2nd Annual Challenge of Travel :: Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Challenge of Travel - Staycation edition! I am delighted to have you along on this journey.

I put out a call at the beginning of the month to see if anyone would like to join me in investigating all that your own hometown has to offer. I don't often get a chance to travel anyplace, and I don't often take the time to appreciate the things that my hometown has to offer, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to have a little fun in my own backyard.

Instead of a list of blogs, I am trying out the InLinkz system where anyone who has a post to share can do so at the end. Truly, I would do this Challenge even if no one else joined me, but given the initial interest we could learn something new about hometowns all over the world. We might need to fluff up the guest pillows if people are inspired to come and visit.That would be cool!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I live in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Basically, find a map of Wisconsin and then point to the middle. It seems that all roads run through our area.

One of the things that is unique to our community is the Green Circle Trail. The idea took root in 1989, when a group of residents, businesses, local governments and the university banded together to make this dream a reality: creating a scenic hiking and biking trail that envelops the entire community to preserve forested land, native plants, wetlands and wildlife for current and future generations.

In 1993, the Green Circle Trail received an award from the National Park Service for outstanding cooperative effort. National Park officials consider it one, and perhaps the only, trail system to completely encircle a community. State agencies refer to it as model for trail development. In 2003, the Green Circle received a Great Lakes Partnership Award from the National Parks and Recreation Association.

The Green Circle opened on June 1, 1996, as a 22-mile trail. Today it is over 30 miles. The main trail loop has 11 contiguous segments. It is said that all urban residents are within10 minutes of a trail spur while 80% of the trail winds through forests and parks, over wetlands, and along rivers, much of it secluded. This trail recalls the days of huge pineries, pioneer settlements, and the lore of the Wisconsin and Plover Rivers.

Several local events are held throughout the Green Circle Trail, like the recent United Way Run, Bike Duathlon. The first week in June you can find the entire Green Circle Trail overrun by thousands of walkers in the Midwest's premier non-competitive walking event, Walk Wisconsin.Walkers choose from full, 3/4, 1/2 or 1/4 marathons.

The full, 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 marathon events utilize the scenic Green Circle Trail which passes the Wisconsin River, Plover River, several lakes, and unique ecosystems. - See more at: http://www.activeportagecounty.com/index.cfm?action=walking.walk#sthash.dqaVDq0F.dpuf

The full, 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 marathon events utilize the scenic Green Circle Trail which passes the Wisconsin River, Plover River, several lakes, and unique ecosystems. - See more at: http://www.activeportagecounty.com/index.cfm?action=walking.walk#sthash.dqaVDq0F.dpuf

See that red X? That is roughly where my house is. The green lines on the map show where the trails are. You can see that I am within blocks of several segments of the Circle. Shamefully, I really haven't been on those parts. I have walked the Riverfront (I work right there), and the Holiday trail where the Stevens Point Sculpture Park is located, and some of the parts to the west, but not really the ones that I cross almost every single day.

I noticed as I made this graphic from the trail map that the Green Circle Trail is in the shape of a heart! Do you see that? It is like the Trail is giving Stevens Point a great big hug!

Up at the top, in the crook of the heart, you see a large green space labeled Schmeeckle Reserve. This special part of the Circle is located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.Given that we have a very well known College of Natural Resources, this is a great benefit for the students to have literally right across the street. I decided that this is the part that I would investigate.

Schmeeckle Reserve is a 280-acre sanctuary in the heart of the city of roughly 26,000 population (plus an additional 9,000 during the school year). This site was established to protect the natural habitats of Central Wisconsin. 

There are five miles of trails in this one park. Only part of the trails are actually on the Green Circle. But as I thought about it, this is like a microcosm of the entire Green Circle Trail. In this one little area I would likely experience a lot of the terrain and habitat that would be on the entire 26+ miles.

There is a 24-acre lake in the middle that is available for fishing, canoeing, and just relaxing. Swimming and motor boats are prohibited. Along the shores it is not uncommon to see many wildlife species like fox, flying squirrels, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, Pileated woodpeckers, ducks, geese and frogs. 

