New Spring Works, Part 2

i try to do some new ceramic pendants for each show depending on how much time i have. all but 2 sold, so i was really happy. they are fun to make and a nice departure from metal.

New Spring Works, Part 1

these are two new rings in the granulation series, one shiny and one distressed and oxidized. the disks measure 1.25" in diameter, so its a pretty good size ring. very striking on!

Show Success!

the show was great on saturday, thank you so much to all who came out!! and especially to my ladies that worked it with me, you gals rock! the ONLY down note on the day came the night before when we discovered a flood in the wine cellar, that then seeped into the t.v. room. talk about stress, but the insurance company has been great and it will all get sorted. should have some photos of the newer works up this week. took over 150 photos on the thursday before the show, just haven't had a chance to download them. this week, i promise :) cheers and happy may!

WoW!

has it really been a month since i last posted? where has the time gone? i've been literally chained to the studio desk working away, trying to get ready for my big spring show on may 3rd. there are never enough hours in the day! i do have some new designs ready, but they haven't been photographed yet. i promise to post them as soon as they are! for now, here is the show invite. if you are in the neighborhood, pop on by!

It's time for the 2008 Spring Show and Sale!

Saturday, May 3, 2008
10am - 5pm
2007 Ramsay Street SE
Calgary, Alberta

New designs, Mother's Day gifts, teacher gifts and more!
Light refreshments served.

Questions? 403-262-3795
maddocki@telus.net
http://www.smaddockdesigns.com/

Visa, Mastercard, cheques, cash accepted.

Oval Tree Series

this is the pendant i was suppose to post yesterday, but fell asleep at 8:30! must have needed it :)

New Tree Series

i've expanded the tree series, in anticipation of my spring show. thought this line was particularly fitting for spring :) above is a new pendant and two pairs of earrings all in the teardrop shape. i also did an horizontal oval, but that photo will have to wait for tomorrow. cheers and have a great day!

Motivation

well, back to the studio. time to start getting some stock together for my spring show on May 3rd. why is it i can't seem to get motivated? motivation, its so illusive at times, especially for the artist that works alone. there is something special about just working in the same proximity to another artist. there's an aura, a creative vibe that exists when you work in another artist's presence. not to mention the exchange of ideas and critique. its always a challenge to create that vibe on your own. how do some of you do it? i'd really like to know if you have a secret to keeping the creativity and motivation going. in the meantime, i'll start getting ready for the show :) hope everyone has a great weekend! go out and create something, even if its only mac n' cheese!

above is a collaboration i did with amy weber, an incredibly talented artist in just about any medium. her part is the wonderful crab and egg watercolor. i'm the dot chick. you can check out her blog at the right. cheers!

Cut Day!

well this saturday was the big day...cut day! we ventured down to catalyst hair group to see cherie and it was a fabulous day! i couldn't have hoped for a better experience for bronwyn. she and i had washed our hair that morning and let it dry in anticipation of the cut. the hair has to be clean and dry before donating. when we got to the salon, the lady before bronwyn was so impressed that she gave bronwyn $20 and told her how proud of her she was. after she left cherie told us she is a survivor and was having reconstructive surgery the following week. don't start crying....then came the big moment. she said later she was a little nervous, but we sure couldn't tell! cherie made 2 pony tails and then snip, snip and it was done! she ended up donating 11" of her beautiful hair. then bronwyn got to go for a 'real' wash and head massage! as you can see from the pictures, her new haircut is adorable! we are so proud of bronwyn, we are busting :) to date she has raised $1450 which will almost pay for the manufacture of 2 wigs (her goal was 1). congratulations bronwyn, you are our hero!!

happy, happy birthday to my not-so baby :)

Beyond Savage

okay, today exceeded all expectations and went from savage, directly to HEINOUS! weather like this is frankly inhumane, how did the first settlers do it? i have central heat and i'm freezing! today was a balmy -31C, -49C/F with the windchill. kinda makes ya question why a demented soul would choose to reside here.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

it is freakishly cold here today and tomorrow is going to be worse! high of -15C/5F and that doesn't include the windchill. and its very windy and blizzardy, yuck! tomorrow is going to be unreal; high of -27C/-16.6F without windchill! today is HARSH; tomorrow we venture into SAVAGE! good day for being creative if nothing else :) stay warm and think of us popsicles living in the frozen north!

