The Wolf pendant

Here are photos of the new pendants I've made with photos I took of the beautiful wolf, Flurry. (You can buy the pendants at the shop here.)

Ten percent of the sales of these pendants will be donated to The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, where Flurry resides. It was incredible to be so close to him. He is beautiful, but that goes without saying. :-)

Movies, Wolves and Vampires

Despite how that title sounds, this posting really isn't just about "New Moon!"

I've been conspicuously absent from the blog in the past two months. That's because the short film I wrote this summer finally came to fruition in mid October. So months of pre-production culminated in five days of filming. Although I got sick with a flu just days before our shoot began, I did manage to be present for the last day (which worked out well, since my scene was shot on that day). This short is a prequel, actually, to the feature that hubby wrote which we anticipate shooting next year. But now, we can breathe again—just in time for a busy holiday season. (Oh, did I mention post-production and editing?)

In addition to some pretty new Fall designs and a whole new crop of "New Moon" pendants (can't wait for November 20th!), I'll be creating a special

wolf design shortly. The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary is a rescue sanctuary for wolves and wolf-hybrids here in New Mexico. We visited the sanctuary last Spring and it was beyond wonderful to be so close to such beautiful creatures. On Halloween, the Director of the Sanctuary came to our local library with Flurry, a beautiful Mexican Grey Wolf (who is actually mostly white).

I photographed him and will be making a special pendant featuring this beautiful boy. 10% of sales of this pendant will go to the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.

In addition to rescuing wolves, the Sanctuary is starting a new program with some local folks to help the area's homeless and neglected dogs. There are two Reservations and many impoverished areas nearby in dire need of veterinary services, including spay/neuter, and bi-lingual education. If you can help, please contact the Sanctuary.

Fridays on My Tail

The weeks have been flying by this month. We just sent out our August tile pendant giveaway winner email today (should have been around the 1st of the month...oops!).Part of the reason is my work on a short film I co-wrote that we are in pre-production for right now. That means I've been busy casting, writing, location scouting....and biting my nails to bits.

I also started Weight Watchers online. Just a tad stressful, no? :-)

But I do have some awfully pretty bird designs that will be posted shortly.

Speaking of birds, while on the top of the Sandia Mountains yesterday (hehe...I like saying that), we saw some hummingbirds at feeders. They were obviously more interested in eating than the proximity of humans. Take a look-see.

Also, it's baby lizard season in Albuquerque now. If you can imagine the smallest, cutest little guys ever...you still won't even come close to picturing how adorable they are.

Here's a baby that Randy rescued from the sidewalk. He's in a drinking glass (the lizard, not Randy), about to be released into our garden.

My Surroundings

Just a few images from a recent hiking trip in the Sandia mountains, and a spring visit to El Morro National Monument.

New Mexico is such a visual inspiration.

This is a common Chollo cactus, in flower.

This rock looks just like a beached whale, doesn't it?

The famous watering hole at El Morro National Monument.

Graffiti, from the 1800s.

Drilling Rocks at Twilight (sort of)

Last month, I blogged about my research into drilling rocks. I left off with having found info on how to do it, and the intention of trying it out myself. The big hurdle was getting over the ....um....fear of electrocution that goes along with placing part of an electrical power tool under water.

Right. So I did it...and survived. However, the whole experience was actually disappointing. I tried drilling through a pretty, blackish rock (a river stone) and, after several goes at it, I only got slightly into the rock. Worse still was this feeling of somehow, this whole process just wasn't right. How could I safely continue to drill under 1.5 inches of water? Even though only the drill bit was actually in the water (not the entire drill, of course!!), it still felt wrong.

Well, last Friday, I took a Glass Fusing class at Hot Flash Glass in Albuquerque. Karen, the wonderful glass artist who taught the class, showed me how she drills through glass. Instead of putting the whole thing underwater, she just tapes around the area where she will drill, and puts several drops of water inside the taped area, and drills away. It worked perfectly. You can add a drop or several as you go along, but amazingly, the water tends to kind of stay there, and go into the hole you are creating as you drill. The purpose of the water, after all, is to keep the drill bit and material cool, by, I would imagine, reducing friction. And it worked. 

A better method than putting a power tool, even partially, under water----eh?

