Happy Hippy Happenings

Belated Creation Sunday - chicken and dumplings

2012-01-16T07:07:00.003-06:00

Hillary wanted to share with you a great recipe for some awesome "cozy", cold weather food. Right now is the perfect time to cook up a pot of chicken and dumplings and curl up by the TV or the fire or the one you love.

With my husband being sick and it being freezing outside, I thought that chicken and dumplings would be the perfect dinner. Many years ago, a friend of mine told me how to make some using canned biscuit dough for dumplings. There are many similar recipes out there, but mine is definitely unique. Every time I make it, it's a a little different, and last night's was definitely the best.
Many of the recipes I have found are like pot pie filling with dumplings added, but I personally prefer my chicken and dumplings to be a little more like a thick soup or thin stew as that means there's a little more contrast between the texture of the soup and the fluffiness of the dumplings.

When I cook, it's more of a zen process (i.e. I make it up as I go along and often don't really have a plan), so the measurements below may not be exact. For all the spices, I just added them to taste. The only really important thing is that you make sure you add some salt when you first start cooking so that the unsalted flavor doesn't get locked in. Salt magically enhances all of the flavors in a recipe and helps tie them together. If you don't add any or enough, your recipe will be bland. If you wait until too late to add it, your food will taste like bland food with salt added... it's funny that way. Anyways, enough babbling, on to the recipe.

1 (26 oz) box of chicken stock (you can certainly use homemade chicken stock if you're industrious)
1 (32 oz) box of vegetable broth (ditto)
salt (i used a mixture of table salt and kosher salt)
granulated dried onion (a little)
dried sliced garlic (2-3 slices)
herbs de provence (more of this than other spices)
old bay (a little)
cracked black pepper (a fair amount but i like peppery soup)
2 celery stalks (leaves removed)Chicken tenderloins refrigerated biscuit dough (I like pillsbury grands but feel free to use your favorite)

Flour 2 tbl cornstarch 1/2 cup COLD waterBring all ingredients except chicken tenderloins, biscuit dough, flour, cornstarch, and water to a boil in a large pot. (I don't cut up my celery as my husband doesn't like vegetables in his soup but likes the flavor they add. You could certainly dice yours and let it be in the final product ). Put in chicken and turn down heat to a low boil. Cook 5-10 minutes or until chicken is done.In the meantime, prepare "dumplings":Flour a flat, clean surface. Place desired amount of biscuit dough (I usually use a half can and have the oven ready to make biscuits with the rest of the dough) on surface and flour both sides. Roll dough with rolling pin until it is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut each flat biscuit into smaller pieces (I usually cut them into about 8ths).When chicken is done:If not using diced celery, remove celery stalks from pot and discard. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add dumplings in. Cover pot and cook at a simmer low boil until biscuits appear cooked. In the meantime:Shred chicken or cut in to small pieces. Toward the end of cooking:In a cup or bowl, add cold water to cornstarch while stirring rapidly with a fork or whisk. Once cornstarch is dissolved thoroughly, slowly pour in to soup pot while stirring. Add shredded chicken back to pot. Continue to cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup has thickened and dumplings are cooked. That's all there is to it. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Creation sunday - Sketches 12-18-11

2011-12-18T21:17:00.001-06:00

This week, I am going to take a break from recipes because I hven't been cooking. I have been sick and sitting on the couch and got an early Christmas present of a set of awesome drawing pencils from a friend. So, what I've been creating recently is sketches. Enjoy!

(Belated) Creation Sunday - Pretzel "Turtles"

2011-12-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

Last week, The mother of the children I nanny for suggested I make Pretzel Turtles with the oldest child. Being unfamiliar, I asked how to make them. I was immediately intrigued... something sweet, salty, chocolatey and nutty all at the same time for all of 10 minutes of hands on time? "Awesome" I thought. I was right. We made exactly this recipe using Rolo candy. It tastes like something that came from a gourmet chocolate shop, is easy enough for a 3 year old to help, and takes no time whatsoever. It's perfect.
This would actually be an excellent "home made gift"-- make a bunch of these, put them in pretty boxes and tie it up with a bow. Everyone will think you spent tons of money at a boutique or spent hours in the kitchen getting the exact right balance of flavor, when, in fact, it will have taken you more time to wrap them than it did to make those oh so perfect bites of decadence. Trust me.

frustrations and realizations

2011-12-11T21:15:00.001-06:00

Hillary Had some thoughts she wanted to share with you.

Yesterday I went to a craft show and did not make my entry fee back. This is not the first time, nor, I suspect, will it be the last. I got home and said out loud to my husband "I'm going to the next one, but if that doesn't go well, I am done with beading." This is also not the first time those words have been uttered. But every time I say it, i mean it a little more.

I went to a craft show with items that everyone seems to like at prices that I've been told a million times are probably too low and smiled and talked and made connections with many people all while under the weather from a cold and had nothing to show for it. Why on earth wouldn't I stop?

I was truly going to until, to get over the anger and perceived rejection, I pulled out the bead board and the pliers and the wire. Beading truly has a calming and reaffirming effect on me. It has also been an especially good friend the last two days as I get over this cold. Since I feel tired and sniffly all the time, I physically don't feel like doing anything, but I mentally and emotionally want something to do. I could read a book, I could draw, I could play a video game, but the first place I went (and often go) is to that bead board.

So, clearly, stopping isn't what I need to do. Something needs to change because working a 10 hour day where you literally don't get paid is no ones idea of fun, but beading is not the thing that needs to change. I love what I do and I create beautiful things. I want to share them with people, preferably for money, but, well... we'll just have to see how this transition comes about. A transition is needed, but I'm not sure what I'm transitioning to yet. I'll let you know when I know. :)

Interview with Cocoa L.

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi there! My name is Cocoa, I'm from Huntsville, AL, and I'm a 17-year-old photographer. I read a lot of books, doodle, and sometimes do theatre, but mostly I just take pictures of stuff.

How did you first get interested in art and photography?

To tell the truth, I honestly just fell into photography. However, I've been doing "artsy" stuff all my life as I'm very right-brained. When I was very little I drew a lot, and I also have a bunch of community theatre experience (which I still do in high school), and that's great because it helps me entertain the young kids and keep them focused. As for photography, though, I started off playing around with my mom's point-and-shoot and taking photos of my backyard and pets and whatnot. I remember I used to take her old Kodak around the Target shopping center and take photos of everything just for the heck of it, but eventually I realized that I wanted to learn more about photography and get more serious about it. I think things just kind of went from there.

Most people would consider you very young to be so skilled and talented, is there something you did or something that happened that you think helped this process?

Practice, practice, and more practice! I carry my camera just about everywhere and try to take photos, whether it be for clients or just for me, at least once a week. I also spend a lot of time reading photography books, magazines, and online things. For the most part I'm self-taught.

How did you decide to start a business?

There was never really a conscious decision, to be completely honest. People started asking me to photos and so I eventually I made a website, got business cards, and before I knew it I was getting tons of job offers. It's kind of funny how that stuff works- I never really meant to become this involved, but I love it more than anything and I want portrait photography to be my career.

What would you say to other artists who are trying to get a start?

Again, the most important thing is to practice lots! Also make sure to listen to constructive criticism, but don't let rude people discourage you. I was told on a forum when I was just starting out that my work was garbage, which upset me a lot, but I eventually learned not to let that kind of negativity get to me. If you love it, keep doing it. It's as simple as that.

What is your favorite thing in the entire world?

I have lots of favorite things- my camera, my hedgehog Finnegan, wintertime, good books, stormy days... I could go on and on. I think it's safe to say that I really enjoy life in general.

Do you have a favorite photograph (your's or someone else's)? What is it and why?

For some reason I always get this question, but I can never really think up a decent answer. I tend to favor the recent stuff when it comes to my own photography. Normally I'm particularly fond of whatever's on the front page of my website, and that changes a lot. As for other people's work, well, I don't know! I look at so much photography that I really don't have an all-time favorite image. Tough question!

Last but not least, where can we find you and your art?

My website is http://photosbycocoa.com/, and if you live in the Huntsville area, you should definitely check it out! I shoot everything- children, families, seniors, engagements, weddings, you name it. I also have a blog, which you can find at http://photosbycocoa.wordpress.com/. I should also mention that I'm working on getting a studio at Lowe Mill alongside the fabulous Kayla Byrge of Fig Tree Jewelry (http://www.etsy.com/shop/figtreejewelry), which should be exciting. Lastly, if you want to become a fan, I have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photosbycocoa. Voila!

(Belated) Creation Sunday - The best Mac and Cheese Ever!

2011-11-28T13:40:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, Hillary was recovering from a week long vvacation so she didn't get a post up. Today Hillary wanted to share with you her favorite mac&cheese recipe that she says has been a staple at every holiday meal for several years now.

The best mac&cheese I have ever made, and hands down my favorite mac&cheese to eat is made on the stove top. Seriously. When alton brown made it on his show, he said "you will never eat the stuff from the blue box again once you have this." And he was right. Me and my husband swear by this recipe.

Of course, me being me, I make a few modifications, but these are simply a matter of personal preference and don't change anything major about the recipe:
I use 8 oz macaroni, a normal sized block of SHARP cheddar (orange or white both work fine), one egg, about 1/2 a can of evaporated milk, 2-4 tbl of butter (not margarine) and for spices/flavorings I only use salt, pepper and red pepper (cayenne or chili powder will do in a pinch).

If I want to make it healthier, I will use 2% evaporated milk, 1/2 a block of lowfat sharp cheddar cheese (I like Cabot's) and 1/2 a block of regular sharp cheddar of the same color. It does change the taste a little, but not so much that it tastes like skim milk and plastic (if my husband will still eat it, it has to be good... he hates anything that tastes "lowfat" or "reduced calorie".

I have tried the original version with whole wheat pasta and it tasted good as well, but I haven't tried the lowfat with whole wheat. Maybe I'll have to try that soon and let you know.

Thanks for visiting! Tune in next week for another awesome "Creation Sunday", and look for the inevitable "after christmas" awesomeness because Hillary says she is creating some amazing things but can't talk about them until after the gifts have been given.

New stuff 11-25-11

2011-11-25T22:54:00.000-06:00

Hillary Wanted to share with you some new custom work!

Child's Play 2011. Buy Hand Made Jewelry and help out Children's Hospitals at the same time!

2011-11-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Like every year, we will be donating 20% of all sales from our etsy shop to http://childsplaycharity.org, a charity that helps out children's hospitals throughout the world. They have already raised over half a million dollars in the last month and hope we can help give them some more. I started keeping track on thanksgiving and will turn the final donation in on Dec 30th. All sales count including sale items, custom items, and in person sales (if you know me in real life). These guys rock; help them out!

Why do they rock? Because it's a couple of passionate gamers, who write a webcomic, who got tired of the negative light that the media painted gamers in and decided to start a charity for Children's hospitals. So far this year they have raised over $700,000 and it all goes to help kids in hospitals.

Hillary continues to be avid gamer and humanitarian. She loves that there is a way that her jewelry businesses can help out and she really loves that there is a charity that promotes a positive image of an amazing group of people that she is proud to belong to.

Creation Sunday

2011-11-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today Hillary Wanted to share with you some thoughts on planning a quick "gourmet style" dinner.

A large part of my childhood was spent on the couch with a thermometer in my mouth when I should have been at many parties, holiday celebrations and other awesome things. So, I am no stranger to the idea of changing plans. As an adult, my immunities are better but my husband and I both have migraines, so the same attitude that got me through a fourth of July spent on the couch sipping peppermint milkshakes instead of eating grilled food and hanging out with my friends, has gotten me through many special days as an adult that got "altered" due to someone having a migraine or being ill. While the accepting attitude is helpful, The thing that gets me through valentines days with someone having stomach aches or anniversaries with someone having a migraine, is being able to come up with a way to make it special even though we end up staying home. One of the ways I do that is to come up with a nice meal. It's actually really simple, I take something I know my husband likes and try to make an awesome but easy version of it.
To do this for yourself you have to know a few things:
- what does my loved one like?
- how would I make such a thing?
- How can I make it awesome?
-What can I do to make the awesomeness simple?
The first two are easy.
The third one just involves figuring out what would "kick it up a notch." If they really like grilled cheese, what about using artisan bread and aged, smoked cheddar? If they like chicken, what about using a marinade and then serving it on top of herb pasta?
The fourth one involves figuring out if there are any shortcuts you can use. Keep in mind we are trying to get to the optimum combination of "awesome" and "convenient". Some of the shortcuts I like to use are buying pre-made herb butter, using the refrigerated pasta (much better than the dried stuff without the hassle of homemade), using mixes or doughs, when applicable and using pre-cooked chicken when appropriate.
Today I'm going to share with you a meal plan/menu I recently came up with on about two hours notice when we were supposed to go out to a celebratory dinner but my husband got a migraine instead. When he has headaches, he usually just wants soup and sandwiches. I was at work when I was conjuring up the idea for this meal and didn't get off until late, so convenience and speed were a big factor in "planning" this one. We had Turkey and Provolone Sandwiches on pretzel bread, chicken noodle soup, sparkling grape juice to drink and Mookie Sundaes for dessert (I'll explain later).

