Beautiful beads turned into a mixed media necklace!

Beautiful beads I have gathered around this lovely pendant face by Beadfreaky on Etsy.

Here is what was in my bead tray! Garnets, yellow pearls, green and brown agate, a silver heart, buttons, glass beads, teardrop glass beads, silver seed beads, stars, sweet little silver beads. Wire and other fun things. I wanted to try creating whatever came to mind...

 I got to bending the wire and making the pendant. I wanted to try adding some material this yellow was just right. It looked like hair. The wire wanted to wrap around to look like orbiting planets so I added a few beads, spirals and screws.

 It all started coming together. I added the button and star wrapping the beads. Then this piece popped out at me and said, "Add me!     It reads Create & Be Inspired!    Perfect for this necklace. I had been wanting to try wrapping a pendant that connects on both sides. It worked! Stringing the garnets and silver seed beads was next. I added a few of the green and brown agate they are cut to sparkle!

Here is the finished product a mixed media necklace.

Have a great day!

Chandra

Beautiful bead mix!

I love this mix of beads I stirred up from my local bead shop, The Bead Fetish It is so much fun I made 3 bracelets so far with these and will post them later.

Here is the whole shebang. I don't know why these colors popped out at me. They are a strange mix but I love them. Especially the silver seed beads, blue glass beads and the yellow pearls. I found magnetic clasps unfortunately they are better for necklaces than bracelets. I lost two of the bracelets I made with them twice! The good thing is I found them each time.

 Here is a bracelet I made using the twisted wire wrap I made on one wire. It was time consuming but so much fun! I like how it turned out. I love the stone beads! They look really good in this picture but in real life look fairly dark.

 I used a magnet clasp with this bracelet, hopefully it is strong enough. I have to test it out by wearing it all day long. I just bought some larger, stronger magnetic clasps at the bead show. Can't wait to use them!

I think I'll try this again! 

Thanks for stopping by, Chandra

I love comments :)

Interview with Barbara Lentz

I met Barbara Lentz affectionately known as Babs or BabbieLynn through Flying Lessons with Kelly Rae Roberts. I asked if she would mind giving me an interview since I am just starting out in the same business and she said yes!  So, here is my first interview for the The Soaring Artist's in Flying Lessons.

 BabbieLynn  has a very successful Botique Gallery in Florida. She started her jewelry making career in 1995. She received a gift of a name bracelet with her children's three names on it and decided she could make it herself. She soon started her own jewelry line and home jewelry parties. In 2003 she opened her own store Art-Sea Living.

Recently her life has changed dramatically since her sister passed away a couple of years ago. She was her best friend. She says, "I have learned to enjoy the little things, the happy things and I have figured out that stressing over anything in not worth it. Everything is temporary in life, including life itself.

BabbieLynn

Q: What kind of Art or Jewelry do you make?

A: I design jewelry and remix vintage jewelry. Lately I have not been making jewelry much. I've been painting more and mixed media. I am a fun Artist...not fine Artist. I like Art-ing and Craft-ing. I am just getting back into my Art since this class with Kelly Rae Roberts. I let business take over my creative side and I am coming back around.

Q: What inspires you to do Art and Jewelry?

A: I am around Artists and Art all day long. I love to look at beading magazines and go to Antique shows and look at old pieces of jewelry.

Q: How did your business come about?

A: I started my home parties. Started selling a lot of jewelry. I was asked by a store owner to sell my jewelry  and I was actually in the end of a long divorce and a bit lost. I decided to sell my own jewelry in my own shop. I opened it the same year I got my divorce! 2003

Art-Sea Living Shop

Q: Have you taught your Art and Jewelry to others? What classes do you offer or have you offered in the past in your shop?

A: Yes, I teach basic and advanced beading here and there, Wine Glass Painting, and kids Art/ Craft classes. I have lots of Artists teaching jewelry and all kinds of classes in the shop. Watercolor, Acrylics, Mosaics, Fused Glass, Beading, Sewing, Art Quilting, Knitting, Sculpting, Mixed Media, Pottery...

Q: When did your Business start to earn profit? Business always changes how has yours evolved over the years?

A: When I moved my shop to a different location. After about six years. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! I started as just a gallery selling handmade items. There was not enough money in that. I added a studio and started teaching. Added more merchandise from different Merchandise Marts. I have another great idea brewing. Keep all your ideas in a folder! Never throw them out.

Q: What advice would you give someone just starting out?

