Beads of Courage, Show & Tell! (The Art Charm Exchange)

This year, the Beads of Courage auction has had a few hiccups as to the date of starting! I hope you don't mind the wait, for the auction is here! (UPDATE: There is another hiccup with the auction starting date. Jen will still be selling the charms, so the seller won't change as is linked to in my post. I will post again when the auction has OFFICIALLY started).

THIS IS A REALLY LONG BLOG POST. :)

Almost every year, (2015 was skipped), Jen Cameron hosts The Art Charm Exchange which benefits Beads of Courage! We make 11 charms- 10 to swap and 1 Jen sells on ebay to benefit Beads of Courage. Beads of Courage is an AMAZING charity that gives beads as milestones to children who reach treatment milestones while they are staying or having a visit to the hospital. These patients then get to turn their beads or charms into necklaces. More beads = more treatment milestones = a longer necklace. I believe in 2014 we raised over $1,500 to donate to Beads of Courage! For more information on Beads of Courage, (BoC), please click here to visit their website. 

This year's theme, (every year we have a theme!), is FAIRY TALES.

I chose the wonderful tale of "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland." A classic, to be sure!

The first thing that I remembered from the tale, (aside from the Cheshire Cat, hehe!), was the caterpillar sitting on a magical mushroom so that is what I decided to make as a charm!

Here are some photos of the creation of the magical mushrooms:

Making the mushroom caps!

Still making the mushroom caps!

A completed mushroom body.

A whole bunch of mushrooms! Each one is slightly different.

Cutting the clay for the spots on the mushrooms.

On the tray, ready to be baked...

All of that work to make some mushrooms. Then they were off to be baked!

Here they are finished:

A pile of finished mushroom charms.

This year is Jen's last year hosting The Art Charm Exchange. Thank you SO MUCH Jen for so many wonderful years doing this for us and for Beads of Courage. *mad love*

Here are the charms I received in this year's 

Art Charm Exchange, (remember you can bid on them by clicking here!):

Miya Beads

etsy.com/shop/MiyaBeads

Brooke Bock

artisticendeavor101.blogspot.com

artisticcaos

artisticcaos.com

Boho Bird Jewellery

beadrecipes.wordpress.com

SueBeads

suebeads.blogspot.com

CultureZine

studio@culturezine.com

Fulgorine

fulgorine.wordpress.com

Pepita

pepita-handmade.blogspot.com

THEA Elements

theaelements.etsy.com

Clay Space

clay-space.com

Please place a bid on the charms by clicking here! Proceeds go to a wonderful cause, (Beads of Courage!) You can read more about Beads of Courage by clicking here. Thank you!

Thank you for looking and reading! *mad love* 

Here is the FULL participant list:
Alenka Obid

Andrea Glick

Angelique Gentry

Brooke Bock

Caroline Dewison

Cassi Paslick

Catherine van Alphen

Charlene Jacka

Helena Hatten

Jen Cameron

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Kathy Lindemer

Leona Smith

Lesley Watt

Lori Anderson

Marianne Baxter

Melissa Trudinger

Michelle McCarthy

Patty Miller

Shai Williams

Sheila Prosterman

Susan Kennedy

Terri Del Signore

Vanessa Gilkes

Beads of Courage and Art Charm Exchange (Teaser Post)

It's that time of year again...

... for the Bead Of Courage AUCTION hosted by Glass Addictions (Jen Cameron) and the rest of the Art Charm Exchange crew!

As per usual, we make eleven charms- one for the auction, one to keep, and nine to trade with the other artists involved! Jen sorts and counts and makes sure everyone gets cool charms that are totally different; IE: we don't get the same charm twice! Some of the more ambitious artists made two sets!!!

To start off, I'd like to tell the story about my charms...

Materials:
Polymer Clay
Brass tone flying heart keys
Silver Jumprings (the bottom ones are handmade!)

Description:
The main piece of this charm was created using polymer clay and rolling it in a pasta machine for even thickness. Then I lovingly handcrafted each wing and heart using my fingers and a toothpick, (to get the wing's ruffles and the indent for the heart). This year's theme is "SOAR" so I thought a flying heart especially appropriate. I thought that love can make your heart soar and give you butterflies in your stomach, so that's why I ended up with this design. The brass key symbolizes, of course, the key to your heart. It also has little wings so it can keep up with the flying heart! :) The background of the polymer clay charm is sky blue sparkle with translucent clay to mimic clouds, the wings are white and the little hearts are lavender. An original creation by me of ZenithJade Creations especially made for the Art Charm Exchange and Beads of Courage!

May Your Heart Soar!!!

This is the process I went through to make my soaring heart charms...

Here, each circle has been cut and the holes punched out where the jumprings will go, plus I'm starting to put on the little wings.

Here's a closeup of the charms without the hearts...

And here's one of the tiny wings I formed using my fingers and a toothpick.

