Deer Dear Husband

Our 26th wedding anniversary is tomorrow.

Birds, Again With The Birds?

I am painting birds again, sigh.
This is day 2 of a little 4"x6" oil on canvas robin.
I cannot help myself.

I found a box of bird flashcards and I feel the urge to make another 100 little bird paintings.

Got Grackle?
Yep.

I even found myself a $1 birdie brush jar at an estate sale.
So many birds, so little time.

Hoppin' Poppies

I've been working on an oil painting of red poppies.

Maybe it's a little better than halfway there.
Where is there?
I never know until I get 'there' with a painting.

That's what I love about painting.
It's one part skill, one part talent and one part intuition all poured into a big glass of dumb luck.

Buckets of Rain

If only I could send all this to my California peeps and family.

Ginger Bells

A new bracelet - Ginger Bells.
Like Jingle Bells, but ginger because I made the metal spangles from a ginger biscuit tin.

I am just going to throw up? throw down? a mess of photos taken while making this bracelet.

Here's the tin I hammered the spangles from before it was chopped up in my new disc maker.
Thanks for the cookies Jackie.

The beads were made with an Effetre odd lot called 'tomato soup.'
I love the two-tone cored rods.
Amazing that I had glass that so perfectly matched the tin.

The bits and pieces all laid out.
Of course, in the end, I didn't follow my lay out but it's always a good to have a plan when you start hammering.

Ew, the edges of the disks have some boogers on them.
Don't get creeped out, it's just burr life wax left over from the stamping process.
It rubs right off.

The first little section of bracelet.
The clasp is made of sterling silver.
The links are brass to match the little temple bells.

Now it's a wee little bit longer.

The backsides of the disks are brassy gold.

The sterling clasp.

Viola!
It makes the most wonderful jangly noise.

Monet Would Be Jealous

Photographs of my sister's lily pond.

What's the Buzz?

Hello Dragonfly.
Gorgeous full on summer days.
Birthday parties, popsicles, boob sweat.

It's been really hot weather for torching beads, my studio is an oven with an oven inside it.

Literally, my studio is in an old brick building which heats up like and oven, and then I fire up my bead kiln and viola! An oven inside and oven.