Trees To The Gallery

I delivered a set of "Trees" to the Live Life Love Life Gallery before the holiday. I happen to live adjacent to two tourist towns and during the Summer and major holidays, we, locals, do as many errands as possible during the week. This week was a rush. I happen to love this design. I've put one on the front door and the back door of my house. I rarely keep something made for the gallery...yeah, I like them a lot. The inspiration is directly from my grandmother's yards, the place I played all the time. I'm enjoying figuring out how to make the flowers...like hollyhocks, roses, phlox, daffodils. These items have sparked a period of creativity that I'm not bored with yet! I do love trees.

Three Harlequin Tins

I'm totally absorbed in creating these tins. After making my oldest grandson's tin for his birthday, I have been "binge-ing" making more. Here are three I took to the gallery. />

Bead Soup Blog Party 2014: Reveal - May 10

Once again Lori Anderson, Pretty Things, has organized and hosted another awesome blog party. Each artist sends a partner a collection of beads, including a focal bead and a creative clasp. My partner is Carolyn Lawson of Olympia, Washington. Her blog is http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com and below is the "soup" she sent me. Please, visit her blog to see the "soup" I sent her and what amazing beaded item she made with it! Find the list of links for all 461 participants and partners here: www.beadsoupblogparty.com Please, cut and paste as I can only get one link here for my partner. Enjoy!

I fell in love with the red Swarovski crystals and had to create something with them. I located a strand of 4mm black onyx beads that were just right. Off I went using the crystals, the lamp work bead and the beautiful silver clasp. It is opera length, so there is a variety of ways to wear this strand. Long opera length necklace, a shorter double strand necklace and, my favorite, a wrapped bracelet.

The rest of the soup just broadcast one of my favorite color combinations, jade/moss green and burnt sienna/terracotta. I proceeded to create polymer clay beads to coordinate with these beautiful focal beads. I made 28, 13mm striped rounds and 10, 17mm discs and drilled them to slide onto a waxed, woven linen cord. I wanted to keep the sizes coordinated, so the piece would appear to be an organic whole. There was a large square bead of green moss agate and a large teardrop of picture jasper to use for the focals but, I was unable to drill the hole out for the moss agate. Hence, it didn't appear in my finished piece. Fortunately, the terracotta complimented the greens I had created and all is well.

2014 Bead Soup Blog Party: My Soup

This month I am involved with the 2014 Bead Soup Blog Party. I did it last year, remember the story necklaces? Again, it is a Lori Anderson party. Shown below is the soup I received from Carolyn Lawson living in Olympia, WA. The reveal for all participants is early May. Watch for the blog posts about our amazing bead goodies.

Charm Swap Reveal 2014

These are the awesome charms I received in this year's Charm Swap. The two little books are beautiful. The variety of techniques and mediums is always interesting, like the counter top green and white swirl and the "Pinky Swear" delicate charm. I included one of my charms so I can document the group of charms from that specific swap. Thank you Onamentea for organizing this delightful project.

2014 Charm Swap Begins

I had so much fun participating in the first charm swap a couple of years ago, I contacted Ornamentea and OMG, the annual swap is on right now for 2014. I created eight charms and mailed seven charms today to Raleigh, NC. I like to keep one of my own so I have a set for that swap. For the swap, I will be getting back seven handmade charms from seven artists that are new to me. Cynthia at Ornamentea sponsors this swap in her shop in Raleigh, NC. I'll post the handmade charms that I receive when they arrive. Here are my charms ready to ship.

Converted Mini-Vase

Finished polymer clay and glass genie bottle.

4th Annual Ornament Blog Hop

It's so exciting to be participating in Art Bead Scene's ornament blog hop again. The timing of Thanksgiving to Christmas this year is so short. Do you feel rushed, too? Anyway, I just finished my ornaments and the photo session which includes the shoot and editing. I could have shared something already created, as I make and use art beads all the time. Just like most of you. But I really wanted to experiment with a new polymer clay, to me, named Frost. So, I started with Frost mixed with white and glitter. After discovering it's pliability I started using my tiny cutters to combine and create snowflakes. This was fun. I assembled them on the baking tiles and after three rounds in the oven and adding multiple dots and shapes, this is the journey.

I reread the ABS e-mail about our requirements and decided snowflakes were not beads, even though they are entirely handmade. So, I set out to make an art bead to use. I chose to work with the Pearl polymer and after working the clay I glanced to my right. There was a doily my mother made for me and that's lacey...like a dress an angel might wear. Of course, I proceeded to run that sheet of Pearl through my pasta machine with the doily. Voila, lace imprint. Played with more fabric, circle cutters, sizes, and configurations to create an angel bead.

Satisfied with the days adventure, I started taking photos. You will notice the difference in the lighting from my work table light to the flash and white to black bleed in the background. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays to each of you. I hope to successfully post The links for all the participating artists are here: http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2013/12/ornamentbloghop2013.html

Cookie Tins New Wave

Every year I have admired and purchased those rolled cookies that come in a tin. I need to add that it was the tin I wanted...Jesse always eats the cookies. This year I discovered new tins at the store filled with cookies, I bought all twelve tins. I give the cookies away and now have this incredible stash of tins to decorate. First one here...for my oldest Grandson's B-Day.