Time Flies!

Where does the time go? I haven't posted in 6+ weeks, not that many read the blog (my kids do - hi!) very often. It was summer the last time I posted! I had made a promise to myself that I'd post at least once a week; I so look forward to reading new posts on my favorite blogs and am sometimes disappointed if a blogger hasn't posted in a while. This is my busiest time at work and I'm mentally drained when I get home. It doesn't leave much time for being creative. Oh, how I wish I could work from my studio full-time - perhaps someday.

I have, however,  managed to fit a small amount of creativity into the last few weeks though! Saturday, October 6 is the reveal day for the Holiday Bling Blog Hop ornament swap hosted by both Shelley Graham Turner of The Fabric of My Life blog and Tori Sophia, and Marlene Cupo of the Amazing Designs blog. Well, this is right up my alley! My blog name is in large part due to the fact that I love handcrafted Christmas ornaments. I've been making them for my kids and giving them to family and friends for years.

 Gabi's original plaid skirt ornament.

When my youngest graduated from high school several years ago, each girl in her class received as part of her graduation present from the school an ornament that I designed. Gabrielle attended a small, all-girl Catholic high school and part of her uniform was a plaid skirt. This ended up being a group effort involving family and friends gathered around my dining room table working on a  project they hadn't signed up for. While there were only 59 girls in her class, I had bit off a bit more than I could chew. I had a plan and drew up a calendar - knew what I needed to do, broke it down into small pieces..... In the midst of this I had surgery. I thought I'd be physically able to do more than I ended up being able to do.

The production crew. You can't see the supportive husbands drinking beer in the living room! 

I was WAAAYYYY behind the 8-ball. I mentioned it to one of the moms, who rallied a couple of our friends, who brought several daughters along with my mom and oldest daughter. Each person had a task and each ornament was passed from person to person to complete each assigned task. It was wonderful! At the end, each girl had a very special, unique ornament to remember her high school years with.

Why are there 3 additional, different ornaments? Gabrielle already had a skirt, blouse and lion face so I made her a mortar board. Another friend had a skirt and blouse so she got a lion face and a third had a skirt already so she received a blouse.

Sneak peak of the ornament I've sent to Heather

For this swap I have been paired with the lovely Heather Otto of The Craft Hopper blog and Mama's Craft Room. I so hope she likes her ornament, sent with love all the way from the crisp fall air of Maine to the still very warm state of Texas! Heather describes herself as having CAADHD - Crafty Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - whelp, that about sums me up. I haven't met a craft I didn't like! I have the materials to do a good many things I haven't attempted yet. I can't even list them for you because it's so embarrassing. I need to win the lottery so I can stay home full-time again and just create. I feel like Heather and I are kindred spirits - we are both married to Tims, I too stayed home with my kids when they were young, we both have a bunch of kids close in age (I managed to fit one more into the mix), and we both love to dabble. So, stop back on October 6 for the reveal! I've received my ornament from Heather and I'm blown away at the artistry and craftsmanship. As many ornaments as I've made and gifted, I've never had an ornament made just for me. It is so lovely I just want to cry!

I'll have to write and schedule my post because I'll be at my first ever art retreat, Art Is...You in Stamford, CT! I am so excited I can't stand it!!

Photo and earrings by Diana Ptaszynski

Following all that excitement is the Mismatched Earring Swap reveal on October 16 hosted by the ever lovely Diana Ptaszynski of  Suburban Girl Beads and Suburban Girl Studio. This was a challenge on multiple levels. Not only have I never made a truly mismatched pair of earrings, but I am paired with Lesley Watt of Thea too  her handcrafted metal clay jewelry component shop and THEA jewellery her artisan jewelry shop. Lesley is one seriously talented woman. She is an amazing jewelry designer, it's a bit daunting. Each earring must contain at least one art bead. I made mine, again daunting. I so hope she likes the earrings I've sent to her. Gabrielle liked them (and wanted them) so that's a plus in my corner! Please be sure to check back on October 16th for the reveal!

