Big Birthday Bash Sale & Charmed!

First I want to share the "charmed" portion of tonight's blog. Then I'll share all the juicy sale info with you.

This week AJDJSS is having a "Charmed" promotion. We are promoting charms and jewelry made using charms by our guild members! On the guild blog there is an article on charms and more. So please take a moment and check it out!

Tomorrow is my birthday. To celebrate I will be having a sale in my Artfire Studio, WillowWalker Designs through the month of April. I have reduced my prices by 25% for my birthday! As you know I have been adding a lot of items to my studio and am in the process of adding a bunch more too. There are lots of nummy goodies waiting for their forever homes!

Picture Marathon

I finally had enough energy to go take all those pictures I've been putting off....Twelve pendants, 10 pairs of earrings, over 200 pictures and an hour and a half later I was done. Of course now I still have to load them all to my computer and then edit them. I have decided to wait until tomorrow to do that, then I will start listing them.

Less than 48 hours until the start of my 'Big Birthday Bash Sale" in my Artfire Studio!

Gloomy Day

Today was an "interesting" day. Found a pocketknife to replace the one that I broke yesterday-YAY. Delivered the Marketplace in good time, another "yay". Yet I'm still in a mood for a pity party-bother......maybe the gloomy, rainy weather contributed? A bit to do with whatever made me feel like I was catching a cold? Something in the air? Who knows, but I'm not the only one. Quite a few of my friends have also had a blah, yuck day like mine.

Late Spring Cold-Ugh

Not too much exciting happening here today. Just coming down with a cold. I'm all stuffed up with a runny nose and woozy head. No ambition or what not. IF I'm up to it later this evening I'll try to get some more pictures taken. I did get an additional four pendants wrapped this morning.

New Pendants All Listed!

I listed all those pretty pendants that I shared yesterday in my Artfire studio today! I do have seven more pairs of earrings and nine more pendants that I need to photograph. Once I've done that and edited the pictures I'll be able to get those listed too.

Upcycling all these older cabs I've really been noticing how much my glasswork has improved. I can really see the improvement. Mostly in the uniformity of the thickness of the cab. In the past I tried too hard to get to much out of the fused glass slab, leading to uneven thickness of the cab. Now I sacrifice quantity for quality. I also am learning other little tricks too..like making sure I use a fine enough grinding bit so there isn't any little chips out of the back edges. The backs soften but don't smooth out completely being flat against the kiln shelf.

One of these days I'd like to play with the beveling grinder dad has tucked away. One I think it would be a great way to even out the worst of the old cabs. Two I think it would also be a great way to thin out a really thick cab. Since the way it is set up it is basically a flat grinding bit. I could grind them down until they are level or thinner as desired. Then with a finer grit I could clean them and put them back into the kiln for a fire polishing. And eventually I think I would like to bevel the edges on some of my cabs. IF I have enough patience that is. Dad tried it a bit, but said he found it very tedious .

SneaK Peek of Upcoming Pendants

Here's a sneak peek at all the pendants I finished yesterday. You will notice that five of these pendants have 22K gold images on them and one does not. The black oval pendant with large polka dots is an actual cast glass pendant. That is why it has the matte sides. Now I just need to start listing these in my studio! Remember my bragging about being caught up with all the completed earrings? Ummm, apparently I lied. Evidently a case of out of sight out of mind... Sitting on my workbench, downstairs in the studio, where I take my pictures lays the other six pairs of earrings I have left to photograph. slaps head-DOH! It was so late and I was in a hurry so I left them there. (for now) Also I need to let you know that the final countdown to the "Big Birthday Bash" sale started yesterday. Six more days until the First and then the sale will on. What sort of sale prices/deals/specials will I have??? I'm still working on it and you'll just have to wait until the big day before I'm telling. It will be a birthday surprise.

Create a free photo collage

SW Designs-Featured AJDJSS Artist

Today I am doing another featured Artfire artist from Artfire Jewelry Design & Jewelry Supply Shop Guild (AJDJSS for short). This week's featured artist is Stacy of SWDesigns. As you can see creates lovely pieces. I love the necklace! Stacy has a variety of styles to choose from in her Artfire studio. Not only does she carry these stunning sparkly pieces, but she also has earthy, southwestern and other fun designs too. Stacy has a little something for everyone no matter your style.

