I made a Treasury!

I made this today and will be featuring more talented Artisans in future. So many people are doing wonderful things! With the weather changing in many places and soon hopefully to change in others..we all dream of Springtime ahead!

       

I hope you enjoy!

You can see it HERE!

  

      

Bead table Wednesday and wonderful beads from TesoriTrovati and Yolandasclay

Well at least Bead table Wed was the reason my desk got cleaned! So thank Wednesdays are indeed good! Ive been working on Lampwork beads and these are my 2nd batch out of the kiln. I need to be working everyday on it, but will kick myself in the bum soon to do so!

The bead on bottom is this great Dahli Lama glass that changes colour when you cool and strike it in the fire. Love this green one. I won the glass from my Lampwork Beadmakers Society so I wont be using it alot right off the bat since I am only beginning. This is an expensive glass.

Bubbles in the blue. Its a learning curve, but I know how I did this now. I'm just starting so bear with me..

Really happy days with this new glass cutter tool. My husband is always buying me great things..what a man. Husbands are The Chocolate Chips in life!

 I had to make this picture LARGE so you could see how wonderful Yoli Miramontes (birds on the L) and TesoriTrovatis (on the R) beads were. I love these beads! Theres nothing like designing a necklace and having different interesting things on them. Check these fine ladies out!

On a further Note..

This below isn't BTW but I wanted to show you this French country  hutch~china closet whatever you choose to use it for piece I just got. Unfortunately my neighbors and to sell up quickly because their bank foreclosed on them. This was $50.00 and me to take them to the airport. How could I resist? I tried to pay them more but they said no. Unfortunately the bank foreclosed on them and this was criminal, because they were paid up until 2013! Frightening. You can read more about what happened here. I will be praying for them!

A shame to meet such special neighbors on a very very sad note..

(CDs in here my husband has 100s of them everywhere in the house!)

Its 58 here today a nice cool day but it has been 68 to 70..beautiful 

Spring weather. 

This is one of my roses in bloom now

the ever beauty

Rosa Mundi

 This is an English climber below..

Here is another English climber..this just goes to show that I should of 

cut this back last year or I am in fast need of an Arbor!

Here is its Rose..

This is on the side of my house..

Beautiful weather right now! Its a very hard thing here in Houston to garden with the hard clay you've got to drag alot of soil in. Such a struggle! Ive dumped alot of Miracle grow soil around these. Must spoil the Roses!

Well Id better scoot or there will be no Lampworking today!

Ok some people have asked Let me see your Beads...so here they are..

My Lampwork!

I have had my tools for a year and for this and that reason I was unable to Lampwork. I have taken a proper class and finally here are my beads. I'm excited!

 * These are my 1st beads! Please bear with me! I'm learning. And the learning curve is so big. The colours arent fancy sassy, but I'm so proud because they are my first beads! So I took a class and I dont think they are so bad!?!
* Round beads gadzooks.
* I don't have alot of beautiful glass yet as I bought light clear colours to practice with..whites and black too.
* I will need some pretty colours soon.
*And any journey takes time. I know many Lampworkers can totally relate to their 1st days, the early days. When you want to do it all already. When the desire runs ahead of the skill. But I'm just really thrilled to finally start my journey.
* The kiln Saturday night I thought didn't ramp down. But actually I didn't change the setting when I was finished. So much to learn! And Ive asked myself is it worth it? You could just buy it. But no Ive got the want to to travel as so many others have and to learn and practice. 
* My hands shake but thats ok. I know they won't always.
* Tomorrow I'll pull stringers; the long thin rods that will make my small dots. 
* So I just wanted to show y'all of my little glass fellas. One looks like the beginnings of a hedgehog? It is fat with dots but I'm practicing! There is so much joy in a new adventure...Im so thrilled.
* Is it worth it to me? If something makes your heart sing and you cant forget it I say..really try to do it. If you can't shake the feeling..find a way to do it.


* Thank you for stopping by it means alot. And for listening and sharing my joy.


* And PS Thank you Springtime you've finally arrived! So I bought 2 Bradford Pear trees today in celebration. Ill dig into the hard Texas soil tomorrow and my heart will smile and smile!

It was Time for a Lampwork class

I'm so excited about torching now! My husband and I took a class 3 years ago, a really long time ago to forget things. But actually it was basically an introduction to Lampwork. And a watch class 2 years ago. Then months ago my husband was in hospital several times. So now with the classes so far back I thought "You need a class to learn basics and to learn what you're doing". Learning and taking a class you cut right to the quick without wasting great time and glass. So yesterday I was really Stoked to take a private class. I drove way up into the countryside of Montgomery and met Leah Nelson. She was so forth coming and I really felt the Joy come back as Lampworking has been a passion of mine for a long time. She taught me the basics, but actually I did pretty well I think. She was great in answering basic questions too. There is one thing about watching videos but to have a hands on personal teacher was what I knew I needed. Leah was just great! I cant show you beads right now, but she will mail them to me. Just wanted to share my Joy and my latest doings. 

Part of Leah's work area station..

So here is my teacher Leah Nelson..

pretty as a picture!

Leah's house..

***

So what am I doing today? 

Lampworking!

(what else is there?)

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by!
xx

Another Bead Table Wednesday! And my Donation to an Auction..

Another Bead Table Wednesday!

