Jeraluna Designs

Pissed Off about Picnik!

2012-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

I got an email last week saying that Picnik my favorite photo editing site was closing on April 19!! I am so mad! I use this site for all of my shops photo's. It's a perfect fit for me I am able to edit photo's in a flash! I love their clone feature and the quick importing.

I am going to have to find another place for my photo edits. I feel like I have been dumped.

On a happier note I managed to get a glaze fire into the kiln and take pictures and post most of it. So here are some photo's of my new stuff. They are availble in my shop!

Yeah it took me a Month to recover from the Holidays

2012-01-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

So as usual I over did it. I always plan to make it simpler but it never is. So it has taken me awhile get back into the saddle again!

Last week I did post a bunch of stuff I made right before the holidays struck... and this week I have been making lots of little gnomes, fairy stumps, mushroom houses, and a bunch of cute little woodland creatures! I can't wait to see how they look finished.

Here are some pics of some new stuff I posted last week.

Ship Ohoy!

2011-11-29T23:38:00.001-08:00

The holiday crazies are sitting on my chest. I can't take a deep breath. I set out to try and make most of my gifts for my elder nieces and nephews and family.... I barely have made a dent!
So in a desperate tribute to other procrastinators to ease their anxiety a bit or maybe just my own... I have decided to run a free shipping to domestic orders coupon called shipohoy just type that baby at check-out and you are good to go!

I dunno about you but when I am shopping especially on etsy shipping is a big factor on whether or not I buy something. Like I really want that bar of soap but a $5 dollar shipping is just the thing that will have me deleting said shopping cart.

So hurrah free shipping enjoy!! It's on me!

Cyber Monday Sale Starting Late Tonight!

2011-11-26T22:53:00.001-08:00

I was a little slow on the black Friday sale *forehead Slap*.

But better late than never so I am offering a coupon code actually starting tonight. for 10% off all orders in my shop and it lasts until Tuesday morning weee!

The code is CYBERMONDAY just type that in or copy and paste in the coupon area when you make your order! Super easy. I have posted lots of new beads too!

Destash ... Pendants in my Shop 4-5 Dollars Woo Hoo!!

2011-11-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I am a bead hoarder.. I have a ton of Ceramic stuff I have been hoarding. I guess when I make new stuff the older stuff gets stuffed into tiny bags and and cubbyholes.

So yesterday I finally got most of it out and took pictures, edited, and started posting them in my shop Whew! ...It's a lot of work! But the good news is they are all only 4-5 dollars each!!

This Raku Leaf Pendant is in my Raku Section.. 4 dollars people!! I have a lovely green Raku Leaf too!

More Gnomes... Wee!!

2011-10-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

I am having a blast making these little guys... They are about the size of your fingernail.. um short nails. I have all sorts of idea's for Gnomeland so stay tuned!

New Paisley Pendant And Bead Sets

2011-10-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some new pendants and beads fresh out of the kiln. I hand carved some new designs and made molds out of them at the end of summer. These new items are the first using those designs.

They took awhile longer to glaze but I am happy with how they turned out. You can see them in my shop! They are double sided!!

Beads Fresh Out of the Kiln

2011-10-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ohh pretty!! Get them while they are hot! I just posted them in my Etsy store JeraLuna Designs.

This Ain't No Picnik! Well Actually It IS! Picnik For Etsy!

2011-10-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

How do you edit your photo's for your Etsy shop?

I know some of you use Photo Shop, Gimp or even just Paint. I am not lucky enough to own a copy of Photo Shop. Gimp confused the heck out of me and made me want to pull my hair out. And Paint? well lets just say there were tears.

My first Etsy shop photo's were well ugh frightening! I just could not seem to get the swing of it. It kept me from posting in my shop for a very long time. I built a light box, I bought special lighting, I scoured the web for answers. Until one fateful day I came across Picnik.

It was the answer to my prayers. It was simple to use. Easy to upload photo's and best of all it was free.

After months of using it for free I did subscribe it's around 20$ for a YEAR!! It opened up some member only features like I can upload 100 photos to edit at once and they have this handy clone feature that allows me to white out my background on especially difficult to edit pics!

This is my easy peasy picture routine. I do my picture taking in the morning or on cloudy days.

I get my tiny flexible tripod ( beetlejuice I like to call it) that I bought at Bestbuy for like 15 dollars.

I get my Cannon Powershot.

I get my beads.

I get several sheets of white printer paper. ( yep white printer paper)

I go in my front yard where there is no shadows or direct sun. I place my paper down and arrange my beads in a pleasing way.

I set my camera screwed onto its tripod looking down on the beads and set it to Macro, I set the lighting to +1 and I set the timer to 2 seconds.... and away we go!!! It's picture time!!

Sometimes I need an elevated picture so I bring out a small box. I lay a piece of white paper over it and put up a white background behind it... more printer paper or whatever I have lying around.

Before!

It is simple and quick. I load up my pictures and upload to Picnik and presto chango brilliant pictures that feature my beads and not some gray or grainy background. Here are some before and after pics!!

Wow what a difference!!

In PicNik I crop it down..

Then I go to auto exposure where use the Highlights slider until I get the bright white background I love for my shop. They have a shadows slider too.

Now sometimes I can't get my background that bright white without washing out my lovely beads. Never fear Clone is here!!

Now I am pretty sure this is a paid for feature.. It is under the effects tab... then click on Effects and scroll down to clone. It may take a couple of minutes to figure this out but it is well worth it and after a couple of minutes you'll smack your forehead and say "Duh that was easy!"

I re size it to fit how I like it to fit in my shop.

To make things easier I make an "Edited" file so I can quickly find when I need to post in my shop... sometime the saved edited photo's thumbnails don't look edited which can put a hiccup in things if you don't already know about this bug. I put up with it because I love how easy this program is.

Now that is how I edit my pics.. while written out it seems long... in reality it is not it was quick, easy and free! Check it out especially if you are a new Etsian frustrated by the harrows of picture taking!

How's It Hanging Stud?

2011-10-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

I made these for various shows I have done and as promised to my local customers I am finally putting them into my little etsy store .

They are super cute! Super light Weight and Super affordable at $12 a pair! I wrap them up nicely in a brown little box with hemp or cotton cord tied up with one of my sweet little ceramic charms. Perfect of the up coming holiday season.

The Gnomes Have taken over!

2011-10-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

So the gnomes have had enough of those noisy pesky fairies. They kicked them out and moved in. It's a much nicer neighborhood now.

I love how these little guys have turned out. I waited a very long time to put them in my shop because I wanted them for me!! But if I kept everything that I loved that came out of my kiln then I would have an empty shop tee hee.

I have more gnomes in the kiln as I am writing this so hopefully tomorrow after I take the kids to school I will have time to post them. Enjoy these cuties and head on over to my shop and check out some more!

Copper Diem

2011-09-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Amy the super sweet blog host of the blog Copper Diem sent me a message yesterday that she wanted to profile my bead sets on her blog. I am so super excited about how it turned out. Please go check it out there is a coupon for 15% off my shop, plus a giveaway of two of my sweet little amber bird beads!

While you are there check out her store Green Bead. Her jewelry is colorful, unique and beautiful! Her blog is exciting and fresh. She has something different everyday with beautiful pictures, fun stories and lots of other interesting reads!

Bracelets and Bangles

2011-09-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

I posted some Bangles and Bracelets that I made sometime ago. I have local customers that have been asking me to put them in my shop... so after some procrastinating a bit I did it yesterday. It makes me want to make more! So take a look :)

Posting Some Jewelry ... Finally!

