Love, Peace & Squiggles! and a Dove Rescue!

Today a kind fellow Etsy member selected my "Love, Peace and Squiggles" Pendant to be featured in a "treasury". I was honored to have my piece selected, but I admit I did not know what a treasury was in this context. I checked the Etsy Help and learned it is a member curated collection of other Etsy artists items that they publish as a small, temporary gallery for any reason they choose. Occasionally, the Etsy team selects a treasury to be featured on the front page which is a nice opportunity.

The treasury is called

"For Frankie" by "crookedlittlestudio" and is a collection of dove related art.

CLS writes "Frankie is an unlikely name for a dove, but after he survived the first night (he had fallen out of his nest and had been abandoned), I named him after St. Francis, patron saint of animals. He ate, flourished, and learned to fly. Yesterday he flew away. I miss him."

Sounds like behind the "crooked little studio" a tender hearted soul who is probably much loved by Frankie the dove. Check out her wonderful artwork at the studio link above.

SEEKING THE RAINBOW New Fine Art Print Released Today

Hello, I have just released a new art print today called "SEEKING THE RAINBOW". It is a digital painting made from 2 of my photographs worked together in Photoshop CS3. It is available as a fine art print with or without custom framing in my ImageKind Gallery (under my photography name "Kamera Kat").

(Note - It's difficult to see the rain in this small image. You can zoom in on the print on the ImageKind site.)

I would love to hear what you see in the picture. Leave a comment! =o)

This is what I see... When the storms of life rain down, delight in the promise of finding a new rainbow at the storms edge. Then, realizing that the rainbow did not exist until this storm created it, we can be thankful for the storm even while we are still in it.

"And God said, "...Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life." Gen. 9:14

New Soldered Glass Jewelry Just Added to the Store!

Just a quick note about soldered glass jewelry... 1. I just released some new pieces today and there are more coming soon! 2. I am working on "How to create soldered glass slide jewelry, Part 4 - Tips & Troubleshooting.

Like anything else, there is a learning curve to making the soldered jewelry and I have already learned a few things in the short time I have been doing it. I will share what I have learned and give some advise on how to avoid and fix boo-boos. I am pretty sure I might be an expert on that now because I am quite boo-boo prone. Hopefully I can help someone else avoid them.

Anywhoo... here's a peak of some of the new pieces that are in the store or will be soon.

P.S. - I am sort of excited about the chokers because I had fun making handmade jumprings, the S-Hook closure and bale out of wire and soldering it all. It was cool using the soldering iron for something besides pendant edges.

A Rose By Another Other Name... Would still be featured in a zillion photographs and peoms.

Last week I mentioned I was on a bird kick and had created a lot of art featuring the little chirpers. I just realized I have a second recent obsession too...roses.

I have just released 3 new rose prints in my ImageKind gallery. I also have greated several pieces of jewelry featuring this romantic flower.

Though roses have been featured over and over in just about every medium imaginable, we never seem to get tired of their beauty and the romance they represent. At least that's true for us chicks. ;o)

The rose has always been the inspiration for artist, song writers and poets. Maybe because it is so intricate but just simply beautiful too. I guess there is a lot you can say about something that is complex and simple at the same time.

"You love the roses - so do I. I wishThe sky would rain down roses, as they rain from off the shaken bush. Why will it not? Then all the valley would be pink and white and soft to tread on. They would fall as light as feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be like sleeping and like waking, all at once! " ~ Roses by George Eliot

Cool! Free Publicity! I'll take it!

Well this post is about 1 month overdue, but I'm posting it anyway because I am exicted. A fellow ImageKind member emailed to tell me that a daily art review blog called "Art Sweet" featured me as the artist of the day May 26, 2008. What a nice surprise!

