Boo!

Happy Halloween! Going to watch a little halloween t.v. and hand out some candy! No beads tonight :)

Wonderings & Buttons

Slowly I'm getting things ready for my many shows in November. There is always just so much going on.....but I wouldn't have it anyother way. My days have been filled with a variety of things and my torch sessions have been short but productive. Yesterday I worked on a few buttons and constructed a few pieces. Here are my latest button designs. I love paisley so I've done my own interpretation.  I've also worked on a large shank style and a smaller version.

:: Wonder what buttons I'll make today? Rarely do I set out with intent rather I like to just go with what strikes me.

:: Dinner? Not sure what to make tonight. Hoping someone will solve this for me.

:: Love Halloween but not looking forward to it on a Monday night. Poor kids......can't be out late due to a school night.

:: Will I have time to just sit and read today? It would be nice to just relax and read and nap. That is a treasured bit of time that doesn't happen as often as it should.

:: Good grief. What happened to my routine of going to the gym. I honestly haven't felt the energy to do so. Maybe energy isn't a good word........maybe it should be time.

:: Wonder if the kids will come to art class wearing their costumes tomorrow. I hope so! Its amusing watching them work on our activities in costume.

:: My knitting projects are pulling at me too. That is one thing that I know will have to wait.

Have a great day everyone......let me know what you think of the buttons so far........making more today!

Etsy Update- Sugar Skulls

Just letting you know that I just placed 4 large sugar skull beads for sale in my Etsy Shop! Here is a necklace I just finished that shows how I like to use them...........wearing it now and love it!

Weekends

Not the best image here but you can see what I did in Bronwen Heilman's class a few weekends ago. Simply loved this technique.....hope to do some now that class is done. As you can see I have 3 glass pieces that need to be put onto beads.........many steps to this process but fantastic results!

A few weekends ago Pete and I went to Niagra on the Lake for a one night getaway. We had a wonderful and relaxing time. Love this image of a sunrise.

We stayed at the Prince of Wales and these carriages were all over the main street. 

Another view. This is on the side of our hotel. The first thing we did when we arrived was go on a Jetboat on the Niagra rapids! I was totally scared. Pete went last year and I was suppose to go but chickened out. Click on the link and see for yourself........it was awesome!

This was the sunrise when we left.....foggy and kinda spooky.

Bewitched

Tomatoe red hearts ready to be made into pins........or should I put some in my etsy shop??

Extra large Sugar Skull beads.......love these!! I have a few more in the kiln. These measure approximately 1 1/4 inches across and almost 1 1/2 inches tall. Making myself an awesome Days of the Dead necklace with one or two of these skullies......the rest will be in my etsy shop tomorrow.

Witch Hat necklace......Candy corn, bones, and other assorted halloweeny beads dangle beneath a fun witch hat.......necklace comes ready to wear! Find it in my etsy shop tomorrow.

Creating Balance

Its been a little bit since my last post, I know. The school year has started which means I'm back in the art room (yeah!!!), my last outdoor show took place a few weeks ago (a great show but thankful its done), I took an awesome glass class with Bronwen Heilman (freakin fantastic) and now I have to re balance my life. Weave in time for blogging (I love to blog), create a new workout schedule (hard with so many things taking up my time) and making sure I get down time.....this is very important to me!! I so need and enjoy time with no comittments or "have to's". Last weekend I took the entire two days and did NOTHING!! I haven't done that in a while and it felt wonderful.

Today is back to bead making. The kiln is warming and I'm shaking off a headache that I woke up with. My day started with an Art Meetup I hosted for students and parents. It was great........fun seeing car loads of families with donuts, coffee and kids ready to take part in a scavenger hunt I had planned.

Beads......Yes......I will be working on a few things in a bit but here is a small sample of what I've done recently:

A new bead ring! Love these interchangeable rings......I should have a bunch ready soon.

Bangles! Now I have a better selection of sizes! They sold well at my last show!

Abstract flat bracelets too! Love these........very comfy.

Building Creative Powers

For the last few years I've been taking part if various e-courses to assist in building my creative powers ranging from painting to jewelry to journaling. The course that keeps drawing me back in is the Experimental ARt e-course with Amelia Critchlow. Click Here to register & to find out more about it.

