There's a Fire Burning in my Crystals

 Can you tell I have been enjoying Adele's 21, her newest release? Love it love it love it.
Meanwhile back to my life.. and my precious vintage crystals.

I have loved the sparkle of crystal since I was a wee child snooping in my Mother's jewelry box. I love the glamour of old Hollywood Jean Harlow, Mae West, Cary Grant (He was great as an arm ornament  without sparkle) Well you get the idea. I loved black and white movies with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and many more I adore.

The crystals I have been collecting for the last dozen years or so started out with just a few beauties I found at different antique fairs. I would hold them in my hand and drool slightly without damaging my outer worldly cool exterior and just manage to say " How much?"  Then one or two were not enough.  Soon I had to have the whole box, and then the box they were in became a set of drawers. The drawers became 2 sets of drawers. Crystals were spilling out into all the rooms of my house. I suspect they were having wild parties in the night while I was sleeping and perhaps reproducing. Of course I have no proof of this.  No teeny tiny liquor bottles flung about, or other signs of orgies. But they keep increasing in volume.

At last I made the decision that I could part with them and needed to find good creative folks to adopt their wee points and death defing sparkling color.  And so they can now become a complete new design in this century.

I spent some time combinding colors to create some unique  crystal collections. And I am shameless plugging my new Etsy Store open right now!!!  http://etsy.com/shop/wildhairstudio  If you see my ad on facebook there is a code for a 20% discount for a limited time. 

When you purchase a collection if you comment you saw my this blog post I will add another 10% off (please reference the title of this post "There's a Fire Burning in my Crystals"). After you submit your order on Etsy and send your paypal payment, I will adjust your invoice and send you a revised PayPal invoice with the new lower price. 

But you best get to gettin, because this offer only lasts until August 12th and only as long as supplies last.

Cheers Peg

 http://etsy.com/shop/wildhairstudio

And the winners are

The winners are drumroll please..............
Cynthia Bicker
Esse Lyle,
Julz Either,
Kathy Jansen-Bellamy
Lavinia Kaleleiki,
Heidi Schuler

Thanks so much for your participation in my glass pin giveaway.
 I hope you have as much fun  wearing them as I did creating them.
And thanks for taking the time to be a part of my social media group. I appreciate your friendship. It is so cool to connect with people from all over through the magic of the internet.
 Cheers

Cyn Bicker

Esse Lyle

Lavinia Kaleleiki



Julz Either




Heidi Schuler



Kathy Jensen-Bellamy

Happy Glass

there's no place like mine

 Here is my
"Help me celebrate I turned 60 and want to thank my fans and friends"
 social media  giveaway.
  Created in my studio with glass, cutters, resins  and kilns.
 One of my favorite mediums to work with is glass. I love all processes involved. Color plays such an important role in my daily life.
and the qualities of glass really bring me such joy.
 I like to cut ,clean and assemble in the afternoon Fire then anneal so I can pop out to the studio in a early morning with a mug of coffee and my robe and slippers to crack open the kiln and see the wonders that fire and basic elements have created along with a wee bit of my imagination.


Oh the possibilities.

There are still a few more days left in June to add your name to  my give away list.
And a big Thank you to those of you who left such nice responses.

winter garden

over here

ruby forest

  my sunny day

green days

Only a Few More Days

   This is a repeat of my earlier blog to encourage new readers and fans. There are only a few more days left in June 7 to be exact as of today 6/23/11 for you to be a part of my glass pin giveaway. I am really grateful for your friendship and encouragement in my artful journey.
This has been a busy and interesting  six months in 2011. I have been arting allover the place and have had the privilege to meet and spend time with some delightful folks in many different art areas including metal,paint,beads,glass and more.  I just started my 60th decade as well and I intend to create my way thru humor and joy and "what would happen if I ...?" into a one woman show of Peg's possibilities cause I am the ****ing Queen. 
 So please

Won't You Be My Neighbor?


I've been elbow deep in my kiln lately creating some delightful fused glass pieces. Some of these pieces I made for the SNAG conference this last weekend and traded with other artists (You should see the amazing art I got in exchange). While the rest of the fused pieces I'm creating as part of my 2011 collection.



I'm in the process of building my art business and expanding my on-line presence. You can find me on Facebook, Etsy, Blogger, and Wildhairstudio.com. In celebration of turning the big six-oh this year and in an effort to better connect with you (well, and...really to shamelessly plug myself ), I'm having a contest during the whole month of June. For every one of the following things you do to engage with me online, you will be entered into the drawing.



leave a comment on my blog

subscribe to my blog

"like" my facebook page

leave a comment on my facebook page

favorite one of my items on etsy

Then, at the end of June 2011, I will select 6 winners. "What will I win?" you ask. The 6 winners will receive an original fused glass pendant by peg. To entice you, I will be posting photos of these pendants as they pop their heads out of the kiln.





here's my heart in my hand




I love to glass..



mermaid's treasures

In Song: "Oh won't you please .... be ....my neighbor?" -- Mr. Rogers

Leaving a comment

I have received several emails about being unable to leave a comment for my giveaway this month. So I went to my guru of social media Gwen and pleaded for help . IN bold are instructions for leaving comments. I had open comments when I first began blogging but a group of evil spammer toads decided to use the comment to leave nasty remarks and spam out from this blog so I closed it to the way it is now.

