A GIFT! ...plus.....Power Tools in Reorganized Shop, New Project

Recently I posted on one of my groups about my love of using old broken rosary pieces in my jewelry. My friend Kathy McElroy asked me if I would like some old rosary pieces that had belonged to her father. Of course i said yes.....now previously, Kathy had inquired about my bird beads. So - we decided to do a swap. I sent my Kathy some bird beads and a few other small arty things and Kathy sent me the rosary parts....and lots and lots of wonderful rusty metal.....and some vintage dominoes, vintage buttons, tart plate, silver beads, tie tac, belt buckles, lock parts, coins, and on and on!..I mean just LOOK at what she sent me!
I am overwhelmed!.......I, obviously, got the better end of this deal!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU,KATHY!
and then, kathy also sent me one of her gorgeous Jewelry Hangers, made from a door knob, crystal and escutcheon(?).

Isn't it lovely? It is about 9 inches or so.....and has a clear crystal door knob as well as a large hanging cut crystal......
Here is a picture of some of the brass Winchester shotgun shell brass bezels, fresh out of the tumbler. Some of the centers have slipped out, but they pop right back in!

Today I went into town to get some grocery shopping done, and when I got home and went into the shop I saw that lance had mounted some of my power tools for me, for a surprise!

To the left is the polisher/grinder ( I have never used it...soon, i promise!), in the center is my NEW mitre/chop saw- that I have had for almost 2 years and was too intimidated to use..., and on the right is the drill press. I LOVE my drill press. Underneath is the tumbler....

Here's a closer view of the chop saw. Now i don't have to spend forever cutting tubes with a tube cutter...this cuts through metal tubing AND solid bar stock (with a different blade it cuts wood)....and it's EASY PEASY! WHO KNEW?

This is my glass work station - glass grinder, glass saw.....

and this is the heat press, my torch, and my little kiln

...this shows you the 3 work stations that are actually in one small area...
...and BELOW, shows you the rest of my reorganized shop area.

...above, the bead station

This is my craft/painting/general purpose table. My printers and computer are here too.
I keep everything covered because we get a lot of moist salt air...and BUGS!
...please note the junk stacked up in the left corner ready to be sorted...later. For now it will be put in a rubbermaid container....
...and below is looking back the other way.....


Lots more shelves to still clean out, junk to get rid of....but at least i can walk through it and i can see the counter tops!
I am SO SPOILED....and blessed!

DIARY 2010 PROJECT

Diary 2010 Project is a three language calendar/diary filled with art from artists you know and admire....and you can be one too! Not only do you get to design your very own page for the diary, you also get to place your blog or website/etsy address on your page. Some dates are still available, but artwork needs to be in by July 15th! Please click on the picture link for more info.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

(photo courtesy of Marine Sgt Skylar Adams, my son, taken when he was serving in Iraq)
LET FREEDOM RING!
"Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom." (Lt.Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr)


..Me (age 6) at Cordelia Ave House with 3 of my 4 sisters....I'm the tall one with the round face!
...when I was a child, growing up in San Jose, we lived on Cordelia Street in a custom built 4 bedroom ranch house. It was a new neighborhood, and was filled with lots of children and families. Behind our house and extending up the block of houses was a cherry orchard...and at the end of the block was a grove of giant oak trees that extended through the orchard and into a winding creek.
Every 4th of July there was a block party at the end of the street under the oak trees. All of the neighbors got together and we had hot dogs and potato chips ....and every kid got a box of sparklers and a sugar daddy.....and then we had fireworks on the paved asphalt and watermelon.
Such sweet memories!....
...Please, don't forget where freedom comes from.....

..below is a terrific 4th of July post from Peggy Larson, whose son's Care Page I follow. Coleman Larsen earned his angel wings last December but Peggy still updates his page and works tirelessly with other families whose children have cancer. She also keeps readers updated with the going-ons of his twin brother, Caden. She posted it for 4th of July, and so am I, because it is so true! How easy it is to jump to conclusions and get mad over something that disrupts our usual routine or seems annoying or unnecessary.

So, here it is:
She writes:
"Before I end, I usually don't post emails here, but this one really made me stop and think- that we need to try to put ourselves in other people's shoes and be slow to anger- for we don't know THEIR story." **************************************************************************
Some of you may have read this one already:
True Story.....Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by new neighborhoods that complain about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit. The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated. The response:Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques." SPE.Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day. At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured...A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning airshow? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives. Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. Lt. Col. Grant L.Rosensteel, Jr. USAF

HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!

Tee Tee Tittles arrives!

Our Boat is here! ...and this is a picture of her, all cozy inside our shop! She is named "Tee Tee Tittles" ...yes, she really is! The previous owner named her that... he said that's what he always called his brother when they were little, and he named the boat after him. They were fishing partners. She'll stay in the shop for a few weeks while Lance details her and adds radar, etc. She is a beauty!
The area to the right in the picture is where I do my artwork, but I am still rearranging all of my art supplies and shelving, - so I am not producing any artwork. I have a few necklace ideas I need to get out of my system, and then I am starting a series of dolls....deviant dolls....fallen angel dolls....well, you get the idea.......

ETSY TREASURY - EYES and a pic of the day

My Eye earrings were placed in my first ETSY Treasury ever. A Treasury is an Etsy thing where art of a particular theme is grouped together. I have no idea what it really does for you - I'm not very familiar with the ins and outs of Etsy - but I think it is to help promote you and give you more traffic to your store. Anyway, I am very grateful!
Click here to see!
Lance pulled this little fellow out of Sookies MOUTH! gasp, gasp, gasp. We think he was learning to fly and Sookie interfered.

I put him on the ground, and his parents were flying around us and squabbling. He walked a bit. Then the parents flew off. He was almost as big as his parents, only he was fluffy and they were sleek. They are a brilliant green, and about 3-4 inches in size. BEAUTIFUL BIRDS! I tossed him up a few feet and he flapped his wings and flew a few feet. I did this several times. Then I threw him up high a few time. On my 3rd try, he flew high and landed in a palm tree, where his parents then flew to and joined him with lots of chatter.
.
this photo shows you his size....
So hopefully he has now learned to fly and will be ok.

PIC(S) OF THE DAY...

We finally finished cutting down 40 areca palms today. We had been waiting for some baby birds that were nesting in the trees to finally grow up and fly away!The trees drop nuts and huge fronds and were approaching 30 feet tall and were very messy and driving us crazy! Besides, we needed to clean up the whole area, replace the tarps and finish an enclosure for the new boat that's coming. The boat won't be here until next Monday - it was delayed leaving the port in San Diego because of an impending hurricane off the coast of Mexico - but it is on its way now!
So, this is the before picture: (That's my workshop on the right)

well sort of before - we'd already taken down 20 trees!
We attached a strap to the winch on the jeep and wrapped it around each tree trunk, and we pulled them down! Then lance cut them up with his chainsaw. It was my job to haul them away!
Here's the after picture: (....kind of naked looking...)

Now don't worry- it will actually all grow back in and be ready to be cut down again in no time! Things grow FAST around here!
...and here are close-ups of treasures we found while we were working. Lance said that we had cut down a fairies hideaway paradise, and that they were probably very angry with us for destroying their unique habitat. Such a cute, but unLance thing for him to say!...but he was right - the thick intertwining roots from the trees and all the nooks and crannies and debris really do look like a fairy wonderland!


POOR FAIRIES! they'll have to rebuild...

Pic of the Day...and more!

Well here is a willy-nilly whenever i see it Pic of the Day. I just can't do it EVERY day. I tried....but I just didn't have the motivation to make it happen.....but here is something i spotted and thought I'd show you.
This is a Hawaiian garden snail. I'm sure they are not native...we don't have the regular brown garden variety in my yard...only this type and a much smaller long coned one.
This guy is about 3 inches!...and it's not even a big one!
...and then, a few new pieces for the shop..... a Bone Owl Necklace. The carved bone owl is sitting on a preserved chicken bone with a rusty moon rising from behind. The chain is handmade from pounded rebar wire....turquoise emperor stone, turquoise beads and cobra spines for accent.

...and a simple pair of red lampwork heart earrings accented with swarovski crystals on fine silver. The earwires are sterling silver.


...and check out this news link.....
"Kauai unfazed by missile threat"
..since were the most likely target....Polihale by the way is the beach where lance and i went camping ages ago...and encountered THOUSANDS of paper roaches that we thought were flying moths.......yuck-o!

OUR BOAT!

Our boat is on its way! It is being trucked from Indiana to San Diego and then will be put on a barge for an ocean crossing to our island! It should be here by the 29th or so........
The boat is a Zodiac Pro Open 650 RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) - which is a civilian derivative of a Navy Seal ocean boat. It is 4 years old and came with everything imaginable - including GPS, life jackets, fish finders, rod holders, etc etc.
...now keep in mind I am a TERRIBLE sailor.
I guess i will learn.... Dramamine will be my best friend.... I will not FEAR deep water.

...and a new pair of earrings: Tears of Joy Earrings...using one of Amber Dawn's rusty bezels, pewter eye, resin, copper and a carnelian tear. Check out the full description in my Etsy shop!

YARD PHOTOS, NEW ART

coffee beans, drying on the tree...

wild fungus under a wood railing....

new youth....

glorious mid life....

...the fat lady sang....

..a stray bullet hole......


drawings to be resized and used in resin bezel earrings.....i also made them into art cards to mount jewelry on......
I made a pair of pink rose quartz calla lily earrings today.

..and here they are on an art card.....

I've added these earrings to my Esty shop, as well as a "Fighting Tooth and Nail" necklace, with 3 vintage antique square nails and 5 fake teeth. It is on a figure eight iron wire neck chain and is a much larger more complicated version of the single nail ones I like to give away to those who are in a health battle.......other than that, we have been very busy with the yard. Thursday was mow day, and we have also been trimming heliconias and gingers as well as finally picking up all of the hundreds of palm fronds that have fallen because of the heat. Gorgeous weather - but it makes for a lot of yardwork!
...and
WE BOUGHT A BOAT! I''ll post pics tomorrow......

WOOHOO! I AM A FEATURED ARTIST FOR ANIMA DESIGNS' NEWSLETTER!

I am so excited!
Anima Designs is my FAVORITE source ( it really is - I've said this before) to buy unusual
and cool jewelry design elements.....I have recommended them many times before.........so imagine my surprise, when from out of the blue, they contacted me and asked permission to feature ME in their newsletter!

Greetings! June Customer Spotlight: Concetta Williams As a new monthly feature of our newsletter, we plan to focus on customers who are making great art and jewelry with Anima Designs purchases. We hope to help drive more customers to the featured artist's blog, etsy store or website. Today, our focus is on Concetta Williams, a mixed media artist with "a passion for the unusual and bizarre" who lives and works in beautiful Kauai, Hawaii. She has an etsy store: http://concettawilliams.etsy.com and a blog: http://cettacheese.blogspot.com/ Connie has made the most fabulous jewelry using her Anima Designs purchases. Take a look: Be sure to see all of her handcrafted jewelry and artwork on her blog and in her etsy store! (all photos used with permission). I personally have my eye on a pair of earrings that I would love to add to my collection! Please visit Connie today! If you would like to be featured in an upcoming issue of our periodic newsletter, please send us an email at animadesigns@animadesigns.com Please provide your full name and a link to your website, etsy store or blog with pictures of your creations using Anima Designs products. We will select one customer per month. The benefits that you will receive will include a featured spotlight in our newsletter with links to your etsy shop, blog or website, a link on our links page at animadesigns-shop.com and a $10.00 gift certificate usable in our store. (You are, of course, under no obligation to use the gift certificate. It's just our way of saying thank you!) We can display up to three photos of your work, with your permission, of course! SHOPPING CART TUTORIAL: ACTIVE CARTS In each newsletter, we will focus on explaining in depth key features of our new shopping cart system so that you will better understand how to use it. While our new system does not technically allow you to save your shopping cart, if you have either logged in, or entered your contact information, but have not checked out, your shopping cart remains active. What this means is that we are able to see the cart and to send you an email which contains a link to your cart, enabling you to complete or modify your order. If you have not completed the contact information, we can still see the cart but are not able to identify it with you. So if you've browsed our shop and placed some items in your shopping cart but want to complete your order later, please be sure to either login to your account, if you have one, or to enter your contact information, including an email address. We will be happy to send you a follow-up email that allows you to complete your order. Please note that until an order is completed, all items in the cart are subject to pre-sale so there may not be the same quantity available on an item as when it was first placed in your shopping cart.

