I Will Embrace My Stubborn Self

I ran across this this morning on Etsy. Isn't it beautiful?!?! It is a temporary tattoo from Tattoorary. What awesome inspirational words. Stubbornness in it's positive form. During one pre-adoption counseling session, we had to list our positive and negative qualities. So often what we see as a "bad" attribute is just a really good one that's gone haywire. Oh and cancel the announcement that I am moving my blog.  I guess I just needed to change my browsers to appease Blogger. So I did. Keepin' the fingers crossed and so far so good....

History Hop Reveal

Leah of Beady Eyed Bunny hosts a really fun challenge every year. The idea is to create a piece of jewelry that is inspired by history. This year it was based on regions as well. I chose early Russia. I have to admit my research didn't get real extensive before I found something I was interested in. The necklaces I made were based on manistee necklaces which are layered necklaces that usually have a pendant or coins incorporated. See Viola's blog.  Viola lives in Siberia and has a lovely blog with a lot of really interesting information on her site. It is beautiful, interesting and very well done. The super cool glass rectangle beads are the beautiful creations of Checkoway Glass. Yes, I have been sitting on those puppies for about four years now. I used black waxed linen cord for all the strands and wrapped in around the beads to form my manistee pendant. The awesome bird charm is from Spirited Earth.  Here is a  list of the other participants. Enjoy!

Leah Curtis - Indus Valley - beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk
Laney Mead - Māori - laney-izzybeads.blogspot.co.uk
Becca - Art Nouveau - godsartistinresidence.blogspot.com
Melissa - English Romanticism and Mourning Jewelry - beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Tracy Stillman - Native American - tracystillmandesigns.com
Gerda - English Romanticism and Mourning Jewelry - gerdascraftsblog.blogspot.com
Liz E - Native North American - beadcontagion.blogspot.com
Ahowin - Māori (New Zealand)  - blog.ahowinjewelry.com 
Jasvanti - Indus Valley - jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com
Lizzie - Art Nouveau - theneedtobead.blogspot.co.uk
Julia Hay - Merovingian - pandanimal.blogspot.co.uk
Dini - Celtic - angazabychanges.blogspot.nl
Caroline - Art Nouveau - blueberribeads.co.uk 
Charlie - Moche of Peru - clay-space.com/blog
Karin - China - maverickbeads.blogspot.com
Niky Sayers - Rome - silverniknats.blogspot.com
Marcia Dunne - Celctic and Mourning Jewelry - thealternativefoundry.blogspot.co.uk
anafiassa - Mesopotamia - anafiassa.blogspot.com
Kokopelli - Native American - kokopellidesign.blogspot.com
Christa - Native American - adventuresofwonebeadywoman.blogspot.com
Clair - Roman - obstinatepursuit.blogspot.co.uk
Susan Bowie - Native American - susanbowie.wordpress.com
Gloria Allen - English Romanticism - gloriaallendesigns.blogspot.com
Sheila Garrett - Early Russia - 4brownowl.blogspot.co.uk

Bead Soup Nice n Hot!

Well I hope this works. I am posting on my Pearl and Pebble blog because as much as I like my new Typepad blog, commenting from it is not easy for some reason. Don't know what I am going to do blog  wise as apparently neither can make me completely happy. What does make me happy is playing along in Lori's Bead Soup  Party that she hosts every year. This year my partner is Terri from Terri's Blooming Ideas. Here is what she sent me.

Really fabulous fixins' for sure!  I am still working through all this goodness because I found that I was constantly inspired to incorporate that which I have been hoarding away in my own stash.  Maybe it's due to the fact that the boys are three now and I am worn out most of the time, but I am gravitating toward jewelry that is simple, easy and comfortable. So the first thing I made was a looong pull over the head necklace that feels fun and "big girl" at the same time. I love the blue agate beads that Terri sent and I think that ended up being a starting place for me.

