Mary Tafoya's Seriousbeadin'

The Blue Bead by Kate Boyan

2012-01-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? I love Kate Boyan's Alaska-themed bead embroidered purses, but I didn't realize she'd also written, illustrated and published this story of the blue bead (an old Russian-made trade bead) with her own beaded compositions. This title just went to the top of my Amazon wish list.

It's amazing the amount of detail she packs into a small space!

Click here to find the book on Amazon.

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Butterscotch Bathtub Wall Art

2012-01-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is what the wall behind my tub looks like now that they've taken down the old tile. Random strokes of adhesive (or something) and layers of wall, in a lovely shade of butterscotch.

Click the picture to get a bigger image.

This would make a gorgeous background photo layer -- the white sheetrock reminds me of clouds!

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Niio Perkins Bead Embroidery

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Niio is a contemporary Mohawk bead artist who uses traditional beading techniques in her work. I love her clean designs and beautiful color harmonies. Take a look at the way she creates dimension with her stitches. Niio's website is here: http://www.niioperkins.com/beadwork-designs.html

Paint, Rust, Dirt. In that order.

2012-01-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

I loved the texture and gradations, and the way the color looked on
a mostly overcast day. (Click the image to get to a bigger view.)

The culprit? This old toy trailer. I think it would make a great planter!

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More Altered Acrylic Cabochons

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another example of an altered vintage plastic cabochon.

Very simple -- I mushed burnt umber acrylic paint (artist grade, from the tube) into the low areas, then dabbed and blotted the paint off the high areas and the sage green background.

Once that dried, I dabbed silver Rub and Buff to the high areas.

Check out my tutorial on this technique, from a previous blog post.

And, I happen to have a pair of these (unaltered) in my Etsy shop.

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Central Asian Textiles

2012-01-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

While googling to research a hat the MOTH brought home, I ran across this yummy online exhibit called From Tent to Palace: Textiles from Central Asia and Turkey, from Santa Rosa Junior College (2007).

A bridal bed covering

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New Studio -- Uh-oh

2012-01-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

I came home after a week at my Ma's to find that the fellers (see, the accent comes back right away...) had moved the bathroom stuff out of the bathroom and into the only other place the stuff could go.

Oh well. Guess this means I'll have to go play with rhinestones... swooooosh, see ya!

Stay tuned :-)

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More Rhinestone Pendants

2012-01-21T13:48:00.002-07:00

We did a second batch of resin clay pendants, and I even blinged a couple of pairs of earring settings with loops on the bottoms -- will finish those up upon my return to the ~~motherlode~~ studio this weekend.

I think I'm getting the hang of spacing the rhinestones for maximum coverage... For the heart pendant, Instead of laying out the big rhinestones first and then filling in between, like I did in the sapphire pendant, I laid down a starting line of various sizes of rhinestones, and then worked out from there. It was easier to chink the rhinestones down right next to each other.

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My Sis's Machine Embroidery

2012-01-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

As usual, my sis is doing amazing artsy things. On this visit, she showed me some of her machine embroidery experiments:

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Rhinestone Resin Clay Play Day

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Assignment: Mush vintage rhinestones into mounds of clay. Tough assignment, but we got through it. Hehe.

Here's Alli pressing a variety of vintage glass rhinestones into her pendant setting.

And voila! The finished pendant. Made with plenty of time to spare

before the epoxy sets up (i.e., under 45 minutes).

Here's a closer-up shot.

Some of our other creations...

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A Beautiful Mama

2012-01-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

A fantastic mommy and a beautiful niece, all the way from over the pond!

How lucky am I to see her and her cute little boys?

Writing this week from my own beautiful ma's house in Kentucky...

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New Studio -- Color Inspiration

2012-01-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Pink, salmon, putty. With a touch of leaf green.

Bob Marley was here already -- he might have to stay.

The gray-blue walls won't, though...

And now to select the color for the accent wall...

This is my second batch of swatches. I was going for cinnamon at first,

but now I'm over in fuschia territory. Decisions... Bob?

"Lively up yourself...and don't be no drag!"

Salmon (is basically rusty pink) and an old Pendleton blanket.

Some people would buy the furniture before they acquired the bedding...

But what the heck, at Ross, the kitschy palm tree pillow was only $5.00

and the fluffy thing in the back was $12.00. I have found Ross to have

the best prices on pillows, especially compared to Hobby Lobby

(even with their 40% off coupons).

Stay tuned :-)

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New Studio Curtains & Over-the-Door Thangs

2012-01-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Pouf valance curtains from Big Lots, in craft brown. $6.00 each x 4 per window.

Also picked up a couple of shoe organizers, one in pink (shown) and one in

a pinkish orange. Ok, it's orange. I have them on both sides of the door,

since I don't plan to shut the door very often. $8.00 each, also from Big Lots.

This one holds my gels, glazes and sealers. The other side holds my adhesives.

24 big pockets are plenty, with room to grow.

Stay tuned :-)

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Oh Yeah -- The Tin

2012-01-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot -- the tin that housed the treasures:

P.S. Beadnik was lying, this is not her tin, the wench. But still, I might share some treasures w/her...

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New Studio -- Which pink?

2012-01-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

Decisions, decisions. Fortunately, I have my avatar to guide me.

Stay tuned...

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What I Found in the Tin

2012-01-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last night I went out to the MOTH's ~~hoarder~~ work room and stole this amazing tin I hadn't noticed before. I just assumed it was filled with junk (as opposed to junque).

Was I wrong!

I kept pulling out these great, unique little objects, one after another.

I'm so grateful to whoever the special person was who decided to tuck

these little treasures together. Pictured above is about 1/2 the stash,

which also included little bunches of beads and jewelry findings.
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Diary of a New Studio -- Lights!

2012-01-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmm... I guess I could make this light work. But shouldn't a ~~fool~~ princess

like me have a chandelier or something?

Thanks to the MOTH and his Goodwill adventures, I've got a couple

to choose from. The bottom one looks kinda dangerous!

For closeup work, I'll rely on my army of Otts:

All of these came from thrift stores, including my favorite, the one

on the left, which includes a fold-out magnifier. I've had the one

in the middle for nigh on 15 years, and only have had to change the

bulb once. The white one is battery powered, perfect for taking to classes.

I also have a floor Ott light around here somewhere...

(Note the new purple carpet! Wooo!)

For a decorative touch, I've decided to move my black and salmon

painted lamp and table into the studio. I'll probably put my music on the table.

It has great storage and shelving underneath.

Stay tuned :-)

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Cottonwood Tree Handpainted Tiles

2012-01-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about my first tile painting project! I've been dreaming for years about putting some hand painted tiles in my bathroom, and now I finally have a chance, since we are renovating.

I snapped this picture with my cell phone when I went to pick up my project!

I couldn't find a tile making or tile painting class when I needed one, so I ended up going to Art Attack in Albuquerque this past Friday evening, with a friend from work. (Turns out they have Ladies' Night there the first Friday of every month, btw). They have the usual fairies and vases and plates and whatnot, as well as tiles in two sizes.

Mine are 4", and my little tree is proportioned for a narrow wall in the cubby where the sink is. The colors turned out just the way I'd hoped!

A single coat gives you a watery, uneven color coverage, and three coats give you a rich solid color. So I used 3 different blues for the sky, and two browns for the tree. I tried to stay conscious of the direction of my brushstrokes, in case they showed. The mountains are kind of faded and purplish -- just the way I hoped they'd look. I thought my glaze might be too dark so I wiped off some of the dry glaze, and I'm so glad I did. I also wiped off some areas in the sky to look like clouds.

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Jewelbox Ballerina's Millinery Tutorials

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this tutorial from Jewelbox Ballerina and thought it could teach me some simple techniques for stabilizing all kinds of ~~weird~~ unique little found items for use in my jewelry and beadwork:

Filler Fabric Flower, Feather Stems and Berries Bouquet Tutorials

Doncha LOVE the photo above? I bought and paid and downloaded, and was not disappointed -- there are clear photos for every single step, along with a picture at the beginning of each project showing exactly what supplies you'll need.

Plus, Eliza has a great web presence and in addition to her Esty shop, she lists online supply sources in her Free Tutorials section.

I just love her color choices and her attention to detail. These aren't just glue gun tutes (although you'll need one), Eliza shows how to make your little items securely, with good quality materials.

Always happy to find inspiration! Now if I could only find my florists tape...

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The Perfect Wine for Altered Art Aficionados

2012-01-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Found Object. Discovered at Trader Joe's.

Diary of a New Studio

2012-01-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight I moved this plant into the not-quite-empty room that will

~~eventually~~ soon! become my (smaller) studio. I hope it thrives there,

along with whatever else is coming...

The guy doll in the window is my color inspiration for the room.

(Sorry 'bout the flash -- it made everything grey!)

Tomorrow the guy is coming to put in the new carpet --

and it's PURPLE like the guy doll's pants.

So yeah, cinnamon, crimson, lavender, pink, salmon and faded grape,

that's what I'm going for.

