New things...and beautiful things

So last night I had my first ever K Marie jewelry home party. It didn't go as expected, but things rarely do. It was a great learning experience and I had a lot of fun. I'm sure each time I do it I will get better results.
It was hosted by one of my oldest closest friends. I'm so lucky that she's so supportive of what I do. Love ya "Maquire"! :) The people who make up my support structure around me really do make me a very lucky girl.

In other news I will be at summer camp all week, working with some great kids and having a blast. I may occasionally upload some pictures, but for the most part I'll just be having fun on a sort of working vacation. I'll see you in July folks!! Stay cool, and stay inspired! :)

Photos fro my first ever Jewelry Party!

The lake view at camp

R&R Time: Detroit Tigers

Comerica Park, Detroit, MI

      Last night I took some much needed Rest and Relaxation and a little break from making jewelry (sort of). My mom and I went to our first Tigers game of the season! Mama is pretty awesome, since I just mentioned that I had been wanting to go to a game and she went up stairs and bought some tickets for us. Doesn't hurt that she's a die hard fan either. I come from what you might call a Baseball Family. It all started with my Grandpa. He was an amazing first basemen in the Tigers farm team league back in the early 60's. But he settled down with his family and became an electrician. He actually worked on the lights at the Old Tigers Stadium too. Yeah, grandpa was pretty awesome.

Awesome carpet at HockeyTown

Menu cover :)

      It was a night game last night, so Mama and I got some dinner downtown before the game. We went to Hockeytown Cafe, because Mom said she'd never been there before. I mean if you're a Detroiter and you love D-Town sports you gotta go there at least once! It was packed, but they were on their game. We didn't have to wait very long and got our food in a flash! We got to our seats a half hour before the game started, goodies and snack in hand, ready for a great game.

AND THE ROCKEEETS REEEED GLAAAREEE!!

      So, not to be too snarky but...I thought this was weird, ridiculous, and a wee bit stupid. Did you know that they now put up the words to the national anthem on the jumbo tron? I mean shouldn't we all know the words? 

     I'm just saying....

Great view right?

   

  Oh, by the way...this was my view from my seat. LOL Sometimes it's not so much fun being short. Luckily there were open seats down the row so we moved to a better view. They were great seats....both of them. Below was my real view...without the large Boesch fan. Beautiful view of my beautiful Detroit.

My City

   

   The game was pretty good. (And here's where I geek out a lil) Verlander was off his usual game, but he's got a good team to back him up. We were up 6-0 until the 6th inning, then the Cardnials got on the board and made it 3-6. Which ended up being the final score.

Shout out to my friend Demetrios for working the beer hall, entertaining everyone and being on top of things and getting me some drinks. 

Yay! Mama we won!

Made this lil necklace just before the game. I kind of love it. What do you think?

Beads, Beads, Beads

Rows of lampwork glass beads...

Piles and piles of beads everywhere!

Today I made my way to the International Gem and Jewelry Show being held over in Novi, Mi, just a few minutes away from me. 

          http://www.intergem.com/  

      Boy, was that inspiration overload. Beads, beads, beads as far as the eye could see. This show comes around to my area of Southeast Michigan probably twice a year. Not only does it have loads of great deals on beads, but the show also has lots of fine jewelry for sale. 

        I went on the last day when there was only a few hours left. It was a bit of a mad house. But there were whole tables discounted 50-70% off!!

     

       A booth I usually stop at is one specializing in amber and turquoise jewelry set in silver. They have tons of rings and beautiful bracelets. The best part is that they're always ready to make a deal. Which is really the whole point of going to a show like this. I got a picture of a few of their rings, it's at the bottom there.

     There are lots of vendors selling beautiful Indian beads as well. Lots of lovely ladies flock in to the show just for those booths. The center picture is of some awesome carved roses they were selling.
The first picture is of a few strands I bought for myself :)

     

     This show is soooooo dangerous! I could spend so much money here. Today thankfully I stuck to my budget and only got a few things. But these carved mermaid beads were very tempting! 30$ a strand!!! 

