Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones...but pearls will never, ever hurt me...
This necklace reminds of something Wilma Flintstone mightwear on a night out with Fred...lol. I love stick pearls...! The silver "spikes" are ceramic beads made in Greece, they are glazed with a metallic silver glaze and of course...you must recognize my Kazuri beads....eggshell cream and sea green. It is a definite eye catcher..but not overwhelming. It is newly listed in my Artfire Studio.

I also have a new category at Artfire called Artfire Stimulus package. Artfire Artisans got together and started listing at prices that anyone can afford to "stimulate" the economy. A lot of items in the $5-10 range. Search "stimulus package" or "AFSP" for some great deals...!

Artfire has implemented a "rapid checkout" system...which means, you don't have to have an account with Artifre in order to shop there...! If you don't want to be a registered user..you don't have to be...isn't that great...?

In Honor of Spring....

I am sitting here....typing with freezing fingertips...dreaming of sunshine and my garden...digging my fingers into the warm soil and planting new seeds. Instead, I just turned my space heater on to take the chill off my studio.
In honor of Spring...I listed this Spring Lampwork Bracelet in my Artfire Studio. The Lampwork beads were created by talented Artist Lea of LAJewelryDesign. The photographer ( me) does not do them justice. I interspersed ceramic Kazuri Beads in peacock and rose, brushed sterling silver beads and satin Rose Swarovskis. The finishing touch is the lead-free pewter Dragonfly toggle. It is the perfect Spring Bracelet and is a OOAK. It is available for purchase in my Artfire Studio. Ok...time to go turn the heat up...! Brrrrr...!!

I won a Lemonade Award!!!!

My wonderful friend Terry nominated me for a Lemonade Award!! She probably thought I forgot about this, but I wanted to finish my series on those who helped out my friend Chris for his fundraiser..you will find a few of those wonderful ladies below.
I hope Terry doesn't mind I stole her version of the rules from her blog.... the rules are quite simple.
1.Put the logo on your blog or post
2.Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.
3.Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.
4.Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5.Nominate your favorites and link to your post.
This wonderful honor is now given to the following bloggers: Moe, Moon, Erin, Jodie. Pinka, Libertydoll, Maureen, Leilani, Michelle and last but not least...Christina .
All these talented ladies have inspired me in one way or another. I enjoy following their blogs and seeing what they are up to. They are all very talented and are a source of motivation and inspiration. Take a look at their blogs and you'll see what I mean....

Last, but not least....Linda's Stained Glass

You must ignore the bad photography on this photo. I do better with photographing jewelry than glass..yikes, Linda, forgive me. I was in a rush to drop off the donations and didn't have time to get a better shot.

You can see the beautiful etched rose in the middle surrounded by the beveled mauve glass. This piece is about 11 by 14 inches in size and comes with a chain for easy hanging.

I have known Linda for a few years now. As a matter of fact, she is my booth mate at some of our local shows. We were "hooked up" through Ann and our other friend Karen. We got along immediately when we realized we were both NASCAR fans..lol. Anyway, Linda is a great booth mate. We have a lot of fun doing shows together. It's great to have someone to share the day and the sales with. I miss her when she doesn't do a show with me.

Linda is a very talented stained glass artist. She does a lot of custom pieces as well as windows.

This piece will be available on February 11th at Mississippi National Golf Course during a silent auction. All proceed from the auction will go my friend Chris and his recovery from brain cancer. If you are interested in a custom piece or want to see more of Linda's work, please contact me.

I want to thank everyone again for donating for the silent auction. I really appreciate your generosity and your friendship.

Moe's Art of Hawaii

These beautiful pieces traveled the Pacific Ocean to me from Hawaii. They are but a few of the pieces Moe was gracious enough to send for the silent auction next week. She generously sent me about 40 pieces of her artwork. Moe is a very talented polymer clay artist, as you can see from these photos. I had a very hard time choosing which pieces to post...!
I met Moe on Polymer Clay Central a couple of years ago. I was fairly new to the polymer clay world and anxious to learn more. I remember her as being very warm and welcoming and always with a sense of humor. If you ever need to lift your spirits...take a look at her blog to put a smile on your face and a laugh in your heart. Moe is one of those rare beauties both inside and out, she is generous in heart, will kick your butt into action if she feels you need it, will make you laugh and is always there with a smile and a hug. I am very honored to be considered one of her friend.s

If you'd like to see more of Moe's beautiful work you can check out her Etsy shop . Be sure and stop by her blog...you won't be sorry. These pieces (well...maybe not the green pendant) will be available for purchase at the Mississippi National Golf Course on February 11th. All proceeds will go to my friend Chris and his recovery from brain cancer.

