Turquoise Feathers Bracelet

 Tuesday News Day

Welcome to News Day Tuesday -  the day for jewelry updates and snippets of life

Turquoise Feathers Bracelet

I just re-listed the Turquoise Feathers Bracelet in my ArtFire Shop.  I had it listed there awhile ago, but had removed it.  The bracelet was at the Catwalk Gallery in Tacoma until recently, but sadly, we had to close shop because the University of Washington had just loaned us that space and they wanted it back again.  So I brought all my jewelry back home and am slowly getting it listed online.

Turquoise Feathers Bracelet

The lovely, handmade glass focal bead was the inspiration for the name “Turquoise Feathers”.  The artist started by making an all white glass bead.  Then they added an undulating swirl of purple on both sides of the bead.  Next they added a stripe of turquoise and then pulled a thin, sharp tool through the still molten turquoise glass, causing a feathered pattern to appear. Isn’t it a lovely effect?

Turquoise Feathers Bracelet

I matched the colors in the focal bead with purple and white freshwater pearls.  But to add visual interest, I alternated oval pearls with “button” pearls.  I interspersed turquoise crystals throughout, for contrast and a touch of sparkle.  This would make a pretty treat for yourself at only $18-.

ArtFire is now set up to allow 10 pictures of each item, so you can get a really complete picture of each item.  The Turquoise Feathers Bracelet listing shows both sides of the focal bead and also includes one picture of it in my hand, to help you gauge the size.

Artists Garage Sale

I had a booth at the Artists Garage Sale on  May 18th, here in Olympia.  This unique show is an opportunity for area artists to destash unwanted art supplies and sell their less expensive artwork.   For some reason we only had about half as many artists there, as in the past and the shoppers were way fewer as well.  I don’t know why this happened.  So things were a bit slow and I sold somewhat less than in years past, but it was still worthwhile.  I have tons of beads to destash and this was a good start.

Here’s one end of my booth. The boxes contain some of my destash beads.  I sorted the beads into sections by color.

 

I also sold findings.

And books….

And scrapbook papers.

I also brought along finished jewelry, but I only sold one pair of earrings.  People were mostly there to get all sorts of art destash materials.

Some of my earrings

My next show will be a regular-style arts show on June 23rd.  It will be part of the local Boston Harbor, WA Garden Tour.  If you are local, I hope you’ll stop by and say “hi!”

I am always delighted to read your comments!  Hope to hear from you.

Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry – ArtFire 

Linda Landig Jewelry – Etsy

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Artist’s Garage Sale

 Tuesday News Day

Welcome to News Day Tuesday -  the day for jewelry updates and snippets of life

Upcoming Show – Sort Of

I am blessed to live in a  funky, artsy town.  An annual event here is called the Artist’s Garage Sale.  This is not your everyday art show!  It is an opportunity for area artists to destash unwanted art supplies and sell their less expensive artwork.  It’s a great event for people to pick up affordable art,jewelry, beads, art print cards, paints, canvases, fabric, yarn etc.  I will have a booth at the Artist’s Garage sale this Saturday.  I will be selling my jewelry, plus I’m destashing tons of beads at below cost.

 

The Facebook event page describes it this way:

Need art supplies? Searching for a great gift for yourself or a friend? Check out the artistic wares and whatnots of over 70 area artists! The Artists’ Garage Sale is a unique event that gives Olympia’s artists and art lovers the opportunity to meet, shop, and connect.

The event is just $1.  All proceeds benefit POSSCA’s mission to support the arts, including the Cultural Assistance Program for Students (CAPS) program which provides musical instruments to students who otherwise couldn’t participate in school music programs and annual arts scholarships for high school seniors pursuing a college arts education.  

Olympia Armory, 515 Eastside St SE, Olympia WA 98501

If you live in the Olympia area, I hope you’ll stop by, say “Hi” and support a good cause!

I am always delighted to read your comments!  Hope to hear from you.

Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry – ArtFire 

Linda Landig Jewelry – Etsy

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Valentine’s Day Heart Jewelry

Valentines Day Gift Ideas

Who is on your Valentines Day gift list?  It used to be just an occasion for lovers, but these days many people use this opportunity to express their love for family and friends too.  I usually send Valentines greetings to my grown kids and closest friends, in addition to my husband.