2011-09-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have lots of Jewelry that I have made out of my beads. I have it stashed in little bags inside boxes and bins. I have had people ask me to post my jewelry in my shop but for some reason I always get hung up on some detail. For example I have a ton of rings and bracelets but I worry about sizes and how to take pictures of them that would be appealing.. oh and about a thosand other details.

This is exactly what happened to me when I opened my Etsy shop. I got hung up on a thosand little details and it kept me from posting my beads forever. I got over the fear and now posting my beads is a breeze. So I am throwing caution to the wind and just doing it. I am sure there will be a learning curve on how to present my jewelry but how will I learn if I don't just do it?

Here are some pictures of my new earrings I am posting and hopefully over the next few days I will be adding rings and bracelets too!

Tiny Turtles and Tiny Houses

2011-08-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

So this is the fun stuff I have been making! I love my turtles so much I can't wait to make more! I my little houses are fun too and I did make some tiny little gnomes to go along with them but they didn't make this last glaze firing.

I have lot's of new beads that I am working on too.

It has been a crazy summer so far. I am hoping to use these last few weeks will be more productive for me.

New Stuff New Start New Summer!

2011-06-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with the kids and school the past couple of months that I have left my poor blog alone. So now that summer has started I will have more time to keep this poor blog updated.

Here a some pictures of what I posted in my shop to today to kickstart the blog back up! Going to start rakuing again this summer and I have some non bead ceramic items in the works that I am excited about too!

Sweet Little Birds

2011-03-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

I pulled new stuff out of the kiln this morning. I tried out some new glazes which I found underwhelming... I am going to try out some more today.

I did get two sets of bird beads that I am pleased with.

And these new lentil beads I made are fantastic! I love them so very much! All of these yummy new beads are available in my shop right now!

Handmade Buttons

2011-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some lovely porcelain buttons I made. I keep making them. I wish someone would give them a good home because they are purty!

So if you know anyone who loves funky chunky handmade button please direct them to my store and help give these little fella's a home :P

Favorites

2011-02-25T23:42:00.000-08:00

These turned out so pretty. I had set them aside for myself, but then I realized I was hording my treasure again. I decide to put them up in my shop. I can always make more right??

I really like how this double sided large bead came out. Especially with that green glaze on it. I will put this set up in my store tomorrow!

These were also hard to part with but now the too reside in my Etsy shop.

Treasury Crazy

2011-02-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

So I have been making treasuries. It took me awhile to figure out how to do it. I like Artfires collection maker slightly more than the Etsy treasury maker. But they look better on Etsy... Maybe it is because people take better photo's of their work on Etsy?
Anyhow I still have not figured out how to get a picture of it on my blog.

Here is a link to a couple I made. Intergalactic Plantary. is based on me watching back to back seasons of BattleStar Galactica on the netflix.

Math Class Is a number based Treasury that I did because I saw some really great art based on numbers and wanted to pay tribute.

Buried is one I did with peoples items that were on the last pages of the Etsy search engine.

The picture is of a little house I made with a heart living inside. I am loving it and will make some more.

Here is a new one I made tonight Spring is in the Air.. part of the I love treasury team challenge.

Hippie Beads ... Man

2011-02-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

I love how these babies turned out! I am gonna try and make more. Lets hope the glaze fairies are kind. These beads definitely tug on my heart strings, I wish I would have had them back in my Grateful Dead days.......

Peace man! Yeah I know I am a dork! These are dual sided with peace signs on one side and hearts on the other.
Both sets and more are in my Etsy shop! Come on by and check out all my beads and baubles.

Fatty Birds and Skinny Birds

2011-02-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Terrible pictures sorry! The dark bird is actually a dark blue and made from stoneware clay as is the white and black fatty bird. The skinny birds are porcelain and glazed in a lovely light blue transparent gloss.

Beautiful Porcelain Beads

2011-01-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

I was messing with lowfire clay, raku and stoneware clay for so long I forgot how beautiful and amazing working with porcelain clay can be.

This past week I was able to get a couple of glaze firings in and while it literally takes all day to fire the results are stunning. I have posted some bead sets in my shop... reluctantly, I might add. I really really wanted to keep them!

My neck is out so I am going to put up some pictures and then go lay down.

Thanksgiving all Yearlong at Canters!

2011-01-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

I got new glaze last night and oh boy I am excited to use it! I first need to do a bisque fire of some beads though before I can use it and the kiln is loaded with red mesa beads glazed and ready for their close up, so it will be awhile.

I also got some wire and findings and I have some grand ideas for jewelry so expect some new ready to wear pieces in the near future in my shop.

I am still posting pendant sets in my shop with the hopes that people will snatch them up. These are pendants that I usually sell and 8 to 12 dollars each and they are now in my shop grouped up at lower prices.

The family went out to Hollywood yesterday afternoon to visit my eldest Daughter who just turned 22. She manages a kiosk in the Hollywood and Highland Mall selling these cute little silicone watches. We walked around a bit with the kids and walked down the steps that the movies glide up to the Kodiak Theater for the Oscars. We did a quick tour of Graumans Chinese Theater and then met my daughters boyfriend for dinner at Canters.

Yum is all I have to say about that place! I had Thanksgiving dinner, I am a sucker for turkey,stuffing and gravy. The kids ate enormous sandwiches and we shared cheese cakes for desert the cream cheese cheese cake was the best by far.

Woo hoo It is the New Year!

2011-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

My first post of the New Year and let me tell ya whew, am I ever happy that Christmas is behind us. No I am not a grinch but dang the holiday's are tiring. My daughter has been sick with back to back colds since Sept so that didn't help and I caught one over the holiday too.

While laid up in bed I did manage to roll a few hundred beads so I am getting back into the swing of things. I also got some new raku and porcelain glazes that I am eager to try out. Tons of new ideas for the New Year!

I want to take my shop to the next level and my social networking too. I feel like I am blogging to myself most of the time, I need to find my people.

I am also in the process of posting all of my old stock and making room for the new beads on the horizon so here are some pictures.

Etsy Treasury's

2010-12-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

I finally figured out how to do a treasury on Etsy. As always I made it harder than it was. I do find it a little more ungainly than the Artfire Collection maker, but maybe I just need to fool around with.
Licorice Whips and Peppermints

Giant Paper Flowers

2010-12-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

My daughter's sixth birthday was last week and her Grandmother sent a treasure trove of crafty kits for her. One of the gifts was a paperflower kit.

The kit came with lots of tissue paper in a rainbow of colors and pipecleaners to match. The instructions were easy to follow and soon we were making beautiful flowers. My daughter got bored after the third flower but I continued to make more. What a fun simple little kit.

I may have to buy my own kit now!

RockStar Beads

2010-12-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spent all day glazing and watching bad movies. I tried a few new things out. I had bought these bright pastel underglazes awhile back but had yet to really give them a go. I usually go with a more natural color palette but also I hate being put into a box and labeled as that one thing so every now and then I like to breakout of the box and do something different.

So here are a few pictures of my latest kiln fire and oh boy, I am super pleased. I had listed some in my shop already and am going to list more tomorrow!

Posting Crazy in my Shop

2010-11-30T17:16:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have a good routine going with my picture taking (finally!) and I my editing is going nicely too. I wish I could be one of those people who set a nice stage for their products but really that just doesn't work for me. Maybe some day ....

My next big tackle is shipping and learning to tag and that whole seo oh boy makes me anxious and get all overwhelmed by it .... baby steps.

I really feel like the bead sets are working out nicely and they are selling well. Maybe because they are what I love best of all. It makes me happy when I know that a bead lover bought my beads because I know they went to a good home. So more beads will be a coming! I have made bead sets out of most of my stash and have been posting them almost daily.

