tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89457975597148543402024-03-14T01:02:32.583-04:00Zingala's WorkshopMusings from a Gypsy's soulMaryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-21452597598385362422016-03-04T15:37:00.001-05:002016-03-04T15:37:35.156-05:00Layering SunflowersHi all, welcome to the blog today. It's been a long time but I think that will be the way it is for the time being. Inspiration isn't coming consistently these days! I've had some sunflower things sitting on my work table for several months and I really wanted to do something with them. Linda, from <a href="http://www.thefunkiejunkie.com/">The Funkie Junkie Boutique</a>, always places wonderful little gifts in orders (thanks, Linda). In one order back in late August or early September she gifted me with sunflowers! I love sunflowers and always have them in the house late in the summer. They are so cheerful and bright and make me smile when I see them. So, I knew right away that I wanted to use some of the things in the package for a sunflower tag. But, everything sat on my table and life and the holidays intervened and no tag materialized! Now it's almost spring here and I'm thinking about our garden and the different flowers and vegetables we're going to plant this year. I've seen a few new sunflower varieties that I want to try and that sent me to my table to make my tag! Over at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge blog the theme this time is Layer It Up so I thought I would do just that with my tag and all the sunflower things I had sitting there.<br />
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Here is what I came up with.<br />
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I used a size 8 tag and I sprayed it with Fossilized Amber Distress Spray. I used a flower stencil and sprayed again with Pirates' Plunder Gold Moon Shadow Mist from Lindy's Stamp Gang. When all that was dry I sprayed Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Spray lightly over the entire tag. Using Fossilized Amber Distress Ink I stamped a sunflower stamp randomly over the background. It's very subtle and doesn't show in the photos but it adds some dimension to the background. From my stash I took a sunflower cocktail napkin and used gel medium to adhere that to the bottom left of the tag. Tim Holtz Thinlets dies are fun to use and I decided to use the diamonds to cut out part of the tag. For a backing I used one of the papers from my favorite Graphic45 designs, French Country. I attached the tag to the piece of paper and then cut it to size. As part of Linda's gift was the botanical print of the sunflower. I glued it to a piece of chip board and edged it with Vintage Photo Distress Glitter. I attached it, and a definition of "sunflower" that I tore out of an old dictionary, to the tag along with a banner sticker and the Le Jardin sticker from the Graphic45 paper set. The brown dot stickers filled in the space above the botanical print. The button and sunflower charm were part of the gift. I decided to add some definition to the diamond cut outs by outlining the inside of each one with a Pitt Pen in Sepia. I also outlined the strip of dictionary paper and the Le Jardin sticker with the pen. </div>
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Here are some details.</div>
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I'm going to enter this in the <a href="http://www.frillyandfunkie.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/layer-it-up-challenge.html">Frilly and Funkie challenge</a> since I really "layered up" the background, the embellishments and the back of the die cut area! </div>
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I want to thank everyone for stopping by today. I appreciate it especially since I haven't been around very much at all lately. I hope you have a wonderful day and that Spring isn't too long in coming for all of you!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-45900189912199792812016-01-13T10:32:00.000-05:002016-01-13T10:32:59.421-05:00More ZentangleHello, everyone! Welcome! I hope you have gotten back to normal after the bustle of the holidays. I'm slowly getting back to my old routine. It had been disrupted all Fall because of renovations we were making to our house which lasted until the beginning of December. But, since that's done and the holidays are over I think I'm ready to settle into winter. <br />
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Unfortunately, my muse has not been seen around here since late September and so I haven't had much inspiration from her! So, I had decided last week to start slowly getting back into Zentangle since it is a relaxing form of art and I enjoy doing it. I thought I would start back at the beginning with a tile, pen and pencil and not try to do anything that wasn't basic. Then on Monday Laura, The Diva, announced her weekly challenge, #250, which was going back to old school Zentangle. She wanted everyone to use a tile, pen and pencil! Sounds like synchronicity to me! So, yesterday I sat down and got back to basics! Here is the tile.<br />
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My first attempt for this year didn't turn out too badly, I used some favorite tangles and now I think I'm ready to try to wake up the Muse a little more!! We'll see. I'm going to link this to the Diva Challenge and be happy to have done some art!</div>
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That's about all I have to share for today. Thank you for visiting. I really appreciate having you stop by the blog! </div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-17137287133035209072015-12-29T10:27:00.000-05:002015-12-29T10:27:56.961-05:00Merry Christmas and Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings of the season to all of you! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends! Our family was together and we shared the day with friends who are like an extended family. It was our tradition and we love it! Above is a photo of our tree. It's full of ornaments hand made or gifted from friends, some have been purchased, but always because we love them. Certainly not a designer tree, but full of love and memories spanning 40+ years! It's the star of the holiday decorations for us!</div>
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My absence from the blog this year is because there was so much going on in our home. But, I'm hoping the New Year will have me back in the studio creating. I did have one new decoration to add to the mix this year. It was a Zentagle Inspired Art piece that I had started in a class last year and finished after the holidays. I just love the simplicity of it. </div>
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I framed it in a simple black frame and displayed it on a black easel. It was the biggest Zentangle piece I've done and it was a challenge to work that big. Here are some other photos.</div>
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While I love sparkle and shine, and lots of glitter for the holidays, the simplicity of Zentangle is so appealing. </div>
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Well, my friends, as we are at the end of another year, I wish all the best that life has to offer for you. I thank you all for following along on my rather erratic journey in creativity and I'm so appreciative of all the comments you leave. Many blessings in the New Year!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-4305803721982579132015-11-21T00:16:00.000-05:002015-11-21T00:16:06.288-05:00ATTS:8 What's Your Bag!Hello, everyone! It's hard to believe that it's almost Thanksgiving here in the US. I often find that Fall seems to more quickly than any other season. When my kids were young and still in grade school and high school I thought that was the reason. But, now they're adults and out of the house and I still find that this beautiful season just whizzes by. I try to enjoy it as much as I can. This year it's been difficult to really find time for much of anything. A variety of family things have kept us hopping. But, now it's time for <a href="http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com/">Therese</a> and <a href="http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/">Christine</a>'s blog challenge A Time To Stitch. This is the 8th challenge, which is also hard to believe! The theme this time was What's Your Bag. We were supposed to bead embroider on a purse, amulet, evening bag, or some other bag of our choice. I cheated a little. I had made an evening bag with a bead embroidered flap at the request of my friend, <a href="https://1creativeone.wordpress.com/">Christen Brown</a>. She was writing a book on different types of embroidery and asked if I would do a bead embroidered bag of some sort. So, I made a little clutch bag out of pintucked silk fabric and I embroidered the flap. Here is what it looks like.<br />
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I made the pattern for the shape of the flap and then traced it on Lacy's Stiff Stuff. I traced a rough outline of spaces I wanted to fill and started stitching. I never have a firm idea of what a design is going to look like. I wanted this to hint at an abstract garden surrounded by rocks and stones. The colors were chosen to coordinate with the fabric. Here are some details.</div>
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So, there it is. I had fun making it. I love doing bead embroidery. I love making it textured and using different shaped beads. </div>
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I want to thank Therese and Christine for hosting this challenge. It's really fun to participate and I can't wait to find out what they decide to do next time. </div>
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Thank you all for visiting with me. I really appreciate you stopping by. </div>
Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-46129102224460348362015-10-30T14:01:00.000-04:002015-10-30T14:01:16.280-04:00Something WickedHi, everyone! Thanks for dropping by today, the day before Halloween! I can't believe we're this far into the Fall season already. Of course, things have been hopping around here so the time has gone by quicker than usual. <br />
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I was really sad that I had not found the time to make any thing for Halloween or Fall/Thanksgiving. Then <a href="http://frillyandfunkie.blogspot.com/">The Frilly and Funkie</a> blog had the theme of Something Wicked! I really wanted to participate in this challenge! It would force me to make at least one Halloween project. I even had the base for what I wanted to do. Well, I finally made the time and made this:<br />
