Use the Muse

I submitted my creation for Use the Muse IV late Monday night, just in time. I had difficulty connecting with the Muse. When I attached an agate cabochon to the Muse, I felt better about it. My husband likes the completed piece, doesn't understand my issues. So I met the deadline, did what I said I would do and maybe it will sell when I can finally list it. I can't show you a complete picture until the BIG REVEAL which won't be for at least another month. Don't worry, it's dark colors, brown, dark copper, black, grey, perfect for fall/winter. I can tell you it is a bead woven right angle weave choker with picot trim at the top. There are dangles of black onyx roundels, wooden beads, Miyuki drops and delicas, and charlottes. Plus of course the Muse and the peyote stitch agate cabochon.

The picture is my earring listing for April 12. You can learn more about it by clicking on the description above under my blog banner.



Voting is continuing for the April challenge, Light as a Breeze. http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ for voting. My entry is Dancing with the Stars, number 30. Feel free to vote your choice there are so many lovely ones. There is a commanding lead for one with Japanese flowers (26% of the vote). The woman who suggested the theme (by winning two months ago) is next with 11%. My beads for the May challenge arrived today--turquoise, orange and lime--theme is colors embedded in insects.



I want to welcome JoAnn Deck to my blog. JoAnn won second place in the current show at the Plainfield, Illinois Art League. Congratulations! If you like flowers, collage, and color, click on her name in the list of people I follow located in the right hand column of the blog.

Kite flying

This is my tenth pair of earrings in my April earring promotion. I decided to list another pair of Swarovski black diamond ab earrings--this pair has sterling silver bead caps plus jet black Swarovski crystals. To go to my shop, click the title under the blog banner. Someone hearted a pair of earrings in the promotion -- thank you!

Life happened again today. It was a lovely spring day today in Chicago with a sunny high of 76 degrees. (average is 56) The breeze was just right for kite flying. That was something I could never get to work as a child--the rags for the tail were probably too heavy plus we didn't have the open treeless spaces that are perfect for flying kites. Kites were made of paper then (1950's) which tore easily and the rags were cotton. The tulips are starting to bloom--this is early for us. Feel free to comment on your kite flying experiences or how beautiful your tulips are.

The voting continues for the EBW April Challenge contest. Click on the top item under the blog banner to get to my etsy shop; the earrings and my entry, Dancing with the Sky, are featured in my shop. I have all the info in the description. I realized today I haven't made earrings to go with the cuff--I have to complete my Use the Muse entry and do my income taxes first. Life.

April Promotion of Earrings

I have been absent from this page for the month of March working on life, photos of my entire inventory and art fair applications. Since I am stalled on photographing my entire inventory (photo editing hurts my eyes), I've decided to focus on those items I haven't taken pictures of which is most of my earrings and combine it with a promotion in my etsy shop http://www.KRDesigns11.etsy.com/

Each day in April I will list at least one pair of earrings which will be featured that day. Since the styles are not in the Illinois Artisan Shops, I won't be undercutting their prices and you can get a good deal (not a KMart blue light special though). Earrings ship for $2.00 or free (US only) with the purchase of another item and are not returnable (for sanitary reasons).

The Illinois Artisans hold Art Sprees in the atrium lobby of the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago every month except January. I will be participating in the July, September and December Art Sprees. I have new items in both the Chicago shop and the Southern Illinois Artisan Shop, Whittington (Rend Lake). My Waterlilies bracelet (photo on 2/23/10 post) and a couple of my better creations plus more are in the Chicago shop on the 2nd floor of the Thompson Center. Tammy Deck of www.tlddesigns.com/ will be the featured artist in April. The Southern Illinois Shop has blue (Swarovski light sapphire crystals) and white pearl and lavender items. It is right off 57 and would make a good break if you are driving through the area.

The results of art fair applications include being on the wait list for two late summer fairs with several more with the jury still out. The art fairs I applied for are highly competitive, especially in jewelry due to the number of artists applying; the preference in the past has been for silver/gold/precious stone type jewelers.

I have done a little beading. Some luscious beads arrived last weekend including some white iris charlottes size 11 whose sparkle will be featured in a necklace.

The photo I will share is a sneak peak of my Use the Muse IV entry which is sponsored by http://www.artbeads.com/. I am supposed to tell how I feel about the "muse" which is less than positive emotionally at this point (out of sync with the seasons), but if I'm successful, the beautiful agate stone will adorn the muse and the chain embellishments will create something that is truly a new style for me. I have until mid April to complete it, and the big reveal will be in May or ???? see http://www.usethemuse.com/ for more details. This qualifies me to be entered into a random drawing; FREE BEADS!!!! if I win.