Sunday Quotes

Green Spiders

Worked on more Christmas spiders this evening. I had these great glittery green beads and thought they would make some wonderful spiders. Added in some different green beads and crystals for legs and bodies and put them all together. What do you think?

These are a bit smaller than the others I made earlier. As a Christmas "ornament", they aren't too heavy and the green ones will blend into the trees, like most spiders. I will be making some other colors to match different colored trees. These are so much fun to make!

GIF Fishing

I've been having fun looking for GIFs today. Funny kittens and puppies, strange Halloween "things" and getting a start on the Christmas stuff. I still need to find some Thanksgiving backgrounds that I can use on my store. Gotta keep up with the holidays! ;)
I got these from Mike's Free GIFs.

Here is a little stick guy that doesn't seem to be having a good day fishing.

Fungi

During a lovely afternoon walk today with hubs and dog, we came across this beautiful orange fungus. Also known as Chicken of the Woods, it is a bright spot in the forest. You can learn more here about this fungus and some of the other things that grow in my woods.

Some cool arty links I found today

I am still catching up with my emails from being gone this weekend and came across a few that were kinda interesting.

Matthew Cox uses X-rays and embroidery thread in a very creative and innovative way. A little strange, a little cool, a thought that comes into your mind that asks, "Why didn't I think of that?"

I get a newsletter from AllFreeBeadedJewelry, a site that has TONS of ideas and DIYs for making your own jewelry. Lots of fun ideas!

Cat

After scolding one's cat, one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word. And has filed it for reference. ~Charlotte Gray

Only because you know it's true!

Another Great Weekend & Sunday Quotes

The weather was great, the food was fabulous and PAC members and guests are magnificent! We had so much fun this year! Telling stories, laughing 'til we couldn't laugh any more, working on art, there was joy in the building all weekend.

I was able to work on a necklace I promised Judi last May I would make for her and she went home with a lovely new piece of wearable art. I love doing commissions, especially when I can work directly with the person who is going to be wearing the piece I make. She was VERY happy with it. I'm glad. :) I would love to show you this piece, however...my camera ran out of battery power before I was able to take a picture of the completed necklace. As soon as I can, I will get a picture up to show.

I met new artists this weekend and was able to teach a short class in Zentangle. Now I have more people addicted to the art of Zentangle and I am not alone. Muwhahahahahaha!!! These weekends are so fun just walking around the tables and seeing what everyone has brought to work on. The variety is amazing and so is the art. Because of the camera thing, I have no pictures from this weekend. Check the Portland Art Collective blog to see what some of the other members, with operating cameras, have posted.

From differing conversations that filled the room, I heard this memorable statement from PAC member Debi Koenig: "I have a faulty spider."

Happy Halloween Month!

Friday Night Spotlight

Tonight I'm at my annual retreat at Menucha. Pronounced meh-nu-ka, it is a beautiful estate, purchased many years ago by the First Presbyterian Church. Portland Art Collective has been having our art retreats there for five years. It gives us all a chance to get inspired and depressurize. Meuncha even has retreats for one or two people, the perfect place to get away and restart your soul.

And since I'm talking about arty retreats, now is the time to start planning for next year. Save your pennies and think about taking some classes from either of these events in 2012:

Teesha and Tracy Moore run Artfest, one of the best art retreats. Hover your mouse over the Artfest Annex on their front page and pick something that looks interesting.

Sitka Center lives on the beautiful Oregon Coast. A wonderful place to learn. Check out their classes from this year to get an idea of what may be coming in 2012.

Art and Soul has been host to inspirational mixed media retreats for thousands of creative souls, a place to discover unconventional art techniques. The Portland, Oregon event has come and gone, but there are two more earlier next year.

If you have a place to go to get away from it all for a couple of days, look in to it. Time spent with your Muse can help bring out that creativity that may very well have been laying dormant for awhile.

Knitting

I'm slowly teaching myself how to knit. Well....I know how to knit, I just don't know how to do anything else. When I went to Oregon Flock and Fiber a couple of weeks ago, I found this great yarn. In order to knit the scarf on the label, I have to learn how to purl and yarn over.

Ok...I had bought a book to teach myself all the cool things in knitting some time ago, but haven't really started in on any projects yet. (I think the cool weather kicks in a kind of knitting gene that gets us all wooly fingered.) The book is Teach Yourself Visually - Knitting by Sharon Turner. If you're looking to learn how to knit, take a class and learn from someone who knows. This book is a great reference for those stitches you have learned. And then, practice, practice and more practice. Make a bunch of scarves and you will get those stitches embedded into your head.

