Inspired by Winter - Blog Hop

Ahhhh, Winter....cold, wet, snow, skiing, hot chocolate, warm fires, cozy time inside.....

.....NOT.....

I live in Florida, and while I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, seeing snow and sitting in front of an open fire, I don't like being COLD!

This is winter in Florida......

But...I didn't make my design based on the sand, though I think I might go back and do one as an idea has emerged.....anyway, for the Winter blog hop that Sally of Studio Sublime created, I offer my winter necklace.  One think I always seem to notice in a lot of commercial snow pics of the North, are the RED cardinals....so I felt that a Cardinal would be the focal of my necklace.  I have added crystal beads and silver metal snowflakes, and little iridescent white beads to capture the feeling of snow, and ice.  The wonderful little red cardinal was HANDMADE by Leanne Pendleton @Got Crow Creations

It is the cutest little thing. And she has many other animals and such too so check her out!

So without further ado I give you my Winter Necklace....

   

I took the pictures on some of my beachy

scrap-booking paper...yes I scrapbook too.....

I centered the cardinal on a silver filigree 

pendant, wired and glued him in....then I 

beaded around him with green,and brown 

beads to give the illusion of a "tree".  

This necklace evolved as I made it....the only

thing that stayed the same was the cardinal...

Any way... to all my Northern friends....

"Wish you could be here..."

Now for more wonderful Winter Jewelry, 

hop on over to Sally's page  to see her Winter

Offering and the list of the other participants, 

AND ENJOY!!!!

**So Sally....what about a SUMMER 

inspired necklace??

Up Close - Luna Moth

This week we had to find heart item around us, along with the many I found this Luna Moth takes the cake. I have never seen one in "real life" before...Enjoy!

Inspire Change: Wellness Words Jewelry Challenge

In this challenge Tracy Statler at Make Bracelets has challenged us to pick a "healthy" word and design a piece around it.  My word for this year is "growth" so I came up with a simple design on memory wire that simply says "bloom where you are planted".  I am planted in Florida, so I will try to bloom and them maybe move on.. I used memory wire, letter beads, silver metal flower beads as dividers, and pastel colored glass seed beads in between the words and flowers. Anyway, below are the pictures of my bracelet. Yes, I know a few of the letters are upside down, but that's what you get when watching TV at the same time......:-)

Christmas Exchange

Event for Bead Soup Cafe · By Lori McDaniel Anderson

Lori McDaniel Anderson of Bead Soup Cafe put on a gift exchange in Dec.  Due to some health issues, my partner, Tara Polte, was late getting mine mailed out. Which is really alright, gave me something to look forward to in the mail besides bills....So....below is the wonderful pen and paper/card set she sent, which is way cool because I was just thinking I need to get one to keep up with what I have going on.  AND the beautiful purple glittery (just my style!) druzy bead that she wrapped and put on the chain just for little ole me.  I have always wanted a druzy!!! Now I have one.

So now I have a pal in Arizona that when I am finally able to start traveling, I know in Arizona where I will start!  Can't wait for the next exchange and see what state I get then!!!!

 

I think I will get a map and put in my studio and start pinning all my new friends!!!!!

Jan Art Bead Scene Challenge

Black Peacocks with Japanese Persimmons

Jessie Arms Botke, 1940
Oil and Gold Leaf on Panel
32 x 40 inches
(Please note this art is copyrighted and is to be used only as inspiration.)

About the Art

This is representative of Botke's detailed, intricate style and her signature gold leaf technique, whereby thin sheets of gold are applied to the canvas or panel. Botke specialized in depicting birds such as peacocks, flamingos, geese and pelicans, often against an imaginary landscape or a background of exotic flowers and plants. As in many of her peacock images, the elaborate tail feathers of the black peacock take up a large portion of the canvas. In 1849, Botke wrote about her fascination with birds, “My interest in birds was not sentimental, it was always what sort of pattern they made.”

About the Artist
Born to English parents in Chicago in 1883, Jessie Arms Botke spent much of her free time as a child sketching and painting. At the age of fourteen, she took art classes at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. When she graduated from high school, she enrolled as a full-time student at the Institute. During her summer vacations she participated in intensive painting workshops in Michigan and Maine, which led to her first exhibition at the Art Institute's American Annual in 1904. After school, Botke worked in wall decoration and book illustration and refined her skills as a decorative artist. Inspired by an exhibition of friezes, decorations, and tapestries from Herter Looms of New York, Botke moved there in 1911 and immersed herself in the city's artistic climate. Several years later, she was employed at Herter Looms where she worked on tapestry design, painted panels and friezes, and began to specialize in painting birds. 
In 1914, Jessie Hazel Arms met design artist Cornelius Botke in Chicago, and they married a year later. Together, the Botkes worked as artists in Chicago, San Francisco, and Carmel, CA, and they traveled often to New York City and Europe. They both worked on major art commissions and held their largest joint exhibition in 1942 at the Ebell Club, a conservative club for the advancement of women and culture. When Jessie's eyesight began to fail in 1961, she continued painting small watercolors until surgery and contact lenses restored her vision and she resumed painting full-time. A stroke in 1967 destroyed her ability to paint, and she died four years later at the age of 88.

I had so many ideas when this challenge started, but this is what I came up with. The focal glass bead(s) are made up of two separate artist. The round beautiful swirl bead was made by Allison Turner at White Raven Creations  (http://www.etsy.com/shop/WhiteRavenCreations" ) and then the really cool  "feathers" were made by Rodney Mace at Fire forged Studio (http://www.etsy.com/shop/FireForgedStudio" ) . I put the wires up through the focal bead, twisted and (with a tap of my magic wand) I had my peacock.  The six large beads are glass with most of the colors from the peacocks tail. They are from Firemountain gems. The rest are  from Firemountain Gems and JoAnn's. It is a heavy necklace, but I have it strung on double wire for strength. And inside the glass beads I have glass tubes for the wire to go through so that the wire won't rub on the glass. 

For more info on the challenge go to http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2013/01/black-peacocks-with-japanese-persimmons.html

2nd Annual Ornament Swap

Hi all,

This is my first Ornament Swap so I am a newbie. My partner was Miranda Ackerley of NY.  This is the beautiful ornament piece I received .  It is a triangular piece of copper with holes drilled into it. In the holes she wired in beautiful little crystal  to resemble ornaments. Then a cute green crystal and a small brown crystal at the bottom for the trunk. On top is a gorgeous green metal flower with a crystal in the middle. I can't tell if the flower is a button but it is as cute as can be.

The card that the ornament is hanging on is a paint chip with holes punched in it. How cool is that???? Talk about recycling!!!!

I had a great time with this Swap and can't wait to see the other ornaments.

Hop on over to Miranda Ackerley to check out her site and beauties.

Below are the rest of the participants. Hop on over to their sites and check out their ornaments.

 Sally Russick

Lesley Watt

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Therese Frank

Andrew Thorton

Jeanette Blix Ryan

Maryanne Gross

Rebecca Anderson

Melissa Meman

Jen Cameron

Sandi Volpe

Susan Kennedy

Kristen Stevens

Shirley Moore

Cooky Schock

D. Lynne Bowland

Tiffany Smith

Patti Vanderbloemen

Pam Ferrari

Kim Hora

Christine Altmiller

Alice Peterson

Bette Brody

Julie Anne Leggett

Lola Surwillo

Kathleen Lange Klik

Erin Prais Hintz

Mowse Doyle

Kristi Jaro

     Just to let you know about a new Blog Hop and Design Challenge. Stay tuned for more information.  Or you can to www.thestudiosublime.com and check it out!