DoOver

 There's nothing left in my shop...

 ...the nap nook...

or my studio except my giant desk and a treadmill. Let the fun begin.

"Well, No One Drowned..."



Lovely beads from the R&T Bead Show



When we were growing up, if anything happened that my mom didn't really want my dad to get upset about, she would preface her story with " Well, no one drowned..." which puts a lovely perspective on the situation. It's not that big of a deal if no one drowns.

There's Wild Turkeys in the Two Dog Pond Vineyard

 So, yesterday when I went down to my studio, I was met with water on the floor... everywhere. Of course my husband was out of town at a conference...  

I sent my sister a picture and she said, well, You know what mom would say...

"No one drowned...."

Unfortunately, I am a bit of a slob hoarder packrat lets just say I have a lot of stuff... I'll be packing it up and moving just the basics upstairs and setting up a studio there.

The three young men from Service Master that came to rip out the carpet and cut out the drywall were very professional and nice about it. A bit overwhelmed perhaps...

More Goodies I Purchased at the Show - wish I k new where they were now...

So... here we go. I'll be remodeling the entire basement....

But, No One Drowned. It's all good.

Honestly, I can't imagine how traumatic a real flood would be - this is nothing...

whack a mole

 I've been working. Down in my studio. Like a mole.

Not really a mole. I love love love working in my studio. I just don't always like to surface.

 These earrings are so comfy and delicious. The beads are all lampworked here. by me. the mole. with a torch.

 I did a wee bit of enameling... this pair is called "it's not always black and white" and has some lampworked headpins I made.

 More finished necklaces...

 ...more enameled earrings...

"get in touch" (these are my lenten line...not as funny as last year)

I'm going back down.

What's On My Desk

A customer was lucky enough to find 30 old-time children's compasses. I soldered half a jump ring on top, copper patinaed them, glued in a "Never lose your way" image and am letting them dry before I add a top coat and then resin them and add a brass chain to each. I love them.

Like my photo enhancing? It's a free program called Pixlr-o-matic. Fun times.

Join Us On Saturday at The Liberty House

Aunt Patty at The Liberty House in Seward has decided to try something new. She's invited Carolyn from Cottonwood, The Sassy Miss Carol, myself and several more local crafters/artists/hoarders to have an Indoor Flea Market this Saturday from 10-5. I have no idea what you should expect other than Treasures and (I'm hoping) Treats. Come on over and scavenge around! We would love to see you there. Bring your friends! Buy each other presents!

Page 18

 Grab your favorite magazine (as long as it's Flea Market Style) and go to page 18....

 Yep. I made those.Go buy some here... Did you know that I do tons of wholesale?

Meanwhile - Justin the Hunter gave me some new bullet casings to experiment with. This one started out silver and while the leaves stayed silver, the etched part is brass. It is beautiful. Go shoot more stuff, Justin!

Etched Casing Pendant

I wore one of the bullet casings last night after turning it into a pendant. Love it. Yes - I'll be making more!

Step One. Etch The Bullets

 I am THRILLED with how these bullets turned out. Now to figure out what to do with them...

 ssssshhh.... these are a Valentine Gift. Swallowtail butterfly wing earrings.

 Three necklaces and a crow.

 Snow Quartz. Flameworked bead.

 Garnets and rough cut agate

Smoky Quartz Choker

It's So Pretty I Can Hardly Stand It

 Admittedly, this post is for my sisters and my children who all live on the West Coast. It really is beautiful here in Nebraska. With all the snow and frost making things sparkle. Look closely and you'll see four Canadian Geese frozen right into the pond. I didn't even shoot them they looked so pretty sitting there. (I've never even shot at a goose - don't anyone go all PETA on me, please)

 I've eaten so many cookies that I couldn't stand to live in beach weather ever again.



Strange Dreams

It was a strange dream she said, and I don't remember a think except it kept my attention the whole time.

 This morning I took a 'painting' (really a print with some gel slapped on it to make it look painterly) I had bought at the local thrift shop and stuck some vinyl letters on it, painted over the top and Voila! Just like on Pinterest - only theirs are much neater....

 The quote is from "Strange Dreams" collected stories and drawings by Brain Andreas. I love his stuff.

Gunpowder and Lead

 Sweatshop Baby's Grandpa sent me the nicest gift - some bullet casings. They are absolutely beautiful. I am so excited about incorporating them into jewelry that I've been dreaming about them.

 See the tiny one on the left? That's a .22 long. The bullets I shoot and use to make earrings and bracelets. These are for the Big Boys.

Thank you Terry! You Rock.

...::~*~:::..

"Gunpowder and Lead. That's what little girls are made of."

Playing With Matches

 I like pretty matchboxes, so I just made a tutorial on how to cut and paste. Isn't that sort of rude? Like no one else knows how? Then why did I do it?

 Because I got a new camera and am still learning how to use it.

 And because the Christmas rush is over and sometimes I enjoy playing in my studio instead of working.

 Cool how I ran those antlers right into the letters, eh?

 Paper artists use bones, glass artists use fids.

 Don't those clip art dogs look exactly like Rumple & Scootch?

 If you would like to make your own "Lighten Up" (Lightin' Up) matches, I've included this collage I made for you to use. Only if you want to. You are never obligated...

Have a good weekend. We're supposed to be getting over a foot of snow. So far - it's still just drizzling.