Vegoogle Night.

Wow, I really have been slacking on my bloggin'! I can't say I've been up to much. Just trying to get ready to hunker down for the winter. Seems like fall just came and went all in one day. I'm not sure I like that one bit.

Went to a scrapbooking retreat this weekend. It was fun to get away and spend some time with my parents and to work on another hobby of mine. I think I needed the break. I came home though and was just itching to do some jewelry!

So last night I was able to sit down for a couple hours and make a few new things. I'm really into using riverstones lately. I made a bracelet using riverstones and different shaped laboradite beads. It's quite pretty! I think it needs a patina though, so I'll try to post pictures after that's done.

If anyone knows of any great holiday craft shows in the Twin Cities, let me know!

Off to google and veg... it's a vegoogle night!

jury duty

Jury duty?

How fun! Not what most people think of when they think of jury duty... I'm talking about jurying art shows. I think it sounds like a fabulous day job, no? From what I understand, a bunch of aspiring artists send in their photos of their handmade creations and a 'jury' sits around and judges them, deciding if they should be in or out. Sort of like project runway, but without all the drama and tears. Well, maybe.

Anyhoo, I recently submitted for my first two juried art/craft shows and the jury was in my favor! At least for the first of the two shows. I haven't heard back on the second one yet, so more to come on that. But I was so excited to hear that I will be a part of the Millstream Arts Festival in good 'ole St. Joseph, MN on September 27th.

Fall, Sals, St. Joe., jewelry and art by very talented artists (including moi!). What else could you ask for?? Hope to see you all there! Stop by our booth and let me know you saw this post and I'll spot you 10% off your purchases. These are just a few samples of what you might see!

etsy

Oops! I realized the other day that I don't even have a link to my etsy site from my blog. Wow- great salesperson I am!

Here it is: http://www.wavudesigns.etsy.com/ and I've added a few new items and will be adding more in the coming days, so check back often!

And I'll go add that link to my side bar now ;-)

Pelicans, mung beans, and pendants, oh my!

Well, we survived our first outdoor craft show!

It started out as a very windy morning and to be quite honest, I was getting really nervous- as we were setting up, everything kept blowing over and off the tables. I wasn't quite sure how we were going to manage. But we got a little creative with some painter's tape and booth layout and figured it out.

Here are some photos from the weekend.

This is me at the end of the day... you can't tell, but I'm actually really exhausted. My back hurt, my head hurt, I was tired of explaining all the jewelry. Ah, the life of an artist.

Some shoppers, checking us out...

These are my new pendant design. These are glass beads riveted onto a piece of sheet metal that's been textured, filed, and polished in a tumbler. I just love them ;-) Most of the glass beads are made by Nikki from Thornburg Studios.

Here's a quick glimpse of the booth. Needs some tweaks, but overall, a vast improvement from our last show!

Here was the hit of the booth design. Not the jewelry (though the tagua nuts were popular). But rather the mung beans. Only cost $3 for all the beans and they really drew a crowd. I don't think Pelican Rapidsians had ever heard of mung beans judging by the blank stares I got when I told them what they were...

All in all, this was our most successful show so far and we really had a ton of fun. Now I need to decide what I'm going to treat myself to for all my hard work... a flex shaft? a new stamp set? a drill press? hammers??? How's a girl to decide??

Hope you all had a great weekend too!
~B

booth design... bleh

Booth design.

It's probably why most people stay away from craft shows and just stick to online and house parties. We spend all this time, energy, and effort, (and put lots of love into) making our handcrafted jewelry pieces so that we can brighten someone's day or inspire someone with a word, a charm, a sparkle.

All of that, and we have to design a booth??

Okay, I'm putting way too much pressure on myself (some would say that is typical) for our upcoming show. But it's our first outdoor show, and I'm hoping a good one, and since our last one was sort of a bust, we really want to do well.

I've been out and about at art fairs this summer-- not to shop-- but to snoop. There are so many creative booth setups out there-- I've been really inspired, overwhelmed, and excited by the booths alone, so I'm hoping ours is halfway decent. I even had my husband take a photo with his phone of a booth I really liked, pretending he was taking a picture of me.

Here are some photos of the booth in progress (in my garage):

This will be the main focus- our silver fused pendants.

