November Magic: Lampwork and Clay Blog Hop

(Looking for the Beads of Courage Art Charm Reveal, Blog Hop & Auction? Click here! :) 

Welcome to the Handcrafted Artisan Lampwork & Clay Blog Hop 

hosted by Lisa Lodge of A Grateful Artist. 

The beads I received to create with are some of the most beautiful Lisa has ever sent! I added in the owl ceramic and a few larger ceramic beads to the pile, admiring the gentle shades and ceramic texture and color. The mix of our beads feels like November to me, and gives me a lovely sense of connection to nature. 

(Click on picture to enlarge text :) Art beads by Gaea (pattern) and Beadfreaky (owl)

Here are the beads Lisa sent and my beads gathered from my stash for the challenge. As much as I would have liked to have used everything & presented several pieces of jewelry, I got as far as creating components and photographing one complete design before cutting my palm with a very sharp bread knife! A butterfly bandage is healing my palm right now. I avoided stitches but probably needed them. I'm thinking with stitches instead of a butterfly,  I'd be creating away! So, additional art jewelry designs to be be continued, sigh.

Ok, on to our handcrafted lampwork and ceramic hop! 

(Click on picture to enlarge text :) Art beads by Gaea (pattern) and Beady Eyed Bunny (bird).

Hello pretty birdie! 

A better peek at the simple pretty twisted bugle strand.

And the components I created just before I cut my hand: 

embossed brass and copper discs with Lisa Liddy's Color Me This patina in Fern Green, Turquoise, and Plum. 

And beadwork created for the Metal & Seed Bead Hop that I was hoping to incorporate today to compliment a very special bead gifted to me by Lisa for my daughter -- a dragonfly by Havana Beads!

 Inspired by Shirley Moore's beautiful beadwork components  (bottom left), I began creating additional beadwork diamonds (they are built up & need RAW yet) to become a necklace of abstract autumn leaves -- an autumn garden for the dragonfly, Demeter's love for her daughter & wait for reunion.  I'm so wanting to use my hand already and get creating with all the components for both blog hops!  

Inspired by Shirley Moore's beautiful beadwork component ( bottom left) 

And extra, for fun & for the kids: 

 I also created 66 art charms, or 22 sets, for the Beads of Courage Exchange and Auction! Two of my sets are being auctioned. 

38 artists came together to create the art charms, and today special art charms created by Beads of Courage participants themselves will be listed. The handcrafted charms start at $7.50, and 100% of the proceeds goes to Beads of Courage, an organization supporting children with serious illnesses by giving them beads that tell, honor, record, and share their stories of courage. 

Take a look at the lovely charms at the auction. 

to start off the Season of hope and goodwill! :)

Art charms created with more art beads! You can read about them here :) 

Thank you Lisa for creating a blog hop featuring jewelry made with artisan crafted ceramic and lampwork art beads! My new necklace is a new favorite for me -- I love it. 

The Artists:

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry

Annette Rivers, MamaOwl's Mess

Karin King, The Sparkle Things Blog

Shaiha Williams,   Shaiha's Ramblings

Mimi Gardner, Baubles, Beads and Other Curiosities

Dee Alcalde, Agape Creations Jewelry

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Lori Jean Poppe, Lorillijean Creative Corner

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes

Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, Sharyl's Jewelry

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Linda Aspenson Bergstrom, TBD

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Judy Turner, Silver Rains

Gloria Allen, Gloria Allen Designs

Kathleen Douglas, Washoe Kat's

Connie Tipton, TBD

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Andrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations

Michele Dotson, Star Jewels

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Jennifer Clifford, TBD

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

Loretta, Loretta's Boutique

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyns Creations

Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

Bonnie Coursolle, Jasper's Gems

Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

The Season of Goodwill Starts with LOVE: Beads of Courage Art Charm Exchange, Reveal, Hop, & Auction

Welcome to the Art Charm Swap, Reveal, Hop & Auction!

  

                       Iris - Keeper of the Rainbow

Throughout the ages, the rainbow has been the symbol of hope, a promise of better things to come. The ancient Greeks personified the rainbow as the goddess Iris. Carried by her shimmering wings, Iris travels so swiftly that mortals can see only the trail of her rainbow-coloured passage across the sky.