How did you get into creating jewelry?

Several years ago, a good friend wanted to modernize a few pieces of her jewelry. We went to the local craft store to find some new beads, charms or pendants to use. I fell in love with all the different styles, shapes and colors of the beads and gems available.

At first, I began making jewelry for myself and daughters to co-ordinate with specific outfits or holidays. I really enjoyed this and they turned out well. I received so many requests to make similar items for friends and family, that I began making earrings and bracelets as gifts and for donations for school fundraisers. Last year, I read about Artfire in one of my beading magazines, and decided to try selling on-line.

Do you have a favorite style, technique or materials?

I love working with crystals, pearls and gemstones. The variety of shapes and colors allow you to customize and create all kinds of looks for any occasion or everyday wear.

I love trying out different beading techniques. I enjoy the challenge and it's a great way to keep jewelry styles fresh. Recently I've been crochet beading, and my crystal hearts were made using bead weaving.

What would you do if you won a thousand dollars?

Spend it on my family, at church and on house maintenance.

What other crafts or hobbies are you into?

I love to cook and garden. I've been teaching my children to cook since they were toddlers and it's been amazing to see them develop their own cooking style, favorite dishes, etc.

My garden is more of a cut flower garden, but I've had success growing some herbs.

Do you have a favorite color or color combination?

I love working with the colors of the Fall : harvest gold, burgundy, burnt orange, dark green.

Sunflower, Dragonflies & More!

I went ahead and listed the last four out of five pairs of earrings that I had finished. The first pair I listed today were the Golden Sunflower Earrings. Second I listed the "Turquoise & Silver Earrings. Third were the "Electric Blue Earrings". Last but not the least I listed the "Emerald Dragonflies Earrings".

I will post the other pair of earrings along with the matching pendant later. As they are also green I plan to list some other colors first. This also gets me all caught up for the moment!

Aqua Blue Teardrop Dichroic Fused Glass Earrings

Another pair of beauties. These Aqua Blue Teardrop Earrings are gorgeous in all their shimmering glory. The rich shades of aquas and blues are soothing and mesmerizing like a rippling stream. These lovelies are perfect to wear for casual, work or even dress. I have wrapped these handmade cabs up in sterling silver wire and earwires. And yes, they are listed!

Emerald Green Butterfly Earrings

Here is my newest offering, Emerald Green Butterfly Earrings. Here is a pair of earrings using a pair of the cabs I was working on a while back. These are so pretty and elegant. I have so many more to earrings to list and of course a bunch of pendants to get all wrapped up! A

On another note my dad finally has had it with his computer. So he pulled the "brains" and took it to the computer hospital. It will be very nice to have the main PC working properly again. The bad news is I have no internet at home until it's back. I had to come to the public library to get on-line today. I am planning on coming back tomorrow.

Create your own digital ecard

I thought that since it is the first day of spring I would share this lovely greeting with you and give you a sneak peak of the upcoming earrings I have finished. Enjoy and may you have a wonderful, happy spring!

White & Gold Dichroic Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings

My latest offering, shimmering iridescent White Dichroic Teardrops wrapped in 14k gold filled wire. I am still enchanted with all the lovely new pieces I've been making using just one dichroic glass color. I love seeing how a different colored base glass changes the colors.

Two More Pairs Of Earrings!

I'm late tonight. Tonight was girls night out. I had a good time and stayed out later than normal. As I was sitting down to get ready for bed I realized that I hadn't blogged yet! Can't have that when I have these pretties to share.

I listed these nummy Aqua Blue Drops & the Red Dichroic Dangles in my Artfire studio today. It feels so nice to be getting things stocked up for summer. I have so many yet to photograph, list and share with you. I have twelve pairs waiting, lol!

Two More Pairs Of Earrings Listed

I listed both of these pairs of earrings today. The first pair "White Diamond Shaped" earrings I was going to call "White Diamonds" but realized shortly thereafter that if I remember correctly that is the name of a perfume by a famous actress. As I do not wish to wrangle with said actress's lawyers it would not do.

