Bling-Tastic Fun!

 Happy Monday Gang! Here's what I've been up to this past week! Been rediscovering my soldering iron and Loving It!  I played around with a new technique to me, texturing the solder whilst it's still liquid! It's a tricky process, but the results are well worth it!  I've always loved these Blinged-Up charm style necklaces, and have made a few in the past, so it was cool to revisit this style of jewelry making and have Fun with it! Check-out my results!  (I made two different necklaces, but my pictures got a little mixed-up, so you'll be going back and forth between the two pieces. Don't get dizzy!)

 Second necklace I attempted made ambitious by converting a watch casing into an enclosed frame for a little Sacred Heart graphic. Man, that was a challenge, but I did it!

 This particular "Mary" graphic reminded me of the Renaissance style paintings and the art I saw last year on my visits to the many cathedrals in Germany.  I especially love the feel of old world art and how it transcends time, beautiful.

 Close-Up of the detail on my pendant.  I was able to play with streaming solder across the glass, which is tricky, being the glass is highly sensitive to heat and will crack...I got lucky, and Love the result!

 Close-Up of the converted watch casing I used to encapsulate my image. I just made this up as I went along and it actually turned out Great!  Some of my best results come from happenstance, so I've learned to try to not over think my creative process and just let it happen.

 I had just obtained this patina'd puffy metal heart and got the idea to embellish it.  I always have metal sheets on hand, because you never know, right?  Whipped-out my metal stamps and tin snips and Voila' a cool attachment for my heart! And of course, a little Bling doesn't hurt either! Also, all of the pearl chain in these pieces is hand wire-wrapped by moi~ this is truly a labor of love~somehow it relaxes me to do this process over and over and over again...

 The first piece I completed, my "Blue Mary". I had fun adorning Her with suitable charms that would compliment the whole piece without making it look "junkie"~it's a fine line.  The wings I had also just purchased recently, and I finally had a use for a couple of religious metals I had acquired some time ago.  It all came together perfectly I think!

I also added a bit of gold leaf to further accent Mary in her little glass home adding to the Glitz of the whole piece.  I hope you have enjoyed this brief tour of my latest work, and hope you have found some inspiration to take with you for your own art! Thanks for stopping by!

Lavender Farm and Vintage Stuff!

 The Girlie's~Emily, Debb (me), Kathy, Lisa and Emily! I KNOW, we have Two Awesome Emily's with us, how cool is That?!

 A few pics from our fun visit to The Vintage Market Place in Rainbow! So much lovely goodness and eye candy all around! We had a wonderful time, this was my first visit to the VMP~I bought some metal madness pieces from Dyanna at Broke Jewels, always want more than I can afford! 

 Next Stop, Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center, or as I like to say: "not far from the Vintage Market Place, past a yellow roadside deli, down a dirt road on the right and you're there!"  Easy-Peasy! What a lovely treasure~thanks Lisa Loria for sharing this great place with us yesterday, so cool!

 Just a few pictures I took whilst at the Farm! It smelled so good in their little gift shop, and they have CLEAN BATHROOMS; this is so important when you're Day Tripping! I never realized there were so many varieties of lavender, so of course, I just had to purchase a little plant to add to my yard! For more info. on the Farm.
 Go to: kclfarm.com

Wishing you All Peace & Love this weekend and Always!

Memorial Day "Thank You"

My Uncle Gene served in the United States Army during WWII, 1943-1946 in the 309th Infantry, 78th Division in enemy territory all through Germany.  During this time, Gene received his Combat Infantry Badge, among other accommodations. My Uncle Gene also became fluent in German and Russian and never lost his gift for languages.  (he used to try and teach my Rena German when she was a little kid!)  While in the service, Gene was promoted to Sargent, but being head-strong, he was demoted back down to PFC for fighting just 3 days before his discharge!  My uncle wasn't too happy, but knew it didn't always work to "Get your Irish up!"

Gene's brothers, Buck, Dale and Joe also fought in WWII and came back home after the war~what a Miracle, 4 boys in the War, and all 4 come back alive! I also have another uncle, Bill Bennett that fought in WWII and was a paratrooper over enemy lines; I have his dog tags, which he had given to my Dad.  Fortunately, Bill did make it back and went on to a career in the LAPD.  

I just want to say "Thank You" to all the Servicemen and Women who have served or are currently serving our country, without you we wouldn't know FREEDOM!

I'm On the Etching Crazy Train! Woot, Woot!