Quote: "Today’s featured artist is Lisa Whipkey. Lisa is a wonderful multimedia artist. Her use of color, texture and layering is simply fantastic! My favorites are “Love Grows”, “Opium” and “Venice Vase”. - ArtSweet"

I have been blessed to have my work featured on many blogs in the last couple of years (love that free publicity!) and I have had a few kind art reviews, such as this one from the "Naked Genius", but I am always excited every time I am ego surfing (google myself) and find that someone liked my work enough to give it some special attention. I believe every artists work speaks to someone and we all like that affirmation that someone out there "gets" what we do. So thanks Art Sweet for making my day!

My new favorite folk artist inspires people in more ways than one

Be True
Originally uploaded by Paulette Insall

Modern Folk Art at its finest. That's what I see when I look at the art work of Paulette Insall (http://www.pauletteinsall.com/). I have seen her art on flickr and for sale in her Etsy shop and oogled (is that a word?) over it for more than a moment. I love the simplicity of it at first glance, but then I love it's complexity that becomes apparent the more you look at the work. Maybe I also love it because it is inspiring me to want to paint folk art again. It has been several years since I did anything other than abstract painting and I'm wondering why now because I really enjoy folk art painting even more.

The angel door topper is something I painted for my sister back in 1999. I have not painted anything like that since, but now I think I am ready to give it another try thanks to Paulette's inspiring work.

Paulette not only inspires with her paintings, but she is a Christian artist who is open about her faith and witnesses with her work and websites. She makes wonderful YouTube videos about her art that are backed with contemporary Christian music and I just love it.

I am so glad to have found her on the web!

Please check out her store, blogs & vlogs via her site www.pauletteinsall.com.

Birdies, Birdies Everywhere!

Hi. Hope you are having a 'tweet' day! I know I am. That's because for some unknown reason (maybe its because I wake daily to a gazzilion birds chirping at the feeder in my back yard) I have gone crazy for cute little birds lately and have incorporated them into my living room decor and also created a whole bunch of new jewelry featuring bird illustrations collaged over vintage ephemera. I am pleased to say my fondness for feathered friends must be shared by others because I have had a positive response to the jewelry. On some of the reversible glass pendants I have encased a real feather under the glass which I think is kind of fun! I have not tried this with the soldered pendants yet. I am curious to see how the feather handles the heat of the soldering iron. It's fun trying new things. Have a tweet day yourself!

Introducing our new line of vintage inspired jewelry!!

Hello, Well it has been too long since I have blogged (again I neglect you my poor ol' blog) but I have another good excuse... I have been busy working on a new line of jewelry for TreeBySea.com. Until now we have only carried fine silver jewelry. (http://www.treebysea.etsy.com/).

Just yesterday I launched a second store featuring soldered glass slide pendants, collaged ephemera pendants, and romantic victorian jewelry with swarovski crystals and antique metal.

Please visit the new store on Etsy!! http://www.treebysea2.etsy.com/. Thanks for visiting! Wish me luck!

How to Create Soldered Glass Slide Jewelry, Part 3

OK. Well, I FINALLY am going to wrap up my blogging 3-parter on soldering glass for jewelry, and with some good news! I thought I was solder challenged but it turns out I just had bum supplies. I am the proud new owner of a functioning soldering system now and armed with some real live class instruction from Lisa Blum of Simply Swank. "SS" offers a full line of soldering products and a book. I purchased the kit and several packets of glass shapes to have some fun creating beyond the 1x3 slide. Check out their website http://www.simplyswank.net/. They teach classes all over the country so look for them in a location near you in the U.S.. I recommend the class. It was very fun and had a nice relaxed "you can do this" atmosphere.

Turns out soldering is really pretty doggone easy with their kit that functions well together. In addition to the kit, I recommend the "third hand" clamp tool they sell on their site and the heat resistant surface sheet. I also got some of the wavy foil. I really like the way it looks. Something to note about foiling... use one continuous piece if possible & burnish it to the glass well or it may lift from the heat during soldering.

