The Blu Print

It's A Handmade World: Anything And Everything HANDMADE

2012-02-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's A Handmade World: Anything And Everything HANDMADE: I thought it was a good time to have an everything post. That means, if you made it, you can post it this week. No themes, colors, holidays...

Valentine’s Day Polymer Clay Beads and Canes by Blue Morning Expressions

2012-01-28T11:09:00.001-08:00

Volume 9 Issue 2, February, 2012

What's New in February?

Happy Valentine’s Day to all my Valentines.

Can you believe that we are already in the second month of the year? It is so hard to believe how fast time flies past us and soon the small green shoots of new grass and spring flowers will be poking their heads up from the frozen ground. Some places have received a lot more snow than others and the welcome sight of new buds and shoots will be a breath of fresh air.

Keeping with the spring themes and thoughts, I created some new lentil beads with bright colorful flowers on them. I only managed to get three sets done, as well as a set of Valentine flower canes, but still the bright colors were welcome.

New Canes and Beads—You can find all the new beads and canes on my website www.bluemorningexpressions.com or at Artfire under Blue Morning Expressions. Both places have a full selection of my most current canes, including this new Valentine cane.

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Things to Look Forward To:

New Products:

Earrings—I have been on an earring kick lately and added swinging chains to the mix. I created a lot of 10mm beads with my flower canes and added them to chains and other Swarovski crystals for some sassy new looks.

These earrings are currently not included in my www.bluemorningexpressions.com site and only available in my Artfire shop. I am planning a lot more jewelry, including a lot of bracelets and necklaces, so keep an eye out for the notice in any of my stores and sites for the latest information.

Come visit us on our blog www.bmeblueprint.blogspot.com for the latest news and beads.

Firefly Ridge-Artists in the country: A Buffalo Gift Catalogue to admire

2012-01-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

Firefly Ridge-Artists in the country: A Buffalo Gift Catalogue to admire: Oh Give Me a Home ... Curated By: bluemorningex... ArtFire.com Handmade Jewelry & Gifts

Firefly Ridge-Artists in the country: It's Talented Tuesday!

2012-01-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

Firefly Ridge-Artists in the country: It's Talented Tuesday!: Today's Featured Talent is BluemorningExpressions.She is one of the most talented Polymar artists I have ever seen.Her beads are on the wis...

Yummy Caramel Beads with Vibrant Raw Polymer Clay Flower Canes

2012-01-22T15:03:00.001-08:00

I went with a beautiful rich caramel base – see my post on the Polymer Clay Canes Blog for the whole story – and as I worked with these beads, I could not decide if I was going to use them myself or offer them up for sale. I held them in my hands for a very long time before deciding. They are silky smooth and just sweet to hold onto, but I put them in my Etsy store for the moment.

They are 15mm lentils with gorgeous yellow flowers paired with stunning and vibrant purple violet flowers. These canes are part of my personal collection; the violet cane is sold separately in my Etsy, Artfire and Blue Morning Expressions stores. They are a regular and repeated popular raw cane.

The beads are sanded smooth and lightly varnished.

Then there are these beads:

This set of 6 lentil shaped beads are 20mm in size and are silky smooth with 2mm holes pierced through them. The beads are a floral garden of vibrant colors. Crimson red daisy canes, another set of violet purple flowers and finished with my pinwheel cane of bright blue and outrageous orange make up the flower garden. These colors are bright and gorgeous in person.

Hand sanded and lightly varnished, these beads will make a great necklace and bracelet set.

Last, but not least of the beads are these Victorian inspired beads in 15mm lentil size.

When I created the rose and pale green flower cane, the first thing I thought of was the muted floral patterns that is sometimes seen on Victorian era wallpaper or is used in the vintage postcard and paper collections. These colors lent themselves to a soft and almost romantic flower.

Pairing them on the caramel beads only served to add more warmth to the flower and when I first saw these beads, I thought they would be lovely on an antique silver bracelet with resin rounds and acrylic leaves.

I did two things with these listings that I normally do not do, but plan on making it a practice. I listed them with design ideas and accompanying bead lists and I listed them with their own navy blue felt jewelry bag. I am including the bags so that you can put your finished piece in it when you offer it for sale or give it as a gift.

I like these beads and they are perfect for any number of projects.

Enjoy the beads, bead inspired and thank you for your continued support.

Julie and Blu

The Creative Edge: You've GOTTA have heart!!!!Especially if you are...

2012-01-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Creative Edge: You've GOTTA have heart!!!!

Especially if you are...: You've GOTTA have heart!!!! Especially if you are a Polymer Clay Artist and a member of the Smooshers Guild on Artfire. Don't believe me...

Blog Hop from Hopes and Dreams

2012-01-06T09:19:00.001-08:00

Blu and His Christmas Present

2012-01-03T15:54:00.001-08:00

Since we wandered up into the mountains this last spring, we have found ourselves in the middle of a college town with lots of active dog owners.

With hundreds of hiking trails and no less than ten full scale dog parks, there are dogs everywhere. Walking downtown finds dogs enjoying the sunshine lying on the payment tied to a parking meter, while their owners are in having a beer or a sandwich. Everyone loves the dogs and the dogs seem to love everyone. We have yet to run into an anti-social dog.

The dogs seem to come in every shape and color, with a propensity for the retrievers and the border collies. These dogs, both purebred and mixed, are found running about at the parks and joyfully chasing balls and sticks.

It did not take us long to discover that dogs went everywhere we did. The trails were filled with happy wagging tails and curious sniffs. If you do not like dogs, you will not like hiking in Bozeman, nor will you enjoy a stroll downtown.

Keeping this in mind, these happy and healthy dogs are cared for by community conscience dog owners. The park district keeps poop bag dispensers handy on all the trails and parks. These dispensers are a wonderful convenience for dog owners and keep the parks tidy. Even the parks that are 37 acres are kept picked up.

Who do you think carries that poop around?

You guessed it. Me.

I have seen a few industrious dog owners who have tied the used plastic bags to their dog’s collars and made them carry them, but there is something just not quite dignified about a beautiful red Irish setter with a sweeping tail and beautiful feathered feet carrying a plastic bag on its collar. It may be easy, but it is not dignified.

As an active member of Artfire, the online venue for handcrafted items and artists, I enjoy perusing many of the other artists’ shops for the sheer pleasure of appreciating other people’s handicrafts. That is where I discovered the perfect solution to my pooch’s poop bag problem.

Rachael Barman of Blue Shed Crafts has created the cutest poop bag I have ever seen. She and I are in a couple of the promotion guilds on the site and I have quite regularly featured her poop bags in a collection of items that I have enjoyed.

After featuring this bag for so many different collections, as Christmas rolled around and I was thinking of the upcoming hiking season, I decided that I was going to get Blu a bag.

Last year, we had one hike that was over 11 miles and that is a very long time to carry poop, no matter how tightly the bag is tied. Not to mention the fact, that I was using a walking stick and I was carrying my camera while traipsing around on a mountain side.

Thoughts like this made the decision for me. I will continue to carry Blu’s poop, but it is not going to be in little plastic bags knotted and tucked between my fingers.

Here is where we are carrying Blu’s poop from now on.

Yes, Woof, I heart my dog Scoop that Poop!

Here is the deal with this bag. It is almost a shame to put poop in it, it is so nice.

Rachael has machine knitted this bag and it is a nice tight knit and professionally created. The inside of the bag is lined with a plastic liner that is solidly sewn in; the liner fills the complete bag and is attached both at the top and along the sides for a solid and secure connection.

The top of the bag has a drawstring, which makes it able to create a pouch by pulling the strings. Rachael sells one that has a clip on it to attach it to your belt loop or your dog’s collar, but since I create jewelry, I already have clips and will attach this to my backpack clamps.

The bag is washable and should be line dried and not put in the dryer.

She has a couple different styles of bags and several colors.

If you love your pooping puppy, you would do yourself a favor and be fashionable by swinging a bag of poop from your belt loop, backpack or your puppy’s collar.

Tell Rachael that Blu sent you :)

Technorati Tags: blue shed crafts,blue morning expressions,poop bag,taking your dog hiking,scoop the poop,knitted bag for dogs,dog attire,artfire

Blog Hop from Handmade

2011-12-30T09:34:00.001-08:00

New Polymer Clay Canes and Jewelry for 2012

2011-12-28T08:42:00.001-08:00

Volume 9 Issue 1, January, 2012

What's New in January?

Winter Morning Canes and Beads—Since I finished the Winter inspired beads and canes, I used them to create six pieces of jewelry. I could not decide if I was going to sell the beads individually as focal beads, or if I was going to sell them in sets. The more that I held them in my hands, the more I realized that I wanted to create jewelry from them. So, I did just that. I created three necklaces and three matching bracelets, but decided to sell them separately.

Here are the beads, and here are the pieces of jewelry from these beads.

New Canes and Beads—You can find all the new beads and canes on my website www.bluemorningexpressions.com or at Artfire under Blue Morning Expressions. Both places have a full selection of my most current canes and both places have them on sale at 35% off.

Happy New Year! It is our wish that you and your family will be safe, happy, healthy and prosperous in the New Year.

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Things to Look Forward To:

New Products:

Earrings—These are all created from my bead sets, I used both floral rounds, heart swirl lentils, and full size 20mm pillow beads to create 30 new sets of earrings. Each set is under $4—I wanted to create an affordable set of earrings for gifts that can be easily purchased in groups. They can be converted to pierced look earrings if you like.

Technorati Tags: blue morning expressions,polymer clay beads for sale,polymer clay jewelry,necklaces,earrings,beaded jewelry,fimo necklace,fimo earrings

Winter Jewelry from Winter Canes

2011-12-17T11:39:00.001-08:00

You’ve seen the canes, you’ve seen the beads – now see the jewelry.

I sat and looked at these beads for a long time before I decided what I wanted to do with them. I thought about selling them separately as focal beads for wire wrapping, I thought about just putting together the usual eight bead pillow set and letting it go at that. Then, I thought about creating jewelry myself with them.

I rarely get a chance to sit down and just bead, but I decided to take a day and just make necklaces and bracelets from these beads. I had a lot of matching glass and pearl beads in blues and greens and I thought I might just make sets of my own. I might even keep them for myself.

I have them in my Artfire shop and I may still take them for my own; I particularly like the cat’s eye bracelet :)

All photos link to the store items!

I had a lot of fun putting these together and hope you enjoy the pretty colors :)

Happy Holidays

Julie and Blu

Bead Type Word Search Puzzle

2011-12-01T07:51:00.001-08:00

Bead Types Word Search by Julie L. Cleveland

Print and play this word search puzzle based on the types of beads that I enjoy working with. You might find your favorite in this list as well.

Download the pdf puzzle here

E D C B U W J D B Y F A C E T E D H G R C P R Q V X E P Q O

B E T V Z X M T D N W U O E J J I L D A D S Z Z H I K G S S

U H N S A W O F G Q F H O T E T W O K T O N E E L X L S R P

C S E W V J A J C E R E K G Q O A K X T R X F A N X A D E E

R I R W I F U V L V Y C X M R R Q T E I L B R H H C P E C C

R L A S O A I E W N O Z N P T W U M T F F D T X I E S T T K

B O P R D N O M A I D D G N I D I L S M E Z M P S P Y U A L

P P S B Y T Y B Z F N V E E D Z Z E Q H S A T I N N C L N E

D T N W A G K F V S T C R E S U N Q T U C P P X S D T F G D

C E A P L C Q G F V U V N Q A V R A Y D U U O O B E F M U A

Y R R K C Z L U A L I I U T N E C S E D I R I B W R T Q L Z

L I T Y J B G J S G L H N I W W R E D N I C A H I O M Y A P

I F D L B F O N L R I W S T S N D A B A C R V R V L D K R Y

N Q Y A C X A O V A L K Y T O G E Y I E O D Z G L O C N C W

D P D R O R U B S B U W J E D O B Y H Q N G R C P C R Q I V

R X E A T P I R I S C Q V F Z P X M U T D O N W U I O E J W

I J R L I L D A D S R Z Z N H A I E B A S E B M E T A L K G

C S E U A W O F G Q A F R O M L H O S H E L L T E L K E X L

A R T G B W V J A T C J O C I E C E R E K G Q O A U K X T R

L Y S N I X F N L T K X N L X S P R E C I O U S R M E T A L

W H U A C I F A U E L S D E E C T N E C S E L R A E P V L V

Y P L C O X S M O G E S E A D E R R Q T E I L B H H P R S O

A R I E N W E P E G N A L R O N Z N P W U M T F F T X E L G

C O S B E R A S R U D L D M Z T M C H A T O Y A N C Y S I O

R P P Y A Q I P B N T G O P I N C H E D Y O V A L B Z F A S

Y N V U U O Z Z E S E N O T S Q S U O I C E R P I M E S R S

S N Q E T D I A M O N D W C D T W G K F V S T I C K S T T A

T S S R U N Q U C P P X S T P C Q G F V Q A V R Y D U U I M

A O O O D R U K B P L A S T I C F M A K Z C Z E C H L U V E

L T A U T Q Z Y J B G J H N W W H I M Y P D L B F O S N D R

Bead Types Word Search - 58 Words to find

BASE METAL BONE

CLAY CRYSTAL

GLASS PLASTIC

PRECIOUS METAL SEMIPRECIOUS STONES

SHELL WOOD

CZECH OPAQUE

CLEAR TRANSPARENT

TRANSLUCENT IRIDESCENT

OPALESCENT PEARLESCENT

VITRAIL GIVRE

IRIS LUSTER

SATIN CHATOYANCY

GOSSAMER PICASSO

CINDER SPECKLED

PORPHYR TORTOISE

CONFETTI TWO TONE

MULTICOLORED MIXED

SWIRL LINED

CRACKLE FACETED

WINDOW CATHEDRAL

CYLINDRICAL ATLAS

STICK RECTANGULAR

ANGULAR CUBE

SQUARE DIAMOND

BAROQUE PINCHED OVAL

NUGGET RONDEL

FLUTED OVAL

BICONE SLIDING DIAMOND

FIRE POLISHED DRUK

Spoiler Alert – Solution to follow!