THE ART CHARM EXCHANGE and AUCTION SUPPORTS BEADS OF COURAGE, a non-profit organization caring for children with serious illness, their families, and clinicians.

Hosted by Jennifer Cameron of GLASS ADDICTIONS and  ART Jewelry Elements,  THE BOC ART CHARM EXCHANGE & AUCTION  brings together bead and jewelry artists FOR THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING ART CHARMS to benefit Beads of Courage. 

Beads of Courage supports children with serious illnesses by helping them tell, record, and honor their story of courage with beads. Each overnight stay in the hospital is signified by certain color beads. A procedure is another. Handcrafted lampwork is given for great courage. Every bead tells a story of strength, honor, and hope. 

"Love will find its way through all languages on its own." ~Rumi

For this year's Beads of Courage art charm exchange, we were challenged to create charms with the theme: "love" 

Creative Commons. Lilla Iris Randers.

Love should grow up like a wild iris in the fields,
unexpected, after a terrible storm, opening a purple
mouth to the rain, with not a thought to the future,
ignorant of the grass and the graveyard of leaves
around, forgetting its own beginning.
Love should grow like a wild iris
but does not.

Love more often is to be found in kitchens at the dinner hour,
tired out and hungry, lingers over tables in houses where
the walls record movements, while the cook is probably angry,
and the ingredients of the meal are budgeted, while
a child cries feed me now and her mother not quite
hysterical says over and over, wait just a bit, just a bit,
love should grow up in the fields like a wild iris
but never does
really startle anyone, was to be expected, was to be
predicted, is almost absurd, goes on from day to day, not quite
blindly, gets taken to the cleaners every fall, sings old
songs over and over, and falls on the same piece of rug that
never gets tacked down, gives up, wants to hide, is not
brave, knows too much, is not like an
iris growing wild but more like
staring into space
in the street
not quite sure
which door it was, annoyed about the sidewalk being
slippery, trying all the doors, thinking
if love wished the world to be well, it would be well.

Love should
grow up like a wild iris, but doesn't, it comes from
the midst of everything else, sees like the iris
of an eye, when the light is right,
feels in blindness and when there is nothing else is
tender, blinks, and opens
face up to the skies.

"Like the Iris of an Eye"  

                    -- Susan Griffin

"Light of Iris" Georgia O'Keeffe. Creative Commons Wiki Paintings

Thinking of our theme, I decided not to create individual 

art charms, but instead chose to make sets of three art charms

--  for love is generous. 

3's a Love Charm

(Love is Generous)

"LOVE IS A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH" Kristi Bowman Design 

custom made copper tags, copper chainmaille diamonds, 

Swarovski Black Diamond crystal hearts. 

Kristi Bowman-Gruel was wonderful, creating a custom order (in about a day!) of 26 handcrafted Kristi Bowman Design copper LOVE tags. The art charms are reversible, with a sparkling romantic Swarovski heart on one side of the Japanese diamond weave chainmaille, and a cool, modern

 copper tag with the word  LOVE on the other. 

"LOVE You Like Sliced Bread" Amazing Designs by Marlene Cupo 

custom made clay bread slices with heart shaped butter, 

Czech opaque hearts, Argentium silver, brass, copper. 

 When talking with my friend Margot Potter one day, she told me as we signed off, "love you like sliced bread!" Click! The moment she said it I was inspired. I had been talking about the charm challenge. I'm not sure if Margot was guiding me in that amazing author-of-tons-of-great- jewelry making books and genius-designer-way of hers, or if she just loves me like sliced bread, but it was a great idea! And my friend, the incredibly talented Marlene Cupo of Amazing Designs made it come true as she created 24 custom bread slices with heart butter (or toast, as I told Margot, "love you like toast ;) for our art charm exchange! I love the fun design and the bright Czech hearts. Created with Argentium silver, brass and copper. 

"LOVE IS A KEEPSAKE" Vintage brass heart lockets, vintage brass 

heart cages with Swarovski heart chakra green crystal rondelles,

 heart stamped brass hearts, LOS antiqued brass, Vintaj brass. 

