For Your Valentine

Don't forget your sweetheart this Valentine's Day! Shop now for cute heart pendants in my Etsy shop. Each hand-crafted stained glass pendant comes with a beautiful silver snake chain and a gift box.

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Paintings from today

 

 Click images to enlarge.

 (All paintings © Becky Sharp Designs. All Rights Reserved.)

Watercolor Landscapes

Several weeks ago I got the itch to paint. I had seen some landscapes on Etsy that I really loved. The colors, the abstract forms, the simplicity. Watercolor is my favorite medium for getting colors down on paper quickly. And each painting is a surprise, because if you get enough pigment and water on your brush, the result is really unpredictable. My jewelry is so precise and detailed, I really needed to just loosen up and enjoy a free flowing form of art for a while.

So after digging out my watercolors, brushes and paper, I got down to business. Working quickly and doing many paintings in sequence really loosened me up. I wasn't able to let myself get nit-picky over details, like I usually am. I also worked on a very small scale, about 5"x5", so I could produce more. I'm rather pleased with my first results, especially since it's been so long since I last picked up a brush. I am going to paint a lot more in the next few weeks. My goal is to get comfortable enough with the paint, and find a style I can call my own. Then I will start adding small, original paintings to my Etsy shop. I would love to offer people original artwork that will never be reproduced, at an affordable price. I don't plan to (and don't have the equipment to) produce high quality prints at this time, so original is what I can offer. I'm thinking somewhere in the $15-$30 range for small 5x5's and 5x7's that can fit into 8x10 frames.

Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

 

 (All paintings © Becky Sharp Designs. All Rights Reserved.)

Fused Glass Jewelry Sale!

Come on over to my Etsy shop to check out great deals on my unique fused glass jewelry. Fused pendants and earrings are all 30%-50% off! Just in time for your Christmas shopping! To see what's on sale, click here.

A Peek Inside...

Here's a look at my cleaned up art studio, along with my "helpers". While my oldest is at school, these two little ones like to play together while I work...at least for a little while.

I'm excited to announce that I'm back in business! I was tired of making excuses for not working on my stained glass. My "baby" is almost 18 months old now. I definitely had a LONG break. I was starting to go a little stir crazy not having a creative outlet. So a couple of weeks ago I got so fed up that I tore into my art room, which still had unpacked moving boxes, and whipped it in to shape. I re-listed a big portion of my jewelry in my Etsy shop, and started making new pieces too. It feels so good to be doing what I love again! It is truly a balancing act with the kids. I have to squeeze in work time between meals, diaper changes, snuggles, naps, and all my other mommy duties. I don't get as much done as I would like, but that's to be expected. My kids have to come first! Someday I dream of having uninterrupted work time. But until then, I'll take what I can get, while also enjoying the hugs and kisses from little helpers. :)

My latest work of art...

I figured that there might be some of you out there wondering how I am doing after my previous post. I'm happy to announce that Alivia was born just over a month ago and is truly a joy. She came into the world safely, but 4 weeks early. She did really well and was already 6 lbs 7 oz at birth. After all the complications with my pregnancy, I feel so blessed to have her here safe and sound. She is absolutely perfect! It has been 3-1/2 years since my last baby and I had forgotten how one little person can consume so much of my time.

I keep telling myself that someday I will make jewelry again...especially since I finally have a daughter! Maybe she will share my love for art and crafting. But for now I am perfectly content spending my days with my husband and three beautiful children.

Room to grow...

My family just relocated to sunny South Carolina. So far, we love it! It is a truly beautiful state to live in, and very much different than Massachusetts, though we will miss Mass for all of its unique beauty and qualities, especially those gorgeous autumn leaves!

During the move, all of my various websites went on "vacation". It was hard putting my business on hold, but also good to have a much needed break. Currently, all the websites are open again for selling in-stock items. Unfortunately, I don't have much inventory, and I'm not taking any special orders at this time.

Not that I don't have plenty of good reasons to be taking it easy. I am currently six months pregnant with my third baby. I've had many struggles with this pregnancy and found out recently that I have vasa previa, a very dangerous condition for the baby during the third trimester. Not to mention the fact that I have to keep up with my two boys (5 and 3) and unpack and reorganize my new house (quite the feat when I'm not allowed to lift anything).

Needless to say, my studio is still not set up. It's one of those things that has been set on the back burner for the past month. All of my glass, tools, and supplies are still boxed up, sitting in the art studio, awaiting my return. (You can see the room in the above picture, before our moving truck had arrived.) I miss the process of creation so much, but have so many other priorities coming before my work at this point. Only time will tell when I can start creating jewelry again. If all goes well with the rest of my pregnancy, and if my new little baby girl is easy-going and happy (as I'm praying she will be), then I can resume work. Until then, I will sit back and enjoy the time off while I can!