Check Out My New Little Hubba-Hubbas!

NKP Beads. GLORIOUS!

Mary Harding's offering -SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!

AND OMG-MaryAnn Carroll! LOVE THESE!! All these precious babies were not gotten because of a habit I have. No Sir! I follow the Beads of Clay Blog and they have a giveaway on second Wednesdays!!!!! Go. See. Follow. Comment. Receive. Enjoy. Also I mentioned the other day that I will be doing some little PIFs. In order for those to provide the happiest of moments, I believe that they need to show up in your mailbox unannounced. So if you are interested in gettin something from me in the hopes of making you smile, please contact me with your snail mail address.

The Best Party Favors-EVER!

Lorelei is having the best birthday ever this year and she is celebrating all week by giving away the most awesome books! If you haven't checked it out, hop on over and say hi and answer her question of the day. She draws a random winner daily. Up next is Beadmaille by Cindy Thomas Pankopf. Could be yours you know!

Chocolate Veggies- It's Just MAD

This is all Kelley's fault. After reading her blog post today, I had Italian Creme Cake on the brain. Only the market didn't have Italian Creme Cake. They did have cupcakes though. This one was chocolate with a little raspberry inside - and I mean that literally. There was A Little Raspberry inside. It's all good though. The chocolate was pretty amazing and I have a huge sugar buzz going on right now. I know I will regret this in about twenty minutes. I am just gearing up for the Mad Tea Party in June. It is a spectacular virtual tea party hosted by Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist. Click on the link to read more! I heard about it from Erin who participated last year and loved it! I have a whole bunch of ideas spinning 'round!

Bead Soup Teaser

Just a little peek of some of the goods going to my Bead Soup Partner Whitney!!!!

IF YOU DON'T LAUGH, YOU'RE NOT 40(ish)

Mr. Pearl and Pebble just forwarded this to me - his sister sent it to him. I am quite happy to hear that I am not crazy. You should probably go to the bathroom BEFORE reading.... AAADD KNOW THE SYMPTOMS! Thank goodness there is a name for this disorder...Somehow I feel better, even though I have it!! Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turned on the hose in the driveway, I looked over at my car and decided it needs washing. As I started toward the garage, I noticed mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decided to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and noticed that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put i in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye- they need water. I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.... I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on to the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. AT THE END OF THE DAY: the car isn't washed the bills aren't paid there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter the flowers don't have enough water there is still only 1 check in my check book I can't find the remote I can't find my glasses and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day, and I'm really tired! I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail...

GOOD GOOD STUFF

So as I mentioned on my sidebar, I was honored to be April's guest blogger for Rings And Things! WHOO-HOO!!! They graciously allowed it to be my pick. So now I am sharing some pictures of my choices and a few things that I have done with them so far. One of the first items I thought was so cool was the Free-Trade recycled paper beads from Uganda. Absolutely love the concept, and love the beads. I also loved the way they play so very well with LeAnn's beautiful stoneware beads. And so I made up a necklace with them which also happens to be my submission for BOC's last color challenge. I think this works pretty well for a "cool" color theme don't you? Not to toot my own horn or anything!!!....

Here is a pic of my Rings and Things Loot! I had the hardest time making up my mind. So one of the things I decided on was a strand of mixed stones. GORGEOUS!!!! They are 6mm faceted rondelles - PERFECT for just about ANYTHING but I think they work especially well for earrings and spacers. I really like to incorporate natural stone in just about everything.

Also notice the dyed Magnesite. Had to have it! Wonderful slices in graduation sizes. Great fiesta colors. Perfect for spring and summer designs. I love looking at what falls under the Special Finds category-it's the first place I look usually! I still have a lot more playing to do obviously!

But I did make up these earrings with a few of Magnesite slices! My second attempt at a little hammer work too. What do you think?

"Small Print":

All items mentioned as from Rings And Things were provided as promotional gifts for review and/or design partnership purposes only.

