Sunday, December 20, 2009

Post Flicker

Well yesterday I spent the day at Flicker theater and bar hocking my wares in one last holiday market for 2009.

It was a festive atmosphere with Christmas music both traditional and unconventional piping through the speakers. The bar offered seasonal choices including hot cocoa, eggnog and apple cider.

This tiger lily is one project I completed while enjoying the day at the market. It's a sample I plant to send my pal out in OR as an option for
her custom wedding bouquet I am creating.


To the left you see here are a variety of brooches I completed prior to the market. I just simply adores the wintry colors and the design of these. They are my favorite brooches to date. Three dimensional, dazzling with a vintage crystal center.







Here's aquick shot of my table set up. I like to record the different ways I place all the pretty things each time I set up.

It was a great day.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Flicker Holiday Market


Hello, all of you iin and around the Athens area are invited to come and check out a great holiday market this coming Saturday. I'll be there with flowers on.



Flicker Holiday Market



Date: Saturday, December 19, 2009
Time:11:00am - 5:00pm
Location:Flicker Theatre and Bar

Description
hello all. flicker is holding its annual holiday market extravaganza with arts/crafts/foods! come get your last minute shopping on with locally- crafted goodies!some of our talented vendors include: thebeadtanicalgarden, purcell toys, mikulka polish foods, avid bookstore, jim wilson with pies, will eskridge, stephanie blair, don chambers with pies and fortune- telling bleigiessen, amy west, ryan admas, emily pitts with scarves, mary beths and emilys mommy, shes made well, chris creech and some new talents never seen before...


drink specials all day and hope for agoldensummer later in the evening!


Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Athens Locally Crafted


I just updated my membership and listings on the Athens Locally Crafted website. If you know about the Locally Grown movement, well this is pretty much the same idea. You can browse hand crafted items made in your local area (well in the Athens, GA area) but you dont have to live here to order. This is just another way to promote the local economy and get folks sharing their work with others. Check us out at




You can find a great sampling of jewelery, holiday cards, soaps and candles, knitwear and a plethora of other items. Happy shopping.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Helicopter studios

I came across this site today while poking around on Etsy. These discovery totes are super cute and a very original idea. I just love them. If you have a little one this would be a great item to keep around in a handy place, like in the car when you're going to be out and about.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36509440

Check 'em out.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Deck the halls

I just thought I would share some pictures of new items I have been working on just right for the holidays. A few different poinsettias to choose from. Above a hair comb that would look just glorious in a perfect updo.

Here you see a different version of the poinsettia made into a brooch perfect for a simple holiday scarf, or little black dress.

Here, just a beautiful mixing of cheerful colors made into a hair comb.


Finally a sparkling blue flower on a 2inch hair clip.




Monday, December 7, 2009

Market madness

Lots of little flowers spilling brightly the night before the Railroad District Market.


The little man adds a smile to my one table display.


One little girl loved my cocktail rings so much she just had to try on all of them at one time. Her eyes were wide with excitement and I thought it was so awesome to see her fascinated with the sparkly beaded flowers.

Here I am behind my set up on Saturday at the Athens Indie Craftstravaganza. Two days packed full of fun and work...glad my mom was there to help.


The girls next to us made bow ties. They also helped keep my guy entertained during the two days including drawing parties, story telling and general play. Check out their website at www.baconneckwear.etsy.com and see the craft first hand.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Athens Railroad Arts District Holiday Market





Athens Railroad Arts District Holiday Market

Music/Arts - Opening

Date:Friday, December 4, 2009
Time:2:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:Chase Park Warehouses, 160 Tracy St Athens GA

DescriptionAthens Railroad Arts District Holiday Market, at the Chase Park Warehouses on Tracy St...Friday December 4th from 2-9pm. 30+ arts and crafts vendors, open studios and businesses, live music, art openings, refreshments, holiday shopping, performances, warm fires and smores... and lots of activities for the kids!Thanks for all the support from everyone involved in the RxRAD! The Arts District identity is really coming together, and all the RxRAD First Friday events have been really successful! We are so excited to be a part of this wonderful new tradition!We have a really great group of vendors signed up, with a really broad range of arts, crafts, food , and businesses represented! Check out the comments and photos, to find out what the vendors will be offering at the market!


