Picking Flowers… on Etsy

It's no secret that flowers have been on my mind and filling my studio these past several weeks. And with summer quickly coming to an end (autumn is my favorite season and holds a special spot in my heart, but I still am always sad to see summer go) so, sadly, are the flowers and other growing things. I'm enjoying them while I can! And hoping to make a few more new beads too!


Yes, I love to make beads, but I also love to see the handiwork of other artists — few things are more inspiring — everyone has their own interpretation, yet we are basing it off the same inspiration. Maybe you're using the impression of nature itself, or maybe you are starting with the raw medium of your choice and carefully copying nature's design, giving it a new and stylized form — thankfully nature will not sue us if we copy its designs!


The bead artists of Etsy (a few of whom are my fellow blog writers here at AJE) always have something lovely to share. I hope you enjoy my picks today!

 1. jdaviesreazor 2. laurasouder 
3. KristiBowmanDesign 4. KristiBowmanDesign

1. MelismaticArtJewelry 2. maryhardingjewelry 
3. JeraLunaDesigns 4. suebeads

 1. TinasBeadMind 2. THEAElements 
3. suburbangirlbeads 4. ktotten

1. sweetrockcandybeads 2. suburbangirlbeads 
3. pipsjewellery 4. ktotten

If you notice, the colors of my picks started with soft colors, then a pop of brighter colors, and finally turned to browns. I'm taking one last look at summer… and then I'll be ready for shades of autumn… and all the creativity that accompanies them.

(P.S. That oak leaf from suburbangirlbeads is now mine, all mine! :-) This autumn-loving girl couldn't resist.)

What has inspired you lately? Do you feel that your creativity changes with the seasons? Do share!

Working with distractions

Yesterday, Linda shared how she had been inspired by the flowers around her while she and her husband were away celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. That got me thinking about how distracted I've been from my studio, wanting to enjoy my own surroundings. It's so hard to stay in the studio making the same "old" beads over and over again when so many lovely things are growing and blooming outside!

So this morning I went out with a plan to enjoy that distraction by capturing some new inspiration and putting it to good use!

Back inside I got out my molding compound and got busy…

Here my new molds are curing. In just a little bit I'll pull the flowers out and see if I have anything worthy of new beads—that will be my post in two weeks! See you then!



What things have been distracting you from your studio this summer? Have you found a way to harness that distraction and turn it into inspiration… and maybe a new creation? Do share!

Inspired By Life at the Lake Design Challenge Reveal and Blog Hop

A few weeks ago, I shared this photo and challenged you to create a piece inspired by it:

The photo was taken just outside the back door of our "under construction" lake house (which we will close on sometime in the next 1.5 weeks depending on the speed of the tile installation team-originally we were supposed to close on Wednesday). Someone commented on my Glass Addictions blog that this flower is called Marsh Mallow and is the origin for...you guessed it....marshmallows. While the flowers are beautiful, I am not a fan of marshmallows except melted in a fire and made into s'mores. But I live with a bunch of crazy people who think marshmallows are a food group.



How to join this blog hop:

1. Create something inspired by the photo and blog about it.

2. Copy the direct link to your blog post.

3. Come back to this post and scroll to the bottom where it says "This is a Blog Hop" below that is says: "You are next...Click here to enter." Click on it.

4. Follow the instructions to add your blog post.

5. Do not forget to select which photo from your post you want as the thumbnail or linky tools will select something random. 

6. To add the blog hop to your post, click on the "get the code here" below the thumbnails and below "what is a blog hop". Click it and copy the link provided to add the blog hop to your blog (this is in lieu of placing a list of blogs on your blog post and it updates itself automatically).

7. Add the link to your blog post in html mode and republish. 

Inspired by Design Challenge...Life at the Lake

Finish this sentence: August is.....

If you finished the sentence how I would finish it, it would be something like August is (family time, vacation, last days of summer, back to school, wistful, busy, party time, meteor showers) It's amazing how much my family is trying to crunch into a short time. I'm hearing the same from friends...online and in real life. The AJE team is feeling the crunch too. 

I am making the executive decision to delay the inspired by blog hop one week. So here's your chance to take a look at the inspiration photo and play along by creating a piece of jewelry inspired by the photo below and using at least one handmade component (by you or by someone else)

If you've already completed it, GREAT! We can hardly wait to see it. If not, you still have loads of time :-) 

Never stop creating...

Jen

Blog Hop: Inspired by Christmas in July Design Challenge

A few weeks ago, I shared a couple photos from the Bubble Room in Captiva Island, Florida. Show us what you created using these photos as an inspiration. If you haven't finished (or even started) you can join this blog hop up through Sunday July 29th. 

