Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays all! I'm feeling very festive lately, but then it's hard not to. Everywhere you go the halls are decked, the trees trimmed, and the carols are being piped in.

Shameless self-promotion time...all of the holiday items in my ArtFire shop are on sale, already marked down, no coupon needed. Also, every now and then, I flip on the "Sales Mode" and mark down everything an additional 10% just because I'm feeling gifty. You never know when it might happen, but it does at least once a day (and sometimes I announce it on Twitter and my Facebook page).

Plus, if you have read this far...I'm going to do another give-away. Leave a comment (any comment, but please be nice) and you could win this pin. It is has been lightly glittered and the border is a rich red. I will pick someone at random from the comments, on Tuesday, December 15th (so I can get it in the mail before I go on my trip).

Enjoy your holiday season, and please shop handmade for the holidays.

Cheers, Juli

Did you know...?

Did you know it's holiday shopping season right now?

I just read a note on ArtFire.com that said that with this year's late Thanksgiving and the economy and all, that people are shopping earlier this year for the holiday season.

Are you planning on purchasing handmade (and even one of a kind) items for the people on your gift giving list? If you are, you should consider shopping through ArtFire. I, and several people I know, have shops on ArtFire and many will be having sales and specials for the holiday season.

Skelekitty and Friends is currently having a BOGO sale on all prints and if you buy an original piece of art you get 2 prints!

Kit Cameo has some cool stuff in her SALE section, a must check out.

Do you like hats? Do you think Victorian/Steampunk is awesome? Check out DyMa Creations!

And, as always, you can check out my shop simply by using the rapid cart on my blog or my ArtFire Kiosk in Facebook, or at julisjewels.artfire.com.

Don't forget, you never have to join ArtFire to shop ArtFire. Come check it out.

3rd Saturday Time Again!

Just a quick reminder...it's 3rd Saturday time again.

This month it will be in a new location and at a different time.

We will be in the Westfield Downtown Plaza, in the L Street Shops section (in the middle of the mall near the play place.) We will be there from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Also, I am teaming up with Dyana Martin of Dyma Creations again this month. Her hats and fascinators are fabulous. Get a little something special to wear to all those holiday parties!

Please stop by and say hello.

Because It's My Second Favorite Holiday...

Because it's my second favorite holiday, all of the Halloween items in my ArtFire shop are on sale for the entire month of November. 15% off! Just pick the item (or items) you like and use the coupon code 164848AD5F-C49E16ACAB at check out. Also, you will still get a Halloween Treat Bag 'O Fun with your Halloween item purchase. YAY!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween all! I'm feeling very treaty lately (no tricks, just treats!) and I love sharing treats.

Currently, if you buy anything in my ArtFire shop, I will throw in the Halloween Treat Bag 'o Fun.

Plus, if you have read this far...I'm going to do another give-away. Tell me a little story about your favorite Halloween costume and you could win this necklace. It is a fabulously glittered witch image in a bottle cap presented on an 18" cotton cord. I will pick someone at random from the comments, on Friday October 30th.

Enjoy your week and have a happy Halloween.

Cheers, Juli

Halloween Treats for You.

 Halloween fun for everyone!


This weekend at 3rd Saturday, I will be partnering up with Dyana Martin of DyMa Creations. Please come by and check out her fabulous hats.

As Halloween draws nearer, I have become all nostalgic, thinking about Halloweens past and all the fun of trick-or-treating (I must admit, I have never done a trick, more's the pity.).

I have decided that I will share the fun of trick-or-treating with you. If you purchase any Halloween item from my ArtFire Shop or from me at a craft fair ( I will be vending at 3rd Saturday this weekend, look for me on 11th between K & L Streets, across from Ambrosia Cafe) I will give you the Halloween Treat Bag of Fun.

I have just made some new pieces, including my current favorite, the Poison Necklace (a simple soldered pendant on black suede lace). The new items will be uploaded to my shop by this evening, and I will have a few more items at the show this weekend.

Hope you all have a happy Halloween!

ATCs are fun

Welcome to my 40th blog post!

Here is an ATC I made at last month's ATC Night at Vox in Midtown.

I made a checkerboard background by pressing some tiny ink pads directly onto the paper. All of the images and the border on the bottom are from ARTChix Studio.

Check out their weekly art challenges here.

ArtFire-Have you checked it out yet?

By now, many of you have heard of Etsy, but have you heard of ArtFire? Etsy and ArtFire are both websites where artisans can sell there handmade goodies via the interwebs without having a website of their own. This is great, as many artisans can only do this sort of thing part time, what with the day jobs and all. (It is a rare and lucky individual who can do what they love for a living, and they still have to work at it 24/7.)

