What to do with sick littles...

Give them warm chamomile tea with lemon and honey and read them Winnie the Pooh, of course!  Well, for as long as they'll sit still that is.  We went south for Christmas... whenever we travel? We all come home sick.  But it was a wonderful trip, the children had a great time visiting my parents and so did I.  Sometimes I really wish we lived closer, though we're only two hours away... sometimes it feels like we are more like twenty.

So, as I am tending sick little ones, I have not gotten much beading done, but... what I have done I am very proud of :)  I managed to put together one bracelet and a necklace.  I'm going to share the bracelet with you for now.  In my head I am calling it... The Key to Love... though with the new keyword thing in Etsy putting titles on things is tricky.  Regardless... this is all born out of a fantastic tile from JLynn Jewels:

Don't you love it?  ;)  The colors... the texture, the wood burning.. I added plenty of Fallen Angel Brass Co. brass, of course... including this little key that I am totally just swooning over.  I used jasper, sapphire, wood beads, opal, sodalite and delicious navy blue sari silk.  I wanted something to... bring to mind the softness, depth, and peacefulness that can be found in real love.  While making this bracelet I was pondering how there are so many different types of love... so many ways to love... to show love... to feel it.  How it is possible to love everyone in your family deeply, but differently.  Which makes sense, really, because every person is different, so how could we not love them as they need to be loved?  Or at least try.  Coming to the end of this year, this 2011, I am realizing that love is important to me.  Or rather... how much my desire to find a type of love, a way to love, all of the amazing people in my life.. that is important to me.  Love means many things, is many things, but I think... the most wonderful thing about love is its ability to grow.

Now if only we could all find a way to let it grow... hmph, there I go rambling again.  Well, sweet friends, I love all of you, and am so grateful for your kindness, your support.  It is an honour to be part of your lives :)

Love one another... as best you can :)

~Jennifer

Merry Christmas!

I realized... I never said Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful friends!  Merry Christmas, to all of you, albeit a bit late.  I am so very very grateful for all of you!

May your holidays be oh so very merry and bright!

~Jennifer

P.S. I promise a decent post a bit later this week, still recovering from our whirlwind trip to visit my parents lol.

Ornament Swap Blog Hop!

Hello everyone!  I want to thank Sally Russick (of Wireworked fame) for hosting this awesome exchange and blog hop in the spirit of the season!  I'm so excited to be a part of it :)  My partner was the wonderful Sandi Volpe, I encourage you to check out her webpage (beyond her blog post) she is an incredibly talented artist :)

I, being the scatterbrained mother of three that I am, forgot to take pictures of my ornament before I sent it off *hangs head in chagrin*.  So Sandi was kind enough to take a picture of it for me :)

I wanted to create something... beautiful, but unusual.  Any of you who know me very well know I have a complete obsession with Fallen Angel Brass Co. brass... and I'm a total addict for their wire :).  So I decided I wanted to create a little snow whirlwind for Sandi.  I filled a longish piece of wire with frosted glass seed beads and twisted them round into a spiral, then added a gorgeous blue boro bead from Iris Art Glass.  Beneath the boro I've twisted and hung sparkling swarovski crystals.  Simple but I think it hangs well and I hope the boro will shimmer and the swarovskis sparkle on her tree :)

Here is the absolutely BEAUTIFUL piece, Sandi made me :)

Isn't it lovely???  You can learn more about it on her blog post :)  Here are the links for the rest of the wonderful ladies in the hop!  Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season :)

Erin Prais-Hintz and Alice Peterson

Sally Russick and Kim Hora

Susan Kennedy and Kathleen Lange Klik

Patty Gasparino and Cindy Wimmer

Hope Smitherman and Melissa Meman

Jennifer L. Justman and Sandi Volpe

Jenny Davies-Reazor and Christine Altimiller

*Rebecca Anderson and Jen Velasquez

Jeanette Blix Ryan and Tamara Soper

Holly Westfall and Mallory Hoffman

Pretties...