Sneak peak of the earrings I've sent to Lesley

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

6th Bead Soup Blog Party, 2nd Reveal

Well, good day to you! Thanks for stopping by on this second installment of the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party, 2nd Reveal! First, a great big thank you to our hostess with the mostess Lori Anderson of Pretty Things. Lori, thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to hosting this wonderful creative opportunity for us all! Lori has a book coming out early this fall! There are 400 talented designers participating in the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party so we're revealing in 3 different installments.

Let's get right to things, you've got a lot of hoppin' to do! My partner for this swap is Leslie Wayment of AA Beads & More in Sebastian, FL. It was pretty daunting putting a soup together for a bead store owner (Leslie's also a full-time pharmacist AND she cabs rocks - I don't know how she does it!)! I think I gave her a soup to give her a little bit of a challenge!

My soup to Leslie

Leslie was very generous in her soup to me, in shades of red and blue:

I am VERY proud of myself. I was able to get 2 pieces made (I have a third started which I'll finish this weekend) and they were made and photographed a week ago! That never happens! The first piece is a necklace using most of the beads from the soup, the focal, and the gold toned clasp. I decided to do a simply strung necklace that was symmetrical. I haven't strung a symmetrial necklace in a long while.

Oh, how my Gram and my Aunt Madeleine would have loved this necklace! Those gals loved their red, white and blue!

For my second piece I made a bracelet. I had ordered one of Heather Powers' starfish connectors in a new colorway, sandy shores, and shortly after I received it I received my July Simple Truths Sampler Club from Erin Prais-Hintz. Well, as I looked at them with my soup my wheels started spinning. I used 3 of the red beads Leslie sent me, along with Heather's focal, both of Erin's small pendants, sea glass I drilled and a clasp I fashioned from sea glass. I love it!

 Thanks for stopping by! Check out Leslie's reveal here and grab a cuppa' to check out all of the other lovely creations!

Hostess, Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

Adlinah Kamsir, Dream Struck Designs

Adrienn Lukacs, Raszputyin Designs

Agata Grygiel, Cytherea Bijoux

Alenka Obid, Pepita Handmade

Amy Dickerson, Damyjo Designs

Amy Schmidt, Amy's Treasure

Amy Severino, Amy Beads

Ana Krepel, Cat's Pajamas, Dog's Tuxedos

Andra Weber, Andra's Joyful Journey

Andrea Trank, Heaven Lane Creations

Anke Humpert, Anart Island Studios

Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye

April Grinaway, Brooklyn Bead Goddess

Ashley Bunting, Miss Ashely Kate

Astrid Boyce, Astrid Boyce Beads

B.R. Kuhlman, Mixed Mayhem Studios

Barb Fernald, Barbara S. Fernald Jewelry

Barbe Saint John, Saints and Sinners

Beata Benkone Meggyesi, Beahobbi

Brandy McNair, Bella Vita Handmade Jewelry

Bryna Lumb, Bryna's Bead Box

Carmen Lau, Little Maketto

Cate van Alphen, Fulgorine

Cathie Carroll, Cathie Carroll's Studio

Cathy Khoury, Touch Jewelry

Christina Stofmeel, Feng Beads

Collette Collins, Fire Fly Myst Artisan Jewelry

Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul

Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons

Cynthia Abner, Created Treasures

Deana Hager, Just Deez'Art & Life

Debbie Davis, Natural Treasures by Deb

Debbie Phenes, Deb Joy Sing

Debbie Rasmussen, A Little of This, A Little of That

Dhea Powers, Java Bead

Diana Welte, Lilyweeds

Dita Basu, alankarshilpa

Dorota Zeranska, gdymamczas

Dot Lewallwn, Speedie Beadie

Eleanor Snare, The Magic Square Foundation

Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

Emma Todd, A Polymer Penchant

Eva Sherman, Eva Sherman Designs

Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead and Metal Works

Francy Inman, Francy's Studio

Ginger Bishop, lilmummy likes...

