Something Sublime

Moo Card Holder

"Spiritus Secretus"

Remember this teaser post?  I thought I would show you the whole piece.  My friend Lelainia had a terrific idea for a project and she asked me to make a piece of jewelry incorporating Moo cards.  Um...yeah.

A lot of you are probably familiar with Moo cards.  If not, here are a few of mine.  Moo cards are wonderful, mini cards that you can order through Flickr using your own Flickr images.  They're a great way to share your artwork and contact information and they're fun to trade and collect.  So, a piece of jewelry incorporating Moo cards?  What to do...  I thought this was a bit of a challenge but an idea popped into my head almost immediately.

I gathered quite a few of these little cards at the last art retreat I attended and I started thinking it would be fun to have a handy place to keep my cards so I wouldn't have to dig through my bag for them the next time.  What better than to have them right around my neck?  I used vintage brass to form a little holder and the cards are secured with an elastic cord for easy access.  The cards can easily be taken in and out and the facing card switched at will.  The facing card I used here is from a collage I did using a photo of my great grandmother.

I added some interesting trinkets and twists...some stones and resin...

...and finished it off with some fabulous fibers.  Mission accomplished.  Look for this piece, and ideas from Lelainia, and other artists, for using Moo cards, in the upcoming July/August issue of Somerset Studio magazine.  Thank you Lelainia for an inspired project!

Something Sweet

artwork by Diana Frey

Oh...I got something sweet in my mailbox today!  My generous and talented friend Diana Frey sent me a little surprise.  When I opened the box, this beautiful card was the first thing that graced my eyes.  Isn't it gorgeous?  Diana used a print of one of her original collages, then gussied it up with paint, glitter and strips of silk and tulle.  Diana makes beautiful things.

The next thing in the box was this gorgeous, sterling angel from France.  Where does Diana find such treasures?

Then, wrapped in sage green, handmade paper and tied with more silk strips, was this incredible antique, religious book.  I'm not sure what type book it is.  It doesn't seem to be a Bible but it's a definitely a Christian book.  The antique illustrations inside are wonderful!

This is the spine.  Maybe one of you can tell me what this says and what language it's printed in.

The covers are leather and beautifully embossed and have a lovely, little, metal clasp.  Wouldn't that clasp look great in a piece of jewelry?  Of course, it will have to stay right where it is.  This little volume will go directly into my growing collection of antique Bibles and religious books.  Thank you so much Diana!

Spring Zing Jewelry Contest

If you're looking for something fun to participate in, Connie Fox is hosting a Spring Zing Jewelry contest on her Jaytu website.  Connie's calling for jewelry submissions using mixed metals in any style or combination.  The deadline is is June 15th and, the best part...she's giving away Jaytu gift certificates to the winners!  Your entry will be displayed in Connie's virtual gallery.  There are some beautiful pieces posted there already...go take a look!

MacroDay-Laundry

"Laundry Day 1"

I worked up a bit of nerve and decided to participate in the fun that's going on over at MacroDay.  I discovered it through Lola's wonderful blog Sacred Curiosities.  So, here is my very first entry for the challenge "Laundry".  This button gets pushed about a million times a day...it's the "on" button for my washer.  Of course, the mini men thought I was crazy taking photos in the laundry room...of laundry stuff.  Weird mom.

"Laundry Day 2"

At MacroDay, it's all about the close up and personal world of macro...of course!  They've done quite a few previous challenges and there are some terrific shots there. Make sure you take a look!

"Laundry Day 3"

Since I'm in love with my macro lens, I thought the challenge would be fun.  I'm just hoping I don't embarrass myself with my amateurish attempts!

 

Decoration Day

Memorial Day salute (photo courtesy of History.com)

Did you know that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day?  In 1868, Decoration Day was designated as a day to decorate the graves of those fallen in defense of our great country during the American Civil war.  Eventually, this became a day to honor all of our fallen military.  In 1971, Congress officially declared Memorial Day a national holiday.

