Taking some much needed time off...

Everyone has their own agenda...and I'm finding I need some time off from blogging...I will still be making some Jewellery though and that will be on my Etsy page! But I am finding I am needing rest and the getting of things done. I will be here and there and reading blogs when I can but this is something I must do at this time! Yes that's what it is balance...

I love you all and the many Beautiful blogs I have found...a bit bit of Heaven some of them! I am not gone...so don't forget me! I will return when I am able...

xox

Just beautiful...a live Cam here of a hummingbird on her nest!

Here are some screen shots I took this morning and just now...

so precious!

This has been a very exciting past 2 days as I've been watching a LIVE Cam of "Phoebe" in Southern Calif on her tiny Nest! I found this thru the beautiful blog of mayallseasonsbesweettothee.blogspot.com. The nest is in a rose bush 7 feet off of the ground. The owner has a live cam and there have been over 4000 people at one time watching worldwide. Home schoolers as well as some schools are broadcasting this. There are two small holes from the little one trying to peck out of the egg, and when she flys back to the nest you can hear the Woosh of her wings (turn sound up) . Go have a look ----> here! There are wonderful facts about Phoebe as they have done this before!

I can ONLY Imagine ever having a hummers nest on any tree or twig in my yard!

Meanwhile have a great Spring day!

Remember the sparrow!

Consider the birds of the field they neither sow nor do they reap yet the Lord He taketh care of them..

Have some faith today that He will do the same for me and You!

Giving three Jewellery classes today so that will make for some relaxing time and a time to

meet some interesting people!

Have a great day!

ox

Grandmothers in life are the Chocolate chips!

"In the Cookies of Life - Grandmother's are the Chocolate Chips!

I miss my Grandmother after all of these years!

I remember as a child we used to go "up" to Grandma Jeans. Up meaning from NY to NJ. We did all kind of great things. How I loved her! I still miss her...sometimes it's like shes not gone. Strange. But she is. One time in summertime we went to homes open to the public. These were backyards on show with nice gardens and pretty rose bushes. And many of them had teas and refreshments. Those were the days. But they were great days. Then where my Grandma lived was a very big Lake. Lake Shawnee. There was a sandy area where you could swim...a big area and with little tiny tiny frogs. And you had to wear a badge. Oh you had to have that badge and that was a worry to get that from Grandma! Funny how some things loomed so big then! A respectful worry. An order to how things were done. Good grand and wonderful days! The area she lived in was very hilly and woods in her backyard. Me and the neighbors girl would go thru the woods and one path was to NY and the other path to NJ! I miss Robin...and I bet she may still think about me too...I miss my Grandma Jean alot. She also made these magnificent eggs. She would "blow" the contents out of a chickens egg by two little holes in each end. Rinse out and when dry paint them. She saved old cards from all occasions and put them around the edges of the egg after she cut a hole out of the middle for a scene. The "scenes" sat on cotton. They were beautiful and its not bc I "remember all things lovely". They were works beautiful eggs! Some she made jewelled eggs sitting on pearls, strands of pearl jewellery she collected from garage sales. A few years ago when I was still in Scotland my brother sold them and so many things at a BIG garage sale when she moved, even her ironing board! But he had his kids and their friends helping, so many treasures are now gone. Anyway I thought I'd write a small glimpse of the days I still love.

What are your Memories of your Grandmother or favourite Auntie? The Lord is so good...He gives us gifts of Grandmothers!

Zuleykhas package and the happy dance and GAEAS Contest!

I was pretty happy yesterday to receive these polymer clay fruit beads in the post (see...right above this post) made by Zuleykha. Aren't they wonderful! She lives in England and makes the BEST polymer clay fruit and flowers! Here is her blog. There was a jewellery challenge about one month ago with 83 women participating and Zuleykha was one of the women who made jewellery to submit. Everyone was so impressed! We all swapped beads and then all ran around to 81 blogs to see what each other had done with the beads they were sent. That was alot of fun and great anticipation too! So today I strung this button necklace with Zus fruit beads...as you can see above. I am going to try my hand at some fruit making if I can get the time...time is always running away! But really they don't get much better than Zu! Actually what got me started was Gaeas (<----- click here) blog about What is the strangest thing in your fridge? In my fridge it was a silly plastic lemon I keep in it. Read her Blog its a really cute Post which is also a contest where you can Win her beautiful beads! Thus the necklace was born!

This was blooming when I went out of the front door today...def a pick me up....