Tagua nut pendants laid in a tray of mung beans. We made a trip to the asian market. I bought three bags of mung beans and three bags of a yellow bean, can't remember what it's called. The guy looked at me funny. Not sure why?

My lovely new rings that I adore ;-)

This table has all our earrings and river rock pendants.

Sort of hard to get a feel for it without being able to see it up close, but if you have any thoughts, suggestions or ideas, I'm open! Our show is July 25 in Pelican Rapids so I've got time to tweak it. And obviously I will not be using these table covers and more of the jewelry will be velcroed onto the floor tiles ;-)

Thanks for looking and wish us luck!

Oh, and we keep meaning to update our etsy site-- one of two things that was posted sold (wow!) so there's just one lonely pendant on there. So, look for more on our etsy site after we get through this next show. If there's anything you're dying to see more photos of though, let me know, I'm happy to share!
~B

One Lovely Blog

I always get such great excitement when I look at my posts and see that someone commented on my blog post. But what an even greater surprise, when a couple weeks ago, I was picked by Catherine Witherall of Happy Day Art to recieve the 'One Lovely Blog' award.

First, I want to thank the Academy... okay okay. Now, I'm not really too savvy with all these blog awards, but I'm going to give it my best shot here since I'm just so darn tickled that I was chosen for this award. Seems prettty simple really.

To accept the award:

Post it on your blog and give acknowledgement to the person who awarded it to you. Now, pass the award on to 5 other blogs that you have discovered and contact them to let them know they've been chosen. Got it?

Here are the 5 blogs I've chosen to recieve this award, on behalf of the Academy...

Krysten Halek Photography Blog

Stacie Florer, Nomadic Creations

Zoa Art Blog

A Metalsmith's Journey

Freshie and Zero

They're all very unique blogs that I love visiting regularly. I hope you do too!

What a tool!

Well, when I left for Milwaukee, I ended up pulling a couple hammers and a sweatshirt out of my bag last minute because my bag was weighing in at 49.6 pounds on my bathroom scale. I was thinking, where am I going to put all my new beads I buy? I better save some room for the return flight!

I did buy plenty of beads-- those are not unpacked yet as they require much more organization. But the tools! Ah, the tools are all unpacked. Before I put them away, I took a quick shot of all my new little darlings. A wise woman once said, a woman with tools is a smart woman. Okay, I just made that up. But it seems to be true.

My favorites include the new bonsai shears- that red and white pair that stand out. They're very sharp, hence the protective cover. They cut much better than my black shears and at $6.50, can't beat that. I also treated myself to the 'Fat Daddy' cutters from Beaducation. These are on the top left. They are amazing flush cutters when working with a heavy gauge wire. I'd been borrowing my mom's every time we got together and almost thought about sneaking them into my tool bag a couple of times. It was time to bite the bullet on that one. My other treat, okay there were several-- I bought a new pair of Lindstrom chainnose pliers (LOVE!), a Fretz riveting hammer (sight unseen- never even riveted before this weekend! LOVE part two), and a Fretz Raw Silk hammer for texturing (LOVE LOVE LOVE).

Let's see, what other random spontaneous tool purchases did I make- a burnisher, a plastic mallet, a ring holder??, a jewelers' saw with bench pin, some sort of polishing pen, a spring-loaded punch, and a few other miscellaneous things. Most of these were not on my shopping list, but when a vendor or teacher says, you cannot live without this tool, I tend to believe them. And they just make me feel, well, powerful. And artistic. And smart. Some people wear glasses to feel smart; I buy tools.


Okay, on to one of the actual reasons we went to Bead and Button. The classes.

There are something like 500 classes taught over the week long Bead and Button show. It is quite amazing actually. It's one of my favorite parts of the show. So, we took three classes. These are not in correct order, but then, you don't care about that anyway.

Friday night was a three hour class called Maniacal Rebar Wire with Brenda Schweder-- we used rebar wire, which is a carbon coated stainless steel wire. Here are a couple of my products. The pendant is finished but the other piece is just a link that I'll be using to make a necklace. The other pieces I started aren't even close to finish, but I'll definately post a follow-up.

These were from our all day Thursday class, called Time to Say it, with Kim St. Jean. Kim is a southern gal, from South Carolina. She is a great teacher, very creative, and super helpful. I hope I get to take another class from her soon! I made these riveted earrings and this watchface pendant in her class which I was pretty proud of. I really like both these pieces and can't wait to wear them.

