Special Notice + Pearls for June

I love pearls. I'm a June baby and it's one of the birthstones for this month. Currently, there's a nice section devoted to pearl pieces available in my WillOaks Studio Etsy shop. If you also love pearls or are looking for the perfect gift for your special June baby, do take a peek.....

....and please do it soon. I have the opportunity to send a collection of my pieces to a couple of "brick and mortar" venues, for summer (tourist) season displays, later this week (6-10-09) and must remove some work from both my Etsy shop and my ArtFire shop to complete these collections. But, dear readers, I want to give my "online customers" first dibs on any work they may have been eyeing, so please, if you're interested in any of the pieces in my shops, do drop me a note, an email, or a convo and let me know, because I'm happy to hold these back.

Not to worry, there will still be work available in each studio...and I'm always working to make new things...but just in case you were watching and waiting for that "right time" to buy one of my original pieces listed now...I would love to hear from you in the next few days so I can hold it back from the shipments I'm assembling now.

...and thanks to all who have supported my work with purchases, and kind remarks! I'm grateful that you choose to support artists during these tough economic times! And honored that you enjoy and appreciate my wearable artwork!

The Power of Art?

I sold a couple of pieces from my Artfire Studio during Memorial Day weekend. The conversation BEYOND the sale is an incredible story, including how art can reach out and touch even a perfect stranger. I’ve decided to share part of it here, through snips from the e-mails exchanged. Charlene bought the two pieces above: one of my signature pearl necklaces and a pair of copper and pearl earrings designed to coordinate.

First, she was so kind to include this note with her purchase:
Note From Buyer: Your jewelry is beautiful, and I hope to add some other selections as paydays permit! Thank you! Charlene

My note to her, to confirm receipt of her purchase and other info:
Dear Charlene--
I dropped you a note on ArtFire but am writing again directly to your email to thank you very much for your recent order from my studio! I plan to mail your pieces to you on Tuesday (P.O. is closed tomorrow for holiday) via first class mail with delivery confirmation receipt. I hope you love the new neck piece and one of a kind earrings....and I also appreciate that you noted more of my work with your hotlist....it means a lot to have my work noticed and appreciated!!
Don't hesitate to drop a note if you have any comments or questions and I look forward to hearing from you again!
All the best, Karen

Her reply was quite surprising and inspiring:
Hello Karen!
I just got online today, and was happy to hear from you- at Artfire, then I thought I would check here...I am so excited about the beautiful necklace and earrings arriving soon! I am so pleased with the design and style-which will be new for me. When I saw them I was so drawn to them, but I hesitated because I wasn't sure if it would "work" on me-until I saw how lovely they looked on...and I thank you for having them modeled- it really helped with my decision! I realized just today, that I haven't been so excited about jewelry, since I "lost" whatever collection I owned, in 1987, due to circumstances of an earthquake... I have not owned nor worn anything other than pierced earrings since then, and I am officially back, and thrilled at the thought of wearing what I love again-so I thank you, and the other designers here at Artfire, for sparking the excitement and interest in wearing jewelry again!!! Hooray!
I am thrilled to discover I have officially begun a new jewelry collection, and am delighted your designs will be a part of it! Thank you for being a part of my reclaimed JOY!

Charlene

My reply, written while working Memorial Day weekend in a “No Vacancy” WillOaks Campground mode:

Wow, Charlene, that's an amazing story!! And '87 was quite awhile ago...a long time to sort of "ignore" jewelry. Well, welcome back!! And I'm truly awed that my pieces sort of "shook you out of it" so to speak! I'd like your permission to incorporate your email--or perhaps a part of it--into my blog at some point? May I? You're free to edit it now, if you'd like something said differently...although I think you write well and it's truly just an incredible story...I think my readers would be awed like I am, actually!
Well I look forward to hearing what you think of the actual pieces, and I hope you're inspired to wear more wearable art pieces going forward!! I love to wear jewelry and sometimes, like today, may even look a bit absurd to people. For example, I'm in the throes of running our family campground here during a very full and busy holiday weekend. I've got on a pair of "pedal pushers" and an older light green linen shirt (against the sun) and even a big old hat (against the sun) BUT I've got on gray pearl earrings & a moonstone and grey pearl necklace.
Teehee, doesn't make sense except to ME!! Although I did find a new customer today when she saw my earrings and decided to go check my shops out! I can't leave the house without earrings
on...feel too naked...and a bracelet and/or necklace just makes me feel, well, a little nicer I guess!!
Sun is setting here, need to go make rounds as campers all wind down....let me know what you think of the blog idea.
Karen


Hello Karen,
What a great way to spend the weekend, and I could just picture your apparel description, and your beautiful jewelry pieces ... fantastic! Everything sounded so wonderfully fun! After the "experience" of what happened today, having things surface as they did, (quite unexpected), I guess I am saying you were instrumental in an earthquake of exciting designs in jewelry, that subsequently shook me out of it, as you said...That was cute- were you aware of how you phrased it... "shook you out of it"? Clever! I should have been shopping with you sooner!
Well I am thrilled about everything- old junk gunk shed, new adornments to feel good in, and meeting someone who has passion in design, and in life, and shares it all! As for permission for perhaps using any or all of what I wrote, you are free to do so- edit as you please. I am just so grateful to have an understanding of myself, and you turned out to be the catalyst! Pretty darn good way to spend a day... helping to enhance someone's "being", huh! Thank you again for everything, Karen.
With joy, gratitude and love,
Charlene

Then I continued my Memorial Day weekend, where I was working pretty hard because the WillOaks Campground was absolutely FULL. I wrote back when the “dust settled” and I was able to get her purchase to the Post Office, when it reopened Tuesday.

