Suburban Girl Studio

Welcome!

(Scroll down for new posts)

**11.21.11** Welcome to Suburban Girl Studio (formerly Vintage Blue)!  For the most up-to-date info and special offers join my facebook page! 

Behind The Scenes

I know I haven't been a very good blogger lately but I have a valid excuse.  I'm trying to prep for Bead Fest in August so most of my time has been spent in the basement working away.  Since that's where I am several days a week I thought you might like a peek at the process...

After I take a week or two just making beads and pendants they get bisque-fired.  Once the firing is done I start sorting the pieces and putting them in trays until I'm ready to glaze.

Lots of ocean life in this tray!  

Funny faces and other assorted pendants in that tray!

I currently have about 7 trays with assorted porcelain and raku bisque.  I also have 4 bowls filled with bisque beads.  Once I get tired of making bisque I turn to glazing.

I like to work in little batches of assorted pieces so as not to get too bored.  Confession: Glazing is my least favorite part of the bead-making process.

Here's a tray of glazed pieces waiting to be loaded into the kiln.

I'll be firing the kiln on Monday and hopefully agan on Friday.  I'll be repeating this process many, many more times between now and Bead Fest.  

Speaking of which, if you will be attending Bead Fest in August and would like a free ticket or two please email me as I have a nice stack of them to share.  

Button Swap Blog Hop Reveal

Yay!  It's time for the reveal of the Button Swap Blog Hop hosted by Cindy Wimmer!  If you haven't seen the fabulous buttons sent to me by my swap partner, Erin Prais-Hintz then scroll down one post.  (Thanks so much ladies!)

Since I have been pressed for time lately making beads for Bead Fest and submitting tutorials I didn't have a chance to make an entire new project based on the awesome buttons sent to me.  Instead, I took out one of my favorite button charm bracelets and spruced it up with some of the buttons I received.

I added a gorgeous brass button near my spagetti button.

Doesn't it look nice all snuggled in there?

Here's the other side of the bracelet since I'm sure you were curious.  

I also took some of those sweet MOP buttons that Erin sent me and I decorated the extender chain with them.

I'll start visiting all the other blogs when I return home late tonight.  Of course, all of you can continue hopping right now.  Here's the list:

* Please note that names are listed alphabetically, so you’ll see names twice.

Alice Peterson  and Kim Bender

Angie Blasingame and Billi R.S. Rothove

 Billi R.S. Rothove and Angie Blasingame

 Birgitta Lejonklou and Pam Farren

 Bonnie Coursolle and Tania Hagen

 Brenda Salzano and Hope Smitherman

 Cat Kerr and Heather Powers

 Cece Cornier and Jeannie Dukic

 Celeste Thurston and Christine Damm

 Christine Damm and Celeste Thurston

 Christine Stonefield and Dana James

 Cilla Watkins and Lori Bowring Michaud

 Cindy Wimmer and Mimi Gardner

 Cynthia Machata and Julia Johnson

 Cynthia Riggs and Lori Finney

 Dana James and Christine Stonefield

Diana Ptaszynski and Erin Prais-Hintz

 Emma Thomas and Rebecca Anderson

 Erin Prais-Hintz and Diana Ptaszynski You are here!

 Erin Siegel and Sharon Borsavage

 Heather Powers and Cat Kerr

 Holly Westfall and Sally Russick

 Hope Smitherman and Brenda Salzano

 Jayne Capps and Kim Dworak

 Jeannie Dukic and Cece Cornier

 Jenna Meyers and Kristi Harrison

 Jenna Tomalka and Karen McKillip

 Jenny Davies Reazor and Sandi Volpe

 Julia Johnson and Cynthia Machata

 Kalaya Steede and Kylie Dickman

 Karen McKillip and Jenna Tomalka

 Karen Mitchell and Renetha Stanziano

 Karla Morgen and Mary Govaars

Kay Thomerson and Shannon Chomanczuk

 Kim Ballor and Laurel Steven

 Kim Bender and Alice Peterson

 Kim Dworak and Jayne Capps

 Kim Roberts and Partner unable to participate at this time.

