Wow! What an amazing show this past weekend at the Blue Light Special Show at Earthborn Studios in Leeds, AL!!  Great sales, lots of incredible artists ~ and such a nice variety of art & crafts! I was very impressed and hope to be a part of it in 2013! I will keep you posted on all upcoming shows, but for now, I will try to get all of these last minute Holiday orders filled within the next week, and then take a couple weeks to rest before starting to replenish my stock!

I hope you've had a Happy Hanukkah, have a Merry Christmas, and may we all have a wonderfully blessed New Year! :)

If you're out and about this weekend, come see me (& 49 other local Artists) at the Blue Light Special Show in Leeds, AL! :) The map is on the photo, as well as a list of Artists! :) Buy Handmade this Holiday Season! :)

Tis the season of giving, there for I'm giving a 10% OFF discount on any item in any/all of my Etsy shops through the month of December! To receive your 10% off savings, just type: HOHOHO1 into the coupon code box at check out & have a Happy Holiday!

Etsy Shops:

www.barbsbranches.etsy.com

www.gemdesignsbybarbara.etsy.com

www.design1bybarb.etsy.com

 

 

I just have to share!  I went to a swap meet with my husband, Ray, a couple of weekends ago.  This is what I came home with:

 

38 sterling silver spoons! :)  I definitely have my work cut out for me (no pun intended)! ;)  This photo was taken with my cell phone, so please excuse the quality! I've already started annealing and hammering out several of the spoons...will start drawing trees this evening and hopefully will start to saw some of them out tomorrow...I've got to have some inventory ready for the Blue Light Special Art Show in Leeds, AL next weekend! I'll update with some photos of a few finished pieces next week! ;)

20% Off beginning on the 23rd of Novemeber! Use the coupon code: BLACKFRIDAY12 at check out to receive your discount! :)
Just go to either of my Etsy shops:
www.barbsbranches.etsy.com or www.gemdesignsbybarbara.etsy.com
on Black Friday to shop & receive your discount! :)

Thank you for your business! :)

Well here it is! The Talk of Alabama (ABC 33/40 Birmingham) segment online, if you'd like to view it!
http://www.abc3340.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7899735#.UJE5WqdJL2s.facebook

Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think! :)

Well, the Bluff Park Art Show just keeps on giving....as a result of that show, I will have a spot on ABC 33/40's Talk of Alabama on Oct 30th at 9:00 am!  Very exciting! Maybe I won't ramble on too much...?! :)  Check it out, if you can get the station!

Here's a before & after photo of the tree pendants that I make out of sterling silver spoons...

FGS Convention Aug 30 - Sept 1st

I am so excited about being an Exhibitor/Vendor at the FGS 2012 Conference!! I will be in the East Exhibition Hall at the BJCC, Booth #222. I will have a daily drawing for an original 'Barb's Branches' piece, so make sure you come by and register with me! :)
I'm working fast and furiously with less than 72 hours to go! Here's a little preview of what I've been making and what I'm still working on.... come see the finished products Aug. 30th - Sept 1st!

I'm posting a photo of another Tree of Life (or Family Tree) along with some sterling silver spoons to give you an idea of the process I go through designing/creating one of these! Each one is 'Hand drawn & sawn'!  I am also including a photo of my Jeweler's (Coping) Saw that I use.  You can see/purchase my Tree & Branch Jewelry at www.barbsbranches.etsy.com

Blowin' In The Wind

Have to share my latest Tree pendant... a bit different from the rest...talk about a Tree of Life... how many times I have felt the mighty wind blow and I could barely hang on... This is my tree! :) I'm very pleased with how it turned out...it shows the weight and pull of the stress...and still remains planted firmly!  I hope you enjoy it! :)
You can find this Tree pendant in my Barb's Branches shop on Etsy.com
https://www.etsy.com/listing/106873081/the-answer-my-friend-is-blowin-in-the

Barb's Branches & the FGS!

Well, it's been over 2 1/2 years since I wrote on this blog...I'm going to try to do better!  I'm excited over a new project...at the end of August, I will be setting up as an exhibitor at the FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) 2012 Conference in Birmingham, AL at the BJCC! http://www.fgs.org/2012conference/index.php

This is a big leap for me, as most of you know, I do approximately 6 Juried Art Shows (and a couple of Craft Shows) a year...this is totally different. Number one, because I've been researching my family history for over 16 years (and still have a long way to go) and I will come in contact with alot of professional researchers...some who may have some information that will help me with some of my family 'mysteries' (not to be confused with miseries)!  Number two, this could be a great venue for my variety of Tree and branch/leaf jewelry; each piece is handmade and different from the next, as is our own family trees.  I will be doing alot of drawing, sawing, fusing, and polishing over the next two months and am so looking forward to it! So what do you think? Is combining the two a good idea...will people attending this conference really want to purchase a piece of Barb's Branches to take home with them?