Bloom 9 at the Coast Collective

The Coast Collective is welcoming in spring with its 9th annual Bloom show!  The opening is Saturday April 1 from 1:00-3:00pm, and the show runs Wednesday to Sunday until April 16th.

The beautiful photography art on the poster is by the amazing Penny Pitcher, who has three other pieces in the show as well, so if you like what you see, you should definitely come check it out!

I have a Forget-me-not Fringe necklace in the show for a bit of springtime vintage charm:

Hope to see you there!

Red at the Coast Collective

Hello everyone!  I am pleased to announce that I will have four pieces in this year's Red show at the Coast Collective!  They even chose a picture of my earrings for the show's poster, which is absolutely thrilling!

The show runs until February 26 during the Coast Collective's regular Wed-Sun operating hours and features work by a large number of artists in a whole variety of mediums.  It's a great place to buy unique locally handcrafted gifts for your sweethearts for Valentine's Day.  Or to pick up something for yourself if, like me, red is one of your favourite colours.

I have four pieces in the show, which they've displayed beautifully.  I'll be posting pictures from the opening on my instagram (@whisperedreams) if you want to check those out, but for now, here are the pictures of my pieces which I submitted for jurying purposes.

First, the earrings as seen in the poster:

They're made with tarnish-resistant brass wire and cherry-red miracle beads.

Next up is another pair of earrings.  I'm really excited about these because they're the first finished piece I've made with a new tool, a jig.  It lets me make a greater variety of wire forms than I could with just pliers and pens or dowels.  They're a flirtatious and romantic pair of chandelier earrings:

They're made from tarnish-resistant brass wire, glass bead drops, and Swarovski crystal bicones.  I look forward to making all sorts of snazzy things on my new jig in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

I also included a necklace and bracelet of the beaded pearl variety, in my hematite-black seed bead and burgundy glass pearl colour scheme:

The bracelet for the show is actually a little different than the one pictured here, because I decided to make one with a heart-shaped clasp.  With the hearts, I call this design Dark Romance.

I hope you can make it out to the show to see my pieces in person, as they really are lit beautifully.  The rest of the show is gorgeous as well, with a whole variety of mediums represented.

Next post should feature a bunch of bright colours as I get ready for spring.  I already have some beautiful violet miracle bead freeform coil earrings I need to photograph in some nice sunshine, and hopefully I'll manage to put together some items in a floral theme.  Follow me on instagram for more frequent updates!

One Day to go for 10/10/10!

There's only one item left to be revealed in my 10 items over 10 days with a shop wide 10% off celebratory launch event over at my Etsy shop (coupon code WEBB10).  The event is to celebrate the launch of my new website at www.whisperedreams.com, so if you haven't checked it out yet, please do!

So here's a quick summary of the pieces I've posted since my last blog entry.  All the prices I list are in Canadian dollars and before the 10% discount.

The first are a pair of candy cane coil earrings which can be worn seasonally or year round as a subtle way of showing off your holiday spirit ($20):

The next is the honey-golden and earthy seed bead and caramel glass pearl sweetheart bracelet with a heart-shaped clasp ($20):

The following day I posted a sleek and simple sea glass design in non-tarnish silver-plated copper wire ($20):

Day 7's piece was a flirty and feminine sweetheart beaded pearl bracelet in pink seed beads and white glass pearls with a heart-shaped clasp ($20):

I posted a lovely gold seed bead and white glass pearl necklace with a filigree clasp on Day 8 ($39):

And today I posted a matching sweetheart bracelet in gold seed beads and white glass pearls with a heart-shaped clasp ($20):

So please check in at my Etsy shop tomorrow for the 10th and final item of this celebration event, and if you want your orders to arrive in time for Christmas, remember to order soon!

(I don't know about you, but I'm feeling the holiday spirit.  I got a cute little snowman decoration at a local craft fair, and he offered to model my candy cane coil earrings for you!)

(I think he looks rather good in them!)

I'd also like to remind everyone that Thursday, December 1st, I will be at the Coast Collective for my shift at their annual Gifts and Wishes show and sale.  The sale started November 23 and runs until December 23 and showcases a lot of beautiful art by local Vancouver Island artists.

I'll be there (probably shopping, haha) so you should stop by to say hello and to ask any questions you might have about my jewellery or my process or anything else that may interest you.

Gifts and Wishes 2016 and new pieces in Etsy

Gifts and Wishes 2016 has begun at the Coast Collective's beautiful new purpose-built location on Wale Rd!  The show runs from November 23 to December 23 during the Coast Collective's regular hours (Wed-Sun, 11-5) and features work by many Vancouver Island artists.

I will be there on December 1 from 11-5 if you want to stop by and talk to me about my art.

The Coast Collective is also running a promotion on their Facebook, so be sure to check that out before heading over.  Sounds like you could win a free art print!

Speaking of promotions, my 10 items over 10 days with a shop wide 10% off (coupon code WEBB10) is in full swing at my Etsy shop!

