Carol Holaday archive of What's New Page

THIS IS THE ARCHIVE OF THE "WHAT'S NEW PAGE"

Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you find much to interest you and that you will return often to see "what's new". I would appreciate any feedback you would care to send me regarding either my artwork or the site itself. In particular, I would like to know if any page takes so long to load that you want to give up on it, or if any link doesn't work as you think it should. click here to send your comments. Thank you. Carol

10-25-08 Can't believe how long it has been since I have added new things to the site. Blame it on the fact that I have a new computer... switched from a PC to an iMac!... and new software including a new version of Dreamweaver that requires more learning than the old brain can keep up with. Looks like I will need to buy a new "how to" book for the new DreamWeaver program... just too many things are different with the ways things work.Today is the start of making the effort, and bit-by-bit, I'll fill in and update on all that has been keeping me busy these past four months.

One thing has been an exhibit for the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild. I was part of a team that produced the exhibit and I also created some new work to show. The opening reception last night was a great success. Read more about the MBMAG and the exhibit at www.mbmag.org . The small sculpture, "For the Journey" pictured at left is one of the new pieces I created for the exhibit.. the first sculpture I have made in several years. The "Tropical Storm" bracelet was also made for the show and features my newest "favorite" beads. I'll write more details on another page eventually.

I have also photographed some great jewelry and sculpture for friends and will update the "Photography" page once I get the hang of how things work now.

The beads I made before I got side tracked by all of these distractions are still waiting to be photographed and the last batch of the newest silver rich glass is also waiting (not so patiently) on my bench.

I presented two Photography Demos this month that required more prep time than expected. Good thing I always learn a lot when I prepare for teaching what it is I do. Some of that will be shared on this site as soon as I figure out the best way to do that. Looks like I am making many promises (to myself) for "tasks" to make up for neglecting this site for so long. I don't know how anyone can write a daily blog and still have the time to live a life worth writing about. Since I read a number of great blogs written my artists I admire, I know it is possible.

6-1-08 Two new sets of the popular "Cowboy Beads". More in the works. Playing with the newest glass from Double Helix. Beautiful blues and greens with lots of variety make this a really special glass. As soon as I have enough to make a few sets I'll get some photographed.

5-3-08 I finally added photos to my Studio Tour page. Scroll down to the Photo Studio Tour section and click on the left photo to go the the page where the new "how-to" and examples of finished photos are. Or click here for a faster way.

I have spent the last several weeks preparing for a demo on lighting that I presented today. Lots of time spent creating a PowerPoint presentation (my first). Fun but time consuming. Now I can get back to making beads and jewelry....so check back later for new beads in my "store".

4-10-08 Still very busy doing photography for other artists, and not yet caught up on up-loading all of the new photos. One example of a recent photo is this ring made by Su Tallarico, a former student of mine. Click here to go to Su's site and see more of her wonderful work.

Kim S. sent an image of a bracelet she made featuring beads recently purchaced from my site. Scroll down this page to find a link to her new web site.

I am also busy preparing for a demo of lighting techniques for photographing jewelry that I will present on May 3. My plan is to eventually put the tutorials on this site, so check back later if you are interested.

3-16-08 Finally photographed new sets for the store. A couple of the ever popular "Cowboy Beads", one new set of Silver Raku for the “Mineralogical” page, plus five sets for the newest category of bead designs... the "Wild Beads". Happy colors guaranteed to chase away the winter blahs! Mango, papaya, persimmon, sky... Hawaii here we come!

3-2-08 Oh dear! What became of February? Good thing this is not a blog or I might feel a total failure for not posting "What's New". Actually, I continue to be very busy meeting other artist's deadlines for photography. I'll eventually get more of those images onto my "Photography" page. Meanwhile, here is a new one for Gloria Shannon. Lovely copper earrings.

I did manage to complete a new ring and submit three pieces to the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild (MBMAG) show that is about to take place at the Collector's Gallery of the Oakland Museum. I also up-dated my Artist Statement and submitted it for the show.

