My Muse, Aquariart

Its TAX TIME!! Need I say more...

2012-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

How come TAX is not a 4 letter word!

Can't tell you how many hours I have put in on that job.

I didn't want to keep track - just GET-R-DONE.

I am almost there, appointment monday morning to make sure I do GET_R DONE.

Yesterday my sweet lady friends took me to lunch

at the Oyster Bar in the Orleans

and then we went to see Joyful Noise. Great movie!!

Yes, it is a feel good chick flick.

We all broke out the tissues several times and again at the end.

I am so fortunate to have friends like this,

I am counting my blessings this morning.

A little humorous aside:

Because we all had ice tea or water with our meal

a trip to the restroom was in order before the movie started.

Teresa and I entered the nearest one on the way to our movie location.

It is a little dark in the halls of the movie theater so

wearing my prescription sunglasses doesn't work well.

Semi blind and babbling away we went right into the stalls.

I was remarking how nice it was to go to a week day matinee

because I could actually get a toilet that had just been cleaned,

the seat still up.

When I came out of the stall,

Teresa had that "shocked look"

like the E trade commercials baby!.

I looked from her face to the wall with all the urinals lined up.

and said:

"OMG we are in the Men's room!"

Barbara and Gert were outside and hadn't noticed either.

We came out laughing so hard.

There were two men

waiting out there to go in.

Thank God I talk too much.

They must have heard me babbling and identified my gender.

If they hadn't heard my voice they probably would have come in

and wow- how awkward that would have been.

I had the best Giggle Fit I have had in a long, long time.

We even had to stop walking because we were laughing so hard it hurt!

You kind of needed to be there.

The Birthday party -"awesome"-

This event "PRICELESS"!!

Today is my birthday- # 57 so of course I am 39 again.

My daughter is taking me out for lunch and shopping for my gift.

I actually don't know what I want right now.

I am going to walk my dog and think about it.

Have a great week-end.

Heather

Does Anyone Know where this month went?

2012-01-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

WHAT it's Saturday?

Oh my, January is over and I barely even knew it was here.

Whew!!

Life just moves too fast for me sometimes.

I didn't post last week, well

because I didn't get to take any pictures due to "crappy weather"

and

I just didn't feel like posting without pictures.

Today I took a wonderful silk painting class through my quilt guild: The Desert Quilters of Nevada

with a wonderful teacher-

Linda Schmidt who makes fabulous art quilts and wearables.

It was fun and the colors are so vibrant!!

But when I got home it was already dark so - - -

no pictures...

I will hopefully get some taken this week.

What I need to accomplish that - Will the whole world please

S - - - L - - - O - - - W D - - - O - - -W - - - N ! ! ! ? ? ?

(Close your eyes and imagine my voice two octaves lower recorded in very slow motion)

I am working on the dreaded taxes for my Aquariart Business.

Queen of procrastination

I have the whole entire year to catch up on-

I bought Quickbooks in July but even with phone help for 2 months

it is so darned (I will not share my potty mouth version) complex

I decided not to use it for last year,

hopefully I will learn it and use it for 2012.

I had a job interview friday and may be going back to work full time within the next 2 weeks- YIKES!!!

I don't even have good clothes to wear to work anymore.

I am both excited and scared to death!!

More about that later.

My oldest daughter's birthday is Monday and her gift has been back ordered- Grrrrrr!

My birthday is Saturday and then there is the Super Bowl

with our fabulous Patriot's attending on Sunday!!

I haven't done a challenge for Art Beads in 3 months,

I haven't uploaded pictures to Flickr since October!

I haven't read all my favorite blogs

and have missed two posts this month

BUT

I have been completing work for our annual Quilt Show here in Vegas which happens in March.

Again, I will hopefully find time to take some pictures.

So, this is my lengthy apology for no luscious pictures you can drool over this week.

Hope you all are having a little easier time with time management and weather.

Fingerless Glove Winner!

2012-01-14T15:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all the readers who entered my

Two Year Blog Anniversary Giveaway!

I put your names on little sticky notes-

folded them shut and put them in this container

with the cover on,

shook them up and

had my husband do the honors.

The backgrounds in these two pictures are some of the new tiles he brought home for me to photograph on. Don't you just love the river rock. I am so inspired by that I am planning a mixed media mosaic project to use them in.

He chose a little orange sticky with Cyndi L's name on it!!

Congratulations Cyndi!!

Cyndi L is the creator of SEVEN BLOGS,

wow,

I have no idea how she can keep up with all that.

My favorites are

the Mixed Media Artist and Beading Arts.

Be sure to check them out.

She has lots of interviews, technique tutotials, great inspirational material,

contests, giveaways, reviews ... in her blogs.

Cyndi will now have the warmest hands while she taps her keyboard

madly creating these wonderful sites wearing my luxurious wine red fingerless gloves.

This week I put my foot down and chose not to participate in the 5th Bead Soup Blog Hop because my local quilt guild- Desert Quilters of Nevada

(we have a new website!!)

is having their annual show in March and

the entry deadline is January 27th.

I am determined to finish a UFO from 2007.

(I didn't get to photograph the pieces in time, dead battery,

so I will put up pictures of this work in progress next week)

This is a pieced vest I started in a class with Rachel Clarke that year.

It was a wonderful class where we not only learned lots of piecing techniques

like the curved flying geese

but also how to custom fit and alter our pattern.

I am not sure this vest will still fit me

but my goal is to finish it and lose the extra pounds that don't fit in it by March

so I can model it in the Quilt Show Fashion Show.

I have 8 weeks- Yikes!!

I also need to finish up several art quilts I will enter.

This is my most recent piece, yet to have a name.

My Art Quilts ect Circle has a monthly challenge. January was "Feathers".

My mind became obsessed with wings and so an angel was born,

hovering over a lake with her tears (swarovsky crystals) causing ripples.

I free motion stitched the angel then thread painted on her hair and wings

before I added the background pieces.

I have found that doing so with stabilizer and no backing fabric works best on my machine.

So the back of the quilt does not show the mess that the thread painting makes

and the quilt top doesn't shrink and pucker either.

The base fabrics for the angel were two shades of monochromatic marbled fabrics.

I added paint to make the left wing come forward- pearl white and silver

and mixed pearl white and black to get several shades of grey

and black sharpie to make the right wing receed.

The trees were a very happy mistake-

they puffed a lot as I was quilting over them so I purposefully stopped.

That puffiness and the different shades of green in the batik fabric

are what makes them look so three dimensional.

It is amazing what a little paint on multicolored batiks can do

to create depth and the shimmer that water has.

It is amazing what a little paint on multicolored batiks can do

to create depth and the shimmer that water has.

Next time I will take before and after (the painting) pictures so you can see what a difference

purposefully applied paint and marker can make in a landscape.

I had to change the sky so that the brightest part was around my focal point.

