LLYYNN

"TOO" "FUNNY"

2012-02-03T06:00:00.009-06:00

Okay, I admit it. I have a pet peeve. (well, more than one, actually, but today I'm talking about this one). It involves the incorrect use of apostrophes and quotation marks in signs, letters, online ... you get the idea. It makes me cringe. And sometimes giggle, and occasionally guffaw.

So imagine my surprise when I accidentally came across an entire blog about the incorrect use of quotation marks! I laughed myself silly at some of these photos and their captions.

I'm also kind of persnickity about apostrophes. You know, for contractions of words and also for making things possessive. I'm sure how I got this way, actually. Working in law offices for all these years, things get tricky and you find you have to learn some rules that you maybe slept through in school.

Anyway, if you're like me and wince when you see quotation marks where they were never needed, check out the unnecessary quotations blog and have a chuckle.

Pre-Summer Planning and Planting

2012-02-02T06:00:00.043-06:00

Driving into town in the early mornings, I really look forward to the days getting longer. Every day since December 21, the sun has come up a little earlier, and gone down a little later. Even though I think of June as mid-summer, by the time June 21 comes along, the days are beginning to shorten again, going toward the fall and the beginnings of winter.

This year there hasn't been much of a winter, although I'm told that it can snow here as late as April. Many people garden year-round here. That's something I'm going to have to learn, I'm used to letting the garden go dormant in December until it is awakened in April or May. My neighbor told me she has sweet peas blooming already in her garden.

Many people think that Louisiana doesn't have colorful trees in the fall, but you'd be surprised how bright the leaves get before they drop to the ground. The difference may be that the leaves don't drop until much later than they do in other places.

Oddly, the plants I put in last summer, in boxes at the sidewalk in front of the house, are trying to bloom now. In February. Why not, I guess, since it's 70+ degrees F today. I mean, the plants must be a little confused, since it drops down into the mid-40's F at night, and goes back up into the 70's F during the day.

I am apparently allergic to something that grows here, that I've never been exposed to before in all the different places I've lived. I've heard that it's fairly common to develop new allergies after moving to Louisiana, that there are unusual plants here. So I am experimenting with taking an anti-histimine every day. I have a mini-pharmacy in my car.

My daughter loaned me her small camera, so I can carry it around in my handbag and take snapshots here and there. I downloaded an editing tool, too, so I can have some fun with the color and cropping. I'm not as good with the camera or the editing as she is, but I'm having fun with it, playing with the images.

I've ordered the Burpee gardening calendar to inspire me with spring gardening ideas!

Story in Reversed Forward

2012-02-01T13:55:00.000-06:00

Have you ever thought about writing a story, telling a tale. Maybe a made up one, maybe a true one from life. Something that happened, or something that we wish had happened. This last week I bought a package of various widths and sizes of paint brushes at the supply store. They aren't fancy; really, they are meant for kids. I thought if I brought them home for myself, maybe they'd get me started painting again, journaling in a notebook or something similar.

The term "journaling" makes it seem more formal and technical than it should be. I want to mess with color on paper, and maybe on cloth, and make fun images. Not knowing ahead of time what they will be, just splashes of color that begin to tell some kind of fun or sad or silly story.

I was thinking about the idea of the blog. If you were to write a story in a blog, would you have to write it in reverse? Because when you read a blog, you see the most recent thing first, and then go back in time. Backwards reading. From the present to the past to the deep long ago time.

So if you wanted to write a story in a blog, would you have to put the ending, and then the chapter before the ending, and so on, until the last thing you wrote was the beginning? So that when it was read in the blog, it would read in the right order? For some reason I've been thinking about this for days, trying to figure out how you could put a storytelling adventure into a blog, and have it read in the correct sequence when you were done.

If I was clever, I'd try to figure out a story that could be read in any order, sort of like pulling playing cards out of a deck, and have it still make sense. But depending on the order you read the cards, the story might come out with a different ending.Or if the story's pages had holes for putting into a 3-ring binder, the story could be changed, rearranged and added to all the time. Sort of like life feels like, sometimes.

Maybe the problem is words. If the story was told in images, in pictures, would it matter the same way what order you looked at them? If I'm honest, does it really matter what order things appear in, as long as we truly see them, and make the images part of our story ... ?

2012-01-30T10:06:00.001-06:00

The post office is out on the main road, right next to the Dollar General store. This little town has a long history. The house we bought, in April it will be two years ago, was built as a railroad section house in 1887 or so. The roundabout for the trains used to be just over the bridge from the house, so there were railroad employees who lived in town. The train tracks still go across the main road, but these days they're just passing through.

The levee on the Red River is just down the street, at the end of our road. On the holidays, families go up on the levee and shoot fireworks across the Red River. The town is in the middle of the state of Louisiana, right in the heart of CENLA (central Louisiana) and it's .5 miles square, not counting the .1 miles of water.

So, the pace is a lot slower here than I was used to in Houston, Saint Louis or Kansas City. Traffic, people and events move at an even pace. There's not that feeling of rushing, meeting deadlines or "gotta get it done NOW" that I knew before.

What have I been doing creatively, in this slow-paced, small town location? If I can get motivated to take some photos (see what I mean about the pace?) I have some new pewter elements, and some finished jewelry to show off.

Maybe in the next couple of days I will get that done. Right after sitting on the porch, watching the sunset and drinking lemonade-sweet-tea. Ahhhh .... loving it.

Small Town Thoughts

2012-01-27T13:55:00.003-06:00

My house is about 12 minutes drive outside the town where I work everyday. Maybe you didn't know that I'm back working a 9-to-5 in an office. Cuts into the creating time. Sometimes, while I'm driving, I daydream about things I'd like to make. Do you think random thoughts while the landscape and sky are whizzing past your car windows?

Lately, I've been thinking about the difference between living in a big city, like Houston or St. Louis, and living in a small town as I am now.

I went to the town hall to pay the utilities.

Yes, in a small town, all the utilities are together and you pay one person in one building. The thing that made me realize the big difference, is that they know me. They know my name, and what house I live in. When I drive down the road in town, they wave at me.

That's so unique, so different from living in the big, anonymous city.

I was trying to catch a photo while driving of the fog along the side of the road. It's not easy to catch a picture of fog at 75 miles per hour. Here in Louisiana, the weather changes drastically from day to day. It might be 29 degrees F in the morning, and 75 degrees F by afternoon. I keep a sweater in the car, in case of rapid temperature changes.

At Christmas, the town had a parade with floats, and there was a contest for the best float. There were only 3 floats, and there was a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize. You see how this works out in a small town.

Everybody gets to have some fun.

I was nominated to be one of the 3 judges of the floats. So there I sat, at a decorated Judge's table, on the sidewalk in a prime position, watching the floats, and the dancers, and the 4-wheelers go by in the Christmas parade.

And I thought to myself, would this have EVER happened to me in Houston or St. Louis? Not in a million years.

Another example that I am thinking about. Again at Christmas, the town had an open house for the churches and some of the beautiful older homes in town. The 3 houses were wonderful, decorated with multiple Christmas trees, and apple cider to drink. There was lots of purple and gold, the LSU colors, used instead of red and green. And the homeowners are my neighbors. They are walking distance from my house, and they know me. When they see me in my yard, or at the studio, they wave at me.

Finally, at the small one-room library, where I go most Saturday mornings to get new books and turn in my old ones, the librarians know me. They have figured out the kind of books I like, the authors I read most. And they order books for me, inter-library, from parishes all over.

They call and let me know I have a book waiting. That's never happened to me before. It's so great, they see something and go ahead and get it for me, based on what I've been reading.

They know my name, and I don't even have to have my library card. When my books are due, they renew them for me.

I took all of them bags of cookies and Christmas candies, to say thanks for the nice things they do. One librarian was in charge of making the library float, the one that we "Judges" selected for the 1st place trophy. They knew me, I know them.

It's been a long time since I've lived in a small town.

I forgot how everyone gets to know you. You become one of the citizens. You wave, they wave back. They bring you canned pickled okra and home grown grapefruit. Heads of home grown broccoli and cauliflower. Great big bowls of banana pudding, with toasted meringue on top. Bright red Christmas poinsettias.

They leave them on your back steps. With a note.

If you've never had it, maybe you appreciate it even more, once you get it.

I know I do.

Mother Beauty

2012-01-16T09:12:00.001-06:00

Family Album - Love Them

I keep telling my daughter she should be a photographer.

She takes these wonderful pictures.

I'm sure other people with small children would love to have the same type of pictures for their family "ReMemberie" Albums.

In this photo, the baby was a couple of months old.

It's the profile of his mother that catches my eye in this.

So serene, composed. Quietly happy.

Truth be told, I don't know how many hours sleep she had actually had on that day.

But it's a lovely shot, and I'm so proud and pleased with her ability to take it.

Playing On The Floor

2012-01-13T14:09:00.001-06:00

Wonder what I've been up (or down) to this fall?

Yes, that's me, sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing with the grandson.

I remember my grandmother, back in North Texas, playing with my daughter when she was this age, as a baby.

My grandmother's name was Florence, and she loved that little great-grandbaby of hers. My daughter was the first great-grandbaby to come along.

Florence wrote poems about my little girl-child.

Unfortunately, Florence didn't get to see her get much older, she left us, and my daughter didn't get to know her as she grew up.

Maybe that's why I dote on these grandbabies, moving all the way to Louisiana to be closer to them.

You have no idea how hard it is for me to get down on the floor like that, but it's worth it!

My sneaky daughter snapped this photo, obviously while I wasn't looking!

And honestly, I'm glad to have the picture.

