Spark time!

It's time again for another BEAUTIFUL issue of Creative Spark!  You'll find the new issue and link (just click on the cover photo) over on the sidebar.  I just checked it out myself - wow.  We all outdid ourselves with some of the most creative SPARKS of inspiration this time!  

Thanks ZNetShows for sending us more fun and COLORFUL sea glass beads to work with.  

These were the beads that I chose to work with this time around.

THESE are the EXTRAS that they threw in JUST FOR FUN!  WHEEEE!

My mission for this issue - and I chose to accept it ;)  - was to create something using upcycled/recycled pieces and parts.  Hello?  Do they know me?  PERFECT use of denim and beads.  I also had recently received some vintage jewelry (circa 1940's), and also had some great garage sale finds to play with too.

Be sure to read the summer issue of Creative Spark for all the details and REVEAL of my summer cool pieces.

BUT WAIT!  THIS is the FUN PART!  Because I had SOOOOO many ZNet Shows sea glass to play with, I created MORE than just what was submitted to the EMag.  So here's where you get a chance to WIN the lovely extra piece "3355 Blossom St."

For this piece, I used a few antique store finds - an old door hasp/keyhole plate, and a dog license, complete with the perfect "house number" for the piece.  I used ZNet Shows blue cones and teardrops (sorry I don't have the numbers handy - refer to the page seaglass bead  and look under the color blue), added a few of my own acrylic leaves, flowers and crystals, and bling. On a pretty purple ribbon  - "3355 Blossom St" is cute and summer 'cool'.
If you'd like to try to WIN this unique piece - COMMENT here on the blog OR under the link on the FB post with your favorite piece from the current issue of Creative Spark.  Doesn't have to be mine!  I almost always like one of the other girls pieces better than mine!  LOL.
Contest OPEN TIL FRIDAY AUGUST 14th.  I'll randomly pick ONE of you - and I will announce the winner and POST IT HERE AND ON FACEBOOK by Monday August 17th.

As always,
Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Happy camper

Well,  at least doing MY kind of camping - under a 10x10 canopy at another wonderful art fair.

Williamston ArtFest by the River was Saturday.  HUGE lots of people.  Pretty great sales.  I was a little under what I did last year - people seem to be staying quite conservative in their spending, and I didn't win a prestigious award this year (I came in 3rd for favorite last year, as you may recall) - but all in all - no rain, but again with that pesky WIND!  This is one of my favorite shows to do - and I wasn't at all disappointed in the day.

  Just one of the pieces SOLD during my "HOLY CRAP!" sales afternoon in Williamston.
Pretty happy with the 'flow' and curve of this set up.  Gonna try to duplicate it in Grand Ledge - but since I'm facing the opposite direction, with people coming from two sides - it may not be as easy.  I'm not as happy about my shower curtain/rain/wind curtain set up - still got a tweak it just a bit - but they do blend with my color scheme....
It got a little gloomy first thing in the day - but cleared up and stayed that way the rest of the day.

(There's a river flowing behind those flowers at the back edge).  Beautiful setting.  Love that park.

I sold so many earrings this weekend, that I was able to consolidate to one less rack for my next show in Grand Ledge this coming Saturday.  YAY!  

Then I rounded out my weekend with 'camping out' at another 4th Sunday Market.
Can I fit an entire 10X10 tents worth of items onto an 8 ft. picnic table?  YES.I.CAN.  :) (with a little help from a 3 tier stand or two).....



The day was nothing like last months - which was one of our best ever.  I thought I was going to get skunked Market -1, Sheryl -0, but at last - a happy customer who treated herself to this:

Better luck next month.  But hey - a sale is a SALE!

Stay tuned for Creative Spark, and other cool stuff from Cool Moon's wild and crazy busy summer!

Peaceful beading,
TTFN

What's a weekend?

I've gone and done it!  EVERY WEEKEND filled from now to end of September.  My poor hubby. Who has to help me put up my 10X10, and stick stuff in the ground, hang stuff up.  He's being very patient - and probably doesn't realize that I DO appreciate him for not complaining about it - ONCE.

  

I am going to declare this day hug a hubby day.  And I will.  As soon as he gets home from work.  At midnight.  

So glad that Mother Nature has deemed to give us what looks to be a perfect weekend.   Last Sunday's July In Bloom Art Fair went fairly well - when the wind wasn't blowing things down.
Not a bad day - and I've gotten TONS of new LIKES on Facebook!  Yippee!  Don't forget - that 200th LIKER on my Cool Moon Creations & Beads Facebook page gets FREE STUFF!  I think we're at around 180 - so we're getting very CLOSE!  Could it be YOU?  

  
   
Blue skies.  Blue tent.  But never a BLUE moment...

Next blog I HOPE to have ZNET Shows next Creative Spark issue to reveal for you.

Be sure to check out the events page for my GROWING list of events - just added another one in August - and looking forward to adding into DECEMBER....and then pop over to the COOL Creations jewelry page - lots to see and BUY!  PayPal purchasing is easy - just use my email address!

Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Best laid plans

This is a good example of why I rarely take the time to write down or illustrate my ideas - whether they come to me in the middle of day - or night.

My original thought was very geometric - which is very unlike me.  Even so, I got up, and immediately set about cutting and shaping and designing.

The plan quickly evolved, which then excluded the center triangle section, and replaced it with a marquis shaped Swarovski pendant that I had been meaning to embroider with for MONTHS.  

(It was originally planned to be a part of the still in my head but never implemented "Welcome to the Jungle" statement piece.).

