Something Sublime

A Shower of Roses

"A Shower of Roses"

Happy birthday dear Jen...happy birthday dear Jen...  I hope you love your bracelet...  happy birthday dear Jen!

My friend Cindy ordered this pretty, girlie concoction for another friend,  Jen.  Just look at this yummy focal bead.  It's by a talented lady named Lynn Davis.

I have a whole flock of Lynn's incredible lovebirds that I can't wait to use!

The name of this bracelet came from this vintage St. Teresa medal.  The back of the medal is inscribed with this:  "After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses." 

St. Theresa is known as "the saint of the little ways" because she believed in doing the small things in life well and with great love:  "Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love."

 

I added a few "roses" using vintage brass rose bead caps with little pink pearls inside.  I had a lot of fun making this charm bracelet as I pretty much had free reign over the design and materials.  The only stipulations were "make it girlie, shabby chic, soft colors and Christian"...a good assignment for me!

Surfing Gustav

Uh-oh...looks like we might have another opportunity for that ever-entertaining activity of  "sheltering in place" once again here in Houston.  I'm really hoping we don't have to find out what a cat 4 hurricane looks like...we don't have enough plywood...

...and traffic is really nasty during an evacuation.  Yikes.  So, I guess I'll duck and cover...do a little blog surfing instead.

Have you seen what's going on over at Seth Apter's blog  The Altered Page?  Seth's been working on an ongoing project called "The Pulse."  His goal, in his own words,  is to make this "a project designed to bring together the online artistic community, introduce you to new artists, and help you get to know some familiar ones better."  What a great idea...eh?  But then, we've grown to expect that from Seth.  There's always something fresh happening on his blog!

Seth has also been featured recently in Stampington's terrific publication "Artful Blogging."  Check into it!

I wanted to mention Allegra Smith's blog "Beading Stars."  She's got a great project going on there involving her company, Lulan Artisians, that you might want to see.  She's also got a terrific post about the following legend.  You may have heard it before.  You can read her comments about the story by clicking here.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson was quiet for a moment and then asked his grandfather, " If I have the wolves inside me as well, which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Jewelry Challenge-Project 9

"The True Audacity of Hope"

Project 9 by Deryn Mentock

Yes...I'm skipping project 8 and posting project 9 of my summer jewelry challenge.  Don't worry!  Project 8 is finished but it just seemed  like a good time to post this one instead. 

Project 9  is the "Dimensional Necklace" from Mary Hettmansperger's book "Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet".  Mary uses an old, sharpened screwdriver to punch holes in her metal pieces but, so far, I haven't been able to sneak a screwdriver away from Wife Whisperer.  So, I used a metal hole punch to make the round hole in the bottom of my piece.  I added the word "truth" and covered it with a bit of mica.  See those cool, blue, raku beads?  Well...they're actually faux raku.  I made them quite a long time ago following the directions in one of my magazines.  Guess what the "raku finish" is....ultra thick embossing powder.  How cool is that?

You may not be able to see this well in the photo but, the top of the metal piece is folded over to the back then riveted on with one of these:

I picked up a baggie full of  ancient, old upholstery nails when I attended Camp T.  Some of them, like the one I used here, are shaped like little flowers.

I added a beautiful, vintage, Italian cross to this piece to remind the wearer just exactly who the True Audacity of Hope really is.

Again, I finished this necklace off with a piece of Number One's discarded guitar string.  It makes the best found object for my jewelry!

Techniques for Project 9:

• liver of sulfur patina
• cutting openings in metal

Just a reminder, the techniques I list for the projects are those listed in Mary's book for each project.  I usually add many more of my own techniques when working.  For this one I used several other techniques including:  eyelets, rivets, heat patina, twisted wire link, wrapped wire ends, clasp making...and then there are those "raku" beads.  Show me the techniques you used on your project 9 and I'll link your project on my challenge blog next door.

July/August Publications

Wow...this summer has been a great time for me as far as having my work published.  I've been so blessed!  Ronna Sarvas Weltman  is an extremely talented jewelry artist and writer for the magazine Step by Step Wire Jewelry.  She graciously included me in the article she wrote for the summer issue about incorporating non-traditional materials into jewelry making.

One of my pieces featured in the article  is the pair of earrings above..."Music to my Ears."

One of my favorite publishers, Stampington, printed my article in the July/August issue of Somerset Studio entitled "Painting with Wire."  I love the fact that this article was published, probably because I love this project!  The project is actually the "Mingled Elements" class that my dear friend DJ Pettitt and I taught at The Paper Studio  in Tempe, Arizona.  Oh, what fun we had!

artwork by DJ Pettitt

In Stampington's July/August issue of Belle Armoire, DJ appears as the featured artist for their "Designer Collection" segment.  It's a great article with lots of photos of DJ's lovely work and insight into her creative process. 

