busy little bee

"Texas mountain laurel"

Sophora secundiflora

Yesterday was one of those magical days we have in Texas, 

where everything was perfectly beautiful.

The temperature was mild.  Humidity was not "too" high.

And, the birds were outside my window singing the happy song of 

Spring days to come.

Many of our shrubs and bushes are beginning to bloom.

One of the first always seems to be my Texas mountain laurel.

This is one spectacular shrub/tree, and it has the most gorgeous clusters of

purple blossoms that you will ever see.

I had to bring this shrub here, as it didn't show up naturally.

It thrives in the hill country of Texas.  This one was bought at least 5 years ago from a nursery in San Antonio.  

I live in the part of Texas which is considered the Gulf Coast area (as I am about 80 miles away from the Gulf of Mexico).

I've shared with you before that I live on a prairie...the Katy Prairie.

Which in itself has had its share of heydays long past.

This prairie is slowly being gulped up by the sprawling huge city of Houston.

 It is flat here.  Flat as a pancake.  Not a hill in sight.

But, if I go back to my purpose here today, 

it is to show you what I saw when I stepped outside, if only for a moment, to see the beautiful Texas mountain laurel growing in my front yard.

Bees were everywhere!  

They were busy collecting pollen, and I am sure if I stepped back out there today, 

they would be happily doing the very same thing.

Digging their tiny heads way down deep inside the tight cluster of purple flowers.

I have been feeling a bit like this...busy, busy, busy.  My head down deep in my office.

Inside...not out there in that beautiful clean, fresh new air of life.

But, if only for a moment, I felt better after seeing the blooms of this beautiful 

bush, and all the activity surrounding it.

Ummmmm....

Then I came back inside, and started to take more pictures of the kits I will be offering

in my Etsy Shop for the Heart Strings class I will be teaching online this summer 

at Artful Gathering.

And, you know what?

I got all happy again.

 

Grateful Living

I am so blessed to have been asked to be a part of a vision held by my friend 

Molly Alexander.

She has started a blog called 

Grateful Living.

It is a space where a group of bloggers come together

in so many different ways.  Sharing little short stories, video clips, 

bittersweet tales from the past, losses and gains, 

good times and much, much more.

I'd like to share what Molly posted last Saturday.

 

This clip reminded me how powerful gratitude can be.

How wonderful life truly is when shared with others.

To open my eyes and take in what I see and can't see before me.

And, to never, never take one moment for granted.

It's not that unusual
When everything is beautiful.
It's just another ordinary miracle today. 

......A small clip from the song, 

Ordinary Miracle,

by Sara Mclachlan

Thank you Molly.  

Your vision rings clear and true.

filling my heart

I have lived most of my life without art as I now know it.

If any of you might have read my story here, you know my life story is really "not so climatic", as I lived out the very first part (17 years) of my life in the rural part of Texas...
which is really not that far from where I now live.

My first five years were spent on a small ranch just a couple miles down the road from the ice cream capital of the world (*wink*), Brenham, Texas, 

which is the home of Blue Bell ice cream!  YUM!  YUM!

I have so many memories of those days.  It often even amazes me, as we lived very VERY modestly, in a little "provided" wood frame house with a leaking roof when it rained.

But, I loved it there.  The bluebonnets were everywhere in the Spring, and the meadows full of tall green grass...which was ideal for a cattle ranch.

Perhaps if we would have stayed there, at that little ranch where my father was the foreman, I would have been able to take art lessons, as my older sister actually did in nearby Brenham.  

But, when I was five years old, my father had the opportunity to move closer (and make a better salary) to the area he and my mother were born, in New Ulm, Texas, which was only about 30+ miles from Brenham. 

This ranch, which was almost 600 acres, was quite a distance from a larger town such as Brenham, or even nearby Bellville, where I eventually attended four years of high school.  Once I began elementary school,
it required a long bus ride of at least one hour to and from school.  And, an even longer ride once I began high school, which was almost 30 more miles away.

