Chai time!

I am reinstating Chai time. I have been far to busy the past few weeks for my liking. No time for jewelry! So this morning, what am I doing? Getting organized from last year for taxes. Every year I promise not to do this to myself, and every year it happens again. I am just not the one to take care of details like my receipts so I drive myself crazy every March. The thing is, I procrastinate like crazy, but in reality, it only takes about two hours to get everything added up once i have it all in one place. You would think I could figure out how to do it in just few minutes a day or week and have it all done come January!

This year I am also on the Conestoga Valley Post Prom Committee and have been busy designing things for that. I can not be any more specific under penalty of death. Stay tuned also for my next entry into Bead the Muse - almost wrote Bed the Muse - that would be something very different, especially for those of you who know who my muses are . . . I'll just post a pic or two and you can go from there . . .

Okay, they may not be jewelry muses, but they inspire me. Enjoy the eye candy!

Color Palette for Spring

New pantone color palette is out - what is that you ask?? Well, it tells us what colors will be in and out this spring. I use it as a jumping off point for new jewelry, I look at it, then I jump off and do whatever I feel like. But, in case you are curious, here's what Jesse James Beads has to say!
http://www.jessejamesbeads.com/2010_spring_pantone_report.html

Busy Busy Busy

At this rate I'll never get my new jewelry posted, life just keeps getting in the way! I have 3 projects just sitting on my bench that need to be fixed - not my work, but someone elses that didn't go well. Quality findings, people, quality findings. And stringing materials gone wrong! And tiny wrists not taken into consideration! That's why you need someone like me to custom make your jewelry with quality findings, the right stringing material for the right job, the right tension and the right size! After this I hope to be able to get back to wire and beads baby, my creativity is burning a hole in my brain. On another note, went to see New Moon last night, the second movie in the Twilight Trilogy. Can you tell me why someone would pick skinny, pasty, sparkly oversensitive Edward over buff, bronze and downright sexy Jacob? Just my opinion here. Besides the fact that one can control their anger better than an innate thirst for blood I think. Damn that boy was hot! And I think they should have left his hair long, though I like it short too. That guy is gonna grow up to be one of my muses I think, he's a little young yet but in a few years will join the ranks of Kevin Smith (Aries from Xena), Hugh Jackman, Keanu Reeves (okay, so he's skinny, pasty and white, too) and Kevin Bacon.

Copper Wire Magazine

Just a quick note to promote an online magazine devoted to those of us who love copper the way others do gold and silver - I love silver too, but copper is my fickle boytoy!


http://copperwirejewelers.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=3516845%3ABlogPost%3A4795

Time to get busy

Okay, time to get back to work and get busy. I have new photos of jewelry to post and will get up on my shophomemade.com site. I have plenty of materials to make new stuff and of course lots of projects started. I also have some commissions coming up, a wedding and some other pieces I have been asked to do. It's a slow start to the year, my office is still in disarray since the holidays, was hoping to clean it up some today but was totally unmotivated. How's this for a dillemna? - want to work on new jewelry but workbench is a mess, but unmotivated to clean it up. Time to start the flylady timer and do 15 minutes at a time, I can do that, right? Oh, and wanted to add the complete Use the Muse contest entry, I didn't win, or even place, but I stretched my imagination and love this design!!

My Beading Goals for 2010

My beading goals this year are to develop new and interesting designs both with my beading and my wirework, concentrate on more One of a Kind designs and pursue a more art inspired direction in my work. My art pieces may not sell often, but when they do and are purchased by someone who is either really inspired or really appreciates the work that went into it, it makes it all worthwhile. In pursuing this I hope to get invited to shows that will really get my work out there and noticed. Preferably by some celebrity with lots of money that will pay me to design jewelry for such events as the Grammys, Golden Globes and the Oscars - Kate Hudson are you watching??

Open House starts TODAY!

The wine is chilled, the cheese and crackers are ready, the cake and cookies are baked. Need directions? call me at 717-371-3726. Need to come earlier/later? No problem, really, I'm here anyway. If you come too early Saturday I may be sweaty and smelly from working out but you are welcome anyway - I may make you do a few lunges or bicep curls along with me though!! Inflation busters featured at this year's show -

These Heart Earrings are just 15$ and available in Copper, Sterling Silver or Gold Filled with any color drop in swarovski crystals or pearls that I have in stock. Will even do special orders in time for Christmas. Another Swirl style available - same deal, same metals. Next year the prices will go up - especially the Gold fill as it has become way more expensive. These earrings make fantastic gifts for both young and mature women.