Carved mermaids and roses! 30$ a strand!!!

mmmm...coral, I love coral.

Here is some of my haul from the show

     One thing they never have enough of is charms. I'm always looking for great unique charms that don't cost me an arm and a leg. I think my go to source these days for great charms is now www.etsy.com. With all the supply vendors on there I can just search for the shape, metal or finish of the charm I'm looking for and I can usually find something.  I just placed a pretty big order for about 10 different kinds of charms...unfortunately they're coming all the way from China. So, I will be anxiously awaiting their arrival!

Everything Old is New Again

      In addition to making jewelry and crafts I'm also a big fan of thrifting and antiquing.  The obsession probably really got started in college where Salvation Army stores (we call it Sal's) were the best place to find great furniture and fun clothes on a skin tight budget. I still have a beautiful wingback chair that I got for my college apartment at a Sal's for 25$.
     These days I turned the obsession into yet another business venture. My aunt and I now run an antique booth in a great, huge antique mall out in Howell, MI. It's called The Livingston Antique Mall. If you're interested in visiting you can check out the place and find directions here: http://www.livingstonantiqueoutlet.com/  Our booth is #141. I love just spending time walking around the mall there. There are so many interesting and inspiring things to look at.

      Running an antique booth is a pretty awesome job as far as jobs go. When I'm not pricing and doing inventory I am running to garage sales and estate sales...like a hunter I'm always looking for a good bargain. Every week I go clean up and restock the booth, rearranging our wares hoping to draw you in and help you find your new favorite piece. Here is a table we recently put together for the patriotic fourth of July sale that's coming up at the store.
     It's the kind of job that pushes my creative limits sometimes. Occasionally we will find an old piece of furniture that's a little too beat up, but it's a great deal and has potential. So I take it in and clean it up. If it needs I will sand it down, paint it, stain it, and give it a whole new life. I think that's probably my favorite and most rewarding part of the job.  
     I got this desk at a garage sale for $15.00. It was beat up and scratched and a little wobbly.  I sanded it down stained it with a rich walnut  and added a musical flair to it with some paint and vintage paper.  It went from being an unwanted desk tossed to the curb to a beautiful piece that has a new purpose and function.
      Each old piece I find has a second life inside of it. Whether I keep it for myself and give it a new home, or I refinish it and send it back out into the world it is definitely my preferred way to recycle. I've always preferred things that have a history, that have been through it all and are still standing strong.  And I hate to say this and sound like my mother, but they just don't make things the way they used to :)

      Here is my most recent obsession. I have fallen in love with milkglass mugs. They have bright beautiful graphics printed on them. Everything from pyrex flower designs to advertisements for every company you can think of.  I bid on one on ebay once that touted the virtues of streaking...alas I didn't win the mug. The picture above is what I have collected so far. I think my favorites are the orange 70's slang mug with words like "Dude! Right on, and Far Out" and the Smokey The Bear mug that reminds us all that "Only you can help prevent forest fires".

     Do you guys have any collections or obsessions your crazy about?

Your Journey's Just Beginning...

     I thought I would give you guys a sneak peak at what's being made here at KMarie Jewelry right now. I love to travel and I'm super inspired by just looking at the world around me. So I thought I should incorporate my love of the world into a new line of jewelry.

     Also, sometimes the world moves super fast and we forget what is being left behind. Physical paper maps are pretty much a thing of the past...that kind of makes me sad. I think they are beautiful in their own way. The colors, the lines and symbols have a certain graphic design to them. Once they're gone that style and design will be gone too.

     So here is my salute to Maps and the Great Wide World out there. See what ya can before it disappears...                               

