Saturday Night at 1000 Markets

This week I want to share a great sale with you! Sue, the artist behind Nine Dragons Sculpture Art has many of her incredible pieces on sale for 25-50% off! If you have been wanting one of Sue's pieces, or if you have not yet seen her wonderful work - take the time to check it out, you'll love it!

One of the pieces that caught my attention right away is the Big Bold Bohemian Bangle Bracelet. This one is definitely a statement piece! The bangle was created with laminate layers of polymer clay, loose cane work, hand rolled tubes of mixed color and several finishes of mica and metallic powders which were applied in different stages and then distressed with selective sanding to give an interesting smooth textured background.



Another piece that I love is the Red Fabric Bitsy Bottle pendant. The design is beautiful, and Sue has constructed it so it is quite functional as well - perfect for tucking away a favorite little inspiration!



Sue is also a talented sculptor, and her little sculpture pendants are different than anything I've seen out there in the vast world of online jewelry. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I am partial to the Baby Steps pendant where she has perfectly captured a tiny baby elephant in polymer clay.



And last, but most certainly not least, Sue is a Painter. Yes, with a capital P. Like the Old Masters. Her technique is amazing, and fully captures the life essence of her subjects. I am mesmerized by the eyes in her painting titled 'The Sultress' - I never get tired of looking at it. If it's still for sale when I can afford it, I'll be hanging it on my wall!

So do take a minute to check out Sue's sale - you are quite likely to find an exquisite treasure!

New Work and Today's Bouquet

I've been concentrating on finishing some new work for the Glamour and Glow boutique up in Horseheads New York. This little boutique is so lovely, I wish I was close enough to visit! Some of my favorite jewelry designers have work there, including Emily Gray, whose work I've drooled over since I first saw it!

Her gorgeous Clementine earrings are a perfect match for the flowers currently blooming in my garden! I think today's bouquet is my favorite so far this year. I love the combination of the pinky orange in the Sunset variety of coneflowers combined with the vibrant Paprika yarrow, the classic purple coneflowers and the hint of sweet blush pink in the calla lilies.

My garden is definitely a source of inspiration for my work. One of the pieces I sent was this little daisy pendant with a black star diopside center. I love making these, and this design will be in the shop very soon.

Another new design is the fold-formed silver leaf that will become the first piece of several that I'll be putting in my shop. This one has a lapis stone highlighting it - I love the crisp look of lapis and silver. I'm working on a pair of earrings in this design, so simple, but still interesting and fun to make. I love fold forming, and can't believe I haven't gotten around to doing more of it until now. I'm finally setting my one of a kind stones, too.


I started a 'Stones of the American West' series last summer, and have never replaced the pieces that sold so I 'm working on those now too. Hope to finish an amethyst in Maury Mtn. agate ring shortly with this great little stone.

Something else I'm working on is new earring designs for the shop. I've got a new hoop design going with a forged ruffle. I'm going to adapt this pendant design into earrings. I've really been in the pendant mode lately, and I need to get some more earrings going. The problem is making two ruffled hoops that match, not so easy! Actually, making earrings is not my favorite thing to do because I never want to make the second one - I want to move and and make something else!

Oh my - check these out this mid-week Etsy find!

I happened across the most beautiful shop on Etsy this evening, and I just had to share! Even though I rarely wear anything but jeans and tee shirts, I do love beautiful dresses, and enjoy dressing up (when I'm skinny enough to have fun with it, that is, lol). The costumes created by Steph of the Deconstructress Designs shop are so gorgeous, I'm inspired to start working out and losing weight this very minute!



Van Gogh's Starry Night is one of my all time favorite paintings, and Steph's Starry Night Fairy Gown captures the feel of the painting perfectly. What a dreamy dress - without the fairy wings it would make a perfect dress for an evening of dancing.



Another stunning fairy dress was inspired by Monet, another painter whose work I love. I could easily spend an evening dancing in the lovely Monet Waterlilies fairy costume, too!



And wait - there's one more truly amazing fairy dress you must see - the Autumn Pixie Fall-en piece. The way this one has been constructed to look like the wearer is rising from a pile of fallen leaves is wonderful. I need to find a fab Halloween party this year and go in one of these beautiful works of art!