Remember, also available are the Tree of Life Custom Pendants - I will also make these in time for the holidays!! Order form is available per request or search back in my posts. I will e-mail it to you or you can order at the open house.
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the fine weather!!

Dianne

Use the Muse III

Okay, I can't wait any longer. But I must. I really want to know if I've won, placed or even shown on this contest. I can't even post my entry yet!!! Waiting is so hard!!! So here's a peek. You will note, well, I will tell you, the Muse piece is not included in this photo. I will post the entire thing after the muse is revealed but if you are as curious as I am, you can keep checking back to the Beader's Muse (www.thebeadersmuse.com) web site for the results of judging. Please keep your fingers crossed for me as this is my first contest entry of my jewelry in any contest.

Events Coming up

It is that time of year again, open houses. First I have a group show in Mount Joy at Pam Barto's Christmas Open house. Lots of goodies, fine craft, lovely items including jewelry, iron work, Santas (Pam's are just GLORIOUS) and textiles. 12-15 Crafters display at her house and she even provides refreshments!!

Pam's House
215 Birchland Avenue
Mount Joy, PA 17552
Friday -13th - 11:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday - 14th - 10:00am - 5:00pm

The next weekend is my open house;
Friday November 20 4-8 PM
Saturday and Sunday November 21-22 12-5 PM.
Location:
W Jewelry Studio -
59 Ridge View Drive
Leola, PA 17540

My display will remain up for last minute shoppers up until Christmas so feel free to stop by - just call to make an appointment- 717-371-3726. Remember if you want that special holiday jewelry for your events and need something custom made to come by and order it soon. If I don't have the beads in stock it may take some time to get them.

This weekend I will be at the Gem Show in Exton finding new goodies for making jewelry, will be sure to post my finds. I also have new earrings in my "Economy Busting" line starting at 15$. My jewelry is also available exclusively at Salon fin on the corner of Frederick and Mary in Lancaster City.
Have a good week everyone - enjoy the fine weather this weekend!!
Dianne

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to all! As many of you know, this is my favorite holiday - and here is one of my favorite costumes, I dressed as Frida Kahlo for a party at the Art Association -

Oh I love dressing up as other people and putting on their personality for the night. But what am i working on today? Making the perfect cuppa chai and the invitations to my open house. If you want to get on the list e-mail me your contact info and I'd be glad to add you. You get a special discount with your invite, but you can always come without one as well. November 21-22 from 12 -5 or Nov 20 from 4-8PM. If you need directions, e-mail me at meleenia@aol.com or call me at 371-3726.

Have a wonderful holiday!!

New Pictures

Finally have some new pictures to upload of some of the work I've been doing.

First - a new studio set up which has since been changed:

I decided that I didn't have enough room to move around so I switched the white storage unit to in front of the other wall of windows and swung the desk around 180 degrees but am going to swing it back 90 so the back of my desk totally faces the room.

This next piece is a wire wrapped dichroic pendant with a herringbone spiral strap. The strap had been laying around for a couple of years waiting for a centerpiece, this worked out well. Who says I never finish anything?? Sometimes it's just not ready to be finished!

Two views of a swirl wire earring with a post for those of you who like that rather than the kidney wire drop style. A lovely hammered finish applied cause I, well, I like hitting things with a hammer! Available with almost any swarovski crystal accent, in gold filled, sterling silver or copper. I'm sure I could make these out of the artistic wire if you're so inclined as well in any other color, not sure if I can hammer that, will have to experiment and see.

Open House Time

It's that time of year again, yes, I'm cleaning the studio and getting ready for my open house. Not only do I have to clean the studio but I also have to get the back walkway in order and pull all the thistle. It's been a busy fall so far, and I don't expect things to change any time soon. Watch for my entry to Use the Muse III in a couple of weeks. I can't post anything yet but I am really proud of myself for my entry. It really stretched the imagination and I can't wait to wear it. I think I may need some chai tonight, the chill is in the air and it's only 6:45 and already it's getting dark. I love fall with all the coppery colors and you will see them reflected in the copper pieces I have been inspired to make lately. I bought all this copper wire because it was cheap but the jewelry keeps turning out so lovely, I just love it!! I've even experimented with applying a little fire to it and the colors are amazing.
That's it for now, will post pictures as soon as i get my act together!
Dianne

Chai Time!

