8/25/11

Enter to win 3 pendants from LilybellesJewels on Etsy - ends 9/8

Moonlight Kitty necklace from Lilybellesjewels

Hey there. How have you been? 

I'm hanging out today with Barbara Ileiwat & Lily Belle from Lilybellesjewels on Etsy.com. Lucky for us, they've stopped by for a chat ... and brought prizes! 

Candy for your ears from Lilybellesjewels

Why don't you get to know each other a bit while I pop into the kitchen for something sweet to share - I'm making virtual cookies in your favorite flavor.  Meanwhile, Barbara can tell you all about her passion for jewelry - and cats. And Lily, well, Lily tends to do her own thing.  (However, if you are in a rush today, keep your hat on & buzz down to the end for giveaway details). Please note that clicking on any of the photo captions will take you to item details.

Swarovski Sapphire Blue Crystal Bracelet from Lilybellesjewels

Barbara:  Designing jewelry is a passion for me. I try to pay attention to the things I see all around me on a daily basis. It is amazing how many truly beautiful things we come in contact with each day and never really pay a great deal of attention to. The form of the branches of a tree, the texture of a lawn, the fabulous formations of the clouds in the sky above us. Because we see this things everyday, and because we have such busy lives, we very rarely take the time to stop and "smell the roses" as the saying goes.

Butternut yellow earrings from Lilybellesjewels

All of these things can be experienced and translated into a work that will stimulate the senses of another. You will notice in my shop that I very rarely stay within the boundaries of any one particular area of style. I am constantly changing my designs to reflect whatever beauty I may have been lucky enough to have been exposed to that day. 

gorgeous swarovski and copper necklace from Lilybellesjewels

Lily Belle feels that she is the creative talent in the team, and therefore I should not bother her with the day to day mundane tasks. Since she has never been very good at chatting, typing or any other menial task I should be the one in charge of any tiresome labor (and interviews). In case I forgot to mention; Lily Belle is a cat, but not just any cat. She is truly a foo foo girl, and considers herself to have exquisite tastes in all things pretty. She does oversee all the pieces, and only when she has judged it to be "the cats meow" are we allowed to place it on the site. 

Starlight Black Cat Bottlecap Necklace from Lilybellesjewels

Lily Belle: Meow

Barbara: Will there be codfish cookies? I guess so. Stacey did say she was baking your favorite....

Lily Belle: purrrr

Steampunk initial bottlecap necklace from Lilybellesjewels

Barbara: Lily Belle and I would like to mention that 10% of all sales will be donated to Mt. Olive TNR Project, a tiny Flanders NJ based group that is doing amazing work on a very small budget, and a small circle of very dedicated volunteers who are making a huge difference in the lives of feral cat colonies in their area. For those of you who are not familiar with TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), it is a humane, effective way of managing feral populations within a community. For more information, or to make a donation directly, please visit them at http://www.mtolivetnr.org.

I'll take care of you bottle cap necklace from Lilybellejewels


Lily Belles Jewels is also proud member of the ARTISTS FOR ANIMALS team on Etsy, along with many other caring artisans whose shops we hope you will seek out and patronize. 

Artists for Animals Etsy Team

Many thanks, Barbara & Lily, for stopping in today. And now it is time to announce your awesome giveaway prize......drum roll please.....

3 for Free

On 9/8 one lucky winner gets 3 bottle cap pendants of their choice from LilyBellesJewels.etsy.com.  How cool is that?! Winner also receives 1 ball chain necklace to wear with them.  Click here to see some of the fun designs available to choose from.

To Enter This Random Drawing: Simply leave a comment on my blog before 1 a.m. EST on Sept. 8th. It is that easy. This random drawing is open worldwide and prize ships free to winner. Please leave an email address if your contact info is not in your blog profile.

(If you get a chance, pop over to Barbara & Lily's shop and let us know what your favorite pieces are. This is not required to enter the drawing, but I'd love to know which items are catching your eye)

Again, many thanks Lily & Barbara for dropping by and sharing your wonderful creations! 

And thank you, Reader, for your comments. It is your interest in these artists and random drawings that keeps them coming!

Before signing off today, here is a final thought from Lily and Leonardo da Vinci, "The smallest feline is a masterpiece."

8/24/11

Workshop Wednesday - copper etching continued

etched copper bracelet by Holly Raynor Hancock

Posting photos for "Wordless Wednesday" when I realized there was way to much text going on. So instead I'm sharing a few pictures from the Copper Etching & Cold Connections class I took earlier this month over at the brick & mortar shop for eBeads.com.

Another student, Jennifer, decided to make her version of the copper etched bracelet from the class promo-photo (shown above). She kindly let me take some pics along the way.


punching copper sheets into rounds


Unfortunately I missed a couple of steps as I was busy playing with my metal sheets. Jennifer next gave the copper disks a dome shape.

filler photo of worktable

I also forgot to take a photo of prepping the copper for the etching bath. Sorry about that - I was half asleep that morning.