So today I sat myself down, between loads of laundry, and purled, dropped a yarn over, did a yarn over and purled a stitch again. I'm getting pretty good at this and I think I'll have a cool looking scarf in the end. Instead of using my Link yarn from Berroco, I found another smaller yarn to learn this technique. I'm happy. Pictures will be here when I finish up this scarf.

Z'oodle Book Prep

I'm almost ready to get volume two of my Z'oodle Color Book Journal off to the printers. I've worked hard this week, between errands and chores, to get everything set up. There seems to be as much computer work as there is drawing time in getting these books out. After the printing, I have to punch the holes for binding, punch the half rounds for the pocket pages, tape those pages shut on the bottom, collate and then coil bind them all. Packaging comes next and I have to get some colored pencils to include with each Color Book.

I worked up a sample book today to see if I liked the position of the drawings and things actually came out right the first time! I love it when that happens! Here it is. I've been coloring on it to show potential customers that they don't need to keep it black and white.

Z'oodle Color Book Journal Volume 2.

Hank Williams

Just heard his new song.

GOOD FOR YOU, HANK WILLIAMS!!!!

UPDATE: Free download of his new song for the next couple of days at Hank's website.

Sunday Quotes

Did your mouth start watering when you saw the oranges?

New Brooch

Friday, while at the PAC Play Day, I finished a little brooch I've been working on and off for the past few weeks. It started with a small floral antiqued silver plated stamping. From there I attached it with a Swarovski marguerite and silver bead. A row of vintage sequins is next, held down by the same silver beads. Followed by 2mm AB finish clear crystals and clear seed beads. When finishing off the piece, I decided to bring the purple of the sequins out to the edge with some purple lined blue seed beads.




I think it turned out quite nice. What do you think?

UPDATE: I have now listed this little brooch at my store.

Friday Night Spotlight

Today was a fun day. It was Play Day at Collage with a few members of my art group, Portland Art Collective. Lots of laughter and awesome art was to be had. We always have a great time on our Play Days. We catch up on what we've been doing, work on art projects, buy some great goodies from the store and have a fabulous lunch at the Thai place down the block.

Today we talked about Pinterest and tried our best to explain what it is. They describe themselves as an online pinboard. Whatever they may be...they are bad and good all at the same time. Good because you can see what other people are trending and find some cool stuff. Bad because I just spent an hour and a half looking at all the cool stuff before I got to this post. Addicting does not even come close to what pinterest does to you! Have Fun!!

More Spiders

I'm having fun making more spiders. These are really creative endeavors. I spend more time looking for the beads to make these little critter than I do making them. I've got little plastic bags filled with "body" beads for about 7 or 8 more spiders and I think I could get about 5 more bags filled right away, too.



The blue spider has painted wooden, polymer clay and glass body beads. The red spider has a wooden block, red lampworked bead and faux pearl for the body. I found these wooden blocks at Petco, in the small animal (rats, guinea pig, etc.) toy area. They use them to chew on. When I saw them, I thought they would make fun pendants, earrings and/or bracelets. They do pretty well for spiders, too!

My Spider

I've been thinking about spiders since I went to 365 Spiders. It's that time of year again, so I have spiders coming into the house to make their new homes. They get picked up and put right back outside. The old woodshed is the perfect place for them.

After getting some more Halloween earrings made up this afternoon, I went on to make my very first beaded spider. Thanks to Amy for her inspirational webby creativity.

Here's my "gold" bug.




I didn't have any bugle beads with holes big enough for the wire I was using, however I learned from Amy's spiders that any bead will work. Out came the gold beads and colored lined seed beads. I've been keeping all my onesie beads for a "one-only" necklace, but thought these little spiders would be perfect for these "only" beads. A gold colored corrugated bead, matched with pierced wood and amber crow beads make a great body. This was a fun project and I think I will be making more.

Spiders and Beads

Relax, it's not a scary thing, unless you really are scared of spiders. I appreciate and like having my spiders around. When I find one in the house, I capture it and put it out in the woodshed. The spiders and the bats are good about eating up all the nasty bugs I don't like.

This post is about Amy and her challenge to make 365 Spiders. I got her link from Craftside, a crafty newsletter I receive in email. Amy has been very busy and has created spiders for the last 253 days. She is on the down hill side of her year and I applaud her for doing this. I know the feeling of accomplishment she will have at the end of her year.

Check out all her spiders and how she used her beads in unique and remarkable ways to create these fabulous arachnids.

Sunday Quotes

"Why Beads Are Better Than Chocolate"

1. 100 grams of chocolate has 588 calories, but beads have zero calories.