ReMemberies

2012-01-12T09:12:00.017-06:00

After yesterday's post, I thought you might like to see those bright blue eyes and beautiful red hair.

Her momma took this picture.

She's being a Princess, wearing the dress and white lace pinafore I sewed for her for Christmas.

She likes to twirl in it.

I remember my daughter's grandmother, sewing dresses and pinafores for her when she was this age.

When she started school, I had her wear those dresses for her annual picture.

So she would always remember them, even after she'd grown out of them.

I hope my granddaughter will remember me sewing for her, too.

Good ReMemberies.

Curly-Hair

2012-01-11T14:47:00.001-06:00

To everyone I missed this holiday season, I hope your celebrations were fun, the food delicious, and the family gathered together.

This is my lovely granddaughter, isn't she growing up a lot? She turned 3 years old last August.

She was headed on Christmas Eve to a family gathering, so I convinced her to let me roll her hair in curlers, so she would be extra pretty for the party.

I was amazed that she let me put the curlers in at all, and that she let them stay in through her nap.

Very surprising!

I'm also very proud of her little outfit, I sewed it for her. It has balloons and butterflies on it, a pinafore and ruffled capri pants.

Looks like her curls lasted a while!

When I took down the curlers, she stood in front of the full-length mirror shaking her head, admiring her curly hair.

I remember when I was younger, those pink foam curlers with the rod in the middle.

You'd have to sleep on them overnight, just to get a little wave.

And later, as a teenager, trying to get the natural curls out by putting orange juice cans in my hair.

Oh the things we do for beauty, huh?

In her case, she doesn't need much help.

But just the same, she's so cute with her curly top.

Cooler Weather Is Welcome

2011-10-05T11:27:00.000-05:00

Fall has begun! Even though the clock hasn't "fallen back" yet, I really feel the change of the seasons.

The days are getting shorter, the darkness falls before I'm ready to go indoors.

The cooler temperatures make me want to sit out on the porch, watching the sun set over the firehouse down the street.

I've been busy lately, sewing for the grandchildren.

I've also taken my crochet hook back up.

I'm making gifts for the holiday season, so some things I can't show or I'll spoil the surprise.

But some I can, and those I will photograph and show you.

I'm trying out some ways to combine fiber and pewter charms.

And just playing with crochet thread, having fun with making lacy, delicate things out of it.

Hope all of you are enjoying cooler weather, too!

Baby Feets

2011-08-16T17:06:00.000-05:00

We just hit the one month mark!

I've been crocheting baby booties.

This pair is for the christening this weekend.

Road Trip!

We are taking two cars.

Multiple child carseats.

It's like taking the circus on the road.

My granddaughter's third birthday is August 29.

Right after her sweet mama's, on August 26.

Here is my lovely daughter, with the sweet baby boy.

He'd be even sweeter, if he's let his momma sleep more.

But he's busy eating and gaining weight.

It's wonderful being close enough to enjoy all these quiet times.

Awake and Aware

2011-07-29T13:44:00.000-05:00

As I get older, I'm amazed at how quickly life speeds by.

Next Tuesday, the baby boy will be two weeks old.

He and his mama are home, and he's already gaining well.

Big sister is being so sweet, she takes care of her baby dolls while mama takes care of little brother.

It just seems like yesterday that he was one day old.

In fact, it seems not much longer since his big sister was a newborn.

Time is funny - it compresses and expands in amazing ways.

Right now, I just try to enjoy every bit of it.

Thanks for all the good wishes!

You are great friends, and much appreciated.

A Little Man

2011-07-24T10:44:00.001-05:00

HAPPY SUNDAY!

We have had a busy week here in Central Louisiana.

On Tuesday, my daughter had her baby boy.

SEAN EDWARD

has joined the world.

He and his mother are well and home from the hospital.

Big sister is doing well, too.

And his daddy is a wonderful guy, taking care of everybody!

Things are getting a little back to the usual schedule now,

since we brought baby brother home on Wednesday.

He weighed 7 lbs 1 ounce at birth, 21 inches long.

And he's already almost back to his birth weight.

I know I've been pretty absent here, life things have been keeping me super occupied elsewhere. You can imagine, I'm sure!

But my new resolution is to be here on the blog more now, while still taking a few times out for enjoying the growing family.

HAPPY FIRST WEEK, BABY BOY!

Sitting Pretty

2011-05-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Wrought iron chairs on a brick walkway.

Fleur de lys designs.

Southern charm, with a Central Louisiana accent added.

The word "President" in wrought iron tracery.

Inspiring and historic.

Just up the road...

Fresh Garden Harvest

2011-05-24T06:00:00.022-05:00

Aren't these beautiful? If you like green zucchini, I suppose.

This is the first of a batch of zucchini the squash plants have put out the last week or so. We steamed these and had them at a family dinner. Fun!

This is another batch I just picked from the garden on Sunday.

There is a cucumber, some beans and one more zucchini.

I have four kinds of beans growing, including a yellow pod bean. I think I'll cook them all up together and have a little pot of home grown green beans.

This is the second cucumber we've pulled. We ate the first one with rice wine vinegar on it.

I'm still waiting for the tomatoes to ripen and turn red, but in the meantime, I'm happy to much down on these veggies!

French Treats

2011-05-22T10:35:00.001-05:00

I've read on other folks' blogs about the adventure of making french macaron cookies.

It sounded like a lot of work, and yet made me curious about how they might taste, and what the texture would be.

I found a cookbook on making macaron cookies, and I studied it for several days, wondering if I could make it work.

Yesterday, after stocking up on eggs, gel food coloring, butter and almond meal, I decided to give it a try.

If you're like me, once you've heated up the oven and gotten out the mixing stand, you figure you may as well make a bunch of stuff before you put everything away again.

I made a batch of plain, peach colored macaron with cherry filling.

And a batch of lemon flavored, mint colored macaron with lemon buttercream filling.

Not to mention two dozen mini-cupcakes, but that's another post.

I was experimenting, learning how to make them in my oven and my kitchen. I found that the heavier weight baking sheets worked better than my thin, air-filled ones. But they had to be watched on the heavier baking sheets, so they didn't overcook.

French style macaron are supposed to be light and airy, with a smooth round top and little feet on the flat bottom of the cookie where it rises when it's baked.

My first batch of peach-colored macaron didn't have feet. I may not have let them sit long enough after I piped them out of the frosting bag, they are supposed to sit for 30 minutes. And since they were the first batch, I slightly over cooked them.

But if you look at the mint colored ones, they have the pretty little feet and smooth tops. and the bottoms are flat, without sticking to the parchment paper or cracking.

But I promise that, no matter if they have no feet, are cracked or don't have flat bottoms, they are ALL YUMMY when you eat them.

They have a crisp outside, a melty-meringue interior, flavored with the filling.

And .... they're pretty, too.

If you've never made them, try them, they're not really that hard to do. Here's a website with some links, if you want to learn more, and a very PERKY video tutorial.

Riding Around

2011-05-19T13:56:00.000-05:00

My hubby has been mowing the lawns at the house, the new lot we added, and the yard at the studio.

So we did some research, and added this little mower to our stable.

It is a Weedeater One Riding Mower. It fits through the gates in the fence we just put up. And it can turn corners like the best of them.

He says it's like mowing on a go-cart.

Whatever makes it easier, I say.

VROOMM.

Cold Drink, Deer

2011-05-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still getting used to living in Central Louisiana.

Over a week ago, I watched live crawfish being dumped into a plastic swimming pool full of salt water. Then, I got down into a tray of hot boiled crawfish and learned how to break them open and eat 'em. YUM!

Last week, I ate something at a restaurant (I'm still not sure exactly what it might have been) that made my neck swell up alarmingly, and my face get all red. I went to the pharmacy to ask the pharmacist what to do. He took one look at me and told me to take an antihistimine tablet. He came out from behind the counter to pick it out for me.

"Take one! Take one! Take one now! Take one RIGHT now!"

he said very loudly ...

So, before I had even paid for the package he handed me, I opened it up and swallowed a tablet while he watched me. Satisfied, this pharmacist, who didn't know my name, said,

"There you go, baby, that'll take care of it," and returned to his counter.

This is a place where folks call you "sweetie," "honey" and "baby" even though they don't know you.

And call me "Miss Lynn" when they do.

The swelling in my neck went down, most likely because I "took one RIGHT now!" like the pharmacist said.

IF Mama Ain't Happy-Feed Her Seafood

2011-05-08T06:00:00.006-05:00

Oh, No! Has MAMA got the blues?

Buy MAMA a Cold Brewed Beverage at MAMA's Blues Room!

If that doesn't work, just down the sidewalk is MAMA'S OYSTERS.

That should put a grin on Mama's face.

If you're not close enough to Nachitoches, Louisiana to hit these two Mama's places, I'm sure there's a Mama's Place near you!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, EVERYONE!

family, fun, friends... none better.

Where Oh Where

2011-05-07T06:00:00.042-05:00

"Where," you might ask, "have you been,"

and

"Why haven't you been in the studio lately?"

Remember when I moved to Central Louisiana last July, and I thought I might "retire" from working in the law and just make jewelry full-time? But then a law office had someone suddenly gone (sadly, killed in a tragic automobile accident) and they needed help. PRONTO! So I came out of retirement and went back to a 9-to-5 job in the law. To help out because they were in a dire pinch.

It's a very small office. Just four people, including the attorney. I like the casual setting, the variable work, and the fact that I get to leave on time every day, and early on Fridays. And wear jeans on Friday, too.

About a month ago, there was the attorney, the receptionist/file clerk, myself and one other lady at the office working. The four of us were it. If it got done, one of the four of us did it.

The other lady who does what I do suddenly, one Thursday a month ago, gave one day's notice and left.

