Bead Soup Blog Party Time is Coming!

It is time once again for the Bead Soup Blog Party!  Our hostess Lori Anderson makes a list of everyone who wants to  participate and pairs us up with someone else.  You send beads from your stash to them and they send beads from their stash to you.  It is so much fun to see what everyone makes and a challenge to make something from beads you might not buy or use yourself.  Definitely gets you out of the box!   It is also a great way to meet new people!  Hope to see you sign up for it!

Micro Macrame

Ok so I confess that I can spend hours playing Bejeweled Blitz and Mahjong on Facebook.  I decided that I needed to find something else to do in the evenings when I am too tired to do anything but watch TV. So I thought I would try a macrame project.  I can sit in my chair with my puppies next to me and work with something little.  Micro macrame sounded like it might be a project to start with.
Under over... over under....  under over...ok so I was kind of a hippie back in the day and it all came back to me when I started on my micro macrame project.  In the 70's we were very cool and thought macrame jewelry was "far out".  Sounds funny now!  Things in life do cycle around. So here I am doing macrame again 30 years later.
 I worked with number 3 thread which is pretty thin but it came together.  I used a pattern purchased from http://www.free-macrame-patterns.com/    I also used what I had on hand and didn't plan too much in advance for this.  It took me a couple of hours but I was able to work on it while watching TV in the evenings. So all in all I am happy with the project.

I will plan ahead and make this bracelet again.  I will make some flat polymer beads and color coordinate a little more.  I enjoyed doing macrame way back when and still found it fun to do!

Bo Jangles

I am enamored of making fuzzy, dangly neckpieces.  It seems I add more and more dangles to each one that I make.  I have done well at a local art gallery with these pieces.  The The Rehoboth Art League is situated on a beautiful campus in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  If you are ever in the area and enjoy art galleries it is definitely worth visiting.

The latest piece that I have finished is in greens and blues.  Fun to make and fun to wear!

The turquoise drops are made from translucent polymer mixed with alcohol inks.  Messy to do but the colors have a different look that I like... very watery.  So this one I called Bo Jangles... reminds me of the beach and if the beads made noise it would definitely jangle!

Fun with "Man Tools"!

Not really man tools but Harbor Freight is definitely one of my hubby's favorite stores.  He walks up and down every aisle very slowly... just like I do at the craft stores... you never know what you might find that you might be able to use - especially when making polymer beads.

I found this carving set at Harbor Freight.  It was inexpensive and I thought the tools would be fun to use on polymer beads for texture. 

Some of the points are a little sharp so be careful if you purchase a set of these.  I had fun making these beads with the carving tools.

  I also got some brass and aluminum tubing in round and square at the "man store" hobby shop....you know where they sell boats, planes, trains and helicopter parts... 

They make great little squares, circles and petals in the clay.  I do the texturing before they are baked then dust them with some mica powders... I named this set "ninja"... the big bead looks like a ninja face to me!  If I have to shop with my hubby I make the most of it... and try to think out of the box!  An interesting find is that these tools cost less than those made specifically for polymer clay design work.  That is always good!

The Library Donation

I haven't blogged for awhile. I have been busy with life and frustrated with trying to leave comments on other blogs. I can if I sign in and don't check the "Stay signed in" box. Hope they get it fixed soon. I have been reading your blogs though and so enjoy seeing what everyone is up to. Lots of great creating going on out there.
I have been busy with some projects. I was asked to donate some art work to a fund raiser for our local library. I ended up on the Sustainability Committee because I was hoping to get the library involved in an art show. My dream is to bring other artists into our area and promote the arts in Seaford, DE. My vision is to have a show that has decent prizes and several categories. Paintings, photography, fiber art, jewelry... It would be a huge project and would take involvement by the whole community. I am about to give up because I am not finding anyone else passionate enough about it to help me push it to reality!

In the mean time I am committed to help our library raise money.   The Seaford Library and Cultural Center  is beautiful and enjoyed by many people in the community.  We are having a fund raising dinner tonight with a local author for our speaker.  It should be a fun event. 

They asked me for a painting.  I have not painted much for awhile and really don't have any inventory that I want to part with so I made some jewelry.  It is colorful and will be fun for summer.

I am going to spend some time with my Friday Bead Friends today.  Girl talk, lunch and some beading!  Can't beat that for a fun day... then off to the Library tonight.  I hope someone looooves this set of wearable art!  I had fun making it!



USNA Commissioning Week

We spent last week in Annapolis, Maryland at the USNA Commissioning celebration.  We are priviledged to be the parents of a 2011 USNA graduate.  We are priviledged as a nation to have an amazing group of young men and women wanting to serve our country. All of our service academies are awesome!   Secretary of Defense Robert Gates gave a wonderful and encouraging speech to those graduating and to those of us there for the graduates.  What a patriotic week to end with Memorial Day weekend.

From cook outs to award ceremonies....

To the Graduation Ball!

It does take a village to raise a child.  When I think back on the friends, teachers, coaches and family members that helped to raise our children I am so thankful for the loving support of each one of them.  We don't raise our kids alone.

Taylor with his JROTC Instructor from high school!

We are the proud parents!

.... but he gives his girl his hat and his heart!

This is a special Memorial Day for me for sure.  I am proud to be an American and proud to be from a family who has served and will continue to serve this great country. Thank you to all of our service men and women and their families!  Happy Memorial Day!

Lavendar

Ok so it is spring!  I have also been working in lavendar... another spring color that I am seeing outside.

It was windy when I took this picture so I couldn't get it opened up!  Although this looks more blue to me than lavendar it matches the polymer beads that I made...

Lovin' spring for sure!