Art Walk 2011

"Aquamarine Never Makes Me Blue"
I've been busier than a bee preparing for Art Walk this weekend.

Oh, and not to mention class proposals (that have been and are due soon)
that have been buzzzzzing around in my head.
I will have more details on those soon...California & DC here I come =)

But, my main focus has been on an event I've been a part of for the last three years.

It is a grand event.

One that benefits local children.  

This pulls at my heart, 

as I was one of those children who could have benefited from the programs
now held in this small Texas town.

The ArtWalk, sponsored by Arts for Rural Texas, features over 60 artists, displaying their paintings, jewelry, photography, ceramics, sculpture, wood and glass art.

It is a free event for the public...with music, food, wine tasting

AND a Kid's Art Tent!

It will be held around the quaint Fayetteville historic square this Saturday, April 30th

from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, May 1st from 11am to 4pm.

More details can be found here.

I will have many pieces of fresh Spring jewelry for sale.
I do hope to see you there.

"Believe"

(Psst...I will be teaching this class in DC in September!)

Jewelry Affaire

I love surprises.

A beautiful little muslin bag tied together tightly.

Covered with vintage bits of lace

and

topped with a steel cut rhinestone button.

Inside you will find a cuff.

Romancing the Cuff

I am so excited to be have this design included 

and be a part of the latest issue of Jewelry Affaire, 

 which actually hit the newsstands on April 1st.

These romantic cuffs have a soft leather base, 

and have been a consuming passion of late.

I taught this technique at an evening class at Adorn Me! 2011.

Remember the photos here?

I sewed a large group of them to sell at Marburger.

This isn't all, just the ones that made it back home =)

I have had inquiries about selling a kit (even before Adorn Me!), 

so one of the things I have worked on this week was making that happen.

I (will) have the tutorials available on my Etsy Shop here.

Several examples are (and will be) posted for you to choose from.

Here is what you will receive:

A detailed tutorial, which I will send in pdf format,

2 cuff templates,

a soft piece of leather (you choose the color)

 vintage lace, tulle, recycled sari silk ribbon, a charm, an elastic closure,

and either a vintage button or rhinestone button.

You get to choose the type of button (either will be vintage), 

which will determine the price.

$32 shipping for a kit with vintage rhinestone button (No.1 and 2)

$30 + shipping for a kit with vintage button (No. 3 and 4)

You can add any additional bits & pieces that you might like & have 

when you receive your kit.

It is up to you....as it is your cuff.

I will be adding some different kits in the future, but for now these are the choices.

They are just samples, as each one WILL be different

but just as close as I can get to what you see.

While in Warrenton, Riki and I shopped at the lace ladies booth in the Rose of Texas Field, which is behind the Legal Tender Saloon (where my daughter and I eat every time we go to the festival).

This lady comes in from Oklahoma.  We stayed in her booth for at least an hour (or more)

looking and digging through her goodies.

Then, Riki took some of the other girls back there later that weekend.

 She had MOUNDS of lace, tulle, tatting, buttons and more.

And, guess what?  

I haven't even tapped into any of what I bought and brought home from her.

If you'd like the tutorial only it will be $12 in my shop on Etsy.

This latest cuff has a great vintage charm AND a rhinestone button. $48

It is one I've made in preparation for the Art Walk, and is the one I made as a demo for my tutorial.

The Art Walk is a juried art show I am once again honored to be a part of 

in Fayetteville, Texas.  It is a great show, and Fayetteville is located in such a beautiful part of Texas, just down (or up) the road from Warrenton and Round Top.  

The show is for two days, Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1. 

I have been on such a fast track since Marburger, I haven't gotten all my photos posted 

from that time.

We had such a great week and a half, shopping and visiting with Riki, 

my daughter, AND my husband.

We laughed ~ a lot.  My husband was there helping me the whole time I was set up at Marburger, and for that I was so very thankful.

The days I spent at Marburger were long ... but very good for me.

I learned a lot.

About my set-up (thanks Riki-son), my jewelry....about myself.

 Riki and my feet after the first day of shopping in Warrenton!

My daughter, Melanie and I on the second day in Warrenton and Round Top.

 Mary, Melanie and Riki on what Melanie though

had to be the very first bike cab!  LOL.

We had a BLAST!

I'm ....

from Marburger Farm Antique Show.

This five day show was the longest I've ever done.
Thankfully we had (pretty) great weather most of the time,
even though I almost melted a couple of afternoons.

I'm so thankful to have been a part of it,
as it turned out to be one of those experiences I'm glad I didn't miss.

I couldn't have done it without my selfless husband,

 my great friend Riki,

and my wonderful daughter ~ Melanie!

Before the show, we had two days of shopping in Warrenton...which was the BEST.
We shopped, laughed and walked a lot!
Here's a picture of Mary, Melanie and Riki
on what Melanie thought must have been the very first  

bike cab!
I saw old friends and met new ones.

Rita, Charlene, =), Sandy and Susie.

Amy, =) and Karen.

=) & Cindy (Crawford *wink*) 

 Sandy, Charlene, Susie, Karen, Joy

Rita, Cindy, Riki & =)
at Theresa's Blog Party.

 Barb from Arizona, who will be taking a couple of my classes

at Art Unraveled, stopped by to introduce herself,
which was such a surprise!

Here's a picture we took with Jenny, who is a Facebook friend from Minnesota.

Jenny actually caught me while Riki & I were walking through Warrenton.

She was there selling some of her jewelry!

And, of course, my great friend Agnes,

who gave me the opportunity to be a part of the show next to her in Tent "W".