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I had gotten the paper mache witch's hat at Michael's last year on sale. I had plans to do something with it this summer. Well, that didn't happen! I always plan to do Fall and Halloween things in the summer but it rarely happens. Anyway, I thought this was my chance to use the hat. I painted it with black gesso and used Peeled Paint Distress Glitter on the edge of the brim. I glued black feathers and glittered leaves as a hat band and then used a black and an orange die cut cat that I had from another sale package from Michael's. The little purple glittered spider is also from the same package of die cuts. I found some little skulls in my stash and glued that in front of the cat. Using an awl, I poked a hole in the point of the hat and inserted a black wire with a glittered star on it. Here you can see some details.</div>
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This is about as spooky as I get! I love Halloween but not the way Halloween is now. I don't like the gore and horror that has become so prevalent now. I like the vintage Halloween of cute Jack-o-lanterns, cute little witches, black cats to go with them, and cute little ghosts out on the prowl . So I do a lot of my own things for Halloween since I love to include it in my Fall decorating. </div>
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I'm so happy that I decided to use this hat for the challenge. I'm heading over to the Frilly and Funkie blog now to post it. Check the other entries. They are always great!</div>
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Thanks again for stopping by today. I hope you enjoy your Halloween!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-7656120637418213962015-10-20T15:58:00.000-04:002015-10-20T15:58:41.465-04:00An Exploding Box!Hello everyone! It's a gorgeous warm Fall day here and I wanted to share a new project with you. Known as an exploding box, it's a project I've wanted to try for a long time. I love boxes and these are so easy to make and so much fun to open! My friend, Patti, is a certified Zentangle teacher and she gives classes at her shop, <span id="goog_1472811449"></span><a href="http://www.queensink.com/">The Queen's Ink<span id="goog_1472811450"></span></a>. She does intro classes and follow-up classes in basic Zentangle but she also offers seasonal classes. I'll share last year's Christmas project as we get closer to the holidays. This year for the Fall season she taught an exploding box with Zentangle components. Technically it's called Zentangle Inspired Art, or ZIA for short. Whatever you want to call it, I called it fun! Here's a picture of the box.<br />
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We started with two pieces of 12x12" cardstock for the top and bottom. The top is made with origami folds and the bottom was folded and cut so that it would form a box. We cut out stamped images of the leaves and acorn and then did the tangles. I used Distress inks and a water pen to watercolor the leaves. The acorn was stamped on kraft cardstock so I just lightly colored some shading on it. Patti had used white gel pen highlights on her leaves and I was really impressed with the way it made the designs pop. I did the same and it's amazing the difference. I chose an orange CS square to create a background for the grouping of leaves and acorn and did some pen work around the edges. I glued the leaves down and use dimensional glue dots for the acorn. </div>
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But the magic happens when you open the lid! Here is what it looks like.</div>
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You may be able to see that there are two levels of panels inside the box. You can add more levels if you want. Once the lid is taken off the box falls open, or explodes, and you can attach anything you want inside. I love when there are dimensional things in the middle. I used acorns and some descriptive word stickers for Fall around them. Then I used the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die and his small pumpkin and acorn die to cut watercolor paper for the leaves and pumpkin and acorns I used on the panels. I did Zentangles on each one and used Distress inks to watercolor them. I also added some shimmer to these with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals. They are dry shimmery pigments that I use with a water brush and then highlighted with the white gel pen. Here are some of the panels close up. Unfortunately, the shimmer doesn't show up in the pictures. </div>
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Each panel has a leaf or the acorns or pumpkin. I just love handing it to people and seeing their reaction when they take the lid off! </div>
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I was so pleased to finally have a reason to make an exploding box. It seems that right now if I don't have a reason to sit down and work on a project I don't find (or make) the time. That has to change, for sure!</div>
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Thank you for visiting with me. I hope you're enjoying this glorious time of year! The leaves are starting to change into their lovely colors right now and it's delightful to see. Have a wonderful day!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-44943608056483749112015-10-04T12:13:00.001-04:002015-10-04T12:13:22.875-04:00I'm back, maybe!Hello on this dreary Sunday morning on the East Coast of the US! I may finally be back to creating and blogging! I say "maybe" because there is a lot going on in my world. We are doing some upgrades in our kitchen and family room. You know how they always say that once you start something like this you find that the job grows bigger! Well, this has lived up to that saying and it's gotten a little more involved than we thought it would. And, being the kitchen and family room it's been rather disruptive. But, I'm excited about the changes we're making and it all should be done by the beginning of December, just in time for me to turn into the Christmas elf and decorate to my heart's content! Since I can't really do much in the rest of the house I'm hoping that now that the major decisions have been made I can get down to my studio and finish projects that have been around in various states of completion all summer. We expanded our garden this year and the weather wasn't too hot so I was able to spend more time out there which is why not many projects were finished, or even started. Hopefully that will start to change now. I really miss the creative process even though I consider gardening creative. <br />
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Having said all that, I did manage to finish one beading project. It wasn't terribly involved and didn't take long to do! But, I love it and I wanted to share it with you. It's another geometric beadwork project inspired by <a href="https://beadmobile.wordpress.com/">Kate McKinnon</a>. I kind of teased it in my last post on who inspires me. You can read that<a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/08/inspiration-who-what-where.html"> here.</a> Here is the completed pendant. <br />
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It starts with a warped square which I love stitching. I made an entire bracelet in warped squares last Fall. You can see that one <a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/11/and-finally-some-beadwork.html">here</a>. The directions for stitching a warped square are in Kate's first book on geometric beadwork, <em>Contemporary Geometric Beadwork</em>. Early in August Kate sent out an email with the idea for a new project, create a warped square and then work and exploding round and keep going until you had the number of rounds you desired. The exploding round is one of the innovative concepts that Kate came up with while working on the book. It's difficult for me to explain it so that it makes sense but Kate has a wonderful YouTube video that makes it all clear and you can also find the instructions in her book. I admit that I wasn't sure how it worked when I read the printed instructions but once I watched the video it was easy to do. </div>
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I started with the warped square that I turned into the bail for this pendant and from there stitched the largest square. On the final round I added drops for the corner beads. I did 2 more squares, the medium and small, and then stitched the smaller squares. Then I played with how I wanted them to be arranged and the pendant you see is what I came up with. I love it and it's light weight and fun to wear. </div>
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Here are a few details. </div>
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As I said, it was fun to do and didn't take very long at all. Which is probably why I finished it!!! I chose the colors for a vineyard feel. I'm in love with geometric beadwork and I'm working on a cuff bracelet that is coming along slowly. </div>
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I want to thank all of you for visiting me especially after such a long break from blogging. I really appreciate your visits and all your wonderfully kind comments. Have a wonderful day!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-42671612226798087972015-08-30T11:53:00.001-04:002015-09-02T06:19:05.943-04:00Inspiration: who, what, whereHello, everyone! I have been gone from the blog for most of the summer. And, the summer has gone sooo quickly! It's not been a very productive summer for me as far as art is concerned. I do have a lovely garden and lots of flowers and veggies to show for my effort, but not much in the way of beads, metal, or paper. I think gardening is creative and so that has filled the void of not much work in the studio! But, I haven't stopped working on projects that I'll eventually finish and share with you, it's just that I don't seem to finish any of them! I'm working on a new geometric beadwork project right now and it's got my muse going big time! So, I'll be sharing that first I'm sure. <br />
