beach day

yesterday my sister, niece and i took a drive to Carpenteria, a cute little town in between Ventura and Santa Barbara. we found a flea market (of course), walked the little down town main street, hit the beach and then had a nice dinner. the beach was extra low tide and just gorgeous. i picked many cool rocks with holes in them and found the best heart shaped rock. considering how cold it is back home, i'm gonna to really miss this day when i get home.

Crescendoh

(photo by Jenny Doh)

One of the days that i was at CHA and was walking around by myself, i ran into Jenny Doh, who is the current editor for Somerset Magazines, but is leaving them soon to start her own company called Crescendoh.

I hadn't met her before, but introduced myself, since we are "facebook friends". I have been told before what a lovely speaker she was and i would have to agree. i enjoyed our little chat and she was very complimentary about my unique style and jewelry. her campaign for Crescendoh is how "Art Saves" and i briefly told her how art has definitely saved me. I'd have to say running into her was one of the highlights of my trip. i will post my own pic of us when i get home.

you can also read more about Crescendoh on Jenny Doh's blog.

Pip

i just thought i'd share this darling picture i took of Pip, Erika's kitty. (Erika is my niece). the dollhouse got moved to a new location and we were taking bets on how long before Pip found it and was investigating. not long!

enjoying some sunny weather

my sister and i hit a little swap meet this morning. the weather couldn't have been nicer, so it was great to be walking around by the ocean outside in the sunshine! i'll remember and appreciate this day when i get back home and have a few more months of cold weather left! of course my sister found me drooling over all this vintage jewelry when she snapped this photo.

-------------------------------------------------

Lemoncholy reminders:

i'm teaching (2) workshops in February. you can read about them here.

also, i am doing a one on one Valentine's card exchange. if you are interested in "being my Valentine", go here to read the details.

Greetings from CHA

(photo by Cathie Filian)

Well, today is the last day of CHA (craft and hobby associations trade show). it has been a busy, whirlwind, networking, socializing (got to spend some quality time with my partner in crime, Barbe St. John!) amazing time! i've met up with facebook friends, met new faces, seen old faces, run into students, friends from past retreats, met Cathie and Steve from the Cathie and Steve show (fun!) and probably walked a zillion miles! what an unbelievable experience. lots of great contacts, showing off my jewelry. i see good things coming!

right now i am at my sister's house in Ventura where i will stay the weekend and return home on Monday. they drove down to Anaheim yesterday to pick me up. i am quite tired (as to be expected!), but am drumming up just enough energy to hit a small swap meet today.

talk to you soon!

Come ride the magic carpet - OWOH is here!

(photo courtesy of A Whimsical Bohemian)

Can you tell i am excited?

One World One Heart was created in 2007 by Lisa Swifka over at A Whimsical Bohemian as a means for other bloggers to meet each other and to give them a chance at winning something. every year this event get bigger and bigger! another cool thing is that blogging participants are from all over the world. what are the qualifications? you just need to be an active blogger and a prize to giveaway. i really enjoy participating in OWOH - this is my 3rd year. last year i met some great girls and we ended up doing a few individual swaps because we really liked each others prizes! and your chances of winning something are good - last year i won a beautiful ring and a brooch!

so this year, i'm happy to present my OWOH giveaway: i've created one of my signature necklaces using vintage items, soldering, sewing, deconstructing, reconstructing and a very old tintype photo. she is full of mystique and beauty and i guarantee you will be asked many times, "where did you get that necklace?"

So here's what i need you to do:

you need to leave me a comment on this post for OWOH. you need to check your comment carefully and make sure that all your information is updated. i need to be able to reach you if you are a winner. sometimes i notice when people leave comments, their name isn't clickable; if that happens i have no way to get a hold of you. so make sure all your information is current. when OWOH is over on February 15th, 2010, then i will use a random # generator to pick my winner. good luck, have fun and i hope you'll come visit me again at Lemoncholy's Studio soon!

full of grace

Last week, Deryn, held an auction of one of her necklaces and is donating the proceeds to Hope for Haiti. between the winning bid and independent donations, Deryn was able to raise around $625. I think that is just wonderful and thanks for all who placed bids and donated whatever small amount they could. i decided to hold a drawing for one of my "patchwork of love" pendants for any bidder on her necklace and drew the winning name a few days ago. Congratulations to Sherry Smyth. For her word, Sherry picked "grace". i love how this one turned out. i use very old quilt pieces that i do a little stitching on. i especially love the tattered edging in the upper right corner of the pendant.

in other news, i am off to CHA tomorrow. so if you don't hear from me, i'll see you when i get back!

