Ophelia's Flowers - June Art Bead Scene Challenge Piece

Ophelia by Odilon Redon

June's Art Bead Scene challenge piece is Ophelia by Odilon Redon. 

Ophelia's Flowers

Mom and I found this piece very challenging for us, or I should say mom did.  Mom really did not find the painting appealing and was not enthused about working with the challenge piece this month.  I had an idea of sawing out the face of Ophelia and then enameling the piece in the colors of the painting and maybe adding some millifiori at the end to add some of the images of the flowers to the piece.  As you can see with the above image that did not happen.  So, instead we "Improvised, Adapted and Overcame".

Mom and I love BeeTree by m.e. polymer clay beads and mom has a nice stash from her Etsy shop.  So, Mom combined the Lemonade Skies Rose bead set, some of the lampwork glass beads I made (green base with "Fiesta" frit on top), and accented with yellow freshwater pearls and Czech beads to create our piece.

I thought the beads captured the colors found in the painting by Redon.  I really love how the floral beads and the frit beads capture the yellows and greens found in the painting.  We even find some of the blues and pinks for the painting in the "Fiesta" frit beads.

We hope you enjoyed a tour of our June Art Bead Scene Challenge piece.  If you would like to see what other artists created please head on over to the Art Bead Scene Flickr site.  Enjoy!!!

So Excited

Stringing Summer 2011

Mom and I are so excited, we have been published in our first magazine.  Last year we submitted a pair of earrings and a enameled copper bracelet for the summer 2011 magazine.  The earrings were chosen for summer and I was jumping for joy when we received the email.  Yes, I am a goofball and I enjoy it!!!

Here are the earrings that were picked.  I plan on scanning in the page tonight to show you unless you have gone out and got your own Stringing Magazine.  We are on page 55, number 15.

 Sorry for the poor quality of the photo but I only had one picture on Facebook and so I am using that.  The earrings are made from copper circles that mom sawed out and then I enameled.  The colors I used were red/sunset orange/marigold yellow.  The lampwork beads are made by me and mom and then mom assembled the earrings.

I have a smile on my face :)  Enjoy your day because I am sure going to!!!!

Pretties

Here are the pretties mom has been creating:

These are the earrings and the bracelet:

Scrapbooking design customized with Smilebox

These are the necklaces and a few more earrings:

This scrapbook design generated with Smilebox

I hope you enjoyed the slideshow. I will work on posting the actually images to our Flickr and Facebook accounts this week. Mom and I are exhausted and I am going to go home and veg on the couch. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

I Heart Macro Sunday Morning

Good morning all and a happy I Heart Macro Sunday.  As you can see I am working on my Venti Carmel  Mocciato as I load pictures for today's I Heart Macro and work on pictures of earrings I took last week.  I need something to get me through 225 pictures I took of 28 pairs of earrings, a bracelet and 2 key chains.  Yes, I am a little neurotic when it comes to taking pictures of the inventory.  I want the perfect shot and you will see those pictures later because I still have necklaces and more earrings to take pictures of.

Okay, on with the show.  These are photos I took the other day when two of my friends and I walked over to the hort park not to far from my office.  It was a pretty windy day so I am pretty impressed that any of these flower pictures turned out.  Enjoy!!!!



This image reminds me of a Georgia O'Keefe painting

That is it for today.  I am off to finish off the last of the oxygen so mom can order more.  I think mom is still working on assemblying necklaces and once the oxygen is gone I plan on taking more pictures of the new inventory.

If you would like to participate in I Heart Macro head on over to Waterstone Studio and join along.  Or you can see all the other macro shots from other great photographers there too.

Day Late and a Dollar Short

Yesterday was BTW (Bead Table Wednesday) and we are a day late to participate.  Last night I was working out until after 6:00pm and then mom and I were talking about our day at work until around 7:30 and then I headed home.  So, like I said in the title "Day Late and a Dollar Short".

I thought I would share what we have been doing over the weekend.  Mom set up tables in the garage to lay out all our beads and the projects we are working on.  Mom was a busy little bee this past weekend: 28 pairs of earrings made, five necklaces, one bracelet and two key chains made.  There are three or four more necklaces waiting for me to finish them off.  I also have beads I made this weekend and more beads in the kiln waiting to be taken out and cleaned.  So, a very productive weekend.

