Bead and Button Show here I come........

Ceramic Butterfly Charms

Well it is that time of year again.. The Bead and Button show is now taking place in Milwaukee and I will be arriving there on Tuesday to begin set up for the Bead Show which begins on Thursday evening til' Sunday.  For those of you going to the show for the first time, I am booth 1213 Lisa Peters ART which is the far right wall once you enter the exhibit hall. 

My beads are finally packed in their jewelry cases, which was the first time I could exhale in many, many weeks of manic-bead-creating and now the very arduous task of packing the car I leave to Hank.  I hate that part so I am glad he does it for me.  Mom and I leave Tuesday morning at 6am (we hope) and we  driving straight through, all 14-16 hours of it, so wish us luck.  If you need me you can shoot me an email which I will check on Wednesday morning after I leave or feel free to send me an email to my phone if you would like to get together or if you can't find my booth at the show. Either way I would love to hear from you!

There is a cute article here on Surviving the show that I just found while searching the floor plan...

So what did I make?  Well, If you are a Fan on My Facebook Page you can find a Preview Album here: Bead and Button Preview Album or in an album I have posted on my Flickr account.  (Same photo's both albums)  here are just a few pics..

Assorted Stoneware Components

 

 

 

Ceramic Owl Pendants

Assorted Stoneware Cabochons

Raku Jumbo Cabochons

SHOPPERS GOING TO THE SHOW: For those of you who have been shopping with me at the show you know by now the one problem that I have is overloaded bead trays.  It is the only thing that I have tried to change but for some reason, whatever the reason be it psychological, geographical, logistical or a combination of all of those things.. it is - what it is.  Have patience...  Cabochons will be on one side of my table and beads & buttons on the other.  I will have many trays behind the booth (mostly cabochons) if you are a "Cabby" you know where the "Cabby Chair is" have a seat and you can look through all of those trays.   If you need something in particular.. ASK ME., if you want to know if I have more of what you just found.. ASK ME.   I am taking credit cards, checks and preferably cash.  I am open to billing via Pay Pal if you are an established customer and would also prefer that to credit cards.   Atthe bottom of this blog post is a coupon for you to print out and bring to the show to use towards your purchase.  Please add your name and email on the back for my mailing list if you would like to.

NOT ATTENDING B&B:  I hope one day you can make the show but completely understand how difficult it is to go.  Lets face it - its an expensive trip if you are not local and there is just so much to buy it can be very overwhelming.  I am offering for those of you who cannot make the trip a coupon code for my Etsy Store which will be in effect from June 7th-14th, 2011.  The Coupon Code is: BeadButton and can be used as many times as you would like during those days for 20% your total order! (this cannot be combined with any other discount code) In July I will start packing the D*Stash store with lots of goodies..stay tuned for that announcement on my facebook wall.

I look forward to seeing my beady friends from all around the world!!  Lets have a great show and a fabulous time!  For those of you who cannot make the show this year -- you are in my thoughts and you will certainly be missed...

as always I wish you happy creating......

see ya soon

ARTISTS: You are so talented, so different - its cool to be among you

I believe this morning I took my first deep breath after the shock that is Bead and Button (show).  The first few days after coming home you are still in the "zone" and then after a few personal appt's and telephone calls to non beady friends and family you begin to realize where you are.  HOME.   I slept late, I made a good breakfast, not an I-dont-have-any-time-or-counter-space-left-breakfast...because I am getting ready for a show.  We sat down together, at a table, civilized, though unkempt and talked.  I actually heard what Hank was saying instead of watching his lips move and thinking... "did I pack my rectangle cabochons in the jewelry case or is it in the shoe box of extra's?"  I drank all of my coffee.   We discussed some new product I picked up at the show and then sat down and used it for a bit and made some funky new molds for bead making... because we wanted to not because we had to..   Hank and I have a special project that we will announce when the time is right.. (no, Im not pregnant :( ) so we are doing our best to prepare for that.   Yesterday it was decided that I would be having minimal surgery on my cervical spine so that this awful problem that has been with me since last August can be put to rest (for a little while).    It is not a cure, but it is what I need for now and I am 100% satisfied with the Dr and the procedure and so is Hank.  You will have to do without me for about 6 weeks (awww, can ya handle it?  Please say no! :) but after-wards I believe I will be happy physically once again.   I have a "diet" that I do when I am about to have surgery (I hate the word diet., but it is a diet of sorts) so that my levels are in check and the process of recovery is easier, for me.  So I started that this morning.. hmm, its been 45 minutes and I'm doing ok..so far-so good! LOL  I will keep you posted on events as they unfold.

