Adios 2011 Welcome 2012

Adios 2011. I am happy to see you go!

Grab yourself your favorite cup of tea or coffee. This is a little bit long but this girl needs to talk. I seriously need to let 2011 fall behind and I am looking forward to 2012 but first I must purge what was of 2011.

For me, 2011 began with high hopes of focusing on my art work and my business.I had great plans at becoming better organized in planning shows, creating interesting pieces of jewelry, growing my business and loving every minute of it. I purchased an event calender so I could keep track of upcoming shows, to make sure I kept on top of all the wonderfully fun challenges that my awesome jewelry making buddies put together and get better on top of my marketing points. Those were my priorities. Mind you my family and my husband's business always comes first. It is non negotiable that I will be available to take care of my children as needed. I have three boys; one is well on his way to being independent, another is learning how to be independent, the third is a tween and still in need of a parent (almost) ever present. So I figured I have 1.5 children well on their way so I could afford to throw a fair amount of my energy toward my work.

But alas 2011 was not going to be the year I had intended it to be. Somewhere during the first quarter of the year I decided it would be a good idea to get a part time job and help out with the home finances. My husband is self employed and the last couple of years have been slow. We have managed but with one kid in college and a second on his way in September I figured I could contribute financially. This was tough! I have been a stay at home Mom for many years. Managing a household, three kids, a part time job and  providing office support to my husband in his business was too much for one person to take on.

Then came the cancer! In late February my sister began to have a series of tests which, by mid March, confirmed she had breast cancer. This diagnosis threw my family into a tail spin. We have NO history of this in our family, but that is a story for another day. All creativity was out the window and all my energy went toward supporting my sister with whatever she would need over the next few months.

At the same time my second son was preparing to graduate from high school and readying for a big move to college. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him make the leap from high school to college, he was so ready! But as you can imagine I was dealing with a sister undergoing chemotherapy and a son graduating from high school. Two very conflicting emotional places to be.

In late July, early August my other sister was diagnosed with breast cancer! Another surgery and another loved one beginning chemotherapy. Oooooi!

In late August my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer!!! Can you imagine? In the course of a few days, we were awaiting results on my Mom's surgery, my son was moving into college, my niece moved to New Zealand AND I had a preplanned show! I cancelled the show. Something had to give.

Finally September arrived. I quite my part time job. Really there is only so much one person can handle, physically and emotionally!!!! Now I had a new plan. Plan A wasn't working out, I was on to Plan B or was it C, I don't know anymore....I was going to love my family through it!

One sister and I were able to attend almost all of my other of my sisters chemo treatments. We actually made the best of it and had some good times together. We got together often and found a really cool old Cider Mill where they sell antiques at affordable prices, we learned Kumihimo braiding together, we did some crocheting together, we drank LOTS of tea together.  We actually had quit a bit of fun together. It occurred to me that this was the first time in our adult lives that ALL of us were not working at the same time and able to spend time with each other. Since both my sisters were and are in a great frame of mind about their situation we truly were able to make the best of this time. My Mom was able to join us on most of these occasions too. I do think we provided quite a boost to all the patients in the cancer center. We were happy but not obnoxiously so.

One sister is DONE with her treatments...YEAH!!! Mom is done with her radiation...Yeah!!! My other sister has some treatments left but she is hanging tough! So we celebrate what we have and move into 2012!

Let 2011 wash away and 2012 begin with renewed joy and hope.

Thanks for taking the time to visit with me.

One World One Heart 2011 WINNERS

AND THE WINNERS ARE......
The winners of my One World One Heart 2011 giveaway are numbers 20 and 71.
Robin of the blog a Robins Nest. 
Connie of Concetta Williams on Etsy.

Robin has won....the enameled tree pendant

Connie has won....an enameled tree bead

I also participated in OWOH on the Fire Divas Blog and the winner of that giveaway is Trisha too of Easily Amused. This is the pendant she won.

I send out many thanks to Lisa of the Whimsical Bohemian for the enormous task of she undertook spear heading this event. I have made many friends world wide. I would have never met so many fantastic people without the OWOH event.

Congratulations to all the winners!

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Bead Soup Blog Party - What I Sent

Here is a shot of the goodies I sent to my Bead Soup partner, Elizabeth Freeman of Desert Whimsies. I packaged and mailed my beads to Elizabeth a couple of weeks ago. She has had some time to consider what she wants to create.
There are only two rules:
Elizabeth must use the focal and she must use the clasp. The big reveal will take place on Saturday, February 26th. I will keep you updated as we go along. You can learn more about Bead Soup, hosted by Lori Anderson here.

My next blog post will be showing off the bead goodies I received from Elizabeth.
You can find Elizabeth and her polymer clay creations on Etsy and follow along on her blog, Turquoise Sky.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Updated to include 2011 Bead Soup links:
Sneak Peak
What I Rec'd
The Big Reveal 
What I Sent

Some of the Events I am Planning for 2011

Last year I participated in my first ever art charm exchange. It was so much fun. You can view my last post in this series showcasing all the gorgeous creations I received.