Here are the charms with the hearts put on. Lavender is one of my favorite colors...

This is the finished charm!!! I really debated about sealing it, but different artists have different methods of sealing and sealants they use, so I chose not to.

And without further ado,

here are the charms I received from my partners in this year's 

Art Charm Exchange!

(You can sneak a quick peek at all the charms available in the auction going on right here!)

This is the charm made by SueBeads of Pittsburgh, PA!

Here's her blog: http://suebeads.blogspot.com/

In case you can't tell, this is a little red birdie!!! :) You might have seen my other post about SueBeads when I participated in the C5 challenge!

This is the charm made by Perri Jackson!

Here's her blog: http://ShaktipajDesigns.com/blog/

Hot air balloon time!

This is the charm made by Sheila Rose Prosterman of Belmont, MA!

Here's her blog: http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com/

3D fluttery wings!!!

This is the charm made by Melissa Trudinger of Australia!

Here's her blog: http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com/

Lovely 2-sided birdie charm with our theme word on one side!

This is the charm made by Cate van Alphen!

Here's her blog: http://fulgorine.wordpress.com/

Another 2-sided charm! This one is either a Phoenix or a Peacock- either is AWESOME.

This is the charm made by Shai Williams!

Here's her blog: http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/

This is the only owl charm I got. Isn't it a "hoot?" *winks*

This is the charm made by Chris Eisenberg!

Here's her blog: http://wanderware.blogspot.com/

Another 2-sided charm! Love the blues...

This is the charm made by Lee Koopman!

Here's her blog: http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com

Lovely little kite...with fibers!

This is the charm made by Lennis Carrier!

Here's her blog: http://windbent.net/

And the last one, another kite in cool coppery metals. :) It also includes our theme word!

I adore all the charms I received! Thanks everyone!!! :) You can view ALL the charms by going to the auction link HERE (there is one of each for sale in the auction for Beads of Courage!), or by visiting the blogs below! Have fun and happy blog-hopping!

Here's the list of participating artists:

Jennifer Cameron: http://www.glassaddictions.com/blog
Alenka Obid: http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com
Alicia Marinache: http://www.allprettythings.ca
YOU ARE HERE: Andrea Glick: http://zenithjade.blogspot.com
Caroline Dewison: http://blueberribeads.blogspot.co.uk
Cassi Paslick: http://badatbeingmom.blogspot.com/
Cate van Alphen: http://fulgorine.wordpress.com
Cheri Reed: http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com
Chris Eisenberg: http://www.wanderware.blogspot.com
Cory Tompkins: http://www.tealwaterdesigns.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Auld: http://beadsforbusygals.com/
Genevieve Gabbert: https://www.facebook.com/MasuDesigns/
Jami Shipp: http://celebratinglifewithdamamashipp.blogspot.com
Jenny Davies-Reazor: http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog
Jill Bradley: http://www.jillybeads.blogspot.com
Kim Dworak: http://www.cianciblue.blogspot.com
Lee Koopman: http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Lennis Carrier: http://www.windbent.net
Lesley Watt: http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com
Mallory Hoffman: http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com
Melissa Trudinger: http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Michelle McCarthy: http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Monique Urquhart: http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/
Moriah Betterly: http://mlbetterly.blogspot.com
Nancy Dale: http://nedbeads.blogspot.com
Nancy Smith: http://wirednan.blogspot.ca
Niky Sayers: http://silverniknats.blogspot.co.uk
Perri Jackson: http://ShaktipajDesigns.com/blog/
Renetha Stanziano: http://www.lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com
Shai Williams: http://www.shaihasramblings.com/2014/11/art-charm-exchange-auction.html
Sheila Prosterman: http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com
Susan Delaney: http://susandolphindelaney.wordpress.com
Susan Kennedy: http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com
Terri DelSignore: http://artisticaos.blogspot.com
Toltec Jewels: http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com
Vanessa Gilkes: http://culturezine.com/blog/

Beads of Courage/Art Charm Exchange QUICK UPDATE

My blog post is going up in about an hour! Watch for it!

Until then, here's the link to the beginnings of the auction goodies: http://www.ebay.com/sch/glassaddictions/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from= !

They're all GORGEOUS!

Beads of Courage Date(s) UPDATE! Important!

The auction is now starting on November 24th/25th, 2014!

I will post a live link when things start going up for auction! :)

TRUNK SHOW INFO and Beads of Courage Reminder

I'm having my annual Trunk Show on facebook- and you're invited! If you "Join" the event, you get an entry into a giveaway/raffle thing for a special present! If you "Share" the event, you get an extra entry! Not too shabby for putting up with my posting on the event page.

This year is going to end with a BANG. :) And I mean that in a good way!

Giveaways, prizes, whatever my little heart desires to do that's good and awesome. Sounds like a ball, right? :) Wootz!

