In an effort to be a better blogger, I am going to attempt to post at least one blog post a week. An it dawned upon me that I haven’t really shared much background on myself except my craftiness. so here are some random factoids about me!

20 Random Facts About ME!!!!

I look normal ish on the outside, but I am rather random! SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!!!

1. This is my favorite picture of me! Taken by my amazing sister, Jen. We were driving in Springfield one day and saw this super awesome elephant. I mean who wouldn’t love a pink elephant holding a martini while wearing glasses? I made her stop and get a picture of me with it.

2. I hate matching socks. Except my fuzzy penguin socks, they can only match each other because they really only match each other! And The smart ass socks that my sister got me. Did I mention that she is the best sister ever?

3. I am pretty sure my husband sometimes wonders if i will kill him in his sleep.  Now it wouldn’t be because I hate him, it would be out of LOVE. Like the time i told him i ant to cut him open and wear him like a coat. I wouldn’t do that because that would be gross, and sticky, but sometimes I just love him so much i wanna crawl inside him!

Maybe I should have saved that one til last, because now you are going to stop reading and run away  right? DON’T!! There is much more weirdness to come!

4. My favorite color is blue. I know boring, but you needed something normal after the last one.  When we were kids, My grandparent would always get me and my sister the same thing , one pink and one blue.  I was always the blue, Jen was always the pink.

And I am running out, My brain shuts down and says “I don’t know what else to say!”  I know there is much more in there…

5. I am a very disorganized person when it comes to creating. I tend to spread out and make a huge mess.  When I try to put things away and clean up,I get more inspired and make more things , making a bigger mess!

6. I have been married for almost 20 years. Now a days that is a huge accomplishment.  I am happy to say that I am married to my soul mate, and all the bad times have made the good times sooooo much better.  Wait what bad times? we don’t have those!

7. I will die without coffee in the morning.  My husband has spoiled me so that if I get up before he leaves he will make me my coffee. It is a reason to get up in the morning.   The occasional day that he is busy and I have to make it myself, I am sure to give him so much crap for it that he doesnt make that mistake again!

8. I am fluent in sarcasm. You couldn’t tell that right?

9.  I like photography and taking pictures. That was one of the first things i wanted to be when I was a kid.  I was always taking pictures. I am sure my parents were tired of pang to have all the film developed. Thankfully with digital, I don’t have to develop them all!

10.  I am the mom to an amazing slice of life named Gavin, who is 18.  He is an only child because he was a righteous pain in the ass from the time he was born,  but now he has grown into such a caring, talented, amazing young man.  I owe so much to my village that helped me raise him. All the grandparents, aunts, and friends who were there for us.

To be continued in part 2 when I think of more!

I decided to try out a couple of new shows this year. Just something to broaden my horizons. There is a convention coming up in July called the Dark History and Horror convention in Champaign, IL. They needed vendors and I thought it could be a great opportunity and fun to do!

I am planning to have a bigger stock in all of my dragon eye necklaces as well as my steampunk items. Ya know, my off the wall stuff.

Hope to see some of you there! At the Kountry Nook Craft & Gift Mall.  The third Tuesday of the month is the regular day I am trying to stick with. If anther day would work better, we could do a second class, or we could try a Sunday. Drop me a line and let me know!!

I am kinda lucky that I work the place I do. Hobby Lobby really is the perfect place for me. I work in the frame shop which gives me the ability to be creative all day long. I also get to see some amazing artwork come through the shop. Once in a while I will snap a pic of some of the detail in artwork or get the artists name. I get so many ideas about trying new techniques. More hours may have to be added to the day to let me try all of my ideas! Here are just a few of the awesome works that have graced  my table.

This last one is from a tapestry we were framing. I was looking at the detail and saw this tiny heart in the design. I immediately thought that my wedding ring would be a perfect size to go around it. And the interior of the band reflected the heart in a very abstract way. Unintentional awesomeness is the best!

This is a questionnaire that my business partner and I came up with. Answers to these questions would be extremely helpful to us.  If you choose to answer, please copy and paste this to an email , answer the questions and I will send you a coupon for $5.oo off a future purchase!

Raeven Design Studios –

A new venture by Julie B. of Ravenwing Creations and Rabecca M.

