Myself and around 160 other artists will be showing their creative works here this Thursday, from 10:00 – 3:00. We have visual artists, plus performing artists and literary artists.I will be selling my finished jewelry, although, if you are interested in my ceramic components, just let me know. I’d be happy to bring them too. So much talent here. Hope you can come!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers. I am thankful for our bead community on my blogs, on Facebook and here in my own neighborhood.
I’m having a 20% off sale on everything in my jewelry and component shop from now through the end of the day on Monday December 1st. Just go to Linda Landig Jewelry and use either the coupon code TURKEY20 or TURKEY14 at check out and the 20% will be taken off your purchase. Easy-peasy! You’ll find necklaces, earrings, bracelets and ceramic pendants in a range of colors and prices. Perfect for holiday gift giving or for accessorizing your holiday outfits.
This year I am seriously trying to avoid the malls and shop locally or online. I feel so much calmer when I do so. I hate being frazzled in the days leading up to the holidays. Last year was awful in that way and I’ve resolved to approach things differently this year.
I have a show this Saturday. If you are local, I hope you’ll come visit at the Lincoln School Winter Market! I plan to do much of my shopping there and then wrap up the rest online.
Happy Thanksgiving to you from me! ❤
Welcome to News Day Tuesday – the day for jewelry updates and snippets of life
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.
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.
It’s Bead Table Wednesday and my bead table is filled with new bounty from the Puget Sound Bead Festival. On Sunday, Kristi Bowman and I met in Tacoma and spent a pleasant afternoon together feeding our bead addiction.
Kristi Bowman and I at the Puget Sound Bead Festival
I didn’t take many photos of the Bead Festival, but here’s what I have. The tables were all just laden with temptations! A whole lotta bling going on in this booth.
Puget Sound Bead Festival booth
And here we have lampwork on the table with finished pieces above.
Puget Sound Bead Festival lampwork beads booth
My favorite bead shop in the world, is Wynwoods Bead Studio in Port Townsend, WA. It’s a couple of hours from my house, but we visit Port Townsend fairly regularly to walk the beach and visit the many art galleries. Lois Venarchick, the owner, seems to have a particular gift for finding unusual beads and I always visit her shop when I’m in town. She had a booth at the bead festival, too. So I had to drop by to say hello.
Wynwoods Bead Studio
So, do you want to see what treasures I brought home with me? Of course you do! I was trying to be a bit budget minded, with medium success. Here’s my haul.
These lampwork beads came from Unicorne Beads. The lady at the booth was super friendly and helpful. There was a price break on purchases over $100, so Kristi and I combined our orders. The savings get passed on in reduced jewelry prices, so everyone wins!
Unicorne Glass
Most of these stone beads were among my first purchases. Kristi and I looked at these pumpkin shaped coral beads and loved them, but the price was quite steep. So we decided to move on and maybe come back later. At the end of the day, this coral was still calling our names, so we went back and bought one strand to share.
Stone Beads
Who could resist this adorable polymer clay chickadee??? I couldn’t!
Polymer clay beads and patin’ed brass charms.
Of course I also had to pick out a couple of the copper components that Kristi makes! I chose a pair of her Copper Paisley Leaf Headpins and a pair of Copper Earring Bails.
Handmade copper headpins and earring bails by Kristi Bowman Designs.
So I’ll leave you now with a couple of pictures of Kristi and I goofing off at the show. If you’d like to see pictures of Kristi’s bead purchases from the Puget Sound Bead Festival, as well as her pictures from the show itself, hop on over to the Kristi Bowman Designs blog. Enjoy!
Kristi Bowman showing off some beady eye candy!
Me, acting silly and holding several strands of beads by my ear, as though they were super-beady earrings.
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Visit the BTW Flickr group and see what others have on their bead tables.
Two Wednesdays ago, I said I was starting a studio clean up. I haven’t made a lot of progress, but there are a few signs of hope. This was my work table 2 weeks ago.
Close up of cluttered jewelry work table.
It’s not a whole lot better, but if you look at the picture below, you’ll notice that there is a bit of clear space on the left. And although there are materials out and about, they are mostly related to the current project, and are not just random clutter.
jewelry work table
I am nearly done with this necklace. I decided I didn’t like the clasp I had made, so I removed it and still need to make a new one. I’m also going to remove one of the long calcite beads on the right, and instead, extend the chain a bit longer. Even though it is an asymmetrical design, there still needs to be a sense of balance. I think it will look more balanced with these revisions. The butterfly pendant and flower bead were made by Yolanda’s Clay. The 2 little swirly ceramic squares on the bottom right were made by Marsha Neal Studio and they will eventually become earrings.
This white board (see picture below) is no longer propped up on the floor. I put the bulletin boards in the closet, until I can paint them and I put away the other “junk”.
Bulletin boards and white boards that need hanging up.
