Soul's Fire Designs: 2012

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Tis the Season...

What does this time of year mean for you? Truly? What are your favorite things? Do you take time to savor little moments? Or do you get caught up in the rush? What do you celebrate?

This time of year has always been my absolute favorite. I love the lights, the Christmas tree, the carols, the baking... but most of all I love those little moments where you can feel the spirit of... goodness. The cheer. It is there, if you look for it. And it is even more there if you give it as well as receive it. Example: Trip to the store to pick up last minute Christmas presents for family members you forgot... you are feeling harried and perhaps a little cranky... you see a mom with a screaming child... there are many ways to react, of course, but in the spirit of the season (or for goodwill anytime) a warm encouraging smile at the mom can both make her feel better... and you as well :). It's funny how when you are having a rough day the smile of a stranger can brighten it drastically. Or perhaps a kind word, holding a door open for someone, helping someone elderly (or not so elderly) carry things to their car. Leave a generous tip for an exhausted server at a restaurant or a barista at a coffee shop. Call someone you haven't spoken to in a long time, email them, write a card, postcard, note... this time of year can be so full of joy if we let it, but even more so if we help it.

I have been sending out a lot of little gifts this season, to new friends and old. Handmade, of course, ;). It feels wonderful. I love to write notes and make people smile, don't you? I have a lot more work to do, I had so many plans for my shop... but things have gotten behind with the entire family catching illnesses over and over lol. Not major illnesses, but the type to induce a great deal of whining among the wee ones. I was tempted to be disappointed in myself and then I realized... this means that I have spent more time with my little ones. And that is a good thing. I've decided to hold what is very likely my last sale of the year in the shop, you can use the coupon code: MERRY for 20% off your order.

Merry Christmas, everyone. I will likely put up another post before then... but just in case, I had to say it. Sending you all warm thoughts and wishes for a wonderful holiday season and beautiful new year <3 Leaving you with a collage of some of my latest works.

Love, Jennifer

Friday, November 30, 2012

3rd Annual Challenge of Color

Welcome, welcome to my wee little corner for this 3rd Annual Challenge of Color hosted by Erin Prais-Hintz and Brandi Hussey! I have a very difficult time resisting Erin's challenges, they are always so wonderful and inspiring! I was completely fascinated by the inspiration for this year's color challenge, here's what Erin said in her email to we participants with our palettes:

"Miss Brandi selected 40 of the more than 120 NASA Earth As Art photographs for our color palettes. Each palette has six colors selected from the unique topographical images."

If you haven't checked out these photographs before, which I know I hadn't, I highly recommend taking a peek, they are incredible! Here is the palette I chose from the two Erin presented me with:

You can view it the photo also here: http://www.skyimagelab.com/ghadamis-river.html

Isn't the palette Brandi created gorgeous?? I fell in love. I stared at this palette for a very, very long time. I started pulling beads in the right colors from my stash and set them in a tray to stare at too lol. Finally I got to work and this is what I came up with:

I had big dreams of creating even MORE pretty pieces, but only got so far as making a pair of bangles:

I rather like them though!

Now, I wasn't sure exactly where the Ghadmis River was, so I decided to investigate a little. According to the pic itself it is in the Tinrhert Hamada Mountains near Ghadamis, Libya. The Tinrhert Hamada Mountains are between Libya and Algeria. Here are a couple of links that I found interesting about that general area :)

http://atlasobscura.com/place/ghadames-oasis

http://travelingluck.com/Africa/Algeria/Algeria+(general)/_2476132_Hamada+de+Tinrhert.html

Thank you SO much to Erin and Brandi both for hosting, I had a wonderful time! I hope you have enjoyed my little corner, now on to the other amazing color palettes (and pictures!):

