Holiday Craft Fair

Holiday Craft Fair

sponsored by Hudson Valley Etsy Team

I'll be at the Hudson Valley Etsy Team Holiday Craft Fair at the Howland Cultural Center at 477 Main Street in Beacon, NY, this Saturday, December 14th, 10AM to 5PM! Come see my jewelry and plush monsters!  I'm pretty busy so this is my only fair of the season.  Happy shopping, everyone!

Jody

Free Printable from a Studio by the Sea

 Free Gift Tag Design for the Holidays

Happy Solstice from a Studio by the Sea!  These winter mice and birdies are all ready to celebrate the season in these gift tags I made.  All you need is a printer, card stock paper, and something to cut out the tags with. 

Click on links below for downloadable pdfs

Bird & Mice Large Tag Sheet

Birdie Tag Sheet

 Mice Tag Sheet

Instructions:

1. Print out the downloaded file on a sheet of card stock
2. Cut out each tag along the pale green lines - use scissors, x-acto knife & ruler or paper cutter.
3. Punch out holes with a hole punch or just attach to your gift with tape or glue.

Happy Holidays!

All images © Jody A Lee 2013

www.astudiobythesea.etsy.com

These gift tag sheets are for your personal use only
All commercial use of them or these images is prohibited

Craft Fairs

Craft Fairs June 1st & 2nd

I belong to two Etsy teams, Etsy NY and Hudson Valley Etsy Team, and they are each having a craft fair on the first weekend of June.  I will be hoping for no wind or rain and showing my jewelry and my NEW one of a kind stuffed monsters.  No artwork, just crafts from me at these two shows.  The forecast is for a sunny weekend so come on out!

Jody

New Necklaces in the Shop

Ocean Inspired

Lavender Shoreline Necklace

Multi Pink Abstract Necklace

Teal Shoreline Necklace

 


Jody
www.astudiobythesea.etsy.com

DIY: Drawing on Stones

Memories of Summer

I was spent several days on Shelter Island in June and collected a bag full of smooth white stones from the seashore.  I thought they would make nice mini-canvases for some simple drawings or doodles.  Below are the steps for making the simplest of paperweights and a little record of the events of the summer.

Shelter Island

Clean your stone so that it is free of dirt or seaweed.  Draw your design in pencil.

  I will use pictures for reference, but this is just a simple starfish.

FW Inks are permanent and opaque.  You can use either a very fine brush or a pen for your drawing.  Keep a cup of water handy for rinsing out your brush or pen before the ink starts to clog.  Hold the stone in your non-drawing hand and turn it so the surface you’re working on faces you.  Steady your drawing hand by keeping part of your palm or wrist on the table or tucked against your side.  Clean off excess dried ink on your brush or pen with a tissue.

FW Ink dries quickly.  If you make a mistake you will have to sand it off!  When your drawing is finished and the ink is dry, use a kneaded rubber eraser to remove the graphite pencil lines that are left. 

Finished!

I found these stones useful for keeping my papers in place when the ceiling fan was on!

Jody Lee

www.astudiobythesea.etsy.com

Black & White Beads

"Monochrome Garden"

When the International Society of Glass Bead Makers asked for entries for a show of beads in monochrome, I was intrigued.  I never managed to make anything for the show, but the idea remained in my mind, and I finally got a chance to experiment with it last month.  Here are some of my black and white beads. 

 "Molecule Choker"

I used enamels, cane, and super thin dense black stringers.  I call this my "Molecule Design," but I was definitely inspired by the marvelous work of german lampworker Melanie Moertel.  

 "Molecule Necklace"

The focal beads are on Sterling Silver 16" Omega chains and the necklace is made with sterling silver chain and various natural stones.  None are yet up on my etsy site, but they are for sale.  Everything takes time...

Our First Street Fair

It was very nearly a disaster. Grandma, Jessamyn, and I set out at the crack of dawn for the Fabulous Fifth Avenue Street Fair on a blustery May morning. I was going to show my artwork and my beads, and Jessamyn was going to show her button hairbands. It was our first time selling from a tent on the street and we were not prepared for high winds and possible rain. The tent tried to blow away, the panels fell over, and the display followed suit, beads flying, carousels breaking. At one point Grandma and Child were in tears and asking to go home. In my best “Calm Mommy” tones I said nobody was hurt and we would keep trying. The artwork never went up and stayed happily under an extra tarp I had brought. We developed our seller’s lines; “These buttons are made by Jessamyn…These are glass beads I make by hand…” and we sold a lot of product! We met two other Jessamyns, a young mother from Britain and a pretty college student. We also spent HOURS untangling the cupcake necklaces, "cutting" through the last Gordian knots only minutes before it was time to take down the tent. Whew! I'm not a coffee drinker but I downed a McCafe Mocha for the drive home.

This Little Piggy went to Market -At the Spring Handmade Cavalcade!

My Sunday morning of volunteering for the SHC at the Bell House in Brooklyn, after a run to buy toilet paper and an hour of handing out fliers, turned into a shopping spree! Since I live in Westchester, it was my first time to see some the shops of the New New in person. To invoke the Martha, also a Westchester denizen, there were so many "Good Things" that it was hard to stop openning up the wallet.

The first item I just could not resist was this joyous little pillow from Cakehouse, that matched my sky blue & floral livingroom perfectly.

The end of the school year approaches, so I found these two bright and charming notebooks from Journalistic Tendencies, handmade with recycled papers, and just the right gift for my daughter's teacher.

Next, I restocked my supply of birthday cards from Waisze - all cupcakes, to remind my nearest and dearest of my own little cupcake beads.



Since it was Mother's Day I had to pick up this sterling silver cat mask pendant from Caja Jewelry for my hip, pootie loving Mom. Such a modern little gem! I'd hearted it on Etsy and found I could not resist in person.


Lastly, I was not going out that door without 2 boxes of tiny cupcakes from Nine Cakes. After a chinese dinner out, they made for a charming dessert. So lovely, with firm, pure tasting cake and the most silky smooth buttercream we've had in ages. Bravo, Nine Cakes!

Home again, Home again, Jiggety Jig!