10 Artist's Dates for Jewelry Designers

Creative people do not create in a vacuum. We are all affected by the daily tug and pull of a myriad of things both good and bad in our lives. There are times when as a creative person you hit the bottom of the well, empty on inspiration.

Your creativity can be zapped by too much time online, stress, not sleeping well or eating right, over-scheduling and just sometimes the winter blues. So what's the cure? You need to fill the well back up with inspiration. 

Heading to Pinterest might be your first inclination and that is a good place to start but I would like to recommend unplugging and taking yourself on a weekly artist date to tap into the inspiration all around us. 

What is an artist date? It's a concept from Julie Cameron's classic book, the Artist's Way. 

"Artist Dates are assigned play.

The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly “artistic” — think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the
imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration. When choosing an Artist Date, it is good to ask yourself, “what sounds fun?” — and then allow yourself to try it." - Julie Cameron

Here are 10 artist dates for jewelry designers.

1. Go bead shopping, make a plan and head to your local bead shop. Even if it's a drive, my closest bead shop is 2 hours away. Head to a craft store if you don't have access to a bead shop. You don't need to spend a small fortune. Pick what you need to finish one project and go home and use those beads immediately. 

2. Go to an antique/vintage shop. Study the jewelry in the shop: anything interesting about the construction, colors or beads used in these pieces from the past? What motifs were popular through the last few decades. Look around the shop for interesting finds that could be make into jewelry like buttons, keys, a vintage tin that can be transformed into components. Think outside the box. 

3. Head to museum. If you are lucky enough to live in a metro area head to a museum that has decorative arts for maximum inspiration or a history museum where you can see how humans used jewelry through the ages. Check out an art museum for fun color palette ideas or go through the museum and notice how jewelry is portrayed in the paintings.  

4. Visit a botanical center or nursery. Flowers and plants can heal a winter-weary soul. Take lots of photos.

5. Go for a nature walk. Head to a trail and notice the understated beauty of nature during the winter or if you are somewhere lush and green enjoy the foliage and sound of birds. Soak in the textures you see, notice patterns in nature. Think of how that could translate in jewelry. 

6. Head to a small boutique. Make a note of  the colors and patterns in the shop. What jewelry is the shop carrying? Notice any trends? 

7. Visit your local art scene. Go to a studio open house, gallery exhibition, gallery hop, local art center. Soak in what artists in your area are creating. Sometimes it's nice to see regular people living out their creative dreams. And being surrounded by colorful art is always inspiring. 

8. Take a class. Take a class locally, doesn't matter if it's a cooking class, a jewelry class, painting on ceramic plates, a dance class. Tap into a different part of your creativity and learn something new. Who knows what this will spark.

9. Go to the library. Spend a few hours pouring over jewelry from ancient history. Check out some jewelry or craft books that look promising and commit to going home to try a project. I recommend going to the library rather than looking online because it gets you out of the house, libraries themselves can be inspiring and while you are there check out the community events board to see what else is happening in your area. 

10. People watch. Head to a busy coffee shop or restaurant and spend some time observing humanity. We are infinitely interesting after all, I recommend keeping your phone put away, don't go online. Stay in the moment, order something delicious and enjoy it. Bring along a notebook or sketchbook to help avoid looking at your phone and it gives you an excuse to linger after your meal! This will also give you a chance to write, sketch or make a list of what you observe that could relate to jewelry.   

Want more ideas: Here are 101! Be sure to pick ones that get you out of the house and offline to start! 

Art Bead Evolutions :: January - Growing Free

I am not quite sure exactly how long I have been doing it. But it is likely since about 2011. 

That was the year after I started making my Simple Truths components in polymer clay. I thought it would be fun to offer my followers a way to ensure that they got the newest pieces that I was creating, and it would also allow me to keep coming up with something new, while also using it as an excuse to teach myself new techniques. The idea was that I would make a limited edition pendant or component in a little surprise package delivered each month to members who select 3-, 6-, 9- or 12- month subscriptions. I called it the Simple Truths Sampler Club. 

