Joyfulgrrl Jewelry Summer Art Fair Schedule

Joyfulgrrl Jewelry 2010 Summer Art Fair Schedule

Art on the Grand

June 5 & 6, 2010

Downtown Farmington, MI

Berkley Bash June 12, 2010 Downtown Berkley, MI

Art & Apples Festival September 10, 11 & 12, 2010 Rochester, MI

Spring Break in Texas

Earlier this month, I headed to Texas for a little spring break. What a fantastic time! I was able to relax, but I also came home with some unique beads and new techniques.

There are some really great bead stores all over this country and I visited a few while in Texas. One was called Bead It in Austin, TX. This place was located down the street from my friends house, and of course I noticed it right away as I drove into town. It is located in a small house with room after room of different beads. It was very cute and so Austin! Whenever I buy beads away from home, I look for unique things that I cannot always find here in Michigan. My eyes were pulled towards all the chunky beads! I bought several strands of chunky stones that I will have to figure out how to use. It seems this year, chunky is in. A few years ago, delicate was the way to design.

So, from now until summer art fair season, I will be experimenting and designing using new wire-wrap techniques incorporating all the new beads I picked up in Texas. I hope to restock my Etsy shop soon!

Crazy February/Mild March

Let's just say February did not turn out the way I had anticipated. Luckily, my new circumstances have left me some time to travel in March and April. A good friend of mine is getting married in Tacoma, Washington in April and asked me to make her headpiece for her wedding. Well, of course, I was honored. I asked her what she would like she said, "Oh, just make it like yours.", meaning the one I made for my own wedding. Well, I was married nearly two and a half years ago and of course I remembered how I made it; so off to shop for materials I go...

Well, I came up against my first hurdle when I could not find the right size pearls. Therefore, I had to improvise with a different size...no problem, I am good at that! So, I get the materials home and start beading when I realized, I forgot how I made my headpiece, two and a half years ago! I sat there for hours studying my headpiece and trying to replicate the stitches (I even showed it to my husband thinking he could help), but it was just not coming out the way I had remembered. The smaller pearls were not matching up with the bigger crystals and it was looking like a hot mess. I started to panic a little because I gave myself a self imposed deadline. I wanted to hand deliver it to my friend this weekend when I visit her in Texas. So, after a few more trips to the bead store and a little bit of design improvisation, I was able to come up with something GORGEOUS! I am so proud! It took a few days, but I was able to create a headpiece she will be proud to wear on her big day.

The past few weeks, I have been struggling with creativity. I do not know what is going on, but I am hoping a trip down south for a few days will help inspire me. I have only been to Texas once before, but never sight seeing. I will visit both Austin and Dallas and truly look forward to the break. I know Austin is full of creativity and I cannot wait to experience it! It will be so nice to hang out with good friends and see new things. Maybe I will even come home with new beading items to inspire me for the Summer Art Fair season. It is right around the corner!!!

Joyful 2010

Hello, yes I am still here! :-) My holiday season was great! Thanks to everyone out there for supporting Joyfulgrrl Jewelry and giving your loved ones a Joyful holiday. I received a lot of nice feedback from my customers and I am so glad your gifts were well received.

I have been doing a lot of reflecting for 2010 and what it is I want to accomplish. I felt 2009 was a good year. I accomplished all my goals and then some. I am really very proud! However, I need to evolve in 2010. I am still trying to decide where I want to go with my craft. Beaded jewelry and wire wrapping is great, but artists must evolve to stay competitive. I am still searching for inspiration and have a few ideas. I hope to share them with you soon.

In the meantime, I will be returning to work full time next week. As much as I love making beautiful jewelry and sharing it with you, I do miss my career. I feel that I am at my best when I can do both. I am hoping that returning to the work force and communicating with more people will give me the inspiration I need for an even better 2010!

Holiday Gift Giving Season

I did a little Christmas shopping this weekend and was mostly disappointed with the items I came across. The same old cheap junk we see every year, but more of it! I guess the recession has caused retailers to cut back on offering good quality, beautiful things. That is where Etsy can fill the void. I think this year, we should declare a Handmade Holiday! There are a ton of talented Etsy Artisans offering beautiful handmade things. If you have a shop you would like to promote, post it here. I will do my best to promote your items through Twitter and Facebook. Hopefully, we can work together to encourage more handmade gift giving that offers so much more thought and meaning.