Whiteboard & Mannequin
Looks better, huh? I’ve got a running To-Do list up there, the due dates for the Beads Of Clay Challenge (I’m on the design team), a necklace idea and a magnetic calendar. The drawings above the whiteboard are by my brother, Jeff Kaufman. To the left you can see a new addition to my studio, This is Matilda II. Why the 2? My mother was quite artistic and she made a torso sculpture that we affectionately called Matilda. This mannequin is also just a torso and so she is Matilda the Second. It’s such a pleasure to have the white board hanging and functional now. As you can see, small things make me happy.
What small things put a smile on your face?
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Visit the BTW Flickr group and see what others have on their bead tables.
I have had 3 shows in the last month and my studio reflects the chaos that results from show preparations. I’ve been making as much jewelry as possible, creating hang tags and earrings cards – but not cleaning up after myself.
My computer desk
Now that my shows are over for a while, I need to focus inward a bit. I’m posting pictures here of how my studio looks today, with the intent of holding myself accountable for showing you better organized results next week.
Clutter on the bookshelves to the right of my computer table.
2 Saturdays ago, I was at the Olympia Artists’ Garage Sale. I sold not just jewelry, but also surplus supplies. I filled 2 plastic shoe boxes with beads I no longer wanted. I had sold about 2/3 of the beads, when a couple approached my booth and asked if I would sell all the remaining beads for $10! For sure! So that was the start of my spring cleaning efforts. I also sold some display items I no longer wanted. The more unneeded stuff I can clear out of this room, the better!
Photo set-up and antique Hamilton printer’s cabinet
Cluttered jewelry work table
I made a number of new earrings, bracelets and necklaces for my shows this month, but I haven’t listed them online yet. So along with cleaning up, I intend to list new jewelry. Be sure to follow my Linda Landig Jewelry Facebook page, as I will post all my shop updates there.
Close up of cluttered jewelry work table.
Bulletin boards and white boards that need hanging up.
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Visit the BTW Flickr group and see what others have on their bead tables.
The town I live in, Olympia, WA, is a pretty funky, artsy place. We have a fun, annual event called the Artists’ Garage Sale. Now this isn’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill spring garage sale. Oh no! This is over 70 artists, gathered together and selling excess art supplies (canvas, tools, beads, instruments etc.) and lower priced art works. The booth fees and $1 entry fee goes to support and promote the arts and area young artists. This Saturday will be the third or fourth time I’ve done this sale.
I will be selling some excess beads, (well maybe not some–it’s actually a lot), some booth display items and my handmade jewelry. I will be offering jewelry in a price range of $14 – $80. Right now my bead table looks like a wreck, but within that wreckage are efforts to create a large stock of lower priced earrings.
My work table–sigh….. I need an organization intervention!
I’ve made these lower priced earrings so far. I will be offering them for $15 each or 2 for $28.
Artists’ Garage Sale Earrings
I’ve been making use of Heather Powers’ suggestion to use muffin tins to organize my projects. Each muffin space has the beads needed to create a pair of earrings. Whenever I have a bit of time, I can just pull out my muffin tin and set to work, with everything right at my fingertips. I blogged about this organizational tool here.
Muffin tin bead project organizer
After the Garage Sale, my friend Lee Anne French, and I are going out to dinner together. I’m really looking forward to getting a chance to visit. Lee Anne will have a booth at the sale too. She makes delightful, affordable jewelry, which you can find at Saturday’s Garage Sale or in her shop: Baubles Handcrafted Jewelry.
If you are local, I hope you will stop by and say “Hello” at the Artists’ Garage Sale on Saturday!
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Visit the BTW Flickr group and see what others have on their bead tables.
Last Tuesday I wrote about my last minute trip to the Philadelphia Bead Fest and I shared the wonderful stash of beads I brought home with me.
A group of bead and component artists and jewelry designers had planned this trip together. We all stayed at the same motel and had planned several activities together. At 4:00 p.m. Saturday, we all gathered in the snack bar area, in the back of the convention hall. Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio had organized an art bead swap for us.
Diana organizing us for the Bead Swap.
l-r Melinda Orr, Staci Smith, Linda Hanes, Jan Onipenco, Diana Ptaszynski
My bead swap partner was Erin Siegel. I was delighted. I’d just met Erin for the first time that morning. We’d eaten breakfast together while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive at the motel.
Erin holding the package of beads I gave her.
Me holding the package of beads I received from Erin.
Here’s Erin opening the package I gave her; taking out a copper component from my friend Kristi Bowman. All in all, I included 4 art beads from Washington State artists. To see all the beads I gave Erin, visit her post about Bead Fest.
Erin opening the box of beads and taking out a copper pendant by Kristi Bowman.
I got these great lampwork glass spacers from Erin. I love orange and was so excited to receive these. After the bead swap, Diana threw all the names back into the bag and drew out names for door prizes. I won the awesome polymer clay heart pendant you see on the right below, (artisan made by Staci Smith). Look – its orange!!! I have a feeling the lampwork beads and the heart will be starring in a necklace together soon!
