View from my Tent - SimplyQwirky Flowers

While I have seen other versions of this fun garden art, I think Julie and Carline's are the best. They were a big hit at the West Seattle Summer Fest earlier this month. You can also find them at the Fremont Sunday Market and in August at the Marysville Homegrown Festival August 12th and 13th. You can see more photos of their work on their Facebook page.

They turned me loose with their sidewalk chalk. I have to get some for future shows - how fun!!
Before chalk.....

After chalk......

View from my Tent - Snooter Doots!

My tent has been doing some major traveling this month so I am a bit remiss in my posts. But I will get caught up. Over 4th of July weekend I found myself at Pioneer Days in Cle Elum with Kandyse of Blue Fox Glass. To save on gas we packed both of our booths into one truck. Kandsye is quite the packer.

 While there I met Gina and her Snooter Doot pals, Lenny and Bruce.  Snooter-doots™ are whimsical, handcrafted, art-dolls inspired by nature, featuring vegetables, bugs, fish, birds, fantasy creatures, and edibles. They inspire smiles, foster friendship, or look cool on the couch. Snooter-doots are knit by hand from  renewable wool and other animal fiber yarns before they are felted. Each Snooter-doot has a unique personality with its own name and birthday, and is looking for a good home.You can learn more about them at their website www.snooter-doots.com.

I brought home some catnip stuffed Snooter Doot carrots and Miko plays with his every day!

Lavender Farm Faire this weekend!

Looking for a weekend getaway? Then come and visit me at Sequim at the Lavender Farm Faire. Seven festivals in one! There is a lot to see and do. Tickets/buttons are $10 in advance and $15 on site. The button gets you into the farms and a free ride on the farm bus (or you can drive yourself). See the website for details. http://sequimlavenderfarme​rsassociation.org/Home.htm​l

For the schedule of events at Olympic Lavender Farm (where I will be) please use this link. http://sequimlavenderfarme​rsassociation.org/Olympic.​html

I will have my usual assortment of jewelry plus a special selection of all things purple! 

Silver-Plate vs. Sterling Silver

This information was originally posted in January 2010. I get so many questions about plated metals that I thought I would re-post it with a few updates.

I usually choose silver-plate over sterling silver for my metal findings (clasps, hooks, ear wires, headpins, etc) because of the cost. Making this choice allows me to keep my prices very affordable.

Many jewelry makers feel that plated metals will not hold up, that the plating will wear off quickly. I have not found this to be true. I have sliver-plated earrings that I have worn for many, many years. A few have become discolored with a patina, but most look just as they always have.

So what exactly is silver-plate? I did some research on the internet to find out for you.

Silver-plated findings are electroplated, which means a coating of 100 percent silver is chemically deposited on base metal. The silver layer is bonded to the base metal via electric current. The quality of silver-plate is determined by the thickness of the silver coating. Examples of base metals include iron, steel, copper, brass, nickel, and zinc. Nickel is a base metal that many folks are allergic to. Most of the findings I use have copper or brass as the base. Because of that many makers of findings are now using brass. The silver-plated findings that I use are heavily plated over brass. I recently purchased some new ear wires that are heavily plated silver over copper.

I have read that plated pieces will oxidize - blacken - faster than solid silver as the base metals properties overpower the plating. Again, in my own jewelry I have not found this to be true. If you damage or scratch the plating deep enough you can expose the base metal. I have never had this happen with my own jewelry. Although silver-plate doesn't carry the same "air" as sterling silver, it lasts nearly as long and is an affordable alternative.

Caring for and cleaning silver-plated jewelry:

Sulfur is the main culprit in causing silver to tarnish or turn black. You can decrease tarnish build up in between wearings by minimizing exposure to the air and humidity. Store in plastic air tight zip lock bags and add some anti-tarnish paper. Or you can use anti-tarnish cloth in the form of jewelry bags or the lining of a jewelry box. Do not place pieces in a cardboard box or on paper as they have sulfur-producing compounds in them that increase the rate of oxidation. Personally my own jewelry hangs on a rack and bulletin board in my bedroom. It is in dim light and normally is a very non-humid place. This has worked for me for many years.

In addition to tarnish-prevention, another way to avoid wearing down silver-plate is to not over-polish. Any process that removes tarnish also removes minute amounts of silver on the surface, so the less you have to polish the longer life your item will have. To remove tarnish from silver-plate you can use the same techniques that you would with solid sterling silver items.

I do not recommend using dips, polishes or pastes on your jewelry. They can be very abrasive or harsh. If your piece has stones I would definitely not use these methods as they can damage many stones. Polishes and pastes are abrasive and will remove too much of the plating with each polishing.

I do recommend using polishing cloths. I like Sunshine Polishing Cloths. They work amazingly well, are very easy and not messy. When you do polish, do not keep polishing the item just because the polishing cloth continues to discolor and turn black. When the item appears shiny and lustrous, you're done!

Fiesta!!

