More projects on the go ...

Here is the second attempt at Lu's necklace. I know it will be big enough now ... it even fits me. I just hope she likes it. A couple friends dropped by and just loved the piece ... however, not the price I quoted them as I didn't get any orders. I've added quite a few Czechoslovakian lead crystals which make it very glittery in certain lighting. The amethyst color will go with most of the black outfits she wears. These are fun to make once you get used to them flipping around on you and getting all tangled up.. They're really pretty up close. 

These little blue flowers are made with some very inexpensive glass beads I picked up at a discount store. That was a mistake, as they are a mixture of three colors: sapphire blue transparent, dark aqua transparent and green metallic lined. The metallic coating comes off the inside when you're working with them so they aren't much good for jewelry. They are also very inconsistent in size, which makes them a bit frustrating for most things. I had quite a large bag of them, so decided to turn them into these little flowers, which will eventually become part of a wool sculpture featuring a blue jay. My plan is to have the flowers light up with tiny bulbs in each, attached to a hidden battery compartment, with an on/off switch. The rest of the piece will be wool and sit on a pine base. 

Don has been busy as well. Here is the completed cabinet for the Legion. It will sit behind the bar, where there is now an opening into the meeting room. It is planned to hold the canteen snack items. It's a custom piece, of course, as it has to fit perfectly into an existing opening. It has been trimmed with some very nice oak, which was donated by another member. The stain and finish brought up the grain really nicely and it is almost a perfect match to the bar top. 

Lacy Beaded Necklace ... First Attempt

This is the necklace I made for my friend.  It was a bit too small so I'm enlarging it for her and have acquired some crystals that will go nicely in this piece. I've also decided the stringing material is a bit too stiff so I can now change this to a lighter weight as well. These things tend to evolve, so when I'm happy with the next attempt, I'll post another picture. She loved the piece, by the way. A big hello to Deb digging out of the snow. Check out her blog for a fantastic work of art using found beach wood. It's amazing. http://wardroomgallery.blogspot.com/2010/01/spring-in-air.html

A Milestone Day

Mortgage free! Yessiree, today, the house is ours and nobody else's. It's a great feeling. It's been a long 22 1/2 years, but finally, finally it belongs to us and the bank is out of the equation. This is cause for celebration, but that will have to wait until Wed. because of Don's work schedule. Then we're going into Halifax to see Avatar at the IMAX in 3-D, after which we'll be dining at Montana's. I got the express tickets online this morning as it's been selling out and some folks have been disappointed not to be able to have the 3-D experience. They're all raving about the movie though, so I'll let you know. 


I must apologize for not posting a pic of the mystery gift I made for my friend, Lu. The gift is a lovely beaded choker in amethyst colors. The beads are strung in a lace design. What happened was a computer failure during the time I was working with those files. The pc is currently out "being looked at" by a friend so I currently don't have any of my files as I'm using a loaner. Since I was on to photographing Audry II, I had deleted the files from my camera, leaving me without access to any pics of the necklace. However, the necklace is a bit too small, so it's coming back for adjustment, during which time I will be shooting it again, and posting it here, of course. So sorry for the confusion. 


Don is still working on a cabinet for the Legion, doing the finishing touches and I'll be sure to include it here as soon as he deems it ready for public viewing. Working full time at the bar doesn't leave him as much time for his projects as he used to enjoy. He's also acquired a used table saw that is a much better model than the machine he's been using. He's been tuning and tweaking that as well. Very time consuming, I'm told. 


It's such a dark and dreary day out here in the country. Very chilly too. We're expecting a couple centimeters of snow today and it looks as if it may begin very soon. Don has to work in a couple of hours, so we just had an early supper of some lovely stuffed Cornish hens, Dauphine potatoes, carrots and turnip. Not exactly on the low-cal, but absolutely delicious. Don did all the cooking today so I have scullery duty, which I must now attend to. I hope you all have a great day. 

