Antique Road Trip aka Junk on Wheels

Last Friday morning my friend Kathleen and I set out on a spur of the moment road trip to peruse the junk offerings of southeastern Idaho. As they say, 'one person's trash is another's treasure' and we found plenty of both.

We traveled in style, with Kathleen's truck and trailer providing a luxury road trip experience heretofore unheard of in your run-of-the-mill weekend warrior circles. Accomodations include 2 bedrooms, full kitchen and bath, dining room, and spacious dog run for Tink, Foxie and Lulu, with plenty of space left over to transport all those new found treasures.

We avoided the interstate and enjoyed the scenery along the 2-lane roads, scanning each little town along the way for signs of troves of treasure: yard sale, 2nd Hand, antique, vintage, and of course, junk.

We fmet with limited success and some frustration until, somewhere between Burley and points east, we stumbled across the mother lode of troves. It was a jaw-dropping, mind-boggling sight, to say the least.

Acres of treasures, trash, and junk overwhelmed and enticed us. We did manage to check out some of it, with the aid of our junk yard guide, Ursula Ondine. She even introduced us to the Junk Fairies!

Without exaggeration, we could have spent a week checking out all this splendor, but it was just as well we didn't, for even though the King of the Junk Fairies initially gave us the green light to shop, when it came right down to it he really didn't want to part with much of anything. And naturally, the few things he could let go were valued quite highly.

Here's a nice example of what you can do with valuable junk, found just down the road from the mother lode. I'm sure it was his own junk....he surely couldn't have afforded to purchase this much scrap metal from his neighbor!

It was a great weekend adventure, and one I might repeat soon. While in Pocatello we found a really great antique shop and the proprietor let us know that they'll be having a super fantastic flea market in a few weeks. I might just need to go check it out.

And....I'll soon be posting some images of what I'm doing with all this junk....

Stay Tuned!

More Glass Diversions - Spectacles

As I said last time, I'm not one to pass up a good diversion, and this one fits all the criteria:

- it's not what I'm supposed to be doing

- it was a great deal of fun to do

- it is for a really good cause.

The Mend Project's current project is "Spectacled" which benefits Unite For Site and helps thousands of people across the world needing eye care.

For more information: http://themendproject.wordpress.com/projects/

I got out my old (from about 20 years ago) stained glass skills, although 'skills' may be a bit optimistic, and put together the lenses.

"Rose colored" just didn't offer the variety of points of view, and diversions I like to view. So I felt that I should make Spectacles that would accomodate a multiplicity of ways to look at things.

"As you like it...."

Once I got the lenses together, some fancy recycled metal and a lot of JB weld, completed the project. What next??!!?

Diversions - Glass Blowing

I guess one of the things I'm most talented at is finding diversions to keep me from whatever I'm supposed to be doing.

If I'm supposed to be making jewelry, which is one of my favorite things to do, it doesn't seem like so much fun.

Whenever I spot an opportunity to do something else, somthing I'm not supposed to be doing I make an effort to seize it. Especially when it looks really fun.

So, taking a glass blowing class with my friend Martie, was a perfect diversion. We spent the better part of a day at the studio of Lisa Tate, who is a very accomplished glass blower, as well as a extremely patient and kind teacher!

Lisa's website is at lisatateglass.com

This is Martie getting a glob of really hot glass out of the furnace.

And this is Martie

rolling the glass

And this is Martie, giving the glass (now a paperweight) a "neck", where it will be cut off.

My apologies to Lisa for forgetting all the correct terms.

My thanks to Lisa for such a GREAT class.

And my thanks to Martie, for starring in this blog.

The Triumph of Good AND Evil

Normally, Good is supposed to triumph over Evil, but unfortunately it's often the other way around.

Once in a while, Good and Evil join forces and kick butt, and that's what happened Saturday at Flying M's "Reconstruction 09" Super Hero / Super Villian Design

Bridezilla, designed and developed by the ACE team of Kay and Darcy, Mother and Daughter Creative Specialists, took the prize in the Super Hero category.