Ready to take a walk with me? 

(Click the picture to see it larger.)

And here is my creation that I call Walking the Trail. Do you see my inspiration?

Lisa Peters Art ceramic leaf focal
Wood button from the fabric store
Wood plank trail
Eucalyptus pod "acorn"
Green Girl Studios squirrel
Humblebeads disk beads
Teal waxed linen thread
Seed bead goldenrod flowers
Peanut bead white blooms
Brass cornerless cubes and rounds
Hammered copper link chain
Green seed beads from a necklace my mother wore

I am thinking about using this piece for the 2014 Verse & Vision exhibit at the Gallery Q. As I understand it, this year instead of us making art from the poems, there is going to be an option for the poets to write verse based on our art. I think this would tell an interesting story! I will also look into seeing if the Green Circle Trail organization will be having any fundraisers soon.

Thank you for joining me on this staycation in Stevens Point, Wisconsin!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have fun hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

Baubles & Beads Sneak Peek

A few weeks ago, Kate Richbourg came calling. Kate is a popular jewelry instructor who has written books and produced great technique videos. She is working with the bead store Baubles and Beads and offered a chance to be a part of an inugural bead blogger team. Intrigued, I said yes. And I have found that I am in very good company! Here are the other five bloggers that will be playing along with me:

• Jean Yates http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com/

• Keirsten Giles http://cerebraldilettante.blogspot.com

• Michelle Mach www.michellemach.com/blog

• Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp http://skyejewels.blogspot.com

• Lori Anderson http://www.prettythingsblog.com/

I was sent a little package of goodies that was so well labeled. I really appreciated that! Now whatever I really can't live without I can find very easily on the Baubles and Beads website.

Just look at all the fun I am going to have!

Top to bottom:

• An assortment of interesting brass pieces. That scalloped collar is so far out of my comfort zone that it makes me giddy to give it a shot!
• Copper wire, soft as butter leather strap in the deepest shade of purple and some soft and shiny cording in a perfect fall day palette.
• Brass cornerless cube beads (I love these!), gray crystal pearls and a deep wine Czech glass bead with an interesting design.

What I have noticed is that we might have all received similar things, but the color palettes are different. Did they know that these are colors that I love? We will have a blog hop on September 18th to reveal what we have made. I hope you will come back and be inspired!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I promised to giveaway the little blingy owl I am calling Bij-HOOT-erie Owl from my recent blog post. And the winner of the purple owl is......

CraftyHope!

Email me your address and I will send this little owl flying over to your nest! I hope it inspires you!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me here tomorrow, Saturday, August 30th for the reveal of the 2nd Annual Challenge of Travel - Staycation edition. I did a little more photo safari-ing this morning and I think I am ready to start beading my treasure. (Yes. I just admitted that I haven't even started my own project. How is that for fashionably late to your own party?)

Lorelei's Michaels Challenge

The talented Miss Lorelei does these challenges from time to time where she picks a set of beads from Michaels or some other retail bead store, and challenges her readers to make something. I cannot say no to a good challenge, and despite the fact that I have yet to even start on my own Challenge of Travel jewelry, I had to do this! Plus, I live like 1.2 miles from Michaels so I had no excuse.

I have to say that I was very intrigued by the color palette. Miss Lorelei is a wiz with color. She has a way of combining colors that is surprising and fresh. This palette was no different. Although I will admit to being stumped just a tad. I have had these beads on my table for weeks, since I bought them right away the next day after Lorelei announced the challenge. But of course I waited until last night to begin!

When I went shopping for the beads she picked out, I could find some but not others. So I substituted the green pearls for the jade rounds, since I only found one strand and the color was a bit too washed out for my taste. I liked the bright green and the wonky holes in these pearls. I did find the blue and white rounds that she had, but I also spotted all these other ones. I really liked the shape of the saucers and the pattern on the tiny rounds. So I took some creative liberties. ;-)

I will admit that the owl button was hard to find and when I got it I was stumped by what I would do with it. It needed something as it was quite tiny, and the eyes are so hollow. I knew that I wanted it to be the focal, so I made it into one. Actually, I made it into four in different colorways: navy, olive, cyclamen opal and greige.

