New Beads & Quote of the Week...

Hi all, hope you are keeping cool in the midst of this summer's heat wave...we are doing well here, life is very good & busy, went to the best party ever for my sisters 40th, she is so cute, does not look a day over 29...we saw the movie Horrible Bosses...it was funny, perhaps even more so for us since hubby & I have both worked for such people in the past & you probably have too, life is full of difficult people...
life is good...I made beads...

I have listed a few sets of beads to my etsy shop  below is a photo of the new beads...

Quote of the Week: A feature I had for years on my weekly newsletter, many of you remember I am sure, but for some reason I stopped it, well its back...here is this week's Quote: I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe. By the Dalai Lama

Our Bi Monthly Get Together is this coming Saturday July 23nd from 11am to 5pm at Graceful Customs in Gilroy. click here to read all about the cool happenings, it promises to be a fun day with a lot of artists sharing their great skills...

While you are checking out Graceful Customs stop by their shop and check out this new great tool...I a have been having a ton of fun with it...

Winner of last week's bead is Meredith, please send your address. This time I have a lovely fish bead (if I say so myself) for the blog giveaway...enter to win by making a comment on this post...maybe you can help me out with my photo question, white background or gray rock background?

Thanks so much for stopping by, life is good...its just a bit hotter than usual...
Jelveh
Peace

Past Few Weeks & Lots of New Beads...

Hi all, hope the last few weeks have been good to you & life is good...my life had a whole lot of things going on in it, perhaps below is the best way to explain it all...


Most of the time there was the usual fare...

At times there was a lot of Drama...

Protection from evil was needed more than usual...

Soon there was The Spring class to teach, students were so nice http://gracefulstudios.blogspot.com/

I often wondered about the collage or zentangle that is my life...which seems to be the new name for what we have all being doing and calling doodling for ever and ever... every time I turn around there is a new name for something that has been around by another name for a long time already...

And Just before I got to deep in to my head & got tired of the rain, spring sprung all around me...

And life is sweet & good...

This coming Sat is our bi monthly get together at Graceful Customs from 12 to 5pm, there will be door prizes every hour & bead making demos & bring your goodies/beads & such for show & sale...

John Rizzi is returning to Graceful Customs for another great class on June 18th, contact Grace for more information, John Will be teaching a one day beginning complex murrini class. Students should be intermediate level and have good heat control skills as we will be working off mandrel.John will be teaching at least 2 designs in class first he will teach a blooming flower murrini with detailed stamen center. In the afternoon we will learn how to make a complex rose murrini. several students have already signed up, he is a great teacher with lots of knowledge & talent not to be missed...

The yummy beads from the last blog post go to Lori A. of Pretty Things...for this blog post giveaway I have one of my collage, crazy quilt or Zentangle beads for you, this one is a bicone about 38mm with goldstone & black details & one eye...enter to win it by making a comment on this post...

Thanks so much for stopping by...life is good...you can check out a whole lot of my new beads in my etsy shop...

Jelveh

Peace

Persian New Year, Yummy Baklava & Beads...

Another happy week around here, made even better with sunshine & warm weather...Happy Persian New Year...the first day of the 13 day holiday was a few days ago, as always we had some fun getting together at my parents...I even made my famous Baklava, the recipe in this link is not how I make mine all, mine has no almonds, rose water or saffron, mine has honey, walnuts & a few other secrets...below are some photos of the fun we all had...

Here is my Baklava, on the table with a ton of other goodies & sweets...

Mom's HalfSeen Table for Nowruz, since this not a religious holiday every Persian family has their own book of faith on the table, ours is a great book of poem by Hafez the very famous Persian poet...

Mom made a ton of very yummy food as always...

Parents & hubby...

right to left, Grace, mom, me, & Grace's friend Maria...

Sophia & I...

The kids & I...I just love playing with them...

This past Wednesday I had a great student named Sharon...she is already hooked & she was a natural...

I did make a lot of  yummy beads this past week as well, most of them are listed in my etsy shop now...photo shows a few of them...

Ok now we come to the bead giveaway part, last week's two yummy focal beads go to "our favorite Things" please send your address...for this week I have the very cool mohter pearl pinky silver glass encased focal in the top photo...enter to win by making a comment on this post...

Thanks for stopping by, life is good, I am watching Project Wonderful, I love this show...I love seeing how the minds of these creative people works & brings to like their designs....

Jelveh

Peace

Happy New Year...

Happy New Year...

Guess where in the world we are? we had a great holiday, it was awesome, we swam with Dolphins, we snorkeled & we got a whole lot of sun at the beach...life is good...hope you had a nice & safe New Years too...