Next I moved on to bracelets. I actually have two almost finished incorporating the luscious deep plum glass beads. These beads are really quite nice and have a velvety feel to them. The first batch of bracelets are strung on stretch magic. Yes I made stretchy bracelets. It's the simplicity thing. Not in creating but in wearing. I have not been wearing much on my wrists for the past three years because I am constantly washing my hands or washing something or someone else's hands. But I love how these turned out. And I love how they feel. And I love the uncumbersome simplicity while still maintaining a chunky earthy appeal.

(Oops didn't mean to show off the knot.). I also did a bracelet using the beautiful heart focal by Gaea and the sweet little kitty bead that Terri sent in memory of our little sweetheart that went to heaven a few months ago.  This is a fun bracelet to wear too and I like having the big chunky heart dangling.

I have earrings started using the lovely Gaea rounds and some turquoise nuggets. And a necklace started using the turquoise nuggets and that awesome bird bead. At the moment though I am flat on my back-not quite sure what I did to annoy it so badly. The boys are taking advantage of it though and I can only imagine what the other room looks like.

Make sure you check out Terri's blog to see what she whipped up! Thanks for stopping by. And thank you Lori Anderson for hosting yet another most fabulous event!

Moving

Hello! It has been a while I know!!!! I am moving my blog. And changing the my blog name actually. Come visit me here if you'd like and tell me what you think!


http://brush.typepad.com/my-blog/

Focus on Life. Gettin' caught up.

I am catching up on all my Focus on Life posts. Since I have a bazillion, there is limited elaboration and they are out of order, I don't guess that will be a big problem though:)

 

Aged Beauty. Mission San Juan Capistrano

 

Typography. Collaborative painting with my boys and I am calling it typography because it is written in their language.

Green.

 

Foodie

Reminisce. Great Grandma Em's butter dish and milk pitcher. Always on the table.

Take a walk. I didn't walk far, but I did see a handsome guy.

Color (used as a noun and a verb)

Abstract. Looking up through slats over patio. Great pattern.

Hope

Looking Up. Up in one of our trees-a new hummingbird with mama.

BIG HUGE THANK YOUS

One month! How does that happen!?!?!? One month since my last post! Well today I must post and say a huge THANK YOU to Lisa Niven Kelly  from Beaducation  for awarding my Bead Soup necklace in the color category. And again a big big HUGE THANK YOU to the amazing Lori Anderson for putting it all together and hosting one of the most spectacular online events ever! And of course another thank you to Stephanie and Chris from Pixybug Designs for the lovely lampwork flower focals used in this piece.

I am still "hopping", slowly but surely. The babes and I have all had some weird cold(?) that kind of kicked our butts for the past few weeks. I think few things are as distressing to a parent than when a wee one gurgles and sounds like he can't breath while sleeping. Hopefully everything will be normal again soon. Normal? Did I say that?

Bead Soup Reveal

Hellooo! To recap here is what Stephanie from Pixybug Designs sent me for this wonderful Bead Soup Party! Her husband Chris is a fabulous glass artist and the lovely focal, flowers and accent beads were made by him. Stephanie sent me a loaded bag let me tell ya and I have to say that I have alot left to play with. But here is what I did use now. Drum roll......

 

I paired the gorgeous faceted white crystals with some vintage white enameled chain,  ocean jasper, antique brass chain and glass jump rings from Hanson Stone. I broke up the chain links that Stephanie sent me and stacked them for a focal. They make the best clinky noise!!!! And I finished it off with that sweet little flower toggle she sent. 

Now this piece I had together immediately. I opened the box, saw the luscious focal and knew I had to pair it with ceramic rings and caps from Petra at Scorched Earth. I used painted gold wood beads, covered a few with recycled denim and placed Stephanie's faceted purple crystals. A few pyrite rounds, ocean jasper roundels and Indonesian glass act as spacers.

Don't ya just dig how all the colors play so well together?!?!?

 

 

I have just been in a fiber mood lately too. (Just bought a small "lap loom"- that will be another post.) So I crocheted some flowers with some of my favorite art yarn and attached Chris' beautiful glass flowers to them. I sewed them all together for a focal and strung them onto some polymer beads I made and plum vintage Lucite.

