And the Winner is.....

I am so delighted to announce that the winner of the free issue of Jewelry Affaire magazine is....

Gwen Simmons!

I have emailed Gwen to let her know her weekend is off to a great start.

Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments.

It is a great issue.

I hope you get a chance to look at it.

It is available at most craft stores or on newsstands. 

You can also get it directly from Stampington.

Thanks for stopping by...

Jewelry Affaire Featured Artist and a Giveaway

The Spring 2016 issue of Jewelry Affaire is now on news stands.

It is a really great issue.

And it is extremely special to me.

Did you notice why?

Yup, that is my name on the cover.

How can that be....?

The featured artist.

Wow.

A once-in-a-lifetime moment.

And you better believe I am savoring it...

I bet you can guess my favorite jewelry medium.

If you said polymer clay, you are right...

This is special for the obvious reasons, but this issue means so much to me for more reasons...

I think all artists know little pieces of ourselves and our stories are woven into the pieces we make.

This collection has a lot of my story woven in because of the things in my life that were happening while I created it.

When I asked my daughter if there was anything from this collection that she would like to have, she said the multi-strand bracelets...

She has great taste...

What can I say?

She must get it from her Dad...

One of the reasons I so love this issue is because my daughter also has 2 of her pieces in it as well.

Maybe she has just a little of me in there too....

And to top it off, my dear friend Melinda Barnett has her beautiful work featured on the cover!!!

Of course this issue is filled with over 120 beautiful pieces to inspire you.

One of my very favorites is this amazing bracelet from Peggy Sowers Heckman.

How gorgeous is that?

I am thrilled to give an issue of this magazine away.

To have the chance to win your very own copy of this issue, leave a comment and your email in the the comments for the blog, or on the giveaway also over on our Facebook page Artistic Endeavors 101.

I will be choosing one winner Saturday April 23rd.

If you win, Stampington and Company will send the issue right to you.

Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by....

Whoops! I am late...

Sorry folks.

I have had a couple curve balls thrown in my direction lately.

I was thinking today was announcing day for the Jewelry Affaire Giveaway...

Nope.

Yesterday was supposed to be it.

Sorry.

Without further ado....

Drum roll please....

The winner is Linda Nelson!

Yay! 

 I am so glad.

Linda is one special lady.

You can check out her blog, The Createaerie.

She is kind, generous and oh so talented!

Congrats Linda!

You deserve it!

Thanks for stopping by....

Jewelry Affaire magazine Giveaway

Do you ever look at back at your journey and pinpoint moments that changed your path?

I do.

As an artist, I have always created but through the years, the materials, mediums and styles have changed.

Jewelry making is relatively new to me.

I have been doing it for about 8 years or so.

It started with a necklace I bought and dissected for weeks.

And then, into the journey, I discovered Jewelry Affaire magazine.

It was a game changer.

I am very visually stimulated.  

Their pieces and attention to detail caught my imagination and set it on fire.

I can change my whole way of thinking with one new little detail: a knot, bead, clasp, headpin, focal...

My head swam for weeks and then my hands started to create.

Looking back I have to laugh.

Anyone that knows me knows how much I make now and in how many styles....

So I am always amazed and thrilled when I see an issue that actually features some of my work...

But more of that later.

Today I want to give you a chance to win your own copy of the newest issue.

But first I want to show you a few pieces that have grabbed my attention and imagination in this issue.

Sarah Donawerth captured my admiration and the cover with her whimsical bangles.

And I learned something about fairy tales...

Fiber is one of my favorite things to incorporate into a piece to soften it and Mayumi Schuster does it beautifully in her pieces.

The featured artist in this issue is Connie Poirier Trikoulis.

With good reason, too.

Her work is lovely and inspiring...

Ahhh...Melinda Barnett...

Her work is always a breath of fresh air.

I am so fortunate to call her my friend...

I especially love her inspiration story for this piece...

I am totally obsessed by little bottles and vials so this one by Kris Auderer definitely caught my attention...

In every issue, there is a piece that makes me say, "now THAT is genious!"

In this issue, it was these feather earrings by Emily Deister.

She totally reinvented feather earrings.

Love them!

Here is another favorite from Melinda Barnett.

I love the focal and the chain...

And now I can finally get to those pieces I made...

It never fails to amaze me when I see something that sprang to life in my hands on the pages of a magazine...

This turquoise bracelet is a keeper...

My faux bone earrings are made from Sculpey polymer clay.

I love them.

That finish is one of my very favorites to date.

These beads are from Sculpey as well with the shimmery finish created with DecoArt paints.

The beads remind me of the years my husband tilled the whole length of our lot in the back to plant a row of sunflowers...

Boy, was it hot.

And the skunks ate more than half the seeds...

Little buggers.

But the ones that grew brought me such joy.

