Virtual Craft Show Day 6 is live-Check out my Feature, too

Well, Day 6 of the Virtual Craft Show is here.  It runs for 7 days with 70 VERY talented artists being featured (10 each day).  There's giveaways, sales, discounts and lots of fun.  Check out Pretty Things blog for all the fun and be sure to leave comments there to be entered.  I was featured for 3 days starting yesterday.  Here's the link to my giveaway in the Craft Show.  Be sure to check it out.

On a side note, the Mosaic Birdhouse Birdfeeder featured in Dec./Jan. issue of Birds and Blooms magazine sold!I'm trying to get more made to list in my shop, KayzKreationz, so keep checking back here on my blog or in my shop.  I do have one last Texas Mosaic Birdfeeder listed right now, plus some other great Stained Glass, Mosaic and Fused Glass Kreationz and of course, my Beaded, Wire-wrapped Jewelry for yourself or as a gift.

Making Metal Clay Jewelry-Review

I've been thinking of delving into the world of Metal Clay.  However, I don't really want to have to have a kiln to fire it.  So I started looking at Art Metal Clay.  Then I received the book The Absolute Beginners Guide: Making Metal Clay Jewlry by Cindy Pankopf and published by Kalmbach Books.  It is a wonderful book.  Cindy sets everything out very clearly, especially for someone who doesn't know anything about the Metal Clays.  Right from the beginning she gives you places you might find instructors or classes to learn from in your area.  Then she outlines what Silver clay is and what to expect from it as you work with it.  She also sets out a little warning to not skip ahead so you won't get frustrated with your efforts and waste time and money. Then she delves right in to the different types of clay and varieties of clay.  For instance, there's lump clay, paste clay, syringe clay and paper clay.  There's also ACS clay, ACS Slow Dry, ACS 650, even Copper clay (which is why I got interested in the first place, since I love copper, but would like to be able to do more with it than just cut pieces of copper sheet.)  She also mentions in the Basics that she designed all the projects in the book so as to be fired with a simple to use, inexpensive, handheld butane torch, which is great for beginners.  That way you can get used to the firing process without putting out a lot of money/investment in the beginning, until you know if this is really for you.  She also lists other materials you can use with your clay, like gemstones, wire and more.  Then she delves right in outlining tools and supplies you'll need. Cindy tries to keep start-up costs minimal by suggesting tools and substitutes that are inexpensive and easy to come by.  For instance, Freezer paper can be used for a nonstick work surface instead of Teflon-coated sheets.  And playing cards can be used to measure your gauge/thickness instead of buying graduated slat sets.  Olive oil can even be used as an oil to keep surfaces and your hands from sticking to the clay.  She talks about the tools you'll need for working with dry clay, firing, finishing and adding patina's.  There's even a section on specialty tools you might want/need.  Next is the Techniques section where she talks about an easy way to figure out gram size for scrap clay you will have, storing your clay between sessions and recovering your scrap clay.  There's tips about how to know if your firing too long and what to look for while you're firing.  And then ways to get different finishes on your fired clay.  And there's this handy shopping list you can print out for the projects in Part 2. 

Are you ready to go?  The projects start with the easiest and also grouped by the techniques you'll learn.  I really liked that.  At the top of the page it show you what technique you'll be learning with this project. For instance, with the first project: Stamped Charms, you'll learn Roll, Texture and Create a Satin Finish.  Plus, a chart tells you how big the charm will be and what you'll need for this project.  There's also extra tips with each project about how to do something easier or get rid of unwanted texture from your Teflex sheet.  The projects graduate to harder and harder projects, learning new techniques with each one, right up to working with Paper (sheet) clay and how to assembly dry clay with an overlay.  The final project is one with Copper clay, since it requires a few more tools and techniques.  There is only one that can be Torch Fired, so be careful if you want to work with Copper and make sure you get the right clay.  At the end is 'Beyond the Basics' with tips on Making connections, reconditioning/reclaiming clay, how to fix mistakes and how to repair broken pieces.  All in all this is a great book for the beginner.  It outlines everything you need to know and what you need to begin working with Metal Clay.  I think even ones that have worked with it for a while would enjoy it and perhaps learn something from it, even if it's just something they'd forgotten or hadn't thought about.  I highly recommend this book if you've been thinking about starting to work with Metal Clay.  Even if there's a class or instructor in your area, this is a great book to have on your bookshelf to refer to afterwards for more tips or reminders of what you learned.