------------------------------------------------------------

from the files of "things you might have missed" -

i'm teaching two workshops in February here at Lemoncholy's Studio, located in Wall, NJ. you can read the post about class descriptions here.
------------------------------------------------------------

also - i am looking for people who are interested in exchanging Valentine's cards with me. read the post here!

busy weekend here at Lemoncholy's Studio

here is my new friend, Diana. she made a cute bottle with a Charlotte doll topper.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

group photo of all our bottles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

me taking a picture of Diana while she takes a picture of me!
-------------------------------------------------------------

Stephanie and Diana
-------------------------------------------------

these weekend i held two workshops and they were both quite fun. i totally forgot to take any pictures from saturday's jewelry class, so these pics are all from today's bottle class. one of the other participants got sick, so she wasn't able to make it today. but we will see her in another class. we had fun playing with our bottles and discussing the different types of bottles and ways to make toppers for them, how to alter them, etc. i think we each got 2 bottles finished.

in February, i will be holding 2 more workshops, which you can read about here.

also in February i am holding a Valentine's day card exchange between myself and you if you would like to exchange cards. you can read about it here. i have a lot of participants already, which i am excited about!

Classes for February

February is fast approaching so i thought i'd post my class offerings now to give you time to maybe attend!

the first class, "Destash that stash" will be held on Friday, February 12, 2010 from 10:00-2:00. one day when i was sitting around, i decided to spend 20 minutes going through my studio stuff, stuff found in junk drawers, stuff found in jewelry boxes, stuff belonging to my grandma, stuff belonging to my mother and broken stuff! i wondered, "what could i do with all this stuff? it is stuff that has meaning to me, yet it is just hiding away. you would not believe the fun stuff i rounded up in the strangest places (bathroom drawer!) we will be learning jewelry basics like wire wrapping, attaching, component soldering and basic jewelry design on creating a 2 tier charmed necklace and figuring out what to do with all this cool stuff. here are a couple of different designs i created to show what we will be doing. email me at keeshagirl4@aol.com for more information or to reserve your seat.

------------------------------------------------------------------


my second class offering will be a Valentine's themed soldering class to be held on Saturday, February 13th from 11:00-3:00. we will learn all about soldering as we create this vintage inspired ornament. email me at keeshagirl4@aol.com with questions or to reserve your seat.

hope to see you there!

---------------------------------------------------------------

and speaking of Valentine's Day, i'm still looking for people who want to exchange Valentine's Day cards with me! read the post here!

Would you be my Valentine?

i'm kind of tired of getting really lame snail mail. it usually consists of bills and junk mail; occasionally a magazine. not very exciting. recently i found 2 boxes of vintage Valentine's Day cards at the flea market. they really took me back to the day in elementary school on Valentine's day when all the cards were collected and put into the special container we had made to hold our cards. i loved reading all of them and honestly, felt very special by them! As an adult, it is very rare that we get many Valentine's cards. Our husband, our child, sometimes a friend, might give us one - but not like when we were young! so i was thinking about how could i do something fun with these cards and i decided that i want to exchange Valentine's cards with you! this isn't a swap, there is only one rule: please only participate in this if you will truly follow through. i don't think that is asking too much! your card does not have to be vintage or handmade (both would be preferred, but not required), just send it with love. Cards should be sent out no later than Monday, February 8th so that we receive them on time!

if you would like for me to send you a Valentine day card and you send one back to me, then email me at keeshagirl4@aol.com and we can exchange addresses.

a goodbye gift

tucker's teacher is leaving his school for another job. :( we are bummed, but only wish the best for her. she was great with tucker; very caring, concerned and attentive. i made one of my signature "patchwork of love" pendants as her going away gift.

also please stop by and visit my friend, Deryn's blog. she is holding an auction of one of her beautiful necklaces on her blog with proceeds going to Hope for Haiti. To place a bid, just go to comments and enter the amount you wish to bid. currently the bidding is at $70.

there currently isn't anything in her etsy shoppe at the moment, but Rebecca Sower, who has ties to Haiti will be adding some items soon with sales also going towards "Hope for Haiti".

