Blogging Without Obligation

  I can't remember which blog on my list led me to the "Blogging Without Obligation" site, but I've been thinking about the concept ever since I came across it. And what better time to put this information out there, considering how long it has been since I last posted on this poor abandoned blog of mine!

"Blogging without Obligation" is a group of bloggers with a shared idea-- the ideal that bloggers should post when they feel comfortable to do so, and that it should not become a "chore." The idea is that typing only when inspired to do so maintains the integrity of one's blog. The idea that blogging is supposed to be a shared excitement about a subject, and that feeling obligated to post every day decreases the likelihood that one will enjoy blogging... and will therefore do it less.








So there will be no apologies from me for my absence. Just a big smile to say that I am refreshed, and glad to be back-- and that a lot has happened since my last post. Most importantly, I contacted a LYS (Local Yarn Store for you non-knitters) about carrying my stitch markers-- as long as everything goes according to plan, they should be in the shop within a couple of weeks!



For those among us who prefer instant gratification, a more immediate news byte will be instantly visible when you come to my blog's page. Yes, you've guessed it, I have an awesome new layout! It took me quite some time to find the "look" that I wanted-- nearly three weeks, actually!-- but I couldn't be happier with the results. There may be some minor "bugs" that need ironing out over the next few days and weeks, so I will apologize in advance for any problems this may cause.

I was going to post some photos of my new stitch markers and of what I did yesterday-- and boy, was yesterday good!-- but for now, I'll leave you with one teasing word.

TOMORROW  (^.-)

A to Z, 2012-- Q is for... (PART ONE)

Quick Commercial Announcement(S)!

...Okay, so it's not going to be my *real* letter Q post. That's going to come later on, sillies!

However, I have a few quick things to talk about today.

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER ONE:
I am taking part in another giveaway by Rebekah. I didn't get any of her sets from last time, but they are so beautiful I can't resist trying again~ there are three sets, but these two are my favorites:

This one's called "Bright And Sunny"...

... And this one is called "Deep in the Forest."

I think I'm partial to "Bright and Sunny", but "Deep in the Forest" is a close second, and equally lovely. There's one more set, too, that is also exquisite... click on the link above if you want to see it, or to sign up to win these beads for yourself!

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER TWO:
The handmade jewelry community recently lost one of its own-- Judy Glende-- to a battle with melanoma. In honor of her jewelry legacy, many are selling tribute items in their shops. The money earned will be donated to research, in memory of Judy "gaining her wings". I do not have an online shop yet, and I did not know Judy... but many others do, and did, and are participating. Rebekah (the same lady mentioned above) is selling this bracelet in her online shop, donating all the proceeds to Judy's cause:

This one is called "Bluebirds Fly"~ in memory of Judy~

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER THREE:
I am pleased (and excited) to announce that I won a lovely focal bead in a giveaway, hosted by one of my blogging friends, Jelveh!

Isn't it just gorgeous???

She is hosting yet another giveaway (she offers them quite frequently, actually!)-- and while she doesn't ask that I promote her blog and her business, she is just so generous that I feel it would be a disservice to her to NOT say anything over here about it.

That's all for now-- I'll return to write my REAL entry shortly. 'Til then~!

MY GIVEAWAY WINNER IS...

Entry Number One-- Wendy Flickinger!

Congratulations!!! Contact me via the e-mail button at the top of the page, so you can send me the shipping information.

To everyone, thank you so much for entering-- I look forward to hosting another one some time soon!

A Quick Explaination...

Okay, so I've written half of like three different blog posts... but I have had such a crazy few days that I haven't been able to actually finish them and post them up.

It started on Saturday, with market day-- a busy day, a hectic day, a LONG day-- followed by an Easter dinner party with some friends. I had no time for a nap, much less for writing on the blog.

It continued on Sunday. I woke up to find Hubby sprawled out on the other bed, throwing up into a bowl. He is a diabetic and his blood sugars were out of control, thanks to some insulin that had "gone bad" without us knowing. After helping him... and getting him some new insulin... and taking care of my OWN health issues... it was time for Easter dinner with Hubby's family. And just when I thought it was safe to say that I could finish up on the blog... and do the giveaway... I went to the studio to grab something, and arrived to find a FLOOD of water all over the floor.

