I've Got Headpins!!

My latest headpins in my Etsy store.

If you would like a closer look at them, click

HERE

and you'll see all of my headpins.

I'm adding more.

I guess I didn't realize how low I was.  

See you tomorrow.

I Heart Macro! Roses in the Garden

I Heart Macro!!!!!

What I Think Is AMAZING!

These roses are still blooming after several hard frosts and some very wet snow. 

I don't know how they survived, but it was a welcome sight today.

These roses give me

Hope.

Even when times are bad and trying, 

even the roses can survive.

Making Roses Then and Now

Since I was a child,

I have loved roses.

Roses grew wild in the backyard where I grew up.

My grandmother had a climbing rose that she cherished.

When I first started making glass beads,

I knew I had to try and make a rose.

I waited until I felt confident enough to begin doing some sculptural work.

Then came my first rose.

In truth, I thought it was really good.

I even made one and gave it to a friend for her birthday.

She loved it!

She thought it was good and so did I.

Lately, I've again felt the urge to make roses.

I like these roses, too!

So, what do you think?

Here's my first rose.

Notice I even tried to add some shading.

These are my new roses!

I truly like all of them!!

What do you think?

From Boobies to Roses - so it's been fun!

It's just been one of those weeks. I've made everything from boobies to roses!
Take a peek at my Etsy store,
and
you'll find them there.
Or,
with any luck,
you won't!

Have a wonderful weekend.
Enjoy everything you see,
from
boobies to roses!

Shopping Etsy: Search: Roses

I love roses! I decided to see what I could find on Etsy that had roses.

These Victorian Roses are from Debra Dane's shop. She describes the roses as "window" beads. Aren't they lovely? Be sure to check out her store for many more beautiful items. I love these!













This Flower Pin Brooch is from Lindseybs shop. Isn't it beautiful! I love the color, too! Be sure to visit Lindsey's shop for more great items.












Last but not least, the sweetest little shell beanie with a rose from Nuxie Made's shop on Etsy. Talk about sweet!









And I still love roses!

The Challenge Results

Last week, I posted a blog that asked my readers to challenge me in my bead making tasks. The answers boiled down to two--a hollow with a tree and roses for decoration and a tree with roses on a regular bead. Here are the results of that challenge!
And thank you to those who posted!












I felt I needed to practice my hollow bead making skills, and here is the result. There are no trees, but I just wanted to brush up on my skills. These hollows were fun to make, and they are in my bead box now waiting to be made into a necklace. That will have to wait a bit.






















In truth, I lacked confidence in myself. I felt that I didn't have the skills to add a tree to this bead, so I just made some roses from cane. After the bead was cleaned, I realized that if I could add so many swirling roses to this bead, I could have added the cane to make a tree to this bead without the bead collapsing.
Lesson learned! Try it anyway!























This is the first "tree" I made. I do like it.






















Next came "The Rose Tree." This worked out nicely. I was going to add the suggested white enamel to give the bead the look of snow, but I found out that I didn't have any white enamel. I have other colors of enamels, but I don't have any white. I still like the bead, and I plan to order some white soon.





















Last tree: No roses, no enamel, but it is a Christmas tree! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Now, I can hardly wait for the new challenge. Get your thinking caps on. I really need to improve my skills and tempt my muse to inspire me again! This was a great challenge! Thank you!

I Accept the Challenge!

I hope, in a week, to show some photos of what I made, and I am being challenged! Thank you all who left comments!

The winners seem to be tree beads, roses, hollow beads, and white enamel! (There was also an invitation to visit Germany for inspiration, but I am thinking I might become a permanent guest in that studio because I would want to fondle all the beads! They are amazing!)

My goal will now be to produce tree beads with roses, enamels, and, a hollow with a tree bead on it! Yikes! That might be a tough one, but it's a wonderful challenge! I hope to post these beads in a week, October 20th. I hope I can.

You will see my efforts whether they are good, bad or ugly. This is really going to help me grow! Thank you!