Right behind DJ's article is one I wrote on how to make my wire nest charms with step-by-step photos.  Didn't they do a great job photographing these two necklaces?  And, speaking of great photography, I was thrilled to find this in the gallery section of the magazine:

My "Victory"  necklace...one of my favorite pieces and very fitting for the July issue.  The photo props they used, and the lighting, are perfect.  I continue to feel humbled, honored and overjoyed that folks want to see my stuff in print.  Most certainly a blessing!

Taking Up The Jewelry Challenge

Diane Cook-Project 5-Wrapped Beads Necklace

I'm showing a few more participant's projects from my summer jewelry challenge from Mary Hettmansperger's book.  I hope these pieces inspire you all as much as they did me!  If you haven't joined in the challenge yet but want to...come on!  What's stopping you? 

Don't forget, I've started a separate blog for the jewelry challenge.   You can see the link on my Something Sublime blog in the right sidebar directly under my etsy link.  Although, I'll still be posting all about the challenge  on Something Sublime, those posts will also be copied to the new blog and all the participant's links can be found there as well.  So, if you want to see what everyone is doing for the challenge, go to Deryn's Summer Jewelry Challenge blog  and click on the links in the left sidebar.  Is that clear as mud?

Sally Turlington-Project 1-Spinner Necklace

Jane Salley-Project 1-Spinner Necklace

Jane Salley-Project 2-Folded Earrings

Cindy Gimbrone-Project 3-Bead Shelf Necklace

Deborah Truesdell-Project 5-Wrapped Beads Necklace

Molly Alexander-Project 8-Silver Watch Bracelet

Chris Kerr-project 16-Moving Parts Necklace

Molly Alexander-Project 10-Riveted Chain Mail Bracelet

Carolyn Mallin-Project 8-Riveted Chain Mail Bracelet

Molly Alexander-Project 9-Dimensional Necklace

I've tried to get everyone's projects linked up on the new blog.  If you've done a piece and you don't see it linked, please let me know and I'll fix it!

Summer Jewelry Challenge-Project 7

Woven Windows Pin by Mary Hettmansperger

I finally got a chance to get back to my long neglected summer jewelry challenge.  I admit, I've stalled out a bit on the challenge but that's only because I've haven't been home.  Turns out you have to actually be in your studio, or at least in the vicinity of your studio, to make things!  Now that I'm home, maybe I can get back to business...  I finished up project 7 which, in Mary's book,  is her Woven Windows Pin.  Of course, I couldn't do just exactly what was in the book so I made a necklace instead of a pin and riveted the pieces together instead of using screws and nuts.

"Working Through The Numbers" by Deryn Mentock-project 7

Techniques for project 7:

• cutting windows in sheet metal
• applying heat-treated patina
• over/under weaving

In her example, Mary uses copper foil and paper for her weaving.  I used a vintage bingo card and brass strips treated with heat patina.  I covered my weaving with a layer of mica and added a fat, faceted carnelian drop to the bottom.  I suspended the whole thing from an antique key.

This project was a struggle for me.  Once I started working on it, I enjoyed it but, when I saw it in the book, I was really resistant to starting it.  For some reason, it didn't appeal to me like most of the earlier projects...hence, the name.  The challenging part for me was, not necessarily the technical aspect but, designing a piece around the focal.  With that in mind, I made myself do it anyway!  After all,  the whole idea behind this challenge  is to grow, stretch and do things we wouldn't ordinarily do.

I added some soldered rings to the "chain" part of the necklace.  Can you see the texture on the rings?  Thanks for that technique Sally.  I also added some rough carnelian nuggets, faceted smokey quartz and recycled glass disks from Africa.

On my California trip, I found a little bag full of vintage glass Christmas beads at Muff's "junque" store.  I really like the way they glow.  Good stuff!

I'm anxious to see what you all will do with this one.  Are you still with me on this challenge??

My links list for participants was getting out of hand so I started a separate blog for the jewelry challenge.   It's right next door...just a click away.  You can see the link on Something Sublime in the right sidebar directly under my etsy link.  Although, I'll still be posting all about the challenge  on Something Sublime, those posts will also be copied to the new blog and all the participant's links can be found there as well.  So, if you want to see what everyone is doing for the challenge, go to Deryn's Summer Jewelry Challenge blog  and click on the links in the left sidebar there.

Listen to the Music

Something fun arrived in my mailbox today.  Remember when I mentioned a music cd swap I'm in...here?   My share of the goodies is here!

