Stacie Jewelry has Moved!!!

My blog has moved! Here is the new address:

www.staciejewelry.net

I'm really excited for my new website! You can now access my Etsy shop and blog in the same spot. I will be adding more details to the site, but wanted to share it with you.  See you there!

Getting Fishy

I just made this adorable little Dolphin charm for a customer. I am definitely going to make more of these to list in my Etsy shop and sell at The Muse.

Here are a few more fishy charms that I have in my shop right now:

Tonight we are going to continue the Fishy theme by having a family movie night and watching Jaws.  It should be fun, my daughter Madi created decorations and carefully planned out the treats...swedish fish, gummy worms, etc.  Hope you have a great day!

"The breeze is a wind of passion." by Madi

Artist of the Month - Robyn Greenhouse

My friend Robyn Greenhouse is starting a new journey in her life and I would like to share it with you for this month's artist post. Robyn is a writer, a photographer, a wife and mother.

This year she jump started her journey with a wonderful blog called Adventures in Laughter, Exercise and Eating Well. Robyn has always wanted to be a writer. When I asked Robyn what motivated her to start her new blog, here is what she had to say:

"When I was a kid I wanted to be a writer. I use to envision a window at a book store filled with my books! The top book would be turned with my photo showing. On my 45th birthday, something inside of me reminded me of that dream and I started writing again and am loving it!"

Robyn's new blog is heartwarming, insightful and funny. She gets a lot of her ideas for her writing from her everyday life with her three active boys, ages 10, 13, and 15.  One of the things that I really enjoy about Robyn's blog is the way she looks at the world and then shares her thoughts through her writing. Here is one of her blog posts that will give you an idea of what I'm talking about:

What's in a name?

The day to pick up our puppy was quickly approaching! Put up the fences! Get dog bowls! Get dog toys! Now we can bring our puppy home. But wait! What should we call her?

We spent a lot of time thinking our puppy's name. I believe names can influence our personalities. For example, with the last name “Greenhouse” my husband and his Father are both excellent with plants. They know how to arrange them in unique settings, and more importantly, they also keep the plants alive! If you’re called Greenhouse everyday of your life, surely it has to sink into your subconscious and affect you!

At first I wanted to name our dog “Read”. I thought if I was going to have to call for her throughout the house, wouldn’t it be good for me to be shouting, “Read. Read. Come Read.” Could you imagine years of my kids hearing me shout this? I envisioned them suddenly saying, “ I don’t know why, but I just want to get a book and sit here quietly reading.” All three boys on the sofa, quietly reading the great classics.

Then someone pointed out that during those first few months of puppy training I might be saying things more along the lines of, “Don’t Read.” “NO Read!” “Bad Read.” Suddenly, that image of them reading the great classics was shattered. They had become delinquents. And, why not? Didn’t their own mother run through the house shouting not to read? This would be the one time they decided to listen right away!

If Read wasn’t going to work out, then I still wanted something bright and cheery.  So when our puppy with the jet black fur joined our family, we settled on the name Sunshine. You can imagine how many times we had to explain why we chose that name. Kids were so confused when they first met her. They just couldn’t understand her name!

And then came our next dog to keep Sunshine busy and we named her Puddles. We’re not obsessed with the weather although one might think we were!

Sunshine was like a first born. When I took them to the dog park, I kept her on the leash so afraid that she would dart away. Puddles? She got to run off leash!

If they could talk, I’m sure Sunshine would be saying things like,”It’s so unfair. You let Puddles get away with everything. She didn’t have to learn to Sit. Lie. Stay. Just to get a broken piece of a doggie treat. You’ll probably let her sleep on the bed sooner than I was allowed to also.”

While I’d love to know what they are thinking, sometimes it’s good to have a few less talkers in the house.

Finally, I had to let Sunshine’s leash go. It was time. She needed to explore the park and run with the big dogs.

We’d been cooped up inside for about 5 days because of rain when finally the weather improved. Gathering their leashes we raced over to the dog park! It was beautiful out! The sun! The trees! The blue sky! And I couldn’t resist taking off Sunshine’s leash.

She loved it! She chased Puddles and Puddles chased her! And then, my heart dropped.

Squirrel!

Sunshine was off! She chased that darn squirrel everywhere, including right out of the park into the neighborhood next door!

I ran after her!

“Sunshine! Sunshine!” I shouted over and over!

Finally, she began to tire and I caught her.  With shaking hands, I put her leash back on her and headed home.

It wasn’t until later that I thought back over those events and became totally embarrassed!

Imagine ~ you’re sitting in your house starting your day maybe reading the paper or having that first cup of hot coffee. Then you hear someone, it sounds like Paul Revere, running through the streets letting you know that the rain has stopped and today there will be Sunshine!

They must have thought I had gone crazy during those days inside!

So be careful the names you pick. Not only could they possibly influence personalities, you may need to run through the streets shouting those names someday!