It was still insane today. The plumber came over to investigate this morning-- turns out that there is a leak in the kitchen's pipes, specifically with the sink. Which means that the water from there was running down the walls of the studio, and forming wading pools for our stinkbug tenants and neighbors. Lovely. And then after all that, we had not-quite-Easter with my family.

It's a wonder I'm still conscious, but that won't be true for much longer. I am going to go to sleep, get a good night's sleep, then spend tomorrow writing and creating jewelry.

Oh, and I'm going to *actually* draw the names for the giveaway. I am TERRIBLY sorry for all of you who have been waiting... but I'm too tired tonight to do anything but flop down on my bed.

Tomorrow, I'll be sending up some amazingly fun posts and the exciting announcement about my giveaway winner. See you then!

A to Z, 2012-- A is for...

Art.

But before I get too far "into" that, don't forget to sign up for my special giveaway... if you sign up for it, please remember to do so on the ORIGINAL blog post, linked above or found a few posts below. And let me also give a warm welcome to any A to Z challenge participants who may be visiting!

Now, back to the scheduled program. It took me a long time to consider myself an artist, and realize that I truly am one.

Me as a senior in high school, putting together my "senior project"-- a 3-D rendering of the high school musical. In this photo I was working on the curtains, made from fabric left over from my costume. I'm smiling in this photo because a friend was taking the picture, but this was probably my least favorite project, when it was done~

I've been creating since as far back as I can remember. I learned how to knit (the first time, at least) when I was three. I started out making jewelry and doll-pins, and selling them along the beach with a friend, when I was around 11 years old. I took art lessons around that time, and refined my painting and drawing and sculpting techniques. In high school I took several art classes, and learned how to screen print. College taught me to design techniques for 2-D work, and introduced me to the psychology behind designs.

But I never considered myself an artist.

The art of a former student. Coincidentally, this photograph also reflects exactly how I used to view my work~!

See, my problem is that one of my grandmothers is an artist. She paints watercolors-- the kind of watercolors that are hung in galleries and governor's mansions. Whenever people complimented me on a project, I always thanked them, but made sure to tell them that I was no artist.

No more.

Now, when people ask what I do or what I am, I tell them proudly that I'm an artist. I tell them that my most recent work is wearable art-- because whenever I make jewelry, that is what my ultimate goal.

I'm not saying that I think of myself as the world's best artist. I'm not saying there's nothing else for me to learn-- far from it-- and I still have doubts.

I found this through Facebook, courtesy of a friend <3

Even now, I still have moments when I wonder if this is what I'm truly meant to be doing, if this is the kind of thing that I SHOULD be doing, if this is the kind of thing that I'm good at. I question myself every day.

But now, at least I know, thanks to friends and family (and my own soul-searching) that I deserve the title.

To those of you reading my blog, who might be questioning your OWN status as an artist, I highly recommend that you read this article. It expresses my feelings, exactly, about what it means to be one.

Do my perspectives on being an artist resonate with any of you? I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this title... do any of you have experiences to share?

Tune in tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel, for more alphabetical excitement!

Day Thirty-One, Can't Believe I'm All Done!

So today's entry is bittersweet-- the end of the month, the last day of my personal challenge to make a pair of earrings each day.

I'm happy because it will let me pursue other projects that I've been meaning to do, and had to put off day after day; I'm sad because I truly loved pushing myself to create something new every single day.

Since part of the goal of this challenge was to increase my earring-making skills, I decided to push the envelope a bit. Today's design was inspired by something that I found on Pinterest (from About.com)-- not an exact replica, of course, but I'm way too tired to find the link tonight. I'll try to do it tomorrow.

In any case, here they are: the last of the Mohicans... er... the daily earring updates...~

These earrings are made out of brass wire, brass figaro chain, and small round onyx beads. All the non-chain elements were made by myself, from hand. No autographs, please!

Seriously, though, I'm proud of myself. Not only did I create a pair of earrings for every single day of the month... not only did I improve on the quality of my earring construction... I also took photos and blogged every single day! This was a month of true self-improvement.

As I used to tell my parents when I was little, "You can say 'Good Job, Julia'!"

What's next for me, and what's in store for you, all my faithful readers? Well, for the month of April I'm taking part in another post-a-day challenge-- the A to Z blog hop! Basically, I'll be posting every day of the week except for Sunday (unless I truly feel inspired~!); every day of the month is assigned a different letter.

In other words, I'll be blogging my way through the alphabet, and will touch on, well, pretty much anything and everything related to my art interests.

