Thought I would share some small quilted pillows that I made for a swap. The pillows had to be quilted and will be swapped out to use and join together later to make a fabric journal cover. This was inspired by Teesha Moore's how to video's on her blog, and of course some very inspirational work by Teesha. I loved making these. They are not meant to be perfect, and I am happy how carefree they turned out to be.
This weekend I am spending some extra time with my family from out of town for my daughter's 21st birthday!
Thanks to everyone who visits me, takes a peek, has a big shoulder for me from time to time, and encourages me.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

JOURNALING

I have to tell you that this journal page started out waaaay different than what you see here. The image of the woman was very anguished, very graphic, with a bleeding red heart dripping off the page. As some of you may know, I have recently been dealing with a medical issue in my immediate family that is very fresh in my heart. It is an ongoing issue, has been for a long time, and probably will be. I have struggled with this, and really felt compelled to put on paper what was inside of me, but when I actually did it, it looked right, but it felt terrible to look at, it was uncomfortable, and it make me feel bad, and I don't need any more of that. So tonight I transformed that woman into the rooted being she is, and I am a bit happier, and working on that being becoming even better. So many of you have lifted my heart and soul, have carried me through days that I thought were endless, and I want to thank you again for everything you do for me, and what you all mean to me. Please know that I treasure each one of you. Sometimes there are no words.
I made this bakground by first gluing down some pretty flowered papers of roots in random pieces, and some gorgeous tissue paper gifted to me from Eliza from Poland. I painted over them with a blue glaze, and some blue lumiere paints. Added some more collage pieces from Eliza(what she called art failures!), the beautiful image of the woman in the bottom right and the words on the top left, that she created giving them this great rough texture, half hidden , half exposed. The beautiful word breathe was gifted to me by my wonderful friend Lenna, she created that herself. It always makes me feel so good that so many people I share with on the blog can be part of my art and life.

Thank you again

MAY I SUGGEST....

May I suggest a good book if you are interested about beads, and their history, and their power. As much as I love metal, and being able to manipulate it, I love beads, just holding and touching them, and their personal importance to me. A String and a Prayer, written by Eleanor Wiley, and Maggie Oman Shannon, tells the story of the bead, and it's meaning in our lives as prayer beads. As I started to read this I realized that a lot of my pieces are just that, prayer beads, telling my story, beads with personal significance. Subconsciously I have been creating these types of necklaces for a long time, I just thought of them more as my faith pieces, but reading this I have learned new ways to incorporate real significance into some of my pieces.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book, and what it will bring.

On that note, here are a few new earrings celebrating my passion for beads.

BTW, does anyone recognize the orange oval veined beads? I love them , but lost the name of them after I bought them.

available on etsy here

SHINE

A new atc for a zetti atc swap. A bit of me and my mood has come thru on this one, kind of melancholy, but trying to come out.

I hope the rains stay away for all of you this weekend, and you can all shine !

Thank to everyone for visiting, and your wonderful comments and support.

SOME PRETTIES

Getting back into the swing, and trying to absorb my surroundings this summer. A self imposed experiment, to think of a summer thing or event, and use this as a starting point for creativity. Talking without words. Here is my interpretation of cotton candy and fireflies.
I hand dyed cheesecloth for the blue earrings, and found the texture incredible. The amber beads in the other pair are from a deconstructed piece of jewelry, and they really are so special, it's a beady thing I guess.

Thank you all so very much for being here, and for looking!

MEET MY NEW FRIENDS

I am slowling coming back to life after what I will call a really bad week, and we will leave it at that. These beauties were sent to me by my wonderful friend, Laura Haviland, of Creative Whispers! Believe me when I say Laura makes these dolls and gives them a life of their own, and each one can touch a part of your soul and a nerve within you with their personality, their beauty, and their messages. We are all these dolls somewhere, sometime I believe...it is like they are extensions of ourselves, just like when we create jewelry, but Laura does it with paper. I was given these by Laura as part of a trade, and Laura got some jewelry that she really liked, and I was so happy to give it to her.
Of all the places in the world, the blog has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. I have met another wonderful kindred spirit. Thank you Laura!

GARDEN VARIETY

My good friend Lenna Andrews is hosting a postcard swap sponsored by Alphastamps, and these are my entries. They are still not done, close, but still need a bit more.
Alphastamps has a ton of fantastic products, and with the exception of the ribbons and the vintage buttons that are from my stash, everything else here is from Alphastamps. The background papers, the women, and all the different garden and botanical images. Even those brass leaves are from Alphastamps. I think I enjoyed this swap the most so far, but I still have to do an atc also for this. I got a bit more blingier than I usually do, but I fell in love with the sparkle and I almost hate to give up some of these with the beautiful buttons, but with swaps hosted by Lenna, you are garaunteed to receive amazing returns and they are from all over the world! I highly recommend Lenna's swaps if you are interested in trying it, you will not be dissapointed!
Thanks for visiting and all your support everyday, and I hope you are having a fantastic week!