I have chosen to be on ArtFire and here’s why:

1. Membership for sellers-There are two membership levels for sellers, Basic and Verified. Basic is free, Verified costs a nominal amount ($12 a month, I think). I am Basic. The nice thing about this is I can be come Verified easily, and if I don’t like it, I can go back to be Basic just as easily.



2. You, the buyer (I hope), DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER WITH ARTFIRE, you can just shop and buy stuff without having to give them (ArtFire) all of your personal information forever. (You do need to give some info, otherwise how can we send you your stuff?)

3. You can shop from my blog. See that thing over there called Rapid Cart? If you see something you like, you can buy it right now. (Again, without registering with ArtFire…)

4. Back to the fee thing…because there are no listing/final/etc fees on ArtFire, I can charge the exact same prices I would charge if I was selling you stuff at a craft fair. I don’t have to raise my prices to meet the fees.

So, have you checked out ArtFire yet? Well get going…here’s a link to make it easier. http://www.artfire.com/
Oh, and if you want to get to my shop directly… julisjewels.artfire.com …hope to see you there soon!

September Schedule-2009

It's that time again! Here is my schedule for September. No, that is not a typo. Yes, I do have two shows on one day. If I were you, I'd come to 3rd Saturday Design Downtown just to see how I'm holding up.

Oh, quick reminder, the holidays will be here before you know it.

Click on the image to see it larger.

Third Saturday Fun

Hi all! Just a quick reminder, this Saturday is Third Saturday (I know, already!). The Sacramento News and Reviews 3rd Saturday event, Design Downtown is this Saturday from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm on K, 10th & 11th Streets. This month there will be two stages and even more cool stuff (although, I can't imagine how you can top the fire dancers, they were awesome!). I hope to see you there.

Craft Faire in Placerville

Just a reminder boys and girls! This Sunday is the 13th Annual Placerville Craft Faire. It takes place in Historic Downtown Placerville from 8 am to 3 pm. I will be some where on the north side of Main Street. Stop by, say "Hi" and if you mention my blog I'll give you something. Hope to see you there!

to get to Placerville, just drive up highway 50 towards Lake Tahoe, you can't miss it. (Plus, they put up event signs)

ArtFire and Me

Just a quick update. I am now on ArtFire. I only have four (these necklaces are two of them) items posted so far but in the next couple of days I will add more. Please come check me out at artfire.com/users/julisjewels

August Fun for Everyone

August fun for everyone!

Here is a small sampling of what new fun I’ve been up to this past week. Copprclay pieces, all one of a kind, are just waiting to be turned into jewelry. All of the pairs have already been made into earrings (the skull and crossbones pair is so cute, I want to keep them for myself!). The long curved one will be a bracelet using chain to finish it off. All the rest will be necklace pendants (except the Owl and the Hippo, they were special for my family. Dee, forget you saw this.). They are “Embrace Imperfection”, “Live the Life You’ve Imagined”, “Hey Cupcake”, a rustic bird coin, the little love monster, and the sun.

Want to see how they turn out? Well, you can visit me at one of my two upcoming shows this August.

My current show schedule for August –

What: 13th Annual Placerville Craft Faire
When: Sunday, August 9th from 8 am to 3 pm
Where: Main Street, Placerville
Handmade only craft faire in the middle of Historic Placerville’s Downtown area.

What: Third Saturday Design Downtown
When: Saturday, August 15th from 4 pm to 9 pm
Where: K Street between 10th & 11th
Shopping and music and fashion...what could be better

Design Downtown

The Sacramento News and Review will be hosting Design Downtown this Saturday, July 18th from 3pm to 9pm (and hopefully ever third Saturday from now 'til at least October...).

To quote the News and Review "...over 40 local arts, crafts and fashion vendors will descend upon K Street, transforming downtown Sacramento into a bustling creative district. Discover some of the city's greatest DIY artists while supporting local businesses." There Our hope is that thousands of people of all ages will embark upon downtown to participate in this exciting event; street vendors, community art projects, trunk sales, a fashion bazaar, fashion shows, a beer garden and live entertainment on multiple stages will be just some of the sights and activities that people will take in.

Why, you might ask, am I telling you this? Because Juli's Jewels will be there (yup, that's me!). Stop by and say "Hi".