The fabric I used for the sunset sky was wonderful but had random bright spots

that pulled a little too strongly away from the focal point.

Next time I will take before and after (the painting) pictures so you can see what a difference

purposefully applied paint and marker can make in a landscape.

I had to change the sky so that the brightest part was around my focal point.

Here is a shot of the back where the water is, allowing you to see the free motion stitches.

I want this art quilt to induce a calming effect on the viewer so I think I am finished.

No more embellishing pizazz or glitz on this one.

Hope you all have an artfully productive week too, that is my plan.

Heather

My second publication!!

2012-01-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Got some publication Mojo again!!

It is very exciting and rewarding

to have your work appreciated and published.

My "Ophelia Cuff" is pictured on page 39

of the January/February Issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine.

I was one of 5 finalists

in the Mixed Media Jewelry Category

of the Artisan 2012 Contest!

Yes this makes me

"Do a Little Dance"!

I was not told which piece was chosen for the publication

which added a little surprise for me when I received it in the mail.

You can read more about the making of my Cuff HERE + HERE.

I took a little breather from everything

except my family during the holidays,

it just felt like a good time to pause, rest and regroup.

Now I feel rejuvenated and ready to press on.

My goal for this year is to send in more submissions

and keep creating in all the medias I love.

I have been thinking about trying out different venues

for selling my work.

I would love input from any of you,

willing to share your experiences with other sites.

Email me if you don't want to comment (outloud) below.

January 10th will be

"My Muse's" 2nd year anniversary.

The journey began on Jan 10th 2010

when I dared to reach out into cyber space

and share my life and art with

"I didn't know who"

having 115 fabulous followers and friends today.

Because of this blog

I have connected with so many talented and generous artists

and

have found many great opportunities and sources of inspiration

like the Art Bead Scene Blog Challenges,

The Bead Soup Hops, Bead Table Wednesday, Creative Everyday, Flicker, Picnik, Pinterest, Etsy....

I could go on and on but I will spare you.

I am so grateful that I am having a

"2012 Celebration Giveaway"

You could become the proud owner of

this lovely pair of knitted fingerless gloves.

Grape Lacy Knitted Fingerless Gloves by Aquariart

I assure you they are stretchy, stylish, soft and luxurious

made with Berroco Lustra

a 50% peruvian wool/ 50%Tencel (Rayon) blend yarn.

All you need to do is

1- comment below

and

2- tell one friend about this giveaway.

and

3- have that friend comment here too.

I will randomly choose a winner on Saturday Jan 14th

so come on back to see if you won!!

Happy New Year to Everyone !!

Heather

One of many pairs....

2011-12-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

It has been wonderful to have a model for my wearable fiber items.

Have to say everything looks better on a person.

I am so fortunate to have found Riana,

a bubbly young woman who enjoys being photographed

and playing dress up with all my creations.

Here is one more design and I have a brand new one I will add later.

I am waiting for the sun to come up so I can photograph my new

Crocodile Stitch Fingerless Gloves.

This Purple and Green Variegated Pair is made with

Soy yarn, very soft to the touch.

I am completely baffled by the problem I had last week

uploading pictures and the error message from google.

Seems like everything is back to normal today.

Perhaps my little fairy, Nadine has been playing with my Blog at night?@!

I was so focused on my Artist's Boutique that Christmas has snuck up on me again this year.

I think I missed the deadline for shipping things in time for the holiday

BUT

I am going to keep listing new items as I edit my photos.

Do you have a friend who loves handmade items

but you are not sure what to choose for them?

Let them choose their own gift!

I am having a special on Gift Certificates in my etsy shops this week.

Buy a $10 gift certificate for a gift and get $5 off any item you purchase.

Buy a $25 gift certificate and get $10 off any item you purchase.

Buy a $50 gift certificate and get $20 off any item you purchase.

you can convo me with special orders and choose your favorite colors.

I have lots of gloves I haven't photographed yet- ask me about those-

hopefully they will get done tomorrow morning.

The elves had to watch the Patriots Game today!!

Yay Pats!

Have a wonderful week - Heather

To Blog or not to Blog....

2011-12-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Good news-

First of all I chose a winner-

Beth from EB Metalworks shared her inspiration thoughts

and won the crochet cuff in my Giveaway last week.

Congrats to Beth!!

The Bad News-

Now I have fiddled all morning with Google conversations

trying to figure out why I suddenly got a message

saying I have reached my storage limit

and can no longer upload pictures.

This is very frustrating and really google,

shame on you !

in this economy you decide to take advantage of your customers

with no notice and suddenly require payment for extra storage. Especially right now during the holiday season-

Bah Humbug!!

If anyone has more info about how to rectify this situation

please get in touch with me.

For now I have to leave you with a pictureless post.

I have officially nicknamed

Google -

"The Grinch"!!

Weather or Not...

2011-12-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

Due to our wonderful Las Vegas windy and cold weather

I had to reschedule a second photo shoot with Reanna my new model.

I am hoping the wind will die down for a Monday morning shoot.

I am behind listing new items on Etsy because they look so much nicer on a human being.

(And especially one without goose neck and age spots for sure!!)

I can't wait to show you my new boa scarves made with a

a really wonderful new yarn Bodega by Trendsetter Yarns.

Here is a peek at the yarn.

I had a wonderful surprise this week,

an email from Barb Delaney, assistant editor for Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine.

She notified me that she was returning my Mixed Media Jewelry entries

for the 2012 Artisan Search for which I was chosen as a finalist

and that they had photographed one piece to include in the Jan 2012 issue.

This is my second publication this year- so exciting!!

I can't wait to receive my magazine!!

I don't know which one they chose.

These were my entries:

My "Ophelia Cuff" inspired by the Art Bead Scene Challenge based on a painting - "Ophelia" by Redon

"Peacock Necklace"-Inspired by Nature; Feathers Challenge presented by Humblebeads

"Woodland Fairy Bib Necklace"- Inspired by Nature- Forest Floor Challenge - Humblebeads

"Woodland Fairy Cuff"- Inspired by Nature Challenge- Humblebeads

I want to thank the Art Bead Scene staff and Heather Powers at Humblebeads

for providing the challenges that inspired me to create these pieces.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I just finished reading an article in the new Polymer Arts Magazine by

Christi Friesen about Creativity.

She is spot on with her advice on how to get inspired and stay inspired.

How do you tap or feed your creative nature?

Send me your ideas in a comment

and I will enter you in this

GIVEAWAY.

One of a Kind Crocheted Winter White
with Red-Orange Flower and Green Leaves Cuff

I will randomly choose a winner next Saturday, Dec 10th

and ship it in time for the holidays!

The white yarn is part elastic so it stretches to fit 6 to 8 inch wrists.

Get your comments in by Friday Dec 9th at midnite!!