Here's our Trophy Clock

And here's Bridezilla, two profiles in one:

Looking right, the beautiful, blushing bride,

before her wedding day where she was

jilted at the altar

Looking left, her hideous alter ego, who uses

visions of her former beauty to lure

unsuspecting grooms

to her altar of revenge!

3Good

Evil 4

This was not only a very fun project,
but also for a very good cause, 'Dress for Success'.
So we'd like to thank them and Lisa & everyone at the Flying M,

for the opportunity to have so much fun!

And we'd like to thank Bridezilla (the Good) model Alexis
who was such a great sport.

Hero, Villian, or BOTH?

This GREAT project, the 3rd Annual Reconstructed Fashion Show"is sponsored by the Flying M CoffeeGarage and the proceeds will benefit "Dress for Success".

Our design team has been working around the clock
to get our Super Hero / Super Villlian ready for the
runway. The event is....(yikes!*#!).......
tomorrow, Saturday, May 2 at 3pm, at the
Flying M Coffeegarage in Nampa.

The Rules of the Event suggest creating either a Super Hero

or a Super Villain. Our team couldn't leave it at that, and

decided to do both.

Our bride, beautiful and blushing, was jilted at the alter and

turned to the dark side.

But she still uses her brideful beauty as a lure to entice her

groom-victims.

Darzilla of the Design Team

While we can't expose the gruesome visage of our "Bride gone Bad", you can see her tomorrow at the Reconstruct '09 Fashion Show!

Jewel Thief?!!

No, actually, it's a Joule Thief....

Last Saturday, my Grandson and I took a workshop at the Reuseum, which is a shop that everyone should check out! reuseum.com

The shop itself it LOADED with very cool stuff. As you will note, I was so enamoured with all the cool stuff, I was just a little shaky.

And even more amazing, David, the proprietor is actually quite organized
There's a talent I'd like to learn more about....

The workshop was to learn how to make a little circuit called a Joule Thief, which can squeeze every last little bit of power out of batteries that we all thought were dead.

Even better than recycling, this is PREcycling. And when this has been accomplished, it's okay to go ahead and recycle your batteries.

So these are our little circuits.

And this is my finished project!

"What, you may ask, does this have to do with jewelry?" Well, besides the obvious fun with puns, I'm thinking that blinking light jewelry may have a place, somewhere in my future. I mean, all things considered, how could it not??!?

Here's a link to the workshop page in case you want to know more about the technical stuff. I have to admit, it all went way over my head, but I think everyone else got it.

http://www.reuseum.com/?p=353

Busy as a .....

Opening Day for the Capital City Public Market is just 9 days away. It is apparently my lot in life to get really motivated only when the deadline looms large, and that would explain the full load on my metal clay shelves.

I've actually done a little better this year with getting new work ready to show....I've got 8 or 10 pictures frames loaded with new gemstone jewelry which I'm feeling pretty proud of. But now, I've got all this to finish and turn into jewelry, plus I have plans to fire up a few loads of the Bronze Clay as well. Not to mention, there are plans (well, maybe plans is too optimistic) to do some rearranging and redecorating my booth. Yikes, I'd better get busy!

Ready for Recovery

Rather than muddle around and worry about my financial fitness and fiscal future, I'm forging ahead and making lots of new work. What else can I do, after all?

With the exception of the Chinese Turquoise on the right, which were in the running for Boise Art Museum's Wine Festival Auction, these are all new pieces, and are also headed down to BAM to hang out in the Gift Shop and wait to be invited to go home with someone special!

I'm especially happy to be using some of the Madagascar Ammonites I searched high and low for....next time I need Ammonites, I think I'll just go straight to Madagascar.

Earlier this week I delivered another batch of jewels to the Art Source Gallery on Main Street, where I'm happy to be "re-membered". My next project is to get another group going for the Art Source Annex out at the airport.
I've got my optimistic hat on today...the sun is shining (could WINTER really be finally over?!) and I'm getting ready for the Great Recovery of 09!

Honor Roll

Yesterday I taught another of my sporadic Metal Clay Classes, and once again, had a great time! Each of my 5 students was brilliant in her own right, and I think, enjoyed the class as much as I did.
Besides that, each excelled in learning a new medium with new techniques and challenges, and putting all that new stuff to work, right on the spot.