So, on with the tour:

The working table

Mom Working Away

Some of our glass bead stash - you can see some of Juls beads

More Earrings to be made

"Here a Daisy" - pendant from BeeTree by m.e. 

Red Flowers by BeeTree by m.e. and beads by us

Yellow flowers from BeeTree by m.e. and our beads & VK

Gecko on a Bottle by BeeTree by m.e. & VK by us

"Emerald Isle" is done and I need to add the clasp

So, that is the tour of what we did this weekend.  Mom is leaving the tables up until Sunday and then we tear down and start working where ever we can find a spot.  I hope you have a wonderful week and I highly recommend heading over to the BTW Flickr site and see all the other great artists and what they have been up to.

Tribute on Memorial Day

"Vietnam Reflections" by Lee Teter

They are dead; but they live in each Patriot's breast,

And their names are engraven on honor's bright crest.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


Upper left corner - Grandpa Ralph, served in the Marine Corps in the South Pacific
In the middle - Grandpa Lee served in the Army in the European Theater
Upper right corner - Uncle Gerald, served in the Marine Corps and died on Iwo Jima
Bottom left corner - my dad, Ralph, served in the Army during Vietnam and retired in 2001
In the middle and the lower right corner - Me, served in the Army from 1991 to 2001

To all who have served or who are still serving, "THANK YOU!"  There are no words to express our (mom and my) gratitude for your service to our country.

I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did. ~Benjamin Harrison

I Heart Macro Sunday

First off, I am in love...


Bing Image

I am in love with frit!!!!!  What, you thought I was talking about something else :)

This is the "Tub o' Frit" I am playing with.  Sandi, of Sandi Carrico Jewelry Artist, was liquidating her glass inventory and she was kind of enough to ask us if we would like to purchase some frit from her.  Are you kidding me, "YES, YES, YES!!!!".


Bing image


I was like a little kid asking their mom for something from the store.  "I WANT ME SOME FRIT, I GOTS TO HAVE ME SOME FRITS - I WANT, WANT, WANT!"  I was all for throwing myself on the ground and whining and crying for the frit.  I didn't have to stoop to such drastic measures, mom said yes we could buy the frit.  I think she felt a temper tantrum coming on if I didn't get the frit, my mom is the bomb!!!!  Love you mom :)

I am in so much love with this frit right here - Apricot Sorbet.  Oh boy!!!  The color just looks tan, but you put the frit on the glass and oh my goodness!  IT IS THE BOMB!!!  I must find me some more of this wonderful and glorious color!!!!

This is called "Monet" and it is a subtle color.  I am still working on finding a color glass where the frit shines.  I do like how it sort of makes a spiderweb design on lite transparent purple.  I want to see what it looks like when I etch the beads.

This is called "California Poppies" and it is a wonderful orange.  I have only used it on two beads but I want to play so much more!  Oh Sandi, all of the frits are wonderful and I am having a blast playing with them!!!!

This is a shot of some of the glass I used to make the beads found below.  Oh, all the brown spots you see on the table are from glass popping and landing on the table.  Which is much better than landing on me or mom - hot glass on tender parts of your body is sure not fun.  You lampworkers know what I mean :)

These are some of the beads made with the "Apricot Sorbet".  I will get these cleaned up and pictures taken so you can see them better.  I am so excited about these beads.  Love, love, love.  Sorry, can't stop gushing and I am usually not a gushing person, just ask mom :)

More beads that I worked on.

Mom went on an earring making spree.  I think she completed nine sets of earrings and two keychains.  Now that the sun is out today I hope to get photos taken of these bad boys.

Another image of the earrings from the side.

Here is a full length image of all the earrings that I need to take photos of.  I think mom did a great job on all of those earrings.  I think she might be working on more now.

So, that is my Heart Macro for Sunday.  If you would like to play along head on over to Studio Waterstone and join in the fun.  Or, if you don't have a camera take a minute to look at all of those who are participating.  Have a wonderful Sunday!