Hey! Sorry I've been gone so long. September is a busy month for me. I was at Roots the beginning of the month and last week at Landis Woods for their art show. Again a wonderful day and not much rain except toward the end. Last year was a real wash-out with a big mud puddle under my chair!!

New pics for you to drool over and now getting ready for two open houses - one in Mount Joy at Pam's Holiday open house November 13-14. Friday 11 AM - 7PM. Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM. She has lots of wonderful stuff - pottery, her lovely Santas, iron work, jewelry, baskets, gourds, etc.

Info:

Christmas Handcraft Open House

Olde World Collectables

215 Birchland Ave

Mount Joy PA

717-653-1525

And My Open House the Next weekend November 20-22

Friday 4-8PM

Saturday 12-5 PM

Sunday 12-4 PM or call for an appointment anytime after that weekend.

Info:

W Jewelry Studio

59 Ridge View Drive (white addition in back of the house)

Leola PA 17540

about 4 miles east of Lancaster, call for directions - 717-371-3726

Everyone is welcome!

okay, now to pictures!!

Notes from the bench

Making some funky earrings today and ordered some more colored wire to make some other jewelry. Drinking chai and trying to work but this has been one weird week. Lost Ed McMahon, David Carridine, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. As we get older I suppose death becomes a more frequent and real thing as we lose our idols. I, for one, was never really "into" any of the aforementioned yet I feel their deaths as if personal and offer my condolences to all the families involved. It's a sad thing to lose a family member and I guess after losing my grandmother just a couple of months ago it hits closer to home than usual. My immediate and extended family has also had to deal with illnesses, deaths, job losses, injuries and so many other things lately and I am so grateful to have such support on both sides of the family - mine and my husband's. Of course we've also had good things and are looking forward to two new additions as well. Such is the circle of life . . .

Blessings to all of you and look for new pictures later today of some fun jewelry to cheer you up or give you a distraction.

Blogging on my weight loss

Just a bit of blogging on my weight loss. I started out in 2004 at 247 and am now down to 182, I had been down to 175 in 2006 but then gained back. This time I'm working out and wanted to post some pictures.













Even though I was 175 in the photo of me at easter in the pink sweater and skirt, I was not working out. My face and body are much more toned now in the bottom two pictures.






In the Green outfit in April I was down to around 190 and now I'm down around 182. It's coming off really slow this time but I know I'm gaining muscle.

Tree of Life Order Form

Copy this into an e-mail send it off to meleenia@aol.com. I will fill out the estimate/date of delivery, down payment info and contact you for payment information.

Tree of Life Order Form

Name:
Phone Number:
Address:

E-mail:


Estimate:
Estimated date:
Down Payment:


Tax/delivery:

Total Due on Delivery:


1. Outer ring Copper ($50) Silver ($60) Gold Filled ($65)


2. Tree Copper Silver Gold Filled

Copper/silver Combo ($60) Silver/Gold filled combo ($65)

3. Number of Branches 1-10
4. Birthstone/month combos or stone for each branch – cross off branches not needed:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.


Misc. options – root stones/colors etc.

Friday Morning Chai

Good morning. I love sitting here at my desk sipping my Friday Morning Chai - well, it's Oregon Chai but since I can't get it at Wawa anymore (hint, hint) I have to make my own. So much to tell, where to begin??
Tonight I will finally get my First Friday Showing at Salon Fin - long awaited since my sudden and serious bout with pneumonia last December that landed me in the hospital for almost a week. Festivities start around 5 PM.
Salon Fin is located at Frederick and Mary Sts. in Lancaster, PA nearby to F&M College.

Can't make it? Then come find me Saturday at Hospital Day in the Park in Ephrata. The show starts at 8AM - bring your own Chai. I'm thinking I'm not going to get to set up today because of the weather (hey-it's OLD 97s on XPN - yayay!! sorry, distracted) so I'll be starting out real early tomorrow morning.

New jewelry! Check this out - made a pendant for my mom and people are asking questions - what is it and how do I get one? This is a tree of life pendant which depicts my mother's children and grandchildren in the branches. The mother's birthstone surrounds the children's. So that's me, the emerald between the amethyst and my kids are the crystal between the emeralds -get it?? This can be done a number of ways - with children's birthstone color between the mother's or both the parents, can be in silver, gold, or a mix, or even copper come to think of it. Price is $50 for copper, $60 for silver and $65 for gold filled or a mix of gold and siver. Mix of silver and copper would be at the $60 silver price. There can be up to 10 branches, with the option of having dangles put on for additional grandchildren - kind of like apples hanging from the tree! The crystals are all swarovski and I have information for what colors go with which birth months. Don't have a lot of children? I only have two but you can do the two branches with your children and leave the rest blank for the future, adding drops with your grandchildren as they come along. Or use drops to signify your nieces and nephews.

