I love the changing seasons.  It always inspires me. The different feel of the air  is sure to change my outlook as the humidity blows out and the winds bring the crisp drier air.  Speaking of winds, have you noticed the monarch butterflies everywhere? They're migrating through Oklahoma.  If you want to see where they've been spotted, here's a map. 
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/monarch_all_fall2013.html  

This Saturday is the second Saturday which can only mean one thing....The Martketplace is open. This is where I show and sell my work.  While your hubby or boyfriend are watching the game, sneak away, run by and pick up a few friends and come do a little early Christmas shopping. Oh, and next week is Boss's Day so you have a reason to get out.  Imagine being the employee who gets that perfect unique gift. We have 7 artists, each bringing you a completely different selection of beautiful handmade items.

OH, I almost forgot...... we have a new artist and I'm really excited about her work. She makes cigar box purses.  Each is one-of-a-kind. You won't want to miss her pieces or miss meeting her.  

Other than butterflies, I've been hard at work on some custom wire dragonfly sculptures.  They are for a family who recently lost a loved one and the mom is using them to help the kids through the grieving process.  I love that something I'm making will help them get through this tough journey.  

Follow this link for a map to The Martketplace. http://www.blithe-ology.com/in-person.html

You can follow the Martketplace on Facebook too. Follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/Martketplace

Thanks for reading my blog.  Hope you have a fabulous weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you Saturday.

Can you believe another month has passed since our last show? 

This Saturday from 10-5 is our next show. Please plan to drop by. Our artisans love to chat. Honestly, if nothing else, you'll walk away with a new friend. We are having so much fun meeting folks. 

Scroll through to get a look at the booths. As you can see, we have a variety.

Yes, we love that you come to see what's new and yes, we are thrilled when you decide that you love one of our creations enough to spend your hard earned money. We can all honestly say that we enjoy the relationships which are building too. So, carve out a sliver of time and drop by. You won't regret it. 



If you seen something you love, remember, we're only open once a month......the second Saturday of each month. We're looking forward to seeing you. 

We're all working on a set of items which is $20.00 and under so you can easily find your stocking stuffers, co-worker gifts or those gifts for the exchange at work or church.  

As you can see, we have a little of everything. 

See Ya Saturday!!

Follow this link to a map.  http://www.blithe-ology.com/in-person.html

What is The Martketplace?  Well ..... It's an eclectic place.

Tamales, jewelry, massage therapist, embroidery, pillows, furniture, makeup artist, journals, paintings and a 1940 Chevy truck........

We have 7 artisans who do all kinds of creative work. It was created as a facility for artists to have a show on a monthly basis. In addition, we wanted it to be a great place for folks to relax and just hang out and have fun. 

There's always something new. Of course, the artists have brand new work. They spend the month creating it just for you to see. Last month, we had Lyssa and her painting demonstrations with the hot new chalk paint.  In addition, we had Laura Hamilton with her chair doing massage for $1 per minute.  And just for the guys, Ron was there working on his 1940 Chevy Truck.  All of this will be going on this Saturday too.

New this month will be makeup artist Deborah Segura and Molly's Landing will be there with tamales. Along with their shredded ribeye and shredded pork, they will have their brand new flavor, refried beans with fire roasted peppers and cheese.  

We're sure you will find something to put a smile on your face. Take a few minutes and come out to visit us. The Martketplace is evolving into the kind of place you want to just hang out and chat. In the process, you might just find dinner, get relaxed, see a great old truck, meet some wonderful people, find the perfect handmade gift and find some new friends.  We are certain that if nothing else, you will meet some wonderful folks. 

I hope this finds you enjoying the summer. For those of you in the Tulsa area who are still out of power from the storms, I hope you have electricity soon. For just a moment, maybe I can distract you from the heat with a description of my process to create this necklace.

This is what is referred to as a collar necklace.  They're very popular right now and can be seen in many different styles. This is my version. Using bronze wire, I sculpted it into this shape. 

There's something very fulfilling in taking a roll of wire and turning it into something.  In this case, I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do. I was actually chatting with a friend on the phone and just began creating. Before I knew it, I had the shape. From that point, I wanted it to look very random and organic so I had to carefully weave so each area was balanced.

It may sound odd, but creating something to look random is a balancing act. Hardly ever are my pieces created quickly without a lot of engineering to make it look random. Even my asymmetrical pieces require balance or they just look like a mess. The process requires repetitive steps of building and then stopping to look and I do this over and over again.  

My process right now is adding beads to the wire. This involves twice the balance and engineering so both the wire and the beads look balanced yet random. I can't wait to get to my studio table to get working on that collar necklace. After that one is complete, I have another design I plan to make with a beautiful clay flower incorporated. The flower was acquired at the First Friday Art Crawl in Tulsa from Julie Box, a local potter. It warms my heart to use materials purchased from local artists. It makes the piece that much more special. I'll post pictures on my facebook page so be sure to go follow me there. Here's a link: www.facebook.com/blithe.ology  If you've already followed me but haven't seen any posts, it's likely because I've fallen off of your newsfeed. Be sure to find me again and engage (like, share or comment) and that should get me back into your newsfeed.

Thanks for reading my blog. 

Warmest Regards,

Jennifer

What styles of jewelry do you prefer? Are you a 'statement piece' kind of chick?

Who are these darling ladies? 

These are the artisans at The Martketplace where I show my work on a monthly basis (every second Saturday). If you'd like to meet them, please visit our fun little place and see the work they do. Some of them even work on their projects so you can see the process. Tomorrow (7/13/13) is our next monthly show. We're there from 10-5. 