Keep a watch on my Etsy shop, KayzKreationz for new Glass Kreationz and Jewelry that will be featuring pieces made with Metal Clay.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Kalmbach Publishing to read and do my review.

First Annual Craft Show

I'm so excited. I'm going to be participating in the First Annual Craft Show held by Lori at Pretty Things blog.  It's going to be going on Nov. 26-Dec. 3rd.  There will be 70 artists participating.  We'll have specials on our handcrafted items.  And there will be giveaways.  Stay tuned to find out more and see what I'll be giving away.  Meanwhile, check out my shop, KayzKreationz on Etsy to see if there's anything you want either now or during the Craft Show.  I'll be filling it up with more great Stained Glass, Mosaics and Fused Glass items, plus Jewelry before the show.  And coming in December, one of my Mosaice Birdfeeders will be featured in the December/January issue of a National Magazine.  Stay tuned to find out which one and get one of my OOAK handcrafted Mosaic birdfeeders for yourself and your garden or for a bird-loving friend.  Here's one for you to check out.

Check it out here:  Mosaic Birdhouse Birdfeeder

Design Challenge Necklace

I'm participating in a Desing Challenge put on by Jewelry By Solange.  She sent us 2 Snakeskin Jasper beads and we could design anything with them we wanted.  We just HAD to use the 2 beads.  It had to be done by Friday August 19th, named and pictures sent to her.  She has now put it up on her blog for people to vote.  There will be 2 winners.  The People's Choice winner gets a wonderful necklace designed by her and the 2nd winner gets a gift certificate to her shop.  There's some wonderful designs in the challenge.  They cover all spectrums of things, from Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, to an adorable keychain.
My entry is entitled "Waltz Across Texas".  I took the 2 beads and made a focal/pendant out of them with brass tubing that had been hammered and copper chain to make them like a Bolo tie that cowboys here in Texas wear.  Then I hammered, coiled, curled, etc. copper wire into links with beads attached to make one side of the necklace, and attached fiber to the other side of the necklace with 2 hammered brass discs.  The clasp is a Hammered Copper Wire "S" hook.  I named it Waltz Across Texas, because it has the "Bolo" Tie pendant, plus the fiber was to signify, the shawls/boas that women sometimes wear out dancing here in Texas.  Of course, since I live in Texas, it had to be named "Waltz Across Texas"  If you'd like to help me, you can click on the title of this post, or the title of the blog it's featured on, Jewlery By Solange and go comment/vote.  Mine is the 4th design down.  To vote, you have to leave a comment with my name and the name of my piece.  (I.E.-Kay-Waltz Across Texas)  You CANNONT leave anonymous comments/votes.  Here's a picture of my piece for you to see ahead of time.  Please go vote, whether for me or another design.  It helps all Handmade Artists feel special when we know someone loves our work.  Thanks.
By the way, this piece sold before I even got it listed in my shop, KayzKreationz.  I was showing it to my Mom and sister in a restaurant for lunch the other day and the waitress saw it and bought it and ordered earrings to match. But I can design more if you like this.  You have until Aug. 28th to vote.

SoftFlexGirl: First Friday Giveaway - Chain + Hole Punch Pliers

Check out this great giveaway. I love their items. And they have wonderful free projects on their site, too. SoftFlexGirl: First Friday Giveaway - Chain + Hole Punch Pliers: "PLR-133.60 1.25MM METAL PUNCH PLIERS RETAIL = $15.95 CH-GLDOD3 34 IN OVAL AND DROP TEXTURED GOLD PLATED COPPER CHAIN RETAIL = $24.90 CH-..."
And if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden, check out my shop, KayzKreationz on Etsy.  I'm sure you'll find something you can't live without.