Stay tuned :-)

Swarovski Chatons Tutorial from Beki

2012-01-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another sure-to-be-a-favorite tutorial from Beki Haley, owner of Out on a Whim (whimbeads.com). I swear I cannot follow written instructions, unless Beki writes them.

Crystal Lotus Blossoms

While you're at it, check out the rest of Beki's Classroom too.

Which Glue?

2012-01-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just ran across this tool from Michael's on which glue to use with what:

Glue It to It

Obviously, the results are based on what Michael's sells. Which isn't much different from what the other big box crafts stores sell. But I did notice The Ultimate glue by Crafter's Pick didn't show up on any of my results, although I thought Michael's carried it? The Ultimate is my favorite for gluing gemstones & rhinestones to ultrasuede, and anything else I can use it for.

Another site, and one that's been around for awhile, is This to That:

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Native American Women's Dresses

2012-01-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

Was reminded of this gorgeous web exhibit when I was double checking some of my color theory links. I can't even remember why I put this in with color theory. Maybe I wanted an excuse to share it? Who knows...

but anyway this is from the 2008 exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian. It's called "Identity by Design: Tradition, Change and Celebration in Native Women's Dresses."

Today I'm looking at all the embellishment "above the beads" -- the shells, fringe, teeth and cones added after the bead embroidery is done. Stunning! These are the final touches that make the designs POP.

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Hap & Hop, Looking for Their Ramp

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage plastic ramp walkers, 1950s.

In my Etsy shop.

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To the River -- Work in Progress

2012-01-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

A cuff bracelet in progress

The bezels are 24K gold coated charlottes a la Betcey at Beyond Beadery.
The stones, I believe, are chrysoprase. I bought them several years ago at the estate sale of a local cabochon maker and jeweler. It was conducted by his really lovely wife.
Most of the beads are true cuts (love that blue!) with occasional Czech and Japanese guests.
I am beading this on my own equivalent of Lacy's Stiff Stuff. You can bead all the way to the edge if you need to, with no tearing.

My goal in this design was to avoid (except for a bezel or two) creating a cuff-slash-cabochon design based on concentric circles. The stones and pearls represent rocks and pebbles in the water. The purples are the mud & earth by the of running water, and the green beads are (of course) fertile land.

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Tutorial: Collaged Bamboo Tile Bead

2012-01-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

I've been sorting and bagging bamboo tiles for my Etsy shop, and it occurred to me to include some of my vintage images in the listing, too. That way, people don't have to search for collage images to practice with. They're sized just right for the beads, with 2 each of 4 different images ready to cut and glue. Makes a great little art attack pack!

So here's a quick tutorial explaining one way to work with the beads and images:

SUPPLIES used in the example

1 bamboo tile bead
laser printed image to size (1 for one side, 2 for both sides)
scissors
sandpaper (fine to medium, use gently!)
small flat paintbrush (the softer the better)
tinted decoupage medium, or gel medium, Diamond Glaze, etc.
tiny flatbacked rhinestone, cabochon, button or other embellishment
The Ultimate glue by Crafter's Choice, or jewelry glue

1. Cut away all the white space around the image. I also like to tip the corners.

2. Sand the bamboo tile lightly for better adherance. Wipe it clean.

3. Paint the back of the image with the decoupage medium. It's ok if the tinted medium seeps through the paper a little bit. We're going for an antiquey look.

4. Position the image onto the tile, pressing from the center out to avoid bubbles. Press firmly to adhere the image all the way to the very edges. It looks so cool when the image wraps around the tile a bit. Let dry.

5. Sand lightly around the edges of the image and then gently wipe clean. The sanded edges will look pretty white, until the next step, when they start absorbing the medium.

6. Paint the top of the image with tinted decoupage medium. If the brush leaves strokes or ridges, dilute the medium just a bit with water. Repeat when dry, for a second coat. It's fun to add even more thin coats of tinted medium to some areas and not others.

7. Attach the rhinestone (or other embellishment) with jewelry-appropriate glue, and let dry.

Now your tile bead is ready to string, knot, wrap with wire, etc.

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Anthem for the New Year

2011-12-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in.

--Leonard Cohen, Anthem

The Posole is Almost Gone

2011-12-30T11:46:00.002-07:00

Not to worry. It's turkey. It'll keep. :-)

In case you were wondering, I did not get eaten by pigs. They were wolves. They dragged me into their lair and made me show them my secret red chile sauce recipe. I'm back now, and wow, the house is fairly clean, considering...

Nikia's elk tamales made the Christmas Eve gathering, although Aunt Marian's cheese log (I cannot bring myself to say "balls") was a close second. The cookies are gone (thank you baby Jesus) and speaking of baby Jesus, Christmas Day was blissfully relaxed and there may have been prime rib on the table...yes, I think there was! Christmas Night -- wow, illahis for Shaykh Nur in the cozy warmth of the tekke.

The MOTH (man of the house) strung those vintage lights that have bubbling colored water in the tubes when heated up. The above photo is the box he found last year of those amazing large reflectors you slip over a little colored bulb on the tree.

God bless Amazon and your "Give Album OR Song as Gift" button, and God bless this little black rectangle in my hand where I can push a few buttons and hear my ma's voice anytime I want (provided she's not napping or out on the town).

Tonight? It's crock pot Italian meatballs and UFC141. There have been a half dozen teenage boyz' butts on my couch since Christmas Day and tonight there will most likely be a few more...

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Bosque del Apache

2011-11-27T12:03:00.001-07:00

Sometimes on our annual trek to T or C for R & R, we cruise the Bosque del Apache.

Keeping a low profile. ;-)

Spying on cranes. Yes, that is all wetlands out there.

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Ramakian Dancer Doll Costume

2011-11-18T21:42:00.001-07:00

Detail of the costume on a vintage Ramakian dancer doll

from Thailand. See the metal sequins in the fringe?

And the 6-pointed stars?

Wow. Sequins and dolls, in the same post.

She's in my Etsy shoppe.

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New Poll: Best Venues for Bead & Jewelry Teachers

2011-11-10T08:06:00.001-07:00

Hey all, now that school is over I have gotten three requests to teach again. I know -- weird. And while these requests are mostly local (plus the Boulder trip next week), my friend Nikia got something like 5 classes accepted at Bead & Button next year. She's all excited, and I'm excited for her. All of this got me thinking.

Travelling to a national show is so exciting, but it's also expensive. There is travel -- by plane? by car? And there is lodging -- hotel, at the venue or close by? And food (we won't mention the bar expenses). Then you teach. You get a percentage of the tuition, and sometimes all the kit fees, which are sometimes folded into the student's tuition. Usually you can sell kits, supplies, etc. during the class (which some students resent if you push it too hard), and often there's a meet the teachers venue where you can also sell to project-hungry attendees.

When I teach locally, I don't have travel, lodging or food expenses. When travelling regionally to guilds and bead societies, you sometimes get to stay with a local host or hostess and/or have some of your meals paid for. Sometimes they will also pay your travel expenses. I've never taught at an out of town bead store so I don't know how that works, but locally, the pay arrangements vary tremendously. Sometimes you can only take 3-4 students, sometimes you have to agree to take 16-18. Sometimes you can sell your stuff, and sometimes you can't. And you get anywhere from 50% to 100% of the class fees.

And then there's the planning, prep time, kit making, tutorial writing, packing, set up etc. Generally, the expectations are higher for national events.

For me, there's also the social scene. Oddly, I probably know as many people at the national events as the local ones. And I love seeing old friends, sharing a meal, getting away from the dishes for a day or three. But teaching locally is less stressful.

So. I've created a poll (Facebook and other feed readers, you'll need to come to my blogspot page to vote: http://www.seriousbeader.blogspot.com/ ). What's your opinion? Do teachers benefit more and/or make more money teaching locally, regionally, nationally, or a combination? The poll is open until Thanksgiving weekend.

Also, add a comment here to weigh in with your details & experiences. :-)

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Accidental Zentangle

2011-11-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

The back of my sequin sampler.

I was holding this up while working on it and someone said,

"Have you ever photographed the back of your beadwork?"

The answer (at the time) was "No........"

