Cathie Carroll's Studio

Janel Dudley Bead Soup

2012-02-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

My Bead Soup partner Janel Dudley sent an extremely varied selection of beads and bits from her travels. A Shark's tooth she found on Florida's Gulf Coast, bits of coral, lampwork beads made with her own lovely hands, beautiful silver clasp and beads, cool little drilled fossil discs from Kentucky and a Mercury Dime are jut part of the bounty.

I love these little fossil discs and the Mercury Dime is as beautiful on the front as she is on the back. "Winged Liberty" dimes were minted for less than 30 years and are now extremely collectible. It's quite a treasure to share. This one has been cut out- the frame is the outer edge of the coin.

Janel's little Goddess is stunning. She made a little group of beads with the curvy figure of Everywoman as a focal. This collection of beads are very unlike my normal picks.

I already have an idea of what I want to do, but I'll have to see what they want.

Working It Out

2012-02-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

Metal; silver, copper, steel, brass.

Shaping beads from it, etching, wrapping, and enameling metal.

It's been a time to learn how to play. Setting up a space, working and reworking it for better efficiency. Deciding what it is I want to do, what's calling to me and what to do with what I create.

I don't have all the answers, really just more questions, but I'm getting there.

I'm getting somewhere.

2012-01-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

What a lot of fun the last few days have been!

Room 422 by Kerin Gale & Charley Slaughter

We had the lovely and talented artist and author Kerin Gale and her equally interesting artist husband Charley Slaughter for dinner last night. They've moved mere miles away and I couldn't be more excited! It's so much fun to have kindred spirits out here in the middle of nowhere. We ate and drank and laughed and stayed up way past my bedtime. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and seeing more of their work up close and in person.

Mermaid Theater by Kerin Gale & Charley Slaughter

Bead Soup is back and I've been chosen!
I've been partnered with Janel Dudley, a lampwork artist who creates beautiful beads with glass.

Lampwork Glass Bead Orphans by Janel Dudley

I just love the shapes in these gorgeous "orphans".
What a great start to the new year!

Makeover

2011-10-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Jeannie Dukic over at Jewelry By Jeannie, sent out some of her older pieces for makeovers. I'm a dope and took it apart before photographing!

ARRGGHHH.
I did take a picture of the pieces so you could see what I began with.

Purple seems to be my color lately.

Different sizes of purple glass beads were very simply wire wrapped in silver. Before I go any farther, Jeannie Dukic makes the most perfect loops on her wire wraps. Absolutely uniform and gorgeously round, she's a master.

Well, I went OTT.

Some Vintaj findings, a few flourishes that I made with my new torch firing set up, some pearls, antique coin chain, and a bit of Sari silk. I went off center and big. I think you can see the influence of Barbara Lewis' book cover Painting With Fire.

This was a lot of fun. Thank you Jeannie for the pieces to work with!

Please take a little time to go check out the other players.

Jeannie

http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog

Donna

http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog

Natasha

http://nswhims.blogspot.com/

Michelle
http://fireflyvisions.blogspot.com

Sandrahttp://ladychaos.blog.com/

Andreahttp://www.heavenlanecreations.wordpress.com

Normahttp://moonlitfantaseas.blogspot.com

Dagihttp://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com

Marcy
http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com

Camille

http://craft-a-mamie.blogspot.com.

Calaveras

2011-10-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

by My Little Man

Blog Action Day /World Food Day 2011

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Fruit Stand Bahia de Huatulco

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion around an important issue that impacts us all. This year Blog Action Day coincides with World Food Day which made the choice of topic easy.

Food glorious food!

We're so lucky to live in a place and time that allows such a range and abundance of food choices and yet I've spent a good portion of my life limiting myself. I've never liked meat. The flavor, the texture, the smell are simply not for me. When I finally made known my intention to never eat meat again, my mother researched vegetarian diets so that I wouldn't starve and my father and I stopped arguing about the steak I always tried to hide in my mashed potatoes,

As I got older, I found that my choice was seen by a lot of people as a judgment of their habits. I educated myself as a way of fending off attacks. As if not liking meat wasn't enough of a reason. I became quite defensive about living meat free and a bit self righteous. I would tease my family, "My stomach is not a graveyard. " I was vegan for a while but boy does that get old fast. My limited choices became a straight jacket.

I slowly brought cheese back to my diet and now eat organic Greek yogurt. I'm thinking about finding local free range eggs. I've mellowed. I'm able to answer with humor the comments of others and engage in easy conversation about my choice. I even married a Carnivore. Tommy eats meat but rationally; a few times a week and not with every meal as we were raised. I eat organic and local because it's the right choice for my health, for the farmer who grows my food with no pesticide, and for the environment I'm leaving my grandson. My food choices have an impact far beyond me.