The little Shop that could

2010-11-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Quick post here. My little Etsy shop is slowly gaining ground. Made a nice sale to a return customer sold some of my new bead sets and really made my day! I also sold a little pendant to a new customer.

But it does take a lot of work I have been trying to keep up with posting new stuff and taking better pictures. I hope to get out and take some more pictures later today or tomorrow. I wish wish wish my poor little Artfire shop would start selling too!

Beads Beads Beads!

2010-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

I just posted a huge amount of my beads in my shops. I had a huge bag of them and because the beads are my favorite I had been hanging on to them. Well it was time to let go! So grouped up a bunch last night and this morning I took pictures and have been posting all morning.

If you know anyone who loves handmade beads or would like to add something earthy and beautiful to there work, please have them stop by! My Artfire Shop My Etsy Shop.
Thanks

Raku Ornaments And I Heart Artfire

2010-11-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

My Sister is having a Christmas Craft Faire at her house this coming weekend Nov 14th and I have been working my butt off trying to get ready for it. I rolled out some slabs and made some ornaments which I have been Raku firing. Oh boy they look great! *pats herself on the shoulder* I am really happy about how they are turning out and I think people could use them year round. I decided to hammer some copper and hang them with that because copper just goes so beautifully with raku.

I had posted some pictures to friends on my Facebook page and got a great response so I am going to make as many as I can. The ones that don't sell this weekend I will put up in my store.

On another note I am really getting into my Artfire Shop. I have not sold anything yet but the features are awesome and the more I keep discovering about what I can do with my shop the more I am convinced that Artfire will someday usurp Etsy. I love Etsy but the fees are adding up and my views stink. I am just getting swallowed up by the masses of other artists just buried by them. I read some interesting reports about how relisting is just not working like before and frankly I just can't afford to keep relisting.

I am happy I jumped on board with the Artfire deal they had last month. So anyhow I am going to post a blog on my Artfire page and do some shopping to show my support.

Pictures, Tagging and Sacrificial Offerings To the search engine Gods!

2010-10-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

I really don't have much to say except I am still trying to take good pictures for my shop! I also am trying to understand how the tagging for better views thing works. My views suck and I don't get it. Some people have hundreds even thousands of views to my measly few. Oh magic search engine please tell me how to placate your appetite for precision tagging. Maybe an I need an alter some candles and some sage to appease the search engine Gods.

Artfire $5.95 Get in before it's too late!

2010-09-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

When I got the email telling me that I could go pro on Artfire for only $5.95 I signed up the second I got through reading it! How could I pass up such a great price?
I felt terrible for having to downgrade my account do to being layed off. But heck $5.95 for a month and I could post items all I WANT!!! Shoot Etsy just costs me much more in posting and renewals.. I am not knocking Etsy. I love it but I would like to expand my selling options .

I am so excited to get started in my Artfire shop again I can't wait for October 1rst!

Back in the Game!

2010-08-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

My big win on a penny slot machine!

At the beginning of August the Hubbie and I went to Vegas to celebrate our 6th Anniversary and I can not believe I am admitting this to go to Sony Fanfaire. What is Sony Fanfaire? It's were herds of nerds gather once a year to celebrate their love for SOE games like, Everquest and Everquest 2 and Star Wars Galaxies.

Anyhow we got there a couple of days before the festivities and had some fun exploring some of the older casino's and I won $850. on a penny slot machine in the flamingo hotel!! Was quite a welcome surprise! Later that evening I won another $ 65 and then another $350 on a deal or no deal penny machine! Crazy huh?? Anyone we put aside a big chunk of it a went wild with the rest.

When we got home I bought the Samsung soundbar that my hubbie had been eyeballing for awhile and I decided to get a better camera for me. I ended up buying a Cannon Powershot SD 1300 and man I am loving it!

I took the picture of the ring with it yesterday using just white paper on my table. The only light was indirect from a window to the side of the table. I did edit it in Picnic but that was a minor fix and cropping. Not bad huh? I am still learning but boy I am having fun!

Music by the Sea

2010-07-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Every summer in San Pedro Ca, they put on a concert series for free in Pt. Fermin park called Music by the Sea. This year my Friend and I joined forces and got a booth there to peddle our wares. She sells Tye Dyes and wow what a beautiful job she does! Her stuff goes perfect with mine, like peas and carrots.

The last concert will be this upcoming Sunday. If You should try and make it and come on down to see us we are the colorful booth on the end! I have loads of stuff and I lowered the prices while in my home town.
I made lots of lovely rings and my friends tye dyes shirts start and 10 dollars!!

Raku Pictures!

2010-07-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the items that I have been doing to prepare for summer shows.

The top are my Raku Bead Sets, I am so happy with the way they turned out!

I have been a bead making fiend! The bottom are my large heart pendants.

I have been making these for years now and are a big hit at previous shows. I am

going to hang them from leather cords and my handmade copper clasps. I

have so much to do and I am going camping with the family til' Monday!

I guess I will bring work with me.

Okay this is the second time I have written this and it keeps coming up funny on

my blog when I post.

Handmade Brigade

2010-06-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

I made some coupons for the Handmade Brigade goody bags and coupled them with my business cards. The coupons are Buy one get one for half off type dealio. I am also planning to put together a variety of items to give away in a drawing. I have not decided how I am going to do it yet, maybe having people write their names and emails down and put in a bowl. In the past I have put samples of my items in the goodie bags. My samples being little charms that I sell for 3 to 5 dollars each.. Well I did the math and it was not in my favor! So coupons it is! Which I think is a great idea.

I have been working non-stop it seems, I have shows every weekend until July!!! I have been rakuing and stringing up necklaces and making bead sets, hand making copper clasps and putting them on leather cord. I am having my husband design and board that will sit along side my table about chin height where I am going to hang all of my pendants. Tons and tons to do, good thing I love it!

Through all this mad mad rush I have been neglecting my poor blog and my poor Etsy shop! But my Etsy shop has been very good to me even though. I have been featured in three treasuries and a few sales plus my first International sale to Norway!!! Yippeee!!

I do love doing what I do!!

It's a nice day for a White Crackle.....

2010-06-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well I have been rakuing my little heart out all this week and while no I don't have pictures yet hopefully tomorrow I will have some to put up. I have this white crackle raku glaze that I bought a couple of years ago and I don't know if it got contaminated with another glaze or if its the reduction part but damn I am getting this lovely moonstone type color which I am seriously in love with. Sigh Murphy's law is that now I have written about it i probably won't acheive it again! I am awaiting some new raku glazes with abated breath hopefully Monday I will get them.

On another note I have been in three different treasury's on Etsy this Month, woo hoo go me! I keep missing when they are up but dang I am happy as can be about it! I also made my first international sale which was awesome thanks Norway! I am doing another Handmade Brigade show in Santa Ana on July 10 and am doing music by the sea in San Pedro for every Sunday from July 11 to August 1. I will post more info as the dates get closer. I am thinking about making coupons with 10 to 15% off a purchase for live shows and making up a bag of goodies to do a drawing for each show... wheels are a turning.

So that is what I am up too and pictures will be up soon of my new goodies.

