Year 2 week 4 One little word

Chaos

A couple of definitions of the word I finally settled on..

A condition or place of great disorder or confusion. 2. A disorderly mass; a jumble: The desk was a chaos of papers and unopened letters.

complete disorder and confusion.

"snow caused chaos in the region"

(we actually got very little snow from the last storm.. I didn't even bother shoveling the wind did a really good job of sweeping our driveway!)

 my word went from

 goat  he was suppose to be black.. I spent part of this week trying to come up with 'cute' goat beads for a gallery in NL

 To selfie... Was trying to take a picture of my husband and I to send my father for his 90th birthday.. I'm actually smiling (and no we aren't the same height he's sitting I'm standing... I was the one running back and forth pushing the shutter... final version was cropped but I left the cupboards and tiles ... the kitchen is still gaining

To cat  ... since they are such a big part of our day... Ellie-Mae does not approve of her Christmas gift

Then I looked around the house and decided the only appropriate word for me is Chaos!  No pictures other than the counters in selfie!

To check out other peoples words click on the links below!

Year2 ~ Week Three: A Black & white Self Portrait

All the near misses....  

A couple of people last year took pictures in the mirror....
thought it was a great idea

Now we've got this project out of the way for the year....

You can see how other people 'avoided' doing this challenge by clicking on the following links!

Ornament swap and hop...

If your looking for 'week 50'  ~Pops of Red..scroll down!

Another blog hop facilitated by Sally Russick... What would you have seen on this blog without her prompting this year?  VERY LITTLE!

My partner in the Swap was Paula Kramer (Cave Creek Beads) from Arizona... would love to be in Arizona today as it's offically COLD here!

Paula sent me two beaded ornaments  I should have photographed them separately ... a sparkly white beaded icicle  doesn't show up on a white background and a dark blue star doesn't show up on an open wire tree!

Ornaments hanging on the side of my photocube...

Ornaments straddling a beaded ball that my mother bought in India years ago.... (the icicle is trying to spin... so wouldn't focus!)

Almost in focus together on the tree.. Aren't the pretty?

The ornament I sent her.

My computer decided to be helpful and changed what I originally wrote which was 'Two lovely beaded ornaments" to "Two Love Beads"... sorry computer I did notice your attempt to hijack my post!

Too see all the other handmade ornaments follow the links below!

Sally Russick and Beth and Evie McCord

Erin Prais-Hintz and Melissa Trudinger

Karen Williams and Shirley Moore

Lori Finney and Alicia Marinache

D Lynne Bowland and Paula Kramer

Kim Bender Hora and Jenny Davies Reazor

Becky Pancake and Lori Anderson

Veralynne Malone and Therese Frank

Tanya Goodwin and Sandi Volpe

Jeanette Ryan and Rochelle Brisson

Patti Vanderbloemen and Susan Kennedy

Creating with Cabachons

Another blog hop thought up and brought to you  by Ms Sally Russick of the Studio Sublime.  I like having to get my mind around these challenges but... I never sell the jewellery that I make...  It's hanging off the edges of my photo cube and I have run out of room...

No more challenges... when I submit my name just email me back and say I can't participate...  I need some sort of no more jewellery challenge therapy group!

What did I do this time...  Well I didn't follow Sally's cabbing instructions.. that would have been too easy... I got my first cab from Paula Kramer, she was gifting some polymer clay pieces that she bought... This cab came in two sizes I of course had to use the big one... Oh and did I forget to say that those are size 15 seed beads!

I make lots of little pyramid beaded beads and decided that I would just enlarge one side of the pyramid to make the back for the cab....  well even though it looks triangular it really wasn't....  I persisted started over a number of times... will I ever wear this NO!

My second piece I actually like... it will be worn!

This bead got chosen because it had a tiny crack...  BOO I call these beads fresh from the weir... they are suppose to represent sardines in a can, I flat lapped the back of the bead  the claws are soldered into holes that I punched into the back plate.  I actually added some chemical bonding (glue) to the top and bottom of the cab... mainly to hide what was still visible of the mandrel hole but also to secure it to the base

The chain is all handmade components.