On another topic, we finally saw Twilight. Oh my. Oh my oh my oh my. It was dreamily, beautifully, mesmerizingly wonderful. Just like Adam Lambert! :-) Count me in. Our website will be updated with our newest pendant designs very soon and I intend on making a Dazzle pendant for myself. And impatiently waiting a mere five months until...New Moon.

The LINK---between Animal Abuse and Human Violence

I just bought the correct Dremel chuck to fit the diamond bit in order to test out my underwater drilling (see previous post). But in the meantime....

A couple of days ago, I attended the 6th Annual New Mexico Governor's Conference on THE LINK between ANIMAL ABUSE and HUMAN VIOLENCE ("Forming Positive Links"). Wow...it was amazing, important, devastating, disturbing, enlightening. I've been involved in animal welfare causes for a very long time, and always got frustrated when occasionally encountering folks who say, "what about children?" As if helping one is hurting the other! AS IF THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. Violence towards animals is a desensitizing precursor to violence towards humans. It's proven and widespread. 

Some of the wonderful speakers included:

Phil Arkow, Director of The Link program of The American Humane Association, and officers/psychologists/directors from animal control agencies, domestic violence agencies, social service and children's agencies, and a veterinarian. 

These LINK programs are held in states throughout the country. If you are so inclined, check it out where you live. Here's the info from AHA. 

I will be putting energy towards one particular cause: ending dogfighting. If you want to learn more about this vile activity, which is shockingly prevalent in this country, take a look at Diane Jessup's site on the subject. I had the honor of knowing Diane when I worked in rescue in Washington state. She is a brilliant author and animal advocate, who speaks from a deep knowledge, having worked at a shelter for many years.

One very appropriate and very beautiful fact I learned at this seminar:

Man's first artwork showed pictures of animals. 

Animals---our cohorts, our companions, our connection, our life source, our inspiration. 

From the very beginning. 

Drilling Underwater

I'm always finding beautiful rocks around here. Even in the landscape rock mix around the house, you can find all sorts of quartz, mica, granite, and a whole bunch more. It's a paradise for a long time rock geek like me.

I've always wanted to somehow incorporate these finds into jewelry. Especially ones that are already smooth. (I won't bother going into my disastrous experience with a rock tumbler).

So I was sniffing around the 'net and found some info on drilling through rock and glass. My favorite, simple explanation was on Seaglass Dreams. He not only sells sea glass but gives a straight-forward, easy to understand explanation of how to do it.

I bought a diamond drill bit and already have a Dremel. Finding some beach glass is next (while I'd love to try the quartz, it's a harder substance than glass). Then, working up the courage to run an electrical tool partially underwater. ;-)

Unless things go terribly wrong, I'll be posting a follow up to this soon. Wish me luck...

And, completely unrelated but just because I'm a big fan of Incubus...check out their new video. Hehehehe. Love it.

A Great Book for Artists

Just a quick note about a book I've been leisurely making my way through that is totally phenomenal. It's called "Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings," by Kelly Rae Roberts. I found it in Borders and knew it was a keeper.

The fact that the author is a social-worker-turned-artist is no doubt part of the book's appeal. She gets to the heart of those creative road block issues we all face: fear, insecurity, and being true to oneself. The book alternates between profound yet down-to-earth discussion (like a session with a really good therapist) and actual how-to exercises for making the beautiful collage work that she and her contributing artists feature throughout the book.

It's one of those books you really want to spend a long time with, savoring every page. Check it out.

Gaming = Chocolate

We're so happy to welcome our gamer customers!! We've had a great response to our World of Warcraft inspired pendants, and I've been delighted to converse with WoW gamers from around the globe. 

Thought I'd fess up on my gaming history. I don't play World of Warcraft, but my husband/co-designer does. Actually, I used to play a game called Asheron's Call---perhaps you've heard of it? mwahhaha. (That's me, back in the day). Well, I'd end up spending the entire night flitting from town to town, questing, chatting, and just being a social butterfly of sorts, in between making spells and collecting ingredients. I realized that I couldn't be a casual player---it was all or nothing for me. (Kind of like my relationship with chocolate --- see current stash below).

 

So I've decided I won't even think about playing WoW. After all, if I did, I'd never have time to make jewelry, now would I? ;-)

Two Months Ago Today...

