I’ve Started My Holiday Shopping

I couldn’t think of a better way to start my holiday shopping than to participate in the Art Auction for Charity, this event was hosted and sponsored by a loving artist community!

I’m the lucky winning bidder on three beautiful artwork pieces from the auction which will benefit the Georgia Graham Kidney Transplant Fund. Georgia Graham is the Mother of my friend Jacqui from the Artist of the Round Table (A.R.T.), where she has graciously been moderating and teaching on-line workshops for many years.

"Caring Hands & Giving Hearts"

My first winning bid was for a fabric and fiber satchel that was published in Haute Handbags II. This is an awesome satchel/purse that is deep enough to hold all your essentials. Created using a variety of black & white fabrics & fibers. Hand stitched!

Artist: Cynthia Powell


My second winning bid was for a lovely vintage necklace. Triple black & gold cording with large lobster claw closure. This unique one of a kind piece was created using vintage brass findings, amber color glass beads, and charms.


Artist: Cynthia Powell

My third winning bid was for this beautiful painted collage, of techniques to indulge your senses. It is very calming and serene, not overworked, yet very visual.
The artist used several different techniques in a variety of layers, painting, stamping, paper and pastels.

Artist: Sabine Vater


I wish all my holiday shopping would be this easy…
Did I mention that I hate to shop…
Haven’t been in a mall in 13 years
And love shopping online…

And can’t wait for the next Art Auction for Charity which will take place in January 2009

A Trip to Columbus

Today we took a trip to Columbus, Georgia to attend a Airborne Military Graduation. . We stared off at 5:45 AM, a horrible early hour, but a long trip, and the Airborne Graduation starts at 9:00 AM. Our daughter Jennifer’s boyfriend is graduating today, time for family support.

On the agenda was a graduation from Fort Benning Airborne Jump School. Brandon is stationed in Seattle, Washington, but he seems to spend a lot of time training in the south. It’s been so many years since I’ve stepped on a military base, way back in 1967, for my Brother Chips graduation for the Marine Boot camp in Oceanside, California, a different time and a different place.

I’m old school, Viet Nam has memories that I still have a hard time dealing with. Both my brother and husband were greatly affected by this war, and both still carry the scars, both emotionally and physically every day. I can’t tell you the apprehension I have today stepping on a military base. Brings back memories that I’m not prepared to deal with, let alone how this will affect my husband. Will his nightmares become more frequent again? Hope not! Only time will tell.

Grandparents Day at Free Home Elementary School

Every year I look forward to Grandparents Day at my grandson Nathan’s elementary school, this year was no exception, this was my fifth year attending. I really don’t like having my picture taken, but I always look forward to having my picture taken on grandparent’s day. Nathan has now is in the 4th grade and in the AIM program, where has the time gone. Soon I’ll have another wonderful picture of us together on our special day.

Free Home Elementary is a very old school, one of the oldest in Cherokee County, Georgia, the first one room school house opened during the civil war era. Free Home Elementary is a Georgia School of Excellence, and currently has 272 students enrolled, Pre-K to 5th grade.

We had lunch together in the cafeteria, though Nathan brings his lunch, not eating the cafeteria food, we had a wonderful lunch sharing great pinwheel sandwiches, juice, and chips. One entire wall in the cafeteria has a great painting, not the first school building, but the school built on the property in 1919. So much history….

Nathan’s classroom is a modular unit, I guess I don’t dare call it a trailer, and his classroom has a state of the art teaching system with a electronic touch screen that almost covers the entire wall. This Friday Nathan will begin learning algebra, boy have things changed since I was in school. I didn’t learn algebra until the 9th grade.

I can’t wait until next year at Free Home Elementary to have my picture taken again with my grandson and see what improvements the school has made. Next year will be Nathan’s last year in elementary school, and probably the last of the Grandparents day at school, I will miss our special day.

Bead Swap

Wire Wrappers Anonymous

“The Addictive Art of Wire Wrapped Jewelry”

Well another swap…This one is a bead swap….

Twelve of us signed up for this swap. Rules were simple, just send your swapping beads to the swap Mom, and after all the beads were received she forwards the “Bead Box” to the first lucky participant, and the box moves forward.

The day the Bead Box arrived at my house, I couldn’t wait to open it, what an amazing selection, almost better than a visit to the local bead store. I’ll take that back, it really was better than a visit to the local bead store. A great selection of beads; seed beads, coral, ceramic beads, many types of jasper, jade, camelian, amethyst, rhodynite, arrow head, cabs, many colors of agate, shell beads and pendants, and to many more to mention.

The Bead Box has been at my house for a week, I’ve really had a hard time deciding which beads to select. Did I mention, I had 4 ½ pounds of beads to go through, finally selected my beads tonight, so I can get this bead box back into the mail.

I’m sending the “Bead Box” to number ten on the list, and the bead box is almost back home to our swap Mom.

Hope we will do a Bead Swap again….

