be amethyst (purple/lavender) first; it could have been heat treated from a clear quartz. From what I read, most prasiolite that is sold on the market has been heat treated by man rather than found naturally green. There are instances of naturally heated green quartz -- due to some geological event heating up the appropriate quartz, but this is much less common in the gemstone field.

And that's about it for my knowledge!

Now the more scientific people may smack me on the head for my simple interpretation...

Whatever it is, it's pretty don't you think?

Recent Orders and Gifts

2010-05-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've been working away at orders and swaps and "create it forward pieces." I'm having lots of fun and thought I better just stop in here and update you on what I've finished!

I suppose I won't share any of the "create it forward" pieces until they are all done and out to their peeps so you'll have to wait to see those :)

I recently did 2 pendants for my mom's birthday which she got today. Happy Birthday Mom!!!
These are the two that you see above. The first one is black onyx with a tiny faceted black spinel up at the top. She had been wanting something in just black and silver so this is what I came up with. Hope she likes it!

The second one is a "green amethyst" briolette. Green amethyst is a treated amethyst - there are natural ones (Prasiolite), but very rare I think. When she picked out this stone last time I went back east to visit, I knew I wanted to wrap it using a tutorial I had purchased from "Earrings By Erin" on Etsy. Here's a link to the tutorial: Erin's Vintage Briolette Tutorial.
It was a very well done tutorial and I'd suggest it to anyone who wants to give it a shot. I quite enjoy Erin's work! I had to change a couple of things to adapt to a different sized briolette than she used (mine is smaller), but it has a quite similar look. I thought about oxidizing mine, but mom had made the comment in the past about a bracelet that I gave her, that she likes to watch it darken, so watch she will:)

Happy Birthday Mom!! One of these days I'm going to get her to actually post a comment on my blog. You hear that??!

Okay....
The next items to share were all ordered by a lovely woman who happens to be a good friend of my mothers and probably rivals her in how many pieces of my work she owns.
She had selected a piece of petrified wood (fossilized wood) when she and my mom visited me here in CA some time ago. When I went back east we then picked out a herkimer diamond that she wanted to pair with the wood. She didn't have a particular thing in mind except that she wanted them together - possibly with the herkimer below. I decided to go with a fairly standard style cabochon wrap for both pieces, and used round wire to keep the soft look of the petrified wood. So, here she is front and back or front and front, whichever way you choose to look at it.
Hope she loves it!

The final photo shows a selection of pieces that she ordered to give out to a group of women with whom she celebrates a bit of the supernatural each year. In my mind I think if them as "The Unofficial Coven" though they do not profess themselves to be witches or anything like that.
The do get together yearly to photograph Orbs and call to their ancestors and other friendly spirits. Of course, this is my abbreviated version since I've never accompanied them, but I have been invited and my just have to do so next year.
I had so much fun making these for them!

The stones used in these pendants are: prehnite, amethyst, quartz, amazonite, fluorite, kyanite, mookaite and aventurine. I think she has inspired me to do some more individual group pendant sets. It'd be fun if someone bought a set to give to their friends or keep for themselves if they want.

Okay, one more for the road. This is a piece I made out of sterling silver and aquarmarine crystals - just for fun:) Well, it's all fun really, but I suspect you know what I mean.
Happy creating to you!
Shay

Create It Forward (Technically - "Pay it forward for creative people")

2010-04-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ever see the movie "Pay It Forward"? Simply put, the premise is that you do nice things for people and they in turn do nice things for people, and it spreads and spreads and spreads. Sounds great right? I thought so.

I'm on Facebook ( My facebook page if you care to join), and there has been a "pay it forward for creative people" thing going around. Here are the details as they are written on Facebook.

"Pay It Forward for Creative people. I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment to this. They must in turn, promise to send something they made to the first 5 posters on their status.The rules are, it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2010."

So the gist of it is that I sign up with someone who is doing this and they make me one thing. In turn I get 5 people to sign up with me and I make them each something (this is all free). So for the one thing someone gets they make 5 things, and those 5 people make something creative for 5 more people (25 people playing now). Imagine how fast that could turn into thousands of people spreading the creative love! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to take part in this!

If this is something you might want to do, please let me know and I'll hook you up with someone who will make something creative for you. I have a number of friends who don't have their 5 slots filled up yet and I want to help make that happen so we can see the creations grow and flow!

