Saturday, May 31, 2014

Tacky Jack's...Here I come!!!!

It's official and I'm floating, dancing, cheering, hand pumping in the air and WOOT WOOTing from cloud nine. Yes, I really am doing all those things and at once. (great accomplishment for the gal that can't walk and chew gum at the same time..hehe) Tacky Jack's.......HERE I COME!!!!

Tacky Jack's in Gulf Shores, AL
1577 Alabama 180

We love this location...there are four all together. The other three are located in Orange Beach, Ft. Morgan and on Battleship Parkway in Mobile...all of which I'm sure are just as awesome. I really love this one because sometimes (and not often) if you happen to be there at the right time you might get a glimpse of one of the original mermaids or as some others like to call them, sea cows. A manatee.  That's one of the reasons that their elevator tower is painted with this amazing underwater scene. Mural artist, Dwight Kirkland, painted this one and man oh man is he one talented artist indeed. The other reason that the tower was painted with this scene was for the Manatee sighting network to help raise money for research for the manatees in the Gulf of Mexico. They are a protected species so if you ever encounter one of these gentle creatures....look but do not touch. (yes...its against the law to have any contact with one) My muse is whispering that since this location LOVES the manatee (ahhemm and so do I) and it's where my jewelry is going that I might want to think about making a clay charm of a manatee and using it with my shell necklace designs. What do YOU think?

Now I'm very, VERY excited about being selected to be one of the local artist featured in this new endeavor that Tacky Jack's is pursuing, it's such an honor...an honor indeed!! I'm also very excited that these are not commission pieces because they purchased them outright. That's a very good thing and if all goes well then they will be ordering more in the future. (fingers crossed) This is a wonderful opportunity to get my name out there too...a bit scary but a good scary. 

Here are the ones they purchased for the opening of the local artist corner. Now remember, if you're in the area after next week then by all means please go by and eat (some AWEmazing food by the way), enjoy some great service and then wander down to the gift shop, look and buy!! ^_^ Ohhh..don't forget to walk down to the pier....ya might just spot one of those mermaids. 












Until next time...........Hugs,
Regi




Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Shell jewelry pieces for (fingers crossed) Tacky Jack's gift shop.

School is out and all the traffic has begun....hehe  That's alright though because we love our visitors that come to enjoy our beaches. Such a boost to our economy this time of year....everyone shopping while on vacation.

You already know that I have some pieces at Beach Reflections in Gulf Shores and (fingers crossed) I'm hopefully going to have some pieces at one of the Tacky Jack's gift shops here. I have been contacted by one of their buyers twice and I'm hoping she will like the selection I have made so far. Boy oh Boy have I been one busy bee. ^_^





Love the glass vials with the beach sand. Perfect keepsake to give or to get. You may not be able to keep your toes in the sand all the time but you can at least keep some close to your heart.










Some of my shell designs. I added more to these in the form of beads, natural stones and vintage jewelry pieces.




Can't forget the earrings...they like to be dressed up too, eh? I'm working on some more earrings using auger shells. Ya know....the shells that look like unicorn horns. Well...they do to me but then we all know what kind of VERY overactive imagination I have. Now....back to work!!!!

Until next time...........Hugs, (and keep those fingers crossed for me..ppplease)
Regi

Friday, May 23, 2014

Time for another beach walkabout.

Ohh it's going to be a beautiful weekend and a beach walkabout is going to happen during it too. I hope. Fingers crossed!!

I need more shells for my jewelry pieces. My collection is down to almost nil and that just won't do. I did get some medallions made with the ones I did have and this weekend will get them put together. I hope they are going to be at the souvenir/gift shop in one of the Tacky Jack's here. I hope and fingers crossed again!!!


I have a few more that I'm working on as well using my larger glass vials and some auger shells. So love auger shells....they look like unicorn horns to me ^_^  Perhaps there truly are tiny unicorn seahorses living deep in the ocean depths.

I hope that you have a wonderful Memorial weekend and please...at some point this weekend....stop and say a silent Thank you to those that gave their all or even a part of themselves to keep our freedom and way of life.

Until next time..........Hugs,
Regi

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Owww...I found some belt buckles!!

Good Happy Friday Eve morning!!! Well...saying it that way makes the weekend feel even closer, ri iight??

It's suppose to be a pretty weekend too and I hope that means there will be several good treasure hunts to pursue. Treasure hunt=yard sales..hehe  I mean I am going through my old stuff (destashing) which means there will be room for new old stuff.

I said earlier that I was going to go through all my fabric and well........that kinda got put off for a bit. I have TONS of fabric to go through. I did whilst digging in my art closet find a bag full of belt buckles. Nothing wrong with them either. I just needed the leather belts they were attached to. Remember those wrist cuffs I made a few years ago? I even did a How To for ya'll. You don't remember? Well.....click here and refresh those memories.

