Naked Lady

Ha! Made you look!
Isn't this amaryllis just beautiful? Did you know it is also know as Belladonna lily or naked lady? So far there has been 8 huge blooms and two more are on there way to open. How does one small stem have so much beauty?

I have been busy working with some of the brass stampings I got at the flea market. Since I am not home and do not have my good camera I am relying on my I-phone. So these pics will have to do.
The brass stampings are loaded with lots of natural patina, a little buffing from some fine steel wool brings out some of the highlights so nicely.

I forgot to share these crosses with you the other day, they are from the same vendor at the flea market. Great detail and I think they are made from some type of pot metal as they have a softness to them.

Here is another piece I am working on, it is rather simple in design. All the glory lies in the connectors. Czech glass beads with simple loops. Still trying to figure out a good clasp. Any suggestions?

Flea Market Sunday

What a find! I am so excited over these antique brass findings. Even though it was a bit chilly at 39 degrees and I have a head cold we ventured out to the Mansfield Flea Market in Mansfield Ct. The sisters stayed with Ginger so I could have some time off. I found a few neat things for my antiques booth but when I found this booth my heart skipped a beat and I squealed for sure! Boxes after boxes of authentic antique solid brass stampings. The dealer said he made a huge purchase of the findings from an old jewelry factory.

Two people in particular came to mind when I saw these beads (sorry about the very poor cell phone picture)...it does not do the beads justice. Barbara Lewis of Painting with Fire and Shannon Levart of Miss Ficklemedia. Enamel and patina would be perfect on these solid brass gems! The bead caps are like little pinecones,solid and extremely well made, they don't make things like that anymore.

Check out the detail on these grogeous crowns! I dug a little in the box and found two with totally different natural patina's.

Now that I have had some time with my selections I know that I need more...so hopefully next Sunday I will go back and get some more. Hopefully everyone had a great weekend.

All the best,

Judy



Laptop or I-phone

Laptop....please! Since I am on this extended stay in Connecticut taking care of my MIL, my dh left me one of his  laptops to use. For whatever reason it stopped working on Monday, I could not figure it out nor could he help me over the phone, so I had to wait until he returned to Ct. to fix it. I knew it was probably something stupid and it was (don't ask)...anyway I am back in the cyber world and looking forward to catching up on some blogs and shopping on Etsy. Although I can do a lot on my I-phone it is just harder to read blogs and shop.

I brought a work sack with me and have been keeping busy making some jewlery. I am doing mostly wire wrapping and more time consuming pieces, all in the comfort of my lap. Soon I will have some interesting pieces to share with you.

I am missing the Tenn. weather, it has been 80 degrees back home and around 35-40 here.

One Lucky Elephant

I have had this fascination for elephants ever since I was a child and had read a poem my Dad had written called "Elephants never die they just go away". My interest further intensified after reading the book Moduc (a beautiful elephant story),it is one of my favorite books. So when I came across this film trailer on You-tube I thought I would share it. It seems like such an amazing story and I will look forward to seeing this film when it comes out on the Oprah network.

Starry Night

I so admire people that are inspired by nature or a piece of art and then can create something from the inspiration....me not so much.  I wish I could translate my vision into a piece of jewelry but my head just does not work like that, or perhaps I have not tired hard enough. I think I will work on that.

So here you have a reverse inspiration...I am sure the first you have seen. I have been working on some chandeleir earrings and after I made these I was searching for a name and  "Starry Night"  the name of Van Gogh's painting came to mind.

You can find these in my Etsy shop.

I am

Here I am...but not where I usually am.
I am in Connecticut once again with my family. Dealing with the diffuculties that an incurable illness brings and knowing that you will soon lose a parent. A very sad  part of life. We are glad for the warmer temperatures and the sunshine, the weather has a way of making the day easier to greet.

It has been so nice connecting with old friends and family and remembering "the good ole' days". A common phrase by everyone.."Wow,has it been that long..". Time has a way of getting by us when we are not looking, and I always thought I took the time and payed attention...I suppose not well enough.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and that your weather is warming up and spring is sprouting in your neck of the woods.

Judy

The Facebook winner is....

The March issue of Bead Trends goes to.........

Christine Kerr!  

I want to thank everyone  who entered and stopped by my facebook fan page, your comments were soooooo nice and I really appreciate it!

Live in the Moment

You can find this piece in my Etsy shop. 

I tend to use mostly brass and copper wire in my designs and they both give my poor carpal tunnel riddled hands a run for my money but  since the price of sterling has gone through the roof, that is all I want to use. Is that crazy or what?

 I can't say what I sell the most of, no one has ever asked just for sterling, brass or copper. I think my customers just go for the overall design. How about you?

 What do you like using the most? Do your customers have a preference?

Just a reminder:
To all my very wonderful readers and new bead soup friends I would like to offer you a chance to win the March issue of Bead Trends magazine. All you have to do is stop by my facebook page,say hi and become a friend. I will pick a random winner on Tuesday morning.
Ok, dokey... see you in FB land.
 

Something smells fishy in here!

Oh yes it does! And I love it! 

I have about 8 lobster carcasses simmering on the stove and that wonderfully stinky stuff will become lobster bisque. I am in the process of making a stock for that wonderful fattening and decadent soup. It takes a while to extract all that flavor and then to reduce the stock so that the flavor intensifies. So, at this writing you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out how it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

In the meantime I am working on several things on my work table. These earrings seemed to take  f o r e v e r !  I kept changing how the disc's were to hang, I ended up making textured jump rings so they could dangle. They have a bohemian feel to them and I am calling them Gypsy. I just listed them in my Etsy shop.

Don't forget to check out the giveaway of the March issue of Bead Trends. The giveaway ends Tuesday am. Enter here

Bead Trends and a Giveaway

 

The March issue of Bead Trends is out and as usual the pictures are just wonderful! I am fortunate to have two pieces in this issue. One piece is called Cerulean, I created it with antique glass beads, (they look like turquoise but are not) and a handmade pendant.

The other piece is a bracelet called Bayberry, I created this piece with a pendant focal from LeAnn of SummerStudios as well as smoky quartz and  fancy jasper rounds.

...and now on to the giveaway portion of our program.
To all my very wonderful readers and new bead soup friends I would like to offer you a chance to win the March issue of Bead Trends magazine. All you have to do is stop by my facebook page,say hi and become a friend. I will pick a random winner on Tuesday morning. 

 Ok, dokey... see you in FB land.

A touch of Spring

I have had pansies on my mind for weeks now, finally I was able to find some to purchase. I just needed to see their smiling faces to know that spring is here, after all it is March and we are in Tennessee so it is safe to say spring has sprung! I know lots of you are still buried under snow and ice just know that I will be enjoying this nice sunny spring weather for you!

This past Friday I went to see my bead lady Mary at the Nashville Flea Market. 

Did I need beads? NO

Did I want beads? YES 

So beads are what I got! 

sweet tiny amethyst roundels, peridot briolettes, moon stone, Tibetan beads and some fancy CZ drops and some more stuff I do not need

.

When I saw the peridot I already knew what I wanted to make.

It's Spring  

You can find these on JudithBDesigns.com