Love My Art Jewelry March Call to Create

What a fun challenge for March on the Love My Art Jewelry Blog! Barbara Lewis gave us some great vivid colors and found a fantastic inspiration photo of a pile of goofy decorated cupcakes.

It was those goofy cupcakes that got me! I had purchased these very fun and colorful Lampwork Beads recently from BlueSeraphim that I thought had the look and feel of happiness that was just right for this challenge. I paired them with some of my bronze components, they were the perfect fit!

I hope you can join us for next month's Call to Create. It's great fun and always pushes me in new directions and there are always GREAT prizes!!! :)

Kristi
http://dreamsome.etsy.com/
http://www.artfire.com/users/KristiBowmanDesign

The Spoils

What a fantastic week it's been. First I was notified that I won a package of beads from Magpie Gemstones the lovely Szarka picked out these beautiful Rustic Tourmaline Nuggets for me and they arrived already, they are gorgeous...don't you think?

I was also one of the lucky winners of a Design Challenge by Rings & Things and will soon be one of their Blog Partners! I'll share the amazing stash of Copper Beads I'll be receiving when they arrive!

After all that excitement, there are 2 bead shows in my immediate area this weekend which is very unusual. The first one started yesterday and was so close to where I work I easily went during my lunch. It's the Beads Beads Bead show put on by Beauty in the Bead. They were in a pretty small space but it had lots of great beads. Here's some of what I purchased.

Today I went to the Bothell Bead Stampede, about a dozen different vendors with lots of variety. Here are some of the things I purchased today.

This chain was my big splurge, it's so dangly and fun I'm sure you can understand why I had to have some!

Finally I will share with you some of my most recent component creations now available in my Etsy Shop.

Hope you enjoyed this at least a fraction as much as I did!! :)

Kristi
http://dreamsome.etsy.com/
http://www.artfire.com/users/KristiBowmanDesign

Art Bead Scene March Challenge

This necklace has been quite the challenge. I just love it but I have struggled all month to get a photo I am truly happy. Today I got the best photos so far even though I'm still not happy with them. But this is a challenge isn't it and my biggest challenge was taking the photos not making the piece.

I had many of the ingredients for this necklace set aside for quite some time but it wasn't until I considered adding the bright orange Lucite and coconut shell beads that I finally had what I wanted. The Art Bead Scene Challenge piece for this month by Paul Gaugin gave me the inspiration to add that punch of bright color and that was it! I call it Flower Child!

Flower Child on Artfire

Beautiful Turquoise focal backed by a Vintaj Brass flower, one of my Bronze (BronzClay) Leaf Charms, Green and Yellow Turquoise, bright pinky orange Lucite beads, Fire Polished Glass, Coconut Shell Heishi all strung on a Brass Chain with Handmade Copper clasps and connectors.

Kristi
http://dreamsome.etsy.com/
http://www.artfire.com/users/KristiBowmanDesign

New Bronze in process

More new Bronze pieces in the works. I am so enjoying this most recent texture I'm working with, in my opinion everything with this texture is so beautiful. It's what I am calling Victoriana. One thing I have not made yet are buttons, would people be interested in Bronze buttons?

Anyhoo, here's what I've got going, including a Lentil or Saucer Bead. Started out as a pair of components for earrings and I suddenly envisioned putting them together for a Lentil and it's so pretty. They are all still in the rough stages, need cleaned and filed and holes put in them but I couldn't wait to show them off!

Above is the Lentil.

And here are flowers (look at those adorable flowers!!!), and leaves and rounds and a big heart.

And another view of most of the goodies!

I am going to be SO EXCITED to start the kiln up, I have enough for a full load.

 Will probably have to wait for the weekend unfortunately, but you never know!!

Kristi

http://dreamsome.etsy.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/KristiBowmanDesign

Seeing Stars!!

And flowers...

I've been waiting to get my new order of QuickFire Bronze which arrived yesterday. So, of course, as soon as I got home from work I opened it up and played!!

I have an order for a bunch of stars so that was first on my agenda, I think I made too many so I hope others are interested in using pairs of stars in their future designs.

 Keep in mind all the pieces in these photos are in the very first stages, they still need to be sanded and shaped and holes put in them and then fired. Lots of work ahead for me. I hope to have them ready to list over the weekend.

Flowers also seem to be a favorite so I made several with starburst pattern in the center, a pair with single hole and a pair with 2 holes. Also did a flower with a flower pattern stamped in the middle. And a bunch of round pieces with a variety of patterns.

I'm also going to start creating larger pieces to use as connectors or larger focals with a variety in size shape and number of holes. This is my first one.

I also just listed some Silver Components I made some time ago, cute little Leaves and Flowers.

 

Thanks for taking a look at what I've got going on in my Studio.

Kristi

http://dreamsome.etsy.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/KristiBowmanDesign

And the Winner Is!!!

Krista French of French Elegant Jewelry!!  Unfortunately the first 2 random numbers the random number generator picked had no contact information and I searched a little and couldn't find any :( Those are the rules, so sorry. But happy for the winner! She wants me to surprise her so I'll have to think about what I'll be sending her for her prize!!

Thank you to all who entered, what fun that was!!! Thanks for playing!!

Kristi
http://dreamsome.etsy.com/
http://www.artfire.com/users/KristiBowmanDesign

Happy Birthday to me, giveaway for you!!!

First I'm going to share the work of fellow Jewelry Designer Janet Miller of PinkPoppyStudio on Artfire, she was among the first to purchase some of my new components and she made beautiful things happen with them.

First she made my rustic little Sun Charms soft and feminine by combining them with Luminous Periwinkle Blue Chalcedony!
Just gorgeous!!

Then she took these sweet Bronze Flower charms and paired them with one of my favorite color combinations of Turquoise Magnesite and bright orange Carnelian.

I really love seeing my charms used by other wonderful designers, thank you Janet!

Now I know you've been waiting for the giveaway. Here it is!! Leave a comment and let me know which prize you would prefer for one entry, if you Blog about it, post it to FB or Twitter leave a 2nd, 3rd and 4th comment showing that you have done so for as many as 4 entries. I will draw randomly on Sunday afternoon. Please be sure your contact information is included, I'd hate to have a winner that I have no way of contacting!!

If you are the winner you can choose from 2 sets of available components from my Etsy Shop to use in your own designs OR these earrings made with Bronze Components and beautiful Lampwork Beads by Kelley's Beads Studio. **To clarify, the earrings below are part of the giveaway, the earrings above belong to Janet and are for sale in her Artfire store. Some of the comments sounded like some of you thought the above earrings were part of the giveaway. AND I'm getting entries with no contact info and I'm unable to view profile, so be sure I can get ahold of you if you win!!

GOOD LUCK!

Kristi
http://dreamsome.etsy.com/
http://www.artfire.com/users/KristiBowmanDesign