How to join this blog hop:

1. Create something inspired by the photo and blog about it.

2. Copy the direct link to your blog post.

3. Come back to this post and scroll to the bottom where it says "This is a Blog Hop" below that is says: "You are next...Click here to enter." Click on it.

4. Follow the instructions to add your blog post.

5. Do not forget to select which photo from your post you want as the thumbnail or linky tools will select something random. 

6. To add the blog hop to your post, click on the "get the code here" below the thumbnails and below "what is a blog hop". Click it and copy the link provided to add the blog hop to your blog (this is in lieu of placing a list of blogs on your blog post and it updates itself automatically).

7. Add the link to your blog post in html mode and republish. 

________________________________________________________________________________     _______________________________________________________________________________

Inspired by Christmas in July Sneak Peek

Have you been working on your "Inspired By" pieces for July?  If you forget the details, you can read them here. The reveal date is Monday July 16 and the inspiration photos (you get 2 this time!) are

  

 and

   

 both taken at the Bubble Room in Captiva Island, Florida.

Here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on:

I am mostly inspired by the vintage lights above Santa's head. It's difficult to see, but some of the beads have a funky shape and some are just plain spacers. I know what I want to do with them, but I'm having structural issues with the other components. So we'll see if I can get it worked out and do what I want to do. 

Remember to join in the blog hop via linky tools on Monday. 

Inspired By Design Challenge: Christmas in July

Did you see the entries for the last Design Challenge: Inspired by Shells? Scroll to the bottom of the post, click on the thumbnails. Definitely take a look, there are some great entries!

For this month's design challenge, I am again using Captiva Island for inspiration, but in a totally different direction. Shells are natural elements and there is nothing natural about this month's design inspiration.

The inspiration comes from a magical place called The Bubble Room (fyi~their website has music if you want to turn your speakers down or off first).

The Bubble Room! My daughter is on the left, cousin on the right

And because a good chunk of their decor is Christmas themed, and this is a challenge, and thinking about Christmas in July is definitely a challenge, it's a match made in heaven. Plus I just think it sounds like fun and hope you do too.

Merry Christmas! 

The following two photos are from their "Christmas Room" and should be used for your inspiration. You can view this room by standing at the top of the stairs inside the restaurant and looking through a window down into the room. If you want to see more photos I took at The Bubble Room, you can see them on my blog.

Santa sitting in the Christmas room at the Bubble House

Elves in the Christmas room at the Bubble House

-The blog hop for this photo will be held July 16th, which gives you 3 weeks to create something inspired by this photo.

-Challenge yourself to use at least one handmade component. It can be made by you or by someone else. 

-On the day of the reveal, post the inspiration photo(s) and photos of what you created based on the inspiration photo on your blog. Write how you were inspired by the photo. Tell us about the handmade component you used and why. 

-Add you blog post URL to the linky tools at the bottom of the AJE reveal post (instructions on how to do it are super easy and self explanatory once you click on the link for linky tools).

-Add the linky tools html to your blog post to continue the hop. 

-Have people visit your blog

-This is meant to be a way to help everyone's creativity to expand and for self improvement and to get new visitors to your blog

-This is not a high stress situation. You do not have to commit in advance. You join when you are inspired and/or have time and want to challenge yourself. 


Now get creating! 

Blog Hop: Inspired by...Shells on the beach

A few weeks ago, I shared a photo from my Captiva Island vacation. Show us what you created using this photo as an inspiration. If you haven't finished (or even started....and yes, I fall into that category) you can join this blog hop up through Sunday June 24th. 

How to join this blog hop:

1. Create something inspired by the photo and blog about it.

2. Copy the direct link to your blog post.

3. Come back to this post and scroll to the bottom where it says "This is a Blog Hop" below that is says: "You are next...Click here to enter." Click on it.

4. Follow the instructions to add your blog post.

5. To add the blog hop to your post, click on the "get the code here" below the thumbnails and below "what is a blog hop". Click it and copy the link provided to add the blog hop to your blog (this is in lieu of placing a list of blogs on your blog post and it updates itself automatically).

6. Add the link to your blog post in html mode and republish. 

Inspired by...Shells Found on the Beach

Did you see the entries for inspired by orchids blog hop? Did you forget to add your blog or forget to make something? You can still add your blog through Sunday evening of June 3.

I am currently relaxing in Captiva Island, FL which happens to be my favorite beach ever. Before you get upset with me, I admit I have hardly been to every beach in the world or even the United States. But I love this place. I love the Gulf of Mexico. I love that there are so many shells to pick up and explore, and wildlife to observe.

