Feathers in Stringing Magazine

I was excited to see one of my feathers featured in the Spring issue of Stinging Magazine. Be sure to pick up or download a copy to see the trendy necklace Stephanie LaRosa designed.

I love making these feathers - they hit on so many current trends: boho, tribal, chevron and geometric. They are multi-taskers! Not to mention they are fun to paint.

I offered these as a limited edition last fall and have just put a few more in my Etsy shop.

Colorful Pendants

I've been working on new beads for Bead & Button. I shared a few posts ago about my inspiration of wood block stamps from India and spice markets.  Here are some of the paisleys that I designed.

I had pressed out a ton of these pendants last week and they were sitting there staring at me - questioning with possibilities.  Milky white clay beckoned, what colors?  So I went back to the source of my inspiration and picked my palettes from there.

My first group summoned the soft muted shades of this market photo featuring all sorts of flowers, pods and petals in lavender, lilacs, golden yellow, sage and  that lovely muted copper color.  I created a lotus pendant, some graphic flowers - I don't know what they are, I saw a print with the design and did my own version and then the paisleys.

Photo Credit: Jenn Garcia of the Purple Passport.
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My second grouping picked up the spicy warm shades of red, purple, orange and ochre. If I had to pick just one palette, it would be this one.

Photo credit: unattributed on Pinterest

My third color set comes from the colors of the colorful powders sold in Indian markets.  I pulled out the pink, purple, teal, kelly green.

Photo credit: Shrimaitreya

Do you have a favorite?  I'm going to put a few of these in my Etsy shop and I will make more to take to the show too because I love these for summer designs!  Hmm, maybe I'll make some jewelry with them this weekend. 

Birds: Hope and Strength

You know what I love?  Looking out a window into a snowy field, dark tree branches stretched across the sky - and then, you see it!  A tiny little red bird hopping from snow covered branch to snow covered branch.

Cardinals are a symbol of strength during trying times.  A symbol of life and hope during the cold winter months.  I like a bird that reminds us that even the frailest of creatures can endure hardship.

I'm eagerly awaiting the snow.  Fall has been amazingly lovely.  Nature's refuse sweeps across the landscape in warm shades of bronze, copper and gold.  I marvel at the the flame red bushes and Japanese maple.  But I'm secretly waiting for the morning I wake up to a world transformed by ice and snow.  Or better yet, look out my window to the magic of those fluffy white flakes.  When those berry red leaves will look like sugar-coated confections.

The change is drastic from Texas. I've made fast friends with soft, warm socks after 10 years of running barefoot for most of the year.  I've relished in finally being able to wear my sweet scarf collection - and not with sandals.  I wait more for the sunlight than before, the days get darker quicker.  It's taken a while to find the perfect spot to take photos of the beads.  I enjoy each contrast from the sun-drenched and brown land we lived in before.

Michigan is all together amazing.  I'm loving every minute as I feel the seasons change.

The cardinal and blue bird have been sitting on a page in my sketchbook, patiently waiting for me to find the time to bring them to life.  They look like little paintings.  I'm glad I finally had a chance whip them up!

 
My life has been filled with trials and joy.  With challenges and blessings.  Moving across the country has been exactly as it should be - life changing!  I finally feel like I'm catching up from it all and getting a handle on the new daily rhythm.  It's a new work schedule, more of a balanced life with lots of family time.  Life isn't quite settled, but it will be soon.  And through it all I've found strength I didn't know I had and a peace that guides me through each day.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" - Matthew 6:26

Play Vs. Procrastination

I don't know why, but sometimes when I have deadlines piled up the weirdest ideas come into my head and I feel possessed to get them out into the world.  If you've seen the Anthropologie necklace that inspired the trend of tiny banner necklace you know why these just had to come into being! I couldn't resist giving the theme a Humblebeads' spin.  These may be the only ones I make or they may evolve into something else down the line.  In the meantime, they were a fun and quick distraction from my ever-mounting to-do list.

Visit my other blog to see some banner birthday drawings and a round up of crafty banner tutorials.

And a real reason to wave the banners - the winner of the Polymer Clay Pizazz 2 book giveaway is Skygazer/Christy!!!  Christy please email me your mailing address and I will ship that right out to you.