Rest in Peace

2010-06-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the 23rd my Mother was visiting us from Colorado when she received a phone call from the police back home telling her that her husband had passed away in a motorcycle accident. I watched as my Mother was told over the phone that her soul mate was dead and it was crushing. I am getting teary eyed right now writing about it. The top picture with the cross is above where he died. The picture next to it is our escort to the funeral and the bottom picture is the patch his fellow bikers in sobriety made for him and they will sew to their vests. Doug's funeral was overflowing with people who loved and cared for him and they are having a memorial for him at his AA club house on June 6th. That is all I can write for now as I am still upset but I wanted to explain why I have been absent from my blog and my etsy and artfire shops. I bought some new raku clay yesterday (my old clay turned in to a rock) so now that the weather is nice I am going to start rakuing again. I seems like everyone is rakuing lately!! Even my husband wants to try his hand at it and he has not played in the mud since college. Well thanks for stopping by I will post again real soon

Birthday Black Widow Battle

2010-05-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah it's my birthday.... I have what is called Arachnophobia not only was it a fun film from the early 90's but it is also the irrational fear of spiders. I have that. Which I have actually started to make some breakthroughs with it like I no longer think they are stalking me....

But when I am having mmm lets say a bit more anxiety than normal the condition is amplified so ... Here is my scary tale. I went to plug in my Wii controller into its charger and there she was bigger than life long spindle legs clacking together, red hour glass winking and ferocious fangs glistening in anticipation of its meal... ME!

Ok I didn't actually get that close to see fangs a'glistening, and I did remain calm instead of running out of the house screaming I thought about how shall I defeat this epic monster....

I quickly remember the bug spray I yelled at my husband for using in the house and ran to look for it under the sink... carefully I might add I have been surprised by many a foe under that dank sanctuary.

Armed with bug killer I faced my foe and aimed. A cloud of sweet lavender tinged with death shot from my can. A direct hit! The black widow stumbled and fell from the wall coughing ( well not really but for theatrics) She Was Stunned! and hopefully dying.

I watched her looking for signs of life, ahhh her leg twitched she was recovering an epic foe indeed! She was coming for me... I knew I would have to battle her Mano a Mano...

So I grabbed the broom and dustpan out of the kitchen... En Guard! I whacked her and she finally curled up in a ball so I used my dustpan to try to nudge her into it for disposal. But like all worthy foes she was not dead. With a mighty OMFG! I proceeded to whack the shit out of her til her legs fell off. Then I gave her a proper burial at sea (toilet) said I was sorry cause I do feel bad and farewell.

I scrubbed the bug spray and looked for an egg sack and web but could not find one. After further contemplation and a conversation with my hubbie we decided she must have traveled in on something.... but what?

Then I remembered I had left me favorite black cardigan outside on a chair overnight and this morning I stumbled out there retrieved it and put it on.... well I screamed like the silly girl that I was and tore that sucker off even though the spider was long gone my crazy arachnophobia brain could not except it. Betrayed by my favorite sweater.....

On a lighter note I sold 3 items yesterday woot woot happy dance! One of my bead sets :) and some other goodies. Now I am trying to decipher the whole SEO thing mehhh my brain does not like.
Anyhow happy birthday to me the big amazon warrior!

Doing Bead Sets

2010-05-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well like I have said before... Hello my name is Janel and I am addicted to Beads..

Que the "Hello Janel!"

So I have lots of my own ceramic beads and have yet to figure out a way to market them. I have decided to try and sell them in sets. Oh boy and is it hard to part with them... I especially love the raku ones... so shiny, I love to just look at them ... hold them... Okay I am a Beadaphile.... but I know you fellow beadaphiles know what I am talking about.

I have beads that I have bought before I was pregnant with my daughter who is now 21 years old. Do the math. I am hoping that other fellow bead lovers will see my beads and think wow I gotta have them beads and love them too.

Tomorrow I will be at the Ren Faire drinking honey mead and feasting upon turkey legs so that is why I double posted!

Looking For Fans!

2010-05-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

I am looking for fans for my Facebook fan page! So for it's just me,my Mom, my Mother-inlaw and my Sister. How lame is that? So throw a fellow crafter a bone and join my facebook fan page!

Panic .. oh my what am I to do!

2010-05-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well I picked up my last paycheck and now that has happened I feel a little panicky. I really would like to use these next few months to concentrate on my business and see what happens when I focus my energy into it instead of splitting it up between work and well all the many many other things that come along when you have a family. I am wondering with the extra hours where will it take me creatively.

Well I have some craft show applications I need to fill out and send but darn it I don't like how my pictures are turning out when I printed them. Arg... picture taking has become my nemesis.

I did manage to post some new items in my shop so I will throw up a picture of that. I have a huge batch of beads that I am going to bisque tonight some with that lovely red clay. I am going to start offering bead sets as soon as I get these glazed.

I have to get to sanding them beads so thanks for letting me VENT!!!!

ArtFire: Going Pro!

2010-04-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Well after hemming and hawing for a few weeks I have decided to Go Pro! On Artfire that is. One thing that caught my eye was their etsy importer, also they have more options for you to design your shop the way you want to. When you list an item you can tell your creative story behind that item. Super nifty. I had also read that you get more views from search engines than lets say if you make it to the front page of Artfire. I had just gone pro a couple of days and I have had way more views than my Etsy shop. You can have a blog on site and join a guild with their own forums. I think or hope that it will catch on like Etsy. So I will keep you updated.

Quickie Look ...

2010-04-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

......At some items fresh from the kiln this week! Also the hubbie made me a new light box and we are giving it a whirl! I am going to post a whole bunch of new items this week in my Etsy store but for now just pictures! Fun stuff! See you all soon I am off to make brownies and play Dragon Age ;p

Etsy,Artfire,1000 Markets ...Oh MY!!

2010-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Arg! yeah maybe not an appropriate way to start a blog but sheesh what a morning! I had been posting my stuff in different selling venues all morning..

First off is Artfire which I am not sure is worth it if I don't go to their pro lvl which is 15.95 a month..... And from what I read they give pro first choice in the whole search option. Not sure what I am going to do but I do need to read up on it more. The forums though have a section for posts about Artfire in the Etsy forums... kinda weird I thought.

Second is 1000 markets which listing stuff there is painfully long and I think stupid... they make you jump through hoops for tagging and the don't have a jewelry section under ceramics and pottery, and they don't have a ceramics tag under jewelry and you can't type it in.***
***Actually Artfire doesn't have those sections either..... arg.

The 3rd one is Zibbet which I have not even got to. I had signed up for a premium account with them for 8 bucks a month. I am going to post jewelry there that I make that isn't from my ceramic charms and pendants. That is if I can find the time to take pictures of the stuff.

So back to Etsy ..... I posted two items there so fast and easy it was a satifying experience after a hectic morning... although I do feel a bit dirty for straying from Etsy hehe.

I am throwing up a picture of my earrings and necklace I just posted in Etsy.

Zombie Killer

2010-04-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took our 14 year old son to Howies game shack for some family gaming fun, It was my first time to this so called shack and let me tell you the 14 year old boy living inside me squealed like a little girl when I saw all those computers with wide screen moniters rows as far as the eye could see. Well maybe not that many but in the hundreds and what lined the walls surrounded these rows of computers? Xbox 360's with a 40 inch tele' for each one....,. sigh it was truly a gamers wet dream.

So the boy first took us on a Zombie killing adventure with the Left 4 dead 2 game and OH boy it is not for the timid or the weak tummies individual. Decapitated heads and blood spurting arteries filled this games intro. My husbands character wielded a katana, my son a two handed axe and I duel wielded pistols and shoveled pain pills into my avatars mouth to carry on. This game was hard and focused on team work to get through the levels of zombies as if a zombie was on you,you needed a teammate to help get it off you. This game has probably been out for a while but it was our first venture into that series. Lemme tell nothing beats killing Zombies.... except that my shining moment was I beat my Son in a Modern warfare 2 free for all game Muhahaa. The boy took lighting my old gamer girl history with doom, and quake 2 also I did love me some old unreal tournament. Used to play a fairy skin quake 2 under the name of deadgirl and I did love some flak gun.

