Sonoran Living and Terri O

Me and the fab Terri O! She is so darn adorable.

As you might know, I was invited to be on ABC Channel 15 Sonoran Living by the incredible and crafty Terri Ouelette. When she emailed me, she asked if I could come on her show and “be fabulous.” (NOTE: Click the tv link above to watch the segment). Sure, no pressure. I had about 36 hours to make some new art samples and design a stepped out craft project. No worries!

Thursday was a late night — up until midnight getting it done — but the end result was so worth it. Last thing I did before bed was brush on a sealer layer of ICE Resin® for my cold enameling and then 6 hours later woke up to my charms being dry and ready for attachment with some jump rings or ribbon.

My two books, some art samples and Karen Lackey’s handmade bust displaying some jewelry. The table got too crowded for my DVD and magazines too. LOL. You can’t throw it all in.

I arrived on the set by 8 a.m. to set up my little 6-ft display table, listened to bits and pieces of the 15-minute staff meeting where Terri and her camera crew were going over the show, did a few minutes of social media on Facebook and Twitter and then lights, camera, action the segment was live. I followed her lead, answered questions and just tried to enjoy the moment as much as possible.

Iced Enamels™ and Spellbinders® Media Mixage™ with Susan Lenart Kazmer™ blanks that I used to make a charm bracelet an also a cold enameled cuff. I adore this cuff. The design is exactly me – mixed media, colorful and quirky! I’ll be teaching this cuff at the new Charity Wings Art Center in San Marcos in a few weeks.

I had fun making jewelry and home decor samples using the Spellbinders® Media Mixage™ with Susan Lenart Kazmer™ line of blanks, available at Joann Fabric and Crafts, along with some cold enameling techniques. I also brought with me another little friend that’s been sitting in my studio since last summer; an adorable burlap mannequin designed and created by my friend Karen Lackey in Phoenix. These babies are awesome for displaying and photographing your jewelry. She sells them in her Etsy shop and also during vendor day at Art Unraveled. The poor girl has been waiting for me to get her over to the Stampington offices in Southern California, where I’ll be next week. However, I thought she needed a little moment in the spotlight before she leaves me.

Here’s a little wearable journal I made using cold enameling, ICE Resin® and ICE Resin® paper. This design is one of Susan’s originals. Earlier in the year, I needed to step in and teach a class for her where the students made this piece and this is my inspired-by-Susan piece. The wire framework is 100% SLK.

I can honestly tell you that I went into print journalism over television news a long time ago because I just don’t think I have quite what it takes to be a television personality. But you know what? I’m starting to get used to seeing and hearing myself on video and it’s not as bad as I thought.  As a matter of fact, it’s downright entertaining.

Here’s a closer look of the set display.

Found objects in a new light

There was a little glitch with the Interweave store over the weekend and sign ups for my webinar this Thursday were not available. The good news is that it’s been fixed and the link is working. If you have some time Thursday, May 16th at 2 p.m. EST to take my online workshop/webinar on found objects, mold making and casting, I’d love to have you join me. Remember, even if you’re working and not able to join, you can still sign up and watch the webinar at your leisure. Here’s the link: http://www.interweavestore.com/on-the-hunt-for-found-objects-how-to-create-new-and-eclectic-molds

Sweet Hearts

I was playing in my studio over the weekend and wanted to make a sweet little pair of earrings to wear with a T-shirt and jeans when hubby and I have a casual Friday night date night of sushi and a movie. Here’s a little secret: I love to make jewelry, specifically mixed-media jewelry to wear when I’m at art retreats, but….I hardly wear much in my daily life. Most days you will find me wearing a pair of earrings and my favorite stack of mixed metal bangles that I made from forged wire. These earrings are perfect for casual days at home.

Hearts are definitely a Talisman shape for me. You will see them a lot in my work. I’m on a search for a new shape. I wonder what it will be?

