In August I was asked to create a Bat Mitzvah book. After brainstorming with a person practicing the Jewish faith, Ruth 1:16-17 was selected as the appropriate verse to use in the gift commission. I printed out the verse on paper and created the mini-books. Then I cut out the verses and coated them with […]
Last summer I made a dragonfly stake on a whim and it was well-received. This year I took the production level up a notch and added ladybug stakes to the collection. I distributed them at my various boutique outlets, and they steadily fly off to new homes. A post on Facebook prompted Ayla’s Originals to […]
On Friday, I will be attending Morpho Gallery’s National Call for Encaustic Entries Opening party. This annual exhibit of encaustic artists will be held August 4 at from 6 to 9 pm at 5216 N Damen Avenue in Chicago. The 6th Annual Encaustic Exhibition includes 2D and 3D work made with the hot wax method […]
Right after fair season ended, it was time for a fun day. Now That’s A Jig! inventor Brenda Schweder had ordered an Ugly Sweater Angel via Instagram, which was a fun challenge. I used some of my Belgian felt pieces as embellishments, picked some ‘ugly’ paper, and then ‘uglified’ it more by creating as much glittery […]
I started making mini-books in August, and worked on getting more ideas out of my head and into wire this week. Based on the square peg measurements I created snippets of text in my computer and printed that out on tissue paper to fit in the various designs I have in my head. I made […]
During my play date with Brenda Schweder I specifically focused on her angled gadgets, since sharp corners are not my forte. I took home the Square NTaJ Accessory Peg Pak Mix. Higher gauge wire is easier to manipulate, but my affinity for 16 gauge steel remains strong. As I fiddled with the multiple squares a […]
Recently I took a mini-roadtrip to Waukesha to visit Brenda Schweder in her studio. I have been intrigued by her Now That’ a Pliers! since she introduced them, but wanted to take them for a spin before committing to another tool investment. She showed me her fabulous studio space that has various sections to run […]
Angel is literally making new friends. When I signed up for Bead & Button workshops there was a reverse engineering option but due to lack of registration the workshop was dropped. Instead, Brenda Schweder offered to help me reverse engineer my angel ornaments remotely, and I sent one in. Soon I received an email with […]
Two years ago I visited the Bead & Button Show for the first time and was overwhelmed. It is amazing how a convention center can have a block worth of bead booths with all of them offering different wares. The plethora of colors and sparkles resulted in me only buying a few strands, since I […]
I’ve been toggling between doilies and dots this past month. After my show opening at Creative Coworking I launched into dot-making for the next exhibit. The DOT Show has been in the making for about a year. It is an exhibition of 14 FUSEDChicago members at the Chicago Arts District in Pilsen. The show was […]
