Saturday, November 06, 2010

New Earrings

I am trying a different style and I just love it!  I found these really cute bird spacer beads and wasnt quite sure what I was going to do with them.  They are much tinier than I thought they would be but so dang cute!  I was going through my stash of beads and found these fun looking wired beads.  I thought they would be perfect for the birds and sure enough, they are a perfect match!  So here are the photos....Let me know what you think!

XOXO




Saturday, October 23, 2010

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Vintage Style Type Writer Stitch Markers for Ravelry

Here is my sample piece for the October Ravelry Box!  I will have more sets up on my Etsy site next week...hopefully..
LOL

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Alysia Sea Bracelet

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Zinny On Line Class


Zinny On Line Class is now available. The class will be starting on August 27th, so get ready to create! Class is being held at Doll Street Dreamers, anybody can take this class!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Paint Palette Earrings

I created this design for a special event I am attending in September. There will be a bunch of us painters there having lots of fun!  I am waiting for my charms to arrive so I can hook them on to the bracelets

Fun New Bracelets

My Newest Displays

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Beautiful Mermaids

Again, I have made some dolls for a friend of mine in Ohio.  She has ordered 14 dolls now from me!  WOW...the fun thing about getting orders from Jenn, is she wants something different each time.  I forces me into my creative mode.  Sometimes you just get stuck and then Jenn comes along...LOL...  Here is a photo of the Mother and Daughter shoot I did today.  The girls will head East on Monday.  I also have these paintings I did for Jenn.  She is the only person I have made these for, each a special request.  Thanks Jenn for giving me the opportunity to create these for you!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Ravelry July Box

 
Here is my sample piece for the Ravelry July box. The package includes the head, a charm piece, sequins and starfish. I created this mermaid pin some time ago and thought she turned out really well. She can be used as a pin or an ornament. I will have the full tutorial available on my website soon. Its available for a small fee and is in a pdf format....Hope you like her!!!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

New listings on Art Fire

Are these great or what???  I fell in love with these rings.  I learned how to make them and now there is no stopping me from making more...LOL...a little pricey to make but worth it.  I have them listed now in my Art Fire store...yea another store...Like I need another one...Anyway, hope you like them too...

Ravelry June Box

Here is my sample included in the June Box.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Heaven

I strongly believe there is a Heaven.  On Weds. June 9th, my Aunt Kathy got her wings and flew to Heaven.  She fought long and hard to survive, but the cancer fought harder than what she could do.  I am sad and happy.  Sad that I will miss her, sad that my Uncle will be alone, sad for my mom for the loss of her younger sister and best friend.  But I am also happy that I had her for my aunt, happy she is no longer in pain and suffering, and just happy that she is home with her parents/my grandparents and her older sister/my other aunt.  Death is not an easy process in life to deal with, it is confusing.  Should one be happy or sad?  As you see, I feel it is both.  I know things will be fine for those who were so close to her.  The hurt will eventually mend, but the memories will never go away.
If there is anything I learned from the passing of my Aunt, is that Ovarian cancer is silent and deadly.  I never really paid much attention to it since there was really no need.  But now, Ovarian cancer should be further researched and there should be a cure of some kind out there.  Most women who get Ovarian cancer are diagnosed way too late.  Be aware, always get check-ups on a regular basis.  Ask your relatives if anybody in your family has ever been diagnosed with it, or other cancers.  Its a terrible disease and it really needs to be cured.....
God Bless you all....

Chris

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Im sad...

Yes, I am sad.  My Aunt is not doing well.  She was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer level 4 about a year ago.  She has been going through Chemo for a long time and just last night I found out she has been hospitalized.  I talked to my Mom today, which is my Aunts sister, and explained it all to me.  She has been hospitalized because she can not eat.  They found an obstruction in her bowels and have her going through this process now of clearing it out.  In the mean time, she has acquired pneumonia.  I am so sad for her.  Her battle has been a rough ride so far, and I fear it is not going to get any easier for her.  I live so far away that it makes it difficult for me to visit her.  Not that she is up for any kind of company.  But at the same time, I don't want to see her in this sad state.  She is awfully thin, and my Mom said she does not look well at all.  All I can do is sit back and pray for her.  She is my favorite Aunt and I am sure she knows how much I love her.  My mom told me she wore the earrings I recently made her to her Dr. appt. the day they admitted her to the hospital. It just tears me up inside, but I know she will be just fine no matter what happens. She has been strong so far, but ultimately she will lose the battle since there is no cure for they type of cancer.  Please say a prayer for her and her family.  Thank you for listening to me, and for saying a prayer for her...

