Saturday Smiles

On Saturdays I share a couple of things that have made me smile over the last week.
*****

1) School is Almost OUT!

I LOVE the last 2 weeks of school.  We have four more days left, and I'm as giddy as the kids.

2) Doctor Who!
We're watching more Time Lord adventures while we bead and I'm loving it.

3) The snow has mostly melted.
We've got a little pile left in our front yard, a big pile in the back yard and a larger pile left at school, but most of it is gone.  This has been the longest winter I remember ever living through in Fairbanks.
I am so tired of the snow!
Mind you, it is snowing outside RIGHT NOW.  But the temperature is supposed to go up and stay up after this weekend.  My fingers are crossed.

Getting My Craft On! - Menu Board

I admit it- I'm not crafty.  Yes, I make jewelry, but that's about it.  I rarely use scissors, glue or paper for anything other than lists or stuff for the girls to do.

But I found this amazing idea on Pinterest- it's a menu board by Sarah Potter, and it is beautiful.
Here's hers:

Isn't it beautiful?  She used an old cookie sheet and covered it with fabric.

So, I copied her idea. I found a magnetic, dry erase board at Walmart for about $5.  Then I used hot glue and covered it with fabric.  I found the cute clothes pins in the office supplies at Walmart, too.  I hot-glued my letters on the pins, then hot-glued them on the board.

Sarah's is a lot prettier, but I'm very proud of my crafty self. 

My success makes me want to try again, and do something else crafty!  Maybe I can do some things with the girls this summer.  Just one thing a week or so.  I'm not very brave or creative with the whole 'crafty' thing; however, there are FABULOUS craft ideas on Pinterest and I want to make this summer fun and more organized.  I hate getting to the end of the summer and trying to remember what we did with all that time.

Saturday Smiles

On Saturdays I share a couple of things that have made me smile over the last week.
*****

1) Beading!
I've been beading and experimenting with some different styles.  And having fun!  Here's another couple of new pieces I have made over the last week.

I fought with the pendant/dangle on this chain necklace for so long!

I could not get it to behave...  It kept twisting and turning and behaving badly.

I like the result, but somehow it doesn't look like what I had in mind.  I'll probably give it a couple weeks of rest and then go back and see how I can change it to look like what I saw in my head.

Earrings to match.

Even while I was fighting with the beads and cursing them, I was still having fun!  And that is a very good thing.

2) Only 9 days left of school!

I am so looking forward to summer this year.  It feels like the winter has been never-ending.  

3) The snow is MELTING!!

We've had a VERY late spring here in Fairbanks, Alaska, and everybody is so tired of snow.  Here's a picture of the playground from two days ago.

The snow has normally been melted for about a month by now.  We're all VERY frustrated with the never-ending winter...  But the temperature outside right now is 38F and is expected to be in the 40's tomorrow.  Which is snow melting weather! HALLELUJAH!!!

Friday is My Fun Day! - Midnight Lagoon Necklace

I'm trying something a little new.  I saw these wonderful flower lei-style necklaces somewhere on Pinterest, and it inspired me to try adding some silk flowers to my designs.  I'm not sure yet how they will sell, so right now I'm all a-flutter about them- nervous and kind of excited.

I used Swarovski crystals and blue pearls with the silk flower.

A Close-up of the flower construction- 

I wired it all together with a loop on the back to secure it to the necklace.

I have TERRIBLE luck trying to photograph clear crystals.  No matter what I do the sparkling clarity of Swarovski crystals totally throw my camera for a loop.  I love my camera and it normally does a great job, but not with black beads or clear Swarovski crystals.  Very frustrating.

Bead Soup Blog Party Follow-Up Piece

I made another piece with Michelle's wonderful soup!  I used the last piece of Carnelian and created a fun wire hoop pendant.

I added some wonderful Jasper to the chain, and ended up with a fun & elegant necklace.

I am delighted with the weight and feel of the chain and pendant.

Thank you, Michelle!

Saturday Smiles

For my Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal post, go HERE:

On Saturdays I share a couple of things that have made me smile over the last week.
*****

1) I got to bead!
I got to create some fun pieces for Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party, and I loved it.  I love the challenge of using a specific set of materials to create something new.  YAY, Lori!
(Lori needed to move the 3rd Reveal date back, so I am just now getting to show off my creations!  I'm so glad for the pushed back date, because it meant I got to create an extra piece for the reveal date.)

2) Doctor Who

I finally got to watch some of the more recent episodes from Doctor Who, and I LOVE it!  My sister and I have been watching it as we bead, and having so much fun.