Feedback needed !!!! We are starting a joint fashion/jewelry line together and need

your help!

The following questions will aid us in the development of our brand. Every COMPLETED ( 1 per person)

questionnaire will earn the person a FREE PAIR OF EARRINGS or a $5.00 coupon towards the purchase of a

Ravenwing Creations jewelry item. Thank you for your help!

1. Please tell me about a time when you were shopping for a new outfit or accessory for an event. What was the event? What was the image you were trying to convey? What issues did you come across in your search for the perfect item?

2. If you had difficulty finding the right item, how did you remedy the situation? (i.e. try a new store, if so how many? Did you try to make something yourself or have someone make it fr you?

3. What guided your decision to shop at a particular store? (i.e. word of mouth, brand name, service, variety of product, visual displays, their success in helping you in the past? )

3. What kind of environment or service are you looking for when you shop? How does it affect you making a purchase and subsequently returning to that seller?

5. What is your primary goal when shopping for a new outfit? Is it for fun, for an event/ or need based or for others?

6. Are you looking for an item that is unique and will help you stand out in the crowd or are you looking for something functional and for more everyday usage?

7. Would you prefer custom made clothing with less variety or store bought with less variety?

8. When purchasing jewelry or accessories, what factors do you consider? (circle all that apply)_____Cost _____Color _____Construction ____Durability _____Fit _____StylePlease circle your #1 consideration for purchase of jewelry or accessories

Here is the next class I am teaching at the Kountry Nook!  Follow their Facebook page for updates on all of the classes and events at the Nook!

Hope to see you at class!

The next class I am teaching is going to be a wire wrapping class.  I have had several requests for this one, so here it is!

We are going to make a pendant with a Faux Dichrotic Glass Center piece. This will be fully wire wrapped around it and a wire bail at the top for the necklace. This should be a really fun class. I am looking forward to teaching it!

The local craft mall that I sell at, the Kountry Nook has recently started hosting craft classes. Somehow I got roped into teaching a few, not that I mind! So I have added to my already packed schedule a crafty class once a month! So my students get to partake in my wittiness while I teach them something amazing!

The first class I did was a dreamcatcher class. I provided all of the supplies and the students got to learn from start to finish how to make a multicolored bohemiann style dreamcatcher!

The gals that took my class seemed to enjoy it!  This was my first teaching experience but feedback from the students was pretty positive.

The next month I thought a class on how to make a set of fiber wrapped bangle bracelets with wire and bead wrapping.

This one was a pretty easy class, the gals there for it were so easygoing and fun, it takes a lot of the stress out of teaching! So thanks for that!!!

For the next class in November, I am planning a wire wrapped stone class. I have had a few requests for this type of tutorial so I am going to give it a shot! I will keep you updated as to the date and time!

This is a list of upcoming events and shows I will be attending with my handcrafted jewelry.

October 30 Mackinaw valley Winery 12-5

November 5 Germantown Hills 38th annual Fall Craft Show

November 6 Lewistown High School Holiday Showcase 11-3

November 11, 12- Mt Zion Christmas Craft Show, Mt Zion IL

December 3 Pekin Moose Lodge TAPS Benefit 9-3

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

I have blogged about GenCon before, but for those who don’t remember I will recap.  GenCon is a 4 day Gaming and role playing convention in Indianapolis IN.  Held at the Indianapolis Convention Center, this years convention was attended by over 56,000 people.  In addition to all of the gaming events, there are workshops, lectures and special classes geared towards the amazing women who attend with their husbands.  Trying to keep with my jewelry interests, I tried to find classes that could be considered educational for me.  I chose a wire wrapping class. In this class we were given a oval pendant which students were going to wrap.

Also given to us was an envelope with 5 long wires and 5 short wires. Using these we would be creating a complete wrapped pendant.  starting by straightening the long wires and facing then all the same way, I then took one of the short wires and wrapped it around the long ones several times.

This was then repeated 4 more times with the other short wires, about an inch apart.

Next I went over to the instructor and she showed me how to bend the wire set to match the pendant.  I then learned how to make a bail to hang the pendant from a necklace, and how to finish off all of the extra wires into spirals.  The finished pendant turned out so well. I was really surprised how well it turned out, and how easy it was.  For those of you who know me, I have been wire wrapping everything I can get my hands on.