Lots To Do

Hey, Hey! If I am a bit non existent in blog land this week be sure I am still around. I leave for Bead and Button in a week and a half. There are so many things to do, like make more of those cute little bird house pendants above. Today is the day for that, and starfish, and flowers. I will do my best to get some up on Etsy before I leave.

Last week was Quilt Market also. I didn't go this time because I just have my fabric designs on paper. But this October I will be traveling to the show in Houston to exhibit. I will be showing off my fabrics and buttons to the quilt world. I am anxiously waiting to hear what everyone thought of my fabric. I will also be reading lots of blogs this week to see all of the great new fabric from other designers that debuted this week also. So much fun! By the way, I will have my fabic book at the Bead and Button show so if you want to see them in person, just ask when you stop by the booth.

Okay, got to make some pancakes for one of the little guys before I head out to the studio....

Have a great day,

Flowery Fun and Lots of Talk

Mornin'

Whew, what a week it's been a bit of a whirlwind here. I have become really good at doing things at the last minute. In the past, I have shut down or given up, I don't work well under pressure. But I might not be able to say that any more, I might work well under pressure now. I wrapped the teachers gifts for the last day of school, five minutes before my boys were getting on the bus and I was baking a cake as I was making my coffee for the Birthday party we are having tonight. I still have goody bags and decorating to do, but it's work time now. The best part is I am not stressed. Wahoo!

I was going to have shots from the studio again today but we are doing all kinds of work in the basement, the garage, and the glaze studio this weekend so I thought I would wait. I am sooooo excited, I have a brand new slab roller coming on Monday! For those of you who are thinking, why is she so excited? Let me explain.... A slabroller is basically a giant rolling pin mounted to a table, it has a big ol steering wheel that you turn and you can roll out perfect pieces of clay just the right thickness and pretty darn fast. Now remember I made tiles for seven year and have been making beads and buttons for ten( some of those years overlap) any who, only once for about a year did I have a slabroller. My friend loaned it to me but then she decided she wanted it back. It's quite ridiculous, that I have been using a rolling pin all of these years. My shoulders and back are going to be so dang happy.

So my baby comes on Monday, I think I will need to name it, and so we are doing a bit of a studio redo to fit everything in. My hubby is being very gracious and letting me take over yet another part of the house. As a side story, when we were first married and I was starting my tile table business we were living in a one bedroom attic apartment and I started using our bed to hold my drying tiles and the front room at any given time at 30 coffee tables in it. Nik's a trooper, but don't tell him that!

Boy, I am full of words today! I got to go out with my friend Genevieve last night and it was lots of fun. We talked shop and other things at a beautiful rooftop bar. Maybe that's why I am so talkative.

Oh, the pictures....this is a necklace made up with some of the new work I added to my Etsy shop this week. My camera didn't do it justice, the colors are so pretty.

Have a great day!

Starfish Necklace

New Pendants! Yipee! They are in the Etsy Shop right now. These have been in the works for quite awhile and I am pleased with how they turned out. For the time being, they are just in the Etsy shop, someday when I find the time some will make it to the website. I didn't make many so what's in the shop is what is made for now, so don't wait if you're in love with one of them.

I will post more jewelry inspiration with other pendants over the next few days....

Have a great day,

Winner and More

Hey Hey it's Monday....Around here it's our last Monday for school. Wahoo! We are so tired of getting up early and making sure homework is done in the evenings. Nik and I might be more excited than the boys about being finished. I worked to get some new jewelry made up yesterday and I am really excited to share it with you. The sun needs to come up and I can get to photographing. I am also going to shoot some of my new work for Etsy too. It's about time, eh? There is a lot going on here in the Jennifer Jangles Studios and Etsy had to be put aside for awhile, but it's going to be loaded up real soon. And, of course, I will let you know when that happens.

By the way the felt and ceramic ball necklace is a free project. You can find it on the side bar of the blog or you can click here.

I know you are wanting to know if you are the winner if the woodland beads, but first I need to say some things...kind of an acceptance speech but backwards because you get the prize. I loved all of your wonderful comments. You are all so nice and if your blog wasn't already on my list I promise you will be added now. It was so nice to hear that you all read it regularly and like what I say. I never know these things when I am here just a chugging along making beads and buttons. So thanks and I hope you keep reading another 500 more, gosh I hope blogs don't go out of style....

Okay, Okay and the winner is...number 8. That's you Courtney! Email me your address at jennifer(at)jangles.net and I will send your woodland set out right away. Congratulations!