I was excited to read in her shop announcement that one-of-a-kind formal wear made from new and antique materials is coming in a new shop that Steph will be opening on Etsy. I'll definitely be watching and waiting, that's for sure! The shop name is entwinedapparel, and will feature beautiful, unique wedding and bridesmaid dresses as well as some casual dresses.

Saturday Night at 1000 Markets - 06/13/09

It's been a great week down in the studio and out in the garden. Well, actually, the garden has been doing great without me, ha ha! I've been admiring it from the kitchen window, but most of my time this week has been spent in the studio. I've had a wonderful time with my hammer, and fabricated a new ring and cuff for my 1000 Market and Etsy shops.

I did spend the morning outside taking a few photos of this month's new bloomers - two of my very favorites. Sunset Echinacea, (coneflower)complete with two bumblebees discussing the day's plans, and my yummy Paprika yarrow. It barely bloomed last year, but it's doing great now. If I get into enameling I am definitely doing some pieces in these colors!



Speaking of enameling, a new member in the Metalcraft Market at 1000 Markets, Natasha Suter has some gorgeous enamelled pendants. My favorite is her Diamond Shaped Marbelized Green and Fuschia pendant.

Another colorful piece that grabbed my eye as I was strolling through the Metalcraft Market is the Here We Go necklace by Liz Hall of Lizard's Jewelry.

Her pieces have that perfect touch of whimsy that makes you go back for a second look. The combination of the bright yellow with the black and white striped 'tail' definitely made me go back for a second look at this piece! This piece, and many of Liz's pieces combine sterling silver and polymer clay for a very unique look.

There is news from the Wearable Art Market this week, too - Gale of Le Enchantement has finished a fabulous and professional video for the Market. Be sure to check it out below. If you can't visit a wonderful outdoor market like the one in the video, the Wearable Art Market is the next best thing to it!

Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy - 06/07/09

I'm starting my week off on the right track. I need to get back on schedule with my blog. Amazing how being late just once leads to a whole string of blog-neglecting incidents, oops! Apparently spring and summer are a major distraction for me. In fact, I'm having a tough time sitting here instead of heading out to my tattered old 'daydreaming chair' in the garden. I do want to share some truly stunning work that I've run across in the last several weeks, though.

I meet the most wonderful artists by either creating or being featured in Etsy treasuries, and Maurice Sewelson of Sewelsonwoodcraft featured me in his treasury a while back. I was stunned by the beauty of his work when I clicked over to his shop. My stepfather was a talented woodworker, and I learned to appreciate the beauty of a piece of fine wood at a very early age.

Maurice's shop is filled with examples of beautiful exotic woods that are showcased at their finest by his amazing skill. I think my very favorite is the Spalted Red Gum woodturned lidded vessel. This shape of this piece is gorgeous, and the ebony accents are just perfect with the grain of the wood.



Another piece of his that I would love to have is the Australian Jarrah Burl woodturned vessel with its fascinatingly patterned eucalyptus wood. I would just love to see this piece on my living room coffee table. Perfect.

Speaking of Australia, another piece of spectacular work that I've found lately are the 'Sunset at Great Barrier Reef' pieces from the shop of Corinna's Atelier. Color always grabs my attention, and these just jumped off the computer screen when I was doing a search for a coral themed treasury that I'm planning. The way the stones in the Sunset at Great Barrier Reef Necklace blend into each other with their various shades of pink, coral and cream is nothing short of mesmerizing.



The matching bracelet with its meticulously crafted abundance of tiny stones is positively delicious. I especially love how each side of the piece is exactly opposite in design, making the blending of the colors even better. I am definitely going to have to create something using these colors!

On that lovely note, I must leave. Time to head down to the studio and make things. I got a wonderful shipment of deep purple amethyst, sagey green amethyst, sparkling lemon quartz and topaz, and the lovliest shade of rose quartz with a frosted finish. I love making simple little wire-wapped necklaces from fabulous gems, and I can't wait to wrap up a few of these and get them in the shop. I finally did post a piece made from a piece of the pretty translucent white chalcedony that I've had for a while - I named it Through the Mist, and it just had to be accented with a sweet little golden dragonfly!