Chili pie in the face, Simon!
My mom got me this little pie maker for my birthday so I tried it out tonight. I had some leftover chili, found a recipe for cornmeal pie crust and voila! I put a little piece of Vegetal on top of the chili filling (even though my friend Shelly says 'never trust a cheese you don't have to refrigerate' and even though I never have Velveeta but they had it on the shelf with the Ro-tel tomatoes and I couldn't resist) popped on the top crust and in about 12 minutes we had dinner.
All evening I was trying to remember 'said the pie man to the ???' so I finally googled it. Apparently the nursery rhyme dates back to the 1600 or so informs that most reliable of sources, wiki. And the three stooges had their own version:
- Said the pieman to Simple Simon,
- "Show m
e first your penny." - Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
- "Scram! Ya don't get any!"
- (And a pie in the face)
Flip side!
A few days ago I posted my little PMC shell necklace with the pearl peeking out. Here it the other side. This time I put a coral pattern on the inside and a crystal with the little pearl. I love hidden prettiness. 
May-day, May-day! May-be last open house until September...
In case you aren't on my newsletter list or on my facebook page, here's the scoop on my upcoming BirthdayS Party!
Please join me in my home: 867 Cynthianna Circle Altamonte Springs
Thursday, May 10, 5pm-8pm happy hour and cake!
Saturday, May 12th, 10- 1 coffee and Birthday Cake!Cake!Cake!
Mother's Day, Graduation, Wedding, Birthday... my jewelry makes the perfect easy to mail, unique hand-made gift. Shells cast in silver, sparkly glass with glittery dichroic, bright pops of color as well as your favorite neutrals, and new kinetic designs.
The Other Dale
My recycled work keeps getting attention and since it is reminiscent of Dale Chihuly I like to call myself 'the other Dale.' In 2011, I created an installation for Earth Day at The Orlando Museum of Science, an eight tree forest installation for ArtPrize in Grand Rapids Michigan which was acquired by the Grant County Recycling and Education Center, and worked with areas schools to create this year's Orlando Museum of Art's Festival of Trees entry. Our 12 foot creation won Best of Show!
As a result of my playing with trash, Annmarie Sculpture Garden, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Maryland, invited me to be their Artist-in-Residence this summer. That means I'll be packing my bags and leaving in June. I am so excited create a public installation for them as well as sell my jewelry in area gift shops.
I have a limited number of my wild and crazy bottle stoppers for sale for $25 on my web-site and I'll have them at my upcoming show. What could be better than a stopper that is bigger than the bottle it corks?
Happy Birthday to me and Dale Wayne Design
THERE WILL BE CAKE!
Ten years ago I purchased my first little torch for my birthday. John loves to tell the story of coming home to find me in the kitchen wearing safety glasses, torch ablaze, and glass shards flying. Thanks to you, I have developed a recognizable style (has anyone asked you "is that a Dale Wayne?"), an internet following, local venues (most recently The Morse Museum gift shop), and national attention for my work. Wearing your jewelry to special as well as everyday events, passing along my business card, and giving my jewelry as gifts has made the work I love possible. As a special 'thank-you' I would like to offer you a coupon for 10% (one for every year we celebrate) off of your purchases. To take advantage of this on-line simply enter "I like Dale!" at check out to have 10% taken off of your order. At my upcoming show, just mention this offer at check-out.
Since I have 'gone green' and no longer mail invitations, please help me get the word out by forwarding this blog entry, sharing it on facebook, and 'liking' my page!
Bottle Stoppers Super-sized! Silly enough for you?
Philanthropist Harriet Lake is a big fan and supporter of mine. As a thank you, I decided to send her one of my bottle stoppers. If you know Harriet, she is all bling and over the top, so I made her an over the top stopper using a two-liter bottle instead of smaller water bottles. The result was so ridiculous I laughed out loud and so did Harriet. She LOVED it! I am a convert. I only make the gigantic kind now. Each stopper uses at least three recycled bottles. I use high grade corks. (Did you know there was such a thing?) You can see more images on my etsy site. And I am putting them back up on my site as well.
Today I heard from a friend I made at ArtPrize. She has gone to town making chandeliers. She posted pictures on my facebook page if you would like to see her creations (and 'like' me while you are at it!) It is so fun to hear from people all over the country using my method to make all kinds of cool stuff.
Purchase $25
Architect Necklace
I love how the natural element of the Herkimer diamond is juxtaposed with an architectural style of the pendant . It takes on the look of an elegant byzantine cross with a modern monochrome twist. The double-terminated quartz crystal suspends above a quartz bead framed in ornamental sterling silver. Handmade charm dangles below. 18 inch, sterling 2mm bead chain with connector. I was calling it the "Frank Lloyd Wright Meets Annie Dillard" but apparently "Frank Lloyd Wright" is trademarked. That's pretty Mickey Mouse, don't you think?
For more images, visit my etsy site! $65
New in copper!