Some of the artists and vendors!>>>>>Gretchen Elsner, Nancy Lendved, Karen Meyers, Glass Treasures, Mikulka Polish Foods, Michael Lachowski, Julie R.Buffalo, Kenneth Kase, Will Eskridge, Song Bird Soaps, "Cap Man" Straehla, Toby Cole, She's Made Well, Alyson Haugland, Ali Sabin, Purcell Toys, Jaclin DuRant, Dan Smith, RL Hodnett Photography, The Beadtanical Garden, Greta Langhenry, Beauty Every Day, Stephanie Blair, Soup Studios, Lou Kregel, Normaltown Woodworks, Ryan Adams, Andy Cherewick, Jeff Owens, Chris Grant...

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009

Wedding pieces



This summer I was fortunate enough to create some simple yet elegant hair pieces for a wedding. What was so exciting to me about this was that the gal who got married is one of the granddaughters of Mrs. Margret Dierks. You may be wondering why that is significant. Well, I'll tell you. It was Margret, who in her late eighties, inspired my love of French Beaded flowers and taught me some basics. I loved visiting her home which was just full with beautiful beaded flowers of all shapes and sizes and covering many surfaces. Margret continuted to create beaded flowers into her nineties, until she couldn't any longer. Thanks Margret!

I made six different pieces for the bride to choose from using vintage glass pearls to create the flowers and Swarovski crystals for the centers. The bride chose a few and added them into the twists in her hair to create the look she wanted. Unfortunately I can't show you a picture of the final look because I don't have one. However, if one should come my way I will surely post it.

Friday, October 16, 2009

FOLK Apple Festival

If you're here in Athens and looking for a venue to check out my wares in person instead of just online I will be at this great event tomorrow. Hope you can make it out.


2nd Annual Fall Apple Festival!
Host:FOLK (Furthering Our Local Knowledge)

Date:Saturday, October 17, 2009
Time:1:00pm - 8:00pm

Location:
Agrarian Connections Farm; http://www.lanra.uga.edu/rhoades/agconn/direction-map.pdf

City/Town:Crawford, GA
Phone:7064140750

Email:
folkathens@gmail.com, abbyz@uga.edu

Description
FOLK is putting on our second annual Fall Apple Festival on Saturday, October 17th! It will be held at Agrarian Connections Farm (just outside Athens) from 1 til 8pm. There will be live music (lots of local musicians - our lineup will be made available soon), an art show/sale by local artists, an apple pie baking contest, local farmers and gardeners selling and swapping their wares, kids' arts and crafts, and dinner!here's our schedule:1-2pm: open jam session (bring an instrument!), introduction/dedication2-2:45pm: High Strung3-4pm: Marion H. Montgomery III4-5pm: Colporteur presentation: Kevin Welch, Apple pie competition, then begin serving dinner5-6pm: Hope For Agoldensummer6:15-8pm: conglomerations of local folk and bluegrass musiciansFor more information and directions, please visit our website (www.folkathens.org).If you have any questions or if you're a local artist/farmer who would like to set up a table, (it's free, you just need to reserve a space with us), please email us at folkathens@gmail.com.If you would like to volunteer, please email Abby at abbyz@uga.edu.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

cool handmade items

check out the incredible work of this etsy seller, her handmade creations are exquisite.
www.ToadstoolsNTreestump.etsy.com

Friday, October 9, 2009

The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

I simply love Halloween.

It's not just the idea of keeping away all the creepy ghouls from the nether world that I appreciate but the chance to let go and express myself freely. I love the idea of walking between two worlds, traditionally Samhain being the time when the openings to other realms are wide are one could accidentally wind up in the faery kingdom or in the dominion of darkness. I often find myself straddling different ways of being just in daily life and Halloween is one time during the year we can do that with a little less severity.



Around Halloween and especially on Halloween, I personally choose to allow myself to dwell in the realm between responsible serious adult and fun-loving fancy-free child (well at least early twenty-something). I generally tend to let my
guard down on Halloween and will wear some form of costume throughout the whole day, becasue of course I do still believe in faeries and other magical beings.


On that note here are just few new items I created for the fall;
a perfect perky pumpkin patch hair clip, a great pumpkin charlie brown pin, and some fresh cherries to be worn in hair with a matching brooch (they were originally going to be apples, but they didn't really look like apples to me, thankfully I think cherries are great).





