Yay!

Hi everyone! I have been blogged! My fellow artist, Kelly, of Hacky Shack Designs was kind enough to feature me on her blog. The link is here.
While your at it check out her gorgeous jewelry. This is one of my favorites from her shop.
Click on the picture to see her shop!

Presents, Art, and Passion

Last night my two families came over for an informal birthday gathering. My wonderfully talented brother Silas (who, I might add, is 18) painted me this oil portrait of one of my wedding pictures! Pretty sweet huh? Especially considering it's his second oil painting ever! I keep telling him he should let me sell his art for him on etsy... Do you agree?
We had an excellent weekend at graduation. Jasmine was the life of the party - she has a talent for that. It was great to see all the cousins, aunts, uncles and extended relatives again.
I also realized how much I love being around people who live and breathe art. My town is mostly farmers. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them, I just miss being around people who have a passion for art. Whether they make it or enjoy it, sharing that love stirs the artistic passions and makes us reach out into things we have never tried or might not have thought of ourselves. I think my creative flow has been eddying lately, unable to get out of the pool and into the river.
On that note, I am off to list more jewelry. . .

Yay for weekends

I reiterate - Yay for weekends! We had a good one. Friday we went up to mom and dad's after work. Saturday we made potato blocks and stamped up a storm. I brought a bunch of prints back to scan for cards, backgrounds etc. Should be good for the new store... Saturday night was the homeschool play (Heather was in it!). It was hilarious and the acting was great! Sunday afternoon Silas and Adam got out acrylics and we all did a few color studies, which was really fun. Art rocks! I'm not as good as I might wish, but I imagine that most artists feel that to some degree. Anyway, enough mundane details.
I believe I have pretty much finished the branding for Maddox Studios. I have settled on 3 black and white pics and 3 color. Also a basic image for logo purposes. Here's a question - if I customize a basic shape from photoshop with color and text is it violating any laws to use it as part of my branding?
For those of you who may not know, the picture on the left is my lovely daughter Jasmine. This pic was taken a few months ago, when she was my jewelry model for an afternoon. Isn't she a doll? I must say I'm mighty proud of my cutie... Well that's it for tonight. It's time to change my etsy favorites. Scroll down and check them out!

I Heart Photography!

We finally got a sunny day! So rare for spring in Ohio. Consequently I got to do some more work on my product photos. Adam watched Jasmine for me while I dragged a box of jewelry, glassware and fabric out to the deck. The results were the best I've had so far! (It was fun too :)
On another subject, we took Jazzy to the playground today. It was the first time she's been since she could actually enjoy it. She was quite enchanted with the swings and also the slide. We determined that she will probably grow up to be a food critic since she went around tasting all the rocks she could find. One star will be equal to dirt and rocks, two stars equal worms etc. . .
Back to art. Adam recently started his first online comic, ReTale. The strip has been in his head for a long time but has been transferred to paper more recently. You can check it out at www.adambeutel.blogspot.com. I think it's pretty neat, but then I am somewhat biased. :)
Just one last note and I'll stop rambling. At the bottom of my blog you'll find a compilation of some favorites from fellow etsy sellers. I will be changing the featured items once a week, so please check out some of their work! Thanks for reading. I will update more often in the future, but for now I'm off to promote my store.

Open for Business!

Well, this is my first post on my first blog so here goes. . . I am starting this blog to promote my website, www.erinbeutel.etsy.com, and to post cool pictures and random tidbits from my life! My goal right now is to announce that I am now doing custom wedding jewelry. The necklace featured here is one example of something I think would be pretty for a wedding. It was inspired by the porcelain focal beads which were scavenged off a garage sale find years ago! Pearls, of course are common, and some might say over-used, in wedding jewelry. I myself love the variety in color, shape, size and finish, especially pearls that don't have perfect surfaces. However jewelry for weddings should not be confined to conventional themes and materials. Why not use shell, coral and mother of pearl for a beach wedding? Or elegant jet black and gold for a formal evening event? As brides, we spend days, weeks, even years searching for the perfect dress; naturally our jewelry should be the perfect complement.
If you are interested in having jewelry designed for your wedding, email me at stjewelry@yahoo.com. If you purchase jewelry for your wedding party you will receive 20% off your bridal jewelry! (Accessories make a great bridesmaids gift that can be enjoyed for many years.)


So, that's it for my promo! I am a stay at home mom. I have a gorgeous little one year old named Jasmine and a great hubby. I thrive on all things creative, especially jewelry and photography.
Well, that's it for now. I'm off to have a snack and go to bed. More later!