Hats Off Challenge - Hosted by Bobbie Rafferty

Hi Y'all,

Today is the reveal day for the Hats Off Challenge hosted by Bobbie Rafferty.  Bobbie lives in Louisville, KY and tomorrow is the start of the Kentucky Derby weekend.  Bobbie had this idea to make jewelry that was inspired by the hats that ladies wear to the Derby, so she asked if anyone else thought that it was a good idea and if so would you like to join in on the challenge.  Twenty six of us thought that it sounded like a good idea and something fun and very challenging.  
I had a hard time with this one.  I had this vision in my head but I just could not get my hands to work what  I  had envisioned in my head.  I tried but the more I embroidered the worse it looked to me.  So I stopped and went to plan "B".  Plan "B" turned out so much more prettier then plan "A".

Plan "A"

I found this picture on the internet for my inspiration.  I had this face cab for a long time, so even though the face is not as beautiful as the inspiration photo I thought I could make it work.  I used blue, because the face cab has a blue wash over it to bring out the features of the face.  My first mistake was using the blue to bezel around the face, but then I thought about doing a bow at the bottom to make it look like the hat has a ribbon tie.  The part that I just could not get right is the part of the hat that goes across the face cab's forehead. This piece reminds me of "A Christmas Carol" the ghost of Bob Marley.  Can you see what I mean?  The only part of this that I really like is the rivoli flower I made on top of the hat.  I asked my Mom what she thought of it and she said "Are you making a Witch?".  That is when I tossed it down onto my work table and said that does it I am going on to another idea!

Plan "B"

I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and found this little straw hat, the flower arrangement, cup chain and ribbon.  On the back of the flower arrangement there was a hair clip and a pin back. I took both of those pieces off of the back of the flowers and set it aside.  the cup chain was a little to long so I clipped of two cups and four fell off, Huh how did that happened? (scratching my head) Now it was to short, but being the crafty person that I am I made it work by gluing the flower arrangement over the gap. Before I glued the flowers on I wrapped the cup chain with the ribbon and glued it to the hat. I let the glue dry, and then I turned the hat over and glued the pin back to the side that the flower arrangement is on, so that it could not be seen.  Ta Dah a Kentucky Derby inspired piece of jewelry!

Thank you Bobbie for this very challenging challenge although plan "A" did not go the way I planned. I enjoyed making plan "B" it is always fun to go back to the craft making part of my creativity.

Please go by and visit the other participants in this Hats Off Challenge.

Arlene Dean www.aglassbash.blogspot.com

Bobbie Rafferty www.beadsong.blogspot.com

Charlie www.505indiechic.blogspot.com

Cheryl Dunham www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com

Chris www.furzalsjewellry.blogspot.com

Christine Altmiller www.onekisscreations.blogspot.com

Cindy Wilson www.itsmyseaofdreams.blogspot.com

Cynthia Machata www.antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com

Deanna Riles-Cox https://www.facebook.com/deanna.rilescox

Debbie Rasmussen www.kepirasmussen.blogspot.com

Dini Bruinsma https://www.facebook.com/dini.bruinsma

Jasvanti Patel www.jewelrybyjasvant.blogspot.com

Jean Yates www.prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com

Jennifer LaVite www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com/

Karin Slaton www.backstorybeads.blogspot.com

Kashmira www.sadafulee.blogspot.com

Laney Mead http://laney-izzybeads.blogspot.com/

Liz E www.beadcontagion.blogspot.com

Lola www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com

Micheladas www.micheladasmusings.blogspot.com

Nan Smith www.wirednan.blogspot.com

Robin Reed www.willowdragon.blogspot.com

Sally Russick www.thestudiosublime.com

Shiraz www.secretsongdesigns.blogspot.com

Susan Nelson Bowie www.susanbowie.wordpress.com

Therese www.theresestreasures59.blogspot.com

Vera www.veradesigns.blogspot.com

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

She Made/She Made April Reveal

Hi Y'all,

Wow it is already April 30th!  Man, this year is flying by!  As many of y'all know that follow mine and Christine's blog, each month we do the She Made/She Made from the beady gifts we gave to each other when we met in July of 2012.  This is what I chose for us to create with this month.

A beautiful glass cab and some really cool looking Agate ovals.  The glass cabs I won in a giveaway on Linda Roberts' blog two years ago and have been hoarding saving them, until I decided to share one with Christine.  The Agate I got at a trunk show at my LBS (local bead store). 

Here is what I created with the Agate ovals...

I was having a hard time trying to come up with a design to use with these ovals, until the other day when I got the June Bead and Button magazine in the mail. There on the cover was the solution to my problem.  The name of the tutorial in the magazine is Victorian Embrace designed by Sylvie Camps.

