Focus On Life: A Quiet Moment

My blog posts and jewelry design have taken a bit of a backseat over the summer as Brenton and I prepared for the arrival of our baby, due October 5th. Pregnancy is exhausting, plus there is lots to do such as acquiring all of the little necessities that baby will need, getting the baby's room ready and trying to go on as many vacations and weekend getaways as possible before we become three!

Our bundle of joy decided to surprise us and arrived early, four weeks to the day. What I had thought were just really bad stomach cramps around 1:00 am in the morning two weeks ago, that would soon go away, ended up being contractions. Nine and a half hours later, our beautiful son was born! I was completely overwhelmed with emotions of fear and joy. I was worried because he wasn't due for another four weeks but also overjoyed as we were about to meet the tiny being that moved about, quite frequently, inside my stomach for the past eight months!

Liam Ellis Klik was born Saturday September 7th weighing a healthy 6 lbs., 13 oz. Tears flowed as we heard his first cry and our hearts melted the second we saw him. They were the most amazing moments of my life.

Now that we are home from the hospital, we are getting to know one another. Some moments are quiet, others not so much. But they are all beautiful moments. I captured this photo of my son as he was sleeping in my arms. I always have my Nexus phone, which has a decent camera, or my professional camera nearby so that I can capture moments like these.

While my jewelry design has been put on hold, temporarily, I have not lost my love for it! I was actually in the middle of creating a fall collection the week that he arrived. I do hope to finish it before the season is over. But jewelry can always be created, moments like these can not be missed.

Please stop by Sally Russick's blog to see the other Quiet Moments people have captured.

Bead Show Treasures...

This coming weekend is Bead Fest. Every year since 2008, I have traveled to eastern Pennsylvania for this amazing bead show. But not this year. At 34 weeks pregnant, I realized I would not be able to endure the travel along with three days of shopping for beads, beads and more beads!

So I decided instead to go to the International Gem and Jewelry Show at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. It is only about twenty minutes from my house and I had a free admission pass! While it is nowhere near the magnitude of Bead Fest, it has a great selection of vendors. Jessica Stoops of Joyful Gems joined me for a bead shopping adventure! 

These are some of the treasures that I returned home with...

From top:

crystal

agate 

magnesite 

agate

faceted smoky quartz

pyrite

lemon jade

citrine 

gold and silver plated copper pendants

silver and gunmetal plated toggles

Aztec inspired gunmetal beads

silver plated circles and fish

silver plated butterflies

large gunmetal plated spacers

lapis

I also picked up some essentials that include pretty sterling silver chain, closed 6mm sterling silver jump rings, sterling silver leverback earrings and gold filled 4mm jump rings.

I will miss Bead Fest this year. Not just the amazing selection of artisan beads, gemstones and findings but mostly for the amazing people (beady peeps) that I have gotten to know over the years. They are what make this annual trip so special! I look forward to seeing all of you next year!

Creating A Handmade Baby Shower

A few weeks ago, my mother in law hosted a baby shower for Brenton and I at her home in Avon , New York. She has a lovely backyard overlooking a horse pasture on her daughter's farm, Dutch Hollow Acres. Being a person who loves to create, I offered to take care of the decorations and favors. We have decided to wait until the birth of our baby to find out whether it is a boy or a girl, so we selected neutral colors for the theme. I tapped my inner Martha Stewart while incorporating the colors that will be in our baby's room; yellow, gray, green and white.

Favors for our guests.

I packaged the favors in kraft boxes, made from recycled paper, then wrapped polka dot paper around it. 

I used ribbon in coordinating colors to tie around each one and completed the look with a 

printed tag that Brenton and I created.

These are the favors that each female guest received; compact mirrors. 

The tables.

 I purchased square plates in yellow and set each one with the favors.

I wrapped polka dot paper and ribbon around cylinder glass vases that my mother purchased for me. 

Hydrangeas in white and lime green were cut from my mother in law's yard-they were the perfect finish!

Still working with the polka dot paper, I punched circles out in various sizes to sprinkle onto the tables.

The invitation.

The Party.

Brenton and I opened our gifts with our moms beside us.

Some of the wonderful gifts we received to help prepare for baby's arrival!

Brenton and I share a sweet moment.

The ceremonial cake cutting. I even made the cake too! It was a white cake with lemon filling. 

This favor was for Brenton's mother, who does bird research for Cornell University. 

Babci means grandmother in Polish.

I also created the thank you cards using polka dot card stock and a thank you stamp.

Brenton and I are overjoyed about the arrival of our baby that is due the beginning of October!

We are also overjoyed to have such wonderful family and friends celebrate us and the 

first grandchild in both families. What an amazing adventure it will be!

Adirondack Adventure 2013...

A few weeks ago, Brenton and I (and our glorious dog Twila) headed to the Adirondack Mountains for our annual summer vacation. This was a unique year as I was seven months pregnant! It definitely changed the dynamics somewhat; hiking up (and back down) mountains was out and going long stretches without a bathroom nearby was unpleasant, but we still had a very relaxing week! Here are some of the highlights...

The week started off with a dinner cruise along Raquette Lake aboard the W.W. Durant. 

Raquette Lake.

We set out on a hike that was supposed to lead to a waterfalls. 

The waterfalls ended up being a trickle of water down some very large boulders!

Each year a duck and her babies stops by to say hello.

Brenton and I cooling off in Seventh Lake. 
Brenton purchased an inflatable chair for me so that baby and I could enjoy the lake! 

We drove up to Tupper Lake to spend a day at The Wild Center.

Trout swimming along in a large tank made to replicate a river.