No two-week notice. Just gone. Bye-Bye. Outta Here. See-ya.

YIKES.

So it was just the three of us, until we could find a replacement.

Needless to say, I've been BUSY-BUSY-BUSY since then.

But a new person has joined the office recently. It's back to the four of us again. The newly hired one does have a learning curve, but it still helps having four people again.

So it should really slow down some for me again, hopefully soon.

And I will be able to get back to the studio more now!

To create!

YAY... and WHEW!

So ... "that's where I've been lately."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the way, it's my turn to do the Studio Saturday post at the Art Bead Scene blog. Pop over if you'd like to reply to the question and enter for a chance to win something fun. Also check out the May challenge, for yet another opportunity to win some gorgeous prizes.

Cooking Homegrown From Venice

2011-05-06T06:00:00.013-05:00

I've been reading a series of books, mysteries by author Donna Leon. Her stories are set in Venice, Italy, although she is an American.

I learned that she co-authored a cookbook also, titled "Brunetti's Cookbook."

Her books are very evocative of beautiful Venice, and her main character in them is Commissario Guido Brunetti.

So many of her stories include descriptions of meals, home cooked and at restaurants, and they sound so tasty. There are also coffee, pastries, wine. So I was happy to learn about the cookbook.

Look at all that ripe produce on the cover in the picture of the market. Zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce and lemons, just gorgeous.

Not to mention the beautiful picture of Venice at the top of the book's cover. The light, the water and the colors of the houses. Makes me want to travel and taste in person.

But if I can't do that, maybe I can prepare some recipes from the book using my own home grown produce soon, and get a taste of Venice that way.

If you like mystery stories with a slow pace, and set in idyllic Venice, try her books. Very inspirational.And likely to make you hungry!

A Few Household Additions

2011-05-05T06:00:00.031-05:00

This is a bright yellow bloom on the cucumber plant, growing up the bright red tomato cage. I love fresh veggies, I hope we'll have some to eat by the end of the month.

Another change we made recently was to add this four-foot picket fence across the front of the lot next to us that we purchased in April. This keeps critters out of the garden, and makes it safe for the grandbaby to play away from the street.

I bought four kinds of dwarf okra, and they are coming up now in the square foot garden. Because they are dwarf plants that grow only about two feet tall, I've planted four per square foot. They have blooms on them that look like hibiscus flowers, because they're in that same family of plant, but they bear pods you can cut, deep fry and eat. I have six squares with four in each square planted, and they are coming up now. I'll take photos of the flowers, when they start blooming later.

When it starts to get really hot here, they'll take off growing and get tall. They prefer it hot and dry!

Speaking of hot and dry, now that we have a fence around the entire side lot, we put up a swimming pool to splash around in.

I remember last July when we moved to Central Louisiana, how Hot! Hot! Hot! it was outdoors. This year, I plan to take a dip in the pool to cool off. And of course, I've got some floaty toys and fun things for the grandbaby, so she can go swimming too. Right now the water is a cool 65 degrees F, but give it a couple of sunny, hot days and it will warm right up, I'm sure!

Can you tell I've been busy in the yard and outdoors lately?

It seemed best to get as much of this done as possible early in the spring, before the heat wave hits and makes it hard to hang out in the yard.

I can't wait to get some beans, so I can teach my granddaughter how to snap them. I remember my grandmother teaching me, a long time ago.

Go beans! Bloom ... and grow quickly!

Tomatos Up, Tomatos Down

2011-05-04T12:27:00.025-05:00

These are Big Boy tomatos, growing upside down in a Topsy Turvy planter. I bought it for my hubby as a gag Christmas gift, and we decided to give it a try.

This tomato plant was planted at the same time as the one in the red tomato cage in the side garden, and it's way ahead on tomato production. I think it's because the soil warms up more quickly in the Topsy Turvy planter than the ground outdoors does.

We used Miracle Grow potting mix, and we've added a little sprinkle of 'Mater Magic to the soil. My hubby waters the Topsy Turvy every day. We should have some ripe tomatoes soon!

This tomato plant is also a Big Boy, and it has one good sized tomato on it, getting ready to ripen. It's in the square foot garden, with one square foot all to itself.

Right next to the tomato are two squares of cucumbers. They have one red tomato cage to themselves to grow up, and they share one side of the red tomato cage with the tomato. I like having them close together, it makes it easier to train them up the cage, and encourages pollinators to find them. It takes less time and water, too. Can you see the little tendrils wrapping themselves around the red wire of the square cages?

For fun, I put one squash plant into the container with the zinnias I planted from seed. It's a little behind the other squash, not blooming yet, but they still have all summer to catch up and bloom later.

We liked the Topsy Turvy so much, I ordered three Sweet One Hundred cherry tomato plants from Burpee and my daughter got us two more Topsy Turvy planters. We put two Sweet One Hundred plants in the Topsy Turvey planters and hung them beside the shed, and planted one cherry tomato plant in the square foot garden. It's a race! Which ones will have tomatoes first?

Herbs and Blooms

2011-05-03T06:00:00.020-05:00

On the south-facing side of the house, we put up a box for an herb garden.

I've always had fresh rosemary, sage, marjorum and miniature roses in my herb garden. This raised bed box is made of composite materials, pre-formed to slide together, so it doesn't rot.

Herbs don't need as rich a soil as garden vegetables. I do have a small yellow pear tomato in this bed and a jalapeno pepper plant.

I also include marigolds and zinnias in the herb garden, for some color and to attract pollinators.

I had some extra squash plants so I put them in the herb bed, to see how they liked it. They aren't growing as large as the huge ones on the side lot. If I get any squash off them, it will be a bonus.

The herbs are planted right by the back door to the kitchen, so it's just a few steps down to gather some fresh herbs for cooking.

I planted some zinnias from seeds, they are growing but way behind the ones that are blooming. I bought those at a nursery because I couldn't wait to have zinnia flowers.

May First Garden Photos

2011-05-01T12:15:00.002-05:00

HAPPY MAY DAY!

First, it's been a while since I posted. I've been working in the garden and yard.

Here's a photo of the pretty pink blooms on my bush bean plants. I think we'll have beans soon!

The way I garden is from a book I bought in the mid-70's, the title is "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. I recommend it to anyone who has a small space, or who doesn't want to spend a lot of time weeding and watering.

Each raised garden bed is four foot by four foot. Each is divided into twelve one foot squares with a divider, to help show where things are planted.

These are the three four foot by four foot beds we set up on the lot next to the house after we bought it in April. We brought in fresh soil and compost to fill the beds six inches deep, with a weed barrier on the bottom first to keep the weeds from growing up through.

We just finished having a new fence built around the side yard. It's a privacy fence on one side and a four foot picket fence on the front and sides.

The three garden beds are closer to the side of the house than the center of the lot, because there are lots of trees in the yard and I needed to avoid the shade.

You can see my bright red tomato and cucumber cages. They're very sturdy and square instead of round, and they fold flat for storage when the season is over.

The big plant in the front corner there is a zucchini squash. In square foot gardening a squash gets three square feet, and when we planted it, it looked so lonely there in the middle of the bed. But now, it's got those huge leaves, so it's a good thing I gave it as much room as recommended.

It is blooming now, we'll hopefully have zucchini in a week or two. YUM! See the baby zucchini growing where the bright yellow flowers are?

I haven't had to spray to keep off the squash bugs yet, but I think I'll mix up some soap water spray and give them a squirt, just in case those bugs get any ideas about my squash plants.

I've wanted a garden for such a long time, in Saint Louis we didn't own the house so digging up the yard just wasn't a good option. It's an indulgence, and I get out every morning and water the plants to check on progress.

How's your garden growing??

Radish

2011-04-21T12:38:00.000-05:00

After we bought the empty lot next to our house, I started dreaming of setting up a square foot garden. I got the raised beds, three of them, configured and full of soil mix. It finally got warm enough to plant seeds, and yesterday, my order of dwarf okra seeds arrived. And my bright red tomato cages.

Yesterday, I harvested my first radish.

And I ate it, with butter and salt.

So fun to eat what you've grown yourself.

Today, my granddaughter had a party at school.

And she wore the blue birdcage outfit.

She looks adorable!

This weekend I'll try to get some pictures of the garden.

Beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.

I can't wait to get that first home-grown, vine ripened tomato!

Baby Blue Birdcages

2011-04-14T06:00:00.016-05:00

Last weekend, I sewed up this little outfit for my granddaughter.

It's a halter top and little skirt, for the warmer weather that's coming.

The fabric is a soft blue color, with silhouettes of birds and birdcages on it.

Here's a picture of the halter back. I used a purple plaid for the lining, and it has straps that go behind the neck. So the size can be adjusted as she grows.

The halter back has elastic in it, so it's stretchy and will hug her as she gets bigger. Maybe she can wear it all summer during the hot weather. Her third birthday is coming at the end of August.

The fabric for the straps, pocket and lacy frill on the bottom reminds me of the old style vintage tablecloths you used to see. I wanted just a touch of nostalgia, to go with the quaint birds and flowers in the blue fabric.

Along with the halter top, I made a little straight skirt she can wear under it. As she grows, she will need something to cover her legs while she runs at the playground.

Elastic is a wonderful thing in kid's clothes! Makes them easier to fit and sew.

Next, I want to make some summer dresses for myself.

And maybe some maternity tops for my daughter, too.

Mother of Pearl or Not

2011-04-12T06:00:00.011-05:00

I made a few more button charms.

And actually got them photographed and listed in the Etsy shop.

I was hanging onto them, thinking I'd make something out of them.

But I decided to go ahead and let go of these three.

I'm still doing a lot of sewing these days. Maybe I'll find a good time to shoot some pictures of the outfits.