Bead Types Word Search - Solution

E D F A C E T E D O

B E T S S

U H N T W O T O N E L S R P

C S E A A D E E

I R R C E C C

L A T D I T T K

O P D N O M A I D G N I D I L S E P U A L

P S Y E E D H S A T I N L N E

N A C R E T D F G D

C E A L U V N A E U

Y R R C L I I T N E C S E D I R I B W R L

L I T S G L I R E D N I C A O A

I F N L R I W S T R L D R

N A O V A L T E O O N

D R R E O Q N C I

R A T I R I S C F P U O I W

I R L R N A E B A S E B M E T A L

C E U A R O M L S H E L L L

A R T G B T C O C I E U

L Y S N I L T K N L X S P R E C I O U S M E T A L

H U A C A E L S D E E C T N E C S E L R A E P

P L O S O G E S E A D E

R N E P E G A L R N L G

C O E R A S U L D T C H A T O Y A N C Y I O

R P A Q I N G O P I N C H E D O V A L A S

Y U U O S E N O T S S U O I C E R P I M E S R S

S Q E T D I A M O N D W S T I C K T A

T S R I M

A O D R U K P L A S T I C C Z E C H V E

L T R

Technorati Tags: bead puzzle,puzzle,word search,word search puzzle,blue morning expressions

Polymer Clay Pillow Beads and Canes from Blue Morning Expressions

2011-11-30T07:38:00.001-08:00

Volume 8 Issue 12, December 2011

What's New in December?

Winter Morning Canes and Beads—I never go far without my camera and the beautiful whites and blues of a cold winter snowy morning captured my attention. The sun was rising over the snow and the golds and browns were scattering across the glittery snow. I tried to capture the scene with both my camera and my clay. The browns are the muddy earth as the snow melts, while the pristine whites are the heaps of snow that was untouched by hands and feet. The canes were completed and there are three sets of beads that have been created. Here is what the photo has inspired.

Merry Christmas! To all my friends and clay enthusiasts, Blu and I wish to send you Christmas greetings for a happy holiday season and a safe New Year.

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Technorati Tags: blue morning expressions,polymer clay beads for sale,pillow beads,polymer clay canes,blue canes,brown canes,canes for sale,raw flower canes,raw polymer clay canes,canes for flower beads,canes for beads

Kaleidoscope Canes on Auction at ebay now

2011-11-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

I have a huge box of my kaleidoscope canes on eBay up for auction - there are almost 3 pounds of canes with a starting bid of $3.99.

A big box of my canes are on ebay for a starting bid of $3.99 Raw Polymer Clay Kaleidoscope Canes Bead Making Premo - Here is the link

Here is the photo

Gobble, Gobble – Things You Might not Know About Turkeys

2011-11-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

As we all go about our daily activities preparing for that big feast tomorrow, here are some things you might enjoy knowing about your guest of honor.

Yes, that guest; the turkey!

Turkeys came from the forests in North and Central America in grassy areas with hardwood trees. These trees make a great place for the turkeys to roost to at night.

They feed early in the morning and then later on in the mid-afternoon. They can be seen first thing in the morning, but do not try and sneak up on a turkey. They have excellent hearing and their vision is close to 270 degrees.

If you startle them, they will take off and they can fly 55 miles an hour, which makes it hard to grab one for a feast. They can cover a good 25 miles in an hour at a dead run, so unless you are in good shape, it is pointless to chase one on foot.

Good news is, the domesticated turkey cannot fly, so if you are looking for one that will grace the center of your table on Thanksgiving, it is much easier to catch one of the farm raised ones. Turkeys were the first domesticated birds – sorry chickies. North Carolina is the home of the most farm raised turkeys in the United States.

Benjamin Franklin nominated these noble birds to be our national bird since they were dignified and stately. They might also have provided a mirror profile to Mister Franklin as well. (Turn a turkey sideways and see if I am not right about this).To his dismay, our Bald Eagle was appointed national bird.

The Apache would not use any turkey feathers for their arrows; they felt the turkey was a timid bird and not worthy of being used to decorate arrows or to even eat.

Male turkeys gobble and are called “toms”, while females click and the males only use the gobble to call the females during the spring and fall. The rest of the time, they are quiet. They will gobble from sunrise until midday.

The wishbone is used for good luck. It must be better luck for you than the turkey.

Enjoy your turkey day and over 95% of American households will have turkey right along with you.

Winter Morning Canes

2011-11-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

To see the finished canes from my Winter Morning color theme, here is the linking post to my Polymer Clay Canes

http://polymerclaycanes.blogspot.com/2011/11/it-took-me-all-day-to-wrap-these-canes.html blog

Susan Carson’s Glacier Paintings – Chalk Horse Gallery

2011-11-15T07:36:00.001-08:00

Canadian Glacier

8 x 10 1/2 in watercolor 14x17 framed and matted

This beautiful Canadian scene, affected by global warming,
captures the mountain glacier's size of the 1970's.
So large, then, that sight seers could travel
across it's surface in special buses. Framed in dark wood.

$400.00 includes shipping

Email for More Information

Ice Flow

Image is 51/2 x 8 in black/white acrylic. Framed and matted at 11x13 1/2.

Here is the flow of the glacier in Alberta,
Canada in the 1970's, tucked between it's rocky cliffs.
A scene, that has been disappearing due to
global warming, which I felt was most appropriate
as a gray value painting.

$400.00 includes shipping

Email for More Information

Ice Road

5 1/2 x 8 acrylic n black and white matted and framed 11 x 13 1/2 in dark wood

This painting shows the Canadian ice field and its craggy
terrain in shades from black to white.
The massive peaks are compared in size by
the stand of pines off to the left, while the
road shows how difficult it is to traverse this landscape.

$400.00 includes shipping

Canadian Glacier

27 x 30 framed oil painting on canvas

Until you see a glacier up close and personal, you may not realize how deep the blues go down into the ice. This painting reflects the coldness that blue ice seems to radiate. The land has been transformed by the ice as you can see by the gradual planes that seem to step down into a cool, blue pool of frozen water. Everything is not completely covered by ice though, the persistant evergreens stand tall along the mountainside. This painting is the perfect addition to any room that speaks of travel and adventure.

$600.00 includes shipping

Canadian Ice Road

19 x 24 framed oil painting on canvas

For the adventurer, this road will lead to spectacular scenic vistas and wildly carved terraces as it wanders from the meadow into the depths of the mountain pass. You can feel the cold creeping up on you as you begin your ascent into well traveled mountain roads. As each turn and twist switchback between the mountains, the breathtaking views will leave you wanting more. This painting captures the anticipation of a great adventure into colorful and rocky terrain.

$500.00 includes shipping

Canadian Ice Road

14 x 17 framed oil painting on canvas

It looks like an innocent trail leading up into the mountains, but do not be fooled, this trail will take you to peaks and vistas that will take your breath away. It seems to gradually incline up the side of the mountain, but paths get narrower and narrower as you head towards the summit. Each twist and dip in the path lead you higher. Be sure and stop along the way to do your best to capture the scenic view. This painting will make you long to throw on your backpack and trek up the side of the mountain, just to see the top.

$500.00 includes shipping

Visit www.chalkhorsegallery.com to purchase any of these paintings.

Technorati Tags: canadian glacier,glacier paintings,original paintings,paintings for travel,travel paintings,ice paintings,susan carson,chalk horse gallery,canadian paintings,WAOW,glacier paintings for sale,oil paintings for sale,paintings for sale,winter paintings for sale,winter paintings,winter art,original art for sale,glacier art,ice art,canadian art

Handmade Christmas Gifts for 2011

2011-11-01T10:18:00.001-07:00

Shopping has begun for the 2011 season, many folks began to shop last Christmas, but some of us are just beginning our Christmas shopping and are opting to shop handmade for all of our gifts.

When you shop handmade for Christmas, you help to support local artists and their families. They may not be local to you, but many of the artists are from small towns and rural areas and by supporting them, you help their smaller communities thrive.

Small artists are a vital part of their community; they attend local arts and crafts fairs, are community involved and often times give to local charities.

When you shop handmade for your holiday gifts, you are dealing directly with the artist, designer and manufacturer. There are no middlemen, there are no overseas factories, there are no jobs that have been outsourced and you will get hands-on customer service. A local artisan will answer any questions you might have and if you need help with your purchase, they are there to help you.

Shopping on the internet isn’t always easy. You have questions and you need to know what materials are used in the product. You may have other questions that are not answered in the item description. You will probably find that your artist is right there to help you with your purchases and to make suggestions with your gift buying.

When you buy from a local artist, you are buying a one of a kind item and you can be assured that the gift recipient will not need to return the item due to duplication. Your artist has put a lot of time and thought into the design of the item and will use the best materials possible.

Here is your 2011 Handmade Christmas Gift List!

* Gifts for Mom or Grandma

From Baskets by Rose – Artfire Shop

Pinecone Basket handwoven and hand painted

Create a Family Tradition with this beautiful pinecone basket.

Mom or Grandma would love this hand woven basket with an adorable hand painted base. Each pine cone and pine branch has been painted by hand, making this definitely a one of a kind basket.

Even though it would make a lovely winter serving basket, it can be used all year round. Fill it full of home baked goodies, like cookies and breads. You can even re-gift it filled with treats for the family.

Make this basket a family tradition where everyone must refill it from the kitchen and give it to another family member.

It is made from natural reed and is 13 1/2" x 11" x 3" tall.

From Candy Apple Crafts – Artfire

Mother Wall Plate with Poem, Flowers, and Cut out Edge, Porcelain

Mother’s are God’s gift to us

Every time mom sees this plate, she will know that you love her enough to have given her this keepsake.

This lovely poem reads:

Mother
God could not be everywhere
With so many things to do
He gave a gift most rare
So loving and so true
A wonderful angel most fair
A mother dear as you

What mother can resist an “awww” when they read this poem and have tissues handy when you give this gift to your mom or grandmother. It is sure to bring a tear to their eyes and be prepared for prolonged hard hugs.

Vintage 1977 Enco and is ready for hanging. A mother has cared for this plate, as it is in excellent condition.

From Shymousee Handmade Clothes – Artfire

Peppermint Scented Round Pillar Candle

Light up the holidays!

Peppermint IS Christmas and this parrafin and soy wax candle will not only bring the scents of the holidays to your nose, everyone loves the gentle glow of a lit candle.

After all the Christmas presents are unwrapped and you are gathering around the table for the Christmas dinner, light this candle and let the scent of the peppermint blend with turkey and ham and all the other scents that say “holidays”.

This candle is a thoughtful gift for mom or grandma and can be used to remember the holidays long after Christmas dinner has been eaten and the dishes are done.

From Boo Beads Jewelry – Artfire

Vintage Style Floral Wallpaper Image Antiqued Brass Bracelet

Give grandmother a piece of nostalgia!

Tucked away somewhere in an attic is a bit of this old wallpaper that used to adorn the walls and halls of Grandma’s house. Reproduced on scrapbook paper, these nostalgic designs come to life when set in antique brass bezels and wrapped around Grandma’s wrist.

Of course, you can give this lovely bracelet to mom too.

This bracelet measures 7 and a half inches and has a lever clasp.

From BiBikoh – Artfire

Emerald Green and Yellow Crystal Flower Handmade Earrings on Gold-filled Ear Wire

Green crystal snowflakes for the holidays

You will be tempted to keep these lovely earrings for yourself, but you must give them to mom!

Swarovski crystals dance and twinkle from these magnificent handcrafted earrings. Created from 4mm emerald green bicone crystals, 8mm round emerald green crystals and 6mm light yellow round crystals make these earrings perfect for their glitter. They belong in the holiday lights.

Of course, they can be worn all year round for a lovely accent to any attire, and can be worn casually.

From Appalachian Heritage Soaps – Artfire

Apple Soap Handmade All Natural with Real Apple & Spice Essential Oils

Smell like a holiday every day!

Mom, grandma and apple pie!