Audry II

I've been a bit neglectful with this blog lately. I've gotten some work done though. Here is the finished piece, "Audry II" from Little Shop of Horrors. She is a gift for a friend who is a book and movie nut. He has already seen this and is very excited about it. She was fun to make and I love her teeth, which are painted toothpicks. The wire inside allows for positioning the tendrils to support her, as her head is a bit top heavy. She is embellished with glass beads and false eyelashes. I've also made a few more bracelets, which were custom orders for size and color. They all turned out nice and the customers were pleased. Other than that, we've been glued to CNN watching the horror that is transpiring in Haiti. Since I used to go to Port-au-Prince when I worked on the container ship, it is especially shocking to see what used to be there reduced to rubble. I will never forget the extreme heat and humidity in that city and I can't imagine what rescuers are facing. It's the most awful natural disaster I've ever seen and I fear things will become much worse there in the very near future as disease begins to spread. The city had deplorable sanitation to begin with, so all those nasty bugs are already there just looking for a chance to multiply. That has now happened and I imagine the country will need to be quarantined. My heart goes out to those people who's history has been tragic for the last 200 years. Between corrupt governements, slavery, hurricanes and now this awful earthquake, they haven't had much of a chance in life, yet they continue to stuggle on and survive. You have to admire their strength. It is, however, a bright point to see nearly every other country in the world rally to help. They have alot of challenges ahead of them.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone stayed healthy and safe over the past week. New Year's Eve is nearly upon us and then a fresh start in 2010. Wow, it seems weird typing that number. According to Nostradamus, we have 2 more years before the destruction of mankind, as we know it.  However, he's been wrong before ... or misinterpreted, who knows? Don has just popped out for a few things at the store because the fridge was beginning to look a little bare. Supper is on hold till he returns with potatoes.

Today I've been working on a birthday gift for my BFF, Lu. Can't tell you what it is yet as she might see this post before the 4th of January. After that, I'll post a pic or two and the mystery will be solved. Don and I have decided to spend the holiday with a couple of rented movies and take it pretty easy. A couple of his male friends are threatening to make an appearance to shoot some stick, so if they show up, I can throw on a quick chili or hearty soup and some biscuits to chow down on. If they don't show up ... peace and quiet.

What a Nice Quiet Christmas

  
We had a wonderful Christmas,  just the two of us and Daisy. Don cooked a spectacular meal of beef tenderloin, steamed lobster, asparagus with lemon and dill sauce and a lovely South African red wine. Neither of us worked on anything all day and it was great just to relax. We had turned down our usual invitation to dinner with friends because this is our 20th Christmas together and we wanted to spend it alone.

The past week has been a bit hectic, even though we didn't plan anything too special. The stores were crazy and the traffic was heavy. We did our visiting on Christmas Eve and saw lots of friends at the Legion. We don't have any plans for New Year's Eve as yet, so perhaps we'll stay home then too, since we enjoyed our quiet Christmas so much. I think we're just turning into old hermits.

Sometime over the next few days, I have to begin working with the wool again. I want to make a couple of cute critters for friends, and finalize the designs for a large humanoid sculpture. I have the head to the stage where I need to make decisions on gender and age at least. I'm trying to come up with an idea for wool in combination with beach rock as I have several nice ones in my supplies box. I'll need to sit down with my sketch book and try to dream something up for that. It seems I'm never out of ideas for too long. I've just about finished all the magnetic bracelets that I want to do for now. I have them out for sale now, so will see how they go. Just finishing up a pair of fringe earrings here today, for myself, then put all the beads away for awhile. It's so past time to get back to the wool. Don has also put in a request for a toque so must look for yarn for that as I don't think there's any here appropriate for that type of thing. Next time I'm by the Bargain Center in Shubie, I'll likely grab something for that. Now, I must go to the kitchen and see what I can come up with for our supper.

Howling Winds and Wool

The weather outside is frightful! Really. The wind blew all night, well above gale force, making the trees bend sideways and the windows rattle. It's  still blowing out there, but so far, not snowing. I spent last evening working on more gecko pins. The color combinations of the wool seem endless, and it's so much fun trying to match up some beads to embellish them. I'm sure most of you just think they're weird looking, but they're surprisingly popular and I haven't really pushed the product yet. Keeping prices low seems to be the answer. It's a lot of work meeting demand for the smaller products, and it doesn't leave me much time to work on the bigger projects, but I seem to be keeping up with the bills.

 I got about half of my Christmas e-cards out yesterday. Go green and save a tree, I say. Actually it's more about postage and the e-cards are so nice now, interactive and just beautiful. Sometime this afternoon, I'll get the rest sent and that will be another holiday chore done with. We had a bit of a kitchen crisis yesterday with the faucet breaking, but it was simply a matter of buying a new set as Don is a pretty good plumber too. The new faucet isn't exactly what I wanted, but times are hard, and it nice to have one that we don't have to fight with anymore.

I have to make a quick run out this afternoon and I'm not looking forward to driving on the highway in that wind. The roads will be dry though, so it's just major gusts to deal with. Don has to work at the bar, so will have to pick him up later. I'll be able to get more felting done this afternoon and I'm looking forward to that. Now, however, the vaccuum is calling my name, then I have to get some lunch ready for us. Hmmm .... toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches should fit that bill.