I also want to thank all my new customers

who made my sales at the Artist's Boutique the best I have had so far!!

I hope you all enjoy your new hats, scarves, fingerless gloves and cuffs.

Have a Great Week!!

Heather- Aquariart

Meet Reanna, my new model!!

2011-11-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I for one have so much to be grateful for

and fresh in my heart is my wonderful volunteer model, Reanna.

Reanna is a 22 year old College Gal studying to become a Nurse.

We took a ride out to Red Rock and took pictures on a couple of the trails.

The rock backgrounds and shrubbery were fabulous.

It was clouded over so even though the photos were a bit bright

we were able to spend a lot more time than usual

and avoid the harsh shadows of our usual desert sun.

Here are some of the fabric scarves I made for my Artist Boutique Sale-

and retakes of the Raggedy Bags I have left ON SALE for $15-

I will be listing these items this week in my Aquariart Etsy shop.

Mini Blues Scarf

Maxi Blues Scarf

Turquoise Plaid Scarf

Blue-Green Boa Scarf

Magenta Burn-out Organza Scarf

Desert Paint Ruffle Scarf

Purple Haze Organza Boa Scarf

Red Haze Organza Boa Scarf

Fiesta Ribbon Hairpin Lace Scarf

My own design- Zig Zag Scarf in Soy Silk blend

Flower Lady Raggedy Bag

Southwest Hued Raggedy Bag

Lovin' Lavender Raggedy Bag

Garden Delight Raggedy Bag

Come on back to see more next week!

Heather - Aquariart

Today and tomorrow- My Artist's Boutique!!

2011-11-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well it is all set up and I am ready to go today so this is a very brief post.
tick tock,
tick tock,
now it is Tuesday already.....

The Artist's Boutique was outstanding, the exact kind of people I need to find.
It was very successful and profitable and I am so greatful for that.
Also I found a model for my wearable art.

I had a fabulous photo shoot out at Red Rock with my new model-Reanna,
a lovely yound woman studying to be a nurse.
The cloudy skies made for perfect lighting and I can't wait to upload all the pictures.
I have hundreds of photos to edit and
Thanksgiving dinner to prepare
so come on back on Saturday November 26th.
I should have some of them finished and up by then.

Heather-Aquariart

New Items for the Artist's Boutique Next Weekend

2011-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

I have been madly crocheting and sewing and creating new fiber art to wear

for the Artist's Boutique I have been invited to sell at next weekend.

For locals it is Sat and Sun November 19 and 20th from 10 to 3 pm.

(invitation only so email me if you would like to attend)

There will be many of my very talented friends there selling all kinds of beautiful creations.

Here are some of my new Fiber Art To Wear items.

"Polar Lace"- Hairpin Lace Scarf made with a REALLY soft bulky yarn-
I added a loopy lace extension to each end.

Matching Wrist Warmers

Close up of the Hairpin Lace- two strips crocheted together.

Another Peacock Inspired Crocheted Scarf made with bulky yarns and fun fur.

New Berroco Free Pattern- Beseme- a bulky yarn lace style.
I call this one "Caramel Sundae".

Same scarf in Turquoise. This scarf is actually more like a shawl.

Beseme done in Souffle-a very soft bulky yarn by Berroco. Wish you could feel this yarn!

My own design for fingerless gloves using Berroco Lustra,
another yarn that feels so good on your skin.

Several of the "Tucked and Twirly" Holiday Boa Scarves.
These are very fun and easy to make.
My beautiful model is away for the weekend so you will have to imagine them on a person.

3 Views of my Pilot's Hat gone wild.
This hat does match the Peacock inspired scarf.

Also made with a mix of Bulky Yarns and fun fur.

The top view really shows off all the colors. It is very soft and drapes nicely.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Heather-Aquariart

More clay, much more clay

2011-11-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

I had a marathon week with polymer clay because my husband has been out of town

and I could leave my work space messy and ready for 4 days in a row!!

Love it when I don't have to put everything away and drag it all out again the next day.

Then I had to catch the early sunrise at the right moments to photograph it all.

It seems like the sun rises faster this time of year-

the angle is different in my backyard giving my a very short window
before big shadows start appearing.

I may have to switch to the front yard.

So,

here are some of the lovely pieces I created:

I experimented with a new technique called the Stroppel cane

using different base colors, black, white and gold.

This is a great way to use up old canes and scraps of clay.

I also made 3 Mokume Gane buttons for my crochet student to choose from for her felted bag.

What I do with scraps- make beads.

Mokume Gane layered on scraps from the buttons

The same color combo sliced in the Natashia Bead technique and then twisted.

I love how this one came out, especially after it is all sanded and buffed.

These were made with a variation of the bargello technique.

If there is enough scrap clay I make a button.

Chatoyant scraps made this bead.

Note what polymer clay does to my poor hands- so dry.

And these were made with scraps from some foiled pieces I worked on

that are not ready to be seen because they need to be painted first.

I should be able to post them for BTW. (Bead Table Wednesday)

I try to make at least one mold each clay session-

Here is a tiny leaf mold for disk beads or buttons.

I used a leaf button from Walmart and then hand sculpted the surrounding texture.

I have been extremely productive this month as I get ready for
The Artist's Boutique I was invited to sell at coming up November 19 and 20th.
This is a local event by invitation only-
if you are local and interested in coming shoot me an email.

I have whipped up 7 more crochet scarves and 4 sets of fingerless gloves.

With my sewing machine I have been sewing twirly tucked organza scarves.

More pictures of those next week!
Have a great weekend and enjoy your extra hour sponsored by Daylight Savings Time!!

Heather-Aquariart

Four Days of Non-stop Polymer Clay

2011-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Looking for my Bead Soup?
I am home alone and look what trouble I was able to get into.

I spent 4 solid days into the wee hours playing

with this new Stroppel Technique,

chopping up old canes and scraps and this is what you get.

Love it!

I tried it with 3 different base colors; black, white

and lastly gold which I was hoping might come out a little like

Gustav Klimt's quilt in his painting "The Kiss".

Here are some of many creations from this polyholic binge:

This is my favorite piece from the session- It can be either a shawl pin or a hair accessory.

Here is a closer look - it is thoroughly buffed and then antiqued with silver paint.

A pair of earrings made with trimmed edge scraps from the gold Stropple cane.

A black heart on gold with the Chatoyant- (mica shift) technique.

Ths is a bullet bead - can you see the person standing there?

This was created with Stropple scraps using a mirror image trick.

Still loving my acorn mold- scraps again.

More autumn leaves.

Green swirl buttons.

Green blend large button.

Green Swirl Large button.

First Green Blend Shawl Pin.

Second Green Swirl Shawl Pin.

Stay tuned- there is so much more- I just need to photograph all the work.

Have a Spectacularly Spooky Halloween Y'all!

Heather-Aquariart

My little time fairy...