Ann Werther Designs

Ann was one of the first ladies I became friends with after I started my business. We were both displaying at a local Spring show. She came over and we started chatting. She has introduced me to a lot of talented MS artists, including Maryann. We all try to get together for lunch and talk about new techniques and upcoming shows. Ann is a great lady and very talented. She has some awesome new techniques that she is working on that will knock your socks off...!

Ann donated these gorgeous Swarovski Moon Earrings for the silent auction on February 11th. They are gorgeous and reflect the light beautifully...! Remember...Mississippi National Golf Course..February 11. If you are interested in seeing more of Ann's work, you can contact her through me for the time being while I work on her to get an Artfire studio..lol.

Pixe's Treasure Chest...a Day late...

I met Michele through my Starving Artist Etsy team. We share ourselves and our art on the forum everyday. Michele was the first to contact me about donating for Chris. She made me pick something from her Etsy shop...it was no easy task let me tell you....! There were so many pretty things...! She handcrafted the sterling ear wires and added red jasper to the cute little hearts. Michele says that red jasper reflects negative energy. Keeps your positve energy in and keeps the negative out.

These and many other pretties will be available on February 11th at Mississippi National Golf Course, all proceeds going towards Chis' recovery. Please stop by Michele's shop and check it out...!

Heavenly Flower Designs

People's generosity continues to amaze me. I "met" the lovely Leilani through my Starving Artsts Etsy Group a few months ago. When I mentioned Chris and the silent auction to my group, she jumped on board right away. Leilani lives in Montreal, Canada. She made this bracelet especially for the cause.

The bracelet contains 5 sterling silver charms bearing the words: trust, inspire courage, laugh and live. The faceted silver grey fiber-optic beadsare beautiful and full of light and are the color associated with brain cancer awareness. Sterling silver beads and a sterling silver safety chain finish the piece. You can see this bracelet was made with love.

This piece will be available for purchase on February 11th at the Mississippi National Golf Course through a silent auction. If you want to see more of Leilani's work you can visit her Etsy store HeavenlyFlower.

Serena's Jewels

These 2 stunners were donated by Lisa C, the owner of Serena's Jewels on Dauphin Island, AL. I met Lisa through one of my online yahoo groups. We got to meet last year when she came over for an Art Show in October. We have become fast friends. Not only is she a talented designer, she is a wonderful and fun person. I love hanging out with her. We took a shopping trip before Christmas to Bay St. Louis and perused some antique shops there. She taught me about vintage jewelry, which she has been collecting for about 20 years.

The necklace is made with copper colored freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals and a gorgeous milk glass focal. I love the combination of colors. These colors are hot, hot, hot...!!

The bracelet is a mixture of sterling silver, lampwork glass lentils and Swarovski crystals. It has a cute little pewter mermaid toggle clasp.

Both these pieces will be put up for auction on February 11th at the Mississippi National Golf Course. All proceeds will go Chris Murphy and his recovery.

Thanks for all....!

I am starting a series featuring all the wonderful people who donated some of their gorgeous work for the silent auction. I am going to do a feature a day for the next week or so. Please check them out and give them some love. All these people have very generous hearts and creative souls and I appreciate all their help with the donations.

First up is Maryann Oberhofer. I have known Maryann for about a year and half now. She is a very talented silversmith and jewelry designer. She does things with silver I can only imagine. She lives here in Biloxi and does the craft show circuit. She hopes to have a online presence very soon. She donated this beautiful necklace and earring set. She handmade the large silver links in this piece. Isn't it beautiful...? She alternated her links with a natural green stone. If you just have to have this set, it will be available for sale on February 11th at Mississippi National Golf Course. All proceeds from this sale will go directly to support Chris Murphy. If you can't be there and are interested in Maryann and her work, I can provide you with her contact information.