Fiber Art Bracelets Now at Love Life Live Life
A while back a friend of mine from art school, whom I’ve since lost touch with, gave me a bracelet that she had stitched together while working as the hostess at the restaurant where we were both working. I have been dabbling in creating my own wristbands since then, but it hasn’t really been until now, that I have been really satisfied with the outcome. The wristbands embrace a love for the handmade, romance, physicality, softness, counter culture and and certainly a dare to be different quality. They are rich in color and the inspiration in the making of them I have kept quite organic, so I add to the fabric, until I feel satisfied enough to abandon it. Many times I chose colors that to me have certain responses attached to them, such as in the beige wristband, which I intended to be calming and to have more breath than say the orange band, which is a more fun indie style. I use a combination of fabrics, wool roving, decorative trim, buttons, and up-cycled upholstery swatches to make the wristbands. The fabric on the interior of the band is all cotton so it is nice and comfortable on the wrist. A heavy duty snap secures the band and offers an easy on, off transition.
Fused Glass Class at the Ramsey House Plantation
April 13, 2011 from 10-1PM I will be teaching a Fused Glass Class at the Ramsey House Plantation in Knoxville, TN. During the class I will give you a brief history of glass fusing, teach you how to cut glass, and then let you run free in designing your very own fused glass pendant. If you are not familiar with glass fusing it is a warm glass technique in which a kiln is used to melt stacked pieces of glass together. The class will be for all levels of people curious about glass work or experienced in glass working. Click on the Ramsey House link for more information or to sign up for the class. As I will be using fairly small kilns, I am only able to take 10-12 students at a time, so please sign up early. I look forward to meeting you and introducing you to the wonderful world of glass!
Mended Hearts for Valentine’s Day
Everyone’s heart has a story…My mended hearts series suggests within ones contemplation of their hearts journey that they have found a peace and strength within the ups and downs. There are very few perfect stories of love. A love that can be perfect is the love you have for yourself. It is a cliche, but a true one nonetheless, that you must first love yourself, before you can love someone else. The mended heart is one that has felt pain, but can move on and move forward from the experience. A mended heart is one that knows its strengths and weaknesses, doesn’t assume to be perfect, but is full of beauty, fused and stitched back together, full of wisdom with a history full of laughter and tears, and a heart that will be stronger because of it. A mended heart is a real heart, true, and honest.
The glass pendants I’ve made to honor the woman’s heart that has a story are previewed below. If you’d like to order a pendant to honor your journey please call my store, Love Life Live Life. Contact information is listed in the contact headline of my blog. Please remember, you cannot control how others treat you in life, but you can control how you treat yourself…be gentle! Love, Kimberly
Small Abstract Pictures in Dichroic Glass Make a Big Statement
This is the batch of pendants I fired in the kiln today, and I am very happy with the outcome! I originally started making pieces like this about two months after opening my store Love Life Live Life in the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community. I was selling a pretty good amount of pendants and running out of glass. I then decided to see what I could do with all the small chips of dichroic glass I had around (I have always been extremely frugal and I hate to waste!).
I started composing small pictures with the glass, like these, by cutting and arranging small pieces of dichroic on a black ground. I think of these pieces as small abstract pictures and that is what guides the compositions and the color. Perhaps that comes from my background as a Fine Art Major at Hunter College in NYC, where I studied painting. If you happen to be interested in any of these piece just click on the picture for more information! Also leave a comment and let me know what you think of these pendants.
- …where inspiration comes to life…
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Kimberly’s Artwork
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My "absolute steal" of the week is this set of silver earrings that I call - Gone Fishin'. The inspiration for these earrings comes from fishing, which I love, and the metal pieces are real silver, including the fish.
Buy them now for only $25! Beaded Jewelry Products
