quick update

my first guest blogging post is up on Objects and Elements. stop by to see the project i did for the end of the school year!

reflections of teaching

One day after class (soldering basics), which ended at 5pm - i was packing up as i needed to be downstairs at the vendor event going on. the event was from 5-7. i'm not one to just rush out, but on that night, i knew that other vendors and friends had already been watching my booth and making sales for me while i was teaching, so i was anxious to get down there as of course, i felt bad that they were having to be responsible for my stuff. anyway, right as i was heading out the door, a student came up to me with her piece and she just had this look of fret and dismay on her face. she handed the piece to me and the top part of it was in ruins. the last thing for us to do on our project was to add our jumprings which she did. but then she found that they were crooked and had tried to pull them off instead of soldering them off (classic mistake by the way). this ended up ripping up the soldered tape we foiled around the edges. so i sat down with her and we proceeded to do our best to salvage her project. i didn't leave the room til 6:30. i got to the event and i was a bit stressed out for being so late and no one really knew where i was. and i still had bunch of stuff on the dolly to pack up; so it was hectic and i was tired with that frazzled feeling.

in the lobby later, i ran into this student and
the look on her face was priceless. she was smiling and showing off her beautiful piece. she was happy. she gave me a big hug and we took pictures together. until that minute, i don't think i realized how you are as a teacher or how, what you do naturally (i.e. staying to help her), can really have an impact on someone. her smile made me happy. it was a great lesson on remembering that helping others is very rewarding.

day three

well today was an ok day. sales were quite slow (i'd say today equalled (sp?) what a typical NJ show would be like for me; lots of lookers, but not many takers). the weather held out til about 1:00 ish and then it started to drizzle. it wasn't bad and it's not like it drove the crowd out; but by 4:00, the place was dead. we got packed up really quick, thankfully as it started sprinkling again. between the 4 of us, we bought goodies to go home with, so the truck is a might fuller than we started!

i met many wonderful vendors and made new friends. loved my neighbors, William and Jan, and of course, "The Summerhouse Girls + Miss A" who were so good about booth sitting while i ran to the potty, grabbed food, etc. It was really a great experience. can't wait to show off all my pictures.

and i wanted to thank everyone that i met who raved about my art and especially to those who bought their special purchases from me. i know that $ is tight these days, so for you to spend your hard earned money on my art is a real compliment. very much appreciated. headed home tomorrow!

for those of you keeping up on my blog, you know that i am entering my "whirlwind tour of chaos" (t-shirts are on order....) in the next week. i'm feeling a bit stressed about all i have to do, but i will manage. next week i fly out to teach in Portland. Then i'll be home a week and leave to teach in Connecticut. After that i am off to Seattle to attend Journalfest!

i look forward to early November when i can relax and begin more jewelry projects since i am almost out of product.

soldering class

so yesterday i held another soldering class. it went from 3 students to 7 in a matter of a day, so i did some reconfiguring and got it all arranged. need to get some extra power surgers and longer cords as we ran into a couple of glitches using an extension cord (not enough power). as i say after every class, i learned a few things as well as teaching what i know. it was a great class, fun and lively. i seemed to innocently say things that as soon as they come out of my month, sound rather crass! so we all had some good laughs at me! it is humbling to be told that i've inspired someone, so as a teaher, my goal has been achieved. you can check out jill's blog post here from my class.

fun news to share!

I will be teaching 2 classes at Artnsoul, Portland 2009. Another jewelry artist had to withdraw from teaching, so i'm pitching in to fill the need. it will be a quick turn and burn since i am teaching the following weekend at Art-is-You, but i am excited and really looking forward to it.

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the first class is called "Memory Evoking Spoons". you can find all the information about the class by clicking the link.

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my second class is called "My heart beats for thee".

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soldering basics

last sunday, i held a basic soldering class here at the house. it was fun and we all learned alot. (even me!) we learned that little crafty soldering irons don't get hot enough and i had to relearn the fact that if you try to stuff to much in between your glass pieces, it is really hard to close, tape and then solder! but i managed to get it taped and my project turned out great. the rest of the class worked on smaller, learning projects like a wood domino, scrabble letter and glass gem. these give the foundation of things to consider when soldering. then we moved onto our projects, with the girls working on little 2x3 ornaments.

here is stefanie (from my etsynj street team) adding a jumpring to her project.

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this is stefanie's mom, Laurie

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here's miss marlene and jill working hard

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jill practices with the iron

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here is the piece i worked on while in class. it is a big piece of glass (the biggest i've ever worked on) and it is thick to begin with. the pretty quilt snippet is from a bag of beautiful quilt pieces that i picked up on saturday at Shupp's Grove, in Pennyslvania.

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there are 2 spots left for the soldering class that will be held here thurs. july 9th from 10:00-2:00. email me at keeshagirl4@aol.com if you are interested.

soldering class here, sun. June 28th

I'm holding my second soldering class here this sunday. i moved a couch out of this room (referred to as "the fireplace room") and moved in some tables. i enjoy teaching, so it's a lot of fun. there will be another one on thurs. july 9th.

things in their kit

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the classroom setting

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a project i came up with. i thought i'd hang it in my studio. made one for a friend too as she has a special day coming up soon.

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more soldering examples

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me working on a necklace for dill's girlfriend. her birthday is on sunday. (don't notice the bad example i am setting by soldering barefoot!)

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a rare opportunity to have someone else take my picture!

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If you are interested in attending a workshop with me, just email me at: keeshagirl4@aol.com. i've got a jewelry class planned for the end of the summer on deconstructing vintage items and re-imagining them into something new. i will also travel to your event, home party, etc. also inquiries welcomed.

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Adrienne's b-day gift

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pocket snippet to hold her necklace