Wind Turbines and Bells

This past Saturday mom and I headed up to Michigan City to the Lighthouse Outlet mall. We really weren't shopping for anything specific (okay, I was looking for a Coach bag, which they ended up not having). We had fun just walking around because it was gorgeous out!

On the way back I decided to take the back road of 231 home, this was around Wolcott, Indiana. There are a lot of wind turbines out in that area.

Okay - for some reason this one is inserting sideways -
 so sorry about that!

I thought the wind turbines would make a good picture so I asked mom to get my phone out and start taking pictures. It was fun watching mom try and take pictures because she wasn't sure how to use my phone.

Overall I think she did a fantastic job. Way to go mom!

I thought I would share an updated picture of Bells. She is growing so fast but she is still a mush at night. This is how she sleeps on me (a lot).

And another pic of her - the flash woke her up - so she had to switch around and then play a little before she flopped back down.

So - that was a brief update of what we did this weekend. I hope you had a great weekend before the rush, rush, rush of the holidays!

Things We Have Worked on the Last Few Months

Gray beads used in the Superstition Blog Hop

Yes - I have been slacking on posting what mom and I have been creating. Like I said in a previous post I just have not been blogging like I should. It just seems so much easier to post things to Instagram than to get out here and write.

Beads made for fun - a project that we didn't
end up completing.

I have missed writing and mom says she misses seeing what I write about. So, trying to get better at posting again. It is like muscles that haven't been used in a long time - they are sore and don't want to work right. Or, like riding a bike - fall over - get back up and start again.

Sugar beads I made for the Sugar Skull pendant

The sugar beads posted here are beads I love to make - they look like candy. Plus I love the texture of the beads.

Koi plate

Mom was able to saw out three new plates in September. I love, love, love how they turned out. Mom does have some mad sawing skills!!!

Sugar Skull butterfly

 

Sugar Skull Owl

I am so in love with these two Sugar Skull pieces. Mom and I found a coloring book that had different types of Sugar Skulls - she took the patterns and then tweaked them for us to create enameled copper plates. Mom really, really, really does have some awesome skills. I think I will  keep her!!!!

I think we were on a Sugar Skull making kick. I really wanted to make another Sugar Skull pendant - hadn't made one in several years. I wanted to make bright and fun colors and I think we did it with this piece. Here you can see the sugar beads with the Sugar Skull. Mom and I went to our favorite bead store and found the accent beads we used in the piece - they were colored wood beads. I really love how this piece turned out!

These were made into earrings and I plan
on posting to the Etsy shop this week

Kokopelli pendant sold at a show

Celtic Cross - on Etsy

Kokopelli pendant - mom and I have
a plan for this piece.

Shell pendant on Etsy

Now that it is winter mom and I are moving the sawing stuff into the computer room. There are a few ideas for pieces I have kicking around in my head - so will share once they are completed. So, who knows what else I will come up with to blog about - that is what is exciting about this - never know what is going to be talked about :)

Last Show of the Year and Update to Etsy

Two weekends ago mom and I had our last show of the year. And boy was I glad that this one was inside.

On the drive to the location it started to spit snow. I thought it was only going to spit a little bit of snow...OH NO...we actually got a lot of snow. I don't remember the last time we had snow this early. All I have to say is thank goodness we had students to help us unload before the show and helped us load up after the show. This kids are awesome to be there that early in the morning to help - I don't think they realize how much that can mean to the artists who have to haul all of their stuff to setup locations. There was one time where I had to haul all of our stuff almost two blocks by hand - not a good start to show!

2015 Harrison Show - Evie and Beth Pic

Here is our standard picture together from each show. What is funny is that this picture is almost exactly the same from last year.

2015 Harrison Show - Evie and Beth Pic

It looks like we swapped clothes this year from last year. Though still blonde and gray haired ladies :)

I did actually let mom take a full body pic of me - plus I wanted to show off the boots :) Love the boots - but they sure aren't water proof. The parking lot was soup city from all the snow and there were puddles everywhere.

You can sort of see the snow coming down - this was taken right after we setup for the show and we had some extra time before the doors opened. I was walking around and decided to take a pic of the yucky white stuff coming down.

This was taken closer to the end of the show. Yes, it does look pretty and I do like to take pictures of winter landscapes - but that still doesn't mean I like the white stuff!