I remembered that I had some Crystal Clay lying around from some previous projects, and a lot of flat backed hot fix chatons from when I worked for the Jolee's Jewels line a few years ago. And of course I have bezels galore in my studio! So I set off to make the focals. But those eyes were so hollow and empty! Why not make them yellow, like all my owls? Aha! I put the larger golden amber colored chatons UNDER the button to give that hint of a surprise.

I started with using what was described on the Bead Landing package as 'green waxed cotton cord' with the blue and white beads. Um. No. This is definitely not waxed. If you want that, you should head to Lorelei's Jewelry Accord shop. She has the most delicious array of colors. If you like using fibers, you must check out what she has in store for you. I just didn't have time at the last minute the night before to order some. But I know that I should have a better array of colors on hand.

Originally, I was just going to string the saucer beads on the cord and tie knots, but I noticed that they had the prettiest star shape when I turned it on the side. That changed the plans. It was a struggle to make this cord work through the holes, but I love that it brings that pop of green over to this side. I don't know about you, but when I do something like this with fiber, I always cut off too little and then end up scrapping it and I hate to wasted things like that! My first attempt was on the other side, and I was using about 14" of cord. Too small! So I cut it all off, said a few choice words and started over on the other side with at least 36" of cord. That is my tip to you... overestimate the amount of cord you will need by 3x. ;-)

[The Wisdom of Last Minutes]

For the owl focal I went with the one with the blue crystals and the golden eyes, per my daughter's suggestion that it brings out the blue (although in this light it looks more black - trust me that it is blue). I think she is right. I call this 'The Wisdom of Last Minutes' because I literally didn't start on this until about 8pm yesterday and I am quite delighted with the way it turned out, despite all the curse words I lobbed at those blue and white beads and that cord.

[Forest Sentry]

Of course as soon as I crimped the last crimp, I looked down on the table and saw that I hadn't even touched the strand of dark amber colored shell disks. Doh! I had a wee little polymer clay owl pendant from Heather Powers at Humblebeads lying there (a Humblebead is always lying close by ;-) and since the other piece has an owl-y flair I thought that I would whip up a little memory wire bracelet with this charm. It looks like this wise fellow is watching over the forest like a sentry and keeping an eye on things. A few more curse words were flung at the pearls with their wonky holes that made my memory wire lose its focus. But I pushed on.

[Safari Stars]

And of course, today is my day over at Earrings Everyday and I didn't have anything prepared. So I created these earrings with some of the leftovers. A few more naughty words were hurled at the non-waxed cotton cord. But I triumphed!

And so to celebrate the fact that I got to bed before 1am and was so prolific with the things that I managed to create, I would like to giveaway this wee blingy owl pendant to someone who leaves a comment answering the following question:

Do you work better at the last minute or
are you the sort that gets it done right away?

Do tell!

No, seriously.
Because I have a sickness that makes me wait until the very last minute
and I would like to know how to break myself of that bad habit. ;-)

[And be sure that I have a way to contact you either in your comment or in your profile
because you can't win if I can't find you!]

Bead Fest Pity Party: The Winners

Thanks to all who played along with us this weekend for the Bead Fest Pity Party! I had a lot of fun busting my stash, taking an inspiration adventure and treating myself to a class of one. I hope that these activities will inspire you to do the same!

I promised a winner each day. So without further ado, here they are, chosen at random:

Friday - $20 gift certificate goes to Tracy Kruse

Saturday - $20 gift certificate goes to Pine Ridge Treasures

Sunday - my new Tamayo pendant goes to Kym Hunter Designs

Congratulations! I will be emailing the winners with the details shortly.

The code PITYPARTY13 will still work in my Etsy shop through today, Monday, August 26th. After that I have a HUGE tray of pendants in progress for all the orders (thank you! thank you!) ready to be created so I can get them shipped out ASAP!

Bead Fest Pity Party - Class of One

I have stacks and stacks of books. I can't stop myself from buying them!