Here's what they accomplished:

Vicki Stevenson

Amber Lawless

Pam McKnight

Valerie Tomblison

Nancy Panganiban

I am always amazed at the great work people do when they take my Basic Metal Clay class. Human capacity for creativity (even when they say they don't have any) is astounding, and one of my favorite things.

My Achievement Award for this class goes to Valerie, not only for the great bracelet she created, but also for driving in the wee hours before class, all the way from Pocatello. Commendable!

Jewels for BAM, Part Two

This is the necklace and bracelet that were chosen
for BAM's Wine Festival Auction.

If you absolutely MUST have it, you'll want to be
at the Crystal Ballroom on Saturday, April 4, for
the Gala. There will be both live and silent auctions
to raise funds to help the Museum provide
our community with excellence in the visual arts.


More about the
Beaux Arts Societe 22nd Annual Wine Festival at: http://boiseartmuseum.org/events/winefestival.php



These pieces, the UNchosen
can be CHOSEN by you,
by visiting my website, kayseuratjewelry.com.



And you can still take
part in helping out BAM.

I will donate 10% of any of
these pieces to BAM,
in your name,
if you make your purchase
by April 4, 2009.

Jewels for BAM

Early last fall, I was asked to create jewelry to be auctioned at Boise Art Museum's 22nd Annual

Beaux Arts Societe Wine Festival.

Now, just in the nick of time, I've completed three options for BAM to choose from.
Each option is a matched necklace and bracelet, shown below.

The decision will be made tomorrow, and the chosen set will be auctioned Saturday, April 4 at the Festival Gala in the Crystal Ballroom . So, if you heart is set on having it, that's where you'll need to be!

Does anyone want to place bets on which will be chosen??!?

Radical Jewelry

This weekend I took a workshop sponsored by the BSU Art Metals Department.

It was so much fun!

Susie Ganch was our intstructor and the workshop's title:

'Mining for Material/Discovering Our Potential' Susie does wonderful work, susieganch.com, and is involved with a very timely and important cause called Ethical Metalsmiths, ethicalmetalsmiths.org. The idea is to enourage metalsmiths to use responsibly sourced materials.

There are many ways to accomplish this, and Susie has developed The Radical Jewelry Makeover to this end. RJM is a very immediate and direct recycling, or UPcycling project wherein new jewelry is created directly from old jewelry.

3 preliminary layout

Here's how it ended up. I left out the scissors and added the dog. My friend Ellen (fellow metalsmith AND Airedale owner) gave me the dog charm which really makes the piece, don't you think??!?!

Walking the Dog

To Infinity and Beyond

Last nite, the 3rd Annual "We Art Women" was held at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy. This is where local creative women pool their energies, resources and talents to benefit the WCA Crisis Center, which supports women and children in crisis situations.

This is a wonderful cause, one we should all be aware of and one we should all support. Here's their website:

http://www.wcaboise.org/

Let me just say, I am in awe of the great women who have orchestrated this event for so many years. Before it was "We Art Women" it was the "Celebration of Women in the Arts" which had a 10+ year history. We have Rocci Johnson and Zella Bardsley to thank for this great event, as well as the countless others who have helped organize this event over the years, plus all the artists many, many artists who have partcipated.

So you can imagine my surprise when my found object sculpture, "To Infinity & Beyond" won 'Best of Show'!

Yikes!
What an honor!

This piece is functional, believe it or not! It serves as a stand for 2 martini picks (from my Orbitrary Art series). And it actually sheds light!

Let's hope it sheds some light on the The Women's and Children's Alliance and its efforts to provide safe shelter, education, opportunity and hope to women and children victimized by domestic and sexual violence.

In case anyone is wondering......

.....yes, I have been goofing off this week, and having a wonderful time.
What else can you do when you have a 60th birthday??!?
It's been great and I must say, I'm very thankful for such a good life,
even if I am getting on in years!