LOVE THESE!!!!

 

I have more "starts" with the other goodies from Stephanie. Thank you Stephanie! I had a blast this round. And HUGE HUGE THANKS to Lori Anderson who is a super hero:) Check out her blog to see all the participants. Thanks for stopping by!

Bead Soup Reveal Move

As is typical in my life lately I did not finish my soup piece in time for tomorrow's/today's reveal. I will be showing my creations next Saturday, April 20. Above is the soup fixins' that Stephanie Haussler from Pixybug Designs sent (just in case you missed my earlier post.) Loads of goodness to work with here! It has indeed been a challenge for me, but I am almost there! Make sure to stop over at Stephanie's blog to see what she came up with. I can't wait!!! See you next week:)

Focus on Life - Up Close

 

Focus on Macro! (Although a little out of focus-didn't use my tripod) But check out my new glass beads!!!! I found a new bead shop and these didn't just speak to me, they screamed! Head over to Sally's blog and find out what the others were focused on this week.

Faith and the Mustard Seed

If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.  Matthew 17:20 (paraphrased)

Sally's prompt for this week's focus is "Faith." I pondered what I would do for this and decided to do a painting. Being that we have company and I have to not be sequestered in my room, I started with an ink sketch and I think I might use Inktense pencils on this. A bit more mobile this way. The tiny black spot in the center of her belt by the way is the mustard seed:) I do believe in a Higher Power I call God and my faith is Christian in nature. But I think anyone, regardless of their personal beliefs, can embrace the concept of faith. Faith is Hope. Faith is Believing. And I think that the beautiful thing is that it can be applied to our personal lives in many different capacities. Faith is a wonderful and beautiful thing.

Lorelei's Bauble Challenge Reveal

 

 

 

 

A couple of weeks ago Lorelei blogged about a little find while on a Michael's run. She found these odd little connector baubles in glorious sea tones and purply - which I purchased just in case, but did not use. They came in groups of three and she proposed a challenge in which we would use all three in a design. Here is what I came up with. I wired all of the slides together to create a single center and connected it to leather pieces on each side. And then I hung a poka-dot polymer dangler.  I painted the leather pieces before piercing and adding grommets. Next time I will pierce and grommet first because of course the holes hit in painted spots that I particularly liked. I had a little visitor last week and he was the inspiration for my little bit of whimsy. Thanks for stopping by and be sure and check out what everyone else came up with.

 

Lorelei
Shirley Moore
Peacock Fairy
Sally Russick
Pamela770
Erin Prais-Hintz
Heather Powers
MirandAck
Lily
Lola
Tanya
Mary
Elisabeth
Rosebud101
Ann
Denise McCabe

March Challenge Necklace

Here is a little necklace I made for Art Bead Scene's March Challenge. I have been playing around with polymer clay, making rough, rustic, primitive style pendants and beads. I love to watch the "magic" happen with the layering, texturizing and painting. The pendant and focal bead are two examples. The two fabulous ceramic "eyes" are beads by Mary Ann Carroll. There are some of my chunky ceramic beads, earth stones, copper and glass. I curled up a clasp to finish it off.  I really was inspired by all the color in this month's challenge painting by Marc Franz. A woodland setting with sleeping deer. So peaceful and earthy. Quietude amidst the wonderful natural chaos of color and texture that one finds in such awesome spaces such as an untouched mountain forest.

Curves

 

This weeks focus is on curves. Find the curves all around us. Well they truly are everywhere. This little guy, I guess he's a guy, was an early morning treasure. I went out to add some trash to the garbage bin out front and there he was inching along the grass. I went back in the house and brought the boys out to see. Then went back in a got the camera. Took a few photos. He was very cooperative, posed for me and even flirted I think.