Stampington & Co Freebie

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How fun to open my email and see a project of mine on Stampington & Company’s Postscript newsletter. As I do these kinds of articles, I mark them on my big office calendar, do the work, turn them in and usually forget about them until I happen to open a magazine or an email and there I am. It’s always kind of cool to see the process come together. I really do love working with all the Stampington editors because they know their stuff when it comes to layout and typography. Johanna Love, Stampington’s Director of Photography, has such a gift for taking pictures that I do believe every piece of art sent to her looks better after she’s styled and shot it.

For this Guest Artist piece, I created a little house triptych with lots of surface layers of paint, rubber stamps and color. I had a blast playing with Dina Wakely’s stamps. I know Dina and she’s an awesome artist. Her new stamps are perfectly in line with my own aesthetic; a little  edgy with an urban vibe. I used her circles and random number stamps for this.

Believe it or not, I struggle when it comes to giving my work titles. I have no idea why considering I like to think of myself as a wordsmith. However, as soon as I finished this triptych and looked at the images, the storyline “Ma, Pa and the Cousins visit the Big City” immediately popped into my head. The family is dressed up for a night in the city and the tickets represent an invitation to attend a swanky gallery gala, given to them by a worldly artist they met when he came through their hometown in search of a rural landscape for his paintings.

I had so much fun using these altered vintage photographs that are in Spellbinders® Media Mixage ™ with Susan Lenart Kazmer™ line (Available in the paper crafting section of Joann Fabric and Crafts stores). I’m not sure how many of you know this, but ICE Resin’s Art Director is Karen Michel, an amazing mixed-media artist, author and instructor. As a matter of fact, Susan and Karen became friends 13 years ago when they first started teaching the national mixed-media art retreat events together. Karen is the person who’s responsible for all of our new packaging, our website design, our company blog design, etc. She’s also the artist who created the collage ephemera papers for Susan’s licensed line with Spellbinders® Media Mixage ™ .  Her eye is impeccable! The other reason I like the ephemera packs so much is because it contains so many old papers — all over 100 years old — that we’ve collected on our trips to France’s flea markets. We’re talking the real deal.

All said, I really do like this art piece. It makes me smile. It’s colors are happy and uplifting and there’s just something kind of giddy about it.

Anyway, enough of the “behind the scenes” talk for this piece. Pop on over to Stampington’s website and take a look at my project here. The best part is it’s a freebie!

Cold Enameling with ICE Resin

Our Iced Enamels program is a unique, custom formulated, proprietary Cold Enameling system for permanent adhesion of color on metal. Our custom system of enameling powders, enameling medium and ICE Resin work symbiotically to create a permanent, jeweler’s grade bond of color on all types of metals, from precious metals to base metals.

More Iced Enamels inspiration

Whenever I have creative free time in my studio lately, I find myself turning to my stash of Iced Enamels™ . As I was working on techniques and samples last year as we were creating Iced Enamels, my brain went immediately to working with them in bezels. I just wanted to fill those empty spaces with layers of luscious color and see what happened. It’s now one of my favorite ways to just get lost in experimentation and color!

Here’s a quick look at a necklace I made to display at the Adorn Me mixed-media jewelry retreat in Houston. This piece sold almost instantly to my new friend Carol Mulder Millspaugh, who’s been reading my blog and articles for a while and signed up to take some of my classes. Meeting Carol, a fellow jewelry designer, was a true delight and a highlight of my time in Texas.

The focal of this piece is one of the new beautiful textured fleur de lis bezels designed by Susan Lenart Kazmer for the Media Mixage line by Spellbinders Creative Arts. You can see the entire line here, but it’s available for purchase in the papercrafting section of Joann Fabric and Craft stores across the nation. As you can tell, I love color and enjoy using strong color combinations in my work. The pink and green in this necklace just makes me happy, and I hope it does the same for Carol every time she wears it.

Fleur de Lis necklace with Iced Enamels and ICE Resin

The Whirlwind of 2012

Ta-daaaaa!!! Here is the cover for my brand new DVD on making molds and casting found objects.