Today is overcast and a tad cool but slightly humid! Humid is a hard thing to live with especially here in Houston. And especially being that I came from beautiful Virginia. But as the Lord has said..."to be content in All things"!! My husband has a great job and we all know how the job situation is! So my complaining turns into Thankfulness! So even tho its overcast Miss fancy pants English rose took the edge off the dreariness. Quite cheering...

I seem to take so much time to blog and put pics up... maybe the Mad Hatter didn't murder the time like the white rabbit said but I sure do!

So Id better get to moving around here the day goes to fast!!

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Time is a gift...and I used her today...

I had to give a class today and show some young children and adults how to paint. It was alot of fun bc I got to relax! How many of us *Takes time* ??? It seems its a rushed life now. I love the internet but I KNOW There was a time when people *took time* and had a coffee and or teas sat and talked. Picniced by a stream or lake etc etc etc the list could go on...So it was really nice just to paint something today. I used to kind of cringe and painting had to be just so. Now I just "DO IT" and get ion with it not so afraid and things come out quite well. So these are two paintings I painted today. Simple and quiet. Maybe not world smashing but like in the Movie Babe when the Man said "That ill do Pig" So I will say "This will do"...lol

Time is a gift isn't it?!

Down the rabbit hole I go today

This is the closest necklace I've made to dedicate to "Alice in Wonderland". Ive never named it so perhaps today I will name it "The Chesshire Cat"! Wouldn't it be Smashing if it had a Big Grin!!??

Today's the day for Alice! I'm pretty excited about it! So I said to my Son Adam this morning "Lets you and me go run out and see it"! So well be going at noon today. The Movie is 2 hours and 5 minutes wow it should be a real work of art. So I had better get ready but before I go here's a few more things...

Here are some Avatars I've just got for my Etsy page..I'm excited aren't they pretty? I love them!

Ill be back this afternoon hopefully brimming with happiness at the Movie!

Have a wonderful day down your Rabbit hole!

My Invitation to Spring and tulips

Springtimes in the air and look at these beautiful Gardens! There are places like this...wouldn't it be wonderful to have some tea and sandwiches there. This is the Mead Tea Gardens near Bath England established in 1937. I know these places exist in America! That's what moves the Soul is beauty...the touching of pleasantries...birds that sing and warm breezes. My husband says its too cold but I say "ahhh its a cold Spring day"! Its hard not to spend monies as a jewellery person don't we all know it. Lampworking... am pouring my monies into glass...then bead again with my own...ah but we do always need the sisters and brothers being the ceramics...

This is what my hands were inclined to make today! A Touch of Springtime...

Well Id better get off of this PC I seem to spend so much time on it! My house needs to be made beautiful..talking about beauty lol. And food needs to be cooked!

Have a great day everyone who walks unto my page....

The March Hare is here and some Lampworking News

March 1st is today and she is certainly a take charge woman...taking out the old and bringing in the new! Here's an Ode to March!

March

March marches to the beat of her own drum,

Angry in the way of eager youth,

Rebelling against what she will become,

Challenging the too-long-frozen truth.

How beautiful, this month of rage and ruth!

Nicholas Gordon

And who is the March Hare?

According to Alice "The March hare will be the most interesting, and perhaps since this is May he wont be raving mad~at least not so mad as he was in March"!

"Mad as a March hare" was a common phrase in Lewis Carroll's time.. And it is based upon popular belief that hares' behaviour at the beginning of the long breeding season lasting from February to September in Britain. Early in the season unreceptive females use their forelegs to repel over enthusiastic males. It used to be incorrectly believed these bouts were between males fighting for breeding supremacy.

So like the famous friend The Mad Hatter the male feels compelled to always behave as though it is tea~time because the hatter supposedly "murdered the time" whilst singing for the Queen of hearts. Sir Tenniel's illustration also shows him with straw hat on head, a common way to depict madness in Victorian time. So thus we see the beginnings of why the hatter is considered mad!

I am reminded today of My Mother she is 88 years young now still with us Bless her. Here's a beautiful cup and saucer from the China dishes she has given me. Its called "Beverly" and very lovely. The rabbit I gave to her when I was a 12. We treasure the things we hold dear to our hearts...don't we?! When I set this set out for a special dinner I am one again a young girl!

Wonderful News!

After 3 long years of waiting yes three years! I've gotten the monies to make buy my lampwork supplies. Is this a happy woman? Oh yes Sir...a wing and a prayer have been answered! The Lord is good! Ive considered this for awhile and taken two classes and still want to do it. How can a dream die that is some how planted? It cannot. Are there many people doing lampwork? Yes. Lots and lots. But I've got my own ideas and I will be pretty happy when I have learned to make better and better beads. We all have to start some place! And today its March 1st and the March hare is about and I shall go have my cuppa tea today in my Mother's china cup and rejoice!