 Kristi Harrison and Jenna Meyers

 Kylie Dickman and Kalaya Steede

 Kym Hunter and Lynda Moseley

 Laurel Steven and Kim Ballor

 Linda Djokic and Patty Gasparino

 Line Labrecque and Teri Baskett

 Liz DeLuca and Lorelei Eurto

 Lorelei Eurto and Liz DeLuca

 Lori Anderson and Niky Sayers

 Lori Bowring Michaud and Cilla Watkins

 Lori Finney and Cynthia Riggs

 Lynda Moseley and Kym Hunter

 Marianna Boylan and Tracy Statler

 Mary Govaars and Karla Morgen

 Mary Harding and Stacie Florer 

 Maureen Baranov and Tracy Bell

 Melissa Martin and Theresa Fosdick

 Michelle Hardy and Peggy Johnson

 Mimi Gardner and Cindy Wimmer

 Nicole Valentine Rimmer and Niki Meiners

 Niki Meiners and Nicole Valentine Rimmer

 Niky Sayers and Lori Anderson

 Pam Farren and Birgitta Lejonklou

* Pam Ferarri and Stefanie Teufel (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Patty Gasparino and Linda Djokic

 Peggy Johnson and Michelle Hardy

 Rebecca Anderson and Emma Thomas

 Rebekah Payne and Sue Kennedy

 Renetha Stanziano and Karen Mitchell

 Rose Binoya and Shanti Johnson

 Sally Russick and Holly Westfall

 Sandi Volpe and Jenny Davies Reazor

 Shannon Chomanczuk and Kay Thomerson

 Shanti Johnson and Rose Binoya

 Sharon Borsavage and Erin Siegel

 Shirley Moore and Veralynne Malone

 Stacie Florer and Mary Harding

* Stefanie Teufel and Pam Ferarri (will share their reveal on a later date)

 Sue Hamel and Terry Carter

 Sue Kennedy and Rebekah Payne

 Tania Hagen and Bonnie Coursolle

 Tania Spivey and Teresa Gagne

 Teresa Gagne and Tania Spivey

 Teri Baskett and Line Labrecque

 Terry Carter and Sue Hamel

 Theresa Fosdick and Melissa Martin

 Tracy Bell and Maureen Baranov

 Tracy Statler and Marianna Boylan

 Veralynne Malone and Shirley Moore

 

Button Swap Sneak Peak

This coming saturday is the reveal for Cindy Wimmer's Button Swap Blog Hop! My partner for this swap is the wonderful Erin Prais-Hintz. We agreed that 4 buttons were simply not enough as our bead stashes were too large to choose only 4. Here's what Erin sent me...

Wipe the drool off your face now!

Included in this pile of goodness; a bronze clay button by Sue Namet, a polymer button by Heather Powers, vintage brass, steel, glass and mother-of-pearl buttons! Yum! Oh and Erin sent me one of her fabulous polymer pendants!

Yum! Yum! Yum!

I'm looking forward to the reveal this weekend. I have to pre-set my post as I'll be away so here's to hoping the pre-set works!

One Crayon Color Challenge-FAIL

I thought going in to this challenge that it would be pretty easy for me to create something in various shades of brown...I was wrong.  

After seeing all the wonderful things created for the Wrapped, Stacked and Layered bracelet challenge I knew I wanted to work with memory wire.  I haven't touched that stuff in years!  Too bad this challenge was a disaster for me from the beginning.  Rather than pretend I did nothing, I'm just going to show you my fail.

I used an assortment of wooden, vintage glass, trade beads, lava and ceramic beads for the bracelet but I'm just not feeling it.  This isn't even the first bracelet I created.  I actually took the first one apart and rearranged much of it for the new piece.

I'll even confess to putting those striped trade beads in there because they contained a hint of other colors.  Yes, I know we were supposed to stick entirely to our chosen color but when I started hating this bracelet I thought maybe a tiny injection of other colors might help change my mind.  Nope.

The beads used will most likely find their way into other projects over the next few weeks.  While I wish I had something wonderful to show off sometimes a blog challenge just doesn't work out.  So now that I've put you into a "meh" kind of mood, go chipper-up by looking at all the other participant's wonderful pieces...

Hosted by:

Sally Russick  http://thestudiosublime.com

Red

Therese Frank  http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com

Rochelle Brisson  http://acreativechelle.blogspot.com

Lisa Lodge   http://pineridgetreasures.blogspot.com

Malin de Koning  http://beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

Bobbie Rafferty   http://beadsong.blogspot.com

Orange

Linda Landig  http://LindasBeadBlog.com

Cherrie Fick  http://designsinthelight.com

Beth McLarnan http://threetrees-art.blogspot.com

Cece Cormier  http://thebeadingyogini.com

Renetha Stanziano   http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com

Tanya Goodwin  http://pixiloo.blogspot.com

Jean Welles  http://jeanawells.blogspot.com

Amy Severino   http://amybeads.blogspot.com

Rebekah Payne   http://treewingsstudio.com

Lola Surwillo  http://.beadlolabead.blogspot.com

Judy Turner   http://silver-rains.blogspot.com

 Yellow

Jennifer Justman  http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com

Rose Brisson    http://ahteesblog.blogspot.com

Kim Bender  http://www.kimmykats.com/

Heather Powers   http://humblebeads.blogspot.com

Shelly Joyce  http://www.aujourlejour-shelly.blogspot.com

Blue

Cherie Reed  http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Rebecca Anderson  http://songbeads.blogspot.com

