It's beginning to look a lot like....it's almost over!

After the Thanksgiving holiday, my real challenges came into full swing. I had offered a full line-up of classes for December, and people were actually signing up! I had the opportunity to teach a collage pendant class to young ladies in Aurora Public Schools, so that took up several evenings and days of preparation and execution. I had Bead Society meetings, and custom orders, and my first 'real' newsletter to contend with. On top of classes, I had 2 shows to attend, and had a great time at both :) The challenges seemed never-ending, but we're winding down now.

This Monday and Tuesday were my first days off, and I spent them cleaning my bead room with my friend Shannon (after seeing the delights of my friend Dustin's collection all displayed beautifully, I was a bit shamed by my dirty and hidden treasures). On Monday, Shannon and I both made our own versions of tiny crystal and pearl crowns which I expounded upon on Tuesday to make a better looking version of mine. I have included pictures of both for your perusal. Maybe I'll make a whole line of little crowns and scepters....what do you think?





After seeing the TribalTique Denver crew in mustaches for their circus-themed event, I have had an obsession with mustaches, and want to craft with the image. I'll let you know if anything comes of this newfangled obsession.

Update on THE Evening Bag

I just wanted to share an updated picture of THE Evening Bag since many of you have been asking for it! I have been so busy lately that I haven't gotten much of anything done except bridal jewelry for a few of my friends. I'll post pictures of that as soon as possible. Thanks for hanging in there everyone!

The Beaded Flame!

A friend of mine from Nero asked me to bead a patch for her character based off of a drawing she made of a double 'flame' made with fire and ice.. was happy to oblige! My creative process went a little something like this:

1)Knowing full well that I can't draw worth anything, I took the picture and turned it into an iron-on transfer. I used this transfer to iron the picture onto a piece of Lacy's Stiff Stuff.

2) Normally I would start the fill-in on an item before I did the outline but, after I started to fill in the 'Ice', I realized that I was going to need to outline in order to confine the space. I used 15's on the outline, and a combination of 11's and 15's to fill in the space.

3) After filling in entirely I cut out the flame and glued it to a piece of black Microsuede. I prefer E6000 as my adhesive of choice for beadwork.

4) Once the glue was dry, I used 15's to edge the piece. There were a few 'white' spots on the edges, so I filled them in with a black Sharpie marker. I like the ones with the fine tip on one end, and the ultra-fine tip on the other end so that I can get into small places. After I finished 'painting' the white spots, I was done! I hope you like it!

Now Open- The Peacock Shop

After much debate, and hoarding of beads, I have opened a second Etsy Shop to sell extra suplies as well as patterns and kits. You'll find everything from Vintage Swarovski to Cabochons to clasps personally made by the Gypsy herself!

Check it out at http://www.thepeacockshop.etsy.com/

Bead Embroidered Evening Bag

Alright, you've talked me into it! I am now working (slowly) on a Bead Embroidered Evening Bag. I decided on a Dichroic Glass Cabochon by Audra Goetz of Pane in the Glass as the centerpiece; the rest will hopefully go from there. I will post my progress (if I make any) here. Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Victoriana Necklace

I just wanted to drop in a picture of my new Victoriana Necklace. This necklace will be available at the Saturday Night Alive Auction for the Denver Center for Performing Arts on Saturday, March 7th. You can see more details at www.denvercenter.org.

First piece in a new land :)

I present to you my Denim and Pearls necklace! The pendant started out as part of a free-form cuff bracelet gone bad. After much debate (and a pair of scissors), I decided to liberate it from its' ugly surroundings and let it stand on its own. Add some Swarovski Crystal Pearls, and tiny Swarovski Crystal 2mm rounds, and you have a necklace! Available in my Etsy Shop http://www.gypsybeads.etsy.com/.

In the Swing of things

Well, I'm back into the swing of things. I bought a house in the last month, had my first jewelry show in Denver, and got married. Now I'm trying to settle into my new studio. Still trying to find out where to put things, and what type of storage I want. I finally have the room painted, the hardwoodfloors are down, and I have a make-shift workbench. Lot's more to do though, and I'll keep you posted as things come up!

Back from Beadland!

Here I am, back for a couple of weeks now from the Bead and Button Show. It was such an amazing experience....better even than last time I think. I had a great time with my projects, and an even better time with my friends. I am so inspired to create, which is great because of my recent drought of creativity. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to bring any of my ideas to fruition, but I hope that will end soon. One thing that I came back with was an identity crisis for my business name. My former business name was Gypsybeads, and it was near and dear to my heart. The problem? Every time that someone heard my name they thought Cheap Hippy Jewelry, instead of Fun, Eclectic, and Colorful. So when I moved to Denver, I came up with Artifice Studios which sounds very artful and modern. As much as I like my new name, my old name really embodies for me the spirit of my jewelry...so I'm turning back time and embracing the path of the Gypsy again. Have any of you had problems with your chosen name? Drop me a line to let me know.
Thanks,

Megan

http://www.gypsybeads.biz