Beading Daily Earrings

2011-11-05T10:42:00.003-06:00

That headline is confusing, so I left it that way, ha! (What are daily earrings?) Bottom line -- I need to read my own emails a little more closely. Sally congratulated me on my earrings featured in Beading Daily, and had go back three dailies to figure out what she was talking about. Then I found out Chris P. mentioned it on the Prodigy Orphans list. Where have I been??? What they were talking about were these (<--also a not very good sentence):

Thanks Jen for picking these two. I think we should get back to peyote stitch fringe earrings more often -- they're very satisfying and quick, and so many color combos (I think this particular article was about making earrings to go with your favorite blouse...). Here's a link to the pattern ($4.00): http://www.interweavestore.com/Beading/Projects/Peyote-Tassel-Earrings.html

And the hand amulet pattern is near and dear to my heart. For me, it's come to symbolize unity because it is a symbol used by both Muslims (as the Hand of Fatima) and Jews (as the Hamsa) in the Middle East. In case you hadn't noticed, they have not exactly been on the best of terms lately. So if I can make something that means something to two disparate and "at odds" groups, thus proving they have at least something in common, maybe that becomes a small act of positivity. And even if you're not into politics you can make these little puppies out of SO MANY colors of silver and gold thanks to the Japanese Delica people. The photo above shows a tarnished silver, almost pewter, but there's also an old fashioned gold that just makes me want to cry, it's so beautiful (and it looks great with bright blue turquoise). Here's the link to the Hamsa pattern ($4.00): http://www.interweavestore.com/Beading/Projects/Hamsa-Earrings.html?SessionThemeID=18&a=be111104B

And by the way, I'm always willing to tout Interweave's online pattern shop, because after they publish your project, if they put it for sale on their website, the artist gets a commission on all sales. Which is a lot more than most other publishers do... not that I'm complaining. Interweave is the only site (that I know of) that republishes any of my print articles.

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Funniest Feedback Ever

2011-10-31T08:17:00.000-06:00

I had to conduct some live, online training and this is one response I thought was so funny I put it up on my cubicle wall (for a time... there were a few who passed by and read it but didn't get the humor):

The presentation went extremely well overall. The presenter was friendly, knowledgable and used polls and questions to actively involve the participants. Give her a raise and then punish her for being so good by making her give these quality, helpful presentations constantly and make others shadow her so that hopefully others will learn that there are ways to effectively train employees without simply droning on and killing people with Power Point...

Mystery Slipper Covers

2011-10-27T07:43:00.000-06:00

Sally Ingram bought these slipper covers on eBay from a seller

who thought they were Native American made. Not so.

They're pretty similar (especially the triangular tops) to the Afghan

beaded medallion Sarah gave me.

We'd like to find out more about them! Any comments?

Here's what the backs look like. Crochet?

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Boulder -- Where I'll Be in November

2011-10-24T08:01:00.000-06:00

I'll be with the Handweavers Guild of Boulder on November 14 and 15, giving a slide lecture about my mixed media bead embroidery, plus two workshops -- Color Theory for Beadworkers and Artisans, and Beading with Sequins. For the former, I'll be using my new booklet called Hands-on Color. Here's the Guild's web writeup on the November program

I am so thrilled to be invited up to Boulder and to be getting back into teaching again after my long hiatus in grad school!

Also, to spruce up my blog for potential sign-ups by Guild members, I finally pulled my portfolio and bio pages out of draft mode. You can see the new pages up along the top navigation bar. Have a look!

Wire Wrapped Bangle Earrings

2011-10-23T11:48:00.003-06:00

Finally had a chance to play with some of that wire wrapping stuff. Didn't intend to...
I started with some really sturdy, high quality copper findings from New Mexico
Bead and Fetish. I mixed sterling and copper with Amy's bead swap beads,
then since I had some 24 gauge wire on me I played a bit with wrapping some
seed beads around the oval form.

More of Amy's bead swap earrings, this time blue/green cathedral beads.

Now I think I'm ready to try this with gemstones.

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NMBS Class

2011-10-20T17:37:00.002-06:00

Saturday I taught Beading with Sequins at the New Mexico Bead Society's
"Bead Boot Camp." Here they're learning how to make the "Magic Flower"
(thank you ladies for helping me name that thang ;-)

Afghan Beaded Medallion

2011-10-17T21:52:00.001-06:00

This was Sarah's roomie gift to me over the weekend!

Beautiful Afghan tribal motifs joined together

on this cloth-backed medallion.

Sarah got this large and lovely piece (about 6" in diameter) from Uberkuchi on Etsy.

Intense

2011-10-07T07:26:00.000-06:00

Weird, wet skies this morning. Very intense colors.
Don't know if the photo captures
how these colors really saturate your eyes!

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Skulls on a Bed of Rice

2011-10-04T16:16:00.001-06:00

I find the weirdest things on my worktable.

In this case, it's stone skull beads, some with rhinestones glued into their eye sockets,

garnished with some weird old millinery stamens that suddenly remind me of bones.

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Free Clip Art for Bamboo Tiles

2011-10-02T15:32:00.000-06:00

Playing with my new laser printer today, I resized some images from my collection of vintage labels. So addictive! Here's a little freebie for y'all, a mysterious gal from an antique Art Deco perfume label:

She's scaled for the larger, 1" x 1-7/8" tiles.

Have fun!

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Book Review: Jewelry Upcycled!

2011-10-01T15:32:00.000-06:00

Here's another fun project book by Sherri Haab, this time with Michelle Haab. Together they explore the latest jewelry making styles and techniques, this time with an emphasis on using found and recycled materials. Although not the only title on this topic, Sherri manages, as usual, to create unique, wearable and tastefully designed jewelry items.

The first section, covers tools and basic techniques. The second section covers basic tools and supplies for working with metal -- including recycled metals, and the projects here include cold metal techniques like rivets and eyelets. One project shows how to use shapes cut from old tins in a project I could have sworn was guilloche when I first saw it! As always, I like Sherri's fresh takes on already known ideas, like working with old silverware. She creates a pretty pearl and silver spoon pendant that would be a real hit as a wedding gift.

I wouldn't have bought the book for the first two sections since I already know most of the techniques but the coverage is perfect for a beginner who needs to stock their studio for taking their jewelry making to the next level.

Remember telephone wire? It's in here. Want to recycle your old credit cards? Sherri shows how to layer the cut, embossed shapes with textured copper. You can make clear plastic soda bottle jewelry that looks like glass (but weighs and costs less!). There's a crocheted plastic bag bracelet that is sure to be a hit with my local OFFCenter artist pals, who live and breathe recycled art. I could live without the shampoo bottle charms, but the idea did inspire me to pay closer attention to the colors of the products I select! And before I throw out that last box of cassette tapes that didn't go at my last yard sale, I'll remember to turn OFFCenter on to the idea of braiding that stuff a la kumihumo.

After an easy stroll through plastics, Sherri heads into heavier territory in the next section, working with recycled glass and ceramics. The drilled and tumbled glass pendant project, and the soldered china plate charm are pretty standard fare but in Sherri's book you get step-by-step pictures to show exactly how it's done. A guest artist also shows how to make a mold, smash glass, and fuse it in a kiln.

My favorite section covered upcycled fabric and leather. Here you can recycle your t-shirts into roses, and rivet an old leather belt into an embellished cuff bracelet. I love the pins made from sweather felt (at last, some beads!), and the found object bottle necklace with stamped metal and cowboy boot was another favorite.

Did I mention that each section is followed by a gallery of work from other artists? It's quite an inspiration to see how other people transform basura -- trash -- into pretty treasures we can wear.

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Peaceful Morning

2011-09-21T08:33:00.001-06:00

This is the view from my computer. Until yesterday, when we

had to trim the ornamental plum back to its trunk, in order

to put in a new electrical service. It's ok, by late spring it will be lush again.

I went outside to take a picture of our lush tree and the wee early morning

light was so soft, and it was blissfully cool after a hot, hot summer.
Do you see the huge wormwood leaning over on the left?

I bought these little yellow flowers as filler, when they were on their last legs.

Didn't know if they'd survive but they were dirt cheap.
They immediately perked up and now they add a wonderful
chamomile-like aroma to the porch.

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Tila Wheels Beadwork Tutorial by Beki

2011-09-16T20:27:00.001-06:00

I always love to see what Beki comes up with. Here she's using the new Japanese Tila beads -- they're sort of like chicklets, flat tile shaped beads with two holes -- in a repeating motif, finished off with ribbon. Check out the free tutorial:

http://whimbeads.com/cart.asp?pg=classroom-wheel

Just one of her many great free tutes:

http://whimbeads.com//cart.asp?pg=classroom

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My Memories First Steps and Misadventures

2011-09-12T22:12:00.006-06:00

Well...sad to say I'm still trying to download the software to my computer. I emailed support on Sunday and as promised on the website, I heard back from a nice guy within 24 hours. Still not sure what the issue is on my computer, because I did manage to download the My Memories Suite 2 onto my son's laptop. I contacted support again so we'll see what they say tomorrow.

But last night I spent a quick 20 minutes, just 20 minutes, mind you, playing with the software. Seriously, within that time I had a sample digital scrapbooking layout all filled in. I chose a muted blue corrugated background, and added web cam captures of Junie from his folder of old Facebook profile photos, with a big picture of our dog as the focal point. Only trouble is, Junie won't let me post it, ha! I also added a title, in my choice of font and color, and a paragraph of journalling text. All of the page elements I added were very easy to edit. I also added a decorative flourish and a star in a coordinated pattern.

So here's what I think. I think this is the easiest darn program I've ever learned in five minutes! I had previewed a YouTube tutorial, so that helped me know ahead of time that I could drag and drop photos into their frames, and then crop them by positioning them best for that particular frame shape.

