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

This has Been The Week That Was

I keep hearing in my brain my inner self saying be not afraid. I cannot grasp the depth of devastation, the human toll in Japan and in the islands and across the seas the past 3 days and the fear of more to come. My heart whispers keep still be not afraid, but my heart aches for the millions affected.
It is hard to be creative when there is so much going on.

I have found a new to me shop that carries end of market fabrics. I bought enough outdoor fabric to cover my patio cushions. The fabric is butter yellow with blue flowers and green foliage. I have finished one cover and lack 3 but I am not going to rush as I have to clean the set up first.


My daughter, Artemisa Studio.com sent me a Etsy link for vintage buttons at http://AddVintage.etsy.com. To my great surprise many of them or very similar are in my stash. I have had them for “Many a year “ .as my grandmother would say.
Earlier in the week I did manage to create a necklace, and 2 bracelets. I used some of the base metal flowers that I purchased at the last bead market that my daughter and I went to and some green and blue crystals. I filled the backs of the flowers with silver clay to mount the crystal on.











Be Blessed

Inspired by Fellow Artist

I was so impressed with Lori Anderson"s design for the blog-hop times to put in a lorianderson.blogspot.comthat I made myself a button bracelet. I am button-a-holic. I have always had a fascination with buttons. I remember exploring my grandmother’s Treasure Trunk when I was a child and marveling over her button jar. My daughter ask me once when she was just a child, ”Mama when you die can I have your buttons”>While recovering from double knee replacement surgery last year I had not a fiber of creativity for three or four weeks. My first effort in creativity was to make a button necklace. All the buttons I used were mother of pearl.














Ithought I would get back copper as it has been a month since I posted. So I brought out the number
8 gage wire and bent them into bangle type bracelet. I then added fussed glass.





My stash is healthy and bulging and my pockets are flat so my daughter and I did not go to the current Bead Market in Fort Worth Texas. That is huge. Now we are talking 16 miles away!
Be Blessed

Strolling Thru Candy Land

Man Oh Man what a ride this week-end had been There was a blog-hop as some of you may know. 210 participating jewelry artist ,showing their inspired works, using beads and findings from partners from around the globe. It took me four days to stroll thru them all. I made a big iron skillet full of my great grandmothers ginger bread recipe, and my friend Sue’s lemon tea and settled in for the adventure in candy land. To tell you the truth I would have to take breaks from overload. Like going to a museum, I can only take in so much at a time.
All that to the side I did work at my studio table this week. I made a copper broach that I am very excited about.



I used Libby’s at Libby Leuchtman wire flower as my inspiration. She was Lori Anderson featured artist on Cup of Bead Soup this month).
Here are the steps that the whole process took: I started with the copper wire and made a flower shape.



Then I got the inspiration to add delicate wire a wire center. I could not decide what to use as my center.

Finally I settled on fused dichotic glass in green and copper colors. It was only then that I decided to add copper foil.

Oh my, did it shine. It was then I put India ink on the surface it to give the broach patina.

I used a copper penny as a foundation for whole piece. I added a pin back and wala




In my painting class I taught how to stretch watercolor paper. Then while it was still wet I started a watercolor of roses. I will give a demo of finishing the piece on Friday.
Be Blessed

Waiting for thr Great Reveal

What can I say I have been eager to see what everyone has created. So I have been cooling my heels by experimenting with copper for my new shop.








Still biding my time you know “Time is too precious to kill” gospel according to Sandy> I had already made a turquoise stone from polymer clay for a sterling silver mounting that I found at a garage sale , sometime ago so on Sunday afternoon I put together a creation . There was a problem, the mounting had three bugle type thingies on the back. What to Do with that. ? I decided to drop chain thru them and attach little balls on them, Here is the results:






Still waiting for the revel: So I went into some polymer beads that I purchased at http://Brazosa Collections when my daughter worked there. I had a problem trying to decide whether to use silver ball beads or black I finally elected to use the black with silver separators. I am pleased with the results.






I am so eager to promote copper for jewelery that I decided to create a what I call African Safari, a bracelet starting with a heavy copper wire and slipped wooden and copper beads and copper elephant charms. One a focal, and three smaller ones. I secured the ends with the larger charm.




Still waiting and now I am so eager I am pacing>So I decided to do a little demonstration. I was a local craft store the other day an found a pendant of sorts and thought I can do that, Then I read Lori Anderson a saw her latest creation, where she used copper (Yea) with her focal. That brought to mind what I saw in the craft store. I decided to use my number 16 copper wire and a sharpie pen for the basic form. I put a short wire under the wire that I am winding around the pen. When I have sufficient wire around the pen .I slip the whole winding off careful not to lose the ends of the under wire. Then I drew that wire up close and formed a circle. Now I mashed the whole thing flat. When I had it just liked I wanted it I glued on a piece of fussed glass. I have not decided just how I will use this creation but it has kept my hands and mind busy






I had an awesome painting class on Friday. I think I had 30- 35. Everyone does something different and with a different media. I demonstrated yellow roses with oil paint first, then later I did a demo of yellow roses with watercolor. The watercolor was on a get well greeting card for a student who is having hip surgery tomorrow. So it wasn’t too involved. Anyway see ya soon on the GREAT REVEAL







Be Blessed.