Unfortunately this time around I am unable to spend much time outside because I am temporarily taking a medication that will cause severe sunburn very quickly in this Florida sun. However, the house my family rented for the week has a screened in porch facing the ocean that runs the entire width of the house. In fact, I am writing from that location right now...listening to the waves and birds and feeling the breeze and smelling the salty air. Life really doesn't get much better than this. Here's my view taken with  my cel phone:

If I look to the right or left of our boardwalk, all I see is ocean. When the sun isn't so intense, I head down to the beach to walk or seek out shells. My walks with my camera are responsible for the inspiration photo:




-The blog hop for this photo will be held June 18, which gives you almost 3 weeks to create something inspired by this photo.


-Challenge yourself to use at least one handmade component. It can be made by you or by someone else. 

-On the day of the reveal, post the inspiration photo and photos of what you created based on the inspiration photo on your blog. Write how you were inspired by the photo. Tell us about the handmade component you used and why. 

-Add you blog post URL to the linky tools at the bottom of the AJE reveal post (instructions on how to do it are super easy and self explanatory once you click on the link for linky tools).


-Add the linky tools html to your blog post to continue the hop. 
-we are working on a button for you to grab for your blog. 

-Have people visit your blog

-This is meant to be a way to help everyone's creativity to expand and for self improvement and to get new visitors to your blog

-This is not a high stress situation. You do not have to commit in advance. You join when you are inspired and/or have time and want to challenge yourself. 


Now get creating! 

Inspired by Reveal and Blog Hop

Today is the reveal for the art jewelry you made using this photo as your inspiration:

Show us what you created. If you haven't finished (or even started....and yes, I fall into that category) you can join this blog hop up through Sunday June 3rd. 

How to join this blog hop:

1. Create something inspired by the photo and blog about it.

2. Copy the direct link to your blog post.

3. Come back to this post and scroll to the bottom where it says "This is a Blog Hop" below that is says: "You are next...Click here to enter." Click on it.

4. Follow the instructions to add your blog post.

5. To add the blog hop to your post, click on the "get the code here" below the thumbnails and below "what is a blog hop". Click it and copy the link provided to add the blog hop to your blog (this is in lieu of placing a list of blogs on your blog post and it updates itself automatically).

6. Add the link to your blog post in html mode and republish. 

Tomorrow we will post a new inspiration photo. Because I am currently vacationing in Captiva Island, FL, there's a good chance it will be inspired by my current surroundings...

Inspired by... Eye Candy

Today's Eye Candy is to show you some possibilities to use in

 AJE's Inspired by... post.



Gorgeous Pink Cadillac beads by Donna Millard




Raspberry Pink Lampwork by Lori Bergmann




Pink Polymer Clay Saucers by Fanceethat



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Hot Pink Polymer Clay Flowers by Tooaquarius




Porcelain Flower Charms by Karen Totten



Enamel Filigree beads by SueBeads



Pretty in Pink Sari Silk by DesignTalentDone



Noro Silk Garden Yarn AliceInStitches

 Kristi

Inspired By is getting a Makeover plus the inspiration photo

At AJE, we are willing to "evolve". We can tell when a format isn't working. That's cool. We want this to be a fun place for everyone to interact. To that end, we are changing the format of the Inspired By posts. I admit I thought it was a cool idea, but clearly no one else did ;-)

Here's the new format (feel free to leave suggestions in the comment section if you think this format is still not so great)

-Every other Monday one of us will post an inspiration photo.

-Two weeks later we will post a link up for you to join the blog hop with the handmade component or art jewelry that you created based on the inspiration photo.

-On your blog, you can post the inspiration photo (or not, it's up to you) and a photo or photos of what you created based on the photo. Write how you were inspired by the photo.

-Add you blog post URL to the linky tools at the bottom of the AJE reveal post (instructions on how to do it are super easy and self explanatory once you click on the link for linky tools).

-we are working on a button for you to grab for your blog. Please be patient. I can only tolerate sitting at a computer for a few minutes at a time.

-Have people visit your blog

-This is meant to be a way to help everyone's creativity to expand and for self improvement and to get new visitors to your blog

-This is not a high stress situation.

Our first inspiration photo was one I took of an orchid that my husband managed to coax into blooming again.