Decoration Day 1889 (photo courtesy of History.com)

During the civil war, from 1861-1865, 258,000 soldiers were killed and over 137,000 wounded...and that was just on the Confederate side!  The Union lost 359,500 with another 275,200 wounded.  These numbers are astounding to me, especially compared to the statistics of modern day warfare.  Each and every one of these warriors a blessing to our country.

Mourning 1940 (photo courtesy of History.com)

292,000 military heroes were killed in battle during World War II with another 114,000 other deaths sustained by US forces and a whopping 671,000 wounded.  History.com has some great WWII photos and facts on their "Did You Know" page.  Through our history, many others have given their lives to protect our freedoms as well.

Burial at sea 1944 (photo courtesy of History.com)

I'm willing to bet that many of us, in America, are privileged to have war heroes in our family histories.  On this Memorial day weekend, my hope is that we remember those who built this great country on the foundation of their blood and sacrifice and that we honor their memory and never, never take that sacrifice for granted.  Have a blessed holiday!

  Eulogy for a Veteran
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the Gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the mornings hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.
--Author Unknown

And The Randomly Chosen Integer Is...

Number 86 is the comment chosen totally randomly for us according to the handy integer generator at Random.org.

Will the lovely Carol McFee please contact me with your mailing info and I'll get these earrings out to you right away?  Thank you all for the inspiring comments. I can't get over how kind you all are!  It's been incredibly encouraging for me to know you're out there and blogging is so much more fun when I hear from you!

Reader Appreciation

"Valerie"

Thank you to all of you who are leaving comments to my May 19th post, "A Little Thank You".  I came up with a gift that I hope will inspire my readers to leave a few more comments.  These are all sterling with brass bead caps over beautiful, faceted moonstone briolettes. 

I named them Valerie after my brother's first girlfriend.  Even though it was years ago, I still remember very well what a pretty and stylish girl she was!

If you read my May 19th post, you'll  know I'm offering a reader appreciation gift to you, my faithful readers.  I'm blessed that you're interested enough to come back and check on me regularly...even if I'm doing something weird like backpacking on the Lone Star Trail.  (Oh yes, I finally made it onto the Lone Star Trail over spring break.  I guess I forgot to show you all the photos...but, believe me, it was easy and fun!)  In any case, leave me a comment on the May 19th post (A Little Thank You) and, come Saturday, I'll draw one name using that fabulous random integer generator thingy and let you know who gets these earrings...my "thank you" to you. 

Artsmiths Challenge-One Word

"Faithful"

My "smithie" friends and I are participating in our first Artsmiths challenge.  Oh...you haven't seen the Artsmiths site yet?  Now's a good time to take a look!  We're basically a group of artists who got together for networking purposes (doesn't that sound professional?!).  That's just a fancy way of saying we support each other in our various creative goals and endeavors.  We also encourage each other, and share important, artsy ideas...and we have fun.  One of the fun things we're doing right now is our first challenge:  "choose one word to describe yourself then create artwork for your word and post it to the blog"  Most of our smiths participated and the artwork is great...go take a look and leave comments...we love feedback!  You'll find all the yummy artwork and lots of insight by the artists posted to our Artsmiths blog right this very minute.  Guess what my word was...

Make sure you scroll down and read my "thank you".

A Little Thank You

Now appearing in the May/June issue of Belle Armoire:

"Prayers of Jude"

A special "thank you" to those of you at Stampington who keep liking what I do!

"Prayers of Jude" detail

This has been an incredible year for me so far.  I have been so blessed in the fact that many of my pieces of jewelry and collage, have been in various publications.

"Enfant Jesus" detail

My etsy...The Little Shop That Could...has done better than I ever expected (even though it stands empty for now--check back in July). 

"Enfant Jesus"

Next month, I have a wonderful opportunity to teach with one of my favorite peeps (hey, if the mini-men can say it...),  DJ Pettitt.  I've heard from some of our students already and this is going to be a fabulous class!

"Now"

So many great things.  Did I forget to mention?...my blog.  I've babied it, tweaked it, and re-decorated it when I could have been doing the laundry or clipping the dog's nails.  How I love my blog.  And, my readers...!  I don't know who most of you all are but I know you're out there.  You're faithful and long-suffering and and I'm, oh, so grateful that you keep coming back.