2. Beads don't melt in your hands while chocolate can become a real
gooey mess.

3. Beads don't give you acne, so your dermatologist likes them too.

4. Beads don't give you cavities, so they are recommend by 9 out of
10 dentists.

5. Beads are caffeine free though some of us lose sleep when we
dream of that next bead creation we plan to make.

6. Beads come in a rainbow of colors, and chocolate only comes in
white and shades of brown.

7. Chocolate can get crusty and funky when not fresh, but beads get
better with age.

8. Etiquette requires that you share your chocolate, but beads don't
have to be shared.

9. An average 10 gram tube of good seed beads is $3, while a pound of
good chocolate can go for $50.

10. While chocolate has endorphins, beads can make you happy without
making you fat.

11. Beads are hypo-allergenic while a lot of people are allergic to
chocolate.

12. Beads last forever while chocolate is usually only around for
few minutes.

13. Beads can be recycled while chocolate is gone when it's gone.

14. It's impossible to find a string of chocolate to match your
outfit.

15. Beads don't trigger migraine headaches and instead are proven to
relieve stress.

Shopping in Sandy

I live in a small town east of Portland, Oregon. Highway 26 runs through the town and carries many people to Mount Hood and the mountain communities. Not a lot of people stop in town and support our local businesses. Except for a few restaurants and gas stations.

I believe in supporting my local businesses. They are the backbone of this country, and in this economy, we need all the small business we can get. Here are three links to a few of my favorite places. If you're ever in my area, first, let me know, and then do a little shopping. You won't be disappointed.

Dita's Chocolates. THE BEST chocolates in Oregon, all in one place. I can't tell you my favorites because they are ALL so good! To go along with the wonderful chocolate, you will also find great wine from Oregon and Washington. What could be better?

Designer Yarn is right around the corner from Dita's. Sherrie's litte shop has as much yarn as she can pack into all the walls and corners. All the colors and textures are a joy for the senses. She has everything you need to knit/crochet those winter socks, a warm shawl or a hat to keep your head warm. Classes will teach you everything you need to know about how to work those knitting needles or crochet hooks. Specialty yarns can be found on the shelves or ordered for something specific you are looking for.

A couple blocks down from Dita's is Chariteas. A bright and cheery tea shop. A great place to go for lunch, or a snack, and a warming cup of tea. Many different teas line the shelf behind the counter and you can ask for just about any kind of blend. So nice! After lunch, walk around and scope out the beautiful teapots they have for sale. If you liked that blend they made for you, order up some loose tea to take home to brew yourself.

I have just scratched the surface of the places I like to shop and support. I hope you feel the same about your local small businesses. And if you haven't been out to see what might be new in your town...what's stopping you?

Friday Night Spotlight

This week we have an eclectic mix of links.

DraggonTagger has something everyone will want to wear this winter.

Neck Snuggie Warm Autum Fuzzies
This will be great for those winter fashions. Keeps your neck warm in style! The loop goes over the flower button to hold it closed or you can use your favorite brooch in the middle of the flower to hold it in place. Machine washable, gentle cycle and low heat for the dryer or lay flat to dry. Neck Snuggie

YogiBear66 will keep you busy during the winter with this tote.

Scrapabilities Deluxe Scrapbooking Tote - Blue
This Blue collection includes items remarkable for their beauty, depth and versatility, making each one perfect for scrapbook layouts, creative frames, handmade cards, gift tags and so much more. Perfect for everyone from the beginner to the most experienced scrapbooker, this kit makes a wonderful gift for any occasion. Scrapbooking Tote

If you're looking for some doodle fun, click on the next link and watch your doodle come to life. Draw a stick man

Do you like Halloween? Do you like Christmas? Do you like Folk Art that specializes in Halloween and Christmas? Go see what Spooky Time Jingles has to offer.

Lastly.....let's see who has deleted themselves from the gene pool lately. The Darwin Awards

Halloween happens in 30 days....are you ready?

What Was I Going To Say?

I HATE dial up!!! I wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to blog at all tonight. I was kicked off three times before I could get here. I did sign up for DSL this afternoon and a week from now, I will hopefully be crusin' the net at high speed. It's only been promised to all of us out here for the last five years.

Because of all this, I can't remember what I was going to say tonight. Ummmm.....still working on Volume #2 for my Z'oodle Book. I have about three more pages to get done and then the computer work starts. There WAS something interesting I was going to say, but my brain is not working now. I'll wake up about 4 a.m. and remember. If I do, I'll write it down and let you know tomorrow.

