Tuesday, January 27, 2009

More Hearts, and Fringe Focals

These pretty hearts use one of the opalino or alabaster glass. The hearts (though this picture doesn't do it justice) just glow. Very pretty, and tempting to work up, but I took them in to Beads and Botanicals.
This is another beautiful set Chris made. The white heart looks like frosting!
This is a set Chris made for me to use. The beads told me they would like to be joined with some pretty pastel seed beads for a fringe bracelet. It will look like Easter on your wrist!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Hearts A Plenty

This pretty pile of love, went into Beads and Botanicals on Thursday. Chris has been torching his "heart" out! (I am the only one that laughs at my jokes). He has been making Valentine beads for a couple weeks, and is ready to move on to the next idea percolating in his head!
These lovelies are a shade called Sangre. Gorgeous red, and for you lampworkers out there, you know how difficult that can be!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Lucky, Lucky...

This gorgeous jewelry set was my donation to the Hastings Museum for their silent auction that takes place tonight! They are having a "fun"draising evening, with a mystery dinner theater, silent auction, and cash bar. We donated last year, and wanted to again this year. The theme for the mystery theater is "Dime A Dance", and this is the description from their website~ it's the middle of World War II, tragedy has struck the North Platte Canteen and you must help solve the mystery! This jewelry set has a "noir" feel to it. I used pink gilt lined seed beads, black onyx slices, Swarovski crystal, cat's eye, and a pink jade focal. The earrings have Swarovski hearts on the dangles and the earrings mimic the necklace.

Friday, January 23, 2009

New Necklaces

This lovely piece (which I took apart at least 3 times), combines amethyst rounds on the pendant and the squares, and I used white ab finish hex seed beads and silver plate seed beads to finish. The pendant is woven into a cirlce and has the silver plate beads between the amethyst rounds.
This is fun! I used recycled bits of jewelry I got on clearance to create the pendant for this Valentine's Day necklace. The rest is strung with silver plate and opaque white seed beads, Czech glass rondelles, and opalite ovals.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Czech Glass Daggers

A couple weeks ago one of the bead supply companies I use, had a sale on Czech glass dagger beads. This is the result of the new bead inspiration!
This just about screams spring time. Green glowing dagger beads seperated by 4mm Swarovski crystals in as many colors as I could fit into it! I finished it with some delicate large link Sterling silver chain and a lobster clasp.
This also came from the new bead inspiration. These were called blue cat's eye, but that isn't a very good description. They are a pale and dark blue mottled together and each one is different. Again I spaced them with 3 tones of blue 4mm Swarovski crystals, a sterling clasp and a star charm dangle. The 3 colors of blue I used are dark indigo, montana, and dark sapphire.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Only a week behind...

I lost track of time...ok I didn't. When I finished the last blog entry, I had every intention of doing the next one immediately, however it was close to midnight and I was not allowed to finish because I needed to get to bed (long story, irritated husband enough said). So here is the post from last week.
This is Sassy our other cat. She can be just as weird as Sabrina, and at least twice as grumpy. She is a bit older than Sabrina, and entering into old age. We think dementia explains some of her actions~chasing things on the floor no one else can see, purring like crazy while you pet her and then she is biting you while purring. I didn't know a cat could purr and growl at the same time. Sassy is fond of napping on our bed (come to think of it, we are too!), and this is a picture Mina took over Christmas break when Sassy was being particularly cute in her sleep.
Sassy is also not quite as photogenic as Sabrina, who hears you with the camera and is there trying to get in the pic~weird behavior for a cat, but we have covered that ground! Sassy will tolerate you, but it has to be on her terms. Mina snapped this photo while Sassy was on our couch, not sure why she is sitting that way but we thought it was funny, and Mina thought it was photo worthy! Sassy is fond of climbing on your shoulder while you are using the computer, Chris calls her a parrot cat. She likes chasing light around the room, which makes Sabrina look at her like she is crazy, and then Sabrina starts chasing Sassy, who is chasing the light. Living with cats helps you to know that while you may have issues, you don't have as many as they do!
This is what happens when you stay home almost every day for two weeks, not get out of your pjs until Mom nags you about it, and do nothing but build Legos, read, play Gameboy, and watch tv. Exhausting!
Next up, new jewelry that went to Graham Gallery, and Hastings Museum, and new beads Chris has been making!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Pip

This is Pip. Pip is short for "Pippen" from the Lord of the Rings stories and also short for Pipsqueak. The Pippen part is for his very hairy toes (just like Hobbits) and the Pipsqueak part is because one morning when he was happy or agitated (hard to tell with a hamster) he was chittering, sort of like a guinea pig crossed with a purring cat. Here Pip is in his playground made from a step stool Mina made at Girl Scout camp~turned upside down. He has a little cube thing that he can climb around in, sleep, or hide from Mina. She also has food, water, and a wheel for him. The outside container in front of him is from the Brie cheese we had New Year's Eve (yum)~only the best cardboard for our pets! He is a cutie, when we got him he was pure white, but he is turning a little gray, due to the low light. His breed comes from the Arctic regions used to long daylight which keeps them white for camouflage. If we exposed his cage to a brighter light he would go back to white. He has also lost weight due to more area to run around in. When we got him we was a lethargic little sausage on feet, but he must be up to five miles a night on his wheel! He has slimmed down, but is enjoying his new environment greatly!
Here I am holding him, a couple days after we got him. He is much calmer and has less bad attitude than Bubbles, though his attention span isn't as long as hers. When running on the wheel, he runs about 3 seconds, hops off to do a lap around the cage and then hops back onto the wheel. It is pretty funny to watch as he does it over and over!
Tomorrow is Sassy's day in the spotlight, she's our other cat.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Sabrina, the Oddball Cat

Mina had fun taking pet pictures over Christmas vacation, so since I haven't beaded for about 3 weeks now, I will share these instead! This is Sabrina, well just her tail is pictured, she is playing in her fish sack. The fish has stuff inside that makes that crinkly cellophane noise that plastic shopping bags (another of her addictions) do. What are her other addictions? Fresh cat grass, long drinks in the bathtub, tuna remains in the opened cans (though she can't tell the difference between tuna and any other canned food, she hears the can opener and comes running), shopping bags, suitcases, purses, any size box (even embarrassingly small ones), Chris's fleece sweatshirts, winter coats, and Mina's bean bag, basically anything she can climb into and snuggle in for a good long nap. OUR CAT IS NO DUMMY, though you couldn't tell when she is in the midst of a cat fit!

This is me lying on the bed, finishing a book. This is Sabrina telling all of us, who is boss in this house! She was none too pleased when I got up (nearly paralyzed) and removed her comfortable resting spot. Notice that the bed we are both laying on, was not good enough for her, she had to lay on me instead! This is a new nesting spot for Sabrina. Behind our couch we have a pile of blankets for snuggling into when we are chilly, or if you are Sabrina, any time of the day. She even manages to burrow enough to cover herself up! The new trick she has taught us, yes we are well trained, is she will lay on Mina's bean bag chair, and then meow until someone throws a cover on her. What a princess! Since she has Siamese blood in her, you don't want to listen to that very long.
What is Sabrina's opinion on my blog commentary? She is NOT amused!

Check back tomorrow for info on our new hamster!

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