Happy fall everyone.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Fall is here


As the fall began to set in I got some ideas for
new pretty hair accessories. I decided to use some
small pine cones and colored leaves I made for
a different project and turn them into clips.

I've got them up on my etsy shop but thought
I'd share a few here. I really love the way the brown
from the pine cones is highlighted by the bright colors of the leaves.


I also tried some different combinations of leaves mixed
together to create a fall array. I think they came together
well and, at least to me, are a splendid representation of autumn.


Monday, September 28, 2009

Little Trees

Before I moved from Arkansas backto Georgia I was involved in a project for my Mother-in-law. She has an Easter villgae that she displays every year but it was lacking some trees. So, since I was there this spring when she brought it out she asked whether I could make her some. I didn't get all nine completed before I had to pack up, but I thought I'd share the six that I finished.





As you can see the pink trees are the shorteset standing at about 6 inches, then the yellow at about 8inches and the third set will be made with a pastel purple and they will syand about 10 inches to create a little forest for her.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Found treasures

Before we left Arkansas I was going through all of the items I was given from the Neff's home. I came across these fantastic old vintage sewing books. Actually they are not even necessarily books but more like paperback booklets. The pictures were so detailed and they covered basically construction of everything. I think they are really neat and I thought some of you might too.

The covers are so classic, here's a shot of them all.


It's pretty cool to see how much instruction and detail they were able to print in these flimsy paperback booklets. It seems like nowadays instructions for basic clothing construction are not as easily accesibile all in one place.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

features seller

I'm going to start a new section on this blog that is a weekly featured Etsy seller, starting today. So here's one that really caught my eye. I hope you'll cehck out these incredible pieces of leather work.

www.moxieandoliver.etsy.com

I looked at them and thought, "Just beautiful."

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

New Shop

Greetings folks,

I just wanted to let you know that I just recently had my work accepted into a great little shop in Watkinsville, GA. It's called Side Street Beads and Gifts and they will be having a grand re-opening this coming Saturday. If you're nearby please come check out all the great local crafts and cool beads.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Packing up

Well, as you can see I haven't been doing very much creating these days. I am currently starting to pack up my craft supplies to prepare them for our move back east. So, with that in mind I have pretty much had to halt any new projects that might be showing themsleves fromthe inner workings of my mind. I did finish up some little yellow trees this weekend and I am working on a small commission for a bride, but other than that, the beads are boxed.


After the move I hope to get back to sharing my newest works and add a few how to's.

here's one of the little pearl and crystal designs that will be attached to a bobby pin for the brides to place in her hair.

Monday, August 3, 2009

New Projects

It's been a bit since I've taken the time to share my new projects here and so I thought I post a few new pictures of what I have been working on. I am currently in the process of making parts for some small trees to be used in a Easter Village display. Don't have any of those in pictures yet.

Here's a general display of some of the various pieces I have been working on. There are a variety of flower combs, new designs for large snap clips and the very top right is a multi-flowered ring.





I've been having a fun time messing arounf with tulle. Pictured here is a veil idea with ostrich feather, and crystal white flower. I really love the way the feather moves when in motion.






This is another flower comb I created recently for a trade with another Etsy crafter. Multi-colored white with crystal and silver as well as cultured pearls and glass bead center. I was really pleased with the way it came out.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Bursting with blooms

I have been having such a great time talking with other artists and crafters. The conversations make me feel inspired to keep creating new pieces. Been making some wild rings, and hair pieces and am currently working on a veiled head piece that I think will be so beautiful when it's done. It has a crystal beaded flower with silver center and it's accented with a large black ostrich feather and then the veil just sweepes over the top of the head and down to cover the nose.

Last week I had the good fortune to spend an afternoon crafting with a friend and it was so nice just to spend time chatting and talking about our crafts and sharing ideas with each other. Said friend is always so giving of her time and I always leave our crafting sessions feelings like I can conquer the craft world.

If you happen to be in the North Little Rock area stop by the Starving Artist Cafe in downtown Argenta and see my pieces that have been added to their walls. If you haven't been there it is a great venue for artists to display all sorts of works and the food is delicious.

Off to enjoy the day, ciao.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

FASCINATOR GIVEAWAY

1 Year Etsy Anniversary Fascinator Giveaway

To celebrate my 1st year on Etsy I am hosting a very special giveaway drawing.