2011-10-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for my bead soup click HERE.

Autumn is here and I feel so invigorated by the cooler weather.

I no longer have to walk my dogs at the crack of dawn

to keep from overheating them and myself.

There really is nothing better than a brisk walk in the cool morning air

facing a gorgeous sunrise.

An old hymn I loved plays in my head each morning:

"as I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,

Oh lord, have mercy on me...."

I love a challenge but I don't always make the deadlines.

(She needs a name!!)

Help me! see contest info at the end of this post.

She is very mischeivious, I caught her trying to hide chocolate in my portulaca...

This little munchkin

is my entry for my Polymer Clay Guild's challenge:

"A Stitch in Time"

and my Art Quilt September Challenge:

"use hand dyed pleated silk to create something".

(Why not kill two birds with one stone-

because I love birds!!!

I would rather make one creation that suits two purposes.)

I sculpted her face, hands and feet from polymer clay
and then painted her face.

She has a tiny wire needle in her right hand.

The clock is made from Tim Holtz metal clock parts

I made into a mold.

Here she is Busting a Move- "Trying to take off"

Her wings are created with wire and

textiva

(the sheet form of angelina fibers-
which by the way comes in many wonderful colors)

They got really beat up while I was sewing her little dress

(another lesson learned the hard way)

so I will need to take them off and remake them.

Here she is supine, resting from all the hard work

of trying to fly with her damaged wings.

PS- that white stuff under her is the fantastic tile

my husband brought home for me. Isn't it awesome?!

She is a chocoholic too- thus the roly poly belly

which is stuffed with wool batting scraps inside gathered felt

and adorned with pleated hand dyed silks and rose ribbon

from my fabulous friends at Vegas Airs.

Sandy and Diane (the owners) are extremely talented and creative doll makers.

I am thrilled to call them my friends, teachers and inspirators!!

Please take a minute and go visit their website.

They sell great supplies, many of which they make themselves

and they have online classes.

It is so fun to see their creations, so detailed and exquisite.

If you love Halloween you will love this doll.

So if you feel inclined to give this little fairy a real name

please leave your suggested name in a comment on this post.

I will choose the name I think is most fitting next Saturday- October 30th>

The winning name creator will receive a surprise gift handmade by me!!!

So,

please leave your email

come back next Saturday to see if you won

so I can get your shipping info.

And Have a Wonderful Fall Weekend!

Heather-Aquariart

A Gift for a Dear Friend

2011-10-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Click HERE if you are still cruising the blogs like I am for the Bead Soup Party.

The Second Kiss Supine

I dabble in some beadwork,

mostly I like the meditative state
that making beaded spirals puts me in

and
the fun of trying new color combinations.

I experimented with a combination of
size 8 and 16 seed beads to create this spiral.

And the star pattern was in the book;

"Beading with Cabochons" by Jamie Cloud Eakin

I picked up at the library last month.

I found Sandy: Glass Art Cabochons on Etsy

while browsing another blogger's bead work.

I had to get this cabochon
and make my friend Diane this necklace for her birthday.

(She chose the star shaped setting
because she is an astrologer)

She guides and inspires me to never give up-

keep following my creative heart and mind and trust the universe to take care of me.

She and her husband have a print of the painting-
"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt.

She was thrilled that I made this for her.

I apologize for the lack of pictures this week-

I dropped my camera while on the tripod
and thought I broke it. Yes sheer panic!!

After a few hours of browsing
to see what the damage would be to purchase a new one.

My daughter, Jessie (McG(eye)ver),
fiddled with it and fixed it!!

I am eternally grateful to have her in my life and home.

So you will be seeing me on BTW,
I Heart Macro and Flickr this week.
I will also be adding some new items to my etsy shops.

Heather-Aquariart

Las Vegas Polymer Clay Guild September Challenge Pieces

2011-10-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

If like me you are still Blog Hopping and looking for my Bead Soup Click Here.

Somehow, September got away from me.

I missed the monthly LVPCG meeting because I was sick so this is late

but better late than never right?
(LVPCG What is that you ask: The Las Vegas Polymer Clay Guild)

Here are the entries for the September Challenge-

"A Stitch in Time"

First Marty Oroark made a wonderful little sculpture of Betsy Ross whose stitches became our very own American Flag.

She also sent me a photo I just have to share of a Caroler-

not for the challenge but a great inspiration for Holiday items.

Don't miss all the tiny details in this one like the little dog hiding under her coat

Next I have a sewing lovers's delightful little table of notions by Mary Wilson.

I can't wait to see this one in person. http://aquariart-chocoholic.blogspot.com/2011/09/big-bead-soup-reveal.html

My biggest fan...

2011-10-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for my Bead Soup Reveal Post click HERE

Sometimes when you least expect it someone surprises you with their thoughtfulness.

This someone happened to be my husband John.

He came home with this a little while ago and I was stunned.

He had a piece of marble water jetted for me- this is my company name.

I am always amazed when he thinks about me and supports my efforts in such unique ways.

I guess that is why we are still married after 35 years.

So sweet.

He also brought home two types of tile for me to photograph with.

They are truly something I have never seen.

One is a marble with deep ridges carved horizontally across the tiles in neutral white and grey tones.

The second is mosaic sheets of a variety of sized semi transparent glass bubbles.

These are leftovers from projects that have been finished downtown.

You will very soon be seeing pictures of my work on these tiles.

I love these little gifts of thoughtfulness

and my husband too.

Short today, I am going to go spend some time with my little family.

Have a great weekend.

Heather-Aquariart

Art Bead Scene September Challenge- Gees Bend

2011-09-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

If you are here for the Bead Soup Blog Hop click HERE

I was so excited to see that this month's challenge involved a quilt as inspiration.

This is the quilt:

"Housetop"--twelve-block "Half-Logcabin" variation, ca. 1965

Cotton, Wool Corduroy, 77"x 65"

Lillie Mae Pettway, 1927-1990

Gee Bend's Quilter

I am familiar with the Gees Bend quilts and their history.

These women used every scrap of old clothing, flour sacks ect to create their colorful quilts.

They are all hand stitched, they could not afford sewing machines.

Their wonky lines and unusual color combinations

are what make them true examples of folk art and american ingenuity.

I wanted to capture that in my entry so I started with old thread spools.

I decoupaged tiny fabric scraps onto the spools

and then colored the portions I could with permanent felt tipped pens.

I created tassels with cotton crochet thread in black and white

and pulled them through the spools so that they could dangle.

When I saw the fabric with words on it in deep beige and black I immediately thought of scrabble tiles so I raided our old game and drilled holes in the letters B, D, E, E, E, G, N, S...

if you unscramble them you can spell "GEE'S BEND"!!

Then I had the pleasure of creating the tiny little quilted bib portion

complete with batting and free motion stitching

in purposely imperfect lines to mimic the wonkyness of the inspiration piece.