To see what other people made click on the following links!

Week 36... In Two

Focus on life.. in two.. pairs.. couples... duos... twins...

Earrings are what come to mind as a  sometimes jeweller.....

Make a million beads...  sort into pairs 
1000000 beads = 7 pairs
And 4 enameled light-house beads... 
note the port and starboard designations

OK so none of the million beads ended up in this collage....

And yes knitting needles usually come in pairs too unless I'm knitting in the car where I don't have backups and loose one!

Click on the links below to see how other people paired up things this week!

week 28 -Pattern

Focus on life -  Week 28- "Pretty" Patterns

Pattern....  The first thing that comes to my mind when you mention that word is sewing pattern... I haven't sewn anything from a pattern for years... but  I still have some...  The ones I used as a background  for my chainmaille were my mothers ... You can tell by the prices on them how old they are, and they probably aren't particularly pretty.. but the product could be!  The retro one is actually  mine, I've never made it as it takes miles of material!

The necklace covering the top two patterns was bought in Eastern Europe in the 70's, it was a gift from my mother... I was in total awe about how it was made... I took a chainmaille class in 2003 at Series in Red Deer and learned how to do the Byzantine Pattern/weave and discovered that it isn't actually as mind boggling as it looks.

I like Byzantine also know as Idiot's Delight because each unit is a stand alone piece that doesn't flop you can add big links into the middle ... the end... put links between a unit... it's entirely versatile

The bracelets were all made by me and show what a difference gage makes in the final product.  ( I made the glass rings in the middle bracelet)  The necklace with the Carnelian was made for the first bead soup ... It has triangular byzantine elements...

To see how other people interpreted 'pretty pattern'

Week 18 Abstract Photography

Focus on Life week 18....  Sally suggested that we google abstract photography.. this was my "first hit"...  I'm seeing close up macro I think collaging random shaped chunks of photographs would make a neat abstract photo too... but that's beyond my limited photodestructive capabilities!

So here we go

Palm tree... my goal in life is too live somewhere that palm trees can be grown outside....

But for now I'll have to settle for the indoor variety....

Took quite a few pictures of beads... only to discover that I am a horrible housekeeper and all you could see was dust...
 
This orchid currently has two flower stocks... the most recent one is a different colour...

Yesterday for a change was totally calm.. so I couldn't resist throwing in a picture I took of one of the government fishing wharves.
 
I'm not sure if I've actually captured the theme of abstract photography... to see how other people interpreted this weeks prompt check out sally's blog! 

week 17 Color/Colour

Focus on life... week 17....  Well I love   COLOUR !  

But in spite of that it was a hard challenge... I initially wanted to photograph a corner in the dining room that has a bunch of Canadian paintings but it also reflects 3 windows which I discovered when I tried to photograph it! 

So onto the quilt that we bought last fall in Newfoundland

This has lots of colour... it's actually a king size quilt because the queen size one was pastel blocks and white outlines....  Love it!
(The spiders web is top left on an orange block)

A typical Newfoundland folk art painting... from the grumpy goat gallery... I think it  goes perfectly with the quilt and yes it hangs at the foot of the bed.

And yes this is a complete set of Harry Potter books... you don't know how difficult it was to get a matching set... and they don't actually match perfectly the first two were published by raintree alone and are fractionally shorter! & yes they are also in the bedroom!

After we got home from NL last fall I had to see if I could capture the quilts in beads.. my husband pointed out that all crazy quilts need to have a spiders web....

To see how other people see colour check out Sally's blog

Unbirthday reveal

 

My partener was Audrey Bélanger from Quebec ( a fellow Canadian)  My birthday is August which is peridot,, I always felt deprived that it wasn't something expensive like emeralds, saphires, or Rubies... actually don't like diamonds..  Didn't she do a great job making peridot wearable!