Possibilities

 

We are focusing on possibilities this week. Did you realize that there are very few things that don't offer unlimited possibilities? I didn't. They are everywhere in almost every scenario. If that isn't a huge blast of positive-ness I don't know what is. This is such a wonderful thing!! I have started playing with air dry clay since I don't know when I'll get my little kiln up and running. This little lady is posing with the mound from which she came. Clay is awesome stuff. Any kind. I love squishing it and forming it and coloring it. I'm doing an online workshop with Susana Tavares. I formed my little doll last week and now I am just waiting for her to dry completely so I can paint her. Whooo hoooo paint!!

Wound Up Tight

 

Oh my so this weeks Focus is "Wrapped Up." And here is a close up of my self portrait for the week indeed! I just don't think I could be wound any tighter!!!!! This is said even after having a babysitter for three hours this morning.  ANYHOW, I got a new little Coiling Gizmo gadget and after reading this weeks prompt I knew exactly what I was going to post. I pulled it out of the box this afternoon in spite of a two year old growing on my leg and wrapped, wrapped, wrapped! I have never used one of these little contraptions before, and I must say, that there aren't any written instructions included, except for a few pictures on the back of the box. But I was delighted with the results. And I think maybe I'll incorporate the blue beauty in the foreground in this month's Art Bead Scene challenge. We'll see.

Looking For My Muse

 

Behind The Door

Well this week's Focus on Life challenge was a challenge. The topic-doors. Which is a really great topic. I didn't take a photograph because I didn't really know where I wanted to go with this. I actually like doors. In particular, I like old church doors. So I tried to analyze this. Um-um. I just like the architecture I guess. Doors open. Doors close. The boys hate it when I am behind a closed door. I have to sneak or wait until nap time to go to the bathroom. This includes the baby gate that separates my office from the hallway. We just HATE that! Doors separate. So I have been thinking about what a door could signify for me as far as opportunity. What do I want? Seriously. What do I really want? And that is what I am currently pondering. How can one be forty something and not know what she wants? So this is where I am at. And I am not saying this is a bad thing. This is good. It's pretty important. So thank you Sally for this weeks prompt! The picture is of a painting I did a few years ago. The title of the show was See Like A Child. I used pretty much mundane subject matter and tried to convey what a child's point of view might be. I hope I didn't cheat by not using a current image:)

What I Meant To Say

 

 

Soar

 

Here is my Challenge of Music Piece. I listened at a bazillion tunes I think on You Tube until I had a duh huh moment and pulled out my YO-YO MA cd. I love his sound. I love the cello. I hope at least one of my babies will be musically inclined and wouldn't it be wonderful if he played the cello. The piece I picked is Ecstasy of Gold performed with the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra and directed (directed? written?) by Ennio Morricone. Hopefully this link will take you to You Tube, but it still can't compare to blasting it through one's own speakers. Just don't get the same "feel". I must confess. This is not my "ideal" submission. Although the music does make me soar (butterfly) and I would definitely attribute some earthiness (wood, ceramic) to it, I envision not only a palette of light and dark, but components that have contrasting weights. I was almost there. But Pink Eye struck last night as a nice little garnish to my sinus infection. And being She Who Waits Till the Last Minute, hadn't started enough in advance. At least not enough in advance.  Click here to see all those who are playing!

 

 

Focusing on Life a Two-for

We have some kind of crud here. Started last weekend with one of the boys and a case of double pinkeye and strep. Then Mr. PearlandPebble got strep. I've got something that feels like flu, but dr. said no fever so he put me on antibiotics. Hubby's has morphed into a sinus infection and I think that is about where I am at right now. And of course my other little sweetie now  has the pink eye in both  eyes. And so needless to say, I did not post my focus of life photos last week or this past weekend. Flowers was the first theme. Monochromatic was the second. So I combined them. I love watching how these guys come up with stuff. They love flowers. When we go out walking they are constantly stopping to browse in the grass or landscapings. Usually a small flower comes home with us. Dandelions are just as appealing as daisies or lilies. They also love to "put things into things". It was a problem with plugs and outlets until we found the right protectors that kept them out. The picture shows them making Playdough flowers with straws for stems. They were also incorporating Lego flowers, but I liked this picture best.