My First Wire Wrapped Pendant

Wire Wrappers Anonymous

“There is no cure here, no twelve step program. Rather, we feed each others sickness and allow our Muses free rein! Wrappers of all levels are welcome. Whether your, a salty dog or a beginner just getting your footing come in and make yourself at home.” Wire Wrappers Anonymous is part of the Metal Chasers Forum, a fun creative group of Artisans.

I recently participated in the first “Wire Wrappers Anonymous” pendant swap. Thirty-one lovely ladies created thirty-one very different wire wrapped pendants, each a beautifully designed.

I created my first wire wrapped pendant with a Blue Quartz focal and Sterling Silver 21 gauge square and half round wire. The design proved to be somewhat if a challenge, not wrapping the cab, but the construction and finishing of the bezel detail. I was quite surprised that the square wire was much harder to work with than the half round sterling silver wire. Not sure why, but the square wire seemed much harder. Both sterling silver wires had been purchased over a year before, but can’t see why the age of the wire would create a harder surface to work.

Each participate was contacted with the swap partners address, not until pendants are received do we know who actually is our swap partner. My swap partner was Gini Briggs of Missouri Ocean Design. I mailed her the pendant yesterday, hopefully she will receive the design before the holiday, and she will know that I am her swap partner. I hope she enjoys my design!


My beautiful pendant that I received was from
Brenda Smith of “The Jewelry Box”.

The pendant is a chunk of genuine Tigereye wrapped with copper wire.

I was just thrilled with Brenda’s pendant, she used my favorites copper and earthtones in create her design. This was also Brenda’s first attempt at wire wrapping a pendant, just like mine. “Who knows…maybe one day, we’ll both become famous wire-wrappers.

If you would like to see the other Wire Wrappers Swap pendants they can be view in the WWA Pendant Swap Gallery.

Art Auctions for Charity

Art Auctions for Charity
"Caring Hands & Giving Hearts"
Together we can make a Difference!

Today is the first day....

Welcome to this exciting opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life! All proceeds from the sale of donated works of art will be sent to various charities.

Art Auctions for Charity is a site to conduct on-line auctions. It is a place where you can nominate a favorite charity, donate art, bid on an auction and participate in a fun high energy drive to raise funds for charities that are dear to our hearts.

The proceeds from the first auction will be donated to the account of: Georgia Graham , who is in need of a lifesaving kidney transplant

Georgia is the Mother of my friend Jacqui from the Artist of the RoundTable (A.R.T.)where she has graciously been moderating and teaching on-line workshops to many years. It is our turn to band together and show her how much she is appreciated, by helping to get her Mother on the kidney donor list! This is an exciting event, hosted & sponsored by a loving artist community! Please help spread the word about this endeavor by visiting Art Auctions for Charity

Beginning in January 2009 the auctions will take place every month, once a week, 7 items will be featured for 10 months.

Together we can make a Difference!

Photography props and backgrounds

My thoughts…

I’m practicing again with my photos…

Backgrounds….

Many pictures of jewelry are done with solid background. Typically, a clean slate really focuses the attention on the piece not the background. I personally love black backgrounds, though some designers feel they are visually stale.

If you have a flowery swirly jewelry design, with a paisley, checkerboard or overly textured background the photography is going to seriously distract the viewer. You’ll want to give some serious thought to what are you selling, the fabric or the jewelry. Does the fabric detract or enhance your jewelry design.

Now, if your jewelry designs are going to be in a catalog or a similar publication you will have to follow submission guidelines; most often requiring a solid background. When using stark white background against color; especially dark colors, the contrast is extremely high. When photographing with a white background you have to verify the white actually comes out WHITE and the design colors actually comes out the proper color! Many photographs can be ruined simply because the white background appears greyish, off color, and the piece will often have an unusual color cast.

Props

Props can add character, tell a story; thereby ADDING TO THE VISUAL appeal of the design. The use of different colors and/or props can make a stunningly gorgeous statement. They should be simple and focus attention to the piece. The whole prop does not have to be in the photo to be effective, its shadow or texture can reflect the beauty of the jewelry design.

Some of my favorite props are things found in nature. While my designer friend Lola from Metal Chasers loves using antiques, especially glassware, bronze candlestick holder and similar objects. Lola was the inspiration for this blog and has greatly helped me improve my photography skills. Much of what I’ve learned about photography has been gleaned from Lola.

Recently I received a wonderful suggestion from eSMArts team member, Stacie of Creative Junque, suggesting that I use ceramic tiles as background props. Looking forward to trying this suggestion, I really believe this will add interest without distracting from my designs.

Practice, practice and more practice

I suggest, taking several photographs with several different props, backgrounds, camera angles, and lighting. This will give you a selection of photos, which gives you the ability to choose the photo that shows your design to its fullest potential. What works for one piece may not work for the next. The more photos you take, the more experience you will gain, you will find your style, and hopefully photography will become second hand…

I’m still practicing…