Being a woman of a certain age has its advantages, but there is also a down side to it, too. Memory has a way of working only when She wants to. I think we need to sit down and have a little heart to heart about this problem. Memory, much like my Muse, wants to go on vacation when She is needed most. Very rude, if I may say so! I think they are working against me at times. I'll have to get more organized and be less distracted so I can keep everyone in line!

All right, Grace!! Where do you think YOU'RE going??? I'm tired of tripping over your things! Please go clean up your mess. Slumber just walked in the room and I think I'll take him up on his offer. Good Night...see you tomorrow!

Oregon Flock and Fiber Fest

I attended this fun and fluffy event on Saturday. I didn't have a shopping list of what I might need or want this year, so just decided to roam the aisles and tents for something that caught my fancy. Well...I found a few things that I liked.

My first stop is always at the basket lady. She has quite a number of designs and shapes. This gives me a new basket every year and something to put all my purchases in. This year I chose this smaller one. It's the first one I picked up, then put down, walked around and looked at the other baskets, then came back and picked it up again. Always go with your first instincts. ;)


Next I made the rounds, did some "window" shopping and remembered that I needed some grey roving for felting. I found a lovely alpaca/wool blend that will work beautifully. And It feels SOOO soft. After walking around the booths, I saw this very interesting, rather large, ropey yarn. It's from Berroco and called Link. It makes a rope-like scarf with just one skein. I love the varigated look and can't wait to work it up. Had to stop by the local yarn shop and order some size 50 needles. Yep...I'll be knitting with small trees. LOL While at this booth, I also got myself some Flounce Ribbon for making a little Flounce scarf. This looks very pretty and fun, just have to figure out how to knit with it.

These buttons are just a few that I picked out for my stash. There were many more designs, shapes and colors that I would have taken home if I didn't have enough already. The nice thing is that the button artist lives close to me. I always like supporting another local artist.

It was a fun day and I enjoyed looking at some of the animals and people and the wonderful wooly things that were out there. If I had the time this year I would have taken a couple of classes. They are always a blast! Can't wait until next year!!

Check out Oregon Flock and Fiber Fest for more information.

Spooky Time Jingles

I was crusin' the web tonight and found this great site for Halloween and Christmas Folk Art. Spooky Time Jingles has many, many artists that are creating some spooky, crazy or cool art for these two holidays. Something to check out.

(I am not in anyway affilitated with this site...yet.)

Sunday Quotes

Today

Today was a strange day. The weather was nice with some high thin clouds coming in and out. I just could not settle on getting any one job done. I was kind of scatter brained and would go from room to room not finishing anything I started. I did get a few things done, but the dishes are still sitting on the counter, the laundry is still in the basket, the current necklace is still waiting for more beads and I didn't want to do anything today.

Ack...I don't like it when that happens. I have a TON of chores, jobs and things I have to do. I guess I don't know where to start and that's what is getting to me. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Oh...I just remembered!! Tomorrow will be better! It's our 20th wedding anniversary! Happy Us!!

Commenting - Part Deux

Thank you all, very much, for leaving comments and/or clicking on the Reaction boxes. I do appreciate it. And if I do have a boring post, those will happen I'm certain of it, go ahead and let me know. :)

Sunday Quotes

This week is slightly off, but then aren't most weeks? I had a great trip to visit friends and had this great quote that fit just perfectly.

There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes

Have a creative Autumn week!

Off Until Monday

I'm traveling this weekend and will not be near a computer. It's a good thing and a bad thing. I can take the weekend off from sitting in front of a screen for hours, but my internet addiction (and isn't it for everyone?) will be hard to control.

I'll be back to regular posting on Monday night. I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!

Morse Code

I had an idea last week and then researched it and found it was not an original idea. But the way I'm doing it is. I am making Morse Code jewelry. Each letter is separated by three beads and each word is separated by five beads. The necklace is made with shells and red agate beads.



This necklace says, "I Love You". I'm having fun with the various beads I have and making some cool pieces. I'm even learning Morse Code by working with the beads. Educational AND pretty!

Commenting

Hello.

I know you're out there. My stats show that there are people that drop by and look at my blog. Would you do me a favor? You don't have to comment, but would you please go to the bottom of your favorite post and either +1 me or just click on one of the reactions. It gives me a little info on what you might like to read or see and I can be a better blogger for you.

Thank You!! I appreciate you coming by and reading about me and my little projects.

Z'anne

Sunday Quotes

More Halloween Earrings

I've been busy the past few days. Making new earrings for Halloween from the charms I received in the mail earlier this week. Then photographing them for my store and getting them all packaged up for future purchases. (I hope)

Here are three pair that I listed in the store today.

