Scoop on new studio

 I know I have dropped a few hints to some people about what is happening in the near future with our studio.  Well, here is the scoop!  Over the next couple of  months we will be remodeling our studio space.  We are going to open up a full time studio!!  So excited!!!


Here is some of the plan:  we are building work stations along 2 walls and will have separate areas for torch work, soldering, grinding, hammering, and assembly.  We will also be building work tables in the center of the room to use during classes (yes, I said classes!!), and for studio time.  There is one little kink in our plan though, I have to have shoulder surgery on December 3rd which will put me out of commission for a few weeks.  Hopefully I can con family members into doing the work while I give directions :). 

We will be offering classes in all types of jewelry construction; beading, soldering, riveting, cold connections, resin, assemblage, etc.  It is possible that we will start offering other types of classes in the future, such as; knitting, crocheting, painting, collage, etc....

The other thing that we are extremely excited about is that we will be offering studio time, a place for artists to work.  We will come out with more information on this (pricing and schedule) a little later. 

So, start thinking of classes you would like to take, or maybe classes you would like to teach!!  Please contact Bobbi or I if you are interested in teaching a class. 

We are hoping to have the new studio up and running around the first of the year.  What an exciting way to start 2011!

New Etsy Store

Ok, I finally have the new jewelry and craft supply etsy store up and running.  I stayed up way too late last night working on it and spent most of today adding items to the store.  I have a whole lot more pictures to take and items to list. 

I will be listing jewelry supplies, craft supplies, craft and jewelry books and magazines, fabric and sewing notions, and lots of other goodies.

The name of the store is Surplus Stuff and the web address is:  www.surplusstuff.etsy.com

I will be working hard the next couple of weeks to get all of this "stuff" listed.

If you see something you love and you live in the Redding area please convo me and I will deliver it to you so you don't have to pay shipping.

New On-line boutique

We are in the process of moving our jewelry from etsy to an indie shop called Smashing Darling.  This shop is all fashion related items and we feel it will be a better fit for our product.  We are going to continue to also have an etsy shop in which we will sell various jewelry and craft supplies.  Once we have the new etsy shop set up I will post the link. 

The new jewelry boutique link is:  www.smashingdarling.com/store/lorie-lynn-designs.  There are over 600 amazing jewelry, clothing, and accessory designers who have boutiques in this indie shop.  Be sure and check it out.

We had a show last weekend and sold several of the pieces we had listed in our boutique, so I will be listing new items by next week.  

more jewelry

Here are a few new pictures of our jewelry.  Just click on this picture and it will bring up the album.  Enjoy!

Dining Room

Well, the painting is finished in the dining room.  I just love how pretty and serene it is..............so much better than the drab gray that was there before.  All I have left to do now is make the cornice boxes for the windows and I have some fabulous fabric to cover them with.  That will have to wait for a bit though because we have a craft show to gear up for. 

Dining room is finished

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Dining room painting progress

Well, I'm making progress!  I was really hoping to be finished by now, but my back had other ideas.   I am really hoping to be finished tomorrow.  Here are a few pictures of my progress.  The picture above is the before.  I am painting the walls a color called Almost Aqua and the trim an Antique White.  My house does not get a lot of natural light so I really wanted to brighten up the walls. 

Collage - Assemblage - Glass Art

I have received a request to post pictures of some of my collage - assemblage and glass art, so here goes.  I made this piece by using one of the old windows out of our 1902 house. 

I applied vintage papers and images to the back of the window using a gel medium.  I then crinkled and applied a coppery tissue paper to the back.  I added other emblishments to the front of the window. 

This next assemblage piece started with a wood box.  I used a tin can lid with a watch face on the top of the box.  I applied a clock picture inside the box and used old screws for the clock hands.  The "pendulum" is an antique drawer pull.  On the side of the box I used scrabble tiles to spell time. 

This next piece is a combination of fused glass and mosaic.  This was also created on an old window from our house.  I fused the Victorian Lady and glued her to the window.  I then used mosaic glass to create the landscape. 

A Little History

Here is a little history lesson on my adorable "little" home.  My home was built in 1902 and still has many of the original features:  Interior and exterior doors, kitchen cabinets (all 3 of them), butcher block countertops, very worn hardwood floors, and some of the windows.  I love my little house.....but....coming from a large 2200 sq feet to less than 1000 sq feet has been quite an adjustment.  Plus, when we moved in here almost 4 years ago we were supposed to start a major renovation within a year.  We managed to get the garage built and then the economy went south, along with I might add most of our money.  So, here we sit, four years later and all we have done to the house is put in a few new windows and a temporary shower stall. 

This adorable little place is on a raised foundation and has over the years kind of shifted and is not quite what you would consider level.  So, before we can do much of anything in the way of fixing up my little house, it has to be leveled.  Not an easy feat!! 