Art classes were not in the family budget,
nor was the distance for me to attend one even remotely considered.

Without repeating the whole story, I think you get the idea.  

So, now....each day as I fill my hours wondering what exactly I might want to do next, 

I often find myself tearing up.  I have so many things in my heart, crying to come out.

I am still that little girl who cried when she was told she couldn't take art lessons.  I have been waiting so many years to learn what making my kind of art really feels like.

I hope that where ever you are today, you are making the art you have longed to make.

Maybe I sound like a broken record.  Maybe I am writing to you, as you wonder why am I even trying to do this.  Make art.  Who am I to think I can do it? 

I just know that I never gave up.  I always kept looking and searching.
And, one day, it just happened.  

I found a small peek into what I would be doing full time...just about 5 years ago.

I wish for you that all those dreams you have held deep inside your heart,
do come true.
And, that your ♥ is filled today and every day after this one.
Filled with art.
P.S. I hope the top picture helped answer your request Margo....thanks for asking =)

diane

xoxox

bead soup ingredients (for melissa)

 I had no idea what I wanted to send my bead soup partner.  

I know I often find inspiration in a vintage piece...either a rhinestone brooch, necklace...earrings.

This time was no different, yet totally different.

It really began with a small stash of vintage lockets I had bought from a favorite dealer I head to each Spring and Fall at the antique festival.

She travels from Pennsylvania twice a year carrying with her an amazing stash of vintage lace, ribbon, tulle, buttons, dollies and on this occasion, these.

She pulled a small bag of lockets out from under one of her tables ~ last Spring.  Yes, I have had these for almost a year, and not even touched them until last Christmas actually.  

I bought all she had, as their patina was what I loved most.

So, as I sat at my bench, holding one of them in my hand, 

I decided this was it.  The beginning.  I felt relieved.

I opened it, closed it, then opened it again....yes, 

I did indeed see two spaces that needed begged to be filled =)

How about one of my cool "sisters" covered with mica?  Or, how about resin?  

Yes, but resin would take a day+ for curing.  

Did I mention I can be impatient?

I have to confess, I have a pretty good stash of resin filled bezels I had prepared for Marburger last Fall, and have yet to use in a single piece of jewelry.  

I looked at several, deciding on the one that had a most favorite picture of a Texas Scissor-tailed Flycatcher I had taken last year while RVing on Lake Sommerville.

And, the vintage text I had put in it said A LOT.  I knew hoped Melissa would like it.

The bonus, the bezel fit perfectly inside the wells of the locket.

It was attached in the top.

 Then, bet you know what happened next. 

The bottom had to be filled too.

I decided to form what I call a "nestie" to place down in the bottom well.

And, of course it needed an egg or two.  

This seemingly simple task became more than I anticipated, as it had to be just the right height.  I didn't want it too thick (which is exactly what happened when I added three baroque pearl eggs), as it put extra pressure on the resin piece placed in the top. 

I think I struggled worked on this part of the project the longest, 

but it did start another idea, which I would incorporate a little later...in the rest of the soup.

 Once I worked it out...using one egg, the well was a still a little too empty.

I took a piece of etched metal and made two little tags with Melissa's name on it. 

One to place inside the well,

  and the other I attached to a roll of Dupoini silk strips,

also sent to Melissa.

Oh yes, and the front needed a little deco too!

So I plucked one of the Olivine Jade beads from my bin and attached it in a favorite cold join method.  

Now, it was coming together, as I had chosen a string of these "lemony-green" Olivine Jade beads to go along with a few other goodies....

  A couple of Brass Bouquet filigree connectors, my favorite brass vintage infinity chain, another few lengths of brass rolo chain, several brass lanyards, one of my simple bronze clasps, a couple sizes of brass jump rings, strips of Dupoini silk, bronze wire and a vintage Czech glass button picked up at a bead show.  

Now, this all had to go into a vintage PINK satin jewelry bag I had scored at one of my favorite antique stores in Katy.  