I really love that once I got started choosing a layout, all I had to do to learn the features was work my way down the tabs on the right side of the screen -- Background, Photos, etc. I even added a recording of my voice from within the program.

Yeah. Pretty sure I'm in big trouble -- because all day at work I was wishing I was home playing with this! The next test will be to see the quality of the projects when they're printed out. I'm going to try and create a few sample spreads for posting here, and then move on to other types of projects besides scrapbook pages.

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Pssst -- You can use my coupon code STMMMS78794 for
$10.00 off the MyMemories digital scrapbooking software
AND $10 in free merchandise from the MyMemories store.

Let the Digital Scrapbook Adventures Begin...

2011-09-10T16:30:00.002-06:00

I always intended to scrap. I even have blank scrapbooks around here somewhere. But all these years of memories, and alas, nada...

So when I was approached to review the MyMemories Suite, I said yes. For one thing, I'm pretty comfortable with graphics programs. Perhaps I'll be more likely to scrapbook digitally? I looked at a couple of YouTube tutorials, and the program looks pretty robust to me. Plus, my sister is researching our family tree, and I'm thinking it might useful to make a book of our people.

So I've decided to journal here about my learning process, with help from my BFF Sarah (Our misadventures as Second Life newbies remain archived elsewhere on this blog, hehe).

Sarah used my Share the Memories coupon code (Facebook readers, you'll need to visit http://www.seriousbeader.blogspot.com/ and look in the right column -- you can use it too!). It let her use Paypal, and calculated the $10 discount on MyMemories Digital Suite v2 just fine. Word is not in yet on her $10 shop discount...we'll let you know.

For both of us (I'm using Windows, she's on a Mac), the download didn't take long, but the installation took about an hour, during which time I wandered around the house thinking about what to put in my MyMemories digital pages...

I used my little wee digital camera. Um, great for jewelry shots; not so hot for anything else. As you can see, it was dark-ish. I kept leaning one way or another right when I pressed the button, causing the images to be blurry. I took the same shots so many times, and each time, I'd fall one way or another, which would make me laugh. Which would make me wiggly. Which would make the shots blurrier. I finally gave up and settled on these:

This reminds me of a New Mexico landscape.

Get it? Couch = desert, crosses = stars.

Thank you Ibrahim for the purple kitchen wall.

Thank you Tia for the stove.

Thank you MOTH for the Indonesian angel

Thank you Thrift Town for the S&P shakers.

Oh and thank you God for the roof over my head. :-)

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Pssst -- You can use my coupon code STMMMS78794 for
$10.00 off the MyMemories digital scrapbooking software
AND $10 in free merchandise from the MyMemories store.

9/11 Bead Quilt Update

2011-09-10T08:41:00.002-06:00

This just in from Andrea Adams, who steered the 9/11 Memorial Bead Quilt project.

Back in January, the quilts were sent to their permanent home at the National September 11th Museum and Memorial, which is being built on the WTC site. Here's the blog post Andrea wrote back then:

9/11 Bead Quilts are Finally Home!

Although the memorial is being unveiled for the 10th anniversary, the museum itself won't open until 2012. And there is a page for memorial projects donated to the museum but unfortunately they don't mention the Bead Quilt. Let's find out how to change that... Meanwhile, you can see all the squares here:

http://www.beadcave.com/beadquilt/tempsquares/index.html

Thanks, Drea!

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How to Alter an Acrylic Cameo

2011-09-06T08:15:00.002-06:00

I'm a big snob for glass, gemstones, and crystals, but I'm also a sucker for a sweet faux vintage cabochon, even if it's plastic. Trouble is, you see them everywhere. So here's how I customize my cabochons to get something unique, following techniques I learned for working with polymer clay and paper crafts. You can follow these tips to get anything from a strong to a subtle effect, it's entirely up to you how far you want to take it. (Tools and materials are highlighted in Lavender.)

1. Choose a cameo -- new or vintage. It should be plastic (aka acrylic, resin, lucite, and other fancy words for plain ole plastic).

2. Grab some acrylic paint. I mixed a dark brown. You can use whatever color you like.

3. Slather the paint all over the cameo. No holding back. Mush the paint gets into all the crevices, nooks and crannies.

4. If you're using craft paint from the bottle, let it dry a bit before removing any of it. If you're using artist grade acrylic paint from the tube, start removing it now.

Get a paper towel barely wet. I mush mine into the water at the bottom of my sink. That's how little water you want to use.

Dab off some of the excess paint. Do not drag, swipe or wipe. Come straight down onto the cab and barely press.

5. Let the paint dry a little more, then carefully remove more paint. How much you leave or remove is entirely up to you. I could have removed a lot more paint. Use a corner of the paper towel to remove paint from the background cameo. Or not. I like this color of pink, so I removed paint from it so the color would be very visible. If the paint starts to dry too much, get the paper towel a little wetter.

6. If you're using craft paint from the bottle, it will most likely dry shiny. This shine won't enhance the aged effect. So I sprinkle dirt onto the still drying paint. Yep, sandy dirt from my yard.

7. Tap off the excess dirt just as you would embossing powder.

8. Let the paint/dirt mixture dry completely, then apply a bit of heat with a heat gun -- do NOT overheat. Applying some heat will help to bond the acrylic paint and the acrylic cab. Again, don't overdo it or your cabochon will melt and warp.

9. You can stop here if you like. But I like to highlight the high areas -- hair and dress mainly -- with Rub and Buff or other waxy pigment.

Use VERY SPARINGLY and be careful not to get the Rub and Buff down in the crevices. I squeeze out a very small amount then rub between my fingers to get a very thin layer. Then I dab the wax pigment carefully onto the high areas of the cameo. Don't drag or smear. Let dry completely, then buff very gently with a dry paper towel.

You can also use paint on the high areas. Dab very carefully. I forgot to photograph this, but I used a hint of silver paint in this example.

9. Next, I sprinkled fine glitter over the damp paint and tapped off the excess.

You can seal the whole thing if you want -- I generally use matte medium for vintage stuff. You can apply in stages, adding more glitter to some wet areas.

This is just one example of what you can do with your acrylic cameos. You can also highly rosy cheekbones, jewelry, and eyelids if you want but be careful not to overdo it.

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Buffalo Burgers etcetera

2011-09-05T18:07:00.001-06:00

Buffalo burgers with sage, basil and garlic.

Plus the obligatory hot dogs.

What's left of dessert -- French vanilla ice cream scoops in waffle cups,

with chocolate syrup and morello cherries.

And just when we thought all the food was gone,

Uncle Eddie's tomatoes magically appeared from over the fence!

(It seems to happen every summer...)

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Green Chiles, Sun Tea and Couscous Salad

2011-09-05T14:18:00.001-06:00

Fresh roasted green chiles, for the buffalo burgers

Sun tea -- green tea with mint and fresh ground green cardamom

Couscous salad with garbanzos, parsley, cucumbers, tomatos,

and feta cheese sprinkled on top. Hint: cook the couscous in chicken broth,

season the salad with dry mint, olive oil and lemon juice.

Labor Day Cookout Menu

2011-09-04T09:58:00.002-06:00

Herbed buffalo burgers with fixins
Baked beans
Yogurt potato salad with dill
Cold couscous salad with cucumbers, green onion, diced tomatos & black olives
Sun tea
Watermelon
Apple pie a la mode
Followed after sunset with giant marshmallows over the firepit

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Sequin Embroidery Video

2011-09-02T23:07:00.002-06:00

Boy have I been doing it wrong! Cause I sew the sequins down one at a time, hehe....

I guess this is some kind of tambour thing?

Antique African Beads

2011-08-31T08:19:00.000-06:00

Some beads just want to be photographed.

(Soon to be in my Etsy shop)

Can't Beat Free

2011-08-05T09:39:00.001-06:00

Creative WorkGroups at OFFCenter
This from the latest OFFCenter email. Just about any day of the week locals can drop in to join one of these free groups (or not...you can also just work in the studio using their shelves full of art making materials):

ON-GOING, FREE CREATIVITY WORKGROUPS

Hands-On! Sewing/Knitting Circle Wed: 2-3 pm and Sat: 11am-Noon
Writing Group with Mandy Gardner - Wednesdays: 3-4pm
Painting and Drawing with Dave Blecha - Thursdays: 1-3pm
Card Making with Karen Turner - Thursdays: 3-5pm
Basic Guitar with Kay Stillion - Fridays: 2:30-3:30pm
Printmaking/Book Arts with Adabel Allen and guest artists -- 3rd Tuesday of Month, 5 - 7:30 pm and 3rd Saturday of the Month, 12 - 2 pm - Aug through Nov. 2011\

You can also check out their schedule of events/workshops from OFFCenter's online calendar:
http://www.offcenterarts.org/calendar.htm

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Frog

2011-06-24T19:51:00.000-06:00

Vintage...styrofoam...(I know, huh?)...soon 2b in my Esty shoppe.

