Flora Art Jewelry

ACREs of Opportunity 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:24:00 +0000

The business of wholesale is a completely different animal and one I'm glad that I leapt into. I was unsure if my work was marketable because I had submitted images for ACREs of Opportunity '07 (for the '08 show)and didn't make the cut.

As I let the dates to apply for ACREs of Opportunity '08 (for the '09 show) tick by, a good friend (she knows who she is) urged me to enter, saying that she didn't want me to regret not trying again. I thought about it and really...what did I have to lose? I may not make it, but then again I might. Life is a crap shoot and I wanted this, so I had to try again!

I was thrilled that I made it and now after successfully taking orders at the paid IPCA booth that Pat Bolgar, Lauren Abrams and I shared last year, I can say that if it weren't for my caring and kind of pushy friend, I wouldn't have had this experience.

Having the previous year's ACRE 2008 winners serving as our mentors was incredible. The insight and support from Sandra McCaw (one of the jurors this year), Meisha Barbee and Judy Belcher (past IPCA president who stepped in for Lindly Haunani) helped us to feel comfortable with decisions we made on everything from our product line, catalogs and price lists, to lighting and display.

IPCA members can submit until November 15 at callforentry.org. You still have 10 days (which include two whole weekends) to gather together 5 images of your best work.

We'd love to see you in Las Vegas next June. It really is an amazing time to take that leap. I am now serving as your pushy friend...don't let it pass you by!

Making textures...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:17:00 +0000

I get a lot of questions on how I make my textures. I use a variety of tools, my favorites being stylus, kemper cutters and tools, tissue blade, etc. I impress different designs, make reverse textures and then sometimes texture again. Here is a picture of some that I've made in just the past couple of days. I myself never use store bought textures, it's way more fun to just sit and let your mind do it's thing :o)

Petal Perfection ;o)

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:23:00 +0000

I'm only calling the necklace that because it might actually *be* perfection this time. I'm pretty proud of myself for not giving up on this design. I've been very stubborn...every time I thought that I had it, I said to myself...no...there has to be a better way!

I joked recently on twitter and facebook, that this necklace was an "engineering marvel." Well, maybe not quite, but it felt that way to me since I've spent many days bugging family members (husband Rudy - an autocad teacher, and son Daniel - an engineering student). I asked, prodded, wondered why, asked some more, tried to change minds...and finally, FINALLY, I came up with the final design mostly all by my little ole self. It might look the same as some of the others on flickr, but it *is* different...you'll have to take my word for it.

Now, I won't give you details, but I've given you a close-up to try and figure out what the problems were, and how I fixed them. I am wholesaling these after all, so I wouldn't feel right spilling all the beans, but...anyway, here you go. Enjoy wracking your brain, like I have!

I'm still here...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:27:00 +0000

just trying to be focused and disciplined...it is so unlike me :o)

So sorry for neglecting the blog, I really haven't stopped to breath lately. I probably won't be doing another post again for a couple of weeks at least, since I have a big show in June...so you're forewarned!

Here is a necklace finally worth showing. I won't bore you with the details, but let me say I spent three days on one necklace and I ended up ruining it! I wanted to make connector beads and ended up drilling so many holes and laying out so many variations, linking and un-linking chain that I just about drove myself mad! I did learn that the best way just happened to be the easiest way on this one.

So...I think I finally have most of my line figured out for ACRE in Las Vegas in 2 weeks. Of course I still have the hard part left...making a line sheet with descriptions and sizes and of course a wholesale price list.

But, for this weekend I have to stop thinking about beads and upcoming shows. I have a high school graduate that has his party this Sunday. Congrats to my "baby" Evan and the 2009 class of Valley Vikings!

New Mexico Art and Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:30:00 +0000

The art is from a polymer clay artist living in Taos, NM that I ran across yesterday. Her name is Elizabeth Rusnell. I found her work on a site called New Mexico Creates which is run by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation Shops in Santa Fe. It's always exciting to find other artists in your home state who work with polymer. Shown is a lovely daffodil yellow necklace that she calls Yellow Abstract Shapes Necklace. I looked around the web, and haven't found a website for her or anywhere else that she sells from.

The celebration is the annual Founder's Day Fiesta, held in Old Town which is just a few blocks from me. It is Albuquerque's 303rd birthday this year! There is a parade, music and Old Town merchants sell their goods on the sidewalks and plaza. I'm so happy that the sun is shining and the wind isn't blowing after a few days of rain (which we really needed!) and constant howling of the wind.

