This, That, and The Other

Item #1
Save the date for the next
Bead Soup Blog Party.

Item #2
If you're going to be in the St. Peter, Minnesota, today,
I will be at the St. Peter Holiday Fair,
sponsored by the St. Peter Art Center,
of which I am a proud member.
Be sure to stop by for a visit!
There will lots of great artists there!
You'll be able to finish your Christmas shopping early.

Item #3
I'm having a THANK YOU give away on my Facebook "like me" page.
Check it out here.
All you have to do is leave a comment on my "like me" page!
Go for it!
Well, that's all for now.
Stay tuned!

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.


1) We had a terrible storm this past weekend. We received 10 inches of heavy, wet snow from that storm. It was so nice to know that I didn't have to go out and drive in it. It was also nice to know that when the power went out, there were those women and men who were working out in the storm to restore power to us. We were lucky. Our power was only gone for about 3.5 hours. Others in town were without power for, as long as, 26 hours!

2) I started my online metal smithing class. Wow! This is opening up a whole new world to me! There is so much that can be done when you learn to solder! I am impressed with Stephanie Lee. She's a good teacher and the class is very interesting.

3) Pixie has been so happy with the snow. The day it snowed, she wanted to go outside to the back yard because she wanted to run in the snow. She really had fun that day! It was so wonderful to see her running like the wind.

(Oh, in case you are curious about the photo I used for this blog, it's a teaser for the reveal of "A Crush on Copper" The reveal will be on the 24th. Deb and I will show what we made using love knots and copper for a non-jewelry item.

AGLF on Etsy

This is a store you need to visit!
AGLF
The work and quality of the work in this store is amazing!
Look at these earrings!
You can find them here.
They are absolutely gorgeous!
This store is full of magnificent works of art.
Look at this fish.
You can find this amazing fish here!
It looks real!
See what I mean about impressive!


These discs are also featured in the AGLF store.
They are made with a silver enriched glass called Aurea.
Wow!
Last, and believe me, not least,
there are these mini ornaments!
Wow!
That's all I can say,
and they are very reasonably priced.
Don't hesitate!
Your purchases will be most appreciated!
You will be extremely pleased!
AGLF on Etsy!

Easy Peasy Copper and Headpins BookmarkTutorial

Need a quick gift for that special person?

Want to make it yourself?
You can do this!
It's that easy.
Here are the tools you will need.
You will need round nose and chain nose pliers, wire cutters, a ruler, and a file of some sort.
You will also need: a hammer and a bench block.
You will also need copper wire, a copper jump ring, and 3 head pins.
If you don't have head pins, you can substitute small wire wrapped beads.
Step #1
Cut about 6 inches of wire. (I used 14 gauge copper wire, but you could use 16 gauge.)
File the ends so that they are no longer sharp.
Step #2
Make a loop at each end. Make sure that each loop is closed.
Step #3
Using a hammer (I used a chasing hammer, but you can use another kind.) and a bench block,
(You don't want to ruin your table.), hammer the wire to create texture and work harden the wire.
Parents, if you are doing this with your children, be sure to supervise this step very closely.
Little fingers can really hurt if the hammer misses the mark.
With your file,
smooth the edges of the flattened wire.

Step #4
Take two of the headpins and wire wrap them.
Add a jump ring to the top loop. Before closing the jump ring, add the two headpins that you just wire wrapped.
Close the headpin.
Step #5
Loosely wire wrap the third headpin.
Open the bottom loop enough so that you can slip the third head pin through
the loop, then close the loop.
Your bookmark is finished!!
Remember, teachers love bookmarks!
I used to be a teacher, so I know.
You can find my head pins, here.
Have fun!

Belvedere Beads - Wow!

If you see what Lucinda sees when you look at this photo, you are GOOD!

I see this photo, and I see corn.

Lucinda sees this, and she makes an amazing piece of wearable art. See the next picture.

See what I mean?

Lucinda demonstrates her creativity in her wonderful blog called Belvedere Beads.
She made headpins with crows and roses on the ends.
She really upped the bar on those!
She also makes earrings with the headpins she designs.

Now, these earring are made with some of her fabulous beads!
She also makes her own ear wires!
Lucinda is so talented.
She describes herself this way:
"painter, ragpicker, flame geisha & wayward fusspot who should spend more time painting and less time with the torch."
These beautiful rose headpins can be found on Etsy at the Belvedere.

Lucinda also has another store on Etsy called: Curious Old Things.
I found this vintage brass belt buckle there.
I am an unabashed fan of Lucinda Storms!
I hope you follow her blog
so that you can see her amazing
work!
Don't forget to check out her two Etsy Shops here and here.
You won't be sorry!!
I only wish I could see the way Lucinda sees!
Amazing!