“Orange You Glad I love You?”  in my Etsy shop.

“Orange You Glad I Love You?” necklace

Valentines Day is extra special for my husband and I.  Our first date was a high school prom, held on Valentines Day. I was 16 and he was 18 at the time.  That was, uh-hum, 43 years ago.  Hard to believe that!  We’ve traveled a long, sometimes rugged road together and our love has held firm. I feel so blessed.  I find it hard to shop for guys on Valentines day.  Any good ideas?

Tango Tonight Necklace, in my ArtFire shop.

“Tango Tonight” Necklace

Take a moment to think about your loved ones.  You know them well.  You know what makes them laugh  You know their special interests and what you like to do when you are together.  You know the trials they have suffered.  You know their personal strengths as well as their weaknesses.  And they know these things about you too.

Whimsical Heart Necklace in my Etsy Shop.

“Whimsical Heart” Necklace

When you are on the hunt for a gift for those you love, do you try to find items that match those unique and special qualities?  I always try to, sometimes with more success than others.  Whenever possible, I try to find handmade items.  I either look online, at ArtFire or Etsy, or in local galleries and art shows.  My loved ones are not mass produced.  They are definitely one of a kind, so I try to give them one of a kind gifts.

Heartfelt necklace in my Etsy Shop.

“Heartfelt Necklace”

I made the “Heartfelt Necklace” (above) in honor of my friend, Jenelle Aubade of Beads and Botanicals.  The lampwork glass heart and the turquoise and black beads were made by Jenelle and her husband, Dan.  Although this necklace is in my shop, there are other pieces I’ve given to her as gifts, and Jenelle and Dan have often gifted me.  Unique gifts for unique and special people.

Ceramic Heart Necklace in my ArtFire Shop.

Ceramic Heart Necklace

Who do you give Valentines Day gifts to?  Just your beloved?  Your children?  How about your Mom or best friend?  Maybe even a little something for your children’s teachers?  Do you go the candy and flowers route, or do you look for other gifts?  Share your thoughts!

I am always delighted to read your comments?   Hope to hear from you.

Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry

Its A Wrap

 Tuesday News Day

Welcome to News Day Tuesday -  the day for jewelry updates and snippets of life.

Wired Bangle Bracelet

To follow up on last week’s post, I finished the wrapped and twined bracelet I was making for my friend’s birthday.  I was complaining of sore hands from the wire work, last week, but then I got the idea to use one of those gripper things you have in the kitchen to open jar lids.  It gripped the wire much more firmly than my hand could.  That enabled me to lighten my grip on the wire.  The next day I was able to complete the bangle without any pain!

I started out with over 8 feet of wire!  It looked like this to start.

Wire Bangle in progress

I’m taking an e-course from Kerry Bogert to improve my wire-working skills.  You can see that its my first attempt.  There are patches where the wire wrapping has gaps, but there are also spots where it looks pretty good.  Practice makes better.

Wire Bangle in progress

When I finished the bangle, I decided to add a matching bead dangle.  Here’s the finished project.  My friend loves it and told me she was proud of me for always striving to broaden my skill set.

Twined Wire Bracelet

I’m excited because the next project that I’m going to attempt in Kerry’s class is a variation on this bracelet, that also includes an artisan focal bead that is wired onto the bracelet.  I’m hoping to be able to get started on it, on Wednesday.

Twined Wire Bracelet

Green Spindle Earrings

I gave a sneak peek of these earrings a couple of weeks ago, but I’d never gotten around to listing them in my shop–till now!  The Green Spindle earrings feature lovely artisan-made ceramic dangles by Marti’s Buttons and Beads.  These earring have a fairly simple design, but I love the graceful shape of the ceramic dangles with the pretty glass beads that are accented with tiny pink rosettes.

Green Spindle Earrings

Green Spindle Earrings

View these earrings in my shop here.

Did you know that I am always delighted to read your comments?  I am!  Hope to hear from you.

Linda

News Day Tuesday: Fall Leaf Jewelry

 Welcome to News Day Tuesday;  the day for updates on my shops and other relevant or possibly irrelevant  news.