1-14-08 Lots going on despite the lack of updates on this "What's New" page. More photography, a few custom designed brangles made and sold, lots of new beads, and a couple of new copper brangles. This one features beads from the "Primitives" series. Great with the copper in my opinion. The bright pink copper will eventually oxidize to a more "natural" color. This brangle is for sale and will soon be added to the "Brangles" page.... with a few others that are waiting to be photographed. Please check back.

11-24-07 I recently photographed several wonderful pieces made by Nancy Yee. The piece in the photo at the left, a reliquary, is about 8" high. The figure is a pin that rests inside the box. More work by Nancy can be seen here.

I continue to work on making the "Primitive" beads as well as small spacer beads to go with them. Lots of interest in copper lately, and this series looks especially perfect in combination with the earthy color of the copper.

10-23-07 I have been extra busy with photography this past month, including photographing some amazing work created by Earl Bushey. The Tsuba (sword guard) at left features mokume gane created by Earl. This piece, along with several other wonderful pieces that I have photographed this past month, will be part of the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild show taking place at the Oakland Museum's Collector's Gallery early next year.

I am also working on making new wire work jewelry using copper and the "Primitives" that are my newest bead series.

9-2-07 New bead design "category" added with five new sets to start with. I am calling these "Primitives".. thanks to naming help from my friend Karen Everitt. I also added three new sets to the very popular "Cowboy Beads" category. I recently photographed some truly amazing jewelry by various local artists and some of it can be seen on the photography page. More to be added as I have time. All of it is impressive and well worth your visit to the page. I continue to be inspired by the colors and patterns of the hurricanes I see in the news. I have decided to call the new series "Tropical Storm". Less negative than "hurricane" and easier than "whirlpools"... though to me, they still seem like the curl of a wave so perhaps the naming is still in progress. Much more of everything yet to be photographed. If you are waiting to see more in a particular style or category, please let me know. I probably have them.

8-11-07 New "Sea Stones" in the "pebble" shape and one set with whirlpools in the design. The "whirlpools" add motion and the pebble shape is really comfortable to wear. I am so thrilled with these that I am making more each time I light the torch. Some beads yet to be photographed have a bit of blue "gold stone" to add sparkle. Check back next week if you love (just a little) glitter.

8-11-07 More "Sea Stones" added. These are my newest "favorites", although I continue to love the range of colors that come from a single rod of the "Raku" glass.

I have made (and sold) several copper brangles featuring the coral and turquoise dot beads. "Copper Celebration" is one of these. The "Rio Grande Cowboy Brangle" was a special order that was fun to make. If you would like to special order a piece of jewelry made from my beads, just contact me and we can discuss the details.

6-16-07 I certainly have fallen behind on my "what's new" updates. I have been extra busy these last few months, doing lots of photography for others, teaching a new class, etc., and only managing to make beads a couple of times a week. Still the collection continues to grow and now it is time to photograph the newest beads and get them in the "shop". Some can be seen on this "temporary parking" page for now.

I purchased many new colors from various glass manufactures and done some playing with it all when I can find the time. I really do like the richness of the new colors and plan to expand the palette soon.

1-14-07 With the holidaze behind me, now it is time to get some more beads onto the site and to work on the long promised tutorials. First the new beads.... three sets in the newest series, "Silver Matrix". The beads shown were created with ivory glass, silver leaf, and a new clear frit (tiny bits of glass). Colors all come from the reaction of the metal oxides in the glass, the silver leaf, and the flame. Also new beads on the "Raku" page and the "Twist Designs" page, including sets that have been etched for a stone-like surface.

11-27-06 I am continuing to photograph beads to add to the "Beads" page, adding new styles and categories. The focal bead at the left can be found in the "Mineralogicals" and another new category is "Companion Beads". More of everything to photograph and sort, so please check back again. I welcome comments and suggestions for making the process of selecting and purchasing easier... short of an actual shopping cart. Thanks for any ideas you care to send.

