Happy Easter!!

Spring has really set in here in Las Vegas.  

We are up in the 80's or higher most days and the sun is lasting longer each day.  

Taking pictures is a challenge as it is much brighter but I have some to share from this morning:

Thursday was a day trip to Red Rock and Bonnie Springs with my girlfriends above

(The Four Menopausal Musketeers)
(amazingly there was no chocolate involved in this day!)

We skipped the old cowboy town routine because it was school vacation week 

and the place was overcrowded with families having a ball. 

But if you ever get to come to Las Vegas in the spring or fall 

and can make a trip through the loop at Redrock the scenery is amazing, 

there are lots of hiking trials. 

Bonnie Springs has live outdoor theatre in the this little old replicated cowboy town 

with gun fights, bank robberies, 

a trial shere you are the jury all quite comical and very entertaining.

I saw this several years ago with my nieces and nephews and they loved it.  

We decided to walk through the petting zoo for inspiration

and had a great lunch in the restaurant. 

Here are a few of the creatures who posed for me:

Mr. R

Mr. Rooster Close up

Lovely Lady Peacock- she posed for me a ruffled up her front feathers too. 

Mr. Peacock chose to stand with the mountains in the background.
I only had a few seconds to capture this before he hopped down.
 His tail was stunning!!

A Toddler Wild Burro we stopped to greet on the ride home.

His Mom getting a good massage on a dead Joshua Tree.  Pretty sure another baby is on the way.

Today it is all about

flowers, flowers, flowers,

I can never get enough of flowers.  

My honeysuckle is in full bloom and smells delightful.  

Everyone who comes to my front door gets to inhale the sweet perfume 

that I wish I could bottle and send to you. 

When you stroll up my walk and look up this is what you see.

A mass of vines covered with delicate little amazingly fragrant yellow and white blossoms.

Straight ahead is my Spring Front Door Decor.

These are silk flowers as there is no sun in this spot. 

Just love the mama bird guarding her eggs!

Have a Very Happy Easter everyone!! 

Hey I am still here during the week... just busy

I stopped in to say: "Psst-

I am listing my New Spring Cuffs starting today on Etsy !!"

(click the giant sentence to go directly there)

I may put a couple in the Aquariart shop too as they qualify as Fiber Art. 

I hope to gather my audience around this concept of creating fiber art to wear. 

I know it is not just my idea.

It really is very comfortable to wear perhaps due to the fact that most of us 

(nudists and neanderthals excluded)- * read the fine print

 (no harm intended just a joke)

have already worn fabric most of our lives

beginning with the dreaded diaper. 

(Hopefully I won't have to revert to that style in old age!!) LOL

Also

I just happened upon a wonderful giveaway this morning over at

Marcie's - La Bella Joya
 She is celebrating her 300th sale on Etsy!!

 Wow! 

You can see why when you look at her shop 

She not only makes meticulously amazing beaded items 
but sells tutorials for her beautiful designs 

she has lovely fingernails-
I am guessing she doesn't work in clay! LOL
AND

she is having a sale too!! 
(click here to get a coupon)

Click HERE to find out how to enter the giveaway. 
DISCLAIMER: This post is purposely remedial for beginner clickers.  
Anything large and colorful will take you somewhere. 
Hopefully to the places I am talking about. 
I reserve the right to make mistakes though as I am menopausal... LOL
Have a great week- Back to work - it's a polymer clay play day!! 

Spring, Glorious Spring!!

I had a fabulously productive week inspite of two meetings I had to attend 

and some home service repairs going on, 

a sample beaded flower and two crochet patterns I needed to write up  chart and deliver, 

a belated birthday lunch with Barb and Teresa and 

I can't remember what else. 

Monday night was the Las Vegas Polymer Clay Guild meeting 

 I shared my knowledge and information about selling on Etsy with the group. 

 We meet at a private school in the art teacher's classroom. 