This is an unfinished bracelet, that I worked on in Tracy Stanley's Cold Connections class on Saturday. Tracy's class was great. She is an amazing teacher, artist, and person. I love her work and she always makes you feel like you're work is just as good. She'll tell you that there are no mistakes and it's perfect just the way you made it. I can't wait to finish this baby up and make a matching pendant or earrings. It's just a fun piece and has a nice little swooshy metal sound when you wear it! Gotta love that!

Okay, time to unpack those beads and get organized. I have a lot of work to do the next few weeks for our next show. I'll try to post some photos after my projects are done and of anything I make with my new tools! Thanks for stopping by.

B

Milwaukee in June...

nothing sounds sweeter, right?

Exactly! It's the Bead and Button Show and I'm busy packing my tools, sorting through beads, printing out the show floor map so I can be more organized than my mother this year, and of course, trying to decide which jewelry to bring!

It's funny. I think 80% of the ladies who attend the B&B Show pack their clothes around which pieces of jewelry they are going to wear, rather than the other way around. I know I do. It's the one time you get to really show off what you've been working on all year and know that someone is going to comment on your pieces at some point.

You'll hear, 'Is that an Anne Choi? Did you get that from Wendy Wichner? How long did it take you to make that? Was that a great class or what?' People from all over the world will join in, and say, 'beautiful piece of jewelry you're wearing'. Whether you're into wire, metal, or seed beads. Looming or weaving. There is truly something for everyone and I think at least for myself, there is a true appreciation for the art and style you see on each and every person's neck, wrist, finger, or ear.

Ain't that sweet...

See you at the show!

Wings of an angel

Well, this weekend I decided on a last minute getaway to West Fargo- who could resist, the lure of sandbags piled up on the side of the road, 25mph speed zones, and my mom's home cooking? Did I really just say that? Anyone who knows my mother, knows she does not cook. It's sort of a long standing joke. Sorry mom. But she actually made us a very tasty lunch this weekend- I was rather impressed.

But alas. That is not the point of this post, nor this blog.

I wanted to share a photo of one of my new favorite personal lovelies. We make lots of stuff to sell, but seems we hardly ever have time to make favorites for ourselves and just play. We each had bought one of these angel wings at the Bead and Button Show two years ago and the poor thing has just been sitting there, wanting to fly. I love the simplicity of this design, with the delicate chain and chunky metal feel of the wing. It's made by a husband-wife pair, from Zoa Art. I just checked out their etsy site for the first time, and think we'll definately be making a stop at thier booth at the upcoming show in June. Such beautiful stuff. I've added their site on my link so you can check it out.

Well, off to celebrate mother's day. Happy mother's day mom and thanks for the fun weekend, and the delicious lunch! Looking forward to more of your 'home-cookin'.

~B

Taking the good with the bad...

Well, we had our second craft show this weekend at the Elk River Arena, all day Saturday.

The Good: I got to spend some quality time with my mom at the show and both my parents, brother and niece after the show at the circus that ensued at our house.
The Bad: We didn't have as great a crowd as we expected and therefore did not have as high of sales as we anticipated. It was actually REALLY slow. But we had a few customers who were really fun, appreciative of our work, and great to meet!


The Good: We learned a LOT from fellow vendors- everything from booth setup, to staying motivated, to earning customers. One of our favorite new vendors, doing fused glass jewelry was called 'One Peace at a Time'- I will find her card and add her info here- I'm blanking at the moment!
The Bad: We could not shop much at other vendors since we did not earn much.

The Good: We have excess inventory to bring to our etsy shop and Dabble, the gift shop selling on consignment for us. And, we really really like the new line we've created with fused silver pendants, so we really really think they'll do well in the shops.
The Bad: We have no way of knowing this for sure.

The Good: We're planning our next show for late July, hopefully at one of the lakes area 'art in the park'- likely Pelican Rapids or Detroit Lakes. Beyond that we're not sure, possibly a holiday show and focusing on our etsy and consignment shops.
The Bad: We are way behind and most of the good shows' deadlines for application have past. We learn and we learn...

The Best: Doing something we love to do, making new friends, and being creative.

pseudo spring cleaning

Spring Cleaning. Can you still call it that when it doesn't much feel like Spring?

I guess you could call it Pseudo-Spring Cleaning. That's what I did yesterday in between going to the zoo and out to dinner. Boy, does it feel good too!