New Items, New Mahjong Tile Category & More To see the new products that we've added, please click on the following link: http://www.animadesigns-shop.com/NEW-PRODUCTS_c_262.html We've added a pewter breast milagro and new pewter Guadalupe and Frida pendants. We have new bone mahjong tile beads (many suitable for bracelet-making) and have listed them in their own category. To see these, please click on the following link: http://www.animadesigns-shop.com/Mahjong-Beads_c_266.html We are having a clearance sale on bracelet blanks. We have limited inventory of these left and would like to make room for new items. They are at or below cost . . . New items have been added to our penny bonus category. These are items that you can purchase for a penny with any order. They are limited to the quantity on hand and there is a limit of one per customer per order. We are offering special, introductory pricing on our limited edition decorative paper packs. Assorted papers have been culled from a variety of sources and put together in packs that we're offering for $2.75. While quantities last. Some Benefits of Account Registration Product reviews Only registered customers can submit product reviews. You must be logged in. Just click on the "review this item" link under each product photo. You will have to login to your account before proceeding. We will send you a free product for each review that you submit (our choice but we look at what you have ordered in the past for the selection of your free product!) Account management Registered customers have the ability to login to their account to check on the order status, see tracking numbers, shipment date, wishlists, customer inquiry ticket status, and more. Thanks for your continued support! All the best, Kim Nickens www.animadesigns-shop.com www.animadesigns.com

...NEW FINISHED PROJECTS (whew!)

garnet and sterling silver earrings for a wedding...I made 7 pairs!

...an amethyst and gold pendant (she has matching earrings) for the bride's mother...
Garden Bunny Earrings
gorgeous orange aventurine, carnelian, copper leaves and a bone bunny. Earwires are copper.

.
...green aventurine calla lilies, with fine silver and glass beads.
Round bead is jade, Earwires are sterling silver.

...a simple pendant ..."Hands of Honey"
the rusty bezel is a trade from Amber Dawn. It is filled with a wooden hand, balled copper and resin. The copper bee is vintage (look at the detailed photo below) and the drop is a carnelian.
.
...i love the detail on the wings!
Hands of Honey Pendant, Garden Bunny Earrings and Green Calla Lily Earrings are all available on myEtsy, as well as 2 different Vintage German Bisque Dolls (in parts!)

pic of the day....

PICTURE of the DAY...and New Art Jewelry!

ok, I was desperate. It was getting dark. Then SHE poked her face in my camera....

I made a couple of new pairs of earrings..... This one is made with my bird beads, and emperor stone (whatever that is- it's from Russia) egg beads, fine silver, and earwires of sterling silver.
...and then I made these Bisque baby bullet Earrings.
They have tiny droplets of garnet. The chain and findings are copper, the bullet casings are brass, the arms are vintage German bisque doll parts. The earwires are gunmetal colored niobium.
You can find these on my ETSY shop......yes - I finally opened it! woohoo! I hope to add bisque doll parts soon (complete dolls!), and I've listed some BIRD BEADS as well!

TIES THAT BIND ....DOLL RAFFLE!

The "Ties That Bind" doll raffle to benefit Ovarian Cancer Research has begun! Click the picture or the link to read all the details! The doll is created out of artist neckties and then covered in art charms donated by your favorite artists! You can view all of the charms individually on the website...The raffle runs through the end of September......

PICTURE OF THE DAY

A baby pineapple growing in my garden!
Today you get a picture AND a How-To-Video. Creating your own video by yourself without a tripod is not hard - just jerky......but here you go anyway!

Picture of the Day...a bit macabre!

I have decided to try my hand at posting a photo of something - ANYTHING! every day. well, ok, maybe not everyday...but we'll see how it goes....
Today on my bike ride i spotted this. I turned around and got flat down on the asphalt and took the photo. I apologize in advance if this offends anyone, but I just have a quirky streak in me!

...and you think you had a bad night?!?.....

yes, it is a toad... only this toad is already toast, but he doesn't seem to know it!

catch up!

I have been away on the mainland for my niece's graduation party - and of course am hopelessly behind in my answering emails and blogging! Jennifer is now Dr. Rasmussen, MD...her specialty is neurology and she will be doing her residency in San Antonio, Texas. (which is coincidentally -hah!- where her mother and dad live). My sister Marianne and brother-in-law Frank gave her a fabulous party in Las Vegas. Lots and lots of family and friends came, including my son Vincent, and we had a blast! here are a few photos:

Queen Marianne and Princess Izzy

Frank and Izzy's mom, Brittany

Vincent and his Godchild, Maggie ( Jennifer and Jim's baby)

Great grandpa (my dad) and Izzy.

My aunts and uncles and the honoree Jennifer

The babies playing with Las Vegas in the background....
Art wise, I have been working mostly on gifts for family and an upcoming niece's wedding, and a few new necklaces.....I will post some pics as soon as something is finished...too much to do!
Healing Tree Doll beginnings...so much for finishing a gift for Jen!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

...just look at the blues in that ocean!
May 17th was my 22nd Wedding Anniversary. My dear husband Lance brought me my favorite breakfast (poached eggs on toast) in bed and lots and lots of awesome presents! After i was up and dressed we spent the morning at the beach....a gorgeous day at Kealia. Then we came home and I worked on projects and we watched a movie and then he made a marvelous dinner of steak and lobster. It was a fantabulous, perfect day. I sure do LOVE MY MAN!
Lance and I...

a natural rocking chair....

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

This was my wonderful dinner last night - pre mothers day. Blackened local opah fish with sauteed peppers, onions and mushrooms. yummy.

this morning my dear husband gave me breakfast in bed - poached eggs on toast with fresh strawberries, pineapple and oranges in orange/raspberry sauce. my favorite!
...and here are 18 roses!
I had wonderful chats with both of my boys and with grand baby Hana....and it helped that today was a beautiful day (weatherwise) on Kauai.

"My best Friend" Photo Ragdolls

I have put the jewelry making aside and am trying to catch up and complete started but neglected projects.
I finally finished the "My Best Friend" photo ragdolls i promised my grand nieces for Christmas. Hah! Each grandniece gets a doll of her "best friend" (her cousin) along with a tiny doll of Grandma Marianne. (well almost done, the mini grandma dolls still need their hair) On the back of each doll is Grandpa Frank on Dallas Cowboy fleece.

Maggie is on the right, Izzy is on the left

The backs- Grandpa Frank

LOOK WHAT CAME IN THE MAIL!

Recently I traded Dot Christian from Australia some bird beads for a Dotee Bird and egg. Woohoo! am i one happy camper! Dot is famous for her Dotee Dolls, and although I've seen imitations, I had never seen an original before.
I HAD NO IDEA how detailed and fantastic they are! Just look!

That is all teeny tiny hand embroidery and beading. Look at the close up of the egg below:

...and this is from the birds body. those little flowers are each sewn on, and they are itsy bitsy. The whole bird is only about 5 inches across!

aren't those baby stars (in the right corner) just wonderful?
BUT WAIT...there was more - Dot also sent me, as an EXTRA - a DOTEE DOLL!

Isn't she gorgeous?
LOOK AT THE HAND SEWN DETAILS!

Dot also sent me some beautiful postcards with pictures of some of her other artwork.
I am so thrilled and delighted!

AND THE WINNER OF MY CHARM GIVEAWAY IS......

TERRY PITZEL of The Ravens Whim
Congratulations Terry ! Soon the goodies will be winging their way to YOU......

MORE ..... GIVEAWAYS

Here are more great giveaways......and if you want more, go visit the site where many giveaways are listed celebrating today as International Charm Day...
..
http://theartisticstamper.blogspot.com/2009/04/happy-easter-and-celebration-blog-candy.html

Nicola Callow from Murano Silver is giving away art silver clay, a fine silver ring with YOUR name on it, or a fine silver heart pendant (your choice!). Enter here:
http://muranosilver.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-giveaway-for-england-st-george.html



http://lifegoesondeb.blogspot.com/ Deb

cassandra http://myartfuladventures.blogspot.com/2009/04/marie-giveaway.html

...more "Blast from the Past"

Here is a link to Sherry Goodloe's "Blast from the Past" favorite song playlist from 1968-1971. She lists 36 GREAT songs for your listening pleasure and has some fun pictures posted.
This is a nostalgic challenge that Heather Powers of Humblebeads is sponsoring. My favorites are listed below a few posts down!

~*International Charm Day*~: Let's Celebrate! These are just some of the goodies being gifted away!

~*International Charm Day*~: Let's Celebrate! These are just some of the goodies being gifted away!

Gothic owl beads, resin, new charms and INTERNATIONAL CHARM DAY GIVEAWAY!

I just finished a batch of Gothic owl beads. I will have them listed in my Etsy shop, if I ever open it.... they are about an inch long, made of cernit polymer clay, sculpted, baked, carved, painted, etc....probably baked at least 5 times!

Look - there's a tuscan one that snuck in!
I have also been working on a resin necklace and earrings. The bezels from these are old rusty ones that Amber Dawn (literally) dug up! This is the first stage, with just a thin layer of resin to smooth everything out. next I will layer with images of bird eggs topped with more resin. each of these links will be spaced with a bird bead...I have a double hand that will hold a large 3-D egg for the centerpiece.


Here are more bezels --bees with carnelian drops yet to be added, mini starfish that will get hanging swarovski stars and say "shine" on the back, and hands that i don't know what i will do with. I also filled round bezels with eyeballs, but i didn't get a picture of those.

...and for INTERNATIONAL CHARM DAY, APRIL 28th, I put together a charm bracelet/necklace out of left over charms and components! The bracelet attaches to a separate chain to make it a necklace.

The bracelet is a little less that 8", as a necklace it is 24". It has 33 charms on it.

This is a left side closeup.

...and this is the right side close-up.
This too, is a potential Esty shop assignee!

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!
here are 2 new charms I made for the bracelet/necklace, One is patinaed metal wings and a tiny porcelain skull......I call it a "skull bird". Next to it is a bullet casing with a ceramic foot coming out of it. I made an extra set of them and am giving away both of these charms

as well as a pair of bird charms (for earrings or whatever...)

Just leave me a comment on this blog entry by midnight Hawaii time April 28th (that's 3 hrs EARLIER than PST) , and you will be entered in a random drawing to take place on April 29th! One winner gets the skull, the foot, the pair of birds, an owl and whatever other goodies I decide to throw in! Good Luck!

Blog challenges and giveaways.....

Heather Powers of Humblebeads.com is having a nostalgic blog challenge, with great prizes. To enter twice , you need to list your five favorite songs from high school and post them on your blog, preferably as a playlist, and for a third entry, post a picture of yourself from high school......this sounded like fun to me, so here goes....

Here are some of my favorites tunes - (I have so many more!)