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The last few days I've been thinking about inspiration and who or what inspires me. With all the different mediums I've worked in there have been many artists who have inspired me with their work. While I have changed mediums over the years (even though my heart still loves the fibers and fabrics I used to devote my time to) I still follow those artists that I loved then. Now that I work primarily with beads and metal and paper art I have inspiration from other wonderful artists. But, I also find that I'm not only inspired by artists, I'm inspired by colors! In fact, I think that is a bigger inspiration than any one person. The colors in nature and flowers, the colors of fabric and fiber. All of that is a great influence on what I work with and what project gets me excited. The new project I mentioned is taking it's inspiration from the change of the seasons and vineyard hues that I love this time of year. Autumn is a great time of inspiration for me. This new project is also inspired by the wonderful work of geometric beadwork artist, <a href="http://www.katemckinnon.com/">Kate McKinnon</a>. She is one of the artists that is exciting me right now. Her work in geometric beadwork is amazing and she has gathered a group of wonderful artists to further the art of geometric beading. Here is a sneak peak:<br />
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And, another Geometric cuff inspired by the colors of Autumn leaves. </div>
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To stay on the subject of beading and bead artists, two bead artists I've followed since before I started doing bead embroidery or bead weaving are <span id="goog_1601041181"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Sherry Serafini</a> <span id="goog_1601041182"></span>and <span id="goog_1082183210"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Laura McCabe<span id="goog_1082183211"></span></a>. These two women create the most beautiful beaded jewelry and accessories and I have loved their work since I discovered them before I started beadweaving. I don't remember how I found them and their work but I've ripped pictures from magazines and I have their books. I just love looking through them for the eye candy and inspiration they provide. I've been fortunate to have been able to take a workshop with each of them this year. I'm working on the project from Laura's workshop which I took last week. It's in pieces so I'll share it when I've finished it. It's a beautiful necklace. Sherry's bead embroidered workshop was in the spring and I finished a gorgeous Shibori cuff bracelet. You can read about it <a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/06/bead-emboidery-sherry-serafini-style.html">here</a> and this is a photo of it. </div>
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But, then there is the paper art which I have become so enamored of in the last few years. My <a href="http://pocketsizestudios.blogspot.com/">daughter</a> was always the paper artist in the family. I loved what she did and finally started doing some projects myself. We are fortunate to have a wonderful local <a href="http://www.queensink.com/">paper arts store</a> and to call the owner our friend. As a birthday gift to my daughter about two years ago I signed us up for a class with <a href="http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/">Seth Apter</a>. That weekend of classes opened up new doors to me and Seth has become a great inspiration. Not only is he a wonderful, fun person but his art and teaching style is fantastic. Since that first class we have taken several classes from him and I was lucky enough to take a week long book making class with him this spring (thanks to my wonderful husband). I've blogged about some of the projects we've done in class but here are some photos. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">From a stenciling class last winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A section of a collage class project.</span></div>
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There are so many artists I find inspirational but these three are people I go back to again and again even if I just want some eye candy when the muse is on vacation! In thinking about all this I still feel that color and nature are some of the biggest influences on my work. Color inspires most of what I do. I turn to my favorite artists for ideas on technique or style always turning things around to make them my own! </div>
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Thank you all for visiting with me and thank you if you stuck with this long rambling post. I'm hoping to get back to more regular blogging now that summer is winding down. I hope you have a wonderful week and take some time to think about who and/or what inspires you! </div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-87636304858833479612015-07-24T10:09:00.001-04:002015-07-24T10:09:05.521-04:00Mail ArtHi, everyone! It's been a long time since I've been on the blog. Summertime is always a busy time and I love every minute of it! I do a lot of dabbling in the summer and a lot of gardening but not a lot of computer time. I love being outside enjoying the long days. So, studio time suffers and that's okay because ideas keep percolating and eventually I'll get to them. For now I want to share something I did finish yesterday. Our young goddaughter is going to Girl Scout camp alone for the first time next week. Her mom asked if we would send her a snail mail letter to make her feel more comfortable. Apparently, the leaders suggest this for first time campers. So, of course, I said we would send her a note and I would do some mail art on the envelope. So, that's what I did this week and I had a blast doing it! I decorated the front and back of the envelope and the front of the note card. I hope she'll like it. I think she will! She loves art and crafting so I think she'll enjoy getting this in the mail.<br />
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Here is the front of the envelope.<br />
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I traced a stencil for the flowers and another for the leaves. Then I filled in with Zentangle patterns and colored it with colored pencils. I didn't want to use water soluble markers in case it got wet and I don't have enough colors of permanent markers to make it as colorful as I wanted. The back of the envelope looks like this.</div>
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I think this phrase, which I first saw on a Mary Engelbreit card, is so cute. I thought it would make her giggle so I put it on the back of the envelope. </div>
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This is the front of the notecard. Once again I traced a stencil and used Zentangle patterns to fill in each petal and colored it with pencils. I love doing those little Zinger flowers and the related patterns so I used them for a border along the bottom of the card. </div>
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I'm really pleased with the way the whole thing turned out. It's bright and cheery and I hope she enjoys getting some mail. I think she'll do fine with her first trip to camp on her own. She decided she wanted to go with her friends so I think she'll have a great time. </div>
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Thanks for joining me today. It's been a long while since I've shared anything with you and I appreciate you stopping by to visit. Have a great day!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-52777395871457028842015-06-29T07:23:00.000-04:002015-06-29T08:53:23.125-04:00Bead Emboidery Sherry Serafini StyleHello everyone! Welcome! Today I want to tell you about a workshop I took back in March with <span id="goog_305880280"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Sherry Serafini<span id="goog_305880281"></span></a>. For anyone who loves beadwork, and bead embroidery especially, Sherry is a rock star! At least for me she is! I've loved her work since before I really started making beaded jewelry. I was using beads on my wearable art jackets but I wasn't beading to make jewelry. I don't remember how I discovered her but when I did I knew I had to do what she did! Which meant I would eventually start doing bead embroidered jewelry, and about 7 or 8 years ago I did, never thinking I would get to take a class with Sherry. When Kathy at <a href="http://www.bead-soup.com/">Bead Soup</a> said she was coming for a weekend of classes I signed up! I took one class that weekend and it was wonderful. I had never met Sherry and I was thrilled to find that she is a warm lovely person. She is truly beautiful in all ways! <br />
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The class I signed up for was a bead embroidered cuff using shibori ribbon. We had several colorways to chose from in the kits and since I was Spring starved by that time in the winter, I chose a very spring like colorway. Here is a picture of the cuff I ended up with.<br />
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Each kit had different cabs and beads and general directions. But, Sherry encouraged each of us to lay the ribbon any way we chose and to use the beads and the cabs as we wanted. So we didn't end up with cookie cutter bracelets. I don't know if anyone finished their cuff in class, I don't think so, but I didn't because I always want to take my time and decide where I want to go next in a bead embroidered design. So, that meant I could go home and pull some other beads, favorites of mine to use in bead embroidery. Glass donuts and lentils are two favorites and I tend to use one or the other, sometimes both, in a design. In this cuff I used both! Here are some details of the cuff.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">You can see the donuts in the upper right and the lentils on the left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I also added some matte AB firepolished bead to the mix because the color was perfect with the shibori.</span></div>
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This class was a wonderful experience. Sherry is delightful and is looking forward to coming back to Bead Soup. And, I'll be there because I wouldn't miss one of her classes!</div>
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Thank you all for visiting me today. I really appreciate your visits. I'm not a faithful blogger but I enjoy getting to hear from you so much. Have a wonderful day! </div>
Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-74219221165368299132015-06-15T13:47:00.002-04:002015-06-15T13:47:40.104-04:00Mixed MediaHi everyone! Welcome! Today I want to share a mixed media collage I made last weekend in a class with <a href="http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/">Seth Apter</a>. Any of you paper artists that haven't taken a class with Seth are really missing a great experience. My daughter and I take all of his classes when he comes to our local paper arts store. And, I had the great good fortune to spend 5 days in a workshop with Seth and <a href="http://www.oneartistjournal.com/">Orly Avineri</a> last month on beautiful Whidby Island off the coast of Washington state. I'll share some of that workshop in a future post. But, for now I'll show you my newest collage.<br />