Second Saturday in Sacramento

In Sacramento (California, is there another one? I don’t know. Okay, I Googled it, there’s only the one…but, I digress), primarily in the Midtown area, but also in some of the other areas of town, Second Saturday is the thing to do. What is Second Saturday (besides being the second Saturday of any given month.) you ask? Well…according to the Second Saturday website, http://2nd-sat.com/ Every month, art galleries in the Sacramento area keep their doors open late and invite the public to participate in the Second Saturday Art Walk. Visitors can grab a bite to eat, walk from gallery to gallery viewing brand new art works, hear live music and explore the region's vibrant art districts. (This is mostly for the Midtown portion, but it sums it up nicely)

This Saturday, July 11th, is Second Saturday. Here is a list of Second Saturday events that I am interested in and will be figuring out how to cram them all into my Saturday evening.

“Pop America”
Saturday, July 11 from 6pm – 10pm
Side Show Studios – 5635 Freeport Blvd #6 (near Fruitridge)

Comic books, action figures, board games; these are the popular themes representative of pop counter culture and are distinctly Americana as apple pie. Pop Art takes iconic images from television, magazines, and all forms of advertising as a way to define us as a society. If Star Wars, Chia Pets, and Spam influenced your childhood and now your art, then this is the show for you! (btw, my collage, “Pink Plastic Flamingo”, will be on display.)

"Painting for Paws" - A Fundraiser for Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary
Saturday, July 11 from 6pm - 10pm
Pavilions Shopping Center, Fair Oaks Blvd., Near Howe Ave.
No admission fee!

Featuring artwork created by cats and dogs! Plus food, wine, and one-of-a-kind silent auction packages and artwork by local artists. Local artists include: Ann Raglands Bowns, Barbara Dow, Char Hall, Christian A. Cinder, David Ainsworth, Dyana Martin, Elizabeth Wocasek, Evie Turner, Genelle Dwyer, Ilsa Hess, Jane Buckingham Garofalo, Janet Aly, Jared Konopitski, Jill Allyn Stafford, Kelly Croisdale, Kenna Foster, Kim Brownell, Krissi Sandvik, Linda Nunes, Margot Comer, Melody Claussen-Furry, Nicolas Caesar, Stacey Lamothe, Susan Knopp, Temple Terkildsen, and more!

“Park Your Art” (July theme – Ice Cream Social)
Saturday, July 11 from 6pm - 11pm
McMartin Realty parking lot, 21st & K Streets

Artists and crafters selling in the parking lot and there will be live music, too. Say “Hi” to Sophia of Simply Strands.

The Sacramento Art Complex
2110 K St

The Sacramento Art Complex (a.k.a the "SAC" Building) is an artist community located in midtown Sacramento. Visit 20+ artist studios featuring painters, sculptors, photographers, and digital artists all within one building. There’s always something interesting to check out there, and say “Hi” to Susan Rabonvitz of Little Relics.

Juli's Jewels July Schedule

Here is my schedule for July. I know, something a little different this time.

Click on the image to enlarge.

It's finished!

My collage - Pink Plastic Flamingo - is finished! It has been accepted at Side Show Studios for their July exhibit, Pop America (which is celebrating American Pop Culture).

I am really happy with how this turned out. If you want to see it in person, go to Side Show Studios, located at 5635 Freeport Blvd #6 in Sacramento, from July 11th to August 3rd.

Also, it works really well for an ArtCHIX blog challenge, play with pink and blue. Check it out.

http://myartisticlife.typepad.com/my_artistic_life/2009/07/new-art-challenge-new-specials.html

The answer to a good question

1. Why do you craft?

If this is what you looked at for 9 hours a day, wouldn't you find something else to do, too?

What I did this weekend.

End of last week, I saw the theme for Side Show Studios July 2nd Saturday Gallery show, Pop America. Pop America, what could that mean? I didn’t get it. I read the complete note for the call to artists on their Facebook page. I get it now…pop culture stuff. Well, as we know, I just play with my art and don’t imagine I will be hanging in a gallery any time soon, but I like a good challenge. So what is my favorite pop culture icon? Hmm, Wonder Woman, Betty Crocker, who knows. I was feeling kind of lost for an idea, when my coworker, Barb, said “Don’t worry about it, you’ll go to bed and ‘Pink!” it will just come to you.” I said, “You just hit it on the nose!” She said’ “Huh?” I said, “Pink! You know; pinkies. Pink Plastic Flamingos! OMG, what could be better?!?” She said, “Oh no, I’ve created a monster.” I said, “Oh no, you just let her out of the box.” So, that conversation led to this.

I know it’s not done yet, but I don’t know what it needs to finish it (aside from some glitter, that is.).

My road block on my Pinky collage led to these.

Trying to get out of my rut...