Chris

Another great copyright website I found

I guess you can say Im hooked on this subject right now.  I almost forgot about this one and I hope it is helpful to you....

http://myfreecopyright.com/

Friday, May 21, 2010

Copyrighting your work


Recently in one of my groups I belong to, we got onto the topic of copyrighting.  We have all seen this symbol and perhaps even us it ourselves, but do we really know what it means for us? I know I don't understand it completely myself, so I thought I would research it a little. I found a few websites that were quite helpful in understanding what you can do to protect your art.  I hope you find these sites as helpful as I have...Enjoy
http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/copyright-information-for-artists.html

I actually get the newsletter from Rene.  Her site is extremely helpful to artists in a multitude of ways.  She is geared mainly for Jewelry Artists but you can never have enough information to guide you in the right direction.

http://art-support.com/copyright.htm

This website I found through a search engine.  I still have yet to read it all, but it looked quite interesting and has tons of information here for us Artists.

http://www.funnystrange.com/copyright/

Now this site is specifically for us Collage Artists.  I still need to explore it a bit more but it looks like there is a lot to learn here too!

http://www.arsny.com/basics.html

Again, another one I found through a search engine and found there is a ton of information here to learn about copyrighting.  I wish I had more time to read up on all of these sites, perhaps in the near future since I will be off for the summer....So, enjoy these sites and I hope you find answers to your questions here.

Chris...

Sunday, May 09, 2010

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!

Artisan Fair in Vacaville

Well, May is flying right past us already ~ Last weekend was the Artisan Fair in Vacaville and I had a very nice time.  It was a first time event, so the crowd was not there, but it wasnt really slow either.  I did pretty good considering it was a first time event.  The event was not huge, or over crowded which was actually quite nice.  I saw many friends I have not seen in years, one advantage to doing a local show.  I do plan on returning next year as I can see this event becoming larger in time.  Very nice people, plenty of food and music.  Perhaps next time there will be more vendors who sell home made food items.  There was no shortage of jewelry artists, good thing was we all had our own style.  Here are a few photos of my booth.  I kept it quite simple this time and I receive a lot of compliments.  I really do believe that a clean creative booth makes a difference.

This is my hubby kickin back...He was a great help!

This is a close up of my displayed work..People really enjoyed the flat stones I used to put my earrings on...
I put the dolls in the center.  I got lots of great compliments on them too... Someday they will have a home other than mine...LOL  Later that afternoon the wind picked up big time...so we had to put the dolls away...the wind blows them down and they are glass, so I dont really want any broken ones!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Ipod/Cell Phone Knitted Pouch...

Well...I had a little fun playing again.  I made this really cute Ipod/Cell phone pouch last week and finally put it all together.  I am trying to get back into knitting...  Knitting is relaxing to me but only if I dont make a mistake...which I do frequently...LOL.  My cute little pouch is for sale at ArtFire which is another outlet for my goodies to be sold.  I plan on making more of these as time goes on.  I am working on getting stuff organized now for the Artisan show this weekend.

http://www.mayartisanfair.com/default.html

Check it out if you get a chance....I think this is going to be a nice show...I do hope the weather holds on to the beautiful sun that we have today....maybe a little less wind though....UGH...

Hope you had a great weekend...

Saturday, April 17, 2010

New Bottle Doll!

Well, I finally got her done, I think!  This doll is one of my tallest glass bottle dolls I have made so far.  She is just about 12 inches tall!  I think she is one of my best so far, although I have one I am working on that will be a tutorial in the future...hopefully by summer if I can get my act together!  I don't have a name for her yet but I will be working on that soon too.  We recently acquired 2 new kitties, and one of them is sick.  But she is going to be just fine.  I will post pictures of the girls later. Anyway, they are a handful and I just love em, but they are taking up a little of my play time...well...not really cuz I do play with them...its just a different kind of play time...Hehehehe... So, if you have any suggestions for names for my newest dolly, I am all ears!
Hugs...

Chris

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Steel wire V.S. oxidized Copper

I love black wire, and have been interested in how to make my wire change colors with oxidizing.  For a long time I could only find nasty steel wire, and great copper wire.  But copper wire of coarse is not black.  The bead stores here only carry the real shiny black wire and its not quite the look I have been looking for.

Recently I went to OSH and found this really nice black steel wire in 2 different sizes.  It worked great to do some wire wrapping but it left my hand black...nasty smelling too!  So I used Allergy Jewelry Shield to seal the wire.  I am sure there are other types of sealers I could use but it was handy and it worked.  I like the look of the wire, its not too shiny and the black does not rub off now.

Now, I finally got my Liver of Sulfur and played with it a little today to see what it does.  I have done lots of hunting on line to learn about this product.  I do agree that it stinks but it works...  I tried eggs and I wasnt impressed. I took a picture of both items to show you the difference.  I have not put on any of the Jewelry Sheild yet on the oxidized copper so it is dull.  I like both wires.  Copper is easy to find, and now for me steel is too.  Both are fairly easy to work with, and you really should seal both wires once you get the affect you want.

I still need...notice I used the word NEED...LOL...to explore more with oxidizing copper.

