Focusing on life:?

For the focusing on life challenge this week we were given the option to choose what we wanted to post about. Since several of you asked for pics of the after when I posted one of the old cars that we owned I decided to show some of the cars that we did fix. The fist car up is my 1966 Impala Super Sport. This car was a trophy winner. One of the top 100 in the only show we took it to.Isn't she beautiful?

This is a 1954 Chevy BelAir that We got in Arizona. I named the color that I painted it morning mist blue. When we took it to the car show to sell it a guy chased up from the entry gate to our parking space so he could buy it.

This van was my first full vehicle paint job. It belonged to a friend. Silver is one of the hardest colors to paint because the metal particles settle to the bottom of the paint gun and the paint gets streaks in it. Also most cars don't have such large flat panels which show imperfections. Some how I never seem to start with the easy stuff LOL. I am proud of it.  To view what the other participants posted go to Sally's blog http://thestudiosublime.com/

Focusing on Life: I am ___

I am______ was the prompt from Sally at http://thestudiosublime.com/ for this weeks focusing on life. It's fill in the blank like when we were in school. We were supposed to take pics of who were are. Looking at how we define ourselves can sure get you thinking. First and foremost I am a beader. I try to bead something every day. I read bead related stuff daily and plan my trips to the cities to include a bead store whenever I can. In beads I have found my passion. I have crafted all of my life but beads seem to incorporate all that I have learned from other crafts and more. The beads above came from a pay it forward by Michelle Mach. I had them out this week looking for the perfect bead to incorporate in one of the projects I am working on. Yes I often have several projects going at once.

I am also a gardener. I showed the buds on my peony last week. This week they are blooming. Oh the fragrance is intoxicating. Yes it rained last night so I got a shot of water drops on the leaves that I always admire in other peoples pics. I hope you enjoyed my definition of me and now it's time to see how the other participants in the challenge see themselves. Please use Sally's link above.

June Znet

I have been asked again to design for http://www.znetshows.com. The theme of this challenge is the beach. It's very appropriate for this time of year. My first time designing for them (back in January) I pictured blue and green sea glass but I got orange and yellow. So some of the ideas I had before the first box arrived  can be used now. I like the colors much better this time. The beach theme is going to be fun.  This challenge we were paired up with a partner. The partner chose beads for us to design with from Znet's extensive selection. My partner this time is the very talented Amy Severino. Her blog is amybeads.blogspot.com  You should check it out. She makes awesome jewelry. The picture above is what Amy selected for me to design with (am I not lucky). I forgot to take pics before I started designing but I only omitted a few of the pearls and a few of the crystals from this pic as they were already in use. Znet is a wonderful company to work with and I am really enjoying designing with their great products. The pearls  are yummy, the fish are cute, The aqua sea glass is the perfect color for water, and the crystals will add sparkle. They have a wonderful selection and very good prices too.  The reveal is July 6.  So If I don't post for a while you will know what I am busy with.

Focusing on Life: Green

Our focusing on life prompt from sally http://thestudiosublime.com  was green. Back in the spring when everyone else was showing flowers I still had several feet of snow so I am glad that I get to show some of my flowers now. First up is the peony bush that is right next to the house. The buds are coming right along and I will have flowers soon. They are so fragrant I can hardly wait.  My favorite chair is next to the widow that is above that bush. Next up is my bleeding heart. I think they are so beautiful. The blooms are so complex and delicate. Right next to the bleeding heart  are my lilies of the valley. They were my husbands birth month flower. Another wonderful fragrance. I have several varieties of  hostas. Isn't the green with the white edges interesting to look at? Last is my rhubarb. I made strawberry rhubarb jam last week. I found it very interesting to look at all the texture in the green around my yard. Minnesota sure is beautiful in the summer. I am really enjoying this challenge very much. It is fun getting to know some of the other jewelry artists better. I appreciate everyone's comments each week. Thanx. Please check out what everyone else is posting at Sally's link above.

Focusing on life: Typography

I took some time off from beading this week and read a silly romance novel. I was in the thrift store and the title of this book just grabbed me. Isn't that seal interesting looking? It looks so very official. Before beads I costumed dolls. I have dozens of books on 1800's clothing. The beautiful pink dress is probably what made me select this book to read. I am attracted to pink. The novel was set in 1803. I hoped it described some of their clothing but it didn't. It was a fun read.This was the typography that drew me in this week.

Free Bead Giveaway

Julie makes wonderful lampworked beads. She claims she has too many (like that is possible) beads. She is giving away spacer beads. For a chance to win them check out her blog. Here's the link http://indiancreekartglass.blogspot.com/2013/06/lets-have-giveaway-i-have-so-many.html?showComment=1370572077584#c1708522902509329282

Focusing on life:Foodie

Week 22 of focusing on life Sally at http://thestudiosublime.com/  prompted us with the word foodie. This was an easy prompt for me. I made homemade vegetable bread the day before Sally's prompt. This is one of my families favorite things. As you can see it doesn't last long. around here. A piece of veggie bread toasted with peanut butter on it is heaven on earth. We used to buy it in the town where  my son went to  college. Then the store stopped making it so now I make it at home. It's a treat for us.