Have a good one,

500th Post, Studio Shots, and a Give Away, ! (whew! Look,the title was so long it took 2 lines)

buttons, out of the kiln yesterday

Hey Hey! I can't believe it! 500 posts, man time flies when you're having fun. It was March 26th 2007 when I wrote my first post. Then it was another seven months before I posted again! Ha Ha, you guys would kill me if I didn't post for that long now. Even if it's been a few days, people start asking if I am okay. It's fun to look back over the past few years to see what I have been up to, sometimes I even forget what I've done. My second post was the kick off to my annual Ten Weeks of Holiday Projects. I have hosted a Creative Celebration and several open houses on this blog. It's soo much fun! I really never thought I would like blogging, who knew? Thanks for reading all of them and bugging me when there is too much time between posts. I appreciate it more than you know.

Well, I started my studio shots last week and so here they are again this week. Seriously, I just walked around the studio and took these photos. I like the no planning just shooting method so you can see what's really going on, mess and all. I spared you a shot of the jewelry making table this week, but it is still just as messy.

yep, the cycle continues

beads from the show last weekend and some of mine waiting to be sets

button rack for stores

hot kiln waiting to be unloaded

my first packed box for Bead and Button

Okay, so here's the deal we are going to make today's give away about blogging in honor of my 500th post. Leave me a comment here and if you're a blogger leave me your blog address too. I try to follow most of you who comment but I want to get all of you entered in my bloglines list. Blog readers might also find some cool blogs they don't know about this way too. Let's see how many comments I can get between now and Monday morning. If you have never commented before, it's super easy. You don't need an account or anything, just type away. If you're anonymous, make sure you put your name in the comment though. Okay the prize.... this entire set of woodland charms. I will announce the winner on Monday, make sure you check back to see if you're the one.Do a Happy Dance, it's Friday,

Vicious Cycle

Hello! I have found myself in a vicious cycle of needing a second cup of coffee in the afternoon. This then results in lots of energy until way past my usual bedtime. Then I am exhausted in the morning and needing my coffee again in the afternoon for survival. I am hoping to drink just half a cup this afternoon and get to bed alright tonight.

But since we are talking coffee I thought I would show you my favorite cup. I love this cup. First of all, it holds and entire mocha so it's big. Then just look at everything that's going on. Birk calls it my mustache cup but I don't think it's suppossed to be a mustache. Anyway I love it and I am happy to drink out of it every morning (and afternoon). I was going to give you a link so you could see more of her work but I can't find her online anywhere. I bought mine at Good Dirt Pottery in Athens, so if you are ever in town or want to give them a call I am sure they would be happy to help.


Everyone have a good afternoon, I will be back tomorrow with Studio Shots and my 500 post!
See ya!

Ceramic Sun Necklace

Elizabeth Del Monte

Morning... I just pulled this necklace from the Jangles Jewelry Flickr Group. I love seeing what you all have added to the group, it's fun. This ceramic sun necklace was made by Elizabeth Del Monte. You can see more of her work in her Etsy shop when you click on her name above. I spotted a few more pieces with my beads in them that I didn't see in the Jewelry Group.

I am busy glazing today, I have a huge bisque kiln fire full of beads and pendants for the Bead and Button show. I am excited to get to work on them so I am going to make this a short little post so I can get out there and get started. Ah, I love my job.

Have a great day,

Beads and More

Hey, Hey,

Check out my new beads...the bead show was fun. It was a bit overwhelming for some reason this year and I didn't buy as much as I probably should have. I became paralyzed with too many choices. Now that I am home and looking at things I am saying to myself I should have gotten more. Oh well, there's always next time. Don't you hate when that happens? So these will start showing up with pendants and other beads soon on Etsy and some are going to be saved for Bead and Button and some are for kits. Speaking of kits, I will have some new ones soon. But I guess you could see that from the Studio Shots.

The shots from the studio seemed to be popular, I will definitely do them again. Especially this time of year when I am getting ready for Bead and Button, there's lots going ton. There's also lots of boxes and piles of things too. I have a smaller car this year so I am going to have to do some strategic planning. I am good at puzzles so I am confident I can make things fit. When I used to do art fairs with my tables, I could pack 100 tables in the back of my little pick up truck. It would take me four hours but I could get it in there. Beads are much easier.