So, for you faithful readers (also, the not-so faithful and even the brand spanking new),  if you're still with me here, I have a thank you gift for one of you.  Leave a comment on this post, and at the end of the week I'll draw one winning name.  This will give me a chance to use that nifty random integer generator again.  I'm not posting a photo of the prize because I haven't decided on it just yet.  I'm thinking...maybe...a pair of earrings.  Or...?   

Belle Armoire Jewelry Summer 2008 - A Preview

Just look at this beautiful cover!  Stampington's latest issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry is here and I think this is the best issue ever.  The cover is gorgeous, the cover project is incredible, and the photography and jewelry is terrific.  Most of the pieces are stepped-out so you can try your hand at them.

 

See what I mean about the photography?  If you're interested in learning how to make proper ear wires, check out my step by step instructions.  You can also find the tutorial here on my blog but then you would miss all the other great projects in this issue.  Here are a few that caught my eye (in no particular order):

Kelly Snelling, Ruth Rae and Deborah Edwards teamed up to create some beautiful collaborative pieces.  The crochet makes this necklace really unique.

Ruth also has a terrific wire ring project.  These are funky and so much fun to make.  Ruth is super talented...I admire everything she does!

I did a similar one years ago in a class I took from one of my favorite teachers Sharilyn Miller.  My ring turned out perfectly except that the stone I chose was a tad too big and the thing is like a boulder on my hand.  Try this fun project but beware of the boulder!

Christi Anderson has an article in this issue describing her process for making these incredible pendants.  I fell in love with her intricate designs right away.  Browse her site and you'll see what I mean.

Cindy Dean's sweet gemstone flowers have a well-deserved spot in this magazine....

...as does Diana Frey's "Sleeping Beauty" necklace.  This is such a charming design and Diana's talent really shines through her projects.

Another great article features Jill Rockwell's beautiful bracelets.  Love the design of these!  There are so many great pieces in this issue of BAJ...too many to list here but this little preview should pique your interest.  So, go...get it...create!  And, for next time...

Are You Inspired by Graffiti?

 

I know there's a big controversy raging over graffiti.  Some folks think its art and any surface is fair game.  Others believe it's destruction of personal property.  As an artist, I'm torn.  I guess I fall somewhere between.  While I've seen some beautiful graffiti that absolutely qualifies as artwork, I've also seen graffiti that is defacing and destructive and believe people have a right to keep their own property "art" free.  I zoomed past Abe a few times in my car before I remembered to bring my camera along and snap a few photos of him.  In my eyes, this particular graffiti is inspiring artwork.  Besides, Lincoln is my favorite president so this one gets extra points.  It looks to me like he was done with a stencil or two.   Here he is in context:

Abe resides at the base of a large light pole in a local parking lot.  He doesn't seem to be bothering or defacing anything but who knows how long he'll be here.  I look for him every time I drive by.

I shot the rest of these in Seattle near the marketplace.  I love this one and the next.  Graffiti and posters covered the walls of several alleyways near The Great Wall of Gum...

Yeah...that's a lotta chewed gum.

Isn't this one great?  This looked to me like something that would take some time to create...at least for me!  Notice the texture remaining in the background from a bazillion (this word is actually in the dictionary now!) posters being put up and torn down.

This is one of my favorites too, because of the artsy faces; especially the "doll" at the bottom.

This was on an electical box and is mostly words but the mean monkey is intriguing.  So...are you inspired by graffiti or is it an "art crime?"  If you're in the art crime camp, take a look at this reverse graffiti.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

In Addition:  After commenting to this post, artist Carol McFee sent me a link to her son Jason's artwork site.  Take a look at some of his incredible graffiti here.  Thank you Carol and thank you to my commenters...this is a great discussion so far!

