Where the heck ya been?

Sorry 'bout that. See- my muse tends to take a hike in August (And April), my brain is filled with other things. Then I was doing a big project........then I had other things to catch up on, you know how it goes. Anyway- haven't disappeared. And although it looks like I've become a blogger without obligation.....there's projects started- so that's a good place to start.

Wanted to wish everyone the happiest of holidays! Hope you're spending time with people that you love doing things that you love to do. This really is a magical time of the year.

Welcome to Holland

I was reading my email & somebody had this in their signature. Yes, it's really long for a signature. But it amazed me at how fitting it was for me to read this today. Today of all days. In my mind there's a little angel just letting me know that she's thinking of me too and I know that she knows just how much I miss her.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND (By Emily Perl Kingsley)….
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this:
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans: the Coliseum, Michelangelo's David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills – and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy ... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss.
But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you many never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.








Hailey Grace Williams 8.20.02 - 4.14.04

Mixed Metals & Pearls

This first pair marries different metals- Sterling, copper & stamped brass. Also a bit of hardware and some Greek ceramic beads. This is a fun pair!

These beautiful white coin pearls have such a beautiful iridescence. Simply added to a long kidney wire, this is simple elegance for everyday wear.

I'm impartial and of course I love them both. Guess which to pick would depend on one's mood at the time.

Same basic shape (Sold)

I'm really enjoying making these earrings. This pair includes some green jasper. I'd like to make another similar pair for myself, this pair already is sold. Will also make a pair in sterling as soon as I can lay my hands on my smaller pliers which I still can't find. (It involves a child & hiding things) I've been using my other pair, but I really do favor the missing ones. Maybe this is just a way of pushing me to get the Lindstrom's that I'd really like to have.
I've spent an inordinate amount of time on a bracelet this week. It's been more wrestling it than any kind of wire wrapping. Causing me many more grey hairs. Seriously it annoys me when a simple piece of metal can get the best of me. I've got some things to do today, then I'm going to twist it into submission, or scrap it & try again another time. I didn't think it would be too difficult when I started....well, ya know how that goes.

Anyway- just wanted to share these beauties with you. Another pair that has a great swing to them.

Adornmentz

For a little while now I've wanted to be a part of a yahoo group dedicated to art jewelry. I'm enjoying putting things together, and the "hunt" in thrift stores for special pieces. I've spent more than I'd care to admit on silver, pearls, gemstones & such. In the last few months I've gotten a few issues of Belle Armoire & have fallen in love with some of the jewelry in there. The jewelry issues are on their way. Anyway- looked around & didn't find what I was looking for. Mixed media Jewelry using some usual & some unusual elements. So- time to start one. I'm in the process of setting up Adornmentz now & will be adding people and sending out invites in the next week. I thought maybe some small scale charm swaps. And a show & tell Tuesday. And a monthly charm lottery for starters.

Found objects and repurposed vintage pieces, metal and paint, resin and vintage papers, clay and gemstones, rusty things and swarovski crystal? If you make beautiful adornments with any of these- then Adornmentz
is a place to check out.

I'd love to have ya & see what you're up to! I hope that this group can grow to b provide as much fun as I'm haing in BookArtz right now. LOL. Currently working on a house shaped & themed skinny book.

Earrings & Update

I seriously love these earrings. And I'm torn between listing them on Etsy and keeping them for myself. And someone else has already expressed an interest in them. LOL. They are antiqued copper with green glass. They have a fabulous swing when I hold them up. And I think I finally took a decent picture. I photographed about 4 different things yesterday before storms rolled in and I lost my good light. So I hope to post more pictures soon.
Website update: I've done some redesigning but haven't uploaded the new stuff yet because (of course) I broke some things while I was doing it. Seems weekends are the only time I can really get some work done so it'll probably be next weekend before anyone but me sees the changes.
Swap update: The house chunky has been announced on BookArtz so I'm starting my pages for it & been wrapping beads here & there for Patti's bead swap. It's all good. ;-)

The last ET Deco

The last Eiffel Tower deco from the RR. Mailed this off today to it's owner, hope she'll be happy with it.

Art time has been scarce lately, but this afternoon I got to work on a couple of things so hoping I'll have more to post soon. Yup- I'm not nearly as prolific as some of my art buddies!