The sandwiches were the easiest and best part. I used Black Forest Deli Turkey from my local grocery store deli, provolone from the same, and Sister Schubert's Pretzel rolls. Make the rolls, slice 'em open, put meat and cheese inside, put back in oven until cheese melts. it's super simple and Hubby and I agree this may be the best sandwich we have ever had.

The soup used enough short cuts to be ready quickly, but not so many as to taste bland or processed. I brought one container of storehouse chicken stock to a boil, added some fancy egg noodles, added a few dried herbs and some salt & pepper, and added a pouch of pre-cooked chicken (in the same aisle as the canned chicken) and then let it all cook until the flavors had had a chance to meld together (probably 10 minutes or so... the noodles I used were done in 3).

The Mookie Sundae ended up being the ultimate combination of decadence and convenience. First, I should explain what a Mookie Sundae is. There used to be a very tasty local Italian restaurant that had the ooiest gooiest cookie dessert ever, called a mookie sundae. They would bring you a medium sized ceramic dish filled with a warm chocolate cookie that had been cooked in said dish. On top of said awesome, warm gooey cookie, was vanilla Ice cream and fudge. Sadly, the restaurant went out of business, so the lack of mookie sundaes is an oft heard lament in my household since we frequently drive by their empty building. But I digress. On to the instructions:
I got a tube of chocolate chip cookie dough and put about half of it in the bottom of a (more or less) 6 inch corning glass oven safe flat bottomed bowl. Then I cooked according to package instructions. I actually could have put less dough because the middle was a little undercooked and it filled up almost the entire height of the bowl when it rose. I let that cool until it was still soft and warm but no longer cookie lava and scooped half into a wine glass for each of us. Then I added gelato on top (this evening's choice was vanilla with caramel swirls and chocolate cookie bits), then hot fudge then whipped cream. It was a total surprise to hubby, really pretty in the wine glasses, awesomely tasty and really easy to make since I used cookie dough instead of making something from scratch.

We hope you enjoyed this week's "Creation Sunday" and hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Interview with "Just Give Me Peace"

2011-11-18T16:34:00.000-06:00

Today we are featuring an interview that Hillary did with Sing of Just give me Peace. Hillary Said that she was drawn to Sing's art because it is colorful, has a very unique watercolor style and is very retro/hippie much like Hillary's own work.

How has art and self expression been a part of your life and when did your involvement with it start?

It's funny, but we were allowed to color on the walls when we were little. To paint lines down the middle of the sheets and write our names on our pillows. To paint make-up on our Barbie dolls and dye their hair with magic markers. To tattoo them. I don't ever remember a time when I wasn't talking with colors. And painting stories with them.

How did your styles of expression develop over the years?

When I look at my work, some of it 40 years old, I still see the same lines, a cobweb of no rules. And as much as I think I've changed, I really haven't. I'm most comfortable with the same mediums I used as a child....Markers, acrylics, watercolors, pencils, ink, food coloring. And silly as it sounds, the only style I have is hippie, no fine art training, so I guess I just go with the flow...

Your shop features a very eclectic mix: some drawings, some paintings, some done on paper or more traditional "canvases" and some done on re-used items like records. You also feature poetry that goes along with each image. How did you come to this mixture of expression?
That's an 'always been'. The poems. Because all my work first begins with the thoughts, the words or remembrances of a moment...the painting or drawing itself just takes over where the words leave off. I think I did my first piece to poetry my senior year of highschool, and that was a really, really long time ago. My friends call me the 'keeper of words', and most of my works are just that. As for what I paint or draw on, it's whatever I can put my hands on, and often even the canvas works and papers are hand-me-downs, reclaimed and put to use again. Nothing is safe 'round here. :)

What is your creative process like for an individual piece of art? Do you do things in a specific order (e.g. writing the poem first), do you have an idea for what the finished work will be, or is it more stream of consciousness?

I never ever know what the finished piece will look like. There is no choreography at all, and usually it just begins with the thoughts I'm going to write about, maybe one line scribbled on a paper towel....and one single color. Sometimes it flows, sometimes it's splashed, sometimes I bounce back and forth between mediums and methods, but always, I'm lost in thought. It's like some kind of quiet therapy, a little yoga for my spirit.

Where does your art come from?
It comes from my heart. From my beliefs. From the tiny sometimes unimportant and yet totally profound moments in an ordinary day. Sometimes it comes from the sound of rain, the expression of a stranger, but always, from my heart.

Is there something that you hope that your art does for others?

Art is so very personal. I can only hope that every now and then, someone is moved by it. Feels it. Connects with it. When someone is touched by my work, I feel like they've given me a gift. Like we've shared a heartstring.

Is there anything you like us to know about you that we haven't already covered?

Nah, pretty much my whole world is covered in the words tethered to my paintings, but Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview. It was an unexpected invitation, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finally, Where can we find you and your art?

Online, at www.etsy.com/shop/justgivemepeace and in real life, well, you just never know :)

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-11-16T18:10:00.001-06:00

Creation Sunday - Awesome tutorial on knitting embossed leaves by Elizarde

2011-11-13T13:53:00.001-06:00

Today, Hillary is zonked out from all the birthday fun so she is going to share an excellent tutorial by a talented local artisan.

Today, I am happy to share a tutorial on how to make an embossed leaf design on your knitting projects. @Elizarde is a talented textile artist, brilliant foodie, and sharp-witted tweeter and I was thrilled when she agreed to let me share this tutorial with you! Tutorial: Stick a leaf on it | The Cusser Knits
I hope you enjoy it!

Birthday!

2011-11-11T09:32:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is Hillary's Birthday, so she wanted to share with you some of her favorite Cake Pictures and tell you about her birthday plans!

OMG SO MUCH CAKE. (original link courtesy Cake Wrecks)

DiscWorld Cake!!! (original link courtesy Cake Wrecks)

Mendhi Design Cake. So beautiful. (original link Wedding Bee)

Yum. Aside from eating enough cake to make myself look like a pregnant elephant, I am going to go see phantogram on my birthday. I am also, going to take a few days off from blogging. Updates may be thin for the next week or so, but I still love you guys!

Creation Sunday - More Pumpkin

2011-11-06T10:32:00.000-06:00

Today, Hillary thought she would continue the pumpkin trend that she started last week.

Todays "Creation Sunday" is going to be a gem of a recipe I found many years ago that somehow manages to make biscuits with minimal fat! These pumpkin biscuits are super easy, easy to tweak to your liking and extremely tasty.

Here's the base recipe. I don't actually tweak these very much. Instead of the 1 Tbl of water, I add 1 Tbl each of honey and molasses because of the hygroscopic factor that we talked about in the banana muffin post and to add a little more sweetness. I also add a pinch of salt and a touch of vanilla to every baked good I make because it helps bring out flavors more. Sometimes I use turbinado sugar instead of straight brown sugar and sometimes I use pancake mix instead of Bisquick (I add a touch more leavening in this case), but all work equally well.

The first time I made these, I added some chopped dates for additional sweetness and flavor. The most recent incarnation had no dates, but had some bitter orange liqueur (I used Patron Citronge) added for a little more "brightness" in the flavor. I also served the most recent version with some awesome homemade maple butter (sometimes I split and scrape a vanilla bean into this, but the recipe is awesome on it's own).

The great thing about this pumpkin biscuit recipe is you can tweak it quite a bit to match your tastes. I make it sweeter, but you could easily leave the extra sweeteners out. Personally, if I wanted to make it less sweet, I would use 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar and a tablespoon of molasses or honey (trust me, the extra moisture makes a much bigger difference than you would think) and leave out the vanilla and/or liqueur. In this case, you might need to add some of the water called for, but probably not all (this biscuit dough is usually a little on the mushy side until I roll it out with the flour as called for).

Now that I've started thinking about savory muffins, I wonder what this would taste like with no pumpkin pie spice (maybe a little cumin instead) and some fresh sage or rosemary... or some pumpkin pie spice but also some garam masala...
Hmm...I may have to try this and report back.

AldoJeffrey Interview

2011-11-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Today we present an interview that Hillary did with Aldo Jeffrey of Art by Aldo Jeffrey. Hillary said that she was drawn to Aldo's work because it displays excellent technical skill while expressing some very personal and private emotions.

First, Tell everyone a little bit about your background as an artist.

I've always drawn. I started by doodling, but then moved on to copying drawings out of magazines of videogame characters when I was younger. I never really considered being an artist until I realized that you can actually make a living doing it (if you do it correctly). When I was about 22, I had the opportunity to sell some of my drawings at an art fair.. They were terrible drawings, I scotch taped them to a little table, just the pieces of paper, and stood on the side of the road for about 5 hours, while people drove by or walked by. I didn't have any prices for anything, so most people just looked, but one guy bought a drawing for $7...and that was enough motivation for me to become an artist. The first month I had 5 drawings, the next, I had about 25. I've been drawing since.
Eventually, I would go back to school to learn how to make 3d art for videogames. So now I'm a 3d Artist as my job and career, and 2d 'fine art' as my hobby.

Your art seems very personal. How did that develop?

I've never really given much thought to it, but if I was going to guess, I'd say it's probably a combination of a few things. When I started out, I would spend most of my drawing time, drawing for girls in school. I wanted them to like me, and so I would draw for them....some people write notes; check yes or no. Not me, I just drew drawings. So I think just from those, I would put all my feelings and emotions into them, so they were pretty personal drawings, even thought they were usually of things like flowers or mermaids or whatever the girl liked. Once I realized what type of guy that made me, I stopped drawing to get girls to like me (or tried my best to). I think it probably did have some effect on what direction my artwork would eventually go though.
I think another reason why my artwork is so 'personal' is because I know when people look at my artwork, they don't really know why I made it or what it says about me...they can never be in my mind. They can only take it for what it is, what they see...so whatever they say about my work (in regards to the 'personal' things), is more telling about them as a person and how they see life, than what my artwork means or says about me.
Probably the biggest reason though, is my family. I grew up in an environment where everyone was pretty honest with each other, and I think it just seems like the most efficient way to approach life...so I try and be honest with all the things I do, including art. I'm not sure if growing up in that environment made me not be afraid of just putting stuff out there, but I know that for me, it's probably not as hard as some other people (just because of the experiences I've had in life).

I also noticed that some of your art is very dark in theme. Some people shy away from expression of darkness. How do you feel about creating art with dark, melancholy or otherwise unhappy themes and why do you choose to do it?

When I was younger (about age 12 to about 22), I was terribly depressed. All I could see in life were dark things. I didn't understand how people were able to just go about being happy when there was so much misery in the world. I would ask them for answers, but no one really had any other than...well, if you think about those types of things, it'll make you sad, so don't think about those things. My reasoning was always that if you didn't think about it...that's how you end up being someone who doesn't care about people (or become detached from your empathy)...and I didn't want to be that, so I kept thinking about stuff that was depressing. So I think I've always been sort of drawn to darker/depressing things. I started really drawing when my heart was broken and I just wanted to die, so I think it started out sort of dark and continued that way
Honestly though, I don't consider my stuff to be that 'dark'. There are a few that are, that I made when I was battling depression, but for the most part, I think there are always different ways to look at my drawings....good and bad. And so someone might look at one drawing and cry and another might laugh, because they see it as sort of like a dark sense of humor, others, just see it as dark; others, don't focus so much on the dark in the drawings, but the light...and so they see it as being hopeful, little bit of light in a dark world...that type of thing.
Why do I do it? I'm not sure, but I'd guess: I've spent most of my life trying to come to terms with the dark things in this world (and in me) only to realize that most people ignore it...and I don't ever really want to be like that, so I make the type of art that I make. I make it for a younger version of myself. I make the type of art that would get my younger attention, sort of shallow and obvious on the surface, but if you look into it, maybe you could see the bigger picture or at least see it in a different way. I think of this like this....when you're depressed or your life is surrounded by darkness, you don't really see all the helpful things around you...you don't look for it...you look for the dark...and so when those types of people see my artwork, it immediately draws them in, because they relate to it...it's 'them'...and so they would investigate it...look into it...THINK about it...and how dark it is....but then maybe they'd look up, and see me smiling...and look at some of my other stuff, and see that it's not all dark...and so maybe they will consider some of my other ideas, or maybe they will ask me about whatever 'dark' theme the piece is about...and so I'll get to talk to them...maybe point them in the right direction to the answers they're looking for. I don't think of it as being important or anything like that, maybe it's just a way for me to connect with people.... and it just as silly as when I tried using my artwork to get laid, but hey, at least I don't feel bad afterwards. :)

What is the most important thing for you as an artist?

The most important thing to me as an artist: This is probably one of the harder questions but I think it's not having to feel like I have to sell art to make money. I think it changes the creation process when you know you have to be able to sell something. So I try to avoid ever feeling like I HAVE to make money off of my artwork.

