Facebook for dogs

I am still working on selling my house.  So far, the St. Joseph statue in my front yard hasn't done me any good.  However, I am still hopeful the house will sell soon.

In the meantime, when we have showings of our house we vacate and take the dog with us.  We don't want to leave the dog alone in the car in this heat so we have been heading to the local dog park almost every time so he can run around while we stroll along behind him.

Watching him run around sniffing, doing his business, and playing has made me come to think of the dog park as Facebook for dogs.  When Spike checks out the scent of the other dogs he is checking his friend's status messages.  When Spike pees or poops he is leaving a status update of his own.  The trash cans for the poop bags are like the newsfeed where you can see lots of status updates all at once.  There is agility equipment for him to play on and other dogs to play with so there are the time wasting games that Facebook is known for.  And of course, there are lots of bugs, both Facebook and the dog park have bugs to annoy you frequently.

Maybe I've put to much thought into this, but considering all the time I personally waste on Facebook that really shouldn't surprise anyone.  Ah well, at least when Spike checks his 'facebook' I get some exercise so it can't be all that bad.  :)

Cracking up here

My husband and I are in the process of selling our house so we can move to Dubuque, IA where he has just started a new job.  As part of the process all of my friends are giving me tips and hints on how to make my house sell better, such as baking bread for a showing, running lemons thru the disposal to make the kitchen smell good, etc...

One of my friends who used to be a realtor told me to bury a St. Joseph statue in front of my house.  I'm really hating the whole 'living in a museum' thing so decided I'm willing to try anything.  I went to the store today to look for a St. Joseph statue.

I asked the woman at the counter if they had any and she handed me a 'St. Joseph Home Sellers Kit'.  When I got the box from the clerk I cracked up.  I never expected to buy a 'saint in a box' and the whole idea is vastly amusing to me.

Here is the box I got.

And here is what was in it.

If you google St. Joseph you'll find hundreds of directions of how to and where to position the statue in your yard.  If I wanted to follow all of them I would have to dig up my entire lawn to have a statue every where the directions say.  So I am just going to follow the directions of my friend who told me about the legend and plant it upside down, facing my house, in the front yard.  I've also promised the statue a spot in my new home if he helps me sell my house.  (According to all of the directions you have to dig up the statue or the property will continue changing hands.)

I haven't buried him yet but a couple hours after I got home from my shopping trip my realtor called and we have a showing for tomorrow morning.  So, St. Joseph or just coincidental timing?  I'm not sure it really matters, but right now, I have a statue to plant.

Away to long

It's been a while since I updated my blog.  All I can say is that a lot has been going on.

My dh got a new job in Dubuque, IA and we are in the process of moving.  Right now we are getting our house ready to sell so we can buy a new one.  We don't have kids, so selling one home and buying another at the same time is one of the most stressful things I've ever gone thru.   This is the second time we've done the sell one/buy another thing and I really don't like it.

We have our first showing tomorrow.  I don't know if the house is 'really' ready for it, but unless you totally move out of a house I guess that is the same for everyone trying to sell a house.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we get someone thru the house soon who likes it and buys it soon.  If the person seeing the house tomorrow decides to buy it that would be awesome.

Wish us luck!

And a gratuitous bunny picture.  This is my newest rabbit, Pippi.  I got her at a rabbit show in March.  She is a red, satin angora.  Ignore the fur on the floor, she'd just had a litter of babies when I took this picture and that was part of her nest that came out when she jumped out of the nest box.  Unfortunately the kits didn't survive, she was a first time mom and didn't really know what to do.  After we move though I will give her another chance.

One World One Heart 2011

We are a group of bloggers who may never meet in person but are banding together via the internet to help make this world a little smaller by forging more connections between us all.

It's been another year and what a year it has been.  


Last year I had some out of control health issues.  Things still aren't completely under control but they are better and more importantly, my mindset is in a better place.  I've continued to work on my knitting.  I've also learned how to spin and dye fiber.  This year I will be teaching myself how to write knitting patterns as well as increasing my knitting skills by learning enterlac.    I'm sure to have a few interesting experiences with both projects so be sure to check back here and I'll tell you all about them.  :)


For right now though, I am still raising my Angora rabbits, working with glass, painting, and making jewelry in addition to the knitting, spinning, and dyeing.  


