CREATE

Focus on Life , week two, our focus assignment is to incorporate our word for the year. Create is mine. Have to do it. Have to, have to , have to...... Even if it means staying up past my bedtime so that I have a few uninterrupted hours to myself. I signed up for an online class the other day with Magaly Ohika from The Itsy Bitsy Spill. I don't even know how I got to her shop. But one of the classes she offers is for four sessions, each one focusing on a different painting. This was the first. A self portrait with myself as an animal. Owls are my favorite. So I am wearing an owl hat. I am holding my baby birds and we are standing in our balloon garden. My boys go NUTS over balloons. Particularly red ones. Beautiful sunshine beams on our world. There is peace. I can't even tell you how good this feels to have painted something again and love it and be on time too!! Check out what the other participants in this wonderful project have posted. Just click on the Focus on Life Button on my side bar. I think I will go to sleep now:)

First Bracelet of the New Year

Oh yaaaayyyy me! I actually finished an Art Bead Scene Challenge piece this month-and early too!!! I love love love love all the color in January's painting "Black Peacock With Japanese Persimmons." (Again, I would have posted the picture of here, but I can't figure out how to insert more than one photo. Why did blogger change?) Was anybody else drawn to the textured lush ivory/vanilla swirl background? I have a lovely round ceramic bead from NKP Beads  - who is having a fifty percent off sale so check it out, an earthy ivory and charcoal lampwork bead from Gardanne Beads, and a fabulous ceramic connector that I have been hording, and I think is a Lisa Peters, but I can't find the invoice and I just don't remember. Let me know if you recognize it and I am wrong, so I can give proper credit!
 

Focus On Life Self Portrait No. 1

I signed up for a really interesting project for the year. Sally at The Studio Sublime is hosting a challenge of sorts in which participants post self portraits 52 times-one each Saturday for the year. Sounds kinda cool huh!? Actually started yesterday, I am late (suprise) to join, but you can sign up at any time. It's late. I'm beat. Babies are in bed. So I embellished here. In Picassa I used the sketch application. Then heated up the edges. Had to do some sort of editing. Not just about the creative aspect. Trust me when I tell you the first word that came to mind when I looked at the untouched was WOOOSH  followed by a shudder and my lip did a funny curling thing.

Happy New Year

Wow here it is 2013 and here we are. Amazing. This is our little angel tree topper. It is absolutely atrocious! But we needed her and one evening I had it in my head the boys and I would make something for the tree top. They had no interest in coloring. I was frustrated because I couldn't make them want to do something creative nor could I remember how to make a cone out of a sheet of paper. No biggie now that I think about it because Mr. Pearl and Pebble, the engineer, couldn't remember either. All I had handy at the moment was the red "yarn". So she is taped and stapled and tied yet still rests graciously on the tree in our bedroom. The tree started out in the living room, but if you have read this blog at all you already know where this is going. Twice in the living room. Once up in the bedroom. Figured glass ornaments would be safe enough up there. So I loaded it up. Wanted things sparkly and all. So we have a bag full of broken ornaments now. Luckily no injuries occurred in any of the Paul Bunyan moments. We go to our first class tomorrow morning. Toddler playtime. How exciting! I am terrified we will be asked not to come back. Sharing is such a problem these days.   I do not know how to work this new Blogger yet and I find it frustrating. I wanted to share the boys Christmas card photo here but I can't access my pictures the way I used to. Aaannnnyyy how. Sorry for such a haphazard post. VERY short nap time today. I hope everyone had a spectacular holiday. I has been beautiful here. I am not one that needs my Christmas to be white. And I have some glorious hot pink roses bloomin. One of my goals this year is to be productive. I have to find a way to create because it's killing me not to. Or at least making me crazy!!!! I am soooo looking forward to the next Bead Soup Party and one of my very favorite parts about it is shopping for a nifty clasp and pendant to send out. Have a great day:)

Home Sweet Home?

Well we here. It's been a little over a month and we're still unpacking. Not too much more though. Now it is more about organizing I guess. Up until yesterday it has been so hot that it still felt like the middle of summer and consequently I had "season disorientation". I miss Michigan. I miss the fall in Michigan. The smells. The cool air and the warm sunshine-when it shines of course. Yesterday was sunny and cool here, but the trees are a little different and the air is different so the smells are different. I miss my house. So much. It was a little unpretentious house but it was so well built. Quality. This house is big. It is not cozy. It is not well built. It is not mine yet I guess. It does have a beautiful pool and at times it is filled with beautiful and fabulous loves of my life. So I guess as long as I am where they are all is well.