I have a secret. I hate houseplants. So when the orchid blooms wilt and fall off, I throw the plants out. Hubs rescued this from the garbage and kept this stick-in-a-pot looking thing all winter. It re-bloomed in March (when I took the photo) and is STILL in bloom now in mid May. It's absolutely gorgeous and I'm glad he rescued it. In fact, we love it so much, we were inspired to paint the walls of the living room of our lake house one of the deep raspberry pink colors you see in the flower. The ceiling will be gray similar to the background in this photo.

Because 2 weeks from today is a US holiday (Memorial Day), the blog hop will be Tuesday May 29th. Get creating!

Questions? Leave them in the comments below.

Inspired By....

Show us what you have been inspired by lately by linking up below.

Blue Poppy

This photo was actually taken originally for the I Heart Macro weekly

post I participate in, but it's so beautiful I searched around for beads I have in my stash

of a similar gorgeous Blue color!

Gorgeous Lampwork beads by Lara Lutrick and Sari Silk all in Vivid Blue!

Kristi

Each Monday is your chance to share what you are
Inspired by...
Create a blog post and link it up below!

Inspired By...Further Explanation

So apparently I suck at explaining the purpose of the "Inspired by" posts. So I am going to break into the regularly scheduled programming to try to do a better job. We'll see if I do any better this time (if not, feel free to tell me!)

Each Monday post something that has inspired you to create. A photo. A song. A poem. A story. Whatever. If it inspired you, post it. And if the inspiration resulted in something other than jewelry, that's cool. Post it. We do not discriminate against inspiration or what results from it (this is of course assuming it isn't racist or derogatory or hate or anything else that's just plain mean. Meanness is never cool.)

Once you have your "inspired by" post written, come back here and add the link to your post to the linky tools at the bottom of the page by clicking on the bright blue "click here to enter" and following the instructions. You can see it on yesterday's post. The instructions are very self explanatory. Then everyone can see what has inspired you, you see what has inspired others, and hopefully we all get more inspiration.

Inspired by...

Show us what you have been inspired by lately by linking up below.

I was inspired a while back to make a bead based on this photo by Carol Dean Sharpe:

To see the result, you will have to visit my blog (linked below).

If you need help figuring out how to link up, let me know and I will try to help.

Inspired by...

The winner of the giveaway for Irina's Inspirations for Jewelry is DW of Lamplight Crafts. When I clicked through her link, I noticed she only has 7 followers (now 8 since I joined). If you feel so inclined, stop by her blog for a moment, maybe make a comment, and join her Google Friend Connect. I am sure you would make her day that much brighter. And DW, please email me at jennifer.glassaddictions @ gmail.com (remove spaces).

Now, onto what this "inspired by" post is all about. We thought it would be a great way to stretch ourselves creatively if each week we shared something that has inspired our work. Maybe it was a photo, a song, a mood, a component, or a color.

Now before you get all stressed out about how you are going to manage to share something new every single week...the answer is, you don't. You can share things you've made in the past and share the story of how it was inspired and the process you went through to arrive at it. Your story might help spark someone else's "ah ha!" moment or help them look for inspiration in places they never considered.

That being said, try not to fall back on older pieces every single week. Again, we are all in this creativity stretching thing together, making each other accountable to get inspiration from our experiences, and trying to prevent or overcome creative "blocks".

And of course you are allowed to skip weeks. No one will come to your house and force you to blog every week.

To kick this off, I am going to show you something I made a couple years ago because I sold most of my new work a few weeks ago before I photographed it. Yes, I agree that was not the smartest thing I've done lately. Everything else I have on hand right now is a work in progress.

The piece I'm going to show you was inspired in part by Pirates of the Caribbean. I've seen the first three, and they are just plain fun. Plus Johnny Depp is in them. Enough said.

Ok, wait. Not enough said. Before I show you what I made, I have to share some more Johnny Depp. Because I am the author today and I'm trying to give you ladies some inspiration. Perhaps some metal stamping is in your near future? (This break is courtesy of Sylvie at Beaded Laughter)

Here's the piece inspired by the movie and sailors in general. This bangle is called Davy Jones' Locker. 

From this angle, you can see skulls, what looks like the wheel of a ship, a game piece, shells, pearls, a cage for catching fish, a lampwork disc just cuz I wanted to add some of my lampwork beads to it.

From this angle, you can see a compass, another ship's wheel thing, more shells, pearls and a lampwork shell and lampwork disc.

And finally, from this angle you see a "captain's log" with words like undaunted, fearless, etc. There is also a mermaid, octopus, more pearls and shells and lampwork. 

This bangle was so fun for me to make. I had it with me at a show a couple weeks ago and both men and women were fascinated by it. It's just plain silly fun.

Now it's your turn. Link your blog below so we can see what you are inspired by.