Thursday, March 26, 2009

Crazy Nebraska Weather

This was our yard on Monday. Winds around 50 mph, hail, and rain. Out west they had a blizzard with a possibility for 24" of snow, and there were 4 tornadoes in the state. We had damage to our front door, and the windshield seal on my car was sucked out. Weird! March can certainly be that way, and on last Saturday when it was absolutely gorgeous, perfect sunshine and 70 degrees, we knew this was on the way!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

New Jewelry

These were a couple new pieces I made for Graham Gallery. We traded out some of the winter stuff for some new spring stuff. The necklace here uses candy and pink jade and the bracelet is Swarovski crystals and pearls, perfect for prom! (hint, hint)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Crazy Cat

Here is yet another picture of our goofy cat, Sabrina. Mina was playing with her Barbie stuff on Sunday, and had set up a "loft" for Barbie on the top of our freezer. She turned around to get some other stuff and when she turned back, this is what she found in Barbie's bed. Most cats don't want you to take their picture, Sabrina is not most cats. She loves to sit in things/on things, anything that will cushion her little kitty tushie from the hard, cold surfaces in our house and if it will get her in a new photo, that much the better!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

New Earrings

These are new earrings I made before going to the hospital. They are fun, crazy, spring time earrings. The first pair uses lampwork leaf beads (made by Jodie Marshall), millifiori, and Swarovski crystal. They are dangling off sterling hooks and chain, to catch all of those spring breezes!
This pair also uses lampwork leaf beads and spacers made by Jodie Marshall. These were in my bead stash from before Chris started making lampwork beads. I just hooked them together with jumbo sterling jump rings and chain. I love the colors of these!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Recouperation

Hello, I am home again. I got home from the hospital on Sunday around 4:30. My surgery went well, thankfully everything went as it should, and though I am tired, I don't have much pain. It was good that I had it done as my uterus was enlarged about 2 1/2 times what it should be and I had a cyst on my ovary. I will be on hormones now since they did the complete hysterectomy, but I won't have to have them go back in again. I made jewelry in the hospital (wow what a surprise!), and I also made my niece's birthday bracelet just before I went in. The focal beads are hand painted ceramic beads made by Lori Ramotar (the kitties and cupcakes blog gal on my link list) who owns The Royal Bead. The beads are so pretty and it was fun to use them in my fringe.
Pale pink, white, and black fringe bracelet soon to be for sale at Graham Gallery.


Caitlyn's Bracelet, her 17th birthday gift. I made fringe beads to go between the beautiful handpainted ones.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Life Updates...

Hello! Just a quick list of changes in our lives. I will be off the blogging for a few days (not that you may even notice!) as I am going in on Thursday for a hysterectomy. Fun way to use those vacation days!! I expect to be in the hospital 2-3 days, and then will be home for a couple weeks of recouperation (and lots of beading!). Chris talked to the gal that owns Main Street Beads in Fremont, NE and soon his beads will be for sale there! They evidently have a bunch of different lampwork artists selling beads there, and we are excited that Chris will be added to the group! Well, as I have today and tomorrow to finish a months worth of book work at work, I had better get back to it!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Chris Takes A Class

This weekend Chris went back to school. Well, not literally, he just went to the Crystal Forge at the Hot Shops in Omaha. There he spent the weekend working with Leah Fairbanks. She is a bead artist who teaches classes all over the world and is famous for her floral beads. You can find out more about her at http://www.leahfairbanks.com/. These are three of the beads Chris made and there is one still in the kiln at the Crystal Forge. If you live near Omaha, you should check out the Hot Shops, they have open houses twice yearly, the first weekends of May and of December.
On a business (and sad) note, our beads will no longer be sold at beads and botanicals in Hastings as Carla is closing. However, should you be in the area and interested, you can find them at Graham Gallery now.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Wiggle Room

This bracelet design came from the Right Angle Weave Magazine that came out last summer. The design is called Wiggle Room, and right angle weave is one of my favorite stitches, since it is so easy to work. I chose springtime colors, since I am tired of winter, and in desperate need of lots of sunshine, green grass, flowers, and fresh air! The edges are highlighted with a pale pink lined seed bead, and tucked in between are a spring mix of seed beads that I had gotten from Glass Garden beads a couple years ago. It was rather hard to photograph, but wanted to share it with you. I am working on a right angle weave ruffled bangle bracelet, but can't figure out how to add the 3rd row of the base before the ruffles get added. I will keep fighting with it. I am using a oceany mix of colors on that one, very pretty so far!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

BeadyGirl Bead Bracelet

These beads came to me from an order from Tera at Beadygirl Beads. They are some of my favorites. Fun, funky shapes and all my favorite colors in one! I used some of the silver beading wire so that I didn't have to cover the entire length with beads and complimented the bead colors with seed beads to match. I left room so that the seed beads could move around and give the bracelet a sense of movement and add to the funky, quirkiness of the design.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Springtime Donation

This was our donation to the Lawrence Volunteer Fire Department's annual soup dinner/silent auction/raffle, which took place on March 1st. Isn't it gorgeous? Chris got an order of new frits to play with, and this one is very pretty. I used violet and pacific opal Swarovski crystals and sterling and silver seed beads to set it off. The best part? My good friend, Leslie, won the auction on it. She has plans for it, but they are top secret!

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