I'm Thrilled...

I have been busy in the last week and as usual I'm behind in what I planned to do...which is nothing new as my "to do" list is always long!! Everything eventually gets done just not as quickly as I would like...not enough hours in a day...

My website Azure Islands Designs was redone this past week...I love the simplicity and professionalism of the new site, which was done by Ginny of Design and Detail. Ginny is a wonderful person to work with, efficient, helpful, kind, prompt and most of all very patient! It is simply a pleasure to do business with her. She did my original web site and will do any further work I require. If you are thinking about upgrading your website I highly recommend Design and Detail as Ginny will go out of her way to ensure you are happy!

One of the great features I like is I can change the pictures on the Home page myself now...I like change so I'm hoping to change the photos often. Will put that on my "to do"list!

I have a long way to go as I now have to re-size a couple hundred photos to list...I didn't list a great deal on my site for the last couple of months as I knew I was changing the look...now the work begins!

When you have the time, stop by Azure Islands Designs and let me know what you think!

Cheers

Wonderful Wedding!

The wedding was lovely...
Everything was perfect!! A very happy couple... all our family and friends, we had a bright sunny and warm day, there was great food, drink and music...what more could we ask for? A wonderful time was had by all!
This picture of my beautiful daughter and I was sent to me this morning....I thought I would share...Cheers

"The Day"

The day is finally here...today is my daughter's wedding day!! It will be a small intimate wedding this evening, in the back yard of the Bride and Groom's home...a lovely setting! If anyone ever tells you holding a wedding at your home is less work don't believe them...at least in this case it wasn't. They are both bordering on being perfectionists so painting, landscaping, etc. etc., had to be done! Things that would have been done all in good time...but you know what happens for a special occasion...never the less it kept them busy...they (my daughter) didn't have time to "worry"... right!

It will be beautiful, I'm very happy for them both and wish them every happiness!!!
Cheers

My "Arte y Pico" Award!!!!

I was given two amazing awards in less than a week...what can I say but I'm thrilled! As I was composing my recipient's list for the "Sweet Home" award, Heidi from Health Nut Wannabee Mom blog was composing her recipient's list for the Arte y Pico award and you guessed it...I chose Heidi as one of my recipient's and Heidi chose me as one of her recipient's! Such a wonderful coincidence!!!

I was given the Arte y Pico award on Sunday June 23rd, but I decided to wait a few days before I posted my list, the reason being is it is simply amazing to me two people would decide to pass both the "Sweet Home" award and the Arte y Pico award along to me and I wanted both awards to stand alone...each award to be front and center for a few days without competing.

Now to the business at hand......

"The Arte y Pico Award"

The "Arte y Pico" award was created and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents, whether it be writing, artwork in all media's. When you receive this award it is considered a "special honor". Once you have received this ward, you are to pass it on to at least 5 others.

1) The winner of the award must choose 5 bloggers that they consider deserving of this award for the creativity, design, posts and contribution to the blogging community, no matter the language.

2) Each award given has to have the name of the author and a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award winner and the giver of this award must show the link of the "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) Post these rules.

The following are the perfect artist to receive this award as they are artists "who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents".

• Kinsey Barnard a fine art photographer and Kotey Bear, Kinsey's Siberian Husky can be found here...Photography, Philosophy & Pearls of Wisdom, Simply Photos and Life With a Nature and Wildlife Photographer. Three simply amazing blogs chocked full of wonderful photographs of Kinsey's and Kotey's journeys...simply amazing!!!
• Michelle Basic Hendry, found at Artscapes, Musings on Art & Life, is an award winning artist, photographer, graphic designer and writer. Her photography and paintings never fail to inspire me...
  
• Timothy of timothy adams designs, in his own words "brings metal to life"...a fabulous metal artist whose work is always fresh, exciting and unique! He is also the mind behind the amazing Buried Treasury blog...a spot to show case Etsy handmade treasures. I can't forget his wonderful book "the handbook to handmade volume 7" a wonderful compilation of Etsy artists.
  
• You will find Benny Greenberg at Ya-ttitude.com, Defining Attitude for the 21st Century... Benny is an amazing man whose writings are some of the most clear, to the point and inspiring pieces I've read...if nothing else he will make you stop and think about you and your life!
  
• timethief's blog is. This time ~ This Space...where she writes about a variety of topics including aromatherapy, massage, internet relationships, relationships, sexuality, sensuality, spirituality, love and happiness...her writing is heartfelt, inspiring, interesting, straight forward and helpful but above all it is honest!!!

Click around...these are amazing blogs by talented artists regardless of their medium...I'm sure you will enjoy reading these as much as I do...
Cheers Heather

Great Weedend!

Thank you everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment while I was away..."you all held the fort well"... :0). Hope everyone had a good weekend!

We had a great time(my daughter comes with me) as we see this as a mini vacation while we work...crowds were down this year but I managed to do well just the same...which is wonderful!