I loved the bag when I saw it and had picked it up to send to my partner, so now it was time to tie it together, along with all the other goodies. 

So, remember when I told you earlier about the challenge I faced when making the "nestie" for the locket?  I first had made one that had way more baroque pearl eggs (three =), and would not fit in the locket as I wanted, so I decided to attach it to the top of the bag.

Which....I really like!

This was fun.  A total unexpected chain of events.

I think know that is how it always happens for me when working on a project, 

and it probably happens just as many times to you.  

It made me realize, once again...how excited I am to be doing this.  Living my dream.  

It keeps me going....makes me happy, 

and now fills most of my day. 

I feel so very blessed.

with the faith of a child

"Believe"

A "Words of Inspiration" cuff, 

made just in the nick of time, 

for the class I taught last Saturday, in College Station, 

for the Brazos Valley Jewelry Artists' Guild.

This is how it's done ~

Take one very special etched brass cuff (etched by you).

Add another etched layer of textured goodness (made by you).

Top it off with an etched word of "inspiration" (yes, ALSO made by YOU).

That is the recipe for a class I will be teaching at

ART UNRAVELED in 2011!

But, for now let me share how full of

my heart is feeling,

as I reveal the artwork of eight

most enthusiastic and incredibly talented students from the 

class last Saturday!

Here are their pieces, one by one.....

 

Yes, they traveled from near and far.  Sort of like the wise men.

Well, not really like THE wise men, 

but Rita did come from Kerrville, while Esther came in from Rosenberg, 

to be with her friend Joanne, from Brenham.

Carrie drove Hwy-290 in from Houston, and Sue came all the way from Seadrift, Texas, 

while the others came from nearby Bryan.

I would love it if you could join me in Phoenix next August 7th for 

Words of Inspiration.

While there, I will also be teaching another class, Rhinestones & Rosaries, 

which I will be teaching at Adorn Me! 2011 in Houston. 

But if you can't get to Houston, I will be teaching this class in Phoenix, Friday, August 5th,

so go here to find out more about it.

As I reflect upon all the blessings I have received this past year, 

I want to thank each and every one of you who so faithfully came here to read my little bits of this and that.

I know that I have much to be thankful for....and one is YOU ♥

I wish each and every one a safe Christmas.  One filled with love overflowing.

One filled with the love of Jesus Christ.

And, even though Charlie Brown has nothing to do with the birth of our Savior, I will always hear Linus speak the very words that make me remember 

just what Christmas is REALLY ALL 

about...

 

The Gift

"Brave Heart"
 ~~~~~~~
Neglect not the gift that is in thee....

I Timothy 4:14

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been thinking about gifts lately.

No, not because I just crossed over another birthday threshold at the end of August, which is why I have been visibly gone from blog land for awhile.

Not because I don't love gifts, and in fact if you knew me really well,
you'd know that I celebrate my birthday for the entire month of August! 

And, certainly not because I spent precious time with my husband, and my daughter and my granddog in the wide open spaces atop a bluff in an oak filled RV Park near Leakey, Texas; where we sat each morning drinking our french roast and watching the birds fly to and fro, and the squirrels jump from tree to tree chasing after each other,
only coming close enough to see if we had food to share.

No, not because we spent one very full and wonderful week in the gorgeous hill country of Texas, where each day we sat in the clean, clear flowing water of the Frio River; and ate till I almost couldn't (because the guys did all the cooking).
And not because we had one great day of golf in Utopia~yes, Utopia!
And, ate that afternoon at the historic Lost Maples Cafe.

No, not because we paddled up stream in our kayaks one day, only to find ourselves all alone with no other person in sight...sitting in the Frio's beautiful crystal clear cool water, watching a nearby gushing waterfall.

And, not because the next day we floated down stream, and found another place once again ALL to ourselves, where we stacked rocks in the river
which then diverted the flowing water in a totally different direction;

 then sat quietly watching thirsty dragonflies sit on rocks nearby hoping they could catch just one gentle spray of water!

And certainly not because each night we could sit outside to hear the crickets call;
and smile as we looked at our party lights shining brightly under the RV canopy.

I dare say it.
I have received so many gifts (in my life). 
Why would I ever want anything money could buy,
when there is all this and so much more in this world to enjoy?
Did I mention I like to celebrate my birthday the entire month of August?
I better get past that if I am going to retire at the end of the year!
LOL.
~~~~~~~
Oh, yes, back to..... "Brave Heart".