Thanks for being a reader and joining in my contest. I am waiting anxiously for my kilns to heat up to fire my Spring kimono for the second firing adding enamel to the flower blooming at the hemline.

I am adding my prayers to the fire goddess for a perfect firing between the silver and the enamel.

Meanwhile, here are some pics of my mystical mosaics I have been working on since last summer. They passed the endless rain of last winter and I will be adding to them as the weather warms up. I have yet to post the pics of the dragon who is in the middle of my creation. Coming soon...

Mermaid with child

undersea garden

King Merman off to greet the dragon

Leaving a comment:

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Out of my dreams



Fall Kimono



Success at last. I have had the idea for creating these wee silver kimonos for over 5 years I created a small book several years ago with kimonos on the covers and used moss and twigs and leaves from my garden to create texture plates allowing me to transfer my beloved garden into the silver and carry the feel of peacefulness my garden offers me. But I was not finished and have mulled around many different ideas in the last few years....never quite coming up to that jump for joy feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I get a wild hair idea.   Well the wild hair hit hard a few weeks ago and  after sketching out my designs I stayed up into the wee hours working on one after an other till my eyes refused to stay open. So I relented slept for a while and continued. Here are 3 of the 4  kimonos

Spring is taking her time and is not quite ready for prime time but stay tuned she will arrive soon.

 ENJOY



Summer Kimono




Winter Kimono

 Put a bird on it!!

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

I've been elbow deep in my kiln lately creating some delightful fused glass pieces.  Some of these pieces I made for the SNAG conference this last weekend and traded with other artists (You should see the amazing art I got in exchange).  While the rest of the fused pieces I'm creating as part of my 2011 collection.

I'm in the process of building my art business and expanding my on-line presence.  You can find me on Facebook, Etsy, Blogger, and Wildhairstudio.com.  In celebration of turning the big six-oh this year and in an effort to better connect with you (well, and...really to shamelessly plug myself ), I'm having a contest during the whole month of June.  For every one of the following things you do to engage with me online, you will be entered into the drawing. 

• leave a comment on my blog
• subscribe to my blog
• "like" my facebook page
• leave a comment on my facebook page
• favorite one of my items on etsy

Then, at the end of June 2011, I will select 6 winners.  "What will I win?" you ask.  The 6 winners will receive an original fused glass pendant by peg.  To entice you, I will be posting photos of these pendants as they pop their heads out of the kiln.

In Song: "Oh won't you please .... be ....my neighbor?"  -- Mr. Rogers

Luminous leaves from my garden

 I am lucky enough to have created an enchanted place filled with very old plants who return each year to stun me with their beauty and scents.
  This has been quite a year so far.We have had a long and I do mean long bout of rain so many things have been delayed in their normal growth cycle. The weather has been the biggest influence in my usual garden duties. One of my duties was to get blogging about my class offerings

 I am so excited to announce I will be teaching 3 classes at Art & Soul  in Portland this September.

 As you can see I love leaves and my first class offering is Luminous Leaves. This is a unique way to make an organic casting of  leaves, after we create and fire them in Fine silver, day 2 will be adding enamel to envelope  the leaves with rich color. I have been enameling for around 15 years and I love the magic that happens when you add fire and powdered enamel on precious metal.

stay tuned for more pictures and news and check out the classes at Art & Soul it is an experience not to be missed and welcome to my garden

 

Leaf collage gingko, sage fused glass,sapahire

blackberry

clematis

ginkgo leaves

New Classes at Art & Soul

4 Seasons Kimono Book

Hi all


Just a note to let you know if you are considering going to Portlands Art and Soul, you should sign up quickly!!!  I will be teaching 3 classes there:

• P1235 Luminous Leaves - Mon Eve & Tues  (Enamling on Fine Silver Leaves)

• P1236 4 Seasons Kimono Book Amulet - Wed Sept 28  (making organic texture plates and organic mono prints for book pages)

• P1237 Under the Sea - Sun Oct 2 (or here fishey fishey, bezel setting stones)

Sep t26th thru October 2nd. There is a chance to get a 5 night free stay info below.  In just 20 days Glenny will be announcing the winner of the free 5 nights at the Embassy Suites Portland for our Sept. 2011 retreat!

Is your name in the hat?

