Monday, June 27, 2011

Yesterday was another fun-filled day at Knoebels. The weather was hot, but there was a constant breeze.

The views from the Giant Wheel were amazing. There's my beloved Twister in the background.

The rolling hills of Pennsylvania make for a lovely backdrop for this scenic view.

When the sun sets, the park really comes alive.

I love the blaring yellows in this picture.

~ More yellow ~

When I look at this picture, I think of the song "Flashlight" by Parliament. The lights on the The Flyer are bright!

I can almost smell the campfires again. When can I return?

CHA Designer Challenge Update

With a deadline looming over my shoulders, I devoted the entire day to creating my mixed-media project for the CHA designer challenge. There was a delivery problem with one of the products, and it resulted in a week-long delay in my receiving the product. Designing under pressure is not a problem. It forced me to pick one of the many designs that I put to paper.

Wanting to offer both depth and versatility in my design, Velcro Brand Fasteners worked marvelously. The animal print Duck Brand Duck Tape served as the bottom for each link, while the flames and the camouflage prints worked well for the interchangeable pieces. 

The Duck Tape folks provided me with many colors and prints to choose from, but the prints just jumped out at me. 

This is what the necklace looked like from the beginning. Then I decided to shorten the length of the chains because the design can not be more than 12 inches long. At this stage, I was cutting it close because I didn't even start to add the beads.

I chose to keep the clasp as an animal print because when I added another layer to the mix (a total of three pieces stacked on top of one another), it was just too cumbersome as a clasp.

I thought a bit of blue thrown into the mix would work well with both the flames and the camouflage.

Miyuki seed beads and Swarovski crystals were added for a bit of bling.

 

I created scroll headpins for each dangle. Again, I think the hint of blue adds just a little extra color to this piece.

 ~ The finished necklace with flames ~

 

If you prefer camouflage, this is what the finished necklace looks like. 

I love the way the Velcro provides that added lift and dimension to each link. The Westcott Titanium Bonded non stick scissors were fabulous to work with. As mentioned on the product packaging, the scissors provide superior adhesive resistance. With that said, the Duck Tape did not stick to the scissors. This is the first time that I've used Westcott products, and I'm sold!

Here's a quick look at the earrings in progress. I only need to add the ear wires. I like these earrings just the way they are without the beads. Any thoughts? If so, feel free to comment, but I'll be shipping these babies out on Tuesday.

CHA Designer Challenge

Westcott Brand is giving 24 designer members of the Craft & Hobby Association the opportunity to participate in a designer challenge, and I'm happy to participate.  The sponsors are Westcott, Velcro Brand Fasteners and Duck Brand Duck Tape.

In addition to using the tools and supplies provided by the sponsors, designers can also use at least three
other items in their pieces.

Our mixed-media projects will be on display at the Westcott booth at the summer 2011 CHA show in Rosemont, Illinois. Our projects will also be auctioned to raise funds for CharityWings.org.

The tools and supplies have arrived, and I'm ready to roll. Now all I have to do is decide if I want to make a necklace or earrings. I'm torn, but I have to decide soon as I only have a week to create my mixed-media project. I'll keep you posted.

A big note of thanks to Marisa Pawelko aka Modern Surrealist for organizing this challenge.

Fun With Small Works of Art

 I'm teaching my Fun With Small Works of Art workshop at King's College this week, and the kids are creating some of the most interesting pieces of artwork.

 This little kitty never goes out of style.

 ~ A patriotic sailboat ~

Love is in the air.

Happy Cat

It warms my heart knowing that Chiseler is a happy kitty.

So Long for the Season

Last night John and I attended the last auction for the season at Kemler's Auction in Bloomsburg. As always, there was a lot to take in. If you were looking for furniture, you should have been there. The gallery was loaded with wooden chairs, tables, cupboards, and and some unique items including shutters and old chicken crates.

Tom (the auctioneer) and I had a little chuckle when he spied me taking pictures before the auction started. He thought I was taking pictures of one of the auction goers. It turns out the guy Tom was referring to sat behind us, and I got to hear his whole life story. His tales of woe were ready to throw me over the edge.

Trays of rings, pins, pendants, bulky chains, and rhinestone bracelets and necklaces filled an entire table.

~ Vintage Pennsylvania license plates ~

~ A tray of salt-and-pepper shakers and other glass items ~

What a lonesome bunny. Nobody wanted him, and he ended up going home with the original owner.

Earlier that day, John and I had the chance to take in an estate sale in Kingston. This attic was strewn with boxes of old photo albums. Check out the green mist in this photograph. It's creepy. 

Help me. I've fallen, and I can't get up.

I'm always intrigued to see what people store in their attics. I found old wrapping paper and bows in this section of the attic. Sound familiar?

If I owned a hunting cabin in the woods, this baby would have come home with me.

Canned Heat Coming Up!

Having a boyfriend in the collectibles business is always an adventure. You never know what he's going to find at auctions, flea markets, and estate sales (not to mention those dirty, dank basements). So, when John scored these old concert posters, a bit of local history emerged. Wilkes College has since gone on to become a university.

The West Side Armory in Kingston, Pennsylvania is now referred to as The Kingston Armory, which hosted many good shows over the years. One of which was the famous Blue Oyster Cult concert on September 25, 1980, where many non-ticket holders tried to storm the doors. See some actual footage from that incident  here. From the looks of those overturned cars, I think those concert goers were a bit upset.

Here's another vintage concert poster. Three bands at $7.00 a ticket sounds like a good deal. The only song I can relate to the Chambers Brothers is "Time Has Come Today." The band Mountain is still going strong. Check out their Web site here.

The subtle gradation from one color to the next is very soothing. Perhaps I should say it's hypnotizing. How appropriate for that era.

Volunteer Orange

My choice of color at today's bead show was orange. We're not talking any old orange; we're talking Volunteer orange. I don't recall seeing this much orange at past shows, but I'm glad to see it gaining popularity.

The Chinese crystal was in abundance, and I saw several vendors selling it. There's that orange again.

This summer's show seemed to have more vendors than last year's show. I was pleasantly surprised to see more people in attendance this year as well.

~ copper findings ~

~ strands of silk ~

~ beads ~

~ beads ~

~ pretty flowers ~