distracted...

I have work to do...I have design stamps to design...I have Sterling to scavenge for, so I can add weight to my load to be refined...I have new product to add to the cart...BUT
I am distracted by things on the damn interwebs!  Shocker.  Here is what is stealing my head...

OIL CLOTH...I can't help it, I just love the stuff
OUR ONGOING DESIRE TO LEARN TO WELD UP SOME LAWN ART, Paul and I...big, we want to go big!
VINTAGE EYE GLASSES...I mean, c'mon
COLOR BRAVERY...well done!
NEW CLASSES IN METAL!!!

oh and the usual.

Sale at Beaducation...

I just turned on the Sterling Blanks sale over at Beaducation.com.  I am working late, tunes are cranked and although the sale won't be officially announced until tomorrow, I have turned it on tonight!  Jump on over there and stock up!  20% off of Sterling Blanks (in stock items only, no rain checks). Please remember that Thursday is a national holiday so USPS is closed.  Shipping times may take a bit longer than usual.

All Online Video Classes 20% off at beaduation.com

Remember, they never expire, so now is a good time to STOCK UP :)
And with the sale, we have launched a new class with ME, Continuum Earrings!

 

Sale expires Oct 21st

Yay cover piece!

Hey check it out.  My piece made the front cover of the new Wirework magazine by Kalmbach Publishing. 

That looks purty!

Todd Reed show starts today at De Novo in Palo Alto

If ya live in the San Francisco Bay Area and you have a sec to pop over to Palo Alto, consider stopping by my favorite jewelry store De Nova.  This is my go-to place when I need to be around overwhelming beauty.  One of my favorite artists is Todd Reed. His show starts today at De Nova.  In fact, he will be there today.

I have one of his rings (10 year anniversary, woo) and I absolutely treasure it.  I love the look of raw uncut diamonds.  There is a great article in the recent issue of Jewelry Artist about raw diamonds, featuring a few pieces of Todd's work.

Whether or not you are able to make it to his show (I am going next week), it's worth a loop around his website.  Amazing!

Seedbead 911...hello old friend!

I've been called in for some seedbead repair work.  Looks like the wine bottle that I covered in seedbeads for my dad, FIFTEEN years ago, has some age spots.

This bottle was a gift to my father for his 55th birthday. He turned 70 this year.  It took me about 30 hours to make it. I covered the whole bottle using single needle right angle weave stitch, yellow size B Nymo thread and light green transparent size 11 seedbeads (oh and yellow ones at the top). I picked the beads and thread color to match the color of the wine in the bottle and the color of the glass. 

It is a joy to be fondling and working with this old friend.  This project has a comfy spot in my heart.  I have done maybe 3 or 4 projects like this....ones that have taken a nice big chunk of time.  This particular one is my favorite, especially since it is so loved and sits on my dad's desk.  I remember loving working on this bottle.  It was very zen.  There wasn't much to distract the mind, it was more engineering than design.  No crazy thread path or color variation, just the same bead and the same stitch for hours.  It was a bit of a challenge though, to decrease the stitch to fit the beadwork snug on the bottle.

Fifteen years later, I still have the beads and I still have the thread.  Time to stitch this bad boy back up :)

Incoming ...must get my hands in shape!

I am so excited, Lindstrom has come up with a new plier series.  I got to play with the Flat Nose a bit at the Bead&Button Show and they were really really nice.  I just got confirmation that a full set are headed my way so I can test and review the line before they go into full production. 

I plan on bending every wire I can get my hands on.  I am doing my hand exercises...stretchin', finger squats, hip hop cardio finger dance and hand jumping jacks.  I have almost perfected my hand balance handstand like this guy.

 

10!!! Really!?

Today is my Izzy's 10th birthday...ten?  Did I say 10?  Can that be right?  How can I have a child who is old enough to beg for a cel phone for her birthday (boy, she is gonna be disappointed!).  Yep, I just did the math, she was born in 2000, she is ten...wow!

This was then.....

...and this is now!

On days like today, I kinda long for that big, chunky, cloth diaper butt baby! Ok, maybe not the diaper part.

So loving this....

This is very super cool...well done!
Tons of inspiration at sticks and bricks

Giveaways at Beaducation.com...woo!

We are celebrating the official release of my book and we are givin' away all kinds of stuff.

Well, you have missed the giveaway on the Beaducation blog and you missed the one on Facebook, but if you are a Twitter follower, there is still time!!!  The Twitter giveaway goes until 3:00...ya gotta be a follower of Beaducation to send us a message which will enter you into the drawing for a book, and again I say, woo!.

In just 1.5 hours, 100 people entered the Facebook giveaway! 

THANKS!!!

Palleting

Playing with the pallet creator on Colourlovers.com.  Let's see what this photo gives me...

*click photo to view larger* 

Now that is some good PR!

I received this in the mail last month, from Anthropologie.  It's a coupon for 15% off during my birthday month and it's a necklace with 2 beads that make up a birthday cake candle. C'mon, is that just the cutest damn thing??!!!

Lopsided watermelons ???

Dear Mother Nature,

You are a persnickety lil' lady and I fricken' love you!

