II

II by veniceinwinter featuring diamond jewelry

Steampunk it!

Steampunk it! by veniceinwinter on Polyvore

She dances in a fading world

She dances in a fading world by veniceinwinter on Polyvore

And the next crop of things....

Let's start off with the simplest one of the bunch: A repurposed tassel and chain, and a porcelain bead from a friend's destash:

Next, a wire wrapped bullet casing (shell?) with a cameo button.  This may not be done yet, and might need the cameo popped off and re-glued, as it looks off-center.  I'm not sure where I'm going with this yet, but I'm having fun.

Ok, these are absolutely lovely, and I'm proud of them.  Destashed brass stampings and pink plastic.  Light as feathers!  For reasons unknown, I watched "Pretty in Pink" the other night, and I was all "omg, I want to wear all that repurposed thrift store goodness that was carefully calculated by coldhearted executives, too!"

These are actually prettier than the accessories in the movie, tho ;)

And finally, the most demanding one, in terms of time.  I had to let this baby cure overnight.  There's a washer I picked up outside, driftwood and a shell from a recent beach visit, a brass "coin", and filigree from an old dollar store earring.  And scrap chain to finish it off. The thing's hanging on a brown grosgrain ribbon.

That's all I got for now, folks!

SHE'S ALIVE!

The elusive Liz in her natural habitat.

Yeah, I'm still here, but it's been nuts lately.  These are the first things I've made in a couple months.  MONTHS, people.  Months.

I can't keep going without some creative outlet, even if it's "just" earrings.  I started by refurbishing a broken old pair:

These have seen some wear, so I think I'll keep them.  Next, I'm redrafting the earrings I wore on my wedding day.  I didn't put too much thought into them on the day, I was all "yay, bees!  that's auspicious for weddings!"  and on they went. But the cool bee dangles were not set off as well as they could have been. Now I shall fix that!

And these are in really really early stages of planning.  The blue and gold striped glass beads are too pretty not to use, but what to pair them with?  I have so little yellow in my bead stash. I might have to....go shopping.  Heavens forfend!

And yeah, that's about it.  Just sitting around on a rain sunday morning (for rainy it is where I am - all weekend).  Thinking now of some toast perhaps. Or tea.  Who knows what hedonism this morning will witness!

I needed a project...

In the course of setting up housekeeping, I found a still-boxed aerogarden in the living room.  I unpacked that baby and set it up this morning, right near my desk.  It's really Jetsons-looking, and I admit I'm having trouble wrapping my head around it.  Are you sure these pod things are going to grow plants?  This is like a Keurig machine for herbs!

Here's a pod with it's little "pudding cup" on top:

We'll see what chives result in a week or two!

After that, I got to beading and laid out a necklace I've been planning for a while,  The fleur-de-lis chain was a lucky clearance find!  I'm considering lace for the other side, since I've got a yen for fabric necklaces.

While I did that, all these earrings sprouted out!

That's always the way of the beadboard...where one project grows, more crop up like mushrooms.  Just as well this palette is pink and white and silvery, because I have a fairy ring of gems to make!

Yes, I'm full of caffiene and *everything* looks this sweet and syrupy :P

Early springtime?

Some photos to show you what's been doin' around here :)

First, some snaps of the pretty backyard, courtesy of Nemo.  I feel bad for LI and Boston, but happy that NJ wasn't so badly hit.  We had about 5-6", and it was fast-melting.  Not too shabby as far as winter goes.

In fact, our snowdrops are already out.  These are so pretty, each one like a delicate little pearl...Yesterday I plucked a few to press, but one came out with a bulb attached, so I stuck it in some potting soil and it opened today!  Must learn more about snowdrops to see if they can be raised indoors, too.  A pot of these by my desk would be lovely, but we'll see what happens.

Yesterday saw a lot of nature walking around the back yard.  I gathered some tiny treasures to press.  The moss would be lovely dried and set in some resin for delicate earrings.

Once more I'm at my bead board!  I'm working on a new set called "Skully Cat", because I can! Some of my bits and bobbins are still in storage, but I've done remarkably well keeping track of all the beads and shinies.  Finally, this morning, something came together, and here it is:

Those colors are waking me up!  Every once in a while, I need to make something with a sense of humor.

The new workspace isn't nearly that bold, though.  I've been granted use of a sunporch, and I've made quite the little nest back there with the plants.  It's a narrow space, but that'll just force me to keep it cleaner :)

It does help my spirits to see familiar things again, like Mr. Cat Skull, and some beautiful abandoned wasp nests:

And our wedding cake toppers, from New Orleans, gifted by my maid of honor :)  The geode was our version of a unity candle.  Instead of lighting, we took turns smashing the thing.  The white color was a welcome surprise for a wedding!

I need a certain amount of clutter around to get anything done!

Some snowdrops still waiting to open:

And a pretty patch of moss from the front yard:

Breezes have knocked a few leaves loose, so I added this sprig to the pile of stuff to press and preserve.

And there we are!