Drool Book of South American Folk Art

2011-06-22T07:55:00.046-06:00

Another stunner from the Museum of International Folk Art, a super fat hardback with superbly photographed handmade art from the Andes (featured in the extended exhibit in Santa Fe). This book is reasonably priced from $50.00, signed by the author, through the museum and at my local bookstore (Bookworks in Albuquerque's North Valley), to $35.00 on Amazon, with free shipping.

The book is written by Barbara Mauldin, and I have to say "Thank you Miz Mauldin and Mz. Bartlett (visionary founder of the museum), for pictures so real that I 1. cried when I opened the book to page 20-21; and 2. got chills on page 250. The big tome covers all the major media of the area, from pottery to weaving, to jewelry, to religious art and regalia.

The last time I felt like this about a book, it was The Shining Cloth. Judging by that experience, it looks like I'll be studying Folk Art of the Andes for a long time...

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Random Etsy Things That Bother Me and What Moods They Put Me In

2011-06-21T08:34:00.019-06:00

Calling a rhinestone a cabochon (and vice versa)

MOOD: Frustrated while searching

Referring to oneself as "we" apparently to try to impress people with your professionalism

MOOD: Unimpressed

Calling it "Lucite" just because it's plastic

MOOD: Concerned about accuracy

Overpriced vintage junk

MOOD: Scoffing

Copycats

MOOD: Depressed

Calling anything more or less flat a "sequin" just to get more hits

MOOD: Irritated cause you're steppin on my search results

Being invited to join an exclusive group for sellers that has a membership of thousands and also encourages buyers to join

MOOD: Don't waste my time

821,000+ search results for "earrings"

MOOD: Heading for nearby cliff to leap from

People who complain about vintage items not being in perfect condition

MOOD: Almost a migraine

Constant updates to Etsy seller's pages

MOOD: Groaning but willing to learn new tricks

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Simple Art Attack Greeting Cards

2011-06-20T14:21:00.001-06:00

While visiting my mother recently, I felt an art attack coming on. And me without any beads or art supplies! So I hustled on over to Joann's with my niece, who works there (lucky girl). While she headed for the beads section I was stopped in my tracks by the 40% off sale on all paper crafting supplies.

Next thing I knew, I was loading up my basket with a couple of postcard-sized cardstock pads and a box of 40 bright cards and envelopes. Couldn't resist those $1.00 rub on sheets, either, and then let myself go with a couple of K and Company goodies (so sparkly!). While I was at it, I picked up black and white gel pens, a glue stick, and one of those fancy corner punches.

At the register, I found out I also qualified for Allie's employee discount -- woohoo! That kept the bottom line down even more.

Back at mom's house, I searched and searched for some magazines or old books to cut up and collage onto the cards, but her coffee table was totally bare as she'd just sent her old mags out for recycling.

So we headed out for a quick trip to Borders, where even after scrounging the sale shelves once or twice, I hadn't found any pictures that moved me, until my nephew spotted a little book of world mythology for under $6.00.

Back home and still looking for something unique to affix to the cards, I think it was my mom who suggested using old lace. The upshot of that story is I came home with a huge bag of her vintage lace, most of which were purchased for making doll clothes, so they are tres petite and precious, and perfect for cards.

Banded card stock (punched at 2 corners), East Indian image,
presstype border, vintage lace, teardrop rhinestone

Gold and purple cardstock (punched), Buddhist mandala,
vintage lace, rhinestone, white gel pen

Patterned card stock, 2 images from paintings,
flowered border sticker and vintage lace

Patterned card stock, image from a painting, rose stickers
(I have the urge to add some glitter to this one!)

All in all I've made 20 cards (2 batches of 10, each batch using one of each color in the box). Only 20 more cards to go, hehe. Although I'm back home now where so many other artsy things are distracting me...

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Pretty Pretty Tarot App

2011-05-26T16:58:00.001-06:00

I'm not such a die hard Tarot fan, but I'm a complete sucker for old Tarot decks and their awesome graphics.

This app for my Android phone is called Tarot of Marseilles Lite.

So cool, you "shuffle" the deck by shaking the phone, before drawing your 3 cards.

All the graphics are bright and clear, even the buttons and navigation are well illustrated.

The interpretations are fairly brief and seem to be translations into English by a non-Native speaker, but they are quaint.

You can draw a spread relating to Family, Love, or Career questions, and the interpretations are geared toward each type of question.

But mainly I'm here to talk about the GRAPHICS eh? You can zoom in on a card to get a closeup view:

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Little Birdie Bottles

2011-05-24T08:15:00.001-06:00

One of my Etsy customers, Anna from The Quail's Nest, shared with me what she's doing with my tiny little bottles. Check it out -- each necklace holds a bottle as a pendant, and each bottle contains a tiny little origami bird. >>> is giving part of the proceeds to aid Japan earthquake victims.

Anna posted more pictures on her Facebook wall. Anna, thank you for sharing!

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Free Clip Art Photo Australian Stamps

2011-05-23T08:15:00.006-06:00

Click the photo for the large version:

P E A C E

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Book Review: Chain and Bead Jewelry

2011-05-22T10:38:00.000-06:00

The full title is Chain and Bead Jewelry: Geometric Connections, by Scott David Plumlee and it's chock full of truly wearable stuff. I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of chain maille jewelry, but these projects were actually tasteful and interesting -- I love the geometry of the finished pieces, which present interesting shapes that catch your attention without being too bulky or genre-specific.

Large, readable pictures accompany every step, and the pictures are accompanied by clear text, materials lists, etc. I have a lot of trouble deciphering chain maille instructions from text and/or photos (do much better when someone shows me in person), but these larger-than-life photos really helped. In some cases you do have to refer to the front of the book for basics, but for the most part, everything you need is right on the page you're working on.

The book is organized into technique and shape sections (Byzantine, Tripoli, Triangle, Pentagon, etc), and within each section are "matching" projects -- usually necklace, bracelet and earrings, but some sections also include other projects, such as key fobs and clasps.

So I was thrilled to be able to try two pairs of earrings (still haven't gotten around to the larger projects) using materials I had on hand from a previous chain class.

I guess we are spoiled in Albuquerque to have so many jewelry supply places around town, but even if you don't, you can order materials online or make them yourself.

P.S. Here's a tip I hadn't thought to include in my previous book reviews, probably because it's more necessary in this book to follow the step by step instructions. I use a plastic, adjustable, easel book holder to prop up this book and hold the page while I'm working. I got it at an office supply store years ago for use with computer software books, and now it works great for this type of thing...

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I'll do the stupid thing first...

2011-04-23T09:08:00.002-06:00

...then you shy people can follow.

(my favorite Frank Zappa quotation)

My graduation party -- at OFFCenter, great food and the most fun you could have without drinking or breaking the law. At least, I don't think any laws were broken. Unless you count amateur belly dance as a misdemeanor.

UPDATE: Oh, I totally forgot to mention, the dancing was led by Flo and Lila of The Rogue Bindis!

Austrian Authorities Reveal Find of Ancient Buried Jewelry Treasures!

2011-04-22T22:12:00.003-06:00

Austrian authorities reveal find of buried treasure The Associated Press News San Francisco Examiner

Wowee. Click the link above to read the article.

A Little Fire to Warm the Soul

2011-04-05T07:08:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, it's fire season here and the wind has been horrendous. But here in our little Old Town backyard, sheltered by tall, tall cottonwoods, it was very quiet last night. I asked Junie if he'd build a fire -- and at first he declined. We were all feeling pretty lazy. A little while later, the MOTH said "I smell smoke!" He ran to the back door, but I just smiled. Junie had built the absolutely most perfect fire I've ever seen. We sat around it until it was just coals, and then we doused the coals. I don't know about Junie and the MOTH but I came inside peaceful and transformed, and ready for sleep.

Woman Made Gallery's Latest Calls for Entries

2011-04-03T10:14:00.002-06:00

Woman Made Gallery, in Chicago, is calling for entries to 3 upcoming exhibits:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Calls-for-Art-from-Woman-Made-Gallery.html?soid=1098465457029&aid=T6nZv1moAKM

Seriously Funny
Open to women artists from the international community whose work is expressed in cartoon-style format. Open to all themes.

Underground
Open to women, transgender, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming people from the international community who make self-published zines, comics, and chapbooks, as well as print, graphic, and comic art in all media. This exhibition will include both a pop-up library of zines, comics, and other self-published works, and a show of installed artworks in all media.

The Project
Open to all women artists, "The Project" calls for art in any media that involves persons outside the typical gallery sphere in its creation and/or its exhibition--work that is interactive, interdisciplinary, and/or collaborative.

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Vintage Sari Metal Thread Embroidery

2011-03-28T21:01:00.002-06:00

Exquisite vintage embellished sari fabric in vivid blue, with metallic threads and sequins. I took these pictures months ago -- and now I can't remember what I did with the whole piece!