For about a year or so I was just making something that spoke to me. Possibly seasonal or thematic. But I found that to be a hard thing for me to sustain because it seemed....lacking something special. 

Don't get me wrong... I love each little creation I make (I totally forgot about the Queen Bee Rules!), and looking through these old pictures is like visiting with old friends (friends that I often wonder where they traveled to or what they became?). Some of them I even still make today because they have never gone out of style.

This is one of the few Sampler pendants that I made (April 2014) that I still take custom orders for today.

If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely have to have a meaningful message behind what I create. Often my creations have words, poems or song lyrics woven into them. Sometimes the image is enough.

And then it hit me....each month I was writing and creating for the Art Bead Scene with the awesome art challenges and I truly loved those inspirations. They were the sole reason I started using art beads in the first place, and the way that I got into making my own. Why not use the monthly art as my Sampler Muse? Absolutely, an aha moment!

In addition to the component, I started sending out a little letter to the members detailing the monthly challenge inspiration...my response to the inspiration...anything new that I learned along the way...and my process for creating something inspired by it. I have heard that they love these little letters. So I have decided that I will share this monthly missive with all of you so you can be privy to how I interpret the challenge theme each month. Welcome to my new series: Art Bead Evolutions.

The pieces that I make are created first and foremost for the Club members. If there are more created in a limited run, or if I decide to offer them as a custom made-to-order piece, then they will be available in my shop. 

Art Bead Evolutions

Simple Truths Sampler :: January 2017

With the bleak landscape of winter around here it is easy to get stuck in a rut of doing neutrals or dark and moody monochromatic color schemes. At least it is for me. That is why I was so happy to see that the artwork for January was bright and full of vibrant colors! Maybe these colors are more typical for end of August or early September, but that is why I love them all the more for January.

The painting by Egon Schiele is a departure from his most famous works which typically include figures and nudes. This Field of Flowers is just bursting forth with a liveliness that January desperately needs. There is a child-like exuberance in this painting with the simple brush strokes for each petal. I love the tapestry quality of this mass of flowers. The petals almost look as if they could be stitched. (Wouldn't this make a gorgeous quilt?) I can almost feel the heat on the back of my neck and the bees buzzing lazily around the blooms.

There are a lot of colors to work with in this painting. The varying shades of burgundy to pumpkin to ocher to cream is complemented by the various shades of green in the stems and the leaves. You can stay with the analogous warm tones and then add in the complementary color of green from the other side of the wheel. And if orange is your nemesis (as it was mine a few years ago), this is the perfect time to give it a shot! Make it the star! That is the only way that I know to make it my own. Adding little pops of lighter or darker values allows texture to play an important role in whatever you create.

For this month's component I decided to turn my focus to the flower shapes. Last month I started working again in micro mosaics for a new gallery exhibit. Using up all those bits and pieces I have amassed has given me a new focus and helped me breathe new life into all of my work, not just jewelry. I knew this would be the perfect technique to use.

While not necessarily a new-to-me technique, usually I make micro-mosaics very flat. This one I wanted to be dimensional. So that in itself was the challenge.

I had sold kits for a bracelet design I did that was in a magazine a few years back and ended up with a lot of these bright marquise shaped epoxy resin components left over. I realized they would make the perfect daisy petals. So I came up with a design that would allow me to use them in different color combinations for a charming little pendant that is practically bursting with life. This posy is sure to make you smile!

wild·flow·er

ˈwīldˌflou(ə)r/

noun

1. a flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention.

It seemed to me that this field of flowers that Egon came upon was likely just a bunch of wildflowers. I like the idea of wildflowers as "growing freely". That means they are hardy and sturdy and able to withstand the elements. If I learned only one thing from this past year it is that we all need to be hardy and sturdy and able to withstand the elements. We are stronger together and all our colors blend for a more beautiful vista. I want to be just like this wildflower. So I named these pendants Growing Free. 