Now back to "work"...there is much coming up as I have the July birthstone coming as well as a post about a wonderful award I received last week...I'll be posting about it hopefully later today! Cheers

I'll be away!!

I'm leaving tomorrow morning, bright and early, 5:15 am, to do a market in Rosseau, then on to Bala, where I will be doing a Craft and Gift show Saturday and Sunday, returning late Sunday evening.

I will be without computer access so I won't be visible in the blog world...I will return to my normal dropping, commenting, etc., on Monday morning!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cheers

My "Arte y Pico" Award!!!!

I was given two amazing awards in less than a week...what can I say but I'm thrilled! As I was composing my recipient's list for the "Sweet Home" award, Heidi from Health Nut Wannabee Mom blog was composing her recipient's list for the Arte y Pico award and you guessed it...I chose Heidi as one of my recipient's and Heidi chose me as one of her recipient's! Such a wonderful coincidence!!!


I was given the Arte y Pico award on Sunday June 23rd, but I decided to wait a few days before I posted my list, the reason being is it is simply amazing to me two people would decide to pass both the "Sweet Home" award and the Arte y Pico award along to me and I wanted both awards to stand alone...each award to be front and center for a few days without competing.



Now to the business at hand......

"The Arte y Pico Award"

The "Arte y Pico" award was created and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents, whether it be writing, artwork in all media's. When you receive this award it is considered a "special honor". Once you have received this ward, you are to pass it on to at least 5 others.

1) The winner of the award must choose 5 bloggers that they consider deserving of this award for the creativity, design, posts and contribution to the blogging community, no matter the language.

2) Each award given has to have the name of the author and a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award winner and the giver of this award must show the link of the "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) Post these rules.

The following are the perfect artist to receive this award as they are artists "who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents".

• Kinsey Barnard a fine art photographer and Kotey Bear, Kinsey's Siberian Husky can be found here...Photography, Philosophy & Pearls of Wisdom, Simply Photos and Life With a Nature and Wildlife Photographer. Three simply amazing blogs chocked full of wonderful photographs of Kinsey's and Kotey's journeys...simply amazing!!!
• Michelle Basic Hendry, found at Artscapes, Musings on Art & Life, is an award winning artist, photographer, graphic designer and writer.
  
• Timothy of timothy adams designs, in his own words "brings metal to life"...a fabulous metal artist whose work is always fresh, exciting and unique! He is also the mind behind the amazing Buried Treasury blog...a spot to show case Etsy handmade treasures. I can't forget his wonderful book "the handbook to handmade volume 7" a wonderful compilation of Etsy artists.
  
• You will find Benny Greenberg at Ya-ttitude.com, Defining Attitude for the 21st Century... Benny is an amazing man whose writings are some of the most clear, to the point and inspiring pieces I've read...if nothing else he will make you stop and think about you and your life!
  
• timethief's blog is. This time ~ This Space...where she writes about a variety of topics including aromatherapy, massage, internet relationships, relationships, sexuality, sensuality, spirituality, love and happiness...her writing is heartfelt, inspiring, interesting, straight forward and helpful but above all it is honest!!!

Click around...these are amazing blogs by talented artists regardless of their medium...I'm sure you will enjoy reading these as much as I do...
Cheers Heather

My First Blog Award!!!

My first ever blog award, thank you goes to Erin of Jewellery by Erin, who is a great blogger and wonderful artist herself!
I'm honored and thrilled to be included in your amazing list of 5!

Now I must choose 5 wonderful people to pass this along to...such a difficult decision as I know many more than 5 who deserve an award!!!

• Heidi, of Health Nut Wannabee Mom, her site while not only interesting is very informative packed full of tips for healthy eating along with ways to eliminate cravings and diet tips...as well as anything she finds interesting or wants to share...Heidi is forever helpful and caring of others!
  
• Lucky Girl Trading is another of my favorite blogs...here you will find posts on everything from her wonderful dichroic pendants to brownies, her wonderful grandson's photos, wasps, and peanut butter...all the while making each post a great friendly personable read...stop by and see what I mean!
  
• If you are looking for a fabulous site on fashion look no further than Modern Glam, Nicole has everything taken care of in the fashion world, show casing the latest and greatest. This is a must see blog, not to mention her stunning jewelry creations!
• Boutique Flair is a beauty and fashion blog you should not miss, here you will find Krista has reviewed everything from children's products, women's products, men's accessories, food and beverages, beauty products and just about everything else in between...I've known Krista for sometime now and she is a truly great person!
• This is a person I'm getting to know, through his blog...Bradley is his name and you will find him here...How is Bradley...Bradley is a happily married gay man, a father, on a diet who happens to have Bipolar disorder II...since this award is about "sharing, beauty, love and joy" I think he deserves this award! Stop by and visit I know he would love to have you!
  

Click around and enjoy the blogs by these special people you just might find a new daily reader!!
Cheers

Taking Pictures Outside!!