A more recent acquisition is the book Polymer Clay Global Perspectives by Cynthia Tinapple. Cynthia Tinapple is the found of the popular blog Polymer Clay Daily where she curates incredible finds from artists across the globe. I have devoured her book from cover to cover. I was expecting a huge eye candy laden tome of remarkable pieces from artists the world over. What I found is all that and more. I was so delighted to find very in depth interviews with renowned polymer clay artists like Tejae Floyde, Fabiola Perez Ajates, Genevieve Williamson and Rebecca Watkins. One particular profile I took great notice in: Christine Damm. I am uber excited that I will finally get to meet Miss Christine at the ArtBliss workshops coming up at the end of next month. I love her approach and I can't wait to learn from someone I consider a Master teacher!

I stumbled on this whole polymer clay adventure I call the Great Experiment a few years ago and every single thing I have learned has been self taught. Really you cannot screw up with polymer clay. It is very forgiving and open to possibilities. It can mimic other more precious materials, like gemstones and metal, but it can also be a humble supporting cast member as well. For me, polymer clay is a canvas that I can transform with inks, stains, paint and impressions. There is so much that I don't know. And the more I play with it the more hungry I become to push the limits of what it can do.

I am incredibly honored that Miss Cynthia included some of my rather rudimentary offerings in her book. She found me somehow a few years ago and approached me to create some jewelry with her polymer clay beads for her trip to Nepal to teach women there how to make the beads and see what they could become. Knowing that something I made was carried halfway around the world to be an inspiration for other women is so awesome. You just never know how you will touch someone's life, including those you may never meet in person!

{This necklace featuring Cynthia Tinapple's pumpkin shisha beads is in the book!}

Miss Cynthia's beads are so amazing, don't you think? I still have a few in my stash that I really should use to make something. The colors, the painstaking details, they make my head spin. Since I only use pearl clay for the most part and I have my own ways of adding color and patina. But I really want to see how to use the wide array of colors to take what I do to the next level.

I traveled to Michigan in May to work with Heather Powers on how to make canes and I loved that. It was my first time with colored clay and mixing shades and building the intricate details. But I am lazy and lack the patience and foresight needed for creating such layered pictures like Heather does. Now that I am home and lost my directions, I can't remember how we did it, but I love the result! I guess I will leave that sort of cane to the experts. However, one thing we did while there is take little bits of scrap and built an abstract cane that I really loved. I wanted to recreate that experience.

So I did a little searching and came to find out that this is called the Stroppel Cane (link takes you to the YouTube video) named for Alice Stroppel who developed this technique and shared it with the world about two years ago. This prompted almost immediate worldwide attention as people took the idea and morphed it to suit their styles, tastes and palettes.Really cool how the internet brings knowledge to everyone so instantly and helps to further art everywhere!

I decided that I would use this technique to represent the painting for the Art Bead Scene for August called Tres Personajes by Rufino Tamayo.

Since I don't play with clay the way the Alice Stroppel does resulting in leftovers, I made some mini canes and just some little pieces in the colors of the painting and embedded them in the layers of thin black clay. I sliced the thin canes to reveal the almost sedimentary striations of color matching those I saw in the painting and made them into my stick pendants.

{Tres Personajes stick pendants}

Each one is just a bit different. And I see great potential in this technique for those times when only color will do, but I will find a way to include my messages with this, just you wait. These Tres Personajes sticks are available in my Etsy shop. And today, instead of a gift certificate, I would like to giveaway one of these new pendants. It won't reach you to make something for the Art Bead Scene blog hop that I curate on Friday, August 30th, but I bet it will get your juices flowing!

To win, answer the following question {and be sure that I have an email to contact you if you win!}:

Add a link to an online tutorial or a book for any creative endeavor that you have tried or would like to try.

Don't forget that I am having a Bead Fest Pity Party in my Etsy shop through Monday, August 26th. Use the code PITYPARTY13 for 15% off your total of $20 or more.

Bead Fest Pity Party - Inspiration Adventure

Today our goal is to get out of the house and go on an adventure!