11-16-06 Finally!!! Starting with the Silverstone bead series, shoppers can either choose a pre-made set or pick favorite beads from small groups of related beads to create their own sets. It will take a while before I have photographed beads in all the styles I have built up an inventory in, but if this works out, it could be a way to add more freedom-of-choice to the buying process. Thanks to new customer, Karen, for pushing me into finally getting this done. Next goal... offer related "spacer" beads.

11-10-06 Added four sets of beads and re-organized the bead sets for sale pages. Now each style of bead will have its own page, making it easier to find related sets and colors. Still many more to photograph, and more new styles to add, but this is a start on the goal of more beads for sale on this site.

I have also moved sold bead set to the "archive" page. This has cleaned up the beads for sale pages a bit.

11-10-06 Finished and photographed a third bracelet in the "Flower" series. This one is "Windflowers". The camera is determined to "see" the lavender beads as more rose colored, so the colors shown in the photograph don't appear quite as analogous as they really are. This time I textured some of the links of the chain and varied the sizes of the rings as well as the size of the "flowers". I have yet to price these bracelets, so for now, they are just on the "new work" page.

10-11-06 A few new beads added. "Seastone" beads available as single focal beads or at a discount for all six. Two new sets of etched beads in the Southwest colors. My grandson picked the colors as I made the beads and he named them "Cowboy" beads. At ten, he is a big fan of anything related to horses and cowboys.

9-20-06 Lots of new jewelry and beads made and photographed since my last update here. Now I simply need to get it all onto the site. I created a page for "new work" where I will feature my latest creations as they are added to the site.

I am very excited about the new direction my work has developed this past month and hope to expand on some of the designs. More metal with my beads, more "play" in the work. New bead series as well. Lots of reactive glass experiments.

8-02-06 New photos added to the "photography" page. The piece at left, created by Shari Seger, will be included in the Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild's upcoming exhibit titled "Trapped".

I have been very busy this summer, photographing, making beads, getting Mom moved into new senior housing, gardening, and teaching three classes. Just two weeks before classes begin again at MPC. My plan is to photograph more bead sets to add to the "store", attempt to master the newest glass I bought, and walk on the beach every day.

6-01-06 Added seven sets of beads in two popular styles. First are four sets of the etched "Earth" series with lots of coral and turquoise for a Southwest look. Three sets are in the "Raku" water style. The raku glass is applied to a black base and then encased with a crystal clear layer, creating a wonderful depth to the bead. Many more beads waiting to be photographed including the much requested black and ivory twist style.

5-30-06 Fascination and experimentation with the raku glass continues. A truly amazing glass for the great variety of results made possible with small adjustments of the flame. I have made several new brangles featuring beads made with this glass and more are started. I have been quite busy photographing various artist's work and learning more about my new camera and Adobe CS2 programs for editing photos. Very exciting!

4-5-06 Many new beads to photograph and get onto this site. Here is one focal bead to start with. Hard to believe that all of the color comes from just one rod of glass. Seems like magic and I can't stop playing with it. This one is the start of a new series that I will call "Raku Garden". Just in time for Mother's Day.

2-18-06 Adding new sets and changing the look of the "Bead Sets" page. Please let me know if the page is "too slow" to load with the larger images instead of thumbnails as I had before. Thank you.

This bead set is from the "Raku River" series of beads.

2-18-06 It has been a bumpy month since the last update. First the hard drive "broke" and then I couldn't connect to the server for my site. So much frustration! Still, I have managed to make some exciting new beads and a few new brangles. I continue to explore the amazing possibilities of the "raku" glass. It will take me a while to finish the photography and get it on the site, but soon there will be many new bead sets and focal beads for sale, as well as some new finished jewelry.

1-14-06 Happy New Year! I have been making lots of beads and a few new brangles. Promising myself that this is the year I will make more of an effort to market it all. Should I take out an ad in a wire jewelry making magazine to sell my beads directly to other artists? Should I contact shops and galleries to sell wholesale or consign my jewelry? Should I do both? I think I'll just make more beads while I ponder the possibilities.