In the meantime, if you like these button charms, they're out there in Etsy-land for you, if you want to play with them.

Blue Flower Basket

2011-04-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

The last time I made this little victorian style flower basket charm, it was all in pewter. I decided to try my faux enameling technique on it, to give it a splash of color.

It's turquoise, kind of a blue-green color.

I want to make one that's red, but I like this one a lot.

It reminds me of the springtime blossoms all out in the yard now.

The azaleas are almost done here. Maybe I'll make one with a ruddy pinkish color, like the azalea blooms.

I'm headed over to the studio this afternoon for a session of creativity. I might have to turn on a fan or two and open the windows.

I love this weather and this time of year.

"I Beautiful" She Says and She's So Right

2011-03-31T11:25:00.001-05:00

When her mama asked if she wanted to try on the little shirred peasant top I made her, she nodded. When she slipped it on, the first thing she said was -- get this ---
"I beautiful!" ...

Of course my heart popped with joy.

She wore her ruffle pants and peasant top to school today.

I've been sewing a lot this week.

I will get back to showing jewelry and faux-tique components here on the blog.

But for today, I had to show a little beauty girl!

Red Plaid Jacks Spring

2011-03-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

I went to the fabric store and dug around in the SALE bin, to find fabrics that were less than $2 a yard.

I didn't notice that the price of cotton fabrics had gone up so much, but I guess they did. I found some florals and plaids, and a little red gingham. And a fun little cotton that looks like the ball and jacks I used to play with when I was a little girl. I wasn't sure all the colors and designs were going to match well together, but I'm pleased with the combinations that came out of the fabrics.

I made up these pants yesterday evening. They have an elastic waist, and a double ruffle at the bottom.

And I made the the little skirt this morning. The front of the skirt has a ruffled apron built into it, and the back is just plain with two ruffles on it.

They can be worn with the skirt over the pants, too, in case there's a slide to go down or swings to play on, keeping little legs protected. The pants are a capri length, they should be cute with sandals or tennis shoes.

Children's clothes are quick to sew. I need to make the little peasant shirt and the pinafore apron out of these fabrics also, to wear all together as an outfit.

But right now, I need to go over to the studio and cast some pewter.

I have orders to fill.

Distractions Are A Good Thing Right Now

2011-03-23T14:09:00.001-05:00

Needing something to occupy my mind and hands, I turned toward my sewing machine. I wanted to keep busy and not dwell on the missing furry friend who usually sits with me while I work on projects.

I recently bought an interesting book, titled "Little Girls, Big Style" by Mary Abreu. I liked the photos of her finished little girl dresses.

So I am sewing-sewing-sewing my way through these days.

It's my way of coping, I guess.

I'll show some photos of the finished dresses later.

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts, helping me get past the loss of my furry friend this week.

In Memorium

2011-03-20T13:34:00.001-05:00

TIRZAH (1/4/1995 - 3/20/2011)

Today I'm very sad and missing a good friend.

Our collie-husky mix girl dog had to leave us today.

She was a very old girl, but kept pretty healthy until the very end.

My husband brought her home at six weeks old from Wayside Waifs in Kansas City, Missouri. He didn't even know me yet, then.

So, technically, she was his dog.

But once she met me, she decided something else.

She decided she was my dog.

When I came home every day, she would race back and forth across the floor, so happy I was home. I'd run with her. It was a running game we played every day. Since we moved to Louisiana, she hasn't been able to do that any more.

But she always got up out of her padded doggie bed to come and greet me, every day when I came home.

She liked to eat spaghetti noodles, I would hold it up and dangle it down, and she'd bite it off. She always made me laugh when she did that. She seemed to know it was some kind of a game. A good-tasting game, too.

Something happened to her in the middle of the night last night.

Do dogs have strokes? I don't know.

We took her to the emergency vet today.

He said it was time to let her go.

I was expecting it for some time.

But it didn't make it any easier.

I can't stop weeping for her.

Bye, bye, sweet Tirzah girl.

We miss you already.

Kitty in Redwork

2011-03-18T07:44:00.004-05:00

Maybe you have to be a certain age to remember this.

Going to the five-and-dime store to get muslin cloth, embroidery floss, needles, a wooden hoop, and a package of iron-on transfers.

On long summer days, one way to stay occupied was to sit and embroider pillowcases and hand towels.

When the floss is all one color, like red or blue, it's called "redwork" or "bluework."

I couldn't find the iron-on transfer patterns in a cute design, I had to locate them online. There are some great designs available for free, if you search for them. And here's another location for patterns, if you're getting an itch to stitch, too.

Here is my old wooden hoop, with the transfer drawn on plain cream muslin cloth in washable blue marker stretched in it, and I've started stitching a second kitten.

These old patterns are very quaint and child-like. I'm not sure I remembered exactly the right technique for stitching. I decided to use two colors of floss, a tomato red and a darker crimson, to give the design some depth. I think this needs to be put onto apron pockets in a child's size.

Do you remember doing these when you were a child? Maybe you never stopped.

When I finish the red kitty blocks, next I'm going to do some "Farmer Joe" blocks in bluework.

There's another grandbaby coming in July, a little boy.

Have to finish the quilt I'm making now for the granddaughter, and start one for the next little one.

It takes a while to make one, and I want it to be ready.

When he comes along!

To the Nines and Then What

2011-03-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

I think I mentioned that I moved my sewing machine and fabric over to the house, and I've been looking through my sewing magazines. For ideas and inspiration.

I made up this nine-patch block over the weekend.

I used fabric that I've had saved for a long, long time.

Some of it was purchased to make little dresses for my daughter, when she was the age the grandbaby is now. (yes, I did keep it that long - hey, fabric is useful anytime, right?)

Now that I've made the block, I can't decide what I want to do with it.

I thought about making a pillow.

Or a tote bag.

Or I could keep making squares like this, make a set of four or six with borders around each square, and make a little quilt for the grandbaby.

I know it's silly, to start sewing something without having plans for it.

I just wanted to see if I could remember how to do the patchwork.

I was concerned I might have forgotten.

But I guess I remembered enough to get this far.

But what next???

Two Bites Are Just Right

2011-03-14T09:16:00.000-05:00

On Saturdays I go to the library. It's my weekly treat to myself. And helps keep me from buying lots of books, too.

I got this cupcake cookbook on Saturday, called "Two-Bite Cupcakes" and it's very cute.

I love to make cupcakes. And there are lots of fun new ideas in this book.

It uses the little mini-cupcake pans. And there are savory as well as sweet recipes.

I've got to try some of these. I have the book for two weeks. How many dozens of tiny cupcakes could I make in that time, I wonder.

If you love cupcakes too, check out this fun book.

Pink and Pretty Sunday Blooms

2011-03-13T11:26:00.002-05:00

The first signs of spring at my house.

The azaleas on the side of the yard are blooming.

That side of the house faces the south, so it gets the most warmth and sunlight.

The house is yellow, with white wood trim around the windows. That helps the pretty pink buds and blossoms to show up so well. I wish I could claim that I had something to do with them, but they were here at the house when we bought it. Wonderful colors!

It's almost time to mow the grass for the first time.

Happy Sunday to You!

Button Button Who's Got The Button

2011-03-12T09:33:00.000-06:00

Today is my day to do the Studio Saturday post at the Art Bead Scene Blog. I'm talking about buttons. Their quaint historical background. Their origins and why they're called "buttons."

If you comment on my post, you might win something!

Lately I've been playing with a bunch of old buttons, seeing how I can use them to make charms and connectors.

I love the old style shell and mother of pearl buttons.

These two are my most recent button collages.

I'm thinking of combining them with the bowtie pewter piece.

You know.

Buttons and Bows?

Very old fashioned and sentimental, I know.

Fun Times

2011-03-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the three of us carpool into town.

My daughter, granddaughter and I.

On Tuesdays I drive, and on Thursdays I ride with them.

Since the weather has gotten warmer, we've started going to a park with playground equipment for a stop on the way back home.

That's me, with my knitting bag, walking beside the grandbaby, who is running toward the play park. My daughter snapped this photo, and made it look all antique.

So much energy!

It's wonderful to be able to watch her growing up.

She's getting taller all the time.

I never would have thought of myself as someone who goes to the playground once a week, until I moved here.

I'm so glad I did.

So if it sometimes seems that I'm not too terribly productive, it's probably because I'm spending time on a park bench, watching a two year old run happily around.

And worth every minute, too.

Fat Tuesday Treat

2011-03-08T06:00:00.006-06:00

My daughter shot this photo, it's a Mardi Gras Cupcake.

Yes, today is Fat Tuesday.

When I lived in Saint Louis they had a huge Mardi Gras celebration, the second largest in the country.

But I never got the day off work for Mardi Gras before.

Um Hm. Bet you can guess where the first largest is???

This is a great place! Long live the purple, green and gold, just like the Mardi Gras Sugar on the cupcake.

The cupcake didn't last long, though.

It came from a local place called "Little Cakes" or in french

Petite Gateaux.

Geaux Cajun Feat! Little cakes with big attitude.

YUM!

Art Bead Scene March Challenge - Tahiti!

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

I love Gaugin!

This beautiful image is the inspiration for the March Challenge for the Art Bead Scene Blog.

I can think of lots of ways to portray these colors and themes in jewelry.

You can find the information about the monthly Challenge here.

If you'd like to enter, pop on over and read the directions.

The prizes are awesome.

Enter your design, you might win!

Sewing It Up In Time

2011-03-05T06:00:00.009-06:00

It's difficult to get a photo of her when she's not in motion.

My daughter snapped this for me.

Of my grandbaby wearing an outfit I sewed for her.