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The class was on the basics of collage. We started with some small pieces that illustrated the basic principals of collage. Once we were clear on the basics we painted layers on a piece of art paper. Seth's technique for painting layers is fun and creates a beautiful rich background of color and texture. Once the backgrounds were done we then built our collages using ephemera that we had in our collections. Unfortunately I don't have any process photos. I'm really bad about doing that because I get so into the process that I don't think about taking a picture until it's too late! Here is what my finished collage looks like. <br />
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After we finished painting the paper we stamped and made marks with inks and pens. I used a stamp that I cut in an eraser at the 5 day workshop as one of my mark making tools. It's the chop that is placed randomly around the background. I wanted to use the phrase because I really believe that, for the most part, we are responsible for the lives we live. I loved the focal print that I chose and by using the window die cut it seemed to fit the phrase. Not a door exactly but a window at least! I wanted to bring another color into the compostion so I used a die cut I had brought along. The piece just seemed to come together as I looked through the papers I had chosen to take to the class. Here are a couple of details.</div>
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In the picture above you can see that I cut the flower above the frame so that it drapes over rather than having the bottom not show at all. I love little details like that. </div>
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I have plans to be busy both with beading and paper art this summer. I hope I can accomplish a lot of what I want to do. I'll share when I can.</div>
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Thank you all for visiting with me today. I really appreciate that you do. Have wonderful day and make some thing wonderful!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-35961509199723974062015-06-06T05:59:00.000-04:002015-06-06T05:59:54.425-04:00ATTS7: Bead EmbroideryHello to all my friends and visitors. It's been a long time since I posted here but it's also been a very busy month. Spring finally arrived and we were getting the garden ready for summer. Then we left for a wonderful trip to Washington state to visit family and sightsee and make wonderful mixed media art! I'll post about it soon. I'm still unpacking all the stuff!!<br />
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But, this post is about A Time to Stitch 7. This challenge was created by <a href="http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com/">Therese </a>and <a href="http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/">Christine</a> and we're now up to the 7th round. This time the theme is bead embroidery. I love bead embroidery because it takes me back to my fiber days when I was making wearables and wall hangings. And, I love it because I love anything that takes a needle and thread through fabric! Here is what I created.<br />
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I had wanted to work with black, white, grey and yellow for a summer project and I just happened to have a grey square Lunasoft cabochon. I wasn't sure of the shape I wanted the pendant to be so I just cut the backing a little larger than I needed and bezeled the cab. I had pulled the square link out of my stash and knew I wanted to use it for an open space to have fringe pouring out. So, once I glued that in place I then had my shape. The grey Lunasoft really didn't look that great once it was bezeled. It kind of reminded me of the old small TV screens of the '50s. I've just revealed how old I am!!! So, I decided to glue another square link to the center of it. Instant love!! I made the fringe out of size 11 seed beads and clear AB glass rings. I love glass rings for bead embroidery and usually find some where to use them in a piece. Making a loopy fringe out of them was something I found in one of <a href="http://beadlust.blogspot.com/">Robin Atkins'</a> books. Once it was finished it needed a bail. I decided to use Delicas to make a warped square and attach it to the top of the pendant. I really like the way the bail turned out. I hung it from a silk covered cord necklace. Here are a couple of detail photos.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bail attached to the back of the pendant with a size 8 and 15 seed bead.</span></div>
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I want to thank Therese and Christine for all the work they do to get this challenge going. Please visit the other artists who are participating, too. I'm sure you'll be inspired by the beautiful work they've done. Here is the list of participants.</div>
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1.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="color: blue;">Therese (Host)</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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2.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><a href="http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Christine
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3.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><a href="http://amybeads.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Amy</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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4.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><a href="http://beadlolabead.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Lola</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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5.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><a href="http://lori-finney.blogspot.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Lori F</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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6.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><a href="http://www.kimmykats.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Kim</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><a href="http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Becky Pancake</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><a href="http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Karin
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9.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><a href="http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Debbie
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10.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://beadcontagion.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">LizE</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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11.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Maryanne</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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12.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://cavecreekbeads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Paula</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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14.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://thecraftersapprentice.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Wendy</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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15.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.honeyfromthebee.com/blog"><span style="color: blue;">Janet</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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16.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Jasvanti</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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17.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Ginger</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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18.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.allprettythings.ca/"><span style="color: blue;">Alicia</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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19.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.beadsong.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Bobbie</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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20.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Shirley</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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21.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.saturdaysequins.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Sarah</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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22.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Cynth</span></a>ia<o:p></o:p></div>
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24.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.theneedtobead.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Lizzie</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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25.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.wescottjewelry.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Samantha</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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26.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.sallyrussick.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Sally</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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27.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://silverniknats.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">Niki</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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28.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.blog.baublicious.me/"><span style="color: blue;">Karen W.</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you all for visiting with me. Have a wonderful day!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-52899189610593219492015-05-04T09:06:00.001-04:002015-05-04T09:07:13.901-04:00Another pendantHi, everyone. I'm so happy you are visiting at such a busy time of the year. I've been busy, busy in the garden. It's wonderful to be outside seeing everything come back to life after the dreary, long winter we've had. <br />