It is if you have signed up for 4 or more day time classes and it's not too late to register now to get your name in too!

Ready ......set ....... SIGN UP !

http://www.artandsoulretreat.com

Organic leaf casting Flutterby

On Display at Maloney's Florist: Flowers, Gifts, and Tribal Bits

Just this week Peg & I stopped into Maloney's Florist, located on Meridian in Puyallup between the car dealerships, to inject some Tribal Bits among the flowers, lovely glass vases, teddy bears, cards, gorgeous silk arrangements, and potted spring beauties. In days gone by, Peg had dressed and adorned many a shop windows in the Puget Sound area. So, this task was a delight and brought back memories to us both. Oh what fun we had!

As you walk into the shop, you'll immediately see the lovely front counter and cooler filled with delicious spring flowers. Then, if you turn to your left, you'll see the long wall of windows which draws your eye right to the new tribal display. We brought a wide spread of items to show you how much variety Peg has available from trivets to coats and wall hangings to helmets. Every piece is unique and has been created from what ever materials were available to the artist.

Several years ago, because of her interest in Belly Dancing, Peg was introduced to some people who were selling vintage dance pieces that had been passed down through their families. Their reason to sell these treasures was to help their own families and fellow countrymen survive as they were fleeing their homes to escape the Taliban. Despite all of what they have gone through, these people maintain a happy disposition and are just grateful to be alive.

If you find yourself venturing through Puyallup to buy flowers, look at purchasing a new car (cars cost less in Puyallup, you know...), or sift through the aisles and booths of all the wonderful antiques stores, please take a moment to pop into Maloney's show room and admire the special pieces in the tribal display. Nearly everything that's in the display is for sale (look for the tags!). Pick up your own piece and maybe you'll just find that inspiration to dance that you've been looking for. If you cannot be present in Puyallup , never fear, just watch the Etsy store because we will be posting more tribal goodies.

4 Arts Desire on Etsy

Hello Wild Hair Studio readers!  My name is Gwen and I'm working with Peg now to build up her brand as an artist, expand her online presence and allow her more time in the studio to create.  Today, I'm writing to you about what she's been doing in the 4 Arts Desire shop on Etsy.

Did you know that you can find Wild Hair Studio creations and findings for sale on Etsy?  Peg, Randy, Beth, and Lisa have been hosting small shows in the Puget Sound area for many years now.  After seeing what I had done on Etsy with my former Dread Extensions (for costume wear and belly dancers) business, they decided that they'd expand their team existance into the online sales world.  They now share the store 4 Arts Desire.  Peg, Randy, and Lisa have some beautiful wearable art made from PMC, crystals, fused glass, pearls, and much more. 

The other fun items Peg has posted are Vintage Tribal adornments, costume pieces, wall hangings, and purses.  She and I have been belly dancing for 15 years.  About 6 or 7 years ago we discovered the world of Tribal Belly Dance.  Wow.  What fun we've had dancing.  And then, we discovered the vintage pieces from tribes in India, Afganistan, and other places.  While it must have been a difficult choice to sell for the owner of piece, knowing that the money spent is helping someone else survive is uplifting and inspring.  In addition to the joys of technology, it's amazing to see throug the power of personal connections and subjects of interest just how small and connected our world is.I will be posting more tribal pieces for Peg over the next week.  So keep your eye on the store (or sign up for the RSS feed). 

I will also be posting some of her gorgeous, goes-with-every-outfit earrings.  I've been fortunate enough to be the tester for many of her new designs.  I give her feedback on the look, feel, and impact that each item holds for me and the people who observe me wearing things.  Today, I find that 75 - 90% of my jewelry box is made up of wearable art that I've purchased from her over the years.  They are first and foremost gorgeous and the perfect augmentation to practically all my outfits from the subtle, corporate types to wild and crazy ones.  Her creations are also classy, funky, very comfortable, and extremely well designed (i.e. durable, which to me is very important because I'm rough on things I wear).

And now, without further ado - here is a taste of what you'll find in the 4 Arts Desire store today.

Etsy 4ArtsDesire

Mining for Silver

I took a wee rest after the frenzy of the Art & Soul auction spend some much needed time reducing,reusing and recycling many of those forgotten spots in my home where bits and pieces manage to find their way into the black hole of house keeping. It has been a great feeling to pass on many items we have outgrown, for what ever reason, and find some breathing room and a sense of order.

I hauled away many loads to the local thrift shop, senior center and passed items on to my offspring and several friends starting new lives. At last I could gather my thoughts and head into my studio, or perhaps I should say one of my studios: my "beads-silver-vintage-fabric-pieces-metal-clay-tools-hammers-wire-tools-buttons-vintage-crystals-bronze-copper-findings-finished-work" studio. As opposed to studio number 2, the "heavy-duty-studio-in-the-garage-for-kilns-chemicals-torches-resin-and-glass" studio, for which I am planning an update soon.