What would you tell other artists who are seeking their own voice or trying to "make it."

As for what I'd tell other artists trying to find your own voice: Don't. Whatever you find, it won't be really be yours. (generalizing, I know) It will be what you think other people want, or it will be what you think hasn't been done before, or maybe even....it will be your voice...but you wouldn't know it...trying to find your voice is a lot like trying to find love...you don't really....love finds you. See, it's because the person that will love you, will love you for who you are...and so if you improve yourself and become the person you want to be...then the person that will love that person (you), will find you....but you can't just sit around and wait..so you date. See what's out there, see who you like. That's basically the same thing with art. Your goal might be to find your voice and style...but really...just try and be a good artist and you won't have to find your voice, it will find you...it's almost impossible for it not to, if you're a good artist. So focus on being a good artist, you'll voice will develop....just go out there and see what's around....try different styles, different things....anything that you like...do it...copy if you must. See, starting out...you suck...it's important to recognize that you're not good...so you have freedom to really do anything you like...it's all just training. It's how you learn. A lot of people get caught up because they think artists think....I want to say 'this' with my drawing...and then they draw it...but really, it's more like....you'll draw, and you'll think...hmm, something is missing...what should I put here to balance out the drawing? Oh, maybe a clock....oh, maybe lots of clocks....and you enjoy drawing it. Over the years, all of these types of small decisions will add up...and someone will look at you and say....oh, THIS is your voice! And you'll think...oh no, that's not what I was aiming for...I'm going to start doing these other things...and then your voice becomes that....and so all your little preferences that you make...down to things like...what type of medium you want to use and all that stuff adds up to being your voice....and it's not something you can look for or really plan (well you can, it's just not as efficient)...it's just something that develops on one's quest to become a skillful artist.

And finally, where can we find you and your art?

http://www.aldojeffrey.com and my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Artwork-of-Aldo-Jeffrey/287186624721
My facebook will have all my updated work. Everything else (including etsy) always gets updated later due to procrastination.

(semi) Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T07:06:00.001-05:00

Creation Sunday - "Fruit Puree" Muffins part 2 - PUMPKIN!

2011-10-30T09:30:00.001-05:00

Today, for "Creation Sunday", Hillary is continuing her 3 part series on variations on a muffin recipe.

In last Week's Creation Sunday, I talked about my favorite Banana Muffin recipe and the minor tweaks I make to take it from awesome to "totally out of this world". This week, We will take that same base recipe and create a great fall favorite - Pumpkin Muffins!

For our pumpkin muffins, we'll start with the same base recipe, which can be found here on the Post website. Again, my modifications generally follow the rules I set out in my cookie post. You're not going to believe how easy it is to turn these from a bright, summery banana muffin into an earthy fall pumpkin treat.

Here are the changes I make:
-Like with my Banana Muffin recipe, I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular flour.
-I add a good dash of pumpkin pie spice (or something equivalent) in with the dry ingredients.
-I use turbinado sugar instead of white sugar.
-I substitute pumpkin puree for the Bananas. 1&1/4 cups should be about right based on the number of bananas called for. One small Banana is about 1/2 cup so 2 medium sized ones would be a little more than a cup.
-I add approx 1 tbl of molasses in with the wet ingredients.
-The one time I made these, I used low fat sour cream, but I would think that yogurt or any of the other substitutions I mentioned last week would be fine.

-I substitute Kashi Go Lean Crunch for the cereal.

Again, since this recipe is fairly low in fat, it cannot be made into pumpkin bread as the middle will not cook all the way.

Yep, the changes are that simple. If you think that's cool, wait 'til you see the blueberry muffin recipe! That post may take a little longer, because I think the recipe might need the tiniest bit of tweaking, but it will absolutely be worth the wait!

Etsy Roundup - Pumpkins!

2011-10-28T09:02:00.001-05:00

Since Halloween is around the corner, we wanted to share with you some awesome pumpkins from some extremely talented estians!

First, We have an Adorable Romper Outfit from Lil Bug's Clothing.

Next, We have a beautiful Orange Howlite Pumpkin Necklace from Rhonda's Treasures.

Third, We h ave a lovely hand knit Fall Pumpkin Hat from Handcraft Loribelle.

And, last, but not least, we have some awesome vegan friendly Sweet Pumpkin Soap by Blushie.

If you enjoyed this list, then check out "A Pumpkin of Another Color", Hillary's most recent Treasury.

That's all for today, join us on "Creation Sunday" for an awesome pumpkin muffin recipe!

New Promotion! - Caps for Coupons!

2011-10-25T08:55:00.000-05:00

Do you have a unique microbrew or regional soda in your area with awesome bottlecaps? Send us some and We'll give you a special coupon code for 20% off your next order! For more details and an address to send them to, email Hillary at hippybeads@gmail.com or contact her on etsy. Hillary loves creating bottle cap jewelry and wants new ones to play with!

Recent work

2011-10-24T13:46:00.001-05:00

Here are some of our new items and recent custom work. Expect to see the flower hairpins in the shop in the next couple of weeks. We also hope to have some more awesome sun bottle caps for pendants soon!

Creation Sunday - "Fruit Puree" Muffins Pt. 1 - Banana

2011-10-23T23:07:00.002-05:00

Today, for "Creation Sunday", Hillary is starting a 2 (or maybe 3) part series on variations on a muffin recipe.

I love baking and I love eating. One of my favorite things for both is muffins. They are mega tasty, easy to make and can be as nutritious or junky as you want. Today, I want to share my favorite Banana Muffin Recipe, and over the next few weeks, we'll explore some variants on it. First, if you're not familiar with Alton Brown's Book "I'm Just here for more food: Food X Mixing + Heat = Baking", I would strongly suggest getting your hands on it and reading the "Muffin Method" section. It explains very clearly why you use certain ingredients, what they do and why mixing them a certain way is very important. In fact, this book is an excellent reference and recipe book for all kinds of baking and I would highly recommend it.

So, for our banana muffins, we'll start with the base Recipe, "Banana Crunch Muffins", which can be found here on the Post website. I make a few modifications, following similar rules to what I discussed in my cookie post.

Here are the changes I make:
-I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular flour to make it heartier, healthier, and, IMHO, more flavorful.
-I add a pinch or two of nutmeg in with the dry ingredients for a little more flavor.
-I add approx 1 tbl of molasses (or honey) in with the wet ingredients because it adds a little more flavor and because molasses and honey are more hygroscopic than sugar which means they help the muffins stay moist better than sugar.
-For the yogurt, it varies what I use: I usually use plain nonfat yogurt, but I have used lowfat yogurt, vanilla yogurt, low fat sour cream and a host of other things as well.

-I substitute Cranberry Almond Crunch for the cereal because it gives it more varied texture and flavor than using grape nuts does.
-The final touch that I add to these muffins that I think adds that perfect little extra "pop" is sprinkling the tops with cinnamon and sugar.

Actually, I owe the discovery of the last change to my current career as a nanny. One day, I went to work and there were overripe bananas in the house so I asked the little girl I watch if she wanted to make muffins. As I was searching around for spices to add in, I found the cinnamon sugar and thought it might be fun for her to sprinkle that on the tops of the muffins. I knew it would be tasty, but I found that it took my favorite banana muffin recipe from the mountain top to pure heaven.

One note about these: Since this recipe is fairly low in fat, it cannot be made into banana bread as the middle will not cook all the way (trust me). I have made larger single muffins in ramekins with success, but I have never tried a whole batch of large muffins in a large muffin tin, so I am not sure if that would work.

That's all for that recipe, but tune in over the next few weeks for some awesome variations on that recipe (here's a hint: they're not banana, but they're just as awesome!)...

Humanitarian Beaders and Businesses Everywhere

2011-10-21T03:32:00.000-05:00

Last year, We shared a news story from NPR about an organization that was helping women in Manilla who would otherwise have to eat garbage or starve by teaching them to make jewelry from trash. We got a very positive response from our readers, so we thought you all might be interested in these stories as well.

The first is about a project in Kentucky that helps refugee women earn money by teaching them how to make jewelry and helping them make the business contacts to sell it.

The next one is about two women who started a jewelry business together and then fell into selling beading supplies. Now, through the supply shop they own, they regularly make donations to charities, help locals who need assistance and sell the work of local jewerly artists, helping both the artist and the local economy.

The last one is about a business that specifically purchases the jewelry work of low income Ugandan women who would not easily have another way to sell or distribute their jewelry.

Hillary has been a long time supporter of humanitarian efforts and said that she thinks it is fantastic that these people found a way to turn what is often considered a "luxury" or "hobby" into something that helps people in need of financial assistance. We hope you enjoyed the stories! Come back soon for more blog updates with interviews, new jewelry pieces and more news. Thanks for stopping by!

Creation Sunday - Handmade Upcycled Scarf Journal

2011-10-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

It is getting ever closer to the holidays again and Hillary is making some fantastic things for her friends anf family. However, she can't post them here until after the holidays. So, today Hillary is going to share with you a project she made for her mother last Christmas.
My mother keeps a journal regularly and loves having pretty books to write her thoughts in. Last Christmas, I made her this lovely book using the instructions in this video.

For my version of the project, I bought a purple plaid fleecey, flannely, scarf from the thrift store and cut it in half cross-wise. The scarf ended up being an excellent choice because the pattern was pretty, the scarf was exactly the right width across, the fringe was a nice, decorative touch and the fabric did not fray at all. In addition to the pretty fabric, I used a dark red thread for a bit of contrast and a hand painted a black button that I painted myself with bright colors of acryllic paint. The only thing I did differently as far as technique is that I got a small awl from my local leather-working shop to help punch holes through all the paper and fabric.
As you can see, it turned out beautifully. This was an excellent, personal gift that was both easy and inexpensive to make. We hope you enjoyed seeing our project and hope it has inspired you to create!

Interview with Bre of Breekola on Etsy

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Today We are featuring an interview with Bre of Breekola on etsy. Bre Is a talented quilling artist, fabric artist and all around Jack of all crafty trades. We were glad she took some time out of her day to answer our questions.

First, Tell us about your history with arts and crafts.
I was your normal little girl growing up with dolls, playing dress-up and and playing with make-up but my mother told me I was happier when I had fresh paper, markers, and paint. When I was three years old, mom put me in ballet so I also have a history with the performing arts. I remember mom sewing my outfits, costumes, drapes and curtains when I was very young. I knew I wanted to do creative things as well. I started taking art classes for my electives in high school and had a few pieces featured in local art shows. I graduated with art awards and when I went off to college, I knew fine art had to be my major.

Much like too many others, I dropped out knowing I did not want any student loans once I reached the end. I started working full time at a desk job and sort of got off track from from art. Not only was I working 40 hours a week in an office but I was also teaching dance for 15-20 hours as well. I put art on the back burner in hopes that one day I would have more time.

Finally, a few years ago, I decided that I must make time to do crafty things because my need to feel creative was growing stronger and stronger and I felt that my skills were getting weaker so I focused on hand-made gifts for family and friends. My best friend and I decided to have craft nights once a week to get our creative juices flowing and to stock up on items to give away for mother's day, birthdays, christmas, etc...

Before I knew it I had a huge collection of things I had made. Paintings, flower pots, jewelry, decoupaged goods, and my living room was starting to look like a craft haven.

How did you settle on your current art form?

I am not sure that I have settled just yet as I find that I love so many mediums in the art and craft world. I tend to knit more in the fall and winter months then decoupage or paint in the spring and summer months. My paper flowers started when I received the most beautiful bamboo vase as a gift and decided I couldn't just put it away when there weren't any flowers in it. I saw some really cute flowers and gift toppers made from newspapers in a craft magazine.. The wheels were in motion right then and there so I sat down to try my hand at it and found different techniques that worked for me and put more of my self into how they would look. Before the flowers, I had made a couple mirrors (one is in my shop at the moment, I sold the other one) using recycled wine crates and magazine paper for beads. I am always trying to find other ways to use magazines or upcycling other resources to create beautiful art pieces. I learned how to fold origami kusudama flowers a while ago and fell in love with the idea of making those from magazine pages. I can't wait to find other uses for them.. I'm constantly learning and putting my own twist on different ideas.

Do you feel that the different forms of art you have done have influenced each other?

Oh sure but it also depends on the medium I guess. It all comes down to your personality that you have in one piece that more than likely will carry on to the next.

What do you hope to do with your art?

I would love to one day be able to make a living by my creations, I know it takes a lot of time and work. But I have been happy to just give away my hand-made items as gifts. If that's all that I do with it, I'll be just as happy.

What do you hope that your art does for others? Nothing makes me happier than seeing other people smile or laugh and I would love to know that anything I've put time and heart into brings joy to them. That sounds so sappy but it's the honest truth. It's all about the little things in life to me, that's what's important. If a little decoupaged trinket, knit beanie, or paper flower makes someone's life a little brighter and makes them smile, I've done something right.

If there is one thing you could tell other artists out there, what would it be?