Erin Prais-Hintz   http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-reveal.html
Rebecca Anderson   http://songbeads.blogspot.com
Kris Auderer   http://strandedinthecity.wordpress.com
Chrizette Bayman   http://beadsoupmix.blogspot.com
Lori Bowring Michaud   http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com
Courtney Breul   http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com/
Lynsey Brooks   http://yellowunicorncreations.blogspot.co.uk
Stephanie Buss   http://maxandlucie.blogspot.com
Iveth Caruso   http://www.creativeatelier.net/
Shannon Chomanczuk   http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com
Lisa Cone   http://inspiredadornments.blogspot.com/
Cece Cormier   http://thebeadingyogini.com
Lori Dorrington   http://lorisglassworks.blogspot.com
Dawn Doucette   http://designsbydawnmarie.blogspot.com
Jeannie Dukic   http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog/
Kim Dworak   http://cianciblue.blogspot.com/
Beth Emery   http://storiesbyindigoheart.blogspot.com
Janice Everett   http://JLynnJewels.blogspot.com
Pam Farren   http://www.re-maker.blogspot.com
Donetta Farrington   http://simplygorgeous-donetta.blogspot.com
Gloria Ferrer   http://judetaama.blogspot.com.es/
Cherrie Fick   http://designsinthelight.co
Therese Frank   http://www.theresestreasures59.blogspot.com
Patty Gasparino   http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com
Tanya Goodwin    http://pixiloo.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html
Ambra Gostoli   http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/3rd-challenge-of-color
Jess Green   http://tabbiekoshka.blogspot.co.uk/
Denielle Hagerman   http://somebeadsandotherthings.com
Mary Harding   www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com
Karla Hartzog   http://www.karlakrafts.com
Kim Hora   http://www.kimmykats.com
Brandi Hussey   http://brandigirlblog.com
Emanda Johnson   http://ArtemisiaStudio.blogspot.com
Jennifer Justman   http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/ <<<---You are here!
Sue Kennedy   http://suebeads.blogspot.com
Ema Kilroy   http://emakaye.blogspot.com
Lee Koopman   http://Stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Linda Landig   http://www.LindasBeadBlog.com
Kirsi Luostarinen   http://kirsiluokorut.blogspot.com
Cynthia Machata   http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/
Alicia Marinache   http://www.allprettythings.ca
Beth McCord   http://www.ebbeadandmetalworks.blogspot.com
Mary K McGraw   http://mkaymac.blogspot.com/
Karen Mitchell   http://www.overthemoon-design.com
Cheri Mitchell-Reed   http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Aimee Moisa   http://threecatsdancing.blogspot.com
Karla Morgan   http://www.texaspepperjams.blogspot.com
Penny Neville   http://copperpennydesigns.blogspot.com
Becky Pancake   http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com
Kashmira Patel   http://sadafulee.blogspot.com
Alice Peterson   http://alice-dreaming.blogspot.com
Kayla Potega   http://www.teejewelry.blogspot.com
Debbie Price   http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk
Bobbie Rafferty   http://beadsong.blogspot.com
Caron Reid   http://caronmichelle.blogspot.com.au/
Nicole Rennell   http://nicolerennell.com/blog
Cynthia Riggs   http://cynthsblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html
Andrea Ross   http://silvermapledesigns.blogspot.com/
Sally Russick   http://thestudiosublime.com
Annie Scherz   http://www.studioluma.ca
Pam Sears   http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Renetha Stanziano   http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com
Sandra Stein   http://sannipanni.wordpress.com
Kristen Stevens   http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com
Tracy Stillman   http://www.tracystillmandesigns.com (had to bow out due to a wrist injury)
Sherri Stokey   http://www.knotjustmacrame.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color-reveal.html
Lola Survillo   http://www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com
Kay Thomerson   http://KayzKreationz.blogspot.com
Jo Tinley   http://daisychaindesignsjewellery.blogspot.com
Emma Todd   http://www.apolymerpenchant.com
Cory Tompkins   http://www.tealwaterdesigns.blogspot.com
Pam Traub   http://www.klassyjoolz.blogspot.com
Melissa Trudinger   http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Michelle Tucker   http://michellescreativemusings.blogspot.com/
Shelley Graham Turner   http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Monique Urquhart   http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/
Rachel Van-Walsk   http://balancedcrafts.com/blog
Patti Vanderbloemen   http://www.myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com
Lesley Watt   http://thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com
Lynn White   http://lynnwhitejewelry.com/Lynn_White_Jewelry/Lynns_Jewelry_Blog/Lynns_Jewelry_Blog.html
Joan Williams   http://www.lilrubyjewelry.com

Thank you so much for stopping by!
~Jennifer

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

My friend, Christine...

Makes the most amazing beads! I love beads... I love lampwork beads... I especially love Christine's little treasures. They are incredible! Each bead is a work of art, so when she asked me if I would like to play with some of her beads... well, what could I say but YES!!! (with many exclamation points, of course, because I am that kind of girl ;) ) She sent me three absolutely beautiful beads, seriously, beautiful.