Have a wonderful March~hare day!

PS When I was a child I used to stand up in the mirror on the vanity in the bathroom thinking I could actually walk thru the glass into Wonderland. It never worked lol. What a world that would be?!

Be patient....

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer. - Rainer Maria Rilke 1875-1926

Some Etsy items finally and am I the Only one?

Here are two necklaces in my shop. Ive used some of Mary Ann Carols nice ceramics on the very top above wire wrapped necklace...intertwined with some lampwork , rondells Green Girl focals, swarovski crystals and some wonderful hand dyed ribbons. This next necklace is lovely with alot od brass, lampwork and Mary Hardings beautiful focal. I dont know what we would do without talented artisans who create these fantastic ceramics.

* Am I the Only One?

Does anyone else suffer with taking pictures and the whole process?

It takes me forever to:

1 Take pictures. (then find that the cat jumped up and I did not see the hair in the picture...then I want to scream) This happened last night and today. *sigh* It seems like I haven't gotten much done today. No I haven't.

2 Load them. Find them and edit them.

3. Re do them.

Does it take you long am I the Only one? It is frustrating and very tiring. I was up till 1 last night and still was taking pictures today. *sigh*

Finally Ive got some jewellery made to sell. Ive been keeping it or giving it away. Now at least Ive got some things in my Singingwoods shop! YeY bc this has taken some time. So I'm tired now wouldn't I be lucky if I had a husband that cooked... So I'd better get off to that shortly...but my backs hurting now oh how Id like a good lie down.

I'm wondering what the weathers like North of us as the TV speaks of snow snow snow!

Well I hope you have a great Relaxing evening!

Another FREE Giveaway...check this out!

Barbara Lewis makes really lovely torch fired enameled metal Jewellery findings and she is having a FREE giveaway! Here is her Blog <--------click here!

This giveaway she is offering to the person who is Ramdomly picked...3 SETS

and Each grouping will consist of:

4 - Head pins
2 - Pierced Bell Bead Caps, 17 x 11 mm
3 - Pierced Temple Beads, 14 mm
1 - Arabesque Bead, 20 mm
3 - Ridged Beads, 12 mm
2 - Daisy Bead Caps, 16 mm
3 - Ridged Beads, 6 mm

Generous!! Barbaras jewellery findings are so earthy and versatile I know I need to purchase some of her wonderful work!

Bunnys and Eggs!

Good afternoon or will I say Good evening now! Ive taken so long it seems to take pictures and load and upload a tiring thing! But rewarding none the less. Well its Spring timey weather here Ill have to go and search for some Crocus and daffodils soon. Meanwhile I guess Ill just have to settle with this necklace of Bunny's and eggs. Ive wire wrapped it in 22 gauge Sterling Silver its lampworked and a handmade Sterling toggle. Sellings a hard thing to do sometimes 'specially when you like what you've made and don't want to give anything up!

Next is a necklace I made with Carved pink Coral with a Green Girl Studio "Unbreakable" Heart I think its really feminine and speaks for itself on that. Its Wire wrapped in 22 gauge Sterling Silver with my handmade clasp. By MOI.

Next I made this Cool Lampworked Heart Necklace of matt chain. The lampwork is wire wrapped with 18 gauge wire.

The Bunnys on Etsy and the other ones will be on later this eve....

Well Id better get off of here as I haven't really gotten much done but pictures, uploading and edit edit edit!

Have a Lovely Evening everyone!

I was picked Winner for the ART BEAD SCENE

I was picked for the winner of the Art bead Scene!

ART BEAD SCENE BLOG

Celebrating art beads, inspiring those who use them.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010

Monthly Challenge Winner!

Snow birds JANABS
Originally uploaded by Janet Snowden McDonald

Thanks to all who entered this month, your designs are truly inspiring and beautiful.

Congratulations to Janet Snowden McDonald! Her entry was picked randomly from all the qualifying entries this month.

Janet will receive beads from our three sponsors:Mary Ann Carroll, Humblebeads and SueBeads.

Join us tomorrow for our new monthly challenge!

I would like to thank the sponsors for their lovely beads! Above are Sue beads, Humblebeads and Mary Ann Carols ceramic beads. Ive received them and they are just wonderful! Thank you!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Here's Wishing all of You a Lovely day today filled with Love affection and Romance!

xox

I made this at Michaels where I work. I made this for a workshop with the kids...a foam mailbox and all sugar~plum decorated...It has some little cards and treats inside for my kids!