Friday, November 6, 2009

New Design, New beads in shop

I've been busy posting new beads to my shop all week but took a bit of time out to make this for this Humblebeads challenge. This is Day 1's assignment, a Horizontal focal bead made up of a chunky beads strung on a wire. I had a new idea for some beads and decided this would be a good new use of them, it is based on the ancient Chinese 'calculator' the abacus combined with a rotary lock mechanism but with only one letter per wheel. The letters go all the way around the beads thus making the edge the focal part of the bead.

I chose the word 'Beautiful' because that is what I think turquoise and copper are together, as would any woman be that would wear this. :)


I paired the turquoise antiqued beads with bronze glass beads and a vintage copper chain. I love the look together, wasn't sure about this but would like to explore this idea further, Thanks Heather for the challenge!

I also have a similarly colored herb bead that I
will be listing in my StudioARTBEAD shop shortly. The word 'Parsley' is written twice on the edge between the holes for stringing.





I have gotten over 80 beads and buttons listed this week! Phew! Please go and check them out, I have more to come over the weekend.

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Sunday, November 1, 2009

Grand Opening and Re-opening!

Some of you may have noticed that my shops have been closed this past month. I have many reasons for this and won't go into it right now but I am happy to announce that all three of my shops are reopened! All this week there will be new listings added and specials like free shipping so please take a visit.

Also my Bigger news is that I have opened a new shop on Etsy! This is strictly for Jewelry supplies, mainly for selling my hand made beads. Just Click here to visit! StudioARTBEAD

Grand Opening starts today with specials and new items being added throughout the day as well as the rest of this week! Don't forget to heart my shop so you can check back often!

Please stop by and check it out and let me know what you think. My banner is a temporary one till I get a bit more time to refine it but I am pretty happy with how my photos turned out on my windowsill on a very overcast day! and that is saying a lot , especially coming from a perfectionist INFJ!

Which speaking of, have you taken the test? Care to share? I'm still looking to met other INFJ's as well as similar MB types so please let me know!

AlmostARTifacts.etsy.com
PolkaDotSandals.etsy.com
OrganicOdysseys.etsy.com



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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

INFJ What is it, Are you one?


I know some of you have been reading my blog for awhile and have seen me mention that I am an INFJ but may or may not know what that means. I know I promised to answer this awhile back (for Amanda) but forgot and have been busy with other things, but I have remembered and found time so here goes!

The Famous Psychiatrist Carl Jung did studies of his patients and believed that people fell into certain personality or psychological types. His research was studied by two woman a mother and daughter Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers and they helped to refine this to what is know know as THE personality test. To find out your personality type you would take the Myers-Briggs test or commonly known as the MBTI. There are free ones available on the internet and more intensive ones that will take you much longer and you will receive a more detailed assessment for a fee.

There are basically four things you are 'graded' on and it regards how you think, are around other people, take in information, act on that information and make decisions.

You will fall into one of 16 'personality types'. These are designated by four letters, such as mine, an INFJ. Most likely if you have applied for any kind of employment above a fast food job you probably have taken a version of this test, if recently on a computer during an interview. This is used to help employers decide if you are best qualified to do the job you are applying for and how you can be best used to the advantage of the companies needs.

For instance in my case my first letter is 'I', this first letter indicates if the person is an introvert or an extrovert. I think everyone knows what that means so I won't go into that except to say that it has to do with our energy levels not just being shy or outgoing. When you take certain tests it will grade you on each letter as to how strongly you are in that category. I am a high level Introvert, If I remember correctly it was in the 70% area. This does not mean I don't like people but that I am extremely shy around someone until I get to know them and I keep a lot to myself which is influenced by some of my other 'letters' but it also means I prefer to work alone and can accomplish much more when doing so, I gather my energy inwardly not so much from outward influences. :)

The second letter is based on how you take in information and is catagorized by if you do so with your senses or intuition (I call these the inner senses). My second letter is an 'N' for iNtuition (so as not to repeat the first 'I' for introvert).

The Third letter is based on how we take that information and make descisions. Either by thinking or feeling. Thinking types go by past experiences, using logic and objective thinking, the feeling type goes by what could be termed a gut instinct combined with our personal value system. Mine is the latter.

And the final Letter is based on our basic day to day habits and lifestyle. This is how we deal with others and the outside world. Do we prefer organization, schedules, order, this would put us into the Judging category, or are we spur of the moment, seat of the pants, go with the flow types that don't need as much structure in our environments? I am the former. :)

So now you know a bit about what the INFJ stands for! So if you'd like more information you can check out this link to read a quick summary of the infj personality type. If you'd like to find out what type you are there are numerous tests out there and it is recommended to take more than one at different times to get a better, more accurate reading but you can start with this one here.