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Obviously, the coming of spring has had an influence on my sporadic beading. I've made another pendant and in colors that are so unlikely for me. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SU61CHtB_JY/VUdqqcDjGfI/AAAAAAAAGKE/Pj-tk0xdTSg/s1600/IMG_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SU61CHtB_JY/VUdqqcDjGfI/AAAAAAAAGKE/Pj-tk0xdTSg/s640/IMG_0115.JPG" width="401" /></a></div>
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Pink!!! Not a color I use very often and yet it was the color I was drawn to when I looked at beads for this piece. It was a project that a group of us worked on at <a href="http://www.bead-soup.com/">Bead Soup</a>. Once a month a group gets together to work on a tutorial together. This one came from <a href="http://www.gianelle.beadforum.cz/">Nela Kabelova</a>. I go when I can and always come away with a component that I can then make into a necklace or bracelet. Often the projects use some of the new bead shapes that are coming out at a rapid pace right now. This one used two hole Rula beads as the basis of the bezel for the rivoli. I had this rivoli in my stash and decided it was what I wanted to use. Must be Spring Fever! So, the bezel used Rulas, 11s and 15s. Then the outer round used pinch beads. It was a quick project and when I got home I decided to add some chain fringe with a some things from the stash and some leftover pinch beads. I liked that the pattern recommended using a size 8 seed bead to attach the jump ring for the top and so I used that at the bottom to attach the chain. Here are some details.</div>
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I love finding new ways to create a bezel and this was so easy that I'm sure I'll use it again. I also like the idea of the chain fringe. It gives the design some movement.</div>
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Thank you for taking the time to visiting today! I really appreciate it and I hope you have a wonderful day. I'll be in the garden taking advantage of the wonderful weather!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-35260132880384722742015-04-12T10:15:00.001-04:002015-05-03T10:01:48.370-04:00Lucky Enough to be DifferentHello to all my visitors! It's so nice to have you here. It's been very quiet around the blog lately. Slowly spring is coming to our world and I've been trying to get my garden cleaned up. I haven't done much inside creating but my mind is full of garden ideas. I did manage to spend a little time trying out a new-to-me product though. <br />
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I stopped into my favorite paper arts store, <a href="http://www.queensink.com/">The Queen's Ink</a>, a couple of weeks ago and Patti had just gotten in a new water color product. It's called Color Burst from Ken Oliver Crafts. I've never seen this before. It comes in a small bottle that looks like the kind of bottle eye drops come in at the local pharmacy. There are 6 small bottles in a package. It's a powdered form of watercolors and has very intense colors. I'll show you what I made and then explain what I did.<br />
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I started with a piece of watercolor paper that was leftover from another project. I spritzed it with water and squeezed the bottle of dry powder which puffed out onto the paper. Some areas had more powder than others which is what formed the darker spots on the paper. I spritzed it with more water and brushed the color around to cover all the paper. I was just playing at this point with no intention of turning it into a finished project. But I liked the intensity of the color and how easy it was to use. I put the paper aside to dry. A few days later I was in my work room and saw it sitting there and got an idea for how I could use it. I have been spraying papers using paper towels under them to catch the over spray. Some of the paper towels are kind of cool with different spray patterns and colors left on them. I keep those with the idea of using them someday! Some day!! Well, I got the idea to spray some towels with green and yellow Dylusions sprays to match the intensity of the watercolors and tear them into strips and roll them into paper beads using a skewer to roll them on. I've been wanting to use paper and fabric beads in some mixed media but never did. I guess all the stars aligned and I jumped in and did it. Sometimes that's the best way to do something, don't overthink it! I then tore some strips of paper, glued them down and put the paper beads on top. I found a phrase in Tim Holtz's new collection of chat phrases, cut it up and glued it down. I love this phrase, "If you're lucky enough to be different, never change". To finish the card off I sprayed it with some Perfect Pearls Pearl Mist to tone it down a little and give it some shine and used black embossing powder to line the edges. </div>
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Here are some close ups.</div>
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I really like this watercolor powder. It can be used the way I used it, lightly spraying the paper with water and squeezing the bottle to apply it, or dissolving it in water and making a spray, or applying it with a wet brush. Anyway, you use it you'll get wonderful color because the pigment is so intense. </div>
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I'm entering this project in <a href="http://mixedmediaworld.blogspot.com/">Mixed Media World</a> current challenge "Bright Colours". Check out their blog if you love mixed media! It's a great source of inspiration.</div>
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That's it for me today. I hope you have a wonderful day, thank you for taking some time to visit and I hope you have time to do something you love!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-85601844889487670362015-03-27T08:48:00.000-04:002015-03-27T08:48:00.005-04:00Spring PendantHi, everyone! I'm so glad you are taking time to visit with me! I have a beaded pendant to share with you today. It's a design by Justyna Szlezak of<a href="http://eridhan.blogspot.com/"> Eridhan Creations</a>. You might remember that I used one of her patterns for my entry into the last A Time to Stitch blog hop. You can see that pendant <a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-time-to-stitch.html">here</a>. I highly recommend the patterns because the designs are beautiful and different and the instructions are very easy to follow. That said here is the Spring Pendant I made.<br />
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I call it the Spring Pendant because of the colors even though the actual name of the design is Sea Urchin. I had actually chosen another set of beads for this project during a snow storm! I loved those colors but when I started working on the pendant I just couldn't use them. They were dark and I was craving light! So, I put those aside to use in the Fall. I don't usually do the same design twice unless I'm making a set, too many great ideas out there, but maybe I'll make a Fall Pendant! So, when I decided to change colors I went to my favorite combination, lime green and turquoise. This is a spring version of lime green and turquoise. It's more olive and aqua! I used some frosted white Super Duos in there too. The 11s are a soft sea foam green. What I really loved about this pattern was the use of the spike beads! I love those beads and I had some in aqua so it worked perfectly. Both sides of the pendant are the same which is nice because there is no right or wrong side. I beaded a double loop at the top and added a jump ring and a silver ball chain to finish it off.</div>
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Here is a closer picture.</div>
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I really liked the way the colors came together. The firepolished 4mm beads were in my stash and I love the AB finish on them. I had been looking for the perfect project for them. The 3mm ones are a Picasso finish. I thought the frosted Super Duos worked well with the shine of the 11s and the AB finish of the firepolished beads. It was a fun pattern to work on and it really worked up more quickly than I thought.</div>
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So, there you have my first Spring colored project. Our weather is just not cooperating this year. It's unseasonably chilly for late March but at least we don't have snow on the ground and the daffodils are ready to burst forth! So, baby steps, we'll eventually get there!</div>
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Thank you all for stopping by here today. I hope you have a wonderful day and get time to have some creative fun! </div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-36039704272246093302015-03-18T08:12:00.001-04:002015-03-18T08:12:20.670-04:00Showing the Green!Hi everyone! I'm a little late in my St. Patrick's Day greetings but I hope everyone enjoyed the day when "everyone is Irish"! I have a quick post to show you what I created for the day! <br />
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For this week's challenge over at <a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/2015/03/weekly-challenge-209.html">I am the Diva</a>, Laura chose the theme Green It Up. Since I love the color green, I thought I would participate. Here is my tile.<br />
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Working on the Zentangle tiles is a joy because the paper is so wonderful. The surface is so receptive to the ink. And, I love adding some color to the black and white. I thought this turned out rather spring like. I guess because I'm really developing a severe case of spring fever!</div>
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That's my quick share for today. I hope you have a wonderful day and that you are having some lovely spring weather. Things are starting to wake up in the garden and I'm loving it!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-66853840222239221212015-03-12T09:09:00.000-04:002015-03-15T10:23:31.384-04:00From Sample to PendantHello, everyone! I'm so happy to have you visit today. I hope your day is going well. I think we've finally turned the corner on this long winter. Spring isn't far from us now! I'm itching to get outside into the garden to start "spring cleaning"! I do more spring cleaning outside than inside. <br />