I currently have an Angora breeding project going on right now.  Angora rabbits have beautifully soft fur, but Rex rabbits have fur that makes Angora fiber look like a brillo brush.  I wanted to see if I could get the Rex softness to combine with the Angora length.  My first generation was a group of four short furred rabbits with guard hairs that gave them a slight halo appearance.  This was a good sign.  Rex rabbits don't have guard hairs, but without guard hairs Angora fur would tangle and be impossible to groom.  The presence of guard hair in this first generation cross said I could go ahead and breed a second generation.


This second generation had 5 red eyed white bunnies born 12/5/10.  One of the 5 has Angora length fur.  She is amazingly soft and very friendly.  She likes to sit on my shoulder or ride in the hood of my sweatshirt.  Time will tell if her coat stays this soft as an adult and if her children retain this softness.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


Here is a picture of me and my long haired baby.  Because she likes to ride in the pocket of my hood I call her Roo.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog.  I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope you will subscribe to it (but that is not necessary for the giveaway).  Now, onto the good stuff!!!


Lisa has announced that this will be the last year of One World One Heart.  It has been quite a fun ride taking part in it these past years, so to celebrate that I am going to be giving away this bracelet.  

The blue and teal beads were handmade by me and it is accented with blue seed beads and silver/black round beads.

To enter the giveaway just comment on this blog and be sure you leave me some way to contact you if you should win.  That way I can get your address to send the bracelet to you.  If you are taking part in OWOH be sure to leave a link to your blog so I can stop by and visit you as well.  :)

Thank You,
Heather

The Fifth and Last One World One Heart

Get ready everyone, at the stroke of midnight tomorrow night the fifth and last One World, One Heart will take place.  You will have from Jan 31st to Feb 17th to read and comment on blogs for the chance to win great prizes.  You won't want to miss out!

KnitPicks Interchangeable Needles Now Available - Introductory Pricing!

This introductory special is now closed.  Please join my mailing list by emailing me at heather@squareonebeads.com to get the latest information regarding sales and new items for sale.


I  have just become an authorized reseller for KnitPicks knitting needles and will be offering them for sale in my Etsy shop. As an introductory offer I am going to offer the Zephyr Acrylic interchangeable set for $40, the Options Nickle plated for $50, and the Harmonys for $60. All other multisize needle sets will be $10 off the KnitPicks price.

If you want to order a set email me asap. The sets aren't on my Etsy yet because I don't have them in hand. I will be placing the order on Monday and am trying to gauge interest so I make sure to order enough sets.

FREE SHIPPING DURING THE INTRODUCTORY PERIOD FOR PREPAID ORDERS FOR US ORDERS. I am sorry but International buyers will have to pay for shipping.

Payment can be made via credit card or paypal. Shipping will be $7 for orders that are not prepaid.

If you have any questions or would like to place an order, please email me directly at hhertziger@mac.com. 


If you are unfamiliar with KnitPicks interchangeables and would like to see what the needles are like you can find them on the KnitPicks website here.

Book Review - Fresh Fashion Knits

I was given this book free by Knitcircus magazine to review.  They only publish reviews of books that are liked by the reviewers so won't be publishing this review.  I decided to publish the review on my own.

Fresh Fashion Knits

Designs by Sarah Hatton

Edited by Kate Buller

2010 Rowan Yarns, 120 pages

I was really excited to be able to review this book and couldn’t wait for it to arrive.  I had visions of knitting madly from this book and filling my closet with fun, modern, knitwear.  When the book finally arrived I eagerly dug in and unfortunately found much of my enthusiasm almost instantly quelled.  Most of the models in the photos looked like they weren’t having any fun.  For me, and most other knitters I know, knitting is a fun activity and I feel that the models really should have reflected that.  For the most part, they look bored, that is a really big turn off to me.