I had some great inspiration from the latest edition of Studios magazine. Not so much in how to organize my things, because most of the artists featured were fiber artists or sewers, but moreso in the process and how to let go of things. I've always been a hoarder of things, up until the last couple years when I started a regular purging process (of things, not food). It feels very liberating, clarifying, and keeps my life so much simpler. And I find that the best part about getting rid of things, is that it makes room for more things ;-)

Here's a few photos of the end result. Unfortunately (or thankfully) I did not take before photos- it was quite a disaster in here! My next goal is to fix up my office area, and set up a photo station for when I need to take pictures of my jewelry. The other thing I need to do is work on getting some color on those walls! I might save that for next Spring though ;-)

hammering it out...

well, so we didn't get the retreat weekend we had hoped for-- my mom and I had planned to go to Westridge Shores resort in Alexandria to do some major jewelry production work. We're getting ready for a craft show May 2nd and needed some uninterupted time to work. However, mother nature decided to interupt. My mom lives in Fargo and they're currently battling the Red River floods, so we are postponing for a couple of weeks.

But I did find time to hammer out some ideas, literally!

Do you ever seem to have so many ideas, you feel like your head is literally going to explode?? That's how I felt Friday and after putting Jaxon to bed, I went down to my studio and got to work. I played and played all weekend, anytime I had free time. I can't say I made any finished pieces, but I did have fun playing and experimenting with my torch, patinas, and hammering. And I think I got that little bug out of me so my head won't explode now.

It seems a lot of the blogs I read of other jewelry artists, most of them are full-time jewelry artists. If there's anyone out there who is a part-timer, has a 16 month old and an equally busy husband and volunteer and work life, I would love to know how you balance it all! I think that's why my head sometimes wants to explode... thank goodness for hammers!!!

the journey...

Today I went to the Twin Cities Bead Bazaar. It's a fairly small show, but we don't get too many that we don't have to travel to, so it was nice to get a bead fix. It also reminded me what a huge pool of talent there is out there. Wow. I was both inspired to create and at the same time had that tiny negative thought in the back of my head- who do you think you are? You're not a metalsmith. Or a bead maker. You don't belong in this arena.



But then I remembered one of my favorite quotes: the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.


So I bought some beads.


Here's a photo of my purchases- I was very restrained as I had Jaxon with and he always keeps me multitasking so I'm never quite able to spend as much. Which is good.



But, I did find some interesting pearls, I'm hoping to use in something, perhaps a new earing design I have in mind. I also snagged some silver charms from Hip Chick Beads. I love her stuff. It's so fun and whimsical. I also bought a triangle mandrel. Not sure what to do with it yet, but I couldn't go to a bead show without buying tools!



Look for some more photos after next weekend's getaway-- it's jewelry retreat time!

top shelf

Well, it has been forever since I've posted. Geez, what have I been doing? Well, aside from wondering if anyone even reads this blog (other than my mother who's somewhat obligated), I've been busy dreaming of working part time and building a jewelry business. Okay, I did say dreaming. But a girl needs to dream right? My friends would tell you I have been having this recurring dream for a little while now... BUT, I have been able to check one item off my New Year's Resolution list (okay from last year and this year). I recently brought in a bunch of our WaVu Designs to Dabble, a super cute, trendy and fun gift shop in NE Minneapolis (think Patina/Bibelot Shops, only WAY tinier and much more locally made goods). They will be selling our stuff on consignment for us. And, I just went in the other day and couldn't be happier with our placement in the shop. We're on the Top Shelf! If you happen to be in the area (28th and Johnson St.) you should check it out. Here's a sneak peek for you though!

Believe in Blossoms

It's that time of year. We all have cabin fever. We're excited as heck that it is 30 degrees outside. And yet, we know from experience, that it is not over yet. But, I choose to believe in blossoms ;-)

Check out some new designs I'm working on.

I'm planning to include these, along with my riverstone necklaces, in a couple of upcoming shows and have a couple of other scary yet exciting leads... More to be posted soon.

And please, share your comments- I'd love to hear what you think, even though these aren't the greatest photos.

~B

Creativity...

isn't always easy to find... unless you're inspired! And inspired I was, last Tuesday night after shedding some tears through the inauguration ceremony. What a moment in history! It inspired me to make a few pieces I thought I would share... This first one is my favorite...

