Ornaments

At the gallery demo last weekend I took an order for some tree ornaments, and I kicked myself for not thinking of that before, duh!  They were to be red wire and star like. I did a couple trials before I settled on one, and the test ones make great holiday pendants! The first one looks like a poinsetta flower:

The second one is half the size and makes a nice little star pendant for those less into chunky jewelry:

But I finally came up with adjusting another pattern to come up with this 6 pointed star pattern:

She wanted a set of 6, so I was busy making them this week, and because I have orders to fill this is when I started baby sitting a teething 1 yr old. LOL never a dull moment around here I tell ya!

I think they turned out rather well myself. And I found another ideas for holly leaves with red bead berries. But before I tackle ornaments I need to play with the lovely sterling silver wire I got from The Ring Lord:  http://theringlord.com/  They are based in Saskatoon, and have loads of different wire. I'll still need to order my coloured stuff from the States tho, sigh.

Anyway I need to make something really amazing with the silver and see if I can get it into the winter amateur display at the art gallery next month.  I think I have done what I'd like shown with my can tabs, so just need to go nuts with nice wire and semiprecious beads. Wish me luck!

Art Gallery demo/new display colours

 

Sun Oct 3 I did a wire crochet demo at the art gallery. And got to test the new colour scheme for my display. In mini display form. I like the way that the colour turned out, everything stands out better than the black.

There weren't many people who came to look, but I sold earrings and a ring. and a well known local artist was interested in one of my older sets that I have always wondered why hadn't sold. However she didn't have her wallet along, sigh.

 At the time I was demoing there was a stained glass class happening, and the instructor ordered a set of tree ornaments based on a pendant I had crocheted. which lead to Laurie (education director) to suggest I join a few other artists in Nov to teach various ornament making. 5 people who came indicated that I should teach wire crochet. So, I am going to try to teach a class in 2011 sometime. EEK!! So much new stuff to try and do, and all of it at the same time, why can't new happen slowly? I don't like too much change... Taurus I suppose. Anyway it was a rather interesting day.

makin' stuff

I am still trying to create a little free-er, and more art inspired. This bracelet uses several fillet crocheted triangles in different sizes and metal colour, copper, gold, silver. Originally they were layered together as a pendant and earrings. I decided to attach them all together for this asymertical but geometric designed bracelet, after ripping apart a few older pieces that have been in my stock for a few years unsold. I kinda like this new design it's fun and funky and I hope this new direction will sell, time will tell right?

This is what the triangles  pendant and earrings looked like before. yeah my photography has improved a lot in that time too LOL!!

some of my new work is still similar but showing more of the crochet work, less simple chaining.

I am rather liking the lacy disks behind the beads look right now.

Currently I am working on a pull tab bowl using hand spun and dyed wool I got at a farmers market. I'll be sure to show that one off when I am done!

trying new things

I am planning to push my creative boundaries a little. I did my first freeform wire crochet last week while at my Tuesday Makers meeting. I must admit it was a bit daunting, having no idea what stitch was going in next or in what direction I should work. But it is a pretty artsy piece, I decided to add a chain and make it a bib necklace. Wearable art, I am sure someone out there will appreciate it, but I know it's not everyones taste. I might keep it too, but being me I'll have to make earrings too LOL!!

I was at the local art galleries summer salon show this Sat. And it occured to me that I really need to get myself into the fall/winter one. Wondering if I should just do my usual or make more artsy stuff for that. Maybe a bit of both. Hoping I get the time to make a new purse design I've been pondering too.

Well right now I need to concentrate on getting Adaira ready for diabetes camp and prepping for my parents 40th anniversary surprize party this weekend.  Should be a crazy week as usual!!

Tab mania

I have been working on some interesting orders in the last few weeks.  The first is a large, large bag, about twice as long/deep as my usual bags, and it has a divider in the middle and 1 large pocket in each side. I used about 620 can tabs. My daughter at 5 ft 2 is my model.

