Fold Formed Leaves

Dave has been beating his brains out upstairs in the studio.  The fruit of his labor has been fold formed leaves.

Fold forming is a technique that uses thin sheet copper that is cut, folded, hammered, hammered and hammered.  The hammering is done in precise areas.  First on the leaf center and then many hammering blows are places on the leaf edge with a small hammer.  They are kind of cool and could be made into some fun pieces.  If you are interested in a class in fold formed leaves, please let us know and we would be happy to schedule it.  Then you too, can get hammered.

words for the day....

If you're happy and you know it,

clap your hands.

Barbie Doll Jewelry

My daughter Brooke was a Barbie Doll fanatic.  She must have had 100 barbie dolls and would play with them for hours.  Her Grampa would pick them up for her at rummage sales and she was in seventh heaven.

My friend Annette found a site on Pinterest and knew I would love it.  Because of my fascination with dolls, well, really just the heads, (I collect old doll heads but that's a story for another day) she sent me the link and she was right.  I LOVE this jewelry.  It's weird.  It's creepy.  It's fun!

The artist can be seen on her website:  www.margauxlange.com    She has the most unusual pieces I have ever seen.  Just another thing for you to keep your eye out for when you are hitting the garage sales!

words for the day....

The world can be amazing when you're slightly strange.

Mother's Day 2013

Happy Mothers Day to anyone who does the job of a mother, whether it be to your child, your step child, your four legged child or your husband who acts like a child,

I hope you had a wonderful day!

I had the pleasure of spending time with my kids today. Chinese food, Cold Stone Ice Creme, and great company!  It doesn't get any better.



words for the day....

A Mother is She who can take the place of all others

but whose place no one else can take.



"GIRLS ROCK" Summer Art Camp!

Glass Onion Bead Co. will be offering three different “themed” art camps that hopefully will inspire the little artist in your daughter. Each camp is a one-week long session for girls ages 8-12 years old. There will be morning programs and afternoon programs. Each one is 3 hours long for five days.

SPARKLE DIVAS 

This camp is for the girly-girl. We will be making sparkly scarves, and decorating hats with fabric, flowers and beads. Campers will make polymer beads that we will incorporate into colorful, handmade jewelry. We will paint a collage canvas using tissue paper, scrapbook paper and a baby picture of our rising artists. We will cover balloons with glued string and colorful yarns to make a awesome hanging sculpture. Girls will go home with lots a great artwork to wear and hang!

MIXED MEDIA GIRLS

For the girl who likes to do it all. Campers will make treasure boxes covered in paper collage to hold special stuff, and we'll make air-plaster cupcakes, decorating them with paints & chalks & adding other cool stick-on stuff. We'll be painting & working with modpodge, covering a canvas using decorative paper and a photo of themselves . We'll make sun catchers with tissue paper & plastic & make a great wall hanging using wood letters & scrapbook paper. We will cover many mediums for the girls to enjoy

NATURE LOVER

This camp is for the girl who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty! We will make paper mache bird houses and popsicle stick bird feeders. Campers will paint a canvas using flowers and leaves and cut up vegetables for stamps on their paintings. We will paint driftwood and make them into a mobile and construct awesome dragonflies out of helicopters and sticks! There will be lots of great projects for home and outdoors!

Dates For Camps

SPARKLE DIVA
Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 21 9:00am-12:00pm
OR
Monday, July 8 through Friday, July 12 1:00pm-4:00pm

MIXED MEDIA GIRLS
Monday, July 8 through Friday, July 12 9:00am-12:00pm
OR
Monday, August 5 through Friday, August 9 1:00pm-4:00pm

NATURE LOVER
Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 21 1:00pm-4:00pm
OR
Monday, August 5 through Friday, August 9 9:00am-12:00pm

Registration

The cost of each art camp is $100 plus a $25 art supplies fee.  Each camper will choose a camp name and will be called by that name for the week.  Campers are encouraged to wear old clothes or bring a big old shirt to wear because we will get dirty!  Each session is limited to eight girls per camp so hurry and get your registration in early!  Call or email with any  questions you may have.
Call or stop in for a registration form.  We look forward to exploring and creating with your daughters!

Resin Flower Spring Bracelet

Well, I think it's safe to say....Spring has finally arrived!
Even though everything is behind in the growing stages, I'm sure it will catch up quickly!

I made this fun little bracelet to let me know spring is really here!

I made a square stitch base out of size 6 seed beads and attached a vintage button clasp.  I then went a little crazy with no rhyme or reason and just started adding resin flowers and glass leaves.  Coming up from the bottom, between two of the size 6's, I picked up a resin flower and added a smaller seed bead for a stopper bead and then went back down through the flower again.  I did this randomly until the bracelet was full.  It really was quite easy to.  We have a great selection of glass leaves and resin flower beads in stock right now.  If I can't have my flowers blooming outside yet, at least I can wear them around my wrist!

words for the day...
Today, be happier than a bird with a french fry.

Mother's Day Giveaway!

It's almost mother's day.  Think about everything your mom has done for you.  Diapers, midnight feeding, potty training, (imagine if she never potty trained you... you would be walking around in a Depend right now) she taught you to count, she taught you the A B C's, did your laundry, cooked for you, did your homework, chauffeured you all over town, cleaned your room, hugged you, etc.  All this because that's what mothers do.  Where ever your mom is, here or beyond, let her know how much you appreciate her!

 We are giving away this glass dichroic pendant in a Mother's Day drawing! Post your comments about your mom  for a chance to win it!

words for today.....
Sooner or later, we all turn into our mother.

Addicted to Tin

I am an addict.  I am not ashamed to admit it.  I am addicted to tin.  Tin cans.  Tin signs.  Tin lunch boxes.  Tin toys.  If it's tin, I want it.  Now some people may think this is a bad thing.  But I don't.  There are much worse things than being an addict.  For instances,  I could be a hooker.  See...much worse.  No, just a Tin Addict.

One of my favorite things to make are pins and brooches.  I like to work the image on the tin into the design.  I think this adds interest to the piece. I started making my recycled spools quite a few years ago,  People at art shows would say "Oh, old film canisters" or "Are these old thread spools?"  No, I shape the the tin from old signs and cans into cylinders and rivet them with old coins.  That's when i get a quizzical look.

I love working with tin.  The pattern is already there for you.  Call me lazy, but I think that is one of the many benefits of using tin, besides the inexpensive price.  I love to scour local thrift shops, searching for tins with small patterns or unusual lettering.  Keep your eyes out, rummage sales, flea markets and who knows...you could become an addict too!

 

words for the day....

What you put up with, you end up with.