Options include putting the Grandmother's/Grandfather's or Mother's/Father's stone color in the roots as well. You can use the tree to signify people in your family, the season of the year or design your own tree to signify healing, strength or the journey of your life. The tree of life is an ancient design used for many purposes.

According to wikipedia - The concept of a many-branched tree illustrating the idea that all life on earth is related has been used in science, religion, philosophy, mythology and other areas. A tree of life is variously, a) a mystical concept alluding to the interconnectedness of all life on our planet, b) a metaphor for common descent in the evolutionary sense, and c) a motif in various world theologies, mythologies and philosophies.

Design your own - have fun! The tree can be just a beautiful using a combined wire motif without any crystals - or choose your own natural stones to be used. I have available a number of different semiprecious stones you can choose from in chips, rounds and other shapes.

That's it for now. Come see me this weekend or e-mail me for a form to order your own tree! Keep me busy and out of trouble this summer!

Friday May 22

Day after my 43rd birthday. It's been a long busy week bookended by long busy weekends. I'm tired, been working out every day but hardly had time to make jewelry. So much to do, so little time. Next show is the Ephrata Hospital Auxilliary Craft Show June 6th. I'll have my best bud Ian helping again, he had such a great time in Elizabethtown. The show is on the hospital grounds, hope to see you there.

I'm Back

Sorry I've been away, I've been so busy these past few Fridays. I did get to see the Bacon Brothers, the following Friday I had classes down in Philadelphia and learned how to make a new bracelet and a pendant, then had to get ready for a show last Friday and today I'm getting ready to take some jewelry down to Salon Fin on the corner of Frederick and Mary. I will be displaying my jewelry there in between shows. There is talk of a First Friday event on June 5th and on June 6th I'll be in Ephrata at Ephrata Hospital's Festival and craft show. Most of the summer I'll be idle until Labor Day weekend when I'll do the Roots Craft show on Saturday, then the Landis Woods Art Show the last Saturday of the month. Other than those shows, I will be planning my open house for November. The show I do in Philadelphia at the Unitarian Church has been cancelled this year. So very sad as my Father and I do that show together every year and it's so nice to spend time with him and his friends.

I recently designed a Mother's Tree of Life Pendant based on many of the Tree of Life pendants I have seen, using birthstone colors in swarovski crystals to signify each child and grandchild for my mom. I'm thinking of making these on a per order basis but haven't decided on a price yet for them. I also have not yet decided what kind of cord to use as the necklace part.

So until next time, that's the update for W Jewelry designs. I'll be posting pictures of the new designs next week sometime.

Be well, and see ya at the Springsteen concert tonight!!

Tribute to Grandmom

I was blessed to have my Grandmom until this past Sunday, when she passed away. She was pretty healthy up until the past few weeks, lived and died at home. She was an active woman who volunteered at the St. Anne's Senior center helping the "old People." When I asked how old the old people were to her, she would only laugh. She was just shy of 94 years old. She lived through the depression, had 8 children, many grandchildren and a boatload of greats. She remembered everyone on their birthdays and was loved by all. She accepted everyone as they were, never judging, always loving. I am sharing some photos of her today from her 84th birthday party, I doubt that many of my family has even seen these photos but this is how I like to remember her, active, healthy and entertaining all. She always smiled, laughed, and told it just like it was. Her funeral was sad only for us who will miss her. She had a good life and as good a death I'm told as she could.

This is most of the clan, it was really difficult to get everyone to stand still even for a moment.

Grandmom surrounded by 5 of her daughters, Aunt Queenie, my mom Edna, Aunt Annamay, Aunt Roseanne and Aunt Marion.

Some of the family dancing, Aunts Queenie and Marion are in this shot, Rocky, Mary and Dana

Here's some of my family, sister Brenda, mom Edna, sister Janet, cousin Mary, me, Kristen, and niece Kathryn

Aunt's Annamay and Marion with Grandmom





Grandmom - we all love you. You set a wonderful example for being a woman, mother and role model. You gave back to the world much more than you were given, and you made the best of every moment. You will never be forgotten.