Welcome to a New Year!

Well, it is 2010 and here's hoping for not only a better year but a busier one. I have made a promise to myself to create one thing a day. Whether it be a card, piece of jewelry, scrapbook layout or even adding to my previously defunct and abandoned blog. I need to be more creative this year. I have been priming myself for bigger and better things and now it is time to be more productive!

I refuse to call it a resolution as I don't want it to be about just this year. I want it to be about moving into the future. One new and fun change has been the addition of a business venture. I decided to jump into becoming a Close To My Heart Consultant.

A friend introduced me to their products and I just love their easy to follow layouts. I have been avoiding the whole scrapbooking scene since I have mostly felt intimidated. I have a friend/neighbor who is crazy creative when it comes to her page layouts. I mean she made a tiki hut out of strips of paper. She's amazing! While I don't think I could be that creative, I would like to start documenting some of my childrens' memories since I have a handful of pictures from my childhood. I think they might appreciate it when they have kids of their own.

So while I am able to take some "side trips" with scrapbooking, I can leave myself more open to my jewelry making. I am going into my fifth semester of Art Jewelry at MCC. I am pretty excited about the syllabus this semester. Right now I am playing with different enameling techniques. I already have a great idea for the "Series" project! My brain is buzzing with new ideas. I just wish that I could be taking the morning session with my very creative and inspiring friends. But I do get to catch up with my evening session friends who I haven't seen in awhile.

Next week I will be teaching a six week Jewelry class at River Art Studio and Gallery in Algonquin, Illinois. I have completed the first two "lesson plans" and need to document the next four. I am going to attempt to make some class kits tonight. I will try to finish that off this weekend.

Already I will be very busy. I just hope I can keep up with myself and my family!

Lifting Winter's Warm Blanket

Well, the holidays are over and things are beginning to resume back to "normal". Our family schedule is kicking into high gear. Kids are back in school, hubby is in his office and I am back at work and looking forward to starting up another semester of Art Jewelry.

The weather here in Northwest Illinois has been very unpredictable. Our holiday vacation started out with a blizzard and ended with a cold wet wind. It was too cold to go out most days and by the time it warmed up all the snow was gone. Even though we were all getting a little cabin fever, it was nice to spend time at home together. Most days were spent watching movies, playing video games (yes even I love to play Guitar Heroes with the kids!), or just snuggled up under a nice warm blanket restoring some of the energy that the holidays seem to suck out of you. I found myself getting a little too comfortable with the sleeping late, getting up late and just not wanting to do very much. Humans are not meant to hibernate!

Like a very pleasant end to my winter vacation, I had some friends over for a Ladies Playdate. Everyone brought their projects, wonderful food and laughter! I always love social gatherings but I especially love gatherings that include creating something, sharing ideas and learning something new. There is nothing like getting a group of very artistic ladies together to get the inspirational juices flowing. My class starts up next week and I am looking forward to bringing some new ideas to life.

So while it has been a nice long vacation from the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I am ready to lift the warm comforting blanket and get moving!

EJA Mystical Moon Sale

Starting October 9, 2008 and lasting until Monday, Oct. 13th midnight, is your chance to save big on a wide variety of original, quality handcrafted jewelry from EJA members. It's our "Mystical Moon Sales Event"!

I am offering 20% off on all jewelry currently in stock! To receive this offer, include "Mystical Moon" in the note to seller and you'll be issued an updated invoice.
http://deliasdelight.etsy.com

In our team store, we are offering 15% off every item as well as free shipping! To receive this offer, include "Mystical Moon" in the note to seller and you'll be issued an updated invoice.
http://TeamEJA.Etsy.com

But wait, there is more!
We have other members who are also offering sales in their individual stores! From 20% off to bogo-50, it's totally worth visiting all the shops. For a listing of participating members and what their sales offering is, just visit our main website at:
http://EclecticJewelryArtisans.com

The list will be posted on the front page but feel free to visit our member galleries and featured artists page. There's also some great jewelry related and business articles to check out. And don't forget to sign up for our mailing list which enters you into one of our jewelry and gift giveaways! You don't want to miss out on those because each gift bag is worth over $50!!!
If you are interested in joining EJA, please read the About page at our main site before applying.

Thanks and Happy Shopping!

The Warm Winds of Spring!

OK so it isn't really that warm, 30 degrees but for those of us in Suburban Chicago, 30 is a heatwave!

The good news is that with Spring comes new growth! Not just the bursting of life outside but the growth that comes with new challenges and the things that pop up in everyday life that cause us to grow or change in some new way.

I have been taking this Art Jewelry class at McHenry County College and I just love it! The Ladies (and one Gentleman) are so supportive and willing to lend advice. I have even been asked a few times for help or advice which I am always happy to give! It is just a great nurturing environment and I know I was meant to take this class to grow as an artist.

Through this I have also found an opportunity to teach at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair that will be hosted at the college. One of my classmates referred me to the gal running it and it just worked out!

Best of all, my husband is finally done with my studio in the basement! I just got my torch hooked up and I am going to start teaching classes in my studio! I have a good feeling about this since I will be able to work around other's schedules and mine and not worry about child care.

I did get one of my tutorials published in Step by Step Wire Jewelry which I am very proud of. This was just the boost I needed to get motivated to do more tutorials and submit proposals for classes at some other Jewelry Fests in the near future.

While I have had some health and personal issues the past few weeks which seemed to bog me down a bit, it seems that all is well and good things are coming my way.

So I guess my advice or comment to all is just get through the day because there is always something brighter on the horizon. Be ready for those winds of change with a positive outlook!

It may be cold outside, but it's HOT Metal inside!

Brrrrr! It is cold outside! I live in Illinois just outside the Wisconsin border and looking out my back window it is a frozen tundra as far as the eye can see! My temperature gauge says -5 degrees but my DH tells me the wind chill is -32 below. I guess I am not going to Costco this morning.

However, the bright side to this is that I get to play in my work studio! I just got some new Kazuri Beads and I have purchased some awesome new gemstones from my local bead shop, Katherine's Bead Boutique. Even better, remember that horrid mess of a work studio I had last year? Well, last week I finally got to tidying up and I can actually find everything, well most everything.

I guess the one advantage to being trapped in your house, especially if you are a crafter or artisan, there is always something to do!

In January, I started this wonderful class at McHenry County College, called Art Jewelry. It is so exciting! It combines metalsmithing techniques with an emphasis on Wearable Art. And our text book is the Tim McCreight bible, The Complete Metalsmith, which strangely enough I have read cover to cover at least four times.

I just finished the focal piece of my first project yesterday. The project involved the use of cold connections and patterns using piercing, stamping and texture. I chose to work on a mini book with a tube rivet hinge. The hard part was actually designing and doing a demo piece so that the front page opened properly. I already had a design in mind as soon as I found out it was all cold connections I just didn't know how it was going to come together. I learned alot about the importance of measuring and what steps need to be accomplished in what sequence. I spent about 30 hours on the focal piece and while it is not perfect, I am happy with how it turned out! Now that the hard part is over, I just need to design a necklace with it! I'm thinking turquoise!