I'm also hoping to take a collection of photos from people when they've made their 5 items and post it on my FB page. I think it'll be so wonderful to see what just one of us can do by taking part.

If you aren't on Facebook, I'm sure we could do it through the blogs too. So... anyone who's not already participating want to join in?

Thanks!

Shay

Projects Unfinished

2010-04-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today, I decided to try to collect all my various piles of jewelry projects that have been started but not finished. I don't know when I picked up the habit of starting and not finishing, but I'll tell you, they are accumulating! I've shown a picture above of *most* of them! There are gemstone necklaces, wire wrapped pendants, bracelets in the making, chainmaille, and other various items. I mean, there are things on that table that I started at least 4 years ago! What's up with that??

Here's another photos of just the pendants:

That's a whole lot of lovely little creations to get to work on. With a rough counting, I'd say that is something like 55 projects in all. And this doesn't include custom orders, swaps with other jewelers or my 5 Create It Forward projects (I'll do another post on that one next).

I think, just maaaaaaaybe I have my work cut out for me! Of course what I usually want to do when I pick up my pliers is start something new, but I'm going to make an effort to work on these projects. Yes I am :)

How many of you are like me - starting and not finishing?

Live interview on The Jewelry Connection!

2010-03-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

*update* 4/6/10 - Here are the links to the archive of the show with my interview. It has been separated into 4 shorter segments, so there are 4 links. (Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

I have had the honor of being asked to do an interview this Sunday on the online show, The Jewelry Connection. Yikes! -- kidding:)

Mona Hair is the host and will talk to me live while showing images of my work on your screen. She'll ask me all sorts of fun questions and then open it up to viewers questions. I know I have certainly enjoyed watching her show and getting to know other artists, so I'm pretty excited that she asked me. Woo-hoo!!

Thanks so much Mona! YOU Rock!!

If you are interested, it is this Sunday, March 14th (United States time). Here is a link if you are on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=349899133681

And if you aren't on Facebook, here's what Mona has to say, as well as the link to where the show will take place:
------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet Guest Artist Shay Stone - Independent Jewelry Designer

Type:

Music/Arts - Exhibit

Date:	Sunday, March 14, 2010
Time:	1:00pm - 2:30pm
Location:	http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/The-Jewelry-Connection

Join us in an ON-LINE internet broadcast room of The Jewelry Connection (an internet event) to meet visiting guest artist Shay Stone of Laytonville California! Wire wrapping beautiful wearable art full of love and light would best describe this wonderful artist's work! Join us for a live interview and review of Shay's work on:
Sunday Afternoon - March 14th, 2010

Location:
http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/The-Jewelry-Connection

Show Times by Zones: 1pm PST, 2pm MT, 3pm CST, 4pm EST
10pm in Europe, 9pm in the UK

Our show is starting one hour later on March 14th to allow for everyone to calibrate with Daylight Savings Time -spring those clocks forward one hour!

Looking forward to sharing this wonderful designer with you!
Best to All!

Mona Hair
Producer and Host of The Jewelry Connection
------------------------------------------------------------

A couple more new necklaces

2010-02-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

I've been happily creating away lately, but I seem to be in a battle with my camera. I think either it has changed on me or I can't take decent photos anymore! Actually... I think my camera hates me, but what can I say. I did manage to get a few clear pics this morning so I wanted to share my latest two necklaces with you.

I've been having lots of fun doing goddess pieces lately. I started off doing rather large copper pieces as you can see here. Those pieces were more focused on chunky and raw stones, while these latest two are getting back into the silver and more sparkly gemstones. I'll tell ya, I am loving making both styles. They have such movement and radiant energy. I can't wait to see who's neck they end up on!
Hugs around,
Shay

Etsy's Hearts for Haiti shop

2010-02-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Just in case you or anyone you know has thought about buying this piece, Spring's Harp, I wanted to let you know that I've donated it to the Etsy shop that is supporting Doctors Without Borders during this time of special need in Haiti. It is $235 and all proceeds minus fees taken out by Etsy and Paypal, will go to this cause. You can find it and many other items at the store here: Heartsforhaiti.etsy.com I've really been wanting to find a way to support the relief in Haiti, but haven't had the resources to do so, so I was pretty happy when I found this shop on Etsy. I deliberated about doing some lesser priced items, and I still may, but I chose my most expensive item instead, hoping that someone will be inspired to buy it and see the money go to a place it is so needed right now.