The winner of the drawing will recieve a one-of-a-kind custom made small/medium beaded flower and feather fascinator of their very own.

All you have to do to enter is visit my site at http://www.thebeadtanicalgarden.etsy.com/ then convo me and tell me what you think. Don't forget to leave me your name and contact info so I can put it in the drawing.

Winner will be chosen on August 1, 2009.

works in progress

i have felt some small bits of inspiration nagging at me lately and they always leave me wondering why there aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything i think i should be able to accomplish. i have also caught myself wondering at the odd times inspiration cooses to rear it's head and send visions into my own consciousness.



anyway, i have a few projects in the works and i thought i'd share them. i have definitely been getting more caught up in the idea of the fascinator...trying to think of ways that i can make my flowers more than just what they are. here is a recent assemblage that is currently without a backing, i can't decide if it should go on some sort of wrapped headband or if i should stick with a comb. i love the deep red beads that make up this flower and the center pearl is from an old vintage necklace. the feathers came out a little bit larger than i first envisioned, i'd say they are about 5 inches wide all together but they sway so gently, i just adore this combination. i think this deep red will look really lovely on someone with sandy brown or dirty blond hair.


then i have been working on a 3-dimensional piece. a twisted up sort of bonzai like tree on greens and blues and purples. i used very watery acrylic paints on a hard canvas to create the background. i found the frame, which was in need of some love, at a yard sale and gave it a fresh coat of paint to bring it back to life. i love how the tree sticks out from the canvas in different amounts and the sheen from the embroidery floss really looks like bark. i am currently letting the poem that will grace the background have the time to form in my brain and waiting, albeit not that patiently, for it to spring to life so that i can lay it out for the world to read.

ciao

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

new thrills





i just wanted to take a moment and showcase a few of my newer creations. i have been trying to break out of my simple snap clip flower mold and create some other kinds of pieces. what i am showing here are two haircombs that i just think came out so lovely. one is based on a lotus flower and the other an imaginary vine of sorts.



i have also been using some new materials to get different results for my flowers. for instance i was recently introduced to diamond glaze. this product is generally used in the making of the now popular scrabble tile pendants and other similar items where an image is glazed into place and seemingly coated by a resin. well, i have found that on some of my larger pieces, if i use the glaze after i have finished assembling the parts that i can create a a very solid and strong flower. for some of these new combs, like the lotus for instance, the addition of the glaze is great for keeping the piece in the correct form and it stops hair from getting caught in the seperate beads. so cool.


happy crafting everyone.



Monday, July 6, 2009

RockPaperScissors GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

RockPaperScissors GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

monday, monday

well it's another monday evening on lake hamilton. the weather is grey today although there hasn't actually been any rain. i spent the past few weeks gearing up my stock for the farmer's market and had a pretty good time there this past saturday. it seemed that my flower rings were the biggest hit with the snap clips coming in second. i have been enjoying playing around a bit mroe and creating some larger pieces for hair adornment as well as working on some more framed 3-d pieces.

simple diy beaded flower projects to featured soon

Thursday, June 25, 2009

good friends, good food, and good times






What a beautiful day it was yesterday. One of dearest friends in the world was here to visit and catch up. She's on an eastward track and we only had one full day but we sure had a good time. Here we are at Balnced Rock with the Ouchita mountains in the background. We took a small hike, checked out the Fordyce Bath House Visitors Center, went for evening boat rides on Lake Hamilton, swam in the too warm water, ate good meals and enjoyed the sounds of the night from the balcony deck. It had been a few years since we've actually had the opportunity to see each other face to face and it was a such a blast to have her here, and to meet her man, who is super nice. Nothing compliments good friends better than spending time in a beautiful surrounding.
Last weekend me and the boys went up to Mountain View. Just a pretty place to visit in the Ozarks. Here are my fellas on Father's Day swimming in and playing at Sylamore Creek. Mountain View is the self-proclaimed Folk Music capital of the world and home to Jimmy Driftwood. We caught some truly fantastic Celtic music on the square when a group from St.Louis set up with instruments and played late into the night. Most evenings around the main square visitors and locals alike gather to hear various kinds of folk music as musicians meet up and form small circles to entertain the masses. What a blast.
We were also there on a weekend that coincinded with a BBQ cookoff. So we got to taste a variety of BBq and see how different each person's take on it can be. So much fun and so delicious.
Stay tuned for my new series of Beaded flower how to's coming soon.