Harvest Pumpkins
Antiqued Skulls
Black Skulls

The Black Skulls are very cool and I only have two pair of earrings made with these charms. If I get requests for them, I'll order more charms. Both pair have glow in the dark beads and look really eerie in the dark!

Friday Night Spotlight

I'm happy tonight. Last night my dial up connection wouldn't work. It kept spitting me out and I just got so frustrated I felt like throwing my stapler at the moniter. I didn't, but I could have.

So, tonight is better and I can get the links up for my Spotlight...and here they are!

Country Naturals has THE cutest Hand Knit Bed Of Roses Bath Shower Mat Step out of the shower onto a thick pad of soft rosebuds. 14x18 1/2 inches. Over an inch thick but light-weight. Feels wonderful under your feet. Custom Orders Welcome! The perfect Christmas gift for the person who has everything.

Country Naturals also has a great OLA online craft fair going on at her site. Check out the variety of items available for gift giving for the upcoming seasons.

Yogibear66 has gotten in the mood for All Hallows Eve. Haunting screams and spooky noises will attract the attention of all the ghoulies and goblins in the neighborhood. The Large Standing Skeleton with Motion and Sound Effects will make your house the best place to Trick or Treat!

KornKountryTreasures is offering an absolutely exquisite piece of handcrafted crochet art. The Poinsettia Christmas Crochet Doily would look fabulous on any holiday table. This is a beautiful and colorful doily, crocheted with white, red and green thread. Center of the piece is a poinsettia design, with bright gold beads for the center. Measures approximately 22 1/2" in diameter.

Last, but not least, is one of my friends from Portland Art Collective. Suzanne's creative life started early on with a sewing machine and a burning desire to make things. Current artistic pursuits include fiber arts, especially modern quilting, embroidery, sewing, and crochet; painting, collage, jewelry design, and book binding. She is always up for learning something new!

Thank you for stopping by and checking out the links!

Feeling Better Today

Woke up with a crusty eye this morning, but no pain and less swelling. I was still a bit out of focus, but as the day went on, things were getting sharper. I think I'll stick to beading and leave the outdoor stuff to HB. He's handier that way.

With the heat ramping up early, I decided to hide in the nice cool house and work on some more Halloween earrings. Received some new cool resin charms and couldn't resist.





These are only three of the seven different kinds of resin charms I got. The skulls are my favorite. I used crystals for this pair, but I will be making more earrings and adding glow in the dark beads instead. Yes...I AM having fun!!! :D

Wear Your Safety Glasses

Why? Because even though you're doing something you've done a ton of times and nothing has happened, just this once something WILL happen. Case in point. I went out this morning to feed the birds, as usual, and had to dodge the dried out and drooping branches on one of the hemlock trees. I had trimmed some of them earlier in the season and since it's been hot and dry lately, more have come down to get in my way. So...I got out the big trimmers and went about cutting branches. After a few, I was reaching up high above my head and went to cut the branch and some bark chipped off and fell into my eye. OW!

I got out all the little bits except one that was stuck under my upper lid. Lots of eye watering and blinking and pain. It finally came out later in the afternoon, but it must have scratched my eyeball 'cause it still hurts.

SO....just don't go out there and do the usual stuff. Save yourself a lot of pain and aggravation. Wear Your Safety Glasses!

The Crows Have Gathered

After about 4 days, 5 different themes and time spent going over my notes from the website class I took, I finally got my store decorated for the season. I went with a black, white and red crow theme. A little dark, but I like it.

There is a contest for the best decorated store, at OLA, and I'm glad I took the challenge. I haven't even looked at the class notes for a couple of years and it's handy to know enough HTML to be able to play.

Geez...I didn't realize how late it is. These computer things can keep you up late. *yawn* Have a good Tuesday.

Sunday Quotes

Friday Night Spotlight

Today was the Portland Art Collective Play Day at Collage, in Portland. Morning started off mostly cloudy, and with errands, before I could get myself into town. A drop off at the post office and getting my "It's a Jungle Out There" jewelry to the show (opening is next Tuesday). Then, driving the side streets to avoid all the Labor Day weekend traffic, but hitting almost all the red lights. When I got to our room at Collage, there were only three other members. A good number, considering it is Labor Day weekend.

Jan started us on this path to Play Day. It's so nice to get away from the house and go do some art with like minded women. Paula and Suzie were there to fill out our quartet. A fun day to experiment with new techniques, color a little picture, paint or play with reposse. I really enjoy their art, please go click on their links and see what these fabulous artists can do.