On another note, I hope you are all doing as well as can be! I haven't been online a whole lot lately. I'm in one of my "got-to-stop-spending-so-much-friggin-time-on-this-machine!" modes. I've been channeling most of my energy lately into cleaning my studio - I mean REally cleaning it. I've had years of stuff piling up under tables and on shelves and have been going through every little bit. I have about one shoebox more of things to sort and stow away and I will have officially been through every bit of the room and should theoretically even know where anything I have actually is. Though I do find myself wondering, "but where is that onyx pendant that I got that I was going to wrap for....." Not a good start, but it sure feels good to walk in there now. Now, back to creating since my hands are doing well again:) Yay!

Okay, enough about me. Please do check out the Hearts For Haiti store and see if there's anything you want to buy. It's a nice and easy way to donate and get a little something at the same time.

Love to you all, Shay

Back To Ground

2010-01-05T14:17:00.001-08:00

That's what I feel like lately -- this need to get back to ground, back to the beginning, back to earth. It's a raw emotion that I can't particularly describe other than by the above words. Creatively, it has been like a mantra in my head saying "Talisman... talisman... protection". That's what I've been needing to create for awhile.

When I began working with wire about 5 years ago, I used stripped copper electrical wire and crystals and stones. My pieces were rather large and chunky. Here are a few examples:

I still create on the larger side but I've tried to tone them down over the years. I also moved into tiny faceted gemstones and pretty much just sterling silver wire. I still love doing those pieces, but lately I felt I needed to get my hands back into my piles of rough stones and heavier gauge wire, so that's what I've been doing, and it's been great.

The first goddess piece I made, was created almost in a frenzy of energy. I walked into the studio and saw the amber hanging there and knew I had to grab that. Next I was just spinning around in the room grabbing anything that wanted to be a part of that piece -- bone goddess, rutilated quartz, obsidian needle, ruby, garnet, citrine, turquoise. Then I started wrapping it all up, without regard to doing a "neat" wrapping job. Quite the contrary, I want these pieces to be wild and unkempt (but obviously still with neat tucked wire ends so they don't poke!) That's how I feel when I'm making them, and all the while, I am thinking, "talisman, talisman, protection, goddess, powerful, shield", and such thoughts. I honestly don't even know what the various pieces of these necklaces represent in the metaphysical world. I may look it up, but I don't really need to because I know how they make me feel. Hopefully they will find a home with someone who feels their power.

I've made three in the last 3 days and for all I know I may not make more, but I'm pretty sure I will. You just never know about me! For now the shiny silver and faceted gemstones are sitting to the side as I am compelled to work with the Goddesses. I sure having fun with them!

Finding My Magick

2009-12-30T21:46:00.000-08:00

It's something I yearn for, dream of, contemplate, desire.

It is Native American, Pagan, Druid, African and so many other religions, cultures and heritages that I do not know.

It is a sensing... intense, sad, powerful, energizing, invigorating, healing, loving, longing, warm, aching, creating, beautiful.

It is leather, bones, copper, silver, aged, wise, hammered, soft, hard, flowing.

It calls to me.

One day I will find and truly understand my Magick.

One day soon I hope.

More wire work

2009-12-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all doing most wonderfully today!

I'm doing good and keeping busy as ever. I'm still working on photographing and listing (and cleaning and organizing and.... ). This is the second time I've set up an Etsy shop, though I've got more to list the second time around. I forgot how much work it takes to get it all going. I keep thinking that I can't imagine putting this many hours into the computer, with no creating time. Then I just have to remember that once it's all listed, I get to make things and list them as I finish them. I will get to make things again!

Here is one of my recent listings. I was going to show you more, but either blogger or my connection is getting in the way!

This is my first wrap with balled wire ends that I heated up with a torch. It was fun and I'll probably play with it more one of these days. I just adore that slice of watermelon tourmaline though. It's a bitty thing and so pretty! I have a good number of slices that I can't wait to make into a very rich and colorful necklace one of these days.

Sweet Dreams...

Muscovite Joy Ride

2009-12-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

I've called this one Muscovite Joy Ride because I can't help but think of a roller coaster when I look at the wire weaving around and around. It makes me smile.

