Life after Picnik

As some of you may know, Picnik, the online photo editor, is going away.  When I heard this

  I panicked...I love Picnik... I’ve been using it exclusively and now what was I going to do?

I heard about another photo editor called LaLuna and I have

What do you all use?  

gypsy bangle stacks

My girl Fancifuldevices has made a long awaited tutorial

on making these bangles.  One of the main purposes

is to clean up your stash.   Well my stash is pretty limited...

beads that I bought when I went to my first bead show and went crazy.

I bought without a vision or any ideas...just ohh look how cheap they are

and how many of them...It’s like buying shoes that don’t go with anything

and make your feet hurt...you never use them.  So anyhow...

I found it to be an exercise.

 It is starting to free me up ( well a little bit)

I don’t know if it’s because I’m a Virgo...

I don’t know if it’s because My Inner Critic

(MIC) has a voice bigger than Ethel Merman

and is constantly telling me that what I make is no good...

and the big problem with that is that I believe her most of the time.

MIC is on my left shoulder, or my right, or sometimes both.

Even these bangles which according to Fanci are to be made

happy and carefree like...heck she even puts the TV on to make hers,

I took apart and redid and didn’t like and MIC was shouting

louder and louder and finally I said ENOUGH!

so I got all carefree like...

fanciful even.

well fancifaux 

The point being...is just sitting at the bench and working

exploring and learning.  Maybe one day MIC will not

shout so loud.  Maybe she’ll give helpful and gentle advice

and not be all Mother Superior about it. 

(boy those nuns sure screwed me up)

There is nothing wrong either with being neat.   That is my

nature.  I would have been the girl with the perfect stitches on her sampler.

I would have gotten a A+.    But when that perfection holds you back

and you don’t get anything done cause you keep taking it apart, well that

isn’t good either.  

Here’s my girl and her blog.

You can get the tutorial and try this on your own

or buy some of her extraordinary creations...

She doesn’t have an inner critic from the looks of things

but an angel sits on her shoulder and guides her as she produces

some Fanciful delightful devices.

now go....

FancifulDevices

Making Do.

I try to think of myself as a person who is not wasteful.  Someone who cares deeply about the planet and
the world that we live in.  I try to make do with what I have.   Anyone can go out and just buy stuff.  I like to make it myself.

  So as I was sitting at my studio/kitchen table...my little cat Princess, now blind and elderly, clawed her

way up into my lap as I was just beginning to get started.  Not wanting to move her, after all she so bravely made her way up and was already purring madly, I decided to work with what was right in front of me.

 Normally I walk around, pick up this bead and that one, ponder it, put  it on, take it

off, try something else...I make myself crazy with indecision.  But this time was different.  Just make something with the pile that was within arms reach...so I presented myself with this challenge.

and this was the result after sitting at my workbench for nearly

two hours without getting up.

I had a dimestore plastic necklace that I got at a garage sale

this weekend.  I was planning on using just a part of it...

I never thought I’d use the beads.

Much to my surprise those beads took on a whole

new vibe once released from their old habitat.

 They looked tribal, ethnic, like old bone.

They were free!   They were happy! 

and I have discovered that sometimes it’s the

touch of the human hand that puts life

and meaning into objects.

Beauty can be in the simplest of materials.

We all think semi-precious stones, gold, silver..,

these are the status symbols of wealth and cool

but this little humble necklace already exsisted...

it was bound for the bin. 

  Giving these things a 

new life is rather thrilling....and pretty feel good.

Wisteria Time

My back garden is busting with color.

Yes it’s my favorite time of the year...

My Wisteria is in full bloom.

I planted this out of a tiny 10 gallon pot about 9 years ago.

She is now a mighty thing...

even after lots of pruning she still kicks butt each and every springtime.

In fact I think that it is the pruning that makes her stronger and prettier

each year.  

And I love her for it.

Those doors lead into our bedroom.

So as I lie there, I can see her...and smell her.

and today 88 degrees outside....magic.

The buzzing of the bees is almost thunderous...

there are millions of them.

My Ginger enjoys the view as well.

Done for another year.

   We are done with taxes and you probably could hear  a big, huge sigh of relief wherever you are.
My “earnings” are so meager, I don’t even know why I have to bother.  I guess I’m easier to get
stuff off of than the big guys with the gazzilions of dollars.  They probably pay less taxes than I do.
Hope they don’t catch me dodging the money I made from a little song we did inspired by them when I was with my little group.

   

Let’s talk about more important things...

more grown-up things 

like making beads and jewelry.

                                                                           

Here’s da beads

 Here’s what I made with them.

Zen

I took the aforementioned beads and then I

used some “decayed” bead caps meaning I took some nice

bright and shiny bead caps and then put them in Mr. B’s

"magic solution"...which takes off all the shiny crappy plating

and makes them nice and funk-a-fied.  

Then I hammered a piece of steel wire, put on some

vintage brass beads that I wish I had a million of

and attached the two together. 

  Then waxed them and buffed them.

I like the simplicity of these and the gentle lil sway

they have.  They’re like little, oh I don’t know church bells.

Now I’m off to put these in the shop and make my fortune!

A few of you have asked me if I wanted to sell some of the beads

that I’m making.  So I’m giving that some thought.  Perhaps I'll list

a few just for ducks and see how it flies.

Doing Taxes...yeah right.

Yesterday was such a beautiful, hot day.

Mr. Beatnheart and I have our tax appointment

on Monday morning at 11am.

This is a stressful time for us and we

  HATE DOING THEM!

so instead of doing them I did this ...

my latest addiction...making polymer beads.

I said to Mr.B.."can you imagine your parents

sitting outside together making beads?"

I mean really we are like a couple of kids.

These little beads are just so cool to make and

with practically instant results.  I was able

to sit outside and roll these out, poked in the holes

and then rolled them on the concrete and then on

 a old ratty sponge.

bake for 15 minutes...

 I wonder if they would bake in an

Easy Bake Oven ?   remember those.

I always wanted one but never got one.

Then the fun part.  Painting them...

all of this is experimentation  for me...I’ve never done it before...

haven’t taken any classes...I  do it like I do everything else.

I just do it.

Mr.B brought out bronzing powders and pastes and inks...

cool.  I’m trying em all.  I love the way these are turning out...

Maybee I’ll make somepin like these with em.

So that is how I did my taxes.  Today is Saturday.

Another nice day is predicted...

wish me luck.