Do at least one creative thing every single day. Big or small, it doesn't matter but if you have those days where there is so much going on, don't beat yourself up. Don't get too lazy with it because your arts and crafts won't sell themselves and they certainly can't get out there for the world to see on their own. Find something that makes you happy and become a master at it. Keep on keepin' on...

And finally, Where can we find you and your art?
I live in Huntsville, AL and would eventually love to sell some of my things at local craft shows or independent shops but for now, Since I work two jobs, it looks like my art can only be found here in my etsy shop.

(sort of) Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T03:44:00.000-05:00

"Creation Sunday" - Creating "boutique bakery" style cookies from a mix

2011-10-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

In an effort to bring more regular and varied content to the blog, we are going to start a regular segment called "Creation Sunday" in which Hillary talks about what she has been creating recently. We show off pictures of new merchandise all the time, but this will be a chance for people to see other projects such as recipes, drawings, paper crafts, etc. Today's "Creation Sunday" is about creating "boutique bakery" style cookies in your own kitchen, with minimal fuss.

Cute little storefronts with stripey green or pink polka-dot logos, sparkling cookies, cutesy cupcakes and unusual flavors like "strawberry soda pop", "banana split", and "mocha with sea salt and caramel" are all the rage these days. But you don't have to go to a pricey bakery or spend hours in the kitchen to get uniquely flavored treats with a professional flare, you can easily make them in your own kitchen in almost no-time.

Before I dive right into the recipes I created for a couple of different "boutique style" cookies, I wanted to share a few secrets and pointers so that, if you're so inclined, you can think about how you would create your own:

-I almost always cook with a mix. Scratch baking produces results like no other and is generally healthier than anything made with a mix, but, if I want to make something good, fast, using a mix saves a lot of time and effort.

-Any time I cook with a mix, I add flavor somehow. Even if I am just making a yellow cake with the yellow cake mix, I add vanilla or rum. For "boutique bakery" style treats, the flavors are usually unique, but they range from wildly unusual to simple, slight twists on classic flavor. For example, you certainly could make "bacon and dark chocolate cookies", but you could also simply take a classic combination like chocolate and raspberry and kick it up a notch. How? What about orange Liqueur or Amaretto or Fresh mint?

-For flavors, any variety of things could be your inspiration: the season, a favorite ingredient you have in the cabinet, your favorite alcohol, something you picked up at the farmer's market, a random craving you've had or the herbs you have growing in your back yard.

-When you add flavors, the less artificial, more fresh, and more "real" you can make the ingredients, the better. We're starting with a mix, so to get it to taste less "mix-like", it needs to taste less processed and pre-packaged. A good way to do that is to make sure you use real vanilla, and actual juice, herbs, fruit or liquers instead of "flavoring". "Rum flavoring", "Raspberry Flavoring" and the like all have their place in the baking world, but, for this project, we're starting with something processed and artificial tasting and trying to make it taste as much like homemade as possible.

-You can substitute ingredients that a mix calls for if you're careful. If you substitute liquid for liquid, fat for fat, etc. you can generally get away with switching things up. Why would you want to do this? Because you can either add flavor (try lemon or lime juice in your sugar cookie mix) or change the consistency a little (try substituting something like half and half if you want a recipe to be richer).

-Experimentation is not a bad thing. Don't be afraid. The worst thing that could happen is that you have to eat cookies that aren't quite what you intended, which means OMG BAKING MORE COOKIES!

Now, On To the Recipes (these are actually recipes that I came up with, but, great minds think alike, so if this looks a lot like anyone else's recipe, it's totally unintentional):

Recipe #1: Mega-Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

-1 (17 oz) Package of Peanut Butter cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)

-1/4 Cup Peanut Butter

-2 Tablespoons Half & Half (not fat free)

-3/4 Teaspoon Real Vanilla extract

-1 Egg

-1/2 Cup peanut butter chips

-1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I used Ghirardelli)

-1/2 Cup Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:

Preheat oven as directed on package. Put cookie mix, peanut butter, egg, half & half and vanilla extract in bowl. Mix until well combined. I usually stir with a large spoon or spatula until it gets too hard to mix and then finish mixing with my hands. Add peanut butter chips, chocolate chips and peanut butter cups. Mix until candy bits are evenly distributed throughout. When you add them, you will think that there are too many candy bits for the amount of dough and you'll almost be right, but if you keep working it until everything is even, you shouldn't have any candy "left over". Use a tablespoon or small disher to scoop cookies on to sprayed (or greased) baking sheet. Smash each cookie flat with your fingers or a spoon (using a fork like the cookie mix calls for won't quite work with this variant). Bake as directed on the bag of mix. Cookies are done when bottoms are brown and very edges of cookies have barely started to brown. Cookies may look underdone but will solidify by the end of cooling. Makes A LOT of cookies.

This recipe doubles nicely. In theory, you could triple it and use all of the candy bits in each bag, but I have not tried it that way yet.

Recipe #2: Chubby Hubby Inspired Cookies

Ingredients:

-1 (17 oz) Package of Double Chocolate Chunk cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)

-Oil, Egg and Water called for by the mix

-3/4 Teaspoon Real Vanilla extract

-1/2 Cup peanut butter chips

-1/2 Cup Pretzel M&M's

-1/2 Cup Malt Crunchies I used Wilton brand, but I can't find a link to theirs online. Here is a link to a similar product.

Directions:

Preheat oven as directed on package. Put cookie mix, oil, egg, water and vanilla in large bowl. Mix until well combined. Add peanut butter chips, pretzel M&M's and Malt Crunchies. Mix until candy bits are evenly distributed throughout. Use a tablespoon or small disher to scoop cookies on to sprayed (or greased) baking sheet. Bake as directed on the bag of mix. This recipe also makes A LOT of cookies.

This recipe also doubles nicely.

Aside from their full and interesting flavor, the best part of the above recipes is that they only take 25-45 minutes from start to finish, and only about 15 minutes of that is baking time. If you wanted to add to the "boutique" feel of your cookies, you could buy or make a cute box to put them in and even label them. I know that "boutique style" cookies in 30 minutes without spending an exorbitant amount of money doesn't seem possible, but I just had a friend tell me today that she thought the cookies I brought the last time I was at her house were from a specialty bakery when, in fact, they were the chubby hubby inspired cookies above in a cute fall colored "treat box" that I got from a chain craft store.

(Almost) wordless (almost) wednesday

2011-10-04T14:36:00.001-05:00

New Pieces!

2011-09-09T19:16:00.001-05:00

We had a great time at art on the side two weeks ago! Here are some more new pieces that debuted there. Look for more new jewelry to appear in the etsy shop soon!

Preview of new items to be premiered Tomorrow!

2011-09-09T17:25:00.001-05:00

We will be at Art on the Side tomorrow in downtown Helena, AL next to Buck Creek Stained Glass. The weather is looking good, there will be several local artists including a local Henna Tattoo Artist, and Happy Hippy Jewelry will have new never seen before pieces for sale! Here's a sneak preview!!!

Recent creations - hairpins!

2011-09-05T21:29:00.001-05:00

Life, art, and everything else!

2011-04-09T09:34:00.001-05:00

Wow! It has been a very long time since we updated. We sincerely apologize for the break in updates and hope we can get back to a regular schedule soon! Hillary had a lot of personal things going on, including a change of employment and was not able to write reguarly. We do have some exciting interviews lined up and hope to post them soon. But, first we wanted to catch up on what's been going on lately.

Hillary still has items at Daniel Day Gallery and thoroughly enjoys the partnership with them. Last weekend, we were at Helena trade days, which will be the first Saturday of every month. Today we are at "Art on the side" in downtown Helena, which will be the 2nd Saturday of every month. We will be at both events in May and plan on attending most of the rest of the year.

Also, Arty Party is coming up soon! To donate Art or get more details visit http://www.birminghammaidsoutreach.org or call Jamie at 322-4197.

Check back soon for details on our donation to Arty Party, awesome interviews and more!

It's that time of year again!

2010-12-04T09:58:00.001-06:00

This year We are helping out Children's Hospitals once again! 20% of any sales made from now until Dec 30th 2010 on Artful Unity, HippyBeads, Luck and Luster or in person with Hillary will be donated to Child's Play, a Charity that helps many Children's hospitals both in the US and internationally.

Also: In celebration of Christmas and in the spirit of giving: If you mention this blog in your order comments, you can get free shipping on Domestic orders and half price shipping on Canadian and international orders! Shipping will be refunded via paypal before order is shipped.

Cornucopia

2010-11-09T22:20:00.012-06:00

We here at Hippybeads hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and harvest season. To celebrate, we thought we would share with you some beautiful cornucopia arts and crafts by some talented etsy artists.

We begin with a uniquely beautiful, non-traditional take on cornucopias in these Harvest Pearl Earrings by Marjoriewells.

Next we have an earthy more traditional Scented Autumn Cornucopia from Artistically Designed.

This Pyrography Cornucopia artwork by Slightly Spiced is almost indescribable. It's gorgeous and I have never seen anything like it before.

This lovely Harvest wedding flower girl basket from Kirahley Creations would make an excellent addition to a wedding, harvest dance or your home decor.

And finally, the most unique of all: a piece of Vintage Book Art featuring a cornucopia from 1963 Vintage Lane.

We hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving and our lovely little list of etsy art. Look for an important announcement very soon!

Trash to... real food, clothing and housing.

2010-08-25T07:13:00.003-05:00

Hillary Found an amazing story from NPR about a foundation in Manilla that teaches women to make jewelry out of trash. Please be warned that the story is a truthful depiction of the rather disturbing circumstances that some people live in in manila. Here is a link to the story and below are Hillary's comments:

The idea that there is a whole culture in Manila based around trash because they can't make enough money for basic needs like food, clothing and shelter saddens me. Any project, or foundation that can use the local culture to help people have a better life is amazing. The Phillipine Christian foundation saw a culture built on trash and scavenging and helped build a real business around it so that women could earn a living and help feed their families something other than scraps. This is brilliant, and, more importantly improves the quality of life for many families in an area where most people have no permanent address, minimal earnings, no food and nothing that many of us take for granted. Amazing.

What We've been up to

2010-08-07T10:39:00.006-05:00

Hillary Has been very busy and wanted to share with you some of the great things she has been up to recently.
Last year, Hillary wrote about attending Play on Con 2, a local gaming convention. This year, much of June and July was spent getting ready for, attending and recovering from, Play on Con 3.
While there, Hillary, ran a game of "The Great Dalmuti" (similar to scum or presidents), complete with hats to denote the different ranks. Hillary also helped create a photo journal of the event and participated in several events such as live action wiz war and the Dominion Tournament. When she wasn't preparing for the con, or participating in events, she was busy writing about it for Meepletown.com, her husband's board gaming blog.

In the midst of all the fun and craziness, she had the pleasure of talking to Thandor, a Chainmaille artist from Atlanta. His work is gorgeous, he is very friendly, he is quite knowledgeable, and his work ranges from simply beautiful (such as his bracelets under the "lineup section of his site") to very complex and technical pieces (such as the wings under the "projects" section of his site.

Hillary actually likes his work so much, that she purchase a necklace from him last year and a new pendant to go with it this year. She says that it is one of her favorite necklaces, and this is a big compliment coming from Hillary, because she is very particular about style and craftsmanship, since she can make most of her own jewelry.

As you can see, The work is very clean, which leads to a gorgeous finished product. Hillary Hopes to see Thandor again next year so she can get even more of his lovely work for her collection.

We hope you enjoyed hearing about Play on Con half as much as we enjoyed attending, and remember, you never have to pay to get in to the vendor room, so you can go meet Thandor and the other talented vendors without even paying! We hope to see you there next year, and we'll see you back here on the blog in a couple of weeks. You can look forward to more exciting projects and regular updates!

Custom Cosplay Piece

2010-06-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

Hillary made a new custom piece for someone and wanted to share it with you:

A couple of months ago, I was looking through alchemy on etsy for projects I might enjoy working on, and I noticed a rather unique request. Someone wanted earrings to match a jester cosplay outfit that they are hopefully going to wear to Otakon, a major anime' convention. No, that's not greek, it's nerd-speak.

As you may know, I am a big nerd and am very proud of it. When I saw the chance to make jewelry for another fellow nerd, I jumped at the opportunity. For those of you not versed in nerd-speak, I will attempt to explain what exactly is going on. The young lady making the request is a fan of a particular style of animated shows and comics known as anime'. She is such a big fan, that she is going to dress up like one of her favorite characters. Because "Dressing up as my favorite character" and "costume play" are kind of long, somewhere along the line, the word got shortened to cosplay. Cosplay is actually a fairly common occurrence at all types of sci-fi, gaming and anime' conventions, and can be quite eye-catching if done well.

The character that she based her cosplay on is Lil' Jester from Precious Miseries. I loved the combination of the soft blue ruffles and how they contrast with the big, angular black and white checks on the outfit. Of course, for the earrings, I went with black, white and blue. Since they were for a jester costume, I suggested using jingle bells in the earrings and got back a resounding yes.
Here is the listing for the earrings and here are some pictures of an original design sketch as well as the earrings:

Here is a picture of the costume they match.