Light My Fire......The Doors
Somebody to Love.......Jefferson Airplane
You Don't Own me......Lesley Gore
Kicks........Paul Revere and the Raiders
Close To me....The Carpenters

...just thinking about these songs brings back so many memories! ...I was a very romantic hard rocker.........haha
and
...and here's a picture from graduation day...
.
yes, those are white gloves...it was 1970!

2. Bobbie Olivo is giving away a copy of her book "16X Mom" just in time for Mother's Day!
Click HERE to enter.

what I did this week.....

I am trying to come up with a logo for my etsy shop I hope to open soon. I wanted to write the name of my shop in the sand...but i have to tell you this is easier said than done! this example combines a wave, my name and paint shop pro....for the life of me I couldn't do it for real....and it's still crooked! I guess I'll just have to go back to the beach and try again. POOR ME.
This week my friend and fellow artist, Lorri Scott, came to the island for a bit of R & R. She and I took a two classes in Waimea, taught by Marionette. The first was a silk painting class. I painted irises - purple and blue with a yellow background. Lorri painted 2 luminescent luna moths with a silver background and used salt to create way cool orbs (i thought they looked like nipples, er, ah....CORAL nibs). I wish I had taken a picture of it, because her scarf was GORGEOUS.
The next day we took a watercolor class. I have never done watercolors before...it really makes you think ahead of time - watercolors are NOT very forgiving. Also, I paint very slow -
...here is a pic of Lorri and Marionette and I...Marionette has more pictures on her blog....

...and below are Lorri's beautiful palm trees...

...and this is my seascape.

The pic on the top is the original photo, and below it is my pen/watercolor painting. Marionette has you rub a graphite stick on the back of the original pic. Then you turn it over and put the pic on your watercolor paper and trace over the predominant lines with a ball point pen. Then you remove the picture and the design has been transferred to your water color paper....and you go over these lines with the micron ink pen. Then you get the paper wet and paint it!

This is a cool junk store Lorri and I found across from Marionettes studio. Unfortunately, we only had 10 minutes before class started, and they were closed the next day. I got a lovely blouse for 50% off and a cut velvet dress for $1!
I had a wonderful time with Lorri, and we were supposed to meet up again yesterday or today, but my back - ye gads - how did this happen? - went out. I went to a chiropractor yesterday and he said I was de-stressing - and that I should expect to get very tired after he realigned me.....and i was! So I did not meet up with Lorri, but instead went home to bed....and I slept...
Today I could barely walk - I was really sore.....but, I was told to expect this too.
I go back to the chiropractor tomorrow.........and Lorri returns to California tomorrow, too .....
on another note, I have been working on several projects at once...
three dolls
multiple resin projects using Amber Dawn's rusty bezels (thank you Amber!)
2 iron wire projects for a submission
earrings for a bridal party ...
and a charm bracelet for a National Charm Day give away I will post about tomorrow!
...and I have just finished up some owl beads!

INTERNATIONAL CHARM DAY - APRIL 28th

Amber Dawn, Internationally known gorgeous charm maker, swap host and collector has declared a NEW HOLIDAY!
International Charm Day! ..and for the occasion she has created a special blog! lots of prizes and fun new ideas......I'm playing too, and will be posting new charms and a giveaway.....so stay tuned!

http://www.internationalcharmday.blogspot.com/
WEAR YOUR CHARMS PROUDLY!

...HOME AT LAST!

Well i am back at last from my months journey.....
While gone I was so consumed by my job that I was unable to keep up with my emails and blog comments, let alone do any blog hopping. If i didn't answer you, please understand I was not ignoring you - and i apologize for my lack of communication.

This is a photo of the airport terminal in Philadelphia, on my way to Richmond. I loved the rocking chairs!
The job turned out to be pretty grueling - 15 hr days - but Richmond VA was gorgeous!
The Virginia State Capitol Building (we shot on these steps and through out the interior of the building....we shot here as if it was Washington, DC)

....statue outside the Capitol Building.....

The Governor's mansion...we shot a big DC party here.
I meant to take a zillion pictures - Richmond is full of incredible bronze statues, brownstones and historical monuments. I was told there was a fantastic cemetery there, but I never got a chance to see it.

The weeks just flew past!....I never even got a day off....

After the job was over, I flew to New York City to see my son Skylar. Sky lives in the most amazing loft apartment - the building is about 5 stories high and there must be 20 apartments on each floor. Sky lives with 6 other young professionals....each has their own tiny make shift room - and his particular loft is 2 stories, with a narrow spiral staircase that leads to the basement and 3 other bedrooms. One of the bedrooms is entered by crawling over the staircase rail. The apartment has graffiti on the mirrors, decoupaged doors and huge paintings and artwork on the walls. It is very clean - but very bohemian. Every week, "Junior" comes over to clean the bathroom and tidy the kitchen and do whatever else he thinks needs doing.....he does this for several apartments in the building - and in exchange he gets to sleep on a couch and take a shower......on the street level is a small cafe owned by a Frenchman named Max...in front are two old stadium chairs that will tip over if you aren't careful. Everywhere you look is eye candy....it was wonderful!

i had never taken the subway, and Sky showed me the ins and outs.
The people were a real treat! I saw a young girl with 4 nails on each hand painted one color, and the center nail painted a new color - a new trend, i thought! I loved how everyone dressed - hats, gloves, scarves, boots - fabulous leggings and socks and tights! Sky and I met my niece Jenny and her baby (my grand niece!) Maggie at Penn station and then the 4 of us went to Starbucks for breakfast and then shopping at Macy's - Macy's is 8 stories high! ...and the sales are phenomenal!
Then we went to a sushi restaurant and afterwards Sky had to get to school. Jen and I walked to Times Square - and OH MY! the shopping just blew me away. Button stores, bead stores, trim stores -- too much to buy! it was heaven! Then Sky and his cousin Francesca (who is studying fashion design in NYC) met Jen and I and Baby Mags at a steakhouse for dinner.

By now it was pouring rain and Jen and I were soaked (Mags we kept dry), but i learned how to hail a cab.....we took Jen and Mags back to Penn Station and the I went with Sky back to his apartment.
The next day I flew to my dad's in Sacramento.

My sister Teresa and her husband, Rick, nephew Jameson and girlfriend Lara, Martha my dad's friend, my dad, and Jan, Rick's mom....all of us at dinner at Don's Diner in Woodland, CA.
My eldest son Vincent had a few days before let me know he was in a Passion Play in Los Angeles....so of course I had to go see him!

Vincent, the Roman soldier

cool cross at Shepherd on the Hill Church, where the passion play took place.
I flew to LA Sunday morning. My dear friend Cassandra
picked me up at the airport in Burbank and she went to the play with me.
Later, she and i and her husband Bill went to dinner....and then I flew back to Sacramento. Whew!
I had a great time with my dad and my sister Teresa and yesterday i flew back home to Kauai.
I am so happy to be back home with my Lance, Chalupa and Sookie.
I really missed my family and am so excited to start up again with my artwork.
So there it is!
...now to catch-up!

...and I'm off!

I just accepted a short term job in Richmond , Virginia and will be flying off tomorrow night. Pretty short notice! It's a quickie - I'll be back in a month - and I don't even know what the assignment is about - although I was told it is "political". Anyway, I've been to Richmond once before - for just a few days - and it is a beautiful city!...but what will I wear?...where are my boots?...sweaters?...my down parka? YIKES! They told me it was 6 degrees last week!
I'm also going to take this opportunity to go to NYC for a day or two. My youngest son is living there, so I will see him in the evening when he is not at school.
Anyway - I won't be opening an Etsy shop until I get back (on the 9th -so we're still on, Lorri!)
...i know, excuses, excuses. I'm not taking any art supplies with me because I am working a 6 day week while on location and there won't be enough time to really get anything done... so I will be art starved....wouldn't you know it - right now my muse is working overtime and I have a gazillion ideas, plans for projects I want to do, and multi projects in various stages of completion!
I'll have internet access once i get there, hopefully, so i will be able to keep up with my email.
Wish me luck!

NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY!

Yesterday Lance brought home a new member to our family.
She is half whippet, 1/4 suluki and 1/4 smooth hair terrier. A whippaterrasuki!
We named her Sookie. She's a little devil and our other dog - Chalupa - is not very thrilled yet to have a new sister.

Grosgrain: Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Purple Lady (Brenda Lea) Giveaway!

Be sure to check out Brenda Lea's 29 days of Giveaways. I won a set of stamps and other goodies! She doesn't have too many people playing and she is giving away some really nice prizes!
Come enter here:
http://prpldy15.blogspot.com/

Birds and Chickens...

I have been playing with the camera my DH gave me. the focus is so much better than my old camera - especially the zoom. The next few photos are of a mocking bird next to my car in the Safeway parking lot.

...and I just love the next one. They were happy little birds, dancing around....

...then they took a break to reconnect and do a bit of snoodling!

Then I headed into Lihue and found this duo outside my car at Walmart.

Aren't they pretty! ...and then there were the chickens. TONS of chickens - all sizes, all colors. At our house we had a flock of maybe 50. My DH had gotten into the habit of feeding them every morning, then he started feeling them again in the afternoon....and then began begging to be fed on demand! The big rooster would stand outside our bedroom window while we were sleeping and crow and crow until someone got up to feed him (and shut him up)....and then the hens starting coming up on the lanai and cackling at the screen door (..and pooping. yuck!) Finally we had to stop feeding all of them altogether. There were too many and they were too noisy. We missed them for about...
...a DAY! It is so nice to have the quiet again! Our flock has moved on to greener pastures.
anyway, these are the Walmart chickens. Look at this beautiful hen and her very large chicks. Where we live, a hen usually only has 2 to 3 chicks left that ever make it to this size....predators (cats, dogs, owls) take the rest.....

...and this spotted beauty....

...and here's a splotched rooster....


...another hen and her chicks - competition!
...and below, a couple of hens taking refuge from the rain around the baskets.
these chickens can adapt to anywhere...


Below - here's that mama again. She doesn't like me sneaking up to take pictures...

BACK OFF, PAPARAZZI!

...we are so out of here....

Bisque Baby Tutorial and Bananas.....

I have been working on some little bisque doll necklaces. The first thing you have to do is CLEAN the parts. I tried simple green, comet cleanser, an electric toothbrush, ammonia, and bleach. All of these things will take the basic dirt off, but inevitably there are stains on the face that won't come off. I even tried sand paper! Some stains just look like dirt, others I thought were rust - but now I think they are scorching!
I read somewhere that hydrogen peroxide works well to clean bisque porcelain - but that did nothing. You are also not supposed to soak them in any liquid, because the bisque is porous and can absorb liquids....but I did it anyway. Bleach whitened the porcelain, but it did not remove stains. I thought refiring them would burn off any embedded dirt - but this didn't work either.
So- what you see after a basic wash is what you get. They do take glass enamel paints well (glassline, thompson's, etc) - fired in the kiln - but the colors are so unreliable....i really need to do a test piece where i record what colors they turn into in the kiln. Pebeo glass paints, which are baked in an oven at 350 for 35 minutes, work really nice too, although not as smooth as the glass enamels. Both of these are hard to control details on the curved doll surfaces.
OK. Now I had all my parts ready. How should put them together?
Wire them! ....yeh right....... DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT attempt to wire the limbs on. The bisque is sturdy enough, but not for wire. As soon as you pull the wire taut, it breaks through the holes in the tiny appendages and now that limb is scrap. I tried waxed sinew, but it was too thick. I tried nymo thread, waxed, but it broke too easily against the bisque hole openings....and I tried thin upholstery thread - this worked pretty well! The trick here is to put the limbs on taut enough so they hang straight and tight.
After trial and error, here is what worked consistently for me.
Using glide tooth floss, thread a bead needle. Check to be sure that the needle will go through all of your pieces. You can enlarge the holes a bit with a bead reamer - but you have to go really slowly.....you don't want to break the bisque. It is easier to just use a thin needle!
1. Anyway, thread your needle with the floss, double over and knot leaving a 3 inch tail.