Anyhow do to a day of frivolous gaming I spent all day today glazing and watching Arrested Development while doing so. I always underestimate the time it takes to glaze. I am going to have to time it one of these days. So tomorrow I will "fingers crossed" have some new little bits to show you.

I made some mushrooms,cupcakes,bell shaped flowers, and a bunch of other goodies.

Laid Off

2010-04-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

So I talked to my boss yesterday and he says he is closing down his office and won't be needing my services any longer. While I am upset about the job loss I completely understand his decision. I do the billing and payroll so I see what is coming in and it's been really slow for the past year. I know he has been hanging in there in hopes that business would go back to normal but it has been bleeding him dry. I was upset when I got home but I rubbed some vodka on it and I feel better today.

Today I organized my beads... I didn't really get finished. I have quite a mix of them.. boxes and boxes plus I have a ton of seed beads too. I use those little black trays with the velvet liners when I am working with them. You can fit a lot of beads on those trays and pretty soon they are overflowing. When I can't find any of my tools and there are bead trays strewn about on almost every flat surface in the house it's time to clean up and organize my beads.

Midway through my bead clean up I ran out to the mail box to see if my new Etsy purchase was in. Oh boy it was! Woohoo it lit a fire under my ass to clean faster so I could play with my new beads I purchased from Artebella Surplus. Such beautiful beads, oh the colors so perfect. Anyhow check out her store.

Today I posted some cute little Polka Dot Heart Earrings. I got a bisque fire going too! It is full of little cupcake charms, some little fruit charms, some shells and I made these bell shaped flowers. I will post the results as soon as I get the little suckers glazed.

My Search for the Handmade MarketPlace

2010-04-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the craftsanity podcast while on my daily walk and the host Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood was interviewing Kari Chapin about her new Book "The Handmade MarketPlace"

The interview was awesome and kept me walking longer than I would of and when it was done I couldn't wait to get a hold of a copy of that book.

So Monday was payday and the first thing I did was screech into the Barnes and Noble parking lot and rush inside to find myself a copy. I looked in the business section first but it was not there, then I went to the craft section which is always such a mess that I literally stood there for 10 minutes trying to figure out their system of organization, which I figured out they didn't have one. Finally I just sat right there on the floor and started pulling various books off the shelf and perusing them... I have a short attention span and am easily seduced by shiny pictures of pretty things other people craft. Some how I snapped back to the job at hand and I sternly told myself to get back on track and looked harder...

Well I was bummed out I could not find a copy in the mess they called the craft section and was prepared to either order it online which doesn't bode well with my Veruca Salt mentality or Yikes track a sales person down! Oh boy I am so painfully shy sometimes which if you knew me in person is sometimes a contradicting personality trait because I can be very abrupt. As I was walking away I glanced back at the bookshelves and what should I see? Shoved between some how make Origami books was one copy of The Handmade Market Place!! Yippee I grabbed my booty and ran up to the front of store to pay for it.

When I got home I lay on the couch and ignored the phone, the kids, the husband and read until bedtime. Wow what a great book and full of great advice from many successful crafters. I especially liked her ideas about well.. ideas! Well when I finish the book I will give a proper review but for right now it gets a big gold star!

Barnes and Noble shame on you for such a terrible crafting section in your bookstore!

Shaking a 7.2

2010-04-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

We had ourselves an earthquake this afternoon. I was sitting with my Son watching tv when I felt this rolling sensation. I looked at him and said " Oh an Earthquake" then my husband ran downstairs with our daughter and we all huddled under the doorframe. It felt like we were on a boat and I actually felt a bit sick from the sensation. I looked at my husband and said "we have got to move".

Well nothing broke and no one got hurt. I looked up the earthquake online and it originated in Baja. It ended up being a 7.2.

All in all it was a nice relaxing Easter. I did get a chance to play in the clay this weekend. I made these little bell shaped flower beads, hopefully they will turn out. I think they would make nice earrings.

Spring Musings and Picnik

2010-04-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

I am loving that free Picture Program Picnic. I still need to work on holding the camera still or get a tripod but Picnic sure helps a ton with brightening up the picture. I submitted another picture to Craftgawker but alas it was denied. They said it was blurry, which maybe it was, but after taking hundreds of pictures and editing them they are all looking fuzzy and blending together.

I had a lovely walk today with the kids a sort of twilight walk up to the park. The birds were out and the with all the flowers in bloom and the yummy smell of jasmine floating in the air, it certainly washes away the days troubles and clears your mind. Everyone should take the time to walk outside even if it's just for a few minutes, it will do wonders for you. Loving the spring.

CraftGawker

2010-03-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

So it turns my Seashell Scallop Shell pendant that sold was accepted on Craftgawker and that's how the buyer found me! Wow I didn't even know I was accepted hehe.

My next two sells were from Ren, ( Thanks Ren) one of the awesome ladies from the Tired Girl Collective. We had done a couple of the same shows for the Tall Mouse Handmade Brigade.

What a great day! But now I must cut this short as "Lost" began 20 minutes ago and is calling my name.

Made My First Real Sell on Etsy

2010-03-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

So I stumbled onto the computer this morning my coffee not even yet done brewing and with blurry eyes I saw an email from Etsy. I opened it and it took me a few moments to figure out that I actually sold something... to a real live person outside of my family. I actually had no idea what to do, so I looked on the Etsy forums for help.

I discovered that I should make a pretty package... so I got all my pretty art paper out and stamps and went to work. I even added a little bow with a charm attached. I wrapped it in bubble wrap and stuffed it into a mailer.

What I discovered is it costs more to mail than I charged and in all my fussing with the packaging I forgot to add a cotton cord with my pendant. I am going to mail it along seperately and email her telling it is on its way.

Well you live and learn and hopefully I will become more skilled at all this. I am so grateful to be able to all this in the first place.

The Raku Scallop Shell is what sold!

Too Purty to Stay in!

2010-03-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

What an awesome weekend we had here in the O.C. Yesterday we went to Fallbrook with the family to visit some friends. It must have been in the mid 80's and all us girls threw on bathing suits and sunned ourselves.
The kids ran around like wild animals running through the 80 or so tangelo trees that they had on the property and the air was thick with the smell of orange blossoms in bloom, sigh like a mini vacation.

Today it was warm enough for swimming so I took the kids up to the pool and we lazed about for the afternoon. So my house is a mess as no chores got done and the big crafting plans I had will have to wait til tomorrow.

It was worth it!

Don't Pick Me Last! Don't Pick Me Last! Don't Pick Me Last!

2010-03-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well I was cruising the forums again on Etsy and they had a post about a mudd team.... I am toying with the idea of joining one but I don't know . More research is needed.

What I really would like is to find a local street team. They have one in San Diego and quite a few in L.A. and even some in Northern California but I have not seen any in Orange County! Laguna Beach is stuffed with Artists I would of thought a few would sprung from there... Although they are kinda Clicky down there. I have silly day dreams of winning the lotto just so I can move there and sell my wares.... Yes the have a rule that you have to live there to sell at their craft faires.

Some local crafters did make a Handmade Brigade guild type thing. I asked about it but I think it is a younger crowd and I didn't fit in with their agenda or whatever. Omg I am having flashbacks of 3rd grade kickball team picks when I was picked last!

Hehe well thats life. I guess maybe I will have to start a street team!

Cruising those Etsy Forums

2010-03-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Etsy forums... one word ADDICTIVE!

