Elves at work on Seneca Lake

Gail and I and the elves have been busy at work at the art studio in the last few months. Unable to post most of what we made as they are gifts for the holiday season. I promise fun was had by all. I will show off some of the pieces that I made and kept for myself.

Upcycled book bag from Becca's room with dirt spots artfully covered with dreidel patches. The kitten is a drawing modeled after Kit Kat Sarah's rescue cat.

This is one of the beaded pieces I worked with Karen on while Steve was in surgery. The ceramic piece had a broken pin back so I got it for 25cents at a flea market in Gaithersburg, Maryland a year ago.

Gail had seen a very cute burlap tote in a fancy gift shop we made our own in different sizes this is one of three at my house. They are lined with linen and have embroidery hoops sewn inside at the top to keep them open. I supplied the burlap, hoops and an antique crocheted pieces and Gail did the labor

 This was my crow bag for the fall festivals. Hand drawn crow with freestyle machine embroidery. The bag is upcycled from Salvation Army.

Lastly is a bird print that is multidimensional printing the artist used natural components to make up the bird, the tree is a piece of toile cotton that was cut and layered and sewn freestyle machine embroidery onto the paper. The one on the right is Gail's print and she thinks she will write a Robert Frost poem onto the piece in the blank are between moon and bird. 

gifts for friends

I was able to use some of the great pieces I had printed with Gail to make some girts for friends. The crown bags were from Michael's and were plastic lined making them a bit tricky to sew on.

 I also upcycled an old denim jacket that had been languishing in my closet. I used a hedgehog Gail's original stamp along with an original rabbit stamp of Gail's to make a multi-media piece I adore with painted pieces, machine embroidery and beading. I have worn this piece more than I have any other this Spring.

Let the sun shine in the sun shine in

I am glad for the new year to be here.
Last year was one of terrific changes- launching a daughter out of college into a career in a different city, watching a child leave plebe year behind and mature into a young officer, a son return from war, a beloved pet diagnosed with cancer and a father-in-law die. Not all of these changes brought joy but the one constant of life is that change is always happening. I can be at peace with it or I can at times give into grief.
I have found myself needing to do more art. To be creative to make beautiful things to make my life filled with more joy. To use my art to give back to friends and family that support me.

I am so looking forward to our next trip. We are meeting our son, his girlfriend and her parents in Hawaii. Not on Oahu where I lived but on the Big Island. That was the only other island I visited while living there from '69-'72. It was beautiful less populated more open it felt closer to nature.

So here I sat house bound by the big storm of the season-snow piled up outside. Yet I was in a Hawaii State of Mind, I found myself reaching for sea glass, pearls, shells- bright colors that remind me of the sky, ocean and the beautiful orchids I remember.

The first one is a long starfish dangles with shells, pearls and seaglass and ceramic beads which evoke shell broken sand.

The second necklace is a sterling silver turquoise peace with faceted stones, silver buddha's accented with hand made glass beads from the Corning Glass Museum. Luckily I live one town over from a major museum with art studios and an international community of glass artists.

The third piece is a large focal starfish with a starfish clasp and chain nautilus accented with silver-tone disks and shells, more fantastic handmade Corning glass beads and milk-glass beads. It turned out adorable and in fact I ended up dressing for the day so I can wear it out wine-tasting on Seneca Lake. 

The last piece is a carved Jewish star Moonstone sterling silver pendant done with lilac sea glass, pearls and the composite sea&sand beads. I have had this pendant for years but since making my own jewelry it languished on a silver chain in a drawer never seeing the light of day or my neck for that matter. Now I have it made it mine and it will be enjoyed again.

Anticipation!

Just had a great mini-vacation with hubby, youngest daughter (USNA younster) visiting son and his girlfriend in Raleigh North Carolina. He was back from deploying to Afghanistan in May and we had only seen him for 3 hours before he flew back to Japan. Luckily for us the matchmaker who introduced my son to his girlfriend was getting married this weekend so he flew in for a two week vacation.

While in Raleigh we went downtown to the Market Center and visited Art Space a collective of established artists and new emerging artists. We got to spend sometime with two different artists. One well established and working in fine sterling silver clay...a bit disdainful of the copper and other metal clays, her final comment on them was "I am not sure about them but they are cheaper". The other emerging artist was great- she is working from wood blocks and found recycled wood making prints and other art objects. She was excited as she had collaborated with another artist and learned encaustic wax layering on one of her wood print blocks. She had only printed with black ink before and the bright waxes filled in the carved areas and brought the block to life... it was lovely. She has started to do some work with a theme of an adventurer doing world travel by a cargo ship, some of the blocks are already done and they look great so far....wish I would be around to see the finished exhibit.

The drive back started late as we were delivering son and girlfriend to Richmond Virginia for the festivities. Traffic was heavy through Quanitco and DC. This is where I congratulated our family in living in Upstate New York where traffic jams usually involve farm equipment slowly moving down the two lane roads. We made it as far as York PA and we were done for the night. Much to my delight while reading the local art/travel paper the next day there is a bead show going on in York today.

Free admission coupons too, okay I was really excited as I had to hope hubby and daughter would come with me. They are agreeable, okay daughter is less than thrilled listening to the sounds coming from her bed.....wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, sounds like a  baby dinosaur with a marble in her mouth.

 

waiting for call 2 from plebe summer

I am enjoying the summer when I do not have to get up to teach Religious school. I love working with the high school students and especially last year when we worked on the Civil Rights Movement but I love sleeping in too. Sunday mornings are my time to read or bead.

I have set up a separate area in the house to do beading. A sturdy table covered with a plastic mat so no worry of metal tools denting wood. All my tools are in bowls in easy reach. An area for the coffee cup-liquid inspiration. Next to this is a metal shelving unit to hold beading paraphernalia. Lots of bins to sort by type of bead, color of bead, type of metal for chains, wire and findings.

So today it was all about USNA and being Jewish. Two shalom sterling silver pendants but done very differently. One done with bright blue ceramic lentils and yellow pearls, and the other a more traditional gold and dark blue beads.
                        

Then I went wild with some new saying pendants from Michael's and sets of graduated teardrops in multicolor so cute! The charms are by art-i-cake very very cute.http://www.articake.com/index.html
                         

This is painful

My New Year's resolution was to start blogging about my life, my passions. Two of my top passion are my faith and my artistic expressions. As a Jew I have a faith that sustains me every day every minute. I believe in a creator that  brings good to me and others. When I am beading it is as if a small part of the creator is with me. Thus I have done beading under my  company Jewbeadilation- a Jewish twist on jubilation what creating art does for me.

However my kids will tell you I am not that computer savvy. This will be a painful experience as I figure my way here. So far I made my header that alone was ridiciously complicated for me. Photoshop was too confusing, did the tutorial at the website okay then it got easy-peasy, got it only to have my computer need Internet explorer upgrade......so that stopped me in my tracks.