So you can CLICK HERE to join in on the facebook trunk show that I'm putting on this year. All the details you need are in the event description. Please be sure to read those! Thanks! And if you have any questions, just ask! 

On to the Beads of Courage auction reminder:

 I will be posting a link to the auctions on ebay here in this blog on November 14th. Please stay tuned!

EDIT: Here's the host's blog about the Art Charm Exchange, click!

Art Charm Exchange for the Auction Benefit for Beads of Courage... "LOVE"

So here is my official post for the Art Charm Exchange (hosted by Glass Addictions) & the Auction Benefit for Beads of Courage (BoC)... the (our!) theme this year is "LOVE".

I suffered pretty bad "performance anxiety" during the making & reveal of our charms. I just wasn't sure if my charms would be "good enough"... after receiving my charms, I realized that it wasn't necessarily how "good" they were, but how much LOVE and SOUL went into each piece... now that is something I have in SPADES. :) I am so honored to be a part of the Art Charm Exchange and the Auction Benefit for Beads of Courage. Let me share the creations I made & received with you...

A BUNCH OF LITTLE CHARMS made by ME!

 Beautiful light blue pearl polymer clay, with a dark blue pearl heart coated in Pearl-x powder and sealed; it also has a lovely *vintage* light blue marquise stone that I acquired from a friend and embedded in the clay... and the heart has little rays coming from it, like a comet! Universal love, or love from above. The findings are silver-plated.

See the little rays? :) It's a LOVE COMET!

 It actually has a silver-plated screw eye, so the charm stays on the post! :) I bought mine in bulk at the BeeHive on facebook. Andi & Dee (the owners) have them in a variety of finishes, including gold.

 The hearts are formed by hand, using my fingers and some mad skillz. *winks* The little bases for the charms are formed the same way- entirely by hand. :)

YOU CAN BUY YOUR OWN CHARMS BY GOING HERE. (CLICK!) There are a TON to choose from!!!

Here are the charms I received, in alphabetical order by first names:

By Alicia Marinache of All the Pretty Things @

http://allprettythings.ca/

By Julie Bowen of Autochthonous Evolved @

http://AutEvDesigns.com/

By Kristi Bowman of Kristi Bowman Design @

http://KristiBowmanDesign.etsy.com/

By Lennis Carrier of WindBent @

http://windbent.etsy.com/

By Linda Haskell of Lilys of the Valley Jewelry @

http://lilysofthevalleyjewelry.blogspot.com/

By Lori Bowring Michaud of Artfully Ornamental @

http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com/

By Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio @

http://fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com/

By Toltec Jewels (Rita) of Toltec Jewels @

http://toltecjewels.etsy.com/

By Terri DelSignore of artistcaos @

http://artistcaos.blogspot.com/

Here is the complete list of all participants, (there are a LOT of us- please visit us each when you can!):

Jen Cameron: http://glassaddictions.com/blog/

Toltec Jewels: http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com

Vanessa Gilkes: http://culturezine.com/blog/

Caroline Dewison: http://blueberribeads.co.uk

Lesley Watt: http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com

Susan Kennedy: http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com

Nancy Dale : http://www.nedbeads.blogspot.com

Alicia Marinache: http://www.allprettythings.ca

Cassi Paslick: http://cassisbeads.blogspot.com

Alenka Obid: http://www.pepita-handmade.blogspot.com

Renetha Stanziano: http://www.lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com

Shelley Graham Turner: http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Monique Urquhart: http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com

Shai Williams: http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com

Lennis Carter: http://windbent.wordpress.com

Cheri Reed: http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Moriah Betterly: http://mlbetterly.blogspot.com

Perri Jackson: http://shaktipajdesigns.com/blog/

Mallory Hoffman: http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com

Ginger Bishop: http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com

Jean Peter: http://jeanpdesigns.blogspot.com

Linda Florian: http://lilysofthevalleyjewelry.blogspot.com

Patricia Pulliam: http://rusticstudio.blogspot.com

Karin Grosset Grange: http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.fr

Julie Bowen: http://blog.autochthonous-evolved.com

Susan Delaney: http://ladyflowersbysusan.wordpress.com

Emma Todd: http://www.apolymerpenchant.blogspot.com

Carolyn Chenault : http://carolynchenault.wordpress.com

Terri Del Signore: http://artisticaos.blogspot.com

Cory Tompkins: http://www.tealwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

Cheryl (Lee) Koopman: http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com

Lori Bowring Michaud: http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com

YOU ARE HERE- Andrea Glick: http://zenithjade.blogspot.com

Jacqueline Carlson: http://www.beadgypsy.blogspot.com

Michelle McCarthy: http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com

Charlene Bausinger Jacka: http://clay-space.com/blog/

Kristi Bowman: http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com

YOU CAN BUY YOUR OWN CHARMS BY GOING HERE. (CLICK!) There are a TON to choose from!!!