Busy, Busy, Busy!

I've been so busy getting ready for 2 craft shows. I haven't really done one in about 38 or 39 years! I used to do regular shows to sell my pottery way back in the seventies in my days of being a hippie!!

I had to get together a display without spending too much moola. So I used some elements I already had, and got some things at Cost Plus, and Viola! Below is a picture of most of it. It is not fully loaded with jewelry, but will be before November 8, which is the first show. For all you So. Cal. dwellers, if you are looking for something to do that Sunday, come out to the Rose Bowl and say "hi". It will have a green cloth on the table under all the elements you see here.

Next is a little close up of some fold formed scarf pins that will be for sale. I just love hammering. Hope to do some more fold forming next year. I think they look cute in the little basket!

The next photo is of some of the earrings. My friend Paige of Hammer, Stitch, Burn engineered these cute little earring card holders. I love them because they are stand alone, so you can put the earrings any where you want them on the table. I also have some on a picture frame (no photo, sorry) fitted with elastic. You can sort of see it on the far right of the first photo. It looks better with all nine spaces filled, but again, load it up and put it where you want it. Thank you Paige!

If you don't make it out to the Rose Bowl, I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the display. All comments are really appreciated, so feel free to put in your 2¢ any time.

This is a busy season so I'm not sure if Paige and Christine have posted this weekend, but Lora is a loyal blogger, so go see hers, and peek to see if the other ladies had extra time to post.

Weekend Eye Candy, Flying Things Scare Me

Recently, my friend Paige posted on her blog about the scary beasts called birds. We share this fear. Seems silly, I know, but it comes from a childhood encounter with a bird (for me 3 separate encounters) that were not positive, and were very scary.

I have had encounters with other flying things and jumping things that have solidified my resolve that all things that have the potential of flying around my head or jumping at me are to be avoided at all costs. These include among other things, frogs, grasshoppers, and the dreadful Dragonfly! I had a very scary encounter with a dragonfly when I was a kid. It paralyzed me with fear.

For quite some time, dragon flies have shown up in the craft/art arena. I guess as long as they aren't real, a rubber stamp, a metal clay version, a painting or photo all show the part of them that is actually beautiful.......but excuse me, I just can't get past those EYE BALLS!

So they might inspire you with their pretty colors, or just the shape of them. I'm really trying hard to get on board with the images. So I hope you find something inspiring about them. They seem to have the same posture as little old people, don't they?

You can go to my Flickr Page to see who took all of these *scary* photos.

Check out Lora, Paige and Christine's blogs to see what they are up to.

Did You Know?

Last Tuesday I took a class called Fold Forming and Embossing from Carl Stanley at Farrin O'Connor Design Studios in Pasadena, CA

It's a great jewelry studio, and Carl is a wonderful teacher. One little trick (among the many)I learned from him in that class is: *Did you know*, that you can turn your flexible shaft machine into a little mini lathe?

That is how the little wooden pin cap was made!

The photo at left is the finished pin, center is a close up of the fold formed and embossed top, and right is the little pin cap that was a wooden dowel, "turned" on my flex shaft *lathe*.

Great fun, hope you like it!

Weekend Eye Candy, My Earrings!

I'm still dealing with little Miss Lilly and her surgery, so the easiest eye candy to post was my own recently finished earrings. They are Copper Clay, Silver Clay (PMC), some beads and bits of sterling wire where needed. I hope you like them!

These and other photos can be seen on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelleross/

I know Paige is at a huge craft fair in S. Dakota, so I doubt she'll have time to post, but ya never know, so check out her blog as well as Lora's and Christine's to see some yummy "Eye Candy"

Faux Bone

Hi everyone, or all 3 of you!!! (just a little joke so I don't loose my sanity),

Check out Robert Dancik's Faux Bone Inspiration Gallery at:

http://fauxboneinspirationgallery.wordpress.com/inspiration-from-michelle-ross/

My Faux Bone scarf pin is up there. I'm loving that stuff!

Back to doggy insanity world and hope to be posting soon.

I'd rather be blogging!

I'm having to take this weekend and possibly next off from blogging because my precious little girly dog (bottom photo) had a very major surgery. It's all me and my husband can do to keep on top of taking care of her. Just look at that sweet face. She is more than worth it!

Many other things are being put aside because she needs sort of constant care right now, but when I'm back in blog world, art world, jewelry world, I hope to have some photos of more recent work to show.

Meanwhile, her boy friend (top photo) is taking it all in stride. He is such a good boy! Look at those big orange eyes!

Gotta get back to the patient......hope to post soon.

Weekend Eye Candy, Inspirations

1. Is Time Linear?, 2. Metropolis, 3. Round and Round, 4. Phidippus mystaceus, 5. Against the Colors, 6. silent white... ♫ egrets from bali ♫♫, 7. Hypnosis, 8. All those lines..., 9.Chandigarh Legislative Assembly

This week I'm focusing on inspirations. I love black and white polymer canes, really graphic designs and geometric shapes. Sometimes when I need inspiration I look at pictures. Pictures of anything and everything!

So I went on the hunt for some photos that could be inspiring. If you look at a good black and white photo and squint so that you are not seeing the detail anymore, it might reveal some interesting shape and give you inspiration to create.

Also, when looking at something you just made and wonder if it needs something else or if it is a balanced design, squint while looking at it...... it really helps. Also turn it in all directions. If it looks good upside down, etc. that is a pretty good indicator that it is balanced.

I also find photos of architecture at interesting angles good places to start a design, a painting or whatever your next project is.

So have fun squinting, and don't worry about the wrinkles...... hah!

I'd love to hear what inspires you, where you get your inspiration from, or if any of these images gave you inspiration to start a project.

Check out Lora's and Paige's blog for inspirations and new Eye Candy picks.