Where do the days go? They just fly. They remind me of the butterflies that are in migration right now..I was speaking to my brother the other night about the Monarch butterfly and how right now they are in migration from North to South. They travel hundreds of miles North, lay eggs and they grow and so the migration turns around with the new Born's to the South. I want to raise some eggs but for the Monarch you need live things like parsley, and the butterfly bush. For swallowtails I remember carrots. And then there is the tomato horn worm that eats your tomato bush. But let me tell you they turn into good sized beautiful moths! My father and brother used to raise butterflies. You might of called them mini entomologists in their studies. You would be surprised how many people raise and send eggs thru the US Post Office. At night he had a black light and a box, wow you should of seen the things that landed in it. One time a bat, then many stick looking things and moths. In morning they all were no longer prisoners! Even in Summer we went to "The Butterfly Farm" in the Catskills. A German boarding house run by an older couple. What did we do? Well we did hunt butterflies!

So with today being Wednesday here is my Bead table Wednesday here is part of what Ive been working on..

Ingrid who owns Potterygirl on Etsy made this great focal and Ive strung it all up. 

It will be donated to 

The Houston Society of Glass Beadmakers 

Annual Auction April 10th. This Auction will help our great Lampworking guild!
(we also donate beads to Beads of Courage)

Next I will be using Nan Emmett's  focal of  

SpiritedEarth. I love the colours, they are so beautifully subtle shades of turquoise and a hint of purple. This is so pretty! Nan makes such lovely ceramic things..

Messy work table after finishing ugh..

Here is the Monarch..

in all of its glory..

Have a great day!

Today there was much Joy!

I love this picture so much..

Something I love about this picture! Maybe its the purples and lavenders, the outside breezes and country side. And so it brings my heart to Home.. Today with the gorgeous weather my thoughts travel in the winds of time  to Lovingston Virginia~Home. My father lived in a nice house on top of a hill, the driveway was steep and you had to drive up that hill. He kept it graveled and there was a covered bridge over the stream at the bottom ground where you could see small fish, and occasionally a small snake dart out from the weeds. You could see a vineyard to the right it was a real working vineyard that sold wines around the State. The neighbor across the way had a nice barn to see and you could see his house faintly thru the trees. The old couple the Fitzgerald's lived to the right. They must of had 200 acres such beautiful farmland and a stream running thru it. But Cornelia and Almond her husband are gone now. People said she ripped people off that worked for her, but we loved her. The Fortune House way over to the right past the vineyard it was. It was said that the carpets were rolled up many many years ago for dancing when people were invited. The house was vacant many years. My father had 50 acres. So I miss the countryside but some of you have that..the stillness and quietness. The music of the crickets. We had some really big snowfalls too. The farmer down the way would come in and hay it for free just to get rid of the hay, and oh how the hay was so fragrant smelling. Felix was our black horse and you could see him run thru the bottom fields just a galloping! We hung out the clothes on the top of the hill and it dried so quickly. Dorothy my Mother made beautiful porcelain dolls. Boy I wish I had her kiln now! Moms 88. Time sure passes. Sometimes there's hardship, but it always passes. And we hang on with the strength that I believe was instilled into our hearts at birth.

To those who might be struggling right now I will say..soon the snows will melt and the birds will sing! The trees will bud and the faithful flowers will bloom. The grass will put on its frock of green lushness and I will let the fragrance of Springtime waft in..

My husband bought me outside Miracle grow soil for the roses, black chips for the front bed, lawn fertilizer and pink creeping phlox. Yes its been a wonderful day! Ohhh do I love to garden. Can't wait to put it out tomorrow. 

I hope you all have a lovely evening and bright and pretty day tomorrow.
Tomorrow I'm going to church. He makes everything alright when my heart is heavy. Today my heart was so full of Joy!

Bead Table Wednesday! Yes it is still Wed...and my Butterflys still in the Jar

Bead Table Wednesday..

Well it is still Wednesday!

Some good things here to write about..things

that bring happys...

This is the lamp on my Bead Table..I'm always sticking some of my Jewellery up there, looks kind of pretty!

Here are some wonderful beads I got in the post from Birgitta Lejonklou mailed from Sweden. So I waited with anticipation and they are just wonderful beads! She also included some great copper chain..which I love. Thank you Birgitta! The egg see that that's from Missficklemedia an Easter egg focal and it is lovely!

Another pic of Missficklemedias egg I had to run out and make a vine nest in the dark!

Close ups..yum!

The dime here shows the actual size..

Now this focal on my Necklace is one from Missficklemedia. Shannon makes wonderful patina findings.

Dragonfly's are from from Patina Queen.

Its a short necklace, a sweet piece to wear

and very lightweight..

Now look at this Monarch butterfly he is an early catch on my desk! My kids said on Mom how can you do that? And when I tap the glass he flies all about and even flaps his wings. Such a wonderful creature!

BUT he isn't real..I could never do that. My husband and I went to supper the other night at Cracker Barrel and they had these butterfly's in glass canning jars. This little guy is attached by a really really thin wire which goes up to the lid. When you tap the lid he wakes up. Second tap he flys around. He even flaps his wings opening and closing. Incredible. Ive got so much stuff already but he was a must. He makes me smile!

The BEAD SOUP Party was alot of fun. I did comment on all 210 of them. I thought that everyone did a great job with what they had and had to work with. Some had really fabulous beads sent and others maybe a bit not as showy. But everyone had something to show and the camaraderie was outstanding. 

Im so grateful to say my husband is out of hospital and doing great. Hopefully he is better on the straight and narrow now. His heart is in my hands anyway as well as Gods..

Enjoy yalls evening and or day! 

ox