Goodbye Robin..........

I received an email a few hours ago that Robin Whittemore passed away today. Makes me very sad for her family.

Heaven's got another angel today.

Tagged

Hmmmm. Karen tagged me. 7 random facts about me. For some reason I always have a tough time with this, ya know, don't want it to sound stupid or mushy or anything. LOL. So it takes me a few days.

1. I LOVE italian food. Cover it with cheese & sauce and I'll eat it, and a lot of it.

2. I'm very sarcastic by nature. Not sure if people can tell online, but in person I am. And......so are my children. (There's a payback for ya!)

3. I'm a list lover. I've got lists everywhere, for everything.

4. I like Nascar. Really really like it. Have for years. And then my oldest discovered it, so now I have company ;-)

5. I'm a "glass is half full" kind of girl. Ever the optimist & always finding something positive.

6. I drink chocolate milk at night. Either before I go to sleep or I wake up in the middle of the night & mix some up.

7. I'm a night owl. Much prefer nights to mornings and if I didn't have to get up early- I'd stay up much later ;-) I have more energy then and can get more done.


There ya go. 7 random facts about me. So.....if you're reading this- consider yourself tagged ;-) Post a comment with your blog addy so we can read more about you!

New Earrings & Consistency

Ya know, I have a hard time being consistent. I get distracted & bored easily. So when I decided to sell on Etsy, knowing that I would have to be consistent about listing things.....well I'm finding it hard. LOL. I made 6 pairs of earrings last week. Had nightmares trying to get decent pictures, although when I used DH's camera, the pix did turn out better. Cropped & saved them. And made a promise to myself that I would list a pair every couple of days. While still playing with new designs. So.....here's my listing for today.







I love this swirly pair. This is another pair that I made for myself too and every time I wear them people comment on how cool & unique they are.

Just wanted to share those......and be true to the commitment that I've made to myself. And how long can I keep this up? We'll see! ;-)

And yes.....that's the same pair, the difference in colors in those two pix make my lighting problems ever so obvious. The green jasper is the color of the first picture. It's forest green.

Hoping to spend some quality time this weekend tweaking on the site. So I may not be around so much in the groups. And boy oh boy do I have some catching up to do on the blogs that I like to read!

Too Much Nature....

Ya know, I'd like to think that I love nature. But when push comes to shove, I'm an indoor girl who likes to watch nature through the window while in the comfort of cooled air. It's not that I dislike it, I think that most little critters and things of that sort just scare me. I had always dreamed of living out in the country, or a ranch- or a farm.....but then reality hits- I'd be a mess. Since we've moved up here (about 4 years now), I've had more encounters with things than I'd like. Which brings me to today. Today was the first day of summer vacation. School is finished, the boys are home.....all day. So the day was going nicely, minimal fighting. Lunch was in the toaster oven & I decided to grab the mail. I was waiting for something that I had ordered so of course I run to the mailbox every day. I had already been out front a few times this morning. And every time I head out the door, there's someone behind me yelling- I wanna come too.....and they never close the front door. It's just what they do. So the trash went out, the recycle stuff went out later, more trash....then I run out to get the mail. One said he was coming too- I just hollered back....stay here- I'll be right back. I walk to the mailbox....nothing yet. I'm walking back to the door wondering where in the world my mailman is because it's been so sparse lately & my mail is never like that. I come around the corner to the front door & let out a scream. A very loud, shrieky scream. There's a rather large (3') snake at my front door. Now I just know that any second one of my boys is going to open the door, and that snake is going to be as surprised as them.....someone might get hurt....then he can just slither into my house. I'm freaking out. I get closer & move to close the screen door, at least that way if the boys open the door the snake can't get in, and I can ask them to open the garage so I can get a broom or something to scoot the thing away. Just as I shut the screen door the snake darts & ends up between the screen door & the front door. Well now I'm really a mess because if the door opens.....well- you can imagine. I reach in again to open the screen door and he comes back out to just in front of the door. Yup.....he's looking at me.....I'm looking at him. (And no.....I don't believe that he was anywhere near as frightened as I was) I get the screen door closed. Whew! I pick up a little rock & roll it next to him.....in the hopes that he'll scoot away. Seems he's as stubborn as I....again....then finally he just slithers on his merry little way. I back up to see my oldest looking out his window. He heard the commotion & decided to look out his window instead of opening the door. (Yes....we have a little Guardian Angel) And the little one was deeply engrossed in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. My hands shook for quite a while after that. Then about an hour later I was sitting on the porch out back (indulging in my nasty habit) and there was another snake (smaller- 2') slithered by & up a bush after a lizard. My oldest walked out onto the porch just in time to watch that. See I'm okay when there's a wall, window, screen or fence between us. LOL. And then later.....Mr. Snake went back by the other way. Towards the palm trees (that we need to trim this weekend). Seems that's where they run to....should make for some fun yard work. So.....too much nature. Ugh. BTW- we don't think the snake is poisonous but we're no experts & frankly....I don't want to be close enough (again) to get lots of detail.

