Illusions Artisian Studio

Hand knits and jewelry made by me. Mostly my things are one of a kind. My creative side fights making many multiples of the same item. I have been a crafter almost all my life beginning with making my dolly clothes as a young child. I always got a craft kits for gifts so my creativity was always encouraged. In school I took all the sewing classes and was doing needlework as a hobby early on. I learned to knit (well) a couple of years ago and one of my friends gave me a jewelry making kit around the same time. She thought I could make money at it. I wasn't so sure, but she was right. After establishing myself locally I ventured into online sales a few months ago. I am a faux finish painter by profession and the crafting gives me a different kind of creative outlet

Check out her studio. she has some very pretty hats.

Turtle Hill Studio offers a variety of handcrafted items from one-of-a-kind hand painted glassware and decorative items, crocheted creations, and hand stamped greeting cards and scrapbook decorations.

I've been a crafter for as long as I can remember. I won't tell you exactly how long that has been, but I will say that I'm retired and a grandmother to three. Though I no longer teach, I'm a certified One-Stroke instructor and have taught over 400 people decorative painting. Through the years, I've had several of my craft designs published in such magazines as Crafts and Crafts and Things.

Stop by and check out all of her stuff on Artfire.

Every morning, when we wake up we have twenty-four brand new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy and happiness to ourselves and others. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This is a powerful quote! I worry about wasting an hour. I think I should fill in every nano-second because I won't be around very long and wonder what God would think if I didn't use my time well. I know that some of the stuff I want to do is trivial and maybe I am wasting time doing things like painting or crocheting,but God gave me the ability to create so it would be wasteful not to.

Artfire Jewelry Design and Jewelry Supply Guild

Artfire Jewelry Design and Jewelry Supply Guild

I think I am going to have to close down my Artfire. I paid 7.99 for a year and not one sale. I didn't mind it for a while because I liked talking to people there. You can get pretty lost in Etsy. Zibbet is to new to get much traffic. And I think I will concentrate more on my art instead of jewelry. I love doing both. But I spend more on jewelry supplies. I really am not a business person. I just like the creative end. And I couldn't go to shows or fairs and have a booth because I am to socially challenged. Very much an introvert. Now if someone could do all that for me I would be just fine. But I have no volunteers. It could be because I want someone who will do it for a prayer and a handshake.

I just did my first custom order and this is it! It was easy enough to make but hard to fine the right components. I am not sure I would do it again. I am not as creative when I am doing

this for someone else.

Cyber Monday is coming!!!! When I worked in retail, I both dreaded and loved Black Friday. Well, if you are one of the eager shoppers waiting for the big day, have fun. Then on Monday, come to http://Artfire.com and http://Etsy.com and do some REAL shopping and get some great bargins, like 2 for ! sales BOGO sales. and great % offs. And you can sit down and drink coffee while you shop and no one is pushing and shoving you or someone in front of you yelling at the poor little cashier who only wants to do her job. By the way, thank her or him. Most are just kids put on a register with little or no training. Retail seems to rely on on the job training. I was lucky because when I started I got 3 whole weeks befor e I was put on the sales floor.

This is my latest set. I fell in love with these little guys. I made a necklace and earrings with them. They are pewter. They are posted on Etsy and Artfire

http://www.ktdesigns.artfire.com

http://www.uniqueelephant.etsy.com

These earrings were made by Wooleycreek, another Artful Senior on Fire.

She is from Oklahoma. I grew up in Kansas and Missouri.

I love this kind of beed work

I can't do it. I made one pair of earrings and took me a monthe to figure the pattern out. So I respect anyone that can work with tiny beads. The colors in this pair are what caught my eye. But do go into Artfire and look at her other jewelry. She also has medicine bags and little dolls.

I want to post some of the items made by artisians in
our Artfire guild,
Artful Seniors on Fire. This stuff is just awesome.
This pretty item is from
Dorthy Louise, from Saskatchewan.
I just love the name of that place.
Go check her out.

Success! After 3 days and no help from Blogger, I have a nice background and all my stuff back that was lost. Pat myself on the back!

I love making jewelry and I love doing a collage. So I put the 2 together and this is what I got.This is a domino with a charm on it. This is a just for fun piece. Sometimes I can work so hard on a piece and end up with nothing I like. Other times I don't try as hard and things turn out great. Well, to me anyway.