 I would like to share more of what I've been working on before our vacation, and now once again since returning home.
But can't....not just yet =) 
It will be revealed in time.
I have to tell you that I came to realize, in between class proposals, designing new jewelry, and magazine submissions, what a gift I have been given. 
The gift is to realize I have a gift.  
A gift to love what I see.  Love what I do.
And, to love all that I am. 
How profound is that? 
To accept a gift, even of the smallest proportion, with humility, grace and gratitude, using it wisely and then giving it back ten fold.  
That is what makes a gift worth way more than anything this world has to offer.

So, now my fellow Brave Heart, here I am
reminding you to not forget....
that you can find me at the Marburger Farm Antique Show in just a little over two weeks,
September 28th to be exact, in Tent W.
It is there I will have "Brave Heart", and more of what I have been doing.
I will be there Opening Day (Sept.28) and for sure closing day (Oct.2).
However, in between, I don't have a clue.
I will be wandering the fields, looking for treasurers as much as I can.....I'm sure!

project completed

I love it when a plan comes together, and with no real premeditated plan. It always amazes me....and makes me realize just how blessed I really am.
Have a great weekend my friends =)

He believes

I ached for a space of my own. I think I have since I was a little girl. Being a middle child...well you probably know what I mean.
I have a workspace on one side of a 10x12 office in our home. It is my studio. It began crowded. But, it was great after working on our kitchen table for a couple of years.
First I had to get rid of a sofa and side table, bringing in a writing desk to work on. I then quickly added two wire shelves to store my bins.
It was adequate. I designed a lot of pieces on that desk.
But, you know I soon outgrew all of it! Things started piling up on the floor. Folders, projects, beads in plastic baggies, paper sacks full of goodies. I'm not saying that still doesn't happen.
But, not nearly as much.
Last summer, just after our anniversary and right before my birthday, my husband asked if I wanted a carpenter who had been next door doing work for our neighbors, to design a work bench for my studio. What? Mean it? Why....YES!
So, he and I sat down and designed a huge work bench/station. I still can't believe it! It is incredible, and it was completed at the end of September.
It has a tower on each side of the center work table, with double pull out trays that are 18" deep and are like the ones you might find under your kitchen cabinet. In fact, there are 6 pull out trays in each tower, just to my height, then above that are three additional deep shelves, making it 7' tall. It is a total of 8' wide. My work surface/desk, located between the towers, is 4' long and 2' deep. It is the best present I could have ever gotten.
At that point, this very point was when I knew..... he believed in me. In my passion for art and my jewelry. It isn't that he really didn't. It's just that he has known me for 30+ years. He has seen me go thru stages and phases of more things than even I can remember. But, it was at this point, with this very act, that made me believe that he believed. And, for that I am so very grateful and so very blessed!
It has changed my creative world.
I have often wanted to share it with you since then. If you knew me....really knew me, you would know that I wanted everything to be perfect before I let you into my new space. To show you just how gorgeous it is. How useful. How perfect! And, it is. But, I came to realize that my space is never perfect. This is something I share with my students, as I work thru my own thoughts on perfection. Perfection is just an excuse not to try. To not do it. It can be a huge stumbling block in our artistic worlds.
So I share all of this with you, saying there is still always something on my floor, and pieces all over the desk. But, it is okay. This is my work station. It is the place where what has been spinning around in my head, comes out. It is my space. My little part of creative Heaven.
And, IT is perfect!(Click to enlarge the picture)

