Countin' Down

It's summer. The kiddo's are out of school (or almost out) and you're daily routine has been changed up a bit. 

 

Still busy, just different, right? Yep,...me, too!

 

I'm trying to get all sorts of stuff done, but I keep turning in circles because I'm not sure which 'stuff' to do first. Then, I just loose momentum. Not to mention focus and inspiration.

 

And, from what I'm reading on many other blogs,...it's happening to a lot of other folks, too!

 

I've been meaning to get pics of some designs I have had sitting over on my table for a few weeks (possibly months) and there's a bunch of components I've been meaning to actually create jewelry with. And then of course there's the tutorials and videos that are half-done, half-started or let's just call them 'still in the works' shall we?

 

I snapped a couple of pics this weekend of things I've been 'sitting on' for months. 

 

 

Vintaj blanks I altered - such cute birdies!

More Vintaj Blanks - so much fun to play with!!

 

 

 

And then there's these yummy goodies from

Happy Mango Beads!!

 

 

 

 

 

Do you ever just sit on stuff for what seems like forever before you turn them into something?  Maybe it's just me.

 

Anyway,...I did finish up a couple of fun little bracelets and was able to snap a pic of a necklace I created a while back.

 

 

Faceted Czech Glass Bead Macrame Bracelet
Beads: Beads Galore, Tempe, AZ
Cord: Waxed linen cord in 'Vino' from
The Knotty Do It All.
 

 

 

"Rugged" - Turquoise, Pearls and Jasper Knotted Bracelet

C-Lon Beading Cord: Online at Beadshop.com
Freshwater Cultured Pearls: Ayala's Originals - Evanston, Illinois
Turquoise:  Turquoise Jewelry MFG INC - G&LW Show - Tucson
Snakeskin Jasper: Might be Dakota Stones, but I spaced out writing it down
after purchasing it at the Tucson Gem/Bead Shows in Feb!  (Duh!)

 

 

They're all quite simple in design - showcasing the beads/stones.

 

Hand Knotted Mixed Pearl Necklace
Freshwater cultured pearls: Ayala's Originals and Majestic Pearl, Co.
C-Lon Micro Cord: online at Beashop.com
 

 

I'm heading up to my sister's cabin this weekend for a little 'girlfriends retreat'. I'm excited because it's going to be much cooler up in the mountains and I love hanging out with my sister and my girlfriends.

 

We've got some yummy meals planned as we take turns cooking something special each night for dinner. There's going to be a bit of jewelry 'teaching' going on (yeah!!), some art classes as my sister teaches us about abstract art (I think this is gonna be really fun!) and then she's even going to do a Zumba class or two on the front porch a couple mornings. How fun is that?!

 

Paradise in the White Mountains of Arizona

 

We'll be able to go hiking and enjoy the wonderful mountain air and we'll be watching great movies in our jammies, reading, lounging around, listening to awesome music, sippin' some cocktails and napping! 

 

Oh,...I am sooo ready for a wonderful weekend!

 

My creative juices seem to be all over the map lately, hence the 'stuck in my own tracks' syndrome, so I think it will be good to get away and soak up some 'nature'.

 

Happy Hour on the Deck of the Tree House - that's gonna be grand!

 

 

According to the Farmer's Almanac, Mercury isn't in Retrograde until June 26th, so I've got some time to get my act together before I'll need to to 'reflect' and 'go with the flow'.  :-)

 

Do you ever feel like you're turning in circles or you're stuck on what to do next?

 

What do you do to get past that little 'bump in the road'?

 

Until Next Time,

 

Peace, Love and Limbo!

 

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

 

Soup's On! (Bead Soup, that is!)

If you're looking for Week 17 of the
Focus on Life: 52 Photos Challenge - Click HERE!

 

And now,...It's time for the 3rd Reveal in

Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party!

 

 

 

First, a super hearty thank you to our hostess, Lori Anderson who puts together the best "Soup Parties" on the planet!  Lori's knack for bringing people together from all over the world is just phenomenal and with this, the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party, there are 541 participants in 28 countries on 4 continents having fun creating fabulous designs of all kinds with heaps of 'beads soups' that were traded out between partners. With three 'Reveals' over the last few weeks in order to accommodate everyone who wanted to play along, my hat's off to Lori (and her hubby!) for all the hard work and coordinating efforts this huge bead party takes to make it such a success!!

