Reveal date ALMOST HERE!

THIS WEEKEND!   I hope you can plan to take time out from your busy holiday weekend, stop, grab a cool one (beer, wine, lemonade, whatever) and hit our ZNetShows Summer Challenge reveal!
We were 'challenged' with creating two distinctly different designs using the absolutely AWESOME sea glass sent to us from ZNetShows.  We DID get to give them input about what we wanted - but YOWZA!  So much better than what I imagined.  So just a tease - here's what they sent me to play with:

I managed to create two pieces for each 'theme' - daytime casual and night time DRESSY.  And then some!

I can't wait to show you what I created - and then be able to let those babies shine at my shows this summer!

See you on Saturday!  And by the way -  ALL NEW ITEMS are being added to the Facebook album in "Alabama General Store" this week - so search for them, LIKE them, and then look for Cool Moon Creations unique beaded jewelry.  Enlightened Denim, embroidered pieces, simple pieces.  Something for everyone!

Peaceful beading,
TTFN

The lure of the bead

Do your beads call to you?  Do you just get sucked in by the energies of the semi-precious stones, the feel of the different finishes and shapes?  The trays.  The drawers.  The boxes.... It's the lure of the bead.....

It happened to me this morning.  Instead of my usual quiet time with hazelnut coffee and a book or puzzle, I found myself being called to the bead table - not just to put together a project for my afternoon bead date, but for MORE.  For sorting, and digging, and finding all kinds of wonderful surprises.  THIS is just one result of my morning bead time:

"Rouge Wrap"

These were pieces and parts left over from last winter's "LaFleur Rouge" Necklace, my Downton Abbey vintage inspired piece.  The sections were done with bits and parts of Nancy Dale's "Summertime Wrap" bracelet - my very favorite tutorial EVER!  (I intended to link you Nancy's website, but there seems to be an issue with it right now), and also some freeform peyote leaves.  I ultimately decided they didn't work in the necklace, so into the 'leftover' box they went.

Today, I started to tear the strands apart, to return them to idea making stage.  BUT - the pieces had another idea in mind.  They ended up laid end to end on my table - which gave them the look of a really long, sleek bracelet.  LIGHTBULBS!   

 (Yes, these are Christmas bulbs.  But you get the IDEA).  :)

Just a few added silver 15's, a button (just so happens the same button that had been in the project box to be used with the piece that I had already put away), and Voila!   It fits MY wrist perfectly, so I may need to keep this unintended cool piece for myself.  But since I don't really wear a lot of red (ok, really only during holidays of Christmas and Valentines) I'd rather it find a new wrist to call home.
SO - it, along with "La Fleur Rouge" will be available in the Alabama General Store come July.  I'm getting things organized, watermarked, and inventoried.  Look for brand new pieces early next week!

I also completed another cool "Enlightened Denim" set just for AGS:

Denim and Paisley.  You'll have to check Alabama General Store for the price and details!

I may add a piece or two to the blog Jewelry page here, too at some point - so be sure you check for occasional changes and additions.

Well.  Off to play with more surprise finds from this morning, and looking forward to my bead date with my friend Sharon Erwine this afternoon.  She was a part of my start on my bead store journey, and although I no longer have the store, we've remained friends since that time.  She learned to LOVE the seed bead as much as I, (as you can see by the beautiful kits and patterns available on her website), but she really is an accomplished knitter, so we still get together when we can - she knits.  I bead.  She's moving away from me permanently soon.  My little beady world is getting just a bit smaller...and sadder.  sniff. sniff.

Go hug your beads, girls.  And a beady friend too, if you have one.  Life. Is. Short.
Peaceful beading,
TTFN 

HELLLLO summer!

Hey there!  Did you miss me?  So sorry I haven't made more of a presence here on the blog - I plan to fix that and hope to get back to at LEAST weekly blogging very soon.  You will notice that I'm again ADDING a page of jewelry items that ARE for sale - you can either pay by PayPal, or contact me regarding other options.  I will include email information on the jewelry page.
So.  Now that business is out of the way - how's tricks, kids?  I hope everyone is having a grand summer.   My yard is simply magical this year - hummingbirds, dragonflies, unexpected blossoming.  Here's a bit of eye candy - beauty that I get to observe every day!  How can anyone have a bad day when looking at this?

Pretty awesome, huh?

It's hard to be inside concentrating on new designs when there is such beauty just outside my door....

 But I HAVE been concentrating, especially on the new Enlightened Denim pieces.  They haven't been wildly popular at SHOWS yet - but my local peeps and awesome relatives have been eating them up!  I will be creating a few more  (rain rain, you don't have to go away today), some that will be specifically for THIS blog's jewelry page, and some for my Alabama General Store album.  If you haven't check it out - head over to Facebook, search for "Alabama General Store", and then look in the jewelry section for Cool Moon Creations.  BRAND new items will be added beginning end of this week - so it's worth a look!  AND a purchase!

