Philly Bead Fest 2010

I had good intentions of keeping my spending in check today at the Philly Bead Fest, but when you're bombarded with deals, deals, deals, you have to take advantage of a good situation. Right?

I had the pleasure of spending the day with Lynn of Lynn's Craftworld, and Sally of WireWorked. We had a blast on the way to the show catching up on old times, and we had even more fun at the show spending money. I was swimming in a sea of beads today because the prices were right!

I coined the phrase, "A penny pinched is a penny earned," (a slight variation of Ben Franklin's original saying) and I was able to pinch a lot of pennies today at the show with all the fabulous deals. Heck, in this economy, you have to pinch your pennies.

I bought these beautiful glass beads by Maureen of Pumpkin Hill Beads. I can't wait to design some new earrings using these glass beads. This picture doesn't do justice for Maureen's beads. You have to see her beads in person. They're to die for.

Here's the lovely Maureen of Pumpkin Hill Beads.

Yes, people were spending money today at the show. Some of the vendors I spoke to said that the economy is a major drag on their business. I understand, but I always keep a positive attitude. When you're self-employed, you have no choice but to keep on going.

On The Cover!

 ~Image used with permission from Totally-Creative Magazine~

When the new issue of Totally-Creative Magazine was released, I was thrilled to see that both of my projects in the magazine made the cover. I'd like to thank editor Patti Ryan for choosing my projects for the family celebrations (volume 2 issue 4) cover. This is truly an honor. To learn more about this awesome publication, click here.

In keeping with the theme of family celebrations, I thought my paper mache adornments would make a great project for this issue. Perfect for weddings, anniversaries, or bridal showers, this project shows you how to make a wall adornment, which can also be used as a gift tag or ornament.

This jewelry ensemble is titled Wedded Bliss. It features pearls and Swarovski crystals from ArtBeads.com and pewter links by Talismann Associates.

Be sure to check out the new issue of Totally-Creative Magazine. It's loaded with lots fun crafting projects.

On The Auction Block

My original Pumpkin Cat painting will be up for auction at the Art Extravaganza on Sunday, August 29 at Ehrhardt's Waterfront Banquet Center, Lake Wallenpaupack, PA. Art Extravaganza is a tri-state area art show and auction to benefit children's literacy.

This acrylic painting measures 8"x10" and is painted on a thick piece of wood similar to a gallery-wrapped canvas, which does not require a frame. You can also purchase greeting cards with this folksy cat design in my zazzle gallery by clicking here.

Hope to see you at the auction!

LizRevit.com is Now Online

I just flipped the switch to my new Web site LizRevit.com.  I started designing the Web site in June, and I'm pleased with the results. I still have to create a jewelry page and a press page, but for now, the site is officially online. Be sure to stop by, and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The New Home of The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

If I remember correctly, the last time I set foot on the ice at the former Ice-A-Rama rink in Wilkes-Barre was 1998. Shortly thereafter, the city of Wilkes-Barre closed the ice rink. I love skating (ice and roller) and have been doing so ever since I was a kid. In fact, my friend Stacy and I took figure skating lessons for ice skating and roller skating. If anything, we learned how to waltz on skates, and it's terrific exercise.

Today, I had the pleasure of getting a glimpse of The Coal Street Complex, which is now home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins organization. This new facility is topnotch and will be a great asset to the community. Who would have known that the former Ice-A-Rama would now be home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins ice hockey team?

As a freelance writer, I come across many interesting assignments. When I was asked to write an article about the Penguins, I jumped at the chance. I love ice hockey, and I wanted to learn more about the Penguins' new home.

Brian Coe, Vice President of Operations, was kind enough to provide me with a firsthand look at the inner workings of the facility.

Here's a look at the new reception area. 

 ~The logo in the reception area~

The photos on this wall were sent over from the Pittsburgh Penguins.Although I toured the locker room and weight room, I didn't get any pictures because they're still doing some work on those areas. Sorry, ladies.

Here's my favorite part of today's tour: the ice rink. It looks a lot like it used to, but it's much, much nicer. It's time to dust off my ice skates and pick up a skating schedule.

For those who remember that old puzzle-piece floor before skating onto the ice, check out this nice, new floor.

Jason Jarecki, General Manager, informed me that the public will now be able to watch the Penguins when they're on the ice practicing. How exciting!

 ~The new and improved snack bar area~

The snack bar will be up and running before you know it.

~Some comfy seats near the snack bar area~

~Another lounge area with a fireplace near the snack bar area~

This new ice rink will have something for everyone ranging from ice hockey, figure skating, public skating sessions, curling, and exercise on ice by the name of Icersize. They also have plenty of space for birthday parties.Please visit The Coal Street Complex for more information.

I'd like to thank Brian and Jason for taking the time to provide me with a glimpse of what this new facility has to offer. Go Pens!

Enough blogging for now. I have a deadline to meet.

A Collaborative Work

While donating a piece of artwork to Paper Kite Gallery's annual free art event last year, I had the chance to stumble upon some cool prints by Dan Waber's mother. Dan mentioned that they wanted to do an exhibit in the summer of 2010 with pieces of Marlea Waber's artwork.