Love,

Lisa

In case you missed it in the June 2 issue of the San Jose Mercury, there is a logical reason for this year's lopsided watermelons.

Watermelon plants have both male and female flowers. The pollen on the male flowers has to be carried to the female flowers by bees. It is a heavy pollen and so big bumble bees or several smaller honey bees are needed to do the job. In cold or rainy weather, of which we have had lots this spring, bees don’t fly or do so irregularly. As a result, the watermelons are not properly pollinated and the resulting fruit grows in an irregular or lopsided fashion. With warm weather, the bees will be working full-time and our later season watermelons will not be lopsided.

**7/8/10 update...I bought a watermelon yesterday and it was indeed lopsided, and tasty!

and speaking of color

Here is one of my favorite color inspiration sites...
http://www.colourlovers.com/

Colorful poetry

My 9 year old, Izzy, loves to write poetry. I am a fan!

What is Green?

Green in like sneaky Leprechauns at the end of the rainbow gathering Gold.
Green is what summer and spring wear on the tips of their heads.
Green has spread across the world giving each person joy and happiness.
Soft notes on the piano represent green.
Emerald gives out many glittering green sparkles from the sunlight.
Green is born in almost every direction you look.
Green is the color of spring.
Jade is a beautiful emissary of green.
But to conclude it, green is a graceful, elegant color.

Izzy Kelly 3/2010

"I call the top bunk!"

'cause really...there aren't many things in life that are better than the top bunk
























Well except maybe sleeping bags in a tent...

preppin'

Up to my nostrils in Bead&Button prep!!!
ahhhhhh. so much to do.

Preorder my book at Beaducation.com

Hey all, we are now taking preorders for my book on my site beaducation.com. The price includes shipping (we are just charging a few bucks). Click here to check it out. The first 200 copies ordered through our site will be signed by me (which is a bit dorky and exciting at the same time!).

Saturday testing

It's Saturday ....and super sunny and nice out....do you know where your kids are? Yeah, mine are with a babysitter because my husband and I are at work. No complaints though, I have a goal and I am crankin' on it. Over at Beaducation.com we are launching a new site, and we are sooooo excited about it. Not only will the site have a nice fancy face lift, it will now feature product videos. We are filming these videos every week so our library will constantly be growing.

Don't bother clicking that play button, it's just a screen shot. But hopefully you can view the actual video soon....like very very soon :)

So here I sit, no distractions (except the Arctic Monkey....loud!). I am testing, inserting alt images, linking product videos, testing classes, editing pictures, shooting pictures and drinking Green Tea. I am focused! I hope my kids are enjoying this sunny day.

IT'S HERE....MY BOOK IS HERE~!

woooohooo. Yesterday I got my advanced real, like super real, copy of my book. It looks so good! If feels so good! It SMELLS soooooo good! This is the first time I have seen the DVD and it too looks soooo good! We had a viewing last night at my mom's house....movie night. I forced the whole family to watch my DVD and they were actually quite into it. My kids learned a lot and now they think I am a famous movie star...hummm.

Here is the link again if you want to preorder it, OR even better, we will have copies to sell when it's out in early July, so is you are cool with waiting, you can get a signed copy from beaducation.com (soon).

wooohooo!

Inspiration

Last weekend my husband and I took our kids to see Cirque du Soleil's Ovo in San Jose. I have seen about 7 different Cirque du Soleil shows and this is one makes the top 2 in my book (with "O" of course).

The most inspiring part of this show was seeing it with my kids. Next time you go to a show like this, take a minute (or 2 hours like I did) and turn your attention to a child's face. Most likely, that face will reflect wonder, joy, confusion and pure amazement....and that just might inspire you more than the show itself.

If you watch the below video....stick it out. The last act is the bestest!

Ok, this is just odd

At first, I thought this was maybe the most jacked up thing I have ever seen. But then it dawned on me, this might actually keep me focused...hummm, block out the world, get my work done (on the computer of course) and stay warm at the same time. But how do you breathe? I have a bit of claustrophobia...yeah, this might not be the answer. And c'mon...really?

Dream Job

Ok, well really, I have my dream job, but if I ever had to get a new job and I could have my dream job, it would be this dude's job...Chief Photographer for Public Relations at Disneyland Resort. I wanna cruise around Disneyland in the wee hours of the morning taking photos!

Spring is springing!

Spring is itchin' to bust out BIG in my backyard!

Stamped Metal Jewelry; Creative Techniques & Designs for Making Custom Jewelry

It's done....YAH! I spent the last year or so working on a book about stamping on metal and other metal techniques that work well with stamping to create jewelry. I am super excited! It's done and available in the Interweave Store for preorder.

Here is the blurb they wrote about the book :)

Metal stamping is one of the hottest trends in metal jewelry. Using purchased metal stamps and sterling silver blanks, you can personalize your metal jewelry designs with words, textures, and creative designs. Lisa Niven Kelly, creator of the online Beaducation workshops and website, specializes in the technique and has been teaching stamping for more than six years to enthusiastic students. Although stamping is a simple technique, the right tools and skills will help you create professional and exciting results.