I think that the costume and earrings will be adorable together and I hope my fashionable nerdy friend has a blast at Otakon.

We hoped you enjoyed the post. Look for another one soon!

Shiny metals and rings!

2010-06-20T21:42:00.008-05:00

A couple of posts ago, we promised a blog on the creation of our lovely rings. Here is what Hillary had to say:

A couple of months ago, my friend attended a painting class at Daniel Day gallery (which I may talk about more in a later blog post) and told me that the owner was looking for rings to be displayed in his gallery. I had never successfully made rings before but set out to try to make some to display and sell in the gallery.
The first obstacle was design, but it was easily overcome with a quick glance through my bead books. Once I found a suitable design, I made several with the same tarnish resistant copper wire I use for pendants.

I quickly found out that this was not suitable for rings because where they are worn means they are in constant contact with skin on several sides and that they bump up and scrape against desks, door, poles, etc. all the time. This caused the coating to wear off very quickly, which made them look tarnished, and eventually caused them to patina. While patina may be pretty and desirable even in some jewelry pieces, on a ring it means green fingers.

The next step was to try some other materials.

First was a tarnish resistant copper wire with better coating:

It was lovely because it was nice and pliable and could make gorgeous curlicues and zig zags. This copper lasted longer but the coating eventually started wearing off, giving me the same problem I had with the other copper.

The next material I tried was raw stainless steel:

This is wonderfully durable, doesn't rust, doesn't stain, doesn't patina etc. The only drawback to the steel is that it is harder to work than any other metal i've ever worked with which means no tight curlicues, loops or zig zags. However, it does have its own unique type of beauty.

The last type of metal I tried is the most unique and is one of my favorites:
Oxidized Brass.

This is brass wire that has been pre-oxidized. I rub off some of the oxidization layer with a paper towel or magic eraser before I create the piece. The oxidization is what creates the lovely "highlights and shadows" effect that you see in the metal. The extra cool thing about this is that the effect deepens over time. As the ring is exposed to the elements, the inside of the ring becomes more oxidized while the outer sections brighten as the oxidization rubs off.

The only downside to this wire is that this wire is extremely soft so the rings have to be made a certain way so as to maintain structural integrity. However, I think the slight design change is worth it for the lovely antique look that you get from this wire.

I have made several more rings from the steel and brass and hope to post them soon!
Also, if you would like to see more of my rings, check out my sterling and argentium work on my sister blog.

New Piece for Pride Art 2010

2010-06-03T07:05:00.005-05:00

Last year, Hillary displayed some existing and new work at pride art.
This year she made a new piece especially for it. Pride art will be at Joe's on 7th in brimingham, AL, this friday, June 4th. This is a wonderful way for the LGBTQIA community to express themselves, to show support for each other, and raise money for an organization commited to promoting pride and understanding within the LGBTQIA community and the community at large.

The concept for this years piece was based off of another piece Hillary made called "exactly". Exactly is made of beautiful, sparkly beads covered up by ribbon. It was meant to express Hillary's frustration with her own life and her uncanny reflex to hide even the most beautiful parts of herself for fear of rejection. This years piece, which has yet to be named, Is based on the idea that someone who is gay or questioning or transgendered, etc. is beautiful but has the same struggle by nature. They may be struggling with whether or not they are beautiful; they may know they are beautiful but not view sharing this part of their beauty with other people as an option for various reasons; they may have tried to share and been hurt because of it. Being the LGBTQI is complex: it can be a whirlwind of emotions, a complicated balance of truth and lies, and a tight rope walk over political, religious and moral ideas, among many other things. This piece is meant to visually express those things in a form that can worn close to the heart, just like Hillary wears "exactly" oh so frequently.

Favorite Fae

2010-05-30T08:19:00.003-05:00

We swear we really have been busy and that's why we haven't been updating. Arty Party was two weeks ago and it was a blast. Unfortunately Hillary forgot her camera this year.
Hillary has been working on all kinds of new projects lately including wire wrapped dice, a custom job for a customer attending an anime convention (!), some custom work for family members, and even some great work she wore herself, but, alas, she currently has no pictures and no time to update. So instead, we'll do a few quick favorite fae folks!

Windswept Painting
The Autumn Harpist Doll
Fire and Ice Print
Wild Fairy Sculpture

We promise their is a post on the creation process for rings still in the works, pictures of new creations on the way and possibly an interview coming soon!

Exciting New Annoucement

2010-04-27T20:01:00.006-05:00

Our Jewelry can now be found at Daniel Day Gallery including lovely rings like these:

Look for a post soon about the creation process for the rings!

Our Piece For Arty Party

2010-03-13T07:55:00.000-06:00

Last week, Hillary posted about this year's Arty Party, a really fun art auction that benefits Birmingham AIDS Outreach. This week She wanted to share with you her completed piece and some notes about the creation process:

When I created this, the driving force was the idea of extreme contrast and even visual discord. It's an odd concept for a necklace, and I had a hard time balancing it in my mind--even more so when I had a bead break after I had started construction. Even though I sometimes still question why I made this the way I did, I am pleased with the results and have gotten several positive reviews from people, as well as some ideas for improvement that I will probably turn into a similar piece in the near future.

It was a difficult piece to make from a design standpoint because most of what I make is simply made to be pleasing to the eye and intriguing because of it's beauty. This was made to sort of jump out at you and say something loudly-- maybe even something that you might not want to hear--but say it so eloquently that you can't deny it. But maybe in the back of my mind, that's exactly why I wanted to make this for Arty Party: HIV is one of those things that no one wants to hear about but everyone needs to know. It's also one of those areas where a person's reality is often in stark contrast to what they say and do: There are a lot of people out there who are living with this disease and the stigma and the health problems, who say nothing, and give face to being perfectly fine.

The name of the piece, I Don't Care came again from that idea of contrast and discord. There is a song by eatliz called I Don't Care that is strong and discordant. The lyrics for the song convey general nonchalance by saying things such as "I wanted to sing, but I don't care" and "I wanted to give but, I don't share", but the music and the fervor with which they are sung convey unequaled passion. The song speaks of someone who wants you to think she doesn't care and isn't interested, but in reality, is very emotionally invested. It is this kind of extreme contrast that I see in my piece. It is actually this type of extreme contrast that I see in myself many days.

So, I guess this year, without knowing it, I chose to donate something that is both personal and attempts to speak out for the people it is helping. As much as I debated whether or not I liked the piece because of it's sheer oddity and stark contrast, now that I realize why I created it and all the things it can mean, I have to be proud of it. I hope you enjoy it and will come to Arty Party to see it.

Arty Party 2010!

2010-03-07T10:11:00.008-06:00

This year, Hippybeads is donating to arty party again and we wanted to let you know the details.

As I mentioned last year, Birmingham AIDS Outreach hosts "Arty Party", a silent and live art auction fundraiser, every may. BAO provides services for HIV positive people including food pantry, clothing closet, and medication assistance. BAO also has three prevention and education staff who do everything from speaking at high schools, to testing in bars, to working with prisoners, and more. The money raised from "Arty Party" helps go to these services that support HIV positive people and improve public health.

This year's Arty Party is may 16th. Birmingham AIDS outreach is currently accepting donations of art of all types for the auction. To donate art or arrange a pick up, contact Jamie at 322-4197 or jamie@birminghamaidsoutreach.org. Birmingham AIDS Outreach is a non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible, and the agency is able to provide you with the necessary form for your taxes. In addition, all artists get invited to the artists party that happens a few days before the event and all artists get in to Arty Party for free (it normally costs $50)!

The necklace we are donating this year combines several of Hillary's favorite elements including bottle caps, formica, glass and wire. Check back Next week to see the completed piece!

Daniel Day Gallery

2010-02-28T15:55:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Hillary went to a vintage and retro clothing sale at Daniel Day Gallery.
She wanted to share the lovely hat she found and purchased.

She also wanted to share with you how delighted she is to have such a nice, eclectic gallery in her town. In addition to paintings, they have jewelry, fiber arts, furniture and other quirkily beautiful items. Hillary encourages anyone who appreciates her work to visit Daniel Day as the artists there have a similar flare about their work, and the prices are extremely affordable. Hillary had a lovely visit, and hopes you will too!

interview with PurpleClem

2010-02-22T00:01:00.009-06:00

Hillary is used to doing interviews with experienced artisans on Artful Elaborations, and she loves doing them, but sometimes she forgets what it was like starting out. So, she was thrilled to get a chance to talk to an up-and-comer in the craft world. Val, better known as PurpleClem on the internet, recently started to learn crocheting and was gracious enough to grant us an interview at this early point in her development.

Have arts and crafts been a part of your life before now?
Arts and crafts used to be part of my life... I used to love painting – mainly abstract gobbledegook – and I would find great comfort in it, regardless of the result. It was a mean of expression, an emotional outlet. Mostly out of laziness, I let my creative hands be bound behind my back for the past 15 years or so... I pursued a career in civil engineering, where there is limited scope to be creative, apart maybe in choosing a pipeline alignment! In 2008 I got burnt out and I ended up being on sick leave for 9 months. Some parts of my brain were no longer in use (the square, engineering bits!), and the more creative part of me started to push open a door I had kept closed for too long.

What helped you decide that arts and crafts should be a regular part of your life?
After years of pushing paper around an office desk, I realized that I craved the satisfaction and the energy that comes from creating something with your hands. I also wanted to slow down and find a bit more beauty around me. I suppose when you take the time to create something with your hands instead of buying something off the shelf, it does slow down your pace of life. This led me to starting my own business (I sell greeting cards from home) where I can be creative in a different way.

Why crochet?
I think I wanted to play with some sort of textile material, without getting into sowing. I picked crochet over knitting as it is a lot easier to fit in a handbag.

What have you learned so far?
So far I have learned to do a decent chain link, and I am currently perfecting double-crochet! I know how basic this will sound to some of you, but we all have to start somewhere!

What is your first big project with crochet going to be?
It’s funny, I feel like I am holding back from actually starting a project. For the moment I want to concentrate on learning the different knots (sorry – wrong technical term!?) and see what is possible. I suppose a blanket would be somewhere to start...

What do you want to do with crochet in the long term?
Hopefully this is not just a fad. I am curious about how far I will go with it but I think my ambitions are limited. I will probably not open an Etsy shop in a hurry!

What do you want crochet to do for you?
I am simply looking for something relaxing to do. If this allows me to create something pretty in the process, even better!

Is there a crochet artist that you admire?I have a very limited knowledge of crochet artists... However, I find the work of Monika Mrozkova (@monikadesign) very exciting. I suppose it’s the bright colours and the simplicity of the shapes that I find refreshing. I also love the fact that an everyday object like a coaster can be crocheted.

What about other forms of art? Who do you admire?
I love painting. Favourite painters include Henri Matisse, Salvador Dali, Miro, Chagall and Cezanne. Also the French Impressionists from the early 20th century.

Last, where can we connect with you and/or follow your progress?
You can connect with me on Twitter @PurpleClem and I hope there will be some progress to monitor!

You can also connect with Val on her website
http://www.phoenix-trading.eu/web/valgayes

We Would like to say a huge thank you to Val for taking time out of her day for us!

Dancing

2010-01-23T16:32:00.001-06:00

Hillary Has mentioned in passing in previous posts that she is a dancer and choreographer. She has taken many types of dance classes throughout the years including tap, modern, ballet, and African. She has also taken other physical and healing classes such as NIA, yoga and Pilates. She was Thrilled When Etsy's Blog did a feature on fitness and dance related items.

Here are a few more items that Hillary liked as well:
Here's a lovely Blue and Purple Ballet skirt by Donna's Closet.
Hillary Loves these adorable Corset Leg Warmers from YeOldeSockShop.
AAAAAAAANNNNDDDD Last but not least Yoga Socks from Drop of The Sea.

We hope you enjoyed these items and the great article. Look for a post in the future about Hillary's involvement in the arts and pilates.

Keeping Warm!

2010-01-08T22:31:00.004-06:00

We don't know about you, but we're freezing. It has been in the teens since last weekend here in Alabama. So we thought we'd Share some great ways to keep warm from our friends on etsy:

First We have some fabulous pink Argyle Felted Wool Mittens from Jennifer Locke Designs.
Next, We have some lovely earthy Felted Armwarmers from For My Darling.
Here's a lovely, cozy and beautiful looking Patched Mosaic Scarf from Wuglyees.
This great Felted Wool Hat by Fox Island Fancywork is both artful and warm.
This JB SK Gray Hoodie by JB will keep you warm and fashionable even in this weather!
These Felted Slippers by AureliaLT are unique and lovely in addition to keeping your feet warm!

Stay Inside, keep warm, and when you can't, wear some lovely art to keep warm!
Have a great day and we'll see you back here soon!