Giorgia Rossini, Jo in Wonderland

Ine Vande Cappelle, Jewels by Ine

Iveth Caruso, Creative Atelier

JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

Jackie Ryan, Kydo Jewellery

Jeannie Dukic, Jeannie's Blog

Jelveh Jaferian, Jelveh Designs

Jenna Tomalka, Twin Birch Studio

Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Beads

Jennifer Van Horn, Jennifers Jewels and Junk

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Johanna Rhodes-Nash, Fire Phoenix Creations

Joyce Blair, Bent Wire West Coast

JuLee Wolfe, The Polymer Penguin

Karen Vincent, Swallow Tail Jewellery

Karin Slaton, Backstory Beads

Kayla Potega, The Eclectic Element

Kim Dworak, CianciBlue

Krafty Max, Krafty Max Originals

Kris Lanae Binsfeld, Cherish Designs by Kris Lanae

Kristen Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs

Kumi Fisher, Malie Kai Designs

Kym Hunter, Kym Hunter Designs

Lennis Carrier, Windbent

Leslie Wayment, AA Beads & More

Linda Florian, Lilys of the Valley Jewelry Creations

Linda Murphy, Bonita Bead

Lisa Johnson, Whimsey Wonders

Lisa Lodge, Pine Ridge Treasures

Lisa Sittniewski, Love, Yesterdays

Lois Moon, Que Onda, Q'Town?

Lola Surwillo, Bead Lola Bead

Lorelei Eurto, Lorelei's Blog

Lori Bowring Michaud, Artfully Ornamental (you are here)

Lori Callahan, Dancing Wire and Beads by Lori

Lori Finney, Using My Beads

Marcia Dunne, The Alternative Foundry

Margareta Saari, Mags-koruja

Maria Horvath, Horimarika Beads

Marian Hertzog, M's Place 

Mary Ellen Parker, BeeTree by m.e.

Mary K McGraw, MK's Creative Musings

MaryLou Holvenstot, time2cre8

Martha Aleo, Ornamento

Maybeline Tay, The Jewelry Larder

Megan Collins, Churchy & Her Sailor

Melissa Meman, Art. Life. Love.

Melissa Mesara, One-Eared Pig Beads

Melissa Muir, Kelsi's Closet Jewelbox

Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

Pam DeBoer, Purple Notes from the Studio

Pam Farren, re-maker

Pam Hurst, Pam Hurst Designs

Patricia Handschuh, The Color of Dreams

Patty Miller, CabariBeads

Penney Klapoth, Faerie Acres

Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings

Rhea Freitag, starrgazer creates

Rochelle Brisson, A Creative Chelle

Sabine Dittrich, PerlenDschungel

Sandra McGriff, Creative Chaos

Sandra Neights, Petalo Azul

Sandra Young, It's a Bead Life!

Sara Oehler, SoftFlex Girl

Saturday Sequins, Saturday Sequins

Shanti Johnson, Sunshine Bliss

Shari Replogle, Plays With Paper

Sonya Stille, Dreamin' of Beads

Stefanie Teufel, Stefanies Sammelsurium

Tammie Everly, TTE Designs

Tania Spivey, Moobie Grace Designs

Tanya Wiles, Tenebrous Hollow Studio

Therese Frank, Therese's Treasures

Tina Holden, Polymer Clay Bytes!

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Tracey Nanstad, A Beadiful Mess

Tracy Choy, BumbleBeads Designs

Valerie Norton, Hot Art

It's Almost Bead Soup 6 Reveal Day!

This Saturday, August 11, is the second reveal date of 3 reveal dates (July 28 was the first and August 25 is the third) for the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party hosted by the hostess with the mostest, Lori Anderson! I'm paired with Leslie Wayment of AA Beads for this hop.

This is the soup I sent to Leslie, I can't wait to see what she makes with it:

 This is the soup Leslie sent to me, she was very generous:

Believe it or not, I've actually already completed two pieces for the hop from my soup - I'm so pleased with myself that I'm not last minute! I might actually have time to complete one more!

Come back on Saturday to see the reveal and the list of participants for the second hop!

Welcome to the family!

This  boy…..

 Matt

met this girl.....

Katie

a little over a year and a half ago. She’s lovely, she sparkles. 

Katie & Matty

She’s helped make this boy into the man his mama has always known he could be. Thankfully, his mama didn’t raise a dummy! 

Shock and Awe!