The other project which is for the same customer is a tank top made of 744 can tabs. She wanted it unlined to wear over any other top. Luckily my daughter the model is the same size a ladies small. The top is a first for me, as far as can tab creations go. And humble as I sometimes am... I think it turned out really well!

The next item is a necklace I made for the creative challenge thread on artfire, the theme is/was wind. I used thicker wire to crochet the sodalite and blue lace agate into a bar, and then made a cute, whimsical red kite

to float into the sky. I may donate it to the kite festival this month.

So my next order is another black purse, I love the orders, but could wish they wanted some colour! after that I'm doing a green purse with all different shades of green, a nice change!

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk

Today the whole family, all 7 of us ventured out for a 1.5 mile walk in the pouring rain. Why on Earth would we do that?  A very imporatant cause, the 1st annual Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation walk.  Our family named ourselves Adairas Strange Striders. Our goal was $1000.00. Let me just say our family and friends ROCK OUT LOUD!! We raised $3075.00!!! oh yeah, that was 1/6 of the total brought in. Huge thanks to Erik The Viking (ETV) who donated a huge huge amount that almost made me cry, Ricks office matched all the donations made by Ricks co-workers, which proves that Stark and Marsh chartered accounting is the best accounting firm ever, just so you know.

They had bounce houses set up inside the rec center for all the kids, which was great. And a barbeque lunch before the walk. After the walk there was a brief space and then another barbeque supper and an information meeting for parents and type 1 adults. Seems like everyone is going for the insulin pumps, we might have to talk to Adaira about that.

On the diabetes and Adaira subject...  We met in Saskatoon last fri with Dr. Best, the pediatric endocrinologist, and after 2 years of hell, he thinks maybe she's getting too much insulin, so he reduced it drastically and this week she's been pretty good save the morning she was so tired she forgot to take any insulin. (we later discovered midnight DSI play to blame for the tiredness)

In other news I finished the shell of the mega tab purse, and the necklace orederd from the home party, and the million bead custom order necklace as well. My challenge theme was Earth on artfire this time and

Here is my bracelet:

So that's how it's been. I'll try to blog more often, honest!!

Is That A Challenge!?

I have created a couple things for challenges recently.

The first one my friend Elaine (aka Tooaquarius, check her blog link <--) wanted to see how different each of our styles of jewelry making would look with the same beads. So she gave me a few and she kept some of a batch of her beads and we decided bronze/copper pearls and turquoise to go with. and here is my set:

And this week I started a thread on Artfire as a 2 week challenge:  http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&page_no=1&op=view_topic&tid=5051  The theme is what inspired you to your current medium. For me that is a simply chained out 5 strand copper wire necklace with a bunch of brown and amber beads. The original was all glass, but I used some pearls, and semi precious stone as well.

My Artfire thread I am planning to continue as an every 2 weeks challenge, if anyone else is interested in continuing with me. As a basic shop I can't join any guilds there so this will get me some regular people to get to know as well as get the creativity going for a bunch of us. Now what will the next challenge theme be, hmm....... any suggestions?

swirlies and the re-do bracelet

Elaine of Tooaquarius is an excellent polymer clay artist and a good friend of mine. As such I use a lot of her work in my own. Anyway she showed me how to properly make swirly lentils, so one afternoon the kid and I were playing with clay, they make pokemon figurines and I did a few swirlies.

The other thing this week was a customer from a fall show bought a braclet she absolutely adored, (tells me it's her fav and that she gets compliments everytime she wears it.) But she caught it on something sharp and wanted it repaired. She mailed it in a plain evelope no insurance, and the post office machines ate it. All i got was a half shredded envelope and a part of a note. Luckily the note had her work phone number so I could call her. She asked me to remake it and said she'd pay. The first time i made it took days and days, so I wasn't thrilled but what do you do? I made the original 3 years ago, I have gotten a lot faster and completed it in a day!! what a great measuring stick for my growth as a crocheter!