...I lost my precious, beautiful, angel dog, Poco. That's his picture to the left, which I use as my avatar. I can't let today go by without writing about Poco. Truth is, I'm still crying every day for him. I went to a wonderful pet loss support session last night, which was very helpful. But, like any loss, it's just the dragging passage of time that eases the pain, but also, sadly, takes you farther and farther away from your lost one.

Poco was my Buddhist monk. I'm not saying that lightly. He truly personified (dogified?) every aspect of goodness: kind, loving, peaceful (a proactive peacemaker), accepting, brilliant....I could go on and on. We experienced lots in the 10 years we spent with him, and I was grateful for every day he was a part of my life. From peacefully dealing with an aggressive foster dog, a house disaster, movie-making, modeling, and so much more, he was a shining angel star. 

Then there was the intoxicating, unique, most wonderful smell of his fur. 

Logically, we know that dogs live shorter lives than we do. We know we will be faced with the inevitable pain of loss at some point. But for some reason, logic went out the window, and I stupidly thought I could wish him to live for 30 years or more. And it wasn't just for my own selfish reasons--the world was a better place with Poco in it. He danced and made so many people smile. He was loved everywhere he went. He was so beautiful, inside and out. 

Some pictures of him...

I did this painting about three weeks after he died:

It says "Dog is Love" in the center (same design from my pendant) and "we will be together again" on the bottom.

For Poco, with every bit of my heart.

Cutie Patooties

I've been finding so many cute, adorable things lately, I just had to share a few. You can bet there will be more of these type posts in the future from me, as I love all things related to animals (who are inherently cute). If you didn't already know, I've been a dog welfare/rescue/rights volunteer for many years. So it's not just about how they look. ;-)

1. Okay, I don't have any feline family members. My allergies to cats prevent that (I'm also allergic to dogs, but we don't discuss that). But if I did have kitties, I'd have a house filled with these things.

 Not just because of my Italian heritage, but because the thought of kitty catnip in ravioli shapes is simply too perfect. Seriously....plush kitty ravioli! With catnip! Hats off to Organic Dog for this clever, adorable invention.

2. My husband recently came up with the idea to do a dog toy exchange club-- you share used dog toys with others. The dogs would love it, no? "Another dog's toys? For moi? Oh Daddy, that's a brilliant idea!" Anyone who has a doggy family member knows the scenario----oh yippee! a new toy! chew, chew, slobber, slobber.....next, please. Okay, some pups love their toys and keep them. But for those with doggy toy ADD, the doggy toy exchange program seems like a good idea, eh?

Well, while sniffing around about doggy toys, I found a whole website dedicated to honoring dogs and their successfully decommissioned toys. Yes, here it is: LickedToys.com. Now, instead of getting frustrated with your pup, cleaning up the puffs of toy filling and reminding him "how much that toy cost," and "what a waste it was to chew it to bits" within five minutes of receiving it, you can pull out your camera, document your proud pup amidst the destruction, and submit it to LickedToys.com. Now isn't that a much better way to react to your pup's natural desire to chew and shred and tear and... :-)

3. The sweetest collection of (forest) animal illustrations I've seen is from an illustrator on Etsy, her shop called In the Forest. The bear paintings had me in tears, as they resembled my precious angel dog, Poco, who passed at the beginning of this year. Just take a look...you'll see what I mean. Sweet, folksy yet hip, beautiful illustrations. 

The Mother of All Organizing Tools

I'm the first to admit that I tend to be a messy person...but in my own organized way. As a former boss once told me, "You're office is so messy, but whenever I ask you for something, you're always able to find it so fast!"

And in classic right brain dominant fashion, I need to see stuff. I can't file things away and ever expect to remember not just where they are, but that they even exist! (Unless the item involves chocolate, in which case it will, unfortunately, be continually front and center in my thoughts).

We were walking through Costco the other day when I first spotted a great shelving unit. It seemed like just the thing my craft room/work space needed. I was tired of having to crawl around on the floor to find the exact jewelry supply container I needed. And the stacking plastic drawer units I was accumulating were starting to list from excessive weight. So we loaded the heavy carton into our shopping cart, continued down the aisle, and came to a stunned stop in front of the most amazing organizing unit I had ever seen.

"Can you believe this?" I asked my husband/partner. "If I had this, I'd reach a level of organization I have never known before." Everything would be in one place, visible, accessible. And my little craft room would be less cluttered, with fewer pieces of storage necessary.