My Garden Twirlers-Being Redesigned

I love these little Garden Twirlers. They are my own creation. They just dangle, twirl and dance in the wind.  I love things for the garden and in playing around with my glass, wanted to make something besides windchimes for my garden. Viola!  The problem is, they don't really show well in pictures online.  In person, they draw quite a crowd and sales at shows.  But in pictures they hang too long and just don't show up well.  So, I've decided to redesign them for my online shops, KayzKreationz at Etsy, and KayzKreationz at Artfire.  The first one to be redone will be this Beige and Purple Garden Twirler that is featured on Artfire.  It's beige and purple diamond shaped glass pieces hung from a piece of driftwood found on our small Texas Wildlife Ranch.  So if you've hearted this Garden Twirler on Artfire and want it the way it is, you'll have to make up your mind pretty quick.  I'll be redesigning it in the next day or so and it will be no more.  Also, unfortunately the price will have to go up, since I'll be adding some extra things to it.  I'm hoping to get better pricing on it, though.  This Purple Garden Twirler on Etsy will be next.  Again, if you've hearted it or been watching it, make your move now before it's redone.  I'm hoping the new design will sell better online.  I'll be posting when I get them redesigned with the new pics and the new listings.  Meanwhile, if you're dying for some Glass Kreationz for you Home or Garden be sure to check out both my shops.  KayzKreationz on Etsy and KayzKreationz on Artfire.  Enjoy.

♥**A Little of This and That**♥: Huge Vintage Giveaway ~ May 2011

I love her clay molds. Check out her giveaway.♥**A Little of This and That**♥: Huge Vintage Giveaway ~ May 2011: "~♥~ Vintage Giveaway May 2011 ~♥~ Vintage Pink Rhinestone Ring, Antique blue glass bottle, Vintage & Antique inspired findings and me..."

And if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your home or garden, check out my shop, KayzKreationz.  Thanks

Great Giveaway from Lampwork Diva-Glass Pearls

I love this blog.  She's got great posts and gorgeous lampwork beads.  And right now she's doing a giveaway of some glass pearls she got from Auntie's Beads.  You don't have to do much to be entered.  Just subscribe to her YouTube channel and blog about it.  So be sure to check it out.  It's Lampwork Diva.
And if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden, be sure to check out my shops, Etsy-KayzKreationz or Artfire-KayzKreationz.  My Glass Kreationz also make great gifts.

Another Giveaway-Earrings by Frasapeas

Love earrings?  I do.  Seems like I never have enough earrings.  That's why this giveaway is SO Great!  It's not for just one pair, but 2 pairs of earrings by Frasapease!  She's giving away her "Margaret" earrings AND Gold Filled Smoky Quartz Tear Drop earrings!  These are so adorable.  So check out the giveaway and see if you're a winner.  It's at MintGreenWithEnvy.

Plus if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your Home, Garden or as gifts for friends and family, check out my Glass shop, KayzKreationz.  I know you'll find something you just can't live without, like this cute Mosaic Birdhouse Birdfeeder.

Will that Be Paper, Plastic, Canvas...Treasury

I love Etsy Treasuries! I was convoed last night that my Blue Fused Glass Striped Plate was in an Etsy Treasury, Will that Be Paper, Plastic, Canvas, etc. There's some great things in that treasury.  Why not check it out and maybe you'll find something you just can't live without.  Or you may find a great gift for yourself or someone else. 
If you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden, you can check out my Blue Fused Glass Striped Plate in the treasury or other glass in my shop, KayzKreationz.  Enjoy!

Treasuries!

