I have been writing and contributing to this blog for over ten years. My style and interests have changed as I experiment with different types of craft. You will find many posts featuring wearable art, papercrafting, altered books and more.
This is a fabulous paper chandelier.
To everyone who popped by to see me at the One of A Kind show. It was a great show for me and I loved teaching at my sold out workshop Sunday. Truly, it was my best show ever!
As you can imagine, I have a huge job today unpacking from the last week of activities.
But throughout the day there will be breaks and large cups of tea that I will enjoy while it is still hot. It is so good to be home.
Today will be my last day at the show! I am a 5 day vendor and during the night the 6 day vendors will move in. This effects only 66 booths in a show of 800+ exhibitors. I am truly grateful that I have the opportunity to do only half the show. It really works for me and my family.Aileen’s Musings
Aileen offers you Starbuck’s upcyled bird ornaments to create. Gather the kids and have fun making these ornaments to hang on your tree, give as a gift or use as a tag!
Carmi’s Art/Life World
Carmi has a two part name tag making project highlighted this week.
Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a tutorial on how to paint a bee and dragonfly, draw a pilgrim, Native American and English Guard, videos on how to sew a yo-yo, and a preview of the new show Brew Masters and how to paint on a vintage postcard.
Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Who couldn’t use another tote bag? Here’s a Koi Beach-Themed Tote from Eileen for your beach holidays or just to use when you miss the beach and warm weather.
Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Madge’s lovely and talented daughter Avalon whips up a super cute embellished hat and scarf this week for ILovetoCreate Teen Crafts!
Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi is working away at finding more uses for expanded squares.
Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Stef has a new book review-Wild Color, Revised and Updated Edition: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes.
Hi friends!
Today will be a busy day for me at The One of A Kind show because I am also teaching a card making workshop. I can't wait! Happy Sunday friends. Hope you have time for a cuppa so that you can enjoy some great links from the beading bloggers! A Bead A Day
Do you have a quick and easy jewelry project or design that you would like to share with others? Stop by A Bead A Day to pick up an idea or leave an idea!
About.com Jewelry Making
Find out the latest news, including a tight deadline, for an awesome jewelry making challenge sponsored by Rio Grande and Lark Books.
Art Bead Scene
Get your jewelry shop ready for the holiday shopping season with help from Art Bead Scene!
Beading Arts
Don't miss the beautiful Murano glass pendants that Cyndi will be giving away now and all through next month!
Beads & Books
Michelle searches the toy store to get ideas for earring displays for her upcoming craft show.
Carmi's Art/Life World
In a two part story Carmi glams up a name tag with jewelery components.
Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
Watching your pennies while trying to make fabulous jewelry for gifts this holiday season? Cindy can help you, read on!
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
A thrift store find inspires Melanie to make some fun dinosaur tear pendants
Pretty Things
Come see the small swaps that go on in the Bead Soup Blog Party Yahoo Group!
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Happy Thanksgiving! Celebrate the holiday with a special Thursday Giveaway sponsored by Auntie's Beads!
This is the last card set I made for the Christmas One of A Kind show. I had created this image for my Paris blog and before you knew it I was printing it on fabric to make one last set of cards.
During the week I had just enough time to make a few more card sets. The two sweet cartoon illustrations are from another wonderful overseas artist The Clipart Fairy.
I finally got these leatherette flowers onto a card.
Queen Marie is appearing through out my card collection.
These were two more of the gorgeous girls I downloaded from Tiddly Inks.
I coloured the black and white drawings and printed them on fabric to make this last group of birthday cards.
I managed to take one photo of the booth before the show opened yesterday!
Ta Da! The name tag which will greet customers and friends at the opening of the One of A Kind show today!
Yesterday I showed you how I gathered my supplies to make the main part of the name tag. Today I pulled out my jewelry supplies to see how I could turn it into something wearable...more necklace like. For this project I turned to my stash of old necklaces I use for re purposing projects.
I also made these two special buttons! If you want to learn how I came up with these images from a bad picture I took in Paris, go to my other blog for that story!
My finished name tag necklace is just what I wanted. Something new and unique to wear to a show full of new and unique things!
Glad I am not wearing this!
I need a new name tag. I hate to wear a plastic pocket on a string and since I need to wear one at the One of A Kind show for ten hours a day...I felt I better try and make one I would like.