11-3 It is a long process, but I am slowly getting a few more beads onto the "focal beads" page. The three latest ones are from a series called "Chrysalis". These are very different in technique than the first ones in the series, but the idea is the same. They are inspired by the look of a butterfly wing folded within the pupa. Shortly before the butterfly is ready to complete the transformation from caterpillar, the cocoon becomes transparent and the design and color of the wing can be seen.

11-1 A few new items added to the "Brangle" page. New photos in the "Studio Tour" section for anyone interested in my photo set-up used for images on this site. I have a new Integra 10 to provide oxygen for the torch (no photo yet) and it really puts out the oxy., more than needed for my Minor torch really. I am experimenting to find the best settings. Meanwhile my bead collection grows as I neglect the marketing part of the business in favor of playing on the torch. New styles of beads waiting to be photographed and added to the site soon.

9-2 I have been busy photographing other artist's work. Some of the images are being submitted to various publications while others are intended for the jury process for fairs, etc.. I'll be adding examples to the "photography" page as I find the time. The bracelet featured at left was created by Pati Reilly using beads that I made as well as some lovely beads from Italy (the bright square shaped ones). The bracelet design is a variation on one that Connie Fox shared in the Lapidary Journal magazine. I continue to make beads whenever I can fit a few hours of "play time" into my busy life.

7-19 Added four sets of beads including one with lots of gold. 24k gold foil under the transparent glass and 24k plating on the spacer beads. Quite lucious! I photographed ten new pieces for Barbara McKinder and am becoming more comfortable (and hopefully adept) with my new digital SLR. Now if I can master all the new software for processing images, I'll be on my way!

6-23 I added more images to the "Photography" page to show that I photograph more than jewelry and beads. The tea bowl at left was made by Andy Ruble, an instructor at MPC, the college where I also teach. A nice addition to my collection of tea bowls and other functional clay art. More photos to follow.

I installed the Adobe Creative Suite 2 on my computer and am busy trying to master it, along with my new camera, starting with Photoshop.

5-30 Added a few focal beads (two in the wabi-sabi series) and one more zipper pull. Also made quite a few focal beads in the "chrysalis" series (yet to be photographed). I am intrigued with the idea of "change" and "becoming" that the chrysalis symbolizes and am experimenting with various techniques for creating a somewhat abstract (but hopefully suggestive) appearance of a chrysalis. See the pendants page for the first examples of this series.

5-23 I am expanding my digital photography business and am now offering my services to local jewelry artists and small businesses in need of photos for portfolios, publicity and promotion purposes. Check out the "Photography" page to see a few samples of some recent images produced for various artists and businesses.

4-6 Five sets of beads added. Three feature bright and summery colors, the other two sets are etched (matte surface) beads in turquoise and black. One brangle made with the new "wabi-sabi" beads, and one in a very different look added to the "brangle" page.

3-30 Added six new pendants. Four feature the "Chrysalis" design. These are created using a technique that Michael Barley shared in the "Spotlight on Silver" that Corina produced. I couldn't think up a more fitting name for the design than what Michael uses on his beads, so stuck with "Chrysalis". They really do look as if a butterfly might be about to emerge. One of the new pendants is a long, thin bead featuring the "raku" glass that looks so different each time I use it.

3-27 I made more beads in my latest favorite technique and am starting to photograph them to add on a new page of their own. The surface of each bead is rich with detail, yet so subtle as to invite close viewing. The macro photos make them look monumental when really they are quite small. They remind me a bit of the tea bowls I collected when visiting Japan, and thus the name for the series in honor of the Japanese aesthetic,

Wabi-Sabi

3-26 A couple of new necklaces in spring colors added to the necklace page and a new bangle that is yet to be added to the "Bangles" page. A break from the "organic" silvered beads that I have been hooked on making this past month or so. This is what is so captivating about making beads... anything is possible!