There are four layers; the pieced fabric top layer, the wool batting, some stabilizer

and then fabric lining to cover all my threads from attaching the spools and the scrabble tiles.

This was a really fun challenge for me because I am also an art quilter,

belong to my local guild Desert Quilters of Nevada and enjoy all the very talented ladies in my monthly "Art Quilts Ect" Circle where we share all our work.

I loved combining that passion with another jewelry piece.

Thanks ABS!!

The Big Bead Soup Reveal

2011-09-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

This is the day all of us,

the Bead Soup Blog Party participants,have been waiting for.

Here is the link to our gracious host Lori Anderson Click Here,

and the entire list of jewelry designer's websites so you can follow the blog hop.

My partner is Beth Bricker

Click Here or Here to see the wonderful and generous amount of ingredients

she so carefully packaged, labeled and sent meand the stash I sent her.
Here: Vintage Sweets to meet Beth and see her creations.

I loved how Beth labeled all the beads because

I am not an expert about different types of stone and crystal and

I haven't labeled my stash carefully so I tend to forget what a lot of my beads are called.

I really love the smokey quartz, the czech beads and

those chunky black tourmaline beads are just amazing.

There are some beads totally new to me that really intrigued me;

the amber red deer horn beads, the antler button and the deer bone beads.

Fortunately I was so inspired that I got started right away because I have been sick this week.

I could not be the queen of the last minute this round.
I was unable to use all of the goodies she sent but have plans to use them in the future.

Not only did these beads inspire jewelry but they also told me a story,

So grab your coffee or tea and relax and enjoy a little Mountain Romance.

The air was cool and crisp, perfumed with a refreshing balsam scent from the glorious pines all around her. It left a fine mist on Mira's skin contrasting sharply with the crackle of dry fallen leaves under her feet. They both stopped at the same time without saying a word. The music of water trickling in a rocky bedded stream was not so distant now. He knew they were almost there. She had no idea what he had in store for her, simply put he had said: "I have a surprise for you today and had handed her a rusty old key."

"What is this for?" she had asked and he simply smiled and said: "You will see soon enough." Mira loved the way that smile made her heart flutter and as she looked into his eyes she knew how much she trusted and cared about Josh. She could almost see the thrill of being surrounded by nature coursing through his Inuit blood and just before he turned to continue their hike, she looked down from his eyes, and between the lapels of his plaid flannel shirt to the dream catcher he always wore around his neck, just over his heart.

Mira loved the feathers that hung on either side and the unusual seed in the center. She wondered had he made it as a child on the reservation and what dreams had he captured in that tiny net. She was going to have to ask him more about that one day but for now she simply followed him through the forest paradise. Similar to a slow crescendo in a Beethoven Symphony, the soothing but exciting music of the stream was getting louder and the forest brighter as they approached a clearing. Like little fairies playing hop scotch with magic wands glistening in their tiny hands , the light of the sun flitted on the green and sandy brown pebbles and floated away down stream on the fallen leaves, temporarily blinding her to what lay ahead.

When Mira's eyes had time to adjust to this sudden burst of light, a gentle gasp excaped her lips. There before her was a bridge, surely hand made from logs in this forest that led over the stream bed to the most perfect little log cabin she had ever seen. She had always dreamed of living in the woods someday, relishing the clean air and the beauty mother nature hid in the emerald forests of these rugged Northwest Mountains, away from the noise of the city and all it's frenzied occupants. Josh took her hand and led her to the center of the bridge. Then he did the strangest thing. Still holding her hand in his he knelt down on one knee and said,

" Mira, you are holding "The Key To My Heart"

and the key to this log cabin I built with my own hands just for you. Will you spend the rest of your life here with me?" And like a gentle breeze he whispered "... I love you..."

Mira dropped to her knees in front of him, tears burst from her eyes and trickled like the stream down her cheeks but the smile on her face said, "Yes... yes, a thousand times yes." She would never have to ask about the secrets in his dream catcher, she would live them with him for the rest of her life.

Okay,

now you know I have read a few too many romance novels in my lifetime

but with 360+ blogs to read

I thought you might enjoy this little enhancement to your reading pleasure.

Before the necklace I made a bracelet and earring set too.

Here they are:

For the mountain loving women like Mira;

an everyday casual type bracelet and earring set

she could wear with jeans and a nice flannel shirt

while cozying up to the fire in her perfect little log cabin in the woods.

I loved the contrasts between the turquoise (Josh the inuit),

the round horn beads (mother natures creatures recycled)

and the chunky black tourmaline beads (like the charred wood in a fireplace)

so I wired them together for the dangles.

The smokey quartz (smoke curling from the chimney in the log cabing) could stand alone. Copper was my main choice of metals for this set

The necklace has both copper and antique brass components. (Male and female characters)

I added the stone chips and leaf chain to the bead soup

because it helped to let your eye trickle (like the stream)

from all the details of the key clasp on the left (key to his heart and cabin)

and the dream catcher on the right side of the necklace.

(Josh's dreams to be shared with Mira)

The tawny czech glass beads reminded me of split logs with some bark left on.

(inspiring the log cabin and the bridge)

and I used the fabric Beth wrapped my soup in,

torn to create the plaid ribbon to evoke a casual feel to the necklace.

(the lapels of Josh's flannel shirt)

Lastly (For all of you who are cynics)-

I wrapped one piece of the smokey quartz with copper wire

in the head of the rusty key to symbolize

how slightly clouded our heads get when we are in love!!

Just kidding.... LOL

I for one am a hopeless romantic and isn't that what jewelry is all about?

Enjoy your blog hopping!!

PS Check out the HUGE CLEARANCE SALE in my heatherp22 Etsy shop-
starting Tuesday Sept 20th, ending Sept 30th!!
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!!

Heather-Aquariart

Back to my Jewelry Passion

2011-09-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

For me this year has been all about trying to combine

my love of fiber, polymer clay and jewelry into art to wear.

I am so excited

because I entered 3 pieces into the Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan 2012 competition

in the mixed media jewelry category

and then forgot all about it.

Well, Wednesday morning when I checked my email

I had a message from the editor Jenn,
that I have been chosen as one of the 25 finalists!!!

This means I have to ship my pieces off to them

and they will have them until Nov of 2012.

Fortunately one of them did not sell on Ebay last week.

So here are the pieces I entered:

My Peacock Feather inspired necklace

My "Ophelia" Cuff

My Woodland Fairy Bib Necklace

Please give them a kiss goodbye and wish me luck.

There are only 5 challengers in each of the five categories

so I figure I have a 20% chance of winning!

Pretty good odds.

And my humblest thanks to Cloth Paper Scissors

for hosting this contest

and choosing my art jewelry.

And to Heather Powers at Humble Beads

and the Art Bead Scene Blog

for providing the inspirational challenges that led to me making these pieces.

