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If you are familiar with my jewelry, then you probably know that I use a variety of beads in my work. Whether glass, crystal, metal, polymer clay, pearls, etc...I truly love them all. But, my favorite material has to be Kazuri clay beads. Kazuri means *small and beautiful* in Swahili and is the perfect description for these beads, which are handcrafted by people in Kenya, Africa. Kazuri is a member of the Fair Trade Organization and employs over 300 women who make, paint, and fire each bead by hand. Each one I use is authentic and represents a piece of Kenyan art and culture. To read more about the company and the bead-making process, visit KAZURI.
Most of my recent creations have included these beads in some fashion or another. Whether used in a bracelet, necklace, or pair of earrings, these beads really make a great conversation piece. It is a pleasure to work with these artful creations and in turn create my own wearable pieces of art. Made by women, for women :)
For more Kazuri bead creations, visit my Etsy shop!
If you have used Kazuri beads in your creations, please feel free to email me a photo or a link to your stuff! I'd love to put together an Etsy treasury featuring Kazuri works!
Lately I've been working really hard on promoting, advertising, networking, and making sure I visit my eBay groups, Etsy groups, MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, Blogger, Talent Database, etc. that I've totally neglected the creative part of my job. And not only that, but I've not taken much time for me and my family. As we strive to succeed, especially in such a competitive environment, it's easy to get tunnel vision and not see what's really important.
This photo was taken on another recent trip to the WNC Nature Center where I spent the day with my husband and son. We had a great time and it felt fantastic to be out in the sun and away from the computer! I share it with you as a reminder to have fun. Play. Live, laugh, love. You'll have no regrets.
AND taking time for yourself and your family will really get the creative juices flowing. Trust me, I'm full of crafty ideas :)
I love being inspired by animals. These photos were taken at the Western North Carolina Nature Center last month. Of all the great species to see there, this peacock was my favorite. Free to roam the property as he pleases, this peacock was a big hit everywhere he traveled. While I couldn't ever find him with his plumage fully fanned, I found these photographs to be just as interesting. The colors are iridescent, magnificent, wonderful, etc. Definitely worthy of an inspiration or two!
And, can you imagine having to haul those around?!!!
Mother's Day is fast approaching! Next weekend, May 11th, people will be celebrating Moms, Grandmoms, Aunts, and so on. I was browsing a few of my favorites on Etsy and came across these wonderful gifts for Mom!
A Sugar Affair offers cookies, brownies, and other edible treats like these I Love Mom cookies as shown above. Take a look around, you'll be drooling in no time :)
Sharon Art has a fabulous collection of originals, ACEOs, and prints like this hand-painted greeting card as shown above. Check out her shop for other handcrafted gift ideas :)
Crafts By Chris not only creates polymer clay beads, she also designs jewelry and baubles like this beautiful customized mother/child pendant. See her shop for other fine jewelry gifts :)
