Birds, Butterflies and Retreat Sneak Peek

It's 5 o'clock on Friday. It's been a week. Crazy. Busy. Not at the top of my game kind of week. But orders are going out the door. Deadlines are being met.  New ideas are churning.  But I'm tired today and should have something witty and awesome to say about these little birds, but I will let them and the poets do the talking instead.

"A bird doesn't sing a song because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song." - Maya Angelou

"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."  - Author unknown

"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings." - Victor Hugo

Blooms and Birds Sets on Etsy

BIG SNEAK PEEK!!!!

So what is this bit of amazing butterfly action about? Oh, just a little fantastic mixed media class I will be teaching at my Inspired by Nature Fall Retreat this year.  Mark the dates, this year it's going to be October 17-19th here in South Haven, MI.  I will only have 17 spots this time around so if you have been dreaming about attending for the last 3 years - don't miss out this year.  Tomorrow I will have the complete details on the blog and registration will open.  No early bird registration this year.  

"Just as the bird sings or the butterfly soars, because it is his natural characteristic, so the artist works." - Alma Gluck

Bead Table Wednesday - Class Samples

Is it Wednesday already?  I'm in an accelerated time warp lately, days slip by in a flash and I wonder where did my day go?  Summer is whizzing by and I feel like want to grab onto the tip of it's tail before it's run off into the wild.  But I know my heart is already longing for September.

It's Bead Table Wednesday and time to share what's on your table.  Whether it's the whole table, a carefully edited snippet or just what you are working on today - please stop by our Flickr group to share and meet up with other creatives.

On my desk today are a few more class samples and variations for my retreat.  I am thinking of making a few of the leaves to use in a lariat design or some kind of cluster of leaves to form a pendant. 

 My current color palette.

 Head on over to the Flickr group to share your bead table and current work!

Inspired by Nature Retreat

Details for my next Inspired by Nature Retreat are up.  It's going to be October 26th - 28th in South Haven, MI.  It will be three days of non-stop creativity surrounded by the beauty of nature.  I'm so looking forward to this! 

Along with the three classes that I'm teaching, designer extraordinaire Erin Prais-Hintz is joining us as a guest instructor leading a workshop on Saturday night.  My classes range from beadmaking, metalwork to bead embroidery.  The theme of the retreat is "Into the Woods" and all the projects have a woodland motif.

The leaves will be awash in autumn's splendor, the retreat cabin is surrounded by a deck that we can sit out and enjoy the scenery.  We'll gather in the beautiful lodge to create and connect with new friends.  We'll walk the nature trails nearby with camera's in hand hunting for colors to inspire our jewelry creations.  We'll listen to the river and the leaves rustling.  It will be like a Robert Frost poem!  Only with beads, which makes it even better. 

Check out all the details at the Inspired by Nature Retreat site.

I'm off for the weekend to sell at the Blueberry Festival in South Haven.  A great event, filled with lots of nostalgia for me, spending time with my family in my favorite little town - I couldn't ask for more.  Tomorrow is also my birthday, so I plan to make lots of wishes and spoil myself too!  And I will be eating one of these cupcakes or two. Okay, maybe just the frosting off two cupcakes - it's my birthday after all.

Wishing you a happy and creative weekend! 

Bead Table Wednesday - Quick, get me to the beach!

I had to double check - is today really Wednesday?  I'm still not convinced!  Days are flying by as my to-do list is being whittled away.  There isn't much on my bead table today, aside from the same ol' pile of awesome.  I have been busy working away - but it's on secret book proposal projects that won't be shown for many a moon.  One thing that is hanging out in the photography area are these awesome urchins that I just put up on my website.  I had to photograph and list them today because they are little stars.

Yep, famous before they even hit the streets.  I created these for a project earlier this year for Interweave's Everyday Bracelets emag.  I puffy heart Interweave's emags.  They are not just some stuffy boring pdf download.  Oh no Ms. Interactive - they wow us with videos, cool links and good tricks.  It's so much fun going through and it's rocking quite a collection of innovative bracelet designs from some of today's top designers.

I will also share this necklace I have hanging on a board near my work area.  It reminds me of walking on the beach, collecting bits of driftwood, tiny rocks and searching for the ever-elusive piece of beach glass.  Many an hour was whittled away on the shores of Lake Michigan hunting for treasures.  I'm totally counting down the days until my Bead Retreat.  I'm in serious need of a beach - stat!

So that is what's happening on and around my Bead Table - how is your little corner of the creative world looking today?  Add your photo to the Bead Table Wednesday Flickr Group and connect with other bead obsessed folks from around the world!

There are still a few rooms at the Beach House - but hurry, spaces are filling up!

I've also added some transportation options for those flying into Grand Rapids, hopefully that will make your travel plans a little easier for those who aren't driving to South Haven.

 

Read about the travel details here.

Join me for my Inspired by Nature Retreat

(Photo credit: adapted from Andrew R. Whalley via the Creative Commons on Flickr.)

What is a retreat but an invitation to walk with the instructor on a creative journey?  To open your eyes to the possibilities around you, to learn to trust in your artistic instincts with the encouragement of your fellow travelers.  The instructor offers new insights into both the minute and vast beauty in nature, leading you to come up with new ways to translate that experience into something tangible.

And whether you feel like an artist or not, you are given the skills to express your vision into an object. By the time you leave the retreat you are renewed and energized, ready to return home with a deeper understanding of yourself and your creative process.

(Photo credit: Christina Harrison via Flickr)

I was talking to someone yesterday about my retreat and realized that creativity without any kind of boundaries or safety net can be scary for some.  I'm a "let's-dive-in-there-and-see-what-we-can-come-up-with"  kind of girl myself so I hadn't thought of that before.  The classes and structured lessons make the process less intimidating.  You don't have to be an artist to enjoy my retreat, but hopefully you'll feel like one by the time you leave.

Creativity is the willingness to take risks.  Artists realize there are no mistakes, only learning opportunities.  It's part of the process. 

So I invite you to go on a creative journey with me for 3 days.  It will be a safe place to try new things.  We will play with resin, seed beads and wire, we'll study color, texture, and the design lessons in nature.  We'll have fun making jewelry together. We'll walk on sandy beaches, explore the delights of the garden and visit the still quiet of the forest. 

Visit the site to learn more about my Inspired by Nature Retreat and celebrate the release of my book with me!