Here is what I have been working on in Glass. I started making glass stands from bent mandrels that I can no longer make beads on. Lots of people love my work but don’t feel comfortable wearing it. So her is my solution…. Collectables 
Miscellaneous
I am still working away
It’s been another busy year for me. I got to spend time with several of my Best Arty Friends in Seattle for some Amazing Watercolor classes at Daniel Smith. The store is incredible! My Mom and I had a wonderful time catching up with Bexs, Jane and Angus and on top of that met some absolutely gorgeous new friends!
I was featured in the news! It was all about my work with Beads of Courage! I jumped at the chance to bring light to this cause. Thank you Cheryl for thinking of me and contacting the station. A huge thank you to Bobby Lewis from 10 News St. Pete for the absolutely amazing piece he put together. I have added the link below.
I have also been selected as a Feature Artist for the Beads of Courage “Carry A Bead” Kits. I have been having a blast coming up with funs designs. I have started making Holiday themed kits which have been very popular.
Inspired by Beads Of Courage
For those of you that know me… You know that this organization is near and dear to me. I had a sister pass away at the age of 2 due to a heart defect. Please Check out the link at the top of the post to learn more about this awesome organization.
One way to help is to buy Carry a Bead or Team Beads. I am creating some at the moment and just wanted to share a little about an epiphany I had while making them.
I was asked to make as many as I could and have them to Beads of Courage by the end of the month. The one prompt I was given was they want more shape… Normally they are the traditional donut shape. My style is whimsical and sculptural anyway so I wanted to see how small I could make some of my favorite designs. But as my work is mainly “girly’ stuff I wanted to come up with some unisex designs.
My epiphany is pay attention to what your are attracted to because ideas will come to you! I was making little monkey faces and I kept looking at a stuffed Christmas Mouse my grandmother made that has a prominent place in my studio and an idea for a bead popped into my head. The next day I was going through my email and normally I delete all the spam. I was thinking about what to make that day and one of the emails jumped out at me is was for a scrapbooking place and one of new papers by Doodlebug inspired my Big Eyed Baby Octopi… So pay attention!!!! You never know when something will just come to you!
Christmas Mouse inspired Mouse beads
Wrist strap inspired owl beads which inspired the Totoro Beads
scrapbook paper by doodlebug inspired Big Eyed Baby Octopi
Inspiration is Everywhere! Just open your eyes and heart and it will come.
What an amazing Art filled year!
So much incredible art flowed in 2015! What an awesome year it was.
Here are some of my Art highlights from the end of the year. Both glass and from my Art Journal…
Another year flew by
I am amazed every year. Time just seems to fly by and before I know it it’s December already! How did that happen? I had a jam packed year of traveling and Art retreats! As usual Dr Cornelius accompanied me on my adventures.
This year I went to London in October for an amazing Art Retreat with the Fabulous Jane Davenport! My Mom attended as well and we had an absolute blast with everyone and lots of yummy art was made by all.
I also came up with a very fun new design called the Creepy Cuties inspired the the art of Megan K. Suarez. They were so popular that I had trouble keeping them in stock for awhile. Needless to say there are now versions of them popping up by other artists. They are super fun to make and so many ideas to explore with them.
Lots of beads being made I am also taking a couple of great online Classes. Paint and Pixels with Ivette Newport and Robin Laws and Miss Quoted with Jane Davenport and Joanne Sharpe. Having a total blast with Miss Quoted here is my warm up. Ink and Watercolor….
And my favorite piece done on my iPad…
It’s been a whirlwind so far this year
Things seem to be going nonstop this year. It started off with Visits from My Dad and StepMom from St John USVI! Then my Mom and StepDad came for a visit. Mom and I went to Oklahoma for a Faster EFT seminar. It was fantastic. I learned a lot about myself and what my triggers are and I am working on clearing them. I also want to apply it to Art and Artists at some point. My Art has grown tremendously since I started the whole “Tapping” process. I am just amazed at all the differences. We also took several of Dina Wakely’s Classes at Whim So Doodle but that is in another post so I won’t go into it again.
