On the 2nd Day of Christmas: Sparkle and Glow - Holiday Candle Tutorial

Ceramics from www.gaea.cc

Polymer from www.humblebeads.com

Glass by Janet McDonald

Metal from www.greengirlstudios.com

Candles from Target

Never leave lit candle unattended.

Inside The Studio with Gaea Cannaday - The Wicked Season

Welcome to Inside the Studio! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
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In honor of Halloween, we chose lucky number 13! Thanks for all the great comments! This weeks winner is  Bead-Mused. Congratulations!
You have won a $25 gift certificate to Humblebeads.com from Heather Powers.

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This week we visit the studio of Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.

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When I think of fall, I think of hot desert winds, bright blue skies, and the prickle of static electricity causing my hair to stand on end. It makes me feel wicked! Southern California doesn't see much rain this time of year and many of the plants keep their foliage year round. Our mediterranian climate doesn't paint a very interesting portrait of our fall scenery. Looking a little closer, you find sun dried grass the color of sunshine and desert wind blown cloudless night skies twinkling with stars. Fall imagery still stirs my soul and inspired many new design for me this year. Here is a gallimaufry of my fall season.

I think we talk about Halloween year round at our house. Haunted house, Skelly, Web and Love Potion.

Look what the wind blew in! A fantastic surprise visit from artist CarolAnn Lafaso of BombPop on Etsy. She brought her amazing hoard of beads and we played. Her little works of art are incredibly durable and light! Perfect for the earrings I made... CarolAnn's years of color design work are apparent with the sumptuous and dreamy color combinations she comes up with!  

Brenna's sweet family owns Coffee Connection here in town. Who better to have a winged coffee cup necklace? Apparently, I was in Pyewacket's way. Following the signs home. We are often tempted to keep driving north.

 Beaded bangles, stacked bead, ellipse beads.

New jewelry designs bound for a new local shop, Fig.

Hand carving original designs. Finding new uses for my carvings... handmade stamps! I've been decorating packages with the new stamp and have been eyeing old designs for their stamp making abilities!

New designs ready for some color.  Even though it is a busy time of year, I really focus on producing new designs each cycle. 

What inspires you creatively in this autumnal season?  

Decorating? Seasonal smells and colors? 

Please leave a comment about what this season inspires in you to win a new Jack pendant!

Studio Saturday with Gaea Cannaday

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

This week's winner is Boot-C
Congratulations! You have won a copy of Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbons and Cords SIGNED by both Erin and Lorelei! Please send Erin an e-mail with your address and she will get your book out to you as soon as possible!

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This week we visit the studio of

Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.

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My previous Studio Saturday post I talked about inspiration. Grab a cup of your favorite morning stimulant and follow me through the day. We'll do the sped up, non-bickering children version! (If it feels to quiet at your end, please feel free to mentally edit in bickering children for the soundtrack!) 

Up at 7:00 am. Try to wake kids, then make coffee and try to trick my brain into thinking that decaf is where it's at! Can't have too much caffeine or my ticker will flutter like a butterfly. Sad but true. Make lunches and beg children to get up! Swear up and down that tonight will have an earlier bedtime! Feed groggy children and bleary self. Annoy children with spelling quizzes on the way to school, stopping the car periodically to watch wild rabbits eating their breakfast and quail families skitter across the street. Drop kids off at school and gulp coffee down before dragging myself into Curves. This always feels futile when I walk in, but oh so good when done! Next... Emails don't answer themselves! Another cup of decaf (recent studies shows that regular and decaf have special health benefits including helping to prevent type 2 diabetes!) and I hit the keyboard! Thank goodness for google! I can answer a question about annealing glass vs. kiln firing ceramics! 

The sparkle on the new gemstone beads and copper sheets picked up from the Santa Barbara Gem Fair are distracting me to no end. Decide to spend 30 minutes exploring these new toys. Fifteen copper wire head pins later and I am determined to cut out 5 crescent shaped copper blanks. Cutting an inner curve with scissors is quite a challenge! Note: research easier ways of cutting copper, not self! Pound the copper with a hammer and dust off the wooden dapping block that has been sitting in a drawer for 6 months! Decide that these need to be a necklace with dangles! OH! I've overstayed my time with this project and have to jump into the next thing. How many "project" trays do I have around the studio? I counted 11.

Motivate self by listening to the Jack White station on Pandora and pulling beads for sets to list on Etsy, LARGE mug of coffee (yes, more decaf) in hand! Invoicing. More decaf. Packing. Lunch. Shipping. Thank goodness for PayPal's multi-order shipping feature! Dogs need to go out. Cat demands a bit of attention. Time to get a special request necklace done. My friend Sherrie, requested a necklace and earring set to wear when she is watching her 6 month old grand baby. Sherrie let me have free reign on this design, but baby loves ladybugs!

Don't forget to add a split ring to the leaf charm! I used a split ring so if the baby gives it a tug, it will stay on! Oh. And, it might be time for more decaf.

Dreaming of nap but don't have time so, shamefully, I sneak a caffeine infested diet coke. I know. Bad. Photograph bead sets. Edit photos. Post listings on etsy. Yeah for the "copy listing" feature! Suddenly realize that it's time to pick kids up from school and rush out! Back home for... snack. Homework. Homework. Homework. Enjoy dinner and family time! Head out for Made In Ojai Artists Co-op meeting. Back home to make work list and bust out the bead work trays. Promise husband not to stay up to late....

It is a busy life and I am thankful for every busy minute! I tend to be all over the place in my day, even with a list... How do you keep focused on getting tasks done? Shortcuts? Please?! Leave a comment on how you get your day done for a chance to win a bead set from my etsy shop!

Gaea Cannaday is a proud mama, artist, and jewelry designer. To find out more, visit her blog, Gaea Beads.