Lampwork beads from Erin, polymer clay heart from Staci
Erin Siegel and Lorelei Eurto have written a book together called Bohemian Inspired Jewelry. Erin is going to teach 3 of the earrings from the book in a class at the August Bead Fest, (for more info on the class click here). Erin wanted to give the class a practice run, so she taught our group 2 of the 3 earrings. Using waxed linen thread in this way was a new technique for me and very fun! I’ll be making more of these earrings, for sure!
Erin with an advance copy of her book - I got a sneak peek! This is a must buy!
Erin helping Diana and I with our earrings.
Vanessa Gilkes having fun with the earrings.
My waxed linen earrings part way done.
I’ll do one more post about Bead Fest later this week. It will probably be mostly pictures of people who were formerly my online bead friends and who are now my “for real” friends!
About a dozen of my online my bead artist and designer friends were all planning on attending Bead Fest in Philadelphia last weekend. I yearned to meet these women in person because I had enjoyed and cherished our online communication so much. Once I got the idea of going to Bead Fest, I couldn’t get it out of my thoughts. Mind you, I live in the completely opposite corner of the United States. Flying to Pennsylvania for just a day and a half is totally expensive and frivolous. Etc.,etc.!
I wanted to go anyway! I’m retired, right? Time to have some fun. Well,I thought, I’ll just take a peek at online ticket prices…no harm in that. The first time I looked, tickets ranged from $565-$1500. Yikes! No way. But I kept monitoring the airline prices and by Friday night the prices had fallen to $507. I’m usually not given to impulsivity, but my desire to personally know my beady sisters, out-weighed any judgement or caution. I booked my tickets at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday night and in less than 24 hours, I was on my way to the Philly Bead Fest!!!
So here’s what’s on my bead table today: my great new bead stash from Bead Fest. I know you’re jealous, but don’t drool on your keyboard, OK?
Hands of the Hill
Kazuri Beads
Dyed howlite & matte finish sodalite
Hand-painted porcelain
etched and matte agate beads
Rustic fire polished beads
Drop beads
Tribal beads and pendants
Delightful rustic glass beads
Lampwork glass flowers
Drilled river stones
Here’s Diana Ptaszynski demonstrating how we all felt after a day’s worth of bead shopping: exhausted! We revived ourselves with an excellent dinner at Legal Seafood—but more on that in a future blog post.
Bead exhaustion!!!
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Visit the BTW Flickr group and see what others have on their bead tables.
The FUSION Summer Arts Festival, a fundraiser for homeless housing, took place on August 3rd. This year’s theme was called Fantasia and it featured food and performing arts from several Asian countries. On the stage were traditional songs and dance from Japan, and Chinese drumming and a dragon dance, to name a few. Surrounding the stage and dinning tables were artist’s booths–including mine!
This was the first outdoor show that I had ever done, and to be truthful, I was quite nervous. My friends, lampwork artists, Jenelle Aubade and Dan Caracas loaned me their tent. Another friend of mine (pictured below, on the left) helped me at the show. I was especially grateful for her assistance in setting up and taking down the booth, but she also kept me company throughout the show, helped customers and calmed my pre-show jitters.
This was also the first time that I had ever had two display tables. I worried that I wouldn’t have enough jewelry and display pieces to really fill two tables. It was a little sparse, but not embarrassingly so. I need signage and more jewelry busts, I think. Other ideas? I’d love feedback on how to improve my booth from those of you with more experience than I–or anyone with an idea! Be honest!
I had laid out my camera to bring along with me, but somehow neglected to pick it up when I loaded up the car. (*Curses under her breath*) Jerry, the nice guy in the booth next to mine, took these two pictures and emailed them to me the next day. If I’d had my camera along, I would have shown you pictures of some of the performers and the other booths.
I used Picnik photo editing to make my first(!) blog collage to show you a few of the items that sold.
As you can see, there is no particular trend here. There’s dressy, casual, elegant, funky, sterling silver, copper, gunmetal, and brass. I sold an absolutely wild, bright green and black, huge necklace to an artist before the show even started. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of it to show you. It was so-o-o big, spiky and nearly-florescent green, that I thought it would never sell. It had been passed over at shows for several years and I was starting to hate it! But sometimes it just takes awhile for a piece to find its proper home. The painter who bought it was a “live-your-life-out-loud” kind of gal and the necklace was perfect for her. She put the necklace on right there, wore it throughout the show and pointed people to my booth, every time they commented on it. It makes me smile every time I think about it!
The show was the same week as the budget crisis impasse and the sales in most of the booths were down over the last year. However there was also a silent and live auction, at which people made generous bids. It was all for a good cause and I learned a lot by doing this show.
Click on this link for a slide show from the local news, if you’d like to see more pictures. (My booth is not included in these slides).
I’d love to hear from you and I’m interested in suggestions for my booth. Have a lovely weekend.
Linda's Bead Blog & Meanderings 