Audrey's Birthday is June... June's birthdstone was/is Alexandrite, rose quartz or pearls....No time to get any fake Alexandrite so had to stick to colour which is pinky purple... I had a box of mixed pinky purple beads that also contained 'peridot green' so I threw in some beads  of my birthday colour so she would think of me when she wears it!  (Free form peyote with my lampwork beads, seed beads, glass beads, amethyst, freshwater pearls and torch fired enamel beeds)

The rest of the 'unbirthday' participants Ali McCarthy

www.northwoodscreativestudio.blogspot.com

Alicia Marinache

www.allprettythings.ca

Anzia Parks

www.anzipanzisworkshoppe.blogspot.com

Audrey Belanger

www.esperianterra.blogspot.ca

Cheri Reed

www.creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com

Cheryl Dunham

www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com

Chris Eisenberg

www.wanderware.blogspot.com

Christine Schlicht

http://www.marshellswaps.blogspot.com/p/visiting-bloggers-reveal-day.html

Cynthia Machata

www.antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

D Lynne Bowland  

(you are here)

www.islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.ca

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell

www.deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com

Gina Hockett

www.freestyleelements.blogspot.com

Ginger Bishop

www.lilmummylikes.blogspot.com

Gloria Allen

www.gloriaallendesigns.blogspot.com

Janeen Burlingame

www.facebook.com/janeen.burlingame

Joana Perez Stribel

www.facebook.com/lasjoyasdejana

Lori Schneider

www.Beadaddicted.blogspot.com

Mary Govaars

www.mlhjewelrydesigns.com

Mischelle Fanucchi

www.micheladasmusings.blogspot.com

Paula Gaskill

www.lovelylaylabugsjewelry.blogspot.com

Renetha Stanziano

www.lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com

Robin Reed

www.willowdragon.blogspot.com

Sherry Baun

www.unicornsjewels.blogspot.com

Shirley Moore

www.beadsandbread.blogspot.com

Sierra Barrett

www.giraffecanhas.wordpress.com

Susan Bowie

www.susanbowie.wordpress.com

Susie Harris

www.jewelleryjunkie.blogspot.com

Mowse Doyle

www.mowsemadethis.blogspot.com

Cindy Muse

www.facebook.com/mritech813

Ellie Grossman

http://www.marshellswaps.blogspot.com/p/visiting-bloggers-reveal-day.html

Marlene Cupo

www.amazingdesigns-Marlene.blogspot.com

Shelley Graham Turner

www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Tease-previews

I sort of signed up to ovrblog this weekend... I'm participating in both the MarShell swaps unbirthday reveal and the 5th do-overchallenge So I thought I would post a tease for both blog posts!

 Come back on Saturday for the unbirthday reveal and Sunday for the 5th do-over challenge

Bead Table Wednesday

New listing on etsy Raspberry enamelled toggle with copper bar and jump rings treated with LOS

This isn't currently on etsy but should make it there shortly .. description as above except it's aqua and has a couple of millifiori flowers

Week 13~ Have Faith

Week 13 of Focus on Life... 25% of the way through the year.. I usually have these written and ready to post by Tuesday or Wednesday... It's already Friday... of Easter Weekend...  (I took the pictures on Tuesday before the most recent SNOW!

I live on a coast that has some of the highest tides in the world.... I really don't understand why the millions of gallons of water move in and out of 'my' cove 3.7 times per day but I have faith that the tides here will continue to rise and fall

 My faithful tide clock....

 When I had the idea to spent the next 8 hours photographing the water coming and going from thecove this is where the tide was...

10 :09 am Atlantic time

just over two hours from high tide....

12:03 Atlantic Time

12:37 ... High Tide

13:13 The tide has turned

15:37 My yard is getting noticeably bigger!

16:43 2 hours from low tide

18:30  Atlantic Time Low Tide

The extremely ugly thing in the picture is one of the old ferries.. a neighbour bought it to use as a wharf and storage for their lobster traps... It is still in use but big chunks seem to fall off every year... 

To see other peoples interpretation of faith check out 

sally's blog