How pretty is the ribbon on the box? I love pretty packaging :D. And those beads! Oh my goodness, if I tried a million years I would never quite capture how stunning they are in person. Seriously. Amazing. I sort of sat there and stared at these beauties for a few minutes, then started pulling out my favorite findings to play... (Fallen Angel Brass Co. brass, of course... I am a addict, I admit it freely). Sometimes things leap into my mind fully formed, but most often I like to sift through my stash and lay out many different possibilities and... play :). The first piece that came together was one with the amazing center bead above, it has shades of blue, a hint of green, and then the gorgeous white calla lilies on top, here it is:

I chose two lovely leaf connectors, some chain, lapis rounds (I love lapis!), some lovely sari silk, and created a handmade hook clasp to finish it off. I am calling it "Lilies of the Night" (I have a bit of a night obsession, it's the deep blues though... I love the sky at night).

The next piece I created was with the pretty pink tulips on the gorgeous green, seriously, these beads make me swoon-y.

I wanted to do something different, so I took this awesome FAB chandelier floral finding and clipped off two of the rings, filed them, and used it to make a lariat. I cannot decide which necklace I like better... both make me very happy. Christine's beads are covetable... ;) So, you ask, where is the adorable heart bead? I couldn't give you everything at once, now could I? I have a plan for that one, I just haven't been able to sit and create it yet lol. Soon though, hopefully this weekend :D I promise to post the pics as soon as I finish it (and the weather gives me light enough to take pictures lol).

Now... I know you must be asking, where can I get some amazing beads like this for myself?? Lucky for you Christine sells her gorgeous beads on Etsy, so you can pop right on over and get yourself some of your own!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristineHansenGlass

And her totally wicked blog, which you really want to check out, because we are cross posting :)

http://www.intuitivesparks.blogspot.com/

Christine is funny, clever, and just flat out awesome. Her blog is always full of interesting insights, pretty beads (of course...), and even recipes! I am so glad Christine and I have become friends, we have a lot in common (including our favorite colors, eclectic tastes in music, and overuse of exclamation points!!). Love you, Chris, you rock!

Hope you are having a fantastic week, sweet friends!

~Jenn

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Time is a thief...

I don't know where time has gone, I really don't... it just seems to fly faster and faster every day. Autumn is definitely here, the weather is cold and the leaves are falling. My three little ones are getting bigger by the moment it seems. My middle is going to be FIVE in a month, five! I am not quite sure how that happened. I have been desperately trying to make new goodies for the shop and prepare for the Christmas rush, yes, I know... it isn't even Halloween yet! But when it comes to shipping... better to order early than late :) Here are some of the pieces I've been working on (some of which are already up in the shop!

I am hoping to find time to do plenty more, my mind is bursting with ideas... but that time thief keeps interrupting. After all, what would my days be like if I didn't spend that extra few minutes playing blocks or puzzles with my son? Or listening to my girls' tales? Or dancing with them? Time is a thief, sweet friends, things lately have taught me that. Thank you for being here... thank you for reading. I know I've been a bad bad blogger, but I am so grateful for all of you.

Jennifer

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Pay It Forward Chosen...

Well... I waited and waited but only got two (out of three) people who wanted to do my Pay it Forward giveaway (see my last post HERE if you are curious). And those two lovely ladies are:

Christine Hansen of www.intuitivesparks.blogspot.com

and

Jenni of http://jennibead.blogspot.com/

So excited ladies! I'm sorry I'm behind on emailing you, I will try to get to that today!! :)

As for everyone else, as I didn't get the full three for my Pay It Forward, if you go and read my last post (you must read it to learn how to play :) ) and want to throw your name in the hat go ahead and comment on that post (the last post, link HERE). You must have a blog and you must agree to do a like minded giveaway :). I will leave it open for one more week, next Saturday the first person to post after Jenni on that last post will also get a surprise gift sometime in the next 365 days!

In other news... I have been trying to keep making new pieces, but my camera and my computer still don't like each other and it is making me horrendously slow. Hoping to make a few new pieces and get them uploaded and on my Etsy sometime in the next week! In the meantime I am having a big sale in my shop to compensate for the lack of new listings! All you have to do is use the code: CELEBRATE in the coupon code box at checkout in my Etsy shop for 35%! Sale going through Sunday night (and maybe even Monday if I'm feeling extra nice ;) ). Links to my shop over to the right in the sidebar!

Here are three new pieces, two of which I did manage to get up into the shop!