Angel Hair for Kids

my (almost) 8 year old daughter, bronwyn, has been growing her hair out for over year so she will have 10" to donate to angel hair for kids. angel hair takes hair donations, makes them into wigs and then gives them to children who come from disadvantaged families and have lost their hair from either alopecia, burns or cancer treatments. it cost $800 dollars to manufacture one wig and bronwyn wanted to collect some money to send in with her hair. angel hair doesn't get any government funding, so every dollar donated helps. she wrote a letter for her school and started collecting donations there, as well as from friends and family. she is cutting her hair on february 2nd and to date we already have $700!! thank you to everyone that has donated! i'll be sure to post some post-haircut pictures.

signed, bursting with mama-bear pride, stacey

Discovery

well, i was surfing the net a bit ago. not because i have alot of time on my hands, because i don't, but well, because the computer was there and i was rather comfy resting on my tush and loathe to get up. can you relate? anyway...somehow i came across the blog of maggie steifvater (http://www.portraitswithcharacter.com/). her work is amazing which i was immediately drawn to, but more than that, she is freakin' hilarious! i actually laughed out loud reading her blog! i love that and immediately subscribed. once upon a time i was funnier in my writing. i won't go so far as to say i was 'freakin' hilarious', but mildly funny would be fine. what happened to that humor? something to do with having kids and only 24 hours in the day too few of which are spent on sleeping. that coma-like state that requires a post it note on the computer to remind me of my name. ha! okay mildly funny. i'll work on it after my 15 minute nap....:)-

2008

well, its 2008, happy new year! hope everyone had a lovely holiday! i spent mine in california, a significant temperature difference from canada, let me tell you :) 5 kids under the age of 8, 4 theme parks, 1 zoo, 14 times on the grizzly water adventure ride. crazy you say? nah, we had a blast!

since getting back i haven't been in the studio much, just trying to get organized. all those things i kept putting off to get ready for the show and fill orders are now on a list and slowly getting crossed off. hang in there, i'll post some new stuff soon. can't stay away from the metal for long!

cheers, s

Holidays

hope everyone has a lovely winter solstice, hanukkah, christmas, kwanzaa and new year!

cheers all!

Mooooooooo!

i am in love with my new mini business cards by MOO! check out all the customized goodies at moo.com. the quality is great too!

More New Work

here are some more new pieces, all of which were showcased at my recent fall show. the first photo is some precious metal clay pendants i made from molds i took of old buttons. the middle one came off of my grandmother's coat! the second pic is a piece called corset. third is a new bracelet from the pure geometry series (shapes are near and dear to my heart) and fourth is another granulated pendant. this one paired with a stunning carnelian disk. some will make their way to etsy so keep checking back if you are interested. that, or email me direct. have a great day!

Ramsay Show

had another great sale at the ramsay show today! thank you to everyone who came out, it was alot of fun! more new designs tomorrow, i'm too tired :)

New Work

well my show last saturday was a huge success! thank you so much to everyone who came!! i have another smaller show coming this sunday. if you are in the calgary area, come on by, the details are on my website. here are some rings i showcased at the fall show. they were very well received and i hope to have some up on etsy shortly after sunday. cheers!

Goodbye Dear Friend

He Is Gone

Joel

November 17, 2007

7 Kislev 5768

9:42 a.m. PST

Joel fought very hard, but there were too many infections with too many contradicting cures. He chose to fight with everything the doctors had. His soul hummed inside of him with the rhythms of the ventilator and monitors, and when it broke free I know our prayers carried it upon wings of song back to his Creator. Shalom Joel.

Distressed Granulation

for lack of a better term :) basically i've been on an oxidizing kick lately. in a fit of destruction, i took some of my granulated pendants and hammered the snot out of them! kind of liked the effect and went from that to darkening the recesses to get this. really like the way they've turned out. another crappy photo, but all i've had time for this close to the show. also did some small rings in the same vein. will try to post those tomorrow. cheers!

Tree Cutout Completed

okay, some of you may remember the tree cutout i did a while back. i finally turned it into something! how the pressures of a show will get you offer your posterior. i soldered it to another piece of sheet silver, darkened it using liver of sulphur and then hung it on a chain. the photo is crap, just a quickie taken in the studio with bad lighting, but you get the idea. better pic will eventually make its way to the website. i'm guessing by osmosis since i am so bad about updating it!

Illustration Friday - Hats

my first illo friday in eons! this little crabby fellow wears the greatest hat of all (in his own mind at least). who all can boast they are a king....crab ;) happy day!

Which Tarot are You?

You are The Tower

Ambition, fighting, war, courage. Destruction, danger, fall, ruin.

The Tower represents war, destruction, but also spiritual renewal. Plans are disrupted. Your views and ideas will change as a result.

The Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." You have been shaken up; blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

my friend fran sent me this link. it seems i am a tower, not sure how appropriate it is for me, but i answered the questions as truthfully as possible. what tarot are you?

Happy Halloween!

hope everyone had a happy halloween!

You're Invited!

Stacey Maddock Designs Fall Jewelry Sale

Saturday, November 17th, 2007

10am - 5pm

2007 Ramsay Street SE

Calgary, Alberta

Handmade jewelry designs by Stacey Maddock. Great holiday gift ideas, lots of new designs again this year! Price range: $12-$400. Light refreshments served and new this year, premium loose tea served by Nicole Schon of tnik.com. 10% off purchases over $100. Hope to see you!

E.coli saga continues...

this article was published a couple of days ago, possibly pointing the finger at where the kids got it. scary stuff!