I know, I owe you guys a really good post... but I've been sick and I'll be honest, my brain isn't up to it lol.  So instead, I am going to make this picture heavy and show you some of my new pretties :)  I've finally been able to get to work with my new Marsha Neal goodies! Marsha has such incredible talent, each of her ceramic pieces, pendant or tiles, is just filled with beauty.  And each one is so unique!  I love her glazes, each one has its own appeal, this set of earrings I'm calling "Caramel Toffee"  can you guess why? ;)

"Black Magic"

"Peach and Raspberry Sorbet"

And some gorgeous enameled beads from Sally Russick of Wireworked, they have this delightful crackle finish to them, it is just amazing!  I'm calling them "Sweet Sunshine":

A gorgeous tile from Marie Cramp of Skye Jewels (this one I dubbed "Queen Bee") and Fallen Angel Brass Co. brass.  Marie's tiles are always so lovely, this one has the prettiest soft green color, and I love wrapping her tiles in Fallen Angel Brass filigree!

Click on any of the pics to be taken to the Etsy shop for more images and a description!  Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season :)

~Jennifer

Artists Helping Artists Silent Auction

Artists Helping Artists Silent Auction

Several artists in the blog community have decided to band together to help a fellow artist in need. 

Have you ever felt adrift?  Had something happen in your life that left you a bit stunned, a bit helpless?  Have you ever needed a helping hand?  Wished for someone to lean on?  I have.  We artists have become friends thanks to the amazing world of blogging... and we are all banding together to help a fellow artist.  We all have our roots in a love for creativity and are reaching out to help ground a friend in need.  I have donated to the cause, will you?

I created this piece for the Bead Soup Blog Party (here is my post for more info) and it is beautiful.  It features a gorgeous copper pendant from the Queen Bee mines in Arizona, fire agate, jasper, and suede cord.  I chose this piece because the layered circles remind me of love and friendship... they are intertwined... connected.  If a piece was lost then the entire pendant would be less stable, each circle makes the other stronger.

My partner from the challenge, Elisabeth Auld made the clasp herself.  It is a beautiful and vibrant piece.  It's full length is approximately 18", the pendant measures approximately 2" across and 1.75" down.

Would you like to be the winning bidder?

Please leave a comment along with your bid. If you are the winning bidder, you will receive an invoice after the close of the auction. There must be a way to contact you. If you have email preferences turned off in your profile, please leave your email.

Bidding will begin at $25 

(shipping is included, USA residents only, sorry!)

Bids will be taken through Sunday, December 11th at midnight Pacific Standard Time.

Many people are auctioning items to help out! Please visit these the other artists below and place your bid!  ALL proceeds of this auction will be donated to the cause!  :)  Thank you!

List of participants:

Heidi Post http://expostfactojewelry.blogspot.com/

Marie Cramp & Lori Anderson http://skyejewels.blogspot.com/

Barbara Bechtel & Staci Smith  http://secondsurf.com/

Erin Fickert-Rowland http://elysianstudiosart.com/

Keirsten Giles http://www.cerebraldilettante.blogspot.com/

Andrew Thornton http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

Karen Totten http://starryroadstudio.blogspot.com/

Kristi Bowman-Gruel http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/

Nan Emmett http://spiritrattles.blogspot.com/

Maire Dodd http://mairedodd.blogspot.com/

Amanda Cargill Austin http://www.seashoreglassgirl.com/

Janice Everett http://jlynnjewels.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com/

Shannon Iko Chomanczuk http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Justman http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/

Kerry Bogert http://kabsconcepts.blogspot.com

Patricia Gasparino http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/

Erin Seigel http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/

Courtney Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com/

Feel free to return and bid again!

Happy bidding!

Randomness...

I took this yesterday morning :)

For my Color Challenge post go HERE

Lori Anderson of Pretty Things... did a random post this morning and has inspired me to do one of my own :).

I love mist.  I especially love jogging in the mist.  It makes me feel as if I'm on some mystical isle... going to encounter something magical any moment.

I still think dewdrops are magical.

Ice on a spider web is art.

I love coffee.  Currently drinking mine with heated milk and Torani's hazelnut syrup.

I alternate peppermint and cinnamon in my hot chocolate.  Year round.

I love jogging to a random assortment of music... very random.  This morning?  Four by Blues Traveler, Brand New Day by Demi Lovato (from Camp Rock 2), Crazy Game of Poker by O.A.R., Faster by Matt Nathanson, and Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 were among my tunes.

I am addicted to roasted garlic Melba Snacks.

My son has this little wicked laugh that makes me laugh till I cry (he's 21 months).  It is awesome.

My elder daughter is smarter than I am I think.  It terrifies me (she's 5).

My younger daughter is definitely more athletic than I am... she just turned four.

