how we grow

'when you're finished changing,

you're finished.'

~ ben franklin

i love the evolution of style... how some shifts/refinements/experiments flow effortlessly, some are hard earned, some are delivered by the muse and some by the post wo/man... some broaden your options and some bring you closer to expressing your truth...

a subtle but significant change for me is switching to lower case stamps... 

as is playing with open forms... 

trying new colors (red is definitely a step outside of my comfort zone - 

browns and blues are not) ... but i have a different idea for them... 

did you try anything new this week? was it planned or unplanned?

so a woman has a deadline -

and it's, um, today... 


she started out with the best of intentions - with a list that was refined during the week... components finished (each and every step)... and all that was really necessary was to sit in one spot and put them together... 


and then, she woke up and had one of those 'hey, what if i...' moments... 


did she:


a - stick to the list
b - generally stick to the list, but be flexible about it
c - veer completely off course and have a blast making 8 rings... yes, 8... 

'venture forth' came first... a translation of my earrings into a ring... there is a 'Q' instead of an 'O', to serve as a reminder that we all make mistakes, but must keep the big picture in mind...  set things right and get back on track... 


then came a 'what if i soldered 2 cupped discs together?' which meant i had to play with two levels of soldering... and figure out the order of some other steps... 

the 'emerge' rings have a lotus at the center of the base...

and then 'what if i etched some of the metal

and added some silk?'

or tried it with enamel...


and etched the back?

or figured out a ring to set off one of marsha neal's connectors for her my mom pattie etsy shop?

or played with etching, patina and silk?

and then there is one that is unfinished - the patina is setting - but i love the construction and wish i had taken a picture prior to adding the color... 

this one is very 3 dimensional... 

by the way, the woman chose answer 'c'... actually, she didn't choose it, it chose her...

oh, i did also make a leaf pendant to go along with one of lean weih's acorns (which i am not so sure i can part with)... 

and finish a special order for a friend - i made her a lotus disc to go along with the 'moon' resin and moonstone... 

let's see,  intake for the exhibit is until 1pm... i still have time!

Snowflake - The First Attempt

In looking around at blogs lately, and talking to various sellers, I've started thinking about Christmas a little bit. Last night specifically I e-mailed Mom to see if she wanted to make some crocheted snowflakes for the upcoming Christmas season. Well that got me thinking - why can't I make something like that in beads?

I rejected my first idea. I've seen some lovely snowflakes made from wire frames that you simply string the beads on, and sure, I could do that but...

What I really wanted to do was make something that was made from seed beads. I wanted to make something up that was all my own pattern. I wanted to experiment. Here's the first attempt.

Sorry it's a little bit blurry, but my hands are kinda shaky from asthma meds right now. I think my basic principle is sound, but I'm going to make some changes whenever I attempt the next one.

First of all, I want the initial "circle" to be closer in to the center. I also want there to be some "spikes" come out more on the outer rim, and more "lacy bits" in the center...

If that makes any sense to you - kudos!

All in all, I think my first attempt at least looks snowflake-ish, and I learned a lot from the two hour process of fighting with it! What do you think?