With this soap, remind mom and grandma that it is time to make another one of their mouthwatering apple pies. Or, go and buy one from the local market.

Nothing reminds us of home like the smell of home baking escaping from the oven when we come in from a cold winter day. Grandma’s house used to envelope you in scents of fresh breads, cookies or pies.

A little of this long-lasting scented soap will take you back to those days.

This apple soap is made with pureed apples and spicy oils which are accented once they are applied in a hot shower.

This soap is made from natural oils and coco butter.

From Linda Landig Jewelry – Artfire

Christmas Bracelet Handmade Woven Button Clasp Green Red Gold Holiday

You might need to give this gift early

This one of a kind handwoven hand beaded bracelet might need to be an early Christmas present for your mom, grandma or sister. They will want to wear this gorgeous bracelet to all their holiday parties, get-togethers and social events. They will want this to be part of their holiday wardrobe every year from here on out.

Woven from Czech glass beads of red and green, these beads reflect light and make this a glittering and twinkling set of lights for your wrist. This is handwoven and expresses the heart of the artist as she captures the spirit of the season.

Not only will you be celebrating the holidays with this lovely bracelet, you will be wearing a piece of art by a real artist.

Just remember to give it as a gift.

From Cusp Designs – Artfire

Joy Holly Leaf Quilted Christmas Card

Send grandma a one of a kind Christmas card

Sing “Joy to the World” and give this one of a kind card. Each card is completely handcrafted and while the design may be the same, the cards will vary.

This Christmas card is perfect for the person who does a lot of sewing or quilting, the leaves have been hand sewn to the vintage style paper.

A cute red button sewn with red yard add a great holly accent to the card.

From Pretty Gonzo – Artfire

Pink Crystal Awareness Ribbon Earrings, Swarovski, Sterling Hooks

Celebrate life and the defeat of a deadly disease

These awareness earrings are really for anyone in your life who has come face to face with the battle of cancer and triumphed. Remind them that they have won the fight and that each day is precious.

Swarovski crystal bicones and sterling silver earhooks are part of this overall design. Crystals send dancing lights as they sparkle in the sunshine.

The length is 2-inches which include the earhooks.

* Gifts for Dad or Grandpa

From Tomlinson Photography and Design - Artfire

Plymouth Barracuda, Automotive and Classic Car Photography, Lime Green

Relive those muscle car days!

They do not make cars like they used to!

A 1970 Plymouth Barracuda in lime green may not appeal to everyone, but if you have a muscle car maniac for a dad, brother or even grandpa, this is a perfect gift.

This classic car hood photo will deck out a desk, den or garage for the car enthusiast. While not everyone is a Mopar nut, those who are will drool over the reminder of the day when this beast took to the streets as every day rides and were a head turner then.

For some, 1970 is not that far in the past and can still remember how much fun this car was to drive.

From Ginger’s Garden – Artfire

Handmade Artisan Shaving Stick and Travel Shave Soap

Let Dad take home with him while he is on the road

Sweet tobacco scents waft from the ends of lit pipes as men gather around to play checkers over a barrel in the back of a country store.

Maybe a little too much Mr. Drysdale and Green Acres, but certainly the scent of sweet tobacco has a place in the memory of many men, as well as women and it calls us home.

Remind Dad that home is not far away with this sweet tobacco scented shaving stick. It can be used on his wet face straight from the package, or he can swirl a damp shaving brush over the top of the stick to create a great lather.

Either way he uses it, it will remind him that home is close and the people he loves are even closer.

From JMcCoy from Logs to Lumber – Artfire

Mahogany Pen and Pencil set

Dad would love this set on his desk.

The soft feel of smooth wood in your dad’s hand will remind him that you thought enough to give him a gift that he can use everyday. This pen and pencil set is not only a reminder of you, it has such a gorgeous classy look and feel that it adds power to his signature.

This set has been completely handcrafted and then sanded to 12000 grit before several coats of lacquer were applied. It was again wet sanded before being waxed and buffed to bring out the natural lines and swirls of the wood.

It comes with a maple presentation box making it a ready-to -gift for dad or grandpa.

From Norma’s Bath and Body – Artfire

lime after shave gel

Save the man you love from his razor

Keep that man’s face kissable by giving him the gift of after shave gel. He might get more kisses when he smells like a Margarita.

Aloe vera will help him to smooth out that razor burn and to keep his face moisturized and feeling smooth and fresh. Yes, he will smell like a lime and you may be tempted to add Tequila, but more importantly, he will enjoy the way his face feels after he has pampered it.

This 2-ounce jar will give him a lot of shaves and might even get you a lot of kisses.

Perfect for dads, hubbies and brothers.

From Christie Cottage – Artfire

1954 Chevy Car Coaster, Ceramic, Collage

He can put his cup of coffee on a piece of history

The 1954 Chevrolet reached sales of over one million automobiles!

Celebrate the beauty and lines of this classic auto by giving your guy his own set of coasters that sport the clean lines that started a love affair with the Chevy.

For those guys who are too young to remember these on the first go-round, they will enjoy the beautiful Bel-Air which can still be found on the road today. Those guys who head off to rod runs and swap meets will appreciate these great coasters.

Even if your guy isn’t a car guy, he will still enjoy having a place to put his drink that will keep both of you happy. These 4.25x4.25 inch coasters have been created with a cork bottom that will keep your surfaces from being scratched.

Everyone wins with these cool coasters. Christie’s Cottage also has other makes and models.

From Signs of Elegance – Artfire

Football Word Art Typography Wood Sign

You will score a touchdown with this sign!

Be your man’s cheerleader and give him a sign that lets him know that you are a part of the game. This great sign is for anyone in your life who is crazy about football and has an extra space in their office or den that this football sign would fit perfectly.

Dads, grandpas and sons will all appreciate something that reminds them of their favorite game all year round.

Every sign is natural wood and comes with all the grains and knots which become part of the design. This sign comes with a sawtooth hanger, making it easy to hang in any room.

This sign measures approximately 11-1/4" x 24" x 3/4".

* Gifts for Sister or Brother

From Shadow Dog Designs – Artfire

Christmas Candy Peppermint Lampwork Sterling Earrings Handmade Red

Let your ears celebrate the holidays too!

What says Christmas like peppermint candies? Well, nothing – these little candies are well recognized as a Christmas tradition.

The smell of peppermint and cinnamon in the air makes the mouth water and the heart long for Christmas gatherings.

These lovely red and white lampwork beads in the traditional peppermint swirl design are delicately balanced on sterling silver earwires and ready to wear. Each bead is handmade and look good enough to eat!

From Sea Breeze Jewels - Artfire

Coconut lime verba soap spa bar with goats milk, vitamin e and aloe vera

Send your sister to the tropics for the holidays!

Some yummy coconut and lime verba soap will transport your sister, daughter or mother to a tropical spa every time they take long relaxing bath using this bar of goats milk, vitamin E and aloe vera heaven.

The clean scent and smooth skin will add long baths to their to-do lists.

Goats milk soaps are perfect moisturizers and have a long lasting lather giving your skin a smooth and healthy glow. With the winter weather here, your skin dries out easily, making this a timely gift.

This is a 5-ounce bar of soap with a natural base.

You probably should buy more than one bar, once you get this wonderful soap in your hands, you might need to keep it for yourself.

From Metal Artistry – Artfire

Sterling heart with copper wings and bling pendant necklace oxidized

Give your sister your heart this year!

Metal Artistry in motion has been uniquely captured in this heart pendant. By using sterling silver and copper, the contrast between metals add movement and life to this winged heart.

The forged and texturized metals add dimension and textural interest to this heartfelt necklace.

The heart is in motion and this handcrafted piece of jewelry will tell your sister, mother or grandmother that you love them. A one of a kind piece of jewelry is a personal gift and this necklace will go with jeans for a casual look, or worn over a black sweater for an elegant look. Either way, this piece can go to work or play and will fit in either place.

The heart is 2 inches wide and over 1 inch high on a 16-inch silicon necklace.

From Hummingbirdtak – Artfire

Pewter Eagle Pendant Focal 43mm New

For your sibling, the jewelry artist!

Give your sister or brother this beautiful eagle pendant for their own gift giving. If you have a family member who enjoys creating handcrafted jewelry, this pendant would make a lovely addition to a necklace.

The eagle is a majestic bird and won out over the turkey for our national symbol, even though Benjamin Franklin voted enthusiastically for the turkey. This eagle makes for a majestic pendant; you can see how it beat out the turkey.

They may want to keep it for themselves and it would look great on a leather cord. It measures 43mm by 33mm and because it is pewter, it makes a subtle statement.

From Words to Wear – Artfire

Hand Stamped Trio Name Charm Necklace with Birthstone Crystals Custom

Order quickly to give your sister a personalized gift

Hurry and order this sister trio necklace set, even if you do not order it for your sister, you can order one for mom with you and your sister’s names on it.

Give mom a gift that she can wear everyday to remind her of you girls. Give it to your sister with your mother’s name on there as a memorial or in her honor. Either way, this gift is one that will not soon be forgotten and because it is unique to you and your sister, it will be kept as an heirloom.

Three sterling silver charms are hand-stamped, one letter at a time, to create these unique charms on this one of a kind necklace. The charms are accented with Swarovski crystal charms of your choice of birthstones.

There is room for 12 letters and the charms are strung from an 18-inch sterling silver chain with a 1-inch extender.

From Kokona Moon Designs – Artfire

Love, Joy and Peace Handmade Christmas Gift Greeting Card

Send your sister or brother a handmade card for the holidays

Holidays are special when you add handmade to them and this holiday card simply sends the holiday message to your sister or brother.

Of course, this card can be sent to anyone you want to send holiday greetings to.

Kokona Moon Designs on Artfire has many different holiday greeting cards to choose from, so if you are more interested in sending a cardinal on a winter branch or frolicking snowmen, she has those too.

From Busy Fingers – Artfire

Autumn Leaf Granny Square Cap

Keep your sister’s head warm

This handcrafted crocheted cap will keep ears warm and noggins snowless. Your sister will love the idea of not having a cold head and its all because you care enough to give her this cute hat for a Christmas present.

Buy one for yourself and pretend you are twins.

Each cap has been crocheted by hand by a real person in North Carolina and she says if you like, you can have a different color or size. As shown, this is a ladies average.

From The Crafty Turtle – Artfire

Bright Bold Necklace

Sister, mother, aunt or grandma will love this

Big bold bright beads! Say that three times really fast.

This design is for the sister who is sassy and is not afraid to express herself. These bold colors come into the room before she will and they say “look at me”.

This wild necklace goes with EVERYTHING! It does not matter what you are wearing, there is a color in here that will fit with your outfit and it goes with casual or dressy.

It is 20-inches of fun, which makes it a perfect gift for your outgoing, fun loving sister.

From New Hampshire Land Pirate – Etsy

Hee Haw framed (8x10) original Photography

Who are you calling a donkey?

Not saying this is what your brother thinks of his boss, but this photo would be a great addition to his office. It is earthy and animalistic and down to earth, oh wait, it is a donkey!

This photo was taken in Vermont and the photographer has the original on display at the Unknown Arts exhibit in Burlington, Vermont.

This donkey is looking for a good place to call home and even if your brother does not want to have this hanging in his office, in case his boss would be offended, he can hang this in his den.

Of course, this donkey would be just as happy hanging in the dining room over Christmas dinner.

From Ewenique Essentials – Artfire

Brown Stripe Toiletry Bag Quilted Cotton Cosmetic Case Zipper Pouch

Give your sister organization tools

You loved to play dress-up together as kids. Now, you can give her a gift that will hold all the cosmetics and dress-up essentials of today.

This zippered pouch is completely handmade and can be used for jewelry, make-up and anything else that you want to tuck into your purse and take on getaways.

Beautiful earthtones make this quilted bag a go-with no matter what purse you are using.

It is 4-inches by 6-inches and can also be used as a small wallet or change purse.

From Martie Rocco Jewelry – Artfire

Guitar string bangle bracelet copper wound antique copper wire GS11-21

Sing along with your sister

Remember the days of singing into the shampoo bottle? Your little sister and her hairbrush singing? She is all grown up now and singing into sound systems that do not have the echo of the bathroom. She is accomplished on the guitar and you are proud of her.

Give her a gift like no other. This guitar string bracelet handcrafted from singer/songwriter and guitar player, Martie Rocco. She has incorporated her used guitar strings into these fantastic bracelets. Not only are you getting a one of a kind gift for your sister, when Martie becomes famous, you will have a collector’s item.

Copper is wire wound around the strings and adds warmth to this lovely flexible bracelet.

* Gifts for the Kids

From Joyfully Sewn Designs – Artfire

Little Girls Apple Jumper with Red Peasant Blouse Sizes 2 and 4

Apple harvest autumns are great times to play

Red peasant blouses and apples make a great combination for autumn wear. Of course, apples are always in vogue and your little one will look great in apples whether they are on the tree or only blooming white flowers.

This is a heavier set for cooler weather and comes with two matching bows.