For a map and details, follow this link: http://www.blithe-ology.com/in-person.html

From left to right: Myrna - painter, Neoma - Fiber artist and embroidery, Jeana - Interior Decor seamstress, Lyssa - Repuposer of furniture and decor, me - jewelry artist, LaSandra - Photo albums and other paper art, Penny - Jewelry artist.

Another artist we'll be featuring is my husband. Some may not consider rebuilding an old truck into a 'rat rod' as art, but I do and since this is my page, I'll bestow the title to him. The picture below is a 1940 Chevy. He is very proud of his pile of truck parts and I'm excited to see what it becomes. For the men in your life who come with you to The Martketplace tomorrow, we can send them out into "Ron's Rat Rod Man Cave". Ron will be there to chat with them about his plans. 

Is food art? It is when it's from Molly's Landing. If they do not sell out of their Tamales at the Catoosa Farmer's Market, Russ will be at The Martketplace selling them.  If you've not tried their tamales.....oh wow are you missing out! Even if you don't generally like tamales, you'll love these. DELICIOUS!

Thanks for readying my blog. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at The Martketplace or on a future second Saturday. 

Feedback request:
What would you like to see at The Martketplace?  

Before I describe this new piece, I want to send along a friendly reminder that my monthly show is this Saturday June 8th from 10-5 at The Martketplace located at 106 S. 273rd E. Ave. just east of Catoosa. There's a map at the bottom of this post.

I started out wanting to make a long necklace. My inventory could use about a half a dozen more. The process took a turn and this is where I ended up......not long. But hey, it decided to be a multi-strand which is just as wonderful. These projects just seem to take on their own life.  This is what it looked like before I did my construction magic. 

The creative process this time was completely about the color and texture, so much so that no matter how hard I tried to make a long necklace, it just kept coming back to these elements.  I started with the copper chain. It's chunky and has a beautiful patina. It's hammered so it has that look of toughness, like it's survived through the years. From there came the trapezoid shaped semi-precious stones which are called pink feldspar. It's a muddy pink. Just enough to really play well with the copper. And then of course, it's a moral imperative..... you know.....the bling. The peachy wonderfulness of the faceted crystals HAD to be added.  The color mix and completely opposite textures here immediately made me really happy. It's hard to describe but when all of the elements are right, I just 'know'. Here's the finished product. I think it would look fabulous again sun kissed skin. 

As promised, below is the map to get to the show where you can see this piece and all of my latest work. We have a total of seven artists collaborating at The Martketplace. You'll not only see jewelry, but also many other types of functional/useful artistic creations. 

Tell me about your summer wardrobe. How do you stay fashionable and deal with the summer heat?

If I have the ability to add bling to something, I will.

This is a charm for a bridal bouquet. The square part is a little frame for loved ones who have passed or a great picture of the bride and groom together.

Come see this and plenty of other bling this Saturday at The Martketplace.  

Independence Day is getting close.  Can you believe we're only a month away? 

My next show is this weekend. I won't have another one before the big holiday so I'm giving you a glimpse of what you could get on Saturday to complete your holiday look. I've created a special display just for this purpose. 

Wanna know exactly what it'll look like? Bring your outfit and let us help you. We've got plenty of space for you to change and then you can play in the jewelry to your heart's content. 

Here's the info: The Martketplace is located at 106 S. 273rd E. Ave., Catoosa. We'll be there from 10 AM to 5 PM. Call with any questions or for directions. 918-850-3736. See ya Saturday.

Someone with a bunch of letters behind their name could tell you how the artistic process works. But I prefer to let it take me where it wants and leave all the mumbo jumbo scientific stuff to others. I examined the inventory and noticed I only had a few long necklaces.  That's how the whole thing got started. This one ended up being 48" long.

For me it's about the textures and the colors. With this necklace and bracelet, I began pulling focals (large interesting shapes) within the same family of colors as well as some "pops of color". I had copper chain I wanted to somehow incorporate. I knew I wanted it to be made completely of semi-precious materials. I also knew I needed something to pull it all together besides the chain.

The 'something to pull it all together' are the beautiful fresh water pearls which flank each section. They're a nice off white which brightens it up. For versatility, I put a clasp on it so it can be wrapped several times to make a multi-strand necklace.

Knowing that I have some clients who prefer sets, I decided to create a bracelet (photo below) with the same components. Sometimes the creations in my brain turn out much prettier than what I imagined. This is one of them. 

Wanna see it in person?  Appointments are welcomed (918-850-3736) or see it at my next show which will be on June 8th, 10-6 at The Martketplace located at 106 S. 273rd E. Ave., Catoosa, OK.

Have you ever worked yourself into exhaustion to complete a project? Were you happy with your hard work?

I have and I am. After several months of blood (thankfully only a little - if you know me and my propensity for accidents, you should be impressed), sweat and tears (only happy ones), I am proud to announce that tomorrow is the Grand Opening of "The Martketplace". After over a year of holding trunk shows anywhere I could find (offices, homes, retail stores), I decided it didn't make a lot of sense to do that when Mr. Wonderful and I have an empty building. The building was in bad need of some TLC. Not only will I be showing my jewelry, but I've invited 6 other artisans to have booths. 

The Martketplace is an eclectic place to relax and discover functional art, friends and fun. Everything is an originally designed item. We are open every second Saturday (May 11th, June 8th etc etc). We're located at 106 S. 273rd E. Ave, just east of Catoosa.  We're near the intersection of Admiral and 273rd. 

I hope you can make it out.  We'd love to show you around our new wonderful spaces.