As you can see here, they look quite similar.  I think the oxidized copper is a better look myself, and copper is more user friendly.  You can solder it, where as steel you can not.  So it all depends on what your goal is.  For just doing wire wrapping, it may be cheaper and easier to use the steel wire.  But to be more creative, go with the copper and deal with the stink of the Liver of Sulfur.  I dont think it was all that bad.  Less smelly than resin...hehehehe...I hope you like this comparison and let me know if it helps you any at all....

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Ravelry

Wow...well...HOPPY EASTER!  Its here already, that means I am off for Spring break!  Time has flown so fast, it just amazes me.  I am so happy because soon I will be attending this fun Artisan fair, first one like this in my area.  I have been busting my rump getting fun stuff made up!  Also, as you see by the title of this post, I am now a member of this group.  Ravelry is an online group which is all about YARN, another of my favorite items...I dont know how much yarn I have but I know its a dresser full...all 4 drawers are nothing but yarn!  But I am not a heavy knitter or crocheter...I am more like an altered art artist...so I use yarn for lots of things...mostly doll hair..but hey...I got plans!!!!  So, I make these really fun things I think I had mentioned earlier...markers...beaded up with my style...so, eventually the plan is that I donate sample pieces to Ravelry, the send out boxes to customers, and with some luck they will like their samples and buy them!  I was referred to this website by a wonderful customer, Lampy, who really liked my markers and said that this is the place for me to be.  I am anxious to get the ball rollin but I have to wait til after May.  Then I will submit my samples and I will keep you posted on the progress...  Ok, so now...off to making more goodies for the Artisan fair...

Enjoy your day...

Friday, March 19, 2010

No Name....

Here is my first attempt with resin.  I really liked how Wyanne's paintings looked using resin, the richness of the colors are amazing.  The photos do no justice for what they really look like.  Im not sure I like working with the material though...It stinks something fierce!  My eyes watered and my throat burned.  I poured the resin in my garage with the door open.  My table is set up at the garage door so there was lots of fresh air!  I dont know if different brands have different smells, but this one was awful!  I know I will do this again because I really do like the end results, and I do want to attempt making jewelry with resin.  I think maybe the next time, I will keep a fan near by.  Also, I followed the instructions exact, and it took longer for the resin to set.  This could be because the weather is still slightly cool here, not much hotter than 70 degrees, and the instructions did say not to use in temperature less than 72 degrees.  But I was in the sun during this day.  It took about 2 days for it to become less sticky, and slightly smooth.  Almost a week later, it still is a little soft and sticky but you can touch it and you wont leave and impression of your fingers...but it will streak!  Im not sure how to make it less sticky unless maybe by putting a little of baby oil or glycerin, I am not sure.  I still have to try it out.  All of the pieces are not totally covered on her.  Her antenna sticks out, but I wanted it that way.  And her necklace pieces are not totally covered, but I do like it this way too.  The rest is covered.  I did make it with 2 layers.  Its a little hard to tell even not in the photo, but I think maybe the layers were not thick enough to really get the dimensional affect I was after.  Overall I am satisfied with the painting, I only hope that it gets easier, less stinky, and continue to be a fun thing to do....

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Sassy


I was asked if I would like to sell my dolls at the Art & Soul Art Gallery in Washington State.  I accepted the offer of coarse!  So, I needed to make a few more dolls, and this is one of them I completed.  I think she is so cute!  Susan found my Etsy store and really liked my dolls.  This is a big step for me, and I do hope a successful one.  Wish me luck!  I will have more pictures of her later...but for now...here she is!
PS, I am going to make a painting out of her this weekend.  I am teaching a class to our Painting Chapter members on Sunday...this is going to be so fun!  I haven't taught a class in a long time...

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Lip Doodles

I was bored at work one day..shhhh...dont tell anyone! LOL...and I drew these lip ideas and thought I would share them. All I ask is use them for yourself and share them with friends...but please dont put them on other websites or blogs without asking me first....THANK YOU!  ENJOY!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Clair



Here is another little creation. She is on a 8X10 gallery wrapped canvas. This one was just as fun to create as my first one. I have had this photo of my friends daughter for a long time on my refrigerator. I knew I wanted to do something with it someday. Finally after all these years, she has come to life in my painting. I used a variety of mediums this time. I found watercolor crayons, and water soluble oil sticks. Please feel free to let me know what you think!

XOXO

Chris

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Knitting Markers

I learned something new today!  I didnt know I could create this slideshow using google docs...how fun is this!  I am hoping to add these little gems to my Etsy shop very soon.  Let me know what you think??  Hugs...

My new Domino Necklace



Ok, after some hard work and hrs of stitching, here is my latest and greatest. I really like the way this turned out. I am seriously considering a tutorial for this, what do you think? This is my painting, I put her on a domino. I glittered her up and added some flat pearls. I haven't done a whole lot of peyote stitching and actually made this by trial and error. The error being the outer beads. I made the strip of beads too long, so I set them aside. Then decided to try making the rest, and I did. Then I slipped the outer beads over the edges and stitched them on and viola! A perfect fit. Now the trick is to make this again...LOL


Here is a better front view...