And something else I want to do in the new year... as well as creating the components, I want to make sure that I save one for myself to make something. More often than not I give them all away! I made mine just a bit more bling-y with a different center to the flower. To complement the colors of the bloom, I did a color-block sort of pattern with dyed gaspeite magnesite, carnelian, resin flower rounds and dyed buri seed tubes. I call this necklace Like a Weed.

I am looking forward to seeing your Field of Flowers inspired by this painting! 

give yourself permission - with Julie of Uglibeads

It was an unsettling week for me. Try as I might, I couldn't quite get in the groove. In a creative sense, in a general life sense, in any sense. I've heard from many others that they have also been feeling a bit 'off' lately, and truthfully, I do feel a little better knowing that I'm not alone.

Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons. Some mis-alignment of the stars and the moon. Or, it's possible that we've been affected by the heaviness of the many heartbreaking things going on in the world around us. Of course, yesterday, 9/11, was a somber day of remembrance for many.

If you need a place to pause and reflect here, you are welcome to borrow this bench. It's ok. I'll wait. I sat on this very bench for many, many moments of quiet reflection on my recent holiday.

As creative people, we tend to be more sensitive than most. We truly feel the horror of tragic events, whether close to home or across the globe, and we deeply empathize with the suffering that people face in those situations. It can be very difficult to know what to do to help.

Lately, I have noticed that when I start to feel helpless about these sorts of things, my creativity suffers. I feel stuck. The happy energy that usually propels me forward is in short supply. The flow is blocked by a heavy feeling. In a way, I almost feel guilty sitting down to make beautiful things. When there are so many people who have so little, art feels like an incredible luxury. 

But it's also a basic human need.

Maybe it's a song that keeps hope alive. A treasured piece of jewelry that serves as a reminder of someone loved and lost. Or a found object that adds beauty to an otherwise hopeless place.

In a world where suffering still exists, we need all the hope and beauty we can get.

If you've been feeling a bit weighed down lately, for whatever reason, may I suggest taking some time this weekend to hang out in your creative space. If creativity is your gift, the first and most important thing you can do to make the world a better place is to use that gift to its full potential.

Give yourself permission to feel inspired. Surround yourself with things that make you happy. Books, magazines, plants, candles, inspiring quotes, crystals, photographs, mementos, or... nothing at all.

If I'm feeling down, I dig through my collection of beach stones. I love to sit in the morning light and arrange my latest beads among them. That's my happy place.

It's ok to enjoy yourself. It's ok to feel joy while you're creating or thinking about creating, no matter what is happening in the world around you. It's a fabulous idea to make something beautiful, even on a terrible day. Especially on a terrible day.

So, the sooner the better. Get to that studio. Sit down at your table. Sort through some beads. Cut some cord. Wrap some wire. Light up that torch. Melt some glass. Hammer some metal. Roll some clay.

It's hard sometimes, I know. But we'll do it together.

xo

Julie

f a c e b o o k : www.facebook.com/uglibeads

b l o g : www.uglibeads.wordpress.com

e t s y : www.uglibeads.etsy.com

i n s t a g r a m : @jules_sontag

Inside the Studio :: Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati Jewelry

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 prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard and tell us what you think. The following week a winner is chosen at random from all eligible entries.

Congratulations to thecolorofdreams on winning a $20 gift certificate to Mary Harding's  Etsy shop.
Email Miss Mary to claim your prize!

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Today we visit with Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati.

My studio is a shambles and I have been so very busy with traveling for beads, ballparks and ballet the entire month of June. And July will be no different. But in between all of the busy-ness, I have some projects that have popped up that involve making kits for sale. So I thought I would let you in on how I go about kitting a project. I call these Creativity to Go kits. I got my first taste of kitting late last year. I enjoy it and I hope to offer more in the future!

The first thing that I do is come up with a project.

That is the easy part! One of the kits that I am making this month will be sold through Interweave (keep an eye out!). The Interweave kit requires a brand new, on-trend jewelry project that will be targeted to new crafters. It will be mixed media in nature, and I think that the idea I have will be fun to play with.

