Monthly Archives: October 2012

Oct28

October Fest!! ~Revised, after realizing much of it did not post!!

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October Fest!! ~Revised, after realizing much of it did not post!!

First, a very happy birthday to our gracious hostess, Rita of Toltec Jewels!!! October birthdays are so fun! Just ask my little boy:

He turned two with a whirlwind of cake, balloons (that still float above his highchair) and joyous squeals. Rita, I hope your birthday makes you grin and giggle with the same enthusiasm and excitement!

Fall has always been my favorite season with October being my favorite month as it is in October that Autumn unfurls and blazes forth in all its colorful glory! The sights and smells and the feeling of the crisper air insights within me a frantic twitterpation that I only feel at this time of year. It is my most productive month, filled with crafts, day trips, baking, “fall cleaning” and ending with a bang by attending the Texas Renaissance Festival for All Hallow’s Eve.

Among the crafts I worked on this month was my Autumn Harvest necklace. I love it so much, I made another!!

I created the leaf myself, sawn from copper sheet, then hammered, formed, filed, etches, buffed and oxidized with LOS, creating the incredible swirling of colors not only on the leaf, but on the clasp I made, and the links and everything in between! Have I mentioned I totally love it?! I miss the colors of fall and at this time of year, I try desperately to round them up and surround myself with them in any way, shape or form I can think of!

Living now in the south, I tend to shy away from my oven for about six months out of the year. It’s just too darn hot! So when you catch a whiff of my infamous Banana-Craisan Chocolate chip muffins, you know it must be October and Autumn has arrived!!

It’s also a time I get all excited about fibers again. Crocheting and knitting have a long rooted history in my life, and I have always loved the wide variety of colors, textures and even smells of various yarns. It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that I have taken up spinning, first on a spindle that the Muscle made me (and I continue to use) and now on a spinning wheel. Here is my latest favorite, a very earthy, all natural color tweed-looking ply I made:

Very rustic and soft, I think it would make a great little button down sweater jacket with wood buttons and square pockets on the front. Maybe some felted flowers in muted blues, greens and burgundy? Time will tell!

Here are a few more things that I absolutely love about October and Autumn:

The first leaf to change on my flowering pear tree..

the amazing changes in sunrises…

and sunsets..

sweet baby boots…

and cat naps on chilly days..

We always end our month of October at the Renaissance Festival. We live out in the country, so this is a time our little ones get to use their imagination to dress up, act silly, and beg random strangers for candy. I can’t help but feel a little sad every Halloween, knowing yet another great October has come to an end. But the sights we enjoy at faire are priceless and always find a way to make me smile!

Post Script…
When I returned home, I found that half the post did not upload, as I wanted to add pictures from Faire from Saturday, so I do apologize for having an incomplete post. I should have known better than to trust my not so smartphone to do that job right! Though it seemed it had all uploaded, indeed it did not. So, there is the rest of the post, if any happen to stumble upon it, and thank you again Rita, for including me in your birthday celebratory hop! =^..^=

 

 

Host Toltec Jewels          http://www.JewelSchoolFriends.com
Heather Otto                   http://www.thecrafthopper.com <—————————you are here!!
Mischelle Fanucchi         http://www.micheladasmusings.blogspot.com
Marlene Cupo                  http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com
Shaiha Williams              http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com
Shelly Graham Turner      http://shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com/
Shelly Joyce                   http://www.aujourlejour-shelly.blogspot.com/
Charlie Jacka                  http://clay-space.com/blog/
Pam Sears                     http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Margareta Saari              http://magsinhelmet.blogspot.com/
Marita Suominen             http://momentofjewelry.blogspot.fi/
Lisa Posthumus              https://www.facebook.com/lisa.posthumusharper
Jeannie Dukic                 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewelry-by-Jeannie/242288933007
Cheri Reed                     http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Arlene Dean                   http://aglassbash.blogspot.com/
Duffy Blevins                  http://bubbasjewels1.blogspot.com/
Susan Kennedy             http://suebeads.blogspot.com/
Dita Basu                      http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com/
Sonya Ann Stille            http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com/
Audrey Allen                  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wrapped-Up-In-Magic/145456948869148
Kashmira Patel               http://sadafulee.blogspot.com/
Kathy Lindemer              http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
Kris Mattingly                 https://www.facebook.com/kris.h.mattingly
Lennis Carrier                 http://www.windbent.net/
Shannon Hicks               http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/
Paula Hisel                    http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Karin Slaton                   http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com/
Shirley Moore                 http://www.beadsandbread.blogspot.com/
Alicia Marinache             http://www.allprettythings.ca/
Valeria G. Rome             http://fancysphynxdesigns.blogspot.com/
Lo                                  http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.com/
Zoe Marcin                     http://beadsteaandsweets.blogspot.com/
Carolyn Lawson              http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
Kimberly Booth               http://thepinkmartiniboutique.blogspot.com/
Sherri Stokey                  http://www.knotjustmacrame.com
Tanya McGuire                http://www.tanyamcguire.blogspot.com/
Debbie Rasmussen          http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/
Christine Stonefield          http://sweetgirldesign.blogspot.com/
Sandra McGriff                 http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com/
Renetha Stanziano           http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/
Evelyn Shelby                  http://raindropcreationsbyevelyn.blogspot.com/

