Beadfest 2010

I recently attended Beadfest in Philly and took classes with Susan Lenart Kazmar and Linda Larsen. Their company is Objects and Elements, of which i am a design team member. So i thought since they were in my hood, i'd take advantage of that and get in some classes with them. I took the classes with my friend, Leslie, who was kind enough to let me stay with her the whole time so that i didn't have to commute or pay for lodging. (thanks again!)

Susan's class was all about resin application and we used the much touted ICE resin. I just love this product. if you go over to the website, there are all kinds of tutorials and photos on projects done using ICE resin. you can also keep up with the blog to see projects done by all the design team members. for my first project, I embedded a butterfly (found right before class in the parking lot of WaWa!) into one of O&E's bezels. (whoops, i just realized that my bezel pics is upside down, but you get the idea. then we let them dry overnight before continuing on with other projects. i'm still finishing mine up, so i'll post pics later of the completed piece.

at lunch time we went downstairs to do some shopping! we ran into Suze and her husband, Lenny.
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then we ran into Jane and her daughter, Claudia

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Extra Exciting News!

this is news i have been sitting on since February . do you know how hard it is to sit on fun and exciting news? it's hard to do!

So what's the news? i am excited to announce that i was asked to be the newest design team member of Objects and Elements (tool and supplies for the mixed media artist). it all started in late January when i was at CHA, "walking the show" as Suze Weinberg encouraged me to do (thank you Suze for the encouragement!) I didn't go there with any agenda, but to meet people, wear my jewelry, find jewelry resources, meet up with friends, see family and per the usual, have fun and enjoy the moment! and i did have a lovely time. it was overwhelming how much talking i did, how many people stopped me to look at my jewelry or to tell me that they loved my pigtails (Melody!), run into Jenny Doh and taking the incentive to introduce myself. It was a busy, whirlwind few days and worth every second of time i took to be there. I still consider myself very green to the art world and their enthusiasm and praise for my jewelry is so encouraging and amazing. it has lead me to teaching opportunities and now this. i am grateful for friends like, Barbe and others, who believe in me. So after spending some time at the O&E booth, speaking with Susan, Linda, Jen (our den mother), Kristen and Barbe ( Deryn and Jane weren't there) and then also having the confidence to take out my portfolio and say, "want to see more"? (remember the previous post about this whole topic of learning to self promote?)- i feel that i have EARNED this and that my friends, is a very satisfying feeling.
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here is my first piece of jewelry that i created using items that can be found at Objects and Elements.com. I really wanted to create a piece with this darling "french baby" charm. i love dolls and use them a lot in my art, so i couldn't wait to "play doll" with her. She was laid in a open back bezel and then secured with ice resin. all of these items can be found on the website.

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Now for the fun stuff! i've decided to do a giveaway for the first piece that i designed for Objects and Elements. In my eyes, it is the perfect way to celebrate my introduction. So, all you need to do is leave a comment here on the Object and Elements blog.

the next product i look forward to playing with their new staple bezel. i see alot of potential with these and my use of vintage found objects.

stayed tune for some cool things happening at Objects and Elements. this rapidly growing company has a lot up their sleeves and i'm happy to be along for the ride!