3) Deborah's Retreat

My oldest daughter is gone this weekend on a retreat with the other 4th-6th graders from church.  She was so excited!  When I dropped her off she was literally dancing around the parking lot with her other iGrow friends.  I'm delighted to take her to something that she loves so much and that will be so good for her.  Thank you, Miss Emily!  You are an amazing gift to my family and to our church.

Deborah & Abigail (on the far right, Abigail standing in front of Deborah) 

with some of their friends from church

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal

Hello, fellow beaders!
I am so excited to be a part of Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party again.  This is my fourth BSBP and, for many reasons, I think this may have been one of my favorites.

One of the best reasons was my partner, the lovely and talented Michelle Escano of The Cabby Crafter Blog. I loved the soup she sent me!  (I have to share something terrible- my husband deleted ALL of the photos I had on our old hard drive when he was transferring the data to our new computer.  I had more than 100 photos of my work plus some lovely jewelry inspiration photos.  He was so angry at himself that I couldn't even get very angry at him.  I am in the process of recovering the photos I had uploaded to my blog, but most of them are just gone.)  The photo I had of Michelle's soup was terrible and the picture she took was a hundred times better than mine, so her picture is the one I'm sharing with you.

Michelle's picture of the soup she sent me

Thank you, Michelle!

I was dazzled by this lovely soup- Green is my absolute favorite color: however, I normally work with cool greens.  Which meant I got to work out of my color comfort zone, with just enough of my favorite to be passionate about the results.

I was excited about the pendant and I had an idea, but I was so scared!  I didn't want to mess up the wire and have to figure out how to fix it...  So I decided to save it for last.

Instead, I started with some fun and easy earrings.  I chose the two big black beads in the upper left corner, because I immediately saw large and swingy lantern-style earrings.  I used four different kinds of chain, copper wire, and green beads.  Then I set out to have fun.

"My Paper Lantern" earrings

They are cheerful and I'm pleased with them.  My sister, Beth laughed when I put them on because I generally wear dainty earrings, but she still thought they had a fun modern-tribal vibe.

Next, I separated out the warm and cool tones in Michelle's soup so that I could focus on the earthy warm tones for my necklace.   When I had them in their little cool/warm piles I discovered that the 'cool tones' beads wanted to be a bracelet.  I mostly tell the beads what I want them to do, but this time they were determined to do their own thing.  So I cooperated.

"Caribbean Beaches" bracelet

I already had some handmade aqua glass beads which mixed nicely with the 'cool tones' pile of beads.  I braided five strands of beads and added a starfish charm.  I love the heavy, chunky feel of this piece- rather different than my normal delicate wire-work.

I wish I had lovely slender arms and hands to show my jewelry to the best effect! Oh, well. =)

After working with the bracelet, I felt brave enough to start in on the necklace.  What I loved most about Michelle's amazing focal was the texture.  The cool mica shift effect and the rich deep colors.  When I looked at it I thought of rain-forests and trees.  I wanted to give the impression of a jungle with vines and movement.  The first thing I did was lay out all the pieces I wanted to string and then I brainstormed the best way to put it all together.  I ended up deciding to create a rosary style chain to keep the focus on the lovely pendant.  

"Gecko Forest" necklace

After laying all the pieces out, I realized I wanted something more specific to point to the life and activity of a jungle.  So I wire-wrapped a wood back to the pendant and added a little gecko on a chain to the front.  (Here's another reason that Michelle is so cool: I NEVER would have thought of just leaving the wire poking out of the top of the pendant.  She placed the wire but didn't wrap it, which allowed me to create the exact bail I needed, instead of having to work with a pre-made one.  Very cool and a special touch I appreciated so much!) 

"Gecko Forest" pendant

After creating the entire necklace I was happy with it, but I wanted just a little more texture, a little more attention drawn to the pendant.  My sister advised that I try a bit of chain, and I loved her idea.  I fought and fought with the chain to get the right balance, and I am pleased with the result.  The chain adds a vine texture and points to the pendant.  Exactly what I wanted.

"Gecko Forest" necklace in action.

After completing the necklace, I still had a week left until the new reveal date.  And I had a bunch of left-over beads.  So I made another bracelet! 

"Earth Shake" bracelet

I used the fun orange & green glass beads from the soup, and paired them with the chain of copper discs.  But the bracelet just didn't feel complete.  So I added the creamy braided ribbon to add even more texture.  The bracelet has a lovely gentle jingling sound and smooth soft feel when worn.  Beth said this one had a 'Bohemian, East-Indian, Bali' vibe.  It was a delight to make and kind of seemed to create itself.