Child's Play total and New Piece

2009-12-31T00:41:00.004-06:00

First, we wanted to let everyone know how the fundraiser for Child's Play went: We raised $20 for Children's hospitals! Thanks to everyone who helped!

Also, Hippybeads and LidDesigns did an informal Retro Handmade team mini-challenge.
LidDesigns made a Beautiful Blue Wintery Pillbox Hat and Hillary made a great bracelet with snowflakes:

We hope you enjoyed the beautiful creations and we'll see you in the new year!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2009-12-15T20:13:00.005-06:00

Hillary Wanted to share with you the tree she put up at work complete with some beaded ornaments that she made specially for this tree:

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great Holiday Season!

New piece to be donated to a local charity

2009-12-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hillary made this lovely butterfly necklace a couple of weeks ago.

He will be donated to a local children's charity so that he can make sure someone has a happy Christmas.

Quick Gift Guide

2009-12-11T18:41:00.002-06:00

This might be the most unusual collection of things we've seen, but it's also one of the most incredible. They would make amazing gifts for people with a penchant for the extravagant, eccentric, kitchy and oddly cute (like our artist).

The first entry in our gift guide is a computer case mod made with an actual antique radio cabinet by Abraham's Craftworks.

Next we have a purse made from vintage, hard to find "paint by numbers" fabric by Squirellicious.

This gorgeous Victorian Collar might be the most unique take on a scarf we've ever seen, and it's so skillfully made by Falling Leaf Designs.

Here's a great Funky Tiki Lounge Mosaic Mirror from Gemeni Moon Mosaics.

Next up is this beautifully Bizarre tech gadget: a Steampunk Copper USB Flash Drive
from QA Create.

Here's an Adorable retro-cute Pendant made with a vintage Christmas Card by That Old Blue House.

These Last two are not work safe and not for the easily offended, but quite beautiful in their own right.

First, we have the Anatomical Venus Treasure Box, a box featuring a very unique painting by My Good Babushka.

Second, We have a gift bag featuring pin-up style holiday retro-porn made by Rosy Red Designs.

We hope you enjoyed our picks and hopw you have a great holiday season!

Halloween

2009-12-06T10:25:00.002-06:00

We apologize for this being late, but Hillary wanted to be sure to show off her Halloween costume and mention the talented individuals and great sellers that went in to making her "Coraline" costume a success.

For her sweater, Hillary Went to a Local Thrift store and bought a blue sparkly sweater. Then She ordered some custom made silver stars from Lavdender Lady Bug. She glued them on with fabric glue and voila!

For her hair, she hair, she went to her amaing hairdresser Angie at fringe in Birmingham, AL and had her usually purple streaks turned blue.

She got AmGlam Creations to make her some great dragonfly clips.

To finish it all off, she checked out Ebay and bought some great boots from jag319.

Hillary had a blast at Halloween and loved everything so much (including the blue hair) that she keeps finding reasons to wear things again. We hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Child's Play Kickoff, new pieces, free shipping and other updates

2009-11-29T10:00:00.002-06:00

We mentioned in an earlier post that we would be donating a portion of our profits to Child's Play. Here's the official announcement: 20% of sales from http://hippybeads.etsy.com and http://artfulunity.etsy.com will go to http://childsplaycharity.org, a charity that helps out children's hospitals throughout the world. They have already raised over half a million dollars in the last month and hope we can help give them some more. I started keeping track on thanksgiving and will turn the final donation in on Dec 30th. All sales count including sale items, custom items, and in person sales (if you know me in real life). These guys rock; help them out!

Why do they rock? Because it's a couple of passionate gamers, who write a webcomic, who got tired of the negative light that the media painted gamers in and decided to start a charity for Children's hospitals. They decided to buy toys and raise money for a couple of hospitals in their area. They ended up with about $200,000 in donations and toys that year in a one month period just by putting it out there to their readers. This is their 6th year and they more than doubled that figure their first week this year. They are now up to over $700,000 worth of donations since the beginning of November, and it all goes to help kids.

Hillary is an avid gamer and was raised in an environment of helping. She continues that spirit of helping every day as a social worker. She loves that there is a way that her jewelry businesses can help out and she really loves that there is a charity that promotes a positive image of an amazing group of people that she is proud to belong to.

In celebration of her Child's Play event, Hillary has made shipping to the US and Canada free, and international shipping only $3 per item. She has also updated the shop, put some more items on sale and added some new pieces:

Thanks for stopping by, have a great holiday and remember: http://childsplaycharity.org !

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T18:16:00.002-06:00

ETSY Things I'm thankful for:

Laundry Soap From Eco Every day: great for lingere and other "gentle wash" items.

My purple wallet from Rocket Science Style: matches my purse, is as cute as a button and has compartments for everything.

Custom made baby books from BodySense /Labello Boutique: Best baby shower gift ever.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Upcoming events and projects

2009-11-08T10:18:00.003-06:00

Hillary's other business, Artful Unity is participating in a Christmas Giveaway put on by the eSMArts team.

Both Happy Hippy Jewelry and Artful Unity will be donating a portion of their profits in November and Decmember to Child's Play, a charity started by gamers for gamers that donates games and toys to children's hospitals throughout the world. Details will be posted here soon.

Hillary has been prolific with new projects in the last couple of weeks new items involving the formica chips from the hardware store and bottle caps. We will be posting pictures very soon.

We also have plans for a great holiday post very soon, so check back to see it and all the other great things we have in the works!

Custom job for a customer-re-purposing old jewelry

2009-10-18T21:52:00.008-05:00

One night on alchemy, Hillary found a project she couldn't resist bidding on: remaking a box full of jewelry into big, chunky, showy pieces. As luck would have it, she got the bid and has spent the last month having an absolute blast creating every wild thing that comes to her mind. She said that the project was a blast and ideas were easy to come by since she had so many interesting items to work with.

Here's the original box:

And here are all the insane pieces of art Hillary made with what came in the box.

hope you enjoyed the jewelry as much as we did!

Handmade Halloween

2009-10-09T09:46:00.001-05:00

Hillary Has been frantically getting ready for halloween and has found some great things on etsy that she wanted to share with all of you!

You could be the most fashionable martian ever with LiDDesigns' Alien Hat

The incredible details on Merimask's Wolf Mask would make a beautiful addition to a natural looking wolf costume.

Che4u'a Blue Horns would be a fabulous part of a draenei, succubus or other fantasy costume.

GothFox's Rhinestone kitty ears were too cute for use to pass up showing you them (this listing is safe for work but the shop has mature material).

SimplyAstra put a lot of thought and skill into making this utterly uniqueTaro Card Skirt.

Carribean Rose's"Shien Lee Pirate Queen" Pirate hat is a beautiful example of historically accurate art.

Tianarutledge's slit throat choker is twistedly luscious.

Look for an upcoming post on Hillary's Halloween costume and the excellent etsians who helped make it possible.

August Mini Challenge

2009-10-03T00:49:00.003-05:00

The Retro Handmade August Mini challenge theme was :Hollywood glam". LidDesigns and Hippybeads participated and here is what they came up with

Bohemian Glam from Happy Hippy:

Flapper Hat from LidDesigns

There was no September challenge but hopefully monthly challenges will come back soon.

Look for a Halloween post soon!

New creation from the hardware store?

2009-09-05T23:57:00.003-05:00

A few months ago Hillary posted on how she gets inspiration. Apparently, she gets it from the hardware store as well. Hillary and her husband were around looking at appliances and counter tops dreaming of the day when all those lovely things would be a possibility when she noticed that the laminate counter top samples had little holes in the top... and beautiful colors. She took one home and wire wrapped it while watching ace of cakes, and then took a couple of quick pics with the webcam. She promises better pics in the next few days.

July's Challenge

2009-08-17T22:17:00.005-05:00

First, We wanted to post about the results of the July challenge. If you remember, Hillary from hippybeads and Angie from 15piecesofflair did a one on one challenge this month. Here are the pictures of the pieces that resulted. The theme that we had to work with was "summer romance" and here is our entry:

Our theme for Angie was "weather" and here's what she came up with:

Both pieces are for sale in their respective shops. How could you not want to buy something so cute and artistic? ;)

More Details about the creation of each piece can be found on the Retro Handmade blog

The Queen's new necklace

2009-08-04T00:30:00.006-05:00

As you may know from previous posts, Hillary is a bit of a Board Game gee... err... enthusiast. This week she made board game related jewelry. "Queen's Necklace" is a game about buying gems and selling them to the Queen. For you true geeks out there he major mechanics are resource acquisition and bidding. In said game, thee is included, an actual "queen's necklace" which you wear during play if you sold the queen the gems she's wearing in her necklace. This is what came in the box

Here is a nicer picture of a different color necklace from the same game.

It's adequate and about what you would expect from anything mass produced, but, of course, Hillary couldn't let it rest-- She had to make a shinier, better, Queen's Necklace.

The pendant is made from two separate glass moons which Hillary wrapped together with tarnish resistant copper wire. The necklace itself is hemp cording with lamp work beads placed at intervals. The clasp assembly is nice and large to facilitate clasping and removal as the necklace does move from person to person during the game. Hillary skipped game night tonight due to some pressing personal matters, but was glad to be able to work on the necklace. She and her husband plan on taking "Queen's Necklace" to the Friday game night at La Reunion in Helena. Hillary can't wait to play the game with a bright and shiny original Queen's Necklace!

We would also like to show off this necklace that another fellow Geek Wife made specifically to fit the style of the necklace on the card. It's quite stunning and shows off considerable skill.

Thanks for stopping by!
Look for the results of our mini challenge with 15 Pieces Of Flair soon!

One on One challenge

2009-07-21T23:25:00.003-05:00

In lieu of a July team challenge, 15PiecesofFlair and Hippybeads are going to do a one on challenge. The theme Hillary has to create a piece around is "summer romance" and the theme 15PiecesofFlair has to work with is "weather". The deadline is august 8th. Look forward to some new and different creations!

Recycled BottleCap Chandelier earrings

2009-07-18T09:06:00.003-05:00

As promised...

new project

2009-07-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

three words: bottlecap chandelier earrings

Pictures to come soon

Charity, personal challenges, upcoming features

2009-07-12T18:14:00.008-05:00

We have some potential interviews in the works to be featured at a later date, but in the meantime, we wanted to share a few things with you:

- Mario Marathon is doing a fundraiser for Child's Play, a charity founded by gamers to provide children's hospitals with much needed toys, video game systems and other forms of entertainment for the children in said hospitals and their families. We contribute 20% of our sales to this Charity every year from about Thanksgiving to about Christmas. Since our founder is a die hard video and board gamer, she wanted to make sure you knew about this fundraiser for one of her favorite charities.

- It appears as though Retro Handmade may not be having a monthly challenge this month, so we came up with a personal challenge. We are going to work on these two sketches and turn them into a reality. Hillary says that, for an etxra challenge, she wants to create these necklaces in both the styles of Happy Hippy and Artful Unity.

- Hillary reached 200 followers on twitter and wants to celebrate! We are offering free shipping and free gifts to anyone who types "TW200" in the customer comments section of their order. Both Happy Hippy and Artful Unity are participating in this sale. Originally the sale was until midnight tonight, but we are extending it through midnight Wednesday!

- Lastly, we have been working hard at trying to produce weekly content for our blog. We don't simply want this to be a collections of link lists, a bunch of unrelated posts or a mirror of Hillary's other blogs. We aim to keep this blog filled with interesting content and well thought out posts. To this end, we have decided to decrease our official posting schedule to twice a month. We will try to keep to once every two weeks, but, depending on scheduling and time needed for articles we are working on, it may work out differently. Also, if we have enough conent for more than 2 posts per month, we will certainly post it. We are sorry to have to announce this decrease, but we see no other way to maintain and improve the quality of our posts.

Results, new pieces and upcoming events

2009-06-28T23:12:00.005-05:00

-Hillary is sad to announce that we did not win the Retro Handmade Team Challenge, but is proud to have lost to such a worthy opponent. In fact, the item that won is the one that Hillary voted for.

-We wanted to let you know that we posted a new necklace on our etsy shop tonight.

-Hopefully soon, we will begin interviewing other artists from our team and asking them all kinds of great questions about creativity and inspiration. Don't worry, these won't be boring "I am interviewing my teammates because I supposed to interviews." In fact, this isn't a team requirement, but we really like to share ideas and get other people's perspectives, so we thought this would be a great way to do that and share it with all of you!

-Last but not least, Hillary Wanted to let you know about another type of creative endeavor that she is involved in. Hillary is teaching an adult tap dance class at Grebel Dance in Pelham. Hillary says that the class is great for beginners who want to learn the basics of rhythm and sound, but is still challenging for more experienced dancers. Please contact Grebel Dance via the contact info on thier website for more details.

Have a Happy Hippy week and a great 4th of July!

"Wannabe's"

2009-06-20T23:07:00.005-05:00

Hillary attended a gaming convention recently and it sparked some thoughts she wanted to share here.