Stephanie Gard Buss was an angel when I came across 10 brass heart lockets -- as well as some very cool brass heart cages -- at her beautiful vintage shop, Olla Podria. She put days of work into finding additional lockets -- enough to make 22 vintage brass art charms! In addition, Margot Potter's beloved husband, my friend Andrew Potter, sent along 4 styles of heart stamps for my project! I patinaed the brass with LOS and added Vintaj findings, so the heart art charms and locket are ready to gently jingle this Holiday and hold your cherished photo or special keepsake.

 The BOC Art Charm Exchange & Auction is always popular, and this year nearly 40 artists created 500 art charms. After we've been torching, wrapping, weaving, dapping, etching, sculpting, and firing away, Jenn confidentially 
organizes and swaps our art charms.  Until today's reveal and blog hop, most of the art charms have not yet been seen -- surprise!

Here is a look at the BEAUTIFUL art charms I received. Every LOVE art charm you see in my post -- the sets of 3 that I created and the individual charms -- will be available at the auction. More charms will be listed every few days, and the listings will run for a week. BINS (Buy it Now) are $20. Take a look at the auction & check back for more charms. Have fun bidding & winning because 100% of the proceeds is donated to Beads of Courage!

 What a beautiful collection of art charms! Lampwork, metalwork, clay, ceramic, resin.

Work by (top, left to right) Alenka Obid, Jenn Cameron, Lennis Carrier, Toltec Jewels featuring Kristi Bowman-Gruel, Caroline Dewison, Ginger Bishop, Shai Williams, Toltec Jewels featuring Marlene Cupo,  Monique Urquhart, Michelle McCarthy, Toltec Jewels featuring Olla Podria vintage brass, Renetha Staziano, Linda Haskell, Vanessa Gilkes, Susan Delphine Delaney, Nancy Dale, Jean Peter, Shelley Graham Turner, Perri Jackson, Terri Del Signore, Carolyne Chenault. 

 A word on ART CHARMS

ART CHARMS are charms handcrafted with handcrafted -- the components are created by artisans, so the beads, metalwork, wire work, findings, and design are all unique and special. The book to the left shows some examples of art charms: swapables, keepsakes, trinkets. 

 Last year I realized how special the one-of-a-kind art charms indeed are: I cherish all my art charms, but I especially treasure having a matching set of Beads of Courage handcrafted art charms. My set of Carolyn Chenault charms (one was swapped and the other gifted to me by the dear Shelley Graham Turner)is cherished : 

"Laugh" Art Charms created by Carolyn Chenault for the 2012 Beads of Courage Art Charm Exchange & Auction.

As happy as having charms makes me, missing out on charms stands out too: determined to win one of Jennifer Cameron's awesome lampwork LAUGH charms, a trip to E.R. on the last night of the auction kept me from bidding -- and oh, were those charms cute!! This year, I'm ready!

 The beauty of handcrafted, the OOAK designs and unique annual themes, and the 100% donation to Beads of Courage make this jewelry arts event an experience of goodwill and giving at its best!  Won't you join us? 

I can't think of a better way to begin 

the Season of Hope!

Art Charm Auction: http://www.ebay.com/sch/glassaddictions/m.html?_ipg=200&_sop=12&_rdc=1

Jen Cameron: http://glassaddictions.com/blog/

Toltec Jewels: http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com

Vanessa Gilkes: http://culturezine.com/blog/

Caroline Dewison: http://blueberribeads.co.uk

Lesley Watt: http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com

Susan Kennedy: http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Nancy Dale : http://www.nedbeads.blogspot.com

Alicia Marinache: http://www.allprettythings.ca

Cassi Paslick: http://cassisbeads.blogspot.com

Alenka Obid: http://www.pepita-handmade.blogspot.com

Renetha Stanziano: http://www.lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com

Shelley Graham Turner: http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Monique Urquhart: http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com

Shai Williams: http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com

Lennis Carter: http://windbent.wordpress.com

Cheri Reed: http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Moriah Betterly: http://mlbetterly.blogspot.com