The world's a
forest, in which all
lose their way;
though by a
different path
each goes astray.
-George Villiers

It is better
to travel
well
than to
arrive.
-Buddha  

The World is a book,
and those who
do not travel
read only a page.
-Saint Augustine

     Check out KMarieJewelery on etsy.com at the end of the week to see the finished pieces!

Inspiration Point - Alphonse Mucha

   I hope to make this a regular thing. I would like to profile the artists that inspire me. Every week I will talk about my favorite artists whether they be painters, graphic designers, musicians, poets, actors, writers, directors….etc. etc.  The greatest thing about creating things for a living is that what you create can inspire others to create. I know that when I see a great movie, hear an awesome song or see a beautiful piece of art I’m always inspired to create. I want to get to my desk and get to work!

ALPHONSE MUCHA

This famous Mucha artwork has inspired many imitators.

        So, for my first inspirational artist I thought it fitting to profile someone who recently inspired a line of jewelry. His name is Alphonse Mucha. He was a Czech Artist who strongly influenced the Art Nouveau style. When I started to do a little more research on him for this post I found out that we were born on the same day! No wonder I like him so much :)

 

      I was drawn to his style because of the elegant yet bold graphic lines.  A lot of his work was seen in advertisements, on magazine covers and posters. The strong lines are great at drawing the eye and the feminine curves don’t hurt either. Mucha’s Art Nouveau style always seemed to me like a feminine counterpoint to the Art Deco style of graphic linear right angles.

      Yet another wonderful thing of Mucha’s work that I love is the way he portrayed women. They are strong, yet soft. They are playful and have great soul to them. Each woman is different and unique, a case of art imitating life. Their renaissance curves are drawn with strength but never loose their allure. Some have a royal air about them, other's are very down to earth, but they all seem special. It is the reason I thought his work was so perfect to use in a jewelry line. Every woman should feel the way Mucha portrayed his women.

Le Pater - Considered his greatest printed masterpiece.

      If you would like to see the jewelry I made that was inspired by the amazing Alphonse Mucha, you can find in at my store on etsy.com. Just click here: www.etsy.com/shop/kmariejewelry  Each piece has a piece of Mucha artwork. Some even come with an inspirational quote on the reverse to inspire you everyday.

Are you inspired yet?

Prologue

Hello :) This is me!

       Hello All! My name is Kel Marie and I’m starting my first arts and crafts blog. Before I dive in to all the pretty things, I’d like to tell you a little about myself. Even though I've graduated from college I still live with my family. They are a strong support system I could not be more grateful for. I grew up and still live in the suburbs outside of Detroit, Michigan.  It’s a beautiful place to live and I hope to be sharing with you some of the amazing talent that is right here in Michigan.

I like to take pictures of flowers.....

.....here is another pretty rose

     My love of the arts and crafting developed when I was pretty young. Diagnosed with a liver disease and a gastrointestinal disease at the age of 7 I spent a lot of my childhood sick at home and in and out of hospitals. Crafting and creating artworks was what kept me inspired as I recovered. It was kind of like therapy for me. My creativity was an outlet that let me infuse beauty into a not so beautiful situation.

great way to try out color combos.

Still making friendship bracelets...

 

      

       I started my first craft business when I was in middle school, selling friendship bracelets at lunch. Me and my friend made enough money to even have a booth at the local summer craft fair. We did custom color combos, added cute charms and had ten different styles! To this day I’m pretty proud of my first foray in to the business of crafts. I have found great joy in making jewelry ever since. 

An Art Nouveau inspired pendant

Although, these days my materials have evolved from string to base metals, chain, and various multi-media craft supplies. Creating jewelry is still a challenge and a satisfying one at that. Really, I find happiness in crafting all sorts of things. Stationary, journals, cute boxes, purses, pillows, curtains, illustrations, cartoons and photographs are just some of the things I’ve gotten my artsy little hands on. Occasionally I even refinish furniture!

My handmade stationary

       I’m excited to join the crazy talented community of artsy bloggers out there. Stay tuned because lots of fun pretty things will be coming your way.