I went there to check it out ohh lets say about 5pm pacific time next thing I know its almost 8pm!

It's like it a lifeform made up of hundreds of thousands of people all competing against each other to post as quickly as possible. I am not knocking it at all was quite interesting but I can see how distracting it could be for me.

I did find quite a few lovely blogs through the forums and am very excited to follow some new people! People are so darn creative and I love seeing what they come up with.

I know they say that posting in the forums is a way to boost business so I am gonna have to look into that more. I need some help with postal stuff too, it confuses me how people can charge so little to mail items so there must be some secret that I am not privy to, maybe the forums will help.

P.S. Threw my neck out so it's EL Pollo Loco tonight for everyone. I threw in a picture of my star earrings just to throw you off muhahaha!

Flickr

2010-03-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Picture Perfect

2010-03-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well I have been trying to take pictures of my stuff again and man it is harder than it looks! I really need to build a light box or something. In the meantime I am using the edit program in picnik which is easy to use and quite handy oh and best of all FREE!! I still have a lot to learn about taking pictures... but I guess one step at a time.

Honestly I don't get how people work, have a family, and do the etsy thing. I am determined to figure out how the heck they balance it all out.

Oh at this moment I am trying to post this and cook veggie tacos... Juggle juggle!

P.S. Potato and Pasilla Pepper tacos with pinto beans and this lovely salsa they have a trader joes in the cold section, especial? I think it is called and oh boy so yummy!

So.... Long Time No Blog

2010-03-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

Well it's been over a year since I have posted anything. What happened? I don't know... I guess I was in a creative funk. Everytime I made something I thought was really creative I would find out that someone already did a version of it. Meh...

So I decided to quit the blog for awhile and while I love reading about other peoples blogs and what they are creating I tried my damnest not to read em. Especially if they used the same medium I did. I wanted to create stuff and not worry about whether someone else did it already.

So over the past year I have created quite a bit of stuff. I have played with lots of clay and beads and wire and just had a great time! I have painted tiles and made collages and just fooled around. I also spent a lot of time just playing, with the kids, husband and family. I learned how to play rock band and the hubbie and I rock out with the kids sometimes martinis are envolved :P

My husband and I quit smoking last summer and I packed on quite a bit of weight. I bought this wii fit game it led me to actually liking to workout! I have lost 15 pounds and now am walking about 6 times a week trying to get it up to 5 miles a day.

I did a craftshow last weekend and it lit a fire under my ass to get to making stuff again and so hopefully soon I will be posting some pictures. I also have decided to be more myself in this blog I think I was trying to be something I don't know but not completely me... so I am gonna let the abrupt, quirky,nerdy, sometimes painfully shy, sometimes rude grumpyand bitchy, and sometimes sweet and helpful me, loose on this blog . Just warning ya!

Playing with my Beads

2009-03-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

I have been having a great time playing with my beads making bracelets. I am using copper wire for linking together the beads and a larger gauge that I bang on with my little hammer and anvil to make the clasps. I also have been using some lovely glass beads that I got in a mix, I think they look nice with my ceramic beads and charms. So this is what I am doing in my evenings after Rakuing all day!

More Raku Pictures

2009-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

More Raku

2009-03-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here is Saturdays batch of Raku. Wow it has been so much fun experimenting with the different glazes. I am very pleased with the results and I think this is the direction I am going to go with my ceramics. I am working so many new designs at the moment that I can't wait to get them all out. Right now I am working on more hearts and a some ocean themed beads. I have been hand working all of them so none are the same.

I have more pictures!

I love RAKU!!!!

2009-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Last year in my Ceramic's class I got myself a taste of Raku, (Actually my first taste was about 20 years ago in my College Ceramics class, too young to appreciate it, but I digress) Ahhh I fell in love with it and have been itching to do it again, So after much thinking and a bit procrastinating I finally bought some Raku clay, glazes and various other implements you need and dove in. I am so addicted! Raku feeds that Veruca Salt part of my personality that screams " I WANT IT NOW!" I have a 25 pound bag of raku clay and 14 new glazes and I am gonna Raku my little heart out!

Looking for displays

2009-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

I have been cruising the web for wooden compartmentalized bead displays. I don't know if I am getting the description wrong or if they all called something else but I am getting nothing. I have found some stand up bead displays but this is not what I want. I want to be able to show off my beads in a way that makes them accessible to people so they can pick them up and and imagine what they would make with them. Plus I think wood looks nice, warm and goes well with ceramic pieces. I am finding this so frustrating, I don't want to use plastic, ick. I have been using some little bowls but the bowls look messy to me scattered on the table. Oh well I will keep up the hunt.

Typealizer

2009-01-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

Typealizer

I found this interesting and fun tidbit on Marsha Neal's Blog .

What is funny about it is that it is me to the T. The living in the present moment thing is what amazed me the most. I had read a New Earth last year and it has literally changed my life for the better. I have never felt more a peace with myself, life and my place in universe than I have this past year practicing staying in the moment. Life seems so beautiful to me now that I have stopped to really be in it.
This little line from the book and bare with me it's from my memory so out of context, My life's purpose is what I am doing doing right at this moment, Wow that opened my eyes and I cried because I no longer had to think I had to do something spectacular to give my life meaning! That by living in the moment and being at peace, these things will come to me easier and more gracefully. Interesting huh?
I had pause in writing this because my daughter, who is four woke up and needed her morning hug and hugging her smelling her hair and just breathing her in with a clear mind and being totally present for it is like my own little heaven, which a year ago I would of missed out on. Yeah sure I would have enjoyed the hug but my mind while hugging her would have been filled with all the things I needed to do, I would have been living in the future missing out on that special connection of our spirits touching right now.

Here is my Typealizer profile!

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Made in China

2008-12-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

On my way home from work I decided to stop by the pottery supply store to pick up a bag of clay
and a couple of jars of glaze to play with. While waiting for someone to ring me up I noticed a new display of glazed beads. Oh wow BEADS my heart fluttered! (I have discussed my addiction to beads in previous posts :P) I was distracted by the pretty glazes and it took me awhile to figure out that they were selling bags of already bisque fired beads in various sizes and shapes. Interesting I thought picking up a bag, As I turned the bag over there it was the "Made in China" sticker! Oh boy for some reason this pissed me off! While I know these places sell tons of bisque fired ready to glaze goods like mugs, plates and tiles, this disturbed me. I love the process of making my own beads from the beginning of digging my hands into the wet clay to the excitement of opening up the kiln to see the results after the final firing, knowing that wow I did that! So no made in china short cuts for me thank-you!

In Search for the Perfect Round Bead

2008-11-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

The best thing about playing with clay is the ability to make your own beads and design them anyway you want! I have been a bead- alholic since the late 80's when my best friend at the time had taken up jewelry making it was the beginning of a life long career for her she does beautiful and unique work take a look at her website .
For me it was the beads, I fiddled around with making my own jewelry but I think it was just an excuse to acquire more Beads!! So coming full circle in this tale, I get to make all the beads my heart desires. The downside is I sort of thought it would be easier. I am starting to think that I have some sort of affliction that prevents me from being able to make round beads. I am having a great time learning and playing and trying to reach the Zen of the perfect round bead, and I am getting pretty good at making ovals and tubes.

Minimalist Earrings

2008-11-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some samples of the earrings I have been cooking up with my ceramic charms. I have to say I am very pleased with the out come. I love simple clean looking jewelry so these are perfect to me. I made the earwires out of sterling silver and smacked them around a bit on my wee little anvil, a quite enjoyable experience hammering on the anvil btw :P

Autumn Craft Sale!!