This is just one of the pretty carvings that Sandra has done . I was amazed at how smooth they are. Takes a lot of time and patients

Cottontail Rabbit Carving : SandraHealy - ArtFire Sculpture

Cottontail Rabbit Carving : SandraHealy - ArtFire Sculpture

This is where our beautiful grandson died. This is Loma Linda Childrens Hospital in California. It is a wonderful place considering it is filled with sick children. They have a very caring staff. And great doctors. They save the lives of many children. Our little Bobby was just too sick to live. But he fought hard for 3 and 1/2 months. And during that time so many people loved him.

He went through more suffering then many people do in their lives. But he still squeezed out some smiles and gurggles and coo's. He had a wonderful Mother who spent many nights by his bedside. And 3 sibblings that had to be so good during a trying time. And had to give up their time with Mom for the baby. What suprised me is how strong the kids were. Oh, they cried when he died, just like the adults. But I was so proud of them. I didn't know if they really understood what was happing. The 6 year old twins anyway. But one of the twins said "I know what's going on and it's not fair". That was how I felt, too. And I know all the medical reasons. But I don't know the "whys". I know eventually I will accept that this is Gods will and that he has a reason, and that it isn't to hurt us. We live in a time when they can put computers in little tiny IPhones. You can walk all over town talking to you friends on the phone. How come we can't save all the little kids so they can grow old? Bill Gates needs to run this world.

Awesome Grandmas Who Blog

Awesome Grandmas Who Blog

Our Grandson

Our three & a half month old Grandson, Robert Dominique Tidwell, was born on June 12,2009 & passed away on Oct. 3,2009. He fought very hard but his tiny body could only do so much. We only got to hold him for a short time, but We couldn't have loved him more if we had held him a lifetime. He was in Loma Linda Hospital in Ca. It is a very good hospital with very caring nurses and doctors. Now, however hard it hurts us, we know he won't hurt anymore. And he is an angel in Gods Kingdom and our family will reunite someday.


WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU BOBBY

Cardinal painted wood carving : SandraHealy - ArtFire Sculpture

Cardinal painted wood carving : SandraHealy - ArtFire Sculpture

I love the work these artist do. Check them out.

Sent by flowerart on September 22, 2009:

i love your pressed flower collage!:-)

the tissue paper was a wonderful idea!:-)

thanks for letting us see:-)

rebekah:-)

www.flowerox.com



This was sent to me shortly after i posted my collage. Wow....Made me feel so good!

Driftwood horses

you have to see this . this is beautiful art. Click on the words "driftwood Horses"

This is Caity. I guess I shouldn't ask her to smile big. I told her mom she would either a great beauty queen or an actess for toothepaste commercials. Oh well, I sure love this little girl. She can be very quiet and shy but then she lets it all out at home and at my house.

pressed flowers

Well, I haven't been here in awhile but I've been busy creating and taking care of business. This is my latest creation. I did this with pressed flowers and tissue paper. I
actually pressed these flowers about 5 years
ago and put them away thinking I might use
someday. And when I was staring at my
blank canvas last week I thought of those
flowers and here they are. I use to press flowers in books when I was a child and I hope whatever librarian found them accepted them as a nice jester and wasn't mad at me. I would like to do some more but i have no flowers in my yard. But my son made me a really nice flower press. It is large and heavy. I could do quite a few flowers at one time. I guess I will have to go to Safeway and buy a bunch.

I do a lot of crafts for Christmas, but I have family and friends that don't care for them. But I like to make dolls for the little ones. And scarves for the older girls. Works for me. I love to recieve handmade anything.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CRAFTS-MAS

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CRAFTS-MAS

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Jewelry that is time tested, Obama approved

Jewelry that is time tested, Obama approved

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This is the Bedrock Necklace. It was lovinly named for the hometown of the Flintstones and the Rubbles. This particular piece
was made with Wilma in mind
and I plan on designing a pair
of earrings for Betty

I recieved the nicest letter from a shopper on Artfire. I had to share it. It made my year.


Hello I am a new shopper to artfire after having been on Etsy this is a nice site. I ran across your shop and wanted to compliment you on your work. I LOVE necklaces and the bedrock necklace caught my eye among other items. My girlfriend, who is an artist, just signed up on a site www.narvla.com and entered their nationwide artist search you should check it out your designs are awesome! I am still finding my way around the site but wanted to give you a thumbs up:) Sally