And so now, with out further ado,...

Lori paired me with the uber-talented 

(and super sweet!) Francesca Watson.

 

My Bead Soup Partner, Francesca Watson

 

 

Francesca and I shared our 'Bead Soups' we sent each other in our posts, here and here.  

 

I'll say it again - she's super sweet - and the Bead Soup Francesca sent me was just over the top, filled to the brim of my bowl with yummy bead-goodness! 

 

 

Bead Soup I received from Francesca!

 

 

Remember?!!

 

 

 

Bead Soup is meant to get you to step out of your comfort zone and try new things.  Try as I might to step out of my comfort zone, my lack of skills kept me from accomplishing the things that were inside of my head (which looked really cool in my brain, by the way!) and so my pieces were assembled, taken apart, re-assembled,....  

However, I was having lots of fun playing around with all the beads Francesca had sent and was truly enjoying all their wonderful colors and shapes.

 

 

Click Photos To Enlarge ;-)

 

The first necklace I finished has the beautiful stone pendant that Francesca sent along with several of the gemstone beads she sent as well. I love the colors and texture and how this necklace feels when it's on (it feels fabulous!!).

I really wanted to somehow make a brass backing/bezel for it in order to highlight it a bit more, but I need to get some thinner gauge metal sheet to do this.  The sheet I have is so thick I can't cut it w/anything but a jewelry saw and (luckily) I'm out of saw blades (because my sawing skills are horrible. That's a compliment, trust me!).   My hubby says this one has my sister written all over it - color and texture wise - and I think he's right!
 

 

 

Here's the earrings I created to go with the necklace.
 

 

 

 

I REALLY like these!

 

Next, I took the amazing copper enameled (2nd) focal pendant that Francesca sent me and played around with it. I actually thought that most of the beads she sent would look fabulous all knotted in waxed linen in a multi-strand necklace with this focal. They did look fabulous all knotted, but again, the design just wasn't doing it for me, so that's another one of the designs that got scrapped.

 

Click Photos to Enlarge! :-)

 

I ended up creating these tube-shaped paper beads from a magazine add that had a picture of the Grand Canyon it - the colors match perfectly and really (my opinion here) let the focal pendant take center stage. I also used the third focal that Francesca sent me - the carved, dyed horn bead - as one of the beads in the necklace - I just LOVE this bead!  It was hard not to make that bead the focal of a hand-knotted/beaded type of wrap bracelet, let me tell you, but I was trying to steer away from my 'usual' here,....at least a tiny bit anyway!
 

 

 

I'm so in love with this necklace!
These colors,...totally my colors!!
I could wear this every day of the week!!

And then this bracelet is where I used the super fabulous clasp that Francesca made herself and sent me.  These aren't colors I usually work with or wear, but I'm finding them fun and they were much easier to work with than I thought they would be. (Green really does go w/everything!)  

 

 

 

 

I decided after all the 're-dos' I had w/the necklaces, that I deserved a nice, simple (design-wise) new bracelet all my own! I strung the bracelet on waxed linen and it feels so good on. I'm wearing this one right now, along with the earrings, too. (well, as I write this post I have it on!)

 

 

I've got a ton (yes a TON) of beads left over from the wonderful bead soup that Francesca sent me and I've got a couple of bracelets and earrings in the works using them, but nothing to show off as of yet.

I want to thank Francesca for sending such a lovely soup recipe to me and for allowing me to step out of my box a bit and try some shapes and colors of beads that I don't normally try and also for the wonderful focal pendants and clasp she sent me - I couldn't have asked for components that were more beautiful or fun!

Please stop by Francesca's Blog and see what she has cooked up with the beads I sent her - I know it will be wonderful - her designs always are!

Click HERE to go to
Lori Anderson's Blog, Pretty Things,

and see the 3rd Reveal Participants with their links so you can hop around the 'world' (literally) and drool over all the amazing soups that everyone else has simmering!

Have fun!

Thanks again to Lori Anderson for another successful and super fun Bead Soup Blog Party!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Bead Soup Fun!

Cheers,
~Shel~