Currently Listening

To quiet mind and heart...

Trial and Error

Design is about 90% trial and error.

You start off with an idea, a shape, a form and then try to re-create it.

Or sometimes you have nothing in mind, just a pile of beads.

It usually starts with a basic plan.

Do I want a component?

Do I want a long strand?

Do I want a bracelet with a continuous weave?

So then you work from there, passing thread through bead, attaching one bead to the next, varying size and shape trying to create something eye catching, but with endless possibility. 

Sometimes you really like the finished product...

and then sometimes you don't.

But in the end you've always learned something from the process which has made the process completely worthwhile.

You know a little more about how the beads work, how they want to be displayed, what they will and won't do, and you know that next time when you sit down you might end up with a little more trial and a little less error. 

Oh, and lest you think that your designs aren't influenced at all by anything, and that these shapes and forms are totally unique to you...chances are none of that is true!

Photography and a Design Tip

I decided to start doing the white background for my jewelry, so I'm slowly transitioning all my pieces to white and I'm actually enjoying the photography itself.

I take all my pictures outside on my shaded front porch. I set my white balance to "cloudy day" and make sure that I've got a lot of light coming into the shot. (I think that's the F-stop? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong) I just know how to work it on my camera, if I got a new camera it would take me another month to get my dials right.

I'm getting better and the shot below has had no photo editing done to it except for cropping it to make it square for Etsy.

 All of these newly photographed pieces with their super stark white backgrounds are now in my Etsy shop. The Steampunkery above are all the pieces from this summer's issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.

I thought I'd leave you today with a design tip. My newest obsession is Design Star on HGTV. I love watching a bunch of people get creative within the same set of parameters.

This is my living room in the new house and when we moved in, I knew it was going to be a challenge with the strange half-high ceilings in the room, so here's what I did:

Using a laser level, I taped a line all the way around the room that was level with the half-ceiling above the fireplace. The bottom of the room is painted a kind of sagey green while the top half is painted two hues up but in the same color family. (It looks almost the same color as the ceiling, but it's not by just a hair)  

My main reasons behind this:

1. I wanted to break up what would have been these huge walls of just one color.

2. I wanted to make a clean transition where the wall juts out.

3. I didn't want to paint the ceiling, and I also didn't want that stark transition between the wall color and the ceiling color where there was no crown molding.

If you're thinking that your house needs a bit of an update, I can't tell you how a fresh coat of paint makes a room feel. If you've got sofa pillows, or a great painting, pick a different color from either of those that will still flow really well with your furniture and re-paint the room, it's an instant update and it makes the whole house feel new and clean.

Good luck!

Oh, and I HIGHLY suggest Design Star on HGTV if you want more great ideas!

Enjoy your week! 

More Books Than I Need Sale

Guess what?

I've got a ton of books and magazines that I've had around for a while now.

I'm finally ready to part with them so that someone else can learn a new skill.

I've listed all of these in my supply/destash shop here.

Happy Hunting!

Oh, Spring

I know you don't know, so I'll tell you.

We have had this year for the first time since I've lived here

a true Spring.

The earth has exploded in fresh greens, warm yellows, bright pinks, blazing oranges and the softest whites and we've had so much warmth and so little heat.

If I had asked God to make me a Spring, it would have been this one, not only for the gift of life in the plants around me, but for the prayers answered that he gave me this Spring.

I was thinking about that Spring when I made this, a huge chunk of Silver-Leaf Jasper edged in like a well-planned garden with bits of glass in complementary colors. The softest lavenders in the leaves and antiqued copper. There is so much movement in the collection of findings dangling from the bottom. It clinks like a wind chime when you move.

And finally, this one.

Rows of glass around a bright pewter cog and in the center the hands of time. 

This one appeals to my fascination with time.

This year will be my last in my 20's and while I welcome a new decade with open arms, I can't help but take stock of the last thinking about what I've learned and how long it has taken me to truly grow.

Incidentally, this was my winning entry from Bead Star for last year.

I've decided to pass it along to the next time traveler.

To the next H.G. Wells who thinks that time is elastic. 

Both are in my shop, here.

Me and Marsha like color

Erin posted a couple of days ago her two color palette choices for Marsha Neal's Silk Color Palette Challenge.

Well, if you've been around here for a while, you'll already know my penchant for matchy matchy color palettes and I knew I had to take a chance on this one.

Marsha said we can take inspiration from anywhere, so I dug deep into my inspiration file and found this beautiful Morrocan Mosaic Tile Roof that I'd tucked away for a rainy day.

The picture is from a blog called Alicia B. Designs, but she gives credit to Robin Bell for the design, and congratulations Robin Bell, it is gorgeous.

I think if this were my patio, I'd spend afternoons napping on the couch, hands behind head, with eyes facing upward.  