I have another one all cut out. I just need to finish sewing it.

So I set up a sewing spot in the house, with a typing table on rollers.

So it can be rolled out of the way when it's time for company.

Or when it's my weekend for a sleepover with the owner of the dress.

Like this weekend. Fun!

The strappy dress I'm working on reminds me of a gypsy dancer.

Bright colors and ruffles.

With pantaloons underneath. Better for sliding down slides.

I want to finish it, the weather is warming up quickly.

She'll be able to wear it soon.

Until she outgrows it.

And that happens quickly, too.

What Was I Thinking

2011-03-04T11:37:00.000-06:00

Maybe I'm the only one who does this.

I look back at pictures of items I've made in the past, things that have gone on to find new homes, long ago.

And I think, "Did I really make that?"

I find things that make me scratch my head and wonder.

I need to break out the resin, and make some more cabochons like this one.

I vaguely remember making the wings and crown for this pendant.

But it seems so long ago and far away, like some other me did it.

So much has happened, so much has changed. It's like a whole new world.

Does that ever happen to you?

Do you look back at photos of your creative work, things that were made a year ago, eighteen months ago, and it's like a whole new world opening.

I hope I'm not alone with this...

March Sale Surprise

2011-03-03T06:00:00.003-06:00

Feels like time for a SPRING SALE in the Etsy shop.

I've marked some neat things down.

If you've had your eye on something, or if you just can't resist a sale, pop over and see the special prices.

Happy Spring!

Part 2, Not a Uni-Tasker

2011-03-02T06:00:00.006-06:00

Here's the cover of the cookbook I got from the library.

I found it at Amazon for less than $9.00. I may have to make it a permanent part of my cookbook library.

You have one of those, don't you? Your special pile of cookbooks that you always turn to, when you want to cook something special, but can't decide what that might be on any given day.

This one is written by someone from Louisiana.

Now, in my book, that makes it extra authentic.

Especially for a cookbook with "jambalaya" on the cover.

The neat thing about the rice cooker is that it has three speeds.

Unplugged - OFF.

Cook.

Warm.

What else do you need?

Put this together with the bread machine, and the meal's practically on the table all by itself.

It's Not A Uni-Tasker

2011-03-01T09:45:00.000-06:00

Since I relocated here to Central Louisiana, I've been getting cookbooks from the library, to learn how to make the local dishes.

A lot of them call for rice. My daughter had a rice cooker, and swore by it. I always thought it was a uni-tasker - only good for making rice.

However, it does make really good rice, and makes it easily.

Does it tell you anything that I bought a ten pound bag of Basmati rice at Sam's, and we're already halfway through it? Yes, there's a lot of rice used in gumbos, soups, jambalayas - you get the idea.

Last Saturday when I went to the library, I found a cool recipe book, on how to cook things BESIDES rice in the rice cooker.

Even though I have the steamer basket for mine, I wouldn't have thought of making stews and soups in the rice cooker.

So I'm going to have to experiment with mine.

If you want a good chuckle, and more information on unique uses for the rice cooker, check out Roger Ebert's blog post about "uses for the pot" - he made me laugh out loud several times. Do check it out ...

So I will have to try stone ground oatmeal in the rice cooker for breakfast.

Hmmmm ... might even be healthy.

Doorposts

2011-02-26T12:27:00.000-06:00

We had a a busy week last week.

We put up a canvas gazebo in the yard.

I dug out my "Square Foot Gardening" book - the original copy from 1975, and started thinking about setting up a vegetable garden in the new lot next to the house.

I was "window shopping" on Etsy, and I found some new flat-backed rhinestones. They have a sweet, opal-looking glow to them.

I used some of them in the portal medallion in the photo.

I like the subtle bling they give to the pewter pieces.

We got pricing for a new fence.

I can't wait until it's warm enough, and far enough past the last freeze, to put out some plants.

I can imagine myself eating fresh lettuce and herbs now!

I've been planning and waiting for this stage of the relocation for over a year now. I just can't wait to get started....

Peace Rose

2011-02-22T17:01:00.000-06:00

I learned some interesting things today. The rose my grandmother grew beside her front step was called a "peace" rose. It is a yellow rose with pink and peach tips. I found it has a history that goes back to before World War II, coming from France before the invasion and being safeguarded in America and other countries, until the war was over.

Here in Central Louisiana, at our new house, we just bought the empty lot next to our house.

Last weekend, we put up a canvas gazebo with mosquito netting.

And I've been haunting the local garden stores.

I want to do some square foot gardening this summer.

Last year, we moved in mid-July, and it was too late to start a garden.

This year, I'm already looking longingly at the seed packets.

Have you ever noticed that if you look, you'll find garden and flower seed packets all over the place?

The weather has been mild and wonderful.

I can't wait to plant tomatos!

Bark and Leaf Buttons

2011-02-19T06:00:00.001-06:00

Another button. This one's color reminds me of mahogany.

Or Autumn leaves.

This one has a wood grain to it.

I made it a two-loop connector.

All the buttons are in the Etsy shop.

In case you'd like to play with them.

Baby Blue Button

2011-02-18T06:00:00.006-06:00

I picked up a jar of old buttons at a flea market.

I couldn't decide how to use them.

To start off, I made some of them into little charms, with a loop at the top.

And a dark metal finish.

This one is very quaint, with its baby blue color.

Reminds me of spring.

It's Not Brass, But The Brass Color Is There

2011-02-17T06:00:00.007-06:00

I learned a while back how to get a bronze-looking finish on the pewter.

And how to enhance the coppery tones, and make it look like cast copper.

But I hadn't made a look that was like brass tones.

I've been using brass wire lately, to give a golden look to the rosary wire wrap necklace chains, using my hand dyed costume pearls.

I wanted to give this festive, ornate centerpiece a brass-toned look.

I think I'm there.

I do love color. And color WITH metal, even better.

Color With Metal

2011-02-15T06:00:00.012-06:00

I love working with the cast pewter.

Sometimes, to add some color, I combine it with the cast resin cabochons.

Or make a centerpiece of polymer clay, to give the metal some bright color. Like the red heart in the previous post, that was handpainted and added to a pewter bezel.

But I've long wanted to re-create the look of enameled metal, the shiny, luminous colors.

I have been playing around with ways to get that look.

I think I'm there.

This replica of a french medal has a ruby, luminous border around it.

The texture of the leaves shows through, and it reflects the light back for an inner glowing look.

Just like the real enamels do.

Happy V-Day on Monday!

2011-02-13T10:21:00.000-06:00

Monday is the loving holiday of Valentine's Day, February 14.

Hope you have some fun, eat something yummy and give lots of hugs and kisses!

Pretty Shiny Glass

2011-02-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

I love dichroic glass when it's fused.

If you aren't familiar with dichroic glass, it's a metal-coated surface on glass that's used for optics and some space age glass applications;

the metal is applied to the surface of the glass in a vaccuum.

Sometime in the 1970's someone who worked in hot glass wondered what the dichroic glass would do when it was heated to melting temperatures.

And learned by experimenting, that it created a two-color light reflection.

I cut the glass, layer it with white, clear or black glass, and fuse it in my kiln.

It brings out the beautiful, shiny light reflections in the glass.

This little connector is made using a cabochon of fused dichroic that I made before the kiln was packed up and moved. I keep coming across little pieces like this in the studio.

I need to cut some and try fusing again, to make sure the kiln relocated okay.

And before it gets too hot outdoors. Definitely NOT a problem right now!

Heartwings

2011-02-09T06:00:00.023-06:00

I adapted my resting heart pendant to create this soaring, heart-with-wings pendant.

Rather than resting, this one is in mid-flight.

It's really small and dainty.

I love casting the pewter and playing with the results.

With the loving holiday coming up this month, I was inspired to make this soaring heart charm.

L-O-V-E on the W-I-N-G

Bluebonnet Basket

2011-02-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend was rough. There was a thick coating of ice on the trees and power lines. The power kept going up and down.

So while it was daylight, I put together this spring bouquet basket necklace.

I guess you can tell what was on my mind.

Flowers, bluebirds, robin's eggs. Warmer weather.

I know I still have a bit of a wait.

And that many in other parts of the country have it colder, and have a longer wait for warm weather.

But maybe if I wear this little victorian flower basket, with green leaves and blue flowers dangling, it will give my spirit a lift.

While I wait for the real weather change that's coming.

I took one of my flower basket charms, and combined it with blue and green glass flower beads. A faceted pink bead and a vintage blue lucite round bead. And made it adjustable in length, so it can be a choker, or neckline length.

I put it in the Etsy shop, if anyone else is in love with bird's egg blue the way I am. It's all of the blue beads I have, so it's one of a kind.

Flower Power By Hook

2011-02-07T06:00:00.031-06:00

I've been enjoying a return to knitting and crochet lately, making sweaters for family members, and warm scarves to protect against the cold.
I wondered how I could bring my pleasure in working with crochet together with my happiness with beads, and make a jewelry item.

I started playing with wire and a crochet hook. And came up with this lacy, fun little bracelet. It's lightweight, sturdy and a good framework for the beads I added, for some extra BLING.

I used one of my cast pewter button replicas for the closure.

I've been wearing it this week, to make sure it's comfortable and sturdy. I already have some ideas about different ones I may make.

And the central emblems, for earrings and pins.

I made up the pattern, just playing around. I want to make some with a cast pewter emblem as part of the central design.

It reminds me of something very old, like a design you'd see in Godey's Lady's Magazine Patterns.

I think I'll spend some more time working on this idea. What do you think of it?

Eeek! Photoshop is Holding Me Hostage!!