From the designer:

- This jumper set is available in two sizes: Size 2 & 4.
- The size 2 jumper measures 23" in length and is 23 1/2" around the chest. The peasant blouse has 3/4 length sleeves.
- The size 4 jumper measures 27 3/4" in length with the chest being 25" around. The peasant blouse has 3/4 length sleeves.
- All seams have been professionally finished with a serger.

From Forget Me Not Soap Shop – Artfire

Yellow Duck Handmade Soap Scented with Banana Fragrance

Make scrubbing fun!

Kids do not always wash behind their ears, in fact, sometimes they just run the water and hope you won’t come in to see that you are reading a comic book on the edge of the tub and not in the water.

Make bathing more fun by stuffing the stocking with a duck that smells like a banana.

How much more kid-like can you get than that??

Buy more than one and stuff a few stockings. You might find that those dirty little kids cannot wait to jump in the tub when they have great smelling soap in such fun shapes.

Give one to your sticky-fingered nephew too.

From Blue Morning Expressions – Artfire

Handcrafted Polymer Clay Faux Pearl Clip On Earrings - White

Dress up your little girl with faux pearls

Polymer clay has been used to create these little white pearl clip on earrings for those who do not have pierced ears.

Give your little girl a bit of dress up, or add these to her holiday outfit. Either way, she will feel like a grown up without the need to have her ears pierced. The clip on’s are 10mm and are easy to put on and take off.

Avoid the pain of piercing by allowing your little girl to wear clipon earrings.

*********************************************************************

Happy shopping for the holidays, I hope that you will consider giving handcrafted gifts for 2011 Christmas season. It is not just for the holidays, these make great gifts all year long.

So many fine artists and crafters have thousands of handmade items that can be used as gifts or keep them for yourself.

Support your local handcrafting artists and give back to the communities.

BluPrint November 2011 Polymer Clay Canes, Beads and Jewelry

2011-10-31T19:10:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 11, November 2011

What's New in November?

Banana Bread! - Ok, this is a bit different than my usual post, but I have to share this wonderfully easy and moist bread/cake recipe. All you really need is a couple overripe bananas.

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

• 1/3 cup melted butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• pinch of salt

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

This recipe is really easy—smash your bananas with a wooden spoon, pour the melted butter in and stir it well. Beat the egg with a fork before pouring it into the mix, add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Sprinkle the salt and baking soda over the mixture and mix again. Then add all your flour and mix completely. Pour into a buttered loaf pan and bake for one hour at 350.

This bread is moist and light and great with a winter cup of coffee. So, don’t toss out overripe bananas, it only takes a couple minutes to mix up this great bread.

Recipe borrowed from a recipe site.

Now, on to beads and canes.

Flower Canes - I am getting ready to mix up another batch of fun flowers. I have been working on new designs and have cannot wait to get started. I had to set up a new work bench in my little cabin rental in order to work on my flowers. Otherwise, the flowers were threatening to take over my kitchen table and then where would I put my laptop? :)

You will find Blue Morning Expressions, X-Stitch-Patterns, The Seed Bead Pattern Store, and Clipon Earrings Boutique. If you are interested, you can find me at http://www.artfire.com/users/bluemorningexpressions

Writing—I have spent the last month writing full-time and I must confess, I have sorely neglected all my canes and polymer clay items. I did over 250 web articles and one feature article for a local newsmagazine. All of these things were fun to do, but very time consuming and my clay suffered. I had quite a few sales of canes and over half of my inventory went out in boxes this last month. That is good for clearing space for me, but bad for providing a great selection of canes for you!

Beads—I am working on new focal beads and doing a few necklaces with the penguins that I did last year for Christmas. I have six focal beads ready go and will get those necklaces done soon. The next sets of focal beads will be ready in the next couple of weeks. You can find both the beads and the finished necklaces on www.bluemorningexpressions.com or at my Artfire store http://www.artfire.com/users/bluemorningexpressions

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Earrings—These are all created from my bead sets, I used both floral rounds, heart swirl lentils, and full size 20mm pillow beads to create 30 new sets of earrings. Each set is under $4—I wanted to create an affordable set of earrings for gifts that can be easily purchased in groups. They make great stocking stuffers and can be converted to pierced look earrings if you like.

A Penguin Ornament Winner

2011-10-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.pacountrycrafts.blogspot.com/

Here is the winner of the polymer clay Penguin ornament.

Polymer clay heart lentil bead dangle earrings

2011-10-19T18:21:00.001-07:00

Heart Lentil Beads - I created a set of these on a whim for the Peas and Carrots bracelet that I did and was so pleased with the results that I decided that I would create a couple dozen little earring sets.
My idea to create earring sets has been spurred by my adoration of the lampwork artists and their earring pairs. They are just affordable enough for me to buy a set of beads and create my own crystal and glass earrings. I wanted to do the same thing with polymer clay for folks that didn't want to get a whole set of eight beads. These earring pairs work up quickly and nicely - just in time for an evening out with friends.
I seem to be drawn to anything shiny, so I have a natural affection for Swarovski crystals and try to use them in all possible ways. These earring beads just begged to be dressed up a bit with dangling and shiny crystals.
I wrapped each crystal with wire so that I could attach them to jump rings and waterfall them down from the bottom of the heart. I used a lot of 4mm crystals in these earrings - they seemed to be the best size for the 10mm hearts.
Because I love black as a design option, I chose the black, yellow and red clay to use as my base bead. I knew that the yellow would contrast nice in the bead and give me the possibility of an orange combination. That also gave me an excuse to use my all time favorite Swarovski color - Fire Opal.
These earrings are fun and affordable and I know that I will be making a lot more of them, they just will all look different due to the combination of the clay used. I have a huge box of crystals in dozens of different colors, so I am not worried about any of these earrings looking the same.
See a pair of beads that you would like created into a similar set of earrings? Just let me know and I will create the earrings for you.
Enjoy shiny things,
Julie and Blu

Playing Through

2011-10-19T18:20:00.001-07:00

Polymer clay golf ball pot holder magnets for the kitchen

When you live in Florida, you are surrounded by both the beautiful waters of the Atlantic Ocean and miles and miles of golf courses.
Like a lot of my goodies, these started by those wonderful three words that we all love to hear, "Do You Have ....." which is a variation on the theme of "Can You Make..."
A friend of mine needed a gift for a lovely lady golfer and she saw some ladybug pot holder magnets that I had done and asked how hard it would be to create golf balls for her friend's kitchen. I thought about it a minute and said, "well, I could do a set of two for your friend, if you give me a couple of days to get them done".
It was a mutually beneficial exchange, she had a set of magnets that couldn't be found anywhere else and I had a new product line that given my locale, made for a popular gift.
I used Fimo Soft to form my golf balls, I added my hook and glued it in before baking. I attached a heavy duty thick magnet on the back, and now these are ready for a place of honor on any golfer's refrigerator. Priced right and fun, those are two things that I strive for in my creations.
Most of all, fun.
See you on the 19th hole.
Julie and Blu

Purple Blue Disk Beaded Necklace Pearl

2011-10-19T17:07:00.001-07:00

Hoppy Taw
Yeah, that's what I named this polymer clay piece featuring my kaleidoscope canes on large cookie shaped disk beads.
The Hoppy Taw was a staple of my childhood. No self respecting 3rd grader ever played hopscotch at school without a Hoppy Taw of one's own. They seemed to be magical and could make you stand on one leg a lot longer. This silly thick rubber disk was some marketing genius's bread and butter. In fact, it wasn't until a couple years ago that I even checked to see if it was really called a Hoppy Taw or if that was some misheard lyric type situation of childhood. It was in fact called just that.
When I created these disks, that was the first thing that came to mind. They are large, colorful and can probably make you stand on one leg longer than anyone else.
Each disk has been double drilled and hand sanded smooth and had a light coat of varnish added for some shine.
The potato pearls both between the beads and hand wrapped on the chain have been dyed to an iridescent blue and purple which is one of my favourite colour combination.
I merged the sets of cable into a single strand and loaded it up with delicas, plated chain and wire wrapped additional potato pearls and Czech glass beads.
The clasp is a pewter rose and the ends have been double crimped and double crimp covered. I used E6000 cement on the crimps and covers to secure the ends.
This has been designed to curve and will automatically do that when you wear it. The length is a comfortable 24 inches.
It is a lightweight piece but it does have a bit of bulk to it due to the size of the disks.
©jcleveland

Polymer Clay Pillow Beads with Floral Canes, Butterflies and Translucent Canes

2011-10-19T17:00:00.003-07:00

Polymer Clay Beads Filled with Flowers and Butterflies!
My all time favourite beads to create are pillow beads. I don't know what it is about them, but I can't resist creating them. I like the way they feel, I love the size of them - most 20mm - although I do have some 15mm sized beads as well.
To me, it is hard to resist what I consider a blank canvas.
I start with a blank sheet of clay; either in a tinted colour - I rarely use a colour out of the package, or a neutral.
If I am using a neutral, I will take one of my kaleidoscope canes and cover the sheet of clay before I cut them to the size of bead that I am creating. The base on the kaleidoscope cane beads will not be a part of the design so it isn't that important to me what colour it is. I will tuck it under when I assemble my bead.
When I am creating a garden of beads, I use my tinted clay as the background and generously slice thin pieces of my leaves, flowers and butterfly canes onto the background. It doesn't matter where they go, I will be cutting them all up anyway.
Before I cut my beads up for assembly, I make sure that they are smoothed out. This helps me not to have to do as much sanding as I would if there were hills and gouges. I have carpal tunnel and hand sanding is a bit hard on my hand, so I do the best to keep it at a minimum.
Once I have cut my beads and assembled them with their pillow stuffing, I smooth my edges, doing the best that I can to make them seem seamless. I usually add a 1mm hole to them before baking, but lately, I have been uping the hole to 3mm. I have been reading beaders that are requesting a slightly larger hole, so I have been doing that for them.
Polymer clay is soft enough after it is finished to allow for hole enlargement if needed.
Once my beads are baked, I drop the flower ones into a bath of ice water immediately, it clears the translucent clay right up and makes it clear.
I handsand the beads through three grits and then add a nice little shine of varathene on them before putting them up to dry.
Once they are dry, I do my photos and the next thing you know, they are here as a new item in my store.
I hope you enjoy the beads and the work that goes into them.
Must go bead,
Julie and Blu

Polymer Clay Floral Cane Chunky Bracelet

2011-10-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

Polymer Clay Floral Garden Bracelet
This bracelet was in the making for several years, which just means that I had the bracelet blanks for several years and didn't get around to actually creating anything from them for a long time. I have a habit, good or bad, of picking up things that I see can be used in future projects. I ran across a seller that had these blanks in her store and I bought ten sets. I didn't know what I would do with them and it was before I really got into flower caning, so my coveted canes were all by other folks.
They came in and they were a lot heavier than I realized, so with a hmmmm, I put them away with other bracelet blanks that I had collected with no idea what I would be doing with them.
One day as I was rearranging my studio, I came across these blanks and took them and set them on my work bench with the intention of working on something using them.
I had just finished some new canes and was cleaning up clay, so I grabbed some white clay and built a bead to fit the bracelet. I then added thin slices of leaves and bright colored flowers.
After I baked them, I hand sanded them and added a slight coat of varnish to the beads.
I finished stringing the bracelet and took lots of photos of it. It does have a little weight to it and it is a large bracelet.
But it's pretty and it is a definate one of a kind bracelet.
Just in time for spring.
Julie and Blu

Orange Green Miami Hurricane Colors Beaded Charm Bracelet

2011-10-19T16:59:00.003-07:00

Perfect for your University of Miami fan!
This bracelet titled "Peas and Carrots" is lush with my own creations.
This heavily beaded charm bracelet has been hand created from polymer clay beads, lentil beads, Swarovski crystals, seed beads, Czech glass beads and gold plated findings.
The beads have all been created from artist quality polymer clay and have been hand formed into either 10mm round beads, 10 mm disk beads, 15mm flower beads, 15mm heart lentil beads, 10mm round lentil beads, and smaller disks. Each bead has been accented with gold plated bead caps and spacer beads, as well as delica seed beads and ebeads.
Each bead has been lightly varnished to give it shine.
Additional beads include gold plated filigree 6mm beads.
This bracelet is 6 inches with a gold plated toggle and can be re-sized if needed.
This one of a kind bracelet will not be repeated, even though it was great fun to create the beads for and put together.
Want other school colors? Just ask, I might be able to create something along the same line.

Beautiful Calla Lilies from Big Sur Counted Cross Stitch Pattern

2011-10-19T16:59:00.001-07:00

Calla Lily Cross Stitch Pattern
This photo and the other photo with several lilies were taken when on a trip my husband and I took to Big Sur in 2008. I had never been to California and I was captured, enraptured and wowed by all the sights.
These large lillies were growing along the side of a roadside art gallery. I saw a lot of great art and lots of gorgeous flowers. I took so many photos that I was downloading my card on my lap top as we drove along.
I used a lot of the photos that I took during that trip to create counted cross stitch patterns.
This is one of them.
Enjoy my trip
Julie and Blu

The Travelin' Show

2011-10-19T16:57:00.003-07:00

Friday, May 20, 2011

The Travelin’ Show

Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone go…..

Traveling with Blu was like having a toddler in the car. “Give me a drink”, “Wipe my face”, “I’m hungry”, “I have to go to the bathroom”, “Oops, I just threw up”.

We traded in the view of the space shuttle from the kitchen table, for the majestic mountains of the Rockies; specifically, the Gallatin Range. I live near places like Roaring Hell Creek now. I am fairly positive that it has that name for a reason.

Shuttle launch – July 4th

We spent four days on the road with only my beads, clay and some clothes packed. Oh, and my pc and laptop. I had my priorities in order. Everything was precisely packed in the back of my Blazer and Blu was allotted a 4x4 area to sit or lay down. Everything else was walling him in.

Could we get any happier?

He only had one incident, we took a turn too sharp in Atlanta and he became buried under stuffed animals and his dish. He farted.

Our travels took us up through all the areas that were so badly damaged by the tornado outbreak. It was very difficult to see all that damage and be helpless to do anything but pray for the folks in those areas.

The paths were obvious as they crossed the interstates and cut wide swatches through the trees along the road. The last place that we saw damage was in St. Louis and just seeing the rivers and streams all bursting forth gave you the sense of being so insignificant.

This is the Tennessee River – up and over it’s banks.

We had smooth traveling weather across the Midwest and up into Wyoming. We left intermittent rain behind us in Kansas City, Mo. and sailed the rest of the way into Montana where we were greeted to 50s and 60s and sunny skies.

Our summer rental was ready for us when we got here and I feel so blessed by the new surroundings.

We found a little one bedroom cabin on a pond with mountain views all around us and lots of wildlife. We were immediately greeted by the honking of the Canadian Geese, mallards, a local pheasant, 2 deer, a muskrat, a mating pair of robins and oodles of red wing blackbirds.

Canadian Geese

Yes, I traded in the antics of a pair of crazy rabbits that were using my back porch as a playground and a squirrel that insisted on burying all his nuts in my potted plants for a more rural environment, but I am looking forward to an inspiring summer.

Oh, the robin just decided where she was going to put her nest. Right outside my dining room window! Yay babies!

Enjoy the photos!

Julie and Blu

A beginner's guide to bead stringing materials

2011-10-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

A beginner's guide to bead stringing materials

Julie L. Cleveland

With over thousands and thousands of different beads, websites and craft stores, it is easy for the beginning beader and jewelry maker to get overwhelmed before they even get started.

When you create your first piece of jewelry, you will realize what a rewarding craft this is and you will begin to string beads for yourself and your friends.

To begin your adventure into jewelry making with beads, ... Read More

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Essential tools needed for making beaded jewelry

2011-10-19T16:56:00.001-07:00

Essential tools needed for making beaded jewelry

Julie L. Cleveland

The first time you admire someone’s necklace, bracelet, or set of earrings, your mind begins the “I can do that” thought process. It is a safe bet to say that if you would like to learn how to bead a fantastic new pair of earrings, bracelet or necklace, you will learn how to do it.

There are many, many articles, magazines, books and websites dedicated to teaching you how to create anything from wild tribal necklaces to dainty flower earrings.

To begin your adventure into jewelry making .... Read More

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Hurray for the Red, White and Blu!

2011-10-19T16:55:00.001-07:00

Since moving to Montana, I have lost track of the time of the year. There is a good chance that in the next day or so, we will have high elevation snowfalls again and the daily temperature is in the 50s- 60s. I do enjoy the weather, since I know back in Florida it is in the triple digits and my coastal community is looking at 90 plus, plus.
So, I forgot that the 4th of July was coming up, until I had a customer buy my Stars and Stripes Necklace and one of my 4th of July bracelets.
Both of those pieces featured the beautiful lampwork beads of Jacquie Maruri and were created with Swarovski, glass pearls, seed beads and my polymer clay star beads. I handstitched the entire necklace and each strand has been created out of fireline.
I have every intentions of doing the same with all the focal beads that I purchased from Jacquie and each necklace is labor intensive. I have two of these beaded necklaces left at the moment.
One is titled "Egyptian Sunset" and the other one is "Once in a Blu Moon". Jacquie provided the Blu Moon bead and the other was created by Adorned in Treasure.
I have been busy doing freelance writing the last month that I have neglected my bead making and jewelry design. I can't wait to get back to it!

Jewelry Basics Word Search Puzzle

2011-10-19T16:54:00.001-07:00

For fun, I created a word search puzzle - print this out and enjoy!

Jewelry Basics Word Search

U U W P L P E G I R W K S U V

J E W E L R Y N K S E R E S H

Z G X S C X S I S G A Z B F W

W N P J W H O G V N V V R L U

N I K P C W V N O I I S A C B

A D R L W E I I R D N S C R L

S A O J P V R R A N G E E Y S

G E W Y J I J T W I O C L S N

N B M T Q T F S S F N A E T O

I H O W G A Q N I Y C L T A H

R A O D C E E X T X M K S L C

R P L T S R A C D Z M C T S O

A P Q I Z C A K Y B I E N X B

E Y E Y R E Q P D U C N V X A

K Y S E E D B E A D S D A J C

Jewelry Basics Word Search - 15 Words to find

BEADING JEWELRY BRACELETS LOOMWORK CABOCHONS NECKLACES

CREATIVE

SEEDBEADS CRYSTALS STRINGING EARRINGS SWAROVSKI FINDINGS WEAVING HAPPY

Spoiler Alert

Answers on next page.

Jewelry Basics Word Search - Solution

G I W

J E W E L R Y N K S E

G I S G A B

N G V N V R

I K N O I I A C

D R E I R D N S C R

S A O V R A N G E E Y S

G E W I T W I C L S N

N B M T S S F A E T O

I H O A L T A H

R A O E K S L C

R P L R C S O

A P C E B

E Y N A

S E E D B E A D S C

Polymer Clay Purple Violet Blossom Flower Necklace

2011-10-19T16:52:00.001-07:00

This necklace is an example of how my lentil beads can be used to create a multi-strand necklace with resin flowers and Czech emerald glass beads.
This was the project that I completed for a Polymer Clay Smoosher's Artfire group project on something spring-like and flowery.
I love purple and the combination of both purple and green reminds me of the fresh violets that bloom every spring "up north".
Check out the other lentil beads that I have for sale and see if there isn't a set that sparks your creativity and just begs for you to create a necklace for yourself.

The History of Christmas in July

2011-10-19T16:50:00.001-07:00

Christmas in July Sales history

Ah, July.

July means we are half way through the year, and while in some places the heat makes it hard to think about Christmas, but many places bring out their holly and lights and trumpet a “Christmas in July” sale. According to some various sources that Wikipedia fanatics have amassed, the actual source of the holiday frenzy is attributed to many different angles. Some say that it comes from an opera where children rehearse Christmas songs in July which prompts an astute observer to quip that when you sing Christmas in July, you rush the season.

Others probably closer to the mark, have attributed the “Christmas in July” to the simple fact that there are no marketing opportunities from July 4^th in the United States and July 1^st for Canada Day until Labor Day for both the United States and Canada in September.

Either way, the fact is, most retailers are selling their products at a discount for the entire month of July.

Of course, not to be left out, all Blue Morning Expressions items are on sale as well.

For others, July means fairs, picnics and carnivals. Rodeos, street fairs, craft fairs and in Butte, Montana, Evel Knievel Days. No matter what your fair or carnival preference, one thing is certain. There will be cotton candy and kettle corn. And as a new devotee of kettle corn, a found recipe is now laminated and held up on the refrigerator (under a bright green frog magnet from Blue Morning Expressions of course).

Here is the recipe in its entirety and comes compliments of Allrecipes.com :

Kettle Corn

Rated:

Submitted By: SUE202

Photo By: Allrecipes

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ready In: 20 Minutes

Servings: 5

"White sugar makes the Kettle Corn taste like popcorn balls. Use brown sugar and it will taste like caramel corn."

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Directions:

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.

For caramel corn lovers, note the recipe variation for caramel corn.

Have a fun and safe summer and take advantage of Blue Morning Expressions’ enthusiastic participation in the “Christmas in July” phenomenon and look for sales for the entire month of July.

Oh, and here is the frog magnet and he is on sale:

Fudge! It's Not Just For Christmas :)

2011-10-19T16:45:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Fudge Homemade Hillside Bakery

I love fudge - I normally am not a chocolate eater, but I make an exception for fudge. I am mystified by the properties of fudge, it isn't like a mess of melted chocolate that sticks to your fingers or refuses to come off the package. Instead, it is a block of delicious goodness that when eaten triggers an overwhelming urge for a glass of ice cold milk.

I admire people who can make fudge. I am not one of those people. My one and only attempt at fudge making was in August of 2004 in Florida. I somehow missed an ingredient and it refused to solidify or even to look pretty. I put it in the refrigerator and kept an eye on it. Occasionally, I would go and take a chunk out of it- the taste wasn't bad - but when I would go back and look at the pan, the missing space was filled in with more fudge.

It became the pan of the perpetuating fudge. It always self-leveled, it became thinner and thinner the more I picked at it. Then we had the hurricanes of 2004 and we personally took a couple direct hits. After the first one, we had no power for a couple weeks. The fudge lived on in a dead refrigerator. Never drying up, never going bad - just sat there perpetuating.

Good homemade fudge is hard to come by and it is obvious that I can not just whip up a batch the next time that I want fudge, so it was a “beoutifool” thing that I discovered Lisa at Hillside Bakery. Lisa knows how to make fudge!! Happy dance!

I got a sampler box and we have been sampling. She sent us her candy bar series and I staked out the coconut filled fudge (Mounds) and the candy dot fudge (M&M) as my momentary favorites. My other half has laid claim to the Pecan and the Almond Coconut (Almond Joy) fudge as his. The peanut butter (Reeses) is still pristine in its package. As a die hard Reeses fan, I am squirreling it away for an emergency.

Lisa is lovely to work with and I have two more half pounds in my shopping cart on Artfire waiting on me finishing the purchase. I am going to try some vanilla fudge this time. Yum!

Go buy some of her fudge and tell her that Julie and Blu sent you.

Go now, buy some!

http://www.artfire.com/users/hillsidebakery

October 2011 BluPrint Official Newsletter of Blue Morning Expressions

2011-10-03T09:00:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 10, October 2011

What's New in October?

Artfire—In an effort to conserve space, accommodate my regular customers and to take advantage of a great handmade site, I have consolidated all my websites into one at Artfire. All of my other sites are still updated and used, you can still access your customer information and your order history, I am just using Artfire to save space and make it convenient for my customers. You will find Blue Morning Expressions, X-Stitch-Patterns, The Seed Bead Pattern Store, and Clipon Earrings Boutique. If you are interested, you can find me at http://www.artfire.com/users/bluemorningexpressions

Kaleidoscope Canes -I started to do my canes that I had drawn out and ran into problems with my clay being too soft to work with. I put it out to leach some of the moisture out of the clay and got busy doing other things. This made the clay unsuitable for the project I had in mind, so I have to start over. This would not be a problem, except that one of my canes was specific to Halloween and featured candy corn. Oh well, off to work on new designs.

Beads—I am working on new focal beads and doing a few necklaces with the penguins that I did last year for Christmas. I have six focal beads ready to go and will get those necklaces done soon. The next sets of focal beads will be ready in the next couple of weeks. You can find both the beads and the finished necklaces on www.bluemorningexpressions.com or at my Artfire store http://www.artfire.com/users/bluemorningexpressions

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

New Products:

Earrings—These are all created from my bead sets, I used both floral rounds, heart swirl lentils, and full size 20mm pillow beads to create 30 new sets of earrings. Each set is under $4—I wanted to create an affordable set of earrings for gifts that can be easily purchased in groups. The only sets not under $4 are the dangle heart swirls, those are under $10.

Technorati Tags: raw canes,polymer clay,polymer clay canes,fimo canes,fimo beads,polymer clay beads for sale,blue morning expressions,kaleidoscope canes,tab beads,polymer clay earrings

Enter to Win a Polymer Clay Bracelet

2011-09-07T06:21:00.001-07:00

Win a Polymer Clay Bracelet

Walked For 11 Miles!

2011-09-06T18:40:00.001-07:00

September 06, 2011

Walked For 11 Miles!

My peeps are generally well adjusted and rational, but this holiday weekend, they took leave of their senses and decided to go for a walk.
Normally, we all go for a walk together - a couple miles - , sometimes they take me to places like "Drinking Horse Mountain", or The "M", which is the Montana State University M on the side of the Mt. Baldy in Bozeman. Or, mom just takes me to the dog park where I can run around 15 acres or so and play.
But "Labor Day", they decided that we were going to go and see the waterfalls in Hylite Canyon. Being a Beardie, I am also game for a good walk, or a climb over some rocks, or even herding pugs in a dog park. So I am always the first one to the truck.
This time though, I didn't know what was going to happen, I heard the words "Truck", "walk" and my all time favorite - "GO".
And off we went. We headed up to Hylite Canyon, which is a wooded canyon that runs down the Gallatin National Forest. The reservoir at the top provides all the drinking water to the Bozeman, MT area. I have been there several times, and I like the way it always smells like wet dogs. I see a lot of those retreiver fellows and they always seem to be muddy and messy. Oh to be a retriever.
Today, I heard we were going to the falls. I like the falls, I think I should always stand in the middle of a stream and let water fall into my mouth. Sometimes when I am tired of walking, I just lay down in the cool mountain stream and smile happily.

