Our Trip

We are going on a very long road trip this summer. We will be leaving on June 11 and returning around July 22. My husband is retiring from the railroad after 30 years.

We plan to go to 15 states. Some just overnite and some for as much as 6 days. I am really looking forward to NYC and Washington, D.C. I will post on here as we go.

My "happy accident"

I have a new watercolor to post. I still need to mat and frame it. It was one of those "happy accidents". I really like my colors in this one. I am trying to get my colors brighter.

I sold my necklace and earring set "Elephants on a wire". I was so happy because I really liked that set.
Sales are very slow for me right now. I know I need to buckle down and spend more time on Twitter and some of the free advertising sites. I will after our trip.

making silver

Sometimes(well,most of the time) I get overly excited about stuff I create. But art in any form mystifies me. And when I get excited about something I have made it's not bragging. I just love it and have to share it. And I don't expect everyone to feel the same way I do. But I have to share my latest art. Creating silver from clay. Who could of guessed this would be possible.? My husband bought me a kit to make silver from Fire Mountain Gems. When I saw this tiny 1x1" block of clay I panicked! I was so afraid of wasting it that I didn't use it until last week. Did I mention that he bought it for Christmas, 2008? Well, last week I told myself I had to do it. After all Robert was nice enough to buy it (and it was expensive) so I should at least use it. So I opened the box,tried the torch a few times, (didn't know about the childproof lock)

opened the clay, and stared at it. ARTISTS BLOCK ......MAJOR. What to make ...I kneeded it a few times to get the feel of it. then made a snake because everyone does. Finally,I decided to go with something contempory. That way If I made a flower and ende up with some oddity, no one would know except me. The strangest thing is, After I fired it with the torch (what a trip), I almost fainted because I loved it! I added a few baubles and wahla...A necklace. And I really, really liked it! My First Silver. BUT.....out of the flames a monster was born...I want more..I want to make silver...I want a kiln...I want GOLD!!!!!!!!!! Born is an addict. I would have to go back to work (probably 2 jobs) just to pay for the stuf. Will I make more? Darn straight I will. Above you can see my finished product. Nothing to shout about, but I did it. Let me know what you think. Honestly. And I would love to hear from others who can't afford to make silver but who have anyway. Until next time.

My Granddaughter, Morgan, made

her own Christmas cards this year.

I don't think I could do

near that well at that age. I just love

her.

Savana

This is our 8 year old Grandaughter, Savana.

Christmas 2009

Some of the grandkids at Christmas.

Okay. Here he is. This is Petey. He is our new puppy. He is about 9 weeks old. He is wearing me out! And he has some sort of weird foot fetish. He is constantly after my feet. He can be clear across the room and if I take my shoes off, zoom, he's there. But he is so cute. I didn't really want another dog after Buster died, but Robert did and Petey is his dog. But he and I will co-exist if he can get over the foot thing. Yorkie's are so delicate. The seem to have everything happen to them.

This is my contribution to Twilight Mania. It is an upcycled silver colored (don't think it is silver) large apple. it has a silver colored chain and red Swarovski crystals.

These beads are made out of paper. I recyceled some of those pesky mailers we all just love to fill up our trash cans with. I use to roll up paper when I was a kid. It was a nervous habit. But I never thought to make beads out of them. I probably won't make any more because I heard about an organization called Beads for Life. It is a company that women in Ugandy sell paper beads to who in turn sell them to jewelry makers. You need to go into Spotlight and read about this. It is really something and saving so many women. I have seen some sold on Etsy. But I don't want to make them because I would deprive a lady of her job. I did make a couple out of newspaper that was really pretty. But making them is very time consuming,too.

Some new items of mine.

These are paper beads that I made. I use to roll up paper pieces when I was a little kid, but never did I think to make beads out of them! This was made out of those pesky mail ads that we all get.

I don't know who started making paper beads. Someone said that ladies in the Victorian era were making them. But there is a wonderful organization called "Beads for life". These beads are made by women in Ugandy. The money goes to help support the women who make them. You need to go read about this (

Illusions Artisian Studio

Hand knits and jewelry made by me. Mostly my things are one of a kind. My creative side fights making many multiples of the same item. I have been a crafter almost all my life beginning with making my dolly clothes as a young child. I always got a craft kits for gifts so my creativity was always encouraged. In school I took all the sewing classes and was doing needlework as a hobby early on. I learned to knit (well) a couple of years ago and one of my friends gave me a jewelry making kit around the same time. She thought I could make money at it. I wasn't so sure, but she was right. After establishing myself locally I ventured into online sales a few months ago. I am a faux finish painter by profession and the crafting gives me a different kind of creative outlet

Check out her studio. she has some very pretty hats.

Turtle Hill Studio offers a variety of handcrafted items from one-of-a-kind hand painted glassware and decorative items, crocheted creations, and hand stamped greeting cards and scrapbook decorations.

I've been a crafter for as long as I can remember. I won't tell you exactly how long that has been, but I will say that I'm retired and a grandmother to three. Though I no longer teach, I'm a certified One-Stroke instructor and have taught over 400 people decorative painting. Through the years, I've had several of my craft designs published in such magazines as Crafts and Crafts and Things.

Stop by and check out all of her stuff on Artfire.

Every morning, when we wake up we have twenty-four brand new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy and happiness to ourselves and others. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This is a powerful quote! I worry about wasting an hour. I think I should fill in every nano-second because I won't be around very long and wonder what God would think if I didn't use my time well. I know that some of the stuff I want to do is trivial and maybe I am wasting time doing things like painting or crocheting,but God gave me the ability to create so it would be wasteful not to.

Artfire Jewelry Design and Jewelry Supply Guild

Artfire Jewelry Design and Jewelry Supply Guild