The other kit I am making is a based on my own design featured in the upcoming Create Jewelry magazine. (I can't wait to get my copy of this! It is always a highlight of my year!) Their themes are based on color and one of the pieces that I submitted is called "Seek Beautiful Moments" for their Warm Hues section. Since the focal is only available from me, I thought that a kit would be a good idea.

The focal for this bracelet is from my 'Sari Snapshot' line of Simple Truths. The bright colors are complemented by the marquise-shaped dangles and a chunky brass chain. It is a fun and flirty look that has a lot of impact and movement.


The second thing that I do is come up with a list of all the items that make up the project, right down to the last bead and crimp.

I start with scribbled notes and sketches, and then hit the internet to start researching. To keep track of everything, I put together a spreadsheet so that I can track where I purchase the materials and at what per piece price. That way I can have a record of what I bought and from where, in case I have to duplicate it, plus it helps me with the kit pricing.

It takes a lot of research to put together a kit. Unfortunately, there is no 'one-stop shopping' when putting these types of things together. Sometimes I have to make changes for things that I can no longer get, like the chunky chain. You might notice that the one below is different than in the example above. I had to do my best to come up with a similar substitution. One of the key pieces was on back-order for over a month, and so I sat on pins and needles hoping I could actually get them in time!

Could you find all these things yourself from the list of materials in the instructions? Yes. But the cost of a kit covers the fact that I am pulling it all together in one place so you don't have to search it out or buy it in bulk. It takes a lot of time (this one took me almost 3 months to put together!) and effort to track down the best elements in the right quantities. I am hoping that having all the pieces in one place will be the selling point.

Bezels waiting to be filled and chunky chain... a substitution from the one in the magazine that I couldn't find!

Then I need to divvy up the materials.

When I did my kits in January for the Fabulous Facets DVD from Interweave, they left it completely up to me as to what I would include and how to package it. I know that branding is important and I wanted my buyers to feel like they were getting a gift, the gift of creativity. So I put just about everything in the box that they would need, right down to the paint brush and paint palette and made it feel a bit like a present, which of course it was!


For the 'Seek Beautiful Moments' kits, I have decided to do the same, and make sure that everything needed is included.

However, I decided that I would create it in two limited edition colorways...

'Seek Beautiful Moments' bracelet kit - the original Spicy color palette

 ...warm and spicy reds and pinks, similar to the piece in the magazine...

'Seek Beautiful Moments' bracelet kit - new Breezy color palette

...but also in cool water colors of blue, green and purple. Because I am all about variation and choice! I am even offering the focal by itself, if that is more your style and you want to create your own piece (but I am hoping that at least some will want to buy the kits!).

For both kits, you can see that I have included everything you would need, right down to the last jump ring. The only thing you have to bring is your pliers!

Packaging production for the Fabulous Facets bead kits, December 2014

Finally, I assemble the packages.

Now...how to present them? I have been more than inspired by Rebecca's recent posts about packaging. I could certainly just put the pieces in a zip baggie and send them on their way, but I like it when it feels like a bit of care and planning went into the package.

I have decided to package them in a cute drawstring muslin bag with my skeleton key logo stamped on the outside, and I always  - ALWAYS - include a little personalized note. I can jazz it up with ribbons and my little copper skeleton key charm. I just ordered the bags and they should be here in the next few days. I am also getting a custom stamp created so I can further brand the creativity to go kits from a company called The Stampin Place. Sally Booth was a delight to work with, super responsive and I think that price is right! Now I can use this on all sorts of things. When it is all here in the next few days, I can get my 'kit-elf' on the job personalizing the bags for me. Forgot to mention that...everyone needs a helper when putting together kits! It is good to have another set of eyeballs on them to be sure they are complete. My 'kit-elf' is a stickler for details, so I know they will be done right! ;-)

It is a lot of math (*shudders*), with the calculating cost per item, per kit, and the counting out of each and every supply. So while that part is not something that I look forward to, I do love the idea that others can learn from something I have created, which is one of the biggest pay-offs.

