Back to the Light Box

It's raining today - a mixed blessing. It has been so dry and hot here, the rain is most welcome. Being a true Oregonian, I rather prefer it cool and moist (hence my nickname "Mushroom"). But there is one reason that I will be sad to see the sun go away. I take my photos on the back porch where the fiberglass roof diffuses the sun just so. I prefer to have a certain amount of color in my Etsy photos. And since my favorite color is green, I usually have a picture or two of each item photographed against a green leaf from the sorbaria bush outside of my porch. I also often include a carved wand I bought for my husband in Glastonbury, England. A little green, a little magic....

But with the disappearance of the sun, I can no longer take my photos on the back porch and have to use a light box instead. Up until the first frosts, I can still include the requisite sorbaria leaf, but after the New Year, it's all rather....white. I'm not a fan of white, although it does show off the piece with no distractions.

So what do you think? Do you prefer the stark and uncluttered image from the light box or the colorful image from the back porch?

Rhinestones and Brigitte's Pearls

My sister and Niece - Kathy and Brigitte - are visiting from South Africa. While we were at our parent's house, my mom had us go through the jewelry boxes of the grandmas, great grandmas and great aunties. Not being a wealthy family, most of the jewelry was of the costume variety, but it was all fun and lovely just the same. Here are a few pieces that we found.

A nice melange of glittery bits.

I remember my grandmother wearing the huge green rhinestone brooch, but these others were new discoveries.

These fan earrings are a favorite, but they are clip ons, and I don't usually wear earrings anyway. But I enjoy looking at them.

I searched all of the jewelry boxes for loose rhinestones and glued the ones I found back in their pieces, but I couldn't find the rhinestone that was missing from this piece.

I remember my mom wearing this turtle. When I was little, I imagined it as a turtle who had lazer beam eyes and was carrying it's eggs on it's back. What happened to that wonderful imagination?

This was my dad's favorite watch when he was a very young man. He saved up and bought it and loved it, but he had a hard time keeping it running. After the 3rd or 4th time to the watchmaker for repairs, the watchmaker told him to buy a new watch. Must not have has warrantees in those days. I think it is really beautiful evn though it doesn't run and is missing one of the thin straps on the band. I may wear it as a bracelet.

This piece is quite old and one of the coveted pieces in the jewelry boxes. I don't know what the centerpiece is - glass? faience? a stone? The setting is silver.

And here is the beautiful and talented Brigitte wearing a string of pearls that I restrung for her.

A Hippocampus And Some Soutache

This beautiful Hippocampus (mythical creature - half horse, half fish) arrived a few days ago from Arlene at

ArzieHodge on Etsy. I have been fascinated with these creatures for years and get quite excited when I find one. This one is beaded beautifully.

These are 2 Hippocampus's (Hippocampi?) that I found at Lotusland in Santa Barbara, California.

I have also been learning how to do Soutache Bead Embroidery. Soutache is a double channel trim used for decorating clothes and upholstery.

These are my first two attempts. I  bought some soutache in differant colors and I'm working on one with burgundy and green colors. Will post it when I'm done.

And this is a brooch I just listed in my Etsy shop. I love doing to key holes and keys. This one has a sodalite bead in the center.

More Before and After from Spirited Earth and Give-Away

I promised you more pictures of what I did with the cabs I recieved from Spirited Earth, so here they are:

I love the bee cab, but I have to confess, I liked the olive matte one more than this one. But I liked this one much better once I got it surrounded with black matte beads and irridescent ceylon green beads.

The angel is a sweety. I wrapped her up in Mermaid colors and hung a few Swarovski crystals and a vintage bead off the bottom. Yummy. This brooch will be my Give-Away this month!

I love the horse and wanted to do something special with it, so I made it into a necklace. I wrapped it in bone matte and irridescent ceylon beads then hung strings of stone chips (from Jenn Judd Rocks) and seed beads from the bottom. The chain is accented with wrapped smokey quartz and more stone chips. I made the clasp myself to match the necklace. This one isn't for sale, it's going back to Nan at Spirited Earth.

Nan's Cabs - Before and After

A while ago I recieved some fab cabs from Nan at Spirited Earth and I posted "Before" pictures. So here are a few "After" pictures to go with them.

I didn't want to do anything too fancy because I was afraid of taking the focus off of the cab. So I just did a little bead embroidery in matte colors and made it into a brooch.

I got a little more daring with the Sand Dollar. I used a few metallic seed beads and hung a copper starfish and some crystals from the bottom. I think this is my favorite.

This was my favorite cab before I started messing with it. I LOVE the owl. I decided to leave the gold netting and put down a base of cream colored matte beads and then added the oak branch.

I think you'll agree with me that the cabs I did the least to are the best finished product.

I'm still playing with the rest of the batch. These 3 will be in my Etsy shop within the next day or two.

A Celtic Winner

Congratulations Leanne at Somerset Seasons for winning this Celtic Knot Brooch in July's Give-Away.  I haven't decided what to give away for August yet. I thought about putting together an inspiration kit of beads, or I could do another brooch. What do you think I should do?

Generous Jen and a Holly Bride

Yesterday I recieved a magical package in the mail. Jen Velasquez at Jen Judd Rocks had a give-away at her blog and although I wasn't picked by her random gizmo, I think she had pity on my because her give-away beads were green and I am ADDICTED to green. So she put together a packet of beads for me too. When she left me a message saying she was sending me some beads, I thought "some" equalled 3 or 4. But when I opened the package, I was flabberghasted to find this fabulous stash!

There are felt beads and paper beads and glass special goodies and gemstone chips and agates and you-name-it - it's there. I'm so excited. Even my son, who is not moved by beads, was amazed and stood picking them up and looking at them individually. I have so many ideas of what I want to do with them, and I'll post the results here when I am finished. THANKS, JEN!

Also, a dear young friend, Holly, is getting married this month. I told her I would like to bead something for her for her wedding and her request made me heart-full. Her stepfather had died suddenly last year and she wanted him to be able to walk down the eisle with her, so she asked me if I would bead a brooch with his initial (J for John) so she could have it wired into her bouquet. So here is the final piece and it is now in her possession and ready for the wedding march.

Many blessings at your wedding, Holly. I'm sure John will be there with you.