On memorial Day Weekend, my husband and I attended Play On Con, a local gaming and fandom convention here in Birmingham. We even managed to get some Fame out of it. This picture was on the front page of the "local" section of our area newspaper. I thought it was great that we were in the paper, and great that the convention got coverage, but feel thtat the news could have approached the article differently.

I wrote a letter to the editor because I Felt that the convention was not fairly represented in the article. I have always felt strongly that being different and having diverse interests is never a bad thing--it shows up in my hairstyles, my art and everything I do. I felt it unfortunate that the news chose to use words like "wannabe" and "wierdos" in their article.

In truth we are all wannabe's of sorts. We all want to be accepted. The convention was a whole weekend of people hanging out with each other and accepting people for who they are. However, for some reason, the news chose to highlight the differences between participants and whomever they percieve the rest of the world to be occupied by.

In addition to their unfortunate choice of language and tone, They completely missed the boat on highlighting some independent artists, dealers, and, even a local board game company. The open gaming room featured representatives of game companies including Tony from The Birmingham Gameological Institute, a local company producing great games more or less out of a basement. The dealer room had vendors and artists who depend on people coming in and buying things to pay the rent. Not to mention, there were some very talented crafters and artists in the dealer room including a woman who knit pacman hats, someone who made beautiful, complex jewelry and a chainmail artisan. I regret that I do not have their names to give you now, although I will try to get those as well as a picture of the gorgeous, eclectic looking and utterly cool chain mail necklace I bought there.

I have always been proud of who I am-- an artist, a dancer, a crafter, a nerd, a wife, a hippie, and a dog mother. If you're a musician, an engineer, a number cruncher, a geek, a jock, or whatever, you should be proud. I just wish the Birmingham News had chosen to help us be proud of who we are without having to fight stereotypes and misconceptions. I know who I am and I know that it's beautiful, but I shouldn't have to be nervous about co-workers seeing my picture in the paper next to an article about a gaming convention. It's just the type of article the news chose to write that causes those little butterflies everytime I tell someone that I'm into video games or board games.

One more quick note on the subject, I would like to give kudos to CBS42 here in Birmingham, who ran a great segment on the convention, highlighting some of the more fun events of the weekend without any judgemental language or tone... In fact, they made it sound like it might be fun for the general public! Big thanks goes out to them!

Whatever it is you have planned for the week, and whoever you are, have fun and be proud. We'll see you next week.

2009-06-20T23:02:00.003-05:00

Being an artisan can be demanding. It's a fun kind of demanding because it allows you to create what you love, get recognized and sometimes get paid from it. But sometimes, the creative juices just don't flow, and you really need them to because if you don't keep a steady stream of pieces in your shop, it will look inactive and no one will pay attention to it. Even if you're not trying to sell, sometimes you can be driven to create more than your brain can hold or create things you don't have the materials or skill for. Or maybe you just don't have time, which is what happened to use this week.
We had tons of ideas for blogs posts and Hillary said she had several ideas for great patriotic earrings, but it's the week of the fourth and we have been incredibly busy. So unfortunately, those great ideas will have to wait for another day.

However, we did want to let you know that our Retro Deco Pin was in theRetro Handmade team blog "Friday Flickr Finds"this week! We Were very happy to be featured! We see you all next week!

Team reccommendations

2009-06-14T19:28:00.006-05:00

We visited the sites of some of our Retro Handmade teammates and found a few items that both struck our fancy and matched some of our own favorite pieces.

We thought this "French Blue Cami" by Falling Leaf Designs would go great with our "Solblom" necklace.

Both the Celestrine necklace and this "Blue and Brown Cassette Headband" by Dcartesianos feature the same great bright blue color.

We think that Lidd Designs' "Serendipity", an olive colored mini hat, and our "Retro Deco Pin" almost look like they were made to go together.

Falling Leaf Designs' "Summer fun Cami" also caught our attention because it uses the same soft green as Hippybeads' "Patty" Necklace.

We think that Retro 80s' "Custom Friendship Ribbon Bracelet" is both a nice complement and contrast to our "You've Got the Needle" earrings.

Any of our pieces would look great in this beautiful "Mosaic Keepsake Wooden Box" by Gemini Moon Mosaics.

And finally, these last two pieces don't go together, but they show that great minds think alike. Both Beautiful Stranger's "Rock 'N Roll" necklace and our "Post Punk Priss" have that same great "metal" style going for them.

We hope you liked our picks, and hope to see you next week!

new pieces, supporting good causes and, retro handmade challenge

2009-06-04T22:28:00.005-05:00

Last weekend Hillary posted about displaying jewelry in Pride Art!
This week she wanted to show you the new piece she made just for Pride Art.

This piece, along with two others from her etsy shop, were displayed at the show Friday. If any of them did not sell, they will be on etsy within the next few days.

Also going up on Etsy this week will be this brand new wire wrapped agate pendant.

In addition to all of this, we wanted to let you know that the RetroHandmade monthly challenge voting is live! Please visit the site and look at all the lovely creations everyone has made. We hope you'll vote for our "Retro Deco" pin. The voting deadline is midnight EST on June 12th, 2009.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Pride Art!

2009-05-31T21:17:00.007-05:00

Hillary will have 3 pieces on display/sale at Pride Art, an art show and silent auction raising awareness for Central Alabama Pride. Central Alabama Pride is an organization dedicated to promoting "pride within and understanding between gay, lesbian, bisexual and Transgender communities and all other communities in central Alabama through education, public forums and organized social and recreational activities."
We feel strongly about organizations that promote pride and acceptance of oneself and are glad to be able to display items in their show.

Hillary plans on displaying

Post Punk Priss,

Kenya,

And another brand new piece made especially for this show. We'll post a picture of it next week.

Retro Handmade June Challenge

2009-05-20T22:13:00.004-05:00

Retro Handmade has announced their theme for the June challenge: 70's colors.
For this challenge, Hillary designed a pin that we think is retrolicious.
Here's a couple of photos and you can view the rest on the listing:

Pictures from Arty Party

2009-05-19T21:49:00.008-05:00

We realize it has been a little while since we have updated, but Hillary won't sit still long enough to do a post!
She's been busy trying to create new pieces, list new things on the etsy shop, and attending Arty Party and the artist's party for arty party.
She says she had a lot of fun at both and wanted to share these pictures with you:

Champagne shooters courtesy B&A Warehouse

Hillary's new hat that she won in the silent auction.

Hillary's necklace and a lovely glass and copper dragonfly by Nina Spencer at Arty Party.

On a side note, Retro Handmade is gearing up for another challenge, which Hillary plans on entering. We will post more details about the challenge and Hillary's entry later on this week.

Great Weekend

2009-05-10T22:25:00.004-05:00

First of all we like to wish all of the moms out there, including ours, a very happy Mother's Day! We hope all you Mom's had a great day and all you kids let your mothers know how much they are appreciated.

Second of all, we would like to remind you that arty party is next weekend. Arty Party is an art auction fundraiser for Birmingham AIDS Outreach, a local social service organization that provides basic needs services (food, clothing, medication assistance, etc.) for HIV positive individuals. Hillary worked the event last year and said she had a blast, despite being on the clock. She said that there was art to suit every style, the food was fabulous, there was an abundance of alcohol (for non-employees) and the people were friendly and generous. This is a good thing, because this year it looks like AIDS service organizations may need a little extra help from the community if the state budget doesn't get changed before it gets voted in.

Next we would like to say "hi" to everyone we met at Buck Creek this weekend! Hillary socialized, grabbed cards, and, of course, bought some great arts and crafts. Hillary bought some beautiful agate slices that you can expect to see in upcoming pieces, a cute little bow for her friend's daughter from Polkadots and pinstripes, A great pink skull bottle cap necklace from Country Princess Bow*tique, a cute purse for her mother-in-law from Happy Hippy Wear (great name!), and a beautiful fairy painting from an artist who's name she has unfortunately forgotten (and who's card she did not get). She also saw other talented artists and artisans including Grethel Van Epps Photography, who is doing a contest to give away her services to someone who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

And finally, we would like to let you know that we listed 5 new items on our etsy shop this past week including some great new bottlecap pendants.

Retro Handmade Etsy Challenge

2009-05-02T12:09:00.003-05:00

The Retro Handmade etsy team, which we belong to, is hosting a series of monthly challenges and would like your votes. We didn't participate this month because in addition to Hillary's recent personal projects, we are focusing on custom items and creating new inventory to put in our etsy shop. However, we hope to join the fun in future months. When we do, it looks like we will have a lot of tough competiton if this month is any indicator. The items everyone made are cute, trendy and downright amazing. Go check them out and vote for your favorite.

Our favorites list

2009-04-21T19:21:00.005-05:00

We wanted to do our post early and keep it short this week because Hillary is going to be out of town starting Thursday so that she can participate in the Panoply Choreography Competition in Huntsville, AL. This week we're going to post a few of our ETSY favorites.

This Ilk - Handmade lace jewelry. It's like nothing we've ever seen before. It's elegant and bold and, best of all, lightweight no matter how large or dangly the jewelry is.

Rocket Science Style - Vegan friendly wallets made of vinyl and pretty handmade batiked fabric. Hillary has bought some custom pieces from here and she never shuts up about them.

Madelaine - Fine art photography and digital art. We like it because we are partial to art containing dancers, art with dark themes, and art that's a little off the norm and Madelaine's art is definitely all three.

Creamy Pear - How can you not love jewelry and clothing made to look like cupcakes, cookies and ice cream?

LiDDesigns - Great hair accessories and hats including some with butterflies. Hillary would never allow this one to be left off the list.

Brilliant Batik by Zyhan - Beautiful hand painted and batiked scarves with a great retro feel.

Hope you enjoy the list! See you next weekend!

The things we do for art

2009-04-18T00:40:00.008-05:00

Hillary Wanted to share some thoughts she had while working on a project recently:

I looked down at my feet and the chain between my toes and took a moment to consider what I was doing. I had a chain between my toes to test the comfort level for a potential project. As I removed the chain and wiped it with an anti-bacterial wipe, I shook my head and said, "the things I do for art" . I have stuck a chain in between my toes, soaked a metal turtle in water (to test how well it would hold up), lost sleep, completed a complex necklace in 10 days, created a dance from start to performance in 3 weeks, practically fallen on my head from a piano bench, sat in the sun for hours, changed backstage in 3 numbers, gone into a diary queen and not gotten ice cream (to sing), wire wrapped a necklace (my first wire wrapped piece, I might add) on the spot at a craft show, and drawn dance steps out of a hat, to list a few. Artists do some bizarre things to arrive at the result they want, and I know I always feel a little crazy when I do it, but when it works out, it makes the whole experience that much more satisfying.

Amanda Palmer, on a whim, bought a Ukulele (NSFW link) just to see if she could learn a few songs, and now plays the three songs she knows during her regular shows to a wildly excited audience. She shows up at performances with musicians who don't typically fit her genre, plays shows with them, has a blast, and usually gains more fans in the process. If that's not crazy enough for you, I don't know if she knows the last time she had eyebrows. Honestly, she is the epitome of "crazy creativity" and both her solo performances and The Dresden Dolls shows are constantly packed. She says she never gets tired of he love she gets from fans. She seems to be really happy every time one of her off the wall ideas works, like asking fans to twitter requests at her shows or letting just about anyone who has an idea perform (possibly NSFW) in some way at the Dresden Dolls shows.

Tilly and the Wall is a band that has a Tap dancer for a percussionist. I'm a tap dancer, I love music and I even sing, and I never would have thought of this one--honestly, it's one of the more bizarre Ideas I've ever heard. Crazy ideas and all, this band is well loved, and even was featured on sesame street recently. In a feature article on Venus Zine, the percussionist Jamie Pressnall talks about how it took 5 or 6 hours to set up mics each time they wanted to create a different sound. Aside from all that, what Jamie does is a feat of rhythm, strength and stamina. As I said, I am dancer, but I could not dance for the length of an entire rock show, and I could not flawlessly perform the same precise rhythms night after night. What she does is really hard, and I would definitely call it crazy, but she does it for the love of her art.

So the next time I find myself upside down, or with chains between my toes, or glitter on my face, I will think back on these guys and on my experiences and remember: The things I do for art are always worth it (even if they do get me strange looks from my family).

Behind the scenes: Photography

2009-04-11T23:30:00.001-05:00

There's a lot that goes into running a jewelry business, and today we wanted to give you a little behind the scenes look at one of the things we enjoy the most, other than jewelry making. We love the process of photographing jewelry because, like making jewelry, it requires creativity and ingenuity, and, like jewelry, it has its challenges and triumphs.
When we first started our website, we were taking photos with a fujifilm finepix (this was several years ago) in standard indoor lighting on a counter, or a counter covered with a t-shirt. The photos were very plain and utilitarian. In the pictures below, you can see the jewelry fairly clearly, but not in great detail, and it doesn't "jump out and grab you" like the jewelry would in person.