On a side note, if you are interested in learning how I made some of my very first Flora Beads, I've added a link to the left sidebar where you can purchase my new PDF tutorial "Introduction to Textured Flora Beads." I also have buttons on my website here and here.

Happy Weekend!

You'll never guess...more flowers...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:07:00 +0000

I have made so many beads these past couple of weeks that I'm seeing texture and color every waking moment. It can get to be exhausting when you are trying to get new work done and narrow down your product line. I'm getting closer, but ready to take a break this weekend.

I wanted to give a shout out to Cynthia Tinapple of Polymer Clay Daily. Last month at her home in Ohio, she hosted the past and incoming board of the National Polymer Clay Guild newly named International Polymer Clay Association. You can view some of the photos on Cynthia's new personal blog and even a youtube video of a drumming session that brought on some serious brainstorming regarding the direction the new board will take. Thank you Cynthia for all you do!

Sidetracked...sort of

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Only sidetracked from working with the colors I had planned on, as in the last post. Got to finishing up some beads that I already had going and decided that I needed to get more jewelry made since I bought a day (Thursday, March 26th) in the Gifts Guide Showcase at Etsy. I'm still working on getting my shop noticed there, but it's sort of been taking a back seat lately.

Anyhow here is a necklace that looks nice and since I'm going to be doing a double strand Flora Bead necklace for my "wow" piece at ACRE, I need to get comfortable with the shape and how the necklace will drape. Need to stop thinking about it and actually *do* it though!

Speaking of Flora Beads, my Intro To Textured Flora Beads on-line class at thatcreativeplace.com will be available to download through next Saturday, March 28th. I'll be checking the message board and will be available for chats too. Did you know that I have a fan page on Facebook? I usually post news there too.

Something else that I'm working on for 2009 is more on-line classes. I will probably do a Swirl Lentil on-line class from my website, since I remembered today that I can put a chat board on my site and make the page password protected. For now the old Swirl Lentil with Beadcaps tutorial is there, but probably just through April. If you want to download this tutorial, just email me (desertdesignsbybarbara (at) gmail.com) for the password. I hope to have a new Swirl Tutorial available for purchase in early May.

Today's starting point...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Working on some pieces for NM Arts and Crafts Fair, ACRE and possibly a Bead Dreams submission. Thought you might like to see what I'm starting with today. I should have a couple of different blends with a Vintaj selection to work with tomorrow.

It Ain't Easy Being Green...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Remember Kermit the Frog? That was his line, but when I realized that the color of this pendant was not going to tone down much with more sanding, that was what I heard in my head. I thought about antiquing, adding more copper....something. But I couldn't decide what if anything to do, so here it is...the color is crazy, no?

And I had a lovely 5 minute visit with polymer clay goddess Victoria (Tory) Hughes at Bead Fest Santa Fe. A couple of other clay artists had booths there as well (Klew, Jeanette Easley and Loco Lobo)The show was very busy and everyone was happy that Bead Fest was back in SF...where it all started I was told.

Here is an FAQ page for those interested in my Intro to Textured Flora Beads on-line class at thatcreativeplace.com. I'll "see" you all there on March 21st, next Saturday...can't wait!

And Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

gapingvoid.com...cartoons drawn on the back of business cards

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Thought I would share with you the latest blog that I've added to my google reader...
this guy, Hugh MacLeod is insanely brilliant!
His advice is "Ignore Everybody" which is the title of his book coming out this summer...

Intro to Flora Beads on-line class prep

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:24:00 +0000

I'm gearing up for my first on-line class which will take place on March 21st at thatcreativeplace.com called Introduction to Textured Flora Beads. I know a lot of you have seen my workspace before and how unbelievably chaotic it usually looks, but I couldn't resist taking a picture or two...

Double Strand Lentil Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:49:00 +0000

One of the reasons I mostly stopped making swirl lentils was that I could never find a way to string them up that I really liked. I love how this piece turned out and it was so easy to take apart and put back together in different ways. It's kind of exciting to be working with this bead shape again, I've missed them!

Valentine Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:38:00 +0000

I love hearts...I just don't make many of them. Here are a few from past years for the occasion. Happy Valentines Day and lots of love to you and yours!

Sampling of International Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Blue Green Flora beads are the most fun to make...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:54:00 +0000

not sure why...whenever I made caned flora beads, I almost always avoided blue for some reason (me too Susan :o). But these well, the blue makes me think Lapis and I love how gold (that has always been a favorite of mine) looks with blue and green. I did like the purple too like Marla did so I'm sure more of those will be coming. Something else that Mel noticed is that the outie textures are cooler than the innies (are we talking about belly buttons or what?) I'm right there with you Melly. You should be able to see what we mean if you look at the largest image either here or on flickr.