Facebook Group Posts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/426147797447039/?fref=ts

Oct11

PDa With Shelley Graham Turner!!

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PDa With Shelley Graham Turner!!

What am I rambling about NOW?? I’m talking about a great idea that Shelley Graham Turner of Tori Sophia had, to help fill the downtime between other Blog Hops and Parties! Having seen the awesome hand made charms, focals and jewelry that Shelley has created, I knew I was in for a treat!

Shelley sent this nifty Bead Soup to play with, and she has an identical soup. The fun, we each create something with the same exact soup, and see what our Creative Muses come up with! It’s been really interesting so far reading Shelley’s blog and seeing the first two PDa’s she has already hosted, and seeing what strikingly different pieces are created using the same exact main components. I can’t wait to see what Shelley has made and hope I have done her fantastic beads justice with my creations!

Grinds My Gears.. I loved the gears Shelley incorporated into this sweet focal beads, and felt they needed to be joined in such a way that suggests they work together to serve a function. I created my pendant using the three gears and two little glass beads Shelley included in the mix. The chain is made with more beads from the Soup, and a few wavy copper disks I had on hand. I used a figure eight/infinity on either end of the bead clusters to add a little length and more pattern, repeating the motion gears usually take-around and around! The rest of the chain is made up of jump rings and S connectors, ending in a hand made crook clasp.

I wanted to use the rest of the soup that Shelley sent, but didn’t feel the necklace needed them. So I made a pair of earrings!

UnaLeaf.. Ever since I saw those little glass leaves, I knew I wanted to wrap them briolette style at the end of a long wire! I used the little unakite, shell and glass beads from Shelley, creating the pins they all hang on, put them on a jump ring and attached them to ear wires I made. I had a heck of a time photographing them (and the necklace, for some reason-I think my poor Nikon D40 may have been dropped one too many times) and feel the pictures do NOT do justice to either the necklace or the earrings! The earrings are ADORABLE! They have a nice movement to them, yet hang ever so nicely, the beads moving politely out of the way of each other while simultaneously highlighting themselves. I left the copper bare in both because I felt the color-the natural *pinkness* found copper- complimented and coordinated perfectly with the entire bead set.
I will take new pics over the weekend with the Muscle’s D7000 and change these pics-he takes that thing everywhere, or I’d have used it!!

This was a fun Hop! Thank you for letting me participate, Shelley! I look forward to joining you in many future endeavors!  =^..^=

Check out what Shelley made, here:

 

 

Oct6

Holiday Bling Blog Hop!!

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Holiday Bling Blog Hop!!

Well, it seems like ages ago that I signed up for this blog hop! Anything that was before “The Wedding” feels like it was eons ago. After the excitement of “The Big Reveal” from the 6the Bead Hop Blog Party (BSBP), I was on the lookout for another fun, sharing event. I caught a post about a holiday swap, and knew I wanted to join! I signed up on Shelley Graham Turner’s blog post, and emailed and yay! I was in!
Part of the reason I wanted to sign up, was that I worried how deflated I would be after the crescendo of the wedding/trip to Oregon, and needed something that I HAD to get done, so as not to disappoint my partner, or break the rules of the swap.

My partner for this hop is Lori Bowring Michaud, of Artfully Ornamental. Lori and I have never met, never chatted, and really never knew much about each other before this hop other than that we had both been in Lori Anderson’s 6th BSBP. Since I wanted to make something that would hold far more meaning to Lori, something that was more than “just an ornament” from a swap, I started reading her blog. I think I learned a lot about Lori from the words she wrote, and words she didn’t write. Her love of family and community. Her love of the ocean and art. Her search for peace. Because, isn’t that something we all search for? Something we all long to have surrounding us as we go about our day to day lives? With that in mind, I created an ornament from the heart that I hope Lori will not only be proud of to hang on her tree year and year, but one that makes her smile every time she sees it.

