After 26 weeks of chemotherapy my wife's cancer is in remission for the last 9 months. To celebrate she went to Lakeland Florida to a Martha Pullen sewing class.  We had a great time. She went to class all day for 3 1/2 days, making a bag and wallet, notecase, jump drive case, glasses case. All were monogramed and really nice. I laid around in the sun, read, found non national chain restaurants to have my meals(hers were included in the class). Now that  I am recharged I am preparing for the first of my summer art fairs. I have been confirmed with Lathrop Village and am waiting on Hazel Park and Utica.

I have to start by apologizing, it has been a long time. My wife has been fighting stage four colon cancer, we have both retired and are finding how inadequate our retirement insurance coverage is since the legislature in Lansing "reformed" our insurance coverage as retired public employees. Then the Legislature taxes our retirement and takes away our Homestead Property Tax credit. A real triple whammy.
Even so, I still worked my summer art fairs and continue to operate my online stores.

 This 's That's the Point! Gold tone small right triangles, either engraved or encrusted with tiny clear rhinestones and larger points inlayed with faux ivory.
I played around with these components for several days before I was satisfied.












Spikes took less than an hour. It just came together and I didn't want to change a thing.

That is the funny part of creativity sometimes it makes you work for it  and other times it is almost instantaneous.


While I have been typing this I have been baking some desserts for Thanksgiving. It looks like the whole family will be here plus dear friends, somewhere between 7 and 14 people depending on who shows up when.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

More Rose of the Heart.

 Additions to the Rose of the Heart Collection at Articents.com.

Add caption

New Chained Heart Collection.

I have gotten through the summer art fair season and its time to recharge and replenish my wares.

I have been busy creating more necklaces in the Rose of the Heart Collection and starting a new collection called Chained Heart in the Square Marketplace.

 

 

 

Stop by at Square Marketplace and shop.

 Well it was my turn to end up in the hospital. I had a lung
collapse. Talk about taking your breath away! It was not a fun experience.  However, the lung is repaired, I have recuperated
sufficiently that I think I am ready for the first of two art fairs
I have scheduled. I missed the deadlines on several for which I intended to apply. I was flat on my back in the hospital.

 You may have noticed the metal and chain components in many of my Rose of the Heart sets. These are Tori Spelling components, which I have used and modified to my own design specifications.




This bouquet is hematite gray and Montana pale blue rhinestones.  I removed all the findings from the back, then used jump rings to suspend the pearls, rhinestones and chains
beneath the bouquet.

I loved the gold chains but not their ends. I ended up modifying the back of the flower component. I removed all the finding fittings on the back, attached a tube clasp in the middle, so the flower covers both ends of the chains.

Happy New Year!

I am more than happy to say good-bye to 2012!
I spent Christmas day in the hospital while my wife had surgery. She has been on intravenous antibiotics since then and until the results of her CAT scan, scheduled for January 18, are in.

Since I last posted a lot has happened. Life, mostly, but it impacts everything else. My wife had more problems with her gut and had surgery Christmas Day. They found a surgical staple in the middle of an abscess, my official retirement from public education, taxes. You get the idea. I had a lot of pent up energy which burst forth in the creation of seven necklace sets, all Rose of the Heart variations. Apparently I am not done with that theme yet. I keep getting more ideas.
Next on the agenda is art fair applications. Having taken a year off, I have to start from scratch, except for a couple of art fairs who said I would still be considered a returning artist,
which streamlines the process.

Above is a Hematite and bicone crystal set; necklace , earrings, bracelet.


To the left is a silver chains set; necklace and earrings.

To the right is a mixed hematite and bronze set;
necklace and earrings.

To the left is a bronze tri-strand set; necklace and earrings.

To the right is a brass seven strand bead and chain mix set; necklace and earrings.

 Below, left is a bronze seven strand chain and bead mix set; necklace, earrings and bracelet.

Finally, bottom right, is a brass tri-strand, chain, bead and feather set; necklace, earrings and bracelet.

These will be added to my Articents.com store shortly.