I know I wrote about filming for Cloth, Paper, Scissors back in November at the Interweave headquarters in Loveland, Colo. It’s hard to believe that my DVD, Breaking Out of the Mold is already available now for pre-order and instant download at the Interweave store. Wowza, let me tell you DVDs move at a breakneck pace as compared to books! I also wanted to let you know that I had the sincere pleasure of meeting another mixed-media artist at the filming; Jenny Cochran Lee. Jenny’s work is incredible. I don’t sew hardly a stitch, so to see her textile work is just jaw dropping to me. I also want to thank Jenny because she did a wonderful post on me and my DVD on her blog today.

There are so many amazing things hitting all at the same time that it’s making my head spin! All of these were in the works last year and I was running as fast as I could to keep up with them all. Seriously, I look back at 2012 and shake my head at how in the heck we managed to get it all done. Finishing my new book with North Light, new product development with ICE Resin, a DVD and a new column with Cloth, Paper, Scissors and also the Designer Showcase next month with Belle Armoire Jewelry in addition to my normal Art Chooses You column for Stampington. When I meet someone and they ask me what I do, I’m not sure quite how to respond so I simply say I’m an artist and a writer.

Life was so busy last year that I really want to take a moment to thank my amazing husband and mother-in-law on my blog (even though neither of them read it. LOL). They were there for me every step of the way, cheering me on and making sure my kids were fed, clothed and happy. I also want to thank my off-the-charts-talented and totally brilliant business partner Susan Lenart Kazmer, who has been going even harder and longer than I have to run our company, while still managing to dream up endless amounts of creative ideas, building two lines (Industrial Chic for Michaels and the new Media Mixage with Spellbinders that debuted at CHA), teaching workshops, running the ICE Resin office and home front, publishing articles and writing her new book, “Resin Alchemy” that is due out in June with Interweave. (Not to mention raising two teenagers and teaching a workshop in France this summer). Then there was the other person who was standing by my side this past year. Kristen Robinson spent 2012 teaching, building her brand new signature line Rue Romantique, publishing articles, doing a DVD for Cloth, Paper, Scissors and writing her second book — as yet untitled — for North Light that’s due out this Fall.

One of the most interesting parts of all of this to me is that the three of us had to keep completely quiet on all that was going on. Sure, bits and pieces here and there were shared on blogs and social media, but most of the time I told Susan and Kristen that it looked like we were all taking long naps in 2012.

Silly me, I didn’t get a picture of me and Susan at CHA. Here is one of us shopping at the flea markets in the South of France this summer.

My father used to always say I couldn’t keep a secret if my life depended on it. I can say now that he was 100% wrong. I don’t really care for keeping secrets because I’m just the type of person who likes to share. The best part right now is that I can finally breathe. The cats are out of the bag. The only thing left to do is tell the world about all our new adventures and hope people see and respond to the kind of passion we’ve put into our first real love – Mixed-media ART! As for my next goal in 2013, it really is getting to take that long nap I keep talking about.

Kristen and me at Winter CHA 2013.

To everyone who has hung in there with me on my blog this past year, thank you. This goes the same for the new friendships I’ve made on Facebook and the incredible women (and a few men) whom I have met at workshops across the country. I really hope that if no other message comes out of anything that I do it’s this one: Dreams do come true. Nothing is unattainable. You don’t have to be the most talented person on the block, or the skinniest or the prettiest or the most congenial. All you have to be is yourself. Oh, and it helps to also link arms with some pretty amazing friends along the way who always have your back in any situation. (grin)!

The annual CHA CHA CHA

Elena from Charity Wings always brings fun and excitement into our booth at the CHA shows. We LOVE her and Charity Wings! The peeps were just awesome to talk to and demo for. Keep an eye out for our ICE Resin videos with them soon!

I’m back from  California and the Winter 2013 Craft and Hobby Association trade show. This was such an exciting show this year for me and for all of us at ICE Resin! We’ve been working really hard for the past  year now on all our of new product releases. It’s been months and months of hard work behind the scenes and there was absolutely nothing any of us could talk about. It’s incredibly hard when you are putting in 12-14 hour work days at various critical points throughout the year and when people ask, “How’s it going?” all you can do is reply with a smile and a non-committal, it’s busy!