I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting (patiently can't you tell) for this to happen so I can start fixing things up inside.  Well, this week I got tired of waiting and I bought paint for the living room and dining room.  I AM GOING TO PAINT!  I know I will probably have to do it over again after the house is leveled, because I am sure we will lose some drywall and have a few cracks here and there.  Just adds character right? 

Anyway, I will post before and after pictures, and probably some pictures along the way.  I started sanding the wood trim around the windows and doorways in preparation.  Since there are several layers of paint, and the fact that I will probably have to do this all over again, I am only scuffing them so they will hold the paint.  I made the mistake of trying to take all of the paint off of the beadboard walls in the bathroom........that's another whole story! 

Anyway, I'm excited to finally be doing SOMETHING!  After our dreary and rainy winter, I really need a little "pick me up" and nothing does that faster than a nice fresh coat of paint.  Stay tuned for pictures!

Creating A New Blog Look

Wow.  I have been working on my blog off and on all day; trying this and that.........I think I am finally happy with it.  I have learned more today about html's then I ever wanted to know!! 

I have been so afraid to change anything because I wasn't sure I would be able to fix it if I goofed it up, and I was sure I WOULD goof it up!  Today, I just decided to jump in with both feet and if I messed it up I would just start over.  Well, I DIDN'T goof it up!!

Thank you Jody from TheSmithHotel for turning me onto The Background Fairy.  It was much easier to change the appearance of my blog than I thought it would be........and it was free!  I love free! 

So, if you think you can't do it, don't listen to that pesty little voice...........you CAN do it.  Believe me, if I can do it anybody can.  Go for it and have fun!

The Hunt

People ask us all the time:  "Where do you get all of the stuff you make your jewelry out of?" 

This is one of the most enjoyable parts of our job!!  We love hunting for treasures!  We go to estate sales, yard sales, antique stores, and our favorite; "junk stores".  Our absolute favorite is a place on Hwy 273 between Redding and Anderson, Junk N Treasures.  What an experience!  It is cold in the winter, hot in the summer, dirty........and an absolute blast!  We have found so many really cool things there.  Of course cool to us might seem like trash to other people. 

We also love the antique stores on front Street in Anderson.  Unfortunately, they are dwindling in numbers.  We find a lot of "stuff" in goodie bags at Oregon Street Antique Mall.  These bags are so much fun because until you dump them out you don't know what all you have.  It's better than Christmas!

And, people just give us stuff!  So many people know what we do and they give us old keys and jewelry that they have laying around.  So, if anybody out there has any old stuff they want to get rid of we'll take it!

Art Hop

Saturday night is ArtHop, from 6-9 pm.  Be sure to print out a map from A New Cafe so you can find all of the participating businesses. 

Lorie Lynn Designs will be at the Oregon Street Antique Mall at the corner of Shasta and Oregon Streets.  We will have all of our new designs on display; Domino pendants, spoon handle pendants, crocheted jewelry, and a sample of the family necklaces!   I hope everyone can make it by to check out all of our hard work!

Where did March Go?

Wow, where did the month of March go???  I must have blinked because it was here, and then it was just gone!  We have so many exciting things coming up:  We will be featured artists at the Oregon Street Antique Mall for Art Hop on Saturday April 10th.  We will be selling our jewelry at the HomeHop art fair on Sunday, April 25th, and we will be at the Shasta Art Fair on Mother's Day weekend.  All of this, and keeping up with our consignment inventory......Whew!!

We are working on a new necklace design......the "Family" necklace.  Of course these necklaces will be custom order pieces only.  They will include an initial charm; either for the last name of the family or the first name of an individual.  Birthstone crystals will then be added for the members of the family.  We are excited about this design!  I will be posting a sample on etsy next week. 

Check out the Redding Handmade Team Treasury

Yeah, yeah, I know; I haven't been on here for a few days.  What can I say, I've been busy.  Anyway, I would love to have all of you check out the Treasury I created on Etsy.  I included wonderful items from some of our very talented members of the Redding Handmade Team. 

To view this Treasury just click on the Etsy link in the right-hand sidebar of my blog page.  When you get to the Treasury be sure to click on each of the items shown.  This will take you to the individual artist's stores where you will find amazing and beautiful things.  Have fun browsing! 

Fabulous Fabrics

I visited a new fabric store in Redding yesterday, and oh my gosh!!  The young lady who owns the store is a delight and her sense of style is just awesome!  The shop is not full yet, but what she has in there is just beautiful and her prices are excellent.  I of course had to own a few pieces of her beautiful fabric for myself and can't wait to go back and purchase more. 

The shop is bright and colorful, as is the fabric she sells.  I love the way she has the fabric displayed....she has some great old pieces of furniture in the shop that she uses for display space and for her sewing classes.  Yes, I said sewing classes!  She is also going to allow customers to come in and use her sewing machines for a very nominal fee.....what a great concept!

