She Runs With Scissors

I sew once a year.
A weekend quilt retreat hostessed by my gal pal Margaret.
I load my mom's old singer into the car and head for the hills (of the Finger Lakes).

I've attended for five consecutive years -
sadly it takes a long time to finish a quilt if you sew so infrequently.

A few random springtime snapshots from the grounds of the resort where the event happened.
The peepers (frogs) were out and singing for love.

Just look at the view from my sewing machine.

Springy Pearly

I'm still madly drilling pearls - making their holes big enough to hold 20g wires.
It's currently my favorite way to make simple earrings with glass headpins.

Get out your lovely stash of pearls - who doesn't love playing with pearls?

Drilling them is a snap with a dremmel and a bowl of water.
Yes you have to do it wet, don't be breathing all that weird pearl dust.
Use a diamond coated reamer and whirrrrrrr away.

This trio of earrings have black steel headpins (with lampwork ends) paired with sterling lever-back findings.

Hair-Brained Scheme

You know it!
Ponytail elastics with glass buttons.
I'm brilliant. I'm gonna rule the world. Sell millions of them and retire to the beach.

That's my plan.

World hair domination $5 at a time.

Spring Leaf

I've made a few new purse charms for spring.

This one is all aged copper with one of my glass leaf pendants, a smoky topaz and some other goodies from my stash.

I'm not sure what the milky yellowish stone is but the twin bubbly green glass ones are mine.
They were done by encasing the tiniest amount of baking soda in the molten emerald green glass.

I was keeping this one for myself but then I sold it right off my bag the first day I took it out for a stroll.

Does that happen to you? I've even sold the earrings right out of my lobes.
People are weird.

Peep!

Easter was a grand day!

So many carrots died for your cake.

Carrot cake with walnuts, coconut, and dried cherries instead of raisins. Mmm, I added lots of fresh ginger to the cake and to the cream cheese frosting.

Cake demolished.

There was even a milk chocolate poodle.

A man and his hams.

And lastly, the state of the dining room on Monday morning.