I have also been doing lots of vendor events and shows. I was amazed when a friend told me she went over to one of her friends houses and told me they were watching my videos up on their big screen TV! How cool is that!
Then just last week Jane Davenport was in the US. We met in Portland for an amazing three days! We shopped till we dropped everyday ate when we could and even managed to work in an Art Play Date with Ivy Newport and Robin Laws. What an amazing trip!
Now I am working on some large orders and coming up with new glass designs. I need to clone myself so I can create more!
I have also made and sent over 100 Act of Courage Beads to the Beads of Courage program!
Here is some of my most recent ArtJournal Pages and Homework from the Class Beautiful Faces that I am taking at the moment.
You can find Inspiration everywhere
I posted about some classes that I had taken not long ago with the Amazingly Talented Dina Wakley. She said something in class that really struck a cord in me. That as long as you have the features in the right spot you don’t have to have all the details. While I knew this I did not have the Aha moment applying it to my beads until this class. See I have an idea in my head about how I want my faces to look… basically like I draw and paint them and well it wasn’t working in glass. I wanted the little details you just can get unless you are enamel painting. I do plan on tinkering with that at some point but now is not that time. Anyway here is the first Loose Face Focal I made that I mailed to Dina as a thank you for the inspiration.
I love how a bird showed up on the back side of the bead. Birds have been showing up a lot in my work lately.
Here are the other loose face focal’s I have created since I started. I am enjoying the process very much.
If you would like to find out more about Dina and her art please visit her site www.dinawakley.com
Disney Fans
A Customer on Etsy recently asked if I could make her a Minnie Mouse fan. O.M.G! The wheels in my head started spinning right away. Absolutely! I made two different versions because after I did the first one my mind was automatically thinking where to improve. She purchased both versions and wants a Mickey Fan next! I have made both versions and I am in LOVE!
More new work… My good friend Jane Davenport was trying to come up with a name for her loyal followers… My Favorite was a Davenpeep! Here is my interpretation on what a Davenpeep would look like. She has her Rainnbowitis shirt on, holding her paintbrush and a ladybug has landed in her hair.
I was also asked awhile ago to create a Frida Kahlo and was given inspiration pictures. Well I created on and the customer wanted more…LOL she asked for everything she wanted…. Well I gave her almost everything she asked for… Here are some of the work I created in my quest to make her the perfect Frida.
There is some other new work but I am waiting for someone to receive a gift before I post about it. Till Next time!
Whim So Doodle + Dina Wakley = Fabulousness
My Mom has been in town and she is really getting into her art so I decided we needed to take some classes at Whim So Doodle in St.Petersburg. Lo and behold the wonderfully talented Dina Wakley was in town. I signed us up for three classes. They were great and I learned so much and played with so many yummy supplies. We did Gelli Plate printing and then a anything goes printmaking. And the last class which was my personal favorite the Art Folio. Some of the techniques she taught were very freeing. If you ever get a chance to take a class with her I recommend her highly. You will learn oodles of great things!
Here is some of my work from the Class.
I also had another very successful Trunk Show on Facebook! I won’t have another show for awhile. I will be on the waiting list for a couple of months till I can get back on the Calendar. I missed the last date. I am also adding new pendants and focals into my Etsy store link is on the sidebar or at the bottom of my blog. I hope you come over and check out the new work.
Fire Fly’s and Egg Animals Oh My!
I have had an idea for a couple of months to create a FireFly with a Glow in the Dark Bottom. I searched everywhere for COE 104 glass but everywhere was sold out. I settled for the ground “enamel” type version. It looks yellow but it glows blue. I have had it in my studio staring at me for awhile now….LOL I kept picking up the directions looking at them and then putting them down and putting it off yet again. Well I decided to just go for it the other day. I don’t know why I was so hesitant… Anyway it was not as hard as I had imagined it to be! So here she is making her Debut! I will have to get a black light at some point to photograph their little bottoms Glowing!
Also I have been working on different Egg Animals. They are so cute and fun to create. So far I have done a Bunny, Cat, Hedgehog and a Beaver. I have plans to make other animals in the future.