I'm a vendor at a market every Saturday rain or shine until October... this past Saturday was warm and sunny so I decided to try my hand at taking a few photos outside. I've been having a great deal of trouble taking pictures that I'm happy with... I've been told outside provides the best lighting. I have a great little camera, a Sony SuperShot DSC-W8O... that isn't my problem,...a part of my problems is the lighting. I purchased a "light box" but I just received it so I haven't had a chance to see how I do with it. I attempted to make a light box but lets just say my artistic talent lies elsewhere!

These pieces I'm posting today are a small sample of what I've been working on in the last couple of weeks...these are different from my fall and winter pieces...light and funfor the summer as we change our jewelry type with the season!

This piece is made with stunning tourmaline rondelles, wire wrapped around a sterling silver pendant, hanging from a sterling silver chain...

The colors are good but I've not yet managed to capture the sparkle of the gems...could be more crisp and clear!

This next piece is a gold plated fancy ball chain, with a lab created quartz briolette which has been wire wrapped with gold plated wire, along with a summery starfish! The color is good on this photo!

I enjoy making ear wires...something different than the traditional ear wires!
These are stunning Labradorite rondelles hanging from handmade sterling silver wires...again I haven't managed to capture the sparkle of the gem!

How about stars and a lightening bolt in sterling silver?

What woman wouldn't like a simple pair of pearls on a fancy sterling silver wire...dress up or down!

I've begun to work with gold filled wire recently, which I enjoy...completely different feel to it compared to sterling silver wire. I've paired these handmade wires with pretty Kyanite gems... while the earrings color is good, the back ground is a little blue!

These earrings are made from one piece of gold filled wire...delicate swirls ending in the ear wire! I have a pair of these in silver which I wear all the time!

These next three pieces I made from sterling silver sheet hanging from a leather cord...cut, polished and tumbled.

Simple but fun pieces for the summer! My first Dog Tag 001!

I love what this one says..."live, love, laugh"...I plan to make more of these with different sayings/words.

Can't forget three summer favorites... such fun pieces... each one making their own statement!
A beautiful green brass butterfly hanging from vermeile chains...which is gold plating over sterling silver.

A lovely brass dragonfly, hanging from vermeile chains!

Not to be left out is the ever popular brass octopus, hanging from leather cords!

I've been trying my hand at wire wrapping pendants in the last couple of weeks... which have been well received. I make them in both gold filled and sterling silver, naturally these are one of a kind as making two identical is not likely...here are three chokers I took pictures of on Saturday...
The first two are gold filled wire, hanging on a leather cored...

This one is sterling silver wire, with a delicate white pearl, hanging from a leather cord...I often add a pearl or a gem as I feel it adds a little something special!

This trendy necklace is made with interesting green/blue/gold glass rectangles spaced with brass ovals, finished with a brass toggle!

For the most part I feel the pieces look reasonably crisp and clear, the back grounds are somewhat gray or a touch of blue...while I'm not completely happy with the results I see improvement, which is what I was hoping for ...if I have time next Saturday I'll take more, possibly with a different back ground color...after I took these on Saturday I read a post that was asking for input on background colors...most of the people polled preferred colored of some kind over white...let me know what you think??? I would appreciate knowing your thoughts!
Cheers

Its Friday!!!

Good morning... someone said something to me yesterday that made me stop and think about how I post on my blog...

Erin, from "jewellery by erin", told me she stops by every morning to see if I've added anything new!!! That statement was an eye opener for me...my goal for this blog has always been to increase traffic to the point where I have regular visitors leaving me comments on a regular basis, a tremendous goal but I like to reach.

I enjoy writing, unfortunately, it takes me such a long time as I'm one of those people who will rewrite something five times before I like how it sounds...having said that my plan was to try to write interesting and informative posts which will keep people returning ...

Now I realize I have a long way to go but having regular readers is what I'm working towards...don't get me wrong, it is great to have people "stop & drop" I do the same thing(I also have blogs that I visit on a daily basis to see if there is something new posted) but Erin visiting me daily to see if I've posted something new, this is a huge deal for me, if I have one regular maybe there are more out there who don't stop to comment!!

Which brings me to my point...I know, I know, I'm so very long winded when I have something to say...which is... I realize I'm going to have to be much better at posting more often if I want to keep/attract more regular viewers. I will work on it!! :0)

FYI...I'm now working on my "Birthstone of the Month" (pearls) feature, it should be ready in a few days, there is so much information to go through, as I try to give interesting and informative information without getting too technical.

I've begun working with sterling silver and gold filled wire as well as sheet silver...making ear wires, earrings, and pendants so far. I've made myself two rings a silver and a gold but I haven't made any for customers yet...I'm enjoying the process as it is very satisfying and will eventually get into the soldering as I have all the tools waiting for me!

As soon as I take photos of I'll put them on the site. I'm not a great photographer so I put off taking the pictures as I'm never satisfied with the results. I have a huge inventory of completed pieces to photograph and get on my Etsy store as it is looking very barren at the moment!

Enjoy your weekend!
Cheers