Winter 2011 Belle Armoire Jewelry

I FINALLY picked up the newest copy of Belle Armoire Jewelry, and all I have to say is...WOW!!!  This has got to be one of my most favorite issues of all time.  The talent is extraordinary, and so many wonderful artists are included, that I just had to share a few:

- Check out that gorgeous cover art from Mary Feliciano - beautiful!

- Maire Dodd has an AMAZING trio of resin and wire pieces, one of which she featured on the Love My Art Jewelry blog:

- Cat Kerr of In the Light Of The Moon has the most amazing Trinket Nest necklaces that tell absolutely beautiful stories:

- Maryann Carroll of Artisan Beads Plus features her signature handmade porcelain beads in stunning wireworked designs

- Lisa Weber of Silver Vine Jewelry has some of the most beautiful sterling and stone pieces

- One of my all-time favorite artists and people is Diane Cook of Rosa & Josie's.  Her newest feature called "Framed", and it is beautiful:

- Teresa Smith of T Smith Designs shows how to use recycled glass in a super-cool bezel setting that I am going to be trying out soon!

These are just a few that stuck out to me, but there are SO many other artists featured, so be sure to pick up your copy soon!

Bead Table Wednesday: 4 Cool Things To Share Today

Happy Wednesday To You!  Today I've got 4 fun things to share with you!

1.  Happy Birthday to my amazing Mother!

My Mom is such an inspiration to me.  She sets the bar for character and integrity, and has taught me so much about how to be a mom, wife and woman.  This past spring she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has completely blown me away with the grace and dignity she has shown throughout diagnosis, surgery, treatment, and now as a healthy survivor.   I am so proud of her, and so proud to be her daughter, and wanted to make her something very special for her birthday this year:

I know that pink is the Breast Cancer Awareness color, but when I think of her, I always picture her in cobalt blue for some reason.  I had my friend Julianna Cannon of JulsBeads make up a gorgeous set of cobalt blue beads, including one of my favorite heart focals, and made Mom a set from my heart to hers.  She didn't get the earrings, as somehow,  in the 3 steps from the front porch where I took the pictures to the computer, I temporarily 'misplaced' one of them.  Within 5 minutes of shipping off her gift, I (of course) found the other earring, so she will be getting a surprise post-birthday gift - lol!

2. Maire Dodd is today's Grateful Living contributor!

If you aren't familiar with Maire Dodd's writing and artwork, you are in for a treat.  Her gift for sharing - both visually and in writing - is profound.  Check it out!

And while you are there, take a look at the other contributiors' posts from the past couple of weeks; I guarantee you will have a smile in your heart after reading what these remarkable women are grateful for in their lives!

3.  Deryn Mentock is having a Blog Challenge!

Deryn Mentock of Something Sublime is having a really cool blog challenge that incorporates the beautiful colors and feel from this photograph:

The reveal day is October 19th - you can read more about the challenge details here.

4.  Oh right - it's Bead Table Wednesday!

Here's what is on my bead table today:

Yep - a little cryptic, but I don't want to spoil the surprise of  what I'm making for Deryn's challenge!

You can see what all the other BTW participants are working on this week at the BTW Flickr site.

As always, thank you to our lovely hostess, Heather Powers of Humblebeads for hosting this weekly event.

Have a fantastic rest of your week!