Friday, June 12, 2009

bursting with inspiration


last week i went hiking on the trail to goat rock with my boys, we came across beautiful wildflowers blooming, some were ones that are also common in the east, others are similar but native to here in the ouchitas. all were beautiful and i wanted to share them with you. wildflowers come out from the ground on their own volition with no help from human hands. they splash the world with brilliant colors and liven up street corners, parking lots, and even old cracked concrete stairways. it's the spontaneity of the wildflower that inspires me and i use that to create my beadwork pieces. here are some pictures of the wildflowers that can be seen on hot springs mountain.

butterfly weed with delicate, bright orange flowers standing out behind the green of the path


pale purple coneflower is a lighter version of the purple coneflower i am used to in the appalachians, also the petals seem longer and more slender to me

lanceleaf coreopsis is a brilliant yellow that covers the hillsides in both sun and shade


this scaly blazing star with small ball flowers that have long threadlike petals coming out of them is very different than the one i am used to with long spikes and spindly flower petals






















Tuesday, June 9, 2009

color coated/coded

spent this past weekend up in fayetteville visiting with friends. had a great time talking, eating, talking some more. j's outdoor living area so awesome. when the frogs started singing, and wow did they sing, i felt transported to a tropical paradise complete with warm/cool mixed breezes, tree branches swishing loudly and the refreshing night air all around.

multitudes of beads took the journey with me as i have been working on repleneshing my stock of items available. the flowers in a plethora of colors are slowly making their way into my trays. as i began to stockpile flowers for transformation into clips, rings, and earrings, that i tend to have quite the collection of blue hues with shades of purple follwoing closely behind. i wonder what that says about me?



the chorus hidden from view
begins a pervasive rhythm
of trills, clicks, gurgles and peeps
each musician adds to
the masterpiece
guiding along our conversation

the wind picks up,
the tree branches add percussion
chimes are played by the wind
the symphony is all around us
it seeps into my bones
my foot taps in time
the crescendo
then the last few notes
float
hovering on the wing of
some passing weather system

silence is golden
my fair friends



Sunday, June 7, 2009

sushi, celebration and good company

the breeze is blowing cool this morning
a high pitched call from nearby treetops
travels far
the branches bend and sway
waving good morn to the world
as they dance on the air streaming by

good people surround
well, still sleeping sound
in this warm and welcoming
home
friends gather
to celebrate the life given

sushi rolls by
on wooden boat
sweet warm drink is poured
soup, salads, and other vittles
grace the plentiful table

my heart is at ease
and i feel pleased
that we have taken this
weekend excursion

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

this morning


it's morning here
on Lake Hamilton
i can hear birds singing
joyous songs
a dog barks
across the cove
and squirrles skitter
about the yard
the heat has begun
to settle in
the bugs are all a frenzy
for our fresh, pulsing, life-giving blood
this is summer

last night
at sunset
we could see small fish
breaking through the lake surface
defying the limitations of gravity
with hopes of a feast
the evening bug swarm
skimming just above the water.

the waxing moon graced the sky
and the swallows and bats
swooped

such is life on the lake
a beautiful dance
surrounding me.

Monday, June 1, 2009

fascinator fascination



as i've been looking around the web and checking out what seems to be in as far as fashion trends, i have come across a widely popular item, the feather fascinator. truth be told i wasn't really sure exactly what a fascinator was, at least by name, until about two weeks ago. anyway, my creative juices got flowing to see how i could combine my beaded flowers, feathers and various hair accessories to come up with a few versions of my own. i've posted them here in the incomplete phases just to get 'em out there and feel like i did something.



i'm also really excited because a few weeks ago i ordered some bronze ring bases from turkey and they arrived today. they are a bronze ring base some wiht silver plate and some with gold plate and some with just a bronze finish. i was so thrilled that they finally got here i went right to work creating some simple, sparkly fun rings that i will have available on my etsy site very soon.


off to find more inspiration in the beautiful wildflower photos i took yesterday while hiking to goat rock and gulpha gorge.
















Friday, May 29, 2009

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!
So, it seems I am going to try and make a go blogging. I'm hoping that I will be able to come up with intersting things to share and and others get creative. I'll be adding all sorts of pictures, and links and notes soon.