Okay, so for reasons too many to name, I have been feeling a little bit cranky-pants lately, which has thrown me into a rut. I craft for stress relief (every wondered how I made so much jewelry, now you now!), well anyway, I have been in such a funk I wasn't crafting AT ALL (horrible what with the nice fixed up workspace and all). So, today I decided "FUNK OVER" (well at least that was my goal.
I recently picked up a copy of "Collage Discovery Workshop" by Claudine Hellmuth and have been perusing it for ideas for my little tiny collages. Well, what with the "FUNK OVER" idea, I decided to stretch my self creatively (really give my brain something else to concentrate on entirely, as it where.). I stopped of at Michaels (you know, the craft grocery store), on the way home and picked up the worlds smallest (okay well maybe not the smallest...) stretched canvas (4x5 inches) and some cheap brushes (I wanted to stretch myself, but not go into hock to do it.). I had plenty of artsy-craftsy supplies at home to complete the rest. So please take a minute to look at the following pictures to see how I spent the last couple of hours. These are all new techniques to me, but I think I did okay.

Fun with Metal Clay-How it Turned Out

Well...here's how it all turned out.

This is the copper after 40 minutes in the tumbler with stainless steel shot.

This is the star after I used my rotary tool and the "scotch-brite" polisher. Shiny but still kind of dark.

This is how the star turned out after I used the .00 grit polishing pad and then hit it with the buffer one more time. Much shinier.

All in all, I like the CopprClay and will definitely be playing with it more and seeing what else I can do with it.

Fun with Metal Clay-Finishing up the firing

Wow...so it took two hours to fire the clay in the kiln and another three for the whole thing to cool down enough to take the firing container out and remove the copper pieces.

I could hear the carbon pieces hopping around in the container, they were still so hot.

The kiln was a bit of a mess inside, as some of the carbon escaped from the container, which is probably why the copper pieces are a bit dark. The high heat and air would oxidize the metal...No problem though, a little polishing will do wonders (plus antiqued metal is all the rage these days!)

Some of the larger pieces were still a bit hot when I took them out of the firing container, so I quenched them in a bowl of room temperature water, to finish the cooling process.

It was pretty late by the end of all this, so i just cleaned up my work room and put the copper pieces aside until monday.

Where Do You Work-Final

Okay...so I'm a day late, but I was actually done on time. The joy of computers is that sometimes they don't work. Mine kept freezing up on me yesterday.

So, drum roll please...my completed work room/studio/retreat is finally done and I am very pleased.

This picture is the Kiln Area, where my kiln, dehydrator and tumbler live. I have craft fair storage below that I will make a cover to hide, but I can live with it for now.

This is my Sewing Area. I gave myself plenty of space on the side for when I am working on my big patchwork quilts. As you can see, I have two in progress, stacked on the drawer unit to the right, between the sewing table and the little book case.

This is my Jewelry/Mixed media collage Area. This bookcase on the left is all my mixed media collage and paper crafts stuff, plus all my crafty books on the bottom shelf. The bookcase on the right is most of my jewelry making stuff. The desk in the middle is my primary workspace. My jewelry making findings and a caddy with all of my tools live on it full time. I have an Ott Light on each side for optimum lighting for my work.

This is a picture of the whole room from the door. Buddy the super dog doesn't know what to do with all the floor space.

The contest winner is Krissi, for showing me her work area. Thanks for sharing. Please let me know how you'd like to receive your collage domino necklace (snail mail or I can drop it off at Scary Craft if you don't mind waiting. Your choice.)

Happy crafting!

Fun with metal clay

I love silver metal clay. There, I said it. I really do. BUT, and yes, its a big but...silver metal clay is expensive! A 10 gram packet of Art Clay Silver costs a little over $15 at metalclaysupply.com, which is were I have found it for the least amount of money. Yes, that works out to be about $1.50 per gram. So...A couple months ago, the great and powerful "They" (in this instance They being Metal Adventure) came out with a new product, BronzClay (clay that fires into bronze). Well, way less expensive at 17.09 for a 100 gram packet (less than $.20 per gram), but you need "Stuff" and bronze, not really my medium. The happy folks at Metal Adventures, no slackers there, were brewing up a new batch of fun, one that I couldn't pass up trying at least once, to see how I like it. Yup, that's right, my second favorite metal to work with...COPPER! The following is my first adventure with CopprClay. I made a couple of flat projects that can be used as pendants, if they turn out.