Our Christmas Boutique at Graceful Studios was awesome...we met so many lovely people...it was a great success, read more about it at Graceful Studios blog & see the few photos we remembered to take...

There will be bead winners & new beads on Wednesday Jan 6th 2010...

On Friday the 8th of Jan 2010 from 2pm to 7pm we will have our first monthly get together at Graceful Studios, this months theme is Hearts, remember to bring any handmade heart items for show & tell & maybe sell...it can be jewelery, glass, metal or any other handmade craft as long as it is heart related...there will be a drawing for $25.00 Glass Giveaway...see you at the studio at 10730 Center Ave in Gilroy California, click here to email me if you need more info... remember we will have our get together 2nd Friday of every month...

My next Glass Bead Making Class is on Sunday Jan 10, 2010 from 8am to 1pm there are 2 spaces left. I will teach lampworking classes on the second Sunday of every month, for more information on this you email me...

One last yummy news, my friend & fellow Lampwork Artist Anne Ricketts of AMR Glass Works has made a great tutorial on how to make Glass Shank Buttons by using Jelveh Designs Key Mandrel...click on her links & check it out...she is awesome & so it the tutorial, you can bet there will be some Shank Buttons for sale soon in my etsy shop...thanks again Anne...

Thanks for stopping by, life is good...

Jelveh

Peace

Chocolate Turquoise Cream...

This past week was another busy one, full of fun & work...for the past couple of weeks we have been going to a new yoga studio called Silver Creek Yoga, it is perhaps the best thing I have done for myself in years...the place is awesome, from the amazing rooms to the great teachers, it is well worth a try, check it out if you get a chance. On Sat after a very relaxing two hours at yoga, we drove to Sausalito, this very pretty little town next to the Golden Gate Bridge, the views are amazing, the funny thing was when we were at the Bridge (photo below) half the bridge was buried in fog, but Sausalito is closer to the water so no fog & packed with people...we had a ton of fun. The stuffed Dog is Huston, a friend I gave to hubby a while back for his car.

I also worked on the new studio with Grace, in progress photo below...grand opening is Sunday Sept 20th, from 2:30pm to 4:30pm right after my first class there from 8am to 1pm...come join us for some food & beadmaking demos.

Changes have been made to my class schedule in Turkey as well, click here for the 3 day classes. Oh yes the title of this post, I made some Chocolate Turquoise Cream beads along with some other yummies which will be listed in my etsy shop by Noon on Thursday...

Last week's drum bead goes to Cynthia Lee, please send your address. For this week I have a yummy organic pink Marble like focal bead with sparkling details & bubble eyes, its a great bead measuring 31mm along the hole x 21mm wide...enter to win this yummy bead by making a comment on this post about fall colors or anything you like to chat about...

Thanks for stopping by...Life is good...

Jelveh

Peace...

Montana & New Beads...

Hi all, hope you had a great 4th of July holiday, ours was great we ran away to Montana for a few days to visit with hubby's family, it was Grandma's 88th birthday, she is so cool, she even wore one of my landscape beads I had gifted her before...we ate a ton of great food, mostly MEAT & saw great fireworks & played on the Wii...we needed a bit of a break & had a really fun time with the whole family...Here we are at the big dinner for Grandma...

I do have some very yummy beads for you today, I had a great time making them, the colors remind me of yummy creme brulee, so that is what I named the 3 sets & the one key bead in these colors, I will also have 2 large focal beads & 2 petite round focal beads, I should have them all listed by 2pm California time...click here to see them in my etsy shop along with 12 other bead goodie...

As for the weekly bead giveaway, Mel P. wins the bead for last week, her name was picked Random Picker on line...this week's bead giveaway is a very cool bead, one of my favs, its a fish, its a creature, its lovely blues & encased with silver glass details...enter to win it by making a comment on this post on what colors in beads you are looking for these days, you can make a comment to win it even if you dont have a color choice to talk about...

The photo above I took from the plane over the Rocky Mountains right before we landed in Denver on our way back from Montana...I love Mountains, specially the ones in Montana & Colorado...they inspire me to make more landscape beads...

Thanks for stopping by...Life is GOOD...

Jelveh

Peace

Friends in high places...

I have a friend that I met through beads, in that I met her while working at my studio several years ago, my work place was in a Hobby store at the time & folks would come by & watch me work...anyway she started buying beads from me, little did I know that she was an amazing person & a very talented jewelry designer in her own right...over time we became friends as it the case with me & beady people...I missed her lots while we were in England & just recently we have started to hang out again...we went to the movies the other night (the proposal) & out to dinner at Ricatoni's, we had a ton of fun...I love girls night out...here is a link to her shop on etsy & a few photos of her yummy work with my beads...oh yeah her name is Samantha...I also love her work so much that got all my mother's day gifts from her this year...if you need a great piece of one of kind jewelry, she is your girl...she finds & uses the coolest handmade silver findings & rare stones too in all her yummy art... Thanks for stopping by...

