Look what Sharon made!

I've been doubly blessed in the last week to have my friend Sharon at LiveWire Jewelry use some of my porcelain pieces in her beautiful work. The earings above are called 'brocade' and combine, turquoise, silver, and ruby with her own head pins and jump rings into what I think are quite elegant earings.

The second pair of earings are called 'tranquility' and again use silver with my porcelain charms. I love these too and could see wearing them casually or all dressed up. Sharon says that they are called tranquility because that's what she felt when she touches the porcelain pieces. What an honour for me! But the real honour is seeing my humble pieces transformed into such beautiful works of art. You can see more photos of these lovely earings in her Etsy shop.

When I make things I don't have a clear vision of what they might look like when used in jewelry. Often I have a very simple idea. But when I see Sharon, or any of you, work your talent and magic I am really very thrilled.

I am very fond of Sharon. She and I started blogging at about the same time last year and was one of the first of the many wonderful people I met here on the blogs. Since that time, I've been able to watch her make beautiful jewelry, using different types of wire working techniques, gems, art beads, and all sorts of materials. I've also watched her branch out into mixed media works that are truly wonderful. I believe that Sharon started out as a fine art painter and all of the art she makes has a painters eye for composition and colour. Sharon is very talented! And she's just one of the bestest people around too!

I know some of you are familiar with Sharon's art. But if you aren't you should really go over to her blog and see for your self what she's up to. She's very generous with sharing her creative journey and it will be worth the trip. I promise.

Thanks Sharon! You've not only made my day, but my week too.

Art Market and Give Away

Where has the time gone? It seems like Saturday was yesterday. But here it is Tuesday already. But first that give away. My friend Sharon, at Livewire Jewelry, is having a give away to celebrate her first publication! Sharon is giving away the necklace that was published in Bead Trends July 2009. It's a beautiful necklace that features ceramic beads from Gaea and her own wonderful wire work. So give that link up there a click and have a look. Not only is Sharon celebrating, she's giving this necklace away as a thank you for the support she's recieved from all of us out here in blogland. How incredibly cool is that! Sharon herself is one of the most supportive bloggers I know. Not only does she generously share her artistic journey with us, she sprinkles thoughtful comments and support on our blogs. The thanks go to you, Sharon.


That photo up there is of the monthly Downtown Art Market last Saturday, where despite the 100 degree weather, lots of people came down to look around, shop, and just have a good time. The first Art Market was in May and we started with 18 vendors and 200 visitors. Just 3 months later we are 36 vendors with a crowd of 600. I am just tickled pink, not just for myself, but for our community. Like so many places, the downtown area is a dead zone, with much of the shopping moved out to strip malls. This market in its own small way is contributing to that sense of community that once made downtowns every where so alive. Larry, Jennifer, and Tony you all have done a fabulous job of making this happen. Thank you!!!!

Thanks, Sharon!

I was so surprised and happy to get this card in the mail. It was from Sharon over at LivewireJewelry. I sent her a mix of buttons and beads recently and she sent me this lovely note. It is on a card that she made. I think Sharon might be hiding some of her talents from us! I had no idea she worked this way. This card is divine. It’s got the most wonderful words, “listen to your heart” and a bird, robin I think, an icon of spring. It’s all balanced just so perfectly.

Little does Sharon know, but today was a day where I truly appreciated a surprise. Today, I’ve been working on all sorts of mundane business things, promotional things, questioning just what on earth am I doing. But “listen to your heart” was a perfect sentiment for me to follow thru my day. It is all part and parcel of following a creative life and even those mundane business things free me up to think about the doing the creative work.

It also made me think about the blogging community we are part of. For me it is a very nourishing experience and I hope you all get some of that as well. I work alone as many of you do. This experience of being able to share and interact with all of you, that I only know thru our blogs, has become an important part of my creative life. Thank you! And many, many thanks to Sharon for giving me this little gift of reflection.

Sharon, this little beauty is going up in my studio as a reminder of what it is all about.

Cheers, LeAnn