A Work in Progress: May 2012

Saturday, May 26, 2012

i heart macro Sunday

I tested for 1st degree brown belt a few days ago.

Somehow, it ended up that I did not have to spar for my previous tests. I made up for it with this one, though. There's something very intimidating about sparring the head instructor (with three decades of experience compared to my piddly four years).

Don't worry. With the exception of a few (okay, several) new bruises, I'm none the worse for wear. I'm actually proud of how I did.

I started 3rd brown with three stripes on my belt. One was removed when I tested for 2nd brown and the second was removed when I attained 1st brown. You can see the tape residue marking the stripes that are gone, but not forgotten.

For more macro goodness, check out Studio Waterstone.

Friday, May 25, 2012

A Collaborated Fairy Tale

I was delighted to see that Erin Prais-Hintz, from Treasures Found, was chosen by Vintaj to be a storybook artbead partner. Erin created several Simple Truth pendants to correlate with the storybook theme. You can find them here in her etsy shop. I highly suggest you take a look.

Seriously, how gorgeous is that?

Keeping with the storybook theme, a few weeks ago, Erin started a simple fairy tale on her blog and invited her readers to continue the story. Many of us joined in the fun and the comments flew in. After the electronic dust settled, Erin took all the comments and created a cohesive story.

Grab a cup of tea and read the story. It's a wonderful tale filled with twists and turns and a wonderful mystical land called Vintaj. I'm amazed that so many different people could create such a story. And props to Erin for taking the time to put all the comments into such beautiful prose.

Also, check Erin's blog on May 31st for her Challenge of Literature blog hop. I really cannot wait to see the beautiful creations inspired by different stories and poems.

I'll leave you with one of Erin's Simple Truths:

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Little (and Big) Girls and Jewelry

Some women don't leave the house without makeup. I don't leave the house without jewelry. The kiddo sometimes follows suit and loves to wear some of my bracelets and necklaces.

Lately, she has taken a shine to this necklace, my version of the Sakura Tassel, designed by Jamie Hogsett and published in the December 2008 issue of Beadwork Magazine.

I made this necklace when the kiddo was about 2 years old. Even then, she was fascinated by the tassel. Before I strung it on the necklace, she carried it around with her around the house. I love that she still loves it and is now old enough to enjoy it.

I don't remember what stone this is, but the pink color is gorgeous.

I've made the kiddo a few pieces here and there. I'm hoping to make more for her as she gets older and teach her how to make her own.

It's also a treat to make something for friends and family. This past weekend, the kiddo and I attended her cousin's birthday party. The two girls are very close in age and get along famously. (They also share a name, which may contribute to their friendship.)

The kiddo decided that we should make something for her cousin's birthday. She decided on the Hogarth Crystal Curve necklace, designed by Wendy Lueder and published in the April 2012 issue of Bead and Button.

We chose beads a bit smaller than the ones used in the pattern. The kiddo was delighted by the ab2x swarovski crystals in pink, green and purple.

The colors the kiddo picked looked wonderful together and, wow, do they sparkle.

I made about four or five components before I couldn't wait any longer to connect them. After looking at the chain of flowers, I realized it also made a perfect bracelet. The kiddo concurred, so I added a few of the crystal rounds to either end. The result is the perfect bracelet for a little girl.

The kiddo said the bracelet was "bea-U-ti-ful." Her cousin loved it also. She promptly put it on after she opened the box and wore it all night. :)

Saturday, May 19, 2012

i heart macro Sunday

It's been a bit of a busy week, so I don't have too much today. I did manage to take a few shots of our cherry tree. I love seeing it covered in cherries.

I wish I could say I will make a pie or cobbler, but by the time the cherries are big enough to eat, the rabbits, squirrel and birds generally get there first. :(

This one is hiding.

If you are wondering about the yellow and blue background, the kiddo was picking cherries as I was taking pictures. She's wearing her Snow White dress.

For more macro goodness, check out Studio Waterstone.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Motley Owl Blog Challenge

I've been in love with these motley owls since Erin Prais-Hintz first introduced them on her blog. Her post was interesting, detailing the differences between her woodsy owls and her new, motley owls.

Erin stated, "woodsy owls are serious about their duties and fly on the straight and narrow. According to Erin, motley owls, unlike their stately cousins, are "the life of the party and quick with a laugh"

Erin ended her post posing a question: "Which type of owl are you?"

I am definitely a serious person, too serious, if you ask some people. (I'm looking at you, mom). I joked with Erin about making one of her motley owls a personal mascot--something to remind me to have some fun.

