A new print for my home

I get the greatest gifts. My sister/brother-in-law bought me this print from Green Girl Canvas on etsy. I love the print and it has been lanquishing in my favorites for while I tried to figure out if I had room for even more artwork in my house... I'm glad that decision was taken away from me or else I might have wavered until it was no longer available. Now I just need to figure out how I want it framed and put it up on my wall!

Thrift Store Finds

Are you someone who likes to rumage around in thrift stores and come out with amazing items? I definitely am. And my favorite stores are those in Naples, Florida. My grandmother and I spent the day hitting all of our favorites, including St. Vincents De Paul Thrift Store where I found this wonderful soup bowl:This fits in my house perfectly! The bottom is a basketweave design and shells/sea life decorate the sides.When I turned it over, I even found it has the artist's name: Karin Villaroman. Now, hopefully the artist isn't too offended that I paid only $1 for this bowl, but it is definitely going to the home of someone who will love it, cherish it, and use it regularly for the beautiful piece that it is.

First Craft Show of 2012

I had a booth at the Placida Art Market this past Saturday. For those of you who don't know, Placida is in South West Florida (near Port Charlotte), and yes, that is me standing there wrapped up in a blanket with a large scarf and fleece jacket. I belive it was 10 degrees colder there at the time this picture was taken than it is right now at my house in North Carolina.I had lots of fun and met tons of great people. This art market occurs every other week during season, so if you're in that area, I recommend stopping by. I went shopping on the New Year's Eve market and picked up some great pottery and notecards for myself. You won't know what treasures you will find! If you can't make it for a Saturday Art Market, there are a couple of stores (art gallery, gifts, and orchids) with a Key West vibe and the Fishery Restaurant that are worth visiting.

If you're an artist in this area - try on this market for size. It has friendly artists and is an artist-promoted event. The entire atmosphere is fun, and who could complain with a waterfront view all day?

My First Treasury for 2012!

Bangle Giveaway at Scarborough Seashells

I ordered shells from Scarborough Seashells years ago (on eBay, even, I think) and have just recently come back across her store.

Lucky me, she's giving away this beautiful sterling bangle on her blog:

You have until Friday the 13th to enter by visiting and commenting on her blog post !

Shelling at Boca Grande

Visiting my parents in South West, Florida has been quite fruitful. My mother and I drove out to Gasparilla Island and found piles of shells in only an hour on the beach at Boca Grande. There were you're ever present cockles, coquinas, and scallops, but I also picked up some good ones including the apple murex, fig, immature fighting conch, and olive. And someone knew I'd be making some Valentine's Day themed items, so made sure I found a heart shaped beach stone and heart shapped coral.

Can't wait to get my wire on these babies!

2011 has passed too fast...

2011 has come and gone for me, and it all seems to have gone so fast. My business has progressed so much that I ran out of time to make posts on my blog... I'd have pictures taken and stories in my head, but never get the chance to get them out there.

What I'm most proud of from last year was perfecting my handmade clasps. I think it adds so much to a handmade jewelry design by having my own clasps. Here's a picture of one of my 3-strand clasps (a technique I'll be teaching in the upcoming months at BD Unique): This coming year, I have so many goals I need to pare down my list to a manageable list, but that will be something I'll have figured out before the end of the week!