One Heart One World giveaway

ONe heart One World Giveaway happens for the third year. See the side bar and click. It's fun. I will be participating so check back. You do need to have a blog to participate. If you don't, it's super easy to make one. Check out the top right hand corner of this blog to set your up. If I could set up a blog you can to!

Soldered Glass Charm Treasure Necklace

I'm back from San Diego for Christmas. My family and my husbands family both live there so off to Pine Valley and Campo we trek. It's the high desert, Pine Valley. Altitude around 3400 feet. I was hoping so much to wake up to snow this Christmas. Maybe next year. It was super cold (I LOVE IT), but not enough to snow. However just a few minutes away is Mt. Laguna so we headed up there so my daughter could play in it along with her wacky cousin. Went ice skating and hiking too. I had to make up for all the food I ate. Lots of fun, food and laughter. I am so blessed.

SO...got home....checked my emails and I'm off! Time for new teaching scheduals and proposals, making samples and conjuring up new innovative techniques or pieces. I will be teaching quite a few classes the first quarter of 2009 at Gilding the Lily and Piecemakers. Check the side bar for and click on their websites for updates, price and times. This (the soldered treasure necklace) has been extremely popular at Gilding the Lily. Not sure why, but I'm not complaining! I'm not saying that to be cute either, because all my classes are very well thought out and I try very hard to make them all original and appealing. There is a possibility that I will also be teaching an all day wire shaping 101 class at Gilding the Lily as well as a Frozen Charlotte Shrine project. Stay tuned!!

Thanks EVERYONE for your kind comments and encouragement. It means SO,SO much to me!
Whats your new years resolution? I will post mine after the 1st.. I'm a little superstitous and don't want to let the cat out of the bag.


Peace, hugs and shimmies for the coming new year!!!!

CORAZON

I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT! Took forever to get this logo on my blog! Here is the official logo for the Auction that myself and many other talented creatives (Michael DeMeng,Misty Mawn,Katie Kendrick, Leighana Light and many more) are participating. The amazing Rebecca Brooks is building momentum with every day that passes and recieving more shrines to auction off by Jan. 2009. All proceeds will be given to the Street Children of Oaxaca. As a bonus and big thank you she is doing a giveaway. Go to her BLOG by Dec.21 to see the amazing giveaway. December 21 is the official first day of winter...the Winter Solstice.

As an aside, does anyone have suggestions or comments on why it is so hard for typepad bloggers to leave comments on other non-typepad blogs? Exclusivity maybe? I know some of you have had to open a blogger acct. to re direct others to your typepad in order to leave comments.....Let me know your thoughts. I have a couple typepad peeps who can never leave comments on my blog...only personal emails..which is still great, but it sure is nice getting them on my blog for all to see and for the person giving!

What up?

CLICK TO ENLARGE
CLICK TO ENLARGE
BELLY DANCE JEWELS

o NEW BRACELET IN MY ETSY STORE
I am a dork. I don't say what up.

So, my very busy life is busier this week. I have volunteered more the past few months than I have in my whole life. I like it, but it's kinda stressful when you have a few businesses to take care of and a family and, and blah,blah,blah.

My daughters school is the best (she's in 4th grade). It never ceases to amaze me how many parents get involved with this school. There are a little over 500 kids and the PTA membership is close to 400!!! I know!!!! I think it has a lot to do with our amazing principal, Mr. Yepez and constant weekly communication through a newsletter . When I was a kid I longed for my mom to belong to the PTA and be apart of the Girl Scouts of America and all that, but she avoided it like the plague, and now as a mom I did too for a little while but then guilt sets in and you say "well maybe that committee, but nothing more..." and what happens as some of you may know is that you get asked to help here, or attend this meeting or that and before you know it you're apart of the Harper Valley PTA. It's actually very nice though, despite me having anxiety attacks because of all the other stuff I have to do. The project I am involved in now is pretty heart warming. Our school has put together a tree planting project so the school can have more trees. The non profit Tree People will match a portion of what we can raise through coin drives, contributions etc. and I am in charge of making a mural dedicating the names of these generous souls. The mural is breaking my back (it's pretty big...7'x6?) on the side walk. I will post pics when it's done. There has been unexpected excitment around the painting that I had not anticipated. I was working on it today in a taped off coccoon of yellow tape and highway cones. The school bell rang...all the parents were there to pick up their kids (this is s.cal..no buses here) ...kids surrounding the cocoon....questions being asked...what am I making?... why?.....are you an artist?....compliments...."we're going to be famous"some kids were saying...."lets google map it" .... Felt a little embarrassed.. Kinda naked. Too much attention makes me a little nervous. My daughter loves the fact that I'm the "artist mom". Kinda feels good however I don't like to use that label too liberally. Not sure if I quality quite yet.