On a happier and more relaxed note, I posted another pair of earrings to Etsy tonight. A dainty pair of Petite Pearls. I like these ear wires, they are squared and sit in your ears ever so nicely. You can't see them in this pic but if you click on the link there's a pic of the ear wires.

Technique Postcard

Every month Karen posts a link to a technique on BookArtz and then there's a postcard swap using that technique. This one was just a blending of acrylic paints but here's the postcard that I mailed off. I love the pic of this guy!

Finished tumbling a batch of metal so there should be new jewelry pieces soon. I'll post them here as I photograph them to post on etsy.

New Earrings

I love these pearl earrings. They are oxidized and that gives the wire wrapping such dimension. I've just listed this pair in my Etsy store. All of the findings: the oversize ear wires, the jump rings and the headpins were made by myself. Then I wrapped the pearls, oxidized them and hand polished them to a beautiful shine. (Can't tumble pearls). They have a nice swing to them as the pearls move around as your head moves. And the color feels very much like spring to me. Someone will enjoy these for a long time. ;-)

And there's one more pair....

This pair starts with a scroll made from a vintage dictionary. It's then wire wrapped in sterling silver and a spray of gray and peacock pearls dangle from the bottom. My camera didn't pick up the iridescence on some of these beauties. This pair can also be found on Etsy. This is similar to the pair that I made for myself (a few posts ago) and I got so many comments by email and people walking up to me that I thought I'd make another pair. The only difference with this pair is I've used the oversize ear wires on these. The sterling findings on this pair were also made by me.

I also made my Mom a pair of earrings for Mother's Day but didn't get a photo of those. And today after weeks of waiting.....a very special pearl order was delivered. Loads of pretties in that box & I can't wait to get started playing with them. I got some copper, black, peacock, green and this batch has some larger pearls.

I've been tagged

Been tagged by Laurie. Seven random facts about me. Hmmmm.

1. I'm no good in the morning until I've had coffee. Then I drink it all day to stay properly caffeinated.

2. I can't eat when I first wake up. Must be up for a while before I want food. Or want to cook food, to the dismay of my family.

3. I love the sound of thunder- the rolling kind. Not so much the loud crash of lightening that's in your neighborhood.....just the rolling thunder of a distant storm.

4. I'm not real fond of the beach during the day. It's great at night or in the evenings, but I don't like it on a hot day. It's a shame since I live so close to the beach & all- you'd think I'd enjoy it more.

5. I prefer to be chilly than to being warm/ hot. Again....strange since I reside in Florida.

6. I love the smell of fresh cut grass. In my neighborhood it's great just to sit on the porch on a Sunday morning drinking in the smell of the grass while enjoying my coffee.

7. I'd love to have more children. DH says we're done but I'd love more. It's no secret. And when our children are running around or misbehaving my DH teases me about wanting more.


Okay.....there's 7 things about me. If you're reading this and you haven't been tagged yet....then you're tagged! And leave a comment letting me know where to read your seven things, leave an email address if I can respond to you.