Today on World Food Day, I'll eat some organic tofu or a fresh pear from my sister-in law's tree and feel just a little of the old self righteous Cathie. Of course Tommy will say "Meat is murder sure, but how do you think those carrots feel?"

: I'm writing this on my iPhone as we travel Northern California. Please excuse broken links, format snafus, and spelling errors.
:: I've fixed the format to make it easier to read. It's good to be home.

Sari Blog Hop

2011-10-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Bird No. 13

I love to work with Sari Silk and Bird No. 13 is one of my favorite pieces. Sari Silk from Majorca, golden tulle and lovely blue Iolites are strung on delicate antique coin chain. If you look closely, you'll see tiny brass weights swinging along with Iolites drops.

A bird's nest with three Iolite eggs hangs from an eyelet and gives some weight to the pendant. I printed the bird on muslin and sewed it to a base of scrap from a local screen window manufacturer. The screen cloth keeps the fabric crisp and helps it hold it's shape.

You can see the two beautiful silks more clearly when you turn the piece over. I've added one little antique sterling-set Swarovski montee. I believe the back of any piece should be as special as the front.

As a finish, I've added a jaunty bow of Sari Silk to the chain.

Please, hop along to B'Sues's blog and see what delightful jewelry others have made with Sari Silk!

2011-10-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Torch Firing Station

A full 9 days of cluster migraines left me drained beyond belief. I'm slowly coming back to life thanks to my puppy girl and the wonderful Tommy. While I've been doped up and dragging through it they've been working on a space for me in the shop.

There's so much more to bring over and organize, but it's a wonderful start.

In honor of Barbara Lewis' Virtual Book Tour, I inaugurated my new space with some torch firing. I started with little copper wire curlicues and went to town. Coiled and colorful, they turned out just the way I envisioned them! How often does that happen?

My beads were just ok. The good news is I'm able to go back to Barbara's book to see what I was doing wrong. I do love this process. It's instant gratification and who doesn't need that now and then?

As soon as I get myself organized, I'm going to get down to some real work.

Must get organized!!

2011-09-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Encaustic, Ink and Acrylic

One of my favorite bloggers is Seth Godin, author of We Are All Weird, The Dip. Seth writes about the nature of business and life and asks that we question what it is we contribute and receive in return. His daily emails are pithy, to the point, and apply to anyone who works with other people. Which would be most of us.

A few days ago he wrote this-
When a project launches or an assignment wraps up, it's tempting to avoid the post-mortem meeting. Tempting because it feels like a downer, a place to identify mistakes, bury errors and mourn the passing of a project.

Without reflection, how do I move forward?
I've seen this view and I like it, but maybe there's a better one up ahead and a post mortem can give me the panorama view to see the new path.

I've spent the last week telling a puppy, "NO", visiting Bead Soup Party blogs, painting furniture, cleaning and re-arranging the shop and moving too fast to spend any time in thought.

The Bead Soup Party is waiting for a post mortem.

Patina

2011-09-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

I've been hauling this free standing Art Deco closet around for about 20 years. It was orignally painted grey with a soft green highlighting the Deco bits. After getting married the closet gave me the first hint that Tommy was the handy guy he is. He painted it a deep bright blue and then built in shelving for wine bottles.

When we moved to Mapleton Oregon, I painted it a sagey green with falling Maple leaves in oranges and golds. The last incarnation was the sage color but with gold and cream highlights.

We don't really drink that much anymore so we decided to outfit it for dish storage and paint it red. I picked up two cans of Colonial Red spray paint and went to work.

That's when I remembered the gold highlights were partly tissue paper. It was a mess. So I pulled out the industrial sander and started to remove the red paint. At one point I stepped back to get a look and try to figure out how long this mess was going to take to fix and I realized, I LOVED what was happening. Tommy agreed and he started strategically sanding along with me.

Sitting in my kitchen admiring our work I thought of all of the changes I/we've been through. Marriage as a form of sanding or polishing bringing out all of the colors of who we are. The gray and green of my single life, followed by the bright blue of our newlywed years, highlighted with gold and mellowed with the red overlaying all. The colors making each other glow, working together to show the best of each other.

I'm really pleased with where we are and what I see ahead.
I'm looking forward to the next color.

Bead Soup Is On- Two Flavors!

2011-09-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Please, read all about the Bead Soup Blog Party and take some time to visit the world of artisans who've participated. Of course, a huge thank you to the glorious Lori Anderson for throwing this exciting bash! Lori has battled monstrous migraines, family health crises, seriously wet weather, and changing forum venues mid-stream on top of the usual daily trials. And just look at her- fresh as a daisy! Impervious to these petty annoyances.