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

~Jennifer

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Pay It Forward: Mid Week Pick Me Up ;)

(Some of the fun goodies I've been working on lately to brighten up this space ;) )

One of my favorite bead-y artists, Pippa Chandler (of Pips Jewellery), put up the most lovely post on Monday, speaking of a wonderful game! I'm sure you've all heard of paying it forward, which I have always thought a good way to live, myself. Doing random acts of kindness and such, knowing that someday... you don't know when... someone may do the same for you when you need it :). So here is the game plan.

I'll send a surprise gift to the first three commenters on this blog post. Something handmade by me, that will be a surprise... and I will send it to said three chosen sometime in the next 365 days :) Surprise gift and it will arrive at a surprise time! How fun is that?

All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address and sometime soon I will email you and ask for your snail mail address and a few questions about your preferences (favorite colors, etc).

In order to complete your sign up, you MUST play along too! You have to post a giveaway very similar to this on your own blog, for the first three commenters. Otherwise it wouldn't keep our lovely bit of paying it forward going :) So what are you waiting for? Get commenting! First three commenters are it! I will announce the lucky three in another post once I have them! :)

Pay it forward, dearhearts, it will make you feel good... and it keeps on going! <3

~Jenn

Saturday, September 15, 2012

And the Winners Are...

*drumroll*

The earrings go to... #7 JLynn Jewels!

And the necklace goes to.... #12 kristibasket!

Yay! Janice and Kristi please email or message me your addresses :) Thanks for playing along guys, I'll do this again when I make 200 sales :) And in case anyone is wondering, the sale is up through the weekend :) 35% off anything in my shop using the code: CELEBRATION in the coupon code box at checkout! Thank you so much for being here, I am grateful for each and every one of you!

~Jennifer

Monday, September 10, 2012

A Celebration, A Sale, and a Giveaway!

Hello sweet friends! How was your Monday? Mine was busy! Still settling into the eldest being in first grade :) We'll get there! Meanwhile... last Thursday I hit 100 sales in my Etsy shop! I am so very excited, and so grateful to all of you for your amazing support! Now it's time for a big sale and a giveaway (or two or three...). First up, if you head on over to my shop I am offering 35% off on everything in the shop, excluding only special orders, using the coupon code: CELEBRATION in the coupon code box at checkout! I have two new bracelets and a new necklace up that you might just want to take a peek at.. ;)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SoulsFireDesigns

Now, onto the giveaway... I will be giving away this pair of pretty earrings to one of you lucky readers... all you have to do is share this post on FB, Twitter, on your blog, wherever you like! Come back here and post a comment with a link to where you posted it and voila! You are entered :)

No... I don't think one winner will be enough... ok! Next winner will win...

And I may just have one more thing to give away later this week... the drawing for the two winners of the above necklace and earrings will be on Friday! If you share more than one place leave me a comment for each share for more entries :) Thank you all, you are the best!

~Jenn

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Celebrating Five Special Ladies

I am fortunate to be one of the people invited to join FB's Creative Bead Chat group and through it have gotten to better know five ladies whose work I had already greatly admired. Today we are celebrating these ladies' hard work in giving us a fun place to play, to make new friends, and to get fantastic advice from others who understand our (bead-y) addiction ;). Here are the five ladies names, examples of their gorgeous work, and links to their shops, please check them out! They are all amazing!

Marla James:www.etsy.com/shop/marlasmud

Melinda Orr:http://www.etsy.com/shop/orrtec

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

Marla Gibson:http://spiceboxdesigns.blogspot.com/

Keirsten Giles:http://lunedesigns.etsy.com/

Thank you so much for stopping in :) I have FINALLY started putting new things up in the shop after a computer disaster rendered it nigh impossible to do. I will have a post up in the next couple of days showing off, in the meantime the newest pieces are up in my Flickr photostream for your viewing pleasure ;)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soulsfiredesigns/

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend so far, sweet friends! <3 OH! Before I forget... I hit 100 sales in my shop! WOOHOO! And will be having a wee celebration SOON with a giveaway or a sale... or both... hmm... so keep your eyes peeled! <3

Friday, August 31, 2012

Challenge of Travel: Romania

I do not know why, but I have always imagined Romania as being an incredibly mysterious and completely fascinating place. It is a country with a long and sadly often war-wracked history, but despite its difficulties it is a country full of natural and cultural beauty.

To read a quick overview of Romania's history, you can go here:
http://www.facts-about.org.uk/history-and-events-timeline-romania.htm

Now to get a quick visual of some of the beauty Romania has to offer, courtesy of Flickr and their respective owners:

and this collage is just amazing!