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Today I wanted to share a beadwork pendant I made the other day. When I was planning my first geometric beadwork bracelet, last spring I thought I would make a sample to see how it would go together. I had decided to make one of <a href="http://www.jeanpower.com/">Jean Power's</a> Power Puff bangle. Well, I really like the sample I made so I put it aside and started on the bracelet. I didn't want to continue the sample and turn it into a bangle because in stitching it I decided to change the colors around and use them in a different order. Well, it sat on my table and I kept thinking I should do something with it. I decided on turning it into a pendant but, as usual, I never got around to it until the other day. Here is what it looks like finished.<br />
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The Power Puff bangle is a series of beaded triangles that are connected to each other with a short peyote tube. The whole thing is a tube so you can thread wire or cord through it. I love stitching triangles for some reason and it becomes quite addictive for me to go from one triangle to the other. This sample has the triangles getting larger by one row for each successive triangle. You can also change the orientation of the triangles as you stitch. That's my next trial! I ended this sample with the start of the fourth triangle. When I decided to turn it into a pendant I thought that would be the perfect place for a bead to end it off nicely. I searched through my stash of torch-fired enameled beads because I thought I had one this color. I also had some enameled head pins and one used the same green enamel. As you'll see in another photo I had a spacer that was the same color also and I put that on top. Here are some details. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I love enameling beads!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Here is the spacer. </span></div>
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I love the way the bead sits right in the partial triangle. In the second photo you can see the graduated size of the triangles. If I hadn't decided to change the color sequence I could have gone back to the original size and continued the graduated triangles. There are several variations on this idea. Also, you can tell I love this color green since I had so many pieces that worked with the beadwork! To finish it off I decided to use a purchased copper chain for a necklace. I'm really happy with the result. </div>
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The blog post about the finished bangle can be seen<a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-new-beading-obsession.html"> here</a>. I really love geometric beadwork and I haven't done any lately. But, I have some ideas to work on so I think I'll be getting back to it! </div>
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I just discovered that the blog <a href="http://anythingbutacard.blogspot.com/2015/03/cre8time-sprouts-in-color-green-for.html">Anything but a Card Challenge</a> theme this month is Green with Envy, so I'm going to enter this pendant in that challenge.</div>
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Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope you have a wonderful day and that you have some spring weather in your world! </div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-82589740705050834402015-03-04T14:04:00.000-05:002015-03-04T14:04:03.796-05:00A Great ClassHello, everyone! I'm so happy that you are visiting today. I have a quick post to share some of what I did over the weekend. My daughter and I signed up for two classes with the wonderful <a href="http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/">Seth Apter</a>. Seth is one of our favorite mixed media artists. His classes are always fun and I always come away feeling I've grown in my art. This time we had a class on Saturday that concentrated on stencils and different ways to use them and different mediums to use them with. Sunday was a mixed media class creating a piece that exemplified urban art. Unfortunately, we had an ice storm that caused the class to be canceled and rescheduled for June when Seth will be at <a href="http://www.queensink.com/">The Queen's Ink</a> for another set of classes. But, Saturday was fantastic! Seth gave us each a stencil from his collection that he designed for Mary Beth Shaw's company <a href="http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/">Stencil Girl Products</a>. We used stencils to create a reference guide of different mediums to use with any stencil in the morning and in the afternoon we used what we learned about the mediums to create our own mixed media creation. <br />
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The reference guide was done on three sheets of watercolor paper. We used inks, sprays, modeling paste, color interference paste, crackle paste and embossing powder with small stencils. Two areas were painted with black gesso to show the difference between background colors and metallic mediums. <br />
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We used mediums that Seth had already experimented with and his guidance was important. Some of the pastes are new to the market and are really fantastic. One that my daughter really liked is Prima's new Finnabair Graphite modeling paste. It's the third up from the bottom left in the picture above.</div>
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This is what I did in the afternoon.</div>
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We layered the background with paint and then used stencils to create a design. I love the window. It's a Prima stencil that my daughter had. I deliberately used the gold paste randomly. I like the effect of a worn image. The graphite paste that we loved is up in the corners. Here's a close up so you can see the wonderful texture that's achieved with this new product. </div>
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Very cool, I think! Here's the last detail photo.</div>
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That gold modeling paste is very cool. Wendy Vecchi has one that is very similar to the one we used. </div>
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If you haven't jumped on the stencil band wagon you should give it a try. It's great fun and there are so many beautiful stencils out there along with great products to use with them. </div>
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Well, that's it for today. Thank you so much for visiting with me today. I hope you are having lovely spring weather where you are. We're supposed to be getting more snow tomorrow. But, next week will be much better, I'm sure ;)!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-16867151559162599212015-02-26T09:11:00.001-05:002015-02-26T09:11:40.258-05:00Flowers of the FrostHello, everyone! I'm delighted to have you stop by here for a visit. It's a snowy morning here and so the title of this post is rather appropriate! We're almost into March and I'm dying to see some of the flowers of the frost. What are they you ask? Well, they are the tiny little bulbs that brave the cold of winter and pop up to bring brightness to the dull winter landscape. I've loved them for years because they are a harbinger of what is to come with the spring and summer. I love my garden and every year I add new plants and shrubs. I also add some of these little gems. I tuck them into small areas where I can see them from the windows on a cold blustery day. Years ago I read the quote attributed to Gertrude Wister that says "The flowers of late winter occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size." I agree with that wholeheartedly! So, I've wanted to do a project incorporating that sentence for a long time. Finally, I've done one! <br />
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I'm always cutting pictures and whole pages out of magazines and keeping them in file folders. The biggest folder is one that is filled with flower pictures. So, as you might imagine, many of the pictures are of those little gems of late winter. That was the starting point of this canvas. I covered the canvas with gesso and when that was dry I added fiber paste to some areas with a palette knife to add some texture. I used a combination of paint and stains in Bundled Sage, Weathered Wood, Iced Spruce, and Shaded Lilac. I also used Lindy's Stamp Gang Glitz Spritz in Cactus Gold add some shimmer. When it was completely dry I did some stamping with Watering Can archival ink. A technique I learned from <a href="http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/">Seth Apter</a> and that I use a lot is cross hatching with paint and a credit card to create some texture and color on a canvas. I did some of that, adding more color and texture to the background. I glued down the magazine clipping of potted snow drops and crocuses and then dry brushed it with gesso to blended it in and weather it some. I printed the quote on cardstock and cut it out attaching it to grunge board to pop it out. I darkened the edges with Weathered Wood DI and used my finger to lightly rub some gesso over it. I wanted to high light one of the snow drops so I used a stick on acrylic disk over one of the flowers. I used a tag cut of the same CS and darkened the edges of that and added it to the top of the canvas with a piece of ribbon from the stash under it. I used the same ribbon along the bottom to ground the whole composition and keep it from looking as if it was floating in the air. Here are some details.<br />
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I'm so pleased with how this turned out. I enjoyed working on it and it kept me thinking that soon I'll see my snow drops and crocuses. Of course, we need to get rid of the snow on the ground first!! <br />
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Well, that's it for today. Thank you so much for visiting with me. I appreciate your visits and your kind comments very much. I hope you have a wonderful day and get some time to be creative in whatever medium you chose. <br />
Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-29314045457076572732015-02-17T08:09:00.000-05:002015-02-17T08:09:01.462-05:00A Late Little Valentine ProjectHello, all! Welcome to you all on this snowy morning in the Mid-Atlantic! Boston and New England have gotten most of the snow this year but last night and today it was our turn. Of course, ours wasn't anything like what Boston has endured this year but we can't handle snow the way New England can. If we ever got 90 inches of snow in a season we'd never dig out!! Anyway, I don't mind snow if I don't have to drive in it and it certainly is pretty out my window!<br />
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Today I want to share another Zentangle project. My friend, Patti, designed a pretty Valentine Zentangle project and showed a group of us how to make one. It's a cornet or a tussy-mussy holder. Here's what it looks like.<br />