Thank you Lori!

On to the Soup! I was blessed with two talented and thoughtful Bead Soup partners. The incredible Barbara Lewis of Torch Fired Enamel fame and the lovely Cherrie Fick of En La Lumie're.

My first partner, Barbara Lewis sent very special pieces of her torch-fired enamel. The clasp alone is a jaw dropper but she added one of her "Torch-ured" Hearts. The curve ball was all of the colors. Large and small beads in soft pinks, a pink focal with a flower decal in peach and green, and a clasp in pink, purple, and green.

My silk stash held a Sari remnant of peachy orange woven into purple. I made wire beads a la Barbara Lewis and added antique pink glass beads and wire and findings from Vintaj. Ingredients assembled, I let the asymmetry take over. I wanted the pinks be a soft counterpoint to the deep, bright colors.

And then, I tortured myself. I made and remade the "Torch-ured" Heart piece over and over. I was so mistrustful of my 1st attempt. I felt like the bride who couldn't believe the 1st dress she tried on was perfect. Maybe it was perfect because she tried on the best one first. ~sigh~ The only thing I was sure of was leaving the clasp front and center. It's much too pretty to hide in back.

Good thing there was a deadline or I'd still be assembling and re-assembling..

The large beads felt like a bracelet and thankfully this piece seemed to make itself. I made bead caps from copper, used a head pin from Susan Lenart Kazmer that had just the right color of bright green, and tiny chains. More asymmetry.

At the last minute, I was gifted with beads from Cherrie Fick of En La Lumie're. Her original package seemed lost forever in the postal system. I personally have great respect for the USPS- I lived in Mexico and saw the alternative. ANYHOO, long story short Cherrie and I have two Bead Soups!

Her beautiful package was so different from the 1st. Pink and golds, soft and dreamy, and very feminine. A bit like Miss Cherrie. The ceramic rose is just delightful. I love butterflies- their symbolism of deep transformation is profound. The ephemera butterfly from More Skye Jewels is sweet as can be.

I dug through my beads and found silver chain, as well as pewter beads and connectors that I've been holding onto for ages. Obviously this challenge was the reason I'd kept them. After struggling with myself over my 1st soup recipe, I was surprised at how easily these necklaces came together. I really love these two but never would have bought the ingredients myself.

My take away from this exercise:

Be still and let the pieces work themselves out.

Trust my 1st answer.

Buy/make beads and choose colors outside my little box.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you've enjoyed this amuse-bouche of Bead Soup. Be sure to check out the other craftsman who've participated- Bead Soup Blog Party

2011-09-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Completely Gratuitous Puppy Photo

My little girl's growing up!

15 weeks and 45 pounds.

Lulu will never be able to sneak up on anyone. She sounds like a small horse and she loves her little tennis ball with a squeaky inside. She prances around the house squeezing it with her jaws, over and over to make sure we know she's there. As if we could forget.

On a totally different note, I'm getting really excited for this weekend's Bead Soup Blog Party reveal. I have 4 pieces made with ingredients from 2 very different partners. There's a map at Lori Anderson's blog that marks the location of each artist taking part.

5 continents, 21 countries, 362 people total.

Amazing!

Torch Fired Enamel

2011-09-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

I received my Torch Fired Enamel Kit today!
My copy of the book is absolutely dog-eared.

I won't have to settle for buying beads anymore, I can make them myself!

Alas, this will have to wait until the weekend as I'm finishing up my Bead Soup projects. The weatherfolks are calling for rain on Saturday, so now I have an excuse to stay inside and play.

A Sweet Week

2011-09-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Pretty in Pink

From my adorably goofy puppy Lulu to my 2nd Bead Soup partner, Cherrie Fick of En La Lumie're, I've spent the week surrounded by sweetness.

Cherrie is a published Jewelry Designer married to Photographer and Digital Artist Michael Fick of Water Souls Studios. They're both incredibly talented and show an amazing attention to detail. Cherrie sent the package above.

Inside, sweet pinks and soft golds, butterflies, pearls and a beautiful ceramic rose all wrapped in hand dyed muslin. Really lovely and not my usual color palette or style.

WOW.

I need to get to work.

My new Sweetheart

2011-09-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

We've been busy the last few days with our newest family member- 14 week old Miss Lulu.

Look at the paws on her! She's going to be a big girl like her mama. I told the breeder I wanted a sweetheart and he introduced us to this little girl. She's not just a beauty, she's also incredibly smart. Housebroken after 2 days, and I'm so relieved. Now I need to talk her out of chewing everything in the house but her toys.

I'm completely smitten.

In Giveaway news, I promised another gift more in my usual style The earrings shown above are made of Golden pearls and Lemon Quartz discs dangling from an antique connector.