I love the way the scalloped motif is stitched. Don't quite understand it though. Looks like a composite stitch, where the straight line started with a chain stitch, over which that long stitch / basketweave thing is looped. The the scallops are edged with a running stitch

If you ever wondered whether gold sequins hold their color --

here's your answer. :-)

Except for the sequin work, most of the above photo is worked just in chain stitch. (Note: Kim comments that this is tambour work -- thank you Kim!!!) I love that -- straight lines, squiggly lines, and geometric shapes constructed of single and multiple rows.

Check out the way the sequins in the center of the starflower are anchored. Very classy!

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Find the Typo

2011-03-19T08:34:00.001-06:00

This is what I saw on eBay's home page this morning.

Hint: Would your teen buy it, based on the name?

Two Old Dollies

2011-03-15T07:40:00.005-06:00

This is what I came home to the other day. Two cute little vintage dollies in their shabby cotton undergarments that the MOTH had rescued from the bottom of a Goodwill bin.

I really wish I knew more about dolls. Some people can look at them and tell you their names and date of manufacture. The "older" doll looks an awful lot like a little girl I know.

P.S. The boyz think they're spooky. :-) So for now, they're watching from the bookshelf. Hehe.

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Beaders, Vote for Your Favorites

2011-02-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

I voted! About.com's Readers Choice Awards poll on the Beadwork forum is a bit irritating to navigate but if you're a fan of beadwork teachers, books, magazines, shops and shows, you might want to weigh in. The poll is open until March 15.

http://beadwork.about.com/od/otherresources/ss/Vote-For-Your-Beadwork-Favorites-In-The-2011-About-Com-Readers-Choice-Awards.htm

Neo-Mexicanism by Teresa Eckmann

2011-02-19T11:16:00.003-07:00

My friend Teresa has just published this hardcover book on Mexican art. In fact, it's fresh off the UNM Press, but available already at Amazon. Here's the description:

Neo-Mexicanism: Mexican Figurative Painting and Patronage in the 1980s

Art has the classic ability to reflect and comment on the larger cultural processes taking place around it. While neomexicanidad (neo-Mexicanism), an artistic tendency that emerged in Mexican art of the 1980s, has often been regarded and dismissed as strictly folkloric, others argue that there are many sources of inspiration for neo-Mexicanist art and that it expresses a range of attitudes toward national identity and institutions that include humor, nostalgia, irreverence, and subtle criticism. In this analysis, Teresa Eckmann proposes that 1980s neo-Mexicanist art is infused with an undercurrent of disenchantment that reflects personal responses to the economic and social stagnation, low foreign investment, natural disasters, political corruption, oppression, and general state of crisis that marked the decade.

Neo-Mexicanist art has not typically been the subject of critical study. Eckmann attempts to fill this void in scholarship, addressing such important questions as how neo-Mexicanism has been defined, what its motivations and influences are, how it has been promoted and interpreted, and to what extent that patronage has influenced the development and construction of the movement.

About the Author
Teresa Eckmann is assistant professor of modern and contemporary Latin American art history at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her published works include No Bounds: Luis Cruz Azaceta, The Latin American Poster: Image, Message, and Means, and Chicano Artists and Neo-Mexicanists: (De)Constructions of National Identity.

Dancer Doll from India

2011-01-31T08:35:00.027-07:00

It's not every day the MOTH brings home something that knocks everything else off its pride-of-place display spot. But that's what happened this weekend when he dug this clay doll out of the bottom of a Goodwill bin. Her arm was missing, so he dove in hopes of finding it, and, amazingly it was there. He brought her home, a bit worse for the wear, and reattached her arm while I was off studying.

I had not seen one of these before although I did find some less realistic versions of her quite easily on the Net. Apparently, she's pretty common -- I wonder if she's the original bobble head doll!

The design is wickedly clever and simple -- each section of the doll hangs onto a bit of notched wire at the top of the piece below it, allowing the skirt, torso and head to nod in an imitation of classical dance moves. (The MOTH calls her the "oh no you ditnt" doll).

In my humble opinion -- ours is way more refined than most of the gaudy souvenir dolls on the web. Scuffed and scratched to be sure, but we love her already. A couple of websites said this kind of doll is doing the Kuchipudi dance, from Andhra Pradesh. Which got me curious -- here's the Wikipedia page on classical Indian dance in case you're curious too.

Cota

2011-01-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

These cute little bundles are just about right for a little pot of cota tea, aka Navajo tea. My friend tied them when he gathered the herb and gave me a little bag full of the bundles. It's delicious, by the way, the perfect beverage tea, hot or cold.

Free Background Image

2011-01-13T08:05:00.004-07:00

Here's a little something to use in your digital or real life ;-) collage. It's a closeup of a few little drawers from a larger set of them. Nice for layering and for backgrounds when you want a bit of repetition to riff off of. (You might need to resize it to about 75% if printing directly to an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet.)

Click the image to go to the larger picture.

Computer Room/Study Redo

2011-01-09T12:20:00.003-07:00

Just before the holidays we rearranged this room, in preparation for having a bunch of people over. You don't wanna know what it looked like before. Those of you who saw, I know you were worried, LOL!!!

We painted the main wall turquoise, and the others a creamy vanilla. We moved the computer desk, with all my Etsy clutter, where you can't see it from the living room. (Pretend you can't see those boxes in the corner -- someday soon they will become a storage/display of vintage jewelry boxes.) Those weird sparkles on the wall are from the MOTH's solar powered crystal prism...

My grandfather made the bird's eye maple lazy susan on the table, and the little bird pottery dish on top of that was made at Tesuque Pueblo in 1941. The huge Buddha thangka on the wall is beautifully embroidered -- the MOTH bought it for $8.00 (why I stay married) and we had it tucked away for a couple of years, intending to give it away as a gift or something since there was no place for it. Guess we'll be keeping it now. :-)

Yesterday the MOTH rehung one of our printer's boxes and now I can put my favorite stamps back up on the wall. Honestly, I'd like to have a whole wall of these things!

The two tall black chests contain my beads. I got them on sale at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago, intending to go in my studio (that dangerous land of avalanches and piles). Maybe someday they will, but right now the one above holds my grandmother's handpainted metal mail basket, a very old peacock-colored antique tin, a big honking quartz crystal, and this AMAZING pink bottle that doesn't go with anything else in the room.

The MOTH found it at Goodwill yesterday, bless 'im. I've never seen one like it! He has correctly anticipated my moving-into-pink phase. But THIS room is for the peacocks. For more color inspiration, I created this Etsy Treasury (click the picture to go there):

William Chittick on Beauty

2011-01-05T08:04:00.077-07:00

Yesterday on the Huffington Post, Professor Chittick blogged about The Notion of Beauty in Islam. Here is an excerpt (w/some gender modifications, sorry I couldn't resist)...

Anyone with the vaguest knowledge of Islamic culture knows that it has produced extraordinary works of art and architecture -- Persian miniatures, the Taj Mahal, the Alhambra. Few are aware, however, that this rich artistic heritage is firmly rooted in a worldview that highlights love and beauty.

The link between love and beauty is clear. We love what we find beautiful. Beauty attracts, ugliness repels. Nor are beauty and ugliness simply physical characteristics. We all know people who are outwardly attractive but personally repellent, and vice versa.

Beauty makes a massive appearance in love poetry like that of Ibn al-Farid, Rumi, Yunus Emre, and countless others. Their verses stir up wonder and delight by evoking the beautiful characteristics of the beloved....

Those with a more theological bent preferred to cite the saying of the Prophet, "God is beautiful, and s/he loves beauty." They understood both beauty and love in terms of the axiom of tawhid, "There is no god but God." If God is beautiful, then there is nothing truly beautiful but God. And if God is loving, then no one truly loves but he.

...As for the universe, God loves it because, by loving her/himself, s/he loves everything demanded by her/his beauty and mercy, and that includes an infinity of creaturely possibilities. This view was encapsulated in the oft-quoted divine saying, "I was a Hidden Treasure, and I loved to be recognized, so I created the creatures to recognize Me."

God loves the way things are because "S/He made beautiful everything S/He created" (Quran 32:7). All things are lovable because they make her/his beauty manifest. Each thing plays its own harmonious role in the infinite web of relationships that the Quran calls God's "signs." The signs in turn display the characteristics of what it calls God's "most beautiful names."

God loves the way things ought to be because s/he created human beings with freedom to change themselves. Unique among all things in the universe -- so far as we know -- human beings have the capacity to recognize themselves as works in progress and to intervene in the manner in which they develop.
Read the entire post, along with links to some of Chittick's books, here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-c-chittick-phd/the-islamic-notion-of-bea_b_802503.html

Start the beading year with Beki

2011-01-03T08:30:00.003-07:00

This past week I pawed through my tiny pearls, rugged gemstones and itsy bitsy seed beads, planning my upcoming projects. I also revisited some of my favorite beading sites for inspiration. . . and free tutorials.

