Lit From Within

These are the first pieces in my new series, Lit From Within. The accent beads are just a few of the lampwork treasures I acquired from Canyon Echoes. When I have all the elements finished and ready for sale, I'll try like crazy to photograph them as clearly as I possibly can - the scans here don't do them justice by half. The lampwork is downright juicy.

Happy As A Little Girl

To be playing with color, creating some new designs, gaining something more immediate in the way of results - yes, I'm hap-hap-happy this afternoon. WooHoo!

Moving On At Last & Sunday Edition #8

Chilly Scenes of Illness

I am finished with it at last. And I feel I can put this behind me now. I'm offering it for sale in my Etsy shop. Here is my description:

Originally this piece was begun as an 'art therapy' project - I wanted to confront one of my oldest issues; my longstanding impression of doctors as cold and unfeeling. Gradually, it came to mean more than that. It became a representation of the emotional life of the patient - that of alienation, of being cast out on the ice floe, of being left out in the cold. It is a working stethoscope (Prestige brand), covered in "rumpled peyote stitch," a technique I devised myself, using Japanese and Czech glass seed beads. The "icicles" are moonstone chips interspersed with seed beads on white silver finish wire, suspended from white silver finish chain. It required approximately twenty-five hours to complete.

Now - on to something with COLOR!!

I decided to work with the gorgeous, "Lit From Within" lampwork beads I obtained from Canyon Echoes.


These are not the beads I have. They just look like the beads I have. Does that make sense? I'm doing some interesting design work with bead crochet ropes and the larger tab shapes. Well, before I get back to them, here's this week's favorite Etsy shop:


I love the simplicity, the iconic nature of Beth Hemmil's silver charms. There is literally something for everyone here. This one is my current favorite:

Reportable Progress

'Bout time, too. I've been dragging this around with me everywhere for the last week - I can see the light at the end of this particular tunnel and I will be so glad to work with COLOR again - all this cold white and gray is depressing. But then. it serves to make the point.

For anyone just stopping by, here's a link to why I started this.

Sunday Edition #7 and Valentines

I mentioned before that I belong to deviantArt, a great community of artists and artisans of every media imaginable. They held an interesting valentine contest yesterday (and today) that you can see here: Be Fella's Valentine Coloring Contest. After downloading the 'coloring page,'
then you open it with your favorite computer painting program, like Photoshop, and color in the blocks using only solid color fill but in any way you want. I was floored by the variety and ingenuity of the deviantArtists - here are the two I submitted:




I'm still playing with it - it's a marvelous way to stretch my color muscles.

Now for the Sunday Edition - this week's Etsy shop is Pagasari:

They're relatively new to Etsy, but not to the web. Check out their site

HERE.

I have a special place in my heart for the gorgeous zen tea bowl - and this studio has perfected it. I'm saving up in a special fund to one day acquire one of these. They are pricey, but they are definitely worth it.

Creative Computing

Nothing to show for it so far - all I've been doing the past few days is reorganizing our home network - we just added a netbook to the mix which frees up one of the laptops for personal use now. Which means I have greater access to my laptop (I don't have to share!) and I can apply myself a little more diligently to the study of 3D computer graphics. Right now it's just getting used to the software - which buttons do what. The interesting stuff - the design stuff - is a few weeks down the road.

And in the meantime, I'm just working on the stethoscope.

Sunday Edition #6

This week's way-cool Etsy shop is:

Smoochy Angels!

They have absolutely the coolest rings anywhere. Eclectic mix of styles and materials with a focus on sterling - and always something fresh. Lovelovelove these guys!

I'm still poking along with the stethoscope. It still feels like I'm treading quicksand. I'm getting interested in doing some 3D modeling for a computer art project but the learning curve is on the steep side. Still, it's something I've always wanted to try my hand at. Time - just never enough of it.

No Kidding. It's All I Do Now.

Beading this silly thing and going to work every day. Time passes. I try not to get crazy with waiting. By the way, if you click on the picture and embiggen it, you'll see what I was saying about making a 'rumpled sleeve' of peyote stitch.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Just plugging away at the stethoscope - not enough progress to share yet.

And I got a lovely note from the folks at Interweave, letting me know my beaded journal had arrived safe and sound. 5 more weeks? *sigh*

Oh! Before I forget again - here's the Sunday Edition Numero Cinco:

WhimsiGals:

A member of the DUST (Down Under Street Team) and POEST (Pagans of Etsy Street Team), Kathleen also keeps a blog right HERE, where you will find "a celebration of art, colour, creativity and a modern interpretation of the Ancient Feminine." I love her vibrational use of color, interesting fabrics and an eclectic mix of styles - a goddess for every occasion! I love her blog, too - my favorite kind - full of progress pictures and 'action shots!' Give her a peek - oh, and check out her second shop, CountryGals!