This is one that I've really enjoyed looking at and haven't wanted to sell, but I'm finally ready to let it move on.

Farewell sweet muscovite!

6 Things

2009-12-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a a wonderful artists site: Lorelei's Blog: In side the Studio. I thought I'd pass it on to you:)

How it works: I will answer the below very random questions - then you can answer the questions as a comment. Feel free to post to your blog and carry it on.

1. Today I feel... Pretty good and focused on improving my jewelry photography!

2. This week... I'm going to get a step closer to organized, hang out with friends and get some work done.

3. Last night...I worked on jewelry photos and read a good book. Hmmmm... I'm sensing a jewelry theme here.

4. Lately the song stuck in my head is... Nothing in particular which is nice for a change.

5.My favorite pet memory is ...I'd have to say it's more of a combination of "Little Cat's" life all rolled up in to one warm and marvelous memory. It's sad and wonderful.

6. What is currently at the top of your Christmas wish list?...Okay, this sounds crazy, but when I read this question, I realized my answer was...nothing! That was a pretty cool thought. Guess it's because I'm in the process of trying to get rid of stuff?

Fairly recent jewelry pieces

2009-12-02T22:19:00.000-08:00

Since I'm not being able to make jewelry, I'm slowly working on photographing some. Here are a couple of pieces I've made in the last 6 months or so. The first is a sweet piece of malachite wrapped in silver and the second is one of my goddess/angel/fairy beings that is part of a new series called "The Winged Ones" I was having lots of fun with those before I had to take a break!

It'll be interesting to see how much I can get done photo-wise. I can so easily get distracted by all the other FUN things that I could be doing! But, I do need to keep up the photos so that I have something to share with you:-) I could just ramble and ramble on without sharing photos, but what fun is that? Well, okay, that can be fun too.
Ooookaaaayyyyy... back to work for me!

Not helping! (but she thinks she is)

2009-12-02T21:14:00.001-08:00

Need I say more?

Oh but I must. Isn't she just the cutest thing? I know you dog people may be rolling your eyes, but I can't help it!

If you don't know, this is a light tent for photographing jewelry. It's a place one likes to keep very clean and lint free. Hmmm....

Home, sweet home

2009-11-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I love visiting my family though this last trip was under fairly stressful circumstances, which are significantly less stressful now. I jumped on a plane in quite a rush when I went out there, leaving things here in a bit of a chaotic mess. You know, I honestly don't know who I pray to - I'm still working on that part of my life - but I do have my own form of prayer, and I feel blessed and am so thankful that my mom is doing well. I am always aware of how blessed I am in my life, but right now, I'm a bit more thankful than usual:)

I sure am enjoying being back in the hills now. It's getting a bit chilly here, especially over in my computer corner where I'm typing away, but damn I missed the trees and mountains! Not to mention cats and partner:) While away, I came to appreciate and yearn for central heat, stores being a mere 5 minutes away, significantly more affordable housing, being in a "town". But as soon as I arrived home, I remembered why I live way out here in the middle of nowhere. It's me. It can be hard, it can be cold and frustrating, but it is so beautiful in so many ways. I love that we get most of our electricity from solar panels. As much as I hate lugging firewood around, I cherish the heat that a woodstove puts out. There's nothing like curling up in that glowing warmth and reading a good book.

So yes, I'm happy to be home:) The one thing I'm not happy about is that my carpal tunnel is kicking my butt again. I was really enjoying working on some custom orders on my travels home and then one day my hands screamed, "NO MORE!" So now, I walk around babying this sad little wrist -- at least it's only one wrist right now! Carrying firewood in with one hand isn't the most fun, but it will only last for so long. For now I await the doctor's visit where I will get a referral to either have the CT surgery or go with another cortizone type shot. I can't decide which way I want to go, but one or the other will be very welcome!

I can't even tell you how much I want to be making jewelry right now! GRRRRRRrrrrr!!

Instead I will try to focus on everything else jewelry related. I have so many pieces that I've never photographed and put online. Maybe now I'll get a chance to get it done! I'm so bad... a bit of a hoarder of finished pieces. It's not that I don't want to let them go, I'm just awful at making that happen. In my perfect world I would make my stuff then hand it to someone else to do all the marketing and selling. Problem with that (well aside from I can't afford it) is that I'd miss out on connecting with people. I love the people I meet online in the various jewelry communities I am a part of and I certainly love meeting people who are interested in my work.