Creative Therapy

"Asleep"

Anyone need a little creative therapy?  A few weeks ago, I was asked by the lovely Karenika to be a guest designer for one of the catalysts at Creative Therapy.  Creative Therapy is a site belonging to a group of talented art friends who choose a weekly topic to act as a catalyst in creating a piece of therapeutic artwork...any medium.  It's not a competition or challenge but more of a personal, art exercise.  This week's catalyst was "something you're pessimistic about".  You can read my thoughts about my piece "Asleep" and see some of the responses to this week's catalyst at  Creative Therapy.  Visitors are welcome and anyone can join in;  just leave a comment with a link to your work.  Cafe Prima will be providing a gift for a randomly chosen participant.  Hey, therapy can be fun!

The New Girls

"Sophie"

Between larger pieces, I've been working on building up my stock of earrings.  I've been having fun with filigree brass findings.  This pair is sterling, brass, freshwater pearls, vintage crystal rondelles and those gorgeous carved buri seed beads I found at the last bead show.

"Zoe"

More brass, sterling and azurite malachite drops.  I love the way the stones "hide" under the brass pieces, just peeking out.

"Becca"

These are sterling, brass and beautiful smoky quartz onion briolettes.  The stones swing and sparkle from beneath their caps.  It's like a little surprise under there!

"Pompeii-Rods and Bars Grey"

And another pair of my Pompeii inspired earrings.  This is definitely one of my favorite designs.  Which reminds me...

My sweet friend Pilar left a comment on my Eruptions and Aliens post about Pompeii dog.  When I visited MFAH last weekend to see the Pompeii exhibit they had a cast of this dog who had been caught in the eruption of Vesuvius.  It was sad but fascinating.  The Roman people often kept guard dogs as a way of protecting their property.  This one was tethered outside the entrance to a home.  The family had fled the coming eruption.  I'm sure they thought they would be returning as there had been volcanic activity and earthquakes in this region for many years.  Evidently, this dog avoided death for at first by jumping up and down onto some sort of nearby box or platform of some sort but he finally succumbed to the eruption and was covered with ash like everyone else.

Casts of the Pompeii figures were made by injecting casting material into the hollow forms left behind from people and animals caught in the blast.  At the time of the eruption, the bodies were covered with ash and volcanic material which hardened.  Years later, when the actual bodies were gone, what remained were hollows in the shapes of those who had been buried.  Many of the casts are very detailed.  In this cast, you could even see the dog's teeth!  The Field Museum of Chicago site also has some interesting information about the eruption and exhibit.

Exhibition 36

by Susan Tuttle

Brand new and hot off the presses...well, not exactly off the presses yet!  "Exhibition 36-A Gallery of Mixed-Media Inspiration" by Susan Tuttle is set for release this coming December.  I'm very honored to have artwork published in this book and can hardly wait to see.  December seems like a very long wait!  You gotta love Amazon though...the book is already available for pre-order.  It's going to be a must-have.  Susan has compiled artwork from 36 different artists, creating a virtual art gallery tour.  The thing I love the most about this book is that the reader gets a chance to peek inside 36 artistic, creative brains to see what inspires them and makes them tick.  And, for more inspiration, collage sheets are included to get you on your way to creating your own works of art.  Congratulations Susan!

The Secret Source of Steel Wire

Inquiring minds want to know...so, I've decided to divulge one of my deepest, darkest jewelry making secrets:  where to get steel wire.  It's really not a secret at all but you may be having a hard time finding it at your local craft store.  That's because most craft and bead stores don't carry it!  I'm very fond of using dark (or black) annealed steel wire in many of my jewelry designs.

That's what you're looking for if you want to use this type of wire--dark annealed steel wire.  Don't get the galvanized or the stainless steel...they don't have the same look.

The smaller gauges typically come in small packages of 50 foot rolls.  I work most commonly with the 28 gauge, 24 gauge and the 20 gauge (the 19 gauge will work but I like the 20).  Occasionally, I use a larger gauge like the 18 gauge, depending on what I'm making.  In case you're thinking "but Deryn, 18 is smaller than 28!"  Not so in the world of wire.  Remember, the smaller the gauge number, the larger the diameter of the wire.

The larger gauges come on spools like this one.  For some reason, this wire can be hard to find, unless your ordering it for industrial use, so I'm providing you with these links which can be found on the Ace Hardware Out