Day 2 Necklace : Vintage green buttons
Early last month I read a blog post talking about ways to reorganize your jewelry-making stash for the new year by dividing it into three categories: keep, discard, and repurpose. Which I thought was pretty genius — I have a zillion little half-finished or finished-but-I’m-so-over pieces in piles everywhere yet it never occurred to me to take them apart. Really.
This necklace comprises the cannibalized remains of several necklaces and bracelets I made a couple years back when I was super into the vintage buttons. I still am, but something about each piece just wasn’t quite right, so I put them aside and let them gather dust for a long time.
So when I read that blog post, the button pieces were the first things that popped into my head. I took them apart and collaged all the buttons and a couple accents beads together then added a fatter chain for a little more heft. Which I really like and am tempted to keep (that green focal button is one of my favorites, it has this really awesome fading along the edges) but I really don’t need more jewelry.*
You, however, DO need more jewelry and you can buy this necklace on etsy.
Use coupon code FEBRUARY12 for 15% off anything in my shop through the month.
I’m making a necklace a day through February. See all my daily necklaces here. Then stop by to visit per:cent blog, who’s doing it, too.
* I say that, but really? If you are looking for a Valentine’s present to buy me, I would wear this every single day.
Day 1 Necklace : Oversized Copper Birds Nest
It’s Day 1 of the Necklace a Day Challenge so I’m starting with something easy. I’ve made a bunch of these oversized birds nest pendants before, but don’t usually get around to selling them because my friends keep asking for them.
Use coupon code FEBRUARY12 for 15% off anything in my shop through the month.
I’m making a necklace a day through February. See all my daily necklaces here. Then stop by to visit per:cent blog, who’s doing it, too.
February Challenge: Necklace a Day
Fellow East Bay Arts Collective member Katherine of Percent is organizing a necklace-a-day challenge for February. I always see those 30-day prompts (your instagrams, blogging cues, drawings, etc.) and think they’d be fun but they’re not quite motivating enough for me.
This one is right up my alley, since jewelry-making is the one thing I do regularly — I have my tray next to my TV-watching chair and it’s a good excuse for watching guilty-pleasure shows (“But I’m making something! I just like the background noise!”). And I am really, really bad at getting around to photographing and posting my jewelry on my etsy store, so it’s great to have this commitment to get me to get off my butt and do something with my jewelry besides letting it gather dust.
I’m making one necklace each day (I started last night), then photographing, blogging, and etsy-posting the following day. I’m going to try very hard, anyway. And I might make the occasional bracelet or pair of earrings instead some days. You will have to check back to find out! (If you like me on Facebook, you can get updated when I post there.)
Anyone who’s interested in the challenge should join in, see Katherine’s original February Challenge: Necklace a Day post on her blog for details.
Las Ofrendas 2011
resources for Día de los Muertos and a listing of related events in the san francisco bay area. check back as events will be updated through october. feel free to share additional events in the comments.
Oakland
Día de los Muertos
– Fruitvale 30 oct @ 10-5
Love & Loss: Días de los Muertos 2011
– oakland museum 12 oct-11 dec
– community celebrations 23 oct 12-4:30
– fotos!
Berkeley
celebration in the gourmet ghetto
– 2 nov 5-9p
San Francisco
Day of the Dead
procession, 2 nov @7pm
Mission Cultural Center
altars & exhibit 22 oct-19 nov
– workshops through 29 oct
Galería de la Raza
SOMArts Altars for the Spirits
– 8 oct-5 nov
Watsonville
Pajaro Valley Arts Council
– Mi Casa es Tu Casa 11, 28 oct-19 dec
San Jose
MACLA
Summer Colours Week 2011: Yellow
It’s Summer Colours Week again!
I love working with warm summer-colored beads, the yellows just pop against your tan.
I don’t remember if I posted this, a birdhouse I decorated for a Kentucky Derby-themed party. It ended up being to heavy to sit on the hat all evening so it became a dining room decoration instead.
And a couple pieces I have over on etsy…
Vintage green balls necklace
One of these days I’m going to get around to putting stuff up on my etsy but I feel I’ve accomplished quite a bit just by managing to take a photo of something.
Put a bird on it
went to crafternoon yesterday with J. worked on my hat for friend’s Kentucky Derby-themed birthday BBQ tomorrow, I wasn’t sure what that entailed so we stopped at the craft store so I could put a bird on it. came home and my friend from Seattle called to say she was in town for a day and came over. that was very nice, i haven’t seen her since summer, i think that BBQ at her parents’ neighbors and Chad was with so you know how long ago that was. a whole lifetime.
she thought it would be funny to make a little origami hat for my bird. even funnier to make an origami bird for the little origami hat.
Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco
I went to Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco last weekend and it was *crazy*. Here are a couple photos from my adventure, sorry I didn’t catch most people’s name, if you know who any of them are feel free to leave a comment…
My creative space
I made a couple of these vintage button necklaces awhile back and am just getting around to photographing them…the warm summery gold and cream of this one is my favorite so far.
Available at gwen.etsy.com
It’s been awhile since I’ve made a nest but I recently sold my favorite nest necklace and it seemed like time to make another.
I scored some antique chandelier crystals at an estate sale recently. They will be added to pretty, sparkly accessories soon!
And here are some of the necklaces I’ve made but haven’t had the time to list yet. One of these days…
My creative space: summer bracelets
I’ve been making more charm bracelets this week. They’re a little lighter — you might say summer weight :]
I put a couple up on my etsy…
Je t’aime Paris Eiffel Tower charm bracelet
Little pink elephant charm bracelet
My creative space
It’s my creative space day! It’s been a little while since I participated…
I’ve been working on jewelry. Still. Always. I should take a photo of my stockpile of things I can’t seem to get around to photographing, much less posting on etsy. It’s just ridiculous.
I did photograph these. Two weeks ago and I am just getting around to editing. The first two, I just listed, you can find them at gwen.etsy.com. The 3rd and 4th, well, I *intend* to list them but who knows if that will ever happen. The last, I made for myself. I am quite pleased with it.
Painting class, end of the semester
Today was the last day of the semester for my Very First Painting Class Ever. Here are the last few projects I worked on:
#2, flower
[which you may remember was based on Huernia sp. by f.arais]
#3: Landscape with tree
#4: Self portrait
I didn’t quite finish this, though I did add in a nose today.
#5 was Toy from five angles but I never got around to choosing an object, much less starting on the painting. I feel reasonably accomplished nonetheless, I completed ten or so paintings over the semester, which is about ten more paintings than I’ve ever done and they’re not the worst things ever.
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