I printed my name on fabric using a couple of different colours and pulled out some other items which might work on a sewn fabric name tag. The felt is thick and sturdy and I attached some clear acetate to the reverse so I could also enclose the official paper name tag I get on site.
Sewing through fibers, felt and the plastic backing was very easy. 
I added a few eyelets so I can attach this name tag holder to string or ribbon. That I'll sort out tonight.
I have had these metal letters for years! I know I was duplicating what was already in fabric...but loved it anyway. Plus, I only found the letters after I was done sewing. I felt it was a sign and that they needed to be sewn onto the name tag holder.
In 2008 I tried several times to get a picture of this window.
But with a little time and perseverance I was able to salvage parts of the picture digitally.
This round of card making was special. I finally found a great new digital image for Hanukkah. I downloaded the black and white drawing of Hannah and then coloured her in for these pretty cards.
These charms really finish the cards.
I also made some classic cards using my button maker, jewelry components and fabric. I really like these too!
This is the perfect time to make these cards.
I have one last day to finish up any remaining cards that I want to bring to the One of A Kind show which begins THIS WEEK!
The fall flew by for me. Tuesday I start moving back into the One of A Kind building. It feels like I just moved out from the Spring show!
Some of the most enjoyable hours I spend in the studio are when I search through my own collections for the perfect embellishment for a card series I am working on. I have been really using a lot of different charms, buttons, jewelry components and fibers in these new cards.
Have a wonderful Sunday friends. Here are my bead blogger links for the week.
Many of you will recognize this window. It belongs to a very famous building in Paris that constantly appears in great guides to architecture in Paris. I tweaked it in with photo editing software and like it even more. It looks like I collaged all the elements together...but this is my actual picture with just the colours brightened. I wonder if the people who live behind this window do anything special for Christmas. I would love to go back and take a picture of this window in December.
Could not resist making a set of cards celebrating the release of the new Harry Potter movie.
This flower is so late. Why or how it managed to bloom this week I do not know. I half expect to see it growing out of a pile of snow, it's been that cold every morning. But, better late than never I guess. I have a lot on my plate this weekend and the sooner I get to it the better. Here are my fantastic Saturday crafty blogger links.
As I head into my last weekend to make inventory of the One of A Kind next week I find myself reviewing all the paper and embellishments I cut earlier this summer. I knew I wanted to do a set of elegant black and white cards and these three have become a favorite. 
On such a grey and rainy day this little ring is the most colour in the room.
Yesterday I had my special collection of felt balls out and I just love working with them. I get them from Odile who recycles wool sweaters for all her felt pieces. At some point during the day I opened a drawer and this unfinished ring came to my attention. It was a sign that I needed to do something with it.
I think the best part of designing something new is the time you spend playing with ideas. At first I thought I wanted to make a real Christmassy ring..reds and greens. But in the bag Odile had originally sent me was this little white rose. I have never figured out where to use until today.
I used a needle and beading thread to attach everything to the ring base. Everything looks like it is floating.
This is such an easy project if you have everything already in your stash. I think it took me ten minutes to sew it and much longer to photograph it.
This project is dedicated to my husband who will be falling off his chair the moment he sees this post.
Earlier this month I purchased this great magazine. I bought it because of the oh so cute Pine cone Tree. What will make my husband laugh is that all summer long we cursed pine cones. Really. Every Saturday bags and bags of them had to be swept up before we could start our regular grass cutting projects. This was the summer of the pine cone. We would pick up hundreds and they would literally be dropping all around us. So, I am not kidding when I say we cursed them for months. Hate those pine cones!
But this tree idea was so cute I had to sneak out to the front yard to see if any pine cones were left. The first group I brought in I decided to wash. Then I learned something. If you wash them...they close right up! So that batch was sent out with recycling. The next group I brought in were perfect...but I hate to bring things in from the outdoors without washing them.....so I sprayed them with a bug repellent first. And, there were bugs! So glad I sprayed them!
Next, I took out my very special stash of felt balls. I buy them from an amazing felt artisan who used to have a booth at the One of a Kind show. Now she has a very busy etsy shop! When I ordered this grouping of hand rolled recycled wool balls, Odile also sent me one of her felt and zipper heart pins.....isn't it gorgeous? Thank you Odile!
So my pine cones were dry and I decided to attach them to some vintage salt shakers. The original instructions call for a wooden spool...but I didn't have any and was dying to start the project. I also added some neat ribbon around the tree base that had beaded sequins already attached.
My trees outdoors this morning.