 "Earth Shake" bracelet in action

I still have beads left, and I still have some ideas, too.  I expect to share anything else I create from Michelle's lovely soup.

Thank you, Michelle!  I loved your soup!  To see what I sent her, and what she made, go HERE.

Thank you, Lori!  You are an amazing lady, and my favorite internet friend.  Thank you for your effort and time.

So many more bead soup designers!  Don't miss out.  For the entire list of Bead Soup Blog Party goodness, go HERE.

Bead Soup Blog Party - 2nd Reveal

I'm not in the second reveal group, but I didn't want anyone to miss the fabulousness!  There are some amazingly talented beaders out there with some glorious pieces.  Go!  Visit!  See!  Comment!

The list of participants is HERE.

And here's the map with ALL of us that Lori created.

Do you see me?  Way up there on the far left?  I'm the little dot right in the middle of Alaska.  Looks like there are a couple of other participants in Alaska- probably down in the Anchorage area.
I'm so excited I can hardly wait til next Saturday!

An Extra Smile- Bead Soup Teaser

I have a teaser for the Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal!  My reveal date isn't until April 20th, so the big reveal isn't for a week.  Which is good, because I'm not done!

However-  I have two pieces completed, and I want to share just a tidbit of what I've been working on...

LOVELY beads!  

from my partner Michelle

Come back in a week and let me show you the completed pieces!

See you then.

Saturday Smiles

On Saturdays I share a couple of things that have made me smile over the last week.
I missed last Saturday, though!  It wasn't until Monday came around that I even realized I had missed it.  With Easter and some of the family stuff going on here, my blog totally got dropped.  I am sorry!  I don't often miss my Saturday posts, and I was disappointed I missed it.  At least I remembered this week. =)
*****

1) Yummy brownies!

Some of the left-overs

I made 100 butterscotch brownies today for a parenting class we're doing at church.  About 50 people are involved, and I'm delighted I actually got them all made!  People liked them, and they were eaten.
Bonus: There were leftovers, so we'll have brownies for a couple of days.

2) The Counselor for my girls
Both of my girls have dealt with some big issues over the last year:
My Abigail has dealt with some SERIOUS fears for a while.  She is terrified to be alone, and always wants to know where I am at all times.  She won't go to the bathroom by herself, and this has gotten to be a pretty big deal at school.  She's seven, so it's still in the acceptable range, but she doesn't seem to be getting any better.
My Deborah has struggled with some anger issues that have felt overwhelming to her and us.  We didn't seem to be able to help her no matter what we tried.
A friend recommended a good counselor (Thank you, Carina!) and we have visited her about four times.
I am seeing a difference in both of them, and I can see they are happier.  I'm praying for even bigger changes, but both of these issues have built up over a long period of time and I know that change doesn't come easily or quickly.

3) Date Night and Date Lunch

This last week I got to have two dates with my fella!  Pretty cool.  We don't often get time alone with the way our lives work.  And we miss those times alone.  I love the fact that we still have stuff to talk about and stories to share.  I married my best friend, and I get to do life with him.  I feel blessed.  (Of course, I'm extra-special blessed 'cuz I have TWO best friends- my sister, and my husband!)

Saturday (or Sunday) Smiles

On Saturday I share a couple of things that have made me smile over the last week.  This week I'm late, so I guess this is really a Sunday Smile post. =)
*****

1) Easter Egg Hunt 
Yesterday the girls and I, with a couple of neighborhood friends, spent the morning at church.  We had so much fun!  Our church puts together a large community event on the day before Easter.  We have egg hunts for each grade and other fun activities.  Deborah and Abigail each invited a friend, and I got to help out.
BONUS: I was expecting to hang out with Abigail because she is normally a clingy 7 year old.  This year she confidently played on her own and only required my presence for a couple of minutes!

2) Owl Day at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center

When I read about this event I knew we had to go!  I wanted to meet the owls, and do the activities so much, while my girls weren't interested at all.  I decided to go with or without them, and they changed their mind at the last minute.  And they both ended up having a blast.  They were thrilled when we got there and had a lot of fun.
They dissected owl pellets. Abigail found a whole skull- bottom jaw and everything! (Deborah was actually kind of grossed out by this activity.)

They made the cutest little pine cone owls.

And they got to meet the most amazing owls.

This is Earl- He is a Great Grey Owl.