This week I will share more pictures of what Riki and I did the day she arrived, 

as well as the next two days we spent in Warrenton.
One of those being with Mary and Melanie

 at the show opening of Clutter.
Yep....we had quite a time!

See you at the Blog Party

For the past two days I have been in Warrenton with my good friend, Riki.  

I shopped till I dropped, and am now home preparing for the

Blog Party tomorrow evening with Theresa.

I will be one of her featured guests, 

 so please come by her booth at Zapp Hall around 6 pm.

I will have my vintage jewelry boxes full & spilling over with some of the goodies 

I'll be selling at Marburger Farm Antique Show  

beginning Tuesday, March 29th!

Would love to see you there!

diane

xox 
BTW....Riki is still out there shopping =)

rhinestones & rosaries

"Crystals & Pearls"

I taught one of my favorite classes, Rhinestones & Rosaries on Thursday.  It was full of awesomely talented students...each eager to bring their own flavor to the piece they would call their own.

In fact, Susan finished hers that evening after class, 

bringing it to our class with Richard (the very next day) to show me!
Beautiful work.

I especially love the crucifix, with it's ornate brass end-caps, 

which matches the bead caps in the rosary.   

These rosaries are higher end, and occasionally I find one I can afford.

Susan is one of those estate sale goers from Dallas.
I would love to hitch a ride on her coat tails sometimes =)
See how she made a double strand, adding a vintage rhinestone brooch across the top of the brass focal?  

BTW...she worked hard on that focal!
That's more than half the fun, 
working out the puzzle of making pieces work together,
cold-join style!

 Sue is a lady I have been speaking to online for probably almost a year.  She and I finally met when she came to a class I taught in College Station last December. 
This is her necklace.
Isn't it gorgeous?  I love that unusual connector, and the crucifix is so beautiful.
I love the deep blue color of the faceted glass beads in her rosary.

...some of the other "works in progress".

My dh was there each day helping me in class...

sharing his knowledge of important things...such as faulty tools.

He's THE gadget guy, and the one who wrote the book on ~

"whoever has the most gadgets wins".

The bottom line~

I had the best day with some great ladies.

Thank you ~ all ~ you were amazing!

Then, after I thought I had one of the best days in my many days of best,

Melissa Manley showed up, to park her tools & supplies for her class,  

Band Groupie, 

which she would be teaching in the room later that evening.

I was packing my things, trying to focus on stuffing getting all my tools to fit back into the bag they fit fine in earlier that morning!

She was wearing a pair of the most beautiful enameled earrings!  In fact, they were even prettier than the ones she had been wearing sitting next to me at Meet the Artist night.

I told her I loved them~'cause I did!

She pulled them off and gave them to me~

...paying it forward she said.
I immediately put them on.

They matched my jewelry AND my outfit perfectly!

She said, "how could I not?  They were made for YOU!"

I almost cried.  

This was the jewelry I was wearing....my bead soup pieces,
along with one of my Etched & Layered cuffs,
wrapped in luscious recycled sari silk.

You be the judge!

I was am overwhelmed.

AM! Vendor Night

Vendor night was fun & furious, as I had taken a class earlier in the day with 

Richard Sally.

I actually had time to visit with Deryn and Sally!

Deryn's soothing color palette of goodies made my soul hummmm.

Stephanie stopped by my table wearing the piece she designed in Richard's class, 

the same one I took earlier in the day, Mixed Metal Milagros.

Richard is a great teacher.  I learned several new techniques, 

which I will add to my bag of tricks.

 One, of which....playing more with enamels and Faux Bone TM.

Each of the vendors donated a piece to be given out for the hourly door prizes.

Here's a picture of the happy attendee who won the necklace I donated. 

Lore took this picture, as we were across the isle from each other.   

She taught her class, Queen of Hearts, on Saturday.  

Her PMC work is absolutely gorgeous!

I was still smiling here, so it must have been pretty early in the evening =)

Because by 10 o'clock I was pooped!

the cat's outta the bag!

I just finished three days of teaching, one class takin' day myself with the talented  

Richard Salley, and hundreds of hours filling my creative tank to way over flowing! 

My ♥ is so full of blessed goodness, that I just don't know what to say.

Really.

Adorn Me! 2011 has been a HUGE success.  

Ask anyone who was there, and I am SURE they will agree.

The venue was large enough to draw BIG name teachers (FINALLY) to Houston, 

yet small enough for teachers & students to give & get the personal attention needed to have a great class from both sides of the table.

Thanks to this well organized lady, Linda

 and her trusty assistant, Chuck.

If we look like an aura is surrounding us ... well, it is. 

One of pure bliss, as this was last night, and was my last class to teach.

It was a short evening class,

Romancing the Cuff.

My first time to teach after dusk, and I loved it!  

And...think the students did too =)

Here is one of Marcy's cuffs, which she sewed all by hand~onto leather!

Made with luscious vintage lace, beads  & a mother of pearl button.

And, here is Debbie's.  

Gorgeous work.

So, guess bet you get the idea here.  I am going to start at the end of 

Adorn Me! 2011

(for me that is, as I did not teach or attend today)

and go back each day to once again relive the fun.

BTW...the cuff at the top was the example I sewed in class last night & wore home.  

I really like it!  

I've actually had that carved bone cat bead for at least two years....

sitting in my little box of bone(s) beads!

I have so much to tell you.  I am bustin' at the seams.

More tomorrow.  Promise.
Sorry....maybe Tuesday =)