See Ya White Box

So the movers are scheduled for Saturday. Yaaayyyy. Wonder how that is going to work out with the babies. Um hmm. Can't "toss" em in the yard cause there is a pool that doesn't have a fence around it yet. Hubby's parents are coming in on Tues. for a week or so. Don't know when I'll be able to get back on the computer. This has been one little perk of being in a box on the 4th floor! Oh and I actually read my camera manual and did the self timer thing. (So very proud) Took a new profile picture. AND I joined Pinterest and started a few boards. Boiled up some frozen edamame. It's all good at the moment. (Pigeon bob going on right now-can you picture it?) Why yes it is nap time. How did you know?!?!

Oh The Shame Cookie Butt

OK maybe not shame - maybe humiliation is better. Went to put on my pants this morning and discovered that at some point yesterday I sat on some of the boys' fig newtons. I walked down to the market to pick up dinner. There were countless people standing in line behind me. The market also has outdoor seating-which was full. Might even be better than that. Walked the babes and the dog about 1 hour before. Obviously Mr. Pearl and Pebble is not checking out my ass.

I want the best daiquiri out there

Can you still do this? The cat was stuck under the entertainment center. We are waiting to close on our house. So frustrating. This temporary 4th floor apartment living is getting to me. Wouldn't be so bad, but we have the dog and it makes going out harder. It's hot too. Apparently it rains four times a year in California. My e-mail addresses aren't working. So I can't respond to anyone that way after a post. There are three holes in the wall from the boys pulling the dining chairs over. I finally locked those in the second bathroom. The other two with their booster chairs are tied together, as are the doors to the entertainment center. The lamps are off the tables and the couch is away from the window. They are climbing everything everywhere. Purple juice and scuff marks won't come off. And plaster is pulled off the wall from the baby gates. This is all in one month. They steal each other's toys out of their hands, pile on, shove and pull hair. Eighteen months old. No real words. I guess that adorable high pitched screaming screech is preferable. So tell me moms, are the twos really all that terrible? Please tell me we are just starting early. Yes, that is the drawer.

Homeless-Kind Of

So yeah it has been a very looooonng time since the last post. Right about that time Mr. P & P found out we were being transferred to California. As if things couldn't have gotten more nutty in our household! We scrambled to get the house in shape to list it and it sold in four minutes. No exaggeration. The morning the first showing was scheduled, I was crying walking out the door with babies and dirty laundry because we ran out of time to finish cleaning. Mr. P&P was behind me wiping the front door with Windex when the first couple to see the house came up the walk. I took the babes next door and a few minutes later, he came over (still holding the glass cleaner) and said they offered us cash. Done. So here we are in temporary housing in sunny southern California. Looking for a house. How do all you Californians do this? I mean like houses out here are a bazillion dollars!!!! We have a camper so we had to drive out from Michigan. Was NOT looking forward to that with the twins, but they were super. We did take the most direct route which wasn't that pretty until we hit Utah. We drove through Zion and OMG. I don't think my mouth closed the entire time. Almost cried I did it was so spectacular! If you were there at the same time, I was the crazy lady holding the camera out the window snap snap snapping!!!!! It will be months before I can bead or paint or anything again. Not that I had a whole lot of time before all this. But my stash is somewhere in storage. So we need to find that bazillion dollar house like FAST!!!

Little Bit of Blues

Oh dear! Well of course I am late to post for Erin's fabulous music challenge. But here are my offerings anyway. The bracelet was an "accident". An after thought that occurred yesterday at naptime when I went to find stuff for my original creation. The long acrylic(?) bead is reclaimed from a commercial piece. There is a fabulous "wafer"-one of my favorites from LeAnn at Summer's Studio. And I included some turquoise and blue from the stash of my own ceramic beads-which I WILL do more of. Someday. Soon I hope. Inspired by the Blues, I guess I never thought what I would make would have any other predominate color. Eva Cassidy's Take Me To The River was where I started. But I have to say, for reasons I can't explain, Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis won't leave my head. I wouldn't even classify it as blues I don't think. And my earrings. I actually made these beads up months ago and hadn't done anything with them, because as with most of what I make, I love it, I hate it. Well hate may be the wrong term. Disappointed? Embarrassed? I liked them again yesterday when I picked them up. Maybe they just needed to stew. They are painted, stamped and marked up wooden beads. These are my favorite earwire style.

