Morning Inspirations

I just want to eat these colors! So I ate them with my eyes and my camera and they became beads.

Winter's Beauty and Two Artsy Ladies

Winter is not my favorite time of year. All of the other seasons are more to my taste. Winter, however, does have its moments. The sunrises and sunsets rival any other season. The colors are so much more vibrant, and the silhouette of the bare trees makes a beautiful contrast.
And then of course, there is the beautiful starkness of the snow. We have gotten to enjoy that view this winter way more than any year that I can recall. We may usually see one snowfall if we are lucky, but this year we have had at least three separate occasions of measurable snow. The schools have used up all of their snow days legitimately. That is a rarity here.

This has given me a good excuse to stay cozy in the house and stitch away at my little projects. I have created a couple of cuffs and necklaces to honor two famous artsy ladies. The first one needs no introduction.

The second set is in honor of Frida Kahlo which inspired the bright colors. All of these are made from vintage and recycled fabrics and buttons.

New Stuff

Well the title isn't very inspired, but it pretty much says it all. Here are some of the new things that I made for the sale at Silo Studios.
The photo above is a button maille bracelet that I got the idea for from a jewelry magazine that I flipped through at the craft store. I've always wanted to try chain maille but the directions seemed confusing. This looked