Bing Crosby is my favorite Christmas music.

Yup.  Randomness.  Thanks, Lori, for the inspiration :).  Tell me... what random things are on your mind?

~Jennifer

Another quick post..

For my Color Challenge post go HERE

Frost yesterday morning on my jog:

I feel like a bad blogger... I'm always thinking I should blog... but in between trying to work, chasing three kids, cleaning house... getting ready for Christmas... there never seems enough time!  So what can I show you right now?  Hmm... well, let's see... I have a few pieces I've been trying to get pics of but the weather has been rather uncooperative every time I actually make it out there lol.  But I did take some (rather awful) pics with my ipod so that I can show you the absolutely GORGEOUS pendants I got from Marsha Neal Studio's destash sale... a couple I bought, most I got with a gift certificate I won in one of her totally awesome like-fests on her FB page.  I had so much fun getting to know her throughout her sale, she is one amazingly cool and fun lady!  So here are the pendants, some I started playing with and are wire wrapped and even on a bit of sari ribbon or cord.

 I haven't finished anything with them yet, though I am in love with the orange one with the copper and the orange and pink sari silk... I think I'm going to add a bit of copper chain maybe? I just ordered some chain, hopefully it will be in this week.  Her pendants are seriously to die for in person, the colors of the glazes, the pretty details...  I forgot to take a picture of the one I've been wearing, I'll have to do that later so you can see :)  It's my favorite lol.  I will keep you updated on what I do with these, playing with them is fun!  Hopefully I will have a couple of them up in the shop this week in time for Christmas!

Here are all of Marsha's links:
https://www.facebook.com/MarshaNealStudio
http://marshanealstudio.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MarshaNealStudio

I did manage to get a couple of items up in my shop this week amazingly.  My favorite of them is this one, it's called "Sparks Fly" a perfect stocking stuffer in my opinion *wink*:

Vintaj hand stamped blank (I LOVE my stamps, this font just makes me happy), swarovski crystals in shades of red, and a gorgeous silk cord from Marsha Neal Studio in a deep blue.  I also added two other cute hand stamped pieces and a pair of fabulous earrings, go check them out!  If you are a FB fan I have a sale code on my page :)

Hope you're having a great weekend!  What are you up to?

~Jennifer

Color Blog Challenge!!!

Ok, I might be a wee bit excited about this... just a wee bit... I had so much fun with this.  When I saw that Erin was doing a challenge involving colors... and these amazing palettes by Jessica Colaluca of Design Seeds... well, I had to give it a go!  I knew I was going to be super busy with craft shows and holidays and my daughter's fourth birthday... so I chose blue because I'm comfortable with it.  I know, I know, seems like I wimped out, right?  Well, not really, the palette chosen for me has colors I've never used before!  I was so excited to get it!

Isn't it amazing?  You can click on the pic and go straight to the image on her site and tell her how awesome it is :)  So the colors I had the most trouble with were the middle three... three colors I've never used.  Sort of a beige-y, cargo khaki-y... I like it, but man was it hard to find just the right beads!  And then that lovely soft grey and the darker grey with the hint of blue to it... so... ready to see what I came up with?

So let's briefly talk about what's here...  there's the sky blue seed beads, of course.  I have to admit, I do not normally work with seed beads, but I wanted to step out of my comfort zone some and thought this would be perfect.  The blue amazonite jasper rounds are one of my new favorite things, I think they are just gorgeous.  Then there are three different shades and sizes of fire agate... dark brown, khaki, and shades of grey with a hint of blue.  I also added two wickedly fabulous enameled beads by Sally Russick of Wireworked (she totally rocks, in case you were wondering).  All of the gorgeous metal is Fallen Angel Brass (they are such cool ladies!).  And the perfect little heart is by Janice of JLynn Jewels (who is the sweetest!), I used it because the colors fit the scheme... and the swirls reminded me of the branches of the tree in the pic :).  Here's one last close up of the beads:

Now!  Onward!  Many more fantastic blogs to check out :) Thank you so much to Erin for organizing this!!  Can't wait to see what everyone else did!  Oh, and I've decided to leave my sale up in my shop another day or two... so feel free to check it out! Thanks so much for dropping in :)

~Jennifer

Here's the rest of the list!!