I wouldn't trade a thing if it meant losing my online friends. It's funny how meeting folks online goes. I mean, I know that a lot of us wouldn't ever meet if we were out in the world. Whether it be how we look, where we live, what we believe in, what we do - there are so many things that sadly separate us. I appreciate this virtual place where we can just be who we are at heart. At least I hope that is who you are being - I believe I am. I appreciate this place that I can type away without worrying about anything but what comes from within. In my physical world, I'm not the prettiest, I'm shy, I'm depressed, I'm disabled. - I've got my issues. I'm also caring, loving, creative, a good friend and a pretty decent person. We are all so much! I guess all my rambling is coming to the sappy conclusion that I love you guys, I appreciate all that I have and that we have together. Okay now.. enough that crap!!

Happy being, creating, loving, sharing... (see, I just can't stop!)....

Business name change and life in general

2009-11-07T06:30:00.001-08:00

Hey all,

Just a couple of things I wanted to let you know about. The first thing is that I've been away from home for awhile on family business, so I've not been very active online. I hope to be back at it soon though! I've been real busy here, but am still finding time to squeeze in a little jewelry work when I can. I KNOW you know how that is.

The other news is that I've changed business names. It's been a bit of a journey for me -- choosing the right name. About as hard for me as figuring out who I "am" or what the meaning of life is. LOL.. okay not quite that bad, but it's up there. On Etsy, I went from "Shay Stone" to "Heart & Stone" and finally now to "All-That-I-Am". It's been a search to try to convey what I feel like creating is all about for me; how what we make represents us and our histories and experiences; how a bit of "all of us" goes into everything that we do. And on the other side is the buyer and their connection with something they fall in love with. I want something I've made to both represent "all that I am" as well as for the buyer "all that they are". When we both feel that connection through this creation, life is good:)

So anyway.. Woo Hoo! I'm there. I haven't made it official on the license yet because I'm still stumped with the ending.

What do you think?

All-That-I-Am Handcrafted Jewelry

All-That-I-Am Jewelry

All-That-I-Am Jewelry Designs

All-That-I-Am Creations

All-That-I-Am...???? Anything else?

I'd love to hear your input. I am trying to show that it is jewelry that I make, though it does make for a long name!

I hope you are doing great and if you are not, that it comes to you soon:)

Shay

A long overdue rain

2009-10-13T12:03:00.001-07:00

I've always been fascinated by drops of water on plants, or on anything for that matter. The way it balls up and stays in that wonderfully rounded shape. Or the way it joins together with another drop to become a larger beautiful bubble of water.

I took these photos in my garden yesterday after we had a very much needed rain.

The second round of glass beads

2009-09-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

Here are the results of my second time playing with glass and fire. In this one above I used a reduction frit and silver foil. I have no idea if those are the correct terms, but thats what I remember! The dark dots in the center are where the little flecks of frit made contact with the hot bead and melted in. Pretty neat huh? I don't even understand exactly what chemical process is happening yet but I think it has something to do with bringing metals out of the colored glass. The wild thing is that you need to change the flame to make the process work. If I remember correctly the mixture of oxygen/propane is made more propane rich to become a reduction flame. I've got to do some reading on it to get my facts straight though.

I sure am enjoying whatever time I get to make these beads. Right now it's about 3 hours a week. I'm sure if I had my own studio it would be more like 3 hours a day!

Here are the rest of the beads:)

Custom Watch Band

2009-09-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

This is a watch band I made for a woman that I met in my lampworking class. She saw a couple of pieces that I was wearing and really enjoyed the style of the spirals as they remind her of ferns which are her love and topic of lecture at local colleges. Forgive me Ruth, I can't remember what exactly you teach except that it is about ferns! lol..

The watch was an anniversary gift from her husband about 15 years ago and I feel honored that she asked me to create a band for it. Previously it had a reversable band of black and brown leather. This was particularly a fun piece to make because I've never done a watch band and it provided more than one challenge I had to work through.

After I got the silver on the band done, Ruth chose the array of tourmaline colors that you see here. Hopefully she's going to love it! I get to give it to her tomorrow. I think I'll appreciate it even more when the wire ages a bit and it gets a bit of a patina going to match the dark and light areas of the watch face.

Here are some more images:

The First Glass Beads (you asked for it!)