I'm not kidding, I just learned how to etch on metal and I LOVE it! I basically taught myself ...with the help of a few tutorials on YouTube, which is also an awesome Time Suck. I was up into the wee hours one night plugged-in to the vast selection of tutorials on the topic, trying hard not to veer off into another creative avenue. (it's hard, let me tell ya!) Needless to say, I barely slept and was up early in the A.M. ready to descend on Radio Shack to get a bottle of Ferric Chloride~everything else I managed to have, which is another reason I love this process so much...It's EASY!  After getting home and setting-up my mini "lab" on the kitchen counter (don't worry Gang, I covered everything and disinfected afterwards.) I rechecked the vid and was on my way~check it out below, this is ALL you NEED!

 Ta Da! My very first sample of metal etching! I decided, if I was going to put the time in, I might as well do something useful as a sample, like a pair of earrings, right?  Once the etching chemical process is complete and the pieces(s) are clean, you just brighten them up with fine steel wool. (I had a whole package in the studio left over from my dad's tool box, been here forever and I never had a use for it until now! I KNEW I'd need that stuff someday!)  Love how they turned out~this is so cool!

 And here's the finished result made into earrings!  I've been wearing them everywhere for the past couple of days giving them a "Test Drive".  I always do this with a new piece of jewelry I make, just to make sure things hang right, etc., these are so lightweight, I can't feel them at all! Love, Love, Love them Gang!

I'll be adding them to my website soon at: 

http://paradisekittenart.wix.com/debbra-j-designs

Thanks Gang~now back to the studio to work on my Mixed Media piece that's drying.  (I have to do other things while the paint dries you know?)

What a Great Mother's Day I Had!

 I love Pic Collage! Various pictures taken this year of my awesome daughter, Rena. (or as I like to call her, Rena-Bean)  She's now 21 and I can't believe how quick the years have gone by! As you can see, she looks exactly like ME! Ha, ha!  I remember when she was a baby and a toddler, strangers would think I was the babysitter~and one time, her Grandma! (I quickly changed THAT hairstyle!)  When Ms Rena was born, she looked like a little papoose, of course, being part Apache makes that no mystery.  Even though we don't look alike, except for little subtleties here and there, she has my sense of humor, which is a bit twisted. She's very smart and logical and thinks on her feet well.  (like me...) She can fix a jammed Crop-A-Dile like no one I've ever seen, and count change back at the register like NO ONE in her generation! (yes, Grandpa used to always "let" Rena pay the bill at the coffee shop on Sunday mornings when we'd meet him and Grandma for breakfast and make her count the change back to him!)  Ms Rena was an awesome kid to raise and made my job easy, except when it came to doing algebra in 3rd grade (I so suck at math) and is an amazing young woman! She will always be "My Beauty"

My Mom. June aka June Phyllis as her mom used to call her when she needed her NOW!  Mom is a Hoot and a Half to be around and I've noticed that her sense of humor is more transparent now that she's in her 80's and thinks everyone should "lighten up!"  Ha, Mom, you slay me!  She's the very definition of a lady and very sharp and shrewd as a businesswoman.  She has tried for YEARS to teach me how to save and be smart with my dollars, which has been a hard lesson for me because I love to shop.  Or at least, I used to.  Since getting wammied by this latest recession, it's been a hard lesson but one I now appreciate.  Thanks Mom.  June is the very first Fashionista I knew and I think started the whole stylish thing for me.  She loves accessories, a beautiful high heel (although she has changed her foot ware to a wedge these days.) and well made, stylish handbags.  Wearing fabulous clothing was a sport to her when I was growing up, and a team sport when the holidays would hit or a dinner party would be brewing.  June would not only deck herself in the most stylish attire, but all of us! I have the pictures to prove it; Mom, Dad, my sister Rena, and myself, all matching on Easter, Christmas, various Luau parties, etc.~ and not the crappy weird matching outfits that people write coffee table books about, but the cool vintage dress that is like looking at a time capsule of style. Yep, that's my Mom! All of my Style and Pan ash I owe to you, along with my love of  fab clothing, accessories, shoes and all things textile and awesome! Also, a big part of my wit and "charm" is straight from You!  Another thing that Mom and I have in common is that "Miller Look" that we give without even realizing it. According to my daughter, it's a knowing glance that we share at the dinner table when someone says something we mutually think is lame, or a dork walks into the room, or when we discover we're out of bourbon.  It's like our own secret language that we think no one is aware of....ahhh, but they are. They shake in their boots when they catch it because it's almost certainly about them or something they're about to do.  It's harmless and funny and we always get caught.  That's us, Me & Mom aka The Girls! 