As for the patterns, the cover of the book states “More than 20 Must-Have Designs from Rowan’s Studio Collection.”  It’s true, there are more than 20 patterns, there are exactly 21.  As for the ‘Must-Have’, that is a matter of opinion.  I found seven, maybe eight that I can see myself knitting.  If I were looking at this book on a store shelf I probably would put it back in favor of a different book because the patterns in here that I do like aren’t all that different from patterns I’ve seen elsewhere.

The bust size range is from 32-46”, however only 13 of the patterns go up to 46”, the rest stop at 42” and one even stops at 40”.  The patterns are well written, knitters with intermediate skills should have no problems with any of them and advanced beginners should be able to handle most of them.  Some sewing is required for side seams and setting in sleeves.  The book also references the Rowan website, www.knitrowan.com which has additional free patterns as well as tips and techniques for knitters.

I am not in love with this book, but it is definitely not the worst book I’ve seen either.  I also love Rowan yarns so I will be checking out their other books in the future, even though this one wasn’t an instant hit with me.

It's October, Join the Army!

The Army of Women that is.

October is breast cancer awareness month.  In honor of that I want to take a moment to mention a group I joined a while ago that I hope you will take a moment to join too.

Army of Women

The mission of the Army of Women is to match women of all walks of life who have had, or have never had breast cancer with breast cancer researchers.  If you sign up you will get the occasional email regarding new research studies that are beginning and what sort of research subject the study is looking for.  If you fit the study and are willing to take part you can sign up to be part of the study.  Joining the Army of Women does not obligate you to do anything.  If a study fits you but is not convenient for you  that's fine, it isn't required that you take part.  No one will call you or email you to guilt you into anything.  You will also not be harassed for money.

So please, take a moment and consider joining this group.  It is very important for all women everywhere that we find a cure for breast cancer.

Thank you.

I'm Back!!!!

Did you miss me?

It's been a while but I'm back and hopefully won't be disappearing for such a long stretch again. I have Fibromyalgia, I was diagnosed last year but this spring and summer were particularly bad as far as flares and fatigue go. This meant I had to let some things fall by the wayside because I couldn't do it all, and my blog ended up being one of those things.

Now I'm on a new med that doesn't do jack for the chronic pain issues but at least my head is a bit clearer and the fatigue is a bit less. So I am trying to get things back on track and hopefully you'll see more of me :)

So, wanna know what I've been up to while I've been away? Since I'm unable to work outside of the home I have been tending my rabbits and learning how to dye yarn. I opened a new Etsy store Heather Designs to sell my work.

Here's some of my hand dyed yarn -

And a set of my stitch markers. So, that's how I've been keeping myself occupied. Stay tuned for more rambling, yarn, bunnies, who knows what. I sure don't. :)

Bunnies - Days 9 and 12

The bunnies have been growing quickly.

Here they are on day 9.

And here they are today which is day 12. They just started opening their eyes today. The literature says they should have opened them on day 10 but rabbits can't read so they didn't know that and I forgot to tell them. Oops :) I'll try to remember to tell the next litter. Right now their eyes are just open to little slits, they are just as reluctant to open their eyes as I am in the morning :) Soon they will be fully open and they'll be crawling all over the place. Soon I will move them to a different cage with a solid bottom so they can move around freely and exercise their little limbs.

Baby bunnies are way to much fun, but today may be the last group shot I get. They are getting more active and wrangling them was a challenge. They have no idea what an edge is and seem hell bent on hurling themselves off of them at every opportunity that presents itself.

Be sure to keep checking back for more pictures as the bunnies grow. :)

Bunnies - Day 6

Here are pictures of the baby bunnies as of Thursday Feb 25, 2010. They are getting so big, their eyes are going to open soon. I don't know exactly how old they have to be before their eyes open. I could look it up but I would rather be surprised when I go down one morning to check on them and find them looking back at me. As you can see their eyelids are getting more definition to them which means it won't be long before they open.

Stay tuned for the next installment of bunny pictures!

Bunnies!