I'm using findings from Vintaj with these beads so I'm calling them Vintage Flora...tricky huh? Loving how the red coraly orangy brown looks too, so I made a first simple necklace so you can see the style that I'm going for. I've never been great at making jewelry so linking and unlinking and making loops is about all I can bring myself to do. Oh, btw this is all to get ready for the wholesale show, ACRE coming up in Las Vegas in June. I think I've finally found a theme :o) If you are interested, there are a few up for sale here.

A few more new ones...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:45:00 +0000

I'm definitely enjoying myself and learning what I like and don't like with each new batch. If you'd like to comment on your favorites and your *not* so much favorites, it's fun to do it on my flickr site where you can make a little box around different areas and leave your note with it.

Idea that hit me last night

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:43:00 +0000

As I was about ready to jump into bed last night, I was thinking about my flower beads (as I do for practically every waking moment ;o)

An idea popped into my brain and I ran out to my beads and arranged them like this, lest I forget the idea. Do you think a mirror like this would look nice?

My American Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:16:00 +0000

My Rainbow, pretty accurate...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Your rainbow is intensely shaded brown, indigo, and violet.

What is says about you: You are a proud person. You appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it. You feel closer to people when you understand their imperfections.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Barb the Clay Coach ;o)

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:54:00 +0000

Hettie and I had an intense 3 hour private lesson where I showed her some tessellation techniques. The idea that I wanted to convey to her was that she didn't need to make alot of complicated blends or build a big cane to see the potential of the technique. All we used for these samples were two blends and black and white...four colors. The size of cane we made would really only be enough for a few pieces...which works for me. I don't like to have too much of the same cane...but that's just me. Hettie was so excited when she saw how easy these were, I got a huge hug and an "Oh Barbara!" or two. It was neat...

I really think that more people could benefit from private polymer lessons. I sort of thought of myself as a "Clay Coach." There isn't the time or the cost involved in attending a large workshop. You have undivided attention and you can interrupt the teacher with questions whenever you like. I love the one on one personally, so I hope that I have the opportunity to do more of these...and I provided everything she needed...all she had to do was show up. We are planning another lesson for February.

If you plan to be in Albuquerque or NM at any point and you're interested in setting up a lesson or two...just shoot me an email at desertdesignsbybarbara (at) gmail.com or rubarb04 (at) gmail.com

Still exploring...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:19:00 +0000

As I try to recreate the look of the previous flora beads, I realize that the grit of the sandpaper I use makes a big difference (sarcasm).

At first I liked these beads. I strung them up, took pictures and put them up on flickr and my fan page on Facebook. Then I didn't like them. I know...I'm wishy washy.

I added more color to the sanded off areas, and black to kind of shadow and outline the petals. I also used some black soot embossing powder to define the centers of the flowers. Not too crazy about that part.

Anyhow, here is the before and after. Which do you like best?

Here is the look I'm after...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:17:00 +0000

These are the first petals I made which I referenced in a post a few days ago. As a matter of fact, I think I said that these ended up in the trash. Well, instead what was left of the bead sat there on my work table and before you know it I was sanding some of the color off and loving the effect. The color of the clay to begin with was an off-white. Since then I've played with different colors of base petals including some skinner blends. I see a lot of potential here, so it's pretty exciting. Here are some close ups of the petals after sanding and how some of the layers of color show up. But since these petals were inked quite heavily before curing, the inks leached into the clay and dried them out...so a couple of them split at the center where I apply them to the base. I also think that they sat around a day so it helps to get the color really soaked in before curing, otherwise the inks tend to fade. Click on these images for a super duper close-up. I uploaded a few of the other prototype beads to Flickr. So, back to the drawing board.

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole & Dan Fogelberg

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Materials list for today's solo playday...

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:44:00 +0000

1) Old beads that were supposed to be antiqued with acrylic someday
2) Various alcohol inks
3) Various embossing powders
4) Liquid Clay
5) Paper Towel
6) Water
7) Alcohol (for cleanup, not for drinking)
8) Small paintbrush, makeup sponge applicators
9) Heatgun
10) Various grits of sandpaper

So, I played like crazy. Came out with some pretty okay stuff I'm glad to say. I'll have a few to show on New Year's Day so that I can claim they are 2009 beads ;o)

Notice the widget on the left side of my blog that will take you to President-Elect Barack Obama's change.org site to vote on a very important cause! It is all about requiring National Parks to sell only American made crafts and souveniers. Have a Safe and Prosperous 2009!

Emmie says Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Barb aka rubarb) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:20:00 +0000