Saturday, July 23, 2011

Forests.....

studio waterstone


Before I moved to Nevada I always pictured the desert as miles of empty dunes, 
with cactus, snakes, lizards, spiders (eeeooowah) and not much else.  
Much to my surprise Las Vegas is surrounded by mountains 
of which my favorite is Mount Charleston. 
There is a wonderful oasis up there 
where the temperatures average about 20 degrees cooler than the city.  
As the elevation increases on the ride up the cactus grow, 
then there are larger bushes, short trees 
and finally full grown ponderosa pines with bright red orange bark.  
The scent of lemon balsam is everywhere 
and I feel at home, at peace and full of wonder. 
Here is a collage with some of the pictures I took Thursday 
on a hike with my daughter Jessie and the two dogs; Durango and Harley.  
The pictures in my header are all taken at the top of the Mary Jane Falls Trail. 



 You have to see my macro shots of the wild delphinium and thistle up close. 
Wild Delphinium- this tiny flower looks like a fairy queen's crown!
Thistle- unfortunately not flowering yet.
I couldn't have conjurred up of a better lead into my work in progress 
for Heather Power's Challenge: at Humblebeads 
"Inspired by Nature": 
this week's theme is "the Forest Floor".
These photos were actually taken on a rock in my backyard, 
in the garden wall above the pool
and in a couple of my potted plants.  
I am addicted to color so flowers and greenery are a must in my yard, 
even if most of them die every year from the heat. 
Every year I try to add more of the plants that do survive
and my gardens are growing. 
I  will be finishing up tonight 
and take more pictures of this bib necklace completed tomorrow morning. 
For now it is off to do some outdoor chores and jump in the pool. 
Someone is waiting for me to play with him-
My little Big Boy- Durango
Come back tomorrow for links to the Challenge and see everyone's Forest Floor Creations! 


Thursday, July 21, 2011

Bead Table Wednesday a day late....

I had a very busy day yesterday and was lucky to be able to walk my dogs, take my photos, upload, edit and post on the site before I left the house at 9 am.  
I didn't get home until 6:45 pm and I forgot all about posting here for BTW.  
So a day late but here is my bead table from yesterday. 


I am working on Heather Powers Challenge: Inspired by Nature; 
this week's theme is the Forest Floor. 
Monday, my major work at home day of the week, 
I collected some great images from google and 
made a collage on Picnik for inspiration and color palette ideas 
and set to work with my polymer clay.
I made fall leaves,

 acorns,

 faux twigs,

 a slug, 
( much smaller than the ones we used to see in the NW when we lived there). 
 I really like the way my acorns turned out. 
 I added embossing powders under a layer of translucent clay 
to get the grainy look on their tops and 
then had to try some faux stones too. 

 I had a great productive day and will use these for another bib necklace.  
My plan is to put together a series and go peddle my wares to some local boutiques. 
Here's to wishing all of you a productive week too!! 


Monday, July 18, 2011

Another Bead Soup Party Coming Up!!

I just have to say that Lori Anderson at  Pretty Things 
has had a huge positive influence in my growth 
as a blogger and jewelry designer.
I am so grateful for all the opportunities she has provided. 

These are pictures from my last two Bead Soup Parties. 
My soup ingredients, my partners's ( Emanda Johnson  and Angela Rae) soup ingredients
 and all of our our resulting creations. 
Lori's picks 2010 
and my "A Leap of Faith Necklace"  published in Bead Work Magazine!! 
 So here is your chance to take a leap of faith and participate too!! 
For more info go to http://lorianderson-beadsoupblogparty.blogspot.com/ and check out the fun!! 

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Inspired by Nature: Trees Challenge

Heather Powers is one of my favorite bead makers.  
If you go over to her blog Humblebeads you can find out more about this weekly challenge 
and maybe even participate.  
She is hosting a retreat, working on a book and has beautiful beads she makes from polymer clay. 
Here is my entry for this week's challenge:
That amazing etched copper tree pendant was created by Christine Brandel.
Thanks for such a beautiful piece Christine! 
You can visit her at "A Hot Piece of Glass"  to see more about her and her wonderful creations. 
I have been saving this pendant for quite awhile just waiting for the right opportunity to put it to use. 
I hand beaded the spiral and since this is a very light weight piece 
I used my favorite style magnetic clasp for a closure.  
The little wooden beads are recycled from a really old necklace I pulled apart. 
To see more creative entries click HERE