In The Mail Today

The new issue of Bead & Button magazine came today and I am pumped. The cover looks fabulous with a beautiful cubic right-angle weave necklace. I know how to do single needle right-angle weave, but this cubic thing is going to be a challenge. I had to sit down and really go over the instructions to see how hard this might be. But, they seem pretty clear and I will play with this, maybe this weekend.

There were also other great beaded jewelry pieces in this issue. Like, a few of the winners of the 2011 Bead Dreams competition. There is some fabulous bead art by bead artists from around the world. Chain, crystals and beads bracelets look like fun to make and wear. More projects using the cubic right-angle weave and a great artist profile of Heidi Kummli.

Have fun looking around the websites, you never know what you might find!

Glow In The Dark Earrings

I tried getting pics of the glow in the dark beads in the dark and it won't work. So, take my word for it, they do glow and look so very cool!!! During the light times of the day the earrings show off their fall colors. Here are three pair:

Halloween is Coming!

I know, I know...it's still two months away, but for designers and jewelry artists, it's never too soon. I was working on some earrings this afternoon for the up coming holiday. I have to get some more bats, spiders/webs and skulls so I can supply my store with spooky things for Halloween. Boo!

Halloween Earrings

I have some glow in the dark beads that I will be making into earrings. I'll show those when I get them done. Don't know if I can get pictures of the glowing part, but the beads in light will be easy.

Rudraksha Beads

I spent part of my weekend getting some necklaces listed in my store. Here is one that is interesting, and as I found out, full of "power" and mystery.




This necklace is made of rudraksha beads. Scientifically known as Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb. The Rudraksha tree is a large evergreen broad leaf tree that grows in India. Mistakenly thought to be the seed of the bodhi tree, they are used in many beading applications. To learn more about these seeds, follow this link.

Sunday Quotes

Cloth Paper Scissors

For those who don't know, CPS is a great magazine about mixed media collage. What it is, who does it, what it looks like and how to do it. This month there are a number of very good articles on Steampunk art dolls, sharpening your mixed-media skills, carving a reduction print and making a mosaic collage. One feature article is about Ivan Lovatt, a sculptor that uses chicken wire, yep, chicken wire, to create awesome figures and wildlife. I can't describe how cool they are, so here is the link and you go check for yourself! Ivan Lovatt

Friday Night Spotlight

It's been quite "electrifying" the past few nights. We've had thunder storms in and out of the area, I think we're getting more tonight, and have had to shut down the computer and other electronics early each night before I can even log on. But....I'm here now and I'm typing like crazy to catch up before anything happens.

Friday has come again and here are the selections for the 26th:

yogibear66 has a beautiful brooch she wants to highlight tonight.
Vintage Victorian Smokey Agate Brooch
Victorian styled; very detailed; no markings are evident; total length is 3 inches to the end of the tassel.

CountryNaturals sent in this link for one of her special rose bookmarks.
Hand Knit Rosebud Bookmark
The double rope is approximately 11" long, with a tiny tassel on the end. The rosebud is about an inch long and 1/2 inch in diameter. These would make nice gift tags, stocking stuffers, or keepsakes from a wedding or shower.

DraggonTagger is having fun with her yarns, too. Check out her
Soap Sock 2 Red White Blue
The Soap Socks are made with cotton yarn so are soft enough for a baby, but work well for gentle exfoliation in the bath or shower! They hold a regular bath sized bar of soap that saves you money so you can use up ALL of your soap! Stuff the slivers in there too and use it all! Soap Socks have a draw string that you can loop around your wrist, while in the shower or tub, so you don't have to worry about dropping the soap!

I'd like to add one of my favorite doll maker's link. Akira Blount creates little beings that are something more than the average doll. Take a tour through the galleries at Akira Studios and you will be amazed by her art.

For a laugh, go to Peter F. May's Unusual Wine Labels and see what people are drinking around the world. One of my favorites is on page 10 of the Unusual Labels, Old Git, and Old Tart can be found on page 11. Very funny labels. Have fun reading about them.

Some Necklaces

Here are a few of the necklaces I took pictures of yesterday.



This necklace is done in large, open weave spiral. A difficult technique until you get the rhythm of the stitch. The second picture is a close up of the weave. I used a button and loop closure with a mother of pearl button.


One of my favorite necklaces, the carved bone bats set off this necklace made with mottled brown beads, that look like stone, metallic colored glass beads and seed beads.


The green glass cabochons were "captured" by copper-lined seed beads and freshwater pearls, then woven together with the peyote stitch. A spiral stitch necklace and vintage button, for the button and loop closure, top it all off.