The pieces for days 2 and 3 can be worn as a set.  It's a harlequin style beaded glass pearl necklace and bracelet with heart clasps, making it a great gift to show your loved ones some warm fuzzies!

The necklace is $39 (-10% with WEBB10) and the bracelet is #20 (-10% with WEBB10), and if you buy more than one piece at a time, you'll save on shipping. 

Be sure to place your orders soon if you want them to arrive in time for Christmas!

Gifts for Myself and Others 2016

I am pleased to announce that I will once more have items in the gallery shoppe of the beautiful Gifts for Myself and Others show put on by the Island Artisans Association at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre on November 19 and 20.

This wonderful juried show has been running for 28 years and features exquisite handcrafted and upcycled works by local artisans.  I am thrilled to be included once more.

So please shop local this holiday season and pick up some unique handcrafted gifts for your loved ones, and maybe something special for yourself as well!

Small Treasures 2016

Hello Everyone!  I'm excited to tell you that one of my necklaces was accepted into the Small Treasures show at the Coast Collective.  The opening reception is tonight, November 4th, from 7-9pm, and I will be in attendance.  If you cannot make it tonight though, the show runs until November 20th.

The piece I have in the show is my lovely sea glass pendant on a braided beaded chain:

As stated in a previous post, this piece features a silver-plated copper wire wrapped piece of Vancouver Island sea glass with a large starfish charm hanging on a braided, four-strand chain of seed beads and freshwater pearls.

It closes with a lobster claw clasp paired with an extender chain to make the length adjustable to suit various necklines.  I'll be selling it at the show for $99.

Small treasures is, in the words of the Coast Collective, a "Gallery exhibition of smaller works of fine art perfect for gifting."  The opening reception is tonight from 7-9pm at the Coast Collective's Wale Road location.

The Small Treasures show runs from November 2 until November 20th during the Coast Collective's normal operating hours.  While I only have the one piece in the show, I have recently restocked my gift shop inventory at the same location, so you can look for me there as well.

I hope you can make it out and enjoy all of the beautiful artwork on display!

Good Gracious Gifts in Vernon

I should have posted about this much sooner, but this time of the year is crazy for craftspeople, so I did not.  Sorry, devoted Vernon readers! (Hi Mom!)

I am very pleased to announce that since October I have pieces for sale at Good Gracious Gifts in downtown Vernon.  Assuming they haven't all sold already.  But you should all go check it out anyway, because it is an absolutely beautiful store.

Without further ado, here is the collection I dropped off at Good Gracious:

Remember that you can click to enlarge.  That being said, fear not, there are closeups of each section.

First up a shot of the various glass pearl and seed bead necklaces and bracelets:

It's a collection of my best-loved colours from the cool tones of silver and white, dove and iris, and classic harlequin to the warmer tones of cream and dark gold, and brown and caramel.  There's also the sultry and sophisticated design with crimson pearls and hematite-tone beads, and in bracelets for those who want a splash more colour there's icy blue and white, copper and navy, and gold-core green with violet.

There's also a wide selection of freeform coil earrings that go beautifully with these pearl necklaces and bracelets.  Many of them are in familiar colours, including the greyscale ombre one depicted here:

For people who want earrings that are a bit more delicate, I also dropped off three pairs of my drop earring design.  The first two feature genuine freshwater pearls.

These ones have golden brass wire and beautiful drop-shaped freshwater pearls in a delicate rose.  I completely love this particular combo and made myself some to keep.

The next pair features silver-plated wire and oval-shaped white freshwater pearls for a cool and wintry elegance:

The last pair is a bit different.  It features faceted tiger's eye gemstones on silver plate:

I also dropped off a nice selection of sea glass pieces at Good Gracious.  I won't post pictures of all of them, but I will put up shots of some of my favourites.  All of the pendants I dropped off come with a black cotton cord with a clasp in matching metal so they are ready to wear.

I'll start with the silver-plated ones.  The first one features sweeping smooth lines on a piece of white sea glass:

The next is on a piece of deep brown sea glass and features pairs of crimped lines pinning down paired spirals.  It's pretty different from many of my other designs, and I'm rather fond of it.

The next piece features a cute little clam shell charm in a simple framing wrap on a diamond-shaped piece of sea glass:

I also dropped off some brass pieces.  The first one features a fun curlicue design with four spirals for a more elaborate aesthetic than the previous pieces:

The next features one of those beautiful large starfish charms on a rippling freeform wrap in brass wire on white sea glass:

The final stand-alone sea glass pendant I'll feature here is sweeping lines of copper on white sea glass:

I say stand-alone, because I also dropped off three sets of sea glass pendant and earring combos.