But - of course the snow didn't last more than a few days. We were back in the 50's and then it was 40's and 50's with rain. Not sure when the next snow fall will be - though I do like to see the white stuff on Christmas, and only on Christmas.

I plan on posting some more this week of things that mom and I have made - that I have not shared - have not been in the blogging mood. Though I think I am over that now.

Inventory laid out to take pictures of and list on Etsy

Yesterday I spent some time taking pictures of inventory. Mom and I also need to sit down and choose more images to have made into metal prints - we actually are pretty low. We also need to get the sawing moved from the garage into the computer room so we can start working during the cold months - need to get stocked back up.

I did get the metal prints posted to Etsy. I will work on the pendants the rest of the week.

While I was taking pictures of the inventory mom was working on scanning in letters from my Great-Uncle Gerald to my great-grandparents from WWII. There were his letters, letters from a fellow soldier and a letter from his commander. The letter from his commander was telling my grandparents about how he was killed on Iwo Jima and where he was buried. The letter from his friend was telling my grandparents about what happened and that Gerald didn't suffer.

Mom and I wanted to scan the documents onto the computer - we have it backed up - so if anything happened to the actual letters we have them saved digitally. I think mom also wants to create a book of the letters and give the book to my Uncle Al (Gerald's brother).

Loss of a Fur Baby and New Fur Baby Added

On July 5th I loss my mushmellow Mishka. We have no idea why he passed away but he did. I was heartbroken for days. I would come home and the tears would just flow down and I would just expect him to come walking up to me. I love all my cats, but he was my special one, he was the one who chose me.

When I was at the pound - he stuck his paw out and stroked my face - I was a goner. He was with me for 12 years and I enjoyed every minute I had with him.

I will miss you wiggle butt!

On October 26th I got Bells - it was a Monday. I remember this because I first saw Bells at the store on Saturday - I played with her and made myself walk away. On Sunday mom and I went back to the store and I saw her again and played with her some more and again I convinced myself to walk away. Mom said when we got home she thought I would break down and cry because I left her behind. On Monday I told mom I was going back to the store and if Bells was still there I was getting her. And yes, I had already named her and considered her mine. I am so thankful she was still there because her sister had just been taken to her furever home just the hour before.

Currently I have the cats separated at night. For the first two weeks I had them separated completely unless I was home to supervise. Then I bit the bullet and started letting her roam free. When I open that door in the morning - it is a free for all - of course it treats time first. Bells is one little vacuum for treats. If the older cats don't wolf down their treats in time they are all hers.

Bells is trying so hard to try and get the older cats to play with her. They are all still having hissy fits at her - though she is pouncing on them and saying please play with me. They don't seem to hiss too much when I get the feather out and have Rev and Tiesha play (Koshka could care less).

Bells has seriously wormed her way into my heart already.

This is us last night working on the computer. She had to supervise and make sure I was doing it correctly. There are times that she left to terrorize the other cats, but she would come back every so often to make sure I was working away.

So, that is one update. I will try and post more this week of what mom and I have been up to since forever ago.

Superstition Blog Hop Reveal

I am so excited that today is the reveal for the Superstition Blog Hop hosted by Tammy from Paisley Lizard.

Mom and I were lucky enough to win one of her black cat polymer clay pendants - and boy Tammy didn't disappoint with this beauties.

Mom and I are cat lovers - so this pendant was perfect for us. Plus we both don't agree that black cats are unlucky - no cat is unlucky especially if they are yours!!!!

So - here is what mom and I created with the bead that Tammy sent.

I wanted to focus on the pendant and I wanted the necklace to be asymmetrical - which it is really hard for me and mom to create. I love these colors and I think it is going to be very hard for us to sell. I am sorry - the pictures just don't do this piece justice!

Another look at the necklace.

The lampwork beads are beads that I made. I wanted to keep to the color of Tammy's pendant - so all I used was a gray base with white feathering. For accent beads mom and I used fresh water pearls and gun metal spacers.

So - that is it for the first piece. If you would like to learn more about black cat superstition click here.

The second piece mom and I created is an homage to the letter 13 and a black cat again. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the number 13 (of course I was born on that date). I even love it more when the 13th falls on a Friday - which today is perfect. Here is a link to learn more about the superstition on the number 13.

For this necklace I created 13 lampwork glass beads and a black cat pendant.

