Tatting,Tiger Eye, and Turquoise

      Hi I'm back again, hope you all had a nice holiday. My  first project was made with two toned micro-macrame. I used an array of different stones, shell, and some vintage glass beads. I made this  necklace reversible because the focal stone has two beautiful faces. The shell bar also has two different sides. I finished it off with a button and loop with a beaded fringe. These colors remind me of the desert, nice, warm, and earthy. 













    



  I Also made a bracelet with two tiger-eye diamond shaped  stones, glass beads, and magnetic hematite in a warm unusual reddish brown color. The band is made with variegated brown yellow and white nylon cord. I finished it off with a lobster clasp and ring. 
    
















   I made a micro-macrame necklace using  odds and ends of things that have been waiting for a home. I used both  chalk turquoise and natural turquoise. There are flower shaped turquoise colored beads also included, that surround a vintage glass silver grey pearl beads, with assorted silver and metal accent beads. Tied together with two colors of nylon cord. I closed this one with a silver button and loop.  


 

          I have also been working on a part of our Christmas cards. My husband and I have a tradition of making our own cards. This year I am making some little tatted wreaths. Our goal is at least 100, have a little over 30 done.

Every year we plan to start sooner but have not ever done that. It takes awhile to come up with our designs and what we are going to say inside. We hope to have  some done tomorrow,  I plan on having pictures of this year's edition. Hope it will not ruin the surprise of it to those of you who are getting one. Time sure seems to march on faster each year, and before you know it another year is fast coming to a close. Till next time, enjoy the Season.  

Fall Beauty Buttons Baubles & Brass

       This time my first necklace is a work in progress. I thought I could finish this in time but alas the  cords I am knotting shrink as it sets, As a result, it is not long enough.  I will have to add some more knots before it will be finished. It came about because I had a scrap of cloth that I just could not discard. So this is the result. I also had several items lying around I wanted to use. So this is what resulted from this fabric scrap. It evolved as I went along. I had to modify as along the way and found it did not work as I had planned. There is a

lot going on with this one. I like details and this has many. 

      

       
  
The next necklace is another surprise. I found it formed another  mask face that I had not intended. This is a redo, because I did not like the project I had stared before. The thread I used was not heavy enough to hold the weight of the stones. So I guess you learn as you go. It is a fun experiment.

                                                                       

       This next project is another flight of fancy in blue. I employed a necklace  I had made before to hold it.  I used the nylon cord that I talked about in my last post. This one is double-sided and can be worn either way. It is bathed in blue and white with some crystal and vintage beads. Also two different kinds of eye beads. One of the kinds where given to me while this was in process so I thought well I would use them as well.

      
Last  of all is another "Tree of Life" necklace made with jade chips and a nice maroon thread and wire to accent also, some sweet little blue flowers and green wire for the stems and leaves.

 

       This is short and sweet this time, because the projects were more time consuming that I had thought they would be. 

                    Hope to see ya next time!

I Guess I'm Not Ready to Let Go!

     As I looked at the things I created this time there seemed to be a sort of theme. Lots of green in the items I made. I think I'm not quite ready for the weather to change and leave the summer and spring. It seemed like spring and summer took so long to come this year. When it did get here it felt like it was time for fall and winter. I  guess this is my last hurrah.
         I found some new thread so these are made with it. The first thread I found was in a grab bag at the thrift store, tangled up in some round looms. I had to untangle them.  They were also attached to a ring that was some sort of hanging thing. I'm still not sure what it was for, but it had some nice colors.




The next thread I found was in a Latin store down the street from  us.  They have a large selection of colors and it is inexpensive. Nice. 








First I made a bracelet out of a beautiful minty colored thread.

This thread is a sort of stretchy. I think it is rayon and I was not sure if it could be used because sometimes knots do not hold. It worked up pretty nice and is soft and comfortable to wear. 















         Then I made a bracelet out of the nylon thread that I found at the Latin store. It worked out pretty nice too but I did have to pull the thread good and tight to get it to hold a knot. In the center is a focal eye bead. on either side of that is a pair of rectangle stone beads. Interlaced is a core of green seed beads. It closes with a black wooden toggle bead. 






        

Pictured on the left is a necklace made with a red jade stone and a large ceramic bead. I made this for my sister in-law's birthday. She likes dragonflies, as do I. It is made adjustable by pulling the two cream colored beads to the desired length. The body and wings are made with Chinese knots,  needle lace and macrame.

        I made these little necklaces and bookmark to remind me and others of a talk given in a recent women's conference. Called "Forget Me Not" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
       He tells of an old German legend "that just as God had finished naming all the plants, one was left unnamed. A tiny voice spoke out, "Forget me not, O Lord!" And God replied  "this would be it's name."
 Elder Uchdorf continued     " There is something inspiring and sublime about the little forget-me-not flower.I hope it will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet. Please never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves, that some sacrifices are better than others, that you need not wait for the golden ticket to be happy.Please never forget the why"... This is a good reminder to have a better prospective on life and "enjoy the journey". If you want to read the whole message this link will take you to it.

http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/forget-me-not?lang=eng
        I need this reminder often. I can forget to be patient with myself and find joy in what I am doing. We can all benefit from noticing the small and beautiful things that are in our live's every day.





       This is a tatted bookmark I made for a friend who sent me a beautiful old bonnet. She was downsizing and she remembered that a mutual friend of ours said that I liked that sort of thing. I wish this little bonnet could tell us more about

itself and it's creator.  I've been looking for a suitable frame to preserve it. Also in the picture is a piece of lace from our mutual friend I was talking about.

This is another necklace in the "tree of life" series. This one on the right is made with tiger-eye chips and other glass beads,and heavy nylon cord. 
       The necklace on the left is made with glass seed beads and a small wooden bead as a swing, with the same heavy cord as the other necklace. 
      Well, things do not always come out as well as I can imagine. I think I need to remember that to achieve what I can imagine. It will require exercise.  Just like learning any other skill, it takes practice. So some of what I share is just the baby steps I'm working on. I hope you can enjoy the journey as I am learning. Until next time, keep working and learning, and someday we will reach what we are working for.