This made my week!

I have been battling a bad bout of diverticulitus.

There is a limited time in which broth and coconut water taste delicious

and I think it is half past that time.
We are having a thunderstorm so I am going to go watch the show!!
Have a great weekend everyone!

My Fiber Art Accesories, gearing up for fall and winter

2011-09-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Did I mention my addiction to fiber?

As I secretly work on my Bead Soup I also have been very busy with fiber

so today it's all about Fiber!!

I am creating more patterns and classes for my crochet students at Gail Knits here in town.

In the last week I completed a crocheted pillow,

Made with Cascade "Duo" which is an undyed yarn 70% Baby Alpaca and 30% Merino Wool
It is so soft you just can't resist putting your face down on it for a little nap.
The pillow overlaps and is closed with my handmade polymer clay buttons.

Another Hairpin Lace Scarf,

Hairpin Lace Scarf made with Trendsetter "Segue"
a hand dyed polyamide ribbon yarn.

A Felted Purse

Felted Purse made with Cascade "Pastaza"- 50% Llama and 50% wool
and a novelty yarn by Trendsetter called "Joy"
All it needs now is a wonderful polymer clay button closure and
a lining with lots of pockets.

Here is the bottom where you start with an oval shape and increase to the width you want the purse to be.
The purse is crocheted with a size N crochet hook,
when felted it shrinks about 30% and all
the lacy holes mesh to form a boucle-like texture.
Last of all I made a recycled leather cuff from an old purse,

My thank you gift to my daughter Jessie for her help at my last craft show.

She wears her white cowboy boots to Stoney's
(She is an avid Country Western fan; line and swing dancer)
This cuff matches her boots perfectly!!

Yesterday Jessie had a day off and graciously modeled some of my accesories

for a photo shoot in our front yard.
I think she even had fun doing it!

These pictures are now on my first IDVD Slideshow -

"Aquariart Portfolio"

completed late last night (yawn).

Thanks are due to my wonderful friend Barbara too

for her help teaching me the IDVD program.

Here are a few of the pictures we took:

It makes such a difference to see your items on an actual person.

I am so fortunate to have two gorgeous daughters,

one of which is right here and available to photograph.

For all my jewelry fans we took a couple of jewelry shots:
then we were both tired so more another day.

My Kokopeli Set made with an enamel focal (the kokopeli figure)

from EB Bead and Metal Works.

Yes that is a tiny handmade native american flute hanging from the pendant.
I made all the beads out of polymer clay.

and My "Fairy Garden" Bib Necklace

This one has lots of my hand made flowers, lucite flower beads, seed beads and organza leaves.
Th-th-th-that's all folks,
now you know what I mean when I say:
"I have been busy this week!"
Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend Everyone!!

A little late for BTW but finished on time for ABS

2011-08-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love acrynoms.
(!#$%#@&*^+_) I DON"T!!

Really they can mean a million different things to millions of different people.

It can be so confusing.

If you follow regularly you may know that BTW on my page is not "By the Way"

but Bead Table Wednesday and I missed it this week.
(But you can go get inspired by the other jewelers)

ABS is not the abbrieviation for those (troublesome sagging) six packs I used to have

but the Art Bead Scene Blog Challenge.

So now that we have all that sorted out.

Here is my entry for the Art Bead Scene August Challenge inspired by Frederick Ramsdell.

An Art Deco Poster for American Crescent Cycles.

I love the poster, the girl's long flowing hair and blowing dress have such nice movement.

I wove hand dyed silk ribbon in an auburn shade

through some really unique antique brass chain I have that reminds me of bicycle chain.

I was picturing in my mind a pendant that was a bicycle wheel on one side

and had a portrait of the girl inlaid in the other

so I got out my polymer clay and started mixing colors to match the palette.

(Unfortunately my green turned more blue in the oven)

My eye was drawn to the wheel with the silver spokes, pink rim and white washed tire.

This inspired the pendant which I made first and then baked.

Next I added the bezel on the front and the handles

which if you look closely resemble the handles on the bicycle in the poster.

I spent a lot of time sketching to create a line drawing portrait

to insert in my bezel with the girl's profile and flowing hair.

When I finally had a successful result I minimized it in Adobe Photoshop

and printed a whole page of her.

You may see her again in other jewelry.

One of the last additions to my necklace is my favorite part-

the three graduated loops of antique brass chain hanging from the pendant.

I knew I was finished when I added that.

It balanced out the whole design.

I also am in love with this leaf chain that is dangling from the knot of silk. I have been adding it to everything I make- it is sooooooo nice.
I inserted the white lily, which you see many of in the poster, just for the photos,
I never found a place for it in the necklace.
I made that a long time ago and it is still looking for a home.
I am really puzzled by how this all came together.

No sketch, except the portrait, just intuitive combining of ingredients and well,

sometimes that's when I do my best work.

Let go and let it happen.
Click here to see some more wonderful creations!!

Bead Soup for Beth Bricker

2011-08-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is the teaser.

Beth's Bead Soup is in on it's way to her.

Meet my Bead Soup Partner caught at a Bead Show.
Beth is on the Right- with the great smile.
Do you think Beads make her happy? I do.I had fun with Adobe Elements and disguised the pictures I took of her ingredients. I don't think you will recognize anything in this but that is the point. Surprise!!

Bead Soup a la Jurassic Park for Beth
andI love this one, came out really abstract after about 8 filter effects.

Bead Soup el Cognito

I sent her a really nice clasp, handmade by a favorite etsy artist I will divulge later.

I made the focal pendant and all of the polymer clay beads

and then poured in a lot of spicy beads to warm it up.

I am anxiously waiting my ingredients for the Party too!

(Saturday)

Okay, that was yesterday, the teaser above,
(Now you know one of my little secrets, I started to prepare this post yesterday for today)
my husband brought in the mail and
Guess What?!!@%$&*
My Bead Soup arrived from Beth!!
(Today- Sunday)
I had to wait until this morning to photograph it all.
Beth was so generous!!
and there are beads I have never ever seen before in the mix!
This is so exciting.
I need to take you through
the visual experience of opening this package of goodies

The mysterious package- I think she discovered that I sew too!

A kind and encouraging note and more fabric related wrapping- love it!!

Oh my, very organized, all labeled and carefully packaged!
This is a lesson for me. I am learning from this.

This is unbelievable!! So many truly unique beads!
I am so wowed by how many I have never seen before.
You need to see some of these close up:

We have mountain sheep here in Nevada but I have never seen
Horn, Antler or Deer Bone beads
in any of all the bead stores here in town
and I have been in them all.
I love them!
I think that deliciously nubby big bead is the antler bead,
it is really amazing- wish you could see it from all angles! Can't make a truly tasty broth for the soup without some Bone can we.
Also I have never seen undyed howlite or seeds quite like these.