In October I got four Angora rabbits to raise for their fiber. Back in January I decided to breed two of the rabbits and on Friday Feb 19th Pearl gave birth to four kits. Here they are on their first day of life. There are 2 gray, 1 gray and white, and 1 white. The white one I am keeping and may name either Button or Puddles. Puddles because it pee'd on me one of the times I held it and Button because it is just cute as a button. Here they are on Feb 22. The ears are starting to unfold and the hair is more obvious. There are still four, if you look between the butt of the gray one that looks black and the gray and white one you can see the body parts that don't belong to either kit. Thats the fourth kit who was not happy about being uncovered and kept burrowing under the littermates where it was warm. And here is a close up of the white one taken that same day. Stay tuned for more pictures as they grow! If you are interested in purchasing one of the bunnies when they are available be sure to contact me soon. With only three available they will go fast.

One World One Heart 2010

Welcome to One World, One Heart 2010. We are a group of bloggers who may never meet in person but are banding together via the internet to help make this world a little smaller by forging more connections between us all. It's been a year since the last OWOH blog fest and while chronologically that isn't a lot of time, a lot can happen in a year. This year, I went from having controlled rheumatoid arthritis, to having out of control rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, a spinal deformity, and an as of yet undiagnosed chronic regional pain disorder. It sucks, but I deal with it and I refuse to let it get me down. There are days that is harder than others because there are days where all I can do is lay on the couch with my heating pad watching daytime tv, and daytime tv is REALLY mind rotting. So, to save my brain and my morale I decided to teach myself to knit. I got myself a book and learned the basics. Then I took a few classes on lace and sock knitting and I've been off ever since. I have even turned my other skills to help with my knitting and made my very own stitch markers. And these will be my give away for this year's OWOH blog fest. There will be three chances to win a set of 5 of these hand made stitch markers.

The first way is to simply leave a comment on this blog. Be sure to leave your email address or your blog address in your comment so I can get ahold of you if your entry is selected as the winning entry.

The second way to win is to sign up for my email mailing list. I don't send out many emails so you won't get a ton of spam but you might get one or two emails a month. Just mention in your comment that you would like to be added to my mailing list, include your email, and you will be entered into both drawings one and two.

The third way to win will help those in Haiti too. Go to my Etsy or Artfire shops and buy something. In the comment to seller section put OWOH Haiti and 50% of the sale will go to Doctors without Borders for their work in Haiti.

This journey ends February 15th at noon and the winners will be announced that evening. Thank you for reading my blog, and good luck!

10 Rules of Basic Etiquette for the Non-Crafty

Since learning to knit I have come across a lot of people who either don't know, don't care, or don't value the time and skill that goes into hand making something. A group I'm in on Ravelry has been coming up with a list of knitting faux pas that non-knitters do to knitters frequently. One of the members, Siovan12 wrote up this list and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with you.

10 Rules of Basic Etiquette for the non-Crafty:

1. Just because I am crafting in a public place does NOT mean I am fishing for compliments, comments, advice. etc…. I am minding my own business, how about you minding yours. Plus, before you decide to help yourself to my personal private space, from my crafting supplies, equipment etc. please pass me your wallet. If your gonna snoop in my personal belongings I get to snoop in yours.

2. Do not rubberneck my crafting project from two tables away or over my shoulder for 10 - 15 minutes watching me, then have the audacity to ask me “Did you do that?” You will get the “Nope. My invisible friend Matilda did it, but doesn’t like to feel like a freak so I fake it for her.” Plus do NOT crowd me, most crafts have sharp ended tools and I am not adverse to jabbing you with one so you get my point.

3. When gushing “I could never do that” be honest with yourself and the crafter in question, finish the sentence with “because I do not have the patience and I am a abject moron.”

4. All Family & friends, if I ever chose to create something for you it is an honor. It is NOT like going to the store and just picking something up. Creating the gift takes time, forethought, pre-planning, and time management. Keep in mind socks are NOT simple, neither is a scarf or a hat, they are basics where we learn and try new design and pattern ideas. Be very honored when we feel a practice piece is worthy of gifting to you.

5. NEVER EVER gift yarn, notions, patterns expecting it to be used for you. Do not hint that I make you something. Ask me simply and straightforward. I may or may not make it for free if you buy the yarn, or may charge you for my time… either way be proud and humble to think I would even consider doing it for you since you are too lazy to learn to do it for yourself.