She had a Mac (oh happy me!!) with the big screen in the room 

so everyone could see what I pulled up on the desktop.  

I quit teaching in the public schools 7 years ago

so I missed the boat on this fabulous technology that is available today for teachers. 

 Anyhow I think it went well, 

 perhaps more people in the guild will start up shops and sell their wonderful items online.

We also have a demo each month.

Here is one of the little boxes we learned how to make.

I only had a dollar and still won one in the raffle.  

My lucky streak is still going. 

Wednesday was our first "Art Quilt ect.."meeting at one of our local libraries 

that just happens to be only 10 mins from my house.  

With the escalating price of gas this is going to be wonderful for me and my mustang. 

We have a monthly challenge.

 I am behind one month but working furiously to complete them all.

 Be sure to check my new post on the Fiber Art page. (click on that word at the top of this post) Spring is here and the birds are singing. 

I have one little birdy who has a new home. 

Thursday while waiting for the air conditioning company to come 

and prep our unit for the summer 

I pulled out my silk paints, my metallic guttas, seta fabric paints, 

the wonderful adjustable stretching frame I bought from Dharma 2 years ago 

 and some great items to practice on. Here's what happened- 

First I set up outside in the back yard with the seta colors and some macrame purses 

my friend Margaret from " Art quilts ect" gave me 

because in her words "I knew you would do something fabulous with them."

They were part of the stash of former member who passed away.

She had donated her things to people in our group.  

I hope she is up there smiling down at me because I made them so colorful. 

When it got too windy and cold to be outside I moved in to the dining room table and set up the silk supplies.  

Here is my first scarf in awhile.  

First I created the flowers and leaves with antique gold gutta.

After it is all dry

this is my favorite part!!! 

 you fill in with the silk paints and play with water spots ect which adds texture. 

Oh the unusual colors you can create.  

I used only 4 colors of silk paint: magenta, yellow, citrus and  turquoise

to create all these different colors.  

So Fun!!!

Next - the tricky part- heat setting and steam setting the paints. 

Happy Weekend!!

PS for all the Bead Soup People - I am still hopping- I WILL GET TO YOU! 

The Ingredients for some really delicious soup have arrived!!

Good Morning to my fellow beaders!! 

Angela's bead soup ingredients are here!!

 I missed one little tissue wrapped item when I opened the package the other day. 

It was the best surprise ever when I began my photo shoot this morning. 

I unwrapped this amazing wooden bird!! 

Now my Muse is talking to me because she wants the bird to be the center of attention.  

I also love the brass leaf bead caps, that beautiful gold and red ribbon and the chandelier glass.  

I am thinking I have enough to make several items here.  

Hope to get started today because I have a busy week and it will fly by. (Pun Intended) 

I should have taken pictures of the package all wrapped up but I couldn't wait.

There was this little text covered flower and leaf on the outside I hope to incorporate in the design too.  

See what I mean about the bird- she wants all the attention too! LOL

She looks quite plump. 

I'm  thinking she is looking to gather up things to build a nest so she can lay her eggs.

After all spring is right around the corner. 

Almost forgot to show you the gold clasp and this cool little brass medalion piece.  

So many little inspirational pieces are tucked into this stash. 

Come back Saturday, Feb 26th to see the first of the Bead Soup Reveals 

and Blog Hop to your heart's content!! 

Tweet, tweet!! 

PS I have opened a second ETSY SHOP for my fiber art items.  

Thanks to Heather Powers at Humble Beads I was able to quickly create new banners with Picnik.

You can now shop Aquariart for fiber art, knit, crochet, art quilts...

and Heatherp22 for Polymer Clay items and Jewelry. 

Please bear with me while I move all the fiber items- this takes a long time. 

If you had a favorite fiber item please go to Aquariart and favortie it again 

as I lose all my stats in this transfer. 

I am determined to get organized (an extreme challenge for me) this year.

Thanks for stopping by!!  

Heather