 

1      See what I mean? I love how Robyn can look at everyday situations and see humor in them in a way that most people wouldn't. Robyn is also working on several Children's books and has dreams of getting them published. I have to say, I got a sneak peek of one of her books and I loved it!

      Robyn also loves photography. She just started this group on Flickr called Love that Photo where you can find a few more of her photos. The group is open for other photographers or want to be photographers as well, so go ahead and join! Robyn would like to incorporate photography more into her life and dreams.

1    " I want to carry my camera with me everywhere and try to capture life, and funny events as they happen. I would like to be able to take those dramatic black and white photos. Plus, I’d like to learn how to use something like photoshop to add some finishing touches!"

Robyn also has taught yoga for children and adults and worked in women's retail. When I asked Robyn her dreams for her writing, this is what she had to share:

"I am working on a children’s book, and some other children’s book ideas so I would love to have them published. I enjoy writing my blog, so I hope to keep that growing. It would be fun to have a column sometime down the road." 

You can find more of Robyn's writing and photos on her blog, Adventures in Laughter, Exercise and Eating Well, her Facebook Page, and her Flickr group .

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Robyn today.  Thanks again for joining me for the artist of the month post.

"An open mind is an open thought." by Madi

 

mommy camp day 3

OK, so day 3 kind of turned into day 4, 5 and 6! I had to take a break from playing with my art classes to make a bunch of silver charms to restock my Etsy shop.

I finally finished my project from Wyanne's lesson in LifeBook today. The finished project is actually an envelope which will be used to store copies of compliments and kind letters that other people have written to me. The written details on the envelope were created using words and sentences from the kind things that other people have shared with me.  I really enjoyed going through old cards, emails and notes that other people have written to me.

One of my favorite notes was from my daughter Madi listing the top 10 reasons why she loves me.

Wyanne suggested that we look through our letters and pull a few words out to write on the leaves of the tree. Next we were to include positive statements that others wrote about us, change them to the first person and write them on the sides of the envelope.  This was such a fun lesson and the envelope will be a great place to keep personal notes.  The envelope and it's contents will be a wonderful positive pick me up on a blue day.

I also finished my first page of the 2013 Sketchbook project.

I got the idea of the quote from a journal that Allison and I are working on together. She had a similar quote on her page:

Since Allison moved to the Boston area we decided to create a round robin type journal together. Here is my first page:

If you would like to see more of Allison's amazing artwork check out her blog Thoughtful Creations.

This week it's back to jewelry and maybe a little Lifebook too! I am also starting an online blogging class with Kim Klassen and Xanthe Berkeley called "Behind the scenes: a creative guide to blogging your passion." The class registration is closed, but Kim is giving away 1 spot on her blog if you'd like to try to win a spot for this session.

"Be the light of your world." by Madi

mommy camp day 2

Today at Mommy camp I worked on portrait drawing with Tamera Laporte's Fabulous Faces class. I won this class at the beginning of the year when I won the Life Book class, but haven't had a chance to even start it until today. I really enjoying the first week's lesson and feel proud about how my first fabulous face turned out.

Next, I was back to my tree from Wyanne's lesson on Life Book. First I removed the coffee filters and found that I got different results from each of the three paintings. 

This painting that I did as a redo after spraying my first piece with alcohol ink turned out the best. I like how the watercolors turned out after removing the coffee filters.

I love the soft variations of color on the leaves and grass.  The opps painting came out OK, but the colors weren't as strong.

 The page in my sketchbook didn't work at all. I used gesso on the pages because the paper is so thin, so the watercolor did not take.  I decided to use gel medium and collage the painted leaves on. I think this method turned out really interesting as well.

 The next step for this project was to mask the leaves off using a liquid masking fluid. Well, this didn't work too well for me...the liquid masking took off the watercolor paint! It still looks pretty cool though, but a different look that I was thinking of.  We were supposed to paint the background with coffee...that didn't work for me either!! The coffee hardly produced any color, so I used watered down watercolors and am happy with the result.

All in all, I'd say Mommy camp day 2 was a success! For day 3, I'm going to visit my sister in law who just had surgery. I am making her a beef roast with veggies for dinner and bringing her a bunch of magazines. They have a pool, so we are planning on relaxing by the pool and catching up. Sounds like a good day 3! See you back on day 4 for more artwork.

"Do good things, have more luck." by Madi

mommy camp day 1

This week my daughter is attending a dance theater camp. So, I decided to have a Mommy camp week. I cleaned my jewelry studio, set out all of my favorite supplies and jumped back into Life Book.

The lesson that I am working on is called "Overcoming the Inner Critic" with Wyanne. Our first job was to sketch a simple tree with pencil, then lightly erase it so that just a hint of the drawing remained.  The next step was to paint with water over the tree and using acrylic paints, paint over the water. The next step was very interesting...after letting the tree dry for a few minutes (you don't want the painting completely dry it should be wet in spots) you spray the painting with a water bottle.  Here is the result:

I love how the water created such cool patterns in the paints. 

