On Taking A Vacation

 I've been on a WONDERFUL vacation for almost two weeks. That's me and my sisters. They all live in Southern California. It's so much fun to get together with them... even though they might kill me for making a gif file of them.

we went to an art festival in downtown Santa Ana. It was great.

 My sister Bonnie and I try to take a roadtrip together every year. We travel (and drink) well together. These aren't in the right order, but above is a photo of me being overwhelmed at the Remnants of the Past show in San Luis Obispo.

 A Greek Festival with lots of dancing. Bonnie danced until she was told it was too hard to learn.

 Beautiful art in Cambria.

 Did I mention we drink well together?

 The Beach in Cambria.

 

We took one of those painting classes where you drink wine and paint...

I don't want to burn your retinas, so I won't post a picture of my painting. It was fun though...

More Turquoise and Reworking

 These items are all for Gatherings on the Blue. Judy brought over pieces of things and whole things and things to take apart and put back together in different ways....

 I "test drove" this one and could have sold it three times!

 bracelet.

 Carnelian and Coral. So pretty.

 Three different giant earrings I domed and bolted. Each has a unique pattern or texture.

 Slider Necklace. Abalone leaf, MOP butterfly, tiny fresh water pearls.

Statement Piece. Seriously.

A Morning Thrift

I had to run some errands in town this morning, so stopped off at our local Thrift Shop...

I bought the bag of thousands of paintbrushes so I won't feel guilty when I use Mod Podge and then forget to wash the brush... The 2 quart jar will hold a collection of treasures or Red Vines.... The pegboards and little wooden pieces will surely fascinate small children (or me)... the girdle clips might just end up on some necklaces! I also found a really cool pocketknife, some handmade lace, and a grout sponge.

KaChing!

The Power of the Pyramid

 I've been experimenting with crushing wine bottles and melting them into little pyramids of goodness. I think they would make great paperweights or even display pieces for my bracelets. Or - just a good excuse to drink more wine in lovely colored bottles....

They came out of the kiln looking like this:

 

I tried doing a fire polish in the kiln, but it didn't look much different, so I sprayed them with a crystal clear sealant for that "just licked look".

 

 You can see a small chunk missing on the solid blue one. Evidently, when you drop glass on a ceramic floor, it can chip. Ha.

Piling It On

I thought I would try my hand at making a gif file and showing you some of the necklaces I've been working on at the same time. Whee!
If you want to learn how to make an animated gif, go to Jill Ruth & Co. here. 
Now quit watching mine or you'll have a seizure!!

Leather Cuffs

I'm working on some jewelry for Gatherings. They have a show this weekend and while no one will know these were made by me, I'm going to post them here so you do.

So far, these are my favorite pieces. I used a vintage tooled leather belt, some sterling silver bracelet pieces, vintage metal coasters (for the ends of the cuffs) and some elfin bolts.

Spring Fling on Saturday

 Saturday, March 16th I will be at the Liberty House in Seward for the 11th Annual Anniversary Sale - The Spring Fling. The sale is from 10-5.

 I've made some new jewelry...

...including a stack of bracelets.

Come see me!  

I'll be joined by "Franny and her Rag Dolls". I haven't seen them, but hear they are quite delightful!

A Few New Things

 Off On An Adventure - available here.

 Love is Enough. Available here.

Flight. Available here.

bloom

 

 Sister Bee was snowed in here at Two Dog Pond with me. There was about 5 inches of snow - just enough to claim we couldn't get out of our pj's much less the house. We decided to make some paper roses out of old sheet music - the kind of paper with lots of cotton in it.

 

 We took the dogs for a walk right before the snow and cut some forsythia and pussy willow branches. I've had them in water since Sister Bee left and they are now starting to bloom. That makes me feel better. I am getting a wee bit tired of Winter and Wind.

 My seeds arrived from the Burpee Seed Company and are starting to grow. That helps me breathe - did I mention I'm tired of Winter?

  ongoing blooms in our home are the Christmas Cactus (it doesn't know when to stop) the Hibiscus (takes a little rest in the winter, but it's back) and the orchid.  Yes. I need growing things around me...

Miss Mady found my camera - she appears a bit tired of Winter too - 

Here's hoping Spring is around the corner (right after the snow this coming weekend...) we could all use it and then maybe I'll be motivated to blog about what I've been making in the studio.

Turquoise Love

 Part of what I do is make jewelry for other retailers. My Hooker friend, Judy, has the Largest collection of turquoise ever. She brought over a giant jar and said "make whatever you want, and please use some of the giant turquoise hearts". So - I did. Even using all that turquoise - there is still 10 times more left in the jar!

I've also been remodeling and rearranging my shop - here's what things are looking like.

Bleach and a Snow Day

 If you've ever been to a show where I'm set up, you know that I use table covers that have bleach designs on them. A couple years ago I went nuts drawing with bleach on everything! Today is a snow day. My plans were cancelled so I decided to have some fun. After I took a nap. So - here's a tutorial on how to make your own bleach designs....

 Put some cardboard inside your t-shirt to make it a nice tight canvas. 

Fill a syringe (or a craft-store alternative) with a gel bleach. I use Soft Scrub.

 Start doodling (unless you have a definite design in mind.)

Below shows how I hold the syringe. Keep the needle away from your eyeballs.

 doodle some more....

 ...and some more...

 eat some lunch and when you come back your design appears!

 Originally I was going to just draw on the side like below...

 But, it's a snow day and I kept doodling. Perhaps it's overkill, but I like it.

Another Bug Cuff

This weekend I bought an iPad thinking it would be great for taking photos and blogging on one item. I thought it would be great for etsy and Facebook too... We'll see! Meanwhile I finished this bug cuff. 

If anyone has pointers on posting from an iPad I would love to hear them!