Saturday, December 31, 2011

Quick, Cute and Fabulous

You may have seen this on my craft table.  It actually resides just out of the shot, but I had to show it off.  "Today is a Gift" found on one of my new favorite blogs Crafting Rebellion was my "one creative thing" for yesterday. 



Ready for a New Year

So I cleaned up my work space to get ready for the new year.  I know when I see women's work spaces I'm usually in awe.  They reference their crafting past when they worked in a converted closet or the kitchen table.  Well, I've upgraded from a clear bin to two clear bins and now I've placed my folding table in my bedroom to insure I always have a space to play.  Now I don't spend most of my free time rediscovering all my treasures that I kept packed away in bins. 

Here are some of those treasures:
Above is a project gone wrong that turned out looking like a jellyfish. I've remade this "mistake" in several colors and like it more than the original pattern which I only ever made correctly once.

Above is one of those projects that turned out nothing like I envisioned. It was suppose to be a ruffle bracelet.  I love this so much more.

Here are a few things I'm looking forward to working with in 2012:


Thursday, December 29, 2011

If only I was this dedicated

My son wants a chore chart like his friend has. While looking I ran across this post. If I had six kids I'd probably have to have a book too.  Luckily I only have one, and he's too close to perfect to try again.

Organic Families: How do I stay organized? Let me count the ways...: I was asked the other day if I would share how I 'try' and stay organized with 6 kids so here is a little bit of what I do to keep our ho...

Sunday, December 25, 2011

more play time goodies

Cute little kit for the crafty gal.  A full 8in bracelet which took less than 20 minutes to adorn.
Cute, cheap & quick-perfect task when you need to unwind.
Christmas clips with tiny bells were the perfect thing to keep me in the Christmas spirit while out browsing with all the last minute shoppers Christmas Eve.  Plus having people give me odd looks when my hair jingled made me giggle inside.
Chocolate brown and a champagne pink ribbon for those who can't quite bring themselves to wear bells in their hair "at their age."
Been looking at some chip beads, and didn't know what to do with them.  Then I ran across this.  Maybe a few new color combos to come.
Working on a tiny birdhouse pendant like on the cover of Handcrafted Jewelry, a special issue of Beadwork magazine.  I started with wood & a coping saw from the 100yen store (Japan's version of the only $1 store) and the postage stamp from Mom's Christmas card.
See my tiny version sitting on the cover of the magazine?
green and purple bracelet that I lost before it was finished
here's what I've done so far

Maybe I can get some of these projects finished before I get my big batch of supplies in the mail.  My wonderful husband gave me the perfect Christmas gift-a lot of money to spend on beading supplies-then my mom and sister sent me gift certificates. 
Am I the luckiest girl in the world?  
I sure think so.






My favorite gift

This is a necklace by Maria Grimes that turned out to be my favorite gift this morning.  More of her amazing work in metal, glass and clay can be found at: http://www.gardenpathbeads.com/

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas.  May the spirit of Christmas make this day special for one and all.

Friday, December 23, 2011

What is it?

The stuff kids bring in is often amazing if you take the time to see it the way they do.  This recent find is the size of a large acorn, but has a covering similar to a fruit or vegatable.  It is some sort of plant part, but I have no idea what.  Any ideas?  Little kids still expect parents to know everything and I'd hate to disappoint.

Sat down at the bead table yesterday...finally!

Since I started this blog I've been walking past my bead table rushing through holiday and everyday tasks hoping to be done it time to sit down and play.  It wasn't happening, but I'd been slowly taking all the things off the table that shouldn't have been left there to begin with.  Well, yesterday I just pushed bags and boxes of supplies that hadn't even been removed from their packages aside and made time and space to play.  

Here's a few things I played around with:
1. Pearls and ribbon on a much smaller scale than the popular style I've been seeing.  That is 1/4in ribbon and 3mm pearls.

2. Retro hair barrettes in plush velvet 1/8in ribbon.  Love them.  I found tiny 4mm jingle bells for the ends, but I've yet to get them on.  Not sure what I'm waiting on with Christmas right around the corner.

3. Katiedids components & 4mm Swarovski crystals.  So excited to play with the new components. Now just so sad the rings of crystals have to be glued down.  I was really hoping they would be something I could snip a few wires and change out on a whim.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Blah Day

Thanks to www.sodahead.com where I found this image that sums up my day.  Headache, boys gone, few chores that could easily wait till tomorrow and zero motivation.  Everyone has these days.  Today it seems to be my turn.

Do what you feel

I wish I could remember where I found this so I could credit the source, but I found it hiding in my image folder and wanted to share.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Butterflies

 
It's been raining for days.  No sun means no butterflies. I miss the butterflies today. When I found myself looking at these old pictures and thought I'd share.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Strung Out: Giveaway #9: Inspiring Ice Resin

Strung Out: Giveaway #9: Inspiring Ice Resin: If you are looking for a new direction in which to take your art, or if you have been wanting to try resin but are unsure where to start, ...

 Here are my 3 favorite things to make: resin pendants, quilt block(s), and beaded beads (or rings in the this photo).  For a chance to win some of my favorite resin to play with visit the blog Stung Out (link above).

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Sometimes your best friend knows exactly what will cheer you up!  Thanks to my best friend, my husband.

Monday, December 12, 2011

I can find beads anywhere.

One of the greatest pleasures I get out of my jewelry making is discovering new elements to work with at a shop I've never seen before or even walking on the beach.  While these were not available for me to use it was awesome that I found beads in this tiny museum in Nago.  These were discovered at the site of the Najikin castle ruins.  The Najikin castle was used by the Ryukyuan kingdom to control northern Okinawa in the 14th century.  Great to know seed beading is one passion that has been around long before me and I'm sure will be around long after.  While I'm here I hope to unlock some of the magic of sewing tiny beads into beautiful wearable art.

A worthy trek may have a rocky path.

River trekking is a great way to pass the time in the heat of the summer here in Okinawa.  This is part of one such trek we took to Taa Deki earlier this year.  This picture came to mind today because I have quite a rocky path ahead of me, but no matter what happens along the way I'm sure it will be worth it at the end.


Friday, December 9, 2011

I'm still learning... (Beaded unfavorites)

First step to a better me:  don't be ashamed of your work.  I'm still new to this, and I put a good bit of time into these pieces even if I don't fancy them.  Here are a few less beloved things I've made.  Still so much to learn and try out.