All the artists in the swap created artwork for their cd's and cases.  Doesn't it look intriguing?  I know you want to get a better look so here are some close up shots...

artwork by Sylvia Luna

The swap was hosted by my talented friend Sylvia.  I love the wild, outsider look of Sylvia's artwork.  This is her cd art:

cd artwork by Sylvia Luna

As soon as I saw this one, I knew exactly who did it.  The thick, red satin ribbon wrapped around the case gave it away...

cd artwork by Kristen Robinson

The creator of this one was immediately recognizable as well.  Mary Beth Shaw has a very distinctive style.  I especially love her colorful backgrounds and her abstracts.  Isn't this cover great?

cd artwork by Mary Beth Shaw

My good friend and "camp counselor" Sally used one of my favorite stamps for the cover of her cd.  I'm not sure how she got this background but it's spectacular...

cd artwork by Sally Turlington

I love everything  Crystal does and this is no exception.  The colors are so dreamy and the images are unusual, just what I like...

cd artwork by Crystal Neubauer

And speaking of unusual...Pilar  isn't just any ordinary artist.  She's one of the most generous people and an absolute whiz at digital art.   She does it all...she paints, draws, does assemblage...well, you get the idea.  I think she's about to jump into jewelry making too!

Lelainia's cd's came all the way from Canada (which is probably close for some of you but far, far away from me!).  I'm looking forward to listening to it as she included all music done by Canadian artists.

cd artwork by Lelainia Lloyd

Denise made special paper envelopes for her cd's with artwork stitched to the front.  This cover is so inventive and I thought it was most charming...

...until I turned them over and saw the back...

...and was enthralled even more.  This moo card is gorgeous.  Denise is a really talented photographer and, like Pilar, incredible at digital art.  I'm so envious!  But wait, you haven't seen the inside yet...

Denise's cd was made to look like a tiny, little record album!  Isn't that the most adorable thing?  I think I must listen to this cd first.  A "collection of sass"  is just too much for me to resist!

cd artwork by Deryn Mentock

A huge thank you goes to our wonderful hostess, Sylvia, for being most patient and generous with her time and talents!

Betty's Baubles

Doesn't Betty look positively radiant on this day?  She's wearing a new creation called "Beth's Charm Keeper."  I've been busy working on jewelry the last few days, trying to get caught up, and this was part of what I got accomplished.

I did this necklace and matching earrings to fill a request but I've been wearing it around the house and am quite fond of it.  The woman who ordered it even wanted it done in my favorite colors...blue and green.  Betty got rather attached to it as well.  Aren't these chunky, faceted chalcedony beads gorgeous?

And this flashy, blue labradorite with teal pearls?

All wrapped up with luscious Dupioni silk in antique blue.

It just so happens that the owner of this necklace requested lots of the same kinds of things I love so it was easy to assemble...freshwater pearls, turquoise, labradorite, apatite, more chalcedony and a vintage crucifix...yum!  And matching earrings...

I hope you love it Beth...happy birthday!

Don't Stand So Close To Me

I know I already posted a gazillion photos of the California gals and the Jesse Reno workshop but I just had to snatch this one off  Kelly's blog  to show you, as I think it's quite hysterical.  All of us girls look so happy to be there but don't you wonder what was going through Jesse's mind?!  Yes, I'm standing behind him but, I promise, I kept my hands to myself.  Maybe it was Ruth...

Camp T - Session 2

Session 2 of Camp Turlington was in session this last weekend and guess who came to art camp...Norah's!  Well, actually, Sharon  came to camp and Norah's showed up when she was darned good and ready.  But then, that's what muses do, isn't it?!

bag by Sharon Tomlinson

We gathered at my dear friend Sally's house and played in her studio all weekend.  Sharon brought lots of goodies for us to see including this gorgeous, painted bag she created.  She brought several of her incredible paintings for us to see and a bunch of art journals she's worked in.  This was one of my very favorite pages:

painted journal page by Sharon Tomlinson

Sharon kindly let up pick her very creative brain.  She walked us through some of her painting techniques.  Sally and her muse worked on this beautiful painting:

painting by Sally Turlington

Sharon and Norah's created this lovely painting  (I think Sharon's done this before!):

painting by Sharon Tomlinson

And, even though my muse forgot to come to the party, I painted this:

"Grasping at Straws" painting by Deryn Mentock

I like her.  I like her green eyes and dark hair...

She's holding her baby very tightly...

She's lost something and she's gazing into the distance and dreaming of a better place... 

Some of us got very messy...

...and some of us got even messier...

We spent one relaxing afternoon and evening eating chocolate and creating paint practice journals out of old book covers...

Since I'm not officially a "painter" I'll probably use mine for sketches of jewelry ideas, collages and...who knows what...maybe a painting or two!  Here are some of the groovy pages I prepared to put into my journal:

And just look what flew into our studio on the last day!  Sharon "The Wingkeeper" created this little winged creature...

We did all the things good campers are supposed to do:  stay up real late every night (I re-discovered 2:00 am!), work on great projects all day, and eat a lot of stuff that's really bad for you.  Oh, what fun we had!

Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head for home.  That was a melancholy moment but we're already planning for session 3...