I'm okay

A place for everything, everything in its place. It was always my goal to be neat.to be organized. I read articles, bought books, made lists, arranged drawers and lined things up on shelves. Bought containers, baskets, boxes. Color coded threads, yarns, polymer clay, paint and beads. Tried to line things up. Tried to learn the basics of geometrics. Before long though, spaces became filled with projects in various stages. More than one project. Gardens with measured beds were allowed to wander, wild flowers crept in among the chosen and were okay there. Things went at least somewhat back to nature. And I relaxed.
My style is free form and loose, serendipitous and meandering, my color choices are what feels right. I like natural before man-made. It is not or me to live in a magazine page home. Where would I put the seashells? the twig people, the rocks and dried moss?
Why did it take so long for me to realize who I am? and to recognize that she is okay!

It is wild, it is okay.

Bead and wire hose

Night Owl is my latest bead embroidery. She was great fun to create, surprising me at several turns. The plan was for simple amber gem eyes. Oh no, this one said, big, and red and the way she insisted I couldn't say no.
I attached special swivel links to hold the chain, this means the chain can be removed so the piece can hung from the rings when it's not being worn.
I plan to use this ploy again as it seems like a smart move to me. Tell me what you think!!

Spiritcloth

http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/

I get alot of daily newsletter things on various subjects; cretivity, beading, fiberarts, polymerclay, spirituality, befief systems, etc. One of my favorites is Spiritcloth. Jude Hill is consistent in her contributions and I find her an amazing person, one who Ii would like to be when I grow up, only I am sure I am older than she so that isn't likely.
Her work is unique, nothing  else is like it. I find it inspiring consistentlly and bet you will too.
Check it out. Spiritcloth stitching a story could be called Sspiritcloth, Stitching a Life.

Little old bead maker me!

I've been making beads every chance I get. Polymer clay beads in brown and gold and copper in shapes as varied as drum, lentil and coin. Small round and cube PC beads in pastels and multi-colors. Fabric beads of small cheetah print, paper beads in deep reds, rose, mauve  and varied greens, copper wire beads ( a first, I need more practice). What fun! I'm in the finishing stages, coats of sealer, trimming, filing, shaping.The brown and metallic beads, copper beads, and fabric beads are for a neck piece that is to have an African flavor. (Stay tuned!)

Blackberry bramble bead necklace

Vines and berries, leaves and stamen....everything but the stickers! I like how this turned out. Be sure to click to enlarge and see the details.

New color scheme

A new color scheme developed for me from last night's dinner.
We had salmon patties, buttered sesame seed broccoli, and creamed Peruvian purple potatoes.
Beautiful!
Rich salmon, lively spring green, and medium pinky lavender. wow!
Beads?, clay? both?

Luna Moth

Polymer clay Luna moth after the style of Christi Friesen. Made with natural shell and luminaire highlights.
A real joy to make after many months of being "off clay" due to being a couch potato. yes, I can do a lot of clay work right here but getting a stock of it pre-conditioned made the whole process difficult. So mostly I beaded.
Next I'll dhow you some of the results of that.
Presently I have more polymer clay critters to finish  with protectant and buff.
And in the beading category I am jouyously creating a blackberry bramble necklace complete with berry clusters both ripe, semi-ripe and green. What fun!

Bead area plus

This unit has 1000s of beads. mainly in tubes in plastic drawers on the two  middle shelves.

There are also containers of paint, fabric paint, inks,embossing powders, foils, glitter,colored pencils, watercolors, water color pencils, pastel pencils, acrylics, punches, scissors collection, glues,a few tools

such as: mini food processor, larger food processor for paper making, metal tools, paper cutter, 3 point hole punch, paint brushes and texturizers.

A finished Spiral Creation

Well almost finished. I am thinking a fringe is in order to add to this design.

What do you think? Needs fringe?