Please go in and check it out......you won't be disappointed. 

Now, what to do with that amazing fabric I purchased, Hmmmmm..........................the creative wheels are turning. 

Kiln sold

Well, it looks like I may have my largest kiln sold.  A wonderful lady from Grants Pass has called twice now and plans on coming down on Saturday.  She really, really wants it and I'm very excited for her.  I know how I felt when I bought my first kiln. 

I am still feeling sad about selling it, but I know it's the right thing to do.  I just need to concentrate on getting my smaller kiln repaired and then I will still be able to fuse glass.  I know I could not give it up completely. 

Cleaning Day

Today was a very productive day.  I started out by going to the gym this morning with my son.  I cleaned house and finished my laundry, baked some cookies (kind of undid the gym thing), sorted through a bunch of papers getting things ready for taxes!  Whew, I'm tired just reading this. 

It did feel really good to get those things accomplised.  I did not, however, get any jewelry work done today, but sometimes we just have to take a day away from the creative endeavors.  I feel much less stressed having a clean house and cookies to eat!

Well, I placed ads on Craigs List for my glass fusing kilns......what a joke!   The only responses I have gotten are scams.  It didn't take me long to figure those out.  If you ever list anything on Craigs List, especially anything of value, you will get tons of offers from people who want you to hold the item for them and they will send you a "certified check".  They can't come in person because they are too busy, so they will send their "movers" or "friends" to pick the item up.  They want you to send them all of your information so they can send a "check".  Don't fall for these offers, they are scams.  The "certified check" will bounce and they will have your item, which they will then sell.  All of these offers sound almost exactly alike although they are from different email addresses.  It's almost like a script.  When you respond by telling them that you will only accept cash, you never hear from them again.  It's so sad that these vultures are out there, making it very hard for honest people to sell, or buy, items. 

I'm going to try putting an ad in the Sacramento Bee and maybe a paper in the Bay Area.  I've pretty much given up on Craigs List. 

Glass studio

Well, I managed to get about half of my glass studio cleaned today.  I am trying to sort through all of my supplies and molds to decide what to keep and what to sell.  I am going to sell most of my glass fusing supplies and 2 of my kilns.  I am finding that I just don't have time to commit to such an expensive "hobby", now that keeping up with the jewelry is taking most of my time. 

I am going to keep one kiln and my jewelry kiln and a few small molds, but will be selling everything else.  It took me a long time to make this decision and I really agonized over it.  I love glass fusing, but it is very expensive and because of that, it is hard to sell the finished product.  I will still be able to make fused glass items, but they will be small things like; boxes, bowls, some vases, and jewelry. 

Sometimes we just have to eliminate sources of stress, and this had become a source of stress for me because I could never find time for it. 

Suppy Swap

Hi everybody.  Redding Handmade is having a supply swap on April 17th from 1 pm until 4 pm at the Downtown Mall.  Tables and chairs will be provided for the participants.  There will be a $5 charge. 

We all have supplies that we will never use, so why not swap them for new and exciting supplies that we can use!!  This swap will be open to the public

Another Day

Good morning all.  Hey, I'm here 3 days in a row......whoo hooo!

Do you ever get frustrated by a creativity slump?  I have days when I enter my studio and the ideas just flow like melted butter and then other days when I just sit there and stare at everything.  I had one of those days yesterday.....nothing was coming to me.....it's like my brain just went on vacation without me.  I love the days when I'm working and just popping out new designs without even thinking about what I am doing.  Days like yesterday really frustrate me.  I try not to get so frustrated, but find that I have a hard time dealing with failure. 

Well, today is a hiatus day from jewelry.  Today is house cleaning, glass studio cleaning, and working on taxes day.  Doesn't that sound like a lot of fun!!

I am really looking forward to this evening, however.  I am attending an artist group that will be working it's way through the book, The Artist's Way, to rejuvenate our creative minds and souls.  I think it is going to be a wonderful experience. 

Ok, on to the house cleaning!!  Talk to you tomorrow. 

New day

Well, I made it back here again today!  

My son and I started back at the gym today and it felt so wonderful.....of course tomorrow and the next day will be a different story! 

I sent off our second shipment of jewelry to Adorna Bella in San Francisco yesterday.  We are really anxious to find out how our product is doing there.  Won't know for a few more weeks.....the suspense is killing us!

Have deliveries to make to 2 boutiques in town today and then will spend the rest of the afternoon and evening will be working on jewelry.  Be sure to check out the new additions to our website:  http://www.lorielynn.etsy.com/

New to blogging

I have decided to give blogging a try since everybody I know seems to be doing it. I'm not a great writer.....it's just never been my thing, so hopefully I will keep this up.