Supply list for my CopprClay adventure
Coppr Clay (100 gram packet) - I only pinched off about a fifth of the lump, as this was my first try

A plastic roller

Mat board (like from a picture frame)
Olive oil
My non-stick sheet (I think its Teflon, but I've had it so long, I forgot)
Assorted cookie cutters
Rubber stamps
Clay drill
Emory board
My food dehydrator
My kiln (we call her Lilly)
A stainless steel firing container
Coconut Carbon
A wire brush

Ready? Here we go…

I rubbed a little olive oil on my hands and the roller, cutters and rubber stamp (just a little, like, a couple of drops).

I unwrapped the clay and pinch off a bit and rolled it around in my palms until it formed soft little ball. I put the ball on my work surface and put the mat board next to the ball of clay and used the roller to start rolling out the clay. Relieved the CopprClay is stickier than SIlver metal clay and got out the olive oil again. Continued rolling and turning the clay until it was an even thickness with the mat board. Used the rubber stamp to texture the clay and then used a large butterfly cutter to cut out the bulk of the pendant. I rolled up the scraps and repeated the process for 2 more smaller butterflys, a star with a small star cut out to hang as a charm, and a flat rectangle frame to put something into later.

I out all the pieces into the dehydrator and then cleaned up some of my work area and got ready for sanding. This is really important as something that is not too big a deal in the greenware (ceramic) stage will be sharp or slicy after firing. Smoothed all the edges and felt around for and bumpy bits (these equal sharp metal spikes after firing). Drilled holes for jump rings etc. then checked for dryness. The pieces must be bone dry before firing or they could crack.

When I decided the pieces were dry enough, I put an inch of the coconut carbon in the firing vessel, laid down the clay pieces (at least a 1/2 inch away from each other) and the filled the vessel to the top with the coconut carbon.

Now for the fun part, firing! I had to figure out how to program Lilly as I have only used her for firing silver metal clay and she is preprogrammed for that. Once I got her figured out though...I put the firing vessel into the kiln (making sure not to touch the sides ot the magic thing in the back that takes care of the heat), closed the door and hit start. Now I am waiting...The hold time is 2 hours, then I have to wait for the kiln to cool before I can see what I've got.

I'll let you know as soon as I can but for now, lets have some dinner, or something.

Scary Craft's Night of the Creators

Last night I attended Scary Craft’s Night of the Creators. It was my first time. It happens the LAST Tuesday of the month (except November-January) at Side Show Studios on Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. (Side Show Studios is an interesting mix of Art Gallery and Tattoo shop. I like it.)

Anyway, back on track…Scary Craft. The group last night was Krissi, Yoli, Di, Char, Khai (?), Becca and me. From what I gather, there is often a tutorial or theme for the evening, but not last night. Last night was just working on whatever project you brought. It was a very laid back evening, a nice combination of yakking and crafting.

Krissi was working on little mermaid pendants and a kitty plaque (mmm, love the smell of burning wood). I’m not sure what Yoli was working on, but it looked like tags. Di was working on super sparkly mini hats. Char finished a painting of a smoking penguin for Di. Khai(?) was making curtains. Becca was mostly getting out of the house and hanging with people (I feel you sista’) but she worked on a picture in her notebook. I was doing some domino and bottle cap collages (mostly barely-dressed babes).

For those of you who know me, the hardest part of the evening was getting out of the car. Once I get warmed up, I can do okay. I made the decision to go when Facebook told me I might like. I ran home to throw together some stuff to work on (I never sat down, that would have doomed my resolve). The hubby handed me a hot dog, which I ate standing up. I hopped back in the car and got on the freeway drove straight to Side Show, pulled into the parking lot and sat. It took me about 10 minutes to convince myself to get out of the car and walk into Side Show. I did it though and had a really good time. Scary Craft = not too scary.

I will be going back next month, which is good as I promised I would do a wire-wrapping tutorial. Hope to see you next month.

Where Do You Work? - Update

Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words...I can sum it up in 3. What a mess! I got my pictures on here backwards, SO, the top one is the most current.

Don't forget to leave a comment on my original post for a chance to win a collage domino necklace

http://julisjewels.blogspot.com/2009/05/where-do-you-work.html

Happy Mothers Day/My Daughter's Birthday

Today, is the day after Mother's Day, I know. But today I received the nicest Mother's Day Gift ever. It wasn't actually given to me, but I got it anyway.

I had just finished up my "Where do you work" blog/contest post and was previewing it. I saw my daughters face in my followers section and gave her a click. She is starting her own blog and I almost cried (I did get a little misty) when I clicked on it and gave it a read. Today is her 20th birthday, stop by and wish her well. And no, I won't share the Margarita Chicken recipe either (you gotta keep some secrets).

http://mymommysdaughter.blogspot.com/