Time Well Spent

Recently, I bought a box of 30 mini Popsicles. I found both girls downstairs, sitting on the couch, casually munching on a Popsicle with the box sitting in front of them on the carpet. Half a Popsicle lay melting on the floor. Wrappers lay strewn upon the seat cushions. I didn't feel like a happy mommy. Some orders were barked and I cleaned up the melty Popsicle with some help from the dog. After that, the girls were supposed to stay out of the treats until they were earned by some work around the house. Ha. Later in the afternoon, I found them outside with several more Popsicles. A look in the freezer revealed that out of the 30-count box, only 4 were left. And my kids wonder why I don't buy freezer treats more often.


Well, this little story is just a teeny example of what goes on around our house and why I haven't been able to get much work done. I guess I'm not very good at the whole "constant supervision" concept. Like right now. I'm typing out my blog while my girls go back and forth from watching "Barney" on TV to running around in the front yard in princess dresses or pajamas. But really, this is something I shouldn't miss. Unless my fingers drop off, I should be able to put jewelry together for many years. My little girls won't be forever. If I start to dwell on that, I'll be wiping my eyes and blowing my nose and nothing will be accomplished.

The other night (after bed time) I was able to put together a necklace and bracelet called "Solar Flair." I wanted to do something that used colors not frequently used. Red is used quite a bit, but yellows and oranges don't seem to get their fair share of beading glory. Used with gold findings, the whole palette seemed to echo the brilliance of the sun. It seemed a lovely tribute to summer which starts this weekend, by the way. However, I needed to use these intense, fiery colors in a necklace that kept everything light and breezy. I hope you enjoy the results!




Last night, I whipped up another necklace. This one is much less complicated. The pendant is so intricate that whatever I used to hang it from needed to be very simple. The title is simple too: "Untitled."


I have several more projects floating around in my noggin that I can't wait to get some time to work on. There's a fantastic stone fish pendant that I've got lined up to go with a bunch of dagger pearls and shells, polka dotted pendants that are just screaming "rockabilly" to me, a stoneware pendant that reminds me of peacock feathers that I'm hoping to use with chips of turquoise and amber glass, and some ideas for more polymer clay projects.

In the meantime, my girls and I have a bunch of housework and trouble to get started. I'm sure I'll have more antics to share later!

Just a Quick Note

Okay, I had two things happen that inspired a new necklace. First, my bead-genius sister completed a gorgeous Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) necklace and then I bought a beading book that features a how-to on making a skull pin. I generally don't wear pins anymore, but I figured I could scale down the pin into a more manageable pendant. I made the three skulls out of polymer clay with only one being decorated and glossy (with Swarovsky crystal eyes). Note: My sister's design and mine look nothing alike--whew!


Here is "Dead Man's Party" necklace and earrings:





Last weekend, I spent some time shopping with my mom. I stumbled on a fantastic clearance of bunches of beads, so I stocked up. I mean, really, could I really pass up a 50 cent bargain? No. No, I couldn't. So, while my 50 cent beads sat waiting for a great project, I whipped up another necklace this afternoon. I couldn't decide if I want the title for this piece to focus on rain or dew, but either way, it's kind of drippy. I think I'll settle for "Droplets."