A New Years resolution introduced by Lorelei

Lorelei just blogged about this:

Submit your jewelry to magazines!:

"It can be quite intimidating, and daunting- the thought of submitting your jewelry designs to magazines. It took me quite a while to muster ..."

I recommend you to go there and read her full post on the subject, with useful links and all.

I have planned a few times to submit my own jewellery to magazines. But I didn't get around doing it in the end. If I sum up this last year for myself from the beading and jewellery aspect, soooooo much has happened anyway. It has been quite enough really. I consider myself very lucky and happy. I always want more of course. And especially I want to produce more than I do. I want to share more of my designs and sell more. I want so much! But I have to take into account my illness which kind of makes it difficult for me ever so often. It IS frustrating. But maybe it is good sometimes if things don't go tooo fast.

So this is my New Year's resolution: To submit my jewellery to a few magazines during the next year.

Wish me good luck. I will follow all of Lorele's advice to improve my chances, that's for shure. Thanks for a great post!

Presents, new computer and testing

Hi,

testing something new today. Adobe Photoshop Express online photo editing tool. Very simple to use. Go for it you too. Using my new laptop sitting in bed doing this. I just hope this slideshow will work now ..... If it does, look at the wonderful beady things I recieved over the last days. Mmmmmmm! Thank you sooooo much Margaret, Birgitta and Nancy.

Christmas Time!

We spent Christmas at home this year. About every other year we go to England to spend it there. And when we don't we most oftenly have English relatives staying with us over the holidays. This year was unusually calm. Only my brother came over on the actual Christmas Eve (yes, in Sweden we celebrate on Christmas Eve). My mum was supposed to come aswell, but couldn't make it unfortunately. So we will go and see her one of the coming days instead.

See that handsome man there peeking from behind the tree. It's Mark. Gosh I love him! He has been absolutely wonderful this whole period. Basically he's taken care of everything. I've not been well enough to do anything useful to do with all the preparations. Apart from decorating the tree with my children. And putting together some new ornaments of course. The children also makes new ornaments every year. I love to do things like that with them.

I got some really nice presents in form of beads. Have taken photos and will show you soon.

Tomorrow Mark is off in the morning to be at a shop when this sale starts. He's going to buy a new laptop for me. Apple Macintosh of course! The kids will get my current one. I hope to be making som Vlogging on the new one every now and then. Have some ideas ...

Later tomorrow me and the kids will also go into the city, and we will all meet up to do some other good shopping. So I better go to bed now ...

Nighty night,

Malin

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...

Oh, do I wanna win this beautiful lot of beads? YES!!!!! Last time Andrew had a give-away with SueBeads we where asked to go by her site and choose a favourite item. I chose the "Cobalt Sky" lampworked beads, they made me wanna make a necklace for a New Years Eves Party with them in. This was back in August I believe. And ever since then I couldn't stop thinking of those beads. Even blogged about them here. Guess what happened in the end. Yes, I went and ordered them of course. They arrived a few weeks ago, and they are absolutely beautiful. Sue is just an amaziningly skilled lampworker, coz every bead is so perfect in shape. I also love her enameled pieces. I have to advise everyone to participate in this give-away, even though I really wanna win myself.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton: Thursday Giveaway...: "This week, one lucky winner will claim an assortment of goodies courtesy of Sue Kennedy of SueBeads. She has generously put together a group..."

Lots of Almonds in the Christmas Porridge

These large almond shaped beads I got about one and a half year ago, with the idea to make a long necklace out of them together with many different bright colours. Now I made a necklace with mainly red as the accent colour. Is it the christmas that makes me want to put red in all of my jewellery lately? No art beads in this one, but I made the clasp myself from a large nut bead.

Yes, I am addicted ...

I admit it! I love art beads! And Art Bead Artists. Yes, in fact I am addicted.

I can't stop buying wonderful beautiful handmade beads. I am beginning to get quite a stash now. I love to dream about what I wanna do with each and every one of them. And to be able to just pick out something special when I need it. I get high on that feeling. So yes, I am addicted. Severly!

Dear all Art Bead makers around the world, I wish you all the Merriest Christmas & the Happiest New Year!!!!! Thanks for existing and making my life so much better!

Successful shopping yesterday

Aren't I lucky! I managed to get all of these beauties from Nancy Schindler's Round Rabbit Extra shop yesterday. Gosh you have to be super quick. Everything sells directly. I just missed the Amber Koi Fish unfortunately, and some other things too that I really would have liked to get. But I am soooooo happy about the things I did get. I also have to say I admire Nancy. Not only for her skill as an artist, but also for her clever business mind. She creates a demand for her products by doing these special sales days when she lists a lot of things in her extra shop. During just one day she sells a LOT.

I've been ill quite a bit lately, that is why I haven't been so active here, or in general in the beading community. I've got some new pieces of jewellery that I need to take pictures of to show you, and to list on Etsy. But I have decided to take it a bit easy for a couple of weeks. There are so many other things going on at the moment. See you soon anyway.

All my best,

Malin

Wishful #12

Hi, I have realized I have started posting my "Wishful" series on different weekdays, so I have decided to rename it to simply "Wishful # ..".

ArtMind on Etsy is a lady called Mitsy living in Belgium. Among other things she has been making a series of sculptures called 99 feelings'-project. Below I have quoted her own description of this project. Oh, how I fell in love with these sculptures. I would just loooove to have a series of them placed in a row. The picture above is a montage I made with pictures from her shop on Etsy.

"This ceramic art object is part of my ‘99 feelings’-project. It derives from a project I did many years ago reflecting my self-portrait. I called it ‘how the outside can tell how you feel inside’. I started out with 9 feelings and then I suddenly thought of making 99 of them... I like the fact that the number is uneven and that it leaves at least one feeling to complete to 100. That one unfinished feeling to make 100, represents for me all the feelings I haven't covered and that it can be anything...

It is a series of babushka’s where I added a texture or addition to it on the outside. Quite often, these textures or additions lead you to the feeling right away or sometimes it might recall a complete different feeling for you. That is perfectly possible as this is just what it evokes for me. It can be anything you feel as there is no 'right' feeling for it. Each feeling is subjective and personal. My sculptures are created as art objects. A lot of time and love goes into each one.

You can see all of them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artmind_etcetera/sets/72157609444505831/

Or watch a little montage I made:

http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.com/2009/01/99-feelings.html"

Anyway, I have also, as I bet quite a few of you also have, discovered the new feature on Etsy called "the Circle". And it is thanks to that one I discovered this artist. Someone in my own circle had marked a bunny sculpture as her favourite. It made me curious, and I went to have a look. Unfortunately I can't remember who it was that sort of gave me the tip, so hey if you recognize yourself, please leave a comment. I am ever so grateful to you!

All my best,

Malin