ten simple ways
Ten Simple Ways Parents Can Get More Art in Their Kids’ Lives
Enjoy the arts together. Sing, play music, read a book, dance, or draw with your child at home.
Encourage your child to participate in the arts and celebrate their participation in or out of school.
Explore your community’s library and read “the classics” together—from Mother Goose to Walt Whitman.
Read your local newspaper to find out about attending local arts events like museum exhibits, local plays, festivals, or outdoor concerts.
Tell your child’s teacher, principal, and school leadership that the arts are vital to your child’s success and an important part of a quality education. Find out if your school has sufficient resources for arts education, including qualified teachers and materials. If not, offer to help.
Contact your local arts organizations to inquire about the arts education programs they offer either during school hours or after school. Volunteer to donate time, supplies, or help with their advocacy efforts and connect these services to your child’s school.
Attend a school board or PTA meeting and voice your support for the arts to show them you care and make sure the arts are adequately funded as part of the core curriculum in the school budget.
Explore your child’s dream to sing, to dance, to draw, to act—and encourage them to become the best they can be through the arts.
Be an arts supporter! Contact your elected officials—lawmakers and school board members—to ask them for more arts education funding from the local, state, and federal levels. Visit our Online Resource Center.
Sign up to become an activist on the Americans for the Arts website, just a click away! Through our e-activist list, you will get news updates and alerts about arts education. Visit our E-Advocacy Center.
AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS

art

http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/get_involved/001.asp

Cold Porcelain

Today I discovered "cold porcelain clay". It is a clay you can make at home from a few simple ingredients. And it looks like porcelain. You can paint it and it air dries so no baking. I made a rose today and it almost looked like one. All you need is cornstarch, water, Ponds cold cream, and glycerin. Try it. http://http://www.craftstylish.com/item/2802/how-to-make-cold-porcelainHere is a link to a helpful site. let me know how you did.

I DISCOVERED COLD PORCELAIN TODAY AND I LOVE IT. IT IS CLAY THAT YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME WITH A FEW COMMON INGREDIENTS. IT GETS IT'S NAME BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE PORCELAIN AND IT AIR DRIES. NO BAKING AND YOU CAN PAINT IT .

I made a rose today, and it almost looked like a rose. All you have to have is cornstarch, ponds cold cream, glycerin, & water.

Update on Robert Dominic

Robert Dominic is doing fine. He had to have an operation to remove his large intestens. He will probably have more problems in the future or maybe not.

Just my thoughts

Day 1...Well, everyone says we should tweet on twitter. All the stars do it. Channel 10 news people tweet. So I decided I should give it a try.

Day 13...There is a great blog by Susan Sheehan called Strands for Thought. She explains very thoroughly how to twitter successfully. Check it out if you decide to tweet.

Day 23...I don't think I'm exceptionally bright but I'm also not dumb. But for the life of me I can't tweet.

Day 37...Okay! I think I almost have the hang of twitter. 37 days and I have 54 followers. Now I freeze up because I can't think of anything fascinating or catchyto write in 140 words. Pretty soon I expect my 54 followers will fade away..............................deep sigh

Any hints?

Don't forget to visit my shoppes too. Just double-click

http://www.uniqueelephant.etsy.com/

http://www.ktdesigns.artfire.com/

Also my flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathies_art_and_jewelry/

Check out my nieces Photography website if you live in the New Orleans area.
http://jenningsstudios.photoreflect.com
Jennings.Studios
Gina Jennings
368 Yorktown Ln
Belle Chasse, Lo 70037
p: 504-275-6461
jenningsstudios.photoreflect.com

Be sure to check out Etsy and Artfire. These are great places to find gifts. They have such a large and diverse selection of handmade items from artisan's all over the world. And the prices for the most part are very good. When you buy something handmade or an original piece of art you are getting something that can be handed down in your family through generations. Don't think of them as being something cute and homemade made buy "Aunt Lucy" to be put in a closet until she visits (shame on you). These are artist that are pouring their hearts into their work (and it isn't easy for us to let these items go) . But go in and browse the shoppes and you will be hooked. Ordering is easy too. I have always received my orders in no more then a week. I'm not just saying all this because I want you to look in my shoppe,(but you can?) but I truly believe if you don't window shop in these sites you will be missing a lot. And if you are an artisan, join us. You won't be sorry. And if "Aunt Lucy's afghans are really pretty set up a shop FOR her if she isn't computer savy. She may sell alot and then you would get a bigger and better Christmas present this year. These are low maintenance shops, so you wouldn't have to give up poker nite.

If you want to see any of my jewelry or paintings close up, just double-click.

This is my most recent. it is a collage made of magazine cutouts and handmade paper and peacock (naturally shed I was assured)

Check out this blog below! The shoes are incredible and the fashions are absolutely beautiful!

