Bead Soup Blog Party Beads Have Arrived

A few weeks back when I signed up for the lastest round of soup offerings I decided this time I am going to do things a bit different. I am going to video my way though the process!!

Check it out!!

AAAAGGGGHHHH!!! I really don't know how I contained my excitement in this video. I think it might have been shock. The items that Diane Cook sent me are nothing short of STUNNING!! I couldn't be more thrilled with the challenge. Recycled sari silk, vintage chandelier components, vintage rhinstones... be still my antique loving heart. I have some ideas stewing already... I think this is going to be an awesome reveal!!

Until then, though, here are a few shot of what I'll be working with.





You can now see why I oooohhhed and aaaaahhhed so many times in the video!! The peaches I added to the "styling" of this shot is a little preview of what colors I am thinking I will add to this mix. Maybe... I'm not sure... I guess you'll just have to wait and see!!

More About DeFindings

Do you notice anything special about these pieces of jewelry? I mean, other than the fact they are all bright and colorful. Not a single one of them contains a commercial finding. Okay, the chain is available commercially, but that is besides the point, I don't consider chain a finding. Look close and you'll see that all the clasps are handmade, all the links are handmade, and if I had a photo of earrings anywhere in my 261 pages of photos on Flickr you would see that all the ear wires I make are handmade as well. I truly couldn't be more excited about my new class DeFindings: Detailing Your Designs at ArtBliss (coming up in September!), because I will be teaching you all about adding these kind of handmade details to your own jewelry creations.

I wanted to take a moment to tell you exactly the kind of things I'll be showing you over the course of our 3 evening hours together...

• Clasps - hooks, s clasps, and two kinds of toggles
• Ear Wires - classic fish hook, french style, and hoops
• Extras - jump rings, headpins, dolled up wrapped loops, and easy s links

We'll spend about an hour on each of the topics, so the pace will be quick, but you will be learning a ton of information and I hope to be sending you back to your hotel rooms with a collection of your own handmade samples to begin using in your own designs.

Making your own findings saves you money, gives your pieces a more unique look, and is just one way you can begin to really set yourself apart from the massive ocean of jewelry designers out there. If you can make it to Washington DC on September 25, you are gonna LOVE this class!! Be sure to check out the supply list, I think everything you need is probably already in your jewelry studio (or toolbox).

As an added incentive, Cindy and Jeanette (ArtBliss Organizers) are waving the registration fee of $40 for students that will only be taking an evening class. If you are taking multiple classes throughout the event, the registration fee still applies. So that means, just $65 and you are going to be on your way to creating beautiful jewelry findings!!

I hope to see you there!!

PS... remember too... if you want to learn how to take your jewelry photos to the next level and learn to take photos like the ones shared in this post, I am teaching Snaptastic at ArtBliss on the 25th as well!! Come spend the entire day with me and by the end of the day, not only will you have loads of new things to add to your jewelry, you'll know how to take awesome photos of it as well. 

PPS... so many awesome things are happening behind the scenes in regards to my Snaptastic class. You really aren't going to want to miss this.

I am sure you have heard me gush before about those few moments of morning light to mimic that golden hour light of evening. Mornings always seem to rush by, I wish it was a golden hour and not just moments. I was feeling a heavy weight this morning... another early rise, another day where I can't get to the studio, another sink full of dishes, another load of laundry to do... As a walked down the hall to start on some chore or another, I caught that moment of morning light and paused to soak it in.

I still feel the weight of the monotony of another day away from what I love, but that deep intake of sun warmed my resolve just enough.

When I loaded these images on to the computer, I was amazed to see what an influence this room has on me. Unbeknownst to me, the set of beads I am sending to my Bead Soup Blog Party partner, the amazing Diane Cook, match the morning light perfectly.

right now, I am...

:: looking out on a wet wet wet backyard and thinking the hummingbirds probably won't be visiting the hibuscis today, though the baby deer are here again. Sweet things still have their spotted rear ends.