I decided to sign up for another art charm exchange with some of my lampworking friends. I will be blogging about this as we go along.

I am also participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party hosted by Lori Anderson.

I am really looking forward to a push into a new, untapped direction for myself. This bead soup party is all about designing a piece of jewelry with what your assigned partner sends you. So you just never know what you will receive. My partner is Elizabeth Freeman. You can meet Elizabeth and find here beautiful polymer beads on her blog, Turquoise Sky.

I am also participating in the One World One Heart world wide blogging event. You can stop by and check out my giveaways, but not until January 30th. I am also participating on behalf of the Fire Divas so you will have two chances to win something from me. I will post more info about this event after January 30th.

Have some fun surfing the web and finding out about all the wonderful people that participate.

Thanks for visiting.

Ema

Bead Soup Blog Party Sneak Peek

The Bead Soup Blog Party deadline is fast approaching. I have my beads ready to go. I just need to package them for mailing. Here is a sneak preview of the beads I am sending to my partner.

I can't give too much away. I don't want to ruin the surprise for my Bead Soup partner. I will show the full set of beads in another post.

My partner is Elizabeth Freeman of Desert Whimsies on Etsy. Elizabeth works with polymer clay to create beautiful beads. I can't wait to hold some of her beautiful handmade creations in my hand and have the opportunity to design with them.

Elizabeth can also be found blogging at Turquoise Sky.

Just look at these beautiful beads Elizabeth has for sale in her Etsy shop

 There will be more to come on the Bead Soup Blog Party.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Updated to include 2011 Bead Soup links:

Sneak Peak

What I Rec'd 

The Big Reveal 

What I Sent 

Ema

Wordless Wednesday 12/8

More work from my Fire Diva friends

Judith Billig of Icarus Beads

Rivers Edge Glass

Spawn of Flame

Beads by Clare Scott

Susan Lambert

Dorset Hill Beads

The Tree that Inspires Me

The tree. As I pass by on a beautiful, clear sky morning.

I love this tree. I pass it everyday on my walk, sometimes I pass it many times in a day if I am driving by too. It ALWAYS captures my attention. I particularly love the tree when the leaves are off it. I find I am drawn to it on clear, cool nights, with the moon lighting it up. It speaks to me on some level. I'm not sure I can explain why. I see age and wisdom in this tree. I see strength and beauty. I see it embracing anything and everything that comes its way. I see this tree embodying grace.

Just some of my work that has been inspired by this tree...

My hope is that people will leave this tree alone and it will continue to stand strong, towering over our road.

Wordless Wednesday

Featuring some of my favorite art glass pieces from a few of my Fire Diva Friends.

Amy Houston

Lori Bergmann

Karen of Giapet

Janel Dudley

Lauren of Maybeads

Lara Lutrick

Balancing Act of Life and Beads

Life is a balancing act. For me I am constantly trying to find the balance in life; trying to make sure everyone is taken care of myself included.  The lives of my children, my work, my husband's business, taking care to see my friends and balance relationships, I can't forget taking care of my trusty companion, my dog and then I must take care of myself too . Planning, planning, planning. Planning for shows, planning for trips, planning for holidays, planning for my kids heading to or already in college. You know the ...the list could go on. Sometimes I get so focused on the To Do List that I forget to enjoy the moments. After all that is what life is all about, the moments.

The past few times that I have had the opportunity to enjoy my moments at my torch I have been focused on creating something specific. Custom orders, beads for upcoming shows, beads to list in my Etsy or ArtFire stores and alas a little something for myself. I recently purchased a cuff bracelet made of turquoise, sparkling seed beads and some brown stoney looking beads. I want to create a pendant that is similar in color with a textural look to wear with this bracelet. So far I have not been satisfied with the results. Apparently, I am my own worst customer. I have created some pretty beads but I have not captured the look I want to pair with my new bracelet. (This will be a story for another day.)

My plan for today was to make beads, my plan would be to try again to capture that perfect pendant for myself. As I began I felt frustrated. I did not want to work with "those" colors again. Ugggh! I was just not into today. "But I want to make beads so what will I make?" I was not coming up with any of my usual ideas. So I decided to stop thinking and just do. This felt so freeing for me. I tend to be a thinker and can think a subject or idea to no end. But today, in my moment, I was free. I didn't think or plan. I just picked up a colored rod that looked good to me and began to wind the glass onto the mandrel. There was no preconceived plan, stringers were pulled on the fly, matching colors were picked in the moment. I found myself happy and satisfied to just let it all go. I didn't worry too much about winding the glass perfectly balanced on the mandrel, if it wasn't perfect when I squished the glass I would figure out a way to embellish the bead to make a balanced bead. I am tired of all the to do lists and the planning. Today I just need to be and create.

So today I created my beads of balance and I love them!