2009-09-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

Now somebody who knows what they are doing would most likely cringe at the above close up of a bead, but I think it's awesome!

On Sunday I went to the glass studio for the second time. It was an open studio and I was the only one that showed up so I got to play at the torch for a few hours and chat with the instructor about making beads and cats (he has 5 very cute kitties).

Here are two of them:

It was a great day and I get to go do it again next Sunday (very excited). While there, I made seven more beads and I think I got a little closer to getting them round at least. I'm not playing with a real broad color selection so the colors aren't my favorites, but its all about learning the techniques right now. I did learn a new technique to kind of spin one color into another making a spiraly, wavy kinda thing. Can't wait to see them next week!

So... Here are some photos of the 2 beads that I made on the first day of class, thus my first glass beads:) They have their issues and they haven't had their holes cleaned out, but here they are in all their glory.

I'm still pounding away at the wire creating too. Right now I'm working on a custom watch band for a woman I met at the first lampworking class as well as some cute little angel/fairy/goddess kind of things. Photos and posts soon to come!

My First Lampworking Class

2009-09-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

It was pretty darn cool watching glass melt into this colorless raging hot orange molten glob. Mesmerizing to say the least. Getting the hot glass onto the mandrel (metal rod that you make the bead on), was fun, but I'll tell ya, I am definitely round bead challenged!

I found this class through our county yahoo group. I was pretty thrilled to say the least and nervous because I hadn't done anything as a newbie in a long time. I've tended to stay away from things other than wire working because I have a history of going full force into each new medium that I try and then I have too much crap and not enough time to play with said crap.
I mean, I could do wirework alone for so many years and never hit a limit.

I've thought about getting into PMC and lampworking for years, but due to money and time constraint I haven't done it. This time I did it anyway. Yay! The class took place in Willits, CA with artist Matt Marchand. He has a sweet little studio that fits 6 people. It's in his garage with lots of open doors and windows for ventilation. Here's a photo of the studio and my classmates (I am hiding behind the camera as I so enjoy doing!)
I found the emotional process I went through before and after this class really interesting.

At the beginning I was utterly excited - and into the class as well. Of course I couldn't do much well being it was my first time, but I was okay with that. By the end of the day though, I think I was just plain tired and maybe a bit frustrated and went home thinking , 'I am so thrilled that I'm not in love with lampworking!' I was happy because I wouldn't have to worry about creating a suitable studio, spending money, taking time away from other things, etc. Then, as the evening wore on I could... not... stop... thinking about it! Obsessed is the only word that comes to mind. Day and night all I could think about was getting back to that flame. I wondered if it was just me romanticizing the process and my love of master glassworkers pieces, or if I really can't wait to do it again. I dare say I've driven my partner just a little bit crazy! lol.

In any case, there wasn't much I could do about it because I don't have facilities available to try it again until our teacher Matt has open studio hours which (yay!) are coming up next Sunday. I think I need to seriously play with the glass a few more times to see where my heart really is. Is it in love or in lust? Time will tell. In the mean time, here are 2 more photos from class. One is just a pile of glass scraps that I couldn't stop trying to figure out a way to use them! They are so pretty to look at. The second is my funny attempt at making stringers, which are essentially hot glass pulled apart so that it thins in the middle -kind of like pulling taffy apart I think? These ones were made with two colors so that we twisted them as we pulled them apart. Pretty neat huh? In the end they are used for decorating beads.

Unfortunately I have no finished beads to show because it was a one day class and we couldn't take our beads home until they were properly annealed, which takes some hours. We were also just working with a lot of practice glass and I don't even know if I'll be able to recognize any of what I made! I'll check it out when I go to the studio next week though - maybe I'll be able to recognize my own bit of off-round craziness!

A Finished Bracelet

2009-09-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

First let me say... "WooHoo!! I finished something!" I've been having a teeny little problem in that area lately. LOL. And actually taking pictures of finished pieces? Well that's a whole 'nother story.

This is the maybe the 3rd or 4th bracelet I've made over the years. I usually make pendants, but I had so much fun with this that I'm sure I will have to make more.

It is made with Argentium sterling silver wire, sapphires and emeralds. I thought about adding in a third color, but for now, this is it, I kinda like just the blue and green. This is one of those pieces that challenges me in pricing for sale because it took me so long to weave. It's one of those moments where you realize that being someone who loves to make one of a kind pieces without pre-planning a design, doesn't much leave you able to cover the cost of labor because each step in creating is a little slower than if I were doing a similar thing each time.