I will start:

http://joyfulgrrljewelry.etsy.com

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and fans of Joyfulgrrl Jewelry. I am so thankful to all the creative people I have met over the last year or so and have recently been reflective. There is no better time than now to express my gratitude to those who have supported my jewelry endeavors and inspired me to try new things. I just hope to continue to learn and grow and have more opportunities to be inspired by you. Thank You!

Holiday Extravaganza - Dec. 5th!

Check out all the details on Facebook!

Holiday Open House with Elegant Jewelry Designs

Holiday Open House

Featuring

Elegant Jewelry Designs &

Joyfulgrrl Jewelry

At the home of Louise May

3389 S. Commerce Rd

Commerce Twp., MI

Sunday, November 15^th

1:00pm – 5:00pm

Start your Holiday shopping early with unique, handmade jewelry!

Joyfulgrrl Jewelry Going Retail

All my hard work this summer has provided me a couple new opportunities. One is being represented to retail stores. My rings are now being carried in a couple shops in the area and I hope to add more in the coming weeks. As more shops come aboard, I will list them on the right hand side of my blog site. Right now, I would like to offer a shout out to Absolute Gallery in Lansing and McDevitt's Hallmark in the Laurel Park Mall. Both will be carrying my rings this Holiday season. I hope you will check out either of these shops, if you are in the area. This is a great opportunity and I feel so blessed. Thank you to both for all your support!

Walled Lake Art Festival

Joyfulgrrl Jewelry and Elegant Designs Jewelry will be participating in the Walled Lake Art Festival this weekend. Come on down to the corner of Maple and Pontiac Trail to see us. This is a good time to get a jump on your holiday shopping!

Littlest Fan of Joyfulgrrl Jewelry

My Sunsational Summer Rings have been very popular with kids this summer. In both Plymouth Art in the Park and Milford Memories, I made lots of custom rings for kids! They loved watching me in action!!! :-)

Don't forget, I teach this technique at Michigan Bead Supply in Walled Lake. If you would like to learn, I would love to teach you, too!

Success in Ann Arbor

My rings were a big success at the Ann Arbor Art Fair back in July. Since then, I have made tons more to sell in Rochester! My new rings are cute and fun for fall!

Art Fair Set Up

This is a picture of the new set up I tried for Milford Memories. I am not sure if it was successful or not because it was a crazy weekend, weatherwise. I ended up having to move my set up around because it poured on Saturday and was so hot and humid on Sunday that nothing was working. I am debating whether to keep this set up in Rochester or go back to my old way of doing things. I guess I will know tomorrow...

Rochester Art & Apples Festival

I have been busy preparing for my final art fair for the summer. The Rochester Art & Apples Festival takes place this coming weekend, September 11, 12 & 13. I have decided to bring out a few of my holiday items for the early Christmas shoppers and have also made a few new wire-wrapped rings. I hope to see you out and about!

All in all, the 2009 Summer Art Fair season has been successful for me. My goal was to participate in one show per summer month. I participated in 5 shows total. I was able to meet lots of new people, great artists and introduce my jewelry to new customers. I think I made a lot of people happy and in the meantime had lots of fun! I have to admit that these art fairs are a lot of work. They are more work than I ever imagined! I have a lot of respect for those who do these shows every week and are very successful. I can tell you that most artists do not get the respect and appreciation they deserve. There is a lot of talent out there and I am grateful to art fair attendees who come out to appreciate the wonderful art and talent that is offered.

Thank you for a wonderful summer!

A Day in the Life of a Busy Beader!

I know, I have been bad! I have not posted to my blog in several weeks. As you know, I had a couple big art fairs in July and have Milford Memories coming up in August. Believe it or not, that is next week! NUTS! I have been working to restock some of my inventory, but still have a ways to go. If you would like a flower ring, but have not gotten around to purchasing one, you might want to get on it cuz they are going quick! They ARE a Summer Sunsation and may need to be retired at the end of this summer. You can still get yours on Etsy!