Did you see anything that made your mind catch gear?

This is only a very small sampling of what is in the issue.

  You can pick it up at newsstands, or from Stampington.

Or, if you live in the continental US, you could possibly win it.

Just leave a comment below telling your favorite material to use for making jewelry and you will be entered for a chance to win....

I always seem to go with one week for the giveaway but this time we will try two weeks...  

I will choose a winner on November 17th and post it on the 18th here on the blog.

I always love hearing what inspires you...

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...

Time to Announce the Winner...

There are lots of things about having a blog that I love.

Today I am going to do one of them...

I told you last week I was tickled to be working with Stampington to give away a free issue of Jewelry Affaire magazine.

All you had to do was leave a comment here on the blog or on Facebook.  

The comments are in.

The time has come.

The number is chosen.....

Maggie Van Zandt, you are the lucky winner!

 I will be getting in touch with you to get your address so Stampington can send you your free issue.

Now isn't that a great start to the weekend?

Thanks to everyone who left a lovely comment.

I loved reading them all.

Thanks for stopping by....

From The Fairy Forest

When I did my Woodland Wonder Series, I made several pieces that did not make it into Jewelry Affaire magazine. 

I thought I would share them here with you.

I like this necklace.

This little polymer wood nymph  incorporates moss twigs and feathers in the design...

 A twiggy, mossy heart...

I love how this necklace has the whimsical bead wrapped stick as part of the design...

Another of those little Charlottes.

I make my own from polymer clay.

And a little polymer clock...

This one is very layered...

I can see a very delicate wood nymph wearing this with white and green flowing clothes...

Pearls, chains, trinkets and moss...

I am drawn to pieces that tell stories and have multiple layers to examine.

What story does it tell you?

Thanks for stopping by...

                   Linking up with these great blogs.

Jewelry Affaire Magazine Summer 2015 and a Giveaway

Have you seen the Summer 2015 issue of Jewelry Affaire?

Like always, it is fabulous....

I want to take you on a quick walk down memory lane.

Summer 2011.

I was at Barnes and Noble looking at magazines.

I found 2 titles I could not put down: Jewelry Affaire and Belle Armoire Jewelry.

I had never seen anything like them.

But $14.99 a piece....

I kept looking through them.

So many beautiful pieces.

And I realized....what a great value they were.

The quality of the paper and the photography was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

There were SO MANY pieces in each magazine....over 50 or 60 at least.

I would pay $20-25 for a book that was only 20-30 pieces.

Once I looked at it like that, it was a no-brainer.

Those first issues came home with me and I have not looked back since.

The current issue is the same.

120+ Pieces to inspire...

Jewelry Affaire has lots of inspiration pieces...

This typewriter key necklace set from Melinda Barnett is different than many out there...

Here is another piece by her in this issue.

This time with a full set of directions on how to make this elegant bracelet.

I love her style.

There is another sweet necklace tutorial by Melinda Barnett in the Artistic Affaire section.

These wire rings are on my to do list.

They are made by Donna Miyasako-Blanco.

Who would guess some wire and a few beads could become something so lovely?

Hey, this set looks familiar...

I made it!

Seriously...

page 49.

There is also a technique article in the Natural Revelry section I did.

This series incorporates natural elements like moss and twigs and tree bark for whimsical pieces that make me think of fairies and fanciful forest creatures.

When I was making them, my husband said it looked like I was wrapping a mouse with a Lasso of Truth to a piece of bark from where he was sitting.

I am no Wonder Woman so this made me chuckle.

I love this series so I am so honored that Stampington chose to publish it.

I love that there is a mix of techniques and styles in each issue.

For a starting jewelry maker, each issue will make your head swim...in a good way.

Amanda Lee Slaughter shows you a twist on spoon jewelry...

Cindy Wimmer's necklace is outstanding as all of her designs are...

 I saw these birdhouse necklaces on the preview for the issue at Stampington.

Shelleen Weeks has an amazing mind...

Learning how to make these sweet necklaces out of silverware handles was reason enough for me to buy the issue.

Aren't they amazing?

One of my favorite materials to work with is leather.

The Summer 2015 issue has 2 articles that feature unique leather pieces that I love.

Colleen Jensen made these amazing leather cuffs.

I definitely want to try something like this...

And Lisa Hancock created these necklaces from bits of an old leather jacket.

Love them!

This issue is packed with over 120 ideas and inspiration pieces.

You should be able to find it at your favorite book store or craft store.

You can also order a copy directly from Stampington here....

Or you can leave a comment for a chance for your own free issue from Stampington...sent right to you.

Leave a comment below with a piece that left you breathless from this post and you will be entered for a chance to win a copy of this issue.

I will choose a winner from the comments with an impartial number generator next Thursday and announce the winner Friday.

Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs.