Proof that Artists have the kindest hearts!

by Patti Vanderbloemen

Over the past few years, I have been blessed with beads and charms, donated to me by fellow artists. I donate all proceeds from my jewelry to Miracle Horse Rescue, and these artists - many of whom make these beads as their full time job - selflessly give these beads to me (a source of income for them!) in the hopes that I can create a piece of jewelry to benefit the horses. Jan Onipenco is one of these artists.

Today, I would like to share a different kind of donation.  Jan recently took up the art form of needle felting.  While I have seen images of these darling 3-D creations on the Internet, I was totally baffled as to how they are created.  So, I googled "Needle Felting" and was entranced by this process! 

In totally simplified terms, needle felting uses a sharp needle to turn wool roving into 3-D objects. The wool is agitated - with this fine needle - so that it sticks together, creating a solid fabric. While I have not tried this art form (yet!), the creativity in the final product is only limited by the imagination of the artist.

Well, Stephanie and Rob of Miracle Horse Rescue recently had a new addition to the family --- his name is Dusty!  Here is a recent picture of Dusty - with Emma (the beautiful little girl who now has a necklace with her name on it!)  Emma is Stephanie's grand daughter - she has the most contagious smile!  Millie - Dusty's mom - is also in the background, too!

And, here is Dusty's replica, completely handcrafted by Jan.

He is ADORABLE!

The auction for this beautiful work of art starts online today (June 24) and runs through Sunday (June 26).  If you are so inclined, please stop by the Miracle Horse Rescue Face Book page (link here)  and place a bid!

Now...Jan did not stop with her generous donation of "Dusty". An artist with many facets, she recently began her journey of making jewelry pendants and charm from resin, with gorgeous inclusions of nature, prints, and other decorations.

The two below are my favorites - :)

I am going to attempt (key word!) to bezel set these pendants in sterling for necklaces and/or possibly a bracelet - I also see a pair of earrings in the making!

I am forever grateful to the artist community for their generosity - THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH JAN!!!!

Thanks for stopping by today!!

xo

Patti

A HUGE Thank you to Maryse of GlassBeadArt...and Reflections

Back in September of 2013, I started my own little "campaign" to raise funds for a charitable organization that is near and very dear to my heart....Miracle Horse Rescue.  This horse rescue, located outside of Las Vegas, is run solely by a wife and husband team - no volunteers.  These horses are basically "throw aways"...abused, some slaughter bound.  They live in contentment now, free to be horses, as God intended.  I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie and Rob Pierce earlier this year, and I can attest that these two souls live for these horses (and their brood of dogs, too)!  Thank you Stephanie and Rob, for devoting the past 13 years of your life to this most wonderful cause!

I started donating proceeds from my Etsy sales and my craft shows to Miracle Horse Rescue.  I received a HUGE stash of gorgeous artisan lampwork, donated from Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem.  This woman makes AMAZING lampwork beads- I have 3 left in this special stash!  They are incredible beads and I am trying to create a design worthy of the beads themselves!  Thank you again, Jan!

Then, Jeannie Dukic of JKD Studio donated a boatload of her artisan polymer clay beads - these beads are fantastic!  Her beads are created in layers - quite laborious. Her polymer beads are like no other - distinctive, little wearable works of art from an artist with a heart of gold. I have two of Jeannie's pendants waiting  - again - for a design worthy of the beads themselves.  Thank you again, Jeannie!

Very late yesterday, my mail carrier knocked on my door to have me sign for an international package from Luxembourg.  I have been on a self-imposed bead buying budget (at least until the end of 2013- 1 day and counting..whoo hoo!), so  I had to ask myself, did I order beads from Maryse Fritzch-Thillens (GlassBeadArt) on one of my late night/can't sleep buying binges and forget?  No...I did not.  Along with an incredibly huge stage of artisan lampwork was a lovely note from Maryse asking me to use these beads in designs for Miracle Horse Rescue! Her daughter rides horses - and Maryse's family rescues rabbits! :)  Animal lovers unite!

The package included these beauties:

An entire set of lovelies with silvered ivory striping (my favorites) that will make an incredible bracelet,  as well as striking iridescent purples, blues...you name it - if it's a color in the rainbow, it's in these beads!

6 sets for earrings...6!!

Focals - incredible focals!  That red one, bottom left is just stunning in person!  

I have used Maryse's beads in many of my designs - here is just a sampling of recent jewelry made with her glorious beads:

I truly cannot thank Maryse enough for her incredible donation of artisan beads!  Please visit Maryse's shop here on Etsy and give her some love!  

These very special artisans donated these beads without even being asked...I find that so heart warming that words fail me.

Along with these three very special ladies, I have to thank each and every one who has made a purchase from me.  I am very happy to report, that since September, I have raised and donated - through my Etsy sales and 4 craft shows - over $5,350 to support in the feeding and care of the beautiful horses that live at Miracle Horse Rescue.  THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

I mentioned in a blog post a few weeks ago that my jewelry designing started as a hobby.  I retired from the work force about 3.5 years ago - that's when my mother moved in with me.  Though she in no way requires any sort of constant care, it was a sacrifice for her to leave ALL HER FRIENDS IN FLORIDA and move in with her stubborn and opinionated daughter in Northern Virginia.  The least I could do was be a presence in the house for her (yes...I also take her shopping!)  

So, while my mother sews in her sewing room EVERY.SINGLE.DAY., I am in my basement studio happily wrapping beads or banging on metal or singeing the hair off my knuckles every now and then with my torch in the hopes that the proceeds from that piece of jewelry will buy another bale of hay for the furbaby residents of Miracle Horse Rescue.

2013 has been a wonderful year - thank you!  I hope and pray that 2014 is just as special!

I wish everyone Hope, Peace, and Love for 2014.  Stay Safe!

Thank you for stopping by!

xo

Patti

A Mish-Mash of Goings On....

Well, my Fundraising efforts on behalf of Miracle Horse Rescue have yielded just over $2,500 from September 5 - October 31st - $2,543.00 to be exact!  Thank you to everyone who shared my photo bombs on Facebook, including my Sales Ads!  

I have decided that I want to continue my efforts, and revamped my listings a bit.  From now on, 50% of all proceeds from sales in my shop will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue.  Except, items made from the generosity of those artists who have donated beads to me - I am donating 100% of the proceeds from those sales.  Many thanks to Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem and Jeannie Dukic of  Jewelry by Jeannie!  

I am very slowly working through my stash of lampwork beads from Jan.  Specifically, this set:

The focal bead is quite large 1 1/4" - and the colors are just fabulous!! I made a necklace with  - yes - a link from Cindy Wimmer's new book, The Missing Link.

This link is the Corona link - I love the bare wire and coils together in one link!

I had EXTREMELY bright sunshine this morning - so taking Lolita outside for a photo session was not going to happen.  So instead, she stood in front of my closed basement door in natural daylight - I think this picture looks passable!

Yep - I made earrings with the two smallest beads in the set - these are so lightweight!

I have managed to carve an hour here..an hour there...to make other items as well.  I have 3 shows coming up, so time is of the essence!

Cute little lampwork birdie and matching beads by Donna Millard.

This sweet bronze flower charm by LeAnn Weih was begging to be attached!

I added another link from Cindy's book here - it's double hoops wrapped together.   In her book, the links are larger - these are teeny tiny!

Matching earrings with hand cut bead caps. Love the rustic finish on these beads.

I finally made the ear wires for my fold formed leaves!  Those are actually garnets nestled inside the leaves - another stone that just not photograph well!  They are actually a deep, deep red.

Tiny (4mm) Sun Stone cubes.  I added a teeny weeny tendril in copper.

More gorgeous lampwork from Donna Millard.

Instead of plain hoops, I added coils to these - very small!  The rustic rounds are by Jody Brimhall of Inspire Glass Studio.

I had two of these lovely, turquoise lampwork beads by Lynda Cogbill of Lyndas Lampwork left over from my bracelet I gave away a couple of weeks ago.  This is my favorite style of earring, made from heavy gauge wire and a large loop at the top.  Perhaps I like this because I get to bang the metal and let out any frustrations...I dunno...

I still cannot believe it is November 2nd!  Halloween was a relative bust in my neighborhood.  Although the forecast was for rain to hold off until well after 9:00 PM, it starting coming down in buckets by 6:30 PM.  Poor kids! And, someone had the audacity to post on Facebook that there are only 9 Sunday's until Christmas!  Ugh.....

Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Bubbilicious and More

I have made another small dent in the goodies gifted to me from Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem. Jan donated these beads to support my efforts for my fundraiser for Miracle Horse Rescue!  First up, these deliciously colorful beads.  I named that focal Bubbilicious - I still cannot believe that is one piece of glass!

I sat down at my bench with Cindy Wimmer's new book, The Missing Link.  I made 7 different links that I thought might work with the focal bead.  Here is a bad IPad picture of 5 of them.  

I love each of the links, but did not feel they would be substantial enough to work with the focal.  So, I ended up with these.

I made a small bail to mimic the marquis- shaped beads.  The focal is wired onto heavy, 14 gauge wire.

Lots of time was spent buffing the patina on this baby!  My hands were black! But, well worth it - I love how this turned out!

I still have not found the perfect location for Lolita - my model.  This picture was taken in my basement - Lolita is standing in front of a white backdrop with 3 photo lamps, one of which is in my left hand, while the camera is in my right - and I am standing on a chair!

Matching Earrings too!  I am really loving the colors in these beads!

Next, I pulled out this beautiful bead.

I lost count on how many colors were swirled together!  I thought about combining some gemstones to make a necklace...but, I ended up with a "simple" chain.

The focal "bail" is a soldered ring of 14 gauge copper.  After soldering, I took two lengths of 20 gauge copper and balled the ends in the flame, and coiled them on opposite sides.  

Sidenote: I have tried copper solder in the recent past and it was an epic fail!  I had made 20 soldered rings and when I went to texture the rings, every single one split at the join.  I now have a 15 pound coil of copper solder that is going to be sitting in a draw unused!  This particular copper solder claims to be a better color match to the copper-it isn't!  Due to the metal content, the copper solder has a slightly gray color after soldering and pickling. I tried electro-plating the piece (adding a piece of steel to the pickle), but it was not working.  Two-toned metal rings is not the look I was going for.  So, my solution is these little coils to disguise the join.   I know...TMI!

I made a bead cap for this beauty, and wired it to the ring.  

I added some smaller soldered rings throughout the chain, to match the focal, and yes, there is another link from Cindy's book - Curlicue!   Love this link!

This one looks awesome when worn - well, except on Lolita!  Anyway, the drape is beautiful, even if my picture is not!

These creations will be in my Etsy shop - all proceeds will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue.

Thank you again, Jan, for the beautiful beads, and Cindy for the wire inspiration!  I have six more sets of Jan's beautiful beads to go!  

Hope you all have a great day - thank you for stopping by!

xo

Patti

A big THANK YOU to Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem and another GIVEAWAY!

WARNING - This is a long post - but there is a giveaway at the end!!

I have been having a fundraiser, donating all proceeds from my Etsy shop to Miracle Horse Rescue through October 31, 2013  To date, I have donated $2,278.  There is still  about 2 weeks left, and I have a 20% sale going on in my shop through October 31.  Please stop by if you can!

I received a message on Facebook from Jan Onipenco of Molten Mayhem last week.  She wanted to know if I would accept a donation of some of her lovely lampwork beads and if I could "make something with them", with all proceeds donated to Miracle Horse Rescue.  First of all - I was flabbergasted at her generosity....but then Friday, the mail carrier brought me these:

(Click on the picture for a larger view of these gorgeous beads)!

There are 10 sets of beads here!!! Do you see the fish beads?  They are two sides of absolute awesomeness with incredible details!  Also - that large focal bead - upper right corner....I immediately self-titled that baby "Bubblicious" because, well, it is!  The use of all the wonderful colors in these beads immediately had mind racing!  I could not wait to get started...so I did!

Lately, I have been obsessed with Cindy Wimmer's new book - The Missing Link.  I have been photo-bombing Facebook with my new creations made with these fabulous links.  Since my mind is still in this book (which is where it will be for quite some time), I made these earrings with one set Jan's beads:

These colors are so intense and jewel toned!  The link design is Cindy's, which combines two hoops into one design, which in my eyes screams "Earrings!"  So, after seeing Kerry Bogert's design with these links in Cindy's book, I was convinced that these beautiful lampwork beads had to be on these double hoops! (Side note: Cindy and Kerry have been my two wire -idols for ages now - it is no wonder they are such good friends)! 

These earrings are what I would call "shoulder-dusters" (just showed MY age)!  They are 3 1/4" long and have the most fabulous dangle!  But they are incredibly lightweight!  Love them!!

Next up, I used this beautiful bead set of Jan's:

There is sparkle within those incredibly blue streaks of glass! And the base color is a deep burgundy - so pretty!

I used three of these links from Cindy's book - probably one of the most intriguing designs!  I first saw this link in person at ArtBliss (it was made in silver) and I was awestruck at the complex look of this link. (This bracelet has since SOLD - Thank you!!)

I patterned this bracelet off of Cindy's design in her book, which is my favorite.  

The earrings and the bracelet above will be listed in my shop later tonight.

I will continue to post my designs made with Jan's beautiful beads (her Etsy shop can be found here).   They will be available in my shop and all proceeds - whenever they sell - will be donated to Miracle Horse Rescue!  THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, JAN!

Jan is a fellow-animal lover, too.  I knew this from "talking" with her on Facebook.  I cried when she lost Angus, her best friend Rottie.  And I was overjoyed when she rescued Bubba.  But, I did not know she was a horse lover.  Below is a picture of Jan and her furbaby, Maximum Override (an awesome name!).  Jan had Max for 18 years...isn't this picture priceless?

Miracle Horse Rescue (MHR)

MHR is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and welfare of abused, neglected, and unwanted domesticated horses of all types and conditions.  MHR is a very small organization - run by only 2 people who have dedicated their lives to helping these horses in need.  I want to continue to help as much as I can.  For more information, please visit and "Like" their Face book page.  

If you have a few minutes to spare, please take the time to watch this video of the horses at MHR.  They are thriving here!  I hope to see these furbabies in person again soon!

The Giveaway
Yes - a Cindy Wimmer link has been included in this bracelet giveaway!  Gorgeous organic turquoise glass beads by LyndasLampwork.  I have made this link a few times now - this time I made the Stitched Infinity Link with sterling silver with sterling silver "stitches", because, one can never have too much silver!!  This is an ADJUSTABLE bracelet, too!  Fits a wrist diameter of 6 1/2" all the way to 8" if necessary!  I added a sterling silver heart charm to the handmade chain section - and placed some "love knot" links made of jump rings in between the beads.  It seems fitting that I call this bracelet Love Until Infinity.

How to Enter

1.  Leave a comment on this blog post - Equals 1 entry

2.  Post a link to this blogpost on Facebook - Equals 1 entry

3.  Go to my shop on Etsy (link here) and PIN an item to your Pinterest Board - Equals 1 entry

For each task above, you must leave a separate comment on my blog!!  I will choose a winner via Random Organizer by next Thursday.   Lastly, make sure your contact email is "turned on" or leave me your email address so that I can contact the winner!!

Thank you for stopping by - and thank you for helping me to spread the word!

xo

Patti