SoNo Fest & Chili Cook-off ~ North Park, San Diego, CA

On Sunday, December 1st I participated in the 4th annual SoNo Fest and Chili Cook-off presented by the McKinley Elementary PTC and the San Diego Ceramic Connection (SDCC).  It was located in North Park, which just happens to be one of the hippest neighborhoods in San Diego. It was a GREAT fun filled day of music, local craft beer & wine, artwork, and of course CHILI! To top it off, many of the proceeds from the event will benefit the schools Spanish, art and music programs. How cool! These types of programs played an integral role in shaping who I am today, so being able to contribute to this community initiative means a lot to me. 

 

MAKE ART THAT CHANGES YOUR LIFE

 

Basically, for $20 you buy a beautifully hand-crafted ceramic chili bowl from the SDCC and $10 of that purchase will go directly to the elementary school.  You then enjoy homemade chili from some of San Diego’s finest restaurants and/or community entries.  Once you've had your fill, you vote on your favorites.

My assistant/boyfriend and I (he works for hugs and kisses hehe) set up my booth in record time so I had a chance to walk around and check everything out before the crowd arrived...and boy did it get crowded quick! Come early if you want to have a lot of bowl choices and chili for that matter, many vendors were scraping the bottom of their pots around 1:00pm.

 

Beer & wine garden...ready, set, drink! This picture was taken more out of longing...I'm a big fan of San Diego craft beer! Oh, another day....

 

 

Everyone was so nice, I even met a few fellow artisans who were gracious enough to let a complete stranger take their picture :D

 

 

I would recommend anyone living in or around San Diego to check out this lovely festival next year. It was a wonderful experience and knowing kids are going to benefit from all the full bellies of chili made it even better! A win-win experience for all :)

 

For more info about SoNo Fest visit: http://sonofestchilicookoff.wordpress.com/ 

 

 

 



7th Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal!

Finally the day has come to reveal my creations for Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party, yippee!  I had an amazing time brainstorming and creating something special with the beads my partner Monica sent over.  I'm used to making things look old and worn with patinas, so ending up with designs that incorporated shiny metals was a lot of fun!  Here is a reminder of what Monica sent over...

I designed two necklaces...I used the focal, clasp, glass beads and caps on the first.  The second I blended those two AMAZING copper and silver beads with more of my personal collection, resulting in probably my new favorite piece!  I tend to design long, asymmetrical necklaces, so I'm not surprised with the end results :)  After raiding my stash and buying some silver findings, here are the pieces I came up with...

 

 

 

I really am in LOVE with both necklaces! I couldn't help myself on the second one, I added a little bit of tuscan red (a new line of patinas I will be selling soon :) to a section of brass chain, just to give it a little more of my personality.  Thanks Lori for hosting such as amazing bead swap. xoxo

 

Wanna see the soup Monica cooked up with the ingredients I sent her?  Here's a reminder of what she received from me...

 



 

Monica's blog...Monica Glass and Jewelry

 

Thanks for stopping by! xoxo, Heather

 

 

What's In YOUR Soup??

Here they are, the ingredients my partner Moncia Phillips and I exchanged for Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party!  I really can't say what has been more exciting, putting together a bead soup mix for Monica or receiving one :D

First, a little background...I recently moved to San Diego, California and am living in Pacific Beach, a short stroll to the ocean.  Although it has been AMAZING, coastal living is nothing new to me.  I grew up in North Carolina and spent my childhood playing in the waves and soaking up the sun in the Outer Banks.  In my heart, no beach will ever top a NC one, but I must admit the shores here in Cali are wooing me and tugging at my heartstrings for sure!!

So...here's what this beach girl cooked up for Monica.  I started with a clay seahorse focal pendant by Lisa Boucher. Her work is so beautiful and the colors were a perfect match to my patinas.  I raided my own personal stash of vintage lucite beads, gemstones and silk ribbon to compliment the focal, and then patinaed a few brass elements in verdigris and coral to make it all pop!  The antiqued brass clasp I made was inspired by the soft curves of the seahorse.  I tried to emulate the spiny ridges of its body by wrapping it with faceted amazonite rondelles.  Finally, knowing that Monica used to live in Cali and is a beach girl at heart too, I included a lil' bit of Pacific Beach sand in a tiny glass bottle that I turned into a charm. 

Here it is...

 

Here's what Monica sent me...needless to say I was jumping with joy when the package arrived :D  My pot is simmering for sure!

 

 

One of the main goals of Lori's Bead Soup Blog Party is to challenge each designer by partnering them with a fellow artist who uses materials different from their own.  We are required to send (and use) one focal piece and one clasp, the rest are just extra yummy ingredients to be used at the discretion of the participant.  Each designer may create as many pieces as they like as long as the focal and clasp have been incorporated somewhere. The rules to the bead swap make the collaboration not only fun, but a rewarding experience in artistic growth.  Monica works mainly with silver and makes her own dichroic glass pendants and beads.  She's very talented and I'm excited to see the soup she cooks up with all that brass I sent over.  Our reveal date is April 13th, so please come back then for a taste of what we both dish up ;) 

BSBP SNEAK PEEK!

Well, it's official, my bead soup is finally complete and off to Monica in Washington state, YAY!  It's been nice getting to know her and I hope we'll stay connected after the final reveal.  Interesting tidbit...we're both East coast transplants!  Monica lived in California for a long time and I just moved to San Diego last summer.  Gotta love Cali!  We also both share a deep love and appreciation for the sea.  That's a big ol' hint people...humm, are hints allowed??  They are here!  HA ;)

Here's a sneak peek at the mix of goodies she'll be receiving...

 

 

 

Bye-bye my beauties!  Parting is such sweet sorrow...at least in this case because these components are AWESOME :D  I hope Monica enjoys them.  If she has HALF the fun creating her new piece(s) as I did mixing this bead soup then MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! xo

PQ + Monica Glass and Jewelry!

I can't think of a better way to start off my brand new blog than to introduce my Bead Soup Blog Party partner, Monica Phillips of Monica Glass and Jewelry, YIPPEE! This is my very 1st bead swap and I can barely contain my excitement! We are in the 2nd reveal group, which is on April 13th.  That should give us each plenty of time to design something lovely and post to our respective blogs for all to see.  I'll be revealing a sneak peek of what I'm "cooking up" and sending over to her very soon!  Sooo...if you're interested in seeing what two very different artists can dream up from each others favorite stash of baubles and beads, please become a PQ Studio fan and follow.  I would be honored :D

Monica makes the most beautiful glass beads and pendants and I can't WAIT to see what she cooks up for me...

Below are a couple examples of the amazing beads she creates!  

 



 



 Would you like to know more about what Monica is up to? Visit her site, www.monicaglassandjewelry.com