2008-10-24T08:38:00.001-07:00

This is where I will be tomorrow with plenty of skulls and other goodies. If you live nearby come on down there will be lots of arts and crafts vendors for your perusal. It should be a lot of fun! Buy Handmade :)

More Double-sided Pendants!

2008-09-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

More fun from the kiln! I am really enjoying making this babies. They take a very long time to glaze but the it is a lot more fun too! I feel like I can get more creative with these, especially with layering the different glazes. I can't wait to make more. I will be putting them in my Etsy shop after work today.

Double Sided Skulls and Hearts

2008-09-27T09:59:00.001-07:00

Two sides of the same pendant, twice the fun!

Tiny Hearts

2008-09-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some tiny tiny hearts I made. Totally fun to make and totally cute to wear. I have more hearts that I used a fatter heart shape cutter that are just waiting to be bisqued and glazed. I will post them when they are ready for their close up :P

Oh I see a rogue oval charm snuck its way into the picture lol!

My Spore Creature, Hippiliation

2008-09-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here is my Spore creature from the beginning to its current state. I can't find the picture of it as a wee amoeba
but here she is after she crawled out of the primordial soup. She looks fierce in her final state but looks are deceiving she is a vegetarian and charm, dances and sings her way into the hearts of other creatures that inhabit her world. I am having way too much fun with this game! My first creature was a carnivore and I winced and was heartbroken over every creature she had to kill, yes I know it's only a game but I just didn't like slaughtering those cute critters to feed my creature. So I started over and created my veggie dragon, she's cute huh?

Made my first Etsy Sale!

2008-09-06T13:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, my first sale! How exciting! This is the baby that sold, Hurrah!
I am really enjoying this moment, because I had been terribly afraid of the whole online selling thing and put off listing anything for literally 2 years!!! I had made my shop in July of 2006, while I had not started up my ceramics as of that time, I had plenty of hand made items to sell. I have been a seed bead artist for over 20 years amongst many other trades I have dabbled in so I have quite a bit of handcrafted items tucked about my home, but I kept putting off listing anything and let myself become intimidated by it, I just put it in the back of mind of things I should get to. That empty shop haunted me so finally I just decided to do it. Now I am excited and want to learn more on how to make your shop better and how to take pictures that are flattering to your wares. Woo hoo go me!

Spore, oh why do you tempt me so!

2008-09-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Ahh... The long wait is over, and Spore is finally in the stores. Now the big question for me is do I go buy this game now and get it over with? Because I know that if and when I get this game and install it, my life will be on hold for awhile.... Not that I am the compulsive gamer that I used to be, I do in my wise age have some restraint. At least now when the house is falling down around me, with my sink full of dishes and laundry needing to be done I can blame it on compulsive ceramic bead making and although you can barely wade through the toys in my living room I do have the satisfaction of knowing that my kiln is quietly working its magic filled to the brim waiting to be opened the next day like a present on Christmas morning. It seems like when life gets stressful for me I do spend a bit more time than I should gaming. Well maybe after work today I will drive by Best buy just to look mind you!
Update! I was wrong release date isn't til' the 7th... which is Sunday. Then it will be mine!

Fun Stuff!

2008-09-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Something New, Fresh out of the Kiln!

2008-09-04T08:22:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of this morning's gift from the kiln gods. These spikes are about 2 inches long and were very fun to make. I love trying out new things in search of my niche in the ceramic bead world. It seems that everything has been done, so I am just going to go with whatever pops into my head.

Playful

2008-08-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have not been posting lately, I feel like a slacker but the truth is I have been so very busy!
First was our two week vacation in Colorado, then the mountain of work I had when I got back to my job, then a visit from my husbands Mother.
Here is a picture of our trip to the aquarium this last weekend. This seal was so playful and fun my three year Bridgette was delighted with him. He would blow bubble at your hand with his nose when you placed on the glass. They had great fun upside down and all.

Colorado

2008-08-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our trip to Colorado and boy was it beautiful! My Mother lives in a small mountain town called Woodland park, which is about 8500 feet and the sky looks so close to the the earth giving it a fish bowl effect. And yes that is snow in August on those Mountains!

Plankton

2008-07-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am intrigued with the many shapes of plankton and am going to start working on some pieces based on these awesome creatures.
I just have not decided how I will approach this. I guess I will do some thumbnail sketches and go from there. I was in the children's
section of Barnes and Nobles yesterday with my daughter and found some great Ocean pictures books there. Children's encyclopedias are a great resource for large vibrant pictures and my daughter loves them so it is a win win situation!

Indiepublic

2008-07-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

I always read my favorite blogs in the morning before getting ready for work and usually this gets me in trouble because it never fails I get all wrapped up in the online universe and loose track of time. So already way behind schedule I stumbled upon Indiepublic I made a quicky profile and then raced to take my shower and flew out the door to work. When I got home from work I checked my email and to my surprise I had "hello's " and friend requests from several of the indie artists there.
What a great site and the people are so warm and friendly. Today I went a bit nuts and joined a bunch of groups and I know I will probably join some more! So check it out its awesome.

Hearts!

2008-07-22T09:22:00.001-07:00

More Pictures

2008-07-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Lower Fire Clay

2008-07-22T09:15:00.001-07:00

I bought a block of low fire clay to see if I could get some better color effects to my pieces. I am very pleased with what happened! I have more pictures too! I also have more pieces to glaze today and fire tonight. I am so excited to see what happens next!

Buy Handmade Damn it!

2008-07-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

What a great day yesterday was. My debut at the Handmade Brigade was a moderate success. I met lots of nice people and sold many of my pendants. It is trippy to think people will be walking around wearing something I made!
One of the best things about the Handmade Brigade craft show was being surrounded by so many talented Indie Crafters. I bought a cute little wallet from Mandalanda made from the inside pages of vintage books, what they do with the covers is they make the these awesome book cover purses very well made and cute as hell. I bought some nerd, geek, dork button pins from the ladies at Tired Girl Collective, I put my dork button on right away for the world to see and even wore out to dinner after the show. Nina from Taco's and Eggrolls was the coordinator of the show, who not only managed the show and the crafters but ran her own successful booth too, she was great and her jewelry funky and original. I chatted it up with the very creative Miriam Dema who makes beautiful screen prints and some funky button pins too, which darn it I didn't get a chance to buy any! I guess I am gonna have buy some from her etsy store :)
The Porterness booth went around handing out BUY HANDMADE DAMN IT! stickers which will go right on my car. All and all a very good day.

Fresh out of the Kiln

2008-07-10T08:12:00.001-07:00

Ahh, the smell of fresh baked porcelain in the morning. I get so giddy with anticipation of seeing my pieces in their final stage that my child in me wakes me up extra early so I can open up my kiln. It's like Christmas, because you basically have no idea what your going to get. The glazes have a mind of their own, sometimes there are color combos that you didn't even use or the colors you thought you put don't show up. I know I put lots of purple, where did it go? But mostly I am always delighted with what the kiln gods bless me with. So here are some more beads and baubles that I will have at the Handmade Brigade this Saturday in Cerritos CA, at the Tall Mouse store from 11am to 5pm. There are lots of talented indie crafters showing their wares and it sure is to be a lot of fun! The Tall Mouse store is a family owned craft store, hurrah for family own independent stores just as they are supporting us indie crafters these businesses need our support too! So come on down this Saturday and have some fun, you can bring the kiddies :)

Etsy, My first Craft Faire and my MESSY HOUSE!