I'm beginning to adjust to that fact in pricing jewelry. I'd rather get paid for my time at a reasonable rate, but I'd also rather see my pieces on someone else other than myself! lol.. But for now, this baby is mine:)

As an afterthought, now I'm wondering, would any of you like to through some prices around since you don't know any of the creating details?

Here are a couple of "in action" photos:

And here are a couple more of the finished piece. Thanks for looking:)

New bracelet in the works

2009-08-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit of what I'm working on right now. Its a bracelet made up of Argentium sterling silver wire, Karen Hill Tribe silver beads, and emerald and sapphire beads. I'm doing little bits on it each day and really enjoying it. I may add another gemstone to it -- garnet perhaps? Your guess is as good as mine as to how it will turn out!

Full of Wildlife

2009-08-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

We've been having all kinds of raccoon and snake activity around here lately. I've been trying to catch and relocate a snake, but this one has been eluding me -- the nerve! The raccoons are a pair who were first hanging around a couple of weeks ago. I've shot a number of photos of them while they've been checking everything out.

First they were under the deck and on the ground, then as you see the photos of them looking through the window, they are staring at me while I'm working on jewelry! I find their behavior so fascinating and think they are adorably cute, but not good to have around. I've seen them fighting with one another and they are downright vicious. We are being very careful about when we let the kitties out and are watching them especially after run ins with the rattlesnake.

To top it off, one of the raccoons was in our garden eating the strawberries this morning in daylight! We were shocked to say the least, as we were already outside with the cats and Jesse just happened to look up and see the raccoon. Fortunately we got the cats in before they saw the coon. I certianly hope to never have them encounter one another. I suspect the raccoon will just run away, but I also think the kids will chase after them. Oh.. the wildlife excitement around here! The raccoons are also taking shiny silver objects and moving them around on the property. They're so intriguing to me.
Here's a photo of the cats watching them. Too funny!

On another note, I have been in a rather long creative slump lately, thus not much posting here, but it is finally turning around and I'm in the studio working everyday so I hope to have some more jewelry to share with you. Woohoo! I'm currently working on a bracelet with sterling wire, and emerald and sapphire beads. I'm having lots of fun with it, and will definitely share a photo when I've got it done.

Hope you are all wonderful today:)

More on the bracelet and yes, I am still alive!

2009-07-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know where I've been lately, but it hasn't been posting on my blog! Well I do know where I've been, I'm not quite that lost -- Stuff to do, places to go, people to see. I've been somewhat immersed in a de-cluttering mission in the house which will take ages, but will be well worth it.

Speaking of people to see, next week I'm taking a 6 hour drive to go meet my good friend Swati Nigam who I've met online though various jewelry forums. Check out a few posts ago and you'll see a link to her and her wonderful work. Yay! We get to meet for the first time in person, and hang out for a whole week, making jewelry and taking a PMC class together (a first for both of us). I am very excited and once again in awe of this online world.

Now, back to the bracelet. I've added tiny faceted tanzanite beads to the beautiful blue chalcedony and oxidized it a bit to give it some depth, though I don't think these photos show the darkening. It is woven wire for about 2/3rd of it and triple layer chain with a clasp in the back, which you can kind of see in the upper photo. There are a couple of neat details that I didn't get a good photo of, but once I find it during my de-cluttering mission (now you see why I must get to work!), I'll take a couple more close-ups.

Bracelet in the making

2009-06-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the things that I am working on right now. I'm really enjoying weaving these teeny tiny Karen Hill beads (1mm) into the piece. Waving thanks to Pippi for hooking me up with these lovelies! If you don't know Pippi, I'd pretty much say you've GOT to go look at her work! And she's such a sweetie too. Here she is: Pippi's Jewelry blog.

I've enclosed a photo on my thumb so you can really get the scale. Be forewarned... if bad cuticles and nails offend you -- don't look! For 38 years now I've not been able to make my self take the time to make them look pretty. Working hands are what I've got :)

I'm also using some amazingly beautiful AAA chalcedony and enjoying every minute.

If you aren't familiar with the Karen Hill Tribe beads, get this: Each one is individually handmade and in the instance of these tiny babies, hand faceted.