Perri Jackson: http://shaktipajdesigns.com/blog/

Mallory Hoffman: http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com

Ginger Bishop: http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com

Jean Peter: http://jeanpdesigns.blogspot.com

Linda Florian: http://lilysofthevalleyjewelry.blogspot.com

Patricia Pulliam: http://rusticstudio.blogspot.com

Karin Grosset Grange: http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.fr

Julie Bowen: http://blog.autochthonous-evolved.com

Susan Delaney: http://ladyflowersbysusan.wordpress.com

Emma Todd: http://www.apolymerpenchant.blogspot.com

Carolyn Chenault : http://carolynchenault.wordpress.com

Terri Del Signore: http://artisticaos.blogspot.com

Cory Tompkins: http://www.tealwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

Cheryl (Lee) Koopman: http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com

Lori Bowring Michaud: http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com

Andrea Glick: http://zenithjade.blogspot.com

Jacqueline Carlson: http://www.beadgypsy.blogspot.com

Michelle McCarthy: http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com

Charlene Bausinger Jacka: http://clay-space.com/blog/

Kristi Bowman: http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com

The Season of Goodwill Begins! November Blog Hops and the Beads of Courage Art Charm Auction

November. Crisp winds blow, snow graces Northern homes, sky settles into shades of gray and white --  my mornings begin with cozy slippers and warm drinks, as early morning's gentle sunrise invites contemplation in the quiet start of day. 

It's during this change of season that I most enjoy my alone time. I make lists, think of decorating ideas, plan my Holiday cooking and baking, prepare big piles Holiday cards and organize gift ideas.

Art Charms created for last year's Exchange & Auction raised $600 for Beads of Courage.
    Join us Nov.15th for Blog Hop Reveals of this year's charms & the start of the Auction.

On Thanksgiving night, my family has a tradition of lighting up our home for the Holidays, inside and out. Afterwards, the dark November mornings are filled with the soft lights, glowing all around like magic. I squint my eyes and drink coffee and look at the Christmas tree and decorations. Colors dance from ribbons and wreaths, lighting up fragrant bouquets of poinsettias and collections of birch and velvet and cinnamon pine cones, glowing softly among the greenery of nestled candles and my Advent wreath, and pouring out beyond the room, illuminating garlands above and trees outside our home.


Magic. 
November magic.


Celebrate handcrafted arts with a Lampwork and Clay Blog Hop hosted by my friend Lisa Lodge of a Grateful Artist  on Saturday, Nov. 16th. Here is a look at some of the beads Lisa sent me to create with, and some of my own added into the mix. I love the soft colorway of the ceramics, and jewelry made with art beads! 

Upcoming as well: Lisa Lodge hosts another jewelry challenge & hop on November 16th

And fall into love this November as Jennifer Cameron (lampwork, chainmaille and jewelry artist extraordinaire and founder/editor of the collective blog, Art Jewelry Elements) again hosts the annual Beads of Courage Art Charm Swap and Auction!  Almost 40 artists have created 500 art charms, exchanging with each other and donating charms for auction. 100% of the proceeds goes to Beads of Courage. Our theme this year -- love. 

Beads of Courage supports children with serious illnesses by helping them tell, record, and honor their story with beads. Each overnight stay in the hospital is signified by certain color beads. A procedure is another. Handcrafted lampwork is given for great courage. Every bead tells a story of strength, honor, and hope.  

Join us this Friday, Nov. 15th, in a blog hop hosted by Jennifer Cameron of Art Jewelry Elements for the reveal of the art charms. Even we participating artists haven't yet seen all the charms, and I can't wait to see the reveals and start bidding! 

I am delighted to begin my Holiday season with special treasures for gifting that are twice as nice: OOAK handcrafted, beautiful Holiday gifts that support children and families coping with serious illness with 100% of your auction bid :) 

Until Friday, here is a teaser of my art charms! I created a set of 3, featuring Amazing Designs by Marlene Cupo, Kristi Bowman Design, and Olla Podria Vintage. 

Reversible Art Charm featuring Kristi Boman

Art Charm featuring Marlene Cupo

Art Charm featuring Olla Podria

See you then! 

What's this?  What art charms will you just love ??
Come back on Friday to pick your favorites!