I sorted through and grouped liked ones together and have them in my Etsy shop as destash items. Of course, they could be used as a belt buckle again (just add belt..hehe) or could be use for some art projects or some could even be placed in shadow boxes and hung in a man cave. Ohhhh, you'll see why I said that when you see a few of them. ^_^




Now.....see why I suggested a man cave? What better place for a shadow box containing a Jack Daniel's Old Time Tennessee Whiskey fine pewter buckle? They are authentic and are stamped on the back as you can see in the photo above.



  Varoooommmm!!! Here's some for that avid race fan. These would really look good in a shadow box hanging in that man cave that has a NASCAR theme going on. Authentic too and stamped on the back of each.



Now here's a grouping for that Western theme you might need. Like I said...these could be used for unique art projects too. 



Here's some interesting ones. Now I didn't make these but I LOVE that someone did. One is made from nuts (bolts) and the other from nails. Very unique!!

There are a few other ones in my shop I'm offering and if not for anything else but to use them as a base to add upon.....well.....your imagination can "see" what they could be. ^_^

Until next time...........Hugs,
Regi

Monday, May 19, 2014

Where did this school year exactly???

WOW....the Chazman got up singing and a dancin this morn because after today, there is only 3 1/2 days remaining of this school year. Talk about a fast year and they seem to be getting faster and faster with each passing one. Can we just tie a rope on Father Time's leg and slow him down a bit?

Of course the Chazman wanted to give his teachers and Mrs. Malisham (the interim principal) a gift to remember him by. I told him since he was such a sweet, well mannered and handsome young man that they would..hehe!! He agreed with that but still wanted to get them a gift. (wish ya could have seen his sly little grin) Here's what their gifts will be.....with each one wrapped inside one of my little paper gift boxes.






While I was taking the above photo so I could show ya'll the gifts, I suddenly felt  like I was being watched, stared at, stalked and it was kinda creeping me out....to say the least. (especially since I caught those orbs last year hovering around all the Christmas decorations waiting to be put up) After deciding that there wasn't any visitor in my studio area, I glanced up to look out the big windows in front of my work desk and there sitting on the powerline looking straight at me.......was.....a.......squirrel...BAHAHA!!! He was just a chattering at me too. I knew someone was watching me. ^_^


I'm still working on my barefoot sandal designs and have one pair completed and working on another pair. I hope to get several made in the next few days and get them in my Etsy shop. Ya know you need a pair, ri iight??

 Finished pair.
One I'm working on obviously...hehe

Until next time.............Hugs,
Regi

Friday, May 16, 2014

Destash...Destash...Destash

What does "Destash" mean? It means to Remove (yarn, fabric, equipment, ect) from one's own personal collection. I think it should add to the end of that definition.....to SHARE!! (or at least offer)

I told ya'll yesterday that I was going through some of my (whimper whimper) supplies and goodies to make room for some more. CRAZY...yes? Remove some to just bring in more...hehe

I went through some of my shells and section I have set up to make jewelry pieces and thought I would put together a few small necklace kits. They're in my Etsy shop, so if you're interested just POP on over. I even put directions on "How To" make them on the listing too. Very easy!!






Here's what they will look like once put together. Simple but what a great beach theme keepsake. If you order one and would like me to add one of my little paper gift boxes (in case it's a gift you will be giving instead of keeping) just let know and I will add it to your package. If there is an interest in these then I might put together a couple more.

Once I went through my tiny shells, I dug into the ones a bit bigger and came up with these nice destash groupings. (Also can be found in my Etsy shop....just sayin)

 Oyster shell, conch shell, olive shell, auger shell, 3 scallop shells and three Banded Sea stars.

 Oyster shell, cerith shell, auger shell, olive shell, three scallop shells and three Banded Sea stars.
Oyster shell, conch shell, olive shell, auger shell, three scallop shells and three banded Sea stars.

So much you could do with this nice grouping, eh? Start a shell collection, add to a shell collection, beach theme decorations, art supplies for that beach theme project and I'm sure you can think of many more uses. Since I can not get these into a small flat rate Priority box and have to bump it up to the medium then I will add a few more oyster shells (the projects with these are so many too) and even a small bag of beach sand. HEY, don't call the sand police on me. I don't go and scoop up baggies of sand. My sand comes from all the shells that I bring home. Before I wash them up, I make sure to give them a good shake and believe me, after 4 years of beach walkabouts and shell hunting I have accumulated a good bit of sand. 

Today I think I might go through some of my fabric and see just what I can bare to part with...hehe  I'll let ya know if I can ummm I mean what I come up with. 

Until next time...........Hugs,
Regi