Jewelry And Life Inspiring Ideas

An article in one of the many jewelry making magazines I read really caught my attention. So much so that I had to get the book the article was based around. This was a quick (2 page) article of little parts of the book Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland, 122pgs, Image Continuum Press. These two photographers have hit the creative nail smack, dab on the head! Yes, I had to get the book and I agree it's good. Allow me to give you an excerpted sentence or two from page 118: "In the end it comes down to this: you have a choice ( or more accurately a rolling tangle of choices) between giving your work your best shot and risking that it will not make you happy, or not giving it your best shot-and thereby guaranteeing that it will not make you happy. It becomes a choice between certainty and uncertainty. And curiously, uncertainty is the comforting choice."

What they are saying about creating art (jewelry,painting,photographs, etc.) applies to everything in life; Life is an Art in my opinion.

Fashion Feathers

One of the latest fashion trends is Feathers. Feathers for hair extensions, feathers as or on clothing and feathers in jewelry. I have seen so many beautiful items handcrafted with feathers on Etsy and Artfire and elsewhere.

Now, I have a personal interest in feathers, having a quaker parrot in residence and he has gorgeous feathering!
It just so happens that he's molting now and dropping some of those beauties all over the house. There are teal wing feathers and lime green tail feathers with just a touch of bright yellow and yes, I pick them all up and "save" them.
 I am seriously thinking that perhaps I should take some of those beauties and make some jewelry out of them. Perhaps a necklace and a pair of earrings. How gorgeous they would look combined with some gemstones! I think I'll get started and see what I can come up with for a necklace and earrings.

Autumn Colors

Maybe you think it's a bit early but I FEEL Autumn in the air, even here in Florida! The colors for the season are just so very perfect...reds, pinks, oranges, yellows...wow I love them all! The warmth, the glow........ahhhhhhhh.

So here I sit creating necklaces from Carnelian (and wondering if I have enough beads to fill the bathtub??) and from Rose Quartz. Both are just so romantic and personal to whoever they adorn.
So, what about you? Have a really FAV color for autumn? One that fills you with joy and love and laughter when you see it?  What is it??

De Stash

I'm dealing with my "stash" of extra beads right now and want to pull my hair out! For goodness sake, it is incredible to me....here I buy all these beads to make jewelry and I ALWAYS have some left over. So, you say, that's not bad, make something else. Right, but what?? I make one of a kind jewelry so my brain works on that level...ONE!

So the "brain child"...sell the extras  or make earrings. I like earrings, I wear them but.....I don't particularly care to try and design them. I'm more the bracelet, necklace type of gal...ya know what I mean??
So, next step...I put some of them on EBAY, hoping that some jewelry designers out there have a use for them at a really low price. Well.....surprise surprise...some of them have been purchased and I couldn't resist sending a little "gift" of some more to those people.  I wish them Happy Jewelry or Home Deco or whatever Design and I think I'll keep listing the De Stash there. It will help since I can't seem to stop buying pretty beads!