In the end, it may be a lot of hassle, but it is worth it to me to offer kits. I like coming up with the ideas, researching where to find all the supplies and then packaging it up to make it special. I hope those that get them will feel the same and that they will spark their own creativity!

These limited edition kits are now for sale in my web shop, www.tesoritrovati.com. Would you like your own? I will give away one 'Seek Beautiful Moments' bracelet kit - in your choice of SPICY (reds/pinks) or BREEZY (blues/greens) color palette just for the price of some sort of answer to the following questions (you don't have to answer them all, just tell me your thoughts on kits!):

Do you buy kits? What kind?
Is there a kit you would you like to try?
Do you prefer them complete, right down to the tiniest finding with the most precise instructions, or just a kickstarter with components and a suggested image you can use in any way possible for your own variations? 
Is there a technique that you would like to be able to learn from a kit? 
What price point do you think works best for a kit?
What do you think about the packaging of a kit?
Or perhaps you sell kits of your own... what kind? Do tell!

P.S. There is a special coupon code in an ad I placed in the Create Jewelry magazine. Be sure to look for the ad I have in there so you can get the coupon code!

Inside the Studio with Erin Prais-Hintz

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.

Congratulations to Colleen Foley!

You have won a pair of ceramic heart charms from Mary Harding.

Please send Mary an email with your information.

Now grab your favorite beverage and settle in because today we are visiting the studio of Erin Prais-Hintz... and there has been a lot going on! ;-)

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fallow
noun
1 :  usu. cultivated land that is allowed to lie idle during the growing season 

2 :  the tilling of land without sowing it for a season

January is fallow season for me. 

Fallow season is a traditional farming technique where crops are rotated on a regular basis. A field is left empty or sown with legumes (that add nitrogen from their growing). At the end of the year, the weeds are plowed under so that their nutrients can restore the richness of the soil. If a fallow period is not followed, the land is undernourished and overworked and it eventually gets exhausted, no longer able to produce healthy growth. 

Rest periods are essential to all living things if you want future growth. If you think about it, we also go through life-cycles of planting, growth, tending, harvest, sharing and storage in our lives as well as our gardens.

What feels like a void or a nothingness after the busy-ness of the holidays at the end of the year is actually a time of replenishment to resurrect the fertility of our souls and spirits. I have found that this is the time that I might quietly plan (even planning without a plan) to shape or frame my whole year. It is when I pick a word to focus on (mine is GRATITUDE... what is yours?). A time to refresh and reboot the system. January is that blank piece of paper in an ongoing art journal that is my life and allows me to develop new styles, think new thoughts, experience new feelings and find new inspiration.

In September 2014, I left a random comment on the blog of an artist that I admire named Alisa Burke. She is a dynamite illustrator and artist and is one of the guest artists in the yearlong mixed media/art journal/soul searching class called LifeBook 2015. As such she was giving away a spot in the class for the price of a comment. My name was selected (woohoo!). What an incredible gift to start out the new year! (By the way... there is an amazing and encouraging online FB community with this class... think support from 3300+ souls around the world doing this together... not too late to sign up... join us! I know that I will be a LifeBook-er for life!)

I have always has a hard time swallowing the words "I am an artist" preferring to state that I just see the world through artistic lenses. But this class has opened my eyes to so many possibilities (not to mention art supplies that I apparently can't live without!) and opened my heart to receive the gift of recognition: I am an artist. I am embracing that. And I have learned that if I don't do art every day - polymer clay, jewelry, painting, artful wordsmithing (another class I am working on!), writing, teaching - then my life just doesn't have meaning. So this year I have made a conscious effort to incorporate art into my life regularly and with wild abandon. To create art just for me. To discover my artistic voice. To see where this new artful experience takes me. Right now I am working on several pieces for a local art gallery exhibit as well as a fundraiser exhibit... and they are not even jewelry! 

Here are a few of the pieces that I have created so far in the LifeBook 2015 class.