New Designs!

 I've been in the studio recently working up some new designs for my cases! Being that Day of the Dead aka Dia de los Muertos is so popular year round for me, I decided to come up with a new design that's fun and festive!  All elements are paper and my own decoupage' technique that make this all mine!  They came out quite nice and I'll be creating more of them for my up coming show at the Garden of Beaden in Upland on April 26-27 !

 Here's a little peek at the process~as you can see, it's eyeglass cases and paper...

...it's all quite simple really...NOT!

Fun at the Renaissance Faire! Huzzah!

 Need I say more?

 Ladies Debb & Lynne of the Shire all smiles on this Day of Merriment and Frivolity!

We took part in the Queen's Tea, which was a wonderful way to take a break from the visual and sensory overload of the day! We met some lovely people and a Duke or two! I was even given a talking to by the Queen herself for flipping my hat feathers and keeping audience with a Sir Richard Dudley from her Court! Lynne and I thought this most amusing and Sir Dudley Most Charming!

1.  

 The Beautiful, Lady Lynne of the Shire!

 Our Favorite Rogues, The Dread Pirates of Odd Wood! OMGosh, these guys are a RIOT! With their Bawdy Sea Shanty's and physical comedy to match, there is nothing left to the imagination...plus, the keyboard player is HOT and the drummer has the most amazing blue eyes ever...I digress...anyway, the show is a complete laugh~they're heavy metal Unplugged! Head Banging before electricity! Rockin' the Shire Daily!

 Lady Lynne of the Shire, Strike A Pose!

 Queen Elizabeth Giving us a Talking to! (I can't believe I had the balls to snap this whilst being scolded!)

 Some of the "Taller" folk we met!

 This guy...not so friendly to look at, but loved his whole costume!  The costumes here are AMAZING!  We just love taking it all in and getting new ideas and inspiration everywhere we look! 

 Myself, Lady Debb of the Shire at the entrance~what a Perfect Day in the Shire!

 I ask you: "how else would you sail YOUR ship?" 

 One must laugh ALWAYS!

 Okay, there's an amusing story that goes with this sign...we ventured into the Ren Faire Museum, which was loaded with photos and memorabilia encompassing 50 years of Faire Fun and memories. One of the docents saw me snapping a picture of this sign and told us the tale... Back in the 70's when the Faire was in Augora, there were two paths to take to get across the park; the lower more used and defined trail and the upper, more private, secluded less traveled trail loaded with poison oak.  Well, the youth are always looking for private places to "relax" as it were and were always getting busted by security, which kept the first aid station BUSY being they always had an outbreak of poison oak on tons of peoples "unmentionable" parts!  So, these signs were put up all around the upper trail to warn-off those randy folks in a language even THEY would understand! This is one of the Original signs from that era~now on display with a Fun Story Attached!

 Wood Nymph~beautiful costume and make-up!

Lady Debb of the Shire at a metal works booth! This artist does a lot of Dia de los Muertos art and is based in Montclair Gang! Whoo Hoo, lets hear it for Local Artists! His enameled pieces are Awesome!

A Wonderful Day was had by All! It all went by so fast~so now I have to launder my costume and put my Hat of Many Plumes away and save all of my goodies for another Faire~Huzzah!

Vintage Beauty!

I'm so Twitterpated! I finally purchased Melanie Doerman's book: "The Art of Forgotten Things" and was so inspired by one of her creations, that I made a version of my own! It took me a couple of days, and a lot of design planning and selection to come to fruition, but I did it!

Now, the reason I was so intrigued by this project was that the center disk is a 1 1/2" washer! Yes, a common washer found at any hardware store Gang! I love how a common item such as a washer can be transformed into a beautiful piece of jewelry!  The colored crystal dangles are actual vintage pieces from a larger piece I acquired a couple years ago on one of my "Kat & Debb" treasure hunting days!  The vintage photo is actually a picture of my Mom when she was 17 and  modeled in her youth.
It was the perfect accent for this piece. I think I'll venture to make a couple more, being I love this design and it's origins so much! 

Garden of Beaden Trunk Show!

A BIG THANKS to Irene Sanchez and her Awesome Shop in Upland, California~

Garden of Beaden for Hosting my First ever Trunk Show! I had a Total Blast with you Irene and look forward to my next show April 19-20!  I'll have Make-N-Takes planned for you guys along with a Fun Day at the GOB! If you are in the area Gang, visit the Garden of Beaden~313 N. Second Ave #J, Upland, Ca it's the coolest bead shop around with a knowledgeable and helpful staff! It's not only a place to shop for your "Need to Bead", but it's an awesome place to sit and visit and make friends! A truly unique and inviting place to Visit! For more info. go to: www.gardenofbeadenupland.com  

March Show~GlitterFest!

 GlitterFest Spring 2013! 

Had a total BLAST at the new location in Anaheim!

 Beautiful HUGE paper flowers added to the festive Spring Decor!

 My table at the front windows~the perfect spot for my art to SHINE!

 Some Goodies...Close Up!

 My Fabulous Eyeglass Cases and Credit Card Cases! 

 Purses and Wallets and Books, Oh My!

My "Rockabilly Girl" Vignette!

Had a wonderful time at Glitterfest Gang! Was Awesome seeing all of my Artsy friends there~Tara Wilson, Jenny Hernandez, Crystal Basica, Lisa Loria! This show was so much FUN and I am Crushing on the new venue  A HUGE THANK YOU to all of my Friends and Customers that came out to see me and support me in my Artistic Adventure! I love you guys and am Blessed with your love and support~You All ROCK! Thanks go to Sheryl and Diane for another successful Event! Thanks Girlie's, cant wait until October for the Fall Show! This time I'm gettin' my Halloween and Dia de los Muertos ON!

Working in the Studio!

Workin' in my studio with a little help from my Ruby Girl! I'm busy creating all NEW GOODIES for you all to see at GlitterFest this March 9th in Anaheim, Ca! (click on the link to the right for more info. on this awesome event!)  I have some Fabulous New Jewelry for you guys~along with new Wallets and Eyeglass Cases and Purses! Can you say Marie Antoinette? Also, some cool Dia de los Muerts designs (I know, it's early, but this stuff is great all year round!)  

Check out my website for more fantastic Goodies at: http://paradisekittenart.wix.com/debbra-j-designs 

Thanks Gang!

Dig Your Art!

I'm Goin' to GlitterFest!

I'm so excited Gang! 

I just found out that I'm going to be showing my Artsy Wares at GlitterFest Spring in March!  I've done this juried art show a few times in the past couple years and always enjoy it on so many levels!  I love seeing all of my loyal customers and meeting new ones~there's nothing like having people admire your booth and art and comment on how they're happy to see you selling here again! Love it! I also treasure seeing all of my Artsy friends here at this show, it's like a reunion~even though we all keep in touch on-line!  So, if you're in Southern California Gang, Swing on By and see me at GlitterFest~I would love to see you all and say "Hi" and maybe go for drinks after! For more info. go to: www.glitterfest.com 

I LOVE Beading!

I absolutely LOVE this beading technique, perfected by the Memorable Melanie Doerman and taught to me by the talented, Crystal Basica!  I was taught to do this piece just a week ago by my good friend, Crystal, after admiring Melanie's beautiful work.  We had a fabulous day together and even fit in a trip to our favorite haunt, Treasures and Junk!  Thank you Crystal for teaching me to "Fish" so I can learn a new skill!

 Shot of the pendant being worn.  I especially love how the beading looks so very detailed and  unique.  After making a few, it did get easier and I was able to move forward with a few different pieces!  I'll be sure to post pics when I get them all completed! Love, Love, Love this new technique! Not bad for my first attempt!

Day of the Dead Katrina

BEADING ROCKS!

Flags Of Hope

After the horrendous tragedy that occurred at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School a couple weeks ago, many of us find ourselves rendered useless by not knowing what we can do to help.  Well, one of my FB artist friends came up with the perfect solution for some of us~making prayer or hope flags that will be made into banners and hopefully put on display at the new school location for the kids to see.  There was a comment made recently that stated that one of the worries is that everyone will forget all about what has happened and life will go on in a couple weeks~not so.  The healing will take a lifetime, and we will never forget this tragedy.  Leighanna Light came up with a marvelous idea to make Hope flags for the school to brighten the children's day while at school in their new location! What a Fab idea! Plus, myself and various others had an outlet for our grief and confusion related to this awful tragedy, perfect! 

Now I don't sew, but was able to pull something together that I really like and can't wait to share with the others involved with the project, and ultimately, the kids.  It's just my small way to be connected and let them all know that I cared, and won't forget.

So, kids, teachers, staff, residents of Connecticut, we do care and hope that you will all smile some day, we Love You All!    

For more information on this fabulous project, go to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-hope-flag-project/498268640213821?fref=ts

Read about the project or become a part of the project!