We were encouraged to take a piece of Marlea's artwork as long as we agreed to participate in the art show. I immediately zeroed in on these cute sneakers that the artist called Tennies.

Since I enjoy walking, I thought of the road signs one often encounters while out for a walk, so I placed the walking man sign directly below Marlea's sneakers that I adhered to the canvas with Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue. Then I painted arrows all around the sides of the gallery-wrapped canvas.

Since the print was starting to fade, I wanted to carry that look throughout the painting. I used a dry-brush technique to paint, and then I took a piece of rough sandpaper to distress the painting.

Join us on Friday, July 16, 2010, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Paper Kite Press and Gallery, which is located at 443 Main Street in Kingston. Hope to see you there!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

We're still in the midst of a heatwave here in northeast Pennsylvania, but that's fine with me. The cats are loving it too. Here's a picture of Chiseler flopped out on the sidewalk.

Ever since we've hit record temperatures, the cats just want to crash outside. I guess they're not keen on the air conditioning inside. Here's to more hot weather!

Zazzle Artist Award

 
Wow! My Valentine Flower card has been "hand-picked as an example of creativity at its finest. Out of the billions of designs on Zazzle, yours was chosen for being one of the best." To be more specific, my design is one of the top designs of all 86,930 Valentine's designs.

As a reward, my card will appear at the top of this page in the "Featured Designs" section for approximately two weeks.Thanks, Zazzle, for this wonderful award!

Liberty Crows Design

My Liberty Crows design is now featured as a top July 4th pick on enchante's Web site. How cool. For more information, click here.

Arts Extravaganza is Fast Approaching

Here's a peek at some of the original paper mache creations that I'll be featuring at the first annual Arts Extravaganza on August 29. If you're in the area, be sure to stop by. I'd love to see you!

Birthday Blast

There's something about the sights and sounds of an amusement park that bring out the kid in all of us. That's why I'll never get old. I may be another year older today, but I'm still a kid at heart. John and I spent the day at Knoebels Amusement Park, and we had a blast.

 It was a hot, sunny, summer day. We couldn't ask for a more perfect day.

These scrumptious treats look divine.

When it comes to tradition, John and I make it a point to get our pictures taken in the arcade every time we visit Knoebels. We always take goofy, off-the-wall photos in those little photo booths. I love those black-and-white photos.

Like I said, we'll never grow up. Life is just too much fun! John purposely tried to imitate his favorite artist Salvador Dali in the second round of photos. Note the look of insanity in his eyes. Hee! Hee! If he really wanted to pull it off, John should have been sporting a handlebar mustache and wearing a purple cape.

Twister. Need I say more?

Crafty-Good Shopping

As a designer, it's always exciting when you're shopping and you come across a product that you've designed or one of the books that you've been featured in. While shopping at Jo-Ann fabric and craft store this afternoon, I spied the earrings, earrings, earrings book by Barb Switzer, which features three of my projects.

My friend Lynn was kind enough to take my photo. Thanks, Lynn!

After a long day of shopping, Lynn and I stopped by Dave Colarusso's Pizza & Pasta for their fresh tomato pizza.

There's nothing like it! What a great way to end a day of shopping for craft supplies.

Festive Offerings at The Auction

Here's to another fun night at Kemler's Auction. We saw so many interesting items for sale. I love this Halloween blow mold. I bet he'd look neat all lit up.

I love the vintage Christmas houses. They bring back fond memories of the tiny, little village nestled under our Christmas tree. I can just picture the lights casting a faint glow through each window.

Am I seeing things, or is this donkey eating the baby donkey's ear? As I recall, these items did not sell.

I'm not a fan of this stuff, but I like all the different colors and the way the items were arranged on the table. Now I can't wait for the next auction.

Julius Rules The Roost

I have several things on my to-do list. I'm sculpting like crazy for the upcoming Art Extravaganza that I've been invited to, and I'm in the process of designing my own Web site. When I saw Julius jump into my computer chair this morning, I thought I'd paint my sculptures. I got a lot of painting done, so a big thank you to Julius for helping me decide what to tackle first.

I had a few more touch-ups to take care of, but when I turned my head, Julius jumped onto my painting chair and fell fast asleep. So guess what I'm doing next? You got it. I'm working on my Web site. Julius is such a good decision maker. Now it's time to open Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Have a wonderful and productive day!

An Innovative Experience

Today's Innovative Bead Show in Allentown was worth the trip. The vendors offered an array of different beads, jewelry findings, and kits.

The variety of beads was overwhelming at times, but there's nothing like sifting through all of those strands.

Look at all of those spools of silk cords. Love those shades of green.

When at an Innovative Bead Show, be sure to visit the Bead My Love booth. Meg Fillmore is a talented bead embroidery artist that creates some of the most magnificent designs. I love this award-winning necklace. Her work is amazing to see in person.

Meg's mom looks lovely in this dashing necklace.