Barb's Weblog

Its spring! Everywhere I look in the yard there is something blooming! Crocus, daffodills, tulips, narcissus, jonquil...primroses. I had a silly whim to replace all the workshop entry cabbages from last fall with multicolored primroses, so there will be lots of color until the violets and heronsbill take back over their space, which they will, quite soon. They are wonderful but very invasive. Our lawn is filled with escaped violets that will be blooming soon. Very nice!

New in the workshop are these Gothy swingey earrings. The white and black ones are already placed in Rob Schouten Gallery with a few other new styles, and a lot of pink drusy. Faith has done a fabulous job of setting up the cases, indeed I believe the nicest case I have ever seen my work in! Gorgeous gallery, very special shows going oon now. Please stop by if you live oon the island. Ken Hassrick, beloved and departed local artists has some last few nudes available at Rob Schouten Gallery, and they are very beautiful.

I will finish up all the garden show custom jobs this week, and then get on to making new blue ice drusy pieces and new style earrings like these. Must order chain link and earnuts...cords and the like. No shows looming so dont be looking for me in Mt Vernon, Oak Harbor, The U district or at Folklife! I am home until Sorticulture in June!

For your special needs, gifting or personal, email me and I will show you whats in stock with images created just for you.
Remember, you may not see me out much but I am busier than ever supplying shops and I still work every weekday here in the shop, so there is plenty of work to look at!

10:43 AM — e-mail me your comments

ThE BIG grand event of the year is looming!
THAT NORTHWEST FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW at THE Washington State Convention and Trade Center
Feb 3-7 9am-8pm 5 fabulous days. Find us in booth 611, south hall nearthe gardens.
Buy your tickets early, at a garden outlet or online at www.gardenshow.com. otherwise its 20.00 a day. Half days are 3-9, 10.00.
See you there!
Barbara at Shadowfax Bella Terra Silver

12:44 PM — e-mail me your comments

Oh gosh has it been that long since I blogged from Shadowfax Jewelry's old site?
Well I guess the Facebook pages are keeping me busy. Are you on Facebook and want to see what I have been up to? On Facebook search Shadowfax Jewelry/ Bella Terra Silver. There are archives, discussions, all sorts of the newest work.

Its almost time for the BIG show. I am getting readier by the day. I figure 8 workdays left, 2 days of finishig and loading the booth cabinets, a day of last minute personal chores then I am off to load in. Lowie and I are oing the show so Ralph can be at home with the dogs and all sorts of honey-do list stuff. If you need me, call him and he will get you in touch. I will likely not go through emails until I get home so there will be several hundred...be patient with orders and requests! I will be comatose a week after that grueling event!

Speaking of, get your tickets online at gardenshow.com. Saves you 4 bucks a ticket by pre ordering! I am in booth 611 so if you are interested in my new collection (drusy, amethysts and pearls) please come by. The new leaf of the season is OAK, Suited to men or women, I have little pins and earrings and pendants in both silver and brass. See you there!

12:36 PM — e-mail me your comments

Thats Hwy 525 at WONN Road in beautiful (blink and you'll miss it) Greenbank!
Here we go, second weekend at The Greenbank Farm Holiday Market. I did GREAT last weekend and the weather was warmish. The vendors small in number but large with humor and good attitudes. I ate massive amounts of truffles and I am all set to do the same again this weekend! This week it promises to be a lot chilier in the barn. New across from us is a booth of all home bakes goodies.
Darn. More temptation as if I am not large nough already! Well, its some small consolation for missing Breakfast Club sunday.

Guess what!? Maryanne Radmacher, best selling author and artist and dear friend is also making her Farm Debut this weekend! You can buy her books, her journals, her calendars, her 100% handmade cards (each original art) all sorts of other gifts for friends and yourself. Her booth was an explosion of gentle color when last I saw it, I assume by morning when the doors open it will be a rainbow of finely made products. Its rare to get to see her in a venue like this. Meet the artists, get her autograph! Shes quite beloved and well known.

The nights are cold and the days are short now here on Whidbey. Its been clear skies but today a lot of frozen balls of water were mixed in with the rain...if it had been of long duration, I bet it would have gone to snow. Its really quite cold these days too. Woodsmoke and holiday lights. I love it. Ah! The country life!

OK thats all I got to say today. I hope you locals and visitors come to the farm and buy a few gifts to help the local economy stagger forward a bit longer. I know I have my best things yet, so its well worth the stop. You say you read it in my blog and you get the matching earrings free when you find a pin or pendant or bracelet you like! FREE! Thats a very good price!
Whidbey Pies Cafe has treats, so have lunch while you are here. Next weekend Dorcas has her African food...fabulous, I tell your, I DIE fr her samosas! Beef with a mango-chili sauce! Cant wait!
Barbara

Lets see, who else...this week I believe I am once again your best bet for awesome new exciting and original jewelry. I have made 2 fresh drusy pendants, and handsful of new earrings

4:15 PM — e-mail me your comments

OMG has it been over a month? I thought I'd been posting images better than that! I guess the new Shadowfax/Bella Terra Silver Facebook pages have been holding my attention.

I have been doing a LOT of custom orders, wholesale orders and other gallery work, and going a little bit crazy with the new drusy agate I bought! MANY many new pieces coming along, including one I will have finished by weeks end. I wanted to make a Christmas Star with an ice blue drusy, and it became a sort of medieval explosion of flames and oak leaves that appearto have just flown off the page of an illustrated manuscript! I will certainly post an image when its done!