I'll show you the silver-plate on white first.  It also features white freshwater pearls:

The brass set is something new for me because the pendant features a drop with Swarovski crystal bicone and freswater pearl dangling from the bottom just like the earrings:

The copper set is in a more familiar design, featuring indigo freshwater pearls:

Eagle-eyed readers with excellent memories will have noticed and recalled there was also a donut wrap in this collection.  It features gunmetal brass, Swarovski crystal bicones, and glass beads, and is also ready to wear on a black cotton cord:

That's it for jewellery for this post, but I feel I should give a photographic shout-out to my faithful assistant while I finished off these pieces during my visit at my parents' house: Jackie the craft-cat.  There she is helping out by keeping my spot warm:

And here she is helpfully lying down on my supplies and inventory sheet, and keeping a paw ready on my pliers:

Craft Cat is much better than Grumpycat in my opinion.  Shall we make her into an internet sensation?  She certainly deserves some recognition after wanting to bat at my wire and being sternly told that she would have to bat at cotton cord instead since the wire might hurt her.  (Seriously, she was crazy keen on hunting down that wire.  I had to be really careful.)

That's it for today, folks.  I'll post again soon about my final venue for the season.

Autumnal Colours Show

Hello everyone, I have very exciting news this post.  I've had a piece accepted into the Autumnal Colours show at the Coast Collective.

Autumn is my favourite season, so I'm very excited about this.  I will be at the reception mentioned on the poster there, on Saturday August 29th, and I'm thinking of baking some pumpkin snickerdoodles for the occasion, so you should definitely come check it out.

The piece that's been accepted is my Autumn Colours coral-style necklace.  It's inspired by trees changing colours in the fall.  I posted about this piece back in 2013, but couldn't really justify spending the time to finish it since these large pieces take so much time to complete, and it's hard to charge minimum wage for my time on them.  That's part of why it was so exciting to be accepted into this show based on the work in progress picture -- it gave me a good reason to prioritize finishing a piece I really liked but had put on the back burner.

So without further ado, here it is:

It's made with five different colours of seed beads, golden bugle beads, and 100 Swarovski crystal bicones (fire opal), including the one on the extender chain I added to make the necklace adjustable.  It's choker-length without the chain, since the coral part extends a good few inches below the length of the chain, but it can be worn more loosely if desired.  I've priced it at $299 for the show.

Here's another shot of it hanging on a bust with the extender chain draped over the top:

I am absolutely delighted with how it turned out, and I hope you like it just as much as I do.  Hopefully I will get to meet some of you at the reception.  Please let me know you read about this on my blog if you do come.

Gifts and Wishes at the Coast Collective

Hello everyone!  As promised, I have info about my second Christmas show of the year.  It's out at the Coast Collective, where I also did a couple summer shows and have items in the gift shop.  Unlike the summer shows, Gifts and Wishes is a multi-week show in the main gallery.  It runs from November 26 to December 21st, with the grand opening tomorrow (Saturday the 29th). 

I'll be popping in briefly for the grand opening, and I will be there from noon until 5:00 on Sunday November 30th if you want to chat with me personally, but my pieces will be there for the whole show.  There's also free tea and cookies, with all sorts of extra special goodies for the opening, so you should check that out.  (I will be bringing two types of home-baked cookies over the two days.)

I have a bunch of my sea glass in the show (pendants and earrings) and some of my beaded pearl necklaces and bracelets.  I also have a bunch of the freeform coil earrings I made for this holiday season (though they are beautiful to wear all year long).  I think these earrings go really nicely with the beaded pearl jewellery I make.

The first are made with silver-plated copper wire and white glass pearls.  They are cool and classic with a modern twist.  $20

 The next also use silver-plated copper wire, but they feature glass pearls in white, pale grey, and dark grey for an ombre effect.  They would go very nicely with my harlequin pearl necklace and bracelet combo (necklace now on etsy).  Earrings are $20.

For people who are more keen on gold tones than silver, I also have some freeform coil earrings made with non-tarnish brass wire and glass pearls.  This pair with the classic combination of gold and white pearls is classy, timeless, and sophisticated.  $20

I also have a pair with brass wire and white and caramel glass pearls for a bit of added flair.  The combination is honey-warm and glamorous. $20

And for anyone who would like a bit of colour instead of neutral metal tones, I have a pair made with silver-plated copper wire and icy blue miracle beads.  These beads are hard to capture in photos -- they seem to have an aura around an interior bead, or the shadow of a second bead inside the first.  The earrings are lovely and cool and catch the light beautifully.  $20

For anyone who can't make it out to the Coast Collective but who would like some earrings like these, I have the supplies to make up more pairs like them (except for the ones with miracle beads -- I'd have to go shopping for more beads like that) and post them on my Etsy.  Just send me an email or a comment and I can make them for you.  (Or in any other colour combo you'd care to dream up.)

I also have a pair of donut wrap earrings out at the Coast Collective show.  You've seen them before, but I have a new photo, so here it is.  These are $35.

I made a new donut wrap pendant as well.  This one is fun because instead of doing the wrap and bail separately, I worked them into one asymmetrical design.  It features brass wire on a pale green stone, with E-beads, Swarovski crystal bicones (turquoise and violet), and glass bicones (orange).  This pendant is $35.

 

 

Hope to see some of you at the show!