Hope Smitherman  http://craftyhope.blogspot.com

Patti Vanderbloemen  http://myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com

Michelle Buettner  http://MiShelDesigns.blogspot.com

Alicia Marinache  http://allprettythings.ca

Charissa Sloper   http://blog.obsidiansoda.com

Sonya Stille  http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com

Maria Grimes  http://mariagrimes.blogspot.com

Nancy Saccoccio  http://risingdesigns.blogspot.com

Sandi Volpe   http://sandivolpe.com

Joanne Tinley  http://daisychaindesignsjewellery.blogspot.com

Catherine Pruitt  http://boobeads.blogspot.com

 Green

Mary Harding  http://maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com

Karin Gilman http://www.qaygee.blogspot.com/

Jayne Capps   http://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com

Lorelei Eurto  http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com

Melissa Meman http://melissameman.blogspot.com

Alice Peterson  http://alice-dreaming.blogspot.com

Jenny Davies Reazor   http://www.jdaviesreazor.com

Cynthia Machata    http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

Melissa Essenburg  http://chinookdesigns.blogspot.com

Regina Santerre  http://reginaswritings.blogspot.com

Lauren Streets  http://ornthoughts.wordpress.com

Elizabeth Auld  http://beadsforbusygals.com

Purple

Tracy Mok   http://bumblebeadsdesigns.blogspot.com

Jennifer Judd Velasquez http://jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com

Marti Conrad  http://marticsclay.blogspot.com

Lori Anderson  http://prettythingsblog.com

Donna Bradley  http://strandedbeads.blogspot.com

Courtney Breul  http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com

Linda Younkman   http://lindysdesigns.blogspot.com

Susan Kennedy  http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Lisa Liddy   http://Lisaliddy.wordpress.com

Tracy Stillman  http://www.tracystillmandesigns.com

Dawn Doucette  http://designsbydawnmarie.blogspot.com

Brown

Diana Ptaszynski   http://suburbangirlstudio.com You are here!

Shannon Chomanczuk  http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

Janice Everett   http://JLynnJewels.blogspot.com

Karen Williams  http://Baublicious.blogspot.com

Black

Kashmira Patel  http://sadafulee.blogspot.com

Heidi Post  http://expostfactojewelry.blogspot.com/

Birgitta Lejonklou  http://lejonklou.blogspot.com/

Holly Westfall  http://silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com/

Karin Slaton  http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com

 

Art Bead Earring Swap 2012-Join Us!

**Sign-ups for this swap are now closed! Thank you to everyone who emailed me to join in the fun!**

It's time for the 2012 Art Bead Earring Swap!

I love art beads and I love earrings so let's join the two together and have some fun, shall we?

About the swap:

• Participants will be put into groups of 3 and will create 1 pair of earrings for each partner.  Each earring must contain at least 1 art bead.  (If you need clarification on what an art bead is, visit Art Bead Scene.)
• Earwires MUST be made of sterling silver unless your swap partner specifies an allergy or preference for another material (check with them before you start creating).

To participate:

• You must have an active blog.  (That means you post on it at least a couple times a month.)
• You must live in the US, Canada or the UK.  
• EMAIL your full name, email address, blog address and country to suburbangirlstudio2 at yahoo dot com.  (Failure to EMAIL this information will mean you are not included in the swap.  Sorry, but this way I know you’ve actually read the rules.)
• Sign-up is open today through May 4th.  (No late entrants will be accepted.)
• Your partners will be assigned to you via email on May 6th.  I'll be using the sophisticated name-on-paper-tossed-in-a-hat-method to choose your swap buddies.
• Earrings MUST be mailed no later than May 23^rd.
• Blog Reveal Date: June 7th.

Your earrings can be as simple or as elaborate as you want them to be.  Just have fun!  I can't wait to see what everyone creates!

*A special thank you to Jan Onipenco for letting me steal her photo and to Linda Landig for the cute little blog button up there.* 

So Many Beads!

As you may know, I'll be vending at Bead Fest in August.  This of course, requires a ton of prep in order to have enough inventory to sell.  I've been spending countless hours down in the basement making beads, pendants and charms.  

These porcelain pieces were all sponged today.  On Monday, I'll put them in the kiln and bisque fire them.  Once the kiln has cooled they'll all come out and I'll start glazing each and every one.  I'll actually be making bead sets with some of these just for my Etsy shop (don't want to neglect the shop).

