To the Nines and Then What

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!!

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

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

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

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

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

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!