My Beacon of Light
Mixed media: vintage maps, gesso, acrylic, ink, Neocolor crayons, glitter, beads
She is holding a sign stamped with my word of the year, a nest with two eggs (symbolizing my two children and my most requested Simple Truth 'hope within') and an acorn for amazing potential, and is wearing a necklace with a key, of course!
Would you believe that this was the first time I have ever drawn a face?! Tam LaPorte is an amazing teacher!

Affirmation Feather
A bonus lesson this past week from Tam LaPorte making this mixed media feather with words and symbols that are important to us. I added a little PicMonkeying to this with a border and a quote, something I am asking myself a lot lately,"I always wonder why birds choose to stay in one place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question." ~ Harun Yahya

Affirmation Dreamcatcher
Creative - Inspiring - Meaning
Words that will follow me on a blog reboot this year.

Courage, Dear Heart
Mixed media ballerina. Not excited about her form (looks like she has a hairy man chest), but a good lesson in letting go and this lead me to.......

Risk
The tight-rope ballerina that I plan to gift to my Tiny Dancer daughter for her 14th birthday this month.
Need to fix the word mess I made but a good quote to remember...
"If you risk nothing, then you risk everything." ~ Geena Davis

Art Feeds Your Soul
I love words, collect quotes, adore typography and have a deep love of color. How could I not love The Art of the Whimsical Lettering with Joanne Sharpe? Plus I discovered the power of the Tombow marker. What is not to love about high pigment markers that morph into watercolors?! My first attempt at making art from words rekindled a fire that I had as a teen with quotes and calligraphy. And now I am making these all the time! Squee!

Artfully Worded art is something I am thinking about offering on my website in 5x7 and 8x10 sizes. Original art created from your quotes and mantras - What do you think about that? They give me great satisfaction and I would like to share my love of this word art with others!

So you might be wondering what all this art experimenting have to do with art beads?

Honestly, I was wondering that myself. ;-)

Of course, you know that I love to incorporate words into my art beads. And color. But the mixed media part is what I am most excited about morphing into what I do. And letting these seeds that have fallen into my soul soil take root has been quite exciting. I don't know where it will all lead, but I am giving it time and conditions to grow.

So, this fallow season I also pulled out three polymer clay tutorials: 
Orly Fuchs Galchen hollow beads
Maggie Maggio torn watercolor paper polymer clay 
Debbie Crothers Surface Embellished Bangles

First, I played with making hollow beads, a la Orly. My first attempt was a fail (not the tutorial, which is great, just my sorry attempt). Just like the first stabs at making these mixed media experiments, I find that if I try to make a piece too much like the example that it doesn't quite work. It feels, well, hollow (ha!). It lacks authenticity. I need to let the seeds of inspiration take hold and nurture my own growth on a technique, water it with my own magic potion. So I made the beads smaller than what she suggested. But what else? I wanted them to have layers of color, so I had to find a different way.

Next, I found the tutorial about the torn watercolor paper look in clay. Aha! I have been tearing paper as the underlayment for my mixed media for the past month so this really resonated with me. (You know what is the coolest paper for mixed media? The inside of security envelopes! Totally awesome textures and colors! Also old dress patterns for sheer vintage-y goodness. See if you can spot them in my work above.) My first attempts at this technique resulted in flat swaths of fractured color (and these are not on the hollow beads, so when I tried to make holes I ruined a whole bowl of them with cracks near one hole. Doh!). While I liked the look, they didn't really captivate me. They lacked depth.

Finally, I opened up the Surface Embellished Bangles tutorial that I had purchased late last year from CraftArtEdu. I don't often make bangles, so this was more an exercise in the creative process (and the bangle I made feels quite clunky to me... maybe if there were a tin foil core to keep the weight down? Hmmmm....might have to try again.) But the way in which the textures, colors, patterns and inclusions were created was revelatory to me and totally felt like a mixed media piece of art. Now THIS is something that resonated with me!

So taking all three of those tutorials, I let these three seeds take root in me and grow into something that felt more authentically me... and in letting them grow I came up with two new designs that I will have for sale in my shop... 