Northern spotted owl that was rescued after it had been found beside the road in the Adirondack Mountains.
It is being rehabilitated at The Wild Center.

Lily pads and cattails in the pond outside The Wild Center. 

A path through the woods surrounding The Wild Center.

Brenton thought it would be fun to crawl through a hollowed out tree in a kids park along the path. There were a few trees that were hollowed out, meant for children to crawl through. Adults that are 6'2", a whole different story!

The Starving Artist Gallery, my favorite artisan shop in the Adirondacks, is now selling my jewelry and photography!! Always travel with your art as you never know what opportunities may arise! It is located on Main Street in
Old Forge. If you are ever driving through the area, this is a can't miss stop in a wonderful town! 

  

Two of my necklaces included with some fantastic pottery.

My photography note cards with scenes from the Adirondacks.

The last adventure of the week was the annual Arts in the Park craft show held at Arrowhead Park in the town of Inlet. We stop by this artisan/craft show every year. For the past several years, I have been purchasing beads from Cindy Ritchie of Simply Cindy. Cindy is a talented glass artist from Rochester, New York.

I also purchased this fantastic handbag created by Kathryn Fisher of Trendy Totes by Mimi. Ironically, she and her husband are friends with my former boss, Monty Calvert, photo editor from The Post Star in Glens Falls, New York. Small world!

Another year, another week of wonderful memories.
Next year we will be bringing our first child along, where he/she will begin their annual Adirondack adventure!
We can't wait to share everything that is special to us about this magnificent place!

Focus On Life 52 Photos: Hues of Blue

I thought I would jump in this week to participate in Studio Sublime's Focus On Life 52 Photos. I recently created this bracelet and earring set and thought of it as soon as I saw her prompt: Hues of Blues. The color blue evokes many ideas and meanings. It reminds me of both a sunny summer day near the ocean and a cool winter afternoon during a snowfall. Both are serene in their own way. 

This bracelet and earring set was inspired by the Greek Isles and the
vibrant hues of the blue and teal ocean that surrounds them.

bracelet: rhodium plated brass square link chain; Ever Luxe, Greek ceramic discs; Rings & Things, white brass heishi spacers; Fire Mountain Gems, Tierra cast toggle; Lima Beads.
earrings: sterling silver wire; Rio Grande, Greek ceramic discs, white brass faceted beads; Hands of the Hills

Bead Friends Are The Best Kind Of Friends...

Sometimes the postal carrier brings beads that I have ordered and then there are times when he delivers bead goodies that are complete surprises! I wanted to share with you some of the wonderful treasures I have received in the mail over the past few months. Gifts from friends I have made in the jewelry/bead artisan world. 

Karyn Bonfiglio of Plus Size Bangles sent me this gorgeous agate focal. Karyn was my Bead Soup Block Party partner last year and knows that my design style is mostly bold and modern. She had purchased this focal and thought I might enjoy designing with it. It was so thoughtful of her to send me this natural beauty! I have been contemplating incorporating this focal into a design of either a long pendant necklace or a choker style necklace. 

These beautiful lampwork discs were sent by Cindy Ritchie of Simply Cindy. I met Cindy a few summers ago at the Arts in the Park craft show in Inlet, New York while vacationing in the Adirondacks. I have been purchasing her lampwork beads each year-she is one of my favorite vendors at this particular show. The coral and gray remind me of the many sunsets I have seen in the Adirondack mountains. I have already designed a cuff bracelet with one of the coral discs and am envisioning a necklace with several of the others.

These stunning earrings and metal beads were a gift from Stacie Florer. The earrings are a new design that she has been working on-a brilliant design if you ask me! I met Stacie while taking one of her classes at ArtBLISS last September. She taught us how to make these cool metal beads in her class, but I have yet to master them as beautifully as hers. She is a fantastic teacher and I highly recommend taking her classes-you will leave inspired!

These breathtaking seashells were created by Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio. I met Michelle a few years ago at Bead Fest. She lives along the coast of Florida and finds her inspiration in nature and by the sea! I love working with her bold starfish, seahorses and sparrows and am working on a simple necklace with the seashell as the focal and an ocean inspired bracelet with a variety of sea inspired charms.

Thank you, thank you, thank you ladies for these beautiful and inspiring gifts. 

It really makes me feel special to be thought of by such talented artisans!

Reston Arts Market - My First Craft Show Of The Season...

This past Saturday was my first craft show of 2013. I was one of 50 vendors that participated in the Reston Farmers and Arts Market at Lake Anne. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was assigned a spot in a fantastic location right beside the lake!

My tables are always adorned with nature inspired elements. This table has one of my favorite words spelled out in wooden letters: create! New this season are the gorgeous shelves that my husband made for me out of red oak, stained in an espresso hue named Kona. They have hinges so they fold flat; easy to transport and store. Brilliant idea from my brilliant husband!

Some of my pieces inspired by the sea. 

A closer look at one of the gorgeous shelves my wonderful husband created for me!

Also new this year is the addition of curtains. This particular market doesn't allow any walls to be put up on the tents, so I tied them to the poles creating a welcoming entrance. I love their nature inspired pattern!

This table showcases my other favorite word: inspire.

One of my colorful new designs for summer.

A cuff bracelet that I created from brass and copper sheet. 

This necklace was published in the April issue of Bead Trends!

My most recent design, a tribal influenced multi-strand necklace.

A view of some of the artisans at the market.

It was a beautiful day that brought a lot of people out to enjoy the market. I had a wonderful time meeting new people, seeing some of my regular customers from last season and having a good day sales-wise. I look forward to participating in the market again soon!