Here is my first finished piece from my PMC class. I still need to patina it. Doesn't my reflection look like there is a ninja hovering over me? It has been cloudy and raining for about a week now. I am grateful for the rain. We had a lot last year and think that's why everything was so gorgeous all summer. However, my serotonin level appears to have sunk to minus eighty. I think the only solution is going to be to run to the market for some sort of chocolate goo. Any recommendations? I have decided to send out PIF goodies. If you are a follower, you are in. I'll randomly draw names and just keep going. Don't know what it will be. Maybe stash, maybe a finished piece, maybe art, maybe something PMC!!! In case you don't know what PIF is, "Pay It Forward" (I think) anyhow I do know the concept is simple. I will send you something because I want to make you happy. All you need to do is something with the intent to brighten someone's day. It doesn't have to be in material form either. It can be as simple as a smile and a kind word to a stranger. That's it. All about spreadin the love. Ok now show me a little and tell me what chocolate I want.

NOT ON THE ASPARAGUS!!!

So I let yellow dog out when I got home and out of all the spaces in the WHOLE damn yard she goes on the asparagus! Our precious little four stalk crop. I have gotten so far behind on my blogging. I have managed to scoot around a bit and comment elsewhere, but have neglected this one. Sorry little blog:( Tomorrow.......

From The Closet Of Intentions

Last year when I decided to be the two hundted and twelve billionth artist to try and sell her jewelry on Etsy, I was also thinking, oohhh and I can also make ............ Well one of my brilliant ideas was to create frog "bean bags." Remember the frogs from the 70"s? Loved them. Grandma collected them. That's probably how they came to be on my mind. I have tons of fabric so I thought I'd do my own little variation and I gathered all these cool eyes.

Well of course she just never trusts herself. I messed around with different patterns, tried to make my own. Really tried to simplify the shape. (This shape is good for owls too!) But couldn't get the tiny little puckers to not appear. Mr. Pearl and Pebble, inspite of not being crazy about stuffed stuff, seemed to think the puckers were normal. I deemed the whole thing silly and moved on to other things. They have been sitting in the closet for over a year now. When the construction end of it didn't pan out, I thought, well hey at least you have some fodder for an illustration. OK. So I did that.

Of course as I'm doing it - I love it and of course then I have to run out and buy acrylic inks and what not. AFTER IT'S DONE it's another story. "Oh it's just silly." (I can't figure out why I do this?) So I looked at it again today and it's really kind of fun. I don't know. Do you think like this? I can't figure myself out sometimes. It must have something to do with my self diagnosed ADD. My solution seems to be to buy more beads.

Village People

We have a pottery studio in town where one can purchase clay and studio time and have the work fired. I know I have mentioned it, but last summer I got a kiln for my birthday. It is a small one, but it will fire to cone 10 if I want to use it for ceramics. My primary intentention was to use it for PMC-which I am learning. But anyway, I purchased a month at the studio and ended up with a few beads and these wee people. I love them! I love clay. Of course I don't really know how to do anything with it except mush it up and paint glaze on it. But that's a start right?

What should I call them?

It has been a very crazy week indeed! I did manage to make a pair of earrings for my poor neglected Etsy shop. But only because I am supposed to be painting. The paintings need to be delivered next weekend. They are not all done. And the one I posted the other day? TOTALLY changed it! Why Tari? Why would you do this? you ask. Well now, I asked Mr. Pearl And Pebble (the engineer) his opinion. I love him dearly. I do. But I need to stop asking him his opinion, at least until my back bone gets stronger. So I lost some hours there reworking and reworking. And so I figured, heck, what's a few hours more? I'll make earrings. These lovely little components are from Bellas Beads. I love her findings. And the lucite is always soooo nice. This is the first time I've used the long kidney wires. I like them alot. I tend to wear smaller earrings, so I've been creating smaller earrings. But these are wonderful. Not bulky at all but comfortable and lightweight. There is a reportedly huge Earth Day Fest that starts today. Looking forward to it! The sun is shining beautifully, I just wish it were warmer.

What Say Ye?

I have another show coming up and I decided to add some flora. I painted this outside today. A little chilly, and a little windy - tulips kept moving around in the vase. What do you think? (There are no wrong answers) Thanks for any input!

My New Favorite (Non-Beaded) Yum Yum

OMG!!! OK let me first state for the record that this little plug is of my own accord. This is the best most excellent stuff-EVER! I went to the art museum the other day and got a yogurt at the cafe. Was a different brand, but still called Greek Yogurt. Was pretty darn good. Better than the national brands which we usually eat. So when I was at the market today, I noticed they had this. I chose the honey flavored. When I got home and cracked this puppy open it was like WOW I have never had yogurt before! Awesome!!! Like a cheesecake. No foolin. Rich, creamy, lemony, and soooo smooth. I literally licked the cup. (Apparently Heidi isn't the only one who does this.)