Now this here was the BABY. I actually started it with Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge in mind. I guess I could still post it there. I embroidered a bird and randomly beaded everywhere. It is backed with recycled denim. Can't have Blues with no denim now. I originally thought I'd have all beads strung, but I liked a lighter more simple design so I attached two awesome white patina-ed rings from Miss Fickle Media and a thin chain. You can see some of my sketch marks that I need to attach a few more seed beads to, but if we waited for me to do that, this post would be five hours late instead of three. Make sure you check out all the other players in this fine challenge.

just some blah,blah,blah.....................

OK Is anyone sick of the phone calls??!?!?!?!?! I swear I will NEVER EVER vote republican because they wake my babies on a f. daily basis. Nap time is precious. Mr. Pearl and Pebble and I both had strep for the last week. Mine morphed into something else and the dr. switched up the antibiotics and added steroids. I am feeling better though. We've been trying hard to keep the boys healthy. So far so good. Prayers and finger crossing is appreciated. New molar pre-eruptage seems to be their leading cause of the crankies-that and being awaken from their naps. I have totally ignored the laundry. Every hallway has been reduced to half it's width because of piles of clothes. Sorry but I had to fondle some beads. It's been way to long and I can't stand it anymore. I signed up for Erin's music challenge. (Click button on side bar) I would say that blues is my favorite music genre. I think it's not "pure" blues. I think it's like a wonderful soup of rhythm/blues, soul, funk, with a sprinkling of pop/rock. I don't know. I know when I signed up for the challenge the artist I was liking best at the moment was Eva Cassidy. She could belt one out. She does a mean Take Me To The River and that one gets one my little guys dancing every time. So adorable!!!!! Hope everyone has a great day. Stay healthy. Sorry for the b.ing.

WOW can't believe I haven't posted in over a month! Hope everyone had a great holiday!! My life is wonderfully crazy as always. The babes are almost a year-can you believe it?!?! Our daily routine includes many servings of Cheerios these days. The other day when I poured them out on the trays I saw a heart in the middle of one. I set it aside and of course lost it. So next pour out I was on a mission to find another. Found one. Turns out it really isn't that hard actually.

Here we are with our "monster faces".

Sometimes we can even get the claws going too! I don't want to wish these baby days away, but I am looking forward to when we can make stuff together. Does any one have any non toxic media suggestions for little ones? Everything goes IN THE MOUTH. I mean everything. We went out of town after New Years. We have a mini van with split seats that allows me to climb in the back while we are driving so I can interact/give a bottle etc. Well I climbed back for no particular reason actually only to find one sleeping blissfully and the other awake with a mouth full of foam that he had been working out of a small exposure in his car seat. (Totally makes me furious with the car seat manufacturers especially as this wasn't a cheap seat, but that's another post.) The other day a wad of string. This morning a tiny moldy leaf from God knows where. So anyway, I guess we could finger paint on the high chair trays with food. I have helped them hold a marker while they move around on paper. We made a few cards this way. I'd like to play with something where they have total freedom though. Have a great weekend!!!

Don't Forget To Thank Your Angels

How I do love nap time. I feel guilty at how much I love it. So yesterday when the phone rang waking one of the babies, I was annoyed. The girl from the dealership was getting back with Mr. Pearl and Pebble. So I called him, gave him the message and let him know I didn't like her because now one of the boys was howling. He laughed and was surprised she called the house because he had only left an e-mail contact. So I go upstairs to retrieve my babe in distress and as I glanced in the sleeping boy's crib, I saw this I had left gift bags from our Adoption Day ceremony next to the cribs, I thought out of harms way. Apparently not. I put one babe in the coral and woke up my other little man. He had a wad of paper pulp stored in his little cheek, and a wad stuck up on the roof of his mouth. I can't find anymore of the paper, so he must have ate the rest. But WOW! Talk about my daily dose of Divine Intervention!!!! I had just finished reading Heaven Is For Real the night before so I was even more convinced that the Angels assigned to our house were really doing their jobs well!!! So given my recent blogging activity record, I probably won't get another post out anytime soon. Just in case here is a little picture from the "Christmas card stash". I love how it shows the wonder and fasination that wee ones have with the most simple of objects.

Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!

