What can you do with coconut beads?

This one is really different. I don’t know what I was thinking when I created it but it is turning out to be one of my favorite pieces. When I saw the large coconut beads with their wonderful dark coffee color and textured beige stripes, I had to have them. At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but I knew at some point they would be used in something special, and this is the result.Other materials included in this necklace are jasper rondelles, bone, shell, African trade bead, vintage glass, copper, leather, silver and quartz.Odd copper toggle clasp. Measures 16 3/4 inches.

Getting Ready for a Jewelry Party!

I find that getting ready for one of my jewelry parties is extremely exhausting. It creates more angst than I care to deal with however, the rewards are great!

So, I have been designing my signature funky pieces at a fast and furious pace. I am always afraid that each design may be my last, but thankfully that has not been the case. My craft table looks as if a gigantic bead bomb landed on it.

Check some of my new pieces that I will be presenting.

Much too Short

Our Georgia fall was much too short this year. I mourn because autumn is my favorite time of year and I don't much appreciate a long summer which robs me of this pleasure. After my Sunday yoga class I grabbed my camera hoping to capture the essence of its fleeting presence. I romped around the neighborhood taking pics of things that appealed to me. One of my new necklaces also reminds me of this wonderfully crisp, beautiful, and colorful time of year.

Bead Dance

I have been in somewhat of a fog lately…simply going through the daily motions of my existence as if someone else were living this thing I call my life. I am not present. I really want to be, but I am not. I see this person rising from her bed each morning, taking that long walk to the bathroom and peering into the mirror. Who is she? She looks lost, confused, alienated, tired, worried, burdened and buried under something huge and heavy. When will this fog lift? It immediately evaporates when she enters her studio. Someone whispers secrets in her ear and the beads begin to dance. Thank God for that, or else she might be the first person who ever had to be resuscitated from having her head suspended within a cloud.

Love of Color

When I was a very young child, I lived with my aunt during the week while my parents worked at their government jobs. Every Friday they would come and get me and I would spend the weekends with them. I looked forward to those Fridays, anxiously awaiting their arrival, peering between the banister slats of the upstairs porch, looking for that clunky black car to cross Prescott Place, and land right in front of the steps. Her body leaned sideways, and the soft face with painted lips peeked outside the car window, our eyes met and it was as if she were looking at me for the very first time. At once I screamed her name then ferociously attacked the wooden steps leading to her arms. In her hands she carried a brown paper bag and in it something special for me. What would it be today, a paint set or crayons and a coloring book? Either way, this is when I believe my love of color began. Even now, 50 years later, I must still have my “toys”, be it pastels, paints, beads... whatever!

River Run Necklace- an experiment in color

Paint Box Necklace III- I love color!

I Wonder What I Should Name It?

I am thinking about a name for this piece. "Ghana Trade Winds", comes to mind due to the african trade beads used in the piece. I also like the name, "Beady Eyes".

This necklace looks as if it has been painted with all the colors of a child's watercolor paintbox. I love it! Elements include African trade beads, old lapis tube bead, turquoise, inlaid bone rondelles, vinatge glass, deep pink opal teardrop on heavily oxidized sterling silver loopy chain.

Elements

I pulled many elements together to create this necklace that I call, Treasures. I wasn't very thrilled with the way my photos came out today, so I will have to reshoot everything tomorrow. Even though the picture isn't the greatest, you can still see some of the detail. I used shell, bone, hill tribe silver, handforged sterling silver rings, suede, leather, coral, african trade beads and more!! This necklace will be for sale in my Etsy Shop some time this week. Below is a sneak peek preview of my Ghana trade Winds Charm necklace (tee hee), it will be in the shop by mid week.

somewhere i have never traveled

I stumbled upon one of my favorite E.E. Cumming’s poem. He knew how to write about love without ever using the word.

Somewhere I have never traveled

somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond

any experience, your eyes have their silence:

in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,

or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me

though i have closed myself as fingers,

you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens

(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and

my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly

as when the heart of this flower imagines

the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals

the power of your intense fragility: whose texture

compels me with the color of its countries,

rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes

and opens; only something in me understands

the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)

nobody,not even the rain, has such small hands

I wrote the following poem after reading several of E.E. Cummings poems and being inspired by his style.

Blackness swallowed me that night
Before lay miles of loneliness
Silence so palpable, wondrous, still
Floating on waves of God’s breath
was thy here near inside there nowhere or will I never know?
i am my savior

Charming and Colorful

Charm Necklaces

New Line Coming Soon!

Here is a preview.

Blog Feature!

I am so excited! I have been featured on Cozy Siter's Blog. Check out the interview here: http://cozysister.com/blog/

Great Photos Make a Difference

The following photos were taken by one of my dear, Art Jewelry Collective Street Team buddies. I will be using one of these pics for an upcoming ad in Ornament Magazine. Which one would you select?

Streams of Thought- Mixed media collage

Watercolors, acrylic paint, old dictionary pages, clip art, art paper

Cow Girl at Heart II

I costumed designed this piece for one of my favorite patrons.

Fun design, would go wonderfully with a great white shirt or "T" top

Front details- handcrafted heart/intricately knotted suede adorned with thai silver and jasper beads/horseshoe charm/odd copper bead

Back view- hand wrapped wire beads/african trade bead/antique coral bead/wonderful heavy sterling silver chain

Something New from My Workshop

I call this one BELIEVE.

