I am taking a breakie-break for a late dinner and an episode of Cupcake Wars. Yes, that is a shot glass of pure NH maple syrup, a mini 3 Musketeers and a cup of coffee. It keeps me going...
I managed to find a really nice lot on eBay this week but they are all the same size. I am looking for the kind that stack to form an gorgeous, sparkling flower that adds so much color and texture that it makes me drool. I am convinced that it is impossible to make an ugly piece of jewelry if you use these things. Atleast that is what I think when I don't have any. I sit and I sew and I think to myself, "This bracelet wouldn't be so damned ugly if just had some of those Swarovski circle things!" Of course, when I am done making the piece, it always looks fine... but would be so much better if I just had a few of those circle thingies! LOL
Assiah Russell and Stephanie RobbI just got home from the Stephanie Robb trunk show at Puttin' on the Glitz. It was an awesome evening filled with beautiful jewelry, wine, snacks and the ever-amazing Assiah Russell! I was treated to a make-up consultation with Joanne McDonough of Joya Beauty. What a lovely woman, and so insightful, I will have to treat my daughters to some pampering at her studio. Assiah displayed 10 or 12 of my cuffs and I received many compliments... which always makes me blush, and feel kind of awkward. I learned that I need to have a background story ready to tell when people ask me questions. It's funny but it never occurred to me that I would be asked how I learned to do what I do. There were many basic questions that took me off guard... artisan 101 kind of stuff that I have read about a million times and somehow took for granted that when it was my turn to answer, it would just come to me. I didn't anticipate feeling like a deer in the headlights. I'm sure it was perfectly clear, by the look on my face, that my mind was racing as I tried to find a way to sound like I knew what I was saying. I will be better prepared next time.
For inquiring minds who want to know way too much... the highlight of the night for me was when Assiah took me aside and said I am magic. I haven't had anyone tell me that in years! I was also invited to sell my work at Wild Things Gallery in New York. AND when I mentioned to Stephanie Robb that I also make beaded Christmas ornaments, she seemed very excited with the idea. I will have to remember to mention those to Assiah sometime soon.
What does 10 pounds of Swarovski rhinestones look like? Well, if I could take a worthy photo of them, I sure would be happy, but try as I might, my photos can't even come close to doing them justice. Last Saturday I received my Swarovski shipment in the mail. It was a steal at $550 and I was so excited, I was literally jumping up and down and clapping my hands as the Postman fetched my box from the truck. 
So instead of trying to take photos of the sea of little packages of rhinestones, I've chosen to post photos of some of the new work that has come from them. I am already seeing a significant improvement in the design and color combinations. And the SPARKLE... Oh there is nothing like the sparkle of genuine Swarovski! 
Everything I received is already set in brass and there are shapes I've never even seen before! There are some examples of every color Swarovski makes, and there is a good amount of chain, although you can never have enough rhinestone chain, IMHO. 
There are still some components I am always looking for that were not included in this package. They are extremely rare and, had I known that, I wouldn't have used the supply I had so generously on my first few pieces. I'll post some photos in the future just in case someone has a pile of them in their stash and would be willing to sell them!
It's been a productive day and a day full of joy as I received wonderful vintage goodies in my mailbox... much more than I'm showing in the single photo. I will be working until 2 a.m. and dream about what I'll be creating when I wake up in the morning! The photos are looking better, don't cha think? Now if the cloudy days would just melt into some sunshine, I'm hoping to see an even greater improvement.
These first test shots show promise. I have to experiment with the lighting, but the details are clearer than I've been able to get without the photo box and there is minimal flaring. Without the box, I might get one crisp photo out of every 30 shots, and sometimes the clear one wasn't the one with the best composition. Now it seems almost every shot is clear, but somewhat dull. I'm done for the night but tomorrow I will figure out how to capture some of the sparkle and a little more color depth.
I am happy to say my efforts were successful and I've had a chance to try a few shots in my new photo box. But I have to admit that it doesn't look as polished as I thought it would. It does seem that it will do the job, once I experiment with it. What I did, in a nutshell, was remove the netting from a collapsible laundry bag, making sure to leave the seams on the frame. Then I glued nylon lining fabric to the seems on the frame with Beacon Fabri-Tac. After it dried I cut the excess fabric around the edges. I set up two small lamps with 100 watt bulbs and placed my Ott-Lite above. Ta-Da! All done! And it easily stores in the corner of my closet when I'm done with my photo shoot.
Etsy.com : affordable until you add the shipping... it's cheaper to make my own