Not too long after, Erin was kind enough to donate a few of her motley owls to Lorelei Eurto for a blog challenge.

I crossed my fingers and hoped that fate might deliver an owl to my door. Well, I wasn't a winner, but I didn't let that stop me. (Sometimes you have to make your own fate.) I asked Erin for a custom owl--the wilder the better. Boy did she deliver.

I love my little owl. Green and purple are two of my favorite colors. The yellow in the eyes is the perfect addition and I love how the owl is looking downward as if to say, "whatever happened, it wasn't me."

I wanted to try something a bit different in this project, so I pulled out a hammer and made a few copper links. The links are somewhat curvy and not at all uniform. I wish I could say this was by design, but it is simply because I'm unskilled in metal.

I do like the way the links came out, though. They are all slightly different, as if to remind me not everything needs to be perfect. I stamped "walk on the wild side" on a few of the links and the funky little chain was complete.

I made a few herringbone ropes and connected them to some odd beads and chain I had laying around.

One of the herringbone ropes is twisted more than the other.

I really like how it turned out.

I wanted to create something a bit different.. something to remind me to have a bit of fun and walk on the wild side once in a while.

I really enjoyed this challenge. I love my little owl and I love my funky, wild necklace.

The owl was designed by Erin Prais-Hintz. You can find more of her creations on her blog and in her etsy shop. Erin is also hosting the Challenge of Literature blog hop at the end of the month. Be sure to check it out. I cannot wait to see all the wonderful creations.

Our host is Lorelei Eurto. In case you haven't heard, Lorelei's book, Bohemian Inspired Jewelry, which she co-wrote with Erin Seigel, will be released next month. If you can't wait for the physical book, you can get the digital version here.

Be sure to check Lorelei's blog or follow the links below to see what everyone made:

Lorelei: http://www.lorelei1141.blogspot.com

Chris White: http://dzeyenrstudio.blogspot.com/

Lesley Watt: http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com/

Raida Disbrow: http://havanabeads.blogspot.com/

Penny Young-Neville: http://copperpennydesigns.blogspot.com/

Tanya Goodwin: http://pixiloo.blogspot.com - you are here

Saturday, May 12, 2012

i heart macro Sunday

This week, I was fortunate enough to meet Sharyl, from Sharyl's Jewelry. We generally converse over email and it was so nice to actually meet in person. We met in a local park and were able to chat while we watched the kiddo play. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning.

The three of us were also able to get a few pictures of the small rose garden to the side of the playground.

For more macro goodness, check out Studio Watersone.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

i heart macro Sunday

If you are looking for my Color Challenge entry, click here.

This week, I have a few more pictures from the arboretum.

Of course, I have no idea what any of these are. I promise I will start looking at the names of the flowers.

I loved the spikes on this one.

This one reminded me of little raindrops.

The colors of some of these blew me away.

For more macro goodness, check out Studio Waterstone.

One Crayon Color Challenge

Sally Russick, from TheStudioSublime, presented a wonderful challenge: take one color, and only one color, and create something. Sally called it the One Crayon Color Challenge.

I love monochromatic designs. I get lost in the different hues and gradations of one color. I decided right away to join in the fun. My first instinct told me to choose orange and that's what I did. Over the next few weeks, I started to wonder what my instinct was thinking.

Then I found these in my stash. Who knew these orange pearls from Fusion Beads were lurking around?

I also stumbled into this wonderful Madagascar agate at the bead store.

Absolutely gorgeous!

The beads definitely spoke to me. Unfortunately, they only said, "buy me." Those sneaky beads had no intention of telling me how to use them.

The agate beads were challenging because they are larger than the beads I normally use. The irregular shape also gave me pause.

I decided to bead a thick rope that might flow into the agate beads. I looked through my stack of patterns and found "A Different Kind of Spiral" by Marcia Balonis. You can find that pattern and many others here. Marcia's patterns are just gorgeous. If you have a few minutes, please check them out.

Marcia's spiral rope was perfect for what I had in mind.

The topaz crystals take a bit of an orange cast when mixed with the pearls and the dark orange seed beads.

The necklace is pretty simple: a few beaded spirals and the agate beads. I couldn't leave well enough alone, though, and added these cute little laced barrel beads, the design for which I found at Bluebear Beads.

I ended up hid a magnetic clasp inside the rope and love the finished look. The two sections of rope just seem to meld into each other.

The end result is close to what I had in mind.

I also like a more asymmetrical look.

Sally, thank you for such a wonderful challenge. I had a blast working on this necklace.

If you want to see more beady goodness in one color designs, check out the rest of the hop: