Design Trend: High Impact Jewelry

Hope this Friday the 13th is a lucky one for you... Here's a fun blog to start your day off right.

Periodically, I enjoy looking at Neiman Marcus's website. I like to see what clothes they are showing at a relatively high price point and what kind of jewelry is in their seasonal collections.

Right now, they have a category called "high impact" which I think is perfect for all of us glass artists. I think many of us make high impact jewelry, without knowing what others call it.

So head over to their jewelry section here. You'll have options- necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings.

I am now wondering whether any of you are already making high impact jewelry ...and how about commenting and including a link to it. We'd all love to see what you make. Nothing like a little pre-weekend chance to market some of your work. TGIF everyone.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'll be teaching bobblehead Christmas ornaments tomorrow at Flametree Glass and will take Saturday off as always. But! I will be back Sunday morning to start off the new week. See you then. http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com

Portraits from Africa

A while back I found a lovely slide show with these artistic African portraits on the internet. Unfortunately, I can't find the name of the photographer and the details of these beautiful people who were the subjects.

I saved the photos, because they spoke to me as an artist. I know that someday, I would like to do a series of glass beads that are based on these photos and the others from this series that I have stored.

These are in my "inspiration" file. I keep a folder on my computer's desktop filled with photos, drawings and other sources that speak to me in different ways. It could be colors, the shapes, nature, faces or so many other aspects of things I've found while poking around the internet.

I haven't figured out yet, how best to express the various natural textures combined with these serene faces and do it the justice it deserves, but I'll keep mulling it over until I take time to try it.

Until then, I'll keep leafing through my inspiration file- picking out a photo or two that will be the day's new bead to attempt. I have quite an eclectic mix, so there's a source for every mood and whim.

Hope you have some place to keep your tidbits of what speaks to you. And watch for a short series based on these photos sometime in the future.

See you tomorrow...

Tagged, But Quick Save- What About Promotions?

I was tagged by soccer mom and jewelry maker extraordinaire,  Sue of Signature-Sterling on Etsy. It's a different style of tag that is intriguing.  Here are the rules:

Show Me Your Picture 6x6x6

1. Post the 6th picture from the 6th folder in your computer's "picture" file, ("my pictures").

2. Write (blog) about the picture.

3. Tag 6 new people- be sure to go to their blog, make the "tag" by leaving a comment and direct them to your blog to get the instructions.

4. Copy the permalink for your 6x6x6 entry and post it as a comment to your original tagger's 6x6x6x entry. Be sure to post the permalink, not just the link to your blog.  Get the permalink by clicking on the blog entry title and then copying that http address.

 So I went to my iPhoto to find the 6th folder down there.  The photo that I should have posted is my husband in a swimsuit on the beach in Costa Rica.  As handsome as he is, he would be VERY unhappy with me, if I showed it.  So  I went down to my Projects Section and found the 6th project and 6th photo.  Here you go. It's a  a rough draft of a calendar that I was toying with months ago.  Let's hear it for August- beach time.

Let's chat a bit about making calendars.  I have a plethora (cool word, isn't it?), of photos of my work.  I bet a lot of you who sell online do also.  Have you thought about making a calendar from your images and selling it?  It was an eye opener for me when I started playing with the concept.  Looking at the beads, the scale in which I would show them, the quality of the photos, the color combinations, etc.  Suffice it to say, the project got scrapped.  If I ever sell a calendar, you can bet it will have been planned out and beads made and photographed specifically for it.

If you make non-sculptural beads, (I call them traditionally shaped, but there's probably a better term for it), it might be different for you as you don't have real objects that you're making art from.  But I found it bothers me having a seashell larger than a mermaid, but I just didn't have any mermaids laying down and beckoning to the closest sailor that would fit that larger rectangular shape.  

So there's my tagging as well as my calendar project all rolled into this post.  And perhaps I should have just made a husband in a swimsuit holding beads calendar.  Hmmm, maybe 2010.

Plug and Play

Plug: I'm being featured today on a really cool blog. It's called "Something Just To Start" and Coleen features artisan shops, commercial websites and just different things that she really likes. Well guess what, Coleen and I have similar taste.

I spent my early morning hours scrolling and reading the different posts about the other featured artists and their work. I could make my entire Christmas list just from her blog. So stop by, comment and enjoy the blog.

Play: Joe with Avenue Beads has started broadcasting his torch time via computer. You can go to the website, and watch him blow shards and make beads. He does this mostly in the evenings or weekends. There is a place for the viewers to comment or ask him questions and he reads the comments and chats. There's a lot of side chatter and fun comments by the audience. I visited last night and had a good time. Here's the web address: http://www.justin.tv/avenuebeads?

My BOGO 1/2 Off Sale continues through Saturday. I've been adding lots of new beads daily. Please feel free to shop by, (Freudian slip? I think not.) and check it out.
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