2008-07-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

I am trying to figure out the whole Etsy thing. I have managed to put up two items and my shop looks so empty but I hear your supposed to post only one item a day. I may be making it harder than it really is, I tend to over think things but from some reason I feel like I am doing it wrong!
I also have my first craft faire this weekend and my display is killing me, it is not my forte'. I want to keep it simple and uncluttered and I can not find anything to hang my pendants on. Sigh I just need to keep positive and forge ahead, maybe doing the laundry , the dishes and a bit of Vacuuming would help clear my mind, ugh.

Wuthering Heights

2008-06-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

I first read Wuthering Heights in my late teens. In my youthful almost adulthood I wallowed in the misery that book yielded. How romantic I thought Heathcliff was, wrecking his revenge on all for his love of Cathy. Now that I am rereading in my ripe old age of 41, I am seeing Heathcliff as the monster that he is, how could I have thought the traps , webs of deceit and revenge he wielded were romantic? It is the ultimate cycle of abuse story, that shows how families create their own chaos, and how the abused become the abusers. Makes me want to go back in time a slap myself and hand me a book about co-dependants save myself from some future misery, but I digress. Poor Emily Bronte this was her only novel and soon died after it was published, what state of mind was she in when she wrote this book ?
In my late teens it was then also that I discovered my love for Kate Bush, her song Wuthering Heights coupled with my Bronte book made a great catalyst for the self inflicted sorrow of my young mind. Kate Bush was only 15 or 16 when she wrote that great album The Kick Inside, which I still listen to, although not wallowing in misery I might add, now I just wonder about what a genius Kate Bush was at such a young age and if when she read Wuthering Heights in her youth did she wallow in delectable anguish too? And now if she reread it what would she think of it now?

Slow like Molasses

2008-06-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

Everything is on hold ceramic wise until I buy a kiln. I have decided on Aim Kilns they have a few small test kilns that plug into a regular socket! They start out at 160$ on up up up but really they are the most affordable kilns I have found. Which I should mention I would not have found them if not for this wonderful forum Wet Canvas. I am thinking of the one that is 8" x 8" by 9" it's small, but for a beginner I am sure that it will suit me just fine. If I find that I need a bigger kiln I have this one that I bought off Craigs List for 100$. Boy this baby is an ancient 1975 Duncan Kiln, its pretty big for what I need and overwhelms me when I think of trying to work it. I bought it on a whim and maybe it will come into use later down the road. Lucky me I have two brother in-laws that are electricians that can help me install a new outlet for it because this one runs off of 220. I am going to continue to create more goodies with the clay and just store the green-ware until my kiln comes which can take Gulp, 2 to 6 weeks! But life is good and I am thankful for everything even the little bumps which cause us to slow down when we don't want to.

Little Skulls all in a row

2008-05-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon making these babies and it was lots of fun! I plan on making more this afternoon maybe twink them out a bit. Here is a picture I know it is not great but I am working on setting up a space for pictures. These skulls are still green or bone dry Ha ha! When my army of skulls is complete I shall fire them and glaze em and post the results. Wish me luck!

Worker Bee

2008-05-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

I bought some Nara 5 clay, which is delightful to work with. The clay has a nice creamy texture which at bone dry it doesn't seem to crack as much as the porcelain I was working with before. I am creating some new carving to make molds of, so far I have another bird and a sugar skull with flowers around it. They are both in different stages not worthy of a picture yet but I will post some when I am done. The sugar skull one is causing me problems though but at this stage it is difficult to tell if it will work. I have carved many sugar skull molds but have yet made one that I am happy with. Hopefully if I can produce enough pieces I can test out my ancient kiln everyone cross their fingers I have a lot riding on this beast working!

Basket of Rings

2008-05-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

I had several small pieces left over from my ceramics class so yesterday I spent the afternoon gluing the backs to these awesome adjustable rings that I found at Rings and Things. It was a lot of fun and my son and daughter had a great time putting the rings on all their fingers modeling them for me. I am pleased with the results and am brimming with new ideas for future rings. The best part is that I only glued my fingers together once! I have a final this coming Tuesday for my ceramics class and I am trying different ways of showing off my pieces. My teacher and fellow students have watched me the whole semester make literally hundreds of these small ceramic pieces. I know some of them are curious to what I am doing and what I am going to do with them. I am going to string up some of my pendants and bring these rings to the class. I would also like to show my progress from the beginning of the class to the finish. In the beginning my pieces were crude and clumsy and slowly the became more of what I had in envisioned when I took this class. I am so very happy that I have found this medium to create things with it feels right and the possibilities are endless.

More Treasure to Hoard!!

2008-05-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here is more stuff to add to my pile of treasure. I think most people get into beading so they have an excuse to buy more beads, there is something about them that is almost magical. I sometimes in the pretense of organizing take out my many boxes and containers of beads and just sit there looking at them daydreaming of the things I will do with them, it can be very relaxing. Several years ago when I lived in Santa Rosa, I used to frequent this lovely little bead shop where the owner once confided in me that one night after a busy night of buying beads and baubles at a trade show, her husband looked around at all the new piles of sparklies and asked her "what are you going to do with all of this?" She thought for a moment then answered " I am going to open a bead shop" and then her store was born. So I guess I have to start figuring out what to do with my hoard!

Dragons Hoard!

2008-05-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

The fruit of my labor. I am wondering what the heck am I gonna do with all this stuff? I could just keep it in a pile like a dragon hoarding its treasure! I admit I am distracted by shiny objects and I don't blame my three year old for sneaking in and grabbing a couple because I know how fun they are to touch and look at and what a great sound porcelain make clinking together!

To Kill a mocking bird.

2008-05-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

I am rereading To kill a mocking bird by Harper Lee. I found it last summer at a truck-stop that sold used books. Believe me this was a gem amongst some of the other books they had to offer so I snatched it up. I have not read it in years and oh boy I am enjoying it like I have never read it before. Maybe it is because I am older and more mature I can appreciate the story and writing than when I was 18. It is interesting to note that this is the authors only major work she ever published and that she won the Pulitzer prize for it. I just can't seem to put it down, but I am going to force myself to take it slow and really immerse myself in the writing rather than devour it like it's the last piece of chocolate on the planet.

Busy

2008-04-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week. My ceramic class ends soon and I am trying to squeeze in as much as I can before the last firing. I am just now getting the results that I want with my ceramics and don't want to stop! I have found a couple of local places I may be able to go to to fire my work until I can get my own kiln so that is nice. I am excited about getting my own kiln and having been surfing the net for ideas and prices so far I am leaning towards aim kilns as they are the most affordable I have found. We shall see!

Messy house!

2008-04-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well we have visitors coming this weekend and the house is tore up! I have to go to work come home and clean so probably no playing in the mud for me today,bah! Going to try and stay in the now and not get overwhelmed but I didn't get enough sleep and my mind keeps wandering... I am taking the the New Earth web classes and it is helping immensely. Where are the little elves that are supposed to come and do your chores while you sleep when you need them? I was pondering posting a picture of my poor neglected house but decided against it. But I did get some new pieces fired in the raku kiln last night, I am really happy with the results so maybe I will squeeze that in later. Well gotta shower and get the little one ready for the day!

Quicky Little Bird Mold

2008-04-17T08:53:00.001-07:00

Here is the quicky mold I made of the Little Bird Carving last night. I tested it this morning, and it works great, however I need to start looking into making my mold out of rubber or something that would last longer and maybe show more detail.

Little Bird Carving

2008-04-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

Spent last night carving a little bird that I started last week only to realize that I had made the other side into a starfish Doh!
Oh well I am happy with the bird. I made a quick mold out of porcelain clay and tested it this morning it looks pretty good!
I am going to have to look into making rubber mold soon as I heard the texture is better.