I believe I've taken this course 4 or 5 times and each time I gain something new. Amelia is a wonderful nurturing guide on this journey and I highly recommend it to anyone......no matter your experience or level- there is something for you!

One of the things I enjoy most is that it is self paced yet Amelia gives weekly "homework" to keep us focused. Yes, I know what you might think.......life is busy...... but you never are made to feel guilty about missing something here or there......you are always able to go back and finish up whenever. Being that I've done this course a number of times, I can now decide which lessons to focus on. I've learned so much each time.

I think the best part about this course is that Amelia is dedicated to giving each and every one of her students positive feedback. If you chose, you can post your images to the Flickr group Amelia sets up and then she, as well as other class members, provide encouragement. Just wonderful!

I will be making periodic posts about my Experimental Art adventures so I hope you will join me on all this creative fun!

Good Morning Saturday!

Right now I'm sitting in my most favorite spot in our whole house drinking coffee and reading. Its my sky chair on our newly enclosed porch! Its quiet for once and I'm just enjoying the sun, the sky, and the peace. I feel that today is going to be a great day. Don't you feel like that sometimes? There is no particular reason for it, you just feel today will be great. I've got a few little things planned but nothing to spectacular. Just living simple.

One reason I'm just so happy is that I'm reading the latest issue of Artful Blogging and feeling very connected to what some of the bloggers are talking about. When I get a magazine the first thing I do is go thru it pretty quickly just looking at pictures and big things that jump out at me. Then I go thru it again and focus in on articles of interest. Funny but the first article of interest was the first one by blogger Kelli Murray. Loved the images and art and then loved what she was saying. I can't tell you how important it is to really take the time to learn about someone....you make connections you'd never thought you'd make. Once I read about her in Artful Blogging I found similarities in ideas and thoughts. Thats something you just can't do by only looking....you have to be able to ask or read more about that person to feel connected.

Here are a few other reasons I'm feeling happy today:
:: Heading to the market for tomatoes, cucumbers and berries. Planning on doing a bit of canning in the days ahead. This always reminds me of Fall....a favorite season.
:: Taking some time to read my book club book, My Fair Lazy. Its hard for me to sit still but today I'm dedicating some time just for that.
:: Studio time. Before the school year starts I like to cram as much beadmaking in as possible. I have Clothesline coming up as well as some other events and I need plenty of product.
:: A nice long walk or bike ride with my husband. He has been plenty busy this summer and we really have had limited time together. Simple things are often the best.
:: A little knit time. Oh, I love to knit but I don't often make time for it. With all the other things I've got going on, knitting takes the last seat on the bus. Today I feel like knitting too......I have plenty of projects to work on.

Hope you have a wonderfully happy day too!

Summer Wrap Up

Summer is coming to a close in just a few short weeks. Back to school. Back to work for me. The nice thing about going back to work is that I love my job teaching art!  I don't get sad about the work, I get sad about giving up my life of leisure. Once the school year begins however, I feel like I'm back in the saddle & ready to roll.

Sonnenberg Gardens had their Arts at the Gardens show this past weekend and it was glorious as always. Saturday was beautiful...hot actually but I didn't mind a bit. Sunday was a mixed bag....gloomy and wet at times and nice and sunny at other times. This picture is when we arrived to set up...Peter's favorite thing (ha, ha, ha). The Sonnenberg show is one that I look forward to every year since the atmosphere, the staff and volunteers really are exceptional. All the vendors are awesome too. Of course, this show is extra special because we were married there 20 years ago almost on the date of the art show!

These are a few more of my rubber bangles that I've been making. Love them. However, I made my first batches using my hand & wrist as a guide. Makes sense right? Well, I never realized how small my hand was.......to me they look like an average size hand. Ah, but I was wrong. The first batch fits someone with a small knuckle to knuckle span which I've learned is not the average. To fit a bangle properly you need to measure knuckle to knuckle since this is where it needs to fit over.  So, I've adjusted my measurements and now have a great sized bangle that I hope will fit many.......I hope to have a number of these for the Clothesline Festival in a few weeks!

Now that summer is almost over, I have to really think about all I want to cram in! I was thinking of doing some canning....haven't done that in a number of years! Always like pulling out fresh tomato sauce in the dead of winter....or jam...or chow chow! I'll need to talk with my friend who is a great cook to get ideas from her!