2011-02-06T12:59:00.012-06:00

Remember when I mentioned that my old computer kicked the bucket?

I used to have Photoshop Elements 3 on it.

I used the program to merge photos, add text to photos.

All kinds of cool stuff for the blog, and Etsy.

Well, you can't get that version of Photoshop Elements any more.

Want to know what version is it now? Elements 9.

Gulp.

So, for Christmas, my hubby got it for me.

I've been afraid of it ever since.

Photoshop is not for the timid!

It can do very powerful stuff.

It's like lifting a brick with a high-powered crane!

EEEK!

The montage photo in this post was created using the new version.

I am certain I'm not doing it the right way.

And I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow. Someday.

In the meantime, I feel like I'm trying to land a plane.

Without flying lessons.

Hoo Boy.

Tabletop View and Giveaway Winner

2011-02-05T06:00:00.033-06:00

I brought a handful of cast pewter pieces that I've had set aside for a while over to the house, and pulled them all out on the rolltop desk to contemplate their next steps.

And some faceted glass beads and strands of pearls that I've been hoarding for too long.

Now it's time to take up pliers, hammer and bead wire, and get busy.

And make those pieces come together for a finished project.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all the interesting ideas for how you'd use the bottle with loops that I posted earlier in the week. The winner of the bottle is
ForMySweetDaughter
- send me an email with your mailing address and I'll send it out to you. And I hope to see how it turns out!

And for all of you who posted comments, you get free shipping in February for any orders you place in the Etsy shop, and 10% off any purchase during February.
Just put "CASTAWAYPOST" in the Notes when you purchase, so I know you're using the discount.
Thanks again!

Ice Day Off So Rearrange The Furniture

2011-02-04T10:20:00.000-06:00

After we relocated to this old, restored railroad house in Central Louisiana, my husband's family drove down towing a trailer, to bring us this old rolltop desk that was in his family.

We put it in the office that he uses for computer work. I recently moved my photo setup into the same room. We discussed setting up a place for me to assemble jewelry, and his suggestion was that I make use of the rolltop desk.

His idea was that all the cubbies and slots would be a good place for my little tidbits that I use in creating the jewelry.

There are skinny little drawers, horizontal and vertical cubbyholes. I don't know about you, but I need to have things visible when I'm creating. For me, out of sight is truly out of mind.

Since my office is closed today due to the coating of ice, I decided to test out the setup using the roll-top desk. I covered the top carefully with thick shelf plastic, to protect it. It has marks of wear, but I don't want to mess it up or harm it.

I brought my magnifying lamp over from the studio, and a couple of boxes of beads and tools. Only the ones I need to assemble jewelry and work with wire. I haven't completely figured out yet how to make the best use of the desk, but I think it's going to work out for me.

I have to try it out, make some things, and that will show what needs to be shifted, take more space or be put away in a drawer.

And one advantage - if I do let things get as messy as I sometimes do when I'm in creativity mode, the top of the desk slides down and hides it all!

Do you think maybe that's another reason my hubby suggested it?

A different kind of "out of sight," possibly.

If so, that's just fine by me, too. I won't feel guilty about leaving a mess behind me!

Deep Cold

2011-02-03T16:16:00.000-06:00

This might not seem cold where you are.

But it's definitely considered cold here.

Things are closing here, even though it's not icing or snowing YET.

Just the word 'SNOW' is a big deal here in Central Louisiana.

Oh, but pay no attention to those numbers on Sunday.

If you see those, I'll lose all sympathy, I'm sure.

Heart Fires

2011-02-02T12:02:00.000-06:00

My little red valentine heart already found its way into an Etsy Treasury called "Seeing Red" - I guess it is February, after all, isn't it?

I enjoy seeing the Treasury creations, but I don't think I've seen anything of mine on the Etsy front page in a long time.

This morning we had more excitement, remember I had a hot water heater problem that was fixed?

This morning the hard overnight winds blew out the pilot light in the furnace.

Sometime between midnight and 4:30 a.m.

You know, it can get really chilly in that length of time, with only cold air coming out as the furnace tries valiantly to warm the house without any heat coming out!

So my hubby had to climb in the attic where the furnace lives, this morning before I left for the commute to the regular 9-5, to re-light the pilot.

Oh, boy, that warm air coming out was a treat!

Hope all of you are safe and toasty warm, in spite of ice storms or blizzards, or whatever mother nature is handing out to you this week.

Keep those portable heaters nearby - you just never know ....

Dream Catcher Giveaway

2011-02-01T08:43:00.001-06:00

To all of you who are getting snowed in, or having ice storms, I'm thinking of you.

The weather across the country is severe today. We just had a tornado warning on the radio for the Louisiana parishes north of here.

It's been raining a lot here, the ground is saturated, but at least the temperatures are above freezing.

Think of this little bottle as a repository for my well-wishes for you.

And full of my glee!

Why?

The Etsy shop just passed 1300 sales today.

Woo Hoo!

I can't help but celebrate. For some reason, those round numbers always make me feel happy.

So if you need something to lift your spirits today, how about a giveaway?

Share some ideas about how to use these little looped bottles by replying to this post with a comment, later this week someone will be chosen at random to win one!

What would you put inside? Would you put a label on the outside?

Add a cork? Beads? Chain?

Do tell ... you might win one to play with!

And thanks to all of you who helped to push my sales over that 1299 mark - so great!

Circular Thinking

2011-01-31T06:00:00.015-06:00

Three rounds, and a heart. Very old-fashioned.

One ivory.

One ebony.

One cream.

One red.

This is what I came up with in my studio session on Sunday.

And the hand-crocheted lace, to keep it sweet.

Rainy Sunday

2011-01-30T11:51:00.001-06:00

It's been very warm here in Cenral Louisiana, and rainy. I'm enjoying the mild temperatures, and I like the sound of the rain on the roof.

This week the hot water heater decided to act up. Home ownership means never lacking a to-do list, right?

Fortunately, it was a simple plumbing pipe fix, and we were back in hot water, in a good way.

I'm relocating some of the jewelry assembly tools to the office in the house, instead of the studio.

I'm thinking that I'm more likely after a week at the regular 9-to-5 to sit in my fuzzy slippers and comfy clothes here at home and make a few pairs of earrings, a bracelet or a necklace, than I seem to be willing to get in the car and go to the studio to do it.

It's an experiment, like relocating the photography setup.

So I put some beads, jewelry pliers and a bench block in a box, and today I'm going to set up a jewelry assembly area here at the house. I gathered up a whole bunch of pewter components I've been wanting to play with, too.

There are still lots of messy, noisy, wet and dusty things that need to stay at the studio.

I don't want all that in my living area.

But hey, how much trouble can I make with some jewelry tools and beads?

Fortunately, my hubby is okay with the idea. He says he likes having me around.

Can you imagine that?

I'll give this a try, and see how it goes. I have a lot of ideas for necklaces, like the one in the photo, that I've been wanting to assemble. Now I can do it in the comfort of my own home!

Sounds silly, but I'm actually excited.

Photo Setup

2011-01-25T06:00:00.011-06:00

I'm playing around with how I do my photography of the components. I had the tripod, camera and lights at the house, in front of a window in the studio.

But that means I'm away from the computer, where I do the uploads.

The computer is at the house.

So, if the photos didn't quite work, it's a trip in the car with the camera back to the studio.

A little inconvenient.

On Sunday, I decided to try an experiment.

I set up the photography table at the house next to the computer.

It used to be that way in Saint Louis, down in the basement studio.

That way, if the photos weren't quite right, it was easy to just roll my desk chair back over to the camera tripod setup and shoot again.

I'm not sure the lights are quite right just yet.

That's always the trickiest part.

This pewter charm has a black portrait inset in the center it's hard to get the details on the black background.

I'll have to mess with it some more.

But at least this way, re-shooting won't cause such a delay.

Shoot, upload, test.

Repeat as needed.

De-lightful

2011-01-23T08:59:00.000-06:00

My beautiful grandbaby and I had our first "sleepover" at my house on Friday night.

She is the most energetic, excited, curious being I have ever met.

I need stronger vitamins.

We had fun playing, cooking and visiting.

I'm in recovery, now that she's gone home.

When was the last time you got to play with silly putty and play-dough, hmmmm??

Giveaway Friday News

2011-01-21T08:47:00.000-06:00

Remember the giveaway?

The winner is

Boot~C.

Go to the left sidebar and send me an email with your contact info, I'll send you one of my headpins to play with!

I only had 5 takers on that one, I must have sneaked it in under the radar.

But for those five who submitted ideas, if you purchase from the shop before February 1, and put "HEADPINPOST" in the Notes at checkout, you'll get FREE SHIPPING and 10% off your entire order.

Those were some good ideas you posted, thanks!

Cleopatra Was Here

2011-01-20T06:00:00.011-06:00

In the batch of rescued buttons that I took molds from for re-casting, there was one that had a profile on it that reminded me of ancient Rome.

Granted, I have a vivid imagination sometimes.

I cast it in pewter, and immediately it struck my fancy. The pewter emblem is very small and dainty, but distinctive.

I wish I had a fancy phrase in latin to put here!

Caesar!

I took one of my expandable ring forms and made a ring out of it, it fits my pinkie finger without being expanded. But it will enlarge to fit a bigger finger.

When I look at it, it reminds me of ancient Pompeii.

Very worn around the edges, a little pitted.

Like it was unearthed from an excavation by an archeologist.

These are the fanciful things I think of when I'm casting and putting patina on pewter. How to make it look old and very rare.

Did I make it?

Time Bottle

2011-01-19T06:00:00.002-06:00

Remember the post around the holidays, when I showed my polymer clay snowmen bottles?

I have a box of bottles like that, and I was thinking about how they could be hung like a pendant.

