A new (and addicting) website

Think Flickr meets Facebook and you get Pinterest.  I've gone to this website before but I didn't really understand the concept... now I do.  You create folders for yourself and then browse pictures that millions of people have posted and "pin" them into your folders to either refer back to and/or share with your friends.  You can also upload pictures so others can repin yours.  Pinterest makes it so easy because they let you know who your facebook friends are that are also using Pinterest.  It's free but you have to register.  When I did this I was put on a waiting list so I called one of my friends to ask her if this was common.  She said yes and that she would send me an "invite" to see if this sped things up and it did. 

You can check out my account here:
I am of course KimberlyJDC

My parade of masquerade masks

One of those fun things I just had to try... then of course I got a little carried away with myself, and my feathers!

And my very favorite:

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!!

And this is what they all look like in my studio space at Olde Towne Art in Portsmouth, VA.  Please stop by and feel free to try one on!

Updates, updates

This past week I could not wait to get started on my new endeavor: Chain Mail Jewelry!  After my last post I decided to go in a totally different direction and make a ring instead of earrings or a bracelet.  I used Rebeca Mojica's book Chained and made the Japanese Diamond Ring found on page 60.  It was rated as a mid-length project (it did take a few hours to complete) and rated as expert.  (There's nothing like aiming high on the first project!)It does state though that the reason for the expert rating is because one makes it out of stainless steel and titanium which are two of the strongest metals and working with them is tough.  Given this information I made mine out of a softer metal so I wouldn't get discouraged but knowing that it won't be as durable as if I had used a stronger metal.  I am absolutely thrilled with the results!

For this ring I used gold and pink jump rings for the center design and blue and green jump rings for the outside design.  The possibilities are endless when working with colored jump rings.  I believe my next project will be a helm chain bracelet in silver and black but don't hold me to it.

My second update is my Mardi Gras masks.  I have feathers flying all over the place here!  I have a total of 10 in the works, two are full face masks and the other eight are half masks.  I wanted to post a picture of my white and cream colored one because it is the first one finished and it's my favorite.  My goal is to finish all 10 by tomorrow and take them to my art gallery on Thursday so I can focus on my next endeavor: altered books and art journalling.  I've tried this in the past with not a lot of luck but I keep getting drawn back to it so we'll see.

Sometimes cheap isn't always better

While looking through my Oriental Trading Company's catalog I noticed some white masks... inspiration struck... "That would be so much fun to paint a mask and bejewel it".  Sounded very whimsical which is right up my alley!  I hadn't even looked at my local craft store for masks, I sat down and ordered them right then because when I have an idea I want to execute it right then and there, although I had to wait for shipping time.

When they arrived I wasn't impressed with the quality of the plastic but I pushed forward.  I went to my local hardware store and bought "plastic primer" which worked fantastic.  My problem was that the masks were still too flimsy.  I ended up going to my local craft store and found exactly what I wanted.  I wanted to do a full face mask but then I also wanted to do a few half face masks too. 

While I was at Olde Towne Art discussing my idea with other artists one of the ladies reminded me that Mardi Gras was coming up.  Wow I couldn't have timed that better!  So my ideas have shifted a little to now include feathers and and sequins.  My first thought was to do a full face white pearlescence mask with white feathers and lots of pearls. 

Here is my work table.  The champagne colored pearls laying across the mouth of the white face ended up outlining her lips.  I can't wait to post some finished photos!

Another new endeavor

Chain mail jewelry!

Last fall I went to a little craft fair at my local YMCA.  I really didn't expect to find much or get many ideas... but that's when you find the good stuff!  I met a young man by the name of Daniel Wayno who had the most beautiful, and interesting, jewelry.  Having worked with lobster clasps, crimp beads and split rings I understood the time it went into making these pieces of jewelry.  They were made completely from jump rings!  I was so intrigued.  I ended up buying one of his more intricate bracelets (and my picture doesn't do it justice):

You can see more of his work here: DeviantArt

Since Christmas has past and I can once again focus on the creative ideas that are exploding out of my head I decided to order a book on how exactly you create chain mail jewelry.  I received this book yesterday and couldn't put it down last night:

Here are some pictures from the book, I will probably try these earrings first:

And I just LOVE this bracelet:

So thank you Daniel and all of the artists out there who inspire me... now where are my pliers?

For the New Year I bring you a late Christmas poem

I consider myself a very organized person.  We moved here only six months ago and we already have all of our boxes unpacked and everything in their place, so I thought. 

When I found this Christmas poem last week that I wanted to share with you I knew I had the perfect picture to go with it.  Here lies the problem.  I couldn't find my photo albums to scan the picture into my computer (the picture is from 1992, before digital).  So I began looking around the house for my photo albums. 

Now mind you, one of my hobbies is photography and before digital cameras I would print most of my pictures and put them in photo albums.  I knew I was looking for at least seven albums so they won't be hard to overlook. Hmmm.  The only boxes we hadn't gotten to were the ones in the attic, but these consisted of "attic stuff".  I thought maybe the movers put my photo albums in the attic so I went up there.  I sorted, organized and relocated every single box up there and NO PHOTO ALBUMS! (This is a lot of work for one blogpost). 

I gave up and forgot about it.  One of the things on my "to do" list is to scan in some old negatives I have (remember 35mm film?) so my brother and I could get a good laugh at ourselves as youngsters.  This afternoon while I was looking at my negatives I found the picture! So now I may share with you the poem The Christmas Cat by Marcia K. Leaser

On padded feet the little cat
came silently creeping by.
Dad swears he never saw him--
neither did Sis, my mom, nor I.
But nonetheless, the whiskered pest
sneaked past four sets of eyes.

When next viewed, our furry friend
was grinning and purring with glee.
I looked at Dad, my sis, and Mom,
and they three looked at me.
Then we all laughed,
    for the sly little cat
was atop the Christmas tree.

He wasn't actually "atop" the Christmas tree but he was mischievous like that!

Rest in Peace my beloved Riprap, AKA "Rippy"