Oktober Fest!!

Oktober Fest!!

Ok, it isn’t even September yet, so what am I rambling about *nao*??  Well, Toltec Jewels of Jewel School Friends is having a Blog Hop in celebration of October, and all its Autumny delights, to be revealed October 28th, Toltec Jewels’ birthday!! Being that October is my favorite month, since it contains my favorite holiday-Halloween- and is the kick off of my favorite season-Autumn, I signed right up, and cannot wait to get started on the items and goodies I will be whipping up for the occasion! So check back, October 28th, or any other day leading up to it, as I am sure I will be whipping many yummy, gorgeous delights the entire month!

 

6th Bead Soup Blog Party!

6th Bead Soup Blog Party!

I’m a few days late posting this, and a few days more late in updating my blog in general!  I have been a busy bee, trying to keep on top of the things I need to get done for the month of August! Aside from Blog Hopping, I have an Etsy challenge, and weekly color challenge, and the Smokin’ Hot Monthly Jewelry challenge, oh my! AND, the projects I am getting done for the wedding! I, once again, have over extended myself. So I decided I will only tackle that which I must get done, that have rigid deadlines, and as I finish those projects, I can focus and not feel so scattered, and hopefully get the others done as well.

Without further ado, please visit my fellow Bead Soup Blog Party participants by clicking this link:

https://sites.google.com/site/beadsoupparty2012/home/bead-soup-reveal-2-11th-august-2012 (Thank you, FusionMuse, for that accumulation!!)

This Blog Party is hosted by Lori Anderson, of Lori Anderson Designs. Check out her Blog!  I don’t know how she does it, but Lori always seems to have fun things going on!

The third and final reveal that *I* and my very talented partner Gretchen Nation of ArtFoodLodging are in is next Saturday, August 25th, so check back here, as I will most likely NOT be posting anything before then! (I cannot WAIT to see what Gretchen whips up with the soup I sent her!!)  And when we get back from our trip,  I will make sure to post all about our adventures, and will most definitely be sharing pictures of the rocks I’m sure I’ll be bringing home  =^..^=

 

Pottery

Pottery

As promised, I have pottery pictures! I didn’t like my platter much when I first finished. I hate feeling hurried, but we ran late getting there, and had a few *ahem* unco-operative people with us. So I didn’t get to focus as much as I would have otherwise. I need to try and figure out a way to make it more enjoyable for everyone, and yet still get to add the kids’ touches to the things I paint there. L snuck her tile away before I could get a picture of it, but it has a super sweet owl on it.

It was hard to get a picture without glare from the glossy surface! But I am absolutely in love with the results!! It’s amazing how different a piece looks after firing.
I tried to make sure you can see each hand print as the “leaves” of the tree.  Adler’s, then Weise reaching up towards the top of the tree, and Valerie’s on the right. A little heart on each of them..
Five stars in the sky.. One, with a tiny heart, for my Selma. Sometimes, I get it just right. Symbolism.. I don’t always mean it. And I’ve always known I could express myself in writing. But I’m learning, lately, that I can also express through art. Maybe not everyone knows the background story to anything or everything I make.. but I do. And when I look a finished piece that has emotions, feelings and thoughts tied to it, it makes me happy, almost maybe relieved, to see my feelings put into something tangible.

Moving on.

I am getting more and more excited as several Big Events loom ever closer this month!! The biggest of course, is our drive to Oregon for the wedding!! Also on the calendar this month is the Hot Stuff class (yes!! Look out world, Mama’s playing with FIRE!) that I am taking with Karen Meador, Ph.D., of Dreamcatcher Designs TX,  and *insert drum roll here* The Big Reveal!! August 25th is my reveal date for Lori Anderson’s Bead Soup Blog Party and I have been playing around with the items my fantastic Bead Soup partner, Gretchen Nation of ArtFoodLodging and here at her Etsy Shop, sent me way back in the beginning of July! I am so excited to see what she cooks up as well. I totally didn’t think to take a picture of the Soup I sent her, but Gretchen was on the ball and posted a great one over on her blog. Check it out if you have time!

Meanwhile, deep in the heart of the country, I am fast at work crocheting sweet flower girl dresses, making other wedding essentials, and dreaming up great wire-work ideas that I jot down in my sketchbook. I have a few new items that I will hopefully be posting in the next few days, and I hope you all love them as much as I do!  =^..^=

Crafty Weekend Update!

Crafty Weekend Update!

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity! L came to stay the weekend and we crafted up a storm in Mama’s Craft Room! Part of my See one, Do one, Teach one, I showed her the ins and outs of metal stamping, metal embossing, and using alcohol inks on metal to the best of my ability. Great fun was had all around and this was the one piece we completed, after all the experimenting:

Isn’t she lovely?! Shh.. don’t tell her I posted her pic on the interwebz.. 😉

We also spent an evening on our annual pilgrimage to Cafe Monet! We were a few months behind, and ended up being a tad rushed, but I cannot WAIT to see how our tiles and my platter turn out! Every year for the past four years we have been going, and it’s so fun to see the dramatic changes in the pottery after it’s been fired. It’s also great fun to bring home and collect these tiles that I plan to turn into a table top! Adler was not a team player, however, and ended up only “helping” me with my platter, and didn’t actually make his own.. which I kind of regret now, since Valerie was his age the first time SHE made one.. ah well. Maybe we will have to make a second trip sometime soon.. I will share them with you after we pick them up Thursday.

Also over the weekend, I finally started and FINISHED an idea that has been morphing deep within the recesses of my brain since the beginning of July. I’m on a Wire Working Etsy team, and they were having a monthly contest: Bugs! So for the entire month of July, I have been pondering, forming and growing this dragonfly in my head, waiting for just the right moment for it to hatch:

I call it “Dragonfly in July” and the tune of Reading Rainbow floats through my head every time I type it!I took a few pictures in different light qualities, so you can see just how awesome it looks no matter how bright or dim. This would look great on a chain or leather cord, or even if you just wanted a sun catcher in the window! The head and tail are gold sheen obsidian, with a labradorite and lapis body, flanked by wings in apatite, amethyst, green aventurine, and quartz, wrapped with love in copper. The labradorite has a nice flash, as you can see in one (or two..?) of the pictures. Flash is hard to catch in a photo!  As per my usual, I procrastinated just enough to light a gentle fire under my arse to meet the July 31st deadline, and I am very excited and pleased with the results. Ok, it was a roaring bonfire, but who’s askin??  I do have to say, working with those tiny apatite chips was horrid. I kept smashing them with my tools. I think I will keep the rest and set them in resin….. yea….. I can see it now…………………………*daydream*

Ahem.. anyway. I have many more new items that will be coming out soon. It has been an incredible balancing act between jewelry making up in my Craft Room during the day time, and after the kids are in bed, crocheting my fingers off to get the flower girl dresses done for the upcoming wedding!! I exagerate. They are crocheting up quickly, and I only restarted Valerie’s dress three times before I got the top looking right, and then only redid the arm holes four times until it was just right =D  But that’s why I did Valerie’s first, to check the gauge, yadda yadda. I am going to try and squeeze in a little bitty dress, too, for baby E! Hopefully, I will have plenty of time. If not, it’s a LOOOOOONG drive to Oregon, so I’m sure I’ll get it done before the wedding 😉

Well, until next time, keep on keepin’ on! =^..^=

Custom!

Custom!

I made this pendant to help C learn how to wrap cabochons, and it ended up being just the right pendant for a custom necklace!

Turquoise, jasper and copper play so nicely together! Hand forged clasp. All oxidized and then hand buffed to bring out the shine. I love custom orders!  =^..^=