On Saturday I took some time in the studio and started to play with one of them.

I made a collar out of wire around the empty glass bottle, and used my solder to solidify it around the neck of the bottle.

Then I made some loops, trying to make it look very old like an antique tonic bottle from long ago, so that chain or a wire wrap can be added to the loops to make it wearable.

With the extra wire, I made two very small loops and joined them to each other on the back side, like a linked chain.

It reminds me of a patent medicine bottle, or something from an herbalists shop or apothecary.

I don't know what might go inside. A snippet of a map, a love letter? Some dyed costume pearls, or gold flakes in resin? Sand from a special beach, with a seashell?

I think I'll list this one in the Etsy shop. Maybe one of you would like to play with it., and make it part of a special story you're telling in jewelry.

Saints of Football

2011-01-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

During the holidays, I used some of the cast pewter medallions to make key chains.

This one is for a friend to give to her son.

I took the tag with the medieval lettering on it, with a symbolic icon on it, and added a fleur de lys dangle.

The idea is the Saint for the Saints. Around here, where I'm living now in central Louisiana, the fleur de lys has a very definite symbolism.

Involving the football team. Who may need extra help this year. Thus the divine intervention.

I wanted to make some gifts that were more masculine, using the cast pewter emblems.

GO SAINTS.

or as they say around here,

GEAUX SAINTS!

Glassy-Eyed

2011-01-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

In the months since I packed up the studio and relocated, I have not been working in glass as much as I used to.

For the simple reason that I haven't unpacked all the tools for it.

I need to cut and fuse some glass, to make some faux gems.

But I had this one left over from another session, so I finally made it into a connector piece.

I don't know if you're this way, too, but for me it's "out of sight, out of mind" and I forget about things.

I need to go root around in all the boxes in the studio.

Who knows what else I'll find that inspires me! It's like Christmas every day.

Surprise!!!

Headings, Finials and Giveaway Hearts

2011-01-16T11:09:00.001-06:00

Many months ago, I made some headpins, really fancy ones.

Then I didn't make any for a long time.

On Saturday, I looked at my molds and thought, I need to make some more headpins.

I need some myself, for some crystal drops that I want to wire wrap and give a really fancy look.

This Finial headpin has a hole at the top, so it can be added to a chain or wire wrapped bead link, and a briolette or lampwork bead can be put onto the wire at the bottom and wrapped to make a really special finish for it.

The wire is really long, to give plenty of room for wire wrapping, but can easily be cut to shorten if necessary.

I got the top finial really thin but sturdy, so it's light but durable. Love that new belt sander, Yes I Do!

This is another little heart headpin I made on Saturday. It has a cute floral folksy design on it, and a long, long wire tail.

I can see these used with a lovely lampwork bead on top and wire wrapped to make a dangle. I put both of them in the Etsy shop, if you want to play with them in your designs, too. There's also one that looks like the top of a spoon, and one that has an antique key design. Very fun!

If you have suggestions on how you'd use them, post comments here, there will be a giveaway later this week!

Series #3 of "Ask Me, Who Knows"

2011-01-15T07:30:00.001-06:00

There are some folks who just grab you, the first instant you're exposed to them. My online friend LeAnn Weih at Summers Pottery is like that.

The more I learn about her, the more amazing she is to me. She does pottery, of course, and makes the most wonderful beads and clay ornaments. Like me, she enjoys combining the things she does together, to blend the multiple media to each other. I admire her, can't you tell?

But she also works in metal of all sorts. She's exceptionally talented, and her work has a warm, folk art feeling to it that I love.

Besides the fact that she lives in Texas, and I'm a native Texan myself, I feel an affinity for her.

So when she asked me this question on my blog post a while back, about what people are curious about me and wanted to know, I had to give it lots of thought:

"Lynn, I know you started out as a potter and in other mediums like weaving and fibre as well. Because I started out in a similar way with larger scale work (pottery), I would love to know how and when you made the jump to the small scale of jewelry and components."

It's a kind of long answer, as I've lived a few years and made a few changes along the way! I hope you're interested ....

I studied pottery for several years, intending to be a production potter. Then life happened, as it does to everyone! I had a family started, and with a small baby it was increasingly hard to work in clay. But I craved making things with my hands. I'd always been interested in fiber art, so I switched gears and became a production weaver. The yarn waits for you to return from taking care of children and household much more easily than the wet clay, and doesn't dry out and crack!

I was a production weaver for several years, making wearables and clothing. I did a lot of dyeing of the yarns, and I spun my own custom yarns. A bit distant from what I'm doing now, but it figures into the progression. I still use my dyeing experience to dye the costume pearls, and I do have lots of hand dyed silk cords that I can use in the jewelry.

I believe everything ties together somehow,

down the road.

After some years and seasons of doing the wearables, traveling to do several wholesale shows and retail art shows each year, I got weary of the grind. Being on the road is tough, as most of you know! I stopped doing the shows in 1986, after a life change that made me a single mom, and put the life of a creative behind me for a time. The show equipment was heavy, the solo travel was a challenge. For many years I just made things for myself, and for family and friends.

In 1999 I relocated from Texas to Missouri, and made a resolution to begin to be actively creative again. I was ready for a change, something new, without any old history to it. I sold the looms (there were three of them, quite huge, taking up lots of room in the house) to students in the Weaving Department at the Kansas City Art Institute, and learned stained glass from a neighbor.

From Wool to Glass

From Warm to Cool

From Soft to Hard

I knew I didn't want to make windows or lampshades, but I did enjoy the 3-D work, so I made kaleidoscopes and boxes. I learned to cut and solder glass and copper foil.

Gradually, the pieces got smaller and smaller, and turned into jewelry pendants. It led me to an interest in fusing the glass in a kiln to create faux gems. I took a class in silver metal clay, bought a kiln, and the jewelry started to take over.

Maybe, if I had thought to make beads in ceramic all those years ago, I'd still be a potter, and working in jewelry. But I'm happy I'm doing what I'm doing now.

I still fancy that I'll bring the fiber part back into the jewelry, to bring all my past creative experiences together.

Why jewelry?

I love wearing it!

Friends enjoy getting it as a gift.

It's small, light and easy to pack and ship - the logistics work for me.

People enjoy adorning themselves.

It's fun!

And I get to meet and mingle with jewelry designers.

And lovely friends, like LeAnn Weih.

and YOU!

Thank you, LeAnn, for your great question, I hope you hung in with me on this story. At my age, any question about my history takes a while to tell, I'm afraid ...There's a bit of it back there!

Remembrance and Reflection

2011-01-14T06:58:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is my day to do the post for Studio Saturday at the Art Bead Scene Blog. I was wondering what I would write about, what's new in the studio.

I found myself reflecting on things that are currently in the news, and how each of us is connected, in so many ways, to others that we may not even know personally.

So I hope you'll drop by the Art Bead Scene blog tomorrow, read the post, and add your comments and tell your thoughts and stories with mine.

It's a new year, yet in so many ways, it's a lot like years past.

I'm hoping somehow things will be better than in years gone by.

PEACE. LOVE. HOPE.

Heart Treasury

2011-01-11T08:17:00.002-06:00

Down here in the southlands, we're in the deep freeze.

No snow here, at least not yet. But the lows are dipping down, with a dome of cold air hovering over.

This Etsy Treasury has one of my Love Letter Heart charms in it. It's called "Dark Heart" and is very mysterious and moody.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Tuesdays and Thursdays every week, my daughter and grandbaby carpool with me into town. One day I drive, the other day my daughter drives.

We take the granddaughter to school, and play her music on the CD player.

Do you know all the words to "The Wheels on the Bus" like I do?

On Sunday I went to the studio for the first time in a week or so. The holidays really take up some time, don't they? I'm always happy when they come, and also happy when they leave.

I guess I should be making plans for the Valentine holiday. I'll start soon.

In the meantime, if you need a Love Letter Heart, I have those now.