A: Dream big. Get on Social Media, Blogging, Etsy, Ebay. Help others in business and don't be afraid to do that. Don't worry about competition, be the absolute best YOU can be. There is not another YOU. No one can compare. Give your customer the best experience of their life with You.

Q: Are you a mentor to anyone? Are you active in your community?

A: Yes, I am a mentor. Yes, I was on the Art's Commission for many many years in Boynton Beach. Recently I've decided to work on my own shop. I also have fundraisers for different charities and donate to local schools Auctions and Fund raisers. This October I am having a Solo Exhibit for Breast Cancer Awareness and proceeds will be donated.

Q: Do you encourage other Artists in any way?

A: I consign Art and love working with new Artists just coming on the scene. I like to encourage them and help them figure out prices and where they should promote themselves. I represent 65 Artists today. I LOVE THE BUSINESS OF ART AND THE ART OF BUSINESS!

Thank you so much for a wonderful interview Babs! 

BabbieLynn's Parties:

http://babbielynn.com/parties/

BabbieLynn's website: 

http://babbielynn.com/

Bab's on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ArtSeaLivingStudio

 I am exited to share these interviews with Alisa Steady. She has interviewed Tara Catalano another fellow flyer!

Inspirational Words

For some reason I can't add photos lately. I really wanted to post something with photos all week...after trying many times on various computers I gave into the fact that it cant be done. Bummed about that!  Only inspiring words today.  I have a book I've been reading

Make Your Creative Dreams Real by Sark.

This morning I decided to just open the book wherever and look what I found!

"Inspiring people are all around us, just waiting to be engaged."

"The fact is, we are all capable of being inspired and inspiring."

"Creative dream making involves movement."

"Willingness has the ability to move without words."

"What are you willing to do or be for your creative dreams?"

Very helpful quotes from Sark today! Thanks to her openness in sharing her way of growing creative. Tonight I am taking a free writers call with her to see if I want to take her course WINS.  I have always wanted to write children's books. My son and I have talked about him doing the illustrations and me writing the story. So hopefully with willingness and movement I will get some courage and step up to the book writing for children. I received an email newsletter from Kate Richbourg today with her signature and a link to her blog. We can make that at home I was so excited to see she was local and that I could find inspiring people around me. I also found a workshop already past but very inspiring locally as well. Then I found some other local jewelry artists from that. How cool! Some movement in creativity. Willingness and inspiration. What are your dreams?

One last quote- "You don't have to be tall to see the moon." African Proverb



We can make that at home

Happy New Year 2012!

Chocolate, chocolate chip, berry muffin

It's the beginning of a New Year... the sun is shining, the air is crisp. The world is forever changing. It is my birth month. It is a time to rejoice in all we have as Californian's. Sun, Art, Openness, Creativity and Spunk! I think as I sit and eat my delicious vegan, gluten free, lightly sweetened with fruit Chocolate, chocolate berry muffin and drink my rooibos tea that I might die soon. This sounds morbid I know, but it is a Buddhist meditation. Buddha was very smart in helping us self centered individuals change our minds to positive.  I have done this meditation many times. You think I may die today, many people are dying and at some time I will. After thinking of this for a while and meditating on it you come to the conclusion that I must make the most of my life. I must help myself become a better person and be able to help others. This makes you practice Buddha's teachings at every moment. (that you can remember too) Unfortunately, it is not the meditation that spurs these feelings but a talk with a doctor who is concerned about some lumps I have. So, I practice taking and giving (another meditation to tell you about later) on everyone in this situation and think many people die every day. When it's your time you must go. First, I cried thinking of my children and how sad they would be to not have a Mom anymore. About my husband who would have to live life alone. How sad my parents would be to have their child die before them. Then I said to myself, " I have to do everything I love to do quickly so that others can enjoy it." What would I want to give to others. Writings, Buddhism, food they can eat that tastes great, love, art, inspiration. There is an urgency to it all. Maybe, I feel this way also because I am reading a book called, "Precious Time" by Ace Remas (also my meditation teacher get book here) it emphasizes the fact that you waste your whole life doing something you don't like, save all this money, then grow old and too tired to do the things you wished to do. Then it's too late. So what do you want to do with your life? Are you doing the things you love? How can you help others? I think to myself,  I have so many things I like to do, what do I choose, how do I make it happen? I have to stop thinking about how I am not good at anything, stop wasting time and do the things I love. After all that's what this blog is about.