I Heart Macro Sunday and Vacation

It is another I Heart Macro Sunday.  If you would like to see everyone who is participating please head on over to Waterstone Studio and check them all out.

Today we are re-visiting some old macro shots of flowers in my garden.  Sorry for the re-post of images but mom and I are packing up the car and heading out to pick up my niece and nephew in St. Louis.  They live down in Oklahoma and this is the half way point for us to meet to transfer the kids from my brother to mom and me.

These two kiddos are my niece and nephew.  As you can tell my niece is a camera ham and the nephew could care less.  That is mom's Mustang they are sitting on.  They love the Mustang but unfortunately I am driving my car so we can get our bags and all the kids bags in the back since we are heading to an amusement par/swim park for two days of fun.  There is suppose to be internet access so I hope I can post pictures and blog about the experience.

Okay, here are my pictures for I Heart Macro:

Clematis from my front flower beds.  Mom is jealous because I do nothing to the flowers, I just let the rain and mother nature take care of them.

This is the George Burns rose bush by my front door.  The roses smell so good and I love how they look.  Again, I do nothing to take care of them, just let them grow wild.

Okay, mom and I are off.  Have a wonderful Sunday and a great week!

Bead Table Wednesday - First in Awhile

BTW

It is another Bead Table Wednesday where artists are brave enough to show what is happening on their beading table.  If you would like to participate or see what everyone is doing head on over to the BTW Flickr site and check it out.


Tonight I just finished typing up the inventory for our show at the end of July.  The venue wants a list of the inventory now but we can add more stuff once we get to the show to set up.  I am sure there is a reason they need the inventory now but as of right now I have no idea why.  That is one thing off our list - YEAH!!!!

Here are some of the things mom and I are working on:

Three Necklaces in the works

These are flower beads from BeeTree by m.e. and
flameworked beads by us (Raku frit I am playing with)

Polymer Clay Dream Jar by BeeTree by m.e., Copper chain,
copper VK by us, copper hears, and lampwork beads by us

Polymer clay flower beads by BeeTree by m.e., pearls,
and I am working on beads for this necklace

More necklaces in the works:

Three more necklaces to complete - the two on the left are being
redone because I was not happy with the way the back
of the pieces looked.  I am sure mom is swearing at me about
redoing the necklaces but I am a little crazy that way.

This is called "Black Widow"

This is called "Cotton Candy"

This is a new necklace with more beads by BeeTree by m.e.,
raku beads by us and freshwater pearls

The final shot is my torching area:

I have been working on making beads with all the new frit I received from Sandi over at Sandi Carrico Jewelry Artist.  I like playing with different colors of glass and frit.  I am also playing with raku frit for the first time and as you can see I had to get out one of my flameworking books to figure out reduction and oxidized flames.  Still get confused on that.

Oh, question for any of you lampworkers out there.  Have any of you ever used any flower petals in your beads?  A friend would like me to use flower petals in making beads and I was wondering if anyone has done that before?  Any insights or tips would be highly appreciated it.

I guess that is it for our Bead Table Wednesday.  I know next week mom and I won't be posting anything because we will be on vacation with my niece and nephew and I don't know if I will have time to blog next week.  I will keep you all posted.  Have a great Wednesday night!

I Heart Macro Sunday - Butterflies

Hello all, this is I Heart Macro Sunday and it is all about butterflies.  Mom was lucky enough to take pictures of a butterfly Wednesday night getting drunk on the pollen in the lilies.  I was so excited to share this pictures because you can see the pollen on the wings and you can see the butterfly dip its head into the flowers in a couple of the photos.  It was so exciting to see these the next day, mom done good and I guess I will keep her.

'Twould ease - a Butterfly - by Emily Dickinson

'Twold ease - a Butterfly
Elate - a Bee
Thou'rt neither
Neither - thy capacity

But, Blossom, were I
I would rather be
Thy moment
Than a Bee's Eternity

Content of fading
Is enough for me
Fade I unto Divinity

And Dying - Lifetime
Ample as the Eye
Her least attention raise on me

Join the fun at Waterstone Studio or go and see what everyone has taken a picture this week.

