My Summer Favorites

Who doesn't like a tomato fresh from the vine?

Flowers of any kind are wonderful in summer!
Fresh herbs in the garden and freshly mowed grass. The smells are intense!
Spike enjoying the area "by his tree." A memory I will always cherish, and someday, I will miss!

Watching the living sculptures develop and change, what a show!
These aren't my only reasons I love summer,
but they are in my top 10,000.

Look What I Found at the Hardware Store!

The local hardware stores in town continue to amaze me with so many great tools for making lampwork beads. This is my latest find. You can find it in the paint department. It was called a flow chart for colors of paint. On this chart you have both the warm and cool colors in this palette. You also have colors that go together. Isn't that great, and it's all on one piece of paper.





So, I made some twisties. This idea continues to amaze me.












Here's another flow chart that I picked up.














Here are the twisties that I made using this flow chart.












Amazing, isn't it, what you can find and use in your creative challenges. I'm going back tomorrow to get more inspiration and coloration.

On Cleaning out Closets and Stuff

I haven't painted in about 5 years. This is the last painting I did, and it hangs in my bedroom. I really ended up liking it. It's an abstract painting, as you can tell, but it fits well with the room.













I remember painting as a child. My mother was trying to develop the artist in me. She would buy me a canvas and paints to use. I was cleaning out the closet in the room we now refer to as "Jenny's Shrine." I decided that, after cleaning as much as I could out of the room, Jenny needs to come home and clean out her shrine and take her things home, but that's another story.

As I was going through the closet, I found two things from my childhood. I am amazed that they are still with me. I remember the shock of finding them in the "shrine." I honestly didn't remember them being there.

The memories came flowing back into my brain. I actually remember painting both of these paintings. I was about 8 at the time. I know I spent a lot of time alone. There weren't any children my age in the neighborhood, and my mother had to work full time to support us. I think that was another reason she tried to develop the artist in me.

















This is "Lonesome." I started to look at the details in the painting, and it told me a lot about my life at the time. What jumps out at me first is the horse's name Lonesome. He's in a horse trailer driven by someone. Who knows who that is? His trailer is painted in my favorite colors--pink and light purple. In spite of the trip, Lonesome is happy. Look at the smile on Lonesome's face.

Lonesome is on one road, but to Lonesome's left is a road that forks. Maybe Lonesome is thinking about taking a road less traveled? If you look up in the sky, you can see the Big Dipper and the North Star. I think Lonesome had some plans in mind for the future. What do you think?












I've always loved the ocean! Even as a child, it was a place where the waves pounded and gave me a rhythm in my life. Look at the beach, it's deserted except for a rock that appears to have the moon shining on part of it. Again, in the sky, there's the Big Dipper and the North Star. I think I might try to paint this painting again. I wonder what it will look like when I'm finished? I wonder if there's a bead in this painting?

My Coiling Gizmo

I've been playing with my Coiling Gizmo again. I truly love this toy, I mean, tool. With it you can quickly coil wire and make some awesome looking wire beads to use in your work or to sell.








Here are some of the results of my "work" with this gizmo. It really should be called play.













Making this coiled wire heart was extremely easy once the wire was coiled. I love it!

















Here's the prototype of a cross that I am working on. A few more adjustments, and I'll have it. Again, this was super easy using my Coiling Gizmo.
(Aren't I starting to sound like and informercial?)

















Here are some beads made with artistic wire. I am thinking about using them in a necklace or as earrings.

















These beads are going to be focals in necklaces.
















These are larger sized spacers. They really look neat in person.

















These are spacers, too, but I used silver plated wire. So, what do you think? Do you like my Coiling Gizmo as much as I do? Let me know.

Wouldn't this make a wonderful bead?

I find the most interesting things around my house. As I was cleaning the deck off today, I turned over a small plastic stool, and look what I found!












I don't know if it's a hornet's nest or a bee hive, but look at the wonderful possibilities for an awesome organic bead.

















I never realized the colors in the nest until I saw the photo. The colors remind me of some type of stone.

















What do you think? What do you see when you see this nest? Do you see a bead? Do you see a photo? Do you see a drawing? Let me know. I'd love to hear.