****if you are one of the bidders for Deryn's auction, please leave me a comment here to be entered in my "patchwork of love" pendant giveaway. the winner will be able to pick her own word to go inside the pendant.****

Art Opera 2010

here is a little taste of some of the workshops being offered at Art Opera 2010 to be held in Red Bank, NJ this April 7-10. Right now there is a special january rate going on, so take a peek and see what it is all about. there is also a blog where you can find out more info and keep up on what is going on. find it at: www.artoperanj.blogspot.com.

Hope to see you there!

Mending the heart

For Christmas, as one of my gifts, i commissioned JoAnna Pierotti to make me one of her stunning angels. she usually adds a word to her dolls, which in effect, gives them life. So i asked her to give my angel the words "mending the heart" to signify my journey through grief. i just think she is so beautiful. i couldn't wait to unwrap her on Christmas morning!



------------------------------------------------------------------

here is where my angel is hanging. over my bed i had hung a sheer coverlet that i strategically draped to be flouncy. in the center i added some faux wisteria flowers. so she is hanging in the center of the coverlet which overlooks my bed. so when i am laying in bed, she is right there watching over me.

You can find more of JoAnna's art in her etsy shoppe.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I still have a few more seats left in my 2 workshops coming up next weekend. take a peek and email me if you are interested (keeshagirl4@aol.com)

mix media lamp

A few years ago at an Art-is-you retreat, i saw this lamp made by my friend, Taryn Reece. I wanted to buy it so bad, but it was "NFS" (not for sale!). Then on vendor night this year, she had it up again in her booth. once again i tried to talk her into selling it, but she would have no part of that! (and i don't blame her). So then i decided that i would just make my own. she sells the images and fibers, so i just needed a lamp! So here is my lamp inspired by Taryn's!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
and this is Taryn's lamp. i still like hers better! probably because she used a vintage lamp with that cool base. You can find the supplies needed for your very own lamp here. the images are on paper fabric for easy sewing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

also, i am hosting a few workshops coming up next weekend. you can find the information here. email me at keeshagirl4@aol.com if you are interested. there are a few seats left in each class.

So i Gathered.....

(enameled tintype by Stepanie Rubanio)

My talented art girlfriend, Stephanie Rubanio, is having a blog giveaway. Run over to her blog, So I Gathered, to enter for a chance to win a prototype of her new enameled tintype. I'm quite lucky in that i get to see Stephanie real soon in Vegas at Artnsoul. can't wait!

Also, if you don't mind, please send thoughts out to my art friend, JoAnna. her husband Ron is quite ill again and having a shunt put in on Monday. they've been thru so much. i hope this shunt puts an end to all these unresolved health issues he has had. Joanna was the art friend that i sent the angel, "Acceptance" to over the holidays.

Jewelry class sat. Jan . 16th & bottle class sun. Jan. 17th

On Saturday, January 16th, i will be teaching a basics jewelry class here at my house. we will learn wire wrapping and bringing found objects together to create a necklace. what is a found object? found objects are objects you have lying about or things you find at a flea market, etc. and then using them in different ways. you probably have stuff sitting in your jewelry box that might be broken or you don't wear any more or something your grandmother gave you, but your not sure how to wear it, etc. these are items that we can play around with and then turn them into an everyday piece of jewelry. we will also trouble shoot issues that come up when working with different types of items. email me at keeshagirl4@aol.com if you are interested and i will give you all the details.
------------------------------------------------------

and on Sunday, January 17th, i will be teaching a class on altering bottles. we will learn the trick to adding objects to the top of our bottles and more! contact me at keeshagirl4@aol.com for more details.

Polar Bear Plunge

yesterday dillon and i attended the 8th annual Sons of Ireland polar bear plunge. it is a fundraiser that disperses funds to Special Olympics, Clean Ocean Act and a few other charities. It was a lot of fun. There was a band playing inside the convention center and the place was packed. there was drinking, dancing with plenty of excitement in the air. the temp outside wasn't too bad, but i know the water was a brisk 40 degrees! i can barely get myself to go into the water during the summer, so i could not imagine going into that water! i was content to watch and take pictures. dillon was thinking of organizing his friends to participate next year. A group of bag pipers were there to play. the polar bears started singing The Star -Spangled Banner and at the end of the song, a whistle blew and they were off and running.