In the next few days I'll be adding these to my store, when I can get my computer to work properly. I wasn't sure I'd even be able to get on tonight, but I did after foolin' with some configurations. I hate it when you get a new update and things happen that shouldn't. I'll be doing the regular maintenance thing tomorrow. big whoop

Busy Monday

Spent most of the day taking pictures of my jewelry and catching up the close ups of the rest of the Challenge earrings. My poor little camera was so busy, it's never had quite such a work out. The weather was much cooler today and I think that helped get my energy up to get all those pictures taken, almost 200 of 'em! Got them all organized and the bad pictures deleted (I LOVE digital cameras!) and the next thing is to get them listed in my store.

Before I do that tonight, here are a couple of necklaces I made yesterday afternoon.

Jade Buddha
Blue on Blue

I need to retake the pictures for these necklaces as they are too dark. I also need to change the background color on which to lay them on.

Well....off to work on my store at Z'annes Bazaar.

Sunday Quotes

These Are The Nights.....

...that I love the most. The moon will come up very late, the skies are clear and the stars are bright. You can even see the "dark" matter in the Milky Way. I am not very star literate, but I do know a few. I could pick out Orion, the Pleiades, the big and little Dippers and the constellation Leo. I'm still learning, ever so slowly.

Just think, all those little tiny lights in the sky are suns. Most of which may have planets circling around them. Will we ever get out there? Will we ever get past our own solar system? Or will we ever get back to the moon? I hope we can. Until then, I'll go out on the clear nights and study the stars.

Here is a site the has some great info on Space Weather. You can keep track of solar flares, astroid encounters and geomagnetic storms. It's cool. And if you want to see the virtual phases of the moon from any date and time between 1800 and 2199 A.D. click here. Now, go outside and look up...if the sky is clear.

Friday Night Spotlight

Time again for the Spotlight! Here are three links from my friends at OnlineAuction.com.

First up is davendeb1178. They have a great little business of printing up business cards and stickers and labels, for a very good price. Great way to advertise and promote your online business.
Promotional Custom Business Cards or Stickers/Labels

CountryNaturals is next with the My Dog And I First Aid and Travel Kit for you and your lovable puppy.
FIRST AID TRAVEL KITS COME IN A DURABLE CANVAS BAG WITH REMOVABLE POUCH AND ROOM TO ADD PERSONAL ITEMS. ALL KITS COME WITH A “FREE” BAG OF AKC DOG TREATS AND A PLUSH DOG TOY.
My Dog And I First Aid and Travel Kit

Last, but not least is yogibear66 and the wonderful beaded project items she has. Positive Life Gratitude Beads. The purpose is to remind everyone of the positive in our lives and to give gratitude to ourselves and others. Each string will consist of 4 beads and little seed beads plus a charm at the end.
Positive Life Gratitude Beads

Thank you for stopping by and checking out the links above.

A Steampunk Link

The last few days have been a kind of catch up from the past weekend. With all the house cleaning I did and the work on the doors for the PAC show, I was exhausted. It's taken the past few days to get back to normal, sort of. I seem to be getting into my summer routine, in bed by midnight and awake between 8 and 9 am. That means I have a shorter time at my computer at night and I'm getting too tired to post. Not good for a challenge to post every day. *cringe* So...I'm trying my best and will do something new to make sure I can get my posts in daily.

If you happen to like Steampunk stuff, HERE is a GREAT site to check out. Think Victorian computers. Yeah...very cool!!!

Sunday Quote

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936)

Cloudy Again

Missed the meteor showers last night. It was clear until some time after midnight, then the clouds came in. :( This has truly been a very strange summer. It was drizzly when I got up this morning and all of 52 degrees at 9:15. By 5:30, this evening, it had warmed up to 58 degrees. At least the drizzle stopped by 11 a.m. Sheesh!

Tomorrow is the Portland Art Collective Door Cleaning Work Party. It looks to be a cool and possibly rainy day. The weather people say the rain will come in late on Sunday. Yeah. We'll see. We have doors to clean and paint and if it get wet outside there ain't gonna be a lot of painting.

(Ok...I just had a deja vue moment of me sitting here proofing what I just wrote!!!) Must be the full moon or somethin'. (Twilight Zone theme song playing in the background.) I've been getting a few of those lately. 8^0

Here is some information on the 2011 Meteor Showers for the rest of the year. SpaceWeather has all sorts of information about the sun, asteroids, meteors and other sky anomalies. Very interesting stuff.