Jelveh

Peace

Thank You & New Beads...

Well what can I say, I am so thankful for the great response to the Jelveh Designs Key Mandrel...it has been selling like hot cakes & with that comes a ton of shipping & record keeping, thank goodness for my friend Cathy, she has helped me out a lot... what is it they say, be careful what you ask for, you might just get it...I am very appreciative & thankful for all the love everyone...

As fun as the new tool & its sales have been, the most fun for me is melting glass & making beads, so back to our regularly scheduled program we go...I have some new beads for you this week, click here to check them out...

also we have a winner for last weeks Key Bead with the pink flowers on a pea green & black base...the winner is long time favorite Ginny of Fl. for this week, I have one of my Landscape beads inspired by our trip to Reno this month...there is a full moon on one side & a winter tree on the other...it measures 31x28x7mm & enter to win by making a comment on this post about anything you like...

In other news hubby started his very cool new job this week & on Sat we saw Star Trek, I have to hand it to JJ Abrams for doing it well, some fans may disagree but I thought it was brilliant & well done. Over the weekend it grossed $76 million+ an amazing number, not to mention it beats the weekend gross for the highest Star Trek movie to date by $40 million...if you are a fan you will love it, if you are not a fan may just become one...

Life is good, hope yours is awesome too...thanks for stopping by...

Jelveh

Peace

Bella, My New Blue Beetle....

Introducing My Blue Beetle Bella, the newest Diva in the family...Last year when we left California for England we sold both of our cars, the last week or so since we have been back, we have been driving my mom's mustang...Honest I had to buy a car...I have known for some time that I want a New Beetle...so yesterday we went and got me one, I got a great deal on a used one with only 17,000 miles on it...She is blue as you can see and her name is Bella Blue...she is a convertible & she is fast...today we took her for a spin with the top down, its been in the 70's here & it was much fun...loving the long days with the California sun, even though I miss England & my friends there...

Will have new beads up soon, I made some at my friend's house last week & as soon as I stop driving my car around, I will make some beads in the new studio which is all done & ready to go now, thanks to my hubby Speedy Gonzales...

Life is good, thanks for stopping by...

Jelveh

Peace

I made beads at Amy's...

This past Thursday I met up with the lovely artist bead shop owner Amy Surman at her shop in Oxford...I have just found out about her by way of one of my new clients who is taken jewelry classes from Amy at her shop...one of the nicest, most creative, hardest working people I have met, she is not only the shop owner, the jewelry teacher, a new glass bead maker, but an amazing Silver artist as well...I have traded & purchased some of her silver work which I will share with you when I take some photos...

She has been so kind to let me play on her torch in her studio, I started on Thursday, I came back on Sunday & met her lovely & also very creative sisters, we played on the torch for a while, then I was there again today, we played some more...I had such a good time, she even bought my kiln, since it would not have worked in America, this one I had got just to use with the UK power...above are some of the beads I made while visiting, they are not for sale...and a photo of the front of her shop, Amy is the one on the left...the place is amazing...I am going back to pick up some beads I made for me & to take more photos later this week...

Amy & her sisters, Kay & Lucy, were so kind to me, they fed me & hubby on Sunday as well...just a very kind cool creative group of people that I am so glad to have met & will be friends with for a long time to come...

Jelveh

Peace

Great day with Laura....

Its not often that one comes across a really decent nice person, Laura Sparling is truly a kindred spirit, never mind she is one the best glass bead makers I have seen in a long time...I met her yesterday at her home & we spent a very short 5 hours or so chatting about everything from beads to me falling in love with her guinea pigs...The girl fed me a very nice lunch, we talked about all things glass beads, we spent some time on the torch making beads, we found out we had so much in common from bead making to the people we knew in the industry, down to our favorite color, purple...she is truly a delight, I am just sad that I get to meet her only a few weeks before we leave England...but I intend to keep in touch with her.

She is a great bead maker, a true artist at heart & a crazy perfectionist, the combination of which makes for awesome beads...you can find her beads in her etsy shop here like many a great bead maker she has been selling her beads to a very lucky group of people for years on her site & before that on ebay...

I loved her work space, her dad and I fell totally in love with Brenda one of her guinea pigs, at the end of the day I was asking if I could move in...it is always nice when you find a new friend...thanks Laura for a great day...

Jelveh

Peace