Jen � Polished Sense Blog

Jen � Polished Sense Blog

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Michael Jackson. Inside was just a scared little boy who wanted to entertain. Remember him? We all thought he was so cute in '68. Where did he go? What happened to him to make him dislike himself so much? So much that he would have drs. mutilate him. He was growing into a very handsome young man. God bless you, Michael. Only God and you know what your life really was.

And bless your family. Jermain made a very nice press release.

I really enjoy my Artfire and Etsy shoppes. I probably should get more aggressive, but I I like the creative part much more. I should have a manager because I am not good at business. When I see something that looks like something I can make something out of I have to do it NOW! not after I work on my shops. So obviously, I'm not selling a lot. Any volunteers? And I do mean volunteer. When you don't make money, you can't pay workers.

But I do recommend both of these places to anyone who does crafting, art, sewing, etc.

It is a great outlet for creative genius.

Just my thoughts

Ali with Robert. The girls are twins

Kat with Robert

Esteban with Robert. He will be a great help to mom. He is an incredible boy who makes good grades. I'm very proud of him.

Some family pictures. The kids holding their baby brother, Robert Dominic
He was born with downs syndrom so he has a long tough road ahead. But he fought to live and made it, so he can do anything!

Robert Dominic Tidwell

His 1st. day

This is granddaughter, Ashley. I asked her to model a necklace for me. Isn't she a natural?

Well, this is suppose to be about jewelry and art but i keep popping up with little tidbits about my family. But when I was working we always talked about things other then work. Sooo.......I just have to say I'm watching American Idol and this has been an extremely talented bunch of kids. The last 4 finalist should have all won! My favorite? Well, Adam of course.

Idle Hands

This is another artistic piece of jewelry.

Victoria's Secret

This is my "Victoria's Secret" collage slide pendent. I made it with a tag from something bought there. It has a gunmetal chain with a pink ribbon woven through it and frame. I made it last year but hadn't posted it. I think I secretly didn't want to let it go. Sometimes when you create, the creation becomes a part of you and it is hard to let go. But here it is. I will post it also on Artfire and Etsy.

TODAY I WORKED ON A NECKLACE PIECE THAT IS MADE OUT OF OLD WATCH PARTS AND OLD EARRING PARTS AND WHATEVER ELSE CAUGHT MY FANCY. IT IS TURNING OUT REALLY NICE. I CAN'T WAIT TO PUBLISH IT. IT IS TAKING SO MUCH TIME I WON'T MAKE A LOT OF MONEY OFF OF IT BUT IT HAS BEEN FUN. I LIKE THE UNORDINARY. THE ODDBALL. MAYBE BECAUSE I ALWAYS SAW THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME EE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.........................

Well, my resin tile venture is just not taking. I try and try and I get lump, bumps, and cracks. I tried making dogtags with diamond glaze and got cracks. BUT I never give up. Will I make money off of these? NOOOO. but I still won't quite!

Anyone have any hints? I even bought some instuctions that "anyone can follow". Except me.

BUT I WON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't this pretty? It is called Jasper Reef by Artfire artist Betty Beck, Owner of Simply unique Jewelry. The design makes me feel I'm in the water looking at the fish diving to the coral reefs. The colors are perfect. She has some really great designs. When I grow up( in the jewelry area) I want to be just like her! Check out her other stuff at http://simplyuniquejewelry.artfire.com/

The more I work with jewelry, the more I learn, but I see so many things I want to learn how to do. I want to make tiles and domino's and work with the resin. I have tried to make a few resin covered tiles but mine are as lumpy as my mashed potatoes. I know there is no end to learning. That's what keeps us going, right? And the more shops I look in the more i want to learn. And I love to go into the supply shops on Artfire and Etsy. Everything I see is a potential piece of art. I buy but I also use it all. I am amazed at how many jewelry artists there are. I started this because I was cleaning my Granddaughter's room and found a ton of beads that I bought her during her 14 years that she never used, So I decided to string them all together before I turned them over to Goodwill. I decided I like doing it and kept trying to make them a little different and so on and so on. Things just snowballed.

My blog is a work in progress! I love this necklace. When I make something I become attached to it. I was messing around with these tiles and one had a little indention on it . It looked like an eye, so I drew a face. I could have called it my doodle necklace!

Kathie's Jewelry and Art

Kathie's Jewelry and Art

THIS IS CAITLIN. AS A BABY. SHE TURNS TWO THIS MONTH. THE PENDANT IS ONE THAT I MADE