Old Town Custom Framing & Gallery

Yesterday I dropped off some more items for inclusion in Old Town Gallery's Feb 3rd Have a Heart Sale. Maria, the gallery owner, is busy filling the gallery with wonderful paintings, glass and jewelry. I selected things with red and or hearts as well as a few things Maria had seen in my online store. Be sure to stop in to the gallery anytime you are in old town Silverdale.

All have been  SOLD

Hearts Desire freshwater pearls

Fire and Ice - moonstones and red glass

Hand painted Porcelain Art Bead

Hand painted Porcelain Art Bead

Hand painted Porcelain Art Bead

Hand painted Porcelain Art Bead

Fire and Ice - moonstones and red glass

The necklace on the right. Red Jasper and Copper.

One of these red jasper and serpentine.

Glass Swirl earrings

Glass Swirl earrings

Glass Swirl earrings

New Look

So how do you like my new look? My friend Linda has been helping me with a new design for business cards. We adapted the new card to make a banner for my blog and etsy store. Clean, crisp, professional. I like it. Now I need to create all new graphics and signs with this new look and incorporate it into my website now under construction. I hope to get all of this out of the way soon so that I can get back to beading!!!!!

Beadware is 10!

I realized today that 2011 is Beadware's 10th Anniversary!!

Hard to believe it has been that long. During that time I have made more than 2100 pairs of earrings, 1000+ bracelets and 300+ necklaces. Beadware has made a profit every year since its inception. Not too shabby for a hobby run a-mok!

For most of those years I did sales out of my home to my mailing list. A holiday sale, a spring sale and a late summer sale. Most of those were done in partnership with my friend Maria and her brand new soap business - Earth Essentials. My friend Rita created our first sale post cards - she dubbed us Beads 'n Bubbles. Boy those sure were fun!!

Up until 2010 Beadware was a part-time endeavor. This year was the first time I have focused on my business full time and the first year I have done sales outside my home. I took my new booth to 17 different venues for a total of 65 days. Since most of the events are on weekends, and there are only 52 weekends in a year, you can see I did not leave myself much free time this last year! I hope to make more time for fun in 2011.

Pictures from a sale at my home in December 2001. 

Pictures from the first Beads 'n Bubble's sale August 2002

Sparkle for New Years

Need some sparkle on New Years? Then my starry nights series is for you!
All have been  SOLD

Cleaning Frenzy

This week is all about cleaning up and organizing my studio. With all the shows I did the last few months I would grab things, dump things, create piles and rummage thru shelves. Boy what a disaster I have now! I have started with the 2 closets - almost done. That led to a photo/negative project which is nearing its end. Then the shelves and work tables. Last on the list is to take an empty hand vac and collect all the beads that have accumulated on the floor. By next week it should feel like a new place! Then my work can start anew. 

My studio pre-disaster status! 

Miniature Masterpieces

These porcelain art beads have been so popular! I started with 20 beads and as of this past weekend I only have 4 left. The beads are designed by Kenneth Chen, a landscape architect and jewelry designer from Princeton, New Jersey. Each bead is a masterpiece, painted and decorated by hand with vibrant colors with 24K gold or platinum glaze and fired at temperatures of over 1000 degrees. To direct the focus to the art bead I select a mix of seed beads for the necklace that highlight each art beads colors.

All have been  SOLD

2nd Chance Sale

We heard from many folks who could not make it last weekend to the Holiday Art Show & Sale because of the crazy rain and flooding. So, we decided to do it again this coming Saturday!! Same time 11-4 and same place - my home.

No spinning demo, herbed oils or pottery this time, but there will be Beadware jewelry, Noelle Morris photography and Eastern Wind Glass items. And just added - Dawn LaGrave with her amazing 3-D kaleidoscope paper art!!

A perfect time to pick up those last gifts on your list!!

5 artists, food and holiday cheer!

There is still time this weekend to stop into Beadware's Holiday Sale. Sunday there will be spinning demo's all day with Frances and Mona - the Dizzy Spinners!  Here are pictures of all the wonderful jewelry, photography, clay, glass and oils you will find to complete your holiday shopping list.  Link to Slide Show

Beadware Holiday Art Show and Sale

And speaking of my sale here are some pictures of what you will find at my sale this weekend: Holiday Art Show and Sale

I have done shows out of my home since 2001 for folks on my mailing list. They are so fun! This weekend's event features 5 artist and their wares. Jewelry, glass, clay, photography and herbed olive oils.  There will be a spinning demo all day Sunday - the fleece will be flying!

If you did not get your invitation then you are not on my mailing list - contact me to get on the list.

Shop Local

Besides shopping at my holiday sale this weekend (shameless self promotion!) here is a great article about supporting your local businesses from the newspaper here in Kitsap County, Wa.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/dec/08/jaime-forsyth-how-we-can-support-local/

Recycle & Remake

This weekend I was telling a customer about how a necklace came to be - it started out as something much different that a friend gave me. My friend had asked me to make her a bracelet out of a necklace that she never wore and then keep the left overs. I have done this several times. It is fun! Here are a few examples.

This plain strand of amber became.....

earrings, and

with the addition of my customers turquoise chunks, a gorgeous choker, and

 

a bracelet, and 

a choker accented by chocolate jasper with a handcrafted clasp.

A strand of rose quartz and a strand of rich red bead became an assortment of bracelets.

A strand of hand carved bone beads became a lariat with yellow chalcedony, earrings and a jasper bracelet. 

This magnesite necklace became.....

earrings, a bracelet and two necklaces combining magnesite, bronze pearls, copper and magic jasper.

Victorian Christmas

This week you can find Beadware at the Victorian Christmas show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds and Event Center. Booth #262 in the Expo Hall. There is a lot to see and do there that will put you in the holiday spirit!

Tuquoise and Pearls

I really like the combination of pearls and turquoise. I featured the necklace in an earlier post. Here are earrings and bracelets. The bracelet on the right sold today before I could get it listed, but the other is still available.

All have been  SOLD

Winter Pearls

I recently saw a necklace similar to this in style on Oprah! I am ahead of the trends as it is a style I have been making for a number of years. This version combines shades of gray and blue dyed freshwater pearls with and pearlized seed beads and clear Czech crystals. The accents and clasp are silver plated. Very elegant!
All have been  SOLD

Working by Candlelight

Being without power for a few days kept me off the computer so I spent my time beading. My studio is the smallest room in the house and I discovered with enough candles I could actually increase the temperature to something tolerable. With cats nestled in a down blanket and a fleece pillow and the dog in a sweater, I set to work. Here are some results.....

All have been  SOLD

 Fire and Ice - moonstones and garnet red glass

Blue Chalcedony, moonstones and sapphire blue seed beads.

Jasper with amber, topaz, gold, and brown seed beads

29 inches of amber seed beads with topaz and gold crystals and small snakeskin jasper rounds with a snakeskin jasper pendant