As I looked around at all of the beauty in this country, I felt a little overwhelmed... what could I create as my tribute to such an incredible place? I decided to use the almighty Google and try to discover if Romania had some secret jewelry techniques I could pick up on, or some commonly used motifs... anything. What I finally found, that sent my mind working, was something that is sometimes called "Romanian macrame", but is more commonly known as Romanian point lace :). Here is an example (not my own):

I was reading this lovely blog I found (http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/) while looking up this type of lace making. As I read, I realized that the base of this, was a crocheted cording (which, fortunately, the lovely Sunshine included a tutorial on her blog). Now, I warn you, I learned to do a very basic crochet about a million years ago. My mom taught me how to make granny squares, a knowledge which I had since forgotten. But, this being a challenge, I decided to truly challenge myself. I wanted to make a wrap bracelet, using this fabulous method of crochet. This required much patience on my part, which is one of the reason I didn't stick with it in the first place I think lol. From her video and notes I was able to get started though! I started out practicing trying to use waxed Irish linen thread, which turned out beautifully, but was so difficult to use for me. My hands ended up very sore after.

I ended up doing three little crochet wrap bracelets in the colors of the Romanian flag (blue, yellow, and red), they can be worn together or separate. As aforementioned, my skills in crochet are a bit erm, lacking. I got better as I went on, the first bracelet (red) has the most "wobbly-ness" and the last (yellow) has the least lol. All in all, even with my goofs, I am very proud of these. It took me quite a while to make these, but it felt wonderful when I finished each one :). The yellow one's clasp attaches to this absolutely gorgeous bit of filigree work from Fallen Angel Brass that reminded me of the ornate lace designs and embroidery you will find in Romania's cultural dress. Without further ado... my Romanian pride trio:

And if any of you are interested in learning, here is the link to Sunshine's wonderful tutorial :)
http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2008/07/romanian-lace-tutorial-video.html

My little girls (6 and 4) love these bracelets and are begging for them in pink and light blue, I might just do them!

Other fun links to check out:

One of the ladies in their history I found fascinating:
http://lostinthemythsofhistory.blogspot.com/2011/10/princess-elisabeta-of-romania.html

Postcards of the Romanian royal family (historical), these are amazing!
http://postcardscollection.wordpress.com/tag/royal-family/

Romanian Culture in 101 Photos:
http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/romania/ss/romaniaculture.htm

And my personal favorite... Romanian fairy tales!
http://top-topics.thefullwiki.org/Romanian_fairy_tales

I hope you enjoyed this whirlwind taste of Romania with me :) Thank you SO much to Erin for hosting this wonderful wonderful challenge! Now onto other countries you go! I tried to copy and paste the list but my blog decided not to cooperate, so here is a link to Erin's blog where you can find the list!

http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/

Happy Travels! :)

~Jenn

Friday, August 24, 2012

Bead Soup 6: The Third Reveal!

I am posting a tiny bit early in order to attempt to catch the midnight East Coast deadline :) Here we go!

My wonderful partner for this last reveal was the lovely Cynthia Riggs, you can view her blog and her soup post here: http://cynthsblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/bead-soup-is-served-hope-youre-hungry.html

Cynthia sent me the most wonderful soup and I have both loved working with it and getting to know her. She is such a kind and lovely person, I am so fortunate :) Here is the link to my original post with my soup:
http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-soup-has-arrived.html

And here is my first piece that I created!

Gypsy Soul Necklace

This piece has the gorgeous enameled filigree flower Cynthia made for me and the clasp she included, along with some of the lovely green czech tear drops and sari silk she sent. I added large sky blue glass seed beads and a little Vintaj chain. I love how cheerful this necklace is, I think it is fun and has a bohemian flavor ;).

Next up...

Wander this World Earrings

These earrings feature a pair of blue czech glass beads in a really fun shape Cynthia sent, along with some of the red vintage czech glass and the pair of sweet keys she enameled in blue. I used Patina Queen's wire to form the ear wires and Vintaj large brass rings. These are really long and make gorgeous music as they sway, perfect for wandering the world...

And last but not least...

Wisdom of the Forest Bracelet

This bracelet features the beautiful green czech glass Cynthia sent, I paired it with a sweet owl charm from Patina Queen, dark green agate, and a cute little czech maple leaf. It is all hand knotted on Irish waxed linen thread from White Clover Kiln on Etsy.

I really enjoyed my soup this time as always. Thank you so much, Cynthia, for being an awesome partner. Thank you, Lori, for being such an incredibly dedicated hostess :) Now... on to the rest of the party!