Just this last Spring, my daughter and I found the cutest little pink chandelier in Warrenton to hang right under the shelf that spans across the top! It is just the right size for the space I wanted it to hang in. Right above it is the long shelf that holds the towers together. All this was securely built in place, but we made sure it could easily come apart, just in case we ever decide to move.
I know this top shelf should be full of supplies, but I am such a collector, that instead it holds some of my books. With no particular reason these few are here, as I have so many more in an armoire in my spare bedroom. It is also my little vignette full of beauties from friends. Fellow artists whom I adore and love, and/or have made trades with! Other pieces may be from swaps. And some I bought, because I took their class and truly appreciate their art.This jar was also purchased this past Spring, at Marburger Farms, and it holds hollow quail eggs I bought from my good friends,
Agnes & Carla in Tent W.This little girl, which you might have seen on my sidebar, stands in the back leaning up against a vintage baking rack. She was made in the class I took with Stephanie Rubiano, called Magnetic Personalities. Those are real waxed butterfly wings which Stephanie showed us how to do that day! What fun!
Right in front of her and to the right, is the space that holds one of the pixies I bought from Stephanie. I am in love with vintage baby pictures. I have quite a collection of leather baby shoes, along with vintage cabinet cards of babies, so Stephanie's pixies are very precious to me. Just left of this collection stands a gift received in an art exchange. It is a tiny chair, made by none other than a fellow class mate of mine in the Stephanie Lee class I took in California a year ago, Connie Freedman. She makes the most unique art seats, and mine is called "Rambling Rose". How appropriate is that?Now on to the top shelf of my tower to the right, holds a couple of gorgeous pieces one of my mentors, Diana Frey, gave me this past March when she came to Houston for Adorn Me! I have been so blessed by this lady, as she helped answer my questions when I first decided to submit pieces to the Stampington magazines.
She is truly, truly a good friend, and art sister to me.Isn't this the most gorgeous bottle that Diana soldered? And, of course she added some divine hand-dyed silk & ribbon she is famous for sharing, maybe from her designer Robin Kaplan.

And, look at this journal she made and also gifted me that day.
I am in awe of her many talents.
This is a trade piece from another friend, as well as the art which hangs down each side of my two towers. All made by a beautiful artist from New Mexico, Paula Snyder.
So, what's in the towers? You might see anything from cigar boxes full of ink pads and rubber stamps to several sizes of shipping labels. You can never have enough shipping labels! I have oodles of ribbon and vintage seam binding. This is not even a glimpse of my stash, but it is the only lot on my shelf at this moment. Some may be sitting next to my sewing machine in another room. The rest is....you guessed it. In a paper sack on my floor waiting to find a home on one of my shelves. I can't possibly show you all the gemstones, beads, crystals, pearls, vintage jewelry, brass filigree, found objects and findings that are crammed onto my shelves. Trust me, I have filled every inch of my pull out drawers with either a vintage jello or candy mold, muffin tin, tiny box, glass ramekin, cigar box or plastic bead holder. All called to hold my precious goodies.
Vintage rosary chain.
Rows of vintage rhinestone screw back and clip on earrings.
Brass filigree, both vintage and new.A grouping of vintage mother of pearl buttons and freshwater pearls.
A large sterling silver mold full of typewriter keys.
And, then you might see some of these things on top of my desk
(right now).
Right under one of my two Ott lights, sits the gorgeous frame my dear art sister, Riki Schumacher, made and gifted to me in an art exchange. This picture reminds me just how much fun we had in Stephanie Lee's class last year at Carol Park's Studio in North Hollywood. Riki is truly another great friend, art sister and mentor.
We call ourselves the three amigas!
There is always work in progress.
Etched cuffs that have been oxidized, ready to be sanded, and then layered to perfection!
And, then there are some tools of the trade.
Pliers lined up like colorfully dressed soldiers.
A basket of favorite sanding blocks, sand paper and pads.

I could share more, but if you hung in this long, you are way better than I!
Hope you enjoyed seeing where I create. It has been a long time coming!
I am surely blessed.