The second pair "Turquoise & Copper" has an interesting tale with it. I wanted to do something a little different and chose to wrap this pair in copper instead of my usual sterling silver or gold filled wire. I found the perfect earwires for them too. Too bad not one earwire was the exact same size as another! I'm fixing them as I use them. The really interesting thing I noticed is that the back "leg" of the earwire is straight. When I noticed this I had one of them little light bulbs "click on" in my brain....I really like the simplicity of the ball-front earwires. But I've found they sometimes dangle against my neck irritating it due to the shorter leg. The solution was laying before me-straight wires! I am now in the process of straightening the backs of my earwires and re-curving them to hang straight. I've been "test driving" a pair. I'm happy to report that they no longer touch my neck AND they hang straight! Another benefit seems to be they aren't trying to slip out of the ear.

Red Hot Hearts-Dichroic Glass Earrings

Just listed these lovely "Red Hot Hearts" earrings. A pair of my handmade dichroic fused glass cabs in the shape of hearts. Lovely shimmering, silvery aqua blue and ulta-violet purple on a red base. All wrapped up and finished in sterling silver. I love these!

Spring Maple Leaves, Dichroic Glass Jewelry Set

Here is some green for spring! I took a set of my handmade dichroic fused glass cabochons in a rich, mossy green and fused 22k gold maple leaf images into the top of the glass. I've wrapped them all up in 14k gold filled wire. I suspended the earring cabs from 14k gold filled ear wires. I used a simple wire wrapped bail on the pendant and then suspended it from an eighteen inch green cable necklace.

These pretty Spring Maple Leaves set is now listed in my Artfire studio!

Serendipity & My First Zendala

I took my son to GameStop in our "new" shopping district-The Old Mill district. Next to GameCrazy is a fun little store I decided to check out this evening. I'm so glad I did! They have lots of neat paper, cards and more. Of course what sent me to seventh heaven was the wonderful collection of ribbon and trims! I'm always on the look out for ribbons, cords etc; to use for (ribbon) necklaces. They have gorgeous multi-colored silk ribbons, soft wearable organza and some of the trims would be fun also. They are packaged in about two yards/six foot lengths and priced quite reasonable. They also had pens, trinket boxes, a lovely line of scented lip balms and perfume, purses, gift bags and much more! Turns out they just open last Saturday. I wish them well and have my fingers crossed!














I ended up stuck sitting in the car this morning waiting. I had finished all the busy work I took with me. I had a clipboard with extra papers on it and also a old purple felt tipped pen. So I flipped a piece of paper over, grabbed the pen and started to make a Zendala. A fellow artist turned me onto this concept. I though not only would it be fun it would also be a great way to practice "doodling" for future dichroic glass projects. AS you can see my circle turned out egg shaped. After I'd played with the purple pen I was still waiting so I started filling in some of the background with my black gel writing pen. I've also discovered that if I want to get an idea of how a design will look when the dichroic coating is on black glass this would be a great way to do it!

Turquoise Earrings & AJDJSS Treasure Hunt For The Green!

Here's my latest offering. I just listed these lovely Turquoise Dichroic Glass Elongated Drop Wire Wrapped Earrings in my Artfire studio! I'm so thrilled with all my new pieces and am so looking forward to sharing them with you and I hope you love my new pieces as much as I do!






AJDJSS (Artfire Jewelry Design & Jewelry Supply Shops) Treasure hunt in honor of St. Patricks day. Go hunt for the green! Use the link below to find out all the details! http://ajdjssguildevents.blogspot.com

Aqua Blue Dichroic Glass Wire Wrapped Dangle Earrings

Here is the second finished pair! (I still love how this color looks.) I've added crystal rondelles to the earwires on this pair to help balance the top. This is the same clear dichroic ripple glass I used on the red. The difference in the color is amazing isn't it? I just listed these in my studio tonight.

Red Dichroic Glass Drop Earrings

I finally am rested up enough that I had the energy to have a photo shoot with the nine pairs of earrings I have finished. I will be listing one pair a day. I am starting with this pair of drop dangle earrings in red. I have these beauties listed in my Arfire studio and they are ready for a loving home! I will be holding off on the majority of the sterling silver wrapped earrings while I wait for my sterling silver earwires to arrive. Hopefully they will be here in a few days.