3-20 A new favorite again. These beads are a variation on the last series (Silverstone). Different enough to have a new name of their own, "Wabi-Sabi" beads. Like the earlier series, the colors come from the reaction of the silver leaf on the ivory glass. These are not encased with clear, instead, they are held in a reducing flame for a few seconds to bring the silver to the surface. This gives them a metalic sheen at the same time as an organic color range is developed.

3-10 The newest series of beads that I am working on use use only ivory, black and clear glass plus siver leaf or foil. All the color (which is quite subtle and lovely to my eye) results from the reaction of the glass and the metal with the flame. I am calling this series "Silverstone". The first brangle made from these beads looks so cool and watery that I have named it "Winter Sea".

1-23 I am now set up to accept credit card payments through PayPal. This is an easy and secure method for you to order items from this site and for me to quickly receive your payment. You do not have to have a PayPal account in order to use this service, although you may choose to set up an account. Instructions for using this service are on the "how to order" page.

12-19 Beads with a silver lining! I have lined some of my favorite beads with silver tubing and will offer them as single "focal" beads. Elegant as a single bead on a chain or it might be the focal bead when strung with other beads. One might look great with strands of seed beeds or colored pearls. I have several of these finished and photographed and have more started. Some have large holes like the one pictured at left, and some have smaller holes like the pendants mentioned below. I really enjoy making the silver tube rivets and they certainly add a beautiful finish to the bead.

12-12 Added three brangles all made with the new "Raku Pond" beads. I also addeda few glass bead pendants. These pendants might also be used as zipper pulls (think back packs, gym bags and jackets) or fan pulls. Each bead is finished with a tube rivet and silver jump rings. The 14 gauge wire used for the "head pin" is heavy enough to withstand much use.

12-08 Four new bracelets added. All feature hand made sterling silver chain in the Byzantine design. The focal beads have silver tube rivets to add strength and a finished end to the glass. Every focal bead is unique and is selected from my box of "favorites".

10-31 New beads to be added to the site soon. Meanwhile, here is a sample of what I have been making recently. Like so many other bead makers, I am totally enamored with the "Raku Jitterbug" (aka Reichenbach 108, color shift opal orange, and Iris orange) glass. Although I have done nothing to enhance the colors in this photo, they are different than how the bead appears in person. I think that the digital camera simply does not "see" some colors the same as our eyes do. There is less yellow and more dark purple in the bead. Overall, a "quieter" color combo than appears here. Before I post them for sale I need to make as accurate a photo as possible. Wouldn't want to mislead anyone.

On raku pond beads (made from the same glass stringer), my goal was to make the beads as "calming" as possible. This is not a glass that can be fully controlled; it is full of surprises which is why I love playing with it. My favorite is the one on the left.

6-21 A couple of new bead sets added and changes made to an existing set.

6-14 New enameled pins added on new pages. Fish, sea stars and talisman pins each now have their own "gallery". Still to be added.... more of everything, starting with beads.

6-10-04 I have lots of new enamel sea stars and some new beads to add to the site.... just as soon as I can resize and rename the files. Meanwhile, here is the first one. I am also attempting to re-organize the folders and make other changes in the appearance of the site. No doubt this is going to take a while as I have forgotten some of the steps. This short term memory stuff is no joke!

8-21 Added instructions for measuring a wrist for proper fit of a bangle with clasp. Any bangle pictured may be sized to fit any wrist correctly. Instructions are found by clicking on the link that appears on each "bangle" page, along with price and ordering information. The link looks like this: refer to these instructions

8-17 Added a page for beach glass (and beach pebble) "talisman" pendants and placed five items on the page with links to larger images and order information.

Added a "next" button to pages with full sized images so that you won't need to return to the page of thumbnails in order to view the next item. This should make navigation quicker.

8-10 Throughout this site I have used small images ("thumbnails") on those pages that have multiple photos to insure that all pages load quickly. A friend informed me that it is not obvious that clicking on a small photo will take you to a new page with a larger images, more text, and/or ordering and price information. To correct this oversight, I added instructions on each page to "click on photos for details". I hope this makes the navigation of my site clearer.

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