He’s asked her to marry him and she said YES! May you both always remember in the future how madly, deeply in love you are today. 

We are one very happy family! Welcome to the family sweetheart!

Lorelei Eurto/Keirsten Giles Cone Challenge!!

O.K., late to the party. I thought I had the scheduled post worked out, guess not. Anyhoo,

Good morning! Welcome to the Cone Challenge!! Keirsten Giles of The Cerebral Dilettante and Lorelei Eurto have teamed up for a wonderful challenge using copper cones handcrafted by Keirsten. She sent 6 different sets of cones to Lorelei for the challenge. Lorelei kept a set to participate with and she randomly selected 5 of her readers to participate as well. Lucky, lucky me! Above is a picture of the etched, patinated cones I received. How lovely!

When I saw Lorelei's post about the challenge, I knew right away what I'd make if I were selected. Now, conceptualizing and creating are sometimes two different things. As Sally Jean Alexander says "embrace the imperfection". I have a lot to embrace with this first piece, but I love it regardless.

I turned the big 5-OH last Friday. I have been contemplating this event for the past year. I haven't looked at it with dread like I did turning 40, but I've been doing a lot of reminiscing - wishing I'd done some things differently and glad I've done some things the way I have. So, when I saw the cones I thought they'd make a cute party hat. I am not a mixed-media artist, I think that's clear in this piece. I also have lovely handwriting, I'm complimented on it regularly - you wouldn't know that from this piece. I apparently need lines. Anyway, I'm embracing the imperfection:

It says, "She decided to live her life with the glass half full so that when the calendar turned to 50, the lines on her face were more from laughter than crying.....". That's me, I think I was either 1 or 2, I'm thinking 2. I sawed the back off the cone and made it into a party hat. I added a piece of a fluffy chenille stem to the bottom of it and a sparkly pom-pom to the top, and edged the wooden piece with black and white glass tiles. The little balloon is a piece my daughter Gabrielle soldered and enameled in her metalsmithing class last fall. I thought it looked like a little balloon.

What did I do with the piece, which was actually 2 pieces because of the seam, that I sawed off the back? Well, I did what any bead lover would do, I made 2 copper beads. Just like making crescent rolls.

I need to file the sharp tips.

The next piece I have titled "Flotsam and Jetsam". Beachcombing is my favorite pastime and I wanted to make a beachy talisman with the other cone. So, I made a tassel focal with the second cone and added one of the two copper beads I made to it. The tassel also includes a lampworked disc and drop, some stones, Swarovski crystal, drilled sea glass, lucite beads from the Beadin' Path, some Czech glass, and metal charms - all dangling on waxed linen cord and embroidery thread. It's wired with copper wire, lucite spacers and a triangle bead. I've connected to a bronzy toggle. Pardon the cruddy pics:

The remainder of the necklace is made with MOP donuts from Michael's, copper jump rings, vintage copper chain from the Beadin' Path, a delightful little copper shell clasp from Joanne Tinley of Daisychain Extra and some wonderful enameled filigree beads from my Pantone Spring 2012 bead swap with Keri Lee Sereika of Pink Lemonade. I LOVE this necklace! It's twisting just a tiny bit around the clasp, so I need to tweak it, but I love it.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please stop by the other participants blogs to see their lovely creations!

Lorelei Eurto: http://www.lorelei1141.blogspot.com/

The Crazier Sister http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/

BeadBug http://www.CopperGlassAndRecycledTrash.blogspot.com/

Yay!Jewelry http://yayjewelry.blogspot.com/

Jen Judd http://jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com/

Give Kids A Chance - The Tamarindo Foundation

John Guiliano (center in black) and some of the Tamarindos

Good day to you! I'm asking that folks who stop by my little slice of cyberspace take a hop on over to my daughter Gabrielle's blog Seeds of a Sunflower to read her blog post today about the Tamarindo Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit) it's founder John Guiliano, and his rapidly upcoming trek across America Give Kids A Chance Tour to raise funds for his Tamarindos.

