"Black" Friday or "Rainbow" Friday? and "Small Business Saturday" too.....

As you know (if you've been reading this blog, seen my Facebook postings or been to my studio!), for me personally it's all about the color! I do understand that the whole Black Friday (November 28)  thing is named that for a reason (or reasons.....  Google it and you'll see a whole range of them, good and bad!) but it just doesn't resonate with me. The good news is, my LYS (local yarn shop) has started calling it "Rainbow" Friday to reflect the huge range of colors and styles of yarns they have on sale and I'm thinking I could borrow that....it sounds so much nicer than "Black" Friday!

So...to celebrate "Rainbow" Friday I am opening the shop at 9AM with my once a year offer of 20% off your total purchase between 9 - 10AM, which drops to 15% off between 10 - 11AM and then drops to 10% between 11-12 Noon. For the rest of the day (Friday only until 5PM) there will be a 5% discount in effect.

Ornaments, Bulb Pendants

Icicle Ornaments

Here are a few pictures of examples of work in the shop now:

Cheese Knives, Spreaders and more......

Cheese Board with Knife

Gift ideas......

And of course, lots of earrings and necklaces - and loose beads to make your own jewelry!

 There will be lots to do even earlier in Downtown Gloucester, as many of the stores (and breakfast places) will be opening at 6 or 7AM, so come on down and Shop Local!! Support your small local businesses, get a head start on your holiday shopping .... And, best of all, you'll get to avoid that trip to the mall!!

My Small Business Saturday hours will be 10:30-5:00....Hope to see you then (and I have some goodies planned for that day too)! Stay tuned for more info on all the upcoming special hours for Ladies' Night, Men's Night and Friends & Family Night and our first ever Cape Ann Artisans Holiday Show & Sale!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends tomorrow, and stay warm and dry on these stormy days...with a joyous and colorful holiday season to come!

Gloucester's Lobster Trap Tree

It's "Show Season"!!

Willowdale Estate at Bradley Palmer State Park

For better or worse, the holiday season is here and about to jump into overdrive! Show season is in full swing, with a first-time event, the North Shore Food + Gift Emporium tomorrow (Sunday November 23rd) at a beautiful location in Topsfield, MA, the Willowdale Estate at Bradley Palmer State Park. This will be my first time even visiting the location and I've heard the gardens and grounds are glorious - which is one of the reasons I said yes to doing this show. Sadly they'll be a bit subdued with the season, but even in the dead of winter you can see the beautiful "bones" of a well-designed garden.

Here are some new earrings I'll be bringing with me to the show:

There will be some "holiday-themed" items...

Canape servers, Pickle (or olive) forks, Cheese knives, Spreaders, Pens (and some jewelry mixed in)

Cheese knife and cutting board set

And lots of new necklaces and pendants too....

Tribal Necklace detail

Hollow beads detail, Wine charms

The last "out of my studio" event for the year will be another first-time show; Cape Ann Artisans Holiday Show & Sale at the Rockport Art Association, Dec. 5 + 6. Meet and greet many of your favorite Cape Ann Artisans under one roof while you relax and shop for those special, one of a kind gifts made right here on Cape Ann. (Details below on poster, or click here)

After all that, I'll be in my studio for several special shopping events happening in Downtown Gloucester; more details are on my website.

Hope to see you somewhere along the way.....and I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Boston's Bead Affaire, this Saturday!

Bright & Bold hollow beads

The Bead Affaire, billed as New England's best and longest running bead show is absolutely one of Boston's highlights for bead shows, and being the 36th, the longest running! Run by Beadesigner International, the New England Bead Society, it brings together bead makers, designers and sellers of every make and model bead and finding you can imagine. Lampworked glass, polymer, fused glass, metal clay, commercially made seed beads, findings of all kinds, African Trade beads....it is Bead Lover's Heaven!

New! Tribal Necklaces

It's the best place to find our newest work before the holidays.....hope you stop by for a visit and enjoy strolling through a selection of finished jewelry, gifts, beads and jewelry-making supplies that will leave you breathless!