In a thread in the forums on Etsy tonight, someone explained that you could go to "Treasury" and put your name in the search box to see if you'd been listed in any Treasuries.  Since I hadn't heard that I'd been put in any, I decided to search.  And I was tickled to see that in the last few weeks my glass had been put in 2 different treasuries! Yay! The first is for the "Handmade Artist Forum Twitter Ring".  This is a team I belong to, and we've formed a twitter ring to tweet about other Handmade Artist's shops and such.  The curator of this treasury put my Stained Glass Mosaic Birdhouse feeder in this one.  I love making Glass Kreationz for Home and Garden, so this is one of my favorite items.  If you're looking for something for a friend or family member that loves gardening and feeding the birds, this is just the ticket for you.
The second Treasury is "Poinsettia" and the curator put my Stained Glass Poinsettia panel in it.  If you love Poinsettia's, the color red, or Stained Glass, this panel is for you.  It would look great adorning your wall or window.

If you're looking for something else for your Home or Garden, be sure to check out my shop, KayzKreationz.  I also do some beading and wire work and have some jewelry, pendants listed.  Thanks again to those that included my glass in their treasuries.

Working in the Yard-Finally!

After being gone for so long, my yard really went to pot.  Most of the plants died and everything grew over.  Since I've been back, I've been working mainly in the house, trying to get it back in shape.  But I finally couldn't stand it anymore.  And even though the temps been 100 and over and the heat index has been anywhere from 105-110, I braved the sun and heat to go work in the yard.  My first project was to get the bed around my miniature crepe myrtle all weeded out, the fire ants gone (got bit several times for that effort), plastic down around everything and remulched.  Then I found a great RED Lantana and my little pot from Mexico that lays on it's side, which I planted with some Blue Daze and Rose Moss.  Finally, got my hubby to go with me to the Landfill, which now has compost and mulch for sale and got a load on the trailer to bring home and mulch everything.  And Voila!  At least one bed is done.  Now to get the rest of the 1-acre yard redone!  But I love it.  Hope you enjoy the pics.

And if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden be sure to check out KayzKreationz for that unique addition.

New Blog Background

Some of you may have noticed my background has changed.  I'm still trying to decide if this is the one I want to keep or another one I really liked.  The problem with the other one is, I'm not sure if all my posts would show up properly with the colors in it.  So I may switch back and forth for a little while and see which one seems to get more comments, yay or nay.  Anyway, "the cutest blog on the block" moved all their backgrounds to another site and sent out notices that we would be losing our backgrounds last week or before.  I was gone and couldn't get around to checking them out.  But I finally did last night and made the choice to change completely and chose between this one and one other for 3-Column backgrounds.  I hope you like it. Keep checking back.  You may see a different one before long or like I said, they may switch back and forth.
And if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your home or garden, check out my shop, KayzKreationz.  Thanks.

Adorable Girl Accessories

Recently on the Saturday Blog Shopping network, one of the great Etsy shops, was offering a giveaway for her special and I won!  ChiggerHillCottage makes the most adorable little girl accessories.  Although she is closed for the summer, you can check out her shop and sign up to be notified when she returns so you too can get in on the exciting accessories she has for little girls.  And although I don't have any little girls of my own, I knew exactly who I was going to give my winnings to.  It was an adorable bow holder, made to look like a little girl with pigtails.  You just clip your girl's bows and clips onto the braids/pigtails and keep them all in one place.  But she also sent an out of this world, very professionally made bow along with the holder as an "extra".  By now I was wishing I wore bows in my hair!  LOL.  But they made great gifts for 2 little girls that are very special to me.  To get a peek at her fantastic accessories, here's a pic of the 2 great things I won.  And be sure to sign up for her notification that she's open again.
In the meantime, if you're looking for some great Glass Kreationz for your home or garden, be sure to check out my shop for your newest Stained Glass, Mosaics or Fused Glass home/garden decor, KayzKreationz.

Special for this weekend-Saturday Blog Shopping

Things have been so busy, I haven't had much time this last week or so to get anything new listed.  So this weekend, I'm offering 10% off of the jewelry on my site.  You can check out Mom's jewelry/bracelet here, my Dichroic glass pendants here, or my Jasper and Copper wire wrapped pendant here.  If you're interested, just convo me about the piece you'd like with the code: SBS and I'll either re-price the piece for you or send you a new invoice.

And for more Glass Kreationz for your home or garden be sure to check out the rest of KayzKreationz for unique Stained Glass, Mosaics and Fused Glass Kreationz.   