Again, today is bittersweet. I'm upset about being all done with the earrings, but I'm very excited to start a new challenge for this month. And I'm looking forward to taking all of you along with me on this special journey.

See you tomorrow~ and don't forget to say "Rabbit Rabbit" when you first get out of bed!

Day Thirty, Time to Party!

Cheers from both myself and Hubby~!

  ...Okay, so it's not a perfect rhyme, but it's more fitting than anything else I could think of.

Today we celebrate the (almost) end of my month of earrings. I have one day left, but I couldn't think of a more fitting time to throw a mini-party with my readers. See, I have reached over 1,000 page views to this blog. I am almost up to 50 posts. And I'm starting up a new post-a-day challenge as of Sunday!

Today's post kills two birds with one stone, metaphorically speaking. My earring-of-the-day is part of the special giveaway that I've been hinting about for a while now. SURPRISE!

 

First, the materials. The black beads are glass (the smaller ones) and ceramic (the REALLY small ones on the earrings, and the larger round ones), and the colorful beads are made by myself, out of comic book paper. Archie, to be specific-- I wanted that "retro" feel. Coated in Mod Podge, of course, to make them a bit more water resistant. The ear wires are made from Sterling Silver, so you can wear them without fear of the dreaded "green skin" syndrome!

One lucky winner will get both the earrings and the bracelet. Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win-- I'll be choosing the name at random on Sunday, April 8th, around 12 PM (aka "Noon") Eastern Standard Time, so be sure to put your name in before then!

I'll be announcing the winner on the blog, so I STRONGLY recommend that you follow the blog in some way (either Google Friend Connect or Linky Followers or RSS or whatever you choose). If the prize remains unclaimed after a reasonable amount of time (I'm not talking one day late, guys!), I'll draw a different name.

I'm super excited to be offering these items to all of you. Please don't hesitate to ask if there are any questions about this. Good luck, godspeed, and thank you for helping to make this blog as amazing as it is! I "luff" you all, as one of my friends often says <3

Day Twenty-Nine, Time to Shine!

Wow... you all must have been hitting the refresh button HARD... I'm almost to 1,000 page views! Which means I'll be posting all about this special giveaway tomorrow. I can't wait!

To tide everyone over, here are the earrings of the day:

Trusty old teacup~! This one probably shows off the color best...

But THIS photograph probably best shows off the marbleized detailing in the agate.

The color of the square agate is actually more of a deep purple, and the round agate is more of a bright pink/magenta.

So as you may have surmised through my comments under the photos, this pair was made with two tones of agate-- pink on the top, and purple on the bottom. Both of them have a marbleized effect; the pink sphere has undertones of red and purple, and the purple square has accents of tan and deeper purple.

I'm hoping to get to do a great deal of artwork tomorrow-- earrings and jewelry and clay and resin, oh my! And most importantly, I will almost assuredly be posting all about a special giveaway tomorrow. Keep your eyes and ears peeled~ as I frequently say, stolen from a favorite show of mine~ same Bat Time, same Bat Channel~!

Day Twenty-Eight, Moving Along at a Fantastic Rate!

So, I have an exciting bit of news. I'm getting awfully close to 1,000 page views for this blog! While these are mostly repeat views from my faithful viewers, it's a very exciting milestone for me. When I reach 1,000 page views, I'll announce a special giveaway. It should be very soon, at the rate we're going on this blog!

Keeping this blog entry short and sweet. Here's the latest and greatest earrings:

Side By Side By Side, to quote a musical~

I love my trusty old teacup and piano bench...

And a new photographic surface emerges-- the cherry wood silverware box!

 Back to the pearls, I know-- it's just so hard for me to stay away! These ones are two different colors and shapes of freshwater pearls-- golden and dark brown, imperfect and oval and irregularly round. I made these to match a necklace that I designed a while back...

A matching pair of pearls-- shades of brown, just like autumn!

This is one of my favorite sets! My mother-in-law wore it to her church's Lenten Bible Study meeting tonight, and got *MANY* compliments. I have four sets of pearls that are similar in style but different in color, that one of my friends described as a "set for all seasons"-- this includes the green one previously posted, as well as this brown one, and two sets that I haven't shown yet on this blog, one of blues and another of browns and pinks.

Since this set (and the green one) turned out so well, I'll have to do the same for the others another day. See you all tomorrow~!