I love these bracelets! And this color combo really stands out - I call it Fiesta as it reminds me of a party. Yellow, red, orange and black. The way they feel on your wrist, the sound they make, the way they move - they are so much fun! Pictures do not do them justice as they are very 3 dimensional.

I have beads for another one on my work table - black and white this time. These take a lot of patience to make. I use about 180 inches of thread for each row of fringe (there are 2 rows). Slow and steady is the secret. All have been  SOLD

New Work

In July I will be at the Lavender Farm Faire so that means ....purple!! This is an agate pendent hanging from 3 strands of satin lavender glass seed beads. This has sold.

This one combines a sterling silver bead, crystals, agates and dark purple glass seed beads.This has sold.

 

 A custom order for a freshwater pearl eyeglass leash.

 

An agate hangs from strands of dove grey and black diamond glass seed beads. This one sold the first time I had it on display!

View from my tent - Wings and Wind Chimes

My neighbors this past weekend, Casey and Maya, make the most wonderful wind chimes. They hang obsidian needles that they mine themselves from bird houses made from various natural materials with native birds in mind. "Wings create wind and wind moves wings." You can learn all about them at www.wingsandwindchimes.com.

View from my Tent - Meeker Fest

Oh no Mother Goose!! I heard that over and over this past weekend. 

Kandsye of Blue Fox Glass and I had adjoining booths at Meeker Days in Puyallup. Directly across from us was Humphrey's Farmyard Fun - the land of Mother Goose and Farmer Jack. Mother Goose arrived in costume aboard her Segway with a bunny in a basket. 

 

 

We entertained ourselves by competing in duck races, sustaining a running commentary on people and dog fashions, and plotting to steal Farmer Jack's cowbell. On Saturday we sampled a wide variety of food. From empa-naughties (think Hostess fruit pies gone Mexican), caramel/chocolate covered apples, to rhubarb-strawberry-peach pie. Yum! 

 

 

On to the next show.........

This Weeks Work

Glass Gardens - I just can not keep these in stock! I made one and dropped it off at Old Town Framing & Gallery in Silverdale and will have 3 in my booth this weekend at Meeker Fest in Puyallup. All three of these are now sold.

 I also had time to make one new necklace using the pretty new stones I got this spring. This one combines Picture jasper with brown porcelain and bronze glass.

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My Own Display Case!

I now have my items in their very own display case at Old Town Galley and Framing in Silverdale! 

 The owner Maria has a wonderful selection of locally made art, wearables and jewelry. Not to mention she is a fantastic framer for those special projects. You can learn about current and upcoming exhibitions as well as the gallery's location at their website: http://www.oldtowncustomframing.com/

 Jasper, turquoise, magnesite and copper

 Moonstones and amethyst

Colors! Beadware art pins and I just dropped off a glass garden bracelet (not shown).

Porcelain Art Beads

Green Jasper & Agate

A few more new pieces based on a design that has been very popular.
All have been  SOLD

 Green jasper, copper and bronze glass

 Green jasper, copper and bronze glass.

 Green jasper, moss agate and bronze glass.

Black and Tan

Jasper comes in so many different shades and colors. Here I have paired a pretty tan jasper with black glass seed beads in a necklace, bracelet and earrings set. This has sold.

First Window!

You can now find Beadware in Port Townsend! This weekend I took some of my fun bead art pins up to the Mad Hatter & Co Gallery. I think they are a perfect match for their fun hats and scarves. The best part - they put a few of my pins in their front window!!

The gallery is a collective of 3 businesses: Mad Hatter Hats owned by Janice Tucker, Shadows owned by Marlene Bennett Jones and Mystic Beach Studio owned by Haden Starbuck. Learn more about the gallery on their Facebook page. 

New Red Jasper Necklaces

I used up the remaining red jasper beads I had to create these necklaces. Jasper is said to bring joy into your life. Medicinal values attributed to jasper include a belief that wearing it strengthened the stomach. Jasper was also believed to cure gynecological problems. Red Jasper in particular is believed to stop bleeding, help one to breath easier and aid in childbirth. Jasper is also thought to drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites. (Note: This information is provided for curiosity only and is in no way meant to be medical advice.)

So add a little joy to your life with one of these beauties!
All have been  SOLD

 The small beads and clasp are copper. The rectangular beads are red jasper and the pendant is carnelian.

 A mix of red jasper, copper and black glass beads with a triangular agate. 

 Red jasper and copper.

 The small matte beads are Afghan serpentine.

View from my Tent - Shrimpfest

Now that show season has started it is time to bring back this fun series of posts. This past weekend I was at Shrimpfest in Brinnon on the Hood Canal.

 Last minute touches before the crowds arrive. Kandyse of Blue Fox Glass is on the left and the t-shirt girls of MA Graphics on the right. Fun to be next to folks you know.

 

 Lots of folks have come out on this beautiful day to celebrate Shrimpfest!

My view was of tomato, blueberry and other veggie plants from a local nursery.

 And there was entertainment. This family from Chehalis was really good!

 And the highlight was the belt sander races! They modify and decorate them.

We have a winner!!