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Patti supplied the holder and the paper, we chose the tangles we wanted to use. I added a pop of red throughout because I've come to like the black and white and one bright color in my Zentangles. I didn't finish it until the day after Valentine's Day but next year I'm going to fill it with chocolates. </div>
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Here are some details. The photos aren't very good because the weather hasn't been very cooperative with the light!</div>
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As you can see, I've lined it with red card stock and used a red satin ribbon for the handle and the tassel at the bottom. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. <br />
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Well, that's it for today. I hope you have a wonderful day. I'm hoping to do some beading for a change! Thank you so much for visiting with me and leaving your wonderful comments. I really appreciate it. <br />
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-65858388879897785152015-02-05T15:25:00.001-05:002015-02-05T15:25:13.042-05:00It's almost Valentine's Day!Hi all! I'm happy to have you visit. Well, I'm over winter now and I'm so happy that it's the first week of February. To me that means that March is that much closer! And, happy day, my crocuses and daffodils are showing their green!! Crocuses are my favorite flowers because they are the first ones I see in the late winter and early spring. Of course, February also means Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I've been thinking of what I'm going to make for dinner that night and what yummy heart shaped dessert I'll serve. I always have made a special dinner and dessert for my family on Valentine's Day. I spend the beginning of February planning and making things to celebrate this pretty bright day in the middle of a dull winter. This year, there are still cards to be made and dinner to be planned but I took some time to make a Valentine card to put on the table in the family room. Since the<a href="http://frillyandfunkie.blogspot.com/2015/01/be-my-valen-twine.html"> Frilly and Funkie blog</a> has as their challenge theme "Be My Valen-twine"for the next few days I thought I would enter it in the challenge too. The "twine" is the requirement to use twine in whatever you make. Here is what it looks like.<br />
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I started with a piece of kraft card stock and used Wendy Vecchi's embossing paste and a new Memory Box stencil to make the background. I tried a new-to-me technique I found on the very talented Astrid's <a href="http://astridsartisticefforts.blogspot.com/">blog</a>. While the embossing paste was still wet I sprinkled some of it with gold embossing powder and the rest with red glitter embossing powder and heated them. I love the way the embossing paste bubbled and puffed. I let the gold spill onto the red so I had a two toned embossing. I cut a piece of red CS with the TH trellis die and used my finger to rub some gold Gilders' Paste on it. I also rubbed Gilders Paste on the edge of the CS. I had the vintage Valentine clown image in my stash. I wrapped the card with gold wrapped bakers' twine. I glued the kraft CS to a striped paper that I had distressed and rubbed with Vintage Photo DI on the edge. That was glued to a piece of red embossed CS which I rubbed with Gilders Paste. Here are some details.<br />
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So, there is my first Valentine for this year! It looks great on the table. <br />
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I have continued on with the #28patterns challenge which I talked about in this <a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/02/its-been-while.html">post</a>. <br />
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Here are two of the Zentangles I've posted the last couple of days. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My initial done in Joanne Fink's Zenspirations style.</span></div>
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So, that's what I've been doing the last few days. I think the Muse is beginning to wake up! Must be seeing those crocus and daffodil leaves!!</div>
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Thank you so much for visiting with me today. I hope you have a wonderful and creative day!</div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-67399657628767031062015-02-02T08:48:00.001-05:002015-02-02T08:48:34.790-05:00It's been a while!Hi to all of my wonderful visitors! It's been a long time since I last posted. But, there have been reasons. The first one is that after the rush of the holidays my mojo went into storage along with all the decorations. That sometime happens to me after the hustle and bustle of Fall and Christmas. My muse needs a rest I suppose! Then I caught a horrible cold. It wasn't the flu, just a plain old head cold but it lasted for a long time and I felt I lost about 10 days because I really didn't have much energy. I'm happy that it's gone! I'm not sure my mojo is back but I feel like it's beginning to come out of hibernation. <br />
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I saw on Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's <a href="http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/">blog </a>a challenge she's sponsoring on Instagram called #28Patterns. Now, I have to say I'm not a hashtag kind of person! I'm not on Facebook or Twitter, I have enough to occupy my time, I don't need any other time drains. Sorry if I've offended anyone by calling them that but that is how I think of them. But, I do post pictures to Instagram, usually of my projects or flowers from my garden. Not very interesting stuff but I do have some friends who enjoy seeing them. Anyway, I thought this might encourage the muse to return. The idea is to get down on paper a pattern a day for the month of February. It can be any medium. So, I'm giving it a try. I'm not really good at keeping up with things like this but I thought this could work because I can always practice Zentangle. And, even if I don't do a pattern a day, I'll do some days!!!<br />
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I resisted getting involve with Zentangles for a long time. Patti Euler, my friend who owns the wonderful local paper arts store, <a href="http://www.queensink.com/">The Queen's Ink</a>, is a Certified Zentangle Teacher and she gives classes from beginner on to more advanced instruction. Her work is beautiful and I've been drawn to the clean black and white patterning even though I'm a color fanatic. Finally, last summer my daughter and I signed up for the beginner class. I've enjoyed it immensely and we've taken other classes since then. I've been trying to keep up with doing it regularly so the idea of 28Patterns was appealing. I could always do a Zentangle. Yesterday was the first day of this challenge so this is what I did.<br />
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There isn't much to tell you about it. Tangles are like doodling. When color is added to the black and white they are considered Zentangle inspired art. Since it's February and Valentine's Day is right around the corner I'm in full heart mode!! I love Valentine's Day, and have since I was a child, because it's a bright spot in the midst of a gray, dull winter! So, I've been doing a lot of heart Zentangles and this is my latest!</div>
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I probably won't post these 28 patterns, or whatever I make, everyday, but you'll probably see some of them. At least you'll be hearing from me more often :)! </div>
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For now though, thank you for visiting with me today and reading all this! Not much eye candy today and lots of words so I'll end for now. Have a wonderful day, I hope it's a sunny day where you are! </div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-72414667943541312972015-01-14T08:14:00.002-05:002015-01-14T08:14:53.224-05:00A Quick UpdateHello to you all! Thanks for dropping in here today. I have a quick update to my project for the challenge, A Time to Stitch. You can find my post about what I made and the challenge hosts and participants <a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-time-to-stitch.html">here</a>. At first I didn't know what I wanted to do about a necklace for the pendant and then I ran out of time to make what I decided on. I wanted to make a chain that wouldn't distract from the pendant. The holidays came along and I didn't get to it. By the day of the reveal I had a few links done. Over the weekend I finished all the links and jump rings and tumbled them in my new Christmas gift, a tumbler!!! Here is the necklace completed.<br />
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I'm very happy with the finished necklace. The chain coordinates with the pendant but doesn't distract from it. I used a finer wire than I wanted but the color was perfect and it fit through the holes of the Delicas. I also used some of the fire polished beads in the links. </div>
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That's it for today. I wanted to share the finished piece because some of you kindly said that you would like to see it finished. I hope you have great day and get the time to bead or do whatever your do to feed your creative spirit. Thank you so much for visiting with me today.</div>
Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-68657814869750626312015-01-10T06:26:00.000-05:002015-01-10T06:26:47.498-05:00A Time to StitchHello, everyone! Happy New Year! It's so nice to have you visit with me today. The holidays are over, all the decorations are put away and now we can breathe slowly and get back to creating wonderful projects! I know that's what I'm hoping to do. I actually got back to beading this week so that I could finish the project for this round of A Time to Stitch! This blog hop is sponsored by <span id="goog_1195239724"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Therese<span id="goog_1195239725"></span></a> and <a href="http://www.onekisscreations.blogspot.com/">Christine</a>. It's always a lot of fun and it often spurs me on to try something I've been putting off doing. The idea behind it is to try a stitch that you haven't used before. This time that idea was changed up a bit. This time we were supposed to use a word chart, a picture chart or graft. I like working with word charts because I knit and use word charts all the time. I decided to use a pattern designed by<a href="http://eridhan.blogspot.com/"> Eridhan Creations</a>. The pattern I chose was one called Twisted Triangle. I love peyote stitched triangles and I had never done one based on <a href="http://www.junipercreekdesigns.com/">June Huber's</a> idea of using different sized beads to create a "twist". Here is what my pendant looks like.<br />