When I am at home I spend a lot of time in my basement studio with only a tiny window up high to see the light of day. And while I was in the studio as of 8am this morning, I will be taking a break and getting outside and on with life. I have to sing at a wedding later today, but after that it is my goal to investigate a little section of the Green Circle Trail in my hometown, something I am hoping to base my piece of jewelry on for my Challenge of Travel reveal next Saturday, August 31st. The theme for the Challenge this year is to go on a staycation in your own hometown and celebrate what makes it a wonderful place to live.

So today I would like to share something special about my hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. We have a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) in our community. This university has a very respected College of Natural Resources. They are also known for their outstanding art, theater, dance and music programs.

On the campus, there is an incredible mural along the wall of the College of Natural Resources. This mural was created in 1975 led ceramics professor named Richard Schneider and is a huge mosaic that is pretty cutting edge even today.

"With computer technology donated by Control Data Corporation, the design was divided into 286,200 tiny squares, each of which was analyzed for light/dark values on a 28-step scale. Professor Schneider then created designs from the different Natural Resources disciplines which coincided with the requirements of the light/dark scale. The computer generated forty photographic negative printouts which were enlarged and assembled into a 6 by 18 foot composite of the mural and in which each tiny square appeared as a ¼ inch square of the appropriate symbol for that value. This assemblage was divided into 646 panels, mostly 3 by 4 feet, designed to coincide with existing joints on the building itself."

It really is quite an incredible sight, but one that I take for granted. So when I was on the campus recently for my daughter to participate in the Point Tap Festival, a three day tap dance intensive with instructors and dancers coming in from across the country, I thought I would take a few shots.(That in itself is an amazing testament to the quality of the dance education on campus).

UWSP Mural on the College of Natural Resources building

But also nearby was a newer art installation that I came to find out was put up earlier this year with a visiting art professor. It is called 'Garden of Curiosities.' This set of structures looks a little like a bunch of huts that almost have a human shape with heads and bodies. Upon closer inspection it is clear that they have doors and windows. It was created with branches that were harvested in an environmentally sensitive way and invites the viewer to participate in the experience by walking through and inside each of them.

As I approached it closer, I could hear the twittering of dozens of birds and could see them swooping and circling the structures. It looked like they were having a blast! This art installation is not only a beautiful sight, but is like a bird's playland! I felt as if I were a tiny baby bird surrounded by my home nest. It made me wish I had wings!

Garden of Curiosities art exhibit at UWSP

Yesterday I was working with some of my cardinal themed pieces for the upcoming Pacelli Panacea silent auction. I made a necklace and earring set as well as a bracelet. Since they are birds, it seems right to share that here in keeping with the art that I viewed on campus.

I used a cardinal in a birch tree pendant from Heather Powers at Humblebeads paired with a strand of czech glass beads, red coral rounds and some mother of pearl chips. I had a strand of these little silver leaves from I don't know where and they seemed like the perfect accompaniment to this Cardinal spotted in the trees.

I also made a bracelet with a ceramic button that I picked up from Lisa Peters Art at the Bead & Button Show. The focal is totally awesome. I have a lot of luck with Lisa's pieces of art in that things I make with them usually sing beautifully. This bracelet, however, strikes a sour note.

Ugh.

I worked really hard on this design. I love the cardinal from Lisa and I liked the new Rizo rice-shaped beads. However, when I woke up this morning, I decided that it looked ridiculous. I would not bid on that in an auction. The scale was all off and the button just flopped around too much. So I ripped it apart and came up with a better idea that fit the scale and feel of the rustic ceramic cardinal head button. I love it so much that I am sharing it as a tutorial for you! I think the steps speak for themselves.

I don't know if Miss Lisa is making any more of these, and each one that I saw from her was different, sculpted by hand, so this might very well be a one-of-a-kind. I might just need to bid on my own item in the silent auction I like it so much! ;-)

Cardinal ID - bracelet

In keeping with today's theme of "Inspiration Adventure," answer this question for a chance to win a $20 credit in my Etsy shop (please, PLEASE, turn on your email in your profile, or leave your email in the comments. If I can't reply to your comment, you can't win! Thanks!):

What hidden gem have you discovered in your hometown OR

what treasure in your town is waiting to be discovered by you?