Letting the chemicals do their thing


Bracelet components after etching & cleaning. Assembly begins...


After assembly, it was time to "antique" the piece with Liver of Sulfur.


The final bracelet after a soak in the "aging" solution. You can control how dark you want your piece to be. See Holly's bracelet on the top of this post for a darker finish.

If you're near Tampa, Florida and want to try out this fun technique be sure sign up for the Sept. 10th class. For details, call the number on the ebeads website or check out the class calendar next month (right now August is still up). If you do go, I'll see you there - I can't wait to play with these materials again! 

On the aside, what do you think of making Workshop Wednesday a regular feature? I can post tutorials, techniques & lots of fun links. If you have some workshop photos or tutorials that you'd like to share here, just drop me a note. 

8/22/11

You Don't Learn That In School - Music Monday


Photobucket

Musical Monday + the school bell =  oodles of fun


Lots of  folks are sharing academic-themed tunes today. Here are a  few of my faves.


It's actually pretty amazing just how many school-esque songs there are. Check out this list on wikipedia - be warned, it may suck you into a time warp.....


Looking for some more Monday Music? Pop on over to Xmas Dolly & Stacy Uncorked for videos & linkys. Be sure to play along & add your own if you have the time.

8/18/11

The winner of Mary Shelley ACEO is....

Portrait of Mary Shelley ACEO


Congratulations, Carula! I'll contact you for your shipping info later today.

Thanks to everyone who played along. I'll have a new giveaway in a week or two. Lots of good stuff on the back burners that I can't wait to share with you!

8/16/11

Random Thoughts Tuesday - What'cha doin?

chilling on a summer night


Me? I'm kicking back after a day of catching up. Enjoyed a relaxing week at the beach - sand, sun, lots o' water, tons of fishing &(of course) mini-golf... a much appreciated break. (A few pics here if you're curious)

still fishing

A lovely last minute get away before school kicks in (plus a celebration of our 19th anniversary - where has the time gone?)

copper tree pendant step 1

Saturday I learned copper etching & cold connections from Holly at the brick & mortar shop for ebeads.com. I always have a great time over there. Holly is just so darn nice, knows so much & is happy to share. She is also very patient with newbies like me - an extra plus.

I took a bunch of work in progress photos. Here are a couple. I need to clean up the rest before posting (my point-n-shoot is acting up more than usual, perhaps too much moisture got into it last week). It may take a few days, but I'll add more photos of the class soon.

WIP - etched copper ACEO

We were making jewelry and I thought how cool would it be to etch some copper ACEOs! This piece is etched but hasn't been "aged" in liver of sulfur yet. I also want to add a border of nickel, wood or leather....still debating...

copper etching & cold connections class - photo courtesy of ebeads.com

Good news! Holly will be holding this class again on September 10th. She normally only teaches it once in a blue moon, but so many folks were interested that she's put it on the calender again. Go to the Beads website for details or giver her a buzz at the number you find there with any questions.

More fun on the horizon. Once school resumes, I'll rev the interviews back into gear. I keep running into the most interesting people & can't wait to share them here! Tonight I popped into Michael's Crafts for a minute and  met a local photographer who is about to publish a photo-illustrated dystopian graphic novel series. She's agreed to pop by for a chat soon so check back in a few weeks.

Portrait of Mary Shelley ACEO

Ooh, I almost forgot - leave a comment before 8/18 & you're entered in my random drawing for a mini-print (2.5" x 3.5")  of  Portrait of Mary Shelly. Click here for details.
Well, I'm calling it a night. If you are looking for some more random goodies, visit Stacey Uncorked. She is keeping the home fires burning for the chaotically-inclined-fans-o-Keely while sharing oodles haphazard info today. If you are feeling chatty, post your own babblings & link up! 

Until next time, hope you have a creative day!

8/13/11

Life is good


Good morning, sunshine!


just a few steps to the back door


coffee is brewing ...


peeking through the gate


the rest of the world still slumbers


except for the manatees


and this very sleepy fisherman

8/12/11

Winner of Eye-Spy art contest

the eyes have it

 Congratulations, Linda Hensley!

The challenge was to look through my Artsnark etsy shop & blog to identify the artworks that contain these eyes. Linda had the most correct answers (8) and is the winner of a free print!

Many thanks to all who played along! If you are curious, the correct answers (with links to full image) clockwise from the 2 green eyes on the top left are:

The Telegram
Climbing
Blue Dryad
A Sinister Gentleman
Blue Alchemy
The Imposter
Where ever you are I am home
Wallflower
Lynn's Girl
Blue Eyes

Want another chance to win some ArtSnark goodness? Leave a comment on this blog before 8/18 and you'll be entered in the Mary Shelley ACEO random drawing. Click here for details & photo of prize.