Beki Haley from Out on a Whim has some of the bestest, and easiest to follow, beading tutorials on the web. I haven't seen her since Bead Expo in Oakland! (Where we spent a memorable couple of evenings in the hotel lounge -- and by lounge I mean bar -- dodging and colliding with other beady characters from that part of the world) Maybe she'll see this and say hello!

Here's her latest offering, the Peyote Channels Bracelet:

And here's a direct link to the rest of her wonderfully concise tutorials:

http://whimbeads.com//cart.asp?pg=classroom

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Guess who's coming for Christmas?

2010-12-27T11:21:00.008-07:00

Poor MOTH (man-o-the-house). I had bugged him for two (maybe 3?) weeks to bring down my grandmother's nativity set. Then one morning, his usual day off, he had to go in to work at 6:00 a.m. I got up and saw he'd taken time to crawl up in the cold attic and bring down the box.

I began to set up the familiar characters -- Jesu, Isa, Jesus, his parents, the barnyard animals -- atop our lawyer's cabinet. I decided to leave the Japanese lamp, with the woman who looks like a Persian angel riding an elephant, behind the scene, to add lighting at night.

Well, that's when one thing led to another. I pulled out a couple of whirling dervishes from the case below, then out came the Navajo doll weaving a blanket, to add a bit of local homage to the sweet baby Jesus. Of course, the magical cat and rabbit ornaments that I usually put on the tree seemed the perfect scale, and, well, once I got started I couldn't seem to stop.

Having no shortage of global odds and ends laying around within arm's reach, our usual set expanded to include Hopi kachina doll, a coyote storyteller, an angel amputee I can't bear to throw away, a gargoyle, a big witch doll my kid made in elementary school (actually he says his teacher made most of it, which is a big no-no in the art ed world but we love it just the same), a boy doll we call "Joey's Inner Child," and a little red buddha who's hiding somewhere south of the gargoyle.

I thought for sure the MOTH would be horrified, but he loved it. I do think it's fitting, and there's something about this arrangement that frankly reminds me of Christmas Eve at my house...

My blog is't de-ad it's only sleeping

2010-12-18T09:30:00.004-07:00

That's a paraphrase of an old mountain song you've probably never heard of and since it's kind of morbid I won't go any further...

So how's about this one instead? Paraphrased from the country classic, Hello Walls:

Hello blog... how things go for you today?
Don't you miss her since she up and walked away?
And I'll bet you dread to spend another lonely night with me
But, lonely blog, I'll keep you company
Hello blog, well I see that you're still here
Aren't you lonely since our author disappeared?
Well look here -- is that a teardrop in the corner of your screen?
Now don't you try to tell me that it's rain...
She went away and left us all alone the way she planned
Yes we'll have to learn to get along without her if we can
Hello blog, I'm gonna stare at you a while
You know I can't sleep so won't you bear with me awhile
We must all stick together or else I'll lose my mind
I've got a feeling she'll be gone a long long time...