Finally, now it’s time! Susan Lenart Kazmer and ICE Resin has our very first licensed designer line of bezels and components. At the show, we introduced Rue Romantique by Kristen Robinson. The collection is vintage Victorian inspired bezels re-imagined for today’s jewelry artists and crafters who also adore a romantic, elegant and stylish collection. Kristen has been with us since Susan and I handpicked our very first design team. She’s also been in charge of our ICE Resin Creative Team for the past two years at its director. She is an amazing artist, teacher, wife, mother, friend and beautiful human being. I’m so very, very proud of her and thrilled to have the company selling her gorgeous new line.

In addition to Rue Romantique, Susan and myself have also developed a Cold Enameling program that is really quite amazing. We launched our Iced Enamels program at CHA and will be talking about it lots more and and also teaching workshops in all the brand new techniques we’ve developed over the past year. Be sure to read the ICE Queen eZine for lots of upcoming projects and videos from our wonderful Creative Team with the new stuff, as well as more videos and education from the two of us.

Here are some pics of the show (the mustache ones are from our team dinner at Buco di Beppo where there were 14 of us being silly and letting off some steam):

Me and my darling Kristen Robinson. So thrilled to see her hard-earned success of her new Rue Romantique line.

My book signing of Making Metal Jewelry at the F&W booth.

Me and Susan practicing being French Artistes from the Belle Epoque era.

My one and only make n take that I got to do the last 2 hours of the show at the Purple Cow booth. They were directly across from us, which is why I was able to sneak away for a bit.

Katrina, our amazing office manager who also handles distribution, busily taking orders. We saw Katrina looking like this A LOT this CHA. Woot!

The Kristen Robinson corner of our booth. Sooooo pretty!

Kristen’s beautiful samples. She had the ladies salivating over her gorgeous art!

2013 classes so far

Cold-Enameled Heart Necklace class. Learn all new enameling techniques for adding color to metal and also advanced resin techniques as well.

I’m still working on building my new website. My goal is for it to be up and running by Jan. 10. which is the in-store date for Making Metal Jewelry. The site will have a gallery of my work, my class schedule, an option to purchase signed copies of my books, etc. Since I’ve been getting questions on my Facebook wall about next year’s teaching schedule, I thought I better put it on the blog now.

Susan and myself and many of the ICE Resin team will be at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show in Anaheim Jan. 11-15. Susan and Kristen are teaching sold-out workshops during the show and I’ll be in the background helping them TA since the classes are maxed out at 50 people. This trade show is open only to members of the crafts industry and is one of the big shows we do each year to introduce our new products. We have some amazing new things coming out next year and are thrilled for this show to get here.

Then, a mere two weeks after CHA, we’re heading to the Tucson gem show — To Bead True Blue — where the team is teaching lots of interesting workshops. If you love making jewelry and you’ve never managed to get to Tucson in February, I suggest you put it on your bucket list right now and find a way to make it happen. Anything and everything with gems, minerals, beads and unique objects is found and focused on at these shows. I’ll be teaching five classes in Tucson and registration is going on now.

Feb. 28-March 3, I’m excited to be teaching classes at Linda Young’s event Adorn Me in Houston, Texas. There are still spots left in many of the classes, all featuring metalwork and/or mixed-media jewelry with top instructors. Take a peek at the workshops here. A couple of classes, such as  So You Want to Write a Book, are classes I’m only teaching at this event for 2013.

I’m thrilled to be back for my third year at CREATE, hosted by Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine in Orange County, California. I love this show so much because the event organizers always let me teach both straight mixed-media and also mixed-media jewelry classes. I’m thrilled to be doing a journal, as well as some very cool new classes using our brand-new products and techniques that we’re introducing at CHA and Tucson. Registration for this event just opened yesterday, and my journal was featured on the announcement email. So very cool to see as an instructor! I’m in such amazing company at this event and a few of the instructors are my very dear friends. I get a smile on my face every time I realize I’m going to get to see them very soon.