2. Now add a #15 rocaille bead (or a #11 if a #15 is too small and slips through the limb hole). Then add the limb, go thru the body, through the opposite limb and thru another small bead.

3. Do not cut the thread yet. Pick up the tail next to the knotted end, and tie 3 or 4 knots by picking up the two ends and crossing under each other.

4. Now go to the other side and cut the thread about 3 inches from the body. Pull this tight. Be sure your limbs are lined up and facing the way you want them to be. Tie the two ends of this tail together once. Check it. If it is as tight as you can get it, tie the ends 3 or 4 more times, enough so that the knot does not pull thru the bead.

Repeat Steps 1-4 with the other two limbs.

When the doll is full assembled, cut the threads about 1/8 of an inch from the knots. Put a small glob of fabri-tac on a piece of paper or cardboard - anything actually - and rub it into a knot with your fingers. Add enough fabri-tac to make a small knob out of the knot. Flatten the knot with your finger against the bead.

That's it! happy doll stringing!

Two Christmas's ago my DH gave me a Vita-Mix. I LOVE my vita-mix! it will handle and mix the hardest ice, the thickest carrots. Lately I'm into fruit smoothies with protein powder .... the Vita-Mix makes them like soft freeze ice cream.....yummy!
A few days ago I noticed that we had a bunch of bananas right behind the house that had finally started to ripen. Not a big bunch, about a 25 pounder. They were apple bananas - about 4 inches long. When the green banana edge ridges start to round over, but are still green, it is time to pick the whole "bunch". After you have cut the stalk off, you cut the whole tree down.... there is always a new plant coming up beside it, and the old tree will die once the fruit is picked. Usually we hang the bunch on a nail on the lanai until they start to turn yellow. This time Lance put the bunch in the laundry room. As soon as I saw some yellow, I pulled the bunch out and gave it a wash with the hose and then picked off about 20 that were ripe. These I peeled, and then froze, and then packed in baggies for smoothies or cereal or banana bread. When we first moved here, I felt obligated to pick and process them all. I froze a ton of them, made a lot of bread, and dried a lot of banana chips. Now we just occasionally pick a bunch and leave the rest for the chickens and the wild birds. We probably have about 75 banana trees (and about 4 varieties) so we don't mind sharing!
Today the remainder were ripe so I peeled and froze them too! I just love frozen bananas in my smoothies!

..the whole small bunch with some ripe.

Peeled and ready to freeze. Yum!

"SAVING GRACE" - MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Oh, I am SHAMELESS!

Next Monday, March 2nd, "Saving Grace", the TV series, will begin its new season.
My son, Skylar, has a small role (... he never says a thing) in this episode - he plays a guy at a bar that Holly Hunter eyes and then she wakes up in a car with him asleep beside her - and they are both NAKED!
yes, my baby did a NUDE scene.
...of course, we don't really even know if he is still in the episode or if his scenes got cut out - but just in case - watch and we shall SEE!
yes, I am his mom, but I can watch because I know that the film industry never shows naked men on prime time TV, even if they film them that way..... they only show women....besides, I've seen him before....

...also with a woman....a very long time ago....
haha!
...YOU will have to watch the show to see him NOW! (it's a good thing he doesn't read my blog....he'd shoot me!)
.....Skylar is presently in school at the Academy of Dramatic Art in New York City and they don't allow the students to participate in any film or theatre while they are in school - so this is the last legit piece he did before moving to the Big Apple.

New Stuff and around the shop!

I have been working on several new necklaces and earrings, in anticipation of opening an Etsy shop in March. Click on any photo to see it closer.....
This is a variation of "shelter from the rain"... copper leaves, hammered, engraved and hand shaped. The color is a heat patina, and the blue patina is from ammonia. The links are all copper, with stones of picture jasper, poppy jasper, turquoise, and amazonite. The bird is polymer clay. Sealed with a light varnish and then Renaissance wax.


This is a copper wire hand with a nest woven on top with a polymer owl sitting on a bone skull. Above the owl is s string of cobra spines, all attached to a hammered steel goth heart handmade chain.



Next, another copper hand with a copper etched cuff heat patinaed and dipped in resin for strength and a polymer bird sitting on a bead of poppy jasper. Above hang jasper stone daggers and copper bells, and jasper chips.



...and lastly, a bone goddess moth with a carved bone face and wrapped wire antennae. Her attached wings are etched copper, fire patinaed. She is attached to a handmade copper bead strung on 4 strands of coral colored beads. I don't know what these beads are, exactly. They look like dyed coral to me, but they may be glass - they have flecks of brown and black in them.


I'm still working on my bird rosary and my goth baby bisque necklace.
Here's a new batch of birds right out of their 2nd time in the oven:
next they will be glazed with burnt sienna, raw sienna, crimson red, buff and black acrylic paints. Then they baked again to set the paint. Then they get different beak colors. Then #15 beads and/or micro beads are attached with liquid polymer clay and baked again, as eyes. lastly they are coated with 3 layers of future acrylic floor polish and baked once more. VOILA! Tuscan bird beads.
here's a little slide show from around my shop. My DH has a lumix camera that has unbelievable focus! You just move the lens up to what you want to shoot and the focus is perfect - no adjusting to macro for close -ups, etc. ...and it has a phenomenal zoom. I want one! So easy!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is another giveaway Grosgrain is doing. She also has instructions on how to make one in case you don't win!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!

Today is my mama's earth birthday. She was born 2-22-22 ...very magical! She'd have been 87 today...Instead she earned her angel wings the summer of '06.
Boy do i miss her!

Mama and her 5 daughters....that's me bottom row on the left

...mama always smiling and making us laugh....

...me and my wonderful mama.....

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is so cool!

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY ME!

OWOH is finally over for 2009. I have to admit, during the 5? 6? weeks it was happening - I became obsessed. Every night I would stay up way late - no time to visit my friends - and I would visit exotic blogs all over the world...911 blogs to get thru......(hmmm hadn't noticed that 911 blogs...)
Well, there is no rush now. I can leisurely explore all the incredible blogs I have bookmarked.
...and I WON... Eleven GREAT prizes! (I can hardly believe it!)


1. A lovely Dotee doll and a handmade paper tag book, decorated on both sides - both made by Brenda Lea. I have never owned a Dotee doll before - she looks so happy!

Brenda currently has a 29 days of Giveaways going on her blog! great stuff and much better odds of winning than OWOH! Check it out! http://prpldy15.blogspot.com/



2. A One year subscription to The Essential Herbal, published by Tina Sams. WowWee! She has a free copy on her blog that you can download. It is jam packed full of herbal recipes for lotions, cookies, dinners..... and has tons of other herbal info, tips, featured articles, etc. Plus, she sells all kinds of other potions and salves, beads, creams, soaps, etc that she has made. You know how much I love this type of stuff!


3. Adorable polymer clay Teapot Earrings! made by Kelly Brabon of Leah James
in Australia.

Aren't the colors great? I just love teapots!

4. A Polymer Clay ATC. How cool is that? Made by Vanessa from Vanessa's Clay Adventures
http://vanessasclayadventures.blogspot.com/

This one....

or this one - Vanessa didn't say which one - but she did say there would be a surprise on the back!

5. A stunning pair of Red faceted crystal and brass earrings, made by Louise from Whispering Poppies

...and RED is my bestest favoritest color!


6. From Ruthie at Roseworks Jewelry, I won ANY ONE THING I wanted from her amazing ETSY store. You HAVE to go there! I think she is way UNDERPRICED! I loved this one:

But you know how much I love spiders, and this set was called "Saffron's Web" - it sounds just like me! ...and just look at it! Isn't it fabulous! and so I chose it....and now it's mine, all mine!

and her etsy store: roseworks jewelry

7. A gorgeous polymer rose pendant made by bunnykissd from "Diary of a Crazy Rabbit Lady, too". Bunnykissd also has a great etsy site! She's going to make this into a pendant for me!


8. A beautiful purse that Elizabeth Aggie Chen from Metamor4sis says she picked up in Thailand. She is going to put a surprise inside! Elizabeth's blog is really fascinating!


9. Oh My Gosh! An amazing bird quiltie that I SO coveted - all hand made by my Diva Friend Karen from Karen's Muse and Musings

Isn't it lovely!

10. A warm and cuddly minky lined baby stroller blanket made by Monica Kelly from Monicas Crafts. I, of course, love the spider fabric, but it will be a surprise which blankie i receive!


11. My last wonderful prize, this darling pair of green heart earrings, made by Terronda Clarke from Unique Commodities . Aren't they beauties!

I am very very thankful for all of the really terrific prizes i was so blessed to receive! One World, One Heart was such a generous event, and I look forward to it next year!
Thank you, everyone!

OWOH WINNER!

Well, today's the day! I used the random number generator, and counted and recounted, to be sure I was accurate!
Thank you everyone for ALL of you kind and wonderful comments! The OWOH Giveaway has been a blast! Today I started going through all the blogs on the OWOH website, starting at #1, and really checking out each blog. Wonderful friends to meet and keep!
OK. back to the topic at hand.....
....and the Bisque Baby Necklace will be flying off to:
Inge Bungart of stempelparty....in Germany! Congratulations, Inge!

Nothing beats a good friend......

My friend Claudia was visiting on Oahu last week and hopped over to Kauai to spend a few days with me! She was only here for 2 days, but I had a blast! The weather was uncooperative, cold and rainy...but we explored the island from one side to the other....here are some pics....

Claudia and I....


Monk seal (an endangered species) we ran across at Glass beach.

Stormy ocean! We'd hiked into Donkey beach in search of those huge shells I had found before, but the tide was in and the waves were so violent it was too dangerous to get too close to the water...

...beautiful flowers on the hike down to the beach....

enjoying a Shave Ice at JoJo's in Waimea...a shave ice is like a very fine snowcone that just melts in your mouth....on the bottom is macadamia nut ice cream...yum!

..being silly in Hanalei

..chickens on the beach in Haena

...the end of a fun 2 days!

New Bisque Baby and Birds...and more!

I finished a new Bisque Baby. This one , like the one in my Giveaway, is a buggy baby. hmmmm....I may need to give it some antennae....


The wings are copper, hammer textured, and engraved with a torch heat patina. The copper turned red and black in a way cool pattern....then I drilled holes around the wings and laced them with a waxed sinew. The neck chain is made of vintage rosary chain, black coconut rondelles, garnets, poppy jasper, and lots of my Tuscan birds! The little bisque baby has a copper heart on her chest.
I have already started a third bisque baby. This one will be a goth baby - he will have red and black goth full angel wings and will be painted with glass enamels for his tattoos and make up...
...and this is what I did with the rest of my birds. I made a very long single necklace strung with lots of birds, natural undyed coral, garnets, onyx and turquoise. It is long enough that if you don't want to wear it as a single strand, you could double it around your neck! The birds go in opposite directions so when you wear the necklace they all face in the right direction.





...and look what my DH found under the hood of my car...

...a rats nest! no babies, but the silly thing had chewed through on some of the wires and put a hole in the windshield wipe fuel tube! Poor DH had to spend a bit of time fixing it! For a long time we kept the engine covered with a tarp, but since we hadn't had any rodent activity in so long we stopped doing it - it's such a pain to remember to remove it before you start the car. My DH taped a note to the steering wheel to remind me. So sweet....i need stuff like that.....
...and here's a really great giveaway...Scrappindipity is sponsoring it! http://auslorri.blogspot.com/2009/01/giveaway-suprise-prize-over-100-au.html

BEACH Journey....