John is a fascinating man who has given selflessly for over twenty years to the people of Guarjila (in the Chalatenango province), El Salvador, near the border of Honduras. This area was devastated by the twelve year civil war (1980-1992) in El Salvador. The goal of the Tamarindo Foundation is to raise money to help the children of Guarjila and their families who were displaced economically and socially with opportunity for healthcare, jobs and micro-business development, education, spirituality, and fostering community pride and civic action.

While my family is not a family of means, we do not do without. I know very, very few people who cannot afford to donate, even a small amount, to help such a wonderful organization help so many with so little. I'm asking my readers, my family and my friends to go to the Give Kids A Chance Tour donation page and make a donation.

In-line hockey as well as bicycling and arts and crafts activities are a big hit with the kids.

It takes a village, will my village help?

Peace,
-L

Simple Truths Celebration Hop - Redux

Ahhhh, this is so much better! I'm back with a second attempt at Miss Erin's Simple Truths Celebration. First, excuse the lint on my necklace bust (where is the lint brush when one needs one?). Second, sorry for the poor pictures. Photographing jewelry is hard! For seven years I have owned, and haven't taken out of the box, a Table Top Studio. It's a white fabric cube that unfolds and you take your pictures inside it. Whelp, mine unfolded from the little pouch into a right angle. Don't even ask - half an hour and I couldn't open it to the cube. I shall try another day with a glass of wine.....

Anyhoo, I wasn't very happy with my first attempt at this necklace. The asymmetry wasn't balanced at all. So, I removed the Lucite tube, added more pearl/crystal links and found a brass chain that worked size-wise. MUCH better. In ended up leaving the upper and lower crystals on the other side (I may remove the small MOP button dangle, not sure yet).

Did you know that coconut oil is a liquid? I didn't. Why, you ask, did I not know it is a liquid? Well, when I bought mine at the beginning of May I expected a liquid when I opened the lid. What I found was a solid, sort of waxy substance. I was a little surprised as it said coconut "oil". So, this morning when I pulled the container out of the cupboard and whipped off the lid, I wasn't being careful. What does that translate to? - coconut oil all over the granite counters and oak flooring! When it's 90ish for days on end solid coconut oil turns into liquid coconut oil. Please learn from my pain.

What does this have to do with anything you ask? Well, a little trick when working with sea glass is to rub coconut oil into it. Most of the sea glass I find is brown, white and some green (and a little bit of other colors). The brown and green can look very, very flat and, I hate to say it, unattractive. When it's wet, it glows and is beautiful. So, you can give your sea glass a little bit of a glow by rubbing coconut oil into it. It doesn't get rancid over time, it just gives a lovely little glow to your glass.

In my post last Friday I said I'd be making my own clasp based on The Art of Closure e-course I took with Deryn Mentock. As I was thinking about which clasp I would make from the course, I thought about drilling a piece of sea glass as part of it. Then the mail arrived yesterday with some clasps I ordered from Joanne Tinley of Daisychain Extra and I started re-thinking my design - and BAM here it is:

Yup, and look at that untucked wire wrap in there with all the lint.....

My soldering could be better and the hook could be a tiny bit smaller, but I was rushing and I was excited - I love it!!

Now, about the pearls - when my dear friend Roxanne's grandfather passed away a few years ago my husband and boys helped her clean out her grandparent's home. This was her childhood home, Wilfred and Arlene had raised her. It was a large task to undertake in a week's time but they did it. There were some items that Rox didn't want, but that I felt were things that shouldn't be discarded. One of them was a multi-strand freshwater pearl necklace. I tucked it away with the intent to reinvent it some day. These pearls are from that necklace. They smell like Arlene, which reminds me of my grandmother Dot and how I loved the smell of her handbag. It had the gram smell - her Halston perfume, lipstick and that undefinable "gram" scent. Gram's and Arlene's scents are different but there is a comfort there. There will be something, I'm not sure what yet, headed to Rox and her daughter Amanda later this summer with these pearls a part of it.

The sentiment on the back of Miss Erin's little owl is also a reminder to me, not that I really need one, of our beautiful T.J.for a number of reasons - but in this, to live each day to the fullest, to see and feel the beauty of each day makes us feel alive. Thank you again Erin for hosting such a sweet hop!