Here is the official list:
 

1	Norma Turvey	Teal	Color Crave
2	Jeannie Dukic	Green	Mineral Tones
3	Mary McGraw	Teal	Embellished Hues
4	Jo Tinley	Red	Decadent Tones
5	Rebecca Anderson	Pink	Tulip Tones
6	Kristi Jaro	Red	Temple Entrance
7	Stephani Gorman	Green	Dew Tones
8	Melissa Meman	Green	Fruit Star
9	Kathleen Lange Klik	Teal	Silk Hues
10	Cynthia Riggs	Red	Autumn Comfort
11	Heidi Post	Teal	Flora Bright
12	Cece Cormier	Teal	Merino Teal
13	Amy Freeland	Gray	Cultured Tones
14	Alice Peterson	Blue	Island Play
15	Rose Noble	Gray	Autumn Stacked
16	Kristina Johansson	Yellow	Sunny Flower
17	Kirsi Luostarinen	Teal	Dragon Hues
18	Tari Kahrs	Orange	Citrus Tones
19	Mallory Hoffman	Purple	Petaled Dark
20	Molly Alexander	Brown	Peppered Tones
21	Regina Santerre	Red	Frosted Berry
22	Emanda Johnson	Teal	Color Purl
23	Amy Severino	Orange	Winged Tones
24	Bobbie Rafferty	Teal	Lime Hues
25	Tanya Goodwin	Gray	Pecked Tones
26	Lisa Lodge	Blue	Nocturnal Tones
27	Hope Smitherman	Blue	Bloom Tones
28	Linda Landig	Green	Cacti Dark
29	Ambra Gostoli	Teal	Perched Autumn
30	Lori Bowring-Michaud	Blue	Sharpened Blue
31	Pippa Chandler	Teal	Hungarian Hues
32	Keirsten Giles	Purple	Mineral Brights
33	Jennifer Justman	Blue	Autumn Rays
34	Sandy Richardson	Purple	Moroccan Brights
35	CJ Bauschka	Teal	Teal Air
36	Shaiha Williams	Teal	Sushi Hues
37	Kay Thomerson	Purple	Autumn Spectrum
38	Sally Russick	Purple	Golden Gate Tones
39	Cilla Watkins	Purple	Autumn Infused
40	Shirley Moore	Purple	Frozen Heather
41	Jenni Connolly	Gray	Paw Tones
42	Tamara Soper	Green	Field Tones
43	Sharyl McMillian-Nelson	Blue	Nested Blues
44	Jen Velasquez	Pink	Sweetened Tints
45	Maria Grimes	Red	Bright Bloom
46	Elisabeth Auld	Gray	Petaled Tints
47	Susan Kennedy	Pink	Zinnia Tones
48	Shannon Chomanczuk	Gray	Autumn Leaf
49	Holly Westfall	Yellow	Sprinkled Tones
50	Patty Gasparino	Red	Color Carton
51	Angela Little	Pink	Singapore Brights
52	Lizzie Zawinski	Green	Budding Hues
53	Kristen Stevens	Pink	Scooped Tones
54	Dawn Doucette	Brown	Jarred Tones

SALE! Oh! And a giveaway too! :)

Well, I was going to start my sale on Small Business Saturday... but my husband talked me into starting it early. Woohoo!  Lucky you all!  :)  I will be at a craft show from nine-ish to four-ish today.... but when I get back I will pack up everyone's orders and try to get them out on Saturday (Monday at the latest, swear it!).  So... get on with the sale, you say?  Ok!  I have three, THREE codes for my shop... one for my Twitter buddies... one for you lovely bloggers... and one for my fabulous Facebook like-ers.  And if you are all three... well, you will get all three codes.  They are all different, for different amounts, and for different types of items :)

My most popular item is my wrap bracelets... so for you fantastic bloggers... you get 15% off of any wrap bracelet in my shop, using the code: WRAP15

Now... not only are you getting fifteen percent off, but I always ship free in the US and every item comes to you (or can be shipped to someone else) in a lovely organza bag.  And I'd be more than happy to include a nice note if it's being sent as a gift!  So what can you get with this code?  Here are some examples...

and...

or how about...

Oh but I'm not done yet!  LOL.  I'm doing two giveaways as well!  One on FB and one here! To be entered into the giveaway on here is easy, three quick steps!

1)  Like me on FB and/or Twitter  (I won't lie, I'd love it if you did both *wink*)

2)  Share this blog post on FB and/or Twitter (see above *grin*)

3)  Leave a comment telling me you did!  Easy peasy!  And what do you get if you do?