I've chosen these colors from Marsha's silk palette to complement the Mosaic Morrocan Tile.

(From the bottom left corner, up and over)

#102 Gunmetal



#7 Golden Mustard

#101 Light Gray

#54 Olive Green

#0 Almost White

#215 Dark Denim

Marsha said we could pick up to 10 colors, but these six was really all I needed for this color palette, though I did struggle to pick the perfect blues and grays and in the end decided on incorporating two of each with just a punch of the mustard and olive.

I'm officially calling my palette the Morrocan Mosaic Color Mix

Are you inspired?

You should be.

The entries have already started rolling in, and Marsha plans on opening voting on Monday so you can vote for your favorite palette.

Be sure and stop by her blog for all the details.

Enjoy the beginning of your weekend.

We'll be doing some much needed landscaping this weekend and it looks like we're in for some beautiful weather in my neck of the woods!

Deal for the Day

I was browsing through my own shop earlier (making a note of things that need new pictures taken of them), and noticed that these little pretties have been lying around on the virtual shelves for far too long.

So, in order to remedy the situation, they are now on sale, for one day only (that day being today). 

I only have the two, deep Copper Plum and Emerald Teal.



I've taken 15% off both the Copper Plum Arc. 

And also, the Emerald Teal version. 

These are perfect for gift giving.

The shape is modern, the colors are bright and they're the perfect way to introduce a friend to wearing beadwoven jewelry.

Both are in the shop, on the top virtual shelf.

I do hope you'll check it out. 



Enjoy a wonderful Thursday!

El Gato

We had that discussion when we moved in...

The one about the family pet.

We decided no pet for now, but that we'd eventually (maybe when the kids come along) adopt a puppy for playtime.

You see, we're dog people, in fact every feline I've ever had the joy of coming into contact with has been miserably mean and territorial and I've ended up the butt end of their naturally sharp claws.

So when the former owners informed us that they'd been feeding this stray I was, of course, not on board. I instructed the family NOT to feed or encourage the cat in any way.

My plan worked perfectly until one early morning as I sat outside on the patio talking on the phone and kitty actually climbed into my lap.

Much to my chagrin, he curled into a ball, closed his eyes and started to purr.

After that, it was pretty much useless and I had lost my heart to a stray tabby.

He's a permanent fixture.

He's fed every morning, cuddled in the evenings and chatted up throughout the day when activities demand we be outside.

We've named him, O'Malley (have you ever seen the Aristocats?)

He's the niece and nephew's new favorite thing and he'll lay down and roll over and let them rub his belly and scratch his ears. 

So, that discussion about the family pet?

Moot point. We've got one already, whether we like it or not.

Fortunately, we very much like it. 

About

Etsy occasionally does these new things that I'm totally unprepared for.

They dropped a bomb on me with the "About" page. (Course, if I'd been reading my e-mails like I should, I probably would have known)

In any case, my about page is complete.

There's no earth shattering news on there, but I think it'll be neat for people who find me through Etsy to have a bit of background knowledge, they can of course continue to follow my mind's musings on my blog if they so choose.

On to new stuff:

I started this about a week before the wedding. I just finished it up last night and I must say it was a true joy to create.

This is how I like to design. Start with the center and work my way out and if I don't like it, just rip it out and do it again.

Which, incidentally is exactly what I did with this one. That first row of jasper rounds with the vintage glass daggers was actually about my fourth attempt to adequately frame the focal cab that I received from Caroline Fung.

I can't be sure (I haven't asked), but I'm pretty sure she's used origami paper to make the cab.

How do I know?

Because when I was about 15 I bought this cool origami kit to play with and all the papers looked just like this.
Really intense colors with just enough metallic finishes to really catch the light. 

I'm very excited with how this turned out.

It has such great weight and texture.

More pics are here in the shop.

Oh, and thanks for the sweet comments from my last post.

Yes, Thank You Very Much. ;)

Home

Officially married and carrying a new name.

The vows have been said, the cake has been eaten and Asheville was a gorgeous place to spend a week unwinding from the very hectic previous two months.

We're home now and I find myself spending most of my time cleaning, organizing, and cleaning again. I also need to bust out the semi-gloss white to work on trim touch up in the hallway.

I've started a pendant project in what little free time I can carve out for myself. Hopefully I'll be able to show that to you by the end of the week.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a snapshot of the corner of my desk. For whatever reason I've gone bird crazy. They're everywhere in the new home. If not the bird itself, then little birdhouses with hooks to hold jackets or bird cages strung with lights for extra illumination in the dark corners.

I hope your Tuesday is calm and relaxing, if I can find me a moment, I'll be off to the Social Security Office to change my name!

Enjoy every bit of your day,

Marcie Abney Carroll