My peeps were talking about a lake. I dont remember seeing a lake there, but if they wanted to go, then so did I. Not that I had any choice in the matter.
I heard them say that if we can walk two or three miles, then we can walk five or six to get to the lake. They forgot, that was one way.
So off we trekked to see the mountain lake. And we walked, and we climbed, and we panted, and we stopped and rested, and we walked some more. We saw 11 waterfalls, five golden retrievers, one Saint Bernard, 15 black labs, one beagle doxie mix, and several running college students. Oh, and a pair of men's briefs hung on a log. Hmmm.
Then we crawled over the top of the meadow and saw the mountain lake. Wow, lots of water! No one would let me go and play in it. My peeps took pictures and some of them are of me.

We turned around there and came back down. I drank out of every stream I crossed and even laid down in a couple. I collected lots of black mud and sticks in my feet. I had pine needles in my tail and my face looked like I had been eating chocolate cake. I was happy! They ran out of water, I had all the water I wanted.
We all got tired coming back down, my mom had clown feet and kept tripping over herself. Then I had to wait for her, she is slow.
We finally got back to our truck and they said they were getting chicken for supper. We were gone over seven hours! All I heard was "chicken". Mmmm, I like "chicken".
They stopped and got chicken in a bag, I could smell it, it was so yummy smelling.
Then they stopped at the car wash and threw me in the dog wash! They cleaned all the mud and sticks that I had been collecting. I was saving them for later. Now I am wet, clean, and still don't have any chicken.
In the end, they had a great hike, I saw some cool dogs, and got to get as muddy as I wanted. Mom did give me some chicken. I like chicken!

Me and Dad at one of the mountain meadows.

This is what the canyon looks like from almost the top of the mountain. If someone had wanted to walk two more miles, Dad would have had us at the top of Hylite Mountain.

Posted in Blu Musings by bluemorningexpressions on September 06, 2011 at 1:07pm | Add comment

Blue Morning Expressions Newsletter September 2011

2011-09-02T10:36:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 9, September 2011

What's New in September?

Counted Cross-Stitch Pattern and Loom and Peyote Pattern sites are now completely updated and ready to go. Both of these sites are current to date, but there are many other patterns that have been sitting and waiting while we worked to get these sites up and running. So, there will be new items and patterns added and if you wish to be included in the email updates, sign up on the sites and we will update you as soon as we get these new patterns created and uploaded. Thank you so much for your patience and your support while we worked on these sites to get them updated and the downloads working. www.x-stitch-patterns.com and www.theseedbeadpatternstore.com.

Puzzles and Games—new section www.bluemorningexpressions.com includes crossword puzzles, e-jigsaw puzzles, word search puzzles and other goodies are available for immediate download for your enjoyment. They are free and fun, written and designed by me.

E-jigsaw puzzle sample:

I have a lot more to upload, but have run out of time. I am trying very hard to get organized but it seems like a futile effort.As an example, I have over 50 more of these digital jigsaw puzzles to get ready for the website and then upload for you to download. Crossword puzzles are next.

Polymer Clay Canes—These canes are available on www.bluemorningexpressions.com and along with some regular canes, these custom color canes are located in the cane section. I reorganized the cane section and split it up by type and color. That makes it much easier for everyone to find what they are looking for. I will be adding more geometric and kaleidoscope canes as soon as I unpack some of my tools.

Kaleidoscope Canes—I have been working on drawing out my patterns and the actual construction of a few new large kaleidoscope canes should take place this month. Watch my blog or website for the new photos. I am trying some new techniques and I am excited to see how they turn out.

Artfire—I have my complete stores on artfire.com—I loaded everything into it. You will find Blue Morning Expressions, X-Stitch-Patterns, The Seed Bead Pattern Store, and Clipon Earrings Boutique. If you are interested, you can find me at

http://www.artfire.com/users/bluemorningexpressions

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

New Products:

Earrings—These are all created from my bead sets, I used both floral rounds, heart swirl lentils, and full size 20mm pillow beads to create 30 new sets of earrings. Each set is under $4—I wanted to create an affordable set of earrings for gifts that can be easily purchased in groups. The only sets not under $4 are the dangle heart swirls, those are under $10.

Blue Morning Expressions August 2011 Newsletter Polymer Clay

2011-08-05T08:06:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 8, August 2011

What's New in August?

Counted Cross Stitch Patterns— We are happy to announce the grand opening of www.x-stitch-patterns.com—over 300 patterns are uploaded and ready to go. Prices are right around $2.50 per pattern and they are currently on sale for $1.88. At the moment, we will not be creating any more patterns, while we work on …….

The Seed Bead Pattern Store—patterns are being uploaded and we are a third of the way through the complete catalog. There is a freebie section and many of the tapestry patterns are under $2.50 as well. There are more freebies and patterns to upload, there are 250 more to go. You can find all these patterns at www.theseedbeadpatternstore.com

They are free and fun, written and designed by me. E-jigsaw puzzle sample:

Crossword puzzles are next.

Polymer Clay Canes—These canes are available on www.bluemorningexpressions.com and along with some regular canes, these custom color canes are located in the cane section. I reorganized the cane section and split it up by type and color. That makes it much easier for everyone to find what they are looking for. I will be adding more geometric and kaleidoscope canes as soon as I unpack some of my tools.

Artfire—I have my complete stores on artfire.com—I loaded everything into it. You will find Blue Morning Expressions, X-Stitch-Patterns, The Seed BeadPattern Store, and Clipon Earrings Boutique. If you are interested, you can find me at http://www.artfire.com/users/bluemorningexpressions

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Mini Tutorial
To create rondelle dangle earrings, simply take the rondelle bead and using a eyepin, string a crystal, a spacer bead/bead cap, the rondelle bead, another spacer bead/bead cap and finish it off with another crystal.
Wire wrap your top and add color coordinated crystal wire wraps to the eye of the eyepin.
Attach the dangle to a leverback or a french wire and you are ready to add sparkle to any outfit you are wearing. Substitute a coin or a tab bead in place of a rondelle.
Here is a finished example.

Let me know if you have any questions,

or need any help.

One of a kind rondelles are available at

www.bluemorningexpresions.com

Have fun,

Julie and Blu

Let me know if you need any help with creating these earrings.
Julie and Blu

Fawn in Bozeman, Montana from Zazzle.com

2011-07-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Fawn in Bozeman, Montana from Zazzle.com

BluPrint Blue Morning Expressions Newsletter July 2011

2011-06-29T17:04:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 7 July 2011

What's New in July?

Counted Cross Stitch Patterns— lots of busy work getting these together and ready to upload to www.x-stitch-patterns.com site. Many of the patterns were not done in color and were not complete and ready for download. These patterns are just about finished and ready for upload after the site is completely revamped. Currently, they are up on www.artfire.com/users/bluemorningexpressions and will be on their own site soon.

The Seed Bead Pattern Store—the same thing with the patterns on that site as well. Everything is in bits and pieces and they are the priorities to work on this summer.

Puzzles and Games—new section www.bluemorningexpressions.com includes cross word puzzles, e-jigsaw puzzles, word search puzzles and other goodies are available for immediate download for your enjoyment.

They are free and fun, written and designed by me.

E-jigsaw puzzle sample:

Polymer Clay Canes—I am utilizing eBay for some deep discounts on my canes. I just drug three big boxes of individually wrapped canes all the way across the country and now I am anxious to start creating new ones, so I have to let these go. I don’t normally use eBay for anything, but I thought what the heck? I also put up a lot of my floral round beads.

These canes are also available on www.bluemorningexpressions.com and along with some regular canes, these custom color canes are located in the cane section. I reorganized the cane section and split it up by type and color. That makes it much easier for everyone to find what they are looking for. I will be adding more geometric and kaleidoscope canes as soon as I unpack some of my tools.

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

New Products:

Necklace & Earring Sets— I finished 10 more sets of lampwork beads filled with Swarovski crystal bi-cones and delica seed beads. All have been added to www.bluemorningexpressions.com.

Word Search Puzzle

2011-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

It seems like it took me forever to do this, but here is the first freebie word search puzzle on Blue Morning Expressions. I have a lot more, but I seem to be moving slower than usual :)

This word search puzzle is for Jewelry makers - it is titled Jewelry Basics 1.

Go to Blue Morning Expressions and get the puzzle.

Have fun, mark the page, I have a lot of other puzzles in the works, including jigsaw puzzles.

Hurray for the Red, White and Blu!

2011-06-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Since moving to Montana, I have lost track of the time of the year. There is a good chance that in the next day or so, we will have high elevation snowfalls again and the daily temperature is in the 50s- 60s. I do enjoy the weather, since I know back in Florida it is in the triple digits and my coastal community is looking at 90 plus, plus.

So, I forgot that the 4th of July was coming up, until I had a customer buy my Stars and Stripes Necklace and one of my 4th of July bracelets.

Both of those pieces featured the beautiful lampwork beads of Jacquie Maruri and were created with Swarovski, glass pearls, seed beads and my polymer clay star beads. I handstitched the entire necklace and each strand has been created out of fireline.

I have every intentions of doing the same with all the focal beads that I purchased from Jacquie and each necklace is labor intensive. I have two of these beaded necklaces left at the moment.

One is titled "Egyptian Sunset" and the other one is "Once in a Blu Moon". Jacquie provided the Blu Moon bead and the other was created by Adorned in Treasure.

I have been busy doing freelance writing the last month that I have neglected my bead making and jewelry design. I can't wait to get back to it!

BluPrint June 2011 Newsletter of Blue Morning Expressions

2011-06-02T15:49:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 6 June 2011

What's New in June?

Montana—As you may know, we did make our trek from Florida to Montana for at least the next few months. We are trying out Montana and they are trying us out. Due to the delays in the shuttle launch, I missed the last Endeavor launch and actually got to see it on The Weather Channel in the breakfast lobby at a motel in Wyoming. Just not the same as watching it from my kitchen table, but am enjoying the new things that Montana has to offer. What a gorgeous state!

Blu got to see snow for the first time when we went up into the Hyalite Canyon area and trekked partway around the reservoir. There has been more snow and he wore us out and we all enjoyed the hike. It has only been a few days in the last month that the temperature has risen above60 degrees. This is quite a change for me, it was 96 degrees when I left Florida!

I have not unpacked my clay or my equipment, as we are in a small cabin and I have no room to just spread it all out. I unpack what I need when I need it and put it all away at the end of the day. Maybe I should have been doing that all along and my work station wouldn’t have gotten so cluttered and messy!

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

The Travelin’ Show

2011-05-20T09:56:00.001-07:00

Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone go…..

Traveling with Blu was like having a toddler in the car. “Give me a drink”, “Wipe my face”, “I’m hungry”, “I have to go to the bathroom”, “Oops, I just threw up”.

Shuttle launch – July 4th

Could we get any happier?

He only had one incident, we took a turn too sharp in Atlanta and he became buried under stuffed animals and his dish. He farted.

This is the Tennessee River – up and over it’s banks.

Our summer rental was ready for us when we got here and I feel so blessed by the new surroundings.

Canadian Geese

Oh, the robin just decided where she was going to put her nest. Right outside my dining room window! Yay babies!

Enjoy the photos!

Julie and Blu

Blue Morning Expressions May 2011 Newsletter BluPrint

2011-05-02T16:13:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 5 May 2011

What's New in May?

Bead 2011 has selected some of my polymer clay beads for their annual edition. They selected a couple of my floral round beads and they can be seen on page 17—#19. The whole magazine is filled with gorgeous beads by talented beadmakers and worth getting.

New styles for you earring pairs fans. I modeled these after a lampwork lentil bead that I saw at a show. I used the lentil heart in my “Peas and Carrots” bracelet and I really like the way that it looked.

These little pairs make great little earrings for all occasions and they can be as simple as you like, or bedazzled with chains and Swarovski. I am working on a tutorial that I will post on my website. See the sample photos in this edition.

Packing to Move. After spending the last 25 years in Florida, we are off on a new adventure! At least for the summer and fall, that is. We are trading in the beautiful beaches of the east coast of Florida with their soul soothing musical waves, to settle in the majestic mountains of Montana. When I write the June newsletter, my view will no longer be a shuttle launch from my kitchen table, but the amazing heights of mountains with magical names like, Bridger and Gallatin ranges. I am looking forward to the new inspiration that the west will bring to me, my beads and my designs.

It will be business as usual with the exception of maybe a week of processing orders out of the back of my truck.

Polymer Clay Canes—with all the flowers that are blooming in my yard, garden and surroundings, I have created a number of new raw polymer clay canes. Flowers and butterflies are both represented. I also have a couple kaleidoscope canes that I am reducing down for beads.