6. If gifted with a handmade crafting item, thank the creator profusely even if you never want a hand made gift from them ever again, then state its beautiful and I’ll cherish it but handmade is really not your thing. This gets the giftee and the creator off the hook for more gifts that can be appreciated better by someone else on the creators list

7. If you are the recipient of a handcrafted item and decide within 2 years its not the thing for you, offer it back to its creator before selling it or regifting it to someone else. Its insulting to ask about a piece made for you to find out you donated it to goodwill, I got $5 at my garage sale for it, or hear from you “oh, that grey sweater. I gave it to my ex-boyfriends girlfriends best friend because it just wasn’t me.”

8. If the hand crafted item is wearable then WEAR it, if it is decorative USE it. If you are so overwhelmed that you want to take care of it so it won’t get destroyed FRAME it. If you choose to do none of these things give it back to the person that made the item because you do not deserve it.

9. Do not blame the creator if a thing you have bullied them into making for you does NOT turn out the way you want it. If you are so damned picky take the time to learn the craft and make it for yourself.

10. We craft because it relaxes us, we enjoy it, we can take our time and be proud of what we are doing. Selling our creativity for profit will stress us out, put us under deadlines, and generally make us want scream. That is why it is a hobby and not our JOB so quit pestering us by how much money we could make yadda yadda yadda.

I hope you all like this and if you are a crafty person feel free to take this and pass it out to all your non-crafty friends. If you are a non-crafty person, please remember these rules when dealing with a crafty person. Especially a knitter, we have two pointy sticks and we know how to use them. :)

Cubic Zirconia beads at ArtBeads.com

I was recently asked if I would like to try out and review some new cubic zirconia beads from Artbeads.com. As I am a bead junkie I can never say no to the opportunity to play with some new beads so I jumped at the chance.

I ordered some 6mm coins (cz-cry-cn6), 5x7mm ovals (cz-cry-lov7), 10mm stars (cz-cry-str10), 5mm stars (cz-cry-str5), and the 5mm princess cut post earrings (cz-ear5-dia). I combined these with some peacock pearls and 2mm sterling silver rounds that I already had in my stash and came up with this.

I think it turned out rather well. And if you are interested in purchasing this set you can see it on my ArtFire store soon.

Now for the review -

The cubic zirconia beads are much nicer than most of the 'crystal' beads coming out of China these days but they are still a far cry from Swarovski crystals. They don't have the same fire and the holes are not polished like they are in the Swarovski crystals so you have a big frosted tube in the bead instead of a polished hole.

The quality assurance, while better than most of the Chinese beads that are out there is not perfect. I did have some crystals that had a slant to the hole so that it went thru the bead at an angle front to back. Not everyone may find this to be a bother but since these beads are priced per bead I do expect a higher quality than what I received. The coin beads for example were $1.06 each so its a pretty expensive bead to have that sort of flaw in it.

I do have to say that I really like the earring posts I got. The cz in the post has a lot of sparkle and makes for a very attractive earring. I do wish the earring posts came with the nuts on them but that isn't a huge deal.

All in all, my recommendation is that while Artbeads.com has some really beautiful items, I would buy the Swarovski crystals they offer instead of the cubic zirconia beads. On the upside though, I do recommend the cubic zirconia post earrings. They are really pretty and have a lot of fire for the price.

Legalese -

I received the products mentioned in this post free of charge and am honestly reviewing them. I have not been paid or otherwise reimbursed for my time, talent, this post, or the supplies that came out of my stash to create the pieces shown in this post.

Wool Gathering

I recently started learning to knit. I taught myself the basics and then took classes to learn how to do lace and sock knitting. I have yet to finish a project but so far I am really enjoying the journey.

When I take on a new venture I really like to know the whole process from beginning to end so one week ago I had the opportunity to visit a nearby Alpaca farm to take a tour and learn more about the animals. Learning about them though wasn't enough, so I bought 5oz of raw Alpaca fleece so I could wash, card, and spin it.

To wash it I put it in my kitchen sink full of warm water with just one drop of detergent in it. I soaked it for half an hour, changed the water and soaked it in the warm soap water 3 more times until the water was clean-ish. After that I soaked it in warm water with no soap to rinse it. I put it in a lingerie bag and spun most of the water out in my washing machine on spin cycle.