:: hoping that this first ever batch of homemade salsa we canned yesterday will be yummy this winter. Looks a little thin and liquidy though. I might need to make another batch. It ain't like we're hurtin' for tomatoes around here.

:: feeling a shift. The light takes longer to fill the rooms in the morning. The evenings are just a touch cooler. It is filling me with a hopefulness.

:: making the tiniest of Momma-made Christmas gift plans. Lauren's might be an undertaking and will need lots of planning/time/energy/resolve to make happen.

:: loving my house. I worked hard last week to clean every nook and cranny. I even spent a solid 5 hours in the basement on Friday. Can you imagine, I am just 2 loads of laundry away from being caught up on my overwhelming pile.

:: deciding where my creative energy will best be put to use when life returns to the back-to-school routine. I am remembering too that it is going to take time to transition once those days are here and I'll need to take it easy on myself.

:: grateful for all the support we are receiving, in our home, from family and others with Andrew. Things have been tough, but they make it easier.

:: happy to see weeks of hard work truly paying off. I have a secret I have been keeping... jeans that were way.too.tight at the start of summer are way.too.big these days. I have lost nearly 20lbs, and hope to keep it up until I reach my goal that is just 15 more lbs away. The process has taught me so much about myself.

:: wanting the sweater I am knitting on to move along just a bit faster. It is so so pretty and I chomping at the bit to wear it. Can't wait to share it with you!

:: ready to hit the showers after a 40min run and treat myself to one of those yummy almond biscotti cookies I made yesterday, along with just a bit more coffee.

Inspired by Amanda Soule's {right now} post this morning...

Some Sunday Snapshots

It's a Snappy day...

Wow... wow, wow, wow... that's all I can say. I am up to my eyeballs in "work" today, but I still wanted to take a moment to pop in and catch up. Yes, yes, I still have plans to share with you that gem of a thing we stumbled upon this past weekend. That is on the back burner though while I am designing, organizing, writing, and editing the document that will become my new class, Snaptastic, that will debut at ArtBliss in September. I am so so excited to be doing this, truly. It has my mind buzzing, my nerves twitching, and heart soaring. It is feeding me with the best kind of anxious energy. What a challenge! I don't think I even dreamed that someday I would have the kind of knowledge about photography that others would be eager to know.

There are still spots available in class. So, if you are looking to take your jewelry photography to the next level, and want to make the best possible impression on potential buyers through images that are stylized, bold, and creative, then you need to make your way to Washington DC next month!!

It Was A Double Header Weekend

Oh yes... this past weekend was a full one. Not only did I spend a couple hours at the Park Ave Fest on Saturday, on Sunday, we packed a picnic, we rounded the (younger two) kids up in the car, and headed down to Fox Run Vineyard for this year's Garlic Fest. Route 14 on Seneca Lake is a place where you can usually find us in the Fall and this was our first summer visit to the lake. We have been wanting to catch this festival for a few years now. Ever since I was visiting one of my aunts and she had me smell a head of garlic that, I kid you not, smelled just like pepperoni. Garlic is one of our garden staples. Ron just loves it! Loves to grow it, loves to cook with it, and loves to gift it to visitors that admire the garden. Every year though, we seem to remember we want to go to the festival a week or two after it happens. Not this year though. Ron was determined.




The festival itself is rather small. Just a few of those big tents with vendors selling all manner of types of garlic and garlic what nots. Just a few minutes after arriving, the skies opened up and it poured on us. So, we headed inside the vineyard to enjoy a wine tasting. Oh how big Lauren felt getting to sip some water out of a real wine glass. And then later it was fresh popped kettle corn (with or without garlic) and homemade ice creams (a scoop of vanilla and chocolate, no garlic flavor available). The Corning Museum of Glass was there giving demos, there was live music, and lots and lots of people. Those big crowds had us heading out after just about an hour of garlic tastings. We had a few bulbs each of German White, French Red, Music, and Bogatyr garlics, so we were all set.