For the next step I cut leaf shapes from coffee filters (coffee again, see why I love this class!).  Using clear water I painted the background of the page around the top of the tree.  While the page is still wet, I laid down the leaves.  Using water color paints, I painted the coffee filter shaped leaves.  

 This painting was my second attempt at the lesson.  The first time I tried spraying the painting with water I used a bottle that was filled with alcohol ink! Opps! I did like how my opps turned out, so I am continuing to work on it.

I watched the remaining videos for this lesson last week while I was working on jewelry and did see that we do something really cool with the background and coffee!  So I did want to redo my opps so I can continue the lesson.
 
I am also working on my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project 2013, so I did a similar page in that journal.

The final step for today was to paint the bottom of the page with water.  While wet, paint with watercolor paints and then cover with coffee filters. 

Now it's time to let everything dry and pick up my daughter from camp. I hope you'll join me for day 2 of Mommy Camp tomorrow!

"Dreaming is a vacation in your home." by Madi

in the dark of the night a star shines

in the dark of the night a star shines

There is always a star shining somewhere, even in the darkest night sky.

"Shine your star." by Madi

Finished Life Book Calendar

Here's my finished calendar for Life Book. I have to say I learned a lot doing this exercise. Even though I feel like I'm always happy, I feel like there were a lot of days when I was feeling cranky. Made me think to try to change my attitude. I also really enjoyed using my new watercolor paint pens and Copic markers :)

"The most simple things can be magic." by Madi

Jill K. Berry Awesome Giveaway!

Jill K. Berry Artfest Giveaway!

Head over to Jill K. Berry's Blog for a chance to win fun goodies from Artfest in her super giveaway!
Good Luck!

"Joy is a present you get when you do art." by Madi

Artist of the Month - Courtney Prahl

Windy Day

This month's artist of the month is mixed media artist Courtney Prahl.  When I began to look for images to include in the post, I found myself falling in love over and over again with Courtney's art. 

Hands

Her work just inspires me.  Courtney lives in Urbana, Maryland with her husband and two sons.  Her boys, the oldest in 5th grade and youngest in 3rd both really love to draw.  Courtney grew up in Walkersville, Maryland and studied art in collage with a concentration in sculpture and 3D arts at Marymount University and Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Unity

There are so many different aspects of Courtney's art that I enjoy. The colors are bright, but somehow subdued. I love the messages that she incorporates into her work. 

Courtney worked at a biotech company before she had her children, then stayed home with them for 7 years until her youngest went to school. She always worked on her art, but really feel in love with mixed media once she had her little one.  She currently works as an instructional assistant at Centerville Elementary when she's not being a Mom and an Artist.

Everything she wanted

I asked Courtney how she goes about her design process, and here is what she had to share:

"I usually have an idea in mind.  I often will lay down background on many pieces before I dive into a specific project." 

I thought that was an interesting idea.  I often find myself stuck when I am working on my art journals and have finally starting allowing myself to just do as much or as little as I choose on each page.  In the past, I always felt compelled to finish a page once I started working on it.  It's a nice discovery of freedom.

Dream II

 Courtney uses a combination of vintage paper, old hardware, tissue, old magazines and junk mail in her artwork.  She also loves oil pastels and found objects.  I asked Courtney what her favorite part and least favorite part of her artistic process is:

"I love the beginning stages when the unexpected can happen and you can see your vision playing out.  My least favorite is the final touches (glazing, finishing edges, hanging hardware and photographing)."

  Courtney also creates beautiful one of a kind sculpture pieces like these.

The artists that inspire Courtney include; Danny O, Cathy Nichols, Gennine Zlatkis and Sarah Wyman. You may remember I wrote an Artist post about Cathy Nichols a few years back. 

Courtney sells her work through The Muse and will actually be there this Saturday, June 2nd for an artist reception from 5 - 9pm.  If you live in the area, you should definitely check it out.  She will have some of her new art pieces there to share.

 I asked Courtney where she sees her future with her art and this is what she shared with me:

"I would love to illustrate children's books.  I did just sign a contract with a licensing/graphics company to use some select images for reproduction and products.  Who knows where this will lead?  I would also love to set up a non-profit/mentoring program for kids to further their pursuits in art." 

Flower House

 I hope you enjoyed getting to know Courtney and her artwork. To see more of her work visit her blog Finding Home, her Etsy shop, or her Flickr photostream. Thanks again for joining me for the artist of the month post.

"Art=Joy" by Madi

It's raining Cats & Dogs!

Silver Cat & Dog Earrings

Silver Dog Earrings

Silver Cat Earrings

Back of all 3 Earrings

So, I think I've covered the dog and cat earring lovers! I did have one special request pair that included extra paw prints.

"Express your love." by Madi