SNOW!

It's a case of life imitating art!

Yesterday was the first snow of the season.  Which led me to burst into song:

It's snowing, it's snowing, it's S-N-O-W-I-N-G!

Michigan is all together lovely - I thought I might feel a little sad when all the trees were bare, but I had forgotten how enchanting the woods are in their minimalist state.  Each time I'm outside I find myself completely overtaken by nature's abundance.

I'm looking forward to the Holiday Trunk Show at Bead Quest tomorrow.  

I'm off to work like a little elf finishing up a few more holiday beads.

Bead Table Wednesday

Charms and pendants waiting to be painted.

Enamel pieces that I made a few weeks ago while visiting my Aunt Rosanne.  

They are rough, but pretty cool and I will be using them in jewelry shortly.  

I would like to take a class to learn how to do it right, it was trickier than I thought it would be.

 And finally - the view from my window.  

AWESOME!

So that's what's on my Bead Table.  

What's on your table?

Check out the Bead Table Wednesday flickr group to see what's going on with other bead bloggers.

Holiday Happenings

I have three holiday events that are fast approaching.

The first one is this weekend, Saturday November 12th from 10-5pm at Bead Quest in Grand Rapids, MI.

Bead Quest is hosting their annual holiday event with several artists and a crystal event.  It should be quite the party.  I am teaching my nest class in the morning and then from 2-5pm I'm signing books.  My beads will be available throughout the day.  I am making lots of the new holiday items, they flew out of my Etsy shop as fast I could make them this weekend.  I have a feeling they will do well at the open house too.

(Photo credit: Bead Quest)

And speaking of making things quickly, I'm also preparing to take items for the South Haven Art Center for their annual Mistletoe Market.  That is a holiday boutique that goes from November 18th until December 11th.  I'm making lots of impulse buy items: pendants, earrings, hair pins, etc - it's a tourist town that is pretty slow in the winter, but the artsy folks in the area brave the cold and support local artists.  Don't you just love that?  Ah, that makes me feel nostalgic - I remember shopping for Christmas gifts at the Mistletoe Market when I was in high school and then selling at the market for many years when I was a budding jewelry designer.  Oh, those were the salad days.

And finally, my last event of the year will be the Artist's Market at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts.  We used to do this show back in the day too.  Now the UICA is all spiffy in their new big building and it's their 23rd annual show.  This will be the show I pull out the big guns and get all super high end creative with designs like the ones in my book. 

I haven't even started to explore Grand Rapids.  There are all these hip little shops in my old neighborhood - it's totally urban chic.  I want to go check out The Sparrows coffee shop - okay, I just love the name.  There are some wonderful galleries and shops and I'd like to visit.  Hopefully at the beginning of December when I slow down a bit and we are all settled here in GR.  

Overwhelmed - nope, not really.  Way more excited about living my dream everyday and rising to the challenge.

"And you could say, because it’s your right to, that you’re feeling “overwhelmed”. 

But don’t. Don’t go there. 

Stay with me, on the light side of change and bursting creativity; on the front end of pressure, and greatness, and the best and worst kinds of challenges." 

From Danielle LaPorte, read the whole blog post here: Strike "Overwhelmed" From Your Vocabulary. (Via MissFickleMedia on twitter - thanks Shannon!)

Snowy Woods Earrings

Stopping by Woods on a Snowing Evening

Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

(Photo credit: adapted from a photo by Mike Sandman.)

Hurry up snowflakes!

Free Earring Project 

Charms & more are 20% off until tomorrow.

Discount code HolidayPreview.

My Etsy Store

Holiday Charms

Yesterday I made a collection of tiny holiday charms.  You can find a fun pendant project on the Art Bead Scene today showing this technique.  Here is one using a Vintaj Arte Metal blank.

Here are two more holiday variations - so cute and fun!

Another fun idea with the tiny charms is to create a wire nest to surround one, these are simple and quick.  I sent a few of them to the Kingman Art Museum in Battle Creek where you can find a lovely collection of Nature Inspired Jewelry during their trunk show.

And I'm adding to my nest egg this weekend and I'm offering a Holiday Preview Sale and Free Gift.  Today through Monday save 20% off in my Etsy shop using discount code: HolidayPreview.  And below is the free gift - yeah for gifts, whether you are getting them or making them!

P.S. Christmas music is playing in the background as I write this.  I can almost smell the pine trees from here.