Here are the pictures, a bag of fleece, fresh from the farm, next, cramming it all into my kitchen sink, last, spun out and laid on towels to complete drying.

It's been a real trip. Alpaca is so soft it is a pleasure to work with. It did smell a bit when it was wet but nowhere near as strong as my dogs smell when they are wet. It was also cool that I got to buy the fleece from the farmers who raised the Alpacas only 4mi from my house. I also got to meet the Alpaca my fleece came from. I've never gotten to buy fiber from a donor I met before.:)

At this time the fleece is now dry and I have started carding it. Be sure you come back to see how it goes and what happens to the fleece next. :)

Artist Spotlight on Valerie from Valmade

This weeks spotlight is on Valerie.  She makes lovely cards for all sorts of occasions and knits some lovely scarves and very cute baby booties and stuffed animals.  Here is one of her cards that I just love. Isn't it great? And now, here is Valerie, in her own words. 1) Name, Location Valerie, Hong Kong 2) Where can you be found online? www.valmade.artfire.com http://en.dawanda.com/shop/Valmade 3) What do you do? I’m a bit of a jack of all trades making cards, cross stitch pictures and knit the odd thing as well. 4) How long have you done it? My cards are more recent, last couple of years, but have been knitting and cross stitching for longer than I care to remember ☺ 5) How did you start? Took up knitting and sewing as a child. From there I started making knitted baby booties and cross stitch birth announcements for friends when they started having babies, just as a hobby really. It’s progressed into an online shop when someone suggested I try selling some to keep me in supplies, and card making just seemed a natural progression. I started with cross stitch cards and now make all different types. 6) Why did you choose this and not something else? Not entirely sure why I chose this. I suppose it was something I enjoyed as a child and just managed to keep it up over the years. 7) How did you learn your craft? My mother taught me to knit and sew when little. I studied Needlework at school so went through a stage of making lots of different things, but have reverted back to small projects. 8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? No, I work full time in the finance industry and this is something I do when at home in the evenings. 9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? I’d love to be able to devote more time to this, however as I personally make every thing by hand, I don’t think I’d survive very long on the income it might generate ☺ 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? I think you have to have a real passion for what you make, and just enjoy it for what it is. Although I know there are many artists out there who do make a decent living from their work, I know my work will never make me rich, but I am happy just knowing that someone got some pleasure out of something I took the time to make. Thank you Val for participating in my artist spotlight.

If you would like your own spotlight email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Laura from Laura Fry Weaving Studio

This week's spotlight is on Laura Fry.  She weaves some of the most beautiful yummy pieces I have ever seen, and if you are a weaver, knitter, or other fabric artist she also sells some really yummy yarns too.  This is one of her scarves that I am in love with.  Isn't it gorgeous?

And now, here's Laura in her own words. 1) Name, Location

Laura Fry, Prince George, BC, Canada

2) Where can you be found online?

http://laurafry.com http://laurasloom.blogspot.com and http://LauraFry.artfire.com

3) What do you do?

I weave functional fabrics – scarves, shawls, tea towels, table runners, placemats, etc. 4) How long have you done it?

Since 1975

5) How did you start?

I chose weaving as a career. The local community college was offering a two year program in fibres, and I dove in. 6) Why did you choose this and not something else?

After several years of searching for a job that didn’t bore me after 3 months, I realized I needed work that had a high element of creativity in it. When I finally discovered weaving, I knew that I could weave for the rest of my life and never get bored. ☺ 7) How did you learn your craft?

Starting with the two year program, I then went on to take as many workshops as I could afford, locally and away. In 1977 I travelled to Finland to take a two week class at the Varpapuu Summer Weaving School. I also took classes at Banff Centre of Fine Art in Banff, Alberta, and attended conferences as my budget allowed. 8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job?

I’ve been doing this full time for many years, although I did take part time jobs from time to time when necessary. 9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? See above 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? I have found weaving endlessly fascinating. It has given me many gifts over the years – in terms of knowledge and friendships. There are few hard and fast rules because change one factor and everything changes. While I may have gained some insight into what will happen, I learn all the time. And I find that particularly intriguing. 11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? While being a full time weaver has been interesting and challenging and while I might wish to have done some things differently in the past, I don’t regret for one minute that I chose this life rather than some other career. It has been uplifting to teach others and watch the excitement to create spark in their eyes.  