After wraping your glass edges in copper foil tape & burnishing it, plug in your iron. On the iron stand in the kit, there is a sponge that you should wet too. The iron gets hot pretty fast. Don't leave it sitting idol and cooking away for a long time. When it's hot and sizzles on the wet sponge, go for it. The first time you use it the blue protective coating will burn of the tip. Wipe it off on the sponge. Then roll out a few inches of solder and touch the end to the tip of the iron on both sides until a tiny bit melts to cover the tip, then wipe a few times on the sponge, leaving just a thin silver layer on the tip. This is like "seasoning" the iron. Do it every time you start it up and again before you put it away.

Put your glass in a clamp so it can sit hands free on your heat resist surface with a foiled edge up. (I recommend starting with a square piece of glass the first time as it is a bit easier.) Brush flux just on the foiled edge pointing up. Now place your iron just slightly above the far left corner of the foiled edge and press the tip of the solder on to the top side of the flat tip until a bead forms and rolls off the tip and on to the foil. Now use the tip of the iron top smoothly "paint" the solder blob from left to right with the tip just barely touching. Don't press hard or you can burn through the foil. The solder should flow like melting butter over the fluxed area. Use tweezers to reposition the glass in the clamp, flux the next side, and do the same process with the solder. Continue until all sides are soldered. You may choose to go over it again to build up a thicker bead of solder.

When you are done, you will probably want to add a bail at the top center to put a necklace through. You can use a jump ring or a metal bead with a large hole. (Note, pewter and aluminum will not work.) Don't flux this time. Just make a mound or blob of solder on the top center and let it cool. Grab the bail with plyers and position just over the top of the mound. Now touch the tip of the iron to the top of the mound. As soon as you feel it give way/melt, move the iron and push the bail into the molten solder and hold it there until the solder sets (a few seconds). If it's crooked, melt it off with the iron and start over.

You can now use a fingernail file & sand paper to smooth the solder. Then use solder polish to bring it to a shine or patina to change it to black or copper. Polish is available through "SS". Patina is available from stained glass suppliers. (Note, the patinas are pretty harsh chemicals so not for the faint of heart. Use caution.)

Pretty simple & fun stuff! Granted, to get a really nice plump and smooth bead takes practice, but you can make a perfectly wearable piece of art jewelry on your first try with the right tools and instructions! Go for it!

My New Handmade Jewelry Cards

Please forgive me for I have not crafty blogged for while which is a no no in bloggerland I know, but I am happy to report that the reason I been absent is because I have been too busy being crafty. My jewelry business (http://www.treebysea.com/) is doing pretty well and I have been working hard to get a bit of stuff made up so I have more stock on hand to be prepared for some future craft shows and some wholesale marketing I plan to do.


I have just developed my new packaging. (shown above) What do you think? So far I have had possitive feedback. Since I am a graphic designer at heart, I enjoyed creating my own cards via Photoshop CS. I printed them with my inkjet on cream colored speckled acid free recycled paper from PaperZone. I found some cool 2" reach paper punches that let me punch in the middle of the card. They are made by McGill (http://www.mcgillinc.com/shop/). They work great and make the cards look professionally die cut.

I have small circles for hanging earrings and a punch that is two 1/4 inch parallel lines that are perfect for feeding ribbon through to tie my pendant to the packaging. I also found a great resource for self-adhesive flap clear covers that really add a lot as well as protect the cards and the jewelry. Go to http://www.clearbags.com/. Great prices, customer service & quality. They come in just about EVERY size you can imagine.

I also found an easy tidy way to hang the necklaces. It's not an original idea... I have seen many manufacturers use the same technique, but it is good to know I can mimic the technique and it works. I punched two small holes about 1" from the top of the card and 3/4" from both sides of the card. Then with sissors I cut from about 1/2 inch from the top of the card at a diagonal towards the hole on both sides. I slide the necklace in the slits to the holes and it holds it perfectly.

I will be writing again soon. Part 2 of the Soldering Slide Pendants is coming. I took a class today conducting by one of the Simply Swank owners, Lisa Bluhm and it was great. (Lisa, if you are reading this - Hi. Nice to meet you. Thanks again.) Both of the owners are dolls and their products rock. More on this soon! Caio 4 now.