Both of these trays are raku clay.  I bisque fired some last week as well so that when the gas kiln is ready I can just glaze and go!  

So that's what things are looking like these days.  

What's on your work table?

Highlights from Bead Fest Spring!

What a great weekend!  You can't beat a giant room full of beads AND friends that get/share your obsession with them.  

On Saturday morning Colin and I headed out to pick up Jan and then it was off to Oaks, PA for Bead Fest Spring.  We stopped at the hotel and got to meet Linda Landig, who was crazy enough to fly all the way from Washington to hang with all of us.  Then Melinda & Staci  showed up and we piled into the car and headed over to the convention center.

At 4:30 I started drawing pairs of names for our art bead swap.  When the swap was over I tossed the names back in the bag and re-drew for some extra prizes that Staci and I brought.  

Right after the swap, Erin Siegel held a mini workshop to practice for her big workshop she'll be teaching at Bead Fest in August.  BTW, Erin & Lorelei have a book about to come out and I got a preview....it's fabulous and I can't wait to own a copy!

Erin was an excellent teacher.

I can't wait to make more of these!

Later in the evening, several of us went to dinner at our favorite place...Legal Seafood.  Yum!

On Sunday, some of us returned to the show and finished our shopping.  Nancy and I love our fabulous, new bench blocks.

And now for the bead stash...

Trade beads, roman glass, ammonites, etc...from Hands of the Hills.

Findings and chain from Primitive Earth Beads.

Great stuff from Green Girl and Priscilla Marban!

More goodies!  These are from Painting with Fire.

And there you have it!  A little recap of a fabulous weekend with my friends!  Thank you to everyone who came out for the swap and/or dinner!  It was great to see all of you!  I can't wait til August!

(ALL the photos I took will be uploaded to my Facebook pages in the next day or so.)

Bead Fest Spring-Join Us For A Swap!

I'm so excited!  Saturday and Sunday I'll be at Bead Fest in PA hanging with some of my friends shopping and swapping!

Speaking of swapping, on Saturday I'll be hosting an art bead swap.  If you are attending and want to swap and meet new beady friends bring a bag or box of 5-7 art beads (visit Art Bead Scene if you aren't sure what counts as an art bead) to the food court area between 4:15 and 4:25 and sign up.  At 4:30 I'll start drawing pairs of names and you will swap on the spot.  I also have some little goodies to give out to participants.

I hope I'll see you there!

Design Team Reveal-No Joke!!!

April Fool's!  No, just kidding...really...  It's time to reveal what my design team and I created for our very first challenge, Bloom & Grow.  Each member was sent one of my porcelain flower pendants AND a surprise lampwork bead by team member Jan Onipenco.  

Here's what I made...

Jan's orange and purple lampwork bead went nicely with some of my leftover beads from the Bead Soup swap (thanks again Cheryl!).  I also incorporated several of my own porcelain beads in various orange hues.

I wire-wrapped the entire piece with sterling silver-filled wire.  I love this wire as it's an economical choice when making a piece for myself or as a gift for a friend/family member that doesn't mind this less expensive material.

I actually had two of Jan's beads (lucky me) so I incorporated both of them into the necklace.  

I found this fun silver-tone chain made of jump rings.  

I finished the necklace off with some small purple glass beads and a sparkly Swarovski magnetic clasp.  

Since I kept my Bead Soup necklace but gifted my mother-in-law the earrings and bracelet she'll be receiving this piece to finish her set.  I hope she likes it!  

I can't wait to see what the design team members made!

Jenny Davies-Reazor
Kristen Stevens 
Jan Onipenco 
Marla James 
Sandra Basara Miller 
Michelle Buettner 

PS Thanks to Marla for making the team button!

Springfest or Bust Sale!!!

Bead Fest is almost here and I can't wait!  This means I get to meet up with friends AND do some serious shopping.  Of course all that shopping requires funds which means that all of you get to take advantage of a 2-day sale in my shop!  

Enter discount code "beadsnobspring" in my Etsy bead shop at checkout on March 31st and April 1st and you will get 20% off your purchase!

Now I know you are all bead addicts so this gets even better for you!  A few of my art bead artist friends are also offering various sales in their Etsy shops for these two days!  

Visit their blogs for all the details and thank you for supporting art bead artists!

 

Melinda Orr/Melinda Orr Designs

Blog

Etsy

Mary Hubbard/White Clover Kiln

Blog

Etsy

Jan Onipenco/Molten Mayhem

Blog

Etsy

Karen Totten/Starry Road Studio

Blog

Etsy

Staci Klinger Smith/Artisan Accents

Blog

Etsy