Scroll Charms

I really haven't been around too much on the "boards" or here. I've been working on things that aren't art related. But I did want to share some of these with you. They started out for a charm swap but I think I'll use them for some things that I've got upcoming. I did a few in silver also that I'll be making into earrings, but I think these will be a great addition to a charm bracelet. The green ones are made from hand painted paper & the other from a vintage dictionary. These are done with copper with a swirl at the bottom. See that lone swirl at the bottom? I do everything in stages. First the scrolls, then they are sealed. Then it's time to wrap the scrolls, and swirls to go on the bottom. There's a lot of wrapping/ twisting at the same time.....a lot of hammering at the same time.....and then wrapping & twisting. As the pieces are ready to be assembled- they go into a bag to keep the tarnish to a minimum until I'm ready to put them together......then I'll grab a handful to "age" them. Copper gets a lovely warmth to it after a few weeks of sitting out.

I really haven't been able to spend the time in here to make things, but here shortly I'm hoping to get in here to wrap up some things. But I will say that my idea journal is filling up.

Time to go get dinner ready.......if I could get the little ones to cook I'd have more creative time.......we're years away from that happening! Thanks for stopping by. Sometimes I'm amazed at how many people come by for a visit ;-)

Operation Hokie Hope

Wonderful idea Delaney, thanks for putting it all together. After a tragedy like this, many of us want to do something but don't know what we can do. Also posted it to BookArtz. Here's the info:



Operation Hokie Hope is a greeting card drive meant to gather physical representations of our prayers and thoughts of hope for those at Virginia Tech. Please send your greeting card with your sentiment written inside to:

Operation Hokie Hope
2308 S. 17th Street
Rogers, Arkansas 72758

All cards received will be mailed in a large box to the appropriate parties at Virginia Tech.

New Earrings- Paper & Pearls

Those that know me know what a tough day today is for us. DH did a major project to keep his mind busy. But it wrecked my creative space until the "improvement" is done. LOL. So I didn't get as much done as I had hoped~ I was rather hoping to keep my mind busy too. On a better note, the improvement is in the space where I create so it should allow me more room & better storage for all my junque!

I did finish a pair of earrings & dug out the camera to take a pic. (yes I know....still need better pix) These are sterling silver & a variety of pearls with a vintage paper "bead". I really like these, they are long & feel kinda sexy swirling around. The drop just happens to be a great length. This pair is for me but I think I'll make a similar pair for my etsy space.

I'd love to hear what *you* think of them!

Chunky Funky Pearls

While I still haven't completed any pieces, I did receive some awesome stuff that I ordered~so I can play. I fell in love with the dark green baroque pearls as soon as I saw them & had a few ideas about what to do with them. Since they actually spoke to me I had to have them, I sort of wish I had bought another strand too. When I got them they were a bit smaller than suggested but I still love them. LOL. I also got 6 strands of other beautiful freshwater pearls and some other stones and some silver. Gotta go now......I'm going to spend some quality time with my pliers.

Nothing New

ROFL- Yup I'm posting to say that I don't have anything new to post. For some reason I haven't been creating anything (but a mess....). And down to my very soul I know that I need to create something- anything and soon. So- haven't fallen off the face of the earth yet- just haven't had any creative time so I have nothing to share. Let's hope that changes very soon- for sake of my own sanity

Happy St Patrick's Day

I've always loved this fun filled holiday! Enjoy yours. ;-)

Lucky Charms

No I haven't fallen off the earth or been abducted by aliens or anything exciting like that. Just keeping myself busy. Thought I should post a pic of the charms I made for the latest charm swap I've signed up for & yes- I'm thinking maybe one more after this one ;-)

Find a penny pick it up- all day long you'll have good luck!
Give the penny to someone new & they will have good luck too!

It's against the law to alter currency.....so lets just call them copper coins ;-) I hammered them, then cleaned them up with 0000 steel wool. Then I outlined the rim with a sharpie & wrote something on each one. Etched them with PCB*** etchant then buffed them again. I made spirals with 20g copper wire & S links and jump rings with 18g wire & hammered them. I connected a charm to an S link & added either a spiral or a tusk with some seed beads then closed the link.

They're all packaged up & awaiting a few more swappers before this swap is swapped out & returned to their happy new homes.

I did get my dapping block, but haven't had much time to play yet. I think we're all settled into our new routine now so if I can stay awake at night I'll get some stuff done. Of course night time isn't the best time to dap.....that'll have to be done during the day. Loads of ideas into my journal so all I need now is time.