These lovelies... I'm calling them "Gypsy Snowflakes" and I <3 them!

I'll use the happy random number generator on Sunday to draw a winner.  My sale and the drawing are open through Saturday night :)

Thank you all of you for your support!  You guys rock!

~Jenn

A Quick Moment for Thanksgiving...

The pic I submitted for JLynn's Photo Challenge

And I mean that in the way it should be used... for giving of thanks :)  I saw a lot of people were putting up posts about what they are thankful for... and realized I wanted to do the same.  Here are just a few of the things I am giving thanks for this year:

~My wonderful husband of almost seven years... he still tells me I'm beautiful even when I'm a mess.  For going to school and working hard so that we can have a better life.  For giving my children a father they can look up to and be proud of.  And for his loving us all so much.

~My beautiful, brilliant, absolutely amazing children... for loving me even though I'm not supermom.  For giving me hugs and kisses when I need them and even when I don't.  For making my heart melt each time they tell me they love me and for reminding me how beautiful the world is.

~For my best friend, Marjorie, for being the amazingly warm and wonderful person she is.  For her patience, for her ability to make me smile and laugh, for her inspiration, for her time, for her ability to keep me going even when I feel I'm going to fall.

~For my other best friend, Charissa, for sharing a love of coffee, crazy kids, sarcasm, 80s teen flicks, certain book series... and for letting me turn you into a girl who likes fashion and make up.  HA!

~For my brothers, my parents, my uncle... my grandparents...  thank you for being there.  Thank you for loving me and supporting me and helping me become who I am.

~For all of my incredible online friends... meeting all of you has been an honour.  Thank you for being a part of my life, for inspiring me, for being the little beacons of light in my days :)  You are all amazing!

~For the ability to create I thank God. I don't know how I could survive without it.

~For music... of all kinds.

~For coffee... without which I couldn't survive daily life ;).

~For rainstorms.

~For the ocean, which I miss on a daily basis, but which I can see and hear whenever I close my eyes.

and... so many other things.  But it's been more than a quick moment, time to get back to daily life!
OH! Before I forget!  I'm going to be having a sale in my shop on Small Business Saturday (this Saturday).  My shop will be "offline-ish" on Friday because I'll be at a show.  But everything that doesn't sell will be available on Saturday.  I will have three sale codes available... one for my bloggers, one for my FB like-ers, and one for my Twitter-ers.  So keep your eyes peeled!  I will also have a couple of giveaways!!

Happy Thanksgiving, loves, may your holiday be full of joy!
~Jennifer

https://www.facebook.com/SoulsFireDesigns
http://twitter.com/#!/SoulsFireDesign
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SoulsFireDesigns

How did it go?

I've heard that question a lot in the last week and I always have to think about it.  I suppose it all depends on how you look at it.  There were plenty of people passing through the cafe/cultural center.  Everyone's displays looked fantastic!  And I met the nicest people, the other vendors were all absolutely wonderful and I also met many other people who stopped by my table and looked around that were just so friendly :).  All in all I think it was a good chance to get out and meet people and try out my new displays.  I'm pretty proud of my displays, I think they turned out really well.  My husband somehow in the midst of his law school insanity managed to drop by the hardware store and create stands for my wrap bracelets.  I knew exactly what I wanted and he managed to find it!  All in all the stands took him like ten minutes to make once he had the wooden pieces lol, but they are perfect!

Here are the not so great pics I took with my ipod:

I want to cover the cork with fabric but ran out of time, I'm hoping to have that done before the next one... though it's in a week so we'll see :).   I received quite a few compliments on everything and it was so nice!  Everyone seemed to love being able to touch everything and I had one woman say she came hoping I'd be there so she could see my work in person!  That was an amazing feeling!  People weren't much in a buying mood, but it was so nice to talk to people and be around other vendors.  And the coffee smell was just soooo wonderful!  LOL.  Here are a few of the things I've been working on, some are in the shop and some aren't quite yet.  If you see something you love and it isn't listed yet, feel free to send me a message!

That last pair are my favorite... I'm calling them Wind and Fire... the way the boros swirl with the blue and then the bits of fiery oranges and coppers and reds.. LOVE!  :)  Let me know what you think!  Hope you all had a great week and have a wonderful weekend!

~Jennifer