In between art fairs, I have been teaching classes at Michigan Bead Supply in Walled Lake. Pictured above is Denise, one of my great students! Denise has taken a couple classes from me, but her first was the Open Heart Pendant. I am writing to brag about her a little bit because since she took the class, she has made FIVE hearts! I cannot believe it! She has made different colors and sizes and is really putting me to shame. That's ok because I am so proud of her, she is doing a great job. She wants to make these pendants for Christmas presents so she has several more to make. I told her that before she knows it, she will be selling her wares on the side of the road like me. WARNING: Beading is addictive!

Inspiration

Crystal Ring

Inspiration can come from many different places for an artist. From our surroundings, from people watching and of course, other artists. I have to give thanks to all the artists I have met over the last several months who have opened themselves and their creative processes up to me. I am relatively new to the artist scene and I have definitely benefitted from the kind words and advice of others. I feel blessed to know you!

Maurice, from Michigan Bead Supply, is the artist who inspired me to design the ring above. Artists from all over town come by the shop to garner inspiration from Maurice. While there one afternoon, I asked him if they carry any beads with a center hole to make more rings. Maurice showed me several pieces, including these square crystals. I was not sure how the square would look at first, but I thought I would give it a try. I am so glad I did, because it looks amazing! I am thrilled with the result! I cannot wait to show it off this weekend at the Plymouth Art Fair, I think they will go fast!

Inspiration is an amazing state of being!!!

July Class Schedule at Michigan Bead

Photo by Scottie Magro Photography

July Class Schedule at Michigan Bead Supply

Whimsical Wire-Wrapping Class

Tuesday, July 7 @ 6pm

Learn how to use wire to sculpt out and create a beautiful bracelet! A variety of beads are wrapped with wire to form a unique piece of art.

Beadwoven Crystal Heart Pendant Class

Saturday, July 25 @ 1pm

If you like the “Puffy Heart”, you will love learning how to make this Beadwoven Crystal Heart Pendant! This fun project uses two different size crystals to weave a crystal heart pendant.

Join artist and designer Kelly Hoffman of Joyfulgrrl Jewelry to learn both techniques!

Call Michigan Bead Supply to reserve your spot today!

(248) 960-2216

Sign Up for My Beadwoven Crystal Heart Pendant Class

Beadwoven Crystal Heart Pendant Class

Saturday, June 25th 1pm - 3pm

$10 + the cost of materials

If you love this heart and want to learn how to make it for yourself, I will be teaching a class this Saturday, June 27th from 1pm - 3pm at Michigan Bead Supply in Walled Lake. Michigan Bead Supply is a great bead store in the heart of Walled Lake, Michigan. The people are great and so are the customers. You gotta stop on by! If you cannot make this date, no worries, I will be teaching another class Saturday, July 25th from 1pm - 3pm. Give Michigan Bead Supply a call and sign up today!

Michigan Bead Supply Co.

1123 E. West Maple

Walled Lake, MI

(248) 960-2216

Joyfulgrrl Jewelry Now at Deja Vu!!

I am so excited to announce that Joyfulgrrl Jewelry can now be found at Deja Vu in Franklin, Michigan. This is a really cute shop! They carry high end designer clothing and accessories at the fraction of the cost of department stores. I met Lisa Dunn, the owner, who was beyond cool! This shop is a gem in downtown Franklin Village and worth the trip.

32750 Franklin Road
Franklin Village, MI 48025
248-855-4567
Tue-Fri 11am - 5pm
Sat 12am - 5pm

http://dejavuresale.com/

Leon & Lulu

Last week, I dropped off a bunch of Sunsational Summer Rings at Leon & Lulu in Clawson, MI.  Leon & Lulu is an old school roller rink transformed into super cute gift boutique.  It is truly a fun place to be!  The gifts, furniture and accessories are all unique.  Even the bathrooms are cool!  Seriously, just seeing the bathrooms are worth the trip!

I am very excited for the opportunity to have Joyfulgrrl Jewelry carried at Leon & Lulu.  I think the fun and friendly atmosphere provides a perfect fit for my cute designs.  Be sure to check 'em out!

Leon & Lulu

96 West 14 Mile Rd.

Clawson, MI 48017

248-288-3600