In studio 1 I am sorting and organizing all similar objects together. What a wonderful experience. Not only am I organizing, but I'm also taking a trip down memory lane. I'm finding things purchased and discovering lost items which I was unaware were lost ( which makes them all the sweeter of a find). This is now keeping me from repeatedly buying the same items. Do you do that?

Well at last I reached my stash of metal clay creations, joyfully created in the past 12 years. Wow, I was overwhelmed. As I discovered each piece and gathered them together, all at once they began to babble "Remember me?! Remember you were going to... wouldn't I look cool with...." So that is where I am at the moment getting ready to blast off into my creation mode and add some forgotten dreams to my immediate future.

Thanks to one and all

Happy Valentines Day


Today I had the pleasure of sending off a check to the Lawyers who are handling the Kiss my Fanny Mr Banker Fund.

Our final total was $1276.91.

I would like to send a big flappentine hug to each of you who helped make this happen. Thanks to each artist who created and shipped each beautiful item. Some of you were so generous to send several items.

Then there were the buyers you guys were fantastic. It was very fun to see all those wonderful things go flying out the door and into the boxes to begin their journeys to their new homes. We also had several donations and a private collector come by after the Ebay auctions and pick up a few items.



So dear Glenny Happy Valentines Day from all of us. May this small token give you a glimpse of the many wonderful people who thank you for the wonderful experience of Art & Soul and are cheering you on in this most difficult economic times for all



Watch for me in Portland this September as we have some more Fat Books we will be auctioning off to keep moving forward.



Cheers Peg

More Auction info Extra Auctions added

the Key by Denise Peterson

Here is the auction link





http://shop.ebay.com/wildhairstudio/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1



The Journey Denise Peterson

 The auctions have been extended 
 I relisted 11 items and 2 new ones that just arrived in the mail.




The first auction will end 2/4 starting at 12:12 pm Pacific standard time


The next one ends Monday Feb 6th about 9 am Pacific standard time This is your last chance to bid on these delightful items, remember the purpose of these auctions and all of the time and energy each artist spent being part of the Kiss my Fanny Mr Banker Fund.

Thanks to all who donated and joined in the bidding fun on eBay I salute you. You have made a big difference in the world and added much needed sun beam of hope to a delightful woman Glenny Moir.
Cheers
Peg

Auction INFO

Hello all

Here is a report on The KMFMB FUND


Here is how much money we have raised so far.

Bracelet Sales income $523.48

Ebay Auction Income as of 1/31/11 $378.03

There are 2 auctions left

The first one finishes in 1 day at about 9 pm west coast time and has 6 items

The second finishes in 4 days and has 11 items

These are some very cool things and as you can see we could sure use some enthusiastic bidders and help get these totals up higher.

I wanted to raise this money so the teachers could get paid sooner and perhaps there will be more to invest in all of the things required to keep art and soul Moving forward. Please take the time to contribute to this event.

I have donated 2 months of my time putting it all together and each artist has put in hours of time to create the cool artwork offered to you on EBay

Each artist took the time ,money and effort to help donate the KMFMB Fund. Now we are leaving in your hands
http://shop.ebay.com/wildhairstudio/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
Please participate
 Thank you from the bottom of my heart
Peg

Auction Items Art & Soul

Sorry to announce I will be unable to auction the 5 nights at the Embassy Suites Hotel on Ebay . Legal requirements require I handle this in a different manner. Please go to Ebay and continue to bid on the wonderful items still up and continuing to be posted. There are some beautiful things and you will be sorry you missed this once in a lifetime opportunity to bid on the 4 Fat books. I have spent hours looking and enjoying each page. I am truly amazed at the time, effort and scope of each artist.
Keep tuned this is merely a speed bump in moving forward

Thanks Peg

Auction Items Final Art & Soul

http://shop.ebay.com/wildhairstudio/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1




Get your bidding fingers warmed up and ready to go. The final auction will be posted Tomorrow 1/27/11 and ends Tuesday 2/1 /2011

along with the final 7 items including 2 more Fat books & a cheerful cupcake painting this auction includes the big bounty bidding blast of bodacious donations... Drumroll please

Auction for the 5 nights at the Portland Airport Embassy Suites

VALUE 900.00 2 room suite, cooked to order breakfast and managers reception daily

expires 10/3/2011



Sandy Lupton







Autumn Beauty by Cyn Bicker

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A Big THANK YOU to Portland Airport Embassy Suites for this grand gift and a huge round of applause to thank all of the excellent staff who always make our Art and Soul Experience superior! And provide us with excellent classrooms,Store Space and wonderful food not to mention the cozy rooms ( which are often hard to see because of all of the art supplies piled high on every availble surface.)