The next change in our photo setup was to take pictures with a newer camera (a canon powershot a-510) in a completely dark room with the flash on. The resulting photos were better, but, like the one below, looked washed out and tended to have noticeable "hot spots".

About this time, we found a great forum of fellow jewelry artists who suggested creating a studio or lightbox. We thought this would probably be more money and more trouble than it was worth but a few of the artists said that the $5 jewelry studio setup actually worked quite well.

As a result, we decided to take on the challenge of creating a light box. It's simple enough--it's just a clear rummbermaid/sterilite/tupperware style box that you take outside in the sunlight. We often weren't able to take pictures during the day, and room lighting wasn't doing enough, so on someone's suggestion, we got clip on aluminum lamps (available at any hardware store), and 100 watt "natural light" bulbs.

At first we had problems with this setup because the light would flow in over the top of the box and we ended up with a lot of pictures like this:

Thanks again to our forum friends, we found this information filled video on photographing jewelry. Unfortunately, the tutorial suggested things involving power tools that we did not have. So, Hillary went to a local wal-mart to see if we could somehow adapt the ideas in the tutorial to our situation. As luck would have it, Sterlite was, at the time, making a container with a hole in the lid. The whole point of the power tools in the tutorial was to make a container with a hole in the top, so the lid was perfect for our purposes.

Once we used the box above, we started getting photos like this:

You'll notice these are much clearer, detailed and brighter, but you might also notice some unevenness in the lighting, especially in the first picture. This was because clipping the lights to the table only lit the pictures from the bottom and sides. It took us a long time to figure out this issue but last month we added one more thing to the set up: A wine rack. Hillary only ever uses a wine rack for about 3 months out of the year during the winter holidays, so she thought we could put it to better use during the rest of the year.

Here are some photos we recently took with this setup (note that the background fabric is different in these than in the others on this page). In case you were wondering, we now have a canon powershot a-590.

Clipping one light on the the top of the wine rack and one on the table makes the appearance of these photos much more even and much less shadowy. We're pretty happy with the setup now. The only foreseeable change would involve the Easter Bunny bringing us a camera or two.

P.S.: look for the last piece to be listed on our etsy this weekend.

Our Piece for arty party

2009-04-06T23:59:00.006-05:00

Our necklace for Arty Party is finished and in it's new temporary home in Jamie Whitehurst's office! We wanted to show you what the finished piece looks like.

Gearing up for Arty Party

2009-04-05T23:20:00.002-05:00

In a previous post, we mentioned donating a piece to Arty Party, a fundraiser for a local AIDS service organization. Today we wanted to give out more details about arty party and show you pictures of our completed piece!

Every May, Birmingham AIDS Outreach hosts "Arty Party", a silent and live art auction benefiting local the agency. BAO provides services for HIV positive people including food pantry, clothing closet, and medication assistance. BAO also has three prevention and education staff who do everything from speaking at high schools, to testing in bars, to working with prisoners, and more. The money raised from "Arty Party" helps go to these services that support HIV positive people and improve public health.

Birmingham AIDS outreach is currently accepting donations of art of all types for the auction.
To donate art or arrange a pick up, contact Jamie at 322-4197 or jamie@birminghamaidsoutreach.org. Birmingham AIDS Outreach is a non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible, and the agency is able to provide you with the necessary form for your taxes.

Happy Hippy Jewelry , and our sister site, Artful Unity , will both be donating jewelry for the auction and we hope you will join us in supporting this agency, either by attending or donating.

The Woes of independent artists

2009-03-29T12:02:00.004-05:00

Last night, Hillary Went to a show of three local independent musicians at Workplay and it sparked some thoughts she wanted to share about being an independent artist:

Last night, I was sitting at Workplay, my favorite local venue for music, waiting on a show involving three alabama musical acts. At about 20 minutes past when the show was supposed to start, I started looking around and said to my husband "everyone who's here except us has a beer but no wristband", which means one thing: they were all either band members, band crew or friends and family of band members. I felt really bad for the bands, but I've been here before, and everyone has to go through events like this. Every visual artist has probably had at least one opening where no one showed up except mom, every band has to go through at least a few shows that are only them and the five friends they could manage to get to give up thier other saturday night activities, and every craft artist has sat through shows where they sell $20 worth of stuff and see 10 people all day.

As an artist of sorts, I get the cruddy position they were in. They probably didn't get gas money for the night, and might even be in debt due to paying for a venue they didn't come close to filling. It would be tempting as a band member in this situation to suggest that we not go on, or that we do 2 or three songs and go home. Believe me, during the bad craft shows, I often want to go home before lunch, but I usually stay at least until other people start breaking. Surprisingly, it has paid off quite a few times. I have had days where I did horribly before lunch and made 2/3's of my sales between 1 and 3 and managed to pull down a decent amount. If I had left, I would have missed the money, but also the opportunity to speak to people who appreciate my work and the opportunity to network with other crafters. A slow day is great day to go introduce yourself to other artists and share ideas.

Luckily for us, the bands all did a decent length set, and luckily for them, we saw a few more people with wristbands toward the end. They still probably didn't get much more than gas money, but they got to play music they love, and they got a little more exposure for hanging in there and doing the right thing. This is the only way any artist, be it a musician, an artisan jeweler, a sculptor or a performance artist, gets anywhere. You have to stick to your guns and keep going even if you go through several events with no response. This is sometimes really hard to do, because artists want a connection. Of course, we want a paycheck, but what we really want is to connect with people who appreciate what we do. Which, unfortunately, we often have to do a handful of people at a time.

In my opinion, the 2 best things people can do for an artist are 1. try to make a connection with them, even if it's just a simple "wow that's really unique", and 2. tell other people about the artist. I didn't actually go speak to the band, but I absolutely applauded, I'm going to leave a comment on their myspace pages and I'm absolutely going to tell people about it:

Daikaiju was absolutely amazing. I don't know how a group of musicians can possibly get that talented and go mostly unnoticed. The best way I could describe their sound is "hardcore surf fusion". That was some of the fastest and most skillfull guitar bass and drum playing I have ever seen. Please check them out, and tell other people if you like them. If you don't, find someone you do like and tell your friends about them. Artists need the love, but we know not everyone loves the same thing.

Finding inspiration

2009-03-22T23:49:00.005-05:00

In an article on blissfully domestic, Dee Perrin
details some ideas on how to find creative inspiration. Sometimes this is a very elusive thing, and Hillary wanted to talk about some of the things that give her inspiration, including some of the things Dee speaks about:

"Probably the most obvious thing to do is start flipping through your craft books/magazines. I know you have a few laying around collecting dust. You may find a pattern you forgot about or just never got around to trying."
I have a few books with really great ideas that I have never tried for one reason or another. When I really want to create, but have no idea where to start, I often go through my books. Even if I don't end up making a project in the books, sometimes one of those projects will spark an idea with a similar theme or color scheme. My two favorite books are probably Bead and Button's "Elegant Earrings" and 1001 beads. I like the first one because the designs are different, challenging, and highly customizable, and because, as all of Bead and Button's booklets, the instructions and materials list are very clear and specific. I like 1001 beads because, even though the materials and instructions aren't always spot on, the designs are beautiful
and the pictures have really inspired me many times.

"Dig through your stash. Whether you are in denial about it or not, every crafter has a stash. Fabric, yarn, ribbon, papers, stamps - something is bound to get you excited."
I absolutely agree. Sometimes when I am digging through my stash, even if it's for something else, I will find a bead that jumps out at me and tells me how to use it. Sometimes it's a bead I've seen a thousand times before and have never been inspired by or sometimes it's a bead I have been wanting to do something with for a long time, but have never been able to figure out how to use. Either way, it's a great feeling to finally figure something out and then be able to create beautiful jewelry based on your vision.

My third and fourth ways to get inspiration are similar to Dee's third and fourth, but, as with everything, I do them my own way.

Dee's third suggestion is to browse etsy for inspiration. My counterpart to this is to look at other jewelry, be it beaded items on etsy, or diamond solitaire rings a Zales. I personally prefer to get out and look at things: at the mall; at craft fairs; at little hole in the wall indy shops; at Wal-Mart; everywhere. Looking at the jewelry may give me ideas and getting out usually gives me a much needed break from sitting in the chair staring blankly at the same thing for hours.

Which leads nicely into another major way that I get myself "un-stuck". I put the jewelry/project down and go do something else altogether. I make jewelry, I do other crafts, I create dances and I cook. Sometimes I get stuck on a necklace and sometimes I get stuck on a dance step, but if I keep getting stuck at the same place and nothing is getting me going, I just walk away from it. Dee suggests putting the project down and doing another quick and easy project so that you feel better about your ability to finish a project. Personally, I find that if I have been stuck on something for a while and am getting frustrated, it is usually best to put down that activity altogether and come back to it later -- usually in a day or two. If I get stuck on a piece of jewelry, for example, and then try to work on more jewelry, I just get really down on myself for not finishing the first piece and I worry about every minute detail of the next one, and any little mistake a I make becomes catastrophic. Whereas, if I just put it down and do something unrelated for a day or two, when I come back to it, it magically makes perfect sense and finishing the project becomes easy.

Another major way that I get inspiration is just by living. Sometimes music inspires me, or clothing I see at the thrift store, or a phrase someone says during the course of the day. There's even a seller on etsy who likes to place custom requests for jewelry from other artists and make jewelry for her own shop based on passages from books. I've actually gotten some really great ideas from some of the selections she has posted from books. In fact, you may see some designs based on some of those passages in the near future. An example of that I have been talking about it the piece below. It was inspired by the song "Half Jack" by The Dresden Dolls.
The most important thing I do regarding my creativity is not limiting myself. Even though I primarily make beaded and wire wrapped necklaces, there's no reason I can't try my hand at a ring, or a hair clip or a style I've never tried before. The piece above doesn't even fit in a category... it's not a pendant, nor was it ever intended to really be a part of a jewelry piece, but the song gave me a vision, so I created it. Not only do I not limit my style, I don't limit anything. Maybe this feeling I have that I was trying to create a necklace around would be better expressed in a dance or a poem, so I do that instead.

Now that I have shared some of the ways I inspire creativity in myself, I'd like to hear from you about what gets you going. Some of the best ideas I've ever had have come from other people and I'd love to have you share with me.

Hippybeads has joined Retro Handmade!

2009-03-15T16:31:00.006-05:00

Happy Hippy Jewelry is proud to announce that we have joined the Retro Handmade Etsy Team. "Retro Handmade is a group of Etsy sellers who specialize in handmade vintage-inspired items that resemble things from the past or create things that have retro vibe." Being that all of Hillary's jewelry pieces have always had a teeny little bit of a Hippy vibe, we thought it would be a perfect fit! To give you a little taste of what our new teamembers can do, we picked out a few photos of items that we really liked on the Retro Handmade Ning page. Keep in mind, our list is only a very small sampling--there are many talented retro-minded artists that make a lot of amazing things in this group.

New beginnings, Charity and experimentation

2009-03-07T00:48:00.008-06:00

As some of you may know, Hillary Wilson, our artist and proprietor announced the opening of a new high end jewelry business. Many of you may be wondering what this means for Happy Hippy Jewelry. This means that we can re-focus on what we originally started doing: fun and affordable Hippy jewelry. For a while Hippybeads tried to take a turn for the serious, and quite frankly, it doesn't suit us well. Now that Hillary has an outlet for creating things that are high quality and formal, she can help return Happy Hippy back to it's original spirit of experimentation, creativity and artsy shenanigans.
In that spirit, Hillary has recently been working on some new and unusual pieces.

The first one
is different in style than many of Happy Hippy's other pieces, however it marks a return to using some re-purposed materials and odds and ends to create something surprising and beautiful.

The second one isn't complete yet. Hillary is creating a unique piece for Arty Party 2009, an annual art auction fund raiser for Birmingham AIDS Outreach (more on that in another post). It's still a work in progress, but we wanted to give you a sneak preview:

Samples!

2009-01-30T22:59:00.006-06:00

We wanted to post some examples of our work so that you could see beyond what's in the shop. We hope you enjoy them! Ideas for custom work and suggestions are always welcome. If you have any, please contact us through our blogger profile or our etsy site

Hippybeads has moved!

2009-01-24T10:29:00.007-06:00

The first announcement we wanted to make was that we have moved from http://hippybeads.com to http://hippybeads.etsy.com . Etsy is a great place for independent artists, artisans, suppliers and vintage dealers to set up shop. It's very well organized, esy to use, and best of all, economical. It took Hillary about 20 minutes to set up the new shop. As of right now, we have not moved all of our old pieces over, but we are working on adding pieces as quickly as possible. Please stop by our new home and let us know what you think.

Welcome to Happy Hippy Happenings!

2009-01-24T01:33:00.005-06:00

Welcome to Happy Hippy Happenings. We set this blog up because wanted a forum to tell you guys what was going on with us, and discuss new and upcoming things for Happy Hippy, in the arts community and in the world at large. We hope you enjoy what you see, and we look forward to hearing from you! Thanks for stopping by!