Our Favorite Project - NOT!!!!

It is that time again, working on inventory for another show.  Both mom and I truly hate this part of doing jewelry.  I think it would be fine except for two of our shows, we have to use their vendor numbers in the inventorying, so we have to re-tag everything with those numbers.  I think it wouldn't be so bad if the vendor numbers were the same for each show.  Oh well, what we have to do to keep doing what we do, but UGH!!!!

This is the last of the inventory that has to be done, the necklaces.  We have already gone through the pendants, earrings and bracelets we want to take to this show.  We have to whittle down what we want to take because we only have one table at the show, but as stuff sells we can put more out.  Mom and I like this show because it is inside and the first night is the patron's show and then Saturday and Sunday people can come and walk through.  Mom and I had a good time last year so we are hoping we have another great year!

Mom writing out the labels for the inventory.  Mom writes because my handwriting sucks and we would like the customer to be able to read what is written on the tag :)

These are some necklace projects that need to be finished up for the show.  If you can't tell the beads are from BeeTree by m.e. and I am working on making beads to go with them.

Mom wants a few more enameled bowls and pendants made to take to the show.  Two of the bowls are elephants and the smaller bowl is "The Man in the Moon."

These two pieces will be a "Man in the Moon" bowl and "Man in the Moon" pendant.  I think the lines are big enough that I can help mom saw these out.  Unlike mom I don't like to saw the intricate details like she does, sorry it does not Zen me out at all.

Today is my friend Lisa's birthday.  Lisa loves copper and pink so mom put these earrings together for me to give to Lisa for her birthday.  The copper is 26 gauge copper wire and the pink lampwork beads are some of my fishscale beads.

A friend from work is starting a new job on Monday so this was her going away gift from us.  Angela, my friend, likes elephants and burgundy and cream for her sorority colors.  We have made her an elephant necklace and earrings before but we haven't made an elephant pendant like this.  Mom and I really happy with how this piece turned out and as you can see from the above pictures we want to use the same design in a bowl.

I finally got photos taken of this necklace "Purple Passion".  The floral beads are from BeeTree by m.e. and the ribbon is from JamnGlass, and the lampwork glass beads are by us.

Here is a close up of the beads.  I used a base of opaque purple and Jazz Jewels frit (I think).  I really like how these beads turned out and they are perfect with the floral beads.

Tomorrow is I Heart Macro at Waterstone Studio.  I can't wait to show you the picture's mom took this past week.  Here is a sneak peek.

How did you like that?  Yes, I am not a nice person sometimes but I have to bring you back tomorrow to see the rest of the pictures don't I :)

Have a great Saturday you all and see you back here tomorrow for I Heart Macro Sundays.

I Heart Macro - A Happy Chance

Yesterday, after all the running around (repotted my plants at work, went to the AT&T store because my phone wasn't telling me I had messages, Best Buy because the computer wigged out on  me, worked on making lampwork beads, and finished off the June piece for the Art Bead Scene Challenge) mom and I walked around her garden to see all the Day Lilies that had opened.  Mom was all excited because she loves working in the yard and to see the fruits of her labor opening she was happy.

So, here are some images of from mom's garden:

 Mom really liked the close up of the stamen's because you can see the pollen.  You would never realize that was there until you see your pictures on the computer screen.  There is a whole nother world out there and it is so cool!

 This is an image of the flowers on mom's Japanese Liliac tree.

 This is the weeping something tree in mom's backyard.  The tree was only suppose to be 10 foot by 10 foot, yeah right!!!!

The picture of the butterfly was a happy chance.  Mom and I saw the butterfly flying around and I was hoping it would land somewhere I could get a shot.  The butterfly finally landed for about 2 seconds and I was able to get the shot.  Like I said "A Happy Chance".

If you would like to participate or see what other people have taken shots of this week, head on over to Studio Waterstone.  You will have a blast seeing all the wonderful macro shots.