As you will read if you check that link about the INFJ, you will find that Infj's are very rare, we only comprise 1% of the population, so if you aren't an infj chances are you may have never met one or have and because you didn't understand them because they aren't of more familiar types not gotten to know them which is sad because we are very loving and caring people, not to mention many are very artistic. And that is what I am hoping to do with this post, 1, to inform others so they can understand me a bit more but my ultimate goal is to hopefully find other infj's that are artists. Thankfully through talking about this casually through my internet connections I have found three so far which without the internet I think I never in a lifetime would have run across and they are all wonderful! So if you decide to take the test or already have and are an Infj, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment here or write me privately at organicodysseys@gmail.com. I would so love to hear from you even if you aren't an infj but have an intuitive type. I am starting a group for artists only in any medium of all personality types that are compatible with infj's as well as a special spot for infj's to discuss our uniqueness and to help and support each other so let me know!

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Bracelets........Copper and Cows

I just finished posting my entry for Art Bead Scenes October Challenge over at Flickr.



This months art piece was very different from the past months, it was a primitive folk art piece done by Ruby C. Williams, chosen by Jennifer Heynen of Jangles.

The title of this painting is 'Piano Playing Cow' and is quite colorful!

Above you can see my interpretation of this art piece. As I described it over at Flickr:

"This is my entry for the October Art Bead Scene Challenge. The painting this month was 'Piano Playing Cow' by Folk Artist Ruby C. Williams.

This was a challenge for me in many ways. First I did not make any polymer clay beads for this, which would have been so easy to do given the colorfulness of the painting :) . Second I choose to not be as literal in my interpretation. And third I had a chance to try out some new tools and also to practice my wire wrapping which I haven't done in awhile and have never done this much in one piece before.

I used the colors of the painting, the grass green, the deep sky blue and the orange of the cow in my bead choices, these are handmade glass beads. To interpret the piano I used white crackled column beads for the white keys and round black beads for the black keys. I also attached a G clef (store bought charm) as I love the look of it, it always denotes music to me. I repeated that curled design in almost all of my beads wrappings with coils, especially the white 'keys'.

I found a pewter milk bottle in my bead collection from a very vintage charm bracelet and attached that, but the cow deserved more recognition, so I added a metal charm I made myself that says 'MOO', the name of this entry. And last but not least, I wanted to include another known bead artist in this piece and since there was so much silver I decided on this wonderful rustic and organic looking silvered glass bead by the Lampwork Diva herself Cindy Gimbrone."

I have been gathering a lot of new tools lately and also stock piling metals for upcoming designs, using any coupons I can from the craft stores and even shopping at automotive and mens tool stores~! I've gotten pounds of clay and think I am just about set for winter since I don't go out unless necessary due to an accident I had in the winter weather that has semi disabled me.

Come November I will be reopening my shops, as well as a new one so stay tuned!

I've also been discovering some new blogs lately and one of these is called Sweet Bead Studio which is a beautifully designed blog by Cindy Wimmer. Her name may be familiar to some and if not, stop by and check it out. Right now (two days left!) she is sponsoring a giveaway of the newest edition of Easy Wire by Beadwork Magazine. Her beautiful copper bracelet graces the front cover, and part of the first prize is all the items needed to make it! I can testify that the magazine is worth getting. There is also a cool pair of earrings she designed in there as well and many designs to help you in your jewelry making skills. Also a beautiful necklace by Sharon of Bijoux Jardin can be found in this issue as well. So stop on over and check out Cindy's blog and see her beautiful bracelet and other wonderful things there!

Enjoy the week as the weather paints the trees in their most colorful array before they fall!


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Thursday, October 22, 2009

New things

Been working on some new things lately, in the studio and in the shops over at etsy. I've also been rearranging the house. It is amazing how many things you have to move around and rearrange when summers over and you have to bring in your plants. I happen to have lots of them (picture coming soon) as I love having green living things around me, especially in the fall and winter months. We also decided to not keep our golden koi (who lives in a barrel pond on my porch during the warmer months), in that down in the basement, so off we went and got an aquarium to winter him over in. I just got it set up and will hopefully be able to find something to catch him in tomorrow and get him in there.

I've been wanting to change my banner on my Organic Odysseys shop for awhile and had a temporary one in place, and now I have a semi permanent one. I'm not sure if I like it totally yet but would appreciate a look from you and a comment to let me know what you think, no matter what!

I may change the one here on the blog as well as it's the same one I used to have at the shop. Do you think I should change it? to the one on the shop or maybe something different? All ideas welcome!

OrganicOdysseys at Etsy.

I've also gotten some treasury's recently. I have been looking at these lately like collages of art. And then I take a screen shot of them and can use them later for color inspiration. Kind of a twist on Maggie Maggios color lesson on making collages.

Posted above are the latest ones, take a look and let me know what you think.

You can click on them to take you there, but after they expire I will revert the link back to the larger sized photo.

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