Review on Wooly Wire(Fiber Wire)

Hello friends!

This blog is way over due, but at least I am here posting it now. As you may have seen over my past blogs, and posts I am ENAMORED with Wooly Wire to say the least!  I have nothing, but great things to say about this amazing new product! You may remember my past blog tutorial about how to Finish the end of Wooly Wire. Wooly wire is SO easy to use and easy to end as well. Wooly Wire is that perfect element to add to any project that you would do wire-wrapping techniques and beyond!

Wooly Wire comes in 2 different gauges, 24 and 22. I personally prefer the 24 ga myself, but I also create work on a smaller scale. I like that their is more fiber than wire with the 24. If you do larger chunkier pieces you may like the 22 better. 

Here you can see some AWESOME negative space earrings.

A super sweet woven pendant.

A necklace using the Wooly Wire for connecting as well as simple wire wraps.

For a simpler design just around the front.

Around chain for an amazing textural look.

A more intricate design with simple wire-wraps and some coiling around fiber. I LOVE this necklace!

Even wine charms! 

The sky is the limit with this amazing new mixed-media art wire! 

For more ideas and inspiration, check out the Pinterest board Wooly Wire! 

If you weren't sure about Wooly Wire, I hope this gave your the courage to dive on it!

Enjoy!

xo Genea

Christmas in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado 2012.

Hello friends!

Wow, can you believe it's all over? Only one more holiday to go and then it's the new year. Where did the time go? It seems like things ZOOMED past this year. I thought I would check in and post just a few pics from our trip to Red Feather Lakes, Colorado where Ricky's parents are currently living. Ricky is determined to bunk up in their barn apartment when they get one built this coming year. After checking out the photos I'm sure you will see why ;)

The map for Red Feather Lakes.

View just outside of the house on the way into town. The photos don't even do it justice!

The entrance to Rick and Malina's new house. Here is the family room and you can see the kitchen in the background. Ricky is hanging out on the chair with Claire at his side :D

Francesca "Frankie" keeps a look out on her bench ;)

If you walk in the door and go upstairs it takes you to the loft.

The loft.

View from the loft to the family room.

The dining room. Malina made us a yummy yogurt and fruit plate with grits, a poached egg, coffee and orange juice. Yum! 

The view from the dining room table. Now couldn't you get used to eating breakfast and looking at that view?

The kitchen.

View from the kitchen window. Little "snow balls" collected on the branches and you can see that long icicle hanging down.

The hallway.

The bathroom.

The "mud room" where there will eventually be  a sink and tile floor so the dogs can come in without tracking the outdoors in. Excuse our piles of clothes and blankets ;P

Rick and Malina's room.

The tree on Christmas Eve from the window. They didn't end up getting a tree this year so they just decorated the one out front. I think it worked out perfectly!

Ricky's Nana drinking her tea. She is a rockin' 84 year old woman! 

Here is Amelia. Sweet baby is 10!

Christmas day we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of gf quiche and gf buttermilk biscuits along with mimosa's and fruit salad :D

Ricky the mountain man. He was excited not to shave for a few days while we were away. lol.

After breakfast I got wrapped up in my beautiful scarf from Nellie and some borrowed boots from Malina. 

The dogs got on their snow boots and joined us.

We began our hike out the dining room door in the back yard. Wow, just look at this! 

Here is the view from one of the hill tops on our hike. Surrounded by beauty and nature! 

Christmas night we got in our family Christmas Story pajama's and relaxed. Here is Ricky's mom and dad hanging out in the chair.

Ricky made us some incredible fondue! 

Our fruit, veggies and cheese for dipping.

Our delicious spread of olives, dips, cheese,  sweet potato fries cooked on the wood burning stove, some of Ricky's honey mustard, this amazing red pepper dip, gf crackers, and bagle chips.

This red pepper, and walnut dip the neighbors made was just incredible!

The last day of our trip. I enjoyed my morning cup of coffee on the chair in front of the wood burning stove soaking up the view before returning to the city.