My friend Susan made one of these coins in silver during the PMC class I taught last year. I have admired it ever since so I made a copper version. Susan's is on a bracelet, but this one is hanging from a cool clasp and chain that I happened upon. The glass bead is a combination of transparent and opaque. It feels beachy to me... maybe because I am thinking of Coppertone!
In the class we figured out how to add pattern to the back. The back of this one is paisley. 
Not only does copper lend itself to a warm color palette, it is much more affordable than silver. This 18 inch necklace is priced at $45.
Alouett-te Alouett-te
I've been figuring out how to code my website a.k.a. Dale's Rosetta stone. I managed to input Alouette and Dozen Roses necklaces with earrings and bracelets to match! First, I upload the necklace images and code,next I go make a bracelet and earrings to match and photograph them. Then, I figure out how to code those items and link them all together with the shopping cart and the gallery pages. Whaaaaaa! It is the craziest analytical/intuitive process you can imagine. I think it's a good thing I have to go and make jewelry in-between the computer steps. I'm not certain how I did it exactly and I sure hope I can repeat it tomorrow. There's one little quirky thing that isn't exactly right. I'm guessing I won't sleep tonight trying to figure it out.
Silly Club...
Our Danielle started laughing at about age 4 days. When she was in grammar school she wanted to have a silly club. Now, twenty years later, I made the 'official silly club necklace.' I'm working on the secret handshake.
Seashells part 2...
Here they are! My precious metal clay shells. They remind me of those shells made out of candy, but these are JEWELRY! I pressed a coral pattern on the inside, a kind of hidden surprise. The piece in the foreground is from a mold I made of a ring that was in my family. It is a Welsh fisherman's engagement ring. The texture looks like rope entwined around studs, but was created to represent the buttons on fishermen coats.
Raaaaaaar Necklace a.k.a. Primordial Angst
I love these dinosaurs. Doesn't it look like she is screaming: "All of my clothes are too tight!" That's how I was feeling the day I began working on this oh-so-fun piece.
I get my stampings from a company that is fourth generation, not quite as old as primordial ooze. The contrast between the rhinestone chain and the escaping dinosaur makes me smile. Add a big chunk of pyrite and a Herkimer quartz diamond and you've got yourself a necklace! I was cranky when I started making this and smirky when I finished.
For more images visit my etsy site.
$35 Add to Basket
She sells seashells...
I made a little collection of silver shells like these. I am thinking of adding sea glass looking pieces, or glass squished to look like a shell...
Key earrings, perfect for graduation...
Sterling silver and pyrite. $50 and available in my etsy-shop.
Cameo appearance...
I love mixing in these vintage glass cameos I set in sterling with my glass Venetian glass rings. The pearls don't take themselves too seriously thanks to the industrial looking sterling silver swivel clasp. The Herkimer diamond quartz makes elegant look hip.
Being a little less Eeyore...
Every year Danielle and Wes sew felt Christmas ornaments. The first year they had a pile of narwhals, owls, and forest animals but there were no hooks from which to hang them. Wes didn't have the heart to sew through their backs (one of many reasons we love him) so he configured little harnesses out of embroidery thread. This dangling vintage Swarovski donkey reminds me of all the little animals hanging precariously from our tree that year.
While the donkey is a political mascot, the colors are neutral! I like to think of this little guy as the antidote to being Eeyore (as is my inclination.)
$175 Add to Basket
See more pictures at my esty shop.
Your not so basic black...
There is nothing boring about this basic black. I love the dotted dichroic additions to the greenish gold beads. They remind me of the licorice mix my mom and I crave. Black is so easy to wear, especially when it is done up for fun like this piece.
For more images visit my etsy shop! $275 Add to Basket
Say it with flowers...
When my bride-to-be Danielle was a baby she would crawl across the room to grab only the yellow blocks and bring them back to us. She and James were working on songs she wants played at her reception and I suggested a list of songs with the word 'yellow' in them, mainly because I love that Coldplay song "and it was all yellow..." The idea fell flat though John came up with "Yellow Polka-dot Bikini, Mellow Yellow, Folow the Yellwo Brick Road, Yellow Submarine," and we cut him off after he suggested "Old Yeller" but before he could think of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon."
I am still obsessed with the Target Alouette commercial and really want to be the girl in the yellow swing coat and pencil legged pants who jumps into the hot air balloon after she and her cohorts have popped color everywhere they touched. This necklace is in her honor. I love the unifying element of the roses. I went to photograph it and realized that three more charms would make a dozen roses. What a way to say it with flowers.
For more images visit my Etsy page.
because Seven ate Nine...
You know the old joke: "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" because 7,8, 9. Our bride-to-be was home for Easter and we took on a couple of projects. She found an idea for table numbers that struck her fancy and mine as well. We had Lowe's cut up some lumber for us, primed it in black, then sprayed them blue. Danielle created the number shapes using a million little brass stampings that we spray painted silver.