Saturday, October 6, 2012

Feelin' the Bliss...

I  attended 2 classes at ArtBliss Workshops several weeks ago.  I have been meaning to blog about it, so I thought I would do so here, for my 1st blog on AJE, as a sort of introduction!  I'm Melissa Meman, by the way.  I create art jewelry and components with an emphasis these days on metals and wire. I am very happy and honored to have been chosen to join the group and look forward to having a lot of fun!!

Via SweetBeadStudio.com
For those who don't know, ArtBliss was founded by Cindy Wimmer and Jeanette Blix in Northern, Virginia.  From their website..." workshops that encompass jewelry design and mixed media from internationally renowned instructors. ArtBliss brings in the Dream Teams of creative coaches and motivators in a warm, relaxing, and collaborative environment. Join us and open the door to creative discovery and inspiration!" Wow!  You had me at hello :)

This was my 3rd year to attend and as usual, it was a blast!  My 2 classes were with Stacie Florer, and were both centered around metalwork..Ranch Hand Earrings and Heavy Metal Beads.  Stacie was a very generous and patient teacher and I left both classes with lots of new information swimming in my head, just waiting to be utilized in future work.

Photo by Cindy Wimmer; me, LeAnn Weih, Michelle Timms
Here are a few things I have made so far with some of that knowledge...a couple were completed in class, others needed to be tweaked at home!



One of the best things about the workshops, was running into jewelry-making friends, old and new!  It is always fun to see Cindy and Jeanette every year, as well as the "regulars"...you know who you are, Jen Judd, Sally Russick, Carol Myers, Bette Brody, Lori Anderson, Sandi Volpe!  It was oh, so fun to meet other folks that I have only emailed, blogged and Facebooked (is that a word?) with!  Patti Vanderblomen and LeAnn Weih, for example!  And Stacie Florer...I have known Stacie online for several years, but had never met her in person.  Meeting someone in person and putting a voice with a face and words that you see online is the best!  I told her, now when I read her blog, I will be able to hear her voice in my head!!!

One of our other newbies here at AJE, Jenny Davies-Reazor, was there and I happily attended a trunk show that she had going on in her room on Saturday night!  Here is a look at some very sweet goodies I took home with me!


Just made for Earrings Everyday
Another special event that happens every year is the charm swap...interested attendees sign up to make art charms and swap with each other...this year, the theme was "Fall into Bliss".  I created fold-formed copper leaves with Czech glass flower dangles.



Photo by Cindy Wimmer...left to right: Jenny Davies-Reazor, Sally Russick, Patti Vanderblomen, yours truly,  Beth , Anne Savage - looking at their goodies! Beautiful handpainted bags by Dawn Gallop, the swap organizer!
ArtBliss usually offers a smaller grouping of Spring classes as well...I have been blessed to be able to take classes with Stephanie Lee and Richard Salley there...can't wait to see what they will offer in 2013!  If you live in the DC suburbs (or not!) you should definitely check it out!

How about you?  Have you taken any cool classes lately?


9 comments :

  1. What fun, I hope I can attend one of these events some day. Love the ranch hand earrings!! And everything else to! Great post, welcome to our little blog team!!

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  2. That looks like so much fun. And the trunk show thing is brilliant and kind of makes me laugh at the same time. I am going to try to go next time because it really does look so fun. And welcome to AJE!

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  3. I really enjoyed meeting you in Stacie's class! The whole weekend was wonderful and I look forward to next year. The charms you made for the swap are amazing, really beautiful!

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  4. I so envy you Melissa...this looks like my idea of heaven and not aware of anything like this in the UK. Your new creations are fabulous too. Funnily enough though, I have just minutes ago booked myself onto a one day etching course as a bit of a treat so not all bad. And welcome to AJE from another newbie on the team.

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  5. How fun to meet everyone in person! Hopefully I will eventually be able to make it to one of these events and meet a few people in our beady community!!

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  6. This looks like an awesome experience! I love the new earrings and those fold formed leaves- OH! Swoon!

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  7. It was so nice to meet you! You are so talented, I have admired your work forevr! Your Ranch Hand Earrings are FABULOUS! However, I am still in awe over your fold-formed copper leaf charm...OMG it is absolutely perfection! Thank you! Hope to see you again soon!

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  8. Wow, you made some really beautiful pieces! This is my first time hearing about this particular show, and now I wish I lived closer so I could attend.

    I haven't taken a class since Bead and Button, but I'm taking three (!!!) with Sherry Serafini next month. I'm really excited!

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  9. What a great write up about an incredible weekend!! And I love the jewelry that you made too!! It was awesome meeting you FINALLY and you are so right, now we have each other's voices in our heads when we read what we write...meeting in person sure trumps online, anytime. Thank you for adding your wonderful energy to our shared space...it was a blast!

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