This morning I was looking through my contacts on Flickr.  My Goodness, sometimes I just can't believe the talent I see from all the creative people out there.  It was not like this years ago, it just wasn't.  Though the internet has brought us all together, I still believe the products and inspiration were not getting to alot of people who are using their creative energies now, in the most fabulous way!   There is alot of product on the market yet I find myself still very interested in those works that are simple and done with found objects and media-though I must have those products (just in case)

I am a poser of sorts lately.  I have a studio filled from floor to ceiling of hoarded medium.  Seriously, you have no idea.  I know alot of people say that.. but seriously, you have no idea what the heck I have.. Hank and I always joke and say "Wow, look at this place.. our kid would have had some Harvard education..." LOL (insert any expensive college of your choice in place of Harvard)  So, Anyway, I am a poser... because I don't use it, I only use ceramic lately..  So I would like to make a loose-goal of incorporating more mixed media works into my schedule this year (was that my goal last year??) and I really do hope that happens.  I miss it.

So, that's what I have to say this morning.  This blog post was inspired by my husband Hank who I found fabricating a skull & chain link "bumper" for his new pimped out golf cart by the sound of electric current kicking on and off and the glow of a MIG welder coming under the door in his work shop.   This is ART.

   Art is everywhere.. Mom's who are making the perfect Barbie Cake for their daughters birthday party - you are creating ART, Men and Women who are in their garages sanding the fender of their custom motorcycle - you are creating ART..  I hope the image of ARTIST is changing for people who when they HEAR the word do not just, SEE an image of an old Frenchman dabbing oil onto a canvas with shaky hand and baguette crumbs in his beard.   Its you too.

With much love on this beautiful day,
I leave you with..... The Hankster..

Creative Jewelry is Right!

Creative Jewelry 2009 featured alot of great designs by alot of wonderful designers! It was alot of fun to play the "I know who made that bead" without peeking at the answers game while looking through the pages.. Do you do that too?

I had recieved a few emails regarding a stoneware piece I created that Jane Dickerson purchased from me a year ago. It was the only one I had ever made of this particular piece (gee, how unlike me) and I was really excited to see how it came out.. I had to rush out an get a copy of the mag and am really pleased with the results! The Stoneware Crescent shape was hard to make, Jane did a fantastic job on Rich Earth, I really love this and the piece that was shown on the opposite page entitled Sleepy Trees was really cool too!

For the customers who did request via email the Crescent Shape Pendant, thank you so much and I should have a handful of them created by this October (cross fingers please!). To my blog followers if you would like a piece like the crescent shown in the magazine please let me know in advance or I will show my progress on Flickr.com & the regular venues!

I am back from the Lake Ontario, picking vegetables from the garden and making lots of soup! When the laundry is done and the Lake Gear all put away I'm getting that clay bag out! I found lots of good textures waiting for me at some garage sales over the weekend and they are just itching to be pushed into some new buttons & beads!


Til Next time!

This is going to be a great week - I can feel it!

This is going to be a great week! I feel very part of the bead world in every sense!

It started out last week with the wonderful article in Interweave Press' BeadWork Magazine, Lisa Peters BEADMAKER! I have received some wonderful emails from friends and customers regarding the article. I thanked her in my previous blog post, but I want to thank her again -- Thanks Marlene Blessing from Interweave for using me as your Featured BeadMaker in the BeadWork Feb 09' Issue!

This morning I see that "Amazing Grace" is offering 2 items, made with my stoneware shank buttons (lips and flower) for the One World One Heart Blog Event! Check out this wonderful post on Grace Danels, Grace Beadings Blog and then check out One World One Heart Event on their blog as well! (photos: stolen from Grace Beading)

The gals over at Bead Art Originals are doing it again, with their Bead Art Originals Item of the Week! This week I am offering a set of 3 stoneware connector beads, 2 called ugly beads and one rose shaped bead in Fire Opal Pink! Check out the great specials offered by our other members at the Bead Art Originals Blog!

And lastly, wow..I had been worried that this last clay session was not going to click.. but it has -- I am making some really great pieces. And for you Beadweavers out there! Wow..if you like big, I have some awesome BIG Cabs for you to bead around. Please sign up for my mailing list (via my website) or feel free to send me a message or comment to this post and I will add you to the mailing list. Tell me if you are looking for anything in particular so I can always notify you of anything new I have create!

I will be out of town Tuesday and Wednesday (sigh, we sold our beach house at the Jersey Shore..) Bye-Bye Belmar! but will be back on Thursday and ready to fire up some of the great pieces I created last week!

Til then, Happy Creating! Wishing u a fantastic Monday!

HOME SWEET HOME - At least for this week.

Home Sweet Home. I am finally back for more than one day. I arrived home late last night to find some really large beefsteak tomatoes in the garden and 2 of the largest squash I have ever seen waiting for me, which is a good thing because I believe I ate more than I ever have whilst enjoying the last of the summer on the lake. It is so sad saying good-bye to Pt. Penninsula, NY even though I dont go that often (thank you gas prices) it is sad to drive away and see the place all quiet and ready for winter..and what a winter it is there..I have been once and never again. NO THANK YOU! I also arrived home to find out my debit card had been compromised and the little thieves cleaned out my checking account. Sigh :( Its all fun and games until the money is gone! LOL. Hopefully the matter will clear up ASAP... until then can you tell the nice people at American Express the check is NOT in the mail? and the electric co, gas co, water co, phone co, etc., etc., etc.... hey, I didn't have any money to pay them anyway..who am I kidding?