Shop Updates:

I thought I’d pull together a collection of my fall jewelry for you.  I’m going to keep this short and sweet and make it an eye candy post.  If you’d like more information on  the earrings in this post, just click its title.

Flaming Autumn Earrings

Flaming Autumn Earrings

Dappled Leaf Earrings

Dappled Leaf Earrings

Actually when I first planned out today’s blog post, I also intended to share a brand new fall necklace I’d made this week.  I posted a link to it on my Facebook Jewelry Page and it sold in just a few hours.  I  always post my newest jewelry designs on my Facebook Jewelry Page first, before I blog about them, so it is a good idea to follow me there, too.

I’ll share the new necklace, just for eye candy, but it is no longer available.

Fallen Leaf Necklace

Fallen Leaves Necklace

In addition to these, I have two other pairs of leaf earring.  I blogged about them on Friday’s Art Jewelry Elements blog. I hope you’ll hop over there and check out that post, too.

Thanks for reading.  I love to hear you comments!

-Linda

Bead Table Wednesday: Bead Treasures

BTW: Bead Treasures From A Friend

My friend, Anita, told me that she had some beads that she no longer wanted and would like to give to me.  I asked her if she had been a beader, at some time before I knew her.  She said, “Not really.  I just collected beads.”  So I imagined that I might receive a small baggie of beads.  NOT!  Just look what she gave me last week!

Bead gift from Anita

There were two plastic shoe boxes full of beads plus a carrying case of beads!  There must have been  over 5 lbs of beads altogether!  I laid them all out on my studio floor and started sorting through them.

Beads and bracelets.

The beads I don’t want will be sent to A Little Something, a Denver charity that helps refugee women achieve self-sufficiency here.  There were also some stretch bracelets that Anita had made.  I’m going to see if my local YWCA can use those in their program to help women transition back into the workplace.

As you can see in the photo below, I’m starting to sort the keepers into to color groupings.

Beads sorted by color.

And, oh my gosh, just look at all this furnace glass (aka cane glass).  I never know quite what to do with furnace glass beads, (ideas?), but I think it is so lovely!

Furnace glass beads.

Not only did Anita gift me with beads, but also some tools….

Flush cutters and crimp tools.

….and a cool Craft Mate tote bag, filled with beads in storage boxes!

Craft Mate tote bag and bead storage boxes

Wow!  Thank you Anita!

✿✿✿

I encourage you to visit the BTW Flickr group and see what is happening on other bead tables.

“Harem Bracelet” Kit Winner!

Painting With Fire Giveaway

I woke up this morning to find out that I am the winner of the “Harem Bracelet” Kit on Lori Anderson’s blog, Pretty Things.  I am beyond thrilled!

Lori Anderson is one of sixteen people who are taking turns reviewing Barbara Lewis’ book “Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry – A Workshop in Painting With Fire“.  Each review includes a giveaway!  That’s 16 opportunities to win!  Here’s what I won:

Harem Bracelet Kit, by Barbara Lewis

Here are some pictures from one of Barbara’s classes, of bracelets made with this kit.

Harem Bracelets

There will also be opportunities for a mega prize at the end; drawing on all the names that have been entered for the 16 reviews.  Here’s the schedule of the reviews that remain:

• October 14, LeAnn Weih
• October 15, Jen Judd Velasquez
• October 17, Melissa Meman
• October 18, Lisa Crone
• October 19, Shannon LeVart
• October 20, Cindy Wimmer
• October 21, Laura Twiford
• October 22, Erin Prais-Hintz
• October 24, Jennifer Cameron

Thank you Barbara Lewis and Lori Anderson!

Wish List

“Star bright, star light…

First star I see tonight.

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish,

I wish tonight.”

Did you ever recite that ditty as a child?  Here’s my current wish list:

These enameled wonders are from Teka and Zoe on ArtFire.  Basically I love every single thing in their shop.  If I won the lottery, I’d buy them out!

I love the scent of mint.  I drink peppermint tea, and prefer to bathe with handmade mint infused soap. This soap is from DeShawn Marie on ArtFire.

Be still my heart…  Just think what cool earrings could be made with these shiny baubles from Booga119!

I love the raised pattern on these earrings, don’t you?