Spirals

Have completed about a dozen spiral beads/cabochons all different, of polymer clay in lavenders, aqua, and black and designed 5 of them into a piece I'm presently beading.
Some of the others will be completed in a more simple form in order to have some done by the end of the month.
Oh my goodness it is great to be crafting again.

energy

Wow! I am suddenly beginning projects, researching others; busy, busy and loving it.
The two brilliant beaded chameleons that were started last fall are being fitted for their background leafy branch neck pieces.

A new little beaded owl wanted to come in to being and what a little character. I crocheted a form first and stuffed it. It looked like a bowling pin. so I put eyes in, that usually helps. Then it looked like a bowling pin with eyes! I didn't give up though and now she looks like a sweet little snowy owl with character.

Somehow my mind wandered back to my OT classes when we learned the basics of many kinds of crafts. One was netting. Yes like the fishermen used to do on the off season, creating and repairing nets. I didn't want a huge fishnet though but some small round containers for stones. I am using wire and netting around a dowel. Need to practice the area where you add a new length of wire. It needs to fit in seamlessly and I haven't got that yet on the first two trials. Three is the charm right?

AND, no, I'm not done, polymer clay earrings in progress. A pattern from an old Jewelry magazine....iridescent colored ink on black clay.
Looking good. Iwill let you know!

What a difference to be well as opposed to NOT!

Finger bones! What a fun pendant for Halloween. Hang it on a black cord and you are set! It is life size and articulated so you can shape it if you like.
Polymer clay, beads and wire.

Dragonfly necklace

Made of polymer clay beads and wire, this is the (first) result of a necklace project that was taught by Christi Friesen at her workshop in Edmonds  Washington in August. I've played with it off and on in between working on other projects and decided today to call it done.
It isn't exactly what I planned but my stuff usually surprises me. I'd do some things differently and will, as this is just the first!!
The firefly was first too small and now is too big, and although it lays fairly nicely I would organize the main pieces differently. In fact I did but.... didn't prepare some of the connecting factors well enough. It is finished with a satin finish to which I added some iterference green, blue and gold.

I Live

This neck piece was done in honor and appreciation for Life, this Earth, Her beauty and generosity, and with love for Her and for all Life.
It was first painted, then beaded.

She who would be who she would be

Except for the garden she stands in "She who would be..." is finished.
I wanted a beach comber doll. She refused. I decided with her uptilted head she could be a bird watcher. She refused. She even attempted to self destruct! She upped the heat on the oven and scorched her fingers. (What you see now are prosthesis of sorts.) Before I agreed to the necessary surgery I had my own little tizzy and threw her under the table and tried to ignore her. She pulled on my pants leg, mumbled and grumbled and generally caused so much havoc in the studio I was forced to pull her back up and see what I could do. None of this changed her haughty attitude at all. She thinks she is an aristocrat at least and maybe royalty!
I quit arguing. This is She. She who would be what she would be.

Great Horned Owl neckpiece

He is somewhat crowded onto the scanner. I will take a good photo once I have the chain connected that will put him around the neck.

He has been a joy to bead. One of my strongest most beloved totem.

Beach comber is now Bird Woman

Beach Comber I has become Bird Woman. (Beach Comber 2 is okay with who she is) Funny how creations have minds o their own. Her head is angled up and wants to stay that way. But a beach comber must be searching the ground before her, not be surveying the skies. And so she will have her way of course!

Wrist Critter

This is a flirty little bracelet that reminds me of a friendly pet you wear around your wrist. A caterpillar or "woolly worm" perhaps.

Hummingbird totem

I learned a lot from this little exercise. i made hummingbird for a young friend whose totem at this time is the hummingbird. It is unfortunate that the photo after uploading no longer shows the iridescence n the neck beads.
They are in blue/green/violet and catch the light beautifully. Next time: I will leave lots of room around the square (or circle) of fabric I am working with so that I can use a hoop to stretch the fabric and have edges to turn under and pull to stretch and stitch. In not leaving this allowance it was difficult to pull the fabric taut. I ended up using batting for fill to make the fabric fir better. I do like the way the little wing tip extends beyond the framing circle. The clear beads below the wings indicate the flashing, almost invisible movement.
The painting is 5 1/2" in diameter.