Lori has a great talent in hand painted stained glass ornaments. She sent me a link to the lion ornament she made her daughter last year, and it is just adorable! I knew I was in for a treat and was so excited when my package arrived:

Lori included a handmade card with such a beautiful picture of the beach on it. We have so much in common-we both love to have a hand in a wide variety of crafts and the hand made card just added to the specialness of this swap.  I was surprised to see two boxes and immediately worried that I should have done more, sent more. Having lived much of my adult life overseas, it is something I have sustained from that culture-when someone gives you anything, a gift or what have you, you must go one step above and beyond when you return the sentiment. But I am learning that that isn’t what giving is about. When you give from the heart, the physical object is merely a means of conveyance. That doesn’t mean that the object is any less important. It means that no matter how big or small, it is the perfect gift for that person.

Lori’s ornaments to me were perfect. I am originally from the north east, and I do miss the joys of snow days, hot cocoa after sled riding, or that certain hush that only comes in the evening as the snow falls, when the world is covered with a thick white shimmering blanket, the dark outlines of bare trees in the distance.. Lori sent me a little bit winter, conjuring childhood memories so sharp, I can smell the snow, my head tilted back, eyes closed, snowflakes brushing on my cheeks,  sometimes landing on my forehead for a split second before bursting into a water droplet. Thank you, thank you Lori! Thank you for these beautifully sweet ornaments that take me back to a time in my life where my world was so small, that I couldn’t fit anything but peace and happiness in it! I will treasure these adorable mitten ornaments for the rest of my days and they will adorn my trees, prominently displayed year after year. <3

After pondering for days and days on how exactly to create Lori’s ornament, slowly building it in my head, then sketching it in my book, and finally trifling through my supplies to make sure I had the exact ingredients I was conjuring in my head, I began. While visiting Oregon for I+A’s wedding, we went to the west coast. There we scoured the beach for sea glass (none found), rocks (a ton brought home), and useful pieces of driftwood that we could create simple works of art with that will always make us smile as we reminisce about our trip. Little did I know at that time that I had found the perfect basis of my ornament to Lori.
Lori loves to walk on the beach. She finds all sorts of treasures-sea glass,  rocks, white periwinkle shells. She loves the beach, the sights, smells, sounds. The feel of the breeze. In her words to me, I read more. I read that there, walking the beach along the ocean with all its saltiness, calling birds and rolling waves, there is where she finds peace. With that in mind, I created her ornament, copper, drift wood from the west coast, red bamboo coral, mother of pearl star.

To bring a little bit of the ocean air to the waves, I used my new favorite patina method of salt and ammonia to the “waves”. A hand made hook finishes off the ornament.

This was a great blog hop, thanks to Shelley Graham Turner of  Tori Sophia and Marlene Cupo of Amazing Designs for dreaming up and organizing this swap/hop, and a great big hug and thank you to my swap partner Lori!!

Please visit our other participants blogs and see what great creations they made and received as well!

Michelle Fanucchi http://micheladasmusings.blogspot.com
 Monique Urquhart http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com
Therese Frank http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com
Heather Otto http://www.thecrafthopper.com
Jo-Ann Woolverton  http://itsabeadifulcreation.blogspot.com
Linda Florian http://lilysofthevalleyjewelry.blogspot.com
Debbie Rasmussen http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com
Alicia Marinache http://www.allprettythings.ca
Ginger Bishop http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com
Lo/  Lynn Jobber  http://thecreativeklutz.blogspot.com
Leanne Loftus http://firstimpressiondesign.blogspot.com
Rita/Toltec Jewels http://www.toltecjewels.blogspot.com
Shelly Joyce http://www.aujourlejour-shelly.blogspot.com
Shai Williams http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com
Lori Bowring Michaud http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com
Lennis Carrier http://www.windbent.net
Marla Gibson http://spiceboxdesigns.blogspot.com
Mary Howell Govaars http://mlhjewelrydesigns.com
Linda Younkmann www.lindysdesigns.blogspot.com
Shirley Jones Moore http://www.beadsandbread.blogspot.com
Melinda Orr http://www.orrtec.blogspot.com
Marlene Cupo http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com
Shelley Graham Turner http://shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Sonya Stille  http://dreaminofbeads.blogspot.com
Dyanne Cantrell http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com
Anindita Basu http://www.alankarshilpa.blogspot.com
Dee Elgie  http://cherryobsidia.blogspot.com
Gina Hockett http://freestyleelements.blogspot.com
Lori Jean Poppe http://lorillijeanscreativecorner.blogspot.com
Charlie Jacka http://clay-space.com/blog
Stephanie Stamper (Woods) http://skwds.blogspot.com
Mary Hicks, Shannon Hicks http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com