These canes have made their way into www.bluemorningexpressions.com and along with some regular canes, these custom color canes are located in the cane section. I reorganized the cane section and split it up by type and color. That makes it much easier for everyone to find what they are looking for.

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Beautiful Calla Lilies from Big Sur Counted Cross Stitch Pattern

2011-04-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Calla Lilies from Big Sur Counted Cross Stitch Pattern

Calla Lily Cross Stitch Pattern

This photo and the other photo with several lilies were taken when on a trip my husband and I took to Big Sur in 2008. I had never been to California and I was captured, enraptured and wowed by all the sights.

These large lillies were growing along the side of a roadside art gallery. I saw a lot of great art and lots of gorgeous flowers. I took so many photos that I was downloading my card on my lap top as we drove along.

I used a lot of the photos that I took during that trip to create counted cross stitch patterns.

This is one of them.

Enjoy my trip
Julie and Blu

Polymer Clay Pillow Beads with Floral Canes, Butterflies and Transclucent Canes

2011-04-17T16:30:00.001-07:00

April 17, 2011

Polymer Clay Pillow Beads with Floral Canes, Butterflies and Transclucent Canes

Polymer Clay Beads Filled with Flowers and Butterflies!

My all time favourite beads to create are pillow beads. I don't know what it is about them, but I can't resist creating them. I like the way they feel, I love the size of them - most 20mm - although I do have some 15mm sized beads as well.

To me, it is hard to resist what I consider a blank canvas.

I start with a blank sheet of clay; either in a tinted colour - I rarely use a colour out of the package, or a neutral.

If I am using a neutral, I will take one of my kaleidoscope canes and cover the sheet of clay before I cut them to the size of bead that I am creating. The base on the kaleidoscope cane beads will not be a part of the design so it isn't that important to me what colour it is. I will tuck it under when I assemble my bead.

When I am creating a garden of beads, I use my tinted clay as the background and generously slice thin pieces of my leaves, flowers and butterfly canes onto the background. It doesn't matter where they go, I will be cutting them all up anyway.

Before I cut my beads up for assembly, I make sure that they are smoothed out. This helps me not to have to do as much sanding as I would if there were hills and gouges. I have carpal tunnel and hand sanding is a bit hard on my hand, so I do the best to keep it at a minimum.

Once I have cut my beads and assembled them with their pillow stuffing, I smooth my edges, doing the best that I can to make them seem seamless. I usually add a 1mm hole to them before baking, but lately, I have been uping the hole to 3mm. I have been reading beaders that are requesting a slightly larger hole, so I have been doing that for them.

Polymer clay is soft enough after it is finished to allow for hole enlargement if needed.

Once my beads are baked, I drop the flower ones into a bath of ice water immediately, it clears the translucent clay right up and makes it clear.

I handsand the beads through three grits and then add a nice little shine of varathene on them before putting them up to dry.

Once they are dry, I do my photos and the next thing you know, they are here as a new item in my store.

I hope you enjoy the beads and the work that goes into them.

Must go bead,

Julie and Blu

Orange Green Miami Hurricane Colors Beaded Charm Bracelet

2011-04-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

Orange Green Miami Hurricane Colors Beaded Charm Bracelet

Perfect for your University of Miami fan!

This bracelet titled "Peas and Carrots" is lush with my own creations.

This heavily beaded charm bracelet has been hand created from polymer clay beads, lentil beads, Swarovski crystals, seed beads, Czech glass beads and gold plated findings.

The beads have all been created from artist quality polymer clay and have been hand formed into either 10mm round beads, 10 mm disk beads, 15mm flower beads, 15mm heart lentil beads, 10mm round lentil beads, and smaller disks. Each bead has been accented with gold plated bead caps and spacer beads, as well as delica seed beads and ebeads.

Each bead has been lightly varnished to give it shine.

Additional beads include gold plated filigree 6mm beads.

This bracelet is 6 inches with a gold plated toggle and can be re-sized if needed.

This one of a kind bracelet will not be repeated, even though it was great fun to create the beads for and put together.

Want other school colors? Just ask, I might be able to create something along the same line.

Polymer Clay Floral Cane Chunky Bracelet

2011-04-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

Polymer Clay Floral Garden Bracelet

This bracelet was in the making for several years, which just means that I had the bracelet blanks for several years and didn't get around to actually creating anything from them for a long time. I have a habit, good or bad, of picking up things that I see can be used in future projects. I ran across a seller that had these blanks in her store and I bought ten sets. I didn't know what I would do with them and it was before I really got into flower caning, so my coveted canes were all by other folks.

They came in and they were a lot heavier than I realized, so with a hmmmm, I put them away with other bracelet blanks that I had collected with no idea what I would be doing with them.

One day as I was rearranging my studio, I came across these blanks and took them and set them on my work bench with the intention of working on something using them.

I had just finished some new canes and was cleaning up clay, so I grabbed some white clay and built a bead to fit the bracelet. I then added thin slices of leaves and bright colored flowers.

After I baked them, I hand sanded them and added a slight coat of varnish to the beads.

I finished stringing the bracelet and took lots of photos of it. It does have a little weight to it and it is a large bracelet.

But it's pretty and it is a definate one of a kind bracelet.

Just in time for spring.

Julie and Blu

Purple Blue Disk Beaded Necklace Pearl Polymer Clay

2011-04-12T14:29:00.001-07:00

Purple Blue Disk Beaded Necklace Pearl

Hoppy Taw

Yeah, that's what I named this polymer clay piece featuring my kaleidoscope canes on large cookie shaped disk beads.

The Hoppy Taw was a staple of my childhood. No self respecting 3rd grader ever played hopscotch at school without a Hoppy Taw of one's own. They seemed to be magical and could make you stand on one leg a lot longer. This silly thick rubber disk was some marketing genius's bread and butter. In fact, it wasn't until a couple years ago that I even checked to see if it was really called a Hoppy Taw or if that was some misheard lyric type situation of childhood. It was in fact called just that.

When I created these disks, that was the first thing that came to mind. They are large, colorful and can probably make you stand on one leg longer than anyone else.

Each disk has been double drilled and hand sanded smooth and had a light coat of varnish added for some shine.

The potato pearls both between the beads and hand wrapped on the chain have been dyed to an iridescent blue and purple which is one of my favourite colour combination.

I merged the sets of cable into a single strand and loaded it up with delicas, plated chain and wire wrapped additional potato pearls and Czech glass beads.

The clasp is a pewter rose and the ends have been double crimped and double crimp covered. I used E6000 cement on the crimps and covers to secure the ends.

This has been designed to curve and will automatically do that when you wear it. The length is a comfortable 24 inches.

It is a lightweight piece but it does have a bit of bulk to it due to the size of the disks.

©jcleveland

Golf Ball Pot Holder Magnets by Blue Morning Expressions

2011-04-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

Playing Through

When you live in Florida, you are surrounded by both the beautiful waters of the Atlantic Ocean and miles and miles of golf courses.

Like a lot of my goodies, these started by those wonderful three words that we all love to hear, "Do You Have ....." which is a variation on the theme of "Can You Make..."

A friend of mine needed a gift for a lovely lady golfer and she saw some ladybug pot holder magnets that I had done and asked how hard it would be to create golf balls for her friend's kitchen. I thought about it a minute and said, "well, I could do a set of two for your friend, if you give me a couple of days to get them done".

It was a mutually beneficial exchange, she had a set of magnets that couldn't be found anywhere else and I had a new product line that given my locale, made for a popular gift.

I used Fimo Soft to form my golf balls, I added my hook and glued it in before baking. I attached a heavy duty thick magnet on the back, and now these are ready for a place of honor on any golfer's refrigerator. Priced right and fun, those are two things that I strive for in my creations.

Most of all, fun.

See you on the 19th hole.

Julie and Blu

Polymer clay heart lentil bead dangle earrings

2011-04-12T06:45:00.001-07:00

Polymer clay heart lentil bead dangle earrings

Heart Lentil Beads - I created a set of these on a whim for the Peas and Carrots bracelet that I did and was so pleased with the results that I decided that I would create a couple dozen little earring sets.

My idea to create earring sets has been spurred by my adoration of the lampwork artists and their earring pairs. They are just affordable enough for me to buy a set of beads and create my own crystal and glass earrings. I wanted to do the same thing with polymer clay for folks that didn't want to get a whole set of eight beads. These earring pairs work up quickly and nicely - just in time for an evening out with friends.

I seem to be drawn to anything shiny, so I have a natural affection for Swarovski crystals and try to use them in all possible ways. These earring beads just begged to be dressed up a bit with dangling and shiny crystals.

I wrapped each crystal with wire so that I could attach them to jump rings and waterfall them down from the bottom of the heart. I used a lot of 4mm crystals in these earrings - they seemed to be the best size for the 10mm hearts.

Because I love black as a design option, I chose the black, yellow and red clay to use as my base bead. I knew that the yellow would contrast nice in the bead and give me the possibility of an orange combination. That also gave me an excuse to use my all time favorite Swarovski color - Fire Opal.

These earrings are fun and affordable and I know that I will be making a lot more of them, they just will all look different due to the combination of the clay used. I have a huge box of crystals in dozens of different colors, so I am not worried about any of these earrings looking the same.

See a pair of beads that you would like created into a similar set of earrings? Just let me know and I will create the earrings for you.

Enjoy shiny things,
Julie and Blu

BluPrint Blue Morning Expressions Newsletter April 2011

2011-04-02T06:09:00.001-07:00

Volume 8 Issue 4 April 2011

What's New in April?

Bead 2011 has selected some of my polymer clay beads for their annual edition. I will have to wait with the rest of you to find out which ones they chose!

New styles for you earring pairs fans. I modeled these after a lampwork lentil bead that I saw at a show. I used the lentil heart in my “Peas and Carrots” bracelet and I really like the way that it looked.

Packing to Move. After spending the last 25 years in Florida, we are off on a new adventure! At least for the summer and fall, that is. We are trading in the beautiful beaches of the east coast of Florida with their soul soothing musical waves, to settle in the majestic mountains of Montana. When I write the May newsletter, my view will no longer be a shuttle launch from my kitchen table, but the amazing heights of mountains with magical names like, Bridger and Gallatin ranges. I am looking forward to the new inspiration that the west will bring to me, my beads and my designs.

It will be business as usual with the exception of maybe a week of processing orders out of the back of my truck.

Floral Pillow Beads—with all the flowers that are blooming in my yard, garden and surroundings, I have created a number of new floral pillow beads and have had to add plenty of butterflies to all the sets.

These beads have made their way into www.bluemorningexpressions.com

and along with some brilliant lentil beads, are the newest additions under the beads section.

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Technorati Tags: blue morning expressions,polymer clay beads for sale,lentil beads,earring pairs,pillow beads,floral pillow beads,butterfly beads,bracelet beads,earring beads,polymer clay

Volume 8 Issue 3 March 2011

2011-02-26T06:03:00.001-08:00

What's New in March?

Busy! The next couple of months are going to be very exciting for Blu and I. We have spring fever here and there are things blooming everywhere. Our main focus is on floral pillow beads as we are inspired by the bright fuchsia of the azalea bushes that are blooming on the corner of my garage. Every March, these huge purple flowers greet me as I walk around the side of the house. The bright yellow hibiscus are beginning to bud and even though the flowers are a few weeks away, the anticipation of many huge yellow flowers is mounting.

Orchids, I went to the local Gardenfest in Vero Beach, FL with my trusty Nikon in hand and captured some of the most gorgeous and outlandish orchids. These beautiful flowers captured my imagination and I was overwhelmed by the explosion of colours. All these stunning images have given me a whole new palette of clay to work with.

Take a look at these photos!

PS- some of these beautiful orchids are available on my zazzle account julielcleveland' target=_blank>Julie L. Cleveland

The next blooming thing in my flower gardens, are the lovely day lilies and tiger lilies. The stalks are strong and steady and ready for the emergence of my bold orange and yellow flowers.

Floral Pillow Beads—with all this blooming and sneezing going on, I would be remiss if I did not create a few floral beads. The floral canes made their way into pillow beads for necklaces and bracelets and smaller sets for earrings.

These beads have made their way into www.bluemorningexpressions.com and along with some brilliant lentil beads, are the newest additions under the beads section.

Those who have made purchases and have a coupon code, don't forget to enter it in at the time of your next purchase.

As always, thank you for all your support and emails.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

New Products:

Bracelets—These two new bracelets are now available for purchase at www.bluemorningexpressions.com and more of the silver bevel bracelets will be added. I have four or more blanks still to put my canes and flowers into. The cuff bracelet is simply added flowers and fun things to a cuff bracelet.

Earring Pairs—I have added 5 new sets of earring pairs—small pillow beads with canes added. These are flower sets.

Blue Orchids from Gardenfest 2011 Vero Beach, FL Coffee Mug from Zazzle.com

2011-02-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Blue Orchids from Gardenfest 2011 Vero Beach, FL Coffee Mug from Zazzle.com

February 2011 BluPrint from Blue Morning Expressions

2011-01-30T05:42:00.001-08:00

Volume 8 Issue 2 February 2011

What's New in February?