Nope! I'm baaaack. School's out for a bit and I got a big chunk o' work done this Fall, so I'm ready to party in blogland. Time to dig out my pictures and notes and book reviews I've been saving since September!

~~~~~~~~~~

Antique Silver Thread Embroidery

2010-09-04T08:56:00.005-06:00

Check out these closeups of a collar from an antique Ottoman garment. The metal thread is exquisitely embroidered onto red velvet. I hope you can see the stitching details enough to be as inspired by the techniques as I am!

The Porch

2010-08-17T07:29:00.003-06:00

New view from the back door. This is the cozier half of the porch. The other side holds some additional seating -- rustic wooden furniture a la New Mexico style, plus junior's punching bag. (I know huh). Oh and a small vintage dryer (North Valley decor, cost $12 about 8 years ago). Last night it rained quite a bit and everything is so cool and cozy out there. Yesterday late afternoon I sat under the roof and sorted joss papers, counted rhinestones, and listened to the crickets. If you look closely in the background you can see the MOTH's birdhouses which he mounted on a board on top of the tall sturdy branches of a deceased Russian olive. And close to the porch is the plum tree, and succulents around and on top of the short stump of a cottonwood whose roots were wreaking havoc on our property values. ;-) The other dark tree in the far background is an almond tree. The two apple trees are hard to distinguish. Don't you love the roof line?

PS You can click the photo for a larger image.

Last night's view from Sandia Peak

2010-08-01T12:53:00.004-06:00

Last night we met at the bottom of the tram and rode up well before sunset. By the time we got to the top, we had this amazing view from just below the cloud line. The sun was streaming through the moisture and creating the most amazing white light.

As we ate our dinner at a table by the windows, we watched a huge storm roll in, creating its own cloud over the city and then drawing it back up again.

By the time we jumped onto the tram to go back down, it was full dark and the rain was pounding. (I didn't know they operated that thing in lightning!) So yeah, according to Junior, it was the best birthday dinner ever -- mainly because of the thunderous ending!

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Dear Quiznos

2010-07-29T11:25:00.003-06:00

Please do not show me a commercial of furry kittens running around among my sub sandwiches. It will not help me to think of your restaurants as clean or your sandwiches as healthy or delicious. Bluck! Thank you.

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Big Bucket of Flowers

2010-07-26T08:50:00.000-06:00

I was bragging to my coworker about the MOTH's sudden green thumb and she asked me to take pictures. So, here's my favorite of his summer plantings.

I came home from work one day and he had planted buckets and pots full of bright summery things. Moss rose can always take the heat -- and usually comes up again the following year. Annuals seem to be a lot more iffy, even when they say "6 hours of full sun" on them (Somehow I don't think they're talking about the New Mexico sun).

I was so amazed with the way he'd arranged this barrel of bright blooms -- and magically, it has stayed this way through the hottest summer days I can remember, even on our baking hot patio. Pardon the construction in the background, we are taming that baking hotness with a nice roof. That is not getting built soon enough for me.

Little Birdie Going Away Card

2010-07-25T19:20:00.004-06:00

Friday night we threw a small going away party for two dear friends, and as I was tidying up before everyone came over, I happened to pick up this little pile of collaged cards I made this summer. Actually, I wasn't sure if they were finished but this one was on the top and it looked just perfect for them so I decided it was done.

Here's how I made the card:

The paper is brown craft card stock.
For the background, I cut out an image from a 1940's National Geographic, using deckling scissors. The proportions happened to be perfect for the craft card.
Then I burnished on some rub on flourishes.
I was not too pleased with the way the fourishes transferred at the right side, so later on I covered the booboo area with a handmade layered flower. I punched a larger flower from scrap paper, then with a dimensional foam adhesive dot I attached a smaller punched flower. The paper was leftover from my recycled envelope-making.
I also punched out 3 stars from a vintage book page, and glued on some pearl rhinestones. I attached the flowers with foam dots, too.
I cut out the girl and boy from photocopies of my vintage postcards. They had been reduced in size. I attached them with foam dots for a raised look. I used 2 different sizes of dots so I could raise their little arms and legs too!
At some point I stamped around the background image with Staz-on inks, in subtle colors. I was toying with the idea of doing more stamping . . .

This process might seem like a lot of effort and different steps and materials, but because I made several similar cards at the same time, it was a question of cutting and punching several similar items at one time, and then assembling them for each card. Everything except the birds were leftover from other projects.
Nice way to build a theme and get a bunch of work done. I just kept adding each similar component to each card in the same order, with variations (e.g., I had several images of children in various sizes, placing them in different positions on each card), without really knowing where I was going. Or when to stop! LOL.

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Ashki's Dates with Feta

2010-07-24T19:17:00.004-06:00

Ashki used to make these sweet and sumptuous little treats when she lived in Albuquerque, now I think of her when I make them. Just slice the dates across the top and lift out the seeds. Then push in crumbled feta - she used to use goat feta -- and gently squeeze the date around the cheese.

The dates are sweet like candy, and the feta balances it out perfectly!

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Sleeping Beauties

2010-07-18T12:24:00.005-06:00

Returned from the DC area just last night, and shortly after, the MOTH presented me with his latest estate finds, including this little tribe of dollies from the 1950s. Three of them have crochet outfits from patterns that DMC produced back then, and the other is a blushing bride. I woke up this morning and this is how they had arranged themselves on my table, all resting peacefully. The front gal has apparently completed a rigorous round of chemo, while another -- Mary Queen of Scots in fact -- seems to have been beheaded.

Hmmm. I should probably fluff them up a bit before I put them in my Etsy shop.

Mudcloth Cabbage Rose

2010-07-10T12:47:00.004-06:00

I have been coveting those scrumptiously shabby ribbon and lace roses you see all over Etsy and so last night I googled how to make them. Being somewhat naturally rebellious, do you think I followed the instructions and used fabric that was appropriately pink and refined?

Of course not. Well my choice was something of an accident. I was puttering around the "studio" this morning (that disaster area where I have to be careful not to bump into things lest there be an avalanche), when I ran across some mudcloth scraps Sarah sent me.

So here is my first result. Do you know how difficult it is to tear mudcloth or even cut it with good sewing scissors? This reminds me of something you'd see at the natural history museum (like the petrified hairball of a rhinoceros). I'll keep trying. Next time I'll use fabric that wants to become a rose...

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Woman Made Gallery: Call for Artwork "Mothers"

2010-07-04T10:46:00.002-06:00

Woman Made Gallery, Chicago:

"Mothers" seeks work by women in all media that addresses the culturally ubiquitous role of motherhood, historically under-represented in visual art. "Mothers" encourages multivalent understandings of this rich topic. Submissions might speak to personal experiences (as a mother or as related to a mother), social constructions of motherhood, the balance of home and work, the politicization of mothers, pregnancy, breastfeeding, childbirth, bodily transformation, miscarriage, loss, fertility/infertility, or other points of entry. Open to all forms of art that investigate the theme of "Mothers."

Juror: Rachel Epp Buller, Scholar and Artist
Rachel Epp Buller, Ph.D., is a feminist-art historian-printmaker-mama of three whose art and scholarship investigate this balancing act. Her prints have been exhibited in solo and group and shows in Kansas City, Chicago, New York City, and elsewhere and she lectures and publishes widely on issues of motherhood and the maternal body in contemporary art.

Exhibition Dates: November 5 - December 23, 2010
Entry Deadline August 11, 2010
Notifications: September 8, 2010

Find the entry guidelines here:
http://www.womanmade.org/entryform.html#callforart

Bottles of Beads

2010-07-01T16:24:00.003-06:00

Just a few itsy bottles of old beads. The bottles came from the glass graveyard, and the glass pearls came from vintage jewelry projects. The other beads are vintage cuts in plum and purple. Behind, some sugared millinery pips I acquired yesterday at the thrift store. After I fill up all my little bottles, I'll tie some ribbons around them or something...

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Jewelry Inspirations by Sherri Haab Review

2010-06-28T08:15:00.004-06:00

I have been remiss! I thought I'd reviewed this new book a couple of months ago, but when I went through my blog tweaking keywords here and there, there it was, saved as a draft. (I blame the end of the semester. But here it is now -- better late than never?).

Oh, and I saw copies at Barnes and Noble the other day, set up in a nice little display at the top of the craft racks, so I would assume you could find it at the other chains too.

First off, I have to admit, I'm the hardest person to impress with a jewelry book, partly because I'm not a beginner any more, and partly because I prefer to sell stuff that is based on my own ideas. So I like a book that shows me new ways of doing things that I can use as a starter idea for my own work. And this book delivers on that count.

Coincidentally, I had a big bag of silver filigree bezel findings that I was getting ready to donate -- but I kept them after reading this book, so I could play with Sherri's polymer clay and beaded solstice charm idea. Putting a charm w/loop under the clay is a great idea for turning the bezel into a pendant.

She covered a lot of bases, and a lot of materials, which is why this book is 150+ pages. I like that she did not devote too many of them to how to use the materials -- some books overdo that part in my opinion, but Jewelry Inspirations covered that subject just right I think. I like that she devoted a few pages to finding inspiration, and being in your studio. After seeing all her little bottles of beads, I found myself pulling out all my antique and vintage bottles and fitting them with corks, then filling them up with vintage leftovers such as little glass pearls.

I had never seen her method for making a 3D (2-sided) silicon mold. I've seen other ways of doing them, but Sherri's makes a lot more sense to me.

This is also the first book where I've seen epoxy resin clay used. Hopefully it will be available locally at some point, but for now you can order it from the Internet. You can tint the clay, form it, or press it into molds and it cures (dries) overnight. Sherri tints it and embeds objects in it in her projects.

Sherri uses simple knotting in several projects -- I liked that the projects are simple but tasteful and her intro instructions are very clear. My favorite knotted jewelry project was her Sea Glass Image Pendants, because the cord was a bit thick and looks nice with or without beads woven in.

Silhouette projects seem to be very retro trendy these days, and, again, I appreciated that she used jewelry stampings in her Silhouette charm bracelet (since I seem to have pounds of stampings around here).

She also plays with papier clay to make pins -- her theme is Halloween, but I tried the project with crows, our perennial neighbors here on the Rio Grande. This project would be fairly easy for kids too, I think.

Her bead and wire jewelry designs were not what inspired me most but only because I know those techniques; however, her colorways and use of chunky gemstones were lovely, and caused me to paw through my semi-precious drawers for pretty colors like hers.

There was a fun cracker jack charm bracelet -- you can, of course, substitute your own collectibles, but I just wanted to mention that you can buy Cracker Jack charms on eBay. Sherri pairs hers with a substantial silver chain that really elevates the look of the charms.

By far my favorite projects were the resin ideas. I've seen other books on this subject but could never see myself wearing candy-mold jewelry in a million years. It never occurred to me to make my own molds, as Sherri does.

And finally, being a funky found object and recycled art kind of gal, I really like the braided torn handkerchief bracelet. It seemed sturdy and adaptable to many variations, and I plan to try it down at OFFCenter, where we tear strips of fabric into "pitchy patchy" every summer in preparation for the Folk Art Festival. Sherri's technique would come in handy for ornaments and other hanging things too, not just jewelry.

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More Antique Purse Photos

2010-06-27T09:58:00.004-06:00

Here's the bottom half of the purse. It's huge! Reds and greens in the center, blues and oranges on the sides. The yellow and "brown" flowers near the bottom right are actually purple -- the tan thread changes the look of the amethyst beads.

And finally, the whole thing, minus the chain.

More photos are HERE!

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Got Micro Beads?

2010-06-26T19:52:00.005-06:00

I'm just getting ready to list this in my Etsy supply shop. In addition to the five photos for that listing, I took these closeups of the bead crochet patterns for all you ~~fanatics~~ fans of antique beadwork.

First off -- check out the color palette. This beauty contains dozens of colors because each motif uses 5-6 colors. Love these old fashioned micro-bead colors, especially the metal lined crystal beads used for the background. They were crocheted with tan thread, so there's still plenty of contrast, but not a stark white background.

Here's the palette -- mainly reds and greens, with some blue and amethyst.

A tiny bluebell motif? These old purse patterns translate easily to loomwork or square stitch.

Here's a rose for you. :-)

And some other flowers -- orange to balance out the blue. Notice the aqua/jade green color in the bottom right of the photo. Several metallic beads are tossed in too, but there surfaces have worn off over the years.

And finally, the fringe. Notice how white the crystal beads look with white thread, compared to in the background where colored thread was used.

I'll post some overall pictures a little later. For now -- Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~

Nifty New Photo Table

2010-06-22T08:00:00.003-06:00

Speaking of yesterday's pretty silver things, the MOTH brought home a gorgeous adjustable hospital table, with a faux dark walnut top. At first I thought "Ugh...where will we put this?" but then he said, "No more backaches from your microphotography," (That's not actually what he said but it hardly would have been proper to type type "No more bending over for your photos...")

However he said it, he was right! It pulls up high enough for me to shoot straight down or across the objects. And the surface -- my goodness, it's darned rich and lovely. I prefer to use decorative papers under my schtuff, I went ahead and christened my new table to shooting this vintage steel mesh purse straight on the surface.

Previously I used a folding wooden tray table up against our patio door. I found that using the higher table isn't just easier on my achin' back, being up higher means I also avoid getting reflections and shadows and color casts from various things on the patio. Still get the blue sky cast, as you can see from the photo above. But the price (only $10 bucks) and the pretty, pretty surface is totally worth a wee bit of color correcting.

An Etsy Treasury of Pretty Silver Things

2010-06-21T17:10:00.005-06:00

A pretty little vintage mesh bag I just listed in my shop yesterday found its way into this Etsy treasury by OdetoJune, a seller of lovely vintage things. Thanks!

~~~~~

A Semi-glorious Sabbatical

2010-06-18T19:00:00.011-06:00

Wow. Has it really been this long?

Where to start. Summer is hot, and I'm laying low. Wiggling my toes in the shade, watching the big yellow marigolds stand up to the heat. Watching my husband paint the front porch a 1970s gold. (If tupperware had a yellow to go with its retro avocado and pumpkin, it would be this color gold.)

My hands have been folding paper, tying vintage ribbons, rinsing out secret vintage glass bottles and filling them with almond colored glass pearls culled from salvaged purses.

I've been glittering eggs in German silver, and tucking them into tiny nests of medicinal herbs.

I guess that's enough for now. It's a healing time, a deep recharging. Not much else is going on. My last semester of grad school starts in the Fall -- and that feels a long way off right now.

Too Much Frappucino?

2010-04-11T21:42:00.004-06:00

I suppose this is what I get for sending them to Starbucks...

Now you know why on Friday nights I head into my room and shut the door. :-) Oh and it also helps to crank up the volume on the TV. Quiet time for mommy begins early Sat. morning. :-)

Rick's Party Friends

2010-04-09T18:00:00.002-06:00

Well I didn't get to go to the party but I thought this photo was just hilarious...

http://offcenterarts.blogspot.com/2010/04/ricks-b-day-celebration.html