New Pretties! (And their stories)

Sometimes with my health it's REALLY hard to get around to taking product photos. I've been able to get a bunch of photos done today though and I'm looking forward to getting a bunch of new items up in the next week! The two I posted today have stories with them so I thought I'd share :) Both are available in my Artfire shop - which is currently running a 15% of sale!

The first piece I've named Aztec Treasure - doesn't it look like something from that culture? I love how it turned out!

This piece was one that literally evolved as I was creating it. I started out thinking I wanted to practice my St. Petersburg chain techniques and make a necklace. I love the color combination of these smokey black beads and bright copper colored beads, so that's what I started with! As the necklace got longer though I just *knew* that I needed some sort of focal for the piece.

I ended up putting it aside for a day or two while I thought about what I was going to do to form a focal piece. Finally I decided to play around with circular brickstitch, something I've been wanting to learn anyway, and so I started with that! It still wasn't looking quite complete, so I decided to add the fringe, which I kept short to kinda reflect on the rest of the pattern, and I fell in love!

Next I finished up stitching the two lengths of St. Petersburg chain, firmly attached them to the back of the focal, added a copper toggle clasp - and a new piece was born!

These earrings, Whirl of Color Beadwoven Earrings, grew out of two inspirations. I had finished my Aztec Treasure piece not long before and had been contimplating using beadwoven discs for earrings. Then Natasha put up the a challenge for the Thursday Sweet Treats called "Whirling Colors in Midflight." I had a few different ideas for this one, but everything I came up with in my head I ended up vetoing because of one logistics problem or the other! Then, as I was falling asleep one evening, I put the idea of the whirling colors together with the desire to make some disc earrings - and these were born!

Part of the whirling colors challenge was that she had given us pictures of hot air balloons for inspiration. That's where the bright colors come from in this piece! I've always loved the bold colors used in hot air balloons :)

Busy as Always!

Ok, so when am I NOT busy? This week just feels busier than usual! Friday night was a girls night, Saturday was a movie with Gypsy, Sunday we had church and then I worked on my disability app, Monday I finished up my disability app, Tuesday I took it in (more details here), Tuesday was also laundry day, today I had a doctors apt (nothing big), and we're headed out soon for my inlaws! Mo is going to haul some rock for his Dad and I'm teaching my MIL how to do the St. Petersburg Chain stitch.

Speaking of which, in the midst of all this I've been blogging, creating, and listing! Here's one of my most recent, in St. Petersburg Chain, that I put together for a Thursday Sweet Treats Challenge.

I've got a lot more in the works, both beady wise and writing wise too! Lots left on my plate life-wise too. Don't worry, I'm making sure I take lots and lots of breaks and spend enough time relaxing! Fortunately beading is relaxing :P

In other news - my second shop is having it's first sale! That's right, you can 15% off any item in Kindred Spirit Treasures! Like this beauty...

And as if all THAT wasn't enough...I just redid my jedi blog! It still needs a little tweaking, but I'm much happier now that I have a 3 column layout! Check it out :)

My treasury blog is next up for some improvements - and I have a GREAT idea that I can hardly wait to show you once I get it pulled together! You may have to wait a few days though... Tomorrow I go in for a big shot where I get to sit in the docs office for a few hours, then after that I'm hopefully having Gypsy over for a movie, and Friday is even more doctors time!

Gee - it sounds like I live at the doctors >_> Sometimes it feels like I do :P

Happy Memorial Day!

Wow! I've had a buuuusy day :) But it's been fun :) No, I didn't go out and do anything, my asthma has been so bad lately that planning anything was pretty much out. The good news is - I've been breathing clear all day! Which means I've gotten a lot done - and lots that I want to share!

First, I did a treasury blog in honor of our Troops, and I put a simple tribute on my Jedi blog.

I've also done a bunch of listing on Artfire - pieces that you've already seen on my etsy - but I'm excited about putting them on Artfire! Plus they put the studio fusions live to day on Artfire. Basically, we have a lot of customizability now! I really like it :) Go check out my shop to see how it looks and see the new listings! 

I made myself a new bracelet this weekend - and I promised some people I'd show it off - so here it is! And yes, I said, it's actually for ME :P I don't do that often enough >_>

I also started a new project this weekend that is a big stretch for me! Here's what I started with...

Don't you just love the snazzy super-girl pajama pants? My evil twin made them for me :)

Ok, so I'm making a free form peyote bracelet. I've seen a lot of these out there in various forms, and one of my Etsy Bead Weaver team mates encouraged me to try it. I've been wanting to try one but not sure where I wanted to start or what I wanted to do. Then over at Thursday Sweet Treats this week the challenge is for butterfly's. That's when I knew! The center does have a pattern, a butterfly, but the rest is just as the spirit hits me ;)

What you see here is 3 days of work so far. Which is...incredible for me these days. Usually three days and I'm done with a project. Unless I don't really work on it, but I have been working on this! It's not that I haven't been working on it, it's that I can't work on it for very long stretches at a time. My friend who encouraged me to try one said it could be very "zen-like," not for me! Not having a pattern is actually really challenging for me. I'm not sure why. 

I'm enjoying the challenge though. I don't think it'll be done in time to submit it to Thursday Sweet Treats, but the important part to me is the journey and the growth as an artisan :) I'm not sure if I'll do any more like this once this is done, but I do know it'll be awhile before I'm ready to try another one! 

Just a quick reminder - I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop for my Etsy-versary! 

Have a wonderful rest of your Memorial Day :)

Poetry

One of the blogs that I follow is called "Thursday Sweet Treat." I've only been following a long for a few weeks now - but I love it! Each week Natasha, the lovely host, puts up a new theme challenge for artisans to work on. Then, the next week, she displays all the lovely entries! I can't tell you how much fun it is to see the same theme interpreted by different artists across so many different genres of art work! I didn't get to participate in last weeks because I was too sick - but I was very inspired by this poem that another artist posted. So, with her permission, I'm reposting it here. You can find Kelly and her art work on etsy - just follow this link!

Dreaming in Color

they talk you know…

especially at night, tucked away in their bottles and bags and tubes.

and they spend a lot of time bickering and complaining…

“should have used us, what was she thinking”

“we’re the favorites”

(and they’re right, the greens ARE my favorites)

“she bought more of those!”

but eventually they quiet and drift into sleep…

and with sleep comes dreams

and did you know…

beads dream in color.