First hollow round focal beads that I call Fissure Beads that are on their way to the Simple Truth Sampler Club members for January (albeit a tad bit late with all my experimenting...Hope it will be worth it!) 

...and why not some hearts just in time for Valentine's Day? Everyone's heart has broken pieces and jagged edges. But one day there will be someone who will come along and hug you so tight that all of your broken pieces will stick back together and be stronger. I call these Mended Hearts. They can be made in any variety of colors. And each one is completely unique. I have just as much fun making the fractured pieces as I do the finished product!

So. There you have it. I am sowing all sorts of colorful seeds in my studio ready to grow into big beautiful art and I hope you are doing the same!

So, here is my question....

I need some ideas to practice on for my Artfully Worded offerings... coming soon...

What quote, phrase, power mantra or word would you like to see me illustrate into an Artfully Worded piece of art? 

Winner will receive a choice of the following:
One skinny Mended Heart pendant in your choice of colors and metal
OR
One Artfully Worded quote of your choice.
You provide the quote, I will illustrate and send to you, suitable for framing.

Love As Long As You Live 
Painting I gifted to my mom on the occasion of their 47th wedding anniversary this week. She might not be able to comprehend the words, but they have significant meaning as we struggle with the Alzheimer's that controls her and I know the colors make me happy.

10 Awesome Tips to Get Your Beading Mojo Back!

It happens, we lose that spark.  Winter gets long and it's more fun to shop for beads than actually sit down and make something.  Or maybe you just feel like you are a in rut creating the same designs and need to expand your jewelry horizons.  Use this list as a jumping off point to find new inspirations.  Or give yourself a weekly assignment for each of the 10 ideas! Print this out and hang it next to your bead area. Here are some resources to help you get started:

Jewelry Challenges & Contests: Art Bead Scene Challenge  *  Challenge of Music Blog Hop *  Uncommon Goods Jewelry Design Contest  *  Bead Star  *  Bead Dreams 

Bead Soup Basics and the Bead Soup Book and check out the bead soup inspirations in the Spring issue of Stringing.

Online jewelry classes: Beaducation is a nice resource to check out for online classes.

Pinterest is a good place to find tutorials quickly: Earwires and Clasps. It's also great for inspirations like Ancient Jewelry.

Explore Design Seeds for new color palettes.

Check out inspiring websites like Anthropologie, Sundance and Mod Cloth to find clothing to inspire your next jewelry design. Create a piece of jewelry to match an outfit.

How do you break out of a beading rut?

Studio Saturday with Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati Jewelry

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 weeks winner is.... Heather Fig

Congratulations! 

You have won a set of ceramic beads from Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.

Send Gaea an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you.

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This week we visit the studio of Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati Jewelry.

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I lost the entire month of April.

 I am not sure where it went. And if I didn't blog at all that month, does that mean that I did nothing?

Au contraire!

I was so busy that month that I am having a hard time cataloging everything. But I will give it a shot.

Here is a sampling of what went on behind the scenes at Tesori Trovati in April...

I was approached by someone through my Etsy shop to inquire if I ever did mushroom spores in my work. Hmmm... that was intriguing. I had no idea what that meant, so I had to search and found out that spore prints are made when you take the tops off mushrooms and leave them overnight on paper where the impressions of their ruffly edges appear from the spores that are released. That is how they tell the type of 'shroom it is. She belongs to mushroom enthusiast groups (I had no idea!). I made the spores and also some other mushrooms using my own original artwork and textures. Available in my Etsy shop.

Every year I make a commemorative piece of jewelry for the director of my daughter's dance studio themed to the Spring Showcase for the upper level dancers. My Tiny Dancer was in nine of the pieces including a really amazing duet with an older dancer. The show this year was called The View and the opening and closing song that featured the five seniors was one that I suggested, 'Kaleidoscope Heart.' So I made this faux fused glass bib style necklace with all the lyrics from this short but powerful song.
You can see more of this up close on my blog.

