These are the Easter egg jewelry boxes I'm making for DD's. Oh yeah, and some of the mini photo albums/scrapbooks that I got hooked on after seeing them on the Carol Duvall show. Image link:

Awww oodie this is beautiful!!! Great job!! You give me way too much credit woman!! I've always considered myself a terrible teacher! I'm too detail oriented and most of the time think if someone like me can do something then anyone can. I'm a visual/hands on learner so instructions sometimes slow me down...give me a photo of something I'm interested in and I'm good to go. I joined the group to help where and when I can and to learn from all you other wonderfully talented and creative folks. I'll be happy to help anyone out who asks...if I don't know the answer I will surely find the answer for both of us. zshopper- don't spend a lot of money on beads,tools and supplies until you decide if you like making jewelry. It's like any other craft you can spend a fortune on supplies and gear then end up hating it...like me and scrapbooking..UGH!! I love card making but scrapbooks are really not my thing at all...too much time. I say go to Wal Mart buy a few things and for tools you can use old nail clippers for wire cutters to get started or raid someone's tool box..lol, needle nose pliers or invest a little in a 3 n 1 tool there in the Wal Mart jewelry department. Don't forget to check out Wal Mart's Dollar beads. Get one of those little plastic boxes with the comparments it's what I use to use to seperate my cross stitch thread or little tupperware bowls with lids are a good starter. A bead board is another good investment they cost less than $5.00. Then when you decide you really are addicted to this craft...start buying the very best you can afford and take really good care of it. Got to the library look through the magazines, newest jewelry craft books they have get inspired! If you have DIYNetwork check out the jewelry show on there, a lot of basics are taught on that show. Check out jewelry makers on Carol Duvall. We are all here to support you,hold your hand and cheer you on!! delaniemae...beginning in junior high(long ago),I would scour flea markets,yard sales,thrift stores and such before it was hip to do so,and revamp and restore old pieces. I hand my own style kinda like the movie Pretty in Pink...making something out of nothing. I still get giddy over beautiful buttons, fabric(I don't sew) and rhinestones. I use to carry vintage purses to match all my outfits, even if it was jeans and a sweatshirt my purse, earrings and bracelet was color coordinated vintage wear. I have huge bins of stuff in my basement that I've had since then and refuse to give up. I started collecting and making the "Bejeweled Christmas" trees a few years back. It was a 70's craft that caught my eye and I've been doing for a while but only for special orders...it's a lot of work. I have collected more than I have made and each one is so unique and different. I LOVE THEM!! Sorry guys didn't mean to write a book or hog a thread it's just one of those rainy mornings and I've been up for ages! ginger Here is a link that might be useful: Bejeweled Christmas Tree

Luvs, I have never heard of Marlene Stevens. Wonder if she has a website. Did I tell you I took classes from Priscilla? She has a studio in Destin, Florida not to far here. This was in 1986 and I spent a week doing tole strokes, etc. I even have a certificate. But tole painting is too restrictive for me. I can't stay within the boundaries and I, too, am not a "technique" person. I have learned a lot from so many teachers and with that I have came up with MY technique which is a combo of everything. I think that is why I have such a hard time teaching a rose. My roses never seem to be painted the same because I am not hung up on the technique, some have more petals, some are more open, etc. I actually tried to do the primitive and cutesy type of painting but it didn't work for me. I like the cutesy for holiday especially Christmas but it is not my style in my home. I love Tuscan and shabby chic but not too shabby. And I absolutely love tea party type things - very soft and pretty. I am a tea lover and have collected tea cups for years. I have a collection of old battenburg lace, crochet tablecloths, and damask table linens. I would love to have a few of my painting friends over for a Painting Tea Party so I can dress up the tables, similar to what Judithva does. I will probably use some of her designs for inspiration. At one time I had planned to open a gift shop with a tea room but since I have had a shop before and worked full time at the same time, I remember the hard work and not sure I want to do that again. Remember I told you I feel I could do anything and I want it all, my idea was to have a painting studio to teach, a Tea Room to serve lunch only, and a gift shop where handcrafted and handpainted items could be sold along with the regular gift shop items. In my mind I have it all planned out but I live in a small town and I am not convinced the business would be there. The more I learn about you, the more I like. Anj - the big 40, huh? That still sounds young to me. I was actually 40 for about ten years. I never hesitate to tell someone my age - I just said I was close to 40 - and when they raised their eyebrows, I continued with, just not as close as I use to be. Now, I say the same thing about the 50's. It's funny how my mind and spirit thinks I am still in my 30's but my body keeps trying to tell me different. I use to be able to paint until 0200 (am) then get up at 0700 to go to work. Then I would think about painting all day long and draw in my notebook. In the evenings I would work the shop for the night classes. Finally, I got smart and realized the 2 partners I had were not bringing in the amount of revenue as my classes did so I told them I was quitting. They decided not to go on with the shop and we closed down. I reopened a gift shop with all handcrafted and handpainted items. It was great but the state came through and widened the road which took the little blue house I was in so I decided to close after three years. And I was just pooped!! My, my, am I talkative today or what. Better sign off for now.

PF, I have a video of Delane's--her roses of course. But on the tape, she does a stroke leaf that may be what you are talking about. The difference I saw between her's and DD's was that she did not turn the brush around so both edges of the leaf were dark on the outside. She made both strokes holding the brush the same so the 2nd stroke actually made the vein in the middle of the leaf. Gosh, it's hard to describe things in words isn't it? LOL Yes, I'm aware that stroke painting was around long before DD came along--but DD was just able to turn it into a sort of "gimmick" that caught everyone's attention and her advertising and marketing strategies sure paid off for her, didn't they? I would imagine that she might have ticked off a few of the established painters in the beginning, but I also imagine even they were later appreciative of the fact that her "One Stroke" campaign sure got allot of people interested in painting. I loved it in the late 80's, early 90's when there were so many cute painting shops around and you could buy supplies, take classes, or just see some of the finished projects and they made you want to make one too! Now they are almost all gone, and even Michael's here has done away with their painting book section! I asked where they moved it, and they said "Oh, we took it out to make room for more beads". Now if I want a book, it's either order online--or watch for older ones to show up at the TS. This area had allot of painters back in the day--and I keep thinking several of them may be getting "too old" to still be painting and might be getting rid of their stash of books, so I always look for them. (Not that I NEED more--but I just love looking through them and admiring all the designs) ;o) Did you read Anj's post about finding stacks of painting books at one of the TS she went to this week--she bought lots of books for only 25 cents each! I've kept the rose worksheet you made for us and have tried to follow it. My biggest problem is that since I learned the DD rose first--that one just keeps "popping" out of my brush strokes! LOL I'd love a step by step worksheet on how you do your leaves. I have read some of the books where the artist did multiple layers of floats to get the realistic effect--I just don't have the patience to do all the mixes and layers I guess, I prefer just the "suggestion" of a leaf most of the time because that's so much easier and "atainable" for me. (Big sigh) This is fun chatting about painting. Luvs