I Wonder Why I Cannot Sing

I wonder why I cannot sing. I honestly cannot carry one single tune. I vaguely remember studying those little black notes in elementary school and being quite the failure at it. Another dreaded memory of my persistent vocal failures is the time I tried out for the Glee Club at school. We each had to sing a designated part of the “Star Spangled Banner”; of course I got the portion of the song that required the highest pitch, you know the line…, “and the rockets red glare, were just bursting in air”. I can still remember the humiliation of it all. I believe my self esteem took a nose dive of at least 50 points that day. However, none of this has stopped me from belting out a song in the privacy of my own home or car when no one else in the world can hear me.

I do sing for my closest family members who cringe at the mere opening of my mouth; nevertheless, I derive so much joy from torturing them with my spontaneous solos. My mother often laments, “Poor Junie, I don’t know why you can’t sing because you want to so much.” Yes mother that is the problem in a nut shell. When my daughter was a baby I always sang songs that I made up at the spare of the moment, little love songs for my special girl. She loved them. Poor baby was tone deaf. Of course that baby is now seventeen years old and threatens to choke me if I dare sing another note in front of her. Where did all the unconditional love go?

Once, a co-worker told me a story about her singing voice. Her voice, by the way, is soulful, strong, and beautiful. She went on to tell me that she could not always sing. At some providential point in her life, she allowed grace to enter and it was at that precise moment that her vocal cords began to ignite in song. It was a miracle. I was amazed by her story and quite honestly, believed every word of it. So, I have concluded that maybe grace will grant me a beautiful voice as well. Until that day I will continue exercising my vocal cords to the horror and astonishment of anyone who happens to be nearby.

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A whole lot of Mumbo Jumbo!

I call this piece Mumbo Jumbo. It didn't last long in the shop. Someone nabbed it quick. I love the colors in this necklace, very odd choices but somehow it works!

Eye Candy

Vote for Your Favorite!

I am a member of the Eclectic Jewelry Artist street team on Etsy. We have a little competition going. Each jewelry artist on the team was asked to create a piece incorporating wire. We need as many people as possible to vote on their favorite entry. In return we will hold a drawing and someone will win a gift bag from EJA members! My entry is pictured below. In order to vote please go to: http://eeja.org/wire_comp/wired.html

What happens when you fuse African, Asian and contempory influences?

A necklace I have designed called Fusion!

The blue and white porcelian bead served as the major inspiration for this design, but I have also added a couple of african trade beads and an old coin into the mix. I have collected many blue and white pieces and display many of them in my kitchen. As you may have guessed, blue and white are my favorite color combination.

Ring around the Rosie...

Yummy colors...earrings will soon be avalibale in my shop! Aren't they cute?

For a Thousand Summers

I have already used up 54 of my summers. This fact finds me a little disgruntled, somewhat piqued, more poignantly…on a roller coaster ride through the narrow curves of hell whilst fighting off impending doom at every rest stop and burger joint. Cheez even my most profound epiphany’s involve food. It also forces me to ask the question, “What the hell am I doing with my life?” Have I wasted 54 summers? Sometimes it feels like it and this summer doesn’t exactly seem to be contradicting my present plight. The little voice outside my head (the one inside my head is writing this post and is a little disturbed) is telling me to get a grip girlie, you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Stay in the present moment. Yes, 54 summers have passed and only God knows how many more are ahead, but I must be content with this moment, with this breath, with this soul.

Jewelry designs that take place in the "present moment" come out the best. I have photgraphed these pieces on some of my arist journal collage pages. I love the effect.

Featured on Block Party Press Blog!

What inspires one to create? Tamara, of Block Party Press asked just that question. She asked several artists to detail the inspiration for specific pieces of their artwork. I answered the call! I am happy and excited to annouce that she selected me to be featured on her blog. Keep in mind that she will be featuring additional artists and their inspirations several times a week. You will see everything from paintings and drawings, jewelry, mixed media, assemblage, knitting and polymer clay. Take a peek!

Tamara also has a wonderful shop on Etsy.com. She creates wonderful graphic and artistic designs with polymer clay, including pendants, earrings, cufflinks, rings etc! Check it out!

A Gift for a Friend

This is a charm necklace I designed for a friend who is retiring. I think she really loves it. I used an old piece of crystal from a vintage chandelier for the centerpiece.

Long Weekends Spur Creativity

Aren't holidays wonderful? I look forward to each and every one of them. It means more time to spend in my studio doing what I love, creating and designing jewelry. I may even get a chance to paint. I have a watercolor I would like complete. I have been working on the piece above for quite sometime. Today I had the opportunity to finally complete and put it up for sale in my Etsy shop. The colors are bold and the design is as well. Lots of unusual components have been included in this piece…suede lace, bone, conus shells, inlaid bone rings, and a jasper donut. I wonder what kind of person will but this necklace. What do you think?

Yo Yo Baa

I really don't know what comes over me when I begin to name my pieces. Sometime I mull it over for a few days and other times a name will jump out of my head immediately, hence Yo Yo Baa for the above masterpiece. I know, it makes no sense but names don't always have to mean something. The colors are yummy. If you want to take a closer look you can visit my shop. The next piece is called The Shield, for obvious reasons. The Thai silver pendant reminded me of a shield. Once again I cannot resist the use of bold colors and different bead shapes, sizes and texture.




I named of this one is called The Kitchen Sink, because everything is in it except the kitchen sink...clever!