A few years ago when the dance studio turned 10, I came up with a special necklace that would be for the dancers that had been there for 10 consecutive years. This is the third year that I have done this. It has become a right of passage for the these girls, something to cherish. The dog tag style has three pieces: one with their name stamped, one with the motto of the school stamped (above), and one with an etched dancer logo of the school. This year I had help with the etching from my friend Cat Pruitt of Boo Beads who did a great job. I like to hire experts and that helped me to focus on what I can do rather than fretting about what I can't. Thanks, Miss Cat!

I also do an annual fundraiser for the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) themed to the show. We are the only studio in the state of Wisconsin that is accredited to have this honor. This year for The View I made kaleidoscope and dancer images under glass. Each pendant is hand engraved on the back with the year of the show.

In previous years I did a semi-custom order and usually donated around $250-300, which is 40% of the total. This year it was strictly cash and carry, which meant I had to have a lot of stock on hand. This fundraiser was at least 3 times more successful than in the past. I will be giving them a check for $900 at the NHSDA banquet tonight. My Tiny Dancer will be inducted into the middle school chapter after getting the necessary points in just over one year! So proud of her and this school! And since this was so successful, I am currently putting plans into place to offer a line of jewelry that will be for causes close to my heart that is affordable for all and interchangeable so that you can add to it every year. Stay tuned for more developments.

The April Art Bead Scene challenge painting of a walk in the meadow inspired me to bring a little bit of wild {flowers} to my Sampler Club offering. I thought about what it might be like to live in that field, as if you were getting a mouse eye view. On the back is a quote from a song... "you belong among the wild flowers." How is that for a pairing... Tom Petty and Monet! Get yours in my Etsy shop for a limited time!

 I was delighted to be the one to select the painting for our May challenge. I was drawn to the glory of these amazing flowers, the incredible detail and also the architecture and the romantic little view out the window. I happened to find the perfect bezels with that rounded niche shape and focused on tulips to recall the 'Tulipomania' that transpired in the 1600s on tulips in Holland. These View to a Tulip charms and a coordinated Tulipomania pendant are available in my Etsy shop.

My friend Tanya Goodwin approached me to ask if I would consider a custom order. You see she was testing for her black belt in karate on April 12th along with two other women and she wanted something to remember this momentous occasion. I created a hand carved yin-yang symbol with the words "we are what we repeatedly do" on the back. I finished this in the Swellegant patinas to give it an aged metal appearance. You can see the really awesome necklace she made with this and a beaded infinity symbol here. I will take custom orders for this yin-yang pendant and your custom message in my shop.

I was honored to be selected to participate in the Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month challenge. Jennifer Cameron of Glass Addictions created murrini glass headpins and sent me two. I made a flower bloom cuff bracelet for a corsage that will never fade. You can see more of this design on my post Bursting Forth.

I saw a post that Brenda Schweder had on her Facebook page about a bit of rust she picked up in a parking lot. Coincidentally, I had found the same piece from my own rust farm (i.e. van). She proposed that we make something and share it. I accepted the challenge. This led to the creation of a new series I am exploring called "LIES They Told Me." That afternoon I met a local boutique owner who was impressed by the story and has asked me to add to this collection and sell it in her shop, so now I need to work on that!

Whew! That is just a bit of what has been going on behind the scenes at the Tesori Trovati studio! (Can you believe that there was MORE? There was! But I am out of room to write about it here!)

I think I need a vacation ;-) 

I realize looking at this that pretty much all of these pictures show something that I custom made for a client or was suggested by someone else. 

My question for you...

Do you take custom requests from clients?
Or do you prefer to just do your own thing?
Share your thoughts!

A random winner will be selected to win their choice of either one of the available mushroom pendants shown above, or a pair of yellow tulip charms from this month's Simple Truths Sampler Club.

P.S. Happy Mother's Day to all those who are moms!

Erin Prais-Hintz invites you to go on a journey of inspiration at her blog Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Everywhere. You can view a gallery of her work at http://www.tesoritrovati.com/ or purchase her popular line of 'Simple Truths' in her Etsy shop.