Can You Believe Another Month Has Gone? Here we are in February already and I can’t remember what I did in January! I know that a lot of work went into getting things beaded and making a lot of little sets of beads for a variety of projects. Many new sets of earring pairs have been added.

There are 14 new sets of kaleidoscope cane pillow beads. I used the canes that I did from Margie Deeb’s book on colour palette that I worked out of for my inspiration. Those beads have found their way onto the website and can be purchased at www.bluemorningexpressions.com.

I tried my hand at creating a charm bracelet featuring my polymer clay floral round beads and added lots of polymer clay sugar beads that I created and lots of acrylic flowers and leaves. There are glass pearls, glass beads and lots of shiny things that shimmer. The bracelet is amazingly light weight and easy to wear.

I got started on another bezel bracelet using a kaleidoscope cane that was part of this last batch of canes. It needs to be strung but it has lots of pretty pinks and reds.

New floral canes are in the works and I am working very hard at getting more beads created!

Those who have made purchases and have a coupon code, don't forget to enter it in at the time of your next purchase.

As always, thank you for all your support..

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

BluPrint Blue Morning Expressions January Newsletter

2010-12-31T11:12:00.001-08:00

Volume 8 Issue 1 January 2011

What's New in January?

Happy New Year! And it is Blu’s 8th birthday. He is celebrating with lots of bones and stuffed animals. It is very easy to please him!

In honor of his birthday, we are having a store wide sale. Most items are 35% off. You can get lots of one of a kind bead sets and free shipping over $50. Sales will go on all month, so check back often, there might be a few items that will be 50% off for a day or two. Remember to bookmark www.bluemorningexpressions.com for future reference.

New kaleidoscope canes: These canes are not ready for sale and have not been used for beads. They were inspired from Margie Deeb’s Color Pallet book for beaders. You might want to pick up her book (the link is on www.polymerclaycanes.blogspot.com) and give it a try. Even if you don’t use it for cane creation, the color photos and exploration of pallets is well worth owning. One of the pages is shown here:

Many new bracelets have been designed and two of them are finished. Each bracelet features polymer clay beads that you can find on www.bluemorningexpressions.com and incorporate into your own designs. They are designed with the charm bracelet lover in mind. Some feature flowers and pearls and Swarovski crystals as well as polymer clay beads. Each bead has been hand-wrapped and added to the chain. These bracelets are chunky, dangly and loads of fun!

New bead styles are in the making and should all be finished and up on the website shortly. As usual, they are scattered about in various stages of “finished” states. New earring pairs are in the making as well. Each bead is handcrafted.

Those who have made purchases and have a coupon code, don't forget to enter it in at the time of your next purchase.

As always, thank you for all your support and may you have a wonderful and prosperous new year.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie & Blu

Adobe Gas Station Tote Bag [Tote-sc61] - $28.00 : Blue Morning Expressions, Where the Creativity Never Stops!

2010-12-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

Adobe Gas Station Tote Bag [Tote-sc61] - $28.00 : Blue Morning Expressions, Where the Creativity Never Stops!

Dec 2010 BluPrint Blue Morning Expressions Newsletter

2010-11-26T16:28:00.001-08:00

What's New in December?

Loose Beads: I have hundreds of new loose beads to choose from for all your beading projects. Most of them fall into the floral round category, but I do have a dozen or so kaleidoscope pillow beads for your larger projects. They work perfectly for lanyards and watch bands. I added a couple dozen coin floral beads for bracelets and watches and if you like a larger earring, they can be used as a dangle earring as well.

Swarovski and Lampwork Bead Sets: I created a dozen beautiful, dainty sets for the holidays. I still have another 5 or 6 to create and they will go up as soon as I can get them strung. A few of these sets are perfect for wedding sets or bridesmaids. They are all one of a kind and feature JMoore lampwork beads.

I managed to get a couple new kaleidoscope canes done and promptly used most of them to create more pillow beads. I have a handful of clay on my work bench that is begging to be blended and mixed into new canes.

There is a new mini tutorial that I used in a email newsletter that I am adding to the back of this newsletter. It is a beading tutorial for my rondelle beads and the earrings that I created with them as dangles. It takes a handful of Swarovski crystals and a couple rondelles, headpins, eyepins and earwires of your choice.

I have over 2 dozen new Christmas waterslide decals and want to start on new finished pieces showcasing penguins and snowmen. In the meantime, you can buy the waterslide decals yourself and create your own beads.

I have been at a standstill with the other websites for the time being as I work on my long time paintshop pro site and try and get that working right. It has been down for years and now I have to upload thousands and thousands of free graphics. I thought it was going to be a snap—HA!

All holiday items are up and ready to go, so feel free to shop and I have a little code for my newsletter readers to use to get instant savings. Put in the code bluprint (no E) or 40% savings on everything in your order before shipping. Minimum order is $5 and remember, free shipping on orders over $50.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie

Mini Tutorial

To create rondelle dangle earrings, simply take the rondelle bead and using a eyepin, string a crystal, a spacer bead/bead cap, the rondelle bead, another spacer bead/bead cap and finish it off with another crystal.

Wire wrap your top and add color coordinated crystal wire wraps to the eye of the eyepin.
Attach the dangle to a leverback or a french wire and you are ready to add sparkle to any outfit you are wearing.

Substitute a coin or a tab bead in place of a rondelle.

Here is a finished example.

Let me know if you have any questions, or need any help.

One of a kind rondelles are available at

www.bluemorningexpresions.com

Have fun,

Julie and Blu

November BluPrint Newsletter of Blue Morning Expressions

2010-10-30T08:37:00.001-07:00

Volume 7 Issue 11 November 2010

What's New in November?

Over 100 new handcrafted polymer clay beads have been added. From floral rounds to kaleidoscope pillow beads, we have been incredibly busy this last month. Each bead has been created from original canes and patterns and are ready to be incorporated into your jewelry needs.

New rondelle earrings are showcased this month and my latest completed necklace is Southwestern Fantasy.

I used up all of my kaleidoscope canes in this last batch of pillow beads, so my next step is to make lots of new kaleidoscope canes so I can get back to pillow bead production!

There are plenty of flower canes in the works as well, and I want to try a couple new styles of beads that require me to use some new unfamiliar materials but look really cool. Stay tuned for those :) I have some Christmas bead ideas as well that need to be started.

www.bluemorningexpressions.com

Until next month,

Julie

Volume 7 Issue 10 October 2010

2010-09-26T18:46:00.001-07:00

What's New in October?

New bead shape! Rondelles have now been added to my bead selections. I started with a couple of different floral rounds that I thought might be too big. They did seem that way when I was sizing them by feel. I went ahead and left them alone and once I was able to work with incorporating them into earrings, I discovered that the size was just fine.

I originally did matching sets of 6 or 8 but then I sat down and did smaller sized and created pairs. I am not selling these pairs as loose beads, I went ahead and created earrings from them. I will write up the freebie tutorial on how to use these beads and I will showcase the sets at the same time I am adding them to my finished pieces for sale.

I have 5 sets of these to create, all of them are different colour combinations and basically all designed similar. They each use a trio of Swarovski from my stash!

These remind me of something fruity, like citrus Lifesavers!

I have been busy with other obligations this month and the best I was able to do was to produce 15 new sets of beads. I have a couple sets that looked promising while I was working on them, but then something happened along the way and I am considering them irregulars. That happens! It’s not that there is anything terrible wrong, just that they have some unintentional distressed features. I discount these beads in my store.

I have canes ALL over my work bench and I am working frantically to get them all cleaned up so I can start some new ones! I want/need to create a lot of new flowers. I get bored with what I have and I start to look for new canes. I am at that stage now.

www.theseedbeadpatternstore.com has been updated and all the bracelet patterns are up. I have a couple of the tapestries up but have not finished all of those yet. I added a few more wolf patterns and I have added a free pattern section. I will be putting up free patterns on the site.

Fans of clip on earrings for big girls will find www.cliponearringsboutique.com restocked with earrings just for them. I added 20 sets of dangles with Swarovski, glass pearls, Czech faceted rounds and lots of iridescent and sparkly things. Also added were one of a kind sets of millefiori glass hearts, diamonds and chicklet beads.

Thank you so much for all the input and emails. I enjoy all the encouragement that you send my way.

Until next month,

Julie

September BluPrint Newsletter Blue Morning Expressions

2010-08-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

What's New in September?

Earring Pairs have been something that I have putting off for a long time now. I am happy to inform you that I have created over 50 pairs and most are under $2.50.

I had a blast making these and for some reason I just couldn't stop!

I stocked up on a ton of Premo! Clay while it was on sale and I have to admit that I will be using this for a long time. :) I can never have too much clay.

I have been really busy lately with designing websites and writing articles for the local paper, that my bead time has been a little lacking. I am trying to do at least 20 new sets a month using all my latest canework.

I will start the fall colours and get the new lentils out. I created this necklace from a set of lentils that I couldn't bear to part with.

Lots more beads on the workbench and I have had the chance to create some jewelry pieces for a change. I forgot how much fun it was to design and string new bracelets and necklaces. I took a few to the office and sold out immediately. Now, I am working on redoing the designs. Selling out is NOT a bad thing!

I will be creating many more lentil flower beads and round floral beads. There are also kaleidoscope canes that I have in the works for my latest rounds of pillow beads.

The new beads are available on www.bluemorningexpressions.com now.

Thank you so much for all the input and emails. I enjoy all the encouragement that you send my way.

Until next month,

Julie

August BluPrint Blue Morning Expressions Newsletter

2010-07-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

What's New in August?

July ended with a host of new beads. I added a new bead format to my bead collection. I had created a bunch of new canes and then I created a bunch of new floral rounds and from there other things grew.

Earring Pairs have been something that I have putting off for a long time now. I am happy to inform you that I have created over 50 pairs and most are under $2.50.

I ended up with a lot of new canes as I was exhausting my old Fimo to make way for the new Fimo since they changed the formula. As it turned out, Premo! went on sale big time and I ended up completely restocking 5 full bins of that. I forgot how nice those colours were and how much more vibrant they were.

I used up all the blends that I did as I was creating the new flowers and now I need to finish making all my beads! I finished 26 sets of floral rounds and I have done a dozen pillow beads but I still am working on floral lentil beads. I did a couple sets but then I got sidetracked and haven’t gone back to finishing those yet.

The new beads are available on wwwbluemorningexpressions.com now.

www.theseedbeadpatternstore.com has been updated and all the bracelet patterns are up. I have a couple of the tapestries up but have not finished all of those yet. I added a few more wolf patterns and I have added a free pattern section. I will be putting up free patterns on the site.

If you have purchased bracelet patterns from me in the past and did not receive the 10 colour and under updates, please let me know and I will get those to you. I have updated the patterns to make it easier on everyone.

Fans of clip on earrings for big girls will find www.cliponearringsboutique.com restocked with earrings just for them. I added 20 sets of dangles with Swarovski, glass pearls, Czech faceted rounds and lots of iridescent and sparkly things. Also added were one of a kind sets of millefiori glass hearts, diamonds and chicklet beads.

Thank you so much for all the input and emails. I enjoy all the encouragement that you send my way.

Until next month,
Julie

July BluPrint Newsletter of Blue Morning Expressions

2010-06-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Volume 7 Issue 7 July 2010
What's New in July?

Stars and Stripes!

This multi strand necklace features the wonderful lampwork prowess of Jacqueline Maruri.

I fell in love with her exotic lampwork ability and the gorgeous creamy colours of her focal beads and bought close to 15 of them. I have them all prepared to be hand strung. I have matched seed beads and crystals and now I am only missing the time to finish them all off.

The 4th of July and Vote 2010 bracelets are also created from her lampwork beads.

I finally got a chance to sit down and create 12 new clay blends. These will find their way into flower canes and some kaleidoscope canes as soon as I finish beading some of my latest bracelets and watches.

I had some beads featured as a favorite pick in the BeadStyle Magazine and my beads disappeared from my shop. I created a couple dozen more and they almost all have sold. I am in the process of creating dozens more beads, so keep an eye out for them!

They are available on www.bluemorningexpressions.com now.

www.theseedbeadpatternstore.com has been updated and all the bracelet patterns are up. I have a couple of the tapestries up but have not finished all of those yet. I added a few more wolf patterns and I have added a free pattern section. I will be putting up free patterns on the site.

If you have purchased bracelet patterns from me in the past and did not receive the 10 colour and under updates, please let me know and I will get those to you. I have updated the patterns to make it easier on everyone.

Fans of clip on earrings for big girls will find www.cliponearringsboutique.com restocked with earrings just for them. I added 20 sets of dangles with Swarovski, glass pearls, Czech faceted rounds and lots of iridescent and sparkly things. Also added were one of a kind sets of millefiori glass hearts, diamonds and chicklet beads.

Thank you so much for all the input and emails. I enjoy all the encouragement that you send my way.

Until next month,
Julie