I was going to make the bracelet in the magazine, but then thought, "Come on! This is suppose to be a challenge, and what is the challenge in coping what is in the magazine!", so I made a necklace with glass pearls and metal findings. I am very pleased with how this turned out.

Here is what I made with the glass cab...

I originally had planed in making a cuff with this cab, but time was running out on me, so it became a pendant, which I literally just finished about 3 hours from the time that I wrote this blog post.  The only beads that I knew for sure that were going into this piece were the matte black 11 seed beads, the gold 15 seed beads. and the metallic blue bi-cones, the rest were last minute decisions. 

I am amazed at how pretty this turned out.

Christine sent me an email with the pictures of what she made with the April picks asking me if I could display them on my blog post, because she was having problems posting on Blogger, but then she sent another email saying that she was able to post using her daughter's computer.  I am going to post Christine's pictures just in case she runs into more problems. 

Here is what Christine made...

I love what she did with the cab I gave to her.  I had looked at this cab so many times and was always puzzled with how I would use it.  Christine did an awesome job at cradling the cab with seed beads. 

I love the simple, but yet beautiful design of the bracelet Christine made with the Agate ovals.

Well hopefully Christine was able to post on her blog and y'all can go by her blog and read how she came up with these designs.

I hope you enjoyed viewing what we made this month and will come back at the end of next month to see what we did in May.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

7th Bead Soup Blog Party 3rd Reveal - Hosted by Lori Anderson

(borrowed from Lori Anderson's blog)

It has been a long time coming, but the day is finally here to show y'all what I made with my bead soup form my partner Penny Mills.  Penny sent me some beautiful 10 mm aqua blue glass beads, some copper findings, clasp, and a aqua blue sea glass focal bead.

Here is what I created using most of the bead soup Penny sent.

I wanted to make these sweet little flowers with the gumdrop bead middles ever since I saw the Gumdrops in my Garden bracelet tutorial by Kerry Slade.  I did a brick stitch around the 10 mm glass beads with size 11 copper delicas and did a picot stitch out of size 15 rounds connected the gumdrop flowers with the brick stitch flowers by using the 4 mm bicones that were part of my bead soup. 

The focal bead I knew as soon as I saw it I wanted to try and wire wrap it in honor of my bead soup partner Penny, she is a wire wrapper.  It is very basic and not all that great, but I like it.  I had some copper chain so I suspended the focal from the chain, added the to sides of the beaded beads, then more copper chain with the toggle clasp.

For the bracelet I used the aqua blue glass beads, the 4 mm round copper beads, copper daisy spacers, 12 mm corrugated copper beads, 2 4 mm bicones, and a copper focal bead added a copper toggle clasp and there you have it a pretty little bracelet. 

I would like to thank Lori Anderson  our hostess, for without her genius, "The Bead Soup Blog Party" would not be. 

I would also like to thank my partner Penny for sending me a very challenging bead soup, it took a lot of thinking on how I was going to use her bead soup, but in the end I am very pleased with my choice.

Please click on Lori's name above for the list of the other participants in the 3rd reveal to see what they have done with their soups.

Thank you so much for coming by, y'all come back again, ya hear!

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Focusing on Life 52 photos week 17 - Color

Hi Y'all,

This is week 17 of Focusing on Life 52 photos, this week's prompt is Color, here is what Sally had to say about color...

Did you ever notice the way color can effect our mood and perception of the environment around us? 

Colors can elevate our mood or change our perception of an object.  Bright vivid colors can make us feel positive where a darker color can evoke a heaviness. Subtle colors create a softness. Florescent color not only can grab attention, florescent literally scream at you to pay attention and that can cause a feeling of anxiety. 

Whether photographing a full shot of amazing colors or small pops of color against a muted background, this week break out your camera and capture some color.   Think about how the colors of the shot effect your mood, feelings, perception of your surroundings!  Focus on how the colors impact your decision to take a particular shot.   

Well I almost did not do this week's prompt, because I was in Tuscaloosa, AL for a week long class to become a national certified Police Communications Officer.  I am happy to announce that I passed and I am now nationally certified. Yay me!  So anyway getting back to the post.  My co-worked Katherine and I went to Hobby Lobby one evening after class to purchase some flex wire and crimp beads to fix her Son's necklace, when I realized I was standing all around color.  I took my camera out of my purse and took a few shots of the colorful glass and glass ware.

I saw this color palette from across the store and was drawn to it's bold color scheme. 

This was the first group of color I saw.  My eye is almost always drawn to pinks and greens.

