I Heart Macro - More Flowers

It is I Heart Macro Sunday over at Studio Waterstone.

We are sharing more flower pics from last weeks walk in the horticulture park located near the building where I work.  I am hoping I have more chances to walk on campus this week to take more photos to share with you all on Sunday's. 

Here you go, something to brighten this dreary day in Indiana (it has been raining the last few days).

Grecian Windflowers:

Drumstick Primula:

Today is another day of enameling.  I finished up the custom order for five hummingbirds yesterday and the customer was happy with what we created.  Today I will be enameling more pendants and finishing up the enameling of some of our small bowls.

Custom Order for Hummingbirds

Today was an enameling session for a custom order of five hummingbirds.  The customer sent us images of hummingbirds and let us play with the colors.  We have our fingers crossed that they like what we came up with.

This is mom filing the last of the hummingbirds.

These are pendants that also need to be filed and sanded and then enameled.

These are pendants I will enamel tomorrow - ran out of steam and my feet are killing me.  The pile of leaves will be patined instead of enameled.

These are the images I used to enamel the birds.  Mom and I drew the outline of the birds and then drew the colors I would need to use to enamel the birds.  This helped out a lot so I am not constantly running to the computer trying to remember what colors I need to use.

Now the reveal:

The five hummingbirds ready for the customer.

The colored enamels I used were: transparent elan gray on the chest/throat, black on the beak, tail and tips of the wings and transparent greens for the body.

The colored enamels I used were: transparent greens on the tips of the wings, tail and head, transparent turquoise on the throat, transparent purples for the body and black for the beak.

The colored enamels I used for this was: transparent greens for the head and tips of the wings, black on the tail and beak, flame red for the throat, and transparent oranges/yellows for the body.

The colored enamels I used were: black for the tips of the wings, the tail and beak and the rest of the body is just transparent turquoise.

The colored enamels I used were: transparent gray on the tips of the tail and wings, transparent greens for the head and body, transparent purples for the throat and part of the body and black for the beak.

I think that is it for tonight.  I am pretty wiped out and all I have been doing is standing on my feet and putting a screen of pendants in the kiln, leave in for two minutes, take out of kiln, let it cool off, and do the process all over again until you done.

Tomorrow will be more enameling.  Pretty soon mom and I are also going to have to start the inventory for our show in April.  We have to use numbers the people sent us, so that means re-labeling all the inventory we are taking with us.  Mom and I are becoming pretty good at labeling, relabeling, labeling, relabeling.  I HATE INVENTORYING!!!

I guess I will leave you with that.  Have a great night!

Cleaning, Two Custom Orders and Bee Hive Necklace

This is what mom was doing as I was making comments on blog posts yesterday.  I think she caught the spring clean fever and worked on cleaning up the studio.  If you look closely you can see where it is cleaned and where there is dust still on the cabinet she is working on.

Yuck - the dust!!!!

The mess to be cleaned up.

All wiped down and tools put away.

Cleaning our torch areas and her work space.

Once mom was done cleaning I started cleaning the beads I made on Saturday.  I am practicing making hollow beads and I made test beads to decide on what to use to add to the triangle necklace.

The beads made - hollow on left, test triangle beads on the right and the two in the middle are the beads I decided to use for the design of the beads.

Can't really tell that they are hollow because of the frit on top of the clear.  The one I am showing is the best of the lot.  I practiced making more hollow beads yesterday and they are bad - very, very, very bad :)

These are the test beads I made for the triangle necklace (the triangle necklace are enameled copper triangles in the colors of black, red, orange and yellow).  The beads are two black with yellow feathering, two black with orange feathering and two black with red feathering.  I didn't like them so I tried something else.

Beads I am using for the triangle necklace.  I used a base of black, orange dot with yellow dot on top and red dot on top of the yellow dot and then I feathered the dots.  I like the color and goes perfect with the triangles.

Mom and I had a custom order this weekend for a Tree of Life pendant and our wave pendant made into necklaces.

The Tree of Life necklace:

The custom order is for one of the ladies I work with.  She wanted us to make the pendant into a necklace so I asked her if she wouldn't mind just hanging the pendant on a ribbon.  She said sure, plus this gives her an option to buy more ribbon to switch the pendant out for something different.

She asked us to use the birthstone colors for March, June, July and October.  I really like how mom made the pendant - mom does good work.

Wave necklace (second order):

My friend also asked if we could make the wave pendant into a necklace and I said sure.

In the necklace I used seed beads to make the bail and accented the necklace with Sodalite and Opalite.  I really hope she likes both necklaces.

Finally, the bee hive necklace.  Mom and I finished this up on Saturday.  I assembled the necklace and mom attached the bees.

Here it is, Bee My Honey:

The accent beads are yellow pearls, hematite, lava rocks and four of our lampwork beads and the toggle clasp is gun metal.

A close up of the pendants.

Close up of the accent beads.  I wanted to try and make the lampwork beads look like honeycomb.  Not sure if I got it, but I like the beads anyway :)

One last shot of Bee My Honey.  I think mom and I do good work :)

I Heart Macro Sunday - Flowers Are a Blooming

It is I Heart Macro Sunday over at Studio Waterstone and I am sure happy to share pictures today.  This past week has been gorgeous in Indiana, unseasonably warm, and it has been awesome.  Both mom and I are waiting for us to get slammed with another winter/ice storm but it hasn't happened yet.  So, we have taken advantage of the gorgeous weather.  I was able to walk over to the hort park on Wednesday and took photos of what flowers were blooming and again yesterday mom and I went to the hort park to take more photos of the flowers.  I can't wait for the trees to be blooming on campus and walking around taking photographs of that.  I think that should be this coming week - yeah!

Okay, on with the show.  I thought I would share photos from me and photos from mom. 

Enjoy!

Beth daffodil photos:

Mom daffodil photos:

Today I need to take photos of finished pieces - two necklaces that were custom orders and I (with moms help) finally assembled the beehive and honey bee necklace - mom attached the bees to the bee hive.  I want to see how the beads I worked on yesterday turned out - I am practicing making hollow beads.  I haven't made hollow beads in about six years and even then I didn't do a good job.  Practice, practice, practice.

May you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Tree Wings Studio Giveaway

Pretty Ponies via Tree Wings Studio

Oh my, Rebekah, Tree Wings Studio, is having a giveaway.  Not just one giveway, but three.  She has three assortments of beads up for grabs.  Rebekah said the giveway is open to everyone, even international bead lovers.

Head on over to Tree Wings Studio and check out what you gotta do.  Of course if you don't that just means less people to get in my way of winning :)  Just kidding, but I have my fingers and toes crossed for the chance of winning one of the assortments because they are so drool worthy!

Oh, and she is having a sale in her Etsy shop, 10% off everything until March 20th.

Glorious Weather in Indiana

First, mom and I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes.  We both had awesome birthdays.  For my birthday dinner mom took me to Dog' n Suds Drive In and for her birthday dinner I took her to Logan's Road House.  Needless to say we both stuffed ourselves and MyFitness Pal calories were not good - but the food was so worth it!

Yesterday was a glorious day in Indiana.  At lunch I took my camera and headed over to the hort park to see if any flowers were blooming yet.  Yes, daffodils and a bunch more I have no idea what they are but were still gorgeous!  I thought I would tempt you with some photos to lure you back on Sunday for I Heart Macro.

About the giveaway - mom and I have not forgotten about it.  We do plan on having one so stay tuned for that information.  I am off to go open up my house and let the breeze come in.  Plus I love watching the cats look out the back door and windows when they see the birds.  Their tails are just a twitching.  Yeah - spring is here!!!