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I'm On Art Fire

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A fellow jewelry maker tipped me off to this new handmade marketplace. We all know how important it is to buy handmade. Especially now that our economy has gone to hell. We need to support our fellow Americans any way we can!

I am able to list 10 items for free. What a shock, I have only listed 3 so far. Time, ladies and gentlemen, is something I wish I had more of...as I have covered in my personal blog.

I thought I would check it out and see if I like it. Just taking over the Internet one day at a time. Dum de dum. More info as the story develops. Stay tuned!

For now you can check out my Art Fire studio here:
Freshwater Designs on Art Fire

Thanks!

Blessed ~ Once Upon A Design Challenge Entry

This is my second entry for the Bead Hive's "Once Upon A Design" challenge. I went with the middle ages for inspiration - specifically, religious icons. I had been wanting to do a religious piece for some time and now I'm glad I had never gotten to it.

I made the picture charms. That is, I applied the pictures to the charms. No, I am not a metalsmith. Wish I were! I must depend on the skill of others for such delights. But I'll be damned if I cant use a printer, scissors, and Mod Podge!

All four metal religion charms and the chain itself are from vintage jewelry that I have re-purposed. The large angels are nothing more than sew-on buttons from my local craft store. I also used Swarovski Crystals, lucite flowers and glass flowers.

I have to admit it...I LOVE THIS! It turned out much better than I imagined. The colors are what really do it for me. Light blues were definitely the right choice.

Submitted for your approval...Blessed





Blessed is available for purchase here!

Ascent Of Man

My on-line jewelry group, The Beadhive, is doing a 3 month challenge in which we cover the entire history of jewelry. Each month we have 3 time periods to choose from. One of the options for January was the prehistoric era.

I came across some bobcat claws and foot bones on Etsy and thought they would be perfect. They say bobcats were around at the dawn of man. See, I did my "research."

I think what I came up with is hilarious, but you can't go by my strange sense of humor. See for yourself:



ASCENT OF MAN IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE!

During February, we are covering the Medieval and Gothic periods. I have already begun my piece for this. It will be for the Middle Ages, when religious imagery was prominent in jewelry. During the beginning of the Middle Ages, there was far less focus on actual design than there was on mystical significance. I hope to have it done by the end of the week. Sorry, no spoilers today.

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You can contact me via email at beadaholic5@yahoo.com or by sending me a convo on Etsy. Be sure to tell me which item you will be purchasing so that I can adjust the price for you!