The last event to tell you about for now is the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee. This is another one of our annual big shows for ICE Resin. I’ve been at the show the past three years with our company, but this is the first time I’ll be teaching there as an instructor. Honestly, this is an event I never thought I would be instructing since it’s home to many of the best of the best master silversmiths and jewelers. It was kind of a pinch me moment when the acceptance email came in. I’ll be teaching resin, of course. (grin)

There are a couple more events I’ve applied to that haven’t been announced. I’ll be adding those to the calendar as soon as I hear (fingers crossed) that I’ve been accepted. Just a little note on this, I’ll be writing a future column on the teaching application process for those of you who wonder how this all comes to pass. I did write a basic one for CreateMixedMedia last year. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, you can click over to my columns on the website.

For any of you whom are thinking of going to an art retreat for the first time, but are maybe wondering if you can afford it or if it’s worth the time and expense, let me tell you they are! When I fell in love with mixed-media all those years ago, it was these retreats and the amazing, giving and wonderful instructors that set me on my path. It was a journey that’s been life altering for me, and I’ve seen the same story told again and again for many others.

Here’s wishing you a truly Artful day as you head into the final stretch of the Holiday season.

Seaside funnies and wrap up

Me and Elena the day before Seaside Soiree began.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years making mixed-media jewelry is that my style is definitely not everyone’s cup ‘o tea. While some people truly “get” me and my funky, artsy style there are others — like my very own mother-in-law — who respond to my work with descriptive words such as “interesting” or “nice” or “wow, different”. I admit it, at one time it used to bruise my ego just a tad when I heard these things because I knew it meant they didn’t like my work. I’ve so gotten over this as I continue to make work and grow as an artist. The bottom line is that I have to like my work. No one else. I’ve learned there are, indeed, other souls who view this world through the same quirky glasses I do and, somehow, we seem to find each other.

I bring this up because of Brooke. I met her this past weekend when I was teaching at Seaside Soiree in beautiful La Jolla, California right at the Scripps Institute with gorgeous ocean views. Brooke is a former Marine and a very dear friend of Elena’s. She worked her booty off as a volunteer at the art retreat, setting up decorations and picking up trash and doing her best to keep things running smoothly. Brooke is not a crafter. She doesn’t get the fascination of playing with inks, paints, resin, etc. She swears whatever she tries to do that’s crafty doesn’t work out.

I was so surprised when Brooke came up to me at the end of the night after the ladies had all poured their ICE Resin bezels and asked to make one. She swore up and down hers would be terrible and the resin would be sticky or not come out. I shrugged my shoulders and told her that it’s nearly impossible to mess up ICE Resin. Guess what? I was right. Brooke made a gorgeous collage and glitter bezel in ICE and it turned out perfectly.

Brooke’s face says it all…

I saw Brooke again Saturday night at the Seaside dinner and art auction. I was wearing a resin casting ring. I made a mold of a ceramic doll’s head and then painted it to finish it off. I then embedded the head in layers of resin paper and set it into one of our Art Mechanique prong rings. I happen to love my ring and wear it when I dress up. When Brooke saw the cast doll head, her expression said it all. She was so shell-shocked that she couldn’t even come up with the words “nice” or even “fine”. I burst out laughing at her reaction so loudly that Avila, one of the other ladies attending the retreat, snapped a photo.

I had a wonderful time at Seaside. It was my second year volunteering to teach to help Elena raise money for Charity Wings and I think it was even better than last year. About 40 very talented and very creative women participated and gave myself, Danita Art and Jennifer Priest an incredible outpouring of love and respect. I won’t be returning next year, as I have a pretty full teaching schedule for 2013 already, but I will definitely be there for Elena and Charity Wings when they open the doors to their new art center.

Here are a few more Seaside pics…

Carol LaValley, our social media curator for ICE Resin having fun painting her dress form

Pretty collaged and poured ICE Resin bezels and also resin paper for the journal class I taught the next day.