Macro Monday 042213

This cute little guy was found in my dad's garden. As it is a black snake I wasn't really scared. I had already seen him moving around in the garden, and I guess now he wanted a drink!  Enjoy!

Macro Monday - 041513

Well I have been out of the loop for a bit, but trying to get back into the swing of things so here goes!


Now I am not a fan of  "bugs" but living in the country you tend to run into a few. This little critter, he is really only about 2 inches, went running across my desk the other day. Being more startled than scared he got away before I could grab my camera.  So later that night, my son happened to see it on the door between the dining room and family room and was able to get some pics.  To look at it you would think it was a spider, then no...the front legs are to long and he has "10" legs.  Sooooo being that I HAD to know what it was I set on an adventure to find it.  It was very illusive to say the least. I even emailed Glen at http://www.spiderzrule.com/wind.htm   to find out what it was. But lo and behold, it ISN'T a spider. It is an arachnid. It is called a sun spider, wind scorpion, camel spider and so on. Non venomous, but kills it prey by ripping it apart.  (Sounds like The Terminator) anyway, it is good for catching other bugs.  So I guess it can stay as long as it stays OFF my desk!  Oh yea, when they curl up, they bring those longgggg legs up close to them and look dead......

Thanks for looking and for more wonderful Macro's hop on over to Macro Monday.

Bye!

IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE, IT'S REALLY REALLY HERE! BEAD SOUP BLOG PARTY = 7

This is my first bead soup blog hop and I have learned so much just by hopping around the 1st reveal.  I think I may have over done it with what I sent my partner, Tanya Wiles,  as you can see...

I just couldn't decide.....

Anyway I am all excited to see what she makes with them...The little pendant with the two rose's pictured I made...I was bored but I think it came out pretty good.  I included some buttons too and some clay mushrooms that I have had for a couple of years and didn't quite know what to do with them. I am sure she will have loads of fun.

This is the wonder soup I received from Tanya,

Fabulous!  I love the focal bead. Reminded me of some thing underwater...

Then there were two beautiful very blingy Swarovski spacers and a really cool flower closure!

A selection of the beads are shown below...

Of course they sat on my table for a bit while I decided what to do with them.  I had also been given a challenge to use ALL the beads and I am always up to a challenge!

Anyway, I have been done for weeks and have just been sitting on pins and needles to post. So with out further ado, I will show what wonderful soup I made!

 For this set I used the main focal with some handmade paper beads from Cheryl Tippett

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 BeadsByCheryl and the silver beads and flower closure Tanya sent me.  I really like how the colors just seem to flow!I also made matching earrings and will soon have this up inmy Etsy shop. Couldn't post them til after the reveal.......

Next, I really wanted to try and think out of the box for something and decided to try using "other" components.

I designed and created the bobbin center piece with bobbins I had, wire and then some seed beads I had along with the perfect blue and crystal drop beads.  I used black beading thread to pull every thing together. The purple piece is one I had in my stash and just seem to really want to join the party. The necklace part I used chain and the beading thread to "weave" more of the beads she sent and a few of my own. It is the first time I tried it. I think I will keep this one for my self!

Next, I wanted to change gears so I created these two necklaces with more of the beads she sent and some of mine.


For this one I used the pearls, black beads and then pearly tube beads to put together with some of mine then attached it to a chain and closure.








This one I used black floss...and made a double strand necklace with the little diamond drops and some more of my beads. ( you would think by now I would have run out.......)








Ohhh no I didn't.  Wanting to something else...I made three bracelets from my soup beads and my stash.

The one above are blue glass beads are from my soup and the rest destash. I like the look.  Then to the right the first one I used the leaf beads and salmon colored beads on stretchy cord. The second one is with the Swarovski sliders and the black and blue beads from my soup. I was trying a new technique, bead weaving using my pattern......not sure if works. May redo it.


And last but not least. I used the left over beads and created these purse fobs...The face beads are poly clay that I had for a while.

So there you have it. My Bead Soup for 2013. To see what everyone else made hop over to Second Reveal - 7th Bead soup Blog

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you hop to Tanya's site to see what goodies she came up with!

