Ruby Lane Creative Hands Newsletter for December 2003

Creative Hands
Ruby Lane's monthly newsletter celebrating the Arts & Crafts
community
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Welcome to Creative Hands!

IN THIS ISSUE:
o Need Holiday Gift Ideas? We Can Help!
o Visit Ruby Lane's Artisan Shops for Great Holiday Gifts
o Holiday Featured Artisan: Carol Augustine of PMC Studio Art Jewelry
o Holiday Show Sampler
o Share Creative Hands With A Friend
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NEED HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS? WE CAN HELP!

The holidays are upon us. And if you're stumped as to what to
get those on your list this year, allow us to be of service!
We invite you to visit our brand new Holiday Gift Idea Page from
the link on our home page. Once there you'll be asked to
specifiy the type of person the gift is for, and your desired
price range. The results will yield from dozens, to hundreds of
great gift ideas to choose from, along with photos, and a link
directly to each item!

We look forward to seeing you there!

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VISIT RUBY LANE'S ARTISAN SHOPS FOR GREAT HOLIDAY
GIFTS

December is a month for celebrations and we, at Creative Hands,
are celebrating the magnificent artisans of Ruby Lane. They are
true craftsman, toiling with their own hands to create beautiful
works of art. Their tools are often simple and basic, their
dreams real and their intentions sound. They are pilgrims on a
journey of self-discovery, searching for a creative light,
turning inward for ideas and inspiration. Their reward, a sense
of accomplishment for a job well done and the feeling of joy
that accompanies it. We would like to thank the artisans of Ruby
Lane for continuing to produce items of quality and beauty like
the artisans of the past.

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HOLIDAY FEATURED ARTISAN: CAROL AUGUSTINE OF PMC STUDIO ART JEWELRY

Becoming a jewelry artist happened quite by accident. It wasn't
planned and not something I ever truly aspired to, at least not
the jewelry part. Working with my hands had always come
naturally to me, and as a young girl I coveted and signed up for
every art class offered at school. I was a dreamer - not
"reality based" or so it was said. In the real world, you took
shorthand and typing, and you grew up to be a secretary or if
you were really lucky, an airline stewardess. I have to admit I
played along, always putting my desire to create art after
everything else. But I never stopped learning about art, or the
processes by which one created art. Between studies at the
university, private classes, books and countless projects - I
learned. I made clothes from leather, sculpture from brass and
cooper, pots from clay and strung countless strands of beads. I
painted, I doodled, I dreamed.

One day while frequenting one of my favorite bead shops, I
noticed they were having a class and I poked my head in the
door. They were working with something new, a type of clay that
when fired became precious metal. They were making wonderful
centerpieces for jewelry with their hands. I was amazed. My work
and my art have not been the same since that day. Everything I
had ever learned about the subject of art, its history, its
execution and its many expressions became relevant. I went on to
become a certified teacher of Precious Metal Clay and a jewelry
artist.

Today, I create one-of-a-kind, studio jewelry from precious metal clay,
gemstones and pearls. I am drawn to the natural forms and organic
elements of the different art movements that were inspired by
nature à Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Arts and Crafts. I dream - I create.

You can see Carol's creations at PMC Studio Art Jewelry.

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HOLIDAY SHOW SAMPLER

There is still time to catch a holiday craft show if you'll be
in any of the following areas on these dates:

Dec. 9-14, 2003, Gallery 21, Bead Society of San Diego County,
Spanish Village, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA Special Showing:
9-11-01 Memorial Quilt - Ends Dec. 10th

Dec. 12-14, 2003, Christmas Jubilee, Oregon Convention Center,
Portland, OR

Dec. 13 -14, 2003, Winter Wonderland Of Arts & Crafts, Civic
Center, Old Greenwich, CT

Dec. 27-28, 2003, New Year's Weekend Art Fair, Extravaganza Bell
County Expo, Center, Belton, TX

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SHARE CREATIVE HANDS WITH A FRIEND

Did you enjoy this issue of Creative Hands? Do you know others
who would enjoy receiving it? We invite you to forward this
issue to those you know who also appreciate and enjoy arts &
crafts.