There are some really different czech beads too. I love all the earthy tones.
They are making me yearn for a vacation in the Montana Mountains,
where I could wear a plaid flannel shirt with my jeans like this cloth
and not sweat to death like I do here in the Desert.

I think she may have figured out some of my favorite colors
with the Mardi Gras beads and the Turquoise.
The Black Tourmaline is so unusual- love the chunky randomness of the facets,
I couldn't quite capture it's true beauty because
I over slept this morning and the sun was already too bright. I love copper and will probably be adding even more to the mix

The Earthy Howlite Focal and a gorgeous Copper Clasp.
(sorry about the tint, the sun was not cooperating outside
so I moved indoors for the rest of the photos)

Last and most precious,
an alternate Focal; a Rusty Key.
I found all these ingredients really inspiring and can't wait to get to work.
Thank you so much Beth for your amazing package of goodies!!
I am going to get started with some wire wrapping,
right now, with Copper of course!!
Be sure to come back on September 17th for the Blog Hop Reveal.

A little Fiber Fun

2011-08-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have a whole part of my life wrapped around fiber that I don't always share here

due to all the art bead and polymer clay challenges I have been participating in lately.

I teach crochet classes at Gail Knits here in town.

She has a fabulous selection of gorgeous yarns and

I love to see all the ones Gail gets in that are new to the market.

This morning I finished a scarf using two brand new yarns from Trendsetter Yarns:

Flamenco (the ruffly green) and Minestrone(the gold, brown beige multi textured one).

Here is my lovely daughter Jessie modeling it.

This is an extra long crocheted scarf.

I will be listing patterns in my Etsy Shop- Aquariart this fall

for all the designs I have created for my classes.

If you would like to be notified leave a comment below-

I will contact you when they are listed.

Here is this month's challenge piece for my Art Quilt ect. Circle.

We had to use a shoebox to create something.

The first thing you see is the top which is a small quilt

I free motion stitched and then painted

of water dripping and rippling.

This one inspired my to do a larger water quilt which I have started using the same technique.

I love how the paints bring out the liines in the quilting.

Next you notice there is a quote around the side and front of the box:

"If there is magic on this planet then it is contained in water."

It's all about water.
Zentangled waves, bubbles...

The bottom and back of the box - Zentangles all over!

My very relaxed bathing lady. Her legs flip out of the box and hang over .

She is free motion stitched and then painted with Shiva Oil Sticks.

Don't ask me where I get these ideas, I really don't know sometimes.
I apologize for the photos- I didn't take them early enough in the day so there are lots of shadows.

Okay now back to Bead Stuff-
I have to go raid my stash and put together a wonderful set of beads for my Bead Soup Partner -Beth Bricker.
You can find out more about her on her blog here.
This is a wonderful party for jewelry designers hosted by Lori Anderson at Pretty Things.
Check back for more about that and
the Big Bead Soup Blog Hop Reveal which will be Sept 17th!

Inspired by Nature: Dragonflies

2011-08-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for Heather Power's Challenge:

Inspired by Nature: this week; Dragonflies.

I made the polymer clay faux turquoise beads a long while ago

and they finally found a home,

including the pebble in the pond pendant,

this Dragonfly landed on.

I was totally clueless about what to do with it.

In the book,"Animal-Speak" byTed Andrews,

he says of the Dragonfly;

The Power fo Light:

" Life is never quite the way it appears, but it is always filled with light and color.

Dragonfly can help you to see through your illusions and thus allow your own light to shine forth. Dragonfly brings the brightness of transformation and the wonder of colorful new vision."

This Dragon of the Fairy Realm is waiting to take the fairy in each of you for a ride.

This Month's Las Vegas Polymer Clay Challenge Entries

2011-08-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today I am Posting the:

"I've Never Seen Anything Like This Before" Challenge Entries

from my local Las Vegas Polymer Clay Guild. (LVPCG)

First from Marty who said,

"Heather, this is Zenphina, my zentangled fairy.

Her legs, boots, wings, and hair are zentangled in clay..

but her dress is done with artists pens.

Zentangling is a sophisticated form of doodling.

A friend of mine turned me on to it.

I went to Michael's to see if they had a book on zentangling.

Everyone I asked had never heard of it before

...so, VOILA!.

our theme:

"I've never seen anything like this before"

popped into my head, and I created "Zenphina"

Zenphina hanging from her Golder Arch.

Close up details of Zenphina

An even closer look shows you all the wonderful patterns Marty included in this Fairy.

Next up is Sophia who said, "Each of these sculptures/vessels encapsulates a chemo bottle inside. Each has a bottle topper that can be pulled out. These 3 works are designated for the Nevada Cancer Institute. In our luxury of being able to create, it is always rewarding to create something for someone else."

"Samurette" vessel by Sophia

"Beazel", a whacky Blue Chicken by Sophia

Beazel's other side

"Ninopod"- Could this be an Alien? by Sophia

And I am saying,

"I woke up Tuesday morning and realized I had missed the meeting this month.

I was extremely sleep deprived from all the preparation and physical moving of stuff

for the Mt Charleston Arts and Craft Show,

and because I can't hear the alarm on my new phone.

What good is an alarm if you can't hear it.

BUT,

I do have an entry:

My "? Brooches" by Heather

Next Month I think the theme is " A Stitch in Time".

Inspired by Nature: Tiger Lily, pendants and flower centers

2011-08-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am on a roll, another very productive week as I gear up for my

Arts and Crafts Fair at Mt. Charleston.

I am getting excited to go back and hope to do well.

I have lots of new items to inventory to price and tag.

I need work out my display options again.

A little change to keep it interesting.

I will list my items that don't sell on Etsy next week.

I had so much fun with the resin last week I finally tried a product new to me.

JudiKins Amazing Glaze.

I didn't want to wait for 3 days for my pendants to cure,

especially my Orange Lily for this week's Inspired by Nature Challenge.

This has to be the fastest solution for creating bezels with photos or charms...

I printed my pictures, sprayed them with Archival Spray on both sides

( I have an ink jet printer so they would run if I skipped this step.)

Then you glue the picture into your bezel,

I used super glue,

pop it in the oven at 300 degrees for 2-3 minutes,

let it cool and you are done.

Plus if you get any bubbles or mars on it you can reheat with a heat gun and cool it again!

I love this, so simple and my pendants look great.

Here is my Orange Lily photo I transformed with Adobe Elements,

another picture of my Lily Necklace and Earring Set:

a wave photo for a future challenge

and

This one is a picture of me at about 3 years old.

(a personal reminder to take good care of myself)

I have also been wanting to make centers for my fabric flowers with polymer clay.

I created one for poppies, one of my favorite flowers, baked it then made a clay mold.

It works so well I made two more

and now I can use up my scrap clay making these little beauties
and paint them any color I want!