And be sure to check back later this weekend or early next week for a fun, new wire-wrapped pendant.  Have fun.

Win 4 Bars of Cranberry Glycerin and Coconut Oil Soap.

Check out this blog for a great giveaway.   She's giving away 4 bars of her Cranberry Glycerin and Coconut Oil Soap.  The giveaway only lasts until July 5th, so hurry.  I love handmade soap, and you will too if you win this great giveaway.
And while you're at it, my little red fused glass bowl would make a great little soap holder for your new soaps if you win.  You can check it out at KayzKreationz.

"Roses" Fused Glass Garden marker-Saturday Blog Shoppers feature

In honor of Spring/Summer, my feature this week for the Saturday Blog Shoppers is my newest listing.  It's my "Roses" Fused Glass Garden marker.  It's an adorable little pink rose fused glass oval that can be hung from a hook or stake of some kind to mark the roses, either in your garden, or in a pot, if you have one of those miniature roses.  The hook that's fused in it has been dressed up a little with a green ribbon to hide the hook.  If you love gardening and plants, this is a cute addition to either your garden or your potted plants.  You can check it out here or in my shop, KayzKreationz, with the rest of my glass kreationz/creations for your home and garden.
And for some more great handcrafted items check out the other blogs in the Saturday Blog Shoppers group by clicking on the button to the right.
Happy Shopping.

Dichroic Glass Wire Wrapped Pendants-Saturday Blog Shoppers

For this Saturday I'm featuring my Dichroic Glass Pendants.  I love Dichroic Glass.  The shimmer and shine just really add to your bling.  These are Dichroic Glass Donut Cabs.  They have been wire-wrapped in a black wire so as not to take away from the Bling of the Glass.  One is Black and the other is a Pinkish  Purple.  You'll love wearing one of these.  So check out these Wire-Wrapped Dichroic Glass Donut Cabs or my shop KayzKreationz for other great Glass Kreationz for your Home or Garden.  And check out the other great Saturday Blog Shoppers blogs for some great gifts by clicking on the link to the right.  And for this weekend only, if you convo me with SBS (for Saturday Blog Shoppers) I'll give you 10% off!  But wait for me to send you a revised invoice or change the listing for you.  Thanks.

Saturday Blog Shoppers Deals

Just a quick post today for Saturday Blog Shoppers.  I've been so busy I didn't get anything new listed.  But in honor of my Birdie getting Lunch tutorial just below, I'm featuring my other birdfeeder again, until I get this newest one listed.  The birdfeeder in the tutorial below will be listed for sale in my Etsy shop KayzKreationz for $45.00 as soon as I can find a shipping box big enough for it to fit and be protected for shipping.  Until then (hopefully this week) enjoy my Birdhouse Birdfeeder in your yard.  And be sure to check out the other great shops participating in Saturday Blog Shoppers by clicking on the link to the right.  For any other Stained Glass, Glass Mosaics or Fused Glass for your home or garden be sure to check out KayzKreationz.

And to try making your own birdfeeder, check out my tutorial in the post below.  It's great fun.

Sunshine Award

I received this award from another great Etsy artist Raige Creations a few days ago.  Thank you so much Raige.  I love awards and this one just makes you so happy.  You just feel like it's sunny everywhere.  And right now here in South Texas we need a little sun.  But the wildflowers are blooming like crazy and my plants are starting to bloom too, so it's all good.  So I'm passing my little piece of Sunshine on to some others to hopefully brighten their day, too.  Here's what you have to do.
1.Put the logo on your blog or within your post
2.Pass the award to 12 well-deserving bloggers
3.Link the nominees within your post
4.Let them know they received it by commenting on their blog
5.Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.
And here's my bloggers I pass this on to:
 
Artful Mosaic Supplies
ArtistiKat Scratching Post
Clay It Again
CT Jewelry Design
Eco-Friendly Freckles
Four Dog Day
My Mothers Garden
Nature With Me
Salad For Breakfast
Sherry's Jewels
The Redhead's Homestead
Totally Tutorials