I hope you enjoyed a most Merry and relaxing holiday!

xo Genea

Updated Shops, New Inspiration Board & Designs

Hello friends!

Wow, it's been a weird week. Ricky has a crazy schedule at the gym now that he is a sales manager. I have been flip flopping days around so we can spend time together. I have so many things I am juggling and all the sudden I began to PANIC about the holidays! I was like OMG... I have to stock my shops, I have things to make, beads to make, projects to do.. AHHHHH. Is this happening to anyone else??

I have even finally completed a small run of special things for my collab with Nellie(Karen's daughter that makes fiber wire). So here is a quick sneaky peeky of that...

So this is the "handle" for the orifice hooks. The bottom is a little hook that is used to pull the spun fibers through the spinning wheel. I had a lot of fun creating these :D 

I had also had a convo with Karen about business stuff and we were talking about niches. Then I had a convo with one of my new customers and "wing dings" and "weeny dings" and I got to thinking, Uh... DUH. I need to make a Pinterest board to show people what to do with them right? I mean we are all artists and visual right? It only made sense. So me being a CRAZY person, I went to work creating this board of jewelry and other things to make with "Wing Dings" & "Weeny Dings".

Here is a new GORGEOUS necklace Lorelei created.

I just love this design! It's so fall(my very favorite season)!

Speaking of Lorelei, I got one of her AMAZING tin snippet toggles! 

Oh I just LOVE my toggle! I can't wait to design with it :D Here is her gallery of tin snippet toggles on facebook.

So now what about those shop listings??

So I updated both shops. A few things I thought you all might need for some holiday jewelry for your designs. I got a few new pieces in my jewelry shop too for people who don't make jewelry ;)

"Desert Serpent Jewel" - so this beauty is like the "Desert Serpent" lentils only this is a focal size with a "Jewel" dot in the center. I don't think I actually sold this one. The very first one went to Staci in a trade, so technically these are still new ;) 

Here is how big it is. I believe it's 1". I forget, but it's in the description ;P

Swirl Spacers "Bold Rainbow"- Mmmm pretty huh? Every color you could want. So you are looking at it wondering why it's "rainbow" with no purple, right? Well the purple glass in this style rod is only a kind of lavender. I wanted a bold rainbow so I used these colors :D

Swirl Spacers "Island Punch"- a bit of brights for fun!

Swirly Spacers "Swirly Sea Garden"- I used these little beauties in my "Vortex Flower Garden" necklace that was in Bead & Button :)

Pretty huh? I love this necklace :D

So speaking of jewelry... Here is what I added to my jewelry shop.

"Galaxy Key" necklace with my hand forged copper pendant. the little rainbow bubble button is actually melted directly onto the wire. I just love this piece! So simple and perfect! This necklace even has one of my hammered patinated clasps :D

Here you can see the necklace worn and the earrings that match :D

"Silver Thread Nebula" earrings. Maybe you remember seeing these on the Inspiration & Collaboration blog.

So speaking of photos....

Guess who ordered new MOO cards?! I just loved my fall photos with the leaves so I thought I probably needed some new cards. The holidays are coming up, and one needs to stock up for the holidays, right? Right!

So here is a screen shot of the cards with the leaf photos. So pretty!

Here is the front. Looks simple, right? WRONG... Seriously everything that should be short and simple for me becomes a horrendous MESS. So it literally took me HOURS to get the top image right. I had to create the image so that the text sat right in the middle. I wanted recycled looking cards, but there isn't an option for one. So I took my cardboard image and made one :D In order to make this image it has to be really tall on the top and bottom and the image part has to sit right in the middle. Such a PITA, but OMG it looks f*ing SWEET! I can't wait to get my new cards :D  

I already have a collector of my cards(you know who you are ;D)

Anyways, I suppose I should move along. It's already 4pm here and I still have  a LIST of things to do before going out with some friends today!

See you soon!

xo Genea