Did you know that I used to make hand dyed silk scarves? Mine weren’t this nice, though.   I love the work of Morgan Silk !

Darn this girl!  She just keeps making more and more copper components that I just can’t live without! Kristi Bowman Designs:

Wouldn’t these lampwork beads from Radiant Mind, look luscious with Kristi’s copper components?  Just sayin’

I saved the best for the last!  I coveted these earrings for a while, but now I have them–and you can have them too!  They are made by my daughter, Naomi Landig.  Aren’t they awesome? I wear them all the time!

Birthday Gift

Birthday Necklace

Buried Treasure Pendant

I was grateful to be chosen as a July Design Partner by  Mellisa of Chinook Jewelry.  Melissa makes the most wonderful ceramic pendants, beads and bead caps.  She is known for her awesome glazes and she really outdid herself with the new glaze she developed for her Shipwreck Series.  I received the Shipwreck pendant you see below.  It is made of porcelain clay and is finished  in a rough matte rusty-gold glaze.  I love this rustic look; as though the pendant had just been unearthed from many years below the sea.

Heike’s Birthday

My sister-in-law, Heike, had a birthday coming up soon, so I got to work on designing a necklace for her with this pendant. Now Heike is the queen of handmade, so I knew she would appreciate a handmade necklace for her birthday!  She has taught me how to dye silk, create paper-cut wall hangings, paint with acrylics and who knows what else, over the years.

I met my husband-to-be when he was an exchange student from Germany, in my high school.  We were now going to Germany to celebrate Heike’s birthday, our 38th (!) anniversary and, most importantly, we were going to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 85th birthday.  This necklace would come with me.

Heike's birthday necklace

I wanted a rustic look for the necklace, in keeping with the pendant.  I found a couple of strands of organically hand-cut golden carnelian that I loved with the pendant.  I made a bail for the pendant with a round of seed beads and then two loops of right angle weave.  I then threaded one strand of the necklace through each of the seed bead loops.

A year or so ago, I bought a woven bracelet at an import store that had the coolest organic metal cubes.  I then cut the bracelet apart, so I could use the beads!  Some of those brass beads found their way into the front portion of this necklace.  I added a rustic stone, placed off-center and highlighted it with wood and serpentine.  Next came a small accent on the opposite side and an artsy brass colored toggle clasp.

We arrived in Germany on the morning of Heike’s birthday.  That evening she opened our gift and was delighted with the necklace.  She wore it several more times during our stay.

Thank you, Melissa, for inspiring me with your wonderful pendant.  Designing is a joy when you have such a great focal piece to work with.  Please visit Melissa’s website, if you’d like some inspiration, too!  Erin Prais-Hintz was also a Chinook Jewelry Design Partner for July.  I’d encourage you to hop on over to Erin’s blog, so you see the wonderful jewelry that Erin designed with Melissa’s ceramic pieces.  Melissa blogged about both Erin’s and my designs.  You can read about them on Melissa’s blog.

A Little Something: Bead Donation

Denver Refugee Women’s Craft Initiative

My friend, Janet, of Pink Poppy Studios, told me that she had donated some of her unwanted beads to the Denver Refugee Women’s Craft Initiative, also known as A Little Something.   According to their website:

“A Little Something came about in the summer of 2007 when refugee women in a literacy-level English class in Denver, Colorado asked how they—a group of stay-at-home mothers—could earn their own money from their own work. “

Neighborhood groups of women now meet together to create crafts, learn new business and craft skills  and support one another.  The women in the program earn 75 percent of the selling price of their items. The rest of the money goes back into the business to purchase supplies.

I was needing to weed through my over-vast bead collection too.  So I decided to follow Janet’s lead.  I gathered up all these beads, (plus a few more). I sent them all off to a Little Something yesterday.

You don’t have to be a beader to contribute to A Little Something.   In addition to  leftover or unwanted beads or jewelry-making supplies, they also welcome weaving fiber, knitting needles, or natural fiber yarn.  They do point out that they do not use acrylic or nylon yarn.  You can also make cash donations to their cause.  So if you are doing some spring cleaning of your crafty endeavors, this may be just the destination you need for your unwanted supplies.  It was just what I needed!