Thank you for taking part in my Artist spotlight Laura.  

If you would like to have your own artist spotlight please email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Joyce from Southfield Designs

This weeks spotlight is on Joyce of Southfield Designs.  She sells beautiful beaded jewelry such as this lovely dragonfly.

Isn't it cute?  Her artfire shop is filled with cute items like this.  Don't forget to check her shop out.

And now, here is Joyce, in her own words.

My name is Joyce Weeks and the name of my Studio is Southfield Designs.

My studio is located in our barn in the tiny village of Southfield, Ma. in the beautiful Berkshire Mts. I design unique and unusual pieces of jewelry using pressed flowers, butterfly wings, resin, glass and glass beads and semi precious beads, vintage buttons and vintage lucite. I have been designing jewelry for the last 4 years, but when I was grwoing up I was always doing something with my hands, knitting, sewing etc. I really started when I retired from running a nursery school and we moved to Ma. from L.I.. I had a list of things that I wanted to do and beading was one of them. I just love the color and feel of the beads and the other elements that I use in my designs. I get a thrill from seeing a pile of stuff transform into something lovely and I can step back and say "I did that". Most of the things that I do are from experimenting. I have a large collection of books that I go to for help. I am always taking classes to learn something new, even if I don't plan to use the technique in my designs.. but you never know!! I am retired so I can spend as much time beading as I choose to. I would like to share the idea that experimenting with different items has led me to my 'Beady Bug' creations and to all of my pressed flower and butterfly pendants. I had know idea when I started that I could make it work. I love what I do and I find it very rewarding .. it enriches my soul!!

Thank you Joyce for participating in my Artist Spotlight.  If you would like to be a spotlight email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Suz from Solar Flare Creations

This weeks spotlight is on a woman who not only creates work that I love, but is also a dear friend of mine.  An Australian native, Suz is a teacher, lampwork artist, jewelry artist, and a medieval recreationist.  How she finds time for all of that plus juggling a husband and a dog I don't know, maybe days in Australia are longer or something :)

It is a cold and dreary day here on my side of the world so I chose this pair of earrings out of her ArtFire shop.  I love the bright, sunny colors, they remind me that Summer will come again, even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment.

Aren't they yummy!

And now, here's Suz in her own words.

1) Name, Location Suzanne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

2) Where can you be found online? www.solarflarecreations.com.au  http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5377222  http://suzanne-catching-up.blogspot.com/  http://www.artfire.com/users/SolarFlareCreations  3) What do you do? I am a secondary Art & Photography teacher who makes glass beads as a hobby. 4) How long have you done it? About 6 years. 5) How did you start? An American Ex-pat living in Melbourne told me about Lampworking, and pointed out the course in the Adult Education guide for the local TAFE college. I took a beginner’s course with Kathryn Wardill, and a few months later, an Intermediate Course. 6) Why did you choose this and not something else? I’ve dabbled in many arts and crafts over the years. As an Art/Tech teacher, I had covered about 15 studio areas in my training, but for my own personal expression it has been painting, photography, singing and now glass. There is something very addictive about working with an open flame and molten glass, which tends to take over my other artistic interests. Except singing – I still perform in musical theatre regularly. 7) How did you learn your craft? As I mentioned, I took some lessons to begin with, but I have also found the interaction with other beadmakers on various forums invaluable for expanding my skills and raising the bar. 8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? I teach secondary school full time, so it is only a hobby at the moment. 9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? Probably not. My husband has always been concerned that if sales became the imperative driving my glass work, the fun would be gone, so he has encouraged me to make it a ‘self funding hobby’. On the other hand, regular sales help keep up the momentum, make me torch more regularly and more productively to replace sold inventory. 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? Be warned – it’s addictive!! It’s hard to dabble and not get sucked in. ☺ 11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? I am also involved in medieval re-enactment, and I research and recreate historical beads. There are various articles and a ‘bead timeline’ I have created under ‘SCA” on my webpage.