After looking it over from top to bottom, we decided to go for it. We put back the boring shelving unit and instead, lugged the big box with my new super duper organization tool home.

It took a few hours to assemble, and then the fun began. Deciding what to put where was just as much fun as emptying out all the little storage bins that cluttered my craft room. The unit is made by Whalen Storage and is called a Multi-Size Bin Rack with Wire Deck and Melamine Top (in Black Wrinkle finish), and you can read more about it here. 

Check out the just opened box, and the shining end result. Organization never felt so good.

        

Not Exactly Wash 'n Wear

I had a totally different idea for today's blog entry, until I received an unexpected return. My friend Terrilynn brought me a glass tile pendant I had made for her of her sweet dog, Isaac. Without realizing it, she had tossed her clothes, along with the necklace, into the washing machine. It wasn't until she took her clothes out of the dryer that she found the necklace. 

She found the pendant part, with Isaac's adorable face, still in the washing machine. To her delight (and mine!), the pendant was intact, amazingly making it through the wash with nothing other than the paper backing and bail coming off. (The photo above is the actual pendant and necklace, after the laundry ordeal.)

I was amazed that the photo stayed nearly perfectly intact, and did not detach from the glass tile. While I never advise getting your pendants wet, under any circumstances, it was a nice surprise to see the strength of the Judikins Diamond Glaze in action. 

The pendant will be fairly easy to repair (I'll just glue another paper backing on, then reattach the bail). And Isaac can once again secure his place next to his Mommy's heart. :-)

What Makes a Style Distinctive?

When I was an art major in college, there was another art major I knew who had the most distinctive style I had ever seen. While the rest of us were creating what was assigned, in the manner in which it was assigned, he had a creative style that permeated everything he did. You could identify his paintings a mile away (well, maybe not a MILE). I was always impressed by that.

So today, when I read this post on Indie Public about Pantone's recently released Spring Color Trends forecast, and found Natasha Newton's beautiful work, it got me thinking about this again. What really makes a style unique? And couldn't color be one of the most powerful distinctions in creativity?

Natasha Newton has everything you would expect in an accomplished and note-worthy painter----beautiful compositions, emotional content and technical prowess. But what really struck me about her work was her color palette. Her use of color is consistent and sets such a particular mood for all her work. While the subject matter is near universal (trees, landscapes, birds), and her stylized simplicity is not ground-breaking, it's that sultry, smokey neutral palette that acts as the cherry on top.

(The stunning colors in my Whiskey's eyes. :-)

So rather than pop on the latest "in" colors....maybe there's something to be said for finding your own palette...and sticking to it.

Finding a Clay Heart in the Backyard

It's a day for soaking up a bit of sun. I hobbled outside today (fractured & sprained ankle) and sat down on the low wall in our backyard. As I placed my crutches down, what did I see in front of me but this little piece of broken clay. Is it just me or is this a little early Valentine heart? 

In honor of the timing of this find, I'm going to feature some artists who I heart big time. 

If you're into modern design, an artist you should know about is Jessica Kestler. All the aspects of beautiful modern design (clean, defined forms, contemporary color palette) can be found in her delicious acrylic works. Wall candy or mesmerizing abstracts to get lost in...she's a master at this and no doubt will become an important figure in the fine art world. 

It was through Golden Paints (my favorite acrylics company that bends over backwards to create and support products that artists truly want) that I became familiar with the work of Nancy Reyner. All her work is wonderful but her energy field paintings blow me away. Looking forward to seeing her work in person, as she exhibits up in Santa Fe. She also wrote a very popular book, "Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium." You can find more info and purchase the book on her website. I've also seen it at Barnes and Noble. 

More later...time to ice my ankle. 

More Tile Pendant Tutorials

Besides my Scrabble tile pendant tutorial, there are some other tutorials online:

• Annie Howes
• Littleput

Welcome

Welcome to the Albu Design blog. Our store specializes in beautiful handcrafted Scrabble tile pendants featuring original artwork. If you are interested in learning how to create your own Scrabble tile pendants, I've posted a DIY guide to making your own Scrabble tile pendants on our site.

Please visit our store and let me know what you think of our designs. If you have any questions or requests, feel free to contact me. You can also join our spam-free mailing list and you'll be entered in a monthly drawing to win a free Scrabble tile pendant.

I'll also be reviewing some of the other nice crafty stuff I come across, so check back often. :-)