Sweet Orange

My humble offering here for Erin's color challenge. Orange is my color although I think I may have veered a bit from the citrus pallet she chose for me. Actually these earrings are the first that I made, and the only piece I finished. There are felted components unembellished and more crocheted medallions unassembled. And a few ideas still swirling around in my head. Which I think was part of the point of the challenge anyway. I love orange it seems. For some reason it is never the first color I "go" for. I don't know why. There are a zillion shades, tones and mixes of this marvelous color and yet for some reason when I think of orange I think of Home Depot and pylon cones. Ridiculous. Be sure to check out the other designers blogs to see what wonderful pieces they have made. If you click on the title links they will take you to Jessica's pages featuring her spectacular color pallets. Happy Hopping!!

1 Norma Turvey ~ Teal ~ Color Crave

2 Jeannie Dukic ~ Green ~ Mineral Tones

3 Mary McGraw ~ Teal ~ Embellished Hues

4 Jo Tinley ~ Red ~ Decadent Tones

5 Rebecca Anderson ~ Pink ~ Tulip Tones

6 Kristi Jaro ~ Red ~ Temple Entrance

7 Stephani Gorman ~ Green ~ Dew Tones

8 Melissa Meman ~ Green ~ Fruit Star

9 Kathleen Lange Klik ~ Teal ~ Silk Hues

10 Cynthia Riggs ~ Red ~ Autumn Comfort

11 Heidi Post ~ Teal ~ Flora Bright

12 Cece Cormier ~ Teal ~ Merino Teal

13 Amy Freeland ~ Gray ~ Cultured Tones

14 Alice Peterson ~ Blue ~ Island Play

15 Rose Noble ~ Gray ~ Autumn Stacked

16 Kristina Johansson ~ Yellow ~ Sunny Flower

17 Kirsi Luostarinen ~ Teal ~ Dragon Hues

18 Tari Kahrs ~ Orange ~ Citrus Tones

19 Mallory Hoffman ~ Purple ~ Petaled Dark

20 Molly Alexander ~ Brown ~ Peppered Tones

21 Regina Santerre ~ Red ~ Frosted Berry

22 Emanda Johnson ~ Teal ~ Color Purl

23 Amy Severino ~ Orange ~ Winged Tones

24 Bobbie Rafferty ~ Teal ~ Lime Hues

25 Tanya Goodwin ~ Gray ~ Pecked Tones

26 Lisa Lodge ~ Blue ~ Nocturnal Tones

27 Hope Smitherman ~ Blue ~ Bloom Tones

28 Linda Landig ~ Green ~ Cacti Dark

29 Ambra Gostoli ~ Teal ~ Perched Autumn

30 Lori Bowring-Michaud ~ Blue ~ Sharpened Blue

31 Pippa Chandler ~ Teal ~ Hungarian Hues

32 Keirsten Giles ~ Purple ~ Mineral Brights

33 Jennifer Justman ~ Blue ~ Autumn Rays

34 Sandy Richardson ~ Purple ~ Moroccan Brights

35 CJ Bauschka ~ Teal ~ Teal Air

36 Shaiha Williams ~ Teal ~ Sushi Hues

37 Kay Thomerson ~ Purple ~ Autumn Spectrum

38 Sally Russick ~ Purple ~ Golden Gate Tones

39 Cilla Watkins ~ Purple ~ Autumn Infused

40 Shirley Moore ~ Purple ~ Frozen Heather

41 Jenni Connolly ~ Gray ~ Paw Tones

42 Tamara Soper ~ Green ~ Field Tones

43 Sharyl McMillian-Nelson ~ Blue ~ Nested Blues

44 Jen Velasquez ~ Pink ~ Sweetened Tints

45 Maria Grimes ~ Red ~ Bright Bloom

46 Elisabeth Auld ~ Gray ~ Petaled Tints

47 Susan Kennedy ~ Pink ~ Zinnia Tones

48 Shannon Chomanczuk ~ Gray ~ Autumn Leaf

49 Holly Westfall ~ Yellow ~ Sprinkled Tones

50 Patty Gasparino ~ Red ~ Color Carton

51 Angela Little ~ Pink ~ Singapore Brights

52 Lizzie Zawinski ~ Green ~ Budding Hues

53 Kristen Stevens ~ Pink ~ Scooped Tones

54 Dawn Doucette ~ Brown ~ Jarred Tones

Best Thanksgiving EVER!!!