I also had the chance to take a class this week, to further spark some creativity! It was a glass bead-making class at the Studio at Rush Creek, quickly becoming my favorite coffee shop/art studio. While I only have the three beads to show for myself, I had fun and learned a new skill. Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to convince my husband that I need a torch and a kiln so I can make my own glass beads! Any ideas?

Silver Waves

I purchased this necklace kit last summer at the Philadelphia Bead Fest and finally got around to making it. So, while I can't take credit for the design, that is Janice Berkebile's, I will take credit for the craftmanship! I love this piece and hope to incorporate some of it's elements into my own designs. Sorry the pictures aren't that great-- not a lot of natural light at 8pm in Minnesota in January.

Etsy

Check out my etsy site at http://www.wavudesigns.etsy.com/.

I'll be adding more over the next few days now that I finally figured out how to use the macro setting on my camera...

What would you do...

if you were brave today?

brave   /breɪv/ –adjective
1.
possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance.
2.
making a fine appearance.
3.
Archaic. excellent; fine; admirable.

I decided I'd be brave today, by calling myself an artist. For such a long time, I've been afraid to step outside my comfort zone, thinking I'm not really an artist, like you have to be a special person in order to be considered an artist (someone who wears a handknit sweater with jeans rolled up and cute funky boots hanging out, sporting the latest black rim glasses with a handmade eyeglass holder and beautifully forged funky sterling bracelets and earrings.)

But today, in my black velour pajama pants and long-sleeved white t-shirt and sheepskin slippers, with no glasses and no jewelry on, I made an executive decision to be brave. I will call myself an artist.

So, what would you do if you were brave today?

Beads and Bravery

I'm giddy with excitement! I'm going to Milwaukee in June! Why, you ask, is that so exciting? The Bead and Button Show of course!

I was so nervous I wasn't going to get into the classes I wanted, but I pretty much sat at my computer from 11:55-12:00 hitting refresh, refresh, refresh and thankfully, we were able to get what we wanted! Here are the classes my mom and I are planning to take: Rivets-Cold Connections with Tracy Stanley; Time to Say it with Kim St. Jean; Maniacal Rebar Wire Pound with Brenda Schweder.

It's fair to say I am very excited! We'll be working with a new type of wire (rebar, what's that?); doing cold connections (what, no torch?) and taking apart old watches to create a fantastic piece of art to wear (nothing like saving time... okay, that was stretching it).

So now I need to start saving some money. ASAP. I always go with this number in my head, a pseudo budget if you will, and I always end up calling my husband (after my mom calls my dad) and begging in an ever so sly and coy way, for more money. The beads, tools, and classes are just so fantastic and amazing and they really know how to suck a person in. Anyway, I am sure you will hear all about my adventures leading up to the Bead Show and thereafter.

For now, I will leave you with this thought and the topic of my next post, something my mother said to me the other day that hasn't left me: What would you do if you were brave today?

Finally, I have arrived!

I have finally arrived in the blogosphere...

Yes, I started a blog for my son Jaxon several months ago (isn't he cute??), so I am somewhat familiar with the world of blogging, but for many months now, I have beeen thinking and mostly procrastinating about starting my jewelry business blog.

What if nobody reads it? What if people do read it (I'm exposing myself here)? What if people think I'm crazy for thinking anyone would even follow my blog, like my jewelry, or think what I have to say is interesting?

So, I did some research and I started looking at other blogs out there. Let's just say, it gave me much more confidence. So, here I am.

WaVu Designs is the creative endeavor of my mother and I (her last name Walker, mine Vuong, combined make WaVu!). For several years we've been traveling the country (okay, just to Milwaukee and Philadelphia) taking classes and spending way too much money on beads, tools, more beads, wire, more tools, did I mention beads? People would ask us, where do you sell your jewelry you make? What? No, we just do it for fun. Blank stares. Oh. You must be made of money to be able to travel to Milwaukee, take spendy classes on wirework, and shop the bead marketplace all weekend. No. We just know how to work our husbands very well.

Anyway, we decided, perhaps we should start selling a few things here and there. So, I am happy to say, we did our first 'craft sale' this past November and thought we did quite well. Now, you'll have the chance to see our custom creations regularly on this blog as I share with you some of my thoughts and musings on Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Creativity...I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Brenna