Jun
11
This summer I am doing a great deal of growing and planning. My business is unfocused. As many of you know, my heart is really aimed towards creatively worshiping my God, and sharing the creative process with others to facilitate growth and healing, introspection and thoughtfulness. The small income I do receive from my Etsy shop and from the classes I teach go to fund supplies used in teaching monthly classes at Veronica’s Voice. If I were to make a larger income, it would go towards furthering my own artistic education, so I could continue to expand what I share with others. As I refine my business plan this summer, the classes I’ll be teaching outside of Veronica’s Voice will be minimal. Besides the soldering class below, I will also be scheduling one art journaling class (date will be announced early next week). That said, my dream is one of growth, and of sculpting and refining many new and fun classes to come.
Introduction to Soldering: Making Jewelry
Date: Sat, July 17
Time: 1-4pm
Place: 2926 Campbell St, Kansas City MO 64109
*Examples: your pieces will be unique.
Learn the funky art of soldering, and make your own one of a kind jewelry. After receiving instruction, you will be constructing and soldering your own ring and pendant. We will be using images from vintage books, music, and papers, or if you have a special image in mind, please bring it to class. The glass sizes available to make pendants include 1×1, 1×2 and 1×3. The diameter of the ring will be approximately the size of a dime. All supplies are included in the cost of the class, including choker or ball chain for your pendant. If time allows, you may make a marble charm as well.
Class size: 8 students max.
Fee: $35
Policies:
- Prepayment is required to register for class.
- A 48 hour notice is required to cancel your spot in class, so that I may contact others who may be on a waiting list. If you do not notify me of cancellation, your class fee will not be refunded.
amanda ∞
Posted in Art, Art Journal, Balance, VERONICA's Voice, Worship, soldered art journaling business classes etsy focus growth planning soldering teaching VERONICA's Voice Worship
Jan
08
Leah at Creative Every Day is such an inspiration and encouragement. This will be my third year of participating in her Creative Every Day Challenge. As the name implies, each day I aim to do SOMETHING creative. In all honesty, some days the most creative thing that I do is brush my hair a little differently than usual, but that is life.
Right before Christmas I found the greatest tool at Bearden’s Stained Glass, the Beetle Bits Mini Glass Cutting System. 
How exciting to be able to cut my own glass! I am no longer limited to the shapes available by retailers. This particular cutting system only does straight lines, so no curves or circles yet, but it just opens up creative possibilities.
My first use of the tool was cutting glass for a project I had already begun, my Christmas presents to the beautiful women at VERONICA’s Voice. I cut the standart 1X3 microscope slide size to make these pendants: 
Then I cut smaller and smaller. My neice received a petite pendant for Christmas, one with musical notes cut from a 1934 Etude Magazine. My bad, no picture.
But here’s another petite pendant of the same size made for sale both on Etsy and Artfire:
Do you remember ever writing the True Love Always symbol in Elementary or Jr. High School? I guess it does date me a bit. Now with the texting and all, new symbols have taken the place of the old school TLA.
I just love these little things, my new favorite size pendant. Now to make a custom Amanda petite pendant. Smile. Oh yeah, 
amanda ∞
Posted in Art, Art Every Day, Challenge, Inspiring, VERONICA's Voice artfire beetle bits CED2010 etsy glass cutter pendant petite soldered true love always
Oct
29
I am so glad to have wandered through our neighborhood yesterday. Not only did I soak up some glorious sun before the rain clouds arrived, but I also found a treasure pile of acorns, big beautiful acorns. Have you examined an acorn recently? They are truly beautiful in shape, texture, color. I filled my pockets and ran home to my studio with an immediate hankering to solder. And here’s what came of it!
Love it? It’s listed in my Etsy shop, and also my Artfire shop.
Artfire is experimental for me. The format is very similar to Etsy. It is a handmade, online marketplace, but by accepting fewer marketing options, a seller can list and sell unlimited for free. I signed up for the free option, then later upgraded so that I can have a marketplace kiosk on my Facebook page. Now I pay a monthly flat rate no matter how much I list or sell. At this point, I have sold only 1 item on Artfire. Etsy, on the other hand, is just cooking along. Also, when I list a new item in both shops, the Etsy shop always has more than triple the views than Artfire. I’ll keep this experiment going for a bit longer, but unless Artfire heats up, I’ll be closing that shop down.
And, although I’m not a power tweeter, I invite you to join me on Facebook: amanda.jolley and Espressivo, or Twitter: hiddenart
amanda ∞
Posted in Altered Art, Art, Creation, Inspiring acorn artfire etsy nature soldered
May
13
Issue 4, Creative Community, is available.
Robin at Alchemy Studios puts out an inspirational zine, A Handmade Life, and she was so gracious to include some art and writing by moi. Other contributors besides Robin herself include Patricia Mosca, Dawn Rice, and Jim Dubois. Check it out, folks. And thank you, Robin.!
amanda ∞
Posted in Art, Art Journal Alchemy Studios contribution etsy Handmade Life Zine
Nov
16
Fly: I didn’t add much after all. It just seemed to speak this way. I just added more color to the tree and journaled in pencil.
Experimentation and Friendship sermon notes: On these pages, I was experimenting with how markers and water soluble crayons interacted. No wow factor, just learning. The sermon on friendship today was incredible. Once again, if you’d like to listen, select Building World Changers: Direction in Real Time: Friendship on this page.
I’m feeling normal again today, so I am hopeful that my autumn bought of Seasonal Affective Disorder is over. Yay! This is reason for celebration. This year I was very proactive and found that approaching it this way lessened the intensity and duration.
Now I look forward to posting more frequently for Art Every Day Month. I have the hankerin’ to make some jewelry. My etsy shop needs some fresh items. It’s getting a bit stale over there.
Have a creative and fruitful day!
amanda ∞
Posted in Art, Art Every Day, Art Journal, Challenge, God's Word, Hidden Art art every day month Art Journal etsy experiment fly friendship Moleskine
May
17
Page in my altered hymnal 11/02/07:
Beatles song learned by my son on guitar this past couple weeks:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkejcsvdpuQ]
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Charm inspired by my son’s singing and guitar playing made yesterday:
amanda ∞
Posted in Art, Creation, Uncategorized, Worship altered hymnal beatles blackbird charms etsy inspiration solder
May
08
Remember that Sept. 1948 issue of Calling All Girls magazine? My husband had the wonderful idea to make a charm from its cover. Here is is front and back. The image of the man is also from the magazine. I added the word HERS beside his face. I’ll be making more of these with different color marbles on each charm. This one is listed in my Etsy shop. The rest should be ready next week.
I love working with old things, especially magazines, catalogs, and photos. They have such a story to tell. The way that women thought, or the interests they pursued appear to be so different in 1948 if I look only at this magazine. Some things haven’t changed, such as the media directing the interests of the masses.
amanda ∞
Posted in Art calling all girls charm etsy magazine marbles old solder stories