Now... go out there and discover it! And if you are interested in joining me in the Challenge of Travel blog hop, I would still take you! You can sign up for the hop through Sunday. And then on Monday, I will be sending the reminder email.

Bead Fest Pity Party - Bust Your Stash

Okay. So I clearly have a hoarding problem. My addiction comes in small-ish packages. And I have a lot of them.

On my teetering-tottering table there is barely any room for me to create. I have these black trays with the flocked inserts and my theory was that if I left the beads in them, especially if grouped by color, or a possible project, that I would actually use them. Bah! That hasn't happened. Some of this is from the past two years at Bead & Button as well as the Best Bead Show in Madison and some are just things that I have ordered. Shameful! This is just three of at least 8 trays, not to mention the plastic bins on the floor and the 21 drawer printer's cabinet {4 of them with art beads only}with goodies galore. {And no, I am not showing you that hot mess!} I think I could open a bead shop in my basement!

This little bowl is a pretty teal footed glass dish that houses about 1/2 of my Humblebeads stash. It was not fitting in the 1/4 of a printer's drawer that I had allocated to her beads, so I bought this pretty dish to keep them within arm's reach at all times. How is that working out for me? Obviously, not that well, since I don't make anything with no time. But a girl can dream!

I have always said that if I had to limit myself to one art bead artist, it would be Heather. It is a wonderful thing that her beads and my pendants look so good together. We have similar taste in colors and themes. I am doubly blessed that Heather and I share a birthday (August 11th) and have become the very best of friends. I have been in Heather's Bead of the Month Club, Disk Bead Set of the Month and I just cannot resist her beads! Now that I work in polymer clay of my own, and I even had the good fortune of learning some of her secrets, I appreciate so much more of the process that she uses. I could never do anything like what she does. Her beads are so very valuable to me but also very hard workers in my designs!

I am working on some donation jewelry for the Pacelli Panacea silent auction. This event is a huge three day fundraiser for our Catholic School system with a carnival, food vendors, beer tent, bingo, farmer's market, cherry tree, mini raffles and large cash raffles plus a chance to win a new car. This year it is a Jeep Wrangler. And it is always red for our school colors. {Anyone need some raffle tickets? I have a ton to sell and about 2 weeks to do it!. The event is the first weekend in September each year and it is a huge undertaking, and our whole family will be volunteering and enjoying the last bit of summer all weekend. I will be sharing more about this on Pop-a-Dot Jewelry as I just found out that I am approved to sell my new magnetic jewelry line there as a special part of the fundraising efforts! Yippee!

So since our mascot is the Cardinal, I wanted to create some cardinal themed jewelry. I bought these little winter cardinal charms as well as a large cardinal head from Heather at Bead & Button. I made this long necklace I call 'Cardinal Nation' with a matching pair of earrings from the cardinal head. I will be making a few more with the tiny cardinal in the birch tree charms today to use up some more of my Humblebeads (and others) stash for more donations!

The challenge to you is to find a bead treasure you have been hoarding and make something with it, or hold a giveaway so someone else can make something special. 

Remember that I am doing a special Bead Fest Pity Party discount in my Etsy shop {and Heather is doing on in hers - and our beads go together like peas and carrots!}. Use code PITYPARTY13 in any store hosting a sale for the discount. My offer to you is 15% off an order of $20 or more.

Now for the giveaway... to win a $20 credit in my Etsy shop, just answer the following question {and be sure to have an email so I can get in touch if you win!} Winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, August 26th.

What is your most coveted art bead?

OR

Who is your can't-live-without-them favorite bead artist?

Bead Fest Pity Party

Lots of my beady buddies are off to Philadelphia for the annual Bead Fest this weekend. It sounds like such a rollicking good time with fabulous opportunities to add to your bead stash and meet online friends. I wish I weren't like 10 states away!

My friend Heather Powers of Humblebeads organizes a Bead Fest Pity Party each year to help those of us who are watching from afar cope. Here is a line up of the self-directed weekend events:

All weekend - Sale & Giveaways.  I've joined up with some of my beadmaking friends to offer discounts for the weekend and I will be hosting a giveaway each day for gift certificates to my website.