I went to my regular beach the other day and decided to take a walk on a new path they have put in that goes around the mountain and to a formerly very secluded beach. It was a glorious day with deep cobalt waves and a luscious trade wind.


...and so i set off on my journey -notebook, water and collection bag in hand!
There was so much new to see and explore....

The wonderful thing about Kauai is that the beaches not only have good sand, but the surrounding areas are also gorgeous. Everywhere is like being in a park...almost no houses are visible!

Below is a little rivlet going to the ocean.....



blue blue skies....

an even bluer ocean

rocky shores

...back on the path (only for people and bicycles)

About a third of the way there was a metal fence that had been put up that said "Road closed" and "Beware! Falling Rocks". But I'd seen other people skirt around the fence, so i did too!


It was a long hike, and eventually I came to another fence, that said the same thing, but in the opposite direction.

...the path continued, winding around the hills.

...an old and crumbled pier, with a lookout point. I stopped here for a while and saw a family of whales playing out in the distance. I took picture of them, but they didn't turn out very clear.
.
The sign says that this is a "Shearwater" (that's a bird) releasing site....

Another lovely rivlet...

At last I came to the beach....but I had to climb down a small cliff to get to it.
There weren't too many people there (which is normal, our beaches are almost always empty!)

So peaceful.

this fenced area was right behind the tree and is as high as the sand went from the ocean. the sign says that the area is a sacred burial place, and warns you to leave it alone. beyond this are more meadows and hills, and a walking path that eventually leads to the highway.....

I was picking up shells to use as bezels and I stumbled upon this shell....

It's a cowry shell. I've only ever found the little ones...and the bottom half is usually missing. I use them for bezels....but these shells were whole (but empty) and huge!
The surf was pretty rough but I could see more of the shells being tossed on the shore and then swept back out to sea as tide took them away. All kinds - purple ones, speckled ones, striped ones. I think they look a bit like eggs - sea eggs. I'm going to remove the other side of the shell and use them for mini altars. maybe.
So, I ended up spending a lot of time trying to "catch" the shells. I kind of had to watch the water as it went out (it's pretty clear) and see where the shells where, and then wait for the tide to rush in, and then start trying to grab them before they get lost in the waves again. Mostly i brought up handfuls of sand. I just couldn't be quick enough and still keep my balance. Several hours passed....how time flies! I would have stayed longer, cuz I could see more in the water, but the waves were getting really violent and high. After I fell on my butt several times, got knocked down by the surf, and had the coral and rocks cut up my legs, I decided it was time to head back....but look at my haul!

I put my hand in the picture so you could see how big some of them were. There were also large pieces of sea glass and other types of shells. The little black and white one in the middle on the bottom, is a cone shell. Very pretty -but Cone snails are very dangerous - some just sting like a bee, but others have toxins that can kill you.....i didn't realize that you should never pick them up unless you absolutely know they are empty, because they have a long stinger that they can inject you with. It can even penetrate leather gloves and wet suits.
who knew? (..my DH knew.)

aren't they cool?

yep.....more stuff to store....sigh......

and so I started the long hike back .

more beautiful vistas.......
and other pretty things along the way...

It was getting cloudy and the sky was looking angry.
...but it only rained for a few minutes

and then cleared up!

Time to head home...
.
...I am so blessed.

ONE WORLD, ONE HEART 2009

Woohoo - the day has come! One World, One Heart is a yearly Blog Giveaway with HUNDREDS of artists participating! ...and you don't have to give something away to play! The purpose is to check out blogsites you've never seen, meet new friends and say hello to those you already know. It is als o a great way to see new ideas and be inspired and awed by what is happening in the art world.
All that is usually requested is that you leave a comment on the specified post.
So there you have it! Click on the "One World, One Heart" Earth above and you will instantly be sent to a list of all the other participating artists. You can enter as many Blog Give-Aways as you like! Our host, Lisa, has a numbered list so you can keep track of who you have already visited.
O.K. For my BLOG GIVEAWAY I will be using the random number generator to pick one winner for...
......a vintage german bisque doll necklace. ...and she's finished - SEE BELOW!


yep. there she is! I have reassembled a full body. This necklace isn't finished yet - but she will have wings and lots of surprises - so check back tomorrow if you want to to see the finished necklace. The doll is 2 to 3 inches tall.......i may or may nor dress her, I definitely want to make some Goth babies, but maybe I'll keep her pretty plain for the Give Away??!
Just leave a comment below to enter my give away. BE SURE to leave a way for me to reach you if you win. DO NOT enter anonymously, unless you also leave your name and an email address in your comment. YOU DO NOT need a blog to enter my contest.

UPDATE!I decided to keep her normal and simple....which was way hard! I really wanted to do my usual weird thin.....but here is the finished necklace.....

Brass frame wings with vintage lace and tiny beading all around, hanging from a necklace of brass, foiled glass hearts and real vintage pearls.

Her arms and legs still move!

Good Luck!

16 x MOM ! WOW! ...BOOK REVIEW!

A Mastery of Motherhood
16 x MOM
Barbara Olivo Cagle

16X MOM is a wonderful book that was written by a high school classmate of mine, Bobbie (Barbara) Olivo Cagle. What a fun read! On the surface the book is about Bobbie's amazing mother Rose who had 16 children....Rose's childhood and her raising of her enormous family. But the book really is so much more than that! The book is chockful of Rose's family history as well as documented California history and has hundreds of pictures and anecdotes interspersed with the the triumphs and tragedies of family life. The descriptions are rich and detailed and the book is an inspiration and a joy.! The reader becomes involved in the real life characters and at the same time you are swept into life in California from the turn of the 19th century until the present.
Rose Olivo is still alive and well, by the way. She will turn 91 in March and is still spritely and full of as many insightful witticisms as ever.
More information on the making of the book, reviews and news articles can be found at: www.barbaracagle.com
The price is $29.99 and can be purchased through PayPal on her Website: www.barbaracagle.com

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Do you know the Symptoms of a Stroke? I didn't. Please pass it on......

Michele Munzone of my Artdollz group sent me an email with information on how to identify if someone is having/has had a stroke. It is very simple to remember, and reading this could save someone's life!

Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue This is very important, you could save a life. PLEASE READ INFORMATION EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW........................ Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue I will continue to forward this every time it comes around! STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters....S.T.R. My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously… Please read: STROKE IDENTIFICATION: During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics); she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening Ingrid 's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die; they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this... A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. RECOGNIZING A STROKE Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damagewhen people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: S *Ask the individual to SMILE. T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today) R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency numberimmediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue... If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke. A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved. I have done my part. Have you? WEB SITE: http://www.mmunzonedesigns.com BLOG: http://mmunzonedesigns.blogspot.com/ WORKSHOPS- ENCHANTED TREE- http://tinyurl.com/69k3kd MAHARAJA- http://www.clothdollconnection.com/Classes/munzone.html PAPER DOLLS- http://tiny.cc/5zJAY ETSY- http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=17643

What I've been up to....

I have been busy - ok.... obsessed - making bird beads. I made 96 little beads and am going to make them into one necklace......i am teaming them up with some natural undyed red coral branches, sterling silver and copper! I call them "tuscan birds". This project has inspired me to make a bird "rosary", with owls for the "our fathers", a winged eagle for the center piece, and a dove for the cross! I LOVE to make rosaries.......

Here they are closer... They are polymer clay (cernit) and have been hand sculpted and pearll-exed. Most have micro bead eyeballs, with a clear sealer over them. The wings were added after the first bake. Acrylic paints were applied after this and then they were rebaked to set the paint. Then I engraved them a bit and then gave them 2 coats of "future", rebaked them. Finally, a coat of rennaissance wax and a polishing with a muslin dremel buff to bring up a satin shine.

Below are some shark vertebrae i bought on etsy.I got two strings of them, each 26 inches long!
Lord knows what I will do with them, but at least they don't have sharp edges like the snake spine I got...

And Now, the best for last. LOOK WHAT I JUST GOT!

It is a large box from Germany!

Here am opening it............

Here's how everything came packed....Now look what was inside!

antique german doll parts! The order was to have 100 doll bodies with heads ( many are only 1 - 2 inches) , 300 right arms, 300 left arms, 300 right legs and 300 left legs. He said it was enough to make 100 dolls with arms and legs. Those bags in the bag all contain 320 arms or legs each! What the seller sent me, from Germany (he dug them up himself) was not only my original order, but also 90 extra arms and legs, 40 extra doll bodies, 40 heads, 12 headless painted clothed bodies, 1 tiny charlotte, 1 full still strung tiny doll, and a bunch of partial torsos with or without heads. It was so exciting to open! It was HUGE! .....and the doll bodies, arms and legs ARE NOT BROKEN!, dirty, maybe a chip here and there, but in great condition!

These heads and the torsos below were all freebies.

...and so were these!

I may just have to make a centipede doll!

ChildhoodCancer - Vote to Make it an Obama Priority

This is a subject that we don't want to read about....but it is important to read this - and take ACTION! ........or, just go to the last paragraph, and VOTE! Obama has a great government blog and is taking your questions/responses!
Did you know childhood cancer kills more children than any other disease? ...and did you know that most treatments are based on adults....and money to cure cancer goes mainly to adult cancers? How about the number of children who are "cured" only in their teens to have a new cancer, caused by the chemo and/or radiation?
I have been following "carepages", where parents blog about their children and their treatment, their hopes and their frustrations.
I was first introduced to Care Pages when a member of one of my groups asked for prayers for a friends child who had brain cancer. I went to the website and read about Julian Avery http://www.carepages.com/carepages/JuliansWorld/update and his wonderful mom Mimi and their family....and well, I was moved. touched...... how easy my life is, how trivial my issues - with all my supposed "problems".... compared to a parent (to an entire family!) who is going thru this. Imagine spending 24/7 with your sick child, the chemo, radiation......and still trying to maintain a household, especially with other small children in the family..... and always hoping. praying. never giving up - and keeping your faith?
Julian Avery (the JuJu King) didn't make it. This week, another wonderful 5 year old - Coleman Larsen - also earned his wings. read about Coleman here: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/ColemanScott

Well, now you can help do something about it.....it will only take a moment of your time.
Here's a post i copied from Michele Kemper Brownlow's Blog, My Semblance of Sanity -

.....I let my good friend Bob Piniewski hi-jack my blog today. Bob is AJ's dad. Go over to carepages.com/AJsSpace and see their story, it is one you will never forget. If you have hung around my blog long enough, you know how passionate I am about finding a cure for Childhood Cancer! Well, leave it to Bob to TRULY help make a difference. If you have ever known of a child with cancer or you just hope and pray that word NEVER enters your house in the form of a diagnosis, please pass the link to this post on to everyone you know. If we all just link arms and tell a story, we could CHANGE THE WORLD! Bob....have at it! OK - Another Change.gov opportunity. From the Change.gov website: "Share your ideas on any issue facing the new administration, then rate or comment on other ideas. The best rated ideas will rise to the top -- and be gathered into a Citizen's Briefing Book to be delivered to President Obama after he is sworn in."We got an early start. Right now "Increased Funding for Childhood Cancer" is the #2 rated idea. Close your eyes and imagine this: Obama walks into the Oval Office and settles in on January 26th. He is handed The Citizen's Briefing Book - outlining the issues facing the new administration. He opens it up. The first issue facing the new administration is "Increased Funding for Childhood Cancer". There are over 500 comments and stories for him to read.Can any human being see that and read that and not do something about it? Go to http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/home, log in, search childhood cancer. Go to the answer with the most comments. Vote it up. Leave your story in the comments. Invite him to the CureSearch Milestone Walk June 21, 2009 in Washington DC.let's do it......let's put these kids where they deserve...first place! Please forward to your contacts. Thank you all so much. AJs Dad AJsspace - http://www.carepages.com/ www.curesearch.org Join People Against Childhood Cancer - http://curechildhoodcancer.ning.com/ Sign the Cure Childhood Cancer Petition - http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/CureChildhoodCancer "

...and here's another version of the same thing, made easy peasy.... GO VOTE!
Obama is now allowing us to submit short questions to the Transition Team. The questions are then voted on. Right now the leading question has about 1000 votes. Lori wrote this up and I submitted it:

Childhood cancer is the #1 killer disease of our kids: 46 are diagnosed & 7 die each day. Additional funding is needed for research into better treatment options. Will you direct the National Cancer Institute to prioritize funds to save our kids?

To vote it to the top, go to: http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions. Register and search childhood cancer. It will show up on the last page of the results. Please vote for our question. Let's get it in the top spot. Tell everyone you know to vote for it.

THANK YOU!!

...and while you're at it, think about adopting a family whose child has cancer. You don't give money or gifts - just prayer and support. LOOK BELOW:

This info is from Aaron, whose son Cole also earned his wings.
I would just like to say thank you to all of you who have answered the call and Sponsored a child on www.colesfoundation.com We now have over 500 members and over 560 kids adopted. Once again Thank you so much... You can have the assurance of knowing that you truly are making a difference. Take Care and God Bless. Aaron

To adopt a child email: angel@colesfoundation.com (there is no financial obligation only your support and encouragement)

A Good week!

First off, my wonderful older sister, Marianne and her husband Frank came to Maui for a week for their 35th wedding anniversary. I flew over there to visit! I had just the best time - they are so much fun to be with.....the weather was lovely - unlike my island which has had nothing but rain and stormy skys and mold.
We stayed a great hotel/condo near La Haina and it had the coolest 5 section pool - and a waterfall you could swim to - and it was right on the beach. You think I would have taken lots of pictures...I wish!

...the three of us....

a beach at a look out point......

a giant 5 inch moth that landed on the bar hut at night while we were having dinner. Yes, this is a NIGHT shot!
We snorkeled around the Molokini crater and went whale watching! ...and drank a lot of volcano daquiri's and pina coladas! (well, mari and I, anyway....)

Then, later that week I found out I won 2 (yes 2) blog give aways!
A beautiful bracelet (a new obsession) from Sherry Goodloe in Callifornia,
and some gorgeous art cards from Wendy in New Zealand!
Check them out!
http://www.gotart4u.blogspot.com/ .......sherry goodloe
Wendy Pettifer, Puhoi, New Zealand
blog : http://wendypslittlecorneroftheworld.blogspot.com/

Lani Kent's Blog Give Away

Check out Lani Kent's fabulous New Year's Blessing Blog Giveaway! Click here!

...knee at the beach

here is a picture of my knee at the beach.


....and here is a loose sketch of that very same knee.
...another exciting day in paradise.......

A Bit About My Month of December....

Besides needing to complete 2 Christmas exchanges and the black and white swap this December, I also made a lot of my Christmas presents! I made earrings and/or necklaces for my nieces, icicle mom dolls for my sisters and dad and I made a copper over wood frame for the balloon painting to give my niece in Philadelphia. i attempted to make 2 photo dolls for my grand nieces - but I botched these up so bad I am going to wait until go to Maui next week and can get to a real fabric store and buy some pink fleece! I wish I could show you picture - but of course I was so anxious to get everything finished and sent - I didn't take any. I did not send out any cards - but I hope to get some out this week for new years - but I did do my dad's cards for him.
During December, my wonderful friend Lorri Scott came to the island for a vacation. She has a gorgeous condo in Poipu, and on Tuesday night I went to dinner with her and then spent the night. The next morning we went for a long walk at the beach and then headed to Waimea to check out some ocean cottages for a possible future art retreat and to have lunch.

This is a picture of Lorri sipping her Pina Colada, with my Pina Colada in the foreground!

A banyon tree at Waimea Plantations....

....the beach in front of the cottages....the swimming pool is in the background where the lounges are.....
Then we headed for glass beach to look for beach finds ...

Lorri and I on glass beach...

Closer on the "sand" we are standing on....

...and closer still!
On Friday I met Lorri at our favorite lunch place "mermaids" where we had iced Chai tea made with coconut milk and ahi wraps with cucumber and avocado inside instead of rice. Way YUMMY!
It was raining........ miserably! We hoped to get together on Monday to visit the Hindu Temple, but we'd had a fierce rain storm the night before and we had tall ironwood trees that had fallen on the side fence and gate and had a huge yard pick up to do. ...and then it continued to storm and flood and rain....we even had a tornado warning!
So I will have to wait until February to see Lorri again when she comes back to the island again.
I sure had a good time with her!
It is still raining. We haven't mowed the lawns in 3 weeks. Everything is getting mildew smelling and it is very gloomy....the temperature is down to 60 at night!
Next Saturday my sister and her husband are flying to Maui for a week, and I am going to fly there and spend a few days with them! Woohoo! They are great fun!

Eight Days of Chanukah

I was involved in a very special Holiday Exchange this year - The Eight Days of Chanukah. I am not Jewish - and I am embarrassed to say I knew very little of the Holiday - but a small group of very talented artist friends invited me to play with them!......I learned a lot ....and I received amazing presents, too!

Day One ...a beautiful and appropriate charm from the CHARM QUEEN herself - Amber Dawn!
Look at all the details she added - crystals, wirework, beautiful beads.....impeccably made to the highest standards that are Amber's trademark!


Day 2 a handmade, hand stitched and hand painted triangle doll from Fran Saperstein. Just look at that gorgeous face!....and all the embroidery! Fran says she is a pin cushion doll - but no pin is going to pierce my lovely doll! She will sit in a place of honor so I can see her and admire her everyday!




On Day 3 .... take a look at this stunning wayward threads shawl! Joanne Thieme Huffman dyed her own fabrics - a soft warm woolly flannel and a sheer silk - and dyed it herself in beautiful shades of blue - and then sewed it up all together into an airy but cozy shawl! I've already worn it into town and it is so warm and comfy and garnished lots of Oohs and Ahhs!!


Day 4 - Joyce Vance made this hand dyed, photo transferred and sewn sachet pillow filled with fragrant lavender, rose, and lemon verbena - GROWN FROM HER OWN FRESH HERB GARDEN! Oh, so lovely and it smells DIVINE!


This is the back!



On the 5th day of Chanukah Judy Streger gave to me this FANTABULOUS .....Pierrot Doll! I had listed my favorite colors as black, white and red, and Judy used those colors just for me! He has a porcelain face and hands and button hair and can stand up all by himself! ...and look at that cool ruffle around his neck!

Judy loves making dolls and I love collecting them! for this exchange Judy made all of the dolls different. My doll, of course, is my FAVORITE!

On Day 6, Kara Kline made me an art book all about the "Joys" of Chanukah. It is so fabulous that I have pictures of all the various fabric and paper pages. It has lots of free motion sewing, stamping and embellishments. What a work of art! I also learned all about the Holiday in Kara's typical unique and humorous way!






Day 7 was my day. I made forged copper necklaces, that as Joanne says, were forged, folded,riveted and wired. They had little cyclone bird nests with a real turquoise stone egg and black polymer birds and copper wire with "drops" hanging out from a copper cone to simulate rain. I called them "sheleter from the rain". I only took this one picture (figures, huh?) but here it is:


On Day 8, the final day, (BOO HOO!) I received this spectacular collage painting ornament from Sandee Hyde. The background is multiple layers overglazed to look aged, yet very lovely. Atop this was a "dancing princess" butterfly hanging from the moon over a cloud. The back of the collage hanging was just as intricately and artistically embellished and - get this -Sandee cleverly created this stunning Chanukah ornament over a dimensional ribbon spool!

Alpha Stamps Giveaway

http://www.alphastamps.com/blog/
Alpha Stamps is one of my favorite online stores, and they are having a daily give away thru Jan 4th. All you have to do is comment daily on their blog. I am in no way associated with them, other than I have spent a lot of money there! They have amazing ribbons (bees, hearts, etc) and assorted weird embellishments and charms and doo dads. Their shipping cost is minimal and they have great stamps too, although this is not what I usually buy from them. Between them, "anima designs" and 'beads and charms" I am cash poor! So, just click on the picture logo or the link to go there.

12 days of Christmas...UPDATED....

I have been participating in a 12 Days of Christmas Swap with the Altered Art Divas....
This Swap has been a blast- HERE ARE ALL OF THE PHOTOS!!!!.......and a HUGE GARGANTUAN THANK YOU to all my Diva Friends who participated in this Swap - it was great fun and I miss the excitement of opening a wonderful new surprise each morning!

Day 1

Angela Hoffmann made this adorable flower pin with vintage fabric and a cheery matching button! It is hand sewn and embroidered to a felt backing. Angela packaged the brooch in a darling mini stocking. I can wear this fun brooch all year round!

Day 2

On Day 2 Christy Grant made this gorgeous photo album.....

This is ONE OPENED page of the Photo Album book...and it is a whole book full of pages that open like this- all different with various papers and illustrations! What a huge amount of work Christy put into this - and it is made absolutely perfect and precise...a real work of art!

Day 3

Andi Hinkle made a festive pin ornament ...but look - the pin comes off ......and you can wear it!

Here's a close-up - Look at the all the Christmas found elements Andi beautifully put together
to make this Christmas pin! Isn't it marvelous!

Day 4

This is the box that held Day's 4 treasure.

Jean Carter made incredible spoon ornaments......and then she handpainted this whimsical snowman scene! ...I am using mine as a necklace........

Day 5

Darlene Rolls made this dainty and delicate button and star ornament with a vintage photo and glittery snow! Perfect for my Victorian tree!

Day 6

Di Gilligan made this clever and unique tree ornament out of recycled laminate samples, with a jingly bell and white buttons. It was hung from a string of sparkly green and red glass beads. Di also made a fabulous art card announcing her terrific day 6 Gift!

Day 7

Peggy Gatto, the ornament Queen, made me this charming tiny gingerbread man ornament, all decorated with tiny yummy decorations. You can't see it in the picture, but the edges have just a perfect bit of sparkly glitter. The gingerbread man is mounted on a mini frame. The ornament came in this precious teddy bear tin, and Peggy included a vintage victorian stocking card. Just precious!

Day 8 - Today everyone opened MY gift. I made Icicle Angel Dolls. I stole everyone's photo from their blog and used those as the faces of the angels. here are some pics:



They are about 7 inches tall, with feather wings and beads around the faces.

Day 9

For Day 9 Kari Holbrook-McKnight took heavy canvas aprons with a big work pocket and embroidered our groups name inside a Christmas Star!

Here's a close-up. .....But wait - there was more! She also made a nifty business card holder out of the yummiest textured paper! Woohooo! Sp pretty I don't want to use it and get it all grungy with my shop mess! Sooo useful and just gorgeous!

Day 10

Lou McCulloch, for Day 10 made 2 presents! A darling stuffed and hand sewn bird ornament trimmed with beads and baubles, AND a Victorian ornament doll festooned in Christmas Ribbons! She presented her gifts in a matching red dot bag.

Day 11


Day 11's gift was made by Santa Torres. Santa took beautiful textured papers, a vintage photograph and crocheted lace and designed it into a one of a kind - and gorgeous! - journal. She personalized the journal with my initial! ...I have already begun to write in this beauty!

Day 12

On Day 12, the final day (Boo Hoo!) Terry Ross made this fantastic PMC Charm. She hand- carved the mold for the dove and filled the dove frame with resin and perfect pearls. Here's a close up...

Pretty amazing - isn't it!

...and this last gem of a gift was given to me by my dear friend Joanne Thieme Huffman.
Joanne was in a different 12 day swap Group than me, but we traded gifts anyway!

It's a Michigan Mermaid and she is a wonder! I already have her hanging on my bookcase where i can see her everyday!

Blackbird Giveaway Winner!

The random number generator has chosen:
Wilmafernsgirl as the winner! please send me your address so I can send the earrings to you!
...and thank you everyone who participated in this giveaway....

Christmas Projects, Christmas blog giveaway.

I have been busy working on Christmas projects - I can't believe Christmas is in 3 weeks! Of course, I am not ready, as usual. I promised myself I would start early and get everything done with ample time so I could enjoy the holidays...but alas - I am woefully behind and feeling the pressure I swore I wouldn't let myself feel.
I am involved in 2 Christmas Swaps - "the 12 days of Christmas", which I have finished, but I can't post any pics until everyone opens their present from me on Dec 8th .
...and the "8 Days of Chanukah", which I haven't quite finished yet.
I did however, finish one more hand - this was the hand for my blog winner Fran - she requested a hand in blue...it has a cuff made of turquoise chips.

I also finished my charms for a Black and White swap hosted by Amber Dawn.
I am incredibly neurotic about by artwork. First I decided to use some seashells I had gathered. They weren't quite black and white enough, so I enhanced the contrast with some paint. Then I resined the outside to make them more durable and then I put a layer of resin inside the shells so I could adhere a picture to a level surface, with the intention of then filling the shell with more clear resin and maybe some silver and white micro beads. I couldn't get the pics to fit right and I just didn't like them.

This is as far as I got with the seashell idea before I lost patience with them....
Then I got the idea to take tiny clothespins (1") and paint them white, decoupage words on them, dip them in microbeads (what's with my sudden obsession with those dumb beads) and then seal them with a varnish.
Way, way junky.

...lousy picture, but they look worse in person.....
...and then I decided to do something simple, my old stand by. Birds! I made some polymer black birds. The first batch i painted with white to fill in the carved designs - they looked kind of barnwashed. But the waterbased varnish "made for polymer clay" dried a bit tacky feeling and they felt ugly..

Scummy rejected blackbirds
So....I made a 2nd batch. These I left black except for the eyes. I wanted them matte with shiny beaks, but after a lot of experimentation (wet sand them with fine grit sandpaper and then buff to a natural shine with your muslin buff attached to your dremel - yeah, right - they looked way dull) I just put a single coat of varathane on them (it always works!) and made them into little charms.

Blackbirds drying on a line in my spotless shop....

Finished Charms...thank you, God.
So, because I made extra birds, I'm giving away a pair of bird earrings....for you, or to give as a gift, or to take apart for your own creations!

Cernit Polymer bird, swarovski crystals, glass polka dot bead, sterling rondell on sterling earwires (not shown)
Just leave a comment to this blog post - and tell me how you're dealing with the joyous season of Christmas (which I love) and the stress of underachieving overachievement! I'll randomly draw one name next Sunday Dec 7th.

Other Blog Giveaways for your enjoyment!

Here's a great blog give away that Chrysti is sponsoring. She is giving away lots of prizes and has others giving prizes away as well. Here's the link: http://chrysti.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/29-days-of-giveaways-for-you/
...and here's another one........Susan Tuttle is giving away a copy of her fabulous new book! Click here to enter the contest. if you don't win you can buy the book from Amazon.
Have fun!

I've been tagged!

I WAS TAGGED....by Toni Curtis. I've been tagged before, but it is always fun.....so i will list 6 new random things about me.....First, Here are the rules.

1. Link to the person or persons who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.

5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

...and here are 6 random Things About Me:

1. I believe in miracles, ghosts and aliens.

2. I wore glasses from the time I was 4 yrs old. I was legally blind in one eye and had 20/75 in the other...but I had amazing really close up vision. 4 years ago I had laser surgery. My blind eye can now see 20/20. Unfortunately my close vision is now normal for a person my age and I must wear glasses to read anything or work on the computer.
3. I get labyrinthitis several times a year and get dizzy and off balance and my body tilts whichever direction my balance is off. Fortunately, an antihistamine keeps my body standing straight and clears up the headache and dizziness.
4. I named one of my sons after a soap opera heart-throb.
5. I was named after my Dads sister(s). His oldest sister was named Concetta. She died when she was 5, so the next girl they had they named Concetta, too.
6. I love baby pablum. (gerber rice or mixed cereal)

I am tagging 6 people but I am breaking the rules and not posting their names. I will notify them privately and hopefully they will play along....

...AND THE WINNER OF MY BLOG GIVEAWAY IS......

FRAN SAPERSTEIN! I used the random number generator to decide a winner. All of the comments were just wonderful and insightful and interesting to boot!
I am still making hands.....some of the copper ones are sitting in ammonia now, turning blue...then they'll get a dip in resin to strengthen them! ...and no, I'm not selling them.....but if you email me I'll tell you my version of how to make your own.....
Congratulations Fran!

"DID YOU VOTE?" Blog Giveaway !

I VOTED! ...and wasn't it marvelous being a part of history and witnessing the election enthusiasm and spirit of young and old alike! Only in America!

DID YOU? If you did, go to Kelly Snelling's Blog and show her a photo of you and your voting stub/sticker. She's having a drawing for an autographed copy of her book "A Charming Exchange"....how cool is that!?!....and while your at it, tell me in a comment what the voting experience was like for you and I'll draw one name to win my latest "hand" ....it's made of stainless steel, florist wire and pink beads. It's about 3-4" inches long and holds a patinaed pewter hummingbird in its hand. Here's a pic. (of course, if you win and you want a copper hand or a black ceramic bird or a different style, etc - let me know and I'll try and make that for you!) PLEASE LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR YOUR BLOG SITE SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN! I will draw a winner on Sunday!

PROJECT #? whatever......and my prize!

I won a gorgeous Prize!
This is the beautiful crocheted purse I won as a runner-up prize in the raffle for the "Pink Artist" breast cancer awareness "Love Squared" doll. It was generously made and donated by KAI. It has a tiny pearl button clasp.

Isn't it lovely! THANK YOU KAI!

....back to the metal project from Rivet, Stitch, Wrap, etc.....
This was my first hand. I just love hands )well, and eyeballs, too).
When I heat treated it, I melted some of the wire at the wrist on accident. At this point I couldn't melt copper balls on the ends of the wire, so the fingernails are just bent/hammered wire. It's pretty lame!

These are the 2nd and 3rd hands. I made them into earrings. I tried to make them very neat and even. I could not get Mary's method of wrapping to work for me (wrapping with 2 wires at the same time), so I wrapped the fingers separately first and then wrapped the hands.

This is my 4th hand. I was becoming obsessive - trying to make it perfect. But alas - I just don't have the patience to make perfect double layer coils!

...and this is my 5th - and last - hand! It wasn't heat treated.

It's my favorite....I still haven't figured out how to make decent rivets. I think I need a riveting hammer and a flare tool...is it possible...tools i don't have?

Project #3 and lots of other stuff....

Project # 3 "bead shelf necklace" - really didn't appeal to me - but I went ahead and made it anyway. I used the torch a lot on this one. A BIGGER torch that gets really hot. It helped a lot to make the copper turn red red. Yay! I was getting way frustrated with trying to melt balls on the ends of the copper. It just wouldn't work with the little hand torch I was using - the wire would break first or just turn black and brittle. But the big torch does it quick! I used many techniques making this necklace. Pounding, texturing, drilling holes, punching holes, balling the ends of copper, and wrapping metal beads.

...and this is a fused fine silver jump ring! MY FIRST ONE! I have a great book called "Silver Wire Fusing" by Liz Jones . This is the first project from this book that I have tried. EASY PEASY! I just made a fine silver ring by wrapping the silver around a dowel and cutting it I had to make sure the edges were flush. Then I heated the whole ring in a circular motion for just a moment and touched the blue tip of the torch flame to the cut edges of the ring and waited for the cut edges to get really shiny (liquefy!). I quickly lifted the heat away and then plunged the ring into water. Fine silver doesn't tarnish when heated and doesn't need any flux.

I also made another project towards the end of the book - I have no idea what project number it is - but I liked it. It's called the "wire hands bracelet" only I didn't make a bracelet. You had to make 16 hands to make a bracelet. Forget it. I was lucky I made 3. How did Mary Hettmansperger ever make 16! These hands are tedious and time consuming....and I am so anal mine had to be as precise as I could make them.... So, after the first one that turned out way lame, I made 2 more, sort of my own version. I made them into earrings. I haven't taken the pics yet for this one. ...Manana....

Oh...here's the final version of the "guardian angel" painting.


Let's see - what else? I got my jewelers saw to work! I couldn't get it to hold the blades for the life of me! So I took the set screws out and - lo and behold - all of the broken blade tips were still inside...what a maroon! So I used it to cut some shapes out of copper, and I'm sawing away....really killing my wrists trying to hold the copper in place and level.....and then it dawns on me - duh! - CLAMP the copper down. I don't need to try and hold it with my hands and saw at the same time. Sometimes taking a class first is probably a good idea........

"ART IN A CARTON"

Look at all the fun stuff my friend Renata sent me ! Renata and I are part of "Art in a Carton" She sent me an adorable mini clay pot, too, but I didn't get a pic of that. Renata made the wonderful quiltie in the picture, and personalized it, just for me!
THANK YOU, RENATA!


This is a necklace I finished.

Eh. I am not thrilled...I will probably tear this apart and start over.

RIDING THE RUCKUS

Lance bought a new motor scooter - an '09 Honda Ruckus. He's put all kinds of new fancy cool extras on it and insisted I learn to ride. I ride a bike all the time - but I am afraid of driving any motorized vehicle I am unfamiliar with. Heck - i didn't even drive a car until i was 25! But I'm working really hard on using new tools that I am afraid of. So, I am practicing a little every day. It's really easy to drive, but it takes continuous concentration - at least it feels that way to me...lots more than just a car. Fortunately it is not heavy like a regular motorcycle is. Chalupa, our dog, likes to run with me when I'm on the scooter - so it is an easy way to exercise her! Here are some pics of me riding....

project #2

This is Project # 2 - Folded earrings. My favorite part of these earrings, which is hard to see in the photos, is the patina. This is totally just a HEAT patina. I wanted the copper to be deep red, and I'd read that if you heat the copper until glowing and then plunge it into ice water, it will turn red. I did this, but first it just turned black. So I torched it again, and this time I left the blue ice pack in the water, too be sure it was icy. The copper turned deep red with some black. I liked it! But then I wrapped the earrings in copper wire and added the copper hanging strips, and I did not like the look of the shiny new copper, so I heated the whole thing again and plunged them into water. It did not turn red - just sort of sooty gray black. I scrubbed this with lava liquid soap and a wire brush - and this is the result I got...very bronzy with a deep satin gloss.

This and that......

I was blog hopping and stopped to take a look at the wonderful things on Deryn Mentock's blog. Deryn has been making all of the projects in Mary Hettmansperger's book " Wrap, Stitch, Fold and Rivet" and has issued a challenge to complete the projects along with her. My copper necklace I posted last week has beads on it that I made using some of Mary's techniques. Anyway, I decided to actually try the projects as they were written (OK, as best as I could interpret them...I just had to make them MY way). So here is project #1 - The Spinner necklace. ...and yes, i got carried away and added a few more embellishments than were called for. I did all the techniques she said to try except using a sharpened screwdriver to cut the metal. ...Alas, I couldn't find one to sharpen amidst my mess.