Until then, let these hold you over and join me on FaceBook!
Next show isnt until Thanks giving wekend the the first 3 weekends in December where I will be installed at the old vat barn in Greenbank Farm. My favorite low-key holiday happy-place.

Join me THERE, too!
Barbara

3:41 PM — e-mail me your comments

3:40 PM — e-mail me your comments

Its almost time for the Whidbey Island Open Studio Tour! Sept 26 and 27, dozens and dozens of working artists living on The Rock open their freshly cleaned workshops for you to enjoy!

Personally I spend over a week cleaning, the grit is high by September...We carry up glass cases that one weekend a year, we set out all the jewelry we have in stock, we write orders, we demonstrate and we eat quantities of chocolate...its a perfect world.

Its quite a labor, as a working shop is NOT a showroom in MY BUSINESS! So it may seem odd to find a case here or there tucked into corners and scattered about the place, but I want you to focus on the cool things...the heart of the shop, an 1885 anvil, the giant bronze hammers, the sheets of silver and brass, the tools of the trade. I will make dioramas for you so you can see how its done.

Its an upstairs shop, so if you are mobility impaired it will be a struggle, but honk and I'll run a mandrel and a hammer out to show ya...or a ring or 2.
Parking is tricky. I will negotiate permission to use the adjoining acreage and garden for overflow parking, perhaps the owner will not mind if you stroll in her garden. We'll ask. Not making any promises!
Chocolate tho, I will definitely produce!

www.whidbeyopenstudiotour.org will tell you everything you need to know! Lists of artists, maps and directions so you can plan your tour.

See you here 10-5, Sept 26 and 27!!
Barbara

10:45 AM — e-mail me your comments

Its here! Time for me to load up the booth cabinets for the trip to Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival. Looking very much forward to a weekend spent on the seaside! Opens tomorrow at 3, goes til 7pm. Beer and music, if its anything like past years.

I have had a really hard couple of work weeks so everybody come on down and admire the fun new items. My hippie roots poked up out of the dirt and there were Peace Sign Earrings and Pins stuck all over them, you will definitely want these. Fun, funky and still Barb-ish. You'll find me in booth 11...there are only 48 booths so it won't be hard to find me!

I'd post you another image but it'd be the same one as below, so why not give you a cute dog picture from a recent beach trip. Sunny is 14 months now. She may be getting to attend a picnic for Shiloh Shepherds in Kitsap County this weekend. She's been invited and it would be a great opportunity to be SEEN. She will get to see her dad and her little sister from the litter after Sunny. I have to be at the show, but I think Dave and Haole might take her.
Me and Lowie will be walking on the boat and to work each morning at Lighthouse Festival and anticipating some dinners at The Cozy Tavern.
The last show of the summer. Its sad to see it go.

Open Studio Tour next! End of the month. Island Arts Council ha tickets available. I will have to begin cleaning asap!
Barb

5:00 PM — e-mail me your comments

Boy days just scream past once summer settles in. The lazy slow days of summer are a thing only experienced in ones youth! Now its all flying by at such speeds! Another week gone.

My arm is a little better every day. Hurts to drive, cant reach or carry or lift or, well, much of anything beyond soldering with it. Even dressing is still a painful experience, darn it. I can see this is gonna be a hard one to catch up from. I guess its a 6 month recovery in general. The muscles feel like fire sometimes when I forget and stretch out to reach or grab. Really a drag but not that big a deal. I learn pretty fast (Ouch!)
Last week one day, jumping out of the car with an armload of packages to ship, I tripped and crashed into the curb at the PO, flinging boxes everywhere and skinning both knees (and yes, jarring the shoulder again, but what doesn't?)
So its clear I need to slow down and remember how to focus and stay on track, do one thing at a time, relax and enjoy things at a more reasonable pace. I am just so far behind. Everyday I hardly know where to start, I am so OUT of everything!I couldnt fill a single order now if one came in. Seems like I start a batch of ginkgos, get them finished and carded and the next enail takes them all and I am still out...multiply that by 3 sizes, and 25 other great production styles, you see my dilemma. I am only ONE silversmith! And a broken one at that.

Next up for us is Lighthouse Festival, down at the beach park by the lighthouse in Mukilteo. September 11-13 (friday is evening only)
You wont be bringing cars into the area, but if you watch the papers or check the website www.mukilteofestival.org you will see there are several parking areas with lots of busses to carry you down the hill and get you safely in and out...if you have been before, you know that its incredibly congested there around the ferry terminal already, add several thousand cars and tens of thousands of people its crazy, especially saturday nite for the fireworks, which are always AWESOME.

Lowie and I will be walking on and off the ferry so we will free up at least ONE space for you guys to park....hey , we do what we can! The event is really going to be great, relocating down to the beach park, we just love it down there anyway.

Well another sunday about gone. Haole and I have been working on painting a wall in the workshop a deep dark red to set off an amazing new painting (well, a limited edition giclee print) by my favorite visionary artist, Rob Schouten. It was months to choose one, then I had to pick paint to cover the wall I want to hang it on and it had to be just SO...you know. Its a girl thing. Just put the second coat on and it looks very RED! I thought a quart would be enough but now I want a third coat to deepen it up and to paint 2 big rolling cabinets to match, so MORE is what I need. Half gallon? I better find ot. Quart not enough, gallon too much. Story of my life.

2:35 PM — e-mail me your comments