Just in case.
~~~~~~~~
Hey! I just noticed that today is
1-11-11
that doesn't happen every year, huh?
COOL!

January Challenge at ABS

2011-01-07T08:33:00.000-06:00

There's a new Challenge going on over at Art Bead Scene! I just love the colors in this month's inspiration picture.

You'll find all the info here, if you want to join in the fun. I can imagine lots of ways to capture the spirit of this picture, so it'll be fun to see what you all come up with, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?

Now that the holidays are past, I really want to get back into creativity mode.

I think the best way is to have a sort of schedule or plan.

So that I maximize the use of the limited amount of "open" time I find myself with now.

I have lots of ideas for things I want to do and try this year.

It's also good to keep things flexible, so it's fun and not a chore.

I was thinking of some sort of bead swap or round robin project, to keep things interesting, and give a goal. If any of you are interested in playing along, or have ideas you've been mulling, post here and let's come up with a

New Year Swap Design Inspiration!

Rounding the Bend

2011-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

These are four new designs from the button replicas I've been casting. They are various sizes and designs, but all extremely beautiful, like tiny sculptures.

This one reminds me of a pair of thistles, like the stylized designs I saw in Scotland.

This one has buds, flowers and leaves, swirling around inside the lovely round frame, they resemble tulips in the spring to me.

There are large, medium and small sizes, just like the actual buttons. some are very detailed, I'm so happy with the molds and the results I'm getting.

Sometime this year these will be part of another collaboration magazine article with Deryn Mentock. These are her buttons, and they have quite a story to tell.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying just looking at them. And I have some ideas about how to combine them with some fiber patterns I'm working on. When I get everything together, I'll show them, too.

Time Hearts

2010-12-30T06:00:00.007-06:00

Old friends, new friends.

Old traditions, new events.

The year 2010 has been one of momentous changes for me.

Thanks to all of you who came along with me,

and stuck around while I try to figure it all out.

The year winds down, the calendar turns over.

Let's toast to a new, fresh page.

CHEERS!

Series #2 of "Ask Me, Who Knows"

2010-12-28T06:00:00.001-06:00

There are people I "know" in a virtual sense, that I've never met in person. Only interact with online, through email and blogs.

I still consider them my friends. Andrew Thornton is one of those people. He did a giveaway with some of my french-themed beads, and I was thrilled.

I feel that I sort of "know" him from reading his blog and following along on his adventures in writing and art. He's very talented in many different media.

He has used several of my components in gorgeous designs, this one called "Sanctuary" was featured in a well-known beading magazine in 2009. I always love when he incorporates something I've made into something he's making. They become more fully developed, and have his story added to their own.

He has a wonderful, quirky talent for pulling things together, and making the whole more beautiful than the parts, like this pair of skully earrings.

His question to me on the "Ask Me, Who Knows" post, was this:

"What's your favorite medium to work with and how did you find it originally?"

That's a long story, I hope you'll be interested in the answer.

I wish I was the kind of person who tried many media, then found one that made me say "AH-HA!" or "EUREKA" and made me stick to that one. This is it! - I've heard many other people say that, once they found that one, they KNEW it was the only one for them.

I think I'm easily bored, I move from one to another, basically keeping myself interested by not repeating myself endlessly. And seeking ways to get the "look" I want, by finding the medium that gives me that look.

I work in polymer clay.

I fuse and cut glass.

I pour resin.

I cast molten pewter.

I do wirework.

I enamel glass to copper.

I solder glass and copper foil.

The main thing is to get that faux vintage look, the reproduction of metal, hand dyed costume pearls, gems, ivory and jet. The antique image. I use whatever medium I think will get me to that "look" I'm after. The texture, color, weight and feeling that brings back that image of the original antique.

BUT If I absolutely HAD to choose a favorite .... just ONE medium ... and ONLY one ...

It would be casting pewter to create metal replicas.

I wanted to do it for a long, long time. I did a lot of research and testing on my own. I'm basically self-taught, with all the accidents, failures and bad results that come with that.

I continue to learn new things with it. To build on what I've figured out so far. And I love the look of the pewter patina.

It's what I do most of the time now.

I take a little time for paper, resin, glass, fiber and polymer clay.

But most of the time, I'm working with hot, molten metal.

Grinding, drilling, finishing and polishing.

I also enjoy combining the pewter with the glass, resin and polymer clay.

Bringing it all together.

I'm a MIXED MEDIA mixed up ALL AROUND creativity hunter!

Thanks, Andrew, for the great question...

Heartfully Thinner

2010-12-26T06:00:00.001-06:00

No, this isn't about some new diet program, although I do have a few resolutions in mind for New Year's that have to do with fewer sweets! What, no chocolate? Oh, dear.

I've been making this heart charm for a while, but always have struggled to get it both thin AND flat on the back.

But since I got my new belt sander all that has changed!

I'm way beyond thrilled with it, and it helps me make these cute little hearts both flat and thin, the easier to wear and design with.

It was the best pre-holiday present yet! And I jumped the gun and gave it to myself. It's the gift that seems to keep giving - to me! Tee Hee...

Now, if it would just flatten and thin my anatomy as easily! But that's going to require less baking and more walking, of that I'm sure.

Next year, cutting down on the sweets. Sigh.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
Merry Christmas to you!

Snowmen in a Bottle

2010-12-23T06:00:00.028-06:00

I've had it in my head for several weeks to make some little holiday ornaments, that can be wearable or used as decorations. For more things on that topic, check out my 12 Days of Christmas Post today at the Art Bead Scene blog.

12 days of Free Projects at Art Bead Scene Blog!

These little snow folks have been in the back of my mind, and finally I took some time out to get them started.

I ordered these tiny glass bottles a while ago. I used them for a bead swap, putting gold glitter and resin inside, and adding words on the outside. I had some left over, just waiting for the next inspiration.

These bottles are very tiny, about an inch tall. I put some of my hand dyed resin beads and costume pearls inside, and frosted the outside with glitter glue and mica glitter. Everything looks better with bling!

For the heads, I made some carrot shapes out of orange polymer clay. The head is made from white polymer clay rolled into a ball, then a stalk for the neck was pulled down and pushed into the opening of the bottle, to make sure it would fit after it was baked.

I used pale pink eye shadow on the unbaked clay to give the snow faces rosy cheeks.

A wooden skewer makes great eyes, I used the pointed end for the pupils and the flat round end for the eye sockets. I poked holes for the mouth, one of them seems to be whistling or singing!

After I baked them, they looked like this. You can see the neck pushed down in the bottle, it can be glued into place when ready, and a strip of cloth or tinsel used to cover the top and beautify it.

Then the heads got a coating of glitter glue and a liberal shaking of mica glitter, to make them shiny and snowy. They look a little dark in this photo, but they're really bright white and covered with gorgeous shiny bling!

I'm going to finish them with little pointed rolled paper hats, made out of pages from an old elementary school math book I picked up for twenty-five cents at a used book sale. They'll get a necklace of shiny beads around the top, then a loop for a chain so they can be hung up or worn as special holiday jewelry.

I can think of lots of designs that could be done this way. Maybe pumpkins for Halloween, bunnies for Easter.

Use your imagination and have some fun, hope these snow guys inspire your creativity too.

If you make some, be sure to let me know how yours turn out, I'd love to see the snow family kin!

Revisited - Star Card Ornament - Mini-Book Instructions

2010-12-22T06:00:00.010-06:00

Here's a photo of the starbook cards I made last year, tucked under the 2010 holiday tree in the new house. I thought it would be fun to re-visit the instructions, in case you missed out on them last year.

Here are the instructions and photos for how to make a fun greeting card that converts into a mini-star book that can hang from the tree or be used as a centerpiece on a holiday table as a decoration. They turned out so well, I thought it'd be good to see them again this holiday season!

I learned how to make star books several years ago. Most of the time I make large ones. This design is small and lightweight, and very interesting as a project for those snowy days when your young helpers are out of school - they can decorate the papers for you!
You need decorative papers, scissors or a paper cutter, a big glue stick and cardboard or card stock. You don't need anything fancy, use the cardboard from an empty cereal box, it's recycling too!

You'll need:

2 pieces of card stock or cardboard 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" (or use recycled cardboard from cereal boxes or other packaging)

18 inches of ribbon, yarn or cording for the closure (recycling old gift wrap ribbon works)

Art Bead or Large Button for closure and decoration

You also need decorative papers, pick your favorites but they are only seen on one side. Make them in these sizes, glued to the card stock to make them sturdier. (Or use last year's greeting cards, another recycling possibility.)
I use spray adhesive to attach the papers to the card stock, it's quicker than glue stick, but use what you like best.

Three complimentary colors and designs of card stock cut to these sizes:

7 pieces 3 1/4" x 6"

7 pieces 3 1/4" x 5"

7 pieces 3 1/4" x 4"

2 pieces of decorative paper for the cover, measuring 5 1/2" square

Photos, old greeting cards, rubber stamps and other things to decorate inside the pages.

Cut all your decorated card stock or recycled greeting cards. Cover the outside of the cardboard or matte board for your book covers, leaving the inside uncovered. Add your stamps, decorations and pretty images to the cover.

Fold each set of seven papers in half. I used the edge of a ballpoint pen to score and crease the papers well. The 3 1/4" dimension is the top-to-bottom measurement of your pages.

Think of each folded piece of 3 1/4" x 6" paper as a card, then glue the back cover of the first card to the front cover of the second one, and do that for all seven pieces until they look like a folded accordion or pamphlet.

Fold the 18" of ribbon in half and lay across the inside front cover board horizontally, leaving a 1" loop to make your closure sticking out beyond the cover's edge. It also acts as the hanger for attaching to the tree.

Using the glue stick, glue the front of the inner pamphlet you just made to the cover with the ribbon sandwiched in between. The pages should be almost flush with the book cover, you can open it to make sure it will open all the way without catching.

Using the glue stick, attach the back cover to the back page of the folded pamphlet with the ribbon sandwiched in between and the ends hanging past the edge of the backcover. To make them nice and tight put the two spines next to each other while gluing together, then check to be sure it will open up with the back cover glued in place.

Decorate the inner 3 1/4" x 4" papers with stamps, photos and embellishments. If you want the book to close flush, don't let this get too thick.

Take the folded 3 1/4" x 5" papers and attach the edges to the insides of the pamphlet pages. lining the edges up next to each other, then close the book and press, to make sure it will close and open correctly.

Attach the decorated inner 3 1/4" x 4" papers to the inside edges of the pamphlet as you did the 3 1/4" x 5" papers, this is the part of the book that will show when it's opened up. There will now be three layers of angles to the pages, this gives lots of stability and strength.

Embellish the cover, add your art bead to the ends of the ribbon that are loose and tie a knot - the loop on the front cover goes over the art bead to close the book and when it's fully open in the star shape, the art bead secures the book to hang from the tree by the front loop.

You can alter the size to make the star books larger or smaller. Once you get started making these, you won't want to stop.

A perfect activity for a snowy evening in front of the fire, with a cup of eggnog nearby! And a great project with kids, too.

This is the front cover, with the loop and art bead showing how you use it to close the book.

And here's the decorated back cover, very festive, don't you think? If these directions aren't clear or you have questions, post them there and I'll try to make things clearer.

Have fun! ... these are very unique holiday cards, you'll need a size larger than usual envelope to mail them! But your family, neighbors and friends will love them... and so will you.