Exciting New Class Coming Up!!

I will be co-teaching a new class held at Mohawk Valley Community College this fall, with my two dear friends, Denise Sachs-Mishalanie of Whirled Peas Jewelry and Kim Schweitzer of Em-mi Beads in Clinton.

The class is called "In the Loop -- Making Jewelry using the Wrapped Loop Technique." In this class, you will learn how to use a very common jewelry technique, the wrapped loop, to make 3 projects. The wrapped loop is often used in making earrings or attaching pendants and/or charms to jewelry and those are just the kind of projects we will do in this class. You will leave the class with a beautiful pair of earrings, a focal bead pendant and a bracelet with many beautiful beads embellishing a leather cord. The retail value of these projects, if you purchased them from the artist outside of class is $250 - $300.

All of your materials are paid for with your class fee and include handmade lampworked glass beads from Denise, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver clasps, pins and earwires from Em-mi Beads. Tools will be made available for your use during class as well. The fee for the class is $160. A great way to make some beautiful jewelry for yourself or for gifts, at a substantial discount! Plus, you get to say, "I made this!"

The class is held Monday and Wednesday, October 6 and 15; and again Monday and Wednesday, November 10 and 12. Contact the Corporate and Community Education Office at MVCC at 792-5472 for more details and to sign up.

Hope to see you there!

The Bead that Climbed Mt. Rainier!

When Hamilton's own Ellen Kraly and her son Jimmy recently climbed Mt. Rainier in Washington to raise money for the Fred C. Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, this Kissing Dog Designs bead went with them. As you have read in previous blog entries, I have designed a special collection, the Mt. Rainier collection, to honor Ellen's fund-raising efforts. Eighty percent of the proceeds of the sales from Mt. Rainier will go to The Hutchinson Center.

When Ellen left for Washington to make her climb, I asked her to take this handmade sterling bead with her. That is why the bead is on a clip, so that it could ride along on a pack or jacket zipper. The bead is made of sterling, printed with the support ribbon design found on the backs of the Mt. Rainier pendants, and has applied 24K gold decoration. It has been chemically darkened, to bring out the ribbons pattern.

I will soon be posting this bead on ebay, and the proceeds from the auction will also go to the Hutchinson Center. I will blog when the bead goes up for auction -- bid early and bid often for the best chance to own this little bead that climbed a big mountain for a good cause!!

Fall classes already taking registrations!

Registration is already underway at both Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute and Kirkland Art Center for fall classes in jewelry and metals.

At Munson: call 797-8260 to register

New! Try It workshop: This 3 hour workshop allows students to try out a metals project and finish a piece of jewelry before committing to a full semester class. $25 includes the cost of materials.
Tuesday August 26, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Beginning Jewelry and Metal Arts - 2 sections
Tuesday September 2 through Tuesday December 9
1 - 4 p.m. AND 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

At Kirkland Art Center in Clinton: call 853-8871 to register

Beginning Metalsmithing for Jewelry -
10 weeks beginning Monday September 8, 6 - 9 p.m.

Intermediate Metalsmithing for Jewelry -
10 weeks beginning Wednesday September 10, 6 - 9 p.m.

Also at KAC this fall:

“Holiday Gifting” Chain Workshops

Be a Holiday star! Get your shopping done early and present your special recipients with something beautiful you made yourself; a sterling silver chain bracelet.

In each 3 hour workshop, you will receive materials to construct a bracelet length of the featured chain, information and instructions on how and where to order more wire if you’d like to continue chain-making, and a copy of the instructions for the featured chain. NO previous jewelry or metal working experience is required. Tools are provided for use during the workshop. Retail value of the pieces made is $100+.

Check with the KAC for cost per workshop, which will include materials.

Chain workshops, Fall 2008:

1. Christmas Gifting: Making the Double Flower chain October 4 2-5 p.m.

2. Christmas Gifting: Making the Byzantine chain October 18 2-5 p.m.

3. Christmas Gifting: Making Flat chain mail November 8 2-5 p.m.

4. Christmas Gifting: Making the Queen’s chain November 15 2-5 p.m.

I hope to see you in class!

Kissing Dog for the Cure

I have recently introduced a new collection of jewelry, called the Mt. Rainier collection, to help a friend raise money for breast cancer research. The friend is Ellen Kraly, of Colgate University. On this August 13-15, Ellen and her son Jimmy will be climbing Mt. Rainier to raise funds for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA. For more on Ellen and Jimmy's climb, see www.radiofreehamilton.com.

As a woman who lost her mother to breast cancer, I support Ellen and Jimmy's quest. As such, I have designed this special collection, the Mt. Rainier collection, which will be for sale at Evergreen Gallery, 11 Lebanon St., Hamilton NY. Eighty percent of the proceeds of the sales of this jewelry will go to Ellen's cause. The pendant shown is quite representative, and sells for $35. It is handmade of sterling and fine silver, with tiny glass beads in either pink or silver and tinted resin in pink in the center. On the back is embossed a design of the support ribbon for breast cancer, drawn especially for these pieces by Denise Sachs-Mishalanie of Whirled Peas Jewelry. The pieces hang on hand-dyed silks in varying shades of pink, and are adjustable with a silver slider bead.

If you can't get to Evergreen Gallery and you'd like to help support Ellen's cause by purchasing a piece from the Mt. Rainier collection, contact me at kissdog@twcny.rr.com.

Kissing Dog now has an Etsy shop

Kissing Dog Designs now has an Etsy shop! I hope you will pay a visit. I've started out small, but have big plans for expansion. While you're at it, start out by visiting my website, www.kissingdog.com, to see the new layout and the new jewelry designs. You will be able to jump to the Etsy shop from live links on the website, or you can visit directly by going to www.kissingdogdesigns.etsy.com.


This will be my primary method of selling online from now on, but don't forget to visit the website regularly to see new work that may not be intended for Etsy sales.

Thanks, I'll be looking for you on Etsy.