I used a True Random Generator and the lucky reader is No. 5 -Corrine Gilman of Sparkle Days Studio. Corrine, please send me an email with your address and I'll send you the Ruby Dangles and the Golden Pearl & Lemon Quartz Dangles.

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max:

Result:

5Powered by RANDOM.OR

Giveaway

2011-08-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

My style is not for everyone so it's good for me to stretch now and then. Today is the birthday of a friend who likes clean, simple, modern lines. I went outside my comfort zone and made these effortless dangles with Blue Jean Iolites as a birthday present for her.

Surprise!

The Rubies are a present for one of my readers. I've hit 20 followers and I'm going to celebrate with a giveaway. The chosen reader will also receive a piece that's more my usual style. Please, leave a comment to this post between now and Sunday night. I'll use a random number generator to choose one lucky follower .

Thank you so much for your support.

2011-08-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

Sweet Violet

One of my Batiks, sewn to recycled sari silk and protected by pieces of mica. The chain is a mix of my favorites- pearls and silk , with ceramic beads and clasp from Earthenwood Studios.

Rejection is not the end of the road

2011-08-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Rejection doesn't always mean no. It may simply mean, not this way.

A while back I sent a bracelet to a magazine and heard nothing for months. Long after I'd forgotten the piece and the submission and had moved to new forms and styles, I received the bracelet back with a rejection letter.

Because I had moved on, the path had moved with me and the no was to my former style. Some part of me had already understood that, and so I wasn't crushed.

I need to remember this when I'm invested in a path and I'm told no.

Maybe I just need to change direction.

Bead Table Wednesday

2011-08-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bead Table Wednesday

I've been wanting to add my 2 beads to this party for a while and finally had a clean enough bead table and charged batteries for my camera at the same time!

Bracelet close up

I love this little letter, sealed and ready to wing it's way to someone special. The clasp is lovely too- sterling silver with hand carved turquoise. I'm almost finished with this bracelet.

I haven't decided if the houses are a necklace or a charm bracelet. Lately I'm really crazy about the soft finishes of ceramics. Tommy needs to get out his fixins's and get to work on some beads for me!

Perfection

2011-08-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

And as I was green and easy

Years ago, Tommy and I bought a home that had been empty for five years. There was a mature but overgrown Japanese garden and I knew nothing about Japanese gardens. Of course I wanted to make it perfect. I read every book I could find and spent hours at the Portland Japanese Garden. One of the books I read told the following story.

A Master Gardener was expecting guests. Before their arrival, he pruned his trees and cleaned his garden to perfection. Finished, he looked around and gently shook the branches of the nearest tree so that leaves fell to the ground. He told his astonished apprentice that nothing in life is perfect.

For the longest time, I would purposefully add a bit of imperfection to my work. Now I understand that anything made by hand is perfectly, imperfect. When I start to worry that something is less than perfect, like my Bead Soup choices, I think of that story and mentally shake the nearest tree.

Handmade ceramic focal "Grampa's Farm" from Jubilee, rings and clasp from Washington artist Lois Venarchick of Wynwood Beads. I added pearls, a piece of jade, chunks of chalcedony, and red glass beads that belonged to a Civil War Army nurse. The Buffalo nickel button was a last minute addition.

An Americana Bead Soup for Barbara Lewis.

Bead Soup is simmering

2011-08-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous enamel beads in a soft pinky violet. I received this lovely set of beads from my Bead Soup partner Barbara Lewis. I love the gentle colors and the amazing artistry in her work.

I hope I can do them justice.

Sacred Connections

2011-08-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

Desert Willow Necklace by Sharon Palac

Perhaps today you can observe your mind to see if you are judging someone or something, since judgment is often a sign that you see yourself as separate from others. As you watch these thoughts, you might remind yourself that everything in this world is part of the same pure and beautiful universal spirit.

from The Daily OM

A little reminder for me and a beautiful piece of jewelry to look at.

2011-08-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Packaged with Love

Bead Soup ingredients are winging their way to the talented and amazing Barbara Lewis.

I love surprises!

2011-08-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Violet Pearl Cuff

I've sewn one of my Batiks to silk chiffon and recycled sari silks of blues and a deep pinky violet. Violet freshwater pearls of varying sizes dot the exterior.

~~Soon to be seen~~ on Etsy!

2011-08-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Fern Hill, by Dylan Thomas

The 1st hint in my Bead Soup Blog Swap.

This is so much fun!

It's also really hard.

I overwhelmed myself with choices and obsessed over needing it to be perfect.

I finally decided that the amazingly creative Barbara Lewis will take my little offering and turn it into perfection. Have you seen her work?