I really like these colors they are soothing to me.

Thank you for stopping by now please go on over to Sally's blog to see what other colors people are photographing.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Spring Fling 2 Hosted by Amy Severino

Hi Y'all,

Welcome to the Spring Fling 2 reveal.   The beautiful and most talented Amy Severino of Amybeads blog is the host of this second Spring Fling Challenge.  Amy puts together a kit of a focal piece and a few coordinating beads for a small price, and you guessed it a lot of us pounce on a chance to be a participant in her challenge.  Here is what we got to work with this time.

Amy got together with her partner of Bead Soup Blog Party 6 Alenka of Pepita Handmade blog, Alenka made the beautiful focal piece in this challenge using polymer clay.  It took me a long time to come up with what I wanted to make in this challenge, because purple is not an easy color for me to work with, but I managed.

Here is what I came up with...

I did bead embroidery around the Dragonfly focal with white glass pearl and 3 mm black Czech crystals. The neck strap is done in RAW with white glass pearls, 4 mm Amethyst beads, and size 15 seed beads.

I made a pair of earrings using the white AB 8 mm beads and the crackle glass beads with cooper ear wires.  The bracelet I used the purple died agate beads with the white pearls, light purple AB 4 mm bicones and copper accent beads. 

Thank you for stopping by to see what I did in this challenge, also thank you Amy for presenting this challenge.

Here is a list of the other participants in this challenge, please go show them some love.

Maryanne • Zingala's Workshop 
Therese • Therese's Treasures (you are here)
Tanya • A Work in Progress
Alenka •  Pepita Handmade
Kepi • A Little of This, A Little of That
Beti •Stringing Fool
Dolores • Crafty D's Creations
Jenny • Wonder and Whimsy
Cynthia • Created Treasures
Mowse • Mowse Made This
Carolyn • Carolyn's Creations

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Focus on Life 52 photos Week 16 Go For A Walk

Hi Y'all,

Welcome to week 16 of Focusing on Life 52 photos.  This week Sally's prompt is "Go For A Walk" here is what Sally had to say...

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

                                                    ~Robert Frost

Grab your camera, open the door and step outside into the fresh air.  Take a walk!  Whether you walk to your favorite chair on the porch, walk a few miles down a rural road or a busy city street  take a moment to be aware of the beauty of the world and let its grandeur energize your soul, inspire your mind and jump start your creativity.  Step back and look at the wide world around you and capture a shot of the landscape in front of you!
 

Get to Snappin!

Sally

I did not have the time to go on the walk that I wanted to take this past week, if I was not at work, then I was working on a challenge piece.  So this picture came from the walk I took in the downtown area of Montgomery the day I took the pictures for weeks 14 and 15.

I have always been a fan of Art Deco and Modern Art.  This building is the only Modern Art building in Montgomery's downtown area.  I do not know who the designer of this building is or how long it has been in Montgomery, but I just think it is a cool looking building.  This building is located on Washington Ave right across the street from the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Alabama Dept. of Public Safety's Driver's License Reinstatement used to be in this building, but moved out in 2005 when the new RSA Criminal Justice Center was opened (the building where I work).  The building behind this one on the left with the green panels is the new RSA Headquarters building, RSA stands for Retirement Systems of Alabama.  On the right you can see the dome of the State Capitol and the white building in front of the Capitol is the State of Alabama Archives and History building.

Thank you to Sally for always coming up with great prompts to inspire us in our photo taking, and thank you for stopping by, now go on by Sally's blog to see what the other's have been snapping photos of.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese

Focus on Life 52 photos week 15 "Aged Beauty"

Hi Y'all,

Week 15 of Sally Russick's Focusing on Life 52 photo's prompt is "Aged Beauty".

I have always been fascinated with old items, old furniture, old buildings and old homes.  So after work last Saturday I went out and took pictures of some old homes in the downtown area of Montgomery.  

This house was originally built in 1863 during the civil war. The front of this house was changed in 1908 and still looks the same today.  The following photo is of the historical sign telling the history of the house.

It is amazing the transformation of this house just by changing the front entrance it is hard to believe it is the same house.

This is the second of the Dowe houses built in 1885.  I love all the gingerbread designs on the outside of this old Victorian. In this photo you can not really see it, but there is a beautiful stained glass window above the front door. Below is the second side of the historical sign explaining the history of the other two Dowe homes.

This is the third of the Dowe homes built in 1890.

These homes are a bit of Montgomery's past that is still standing and is now surrounded by modern architecture.

If you would like to see more "Aged Beauty" go on over to Sally's blog and check them out.

Happy beading Y'all,

Therese