Friday Night Spotlight

I missed the last few days of posting due to lack of sleep. By the time it came to blogging, I was too tired to compose, write or even read anything on the computer. But...I got my sleep and am here for the Spotlight tonight.

For the first link, I found the most fantastical paper artists that have really taken their work to new heights. Their media is cast paper and the sculptures they make are beyond belief. Allen and Patty Eckman create life size sculptured pieces of nature scenes and American Indians. Be prepared to be awed.

Janet Hickey recycles everyday items into very interesting art. Most of what she works with are the remains of peoples memories and belongings from Hurricane Katrina. My favorite is the VW engine cover. Take a look and you'll see what I mean.

For the third artist I chose another paper artist. This time Kylie Stillman carves images into stacked papers and books. A very unique way to recycle paper stuff. Check out the hand laced venetian blinds!

Megan Noel is an eclectic artist from Seattle. She draws, she paints, she beads, she knits and she plays the violin. All very creative, beautiful and fun. Take a stroll through her website and don't get lost in the forest.

Where does bad art go when no one wants it? The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is the world's only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms. If you have any bad art hanging around now it the time to send it off and have it hanging in a gallery. :0)

I hope you enjoy your trip around the arty web. See you next Friday!

Fascinating

I am a regular listener of Coast to Coast AM radio with George Noory. I love it. Yes, there are weird things like ghosts and UFOs and psychic stuff, but there are also discussions on the wars we are having, the Twilight Zone series, global weather changes and things political and economical. Tonight there are the two lawyers who defended John Wayne Gacy. A very bad man. They have written a book about their case and why they did defend him during his trial. Very interesting!

Trying To Relax

After company this weekend and then the stock market on its way to crashing today, I just wanted something to help me relax. Something simple, like...coloring. I picked up my colored pencils and had a little fun with the new Zentangle/Z'oodles that I created last week.

Here is what I did that calmed my nerves and added some color to my life.

Sunday Quotes

Bubbles and Roses and Wormz

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a play day with members from Portland Art Collective. I brought beads for our play day, but wasn't really in the mood to bead, so I got out my pens and paper. I decided to make a simple Zentangle picture of roses, grid and bubbles. I decided to scan this little picture before it was completed. There is no shading or color to it, but by scanning it now, I can always print out any number of prints and color them all differently. Sneaky, eh? LOL



Here is another Zentangle that I did the same thing with. There are a myrid number of ways to shade and color this one.

Friday Night Spotlight

Another Friday, another links night. I had a play day with my art group buddies today and since I'm in the mood for all things art, that's where we're going to go.

First is Teesha Moore's site that includes information on one of the best art retreats, ArtFest. It's situated in Port Townsend, Washington, a beautiful place to visit and learn some new arty things.

Another fabulous art retreat is Art and Soul. They have retreats all over the country. Click on the link to see when and where the next ones will be.

Next up is Margaux Lange. If you love Barbie, you may or may not love her art. I find her jewelry fascinating and strange. Take a look here and see what she has done to the famous fashion doll.

Keith LoBue is a rare person, a great teacher and a innovative artist. He creates the most intriguing jewelry from vintage and new, precious and junk, steel and stones. After looking through his website, check out his blog for step-by-step pictures on some of his creations.

The last link is for Susan Taylor Glasgow and to show you what you can do with glass if you choose to think way out of the box.

I Was On The Radio

Yep! I was interviewed, as Seller of the Month, on OLA Radio tonight. It was fun and exciting and I had a great time. I got to meet MetzyMom, one of OLA's great members. What a kick!!! She is fun and funny and full of wonderful information.

This has been a great honor to be picked Seller of the Month. But....that means I need to go into my listings and do a little housekeeping, which I'm doing now as I write this. There are advantages to dial up on some occasions. ;)

Other than that, it was a very humdrum, quiet day. I had the wonderful experiences of doing laundry and cleaning the bathroom. Yes, I'm sorry to have shattered your ideal picture of my regal comportment. LOL Ya cain't be too fancy wit' yerself win ya got yer elbows deep in da john. ;)

I'm so disgusted

I received my health insurance information this week. Rates went up over 5%. Doesn't sound like much, but it's an increase of over $25 per month in my payment. (Expletive deleted) I think of all the money I've paid for my health insurance over the years, I would be rich if I only saved it. Oh yeah, that's with a $3,000 deductible! This whole thing is such a scam. Things were cheaper and life was easier until the insurance companies got involved. I could go on, but my blood pressure is already high enough!

To lighten the mood, here is a funny picture that I found on one of my arty groups at Yahoo. It is photo shopped so don't worry, no animals were harmed in the making of this photograph.