Growing and Growing

I was reading Lori Anderson's blog PrettyThings the other day, as I always do. She mentioned that we should look at some of our earlier jewelry designs, and then compare them to what we are doing now. I took that advice to heart. I will show how I have grown in this last year.


My daughter has helped me, by teaching me to do wire wrap rather than rings for connections. I learned from blog-hopping (thanks) and by inspiration.
Here is what I have been doing lately.









I have been a Florence Nightingale to my husband for what a life time since he had his first cataract surgery. His first surgery was on the 4th of April. Complications set in, an eye infections, and then black hole in the perfect eye, and on and on. We see the Retina DR. again tomorrow. If you pray, please do. Be Blessed to be a blessing

Overload

Well I am thru the 11th annual Art show and Sale. The awards reception was just lovely. There were about 60 persons in attendance. Each student got to choose an art book in their personal favorite media or a bound sketch book for their prize. There were award ribbons and certificates of appreciation. The students gifted me with gorgeous vase of flowers.




One student made me the most creative flower pot that said LOOKATTHECOLORS all around the top. In it was a miniature white rose.


I looked out the other day and the Post Man was delivering a big package to my mail box.
Whoopie-De-Dee Whow Whow the package was from Stephanie Haussler at pixiebug .
On the outside were seven count them 7 stamps with Gregory Peck (swoon) Most of you probably don’t know who that was. Well I can tell you was hunk back in the day. Smiles





Inside were 17 little packages of the most gorgeous beads. I’m saying lots of yummy lampwork beads, piles and piles of beads of all kind, crystals, ceramic, semi precious stones ,on top was the most precious one and half inch smiling gnome, made by Chris, her husband.


Inside was a Fairy Tale with a list of all the beads and what they represented.


Oh, Oh and there were the most darling little frogs


I have spent the week trying to make a satisfying design. The first one was such a disaster that I did not even bother to photograph it. The second one did not work so I disassembled it so onward we must go.

Stay tuned until the reveal I am still in design mode;
One of my students, Nova Wells, is a widely published gemology. She understands my fascination with jewelry design; she brought several finished stones on Friday to show me. I wanted to buy all of them but, she didn’t want to sale all of them as she is working toward a show in the fall. But I did purchase two. One is called Amazonite, the other is Rhodenite. She has polished them to a high gloss shine they are just lovely and I can’t wait to make some interesting design.




The Renaissance Bead Fair is this week-end, but my daughter and I decided not to go as we both have enough. I have many pieces already finished that I have not even posted as yet, and I have yet so much design work to do with my copper anyway.
Be Blessed

THE HANGING

The Hanging
Boy oh boy what a time we had this Friday passed. All the works were due on the 6th. The judging on the 7th completing and tweaking and photographing on the 9th before the show opened. Wheew.
I painted 9 signs last week before my class on Friday.





I had lots of help registering all the works and hanging the show. Sometimes too much as all the media were to be hung together. And all the Abstracts were to be hung on one wall. Well it did not happen, so when the judge came she had us taking the categories off the wall and putting them on a table so she could see them all together, then the media’s were hung randomly so did-do. Then we had to re-hang the show. The stapler did not work so the labels were taped to the wall. Well that won’t work so I had to go on Monday and staple every label so they would stay for the duration of the show. However the Show is beautiful. I am so proud of the students. We had 27 artist and 75 entries in 7 categories.
Beginner Abstract


Beginner Oil


Beginner Watercolor




Intermediaate Oil


Intermediate Abstract


Intermediate Watercolor


Advanced Pastel


Advanced Oil;


Abstract Advanced watercolor


An abstract advanced watercolor;


1st place best of Show Advanced watercolor;


I TIRED
Be Blessed

Wedding Dress'/Art Show/ and Gathering of Friends

I have been busy busy getting our Eleventh Art Show and Sale rounded-up. I have lots of help with the paper work this year, matter of fact, I had lots of help last year. We have 7 categories, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of experience. We will hang the show on Friday the 6th of May; The Judge will judge the works on Saturday the 7th. Then the show will open on the 9th of May: Since we all of the students bring one painting each month to hang in the great hall, the director will allow us to hang our annual judged show for the entire month of May. That is a change. We use to take down the show at the end of the reception on Friday. I have about 50 students on the roll but only about thirty are very faithful to come every Friday. So it should be a great show. This year just for interest and fun, I adding a new category; Abstractions; I am not using three levels of expertise in this category.






I had three friends over to paint with me on our patio on Wednesday. One of the ladies brought chicken and potatoes and desert, another brought fresh strawberries. They took me seriously when I said “I don’t do food!” smiles. We had lots of giggles.




I am looking for floral lampwork to finish a design that I have on my heart, using the beads that Jennifer Pride sent me. They have to be really special because the beads I want to use are Swarovski pearls and crystals in the palest pink with large glass beads in a lovely spring green.
Yesterday I spent the day photographing my next posting on Etsy. Just for now I have only done the watercolors. I will get the jewelry next week hopefully. I have done a lot of jewelry lately I just haven’t photographed it. Don’t be alarmed. I usually do thing in spurts. But, when I get started there is no stopping me. Smiles
Did you watch the Royal Wedding? The wedding was just lovely and exciting. But it was way too early for me so, I had my husband record it for me. I have watched all of it by now. The dress was wonderful but I know of another that was just luscious. Emanda’s It was one-half of a value from white called blush, in heavy satin. The heavy lace on the front of the bodice is in the shape of a heart. The gauntlets are of delicate lace with her grandmothers tatting in the shape of a heart on top of the hand. Her mother made it. Covered it with pray and fear and trembling. That was just Twenty years ago the lovely couple celebrated their twenty Anniversary just last week, and they still act like newlyweds. Amazingly.







Be Blessed

Spring is Here

Since spring is here I thought it was time to do some Spring Sprucing up. Like I said last week I purchased some weather proof fabric for the cushions on our patio set. I am so pleased that they turned out so well. When I finished I got an idea to take the little bit of fabric left and use it for the ribbon and bow to make a floral wreath to hang by the backdoor. I went to a friend’s garage sale and would believe she had most of the colors of old silk flowers that were in the fabric I purchase them and ran home to create this wreath but I needed more blue so made a mix of permanent blue ink and died some white flowers








We enjoy setting out there since the weather is so nice. It is suppose to get to 84 today. My husband has made a friend in one of the squirrels. He is very spoiled He will only eat the best pecans. I stopped at a pecan tree that we use to raid in the fall some 45 years ago and picked up some pecans. I know they were several years old probably. He won’t eat them he smells them and drops them on the ground and proceeds to beg for more.










I have a great painting class. This week we reviewed color by looking over some of my color studies. I encourage them to make notebooks of color studys.Next week I will demonstrate compotation by using templates.
I have gotten back to my book on Watercolor. I have been fighting with our new computer. I think I need to uninstall the Open Office program and re-install it again . It jumps around and you never where it is going to end up @##$%^&**&%$@ smiles
Be Blessed