Fearless Friday

This is dedicated to all those who fearlessly struggle through the crowds on Black Friday.  I could never do it in a million years - you would find me huddled in a corner somewhere mumbling peaceful words to myself, but I appreciate all of you who are able to endure it (and sometimes even like it) in order to find that bargain.  I would love to be able to be that fearless!

I do think these new apps for the iPhone and iTouch are pretty cool for you Fearless types:

My cheeks aren't even shimmering!

If you read my most recent Fearless Friday, then you know that I tried my hand at Martha Stewart's glitter painting.  Every other time I have worked with glitter (albeit, they were few and far between), I was pulling glitter out from my hair, eyelashes and fingernails for days.  Maybe I've matured (though I doubt it) and being able to work with glitter without making a mess is a passage into the next realm of crafting.  Anyway, I'm not saying that the room made it out completely unscathed.  I'm hoping my vaccuum is up for the challenge of sucking miniscule particles of shine out of my carpet, but I had so much fun that I don't care if I made a mess!  Here are the photos of my end result.  I still have to figure out how I want to finish the edges, but I am really pleased with how it came out.

Fearless Friday

I KNOW...I have been the BIGGEST slacker in history!!! I haven't posted anything in so long, but I do have an excuse. I had such a good time participating in the Shop Swap and Blog that I wanted to give those blogs time to be seen before I ramble on about something else.

But Friday is here and that means I need to grant you all with a Fearless Friday post: how about glitter...I hate it and love it at the same time! I always have! It always looks nice, but I never know what to do with it and it gets absolutely everywhere...everywhere...everywhere. Maybe it's just me, but I can never seem to keep it where I want it. So I kind of gave up on glitter a few years ago.

That was before I saw the Martha Stewart Living how-to on "painting" with glitter. It is soooooooooo beautiful, so I'm going to try it today. See, the fearless part comes from biting the bullet and knowing I'll make a mess just to turn out a beautiful, sparkly piece of art. Plus, you use your own photos. How cool is that!!!! I'll have to show you how it goes after I clean all of the glitter off of me, which I predict will require 3 showers. In the meantime, here is the link to MSL's glitter painting tool. Have Fun and Be Fearless!!

More Shop Swap

Many of you read my blog about Georgia from Yeah Hello Jewelry, my wonderful partner for the Shop Swap and Blog.  Now, you can read my interview on her blog.  Her blog is absolutely beautiful, by the way, so you will have fun checking it out!   http://yeahhello.typepad.com/blog/2009/11/meet-gail-gorske-of-gigi-goods-handcrafted-paper-goods-artist.html#comments

Yay - It's Shop Swap and Blog!

It's the day I've been telling everyone to wait for...my shop swap and blog package came and I want to tell you all about it.  My partner is Georgia and her business, Yeah Hello, http://www.etsy.com/shop/yeahhello sells the most amazing and fun jewelry!  I was so excited to get her package and became even more excited when I was opening up her sweet little boxes, all adorned with cute little stickers proclaiming her shop's name.  It makes you realize how fun it is to be a girl when you open up little jewelry boxes filled with goodies!!

Here are the photos of me opening up my treasure...make sure you keep reading to see her interview afterwards.

1. What’s the name of your business, what do you create and sell, and how did you get your start?

My jewelry line, Yeah Hello, is a fun collection of handmade jewelry and accessories tailored for women who are looking to jazz up their style with a little something different. Yeah Hello was born after I'd come across some plastic owl beads that I instantly wanted to turn into earring studs. The name came from a radio show drop that was of a man calling the show in this funny confused tone saying, "Yeah.. Hello?" I could never get that funny voice out of my head, thus I had to give it a life.

        2. Share some of your inspirations as they pertain to your art.

I'm inspired by fashion both old and new. Sometimes if I see a dress in person my mind will race thinking about the perfect piece of jewelry I could create for it. I like more reserved classic styles with a touch of flare. I would sum up some of my special occasion jewelry as timeless.

        3. Describe your creative process.

Ah, it's a tough one! I'm a perfectionist at heart, so sometimes I wrestle with an idea for days/weeks/months if it's not coming together nicely. It's hard to know when something is complete. Lots of ideas evolve from the starting point. Often times I need to sleep on a design before I can look at it again with fresh eyes.

***This is Georgia's workspace. Look at how organized she is...and she has a cool map showing where she has shipped throughout the world.

        4. What are some of your favorite websites, blogs, and magazines these days?

I'm really enjoying flicker these days. It's amazing to connect with people from all over the globe share work in a peer to peer setting.

        5. What’s new? Any products or projects you’d like to share?

I've been slowly adding new items to my Hello Metal line - which I'm having so much fun developing. While on my honeymoon in Seattle this summer, I felt a strong need to diversify by adding everyday silvers and golds into my repertoire after seeing first hand just how many women really do wear gold or silver on a daily basis. The rest has been about the challenge of using only one material to represent the style and flare of my other collections.

**I saw these on Yeah Hello's shop when I first found out Georgia was my partner and I immediately fell in love with them.  Imagine my excitement when I found them in my package!!!

        6. Since this is about sharing great art, are there any other artists/shops you would like to give a little shout out to?

There are so many great artists and handmade shops out there. Too many to choose from! I always tell people (if they haven't already) to go discover etsy. It's an amazing network of crafty people. You can find just about everything on there. Stop buying gifts for people at the huge chains and malls, yeah they may be convenient, but with etsy you're almost always guaranteed to find something affordable, thoughtful and rare tailored for the recipient which makes it a win-win for all.


***Definitely, definitely check out Yeah...Hello's shop as soon as possible.  Georgia is a great artist and a sweetheart.  It's no surprise that she is a trained pastry chef because she makes all of her jewelry look scrumptious - the beautiful coral color of my ring she sent me just makes me think of the prettiest buttercream frosting I've ever seen.I'm so glad I got to know her a little better through this experience and I will definitely be going back to her shop in the future!!!

Yeah Hello's blog:  http://www.yeahhello.typepad.com/
Yeah Hello's facebook fan page: http://ro-ro.facebook.com/pages/Yeah-Hello-Vintage-Inspired-Jewelry/45110606078
Yeah Hello's shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/yeahhello