It all started last Sunday, when my Mom made my favorite, rum pie, for Sunday Brunch. On Tuesday I was treated to a new hair style, thanks to my talented daughter. That evening my daughter and grandson and I enjoyed a cozy dinner at their house. On Wednesday I continued to celebrate and was treated to a 2.5 hour lunch with Brenda and Grazyna, and then treated myself to a movie at the Flicks. And as a happy coincidence, Jeff and Brenda were also at the movies, so we enjoyed a post-movie glass of wine. On Thursday, Martie took me to lunch, and that evening my brother took my Mom, daugher and son-in-law to dinner. On Friday evening I enjoyed a fun evening with Marilyn & Bob. On Saturday nite, my friends Susan, Carolyn and Ben hosted a great party for me, and we were joined by Aimee, Greg, Amanda, Darcy, Harry, Barb and Michael. Except that we couldn't get the cellphones to pop some popcorn for us, it was a fantastic evening!

But wait, it's not over yet! This evening my friends Martie, Joann, Kathy, Becky & Karen are taking me to dinner, and there is still a spa day with my daughter in the works!

I just have to say, I am most honored to have such wonderful family and friends! If this is the "rite of passage" into old age, I'm happy to go! And from the bottom of my old saggy heart....
Thank You Everyone!

.....and yes, I'm ready to get back to work...this very minute....

Travelblogue 2/14/2009 Home Again, Home Again

Two long days of driving, threading my way through some major winter storms, and I'm happy to be back home.

Funny how the return trip is never as exciting and interesting....and somehow the compelling urge to be back home gets you there as quickly as possible.

Once home, I am welcomed by a sweet Valentine from my favorite daughter, who has been faithfully watering the plants and keeping an eye on everything.

I'm anxious to get the van unloaded so I can stretch out

on MY OWN bed and watch a movie.

Lulu just looks confused...like maybe she has a distant

recollection of a place some where, some time, that

sort of looked like this.....

Maybe we were gone too long.

Travelblogue 2/13/2009

Friday the 13th, and the only spooky thing going on here is that I'm leaving this beautiful weather, scenery and good friends and embarking on a 2 day drive back into the frigid north.

Sedona is lovely this time of year, actually, I imagine its lovely any time of year! I really am looking forward to getting home to family, friends and my fun work, but I sure wish I could take some of the warm colors, warm temperatures and warm friendships with me!

Travelblogue 2/12/2009

As the end of my journey gets closer, I happily put it off one more day and enjoy visiting with some long-time friends. The Verde Valley has more creative people per capita than any place I've been. Here are a few of my favorites:

Rex Peters is a well seasoned wood turner who started out his self-taught journey in 1988. He is a founding member and the manager of the Jerome Artists Co-op. And he is the featured artist for March. jeromeartistscoop.com

Chris and Sandy Boothe work mainly with titanium and are veteran art show participants. They have put more miles on vans traveling to shows than anyone else I've ever known. I met Sandy in the early 1990's at one of those interminable Tubac Arts Festivals. They are also members of the Jerome Artists Co-op and their website is ringsforever.com.

Laura Holiday makes jewelry. Her company is People of the Sun and she markets her work mainly through the Sundance catalog. She is very good at designing teeny tiny earrings. I met Laura and Jourdan (see below) when I used to set up my table at the Art Park in Jerome, and learned a lot about metalsmithing from them.

Jourday Dern switched to painting and found her true calling. Her work is amazing. She is represented by the Goldenstein Gallery in Sedona, goldensteinart.com

Travelblogue, 2/11/2009

Jerome, Arizona, is one of my top 5 favorite little towns.

It's a very vertical town, hanging precariously on the side of Mingus Mountain. It got its start as a copper mining town but has turned into a very artistic and eclectic community.

This picture shows the fantastic view from the Jerome Art Park. Today, there's more snow than art in the Art Park, as you can see, below. I used to set up here, day after day, and sell my art.

And here's a picture of Aurum, a treasure
of a jewlery store, just a few doors down from

the Art Part. Sharon and Kurt have

carried my work for many years, and have

a wonderful variety of great jewelry and

Tibetan art.

Be sure to stop in on your next visit to Arizona!