I did arrive home to some really nice messages & photographs from my customers of work they have created with my pieces - I hope in the next few days I can blog about each person and show you their work.

One in particular I would like to showcase today is MaryLou Holvenstot from time2cre8.com. MaryLou creates intricately detailed and whimsical pen and ink drawings. She also designs and creates beadwoven jewelry and art pieces, some of which have been featured in Step by Step Beads. One of her newest creations includes a RAKU Shank Button she purchased from me recently. I love the way the ndebele rope was created. I think the twists and turns really add depth to the piece and I believe Mary Lou Matched the color of the RAKU (Not an easy task) really beautifully and brightened it up using the lighter shades of beads. You can view/purchase this piece by visiting Mary Lou's Etsy Shop . Thank you Mary Lou for turning my shank button into such a wonderful pendant! It is a great example of how versatile a button can be..turn it into a cab! It is so wonderful when I see my pieces in action., I truly admire all the bead artists, especially those members of Bead Art Originals who create such wonderful pieces. Where would we (artisan bead makers) be without you? (Photo: Turquoise with a Twist c. Mary Lou Holvenstot)

Til Next Time,
I will be doing vacation laundry...

lisa peters ART - Special Item of the Week!

Hi Everyone,

I am having a special sale on etsy for my SUNSHINE LOVE Bracelet, which includes 9 handmade stoneware hearts glazed using a variety of Yellow Glazes and Textures. The bracelet is not BRIGHT Yellow like Majolica Colors it is very subdued, very mustardy. If you mention that you read about my bracelet here on my blog, or on the BAO Blog or Web Site (Bead Art Originals ) in the notes to seller you get an adorable little yellow heart ring for FREE. The Ring is Rhodium and adjusts to any size finger - at $13.50 Value.

I can also make this bracelet for you in 4 other colors - pink, blue, cream & green & brown. All in a very subdued pallette on dark stoneware clay.

Thanks for stopping by today

Happy Creating!

Lisa

Beautiful August Days!

I cannot believe how gorgeous it has been outside lately, aside from the horrible thunderstorms which, in my opinion are really beautiful and create the most gorgeous, polarized light against all the herbs in my garden and the water droplets look like diamonds glistening off the leaves-something that would have encouraged me years ago to break out my large format camera and shoot for hours and hours. It saddens me that I do not do that anymore, I miss it sometimes. My bird feeder has been taken over by Doves and the little guys dont stand a chance at the feeders unless we go outside and shoo the doves away to give them a break., which we do very often. Each day I go for a long bike ride to get the blood flowing and exercise a little which I really need. It has made a big difference in my health, which took a back seat last year and my energy level is now natural and not adrenaline produced which is my usual mode of operation. I have been taking some of my inventory outside to photograph and little by little have been putting items on etsy and flickr.

I never used to create beads and now I just love doing it. Pendants were my thing until I got the idea for the exhibit using beads and I really became interested in them. There are a lot of beads in my inventory that need to be shown --- soon., I promise.

So check out my flickr site and as usual if you see something you like.. put a sticky note on it and its yours!

Til then,

Time To Get Back To Work (Before my Next Vacation)

Ok. I know I have been very "lazy" lately as far as being "Clay-Productive" but I have not been spending my time watching TV.. I Promise. After Bead & Burnout, I knew I wanted to take some time and experience some real life outside my studio and I have been doing that. I have been reading and trying to learn new techniques & I have been spending more time in Museums and Gardens and other places of interesting-ness. I am well rested and also getting some fresh air into my lungs and blood moving through my body - one thing I was really lacking a few months back. Hopefully this will make for some wonderful new pieces.

I created so much inventory for B & B that I could not show everything., which is okay because all of my designs style were pretty well represented. I had anticipated that I would put some of the pieces that I did not put out at B & B right away on Etsy..but as described earlier, life outside the studio took over.

Porcelain Slip Cast Beads and Pendants. I wanted to see how my glaze techniques looked on a really blank canvas, without texture, without a design to play upon. I really love seeing how certain glazes love to run all over eachother and others stay well defined. There is no rhyme or reason as to why I choose certain colors that just happens every time I pick up the glaze brush I just go to what I feel at that moment.

I have some photographs of items that are available on my flickr.com site - u can just add a sticky note if there is something you would like to know the price on or would like to purchase. Some of the photo's have a SOLD sticky note on them from recent purchases. I have also put some items on Etsy and will be putting more on as the day/week continues.

Enjoy,

email me - would love to hear from you