***PCB Etchant is the etching solution for copper (Ferric Chloride) - available at Radio Shack.

Twisted Ring

This is the first ring that I've made. I actually made it last month, but since I couldn't scan it- took longer to post. It's the same ring, just photographed in the shade & in the sun. MUST work on photography skills!

Anyway.....it's made from 16 gauge copper. I've been wearing it a lot. It's a simple design but I like it. I made it before I got a ring mandrel, or I would have sized it a bit differently. And next time I order silver, I'll get some 16g and make one in silver. I also got a couple lampwork beads to make a similar ring with, but the hole is too small for 16g so I'll probably make that in 18g.

Comments welcomed ;-)

Silver Hearts is finished

Because I'm scanning instead of photographing, I'm not sure how much difference you'll see, but the piece looks totally different. No longer the shiny bright silver, it's now aged & worn looking. I prefer this look for this piece. This will be packaged up and sent to it's new home with my next mail run. I sure hope she likes it.

Silver Hearts

This is a bracelet that I'm making for a friend. I want to artificially age it now so it'll have a little bath in some yummy smelling liver of sulfur. (Yes- I'm being sarcastic because the stuff smells horrible!) Then I'll tumble it, polish it & take a pic before I send it off to it's new home.

This bracelet is made from 18 gauge sterling silver. It really looks pretty on, very feminine. A swan clasp will hold it together. I really like this clasp- I thought it would be hard to attach the bracelet or fall off or something like that, but it's a great clasp for the pieces that I've done so far.

The charms for the swap on ArtTechniques are starting to come in. I rec'd so much inspiration from the other charm swap blogs that I'd like to do one for this swap too. Just need an okee dokee from the participants. I posted a message asking for permission but only a few have responded so far- we'll see how it goes. I could always just add a page to my website.

Website.....yeah- haven't had much time to spend on it the last week. Been trying to wrap up a few things. "All in good time", one of my mantras that I seem to keep repeating.

I am going to spend the next couple weeks trying to finish things to add to my little space on ETSY. I did post the "African Pin" that I posted here in August. I'd keep it if I was going out into the world every day, dressed for a job......but that's not my life right now.

Currently working on a Spring Collaborative Swap for BookArtz, some decos and I'm building a necklace around one of the Mother of Pearl pendants that I wire wrapped. All projects are coming along! Will post as they finish ;-)

More Charms

I was just looking through my blog & had a sudden realization that I forgot to post these charms. (Yup....I'm sooooo loving charms!) These I made in November but mailed them in to the hostess in January. These are for Amber Dawn's swap on the ICE Group. It's a 21 for 20 swap. I spiraled copper, hammered it then added beads & wrapped a loop. Yup, lots of practice on spirals & wrapped loops. Once I was more comfortable I made the wire bead & the heart one. I like that one. The puzzle pieces were primed, painted with 3 colors (Navy, Sage & Copper) and sealed with varnish on the sides, top & bottom. Holes punched then sealed again. Some have text added to them. Added purchased jump rings. I'm excited to be getting the swaps back although I know (from being a hostess myself) what a daunting task they have ahead of them. ;-) I can be very patient, it'll be well worth it in the end.

One more charm swap & this one I'm hosting. My charms are a smattering of ones I've made and ones that I've been playing with. Have been doing some experimenting. More playing with wire & some other things. I will update more about this soon because like the other swaps....I want to start a blog to have a somewhat permanent/ long time record of this particular swap. I've got the go ahead from the list Mom's, now I just need to get it set up & stuff. This weekend will be dedicated to wrapping projects up & working on the computer. ;-) I've got to back it up, upgrade some programs & I want to do some tweaking on my settings.

Another Paris Deco

Honestly....not sure that I like this one. But it needs to go on to its next destination by mail tomorrow so it's gotta fly. This is in one of the decos for the RR in the BookArtz group. While I know what I don't like about it, I couldn't "fix" it without starting over. I used a napkin as a base for my background & didn't like the way it looked, then I didn't seal it before adding a glaze so it muddied it up. So I added more color with the neocolor II crayons. Have I mentioned yet this month how much I love mine? Even though I've barely scratched the surface with various ways to use them, I love the way they add a bit of color to what I'm working on.....and I like them smudged a bit. ;-) Tonight is the Superbowl & if the game is a snoozer then I'll get started on the next Paris deco in my pile, if not then I'll start it tomorrow.