I also hope to be able to blog SOON about our ZNetShows Summer Challenge!  I really want to be able to show them off - and then add them to my summer inventory!  SO COOL!
My show schedule is hot and heavy this summer too!  I've got two under my belt (not counting the two I did in March and April), and now have a few weeks to relax and enjoy summer before I do THREE in a row!  Glutton for punishment, I KNOW!  And the next one is going to be my most prestigious show so far -  Williamston Art in the Park on July 26.  Very high end, juried show in a VERY high price area.  Always wanted to do it.  This is my year.  I've also always attended - but never even thought I could do the Grand Ledge Island Art fair.  It's the very NEXT weekend - the application fee has been mailed.  With a second Sunday market date in between those two - can you say WHEEEEW?!  I will need a vacation!  And hopefully to create LOTS of new inventory!

Here's what my table looked like at LAST Sunday's market, our first of the season:

It was a BEAUTIFUL day - great temps, no breeze (which can sometimes wreak havoc with a nice display), and LOTS of customers.  I was a happy camper!

Hope your summer is filled with magic and fun!
Be sure to check out the jewelry page - I'll try to add a few more photos regularly.  Hard to do with so many show coming up - so I guess that means I just have to make NEW!  LOL!
Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Show and TELL!

Drum roll, please!  I got word about this time last week from Fire Mountain Gems that my seed bead finalist piece had indeed been selected for a magazine ad!  YAY!   So here is the magazine - a UK publication, and one I haven't been able to find around town here anywhere, yet.  They were kind enough to send me a copy - but I had hoped to have a second one to keep clean and pristine.  Maybe one of my FB or blog followers from the UK can help me out!

But anyway, without further ado.... here's the mag cover:

It's the June Wedding Special Issue of Bead and Jewellery magazine!  (Don't you just love the way they express things in the UK?  So much prettier, with all those extra consonants and fancy wording.)

And here's what the AD looks like - a little blurry - taken with my phone camera.... it's also a close up - the original ad includes the beautiful focal butterfly section as well:

   Normally, as many of you know, FMG ads appear on the BACK of bead related publications.  But not this one, which in my personal opinion - is a good thing. In this one -  It's the FIRST thing you see when you open the front cover.  Now, when I look at magazines, I'm much more likely to look through them cover to cover more than once, but probably NOT glance at the back more than once.  So this puts ME in front of way more eyes, way more times!  HOORAY!
So I hope you forgive me the horn tooting and back slapping - I am proud of this accomplishment - followed by excitement at being a part of the ZNetShows design team. (great segue, don't you think?  :) We're getting closer to the reveal date - which won't be until JULY sometime.  I've sent all the pertinent photos and details off to Hope - and now we WAAAAIIIT!   It's so hard!  I will be sure to 'reveal' all just as soon as she says GO!

So this may be the last blog for a bit again - hopefully not til challenge reveal, but we shall see....
My first BIG summer show of the season is SATURDAY.  This will be the first show that I have done that has had SPONSORS, which means ADVERTISING.  In a BIG, BIG way.  Radio ads, TV ads, there is signage all over Okemos, we girls are spreading the word like wildfire all over the web, and hanging posters up all over town.  It's also different in that it doesn't BEGIN until 2 in the afternoon.  So I don't have to get up EARLY (YAY) to set up, BUT -  I will be setting up in the heat of the day, which, depending on where I'm located, may NOT be so YAY.  I may also be taking things down in the dark. Could be interesting, but either way,  it's going to be a BLAST!

One could only hope to sell out of all of one's creations.  But then, what would I sell at the show I have NEXT weekend - my beloved Art Market.   What a dilemma to have!  LOL!

Hope you are all having a terrific summer, and it's full of blooming beauty.  Mine sure is:

Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Whew. It's still here

So sorry it's been awhile since I've blogged.  With the spring has come much more NON-bead and blog activity - getting the garden and yard made beautiful, enjoying family on the west side of the state, and actually - reading.  reading.  and more reading.  I've been to the library countless times in the last month - it's nice to sit on the deck and enjoy the day with a book.  Now I just have to finish planting the flowers....

 I've also been busy creating more of those Enlightened Denim jewelry pieces.  THIS particular bracelet ended up going to a very dear friend - it is perfect for her.  I wanted to work with a zipper - I've been seeing many different designers using them lately, but I didn't want to do what everyone else was doing.  THIS was the first, using a brand NEW zipper, and then attaching it to a denim section.

I then decided to create another one for the show circuit - only this time using a zipper from one of the pair of blue jeans being 'enlightened'.  MUCH harder to work with, and I don't think it laid as smoothly on the denim section, either.  The zipper end itself was also smaller, so couldn't be used as the clasp 'loop' as the first one was.  I will probably go back to using brand new zippers if I do many more of these.  They are KILLER on the fingers, though.... so less may be more!  LOL!

We also spent a part of our time recently with members of my husbands family at a memorial event for a fallen police officer that was a member of their MOTORCYCLE CLUB.   Sons of Malta.  Located in the Plainwell/Allegan, Michigan area - they are a HUGE organized deal, with many firefighters, police and public safety officers as members.  This was also a benefit for our step-great nephew, who has struggled with cancer on and off in his life since he was small.  He's now 21.  And currently DONE with cancer.  He has started his own charity called DCStrong (look for them on Facebook) that makes sure kids with cancer get great things.