Today is one of those days when I have so many different things to do I don't even know where to start. I had a dream last night I was scrambling to get to a wedding on time. I showed up in jeans and then spent the rest of my dream trying to get home, changed, and back to the wedding on time. I think the wedding was Bead and Button.

Have a good day!

Shots From The Studio

Supply Bags in Progress

Happy Friday! I thought I would do something a little different today. Yesterday when I was out glazing away in my studio I was trying to think of things I enjoy most about other blogs. I came up with the realization that I like to see what's going on behind the scenes. I love studio shots, and messes and real life stuff. I thought it would be fun to walk around and take some shots of what's happening here. I just took these this morning.

Quilt sewn together

Kits mid-assembly

Jewelry design table, (it always looks like this)

Bead Pairs

Kiln half loaded, those tiles have designs for my next fabric line on them. I know I am mean to show them to you when they are all covered up with glaze!

Yellow buttons to be glazed

My gigantic roll of bubble wrap I got last week, I had to have a talk with all three boys(Nik included in this) there is to be no popping when you walk by them.

My still unpainted floor!

Two things I realized from this post....First I need a new camera, mine takes great outdoor photo but the indoor photos are so grainy. Ugh, they are expensive and I don't know how to use all those settings. I think I need to make this a priority though.

Second, I would really like to make this a weekly feature. What do you think? Do you like the studio shots? I hate to say it would be a weekly thing though because then for sure I would miss a week. Let's say "maybe a weekly thing" then there is no guilt on my part when I miss a Friday! While you are telling me if you would like to see more, let me know if there is anything else you would like to see, my ears are open.

Everybody have a Happy Friday!

Strawberries and Stuff

Morning'
Look what Birk and I picked in the garden last night. They were yummy for dinner. They were so red and perfect sized that for a bit I was thinking I was going to try to cover one in pmc, could you do that? It might be too big and seriously I don't have the time.

Why don't I have the time? Bead and Button is in 4 weeks! I am getting my wish list together today. My wish list is the huge list of things I wish I could have finished for the show. In the end it doesn't all get done that's where the wish comes into the name.

I have my new stamps and I am experimenting with glazes and this weekend I am going to a wholesale bead show to find the perfect beads to go with my new pendants. I am hoping that next week there will be all sorts of new things in the Etsy shop. I realize it's been neglected. Also, along that lines, I have hired my first ever employee! Katie is her name and I will introduce you later. Katie will be helping me with shipping, listing Etsy items, and more. I can't wait, she starts next week.

Alrighty, I am off to glaze....

Number 12

Check this out! I can't believe it...seriously this is still sinking in. I would never have imagined that I would be ranked number 12 on Wikio's top 20 jewelry making blogs. They are posting the new category today but they asked Margot Potter to break the news so it's on her website right now. I know I have some folks out there reading my blog.....but wow.... number 12. I owe all my reader's out there a big thanks.

And since we are talking jewelry making today, I thought I would post these photos of a necklace I made using my flower links. I linked them together with jump rings and added some beads and chain. It's a fun one to wear.
I also have a new coupon accepting thing (module is the official term) on my website. I want to try it out. Starting today I am offering free shipping on all website orders. When you checking out just type FREESHIP into the coupon box. This offer runs through May 8th, which is Saturday.
Have a great day,

Scrappy Stripes

This has been my weekend project for the past few...

I have finished the top of my flower quilt that I have been working on forever. (Sorry, I don't want to show it until it''s quilted.) I am also working on my mystery quilt but that's just a small bit of sewing every month so I wanted another project but with my schedule lately it couldn't be anything too involved. So I started at one end of my fabric stash and started cutting strips and sewing them together. I didn't cut everything at once because I was afraid that the squares would look too much the same if I did. I would sew a whole bunch of strips together cut out as many squares as I could get and then start again. I really like what I have so far. Plus, I don't have to measure and if my 1/4" seam allowances aren't exact, it doesn't matter! I see more quilts like this in my future.

Have a good one,

Jangles Jewelry Group

Happy Monday! I wanted to let you know about a group I just started. If you look down to the bottom right you will see there a new Jangles Jewelry Flickr Group. This is a place where you can add your photos of jewelry you've made with my beads. Every now and again I will pick out a cool piece of jewelry and highlight it on my blog(with links of course). Today I choose a bracelet called Carnival Walk. This fun and eclectic bracelet was designed by Erin at Tesori Trovati. She added several pieces to the group so while you're there adding your jewelry photos please check her others out, they are super cool! If you want to see more of Erin's' work it can be found at her website.

Hope you join the fun,