I am sooooooo excited!

Well, I would love to hang out here all morning

but I have to pack up all my treasures for tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by, I will be doing more visiting next week.

Bead Table Wednesday - Resin and......

2011-08-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

I am gearing up for a the Arts and Craft Fair at Mt Charleston,

so this will be short but sweet!
(They look like candy)

First some close ups from the resin tray above.

I used fabric scraps, chopped up scrap threads,

glitter, embossing powders,

metallic sand found in Michael's florist section in gold and silver

and the two part resin that takes 72 hours to set.

So my office door has been shut,
My Cat, Gracie,
who always seems to think that anything new I make is for her
and the other two hairy beasts are not not welcome.

and

My best faux fire opal so far!

This one has glitter and embossing powders sprinkled over
polymer clay scraps I chopped up into tiny pieces with my blade.
They were then rolled and squished together
and cut over a plastic bag so they would dome.
Most of the resin poured off but I think I managed to get a light coating.
These will hopefully make nice pieces for bezels, rings and necklaces.
All for now, to see the other wonderful tables click HERE!

BIG HUGE GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-07-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite Art Bead Artists :

Heather Powers is cleaning out her bead inventory.

The Humble Bead Big Huge Giveaway Set !!!

These beads are to die for

and to have a chance to get a batch for free

of her truly unique and amazing beads is crazy wonderful!!
Hurry tonite at midnite is the deadline!!!

Click HERE

to see what you have to do to have a chance to win.

If you would rather go to her etsy store and pick your own beauties,

click the same spot and look for her code so you can get 20% off.

You can go to her etsy store right from her blog.

This is exciting,

I think the heat is getting to all of us but shurely Heather Powers has gone mad!!

( Just Kidding Heather)

I had one of the most productive weeks of my life this week.
Here are pictures of everything I made after Bead Table Wednesday and the Art Bead Scene July Challenge deadline I managed to make:

The mythical characters called Nymphs, Sirens or Mermaids
have always intrigued me.
I love the ocean and this focal from
Green Girl Studios has a quote by Crouseau.
I watched all his documentaries about the sea.
He says:
"the sea, once it casts its spell holds one in its net of wonder forever".

I used these wonderful twisted blue glass beads to represent waves and added the mermaids ride: a sea horse charm.

Next:
My Waves Bracelet
I used blue and turqoise in this one.
I made the polymer clay turquoise swirl beads and flat spacers.
The rest are glass beads.

This one features a naked lady.

I like to think she is skinny dipping in all that blue green water!

For this bracelet I used memory wire covered with coiled pink artist's wire and beads.
I made the polymer clay flower beads
textured on both sides so they look great
no matter where they turn.
The pink stone is dyed howlite,
the green, crackled glass.
The necklace below is extra long.
I love this length for summer-
looks great with a cool cotton shirt.
Fortunately we had very cloudy weather yesterday morning- perfect for photographing shiny beads.

This one was a quickie with glass and shell beads on memory wire.

I love the flower dangles, I picked up the pink curled glass beads at Road 2 California last year.

Sorry I can't remember who the vendor was.

They remind me of one of my favorite flowers, fuchsias,

combined with the bright green glass and crystals.

A few orphan beads found their place in these earrings.

I am finally parting with some of my favorite finds.

This butterfly bead is an amazing little ceramic focal for this bracelet.

And the Star with a bead wired in really shines in this bracelet.

The reds, oranges and browns remind me of hikes in the Valley of Fire.

Here was a super quickie made with painted bone beads

and the speckled beads are some kind of nut.

(like me).

This one has an extra long length too.

And one more orphaned lampwork bead found a home,

Queen of some necklace to be.

Last but not least a Macro shot of the dragon side of this lovely etched deep navy blue bead.

Click HERE to see more Macro Photos

Well I made all that in one day, so I took a rest yesterday and floated in the pool

with one nicely iced stien of Rogue Chocolate Beer!!

Come on back on Wednesday for Bead Table Wednesday.

Happy Weekend to you all!

BTW- Working on the Art Bead Scene Blog July Challenge

2011-07-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

As usual I am the queen of last minute

and finished my piece for the Art Bead Scene July Challenge today at 1 pm.

So then there was a nasty photo session in the 106 degree hot wind

in my south facing back yard under the patio cover.

Then lots of photo editing, uploading and picture collaging on picnik.

I have to say I took a nice break and had a little frozen yogurt with my friend Barbara this afternoon.

So it is 6:16, hubby is fortunately working a little late

and I am scrambling to finish this post for Bead Table Wednesday

and the Art Bead Scene July Challenge for the blog hop

and I will be done blah, blah, blogging until Saturday.

Here are my pictures:

House Pendant from mixing the clay colors in the inspiration palette to the finished pendant.

Screeching in at the last minute for the deadline!!!
For some reason I had a really hard time making this piece today. I started the moment my husband left for work (7:15am) and finally, all alone in the house at 1 pm said to myself outloud:

"Ok Heather , you are done, just leave it the way it is

and go take the (*$!#) pictures,

it's getting really hot outside!!"

The Bad News:

I ruined a bunch of jump rings and a stretch of chain because

I must have taken this apart at least 20 times and reconstructed it ;

over and over and over......ugh.

I am finding that I really prefer my copper and antique brass findings.

For some reason they seem more neutral and less intrusive than silver.

I really want the time back I wasted making polymer roses and leaves on Monday

because they were too big and too distracting

making the house pendant just disappear.

The Good News:

This is not one of my most favorite designs but it is what it is.

And it is done!! YAY!!

And I got my yellow enameled copper head pins just in time yesterday

from Kimoras on Etsy and I love them!!

If you read my blog last month you already know

I am very, very low on the color yellow in my stash.

My collages are created on picnik.com

For more pictures and information about my polymer clay process

including a secret recipe for sparkling yellow go HERE.

To see the other wonderful Bead Tables and July Challenge pieces

click on the highlighted words at the beginning of my Rant.

Then just breathe!!

Inspired by Nature: Forest Floor Challenge

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This challenge is

sponsored by Heather Powers at Humblebeads.

Go HERE to see the rest of the entries.

Here are some shots of my finished entry I took this morning.

I just like the odd angle of this one and how the background blurred.

Close up of the center pieces of the bib necklace

One of several copper clasps with patina I purchased from Melinda Orr at ORRTEC on Etsy

Full on view of the neclace. Blends right into this little forest on my pool wall.

The left side of the necklace- here you can see my wood bead and tassels at the top
near where I joined the interesting copper cage chain.

Free motion stitched lining on back of necklace and hand couching of yarn and specialty threads.
This one will join my bib necklace series for all seasons as an autumn piece.

That's all for now!! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I will be back for Bead Table Wednesday on Wednesday of course!

Forests.....

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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!

Bead Table Wednesday a day late....

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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!!