The white things on the top are two spine bones from a boa constrictor. They were pretty pointed and sharp, so I filed them round. I got the bones when I was at Venice Beach shopping along the boardwalk with Joanne....I have a thing for bones.....

Over on Kelly Snellings Blog, Kelly has been doing self portraits. She challenged others to try and do one too. So I tried to paint myself from memory. Kelly's paintings are very 3 dimensional - mine, unfortunately turned out very....flat. My DH said it didn't look at all like me, that my face was much rounder, so this is a revised "round faced" version. I think it looks a little itty bit like me, but the face shape isn't right, or the mouth...or the eyes. But the HAIRCOLOR - well that's pretty accurate. On the weekend before my last day of work in Los Angeles, I got my hair recolored so it would look good when I came home. I asked for BRIGHTER red highlights. The hair dresser mixed together what he said was "mahogany"...but it came out MAGENTA. All I could say to him was "But it looks pink!".... I went to work the next day, quite embarrassed, but tried to pull it off as if I liked it. I got comments like " wow - you went punk!" I am getting it recolored normal - no weave and back to my original dark hair - this week.

And lastly, I have been working on a Halloween painting. Well, sort of. It's supposed to be a No-Nonsense Kick-butt Guardian Angel. Here are the various stages. it's not done yet....

The Background

The Angel


The painting toned down, with parts masked off so I can redo the background......
I think it is turning out rather ghoulish.....

Outside my Comfort Zone....

Today I tried a new tool. I wanted to cut some copper and had never tried a jewelers saw before. First I put a blade in - it was really a pain. The blade was so fine and so thin I had to put on my magnifier headband. I finally got it on and I sawed a bit -it cut pretty easy! - but the copper I was cutting was too big for the saw and there was not enough room to cut it all the way around. Then I looked in a book I had, and saw I had the blade in backwards....I was trying to cut INSIDE between the saw and it's handle.....so I tried to reverse it. No matter what i did, I could not get the blade back in. Then i snapped the blade in two...so I tried a new blade....then I gave up. My DH wanted to know why I didn't just use my micromark electric mini scroll saw. Now this is a tool I have had for about 4 years....but have never used...because, well...it scares me....ALL power tools SCARE me.....
It was sitting on one of my workbenches, all set up, with a blade in it and everything........
So I glued a paper design onto a sheet of 25 gauge copper and I turned it on -
and I did it!

This is the saw.

This is the paper design glued onto the copper.

...and this is my cut design! Not exactly, perfect - but it was my first cut.... Cool, huh?
Tomorrow I'm going to switch to a fine blade and see if i can be more precise. Eventually I want to try acid etching a design onto it.
Remember the copper beads I was hammering/forming/ making last week?


Well I put them together into a necklace.


It also has 3mm copper round beads, forged copper washers, and handmade copper jump rings, copper spacers and copper clasp.

Then I tumbled and work hardened the whole thing in my lortone tumbler.

Evolution of nonsense paintings.....

OK I forced myself to revisit Jesse's painting techniques. For some reason I have been fighting what i learned. I am so structured with my art...it is very hard for me to just let it go....let it evolve into whatever it wants to be..........These are my attempts......

The background...

Making designs from the shapes I see in the background....
Then, in between, but no picture, I tried to paint "The Woman Who Laughed At The Snakes In The Tree".....but alas - she looked like a cat with long hair! ..... and I couldn't draw her a decent body... I wanted something flowy and angel or maybe even ghost-like....

Turning it into a lion with spiders body. This idea didn't last long....

So I made her into a balloon, and I added another snake.

...more painting....

...and there you have it "The Balloon Who Loved the Tree and Laughed at the Snakes"....Done!

The above blurry image is the only photo of what this canvas started as.
It was tissue paper on canvas painted to look like flames. Then I drew images onto the canvas suggested by the colors and the shapes. I wish i had taken a picture then, but it was so gawd awful ugly I just kept the pregnant lady and gessoed over the rest. it was a mess!...and because I used black prismacolor, (instead of the special pencil that was recommended - typical me) the paint would not cover the lines i had drawn. Finally I varnished over the whole painting and gessoed over this...... at last I got the old ugly design lines to disappear.
This is what remained.

I didn't like the pregnant lady's stance, so I changed it. But she didn't look right pregnant, so i changed that too. I painted in a colorful background and then decided to put a dark glaze on it so that all of the texture could show through. The result was really blaH bleh!,,, so I ripped off a ton of the crummy texture and then gessoed over that, and left this:

But I still didn't like the leg positions or the background, so i tried again.....

Then I came up with the concept of adding the earth.

...then I added the stars and more background.

This is the finished painting ....at least for now!
"The Girl Who Leapt From The Earth and Found Her Star"

5 things I hate...

Shoshonah Jennings who owns Hannah Grey had a contest on her blog. You had to list 5 things you really hate. The person who "amused" her the most, would be the winner of a flat rate box full of goodies......and I won!
here's what I wrote:

Hah! only five?….. ok here are a few of my pet peeves:
1. i hate all the “menopause” “aging gracefully” and “you’re ok, you’re over 50- woohoo!” books that lie through omission. Oh, they tell you about the pot belly and the lack of sex drive and the weight gain…. but they don’t tell you about the crepy skin that shows up everywhere and gets caught in your epilator. ….or the hair issue. as in hair in odd places - bristles on your chin, long strands on your EYELIDS, course gray hair that needs to be redyed a week after you just had it done, that bald patch on the top of your head you can’t see. …and what about those pesky skin tags that turn up in the most darned places or those white spots that are the opposite of all those brown spots that take over your arms and legs and face and you are convinced they are irregular in shape and the wrong color and so you have them removed and it leaves a huge scarred hole but at my age better safe than sorry? hah! i could write a book about my “age” discoveries!
2. I hate that I think I can take an exercise class just like everyone else, and that my age is not a consideration. Like when my friend (age 57) and myself (above the age of consent - way above) signed up for an african drumming class. dress comfortable it said. yah right. Me and my pal, huffing and puffing in our sweats, having hot flashes, pouncing and dripping to the beat of 3 fabulous drummers with a drill sergeant instructor who wouldn’t let us stop for 2 hours alongside 20 something year olds in tiny tops and mini sarongs. it took 2 weeks to recover from that one. …and brings me to #3.
3. I hate it that whatever i do anymore makes me hurt , eventually. Stay in bed too long because you are being being indulgent…er i mean not feeling well, and darned if it doesn’t kill your back. Plant those sort of dried up -are-they-still-alive? tulip bulbs that have been chilling in the fridge for over a year - my butt muscles ache in places I didn’t know existed! wave to a friend across the parking lot - tennis elbow that takes 6 months to heal.
4. I hate my lack of mental clarity, menopause moments, brain farts…. whatever. you know, when you go to the sale of the century, after hours of gathering up your i can’t live without them finds and when it’s your turn finally to pay the cashier - where is that credit card? where’s my wallet? i know it’s in here somewhere? with 30 women behind you, not so humored by your dilemma. or how about standing in the bank line and noticing your shirt is on inside out and then trying to act cool like you did it on purpose? Or finding the car keys you lost a month ago in the freezer. hey my favorite was when i was half way down the street, riding my bike, in full gear - helmet, gloves, tank top,running shoes, camelback water bottle and fanny pack and i felt a bit of a chill …i’d forgotten to put on my exercise shorts and was still in my underwear.
5. i hate cockroaches. I love spiders and snakes and rats and all living creatures. except cockroaches. here in hawaii we have great big brown flying ones. I abhor them…they terrify me. really. once my husband picked up an old Quaker Oats box he’d stored some of his men’s treasures in. he was in his boxer shorts at the time. Well heck if there wasn’t a huge cockroach on the bottom of the box that was positioned perfectly to jump on his leg and run up his shorts. Good thing for him they aren’t poisonous - cuz I was long gone the moment I saw what was happening and he was on his own to defend his manhood!

New Art Work

I started several new canvasses. Jesse Reno (in the class I took) suggested one work on several pieces at once - so when you are uninspired with one, you can go to the next. Jesse also doesn't exactly plan what the artwork is to become, he just looks at it as it forms and lets it go however it wants. I worked on the original painting I did in his class....i wish i could say it was done, but i keep adding/subtracting from it. here is how it looks now:

I created 4 other backgrounds and worked very hard on one particular canvas that was red orange and yellow flames made from molding paste and tissue paper. Looking at it I decided what the shapes and colors suggested to me, and drew them in with a black marker. Then i proceeded to paint and highlight my new creation.
It sucked. I hated it. I added tar gel strings, thread for more texture, and highlighting colors. I covered up the parts didn't like and tried to turn the designs into new designs. Finally I ripped off all the texture and white gessoed over the whole thing. Yuck. I just can't free form design...i really need to draw out and plan and fuss and slave over it .....I'm obsessive about that.....I'm not good outside my box....
So I switched to jewelry making.
I finished a baby rosary for my grand niece.
It is made from AB swarovski 3mm crystals and light siam 4mm swarovski crystals, on fine silver. The center piece is a silver cherub.
I made a Black and White necklace using new beads I'd bought in LA. It turned out way cool - it has eyeball beads on it and is made with fine silver. If I ever open an etsy shop I'll save this for it. I love black and white!

Then I made some charms for the "Ties That Bind" Project.



The last one is one of my "fight tooth and nail" charms ( as in "fighting tooth and nail")
My friend Amber Dawn sent me a way cool package of rusty bezels that she had collected for me.

I traded with her for them. She has to poke under the fence of an old factory and dig them out of the mud with a stick one by one to find them. Very time consuming and a lot of work! They are really wonderful. Thank you Amber Dawn!
Here is a charm I made with one of the rusty bezels for a special friend. The vintage bee I thought was copper, but it cleans up like brass. It is set in the bezel with resin.
I bought a copy of "Wrap, Stitch Fold and Rivet" by Mary Hettmansperger - great ideas in this book - and so simple! I made these 2 copper beads. I'm still experimenting.. Next one I make I'll put rivets on it to lace thru - these two are too messy for me to use for anything, but they did open up a world of new possibilities... very organic....just what I need - more stuff to play with!

...and on another note, we have two huge mango trees at our house. The fruit is usually ready to pick early August. Since I was gone at this time, I knew I had missed out this year. But my DH had left one on the tree - and it lasted until I got home and could pick it. It will still take another week or so until it turns yellow and is ripe - I can hardly wait!

It is so very good to be home.

My last few weeks in Los Angeles...

I realized I never posted any pictures of where I was living. I was lucky to get "the blue room" in a lovely upscale home in the Hills above Culver Studios.

Mrs. T, my lovely landlady in Los Angeles, and I, at Ugo, having lunch. Mrs. T is a nutritionist and a caterer, and was a most gracious host while I stayed at her home. Often I would come home late at night to find a scrumptuous meal of veggie lasagna or home garden grown vegetable soup waiting for me. The gardens around the house were full of many vegetables and beautiful flowers.....every night around 8pm the red fox would come to be fed by Mrs. T, and for the last 2 weeks, her 2 kits came too.

Mrs. T's beautiful garden....

The view outside my bedroom window.

One weekend I went to visit my grandbaby Hana. Here's a manipulated photo I did for her - Hana as Hannah Montana.

I brought 2 cameras with me, and I gave one for hana to use and i took the other and we went off for a nature walk. Hana took the most amazing pictures! I won't show them all to you, but she caught on to using the macro lens, etc and shee took over 300 photos- her composition was terrific and her pictures were all sharp. I love the subjects she chose to shoot!
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The pig pets that live at Hana's house

...and then I was very fortunate to have a visit from Terry Ross, a fellow Diva who was in LA visiting her daughter.

Me on the left, terry on the right!

Part of the "tomb raider" set - where we filmed on my last day of work - way cool!