But, naturally, driving over an hour to get there, we didn't head straight home. We headed further down the lake than we ever have before! We stopped at a few new wineries that seemed to pop up on the lake over night. Er, I mean, over the winter. Me made plans to come back to the wine trail soon with friends (no kids, and a designated driver) so that we can take some time to really enjoy the new finds. And we will be sure to take those friends to the little jewel we stumbled upon just past the famous Watkin's Glen Gorge... but more on that tomorrow.

Festival Sites

:: thurs evening a major bout of melancholy swallowed me up
:: teenagers can be so rotten
:: studio time and a sisterly stroll through a street festival can help combat a lot of things
:: cool new graphic tees rock!
:: i wish i had the gumption to dress in a beautiful marionette costume... curly black wig, corset, red button lips, and all (image link takes you to a flickr photo of the same marionette seen above taken by a different, random person)
:: no need to remind me again why i no longer do street shows
:: all the "art" was in the people watching...
:: oh how i wanted that dress another gal was wearing




:: the two houses in the first photo are both for sale
:: i would buy the victorian over the brown stone, and i would be a few houses down from my sister
:: i could be a city girl... i really could
:: it isn't wise to walk a street show hungry, as is evident by several photos of vendor food signs in my photo downloads
:: there is a risk of rain for the next three days, maybe the lawn will come back to life
:: i think my coffee needs a bit more creamer
:: 'member me sayin' i wanted to run my 5 mile long block by august? yeah, i have done it twice now!
:: sometimes i think i have a million random things to say and then suddenly i can't think of a single one
:: yeah, i got nothin'
:: i wonder how many random things will pop into my head next week?

triangle squared (part 1)

New KAB's Kit Requests?

Beady friends... I need your input. I am looking ahead to fall and I am thinking about the kits I want to bring to ArtBliss (as well as make available here). I am going to have to hit the ground running once September hits to be ready in time! I have a couple new ones in mind, but I am wondering what YOU want!! I would so geatly appreciate it if you could leave a comment here or send me an email with your ideas (kerry (at) kabsconcepts (dot) com). They can be kits for projects from Totally Twisted, Wire Style 1 & 2, or anything you seen here on the blog. Oh, maybe something from the latest Easy Wire?

Lemme hear ya...

Dear August

Oh my dear, dear, August,

How have you been, my friend? I am greeting you this morning with a tad bit of wistfulness, but hope is gurgling just below the surface. It has been a long, hot, dry, and tedious summer so far. I am counting on you to carry us into September in a more gentle way than June and July left us. I feel like I try so hard to do right by you summer months, and too often it feels all for not, despite my best efforts. My energy feels drained. As I begin to understand each of you in your own ways, I can be a little more forgiving of things like July killing the grass this year, or June not sharing enough showers. But, I do so hope you'll be different, August. I know you'll be hot, that's for sure, but please bring your cooler evenings with you again this year and start to darken the skies a bit earlier. And oh how we would all love a rain shower or two too.

So yes, I am a wee bit wistful. I feel tired. Too many early mornings, too many too hot days, too many sibling arguments, too many meltdowns, and too many loads of laundry, having me feeling like I am just trying to get through the day instead of truly enjoying it. But I haven't lost all hope. I know that the next 31 days hold possibility in each of them. The possibility to embrace fun, the possibility to play, the possibility to love, and the possibility to create. It's all there, waiting, for us to discover. Then, before we know it, we'll be packing new totebags full of school supplies, we'll grab a sweater out of the closest, and slowly notice the leaves on the trees start to lighten. Remembering that brings the little gurgle of hope to a bubble. Thanks for that.

You know, you remind me a lot of the half way point of my morning run. At first, it seems like the half way mark is so far away. Then, without hardly realizing it, my feet have carried me there and each step I have less to go than what I have already done. If I look up, it still feels like I have too far to go, but I know once I'm finished it won't feel like it was all that bad.

Until then, as always, I'll try.

Yours truly,
K