September Blog Carnival: What's on Your Workmat?

Prioritized project: Fingerless gloves waiting for embellishment.

It's confession time.
Septembers Starving Jewelry Artist's Blog Carnival topic is What's on your workmat? 
Hello my name is Bonnie and I ponder and start and work on many projects at one time.
My brain works faster than my hands can keep up.
A new idea can be inspired by a current project, a picture in a magazine, the color of a sunset, a dream, or a great piece of hardware from a salvage shopping trip.  I feel the need to capture the brainstorm in a concrete manner so that it doesn't slip away. That compulsion translates to multiple mats.
A mental health professional might call this flight of ideas.
I call it creativity.

Skary skulls. Off the mat!

Just finished: an entire Halloween collection of Spooky spiders and Skary skulls in every color of the rainbow. Off the Mat!
In progress: a chainmaille bracelet done except for the clasp that is for the Visions of Hope fundraising event to benefit our hospitals Cancer Treatment Center. The bracelet is on the mat because the crystals in it are pink and I am almost sure that they want to be black. I am waiting for them to decide.
Then there is the "stack-o-mats", a pile of nesting plastic boxes that each holds a project.
1. Viking knit. Always on the mat, and a favorite on the go project for long car trips. (Fred insists on doing all the driving anyway.)
2. Special order for a wedding. On the mat until I find the right color blue beads to finish them.

Necklaces: still on the mat.

3. A pearl and rhinestone bracelet waiting for me to have the patience to string all those tiny beads. Still on the mat.
4. A pair of beautiful fingerless gloves (hand knit by my daughter Lissa) that I am embellishing with beads and salvage to wear at shows. On the mat since May when I received the gloves. Now that the weather is cooler these are a priority.
5. A series of necklaces with acrylic donuts as the focal point. On the mat to be finished before our next show on October 8Th.

I am looking forward to finishing up some of these projects and fessing up has made me prioritize them.
Fabulous photos of completed projects to follow.

Projects in waiting, otherwise known as "Stack-o-mats".

To read what other Starving jewelry Artists have to say about this topic visit:
Bead Sophisticate
Beadsire

Frightful Fashion

Skary Skulls by The FamiLee Jewels on Etsy

Crisp mornings, advertisements featuring cuddly sweaters, and yellow school buses herald the approaching change of seasons. This is a beautiful time of year in the Northeastern United States. Soon our trees will be bright with shades from gold to scarlet, asters will be blooming and the smell of wood fires will once again become part of our environment. All of these things signal to me that Halloween is near. Halloween is one of my favorite Holidays. It brings out the silly child in me. I love the decorations, the costumes and of course the treats!

Dia de los Muertos dress by ChaoticCouture

Consider this romantic Day of the Dead costume.by ChaoticCouture22 on Etsy. It's amazing pearl encrusted bodice gives it a sugar skull appearance that is enhanced by the designers use of burnt edges. You will be the most beautiful ghoul at the party.

It even comes with a burned red rose bouquet and black lace mantilla style veil decorated with more red roses of course.

Handmade leather mask by Ken Osborne

Consider this handcrafted leather mask in fabulous flame colors by Etsy seller kennosborne.  Each of their masks is a unique work of wearable art and will make a most mysterious statement. 


Kennosborne represents a husband (Ken) and wife (Becky) team of artists whose favorite materials include "anything we can get our hands on."

Skeleton arm warmers by LadyLotus

Wear "dem bones" on the outside with theses funky arm warmers/fingerless gloves by LadyLotus.  These arm warmers are made from recycled T shirt fabric, projects that didn't turn out the way the Lady wanted them to.  What a great use of material!
Scary or funky, sexy or bold costumes are a delightful way to celebrate the season. 


Who are you going to be for Halloween this year?

The FamiLee Jewels are packing up the store and taking the show on the road. This weekend you can find us in Lake George New York at the Adirondack Nationals car show.
Adirondack Nationals is an annual event held by Albany Rods and Kustoms. Classic cars literally take over the town. There are parades and contests all weekend long.
The FamiLee Jewels will be located in the Women's Oasis in the Fort William Henry Conference Center , the same space we have occupied for the last several years.
We will be there Friday and Saturday 7-5.
Come spend a perfect Fall day in beautiful Lake George NY, be amazed by classic cars and stop in to the Women's Oasis to say hi!