I call these beads Kuiper Belt beads because they remind me of an asteroid field. For spacer beads we have used gunmetal spacers.

For my 13th bead I still used the Kuiper Belt bead but this time I swirled the glass around to get the feathered affect. Then mom and I added the black cat bead to the necklace.

The black cat pendant is a piece that I cast while I was in college. I used silver shot to create the pendant and then I used liver of sulfur to get the silver to be black.

Another shot of the 13/black cat necklace. Now this one I think I am going to keep for awhile before I decide to sell it. Mom said I thought we weren't keeping any of the pieces we make - I said I am making an exception for this piece :)

Thank you so much Tammy for allowing mom and I to participate in this blog hop. It was so much fun!

Now here is the list of blog hop participants:

Tammy Adams (Hostess)	http://www.paisleylizard.com/blog/
Renee Hong	http://www.fineanddandyjewelry.blogspot.com
Betony Maiden	http://beadwenches.blogspot.com/
Coral Law	http://abcoraldesign.blogspot.com/
Lee Koopman	http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Jeanette Belmont	http://www.onecanvasatatime.com
Shai Williams	http://www.ShaihasRamblings.com
Beth McCord	http://ebbeadandmetalworks.blogspot.com/
Robin Lynne Showstack	http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/
Lori Blanchard	https://alainnjewelry.wordpress.com/
Deb Fortin	http://www.mhotistudio.blogspot.ca
Michelle McCarthy	http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Maria Rosa Sharrow	http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com
Kim Dworak	http://cianciblue.blogspot.com/
Divya N	http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com
Karin Grosset Grange	http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.fr
Mowse Doyle	http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com/
Rebecca White	http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/#sec-blog
Shawneen Fagnani	http://blondespotpinkshoe.blogspot.com/
Catherine King	http://Catherines-musings.blogspot.com
Brook Bock	http://artisticendeavor101.blogspot.com/
Kari Asbury	http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog
Carolyn Lawson	http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
Linda Anderson	http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Ann Schroeder	http://www.beadlove.wordpress.com
Melissa Trudinger	https://beadrecipes.wordpress.com/
Kathy Lindemer	http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/

Other Things We Have Been Up To Lately

I actually drew out an idea

I thought I would share some things mom and I have been up to the last few weeks. The above picture is something I actually sketched up one night. I had an idea as I was trying to go to sleep - so got up - looked for the sketch book and drew out my idea. The bead is from Jane Perala (love, love, love her beads). I have had the bead for several years and I am just now coming up with the idea.

I wanted to make a frame for the bead - so I etched a piece of copper. The frame I sketched is a little small - so going to scan my sketch and make it slightly bigger. Then glue the sketch on the copper and saw it out. I am going to ask mom to wire wrap the bead to the copper. I now need to make accent beads to go with the piece. I can't wait to see how it comes out.

This is what mom has been up to - sawing out a koi plate.

This is a picture mom took while she was sawing out the koi - gives you an idea of the size of the saw blade.

Yesterday mom was working on filing and sanding the koi and ended up stabbing herself with one of the files. I think that is something each of us does on piece - either saw a finger or stab with a file. The piece is now ready to be enameled.

Last weekend was an enameling session - I need to get the pendant enameled for the ABS Challenge piece.
I also enameled some double-sided pendants, lizards for earrings and circles for earrings.

Circles for earrings and one for a bracelet

Will be made into earrings

Here are the double-sided pendants:

I wanted to create a nature image - I am also keeping this one
for myself :)

Red and Black Double Sided Pendant

Black and White double sided pendant

Yellow and Purple Curly Qs

Butterfly and Flower Double Sided pendant

You can find the pendants on Etsy.

This is mom working on putting the pendants on leather cord.

Two weeks ago I signed mom and I up to participate in Tammy's Superstition Blog Hop. We were also one of 13 who won her polymer clay cat bead. Isn't it too cute!!! I have an idea what I want to do with this bead plus another idea for another piece for the blog hop. I am so excited to participate!!!

And I have been working on adding listings to our Etsy shop. Oh so much fun - re-sizing images, measuring pieces and then uploading it all to Etsy. Fun times I am telling you.

So - that is a little bit of what mom and I have been up. Oh - and I did get the August ABS Challenge piece posted and you can see it here.