So now back to the orange purse which had better turn out well after all these interruptions in makeing it!!

The Demo

Yesterday we did the usual go to church, and I sold a strawberry shortcake to a family who gets me to bake cakes for them at least once a month. Got a message this morning apparently their cousins who were at the party the cake was for wanted them to pass on their compliments. How nice is that? Makes a good start to the day I tell ya!
So after church we had a quick lunch and off I went to the art gallery to set up for my display and demo of wire crochet for a couple hours. It went really well, I had quite a few people come to look and ooh and ahh. Always flattering, even had a request for teaching a class! There was a pottery class in the next room, one of the students came out to get something saw my diplay and was quite impressed, a few minutes later the rest of the class all came out at her insistance to see the crocheted wire jewelry. The one lady wanted to buy a set but didn't have $ with her so I gave her a card and told her I'd be at the gun and hobby show the 27th and 28th. Laurie the amazing gallery education co-ordinator bought a set too, it suits her really well. She's the lady in the wine coloured shirt with the purple and green fluorite set.

And a set of ladies came in and bought some of my rings. I really wasn't thinking sales, so all this was an unexpected bonus, plus I get $50 for the demo. Elaine was there for a while and took a few pictures for me. She rocks, and her demo is next Sun so I'll have to return the favour and shoot a few pics. Crafty friends are the best aren't they?

Creative Spree

Last week and the week previous I was on a creative spree, everyday I had another idea to play with. It's kinda petered out now, which is good, now I have loads of stuff to list :) I did 7 wire wrap rings, which is new to me and kinda fun. 2 bracelets, 5 pairs of earrings, 3 - 3part sets(earrings, necklace and bracelet), and 7 yes 7 - 2 part sets (earrings and either bracelet or necklace) I also made my very best and all time favourite set ever!! Not bad for a run. My creativity does seem to ebb and flo this way, I'll have bunch of ideas and a compulsion to make them and then it kinda dies off. Because I know this, as soon as the creativity poops out I take all the photos in bunches as well, and then I have a couple weeks worth of listings before I get another creative spurt. I dunno if other crafty/creative folks work this way or if I am just an oddity, and it works for me. Here's a few samples of this spree:

Stuff I have made with Elaines beads lately

As promised earlier in the week I have photos of the jewelry I made with Tooaquarius' beads at the craft show in Calgary.

I think I could work with her beads exclusively for a long time and still be inspired and happy with them. With all the texture, colours and shapes she does in her beads, making jewelry with them is a breeze, they need very, very simple accompanying beads. I am amazed that there's no paint involved. 12 years of skill and practice really show through.

I might be keeping the ice blossom set seen below. and am considering keeping the Coffee Break set to the left if it doesn't sell before Christmas.

My new addiction. Somehow, I don't even feel guilty :)

Saskatoon Craft Show

Well I am back from the weekend show. I took a loss, which is sad, my first big show and all. However I am told by the other sellers who have done it before that this year had the worst attendance they've ever seen. I am told that usually it's so busy you don't get to sit down. I got to make a few things. I got great comments from the people who did come, pretty much no-one had ever heard of crocheting wire. A lot of, "hey whomever, you gotta come see this, this woman crochetes WIRE!" If i hadn't needed the sitter and travel expense, I would have barely made my expenses. But I only brought in enough to cover the booth fee and sitter. oh well let's hope the other shows work out better for me. I did have an interesting visitor, a very drunken woman who knocked my scarves over, grabbed at my bracelet display and generally scared me. She then went to the booth behind me and my neighbor and nearly fell through the curtain upsetting said neighbors display. Where was security? The other intersting note was that the other neighbors were from my home town, and her little brother was a rather nice boy I crushed on a little. You never know who you'll meet at these sales!
Got a few pics of my display here, note that I crocheted my sign too!