Canadian beef likely cause of US e.coli cases: USDA
ReutersPublished: Friday, October 26, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A defunct Canadian meatpacker is "a likely source" of beef that caused an outbreak of food-borne illnesses in the United States and Canada, the U.S. meat safety agency said on Friday.
Nearly 100 illnesses have been reported due to the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in the two nations. The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service said a comparison of "DNA fingerprints" of beef samples pointed to Ranchers Beef Ltd, of Balzac, Alberta.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service directed U.S. food makers not to use boneless beef "trim" from Ranchers Beef and to hold all raw products made from it until both nations complete the investigation. FSIS delisted Ranchers Beef as an importer on October 20.

In a statement, U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary Richard Raymond said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency provided so-called PFGE patterns from Ranchers Beef products that "helped us determine a likely source of contaminated product which led to the September 29 Topps Meat expanded recall."
The E. coli O157:H7 bacteria can cause diarrhea and dehydration and can be deadly. Children, the elderly and people with poor immune systems are the most susceptible.
A Ranchers Beef spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Topps Meat, the largest U.S. maker of frozen beef patties, recalled 21.7 million pounds of beef. It announced on October 5 that is was going out of business because of the recall.
Ranchers Beef ceased operations on August 15. Some of its products remained in storage and were tested by CFIA as part of its investigation into illnesses in Canada.
The U.S. Center of Disease Control and Prevention said the PFGE patterns from Ranchers Beef matched those from patients who were ill and from beef samples taken by New York state officials, said FSIS.
Some 45 cases of illness caused by E. coli were reported in five Canadian provinces from July to September, including one death, said the CFIA in a statement. It said genetic testing found "the same unique E. coli pattern" in beef from an unnamed meat facility in Alberta that is "currently not operating."
"All remaining product is under detention," said the CFIA.
As of Friday, the CDC reported 40 illnesses under investigation in eight U.S. states.
© Reuters 2007

Hair

wow, looking at the picture below, i realize how crazy long my hair is getting! have no fear though, i'm not turning into howard hughes, i have plans to cut it. soon i hope! my 7 year old daughter and i have been growing our hair for almost a year now and plan to cut it for wigs for kids with cancer. you have to have a minimum of 10" so the cut will be dramatic, even for me. her's is even longer! will keep you posted.

have a great day!

Montreal

pic of me, hubby, sis and bro-in-law right before we pigged out on yet another fantastic montreal meal! se magnifique!

Traveling Fools

or maybe that should be shopping fools! we got back from a 5 day jaunt to montreal last monday. towards the end of the trip we realized we really hadn't done any sightseeing, just shopping! it was a great trip though, spent with my sister and brother-in-law and no kids! we ate at fancy restaurants without having to worry about who's pulling who's hair, throwing food, having a tantrum or refusing to eat. it was grand! came home 5 pounds heavy and many dollars lighter :) pictures to come as they are all on my sister's camera. cheers!

Tree Cutout

i haven't decided what to do with this yet. i'm thinking a pendant, maybe soldered

to another piece and darkened. will have to see.

E.Coli Part 2

thank you everyone for your wonderful emails and support! the little man is doing a lot better, no symptoms anymore, though he still tests positive. it seems it can stay in your system for 12 weeks or so. and my daughter tested positive too even though she is asymptomatic also. she probably had it first and gave it to him. it was interesting talking to the calgary health authority about how they identify the source of the e.coli. it seems they create a genetic profile, match that to other people and then look for a commonality in what or where they ate, where they've been etc. quite the mystery! oh well, we are in germ lock-down here, but other than that fairing well. thank you again, more art posts to come soon!

E.Coli

well i've had a sick little munchkin on my hands the last week. complete with a couple of visits to the emergency room. never realized e.coli was so contagious and that you don't have to have eaten meat to get it. live and learn. he's doing a lot better, though it was a bit of a scare. anyway, that's why i haven't posted in a while. hope to have some new stuff up soon. cheers everyone!

More Ceramics

these two are also currently for sale on etsy...

New Ceramic Pendants

both of these were on etsy, but the littler one already sold!

Goggleworks Auction

my dear friend Adrienne Trafford, who painted my mural (see previous posts), shows and has her studio at the Goggleworks in Pennsylvania. they are having their annual silent auction fundraiser with tons of great art. check it out, all the proceeds go to keeping this wonderful artistic community open and tickin'. Adrienne's piece is last on the auction page and is awesome (see above)! :)

http://www.goggleworks.org/galasilentauction.php

Spiky Earrings

these were a special order for a customer. i hadn't used these gemstones with the spiky series before, but it's always nice when a customer request leads to a nice combo :) so thank you anita!

Rocky Mountaineer Railway

here are just a few pix from our amazing 2 days on the train!

Vangroovy

just returned from a wonderful holiday to vangroovy (aka. vancouver)! spent 2 days on the rocky mountaineer railroad and 4 days in van. it was a fabulous trip! will post some pix tomorrow after i've had a chance to download them all! have a great long weekend!

Ceramics

a couple of these made it to etsy today and the other will be there tomorrow.

thanks for looking and have a great day!