Liz Eaton Designs

Currents. 111313.

listening: I think I like pandora better than any other platform for listening to music. It's just easy. I don't have to think about it, I just have music on, which is how I like it.

eating: more thai food lately, which makes me happy!

drinking: sucking down the water in hopes it will help my headaches

wearing: still in shorts in the middle of November.

weather: 80 something. nice, but could be a bit cooler.

need: more hours in the day.

thinking: about how to be a better mom. how to say yes more & no less when it comes to my kids.

enjoying: the new art station in the studio. The kids are happy & that makes me happy.

wondering: why my head will not stop hurting!

internet find: Christy's blog. she is amazing! check it out.

[a moment.] 110813

I think my boys love to create as much as I do. I love that it is the "family" studio, at least most of the time, I love that. But these moments when they are talking & creating together makes me the happiest mom ever!

I want to remember moments like this forever.

Jewelry for christmas?

I am taking orders for Christmas now! If you want anything for you or for someone close to you, please let me know or you can order from my website or etsy shop. I would love to make something super special for you! If you don't see something you want, but have something in mind or a combination of something you see, I can probably make it, if it is in silver. Just let me know. You can also email me, [email protected] 

I will be taking Christmas orders until the 10th of December, after that will be rush orders & may have a fee attached to them! Christmas is coming sooner than later, so get on it!!

lizeatondesigns.com

lizeatondesigns.typepad.com

art journal. 110413

I started another blog, it's all about art journaling. I will be posting my art journal pages there & also making prompts for you to do in your own art journal. I think this will help motivate & push me to create more. So check it out often to see what new art I am working on. 

Here's the link! 

Cleaning sterling silver jewelry. 92713.

 

I have created a short tutorial on how to clean sterling silver jewelry. It is pretty simple to do actually. Watch & let me know what you think, or if you have any other questions about cleaning silver jewlery, let me know. You can also check out my shop at lizeaton.etsy.com.

Now go & clean all of your jewelry!

Just kidding, have a great weekend!

Back in business.

After a long break from making or taking orders for jewelry, I am back at it. Just starting to get the ball rolling again. I have re-opened my etsy shop & my other website, lizeatonjewelry.com, for taking orders. I am excited to also get some new things in the works. I will share my new designs here when I get them made.

Jewelry making: the process.

I think one of my favorite parts of making jewelry is actually the tools that I get to use. I am a tool lover. I have always liked them ever since I was little. I am what you would probably call a tool horder. I love finding that perfect tool for every need. It just makes me happy. The tools in the pictures above have been collected & used for making jewelry for the past 15 years & my plan is to make them last for the next 50 years. Each tool has a purpose & this process of making jewelry couldn't be done without each & every one of them.

A little bit of shine.

I am sure this idea has been around for a while. The freezer paper t shirt making idea, that is. You can find better instructions here. I have also put step by step instructions below. But ever since my neighbor made shirts for her son's bday party for all the kids, I have been wanting to play around with making some designs. Of course, I didn't really think through the whole process of needing shirts to print on, when I started making this, this morning, but I did have a few tshirts that were blank, that I didn't care much about, so I figured those would work perfect.

And they did!

I need to get a picture of me wearing them. But what I figured was that I could use the stencil I cut out & also the insides of the stencil & make a shirt out of that as well. The freezer paper iron's on so easily to the shirt that it was not a problem or hard at all to get it all lined up. Plus, I am not very particular about making things exactly straight. I love the messiness of them.

Instructions for making freezer paper t shirts:

materials needed:

freezer paper (like a butcher uses for wrapping meat)

craft knife

pencil

idea of what you want to cut out

iron

fabric paint

foam brush

printer paper or paper towel

 

Instructions:

1. draw or trace design on to freezer paper

2. cut out design with craft knife

3. iron design on to t shirt

4. paint with foam brush & fabric paint

5. let dry, then peel off freezer paper

6. place paper or paper towel over tshirt, where design is & iron for about 30 seconds, to heat set design.

7. First time you wash the shirt, do it inside out.

8. Enjoy!! & make a ton more, cause it is fun & addicting.

go.

I like the color orange. This is no secret. I forget sometimes how much I am drawn to this color. But apparently I am.

Once in a while I get a few minutes of time in my studio, get this, all by myself. with no one else home, or all asleep. & when I say once in a while, I mean it's happened maybe 3 times in the past 12 months. It reminds me that I need more of it.

I will turn on pandora, to one of my favorite stations, like Ben Howard, or Deer Tick, or Mumford & sons radio. & I will get out my art journal & just do whatever comes to mind.

& guess what, it is an awesome feeling.

With 3 very small children taking up most every moment of my day, it is hard to find the quite. It's hard to remember to grasp these moments that I get to myself.I don't want to use having 3 small children as an excuse to not create, to not be the artist I want to be, but dang, it is hard. I am determind to change that though.

I need to make art for the sake of making art. for me. to help me along in this journey I call being an artist, a mother & needing the creative to flow.

It seems that time spent doing something like art journaling or writing or just this process doesn't get put at the top of the list of things that NEED to be done during the day, if it even makes the list at all.

But things are going to change.

I need this.

I need to get my creative juices flowing again. To feel like an artist. To make it important again.

Don't get caught up, just start. GO.

Etsy love.

I have been selling on etsy now for a few years & for some reason I just realized or figured out the feedback part of the whole site, thanks to my sister, em, who was telling me about all the nice things people were saying about her etsy shop. So, I looked into it a little bit & guess what? People were saying super nice things about the jewelry I made for them as well, I thought I'd share a few with you. It really has just made my day, even week. I love this online, crafting, artsy, handmade community. It is just awesome. People are awesome.

 

I can't thank everyone who has ordered from me enough. I love making jewelry!