Friday - Bust your Stash.   On Friday we are going to go into our bead stashes and pull out something that hasn't seen the light of day for a while. If you'd been to a big bead show, I challenge you to find something from a past bead show purchase.  You can share a photo and story about it.  Create something with it or give it away on your blog or Facebook page.

Saturday - Inspiration Adventure.   Get out of the house and find something to inspire you.  You can go to a farmer's market, craft show, festival, museum, gallery, bead store, antique store, walk in the park - whatever you can fit into your weekend that will inspire you. I have to sing at a wedding, but later I plan to go for a walk on the Green Circle Trail in Stevens Point as part of my 'staycation' exploration for the Challenge of Travel coming up - yikes! - on August 31st!  Share photos from your adventure... or make something! {And it is not too late to join the Challenge of Travel!}

Sunday - Class of One.   Pull out a jewelry book and try one of the projects in the book. Go through a few books and pick a project.  How often do we really do that?  For me the answer is hardly ever!  I need to go through my book stash and found a new project!  Share your results with us.  We'll also share links of our favorite online tutorials. 
 

You can play along on your blog or on the Creative Bead Chat facebook group. Get busy gathering materials and make plans for the weekend. 

That should keep us busy and our minds off Philly!  Who is going to join us?  I'm looking forward to having some fun and being inspired together.

Start now...Get the discount! I don't run sales that often, but this is an exception. Use the code PITYPARTY13 for 15% off your order of $20 or more in my Etsy shop through Monday, August 26th. 

All weekend - Sale & Giveaways.  I've joined up with some of my beadmaking friends to offer discounts for the weekend and I will be hosting a giveaway each day for gift certificates to my website.

Friday - Bust your Stash.  On Friday we going to go into our bead stashes and pull out something that hasn't seen the light of day for a while. If you'd been to a big bead show, I challenge you to find something from a past bead show purchase.  You can share a photo and story about it.  Create something with it or give it away on your blog or Facebook page.

Saturday - Inspiration Adventure.  Get out of the house and find something to inspire you.  You can go to a farmer's market, craft show, festival, museum, gallery, bead store, antique store, walk in the park - whatever you can fit into your weekend that will inspire you.  I'm planning to attend an antique market that is not too far away.  Share photos from your adventure.

Sunday - Class of One.  Pull out a jewelry book and try one of the projects in the book. Go through a few books and pick a project.  How often do we really do that?  For me the answer is hardly ever!  I need to go through my book stash and found a new project!  Share your results with us.  We'll also share links of our favorite online tutorials.

That should keep us busy and our minds off Philly!  Who is going to join me?  I'm looking forward to having some fun and being inspired together. - See more at: http://www.humblebeads.com/blog#sthash.BJtY5a1B.dpuf

All weekend - Sale & Giveaways.  I've joined up with some of my beadmaking friends to offer discounts for the weekend and I will be hosting a giveaway each day for gift certificates to my website.

Friday - Bust your Stash.  On Friday we going to go into our bead stashes and pull out something that hasn't seen the light of day for a while. If you'd been to a big bead show, I challenge you to find something from a past bead show purchase.  You can share a photo and story about it.  Create something with it or give it away on your blog or Facebook page.

Saturday - Inspiration Adventure.  Get out of the house and find something to inspire you.  You can go to a farmer's market, craft show, festival, museum, gallery, bead store, antique store, walk in the park - whatever you can fit into your weekend that will inspire you.  I'm planning to attend an antique market that is not too far away.  Share photos from your adventure.

Sunday - Class of One.  Pull out a jewelry book and try one of the projects in the book. Go through a few books and pick a project.  How often do we really do that?  For me the answer is hardly ever!  I need to go through my book stash and found a new project!  Share your results with us.  We'll also share links of our favorite online tutorials.

That should keep us busy and our minds off Philly!  Who is going to join me?  I'm looking forward to having some fun and being inspired together. - See more at: http://www.humblebeads.com/blog#sthash.BJtY5a1B.dpuf