Stamped Metal Jewelry teaches multiple metal stamping and texturing techniques, and the projects incorporate wirework and metalsmithing to create fabulous necklaces, beads, charms, bracelets, cuffs, and earrings. The book opens with an extensive section on stamping, wirework, and metalsmithing tools and techniques. With these skills, you can begin the inspiring jewelry designs with confidence. Nineteen projects cover a variety of techniques and designs such as creating charms, incorporating stamped links into beaded projects, making stamped links from flat wire and wire-wrapping them together, stamping on blanks and layering them, riveting, texturing metal, oxidizing, and more. In addition to Lisa's projects, the book features contributions by nationally known guest artists Tracy Stanley, Kriss Silva, Lisa Claxton, Kate Richbourg, Janice Berkebile, and Connie Fox.

Victorian Scroll Bracelet

Tada! Here is my final piece for Hooked On Wire. I loveth it!

Hooked On Wire piece, some progress...

I am in Tucson right now. The Beaducation booth is being set up, and I have been given the day off to finish my Hooked On Wire project. We have rented a gorgeous house here and it has provided me with a beautiful, warm and quite place to create.

I am not done yet, but I think I have a final plan and am on my way.

This is a whole lot of symetry goin' on here...it's kinda freaking me out. Oh well, balance right?

In my head...

If you could take a look in my brain right now (which I don't really recommend), here is what you would see.
























With a little bit of this...






















It's an odd mix, but in this creative space, it's workin' for me.

Coming to Tucson?

Are ya headed out to Tucson to stock up on beads, tools, gems and all kinds of other stuff that you NEEEEEEED. If so, come visit the Beaducation booth and say HI!

We will be at the To Bead True Blue show at the The Doubletree Reid Park, from Jan 31st through Feb 8th. Technically the last 3 days of the show is called The Tucson Bead Show, but it is the same location and we will be at the same space....booths G174 and G175.

We are all packed up and headed out....hope to see you there!!!

oh.....my....goodness.....I am blushing!

A few months ago, I got an email from the editor of Bead&Button magazine letting me know that I have been voted in as one of the Top Ten Teachers in the United States (jewelry making teachers that is). I kinda stared at this email for a bit thinking "huh? really? WOW!". Apparently they looked at evaluations from Bead&Button Shows, and took numerous polls online and were given rave reviews of over 229 teachers. They quickly narrowed it down to the top 10. They wrote a wonderful article about us 10 teachers and that article comes out in the next Bead&Button magazine. We have been sworn to secrecy until now :)

To be honest, I am totally in shock! I mean, I love teaching and I am confident that I do a good job (you crazies keep coming back for more!!!) but to be put in a group with these other ladies has me blushing beyond belief. THANK YOU!!!

I would like to give a special shout out and big ol' THANK YOU to Cynthia Rutledge who is OF COURSE on this list. She has been my mentor since I was a teenager (ok, I was 22 when I met her). Cynthia and I worked at the Shepherdess together (we had more fun than anyone should have on the clock). Her bead career took off from there as seedbeads captured her and engulfed her brain. When I was learning beadwork and wirework, I watched her teaching career grow as she successfully and continually inspired students to create masterpieces. And I would think to myself "wow, how does she do it? All these shows and all this teaching? Man, I wanna be like her when I grow up". Cynthia helped me a ton when I first started teaching. She was generous with her knowledge and incredibly encouraging. Her designs and teaching etiquette are exceptional. So the most exciting thing about this super awesome and flattering Top Ten thing, for me, is being on this list with her.

um, yummmm

Peppermint Stick ice cream with hot fudge....

'nuff said!

tiny little coils

I need to come up with my 2010 Hooked On Wire project. It was due to the lovely Susan, well, like last month. I have finally come up with an idea. My hope is to crank out a pendant similar to the classic French wrought iron work I am so darn fond of. I have this book (pictured left) , and I am thinking that maybe if I sleep with it under my pillow it will inspire me beyond conscious recognition.

I have spoken about my love for ironwork about 2 years ago in this blog post. It is very typical of me to obsesses on something, dive head first into it, loose sleep over it and then put it aside. So here I am 2 years later, reworking and re-getting excited about this work. But this time I plan to cover the scrolls in little tiny 26 gauge coils. Part of the draw to this class will be to learn to coil long lengths of tiny wire onto another tiny wire (no, not with your hands...forget that, we will be using a drill, and no we won't be coiling onto a hard mandrel, we will be coiling onto a 3 foot piece of 22 or 20 gauge Sterling Wire...yes, with the drill) and also learning how to shape that coil without distorting it.

So that is my plan. I am only writing it here in hopes that it will help in executing said plan. I gots the plan in my head...now let's see if I can get it into wire...stay tuned!

Bead&Button Show class registration NO OPEN!!!

Registration opened this morning for the classes and workshops at the 2010 Bead&Button Show. I can not say enough about this show. There are loads of classes and loads of vendors and loads of crazy ass bead energy! It's good times!



One of my classes has already sold out. I would love to see ya at the show. Click here to view my classes :)