Teddy Bear Benches and Sea Treasure

I never feel the urge to clean in the Spring, but it hits me quit hard in the Fall. So as I have been "destashing" my house, I have found a couple of interesting items that I listed on my Etsy shop. One of them is this adorable Teddy Bear Bench. I bought it 20 or so years ago and it was old then. I displayed it in the depot at the Village Green for years, but now I have it back and I'm ready to part with it permanently.  I put a coffee cup in the picture so you could see the scale.
I also found this nightgown that was my auntie's. She had it custom made for her in the 1960's and then never wore it.  All the cutwork embroidery was made on a home sewing machine - back in the days before sergers or computerized sewing machines.

It has a matching robe that goes with it. Size Small.

I've also been making and selling lots of beaded brooches. The Sugar Skull brooches have been popular for people getting ready for Halloween and Day of the Dead.

I recently got another stash of wonderful clay cabs from Nan at Spirited Earth. I posted earlier about the Chalk Horses, But now I have finished a couple more.

I've always been very fond of bees.

And I have never been known to turn down Sea Treasure.

So other than beading, I have been trying to get some last minute gardening done. My son is moving out of my studio and I'll be having Studio Sales in it during December, so the path to it needs to look nice.

I'm a little stressed about doing the studio sales. Haven't done this in a very long time. I always have the nightmare that I'm going to throw a party and no one shows up. It's right up there with the nightmare where I'm naked at school and I can't find my locker.

The Gift

This is a profound video that expresses exactly how I feel about having Breast Cancer. It is something I would never wish on anyone, yet it opened my eyes and my mind in a way that nothing else could. My life is better now because of it. Please watch it.
Sorry that part of it is cut off. I don't know how to fix it, but I think you can get the message without seeing the whole picture.

Chalk Horses and Sugar Skulls

A few years back, I visited England and was amazed by the Chalk Horses that are carved into the hillsides there. This one was on the Salisbury Plains.

So I asked Nan Emmett at Spirited Earth if she could make me a few Chalk Horse cabs to bead around and she made me 3 stunning examples. Here are 2 of them already beaded  (I haven't done the third yet).

I think she did a great job of capturing the magic and beauty of the Chalk Horse.

I've also been making beaded Sugar Skulls for all of my friends who celebrate Day of the Dead (November 2nd). I love this holiday for it's reverence of our ancestors and our loved ones who have passed on, and it's a most colorful and creative celebration.

I'll have these brooches and more on my Etsy shop momentarily. Please stop by.

Also - Congratulations to Mermaiden for winning last months Giveaway  (Beading Book). This month's giveaway is this Sepia Heart Brooch made with another fabulous cab by Spirited Earth.

Practical Magic - "The Man I Wished For"

I'm posting my Practical Magic Blog Party post a day early so that my sister in South Africa can see it on the proposed date (the 25th).
One of my favorite parts of the movie was when a young Sally stirs up a spell to attract a man that could never exist (at least she thought so).  Years later, he walks into her life and delivers the line "I wished for you too".
It made me think about when I was young and dreamy, wishing for my Prince Charming.
Well, I met said Prince when I was 16, only didn't realize he was The One until I was 18. Married him at 20 and have been by his side for 33 years.
So this is my magic I have conjured up to celebrate the love of my life, the answer to my wishes.

I beaded this frame to hold of picture of Sweety when I first met him - back in our hippy days.

I added symbols of our life and our love. This Celtic Knot represents the ties that have bound us through the years- Our children, our home, our extended families and such.

The sun and the moon represent the  fact that we are basically opposites. He's a big city boy, I'm a country girl, he likes action movies, I'm into Jane Austen, he's very focused and driven, and I'm creative and spacey.

The Labyrinth represents the path that we have walked together. Lots of twists and turns, but no dead ends.

And the Key shows that he was able to unlock my heart and that it belongs only to him.

I never had to resort to a spell to bring me my Sweety. We found each other on our own, but there is definitely some kind of magic out there that is responsible for taking 2 people who are so different and making them love each other so much.

Winged Aquaterra And Beaded Pendents

I have fallen in love with a stone I found at my favorite bead shop. It's called Aquaterra and I think it is STUNNING. Here I made a brooch from a small aquaterra bead and some verdi gris wings.

Here's a larger bead that I set with matte black beads and celedon opalescent beads.

I have a fair this week-end that I'm taking them to. If they don't sell there, they will be in my Etsy shop later next week. If they do sell, I'll be making more, so keep checking back.

This pendent is made for anyone who wants to create the necklace part themselves. I don't care for stringing and don't feel it's really my forte. I have a repeat customer, Arlene, that is a beader herself, but doesn't do this type of  bead embroidery. We did some trading a while back (She's the lovely lady who made the beaded hippocampus). She has since ordered a couple of custom beaded pendents that she can create the necklace part for by herself. I love this arrangenment since I am not crazy about stringing. So I have decided to create a few pendents to put in my Etsy shop for other beaders who are more into stringing than bead embroidery. Which leads me to a question - How many of you purchase (or trade) beaded embellishments or other beaded items from differant beaders to use in your own projects? I have seen some fabulous pieces that I would love to work into my own designs.
If you make something from a piece you bought from another artist, could you resell it as your own since you "finished" it? Or would you have to sell it as a co-created piece? And would you be able to sell it on Etsy, where each piece is supposed to be created by the seller?

Mama and Babies in the Garden

If you are afraid of snakes, turn the page! I found this mama snake and her 5 babies in the garden today (one of the babies was shy and wouldn't come out from under the bush). The babies were VERY inquisitive and not a bit afraid of me as I took their picture.

The babies clustered around their mother's head, like maybe she was communicating, or giving them a nuzzle.

This little guy poked his head out to see what I was up to, and then ducked back into the bush.

I think most people are afraid of snakes because they get startled by them in the garden. But they are very beneficial, eating hundreds of insects and if they are bigger, (like Mama here) they eat small rodents as well.

Give snakes a break!

And the Winner is...

Congratulations to MoonRae for winning the Angel Brooch in last month's Give-Away. Since MoonRae lives in Texas and the angel cab was created in Texas, it's almost as if the little angel is returning home.

Leave a comment in any of this month's posts to win a copy of The Beading Answer Book by Karen Morris.