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| Sparklies waiting for their new forever homes, ho ho ho! |
I told him the first question people are going to ask is "Where did you get those necklace displays?!" We cracked up when Lori, the museum manager, did just that. I think Rob could start a second career making them - he worked for hours in his basement workshop cutting, sanding, glueing, staining. I love them, aren't they beautiful?! And he's pretty darned terrific too! Thank you Robert Dale!
They're based on a photo I found on Pinterest - where you can find some great photo collections and ideas for jewelry display and how to make your exhibit inviting. (Me, doing research to try to make this really fun for visitors....)
I learned a lot today just talking with Lori, and can't wait til the artists' reception on Sunday when I'll have a chance to meet and talk with lots more people. Do come and give me a hug, eat some good food, have some wine, and shop a bit if you feel so inclined.
Lori loves the charm bracelets, which are done on commission, after I do a "once in a lifetime" reading from David Carson's Medicine Cards, which I've been using for years and years, I love 'em. I know, the "once-in-a-lifetime" thing sounds a bit scary because if you're like me your next thought is "what if I don't like what I get..." but these cards hold no negatives, only truly GREAT teaching and support.
During the reading, you choose nine cards, which represent your totem animals throughout your life. Once I have this information I write up the background information and set about ordering the nine 3D sterling silver animal charms that are foundational to this very personal bracelet. Once they're attached (soldered onto substantial sterling silver charm bracelet links) I fill in with gemstones, African trade beads, and beautiful colored glass beads to make the bracelet fluffy and wonderful. This is a high-ticket item, only done on commission. Turnaround time is 8 weeks, half down upon order, the other half upon delivery. Verrrry special. A little gift from the Universe to you, I'm just the conduit.
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| My Totem Bracelet |
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| Delicious Tourmaline! |
Now let's talk about affordability. Lori was drawn to the Jester cabochon necklace and of course I said "Try it on!" and she did. She pranced a bit before the mirror and said she loves where it falls, right in the middle of your chest, no fasteners to mess with, no necklines to mess with. Then she looked at the price tag and said, "Oh, I thought it would be a lot more." I appreciated that, as I try to make things affordable, but also give myself a little margin, to follow my muse.
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| Dancing with the Jester in Celebration of Life |
So much I can say about little Jester man, don't be shy, try him on - he'll win your heart with his. He's got lots!
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| My Talking Stick and Answering Feather |
There's some cool stuff that you get to see from my personal collection - don't hesitate to ask to touch - they love the attention. This is my talking stick - the blog post that has the most views of all my blog pages (almost at 5,000 now, yay). I'm curious as to why and how this one continues to draw attention, since it's very buried in my earlier posts. I love that in the show it sits on the bottom shelf as a sort of foundation to the other pieces. The bowl of beads next to it says "from this - to this," indicating that beads are beads, and they're scrumptiously gorgeous, but until we pull them together and give them cohesiveness and purpose, they're "naked." Kind of like ourselves....
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| This case has wings! |
This is the display case where I think things are gonna fly out of here - the top shelf is all earrings and traditionally, my customer peeps tend to LOVE these earrings. I buy handmade lampwork beads - the most beautiful I can find, and really enjoy the process of design and creation of wearable pieces of art. They're very affordable, starting at less than $24.00.
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| Talismans! |
There are beautiful Talisman necklaces available on leather or sterling depending on your budget.
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| Banded Onyx with jade, spiny oyster shell, and pewter spiral and goddess accent beads. |
Pendants made of gemstones that sit nicely between the buttons of a collared blouse, and beautiful gemstone chokers that rest just at your collarbone. Try one on to see how it frames the face and complements your outfit. These are diamonds in disguise.
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| Chokers ROCK! |
Come get your sparklies before they fly the coop, and see if there might be something special for someone you love - necklace, bracelet, earrings, beautiful gemstone adornments made with love for yours truly.
I'll be there November 2nd from 1-4:30, November 8th 1 - 4:30, and can meet you there in-between if you give me a call or send an e-mail - 814-753-0738, dreamkeepercreations@gmail.com.
Namaste!
Jen
*Source: Judy Hall, The Crystal Bible, Walking Stick Press, Cincinnati, Ohio2003
this is a very cool venue for you. Your work is beautifully displayed. Can you imagine the energy that will fill that room when all the artist meet! I hope you post about your feelings about it.
ReplyDeleteBest Wishes..Carol
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteNice thought about the energy of the artists. So far I've tremendously enjoyed the conversations I've had with them. I'm learning a lot and have such huge respect for the work they do. One gentleman, who had one of the gallery rooms filled with gorgeous watercolors told me that when he retired he thought about what he could do to leave a legacy to his children - something that would have special meaning. He'd always been artistic, but had a business career. So upon retirement he chose to pursue his artwork, and it is gorgeous. I was impressed at the thoughtfulness behind his work for his children. Another artist that I met has written two books. She creates beautiful necklaces out of traditional Chinese toggles - they're elegant and unique. Her books are fabulous - a lot of impressive work. I'm looking forward to more conversations and hearing about how and why they do what they do. Lots of wisdom and creative inspiration there!