Woohoo, we made it through a nutty weekend...and then some! In fact, I had hoped to catch my breath today, but no, no rest for the wicked! But wanted you to know that your new pieces are in the mail as of our "2:30 p.m. pick-up" so I hope the snail mail speeds them quickly across the big old USA to your mail box!
I'm thinking and thinking about how to write about the cool experience you've been sharing with me....it hasn't quite gelled yet...but given some time, I trust it will. My blog is kind of a wacky mix of gardening, art making, running a farm and a campground, watching nature, where ideas come from and et cetera...I've coined the sub title "Behind the Gallery View" because folks don't always realize that these things we artists "put out there" aren't always born whole and perfect the first go around, and sometimes it takes a funny mix of "input" to come up with good “output'....
And you're right...the word play, both purposeful and accidental...is too cool and I wonder how I can use that in the blog, too? I'm probably better with pictures than with words, but I keep trying!! While not as devastating as your earthquake....I did a post awhile back about living through the volcanic eruption--Mt Redoubt--while in Anchorage (not the recent one, the earlier blow) http://willoaksstudio.blogspot.com/2009/01/mount-redoubt.html
So again, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with me--I really appreciate it...It's really very very cool....more to come!!
Have a great week! Karen

She’s written again, but I felt it was getting a little too personal to post in a blog….so I’ll close this amazing exchange, for now, with what Charlene posted on my ArtFire “kudos” page, after receipt of the work, written for “public consumption”:

This is the first time I have worn something in this style, and it is simply-beautiful! I was also very pleased with the care in packaging- ready to present as gifts if so desired. I was impressed by everything and will order from here again! Karen was wonderful - all in all, a great shopping experience! Thank you!

It's been hard to take photos in the garden the past couple of days. For one thing, it's been very breezy outside (lots of blurry images, that's for sure!) and for another--glaring sunshine. It's difficult to shoot "objects" in such harsh light but fortunately, in the evenings, I can find the light softer and/or there's more shade cast by trees and things.

More different Clematis are opening or on the verge of bloom; my collection of salmon and peach poppies are almost all in blossom; the buds of more peony varieties open every day. I never realized that new poppies close their petals in the evening, and yes, there are lots of ants on the peonies.

The rain has stopped for the moment, though we hear that more storms are expected later this weekend. Wind and heavy rain NOT GOOD for big, blooming flowers. Hoping for the best....

I'll be in the "Show case" sections of Etsy over the next 3 days. Look for my link in "Jewelry" on Friday and Saturday, and on the "Main Showcase" on Sunday...plus I'm still showing up in the Gifts Guide for June Pearls!! Stop by when you have a chance!

Celebrating My Trees

I've been back here on the family farm for almost 6 years now, my actual arrival anniversary is later this month. Five years ago, I began to plant things around the house and other areas, including some new trees. Since I was just moving from Iowa, where both evergreen and deciduous trees are commonly planted as windbreaks, and since we've got pretty wide open crop fields on the west and north side of the house, I decided this might be a good idea here.

I thought a windbreak along the fence line just north of the house made sense. I realize I get northwest winds, and pretty strong ones at that, during the colder times of the year, but there's just no way to plant trees that intersect that trajectory....so I figured at least 10 evergreens, well spaced out along this east to west fence line, might help break the winds around the home here.

I was pretty tight for cash, so I shopped at a Walmart nursery that I'd found in the next town over. Colorado Blue Spruce seedlings, maybe 1 foot tall, were for sale for under $10 each, and I ended up with 10 of them. They took some serious nursing the first few years....you know the drill: regular watering, weeding, heavy mulching, all aimed at helping survival. I'm so happy to see how healthy and big they are getting, although not particularly effective as windbreaks yet. I chose this one to photograph because it's directly in front of a 4' fence post, for size visualization.

Meanwhile, my peach and salmon colored oriental poppies and more clematis varieties and peonies are now open. I would have gone for some shooting this morning, but it's been a very windy, and very sunny day here...so maybe when things settle down this evening, I can "preserve" that special image collection!

A View from my Studio Window

When I sit at my work bench here, my back is to the window. The window faces west. As evening fell, this was such a treat to behold, I had to share. I did nothing to change or enhance these colors. I just love the skies this time of year.

More Goodness from the Gardens

Poppies and Peonies, Clematis and Irises, and so much more....the June garden symphony begins its' show! What an amazing riot of color---enjoy!

Entrecard, Take One (or, Drop One!)

I've had "Entrecard" on my blog for 21 days now, through the end of May! It's really been an interesting new experience, especially discovering new bloggers and their blogs. It's a little tricky to get the hang of, and I still have no clue how the price on blog spots (that is, buying and selling the ad space) is set, or why I'm not getting credit for every post I do...just some of them. So there's still a lot to learn. But the traffic here has definitely improved, which is so great! Not that I mind talking to myself...but it's fun to share, too! So to summarize the past 3 weeks, here are the top 10 "droppers."

Split Rock Ranch
Three Fates Design - Beaded Jewelry
BeadedTail
Let's Jump Together
Art By Paul Baines
Pat's Encaustics - Art in the Wax
Stuff and Nonsense
Jill's Creative Cafe Page
Superficial Gallery
Buy-Tees.net T-Shirts

Now, if I can just get my service provider to fix this @##$%^&* router so I can have less trial and tribulation staying connected to the internet, I shall look forward to an even better experience with Entrecard in June! Meanwhile, thank you to all who "drop by!" I really appreciate it.