This is Gandalf.  He is a Great Horned Owl.

3) Our new scanner

Jake has wanted a photography scanner for a long time.  We finally took the plunge and found a high-tech/specialty one that allows him to scan his negatives and then turn them into prints. 

Here are a couple of the negatives he's scanned and turned into photos.

I love his photography- it has an interesting and stark architectural quality.  

Easter Sunday

Happy Resurrection Day!

May the hope and power of the empty tomb be yours throughout the year.

Saturday Smiles

On Saturday I share a couple of things that have made me smile over the last week.
*****

1) New Computer!
Okay, so this one is definitely a mixed blessing...
My lovely computer died a month or so ago, and we have been really sad.  My husband and I have been mooching off my sister and it has stunk.  When we got our tax refund we took our computer in for repairs, and discovered the problem was the motherboard.  Wuh-laa.
We could replace it, but it would have problems sooner rather than later...  blah-blah-blah.
So we made the decision to completely replace the computer, to the tune of a ridiculous amount of money.  But both of us depend on and require access to the computer- him for photography & Flickr (his photos and Flickr acct are HERE) and me for my jewelry & FB.
So new computer- YAY!  Learning a new computer and it's quirks- yuck.
Here's one of Jake's latest photos. I like bragging on my fella'.

2) My First Art Manicure
My sister is in the process of making a decision as to what her job will be for a while.  One of the options she is seriously considering is Nail Art.  She's done a lot of research, and has decided her next step is to practice.  And I got to be her guinea pig this last week!

I've got this thing for butterflies, so she painted the wing for me.  I'm delighted.  I'm also looking forward to getting to be her guinea pig in the future. =)

3) I discovered a new jewelry artist!
Her name is Daniela, and she is in Italy. Her business is Alkhymeia and she is utterly brilliant.  She combines wire-work and polymer clay into stunningly beautiful pieces.  She shared a piece of her jewelry to a Bead Group on  Facebook and I dropped my jaw when I first saw her work. Then I visited her FB page and was sucked in by her graceful wire shapes and detailed organic clay work.
I am going to share a few of my favorite pieces, but this does not even remotely cover all that she can do with polymer and wire.  I want to be just like her when I grow up!

An Extra Smile!

Hey!  I forgot!

I won some beads this week from Cyndi Lavin and the Best Beads Shop.  I'm pretty excited because each of the three packages contains beads I will actually use!  Woo-hoo!

 I was a little nervous that I'd end up with either really ugly beads, seed beads, or pony beads...  Not that I can't do anything with ugly beads, or seed beads or pony beads...  But the beads I won are lovely!

The ones that say they are yellow with pink and white are actually a lime green that I love.  Green is my favorite color, you know!  And I can already see them in a multi-strand bracelet.
The Garnet red ones are perfect for some of my flower wire-work pieces.
And the Ivory full coating ones- well, they are sparkly!  So they are guaranteed a place of honor.

I probably can't do anything with these beads right now, because I'm in the middle of Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party, but I'm sure looking forward to working with them!

Saturday Smiles

On Saturdays I share a couple of things that have made me smile over the last week.
*****

Before sharing my smiles, I want you to know, dear reader, that I am only able to use my I-Phone camera right now.  My computer is still down so I am still borrowing my sister's computer, and my camera is packed full with pictures I can't delete but can't PUT anywhere.  So my photos are not pleasing to me right now.  Please believe that I would have chosen fabulously wonderful photos to share with you if I could!

1) My Bead Soup!
I got my bead soup from my partner, Michelle.  And it's beautiful!!!  I can't wait to work with all these wonderful beads.  And look at the focal she made!  It reminds me of a turtle shell, yet it has a glowy iridescence that turtle shells just don't have.  It's polymer clay and just lovely.

2)Spring Break
My girls and I have enjoyed a week off from school.  We've slept, played, hung out and been as lazy as we possibly could be in only 9 days. One of the best things we've done this week is participate in a Gymnastics, Inc. Play Date with the kids from church.

 All the kids playing a "Simon Says" style pirate game doing the submarine move 

Deborah is on the far left wearing a green shirt 

Abigail is smack in the middle of the picture in a pink shirt & shorts

Abigail on the long trampoline

Deborah bouncing on the spring board

All the kids playing a limbo style game

3) Ice Park
We finally got to go to the Ice Park.  I borrowed my sister's camera, but the battery died after we'd been there for less than 30 minutes.  Boo, Hiss!  So I'll have to wait til Jake's photos are developed and scanned to share our trip.