OPINIONS PLEASE

Now, I can do a mean wire tie if I do say so myself, but I didn't want a tight wrap on these. Not so mean when I'm working loosely. So I need some critiquing here. Do these look sloppy, or do they look intentional? All comments welcome. No feelings will be hurt!

For post no. 100 (yes that's right) I offer a picture of my budding cherry tree. I do believe that Spring has arrived. Today I had my first PMC class. It was all lecture. That was fine with all of us I think. I have been yacking about PMC for almost a year now. You know, got the kiln, afraid to blow it up..... So a few weeks ago when I found out about this class, I jumped on it! Can't wait to play!

The Winner Is.........

Congratulations JUSTATISH! You are the winner of my little giveaway! Email me your info and I will mail these out to you! Thanks to all who played along:) Have a super great weekend!

What is a weed? What is a wildflower? All I know is these tiny little flowers popped up in the garden the other day and I felt the need to pluck them, not because they were any nuisance, but because I found them so soft and fragile and lovely. The flower is a wee bit bigger than my thumbnail. The petals are tissue thin. Soft and white with stripes of pale blue and a pop of butter yellow. Dainty and fragile. I would love to see these reproduced in glass. And wouldn't they be lovely on the end of a headpin?

Like 'Em?

Want 'em? Visit my current Etsy Treasury, click and comment there. Then come back here and tell me which treasury item you liked the most. That's it! The treasury expires on Saturday in the wee hours of the morning. I'll announce the randomly chosen winner a little later in the day.

What Would You Do To Win A Custom Pendant?

JUSTATISH wants to make a copper and stone pendant just for you! Check it out! Leave her a comment because she is going to draw the name of a lucky somebody on Friday!!!

So Do You Like LOTS Of Beads????

You might want to go here and leave Kelley a comment and answer two little questions because she is giving away ONE AND A HALF POUNDS of beads on Friday!

New Wool

My latest batch of dyed wool. The top neutrals are the natural shades of the wool. The bottom oranges are after a being dyed. I can't believe how fascinated I am with this. This wool is from Icelandic Sheep that I purchased from Iclandics on Etsy. I really love this stuff. It will felt almost just by looking at it! Great sunflower colors eh?

Bluebird Necklace

This is my necklace for the BOC Color Challenge using a Tetradic color scheme. Turquoise, red-orange, yellow-green and violet-red. This was a tough one. Two sets of complimentary colors gets a wee bit tricky! And yet it is one of my favorites I think. I LOVE how if feels on. Do you see the way cool pendant by Diane Hawkey?!?!?! Oh we love that yes we do!!!! Another late night here-bad lighting for the picture......same ole story! Sorry bout that. I PROMISE to try and be more organized for the next post!

Quick Trick Block Stack Necklace

Oh my trying to decide on a Dr. Seuss book! Laughing in the children's section at Borders...Great fun! This necklace was finished in the nick of time for Erin Prais-Hintz's March challenge based on the books of Dr. Seuss. The lighting in the picture is just awful I know. I'll try and get some better ones up tomorrow. The book I chose was "Fox In Socks." Don't ya just love the last page of the book!!!!! This just cracked me up because I realized that the good doctor wrote for the reader as well as the readee. Really do love the turquoise blue and red that always shows up in a Seuss book. In fact that is one of the first things I think of when I think of the books. I let myself have fun making these beads. I left the blocks all morphy with my finger indentations. I really had fun with the squashed rounds. The others are red and white glass and turquoise seed beads. The clasp is made up with another of those fabulous vintage buttons I found antiquing last fall.

(I hope this all makes sense! I just got back from a meeting and I am sooooooo tired. Way past my bedtime!)

Good Monday Morning!

Courtesy of our nephew, aka "Number 4." I really must get a spud bucket of my own. I love the quote of the day by Norman Vincent Peale: Change your thoughts and you change your world. So very true!!

Today is the day for the Solar System necklace give away!!!