I need to make more hand painted papers though.....I've hit the bottom of my pile. So I'll also be cleaning off the workspace in that part of my room here & starting on some of those.

Bold & Chunky

This is the first bracelet that I made. I was practicing techniques. It's made of 18g copper, unakite & black onyx. I finished it about a month ago, just now posting it. See- I was going to photograph it, but nooooo- I scanned it. (This way I'm not the only person who sees it!) The pics don't do it justice though- it's bold & chunky. I've been wearing it & it's really grown on me. I love the swan clasp & the spiral charms give it movement & a bit of a jingle. The unakite stones are wonderful colors- shades of green with touches of a salmon color. And now it's not so shiny, it's a bit aged. LOL. I was going to artificially age it, but time is saving me the trouble. I'm proud of me ;-) And yes- I've started one in sterling silver. But personally- I'm growing quite fond of copper.....it's got a warmth & a glow that I find very appealing. And no.....it doesn't turn me green.

Creative Junque

Since this is the name of my website, I thought it would be a good idea to do my blog in this name also. So I suppose I'll start the task of moving things over. LOL. How do I move the comments? There have been so many nice ones.

Another thing to add to my to do list!


Later that night.....
Well here I am....all settled in. ;-) All the old entries are here, I added in the comments because they make me smile so I didn't want to lose them. Now I can get on with things. Except that I'm tired so no pix tonight. LOL

Oh So Charming

Here's a sample of the charms that I made for Dawn's charm swap on Art.e.Zine. There are 25 for the swap. I started with a scrabble tile. Adhered paper from a vintage dictionary page then sealed it. Drilled my holes & added sealer. I added some color with various Caran d'Ache Neocolor II crayons then smuged and blended. Then sealed again. Then I added the image, and sealed again. Some images have accents of color from the crayons that are also sealed. The sides are finished with metallic paint pens. I needed large jump rings & I wanted them to be sturdy so I made them out of 18 g wire & work hardened them with a rawhide mallet, then tapped them with a hammer for decorative purposes. These were fun to make & I hope that people who get one will enjoy my charms.

Copper Hearts

This is a scan of the hearts link bracelet that I finished last week. It really looks nice on my wrist. I wanted to do it in copper first because I was having "issues" with the jump rings. First they were too small & it didn't lay flat, then they were too big & they stuck up too high. Then they were just right. As soon as I finished this, I started a silver one. I think I'll add a couple more links to this & turn it into an anklet. Maybe a bead danglie by the clasp too. And in my typical "overdoing" it, I've got plenty of heart links left. In silver & copper. I like copper, it's got a very warm feel to it.

Seriously I need to stop scanning the jewelry & take photographs. LOL. But the scanning is so much faster. I have another bracelet made. I'll try to photograph it today. If not, I'll scan it tonight.

I'm not really sure why this picture seems so small. If you click it you can get a bigger view.

Forty Two

Today is my birthday & in a way that seems kind of old when I write it like that. LOL. But I only feel old sometimes ;-) Went on a bit of a shopping spree today & had some yummy chocolates after my delicious steak dinner. It was a nice day. No art to post though- didn't do any.......didn't do any laundry today either so that's a good thing!

Happy New Year

I love the new year. I tend to spend the first couple weeks of the year (up till my b-day) reflecting on the year past & planning for the year ahead. Still in that mode I guess. And watching my DH work on his website so much really makes me want to add some finishing touches to my own so that I can share the address with my friends & family. Right now it's just too......empty. LOL. Anyway- I needed to post my lottery entry to the group so I thought I'd post it here too. I scanned it instead of photographing it (I'm on a deadline here & taking the picture, playing with lighting.....it would just be late!), so it looks a little wonky to me. (They are both circles, not wonky like the one on the left looks in the picture) A pair of sterling silver hoop earrings, hammered for stability. The theme was winter & I thought the colors of the beads with the silver helped convey that. At least winter in my mind. LOL. Realistically- it was 82º today. Doesn't feel much like winter. I digress.....
I'm working on a bracelet right now. I'll post when I've finished it. LOL- just remember that there's a bunch of different projects going on in here so I'll probably finish something else first.