I am concentrating on stocking up on earrings for the show season. I also think I will be working on re-pricing similarly listed styles. Yes they are worth what I am asking. But in this economy I would much rather be reasonable and sell more than being a bit higher and selling less. I also have a bunch of small pendant cabochons picked out that I will be doing a simple wire wrapped bail on. These will also be lower priced than my fancier wire woven bail pieces.

Seattle Highlights

This past week has been quite the grand adventure for "lil' ole' me". It was rather exciting, hectic and exhausting. My aunt and I accompanied my uncle and aunt to Seattle for tests at a hospital there. The drive from Aberdeen to Seattle was another first for me as I was driving. I have now driven in a major big city! The first picture is taken from my uncle's motel room. I couldn't believe we were so close to it. Our motel was only three blocks from the Space Needle! I didn't hardly get the time to play tourist. But I did manage 45 minutes and I took a quick walk to visit the Space Needle. I quickly browsed through the gift shop and then walked around it a bit before heading back to the motel. I also took a picture of the Science Fiction Museum on my way back.

I hope to be all rested up and back on track this week as I have many new pairs of earrings to share and list!

Umm, Exhausted!

Just a quick post to share my unbelievably long and exhausting day. I have been up since eight-twenty this morning and it has been a non-stop day of go, go, go and it is now eleven pm! I have packed two, foot-locker sized plastic totes, oxygen/medical stuff, countless bags and other miscellaneous boxes. Then it all had too be distributed and loaded into three various vehicles. After that it was load up the peoples and off on a two hour drive to my Aunt & Uncle's motel. Of course it all had to be unloaded to their room and then unpacked and put away.

I have decided if I ever want to I may have a career in advising and helping people to plan and pack when they have to go far from home for long term medical treatment. The kind where a week turns into more...When you will be living in a motel for weeks.

Many times families have to go hours away for specific medical treatments. In these instances they have to stay for several weeks to several months away from home. If they are receiving outpatient treat such as chemotherapy they have to find a place to stay. The choices tend to be motel/hotel with kitchenettes or a rental. When they have to do this the planning and packing logistics start to become overwhelming. Not only is there clothes to be packed and personal necessities. There are many more things to consider. That cute little travel sized bottle of shampoo/conditioner/lotion just won't cut it. You have to bring the BIG bottles (at least to re-fill the small ones). Then there is all the little things that you need long term. Such as the music player, CD's, laptops, cleaning supplies, books and other entertainment. Also what is actually going to be in that there kitchenette/kitchen? Measuring cups, mixing bowls, cooking utensils and food storage containers-probably not. Also will you be able to go shopping to get what you need or forgot? Maybe not or one may be to tired or ill to do so.

Working While On The Road

Well I started wrapping cabs while it was my aunts turn to drive. I managed to get eleven pairs wrapped! Now I still need to finish them by putting on the earwires. I wrapped the red hearts last night so I could wear them today. I took this picture in my room here at the hotel/motel. The best lighting was in the bathroom. I think it isn't too bad of a picture (although the color on the turquoise cabs doesn't really show due to glare). My Aunt Jackie was quite taken with the little round cab so I am going to wire wrap it in silver (her preference) and gift it to her tomorrow.

We had a lovely drive up here to Hoaquim/Aberdeen, WA from Bend, OR. It is about a five hour drive not counting any stops! Actually this the best drive up here that I have ever had. Hardly any traffic, no rain, not to sunny and no snow with dry pavement over the Mt. Pass. There was more snow when we came up last fall. Three winters ago the snowpack was so high my kid was climbing the snow and jumping off the roof of the rest area on Mt. Hood! The snow was almost gone. Nice for driving but this also means a dry summer as there isn't much of a snowpack to provide us with water for the coming summer....

I know I said I'd be gone and not posting. I decided at the last minute to take my laptop along. The inn we are staying at has free wireless! So I decided to post anyway. I will be at another hotel/motel tomorrow so if I post is still unknown.