Well it's OFFICIAL!! All the legalities are finalized and we are officially parents. The picture is a few weeks old-from Halloween. I made the hair from wool roving which apparently was quite distracting. It's been wwaaayy too long since my last post. Had a little hospital trip. Chest pains, a ride in the ambulance (so embarrassing) a bunch of tests and a Prilosec prescription. Oh well better safe than sorry and if you have to choose a diagnosis........ Wednesday is the 30th and that means Erin's Color Challenge Hop!!!! Click on the link on the right for more info! My color is orange by the way and of course I am NOT done!!!! We had a lovely trip to New Jersey for the Holiday. Went way to fast. The weather was gorgeous. I love sunny cool fall days. I did not pig out and felt marvelous! Babes did good in the van. But both are getting all top front teeth in and are a little uncomfortable. I do not know a good way to close this post and I need to go. Have a great day!!!

I Heart Macro

I love the line and the abstract quality. It's the same attraction I have to the water splashes on the shower door. Somehow there is a unique and individual story to each mark.

It is actually the shadow of a grass that Mr. Pearl and Pebble found on the grounds of the market while I was getting our coffee beans.

Love this shot. For some reason the golden glow isn't as intense here as in my album. Hmmm. Same computer. Dunno. That is a computer issue. I'm thankful I can do what I can do. (Add that to the list Erin!)

And as I walked around the yard, I saw this lonely dude. He's not quite as spectacular, however I do like the maroon bottom he's got. For some reason he is just a "weed". Still a little beauty though. The air is crisp, but the sun is shining and that makes it a perfect day. Enjoy yours! Oh and don't forget to click on the macro button over to the left. It will take you to Lori's blog over at Waterstone where you will be able to see everyone who is playing along today. Everybody is welcome, so go get your camera!

I Heart Hedgehogs

Here is the painting that is this month's inspiration for Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge. I love this painting. And I found it to be very very inspiring. Haven't assembled a piece of jewelry yet, but I did pull out my paper, polymer, pens and pencils. That is a good thing. One of the first things I started doing was just doodling on bristol with water soluble pencils and art markers.

Then I started doodling on wooden disks.

I filled in some with my art markers and really loved the color. HOWEVER when it came to varnishing, the reds tended to bleed. So now I am trying to figure out what sealer/varnish is best.

I like this one. It bled, so I took some Prismacolor pencils to it and coated it with gloss varnish/medium. Maybe now I can just use wax?

Or just leave things "naked"? I have a bunch of Aanraku bails coming. Hopefully I can get some put together to my liking and stick them in my shop. Someday.

I also played with my polymer. I want to play with my earth clay, but needed instant gratification. I like him. I have a few more that haven't been carved out, painted, inked up, stained and sealed yet, but I think I will go for it. So thank you Art Bead Scene, this was just the challenge I needed!

Macro Sunday

This time of year seems to revive my cooking desires. And there are things that I am pretty picky about. One of those things I insist on is grating my nutmeg. I love the little nut. I love scraping the "outerness" off, creating these wonderful facets and revealing all sorts of fabulous patterning. I love grating it, releasing the aroma and feeling the soft shavings left behind. I swear it enhances a recipe far more than pre-ground in a jar nutmeg. But I'm sure that could be debated and is a matter of opinion. So don't worry I don't think less of anyone who doesn't whip out their Microplaner when a quiche is on the dinner menu. (I know you find this to be a great relief!)

Another thing that I find fascinating is the "pictures" I see in such things. Do you see a smiling bird with really long legs too? (Yes, of course I'm tired, but he IS there.)

I Feel Trendy

There are so many things I want to do and feel like I don't have the time to do it. So when I got the word that my little earrings were selected to be in this month's issue of Bead Trends I was thrilled! Like the Universe was telling me to hang in there. And it's true, little by little I can do more.

Here they are on page 61. The charms are made by Pam at Indian Creek Studios. They feature amazonite rondelles from Rings and Things and cool rockey nuts from Beads and Pieces. Bead Trends is a beautiful magazine and I am so honored! If you haven't picked up a copy before, check it out.

I Heart Macro

I love texture. And I have always been drawn to objects that indicate they have a history. My photography professor would refer to it as "decay", which technically may be true, but I find that term to be too yucky. I prefer distressed, weathered, having a story, having a history etc. The story here is simply that our water is hard. It wrecks everything-eventually. This is the base of our coffee maker, the part the pot sits on. (Please disregard the coffee overspill along the edge that I have not yet cleaned up) This is probably our 5th maker since 2002. I don't know. Maybe that's normal. But the build up/break down on the heater seat here, "distressed" as it is, is so very beautiful to me. I want to recreate this somehow. I think it would be beautiful on clay, polymer and/or earth, paper, beaded beads...............

It looks very topographical to me. And a little like the solar system. Sigh. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want a whole day to play. Does this happen before kindergarten? Seriously?