Post Number 500 and Something New

I have long been fascinated with glass and fusing glass and slumping glass and recently with lampwork. There are so many skills I want to learn...so part of my 2011 Promissio to myself is to experiment and continue learning to work with new materials and tools.

Top photo - 1st bead attempt. KaBoom.

Next: 2nd bead attempt. KaRack

Below: beads still on the mandrels. (Thought I should take a photo before I broke these also...)
TaDa! I made some lopsided ugly pokey beads and a couple of pretty marble looking beads.I feel good about it.
...:::~*~:::...
This really is my 500th post.
I could do a give-a-way and send some lucky winner a few lopsided, pokey, ugly beads, but what kind of contest would that be?

This Week's Winner - Courage, Cowgirl

Yeeha! This week's winner of the Two Dog Pond Necklace Contest is Miss Kathy with her entry of "Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway" John Wayne. Miss Kathy, e-mail me (rachel@twodogpond.com) with your mailing address and I will send you your winning soldered glass pendant on a 24" ball chain. I really like this saying. AND - the fact that it's a John Wayne quote and he was the original Rooster Cogburn is pretty cool too.

Thanks to all who played this week! Hope you have a creative weekend.

Well, Hello! Now Get Out Of Here!

I just got home from having a lovely visit with my friend Miss Kitty - she made a delicious Sour Cream Almond Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Pecan Caramel Topping. I am in Sugar Heaven. Anyway - when I got home, a little bird came through the door with me. The dogs went nuts. The bird went nuts. I went nuts. I ended up catching the bird in the kitchen by putting it in my stained glass *whateverthatthingis* and then letting it fly out the window.

I really can't blame it for wanting to come inside - it's flipping cold out there today!

More Bracelets

The little flower pendant makes it easy to hold the bracelet in place so you can fasten it. Especially effective since it's a wrap-around bracelet.
{"Immoderatum" is Latin for Boundless Love.}
This one is etched and uses my version of chain maille.

Two Dog Pond Necklace Contest - True Grit

I have chosen this week's Two Dog Pond Necklace Contest image for two reasons: One - this weekend I picked up a new wholesale account in Grand Lake, Colorado. That's Cowgirl Country. I saw photos of the area, and now I want to go on vacation there. Welcome! Second reason - yesterday my husband and I went to see True Grit. Great Movie. I highly recommend it.

Anyway - here's the contest... You make a comment with suggestion(s) for what should be on the backside of this image. It can be a quote, a phrase, a caption, a word, a snake, whatever you think is best - and - that you would want to wear with pride should you be the winner on Friday!

I'm working on my updated website in between filling orders for custom pendants.... many of the winning pendants from these contests will be included on the Two Dog Pond website. It's going to be like my booth at a craft fair: so many pendants and fun things to look at -

This Week's Winner - SWAK

Congratulations to this week's winner, Miss Shelly, with her winning entry of "Sealed With A Kiss". There were, again, lots of good choices but I kept coming back to SWAK. So - Shelly, please e-mail me (rachel@twodogpond.com) with your mailing address and I will send you your winning soldered glass pendant on a 24" ball chain. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Pearl Necklace

Aside from the fact that I overpickled this pendant with pearls after I patinaed it, it's particularly pretty.

Necklace Contest - Snow Day

This week's Two Dog Pond Necklace Contest image is a part of a larger postcard - I like this part the best, so I cropped it and cleaned it up. Either that is a large envelope, or a very tiny child.... Anyway - the contest is simple: Make a comment as to what you think would make a great caption for this image. On Friday a winner will be chosen and sent a soldered glass pendant on a 24" chain.

This Week's Winner - Taking The Zen Approach to Laundry

Congratulations to Miss Amy, this week's winner with her Zen Proverb - "After enlightenment, then laundry." We should all have our priorities that straight. Perhaps this poor boy's mother was being enlightened and it took a bit longer than it should have....

Miss Amy, please e-mail me (rachel@twodogpond.com) your mailing address and I will send you your soldered glass pendant on a 24" chain.

This week's winner was hard to choose - I was laughing out loud at some of the very funny suggestions. Clever, clever, readers...any of this week's comments would have made good pendants.

Another Good Day

I finished this bracelet the other day...it's for me... for the new year. The vintage bus token represents the one ride we have through this life. "Promissio" is Latin for Promise. I've made some promises to myself to be better to myself this year.

Next up. I just finished this commission for two plaques from a grandmother to her granddaughters. I fused glass to look like the night sky - in fact, used some glow in the dark fine frit so that it will actually glow like the night sky.

More fused glass - this one is interactive in that the copper pieces are weighted in the back with glass hearts. The pieces say "It is better to want what you don't have""than to have what you don't want". I truly appreciate that I have the studio space that I do (and a husband that doesn't mind that I've taken over the entire basement for my studio and shop).

I want to share my view our just one of the windows with you...

It's a good, good, good day.

Two Dog Pond Necklace Contest - Year Three!

Can you believe it? We started this contest in 2008. It was going to be a once-a-week-for-a-month contest, but it's so much fun that it just keeps going. Special thanks to those of you who have been with me since the first contest.... you know who you are!

The contest is simple - make a comment here on what you think would be the perfect quote/saying/phrase/short story for this image. On Friday a winner will be chose; a necklace
created; and the winner gets all!

This image has always made me laugh. I'm not sure where it came from, or whose child that is, so forgive me if it's your family. Look at all the laundry hanging on the line and the little boy waiting for it to dry wearing the only clean clothes left in the house. That's my interpretation of the picture anyway - but don't let that influence your first reaction.

Imagine - Shadow Shot Sunday

this is one of the 'babbling bricks' I made for Gatherings on the Blue.

For more great Shadow Shots, go see Hey Harriet.

Imagine a Prosperous and Creative New Year.