I played, and beaded, and played some more.  A friend of mine calls it 'encrusting'.  I call it covering up what didn't turn out the way I planned.
LOL.
Either way - I think we're on to something

Pretty soon - I had a totally different plan in mind.  Well, rather SHE did.  It had become apparent that this was not going to be anywhere near the geometric idea that first formed in my brain - and on paper, then into fabric.

I love how the pendant became such a rich focal piece, with all the beads bringing out ALL the colors in the vitrail crystal.  This crystal is very cool, as it changes color depending on what it is worn with.  

VERY COOL.

 So without further ado - this is

SHEHEREZADE.

The rivolis were a part of the bead stash that was gifted to me by my nieces last summer - that had belonged to their grandmother.  Wonderful match with the marquis crystal.

The back was a bit of a struggle - but well worth the THREE rip outs to come up with this final result:

I'm sure I'll find a use and a plan for those geometric shapes at some point.  Just add them to the denim pile!

Off for another day of
Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Battle Round 2 TKO

To quote a favorite Looney Tunes line....  "that's all, folks!".   I've been voted off the island.  I'm down for the count.  And I have to say I am relieved it's OVER for me.   So here are the photos that my wonderfully talented photographer friend Jaime J. Grant took of "Petoskey Shores" that had yet to be submitted.  I will definitely be wearing this piece at either DeWitt Garden Walk Art Fair next Sunday, OR to Williamston ArtFest on the River on the 25th.  Haven't decided....

 I took this one on the new bust I found at a yard sale.  Gives you a better idea of dimension...

There are lots of other photos too that I will probably throw in now and then.

Hope to see you at one of my art shows this summer - next Sunday, the 19th begins my crazy, psycho 7 weeks IN A ROW of shows - some are BOTH Saturday AND Sunday!  WHAAAAAAAH!

Why do I do this to myself?   But seriously - I gotta spread the COOL Cool Moon word - especially the denim.  Everybody loves them some Enlightened Denim!

Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Warning - morning rant

I admit that I'm not really brave enough to post this directly on Facebook.  So I'll rant here, and then link it.  As it is, I'm probably committing career suicide to some extent by ranting about this - but it is truly making me a little upset right now - so here goes.....

(and yes, for the most part - I'm talking about Battle of the Beadsmith.  NEVER going to compete again, so I'm ranting away......)

STOP STOP STOP STOP putting so much damned importance on my jewelry PHOTOS!  I am just a ONE WOMAN (make that GODDESS) show trying to sell and show my pieces the best way I can. And you know what- I look at them.  I don't think they're that bad.  I use my photo editing program to do as much to them as I can to make them as good as I can for online viewing. (Here's the BOTB part of the rant -) So they aren't GIANT in your face BIG.  They still show the size, the quality and IF YOU'D LOOK beyond the first dang photo you see - CLOSE UP detail. I did submit more than one, you know.   But NO.   In this case, at the beginning - they were NOT PROFESSIONALLY done.  Who do you think I am?  A millionaire? So glad that so many of you (mostly from the UK) can afford to simply ship your piece off to the best photographer in your land and come back with photos of stunning models all made up wearing your piece.  That model then becomes the focus.  In my opinion - THIS is not a true showing of how that piece might look on the person that is going to wear it.   If anyone.  Truthfully - I.  ME.  I am the one that's going to be wearing my piece - and I am NOT A MODEL.

And despite your protests about my measly little photos, I DID make it past Round 1, and was honored, and LUCKY to finally have a professional photographer FRIEND available to take some photos for future rounds.  But I can only submit those ONE AT A TIME.   It just burns me when I hear people say (or in this case read their comments) that "it would be a great piece; too bad the photo is so bad".  IT IS A GREAT PIECE!  ALL OF MY PIECES are great.

I realize that this contest IS done by photo submission.  That all people have to judge by IS the photo. But seriously.  We can't all hire professional models.  And in fact - if you don't know the rules - it IS NOT REQUIRED.  I used the largest format my camera would allow.  So I guess if that means I don't make it past Round 2 - then yay.  I can finally wear it.

Note to Dot - I know you warned me.  But it doesn't mean it still doesn't piss me off.

Generally speaking - I have had other negative comments about my photos in the past. So I tried to improve them.  Had a light box for awhile.  Have a digital camera.  Use different backgrounds. Bottom line is -  I do what I can with what I have.  And since MANY of the PHOTOS that I have posted of jewelry pieces on Facebook have resulted in sales - obviously there are SOME people who don't think my photos suck.  Cha. Ching.

As always - PEACEFUL beading,
TTFN

Battle time!

Here's the link for ROUND TWO of the voting in Battle of the Beadsmith.  This is for group D, which is the group I am in (I'm battle #11); groups C, B, & A will follow this week.  Remember - you must vote in ALL FOUR groups for your vote to qualify - and I reallly reallllly want your vote to qualify!   I think it's rather interesting that the piece I'm up against is once again - PINK.  I think I can beat pink!   But it's getting scary girls - because there are sooooo many beautiful pieces in these battles - that eventually I'm going to come up against one that totally blows 'Petoskey Shores' away - like the shoes..... holey moley.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1a1B0jbNKx9zSkXzcGlDnjbsZ6j6aWpmDBgcsJ33Egoc/viewform

(You may need to copy/paste the address in your search box)

Almost time for the new Creative Spark too - and with all the creating for BOTB and the EMag - my brain has been in high gear!   I've created several new denim pieces, and am now working on another NON denim PETOSKEY STONE piece.  "Sunrise Tide" is a soft blend of the brown of the stone, along with peach tones, and aqua.  Should have that completed tomorrow some time - and of course, photos will follow.

Hope you're having a beadiful day where you are.  It's another rainy one here - so of course - what to do but bead?

Peaceful beading,
TTFN

AND DON'T FORGET TO GO VOTE!   :)