Dunstable Artisans 21st Annual Art Show and Sale

Earlier this year I was honored to become a member of the Dunstable Artisans, a local group of extremely talented and diverse artisans. This past weekend was the annual art show. I was honored to be a participant in this show, however, I have to be honest and tell you that I was more than a bit nervous. I have known of this group for MANY years and attended a show quite some time ago. I have always believed the individuals that belonged to this group were amongst the most talented artisans in the area. I could only hope to live up this reputation.

Back in August, it was with much trepidation that I began to prepare for the show. I have to admit that my expectations for myself can be high, so I push myself hard to be the best I can. I don't always love that about myself but it is what it is. Much would be needed; in terms of my work, I created as I usually do and even stretched myself to create some new products which have been running through my head for some time. Setting up a booth in this venue was going to be my challenge. I have done a lot of shows and fairs in the past but nothing like this. Almost all of the shows I have participated in the past have been outside venues. The one inside venue I participate in, is in a museum and only tables are allowed. Obviously vendors can not interfere with the museums pieces which are on display.

Preparing for a high end inside venue brings with it a whole new set of requirements regarding booth set up. I felt I would need to present myself , my work and my booth in a professional manner. The biggest challenge was going to be some type of wall system to define my booth. The Artisans were more than generous in their support, offering ideas and  even offering equipment used by others during their "first" year of shows. It was important to me to figure out something I could afford and that I felt represented me. I began to look into pipe an drape set ups and was astounded at the cost of these systems. This was not in my budget, not this year anyway.

My husband and I began brainstorming. I should tell you that my husband is a self employed electrician. He is a master at his work but he also has the ability of being the most fantastic handyman, I am telling you...he can fix or create anything! We took a trip to Home Depot and browsed the store trying to find something that would work as a pipe system. We settled on fencing materials and some items from the plumbing department to create my very own customized pipe system, at a price I could afford. I scanned the internet for some reasonably priced, suitable drapes. I was proud of the set up we ended up creating. I think we both did an excellent job. (I hope you don't mind me giving myself a little pat on the back)

For the record..my wonderful husband created the wooden display stand for my focal beads, the wooden wine stop display and the black boxes for my necklaces to be displayed on. I seriously don't know what I would do without all his help. I think I will have to bake him a cheesecake for all his efforts, heck, I'll have to bake him a cheesecake a month for the next year.

I learned so very much from the artisans at this show. There are items I know would like to tweak before next years show but for this moment I can say I was happy with the set up I and my husband achieved. I am grateful and thankful for the generosity and support of the Dunstable Artisans. I am also grateful and thankful for the all the wonderful people who attended the show and were willing to support their local artists. I also have to thank my family for allowing me the time to let it be all about me these past few weeks. Now we will all return to our regular schedules....ahhhhh.

Ema

Art Charms Part 2

I am excited about the art charm exchange I joined which has been hosted by Jennifer of Glassaddictions. Last week I gave you a sneak peak of the beads. Now I have the 10 beads made into charms. I mailed them off to Jennifer on Monday. 

I wanted a group photo of all the charms but in my excitement to get them in the mail, I forgot to take pictures of them before I attached them to my cards. I had to back track a little bit and attempted to take photos with them attached to the cards. 

I don't want to ruin it for the participants of this exchange so I won't show photos of all the charms until we have all received our charms. I will show you just one....I made all my charms different so no one knows exactly which one they will be getting. 

As an artist I love to participate in exchanges like this. It always stretches my artistic abilities. It helps me to think beyond my preferred colors and methods. We all have our favorite color palette and the colors for this exchange are not in my palette. What I have found is that these colors work beautifully together and I will be making more beads with this color theme. I enjoy how something so simple as an exchange between friends can open up a realm of new possibilities.

It is also tons of fun to look forward to receiving goodies in the mail. 

You can learn more about all 10 participants in this exchange by visiting their blogs.

Art Charm Exchange Participants:

1. Jennifer http://glassaddictions.blogspot.com

2. Susan http://suebeads.blogspot.com

3. Kristie http://ArtisanClay.blogspot.com

4. Paige http://pmaximdesigns.blogspot.com/

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

6. Amy http://copperdiem.blogspot.com/

7. Lauren http://maybeads.blogspot.com/

8. Loretta http://www.designsbyloretta.blogspot.com/

9. Ema http://emakaye.blogspot.com/

10. Janel http://janeldudleybeads.blogspot.com/

Art Charms Sneak Peek

One of the things I love about other lampworkers is their ability to share with each other. This can happen in a variety of ways; sharing techniques, general knowledge, working together in groups and one fun way is bead swaps. I think of the bead swaps as a way for grown ups to play. Recently I joined an Art Charm Swap hosted by a lampworking friend of mine, Jennifer of GlassAddictions.

Jen put out the word that she wanted to host an art charm swap. She had clearly defined guidelines to follow and three colors to use. If you are curious about the details you can read Jennifer's blog here. She choose three colors from the Pantone pallet, living coral, chocolate truffle and lagoon. 

I have ten beads made up and ready to be made into charms. I will give you just a sneak peek.