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I chose neutral colors so the "twist" would be the focus of the piece. I didn't know what I wanted to do for a necklace because I didn't want something that was going to be too busy. I decided to make my own chain out of wire and the bronze fire polished beads that are in the center of each side. But, the holidays brought the entire thing to a standstill and I didn't have time to get all the links made by today. I do have some finished.<br />
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I'll link them together with jump rings and attach them to the triangle. I'll post a picture of the finished necklace when it's all put together.</div>
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Thanks to Christine and Therese for hosting this hop. It's always a lot of fun and I always make some thing that I've been wanting to do! Below is a list of all the participants. Be sure to check out their blogs and see what they have created.</div>
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<span style="color: black;">1-</span><a href="http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://theresestreasures59.blogspot.com/">Therese Frank
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<span style="color: black;">2-</span><a href="http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://onekisscreations.blogspot.com/">Christine Altmiller
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<span style="color: black;">3-</span><a href="http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/">Cynthia Machata</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">4-</span><a href="http://wescottjewelry.com/" original_href="http://wescottjewelry.com/" target="_blank" title="http://wescottjewelry.com/">Samantha Wescott</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">5-</span><a href="http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://backstorybeads.blogspot.com/">Karin Slaton</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">6-</span><a href="http://thecraftersapprentice.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://thecraftersapprentice.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://thecraftersapprentice.blogspot.com/">Wendy</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">7-</span><a href="http://beadcontagion.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://beadcontagion.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://beadcontagion.blogspot.com/">LizE</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">8-</span><a href="http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com/">Dagi (Kokopelli)</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">9-</span><a href="http://beadlolabead.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://beadlolabead.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://beadlolabead.blogspot.com/">Lola</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">10-</span><a href="http://cavecreekbeads.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://cavecreekbeads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://cavecreekbeads.blogspot.com/">Paula</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">11-</span><a href="http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.com/">Karin G.</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">12-</span><a href="http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/">Becky
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<span style="color: black;">13-</span><a href="http://acbeads.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://acbeads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://acbeads.blogspot.com/">Ana Cravidao</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">14-</span><a href="http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com/">Alenka</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">15-</span><a href="http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://kepirasmussen.blogspot.com/">Debbie (Kepi)</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">16-</span><a href="http://smellynelly.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://smellynelly.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://smellynelly.blogspot.com/">Nelly May</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">17-</span><a href="http://emjestudio.blogspot.com/2014/06/5th-time-to-stitch-reveal.html" original_href="http://emjestudio.blogspot.com/2014/06/5th-time-to-stitch-reveal.html" target="_blank" title="http://emjestudio.blogspot.com/2014/06/5th-time-to-stitch-reveal.html">LiliKrist</a><span style="color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">18-</span><a href="http://sallyrussick.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://sallyrussick.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://sallyrussick.blogspot.com/">Sally Russick</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">19-</span><a href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://zingalasworkshop.blogspot.com/">Maryanne</a> (you are here)</div>
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<span style="color: black;">20-</span><a href="http://www.kimmykats.com/" original_href="http://www.kimmykats.com/" target="_blank" title="http://www.kimmykats.com/">Kim</a><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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21-<a href="http://amybeads.blogspot.com/" original_href="http://amybeads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="http://amybeads.blogspot.com/">Amy</a></div>
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Thank you for visiting me today. I hope you have a great day and find some time to create!</div>
Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945797559714854340.post-6722547711151289502014-12-30T16:06:00.001-05:002014-12-30T16:06:45.467-05:00The Last Few ThingsHi, everyone! It's so nice to have you visit with me. I hope your Christmas was wonderful and you're getting some time to yourself before the New Year celebrations! We had a wonderful Christmas. Our son and daughter-in-law were here and our daughter and son-in-law who live locally joined us along with some close friends. It was a lovely time and we had a chance to catch up with everyone! The busyness continued after the big day, but it's always such lovely busyness that I don't really mind! But, today I have some time to catch my breath and I thought I would share some pictures of the few things I was able to find time to make before Christmas. <br />
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I kept up with <span id="goog_1792267976"></span>The 12 Tags of Christmas Funkie Junkie Style<span id="goog_1792267977"></span>, just barely, so I didn't get many ornaments and decorative things made. I always try to make a few ornaments for our tree each year and I did manage to get two done. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UIUDZJJcBYI/VKMPOWYHvRI/AAAAAAAAF2Y/AXqnLsTgbj0/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UIUDZJJcBYI/VKMPOWYHvRI/AAAAAAAAF2Y/AXqnLsTgbj0/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" height="400" width="388" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FulVOv3xU6c/VKMPR6fe-pI/AAAAAAAAF2g/ynrzkI3AVD8/s1600/IMG_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FulVOv3xU6c/VKMPR6fe-pI/AAAAAAAAF2g/ynrzkI3AVD8/s1600/IMG_0046.JPG" height="400" width="348" /></a></div>
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The first one, as you can see, is a pair of ice skates cut with the TH die. I used white glitter paper from a pad of different colored glitter paper. It has become my favorite Christmas paper! I cut the runners from paper that had foil sticky back paper attached and the heel was cut with black paper. Both the runners and the heels were glued to the original die cuts. I used red and white baker's twine for the laces and the hanger and some greenery and gumdrops for the decorations. The second one is a star shape cut out of the gold glitter paper from the same pad. I used a tree, Santa and banner from a package of Christmas die cuts from Kaisercraft. I used some glitter on the Santa to give him some sparkle. </div>
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The only other thing I finished this year was a top hat! I love top hats and I had gotten a papier mache one last year and never did anything with it. This year I decided to get to it. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-37KJeeSFoDY/VKMQ5PfHW1I/AAAAAAAAF2s/zs-fInUIWvc/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-37KJeeSFoDY/VKMQ5PfHW1I/AAAAAAAAF2s/zs-fInUIWvc/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
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I painted it with black paint and used a red satin ribbon for the hat band. I used more glitter paper, this time in green, to cut holly from the Holiday Greens die. I used the new labels die from TH to cut the circle and the holiday words die and gold glitter paper for the word "joy". The cluster of berries was in my stash. It sat on a bench in our foyer along with a finial and some greens. Here are some close ups.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kz5ONmEiu7s/VKMRparHJkI/AAAAAAAAF20/Vz_90Kfb7QQ/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kz5ONmEiu7s/VKMRparHJkI/AAAAAAAAF20/Vz_90Kfb7QQ/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" height="400" width="316" /></a></div>
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I really love it and it looks very festive sitting on the bench ready to go with a dashing young gentleman out on the town! </div>
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That's about it for this year. There a few things that weren't finished and I intend to finish them soon because if I put them aside it will be a long time before they surface again! </div>
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Thank you so much for visiting with me today and all year. I do so appreciate your visits and your comments. I hope you have a very Happy New Year and I hope that 2015 (can you believe that!) is a blessed and wonderful year for you. </div>
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Maryannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995953807184947287noreply@blogger.com3