Bright Hollow beads, tubes, leaves and disks

Earring disk pairs

For more information about the show you can call (978)772-1767 or go to www.beadesigner.org

for a discount admission coupon.

Hope to see you there on Saturday!

Where to start??

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post, and where did the time go? This summer was extraordinarily beautiful here with very few hot muggy soupy days; the sunsets and evenings were as perfect for fireworks and boat rides as one could ask for.

Schooner Adventure, newly restored

 

Ten Pound Island Lighthouse, Gloucester Harbor

Time spent in the garden was glorious, if not enough....but I made the most of the time I did have there. Daylilies had a banner year....as did lavender, echinacea, valerian, liatris, and most everything else!

 

And oh, my....the tomatoes and basil! So beautiful, and tasty....and prolific!

 

That said, the light has changed; the days are shorter and the sun slants down at a different angle, and my plants and gardens are slowing down, settling in for their off-season dormancy. (I can't bring myself to use the "w" word yet....) At the studio, my work is evolving and I'm excited to show visitors and friends some of the new designs and ideas.....Open studio weekend is coming up Columbus Day weekend and it's always fun to welcome guests in to see what's happening.

My studio patio garden in the late afternoon sunlight

Waiting to be finished.....

Hope you can stop by and take a peek, or come see me in Watertown at the annual Beadesigner International Bead Affaire on October 18th. (follow the link for details and admission discount coupon.)

New Tribal Necklaces & earrings

There's even more happening later in the Fall....stay tuned for more details as they develop! Thanks for stopping by.....

Seeking Inspiration...Always and Everywhere!

Sometimes it's everywhere, sometimes nowhere to be found....at least that's how "It" seems to me. While I'm away from the studio I try to snap pictures of everything that delights me, hoping that when I revisit those shots my imagination will spark again and work ideas will flow. Here are a few of the shots I've taken this week, from my sister's in North Carolina:

Some of these color combinations are making me crazy with anticipation....I can hardly wait to get back to the torch and start creating!

These two pictures are of the same allium head, just 4 days apart....I love them both ways!

                                                                                                           






And finally....just look at this little face! My sister's neighbor's new puppy....so very delightful! "Frank Sinatra" is his name no less, just check out those eyes! He may or may not inspire new work - but he sure does make me smile and that's a great start!

I hope you keep checking in to see what new pieces I come up with - and please let me know in the comments what inspires you! 

Until next time....

Spring....really?

 From this......(I brought in the forsythia to force it a couple of weeks ago, and it's beautiful and in full bloom now!)......

 ...To this. In less than 24 hours. And what you can't see in the picture to the right is the ice that's covering everything in the shade...and the wind chill in the teens. It feels like January. (but... don't you just love the color of the trees against that aqua sky?)

To compensate: I'm working like crazy, making earring beads, anemones, hoop beads and flowers and just distracting myself from the weather outside. With all the shows coming up it feels good to focus - and the colors make me so happy. (A couple of these are now spoken for, so if there's something you'd like me to save for you or have a question about any of them, just send me a quick email and let me know.)

Hope you all have a peaceful, happy weekend with friends and family. Enjoy....

Earring pairs and Anemones

It's cominggggggg..........

Lots of new disks for earrings!!

 The Glass Bead Extravaganza is back, and coming up very soon!!

April 26th, 10-4 at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St., Wellesley Hills, MA

Join us for the only all handmade Glass Beads, Marbles and Jewelry Show in New England, with live demos by Wes Fleming, Beth Mellor and Mike Close. There will also be vendors with tools and supplies for jewelry making and glass work...all in one place!

You will find a vendors list and a printable coupon for $1 off admission at the new New England Chapter/ISGB website.....we hope to see you on April 26th!

Sponsored by the New England Chapter of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers.

You can find much more info about this show, the chapter and our upcoming meetings and demos on their Facebook page.

Please share this with your glass art and bead loving friends, and I hope to see you there!!