I used the old fashioned method of folding individual entries, closing my eyes, fluffing all around and pulling out one name

Congratulations to LEANN of SUMMERS STUDIO !!!! Thanks for playing everyone! Have a great day:D

Bluer Than Violet

I did play with more dyes yesterday! I mixed sapphire and purple and you can see that it is a more on the blue side. That is OK. I still love it and am pretty proud of myself!!!! Mostly for just following through instead of adding to my intention shelf! But what lesson did I learn? Do not throw the silk in with the wool! The result is similar to when you leave a tissue in your jeans pocket and run through the washing machine. I've labeled the kind of wool each is. And this particular wool I got from jamielyncohoon on Etsy. I really love Romney wool, but the targhee -oh man! I just want to wrap up in it an take a loooonnnnggg nap! Particularly since I have been waking up at 3:30am lately. I hear this is the norm for 40+ ???? As I was dragging into a meeting this morning, a friend noticed the fatigue. When I said insomnia she said "Oh - 3:30?" How did you know? She said that was "the time" and that's when the Spirits are talking. Never heard of this. Have you? I wish they could chat with me, say 10am, over coffee.

I Woke Up Feeling Violet

I woke up with all shades of violet on my mind. Don't know what that is all about. Maybe it is an emerging spring and all the anticipation of color. A close up of a pot of purple daisys I picked up at the market a few weeks ago. Their color is starting to change, but as you can see it is still pretty intense. They smell good too. Fresh and earthy. They inspired me to do a little batch of felt balls. I got some wool yesterday from Fleece Makers. It is undyed and I can't wait to play with some dye again. Maybe that is where the purple visions are stemming from. I am on my way out to the fiber shop to pick some up.

Now I have posted this necklace before and it has absolutely nothing to do with me and my violet thoughts. This is my offering for my first give away ever! Just tell me about your "color days." I'll pick randomly from any posts left here on Monday March 29.

Sunset

Melanie Brooks was most kind in giving me permission to print out her lovely sunset photo so that I might make a pastel painting. Landscape of any kind has always given me troubles. I don't know why. It took layers upon layers and then -CLICK- it worked. Then I sprayed it with fixative. Oh:( Darkened way down it did!!!! Lost all my subtle "beauty colors." So what did we learn from that Tari? Ok so I went back over and over and it's not so bad. Needs some tweeking - the horizon line is still a wee bit wobley for the ocean. But I'm kind of happy with this. The really cool thing is that if I did 50 more of these from the same photograph, they would all "emerge" differently. I think that is the magic of creating anything.

Sheesh I can't believe how crazy things have been! I threw Mr. Pearl And Pebble a surprise 40th birthday party on Sat. Was good but he suspected. Although, he did NOT suspect the acoustic guitar band. That was cool. This here picture is of my first attempt at dying wool! I am VERY VERY happy with it! I needed a Dracula red and didn't have one. So I made one myself. The picture is actually a bit lighter that the actual color. So now I'm itching to try more colors. Don't you love it when the first attempt is a success?!?

Blue/Green and Orange/Red

AKA Turquoise and Coral. My bracelet using a complementary color scheme for the Beads of Clay Color Challenge. The beautiful little focal is from Spirited Earth. I'm having great fun participating in this. If you are not already playing check out Artisan Clay's post for details and jump right in!!

A Peony I Would Be

If I were a month I'd be May. If I were a day I'd be Monday. If I were a time of day I'd be morning. If I were a planet I would be Earth. If I were a sea animal I would be a dolphin. If I were a direction I would be Northwest. If I were a piece of furniture I would be Mid-Century Modern. If I were a liquid I would be water from a spring. If I were a gemstone I would be turquoise. If I were a tree I would be the favorite of all the birds (but not so much the dogs). If I were a tool my handle would be leather. If I were a flower I would be a Peony. If I were and element of weather I would be a soft summer rain. If I were a musical instrument I would be a guitar. If I were a color I would be blue with a bit of green. If I were an emotion I would be peaceful. If I were a fruit I would be a mango. If I were a sound I would be baby's laughter. If I were an element I would be water. If I were a car I would be a classic. If I were a food I would be delicious. If I were a place I would be full of ambiance. If I were a material I would be embroidered cotton. If I were a taste I would be savory. If I were a scent I would have spicy undertones. If I were a body part I would be eyes. If I were a facial expression I would be a smile. If I were a song I would be soothing, smooth and mellow. If I were a bird I would be an owl. If I were a gift I would be appreciated. If I were a street I would be brick. If I were a city I would have a really cool Main Street and a huge park. If I were a door I would be french. If I were a pair of shoes I would feel like a dream. My thanks to Lori from whose blog I borrowed this. It really was uplifting to do. I challenge you to do one too. It makes you think about the little things that you love and find wonder in. A really nice positive reflection.