This is just a small section of the almost 300 bikes that rode in the EZMemorial Ride in Southwest Michigan on Saturday.  The 'biker' with the pink bandanna and killer boots right there in front is our niece - Sara!  You go, girl!

And last but not least - I got word from Fire Mountain Gems today that my finalist piece "Mariposa" (over there on the left) has been chosen to grace the back of the next issue of BEAD magazine - the special WEDDING issue.  Even though they're sending me a copy, I will definitely be scouring the bookstores soon looking for another copy!  yay!

Will be back soon with more info for you about our great summer ZNETSHOWS challenge.  My pieces are finished - I can't wait for you to see them.  You'll definitely want to stay tuned, because ONE of the pieces is changeable - with ONE part of it being shown in their E-magazine reveal, and the other part HERE on the blog!
SO FUN!  Thanks again, ZNETSHOWS!  You rock!

Peaceful beading, and READING,

TTFN

A post with no name

Simply because it's full of babbling and beady stuff, as usual.  There really isn't one good title to give it.
Denim Days?  Rainy Days and Mondays?  Netflix nightmare?  It's a combination (and compilation) of all three - and then some.

Beings how (it may not be proper English, but I'm usin' it anyhoo) I'm still nursing this silly head cold THING that started last Monday/Tuesday, I really didn't have much else to do but read - and bead.  I've read 2 full hard cover books from front to back since Tuesday, as well as a 300+page Nook book.  I also have LOTS more Enlightened Denim to show you - I will definitely have a good assortment of them for the Celebrate! Downtown Okemos in June.  I just hope they're as popular as I WANT them to be.  They seem to get good reviews from folks when I wear mine, and I've sold a few to friends who are testing the field with them too.  Here are just some of the pieces I've created so far:

This one, the FIRST one I made, and still my favorite, is MY OWN personal piece:

There are a few others too, that still haven't made it to their photo session!  Slackers!  LOL!

I am currently working on an embroidered pendant - done on, and backed with, yup - you guessed it - DENIM!  Turning out pretty cute.  And seeing how (and here's where the nightmare comes in) NETFLIX has bitten the dust again (needing to be deactivated and reactivated and bunch of other technical ridiculousness) for the 2nd time in a month (we just watched it this afternoon- it was FINE) but I digress - I will be heading BACK to the bead table to play with it some more since I can't turn on the TV.  Well, I can - but nothing happens.  ACK.  
Glad I have another NookBook cued up and ready to go.  Gonna be a quiet night for me.  I'm letting hubby sort out the technical nonsense (and possibly do the live chat AGAIN) this time around.  Double ACK.

Oh, yeah - and it's been raining. A lot.
Loving this Monday?  Not so much....

Peaceful beading,
TTFN

Challenges are a GOOD thing!

When it comes to ZNETSHOWS!   I know I've already blogged about this, but it's been pretty much front and center for me since receiving the absolutely fabulous sea glass beads from them last week!
And that was the day AFTER receiving some really cool sea glass and metal beads that I ordered on my own!  Did I decide to mix the two?  YOU BETCHA!

Here's what they sent me for the challenge, in case you didn't see the last post.  I've already completed ALL the pieces for the challenge - they requested we create a casual set, and a formal/dressy set.    The hard part, though, was STOPPING at the 4 pieces they asked us to create!  Especially in the case of the formal/dressy pieces - I want to add more!   So - I will probably send photos of the main two pieces to Hope for the Emag - with a teaser and a link to my blog address so that I can show you the rest!  It's really awesome.  My brain amazes me sometimes, especially this week when it's full of sneezy, sniffly coughy crap.  UGH.  I mean, ACHOO.

Image courtesy of Google Images

Another challenge of sorts that I decided to forgo - participating as a vendor in a benefit for a motorcycle club in a couple of weeks.  WEEKS.  That, along with transportation had been the challenge - and was the deciding factor.  I just don't have the right inventory, or the time it would take to create it, to do a show like that.  It sounds absolutely KICK ASS - and hubby and I ALMOST bought tickets to attend the BBQ and the benefit concert.  Alas, though - just a little too far away, as well as few other factors.  I will probably kick myself for giving  up the opportunity, but the timing was just not right.    Maybe next year....
So now my focus is on this show in Okemos on Saturday, June 14th.  I'm also taking a chance on this one, which has not been good for me in the past.  A good friend and fellow jewelry artist has taken over the organizing reins. She's a go getter, and has high hopes for this show.  She already has way more vendors signed up than were in attendance in the past..... go JANE!   Now let's hope the weather holds....

And last but not least,  during the sneezing and the blowing (yes, using antibacterial hand soap and washing regularly) - I completed this piece:

It was originally going to be a bracelet, but I decided that the chance was too great that the ceramic toggle would get broken.  So this is what it became.  It IS for sale - $135.00.  And now that I can take credit cards anytime I want - message me if you're interested!  PayPal invoicing is available, too!

Stay tuned for more bead babble!  The show season is about to begin!

Peaceful beading,
TTFN