More things....finished a commissioned necklace and matching earrings for a belly dancer and flowers for her hair. If you've never belly danced, you should try it...you get to where really gaudy, glittery stuff. Loaded more to the Etsy store. Started my M.Antionette Holiday mantel all because of Maija Lepore...I won her M.Antoinette giveaway. My manequin (Josephine) will be dressed soon. She was a street walker (keeping this g-rated) for Halloween but is changing to the more refined M.Antoinette for the x-mas holidays. Stay tuned!
peace

ETSY~ New earrings

FRIDA` SOLD! SOLD! SOLD!

First I want to say I have been loving all the nice comments from you all! Thanks so much for taking that extra bit of time to share your kind words.

As you see here I have added more asymmetric earrings to my Etsy shop. Click:
shadesofakasha for a look see. Hope that works!

Stampin', Swaps, Students and Such

my swaps-shadow box shrines
Tonis swap-hand made Christmas card
Arah's Swap-skull head Christmas

Karen's Swap-match box ornament
Bea's Swap-altered vintage postcard w/hand made envelope

Stamp Club~JOY banner

REal quick before I go to San Diego for Thanksgiving, here is what I made for my stamp club
sample (the banner) and a Christmas card swap we did. Isn't it great!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

ETSY-New Items in my store

SOLD TO THE LOVELY MAIJA!

SOLD!!
Some new jewels in my Etsy store. For those who like asymmetric and quirky jewelry....check it out. I will be adding more this week. They will have some kind of cool packaging too. Will show as soon as I figure out what it is!

For those of you who live in Los Angeles or visiting, we are closing our retail space in Hermosa Beach,CA. Everything must go and of course for great prices. My husband called it a "style lab" combining his eye for design and fashion sense, male and female. Target audience: hipsters and cutting edge fashionistas. We've had it for 8 years and it's time to call it quits. Come on by: P6 (Powerline6 store) 53 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach CA 90254 right across from Sharkys on the plaza. Hours: M-Th 11a-9p; Fri/Sat/Sun 11a-10p. Click here for a feel: myspace.com/powerline6

Just went to my neighborhood flea market. Check back in the next couple days for a look see!
peace

First Etsy sale

A week ago I received an email that Courtney Love Cobain had purchase some items in my Etsy store. First reaction was "yeah right". Did a little research and seems like the real deal. Such is life in lala land, right?
peace!

Pretty Punched Portfolio Class this Saturday

Here are some more photos of the class I will be teaching this Saturday, Nov.15 at Gilding the Lily, 11-3p $50. Call 714-349-2069 to register. There are 3 seats left. Click here for the materials list: gildingthelilyvintage.blogspot.com.

FROZEN CHARLOTTES, JEWELRY,VINTAGE FINDS

FLEA MARKET FINDS: Cool tin types...real tin! Blue steel head pins with black glass heads...if you look just right into the light the steel reflects a midnight blue tint. Rhinestone jewels, vintage valentines, old ledgers with recipes in English and German! OMG such finds. Karen and I go to our monthly flea market and have a hand full of merchants that we just love. Karen found two vintage ledgers for $5!!!! She was gracious enough to let me buy one and she kept one.

WHATS ON MY JEWELRY BENCH: Oh I just love those frozen charlottes and old medicine and perfume viles!!! When I put a sample together for my Soldered glass charm Treasure Necklace class I wanted to incorporate different types of charms. I had an old medicine bottle with no lid so I took an old snuff spoon that fit perfectly as a lid, added glitter and a phrase and soldered it to the top. Now I am reeling with other ideas to incorporate tiny ephemera into these bottles of time. Frozen charlottes are a perfect addition. One of my students traded me a frozen charlotte with no hands or legs for some of my Afghani metal. She is now "safe" inside one of these time capsules. I felt she needed a tiara, but how? Figured that out too: using 26g wire and silver glass glitter and rhinestones I twisted a tiny tiara to fit perfectly on her head. Mind you that her head is only 1/4 inch in circumference at the most! She is no bigger than a match! The first frozen charlotte I ever came across was at the flea market all by itself in a box of other treasures. This was before I knew they were popular. I went nuts and have been looking for more ever since. Ebay has two vendors from Germany that put out thousands at a time every couple months but they are so expensive that I get out bid.

So...these tiny time capsules will eventually be made into jewelry and placed in my etsy store. I am taking special orders for any of the soldered glass pieces, so let me know your thoughts...I love hearing from y'all. In fact I CRAVE it!!! CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR A CLOSE UP!
Enjoy!

P.S Click here to see what classes Gilding the Lily has to offer. Along with all the cool classes she is promoting, my Pretty Punched Portfolio class is Nov.15 and I think there are two spots left. I am teaching how to make the portfolio that is my blog banner. I will also be teaching a beg. jewelry making class Dec.6 called Ritual Adornment..repurposing jewelry into new wearable art.