March Art Bead Scene Challenge

March Monthly Challenge

Deer In the Forest, 1911

Marc Franz
Oil on Canvas, 100.97 x 104.78 cm
Philips Collection, Washington DC, USA
(Please note this art is copyrighted and is to be used only as inspiration.)

About the Art

"Amidst and integrated with the form of the deer is a panoply of force lines and transparent planes; an underlying organization of these exists in the pattern of parallel diagonals moving downward from the right and left edge, meeting in the middle. A secondary pattern exists in the rectilinear planes of color on the left opposing circular patterns on the right. while a blue mountain is absent, a smaller triangle encloses two of the deer; it and the blue tree at the left edge provide an uplifting quality. Contrasting the blue is the intense red throughout the center of the picture, oranges at top and bottom, and the feathery black in the upper right.

The all-over organization of the canvas uniting animal to landscape, diminishes the heroism of the animal subject as depicted by Marc in 1911. Supporting Marc's latest conception of the world was Wilhelm Ostwald's theory of energy, in which matter is considered illusory. Only energy lines reveal appearance such as it is. In Deer in the Forest, this conception results in an energized atmosphere of randomness and chaos. the sense of an inchoate environment demonstrates both Marc's feeling of the world as a whole and his developing urge to represent Creation, and aspiration that is present in the works of Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee."

This month's challenge inspired me with so many different ideas.  I am trying to use new techniques to help broaden my knowledge base.  The first two I tried didn't work out very well. So I decided to stay with what I could do for now.  I made this fun memory wire bracelet with the brown variegated brown stones centered between beads that picked up the primary colors in the picture.  

I enjoy these challenges as I like having to think and work outside my comfort zone!  Thanks ABS!

  

For more fab jewelry hop over to Art Bead Scene and click on current entries.

I Heart Macro 3-24-2013

It was really hard to choose for this weeks...but I think I have three to share!

For more hop over to Studio Water Stone

I Heart Macro - March 10, 2013

Awww that time again.  I wonder what tiny whimsy I can find....

In answer to last weeks "what am I"  it was in fact a tomato I had ripening on my porch...I think it went past the ripe stage.

This week...I went back into some of "older" pictures to see what I had.  I didn't get much of a chance to "snap" around for this weeks blog...but I have a few I think will impress.....

I had some reptilian pictures, but I decided to go with my mushroom pictures.  Where we lived in Orlando, the yards around the apartment buildings just "bloomed" with mushrooms...I had a field day taking pictures of them. So here is one set. I don't know what kind they are, but the top one seems to "glow" though I think that is because of my flash.  The second one is a side view.

So there you have it for this week. Til next week...

For more cool Macros hop over to Studio Waterstone 

I Heart Macro - Mar 3

Wow, I can say since I started I Heart Macro I see life around me SOOOOO differently.  My eyes seems to see more of the "small" stuff around my house and world.  This is such a great idea.

Last week I posted a picture and asked people what it was.  Since I am strange like that I may do that every week!  From last week, I have the full picture below, it was the "eyes" on a red potato that had sat to long in my refrig.

Cool Huh?????

And the other orange one????? I is in my dads garden....

My macro's for this week, since I can never just have one are....

This is a Chickadee...he was flapping at my window yesterday and tweeting his little lungs out. When I looked I realized a squirrel was on the bird feeder.  I couldn't get over how he just hung on my window and stayed there while I shot these photos.

 This one is a bit blurry, but it is a redheaded woodpecker on my feeder.  It was awesome.  I just love watching the birds through my window. They are amazing to watch every day and which birds "bow" out to others. My dad says that shows the pecking order....

Now this is just way cool!  It is a caterpillar that was on the wall of my house (outside) It looks like it has eyes.....From what I can tell, it is a tent moth caterpillar.  But the design....what fun jewelry that would make!!!!

And I do have soooo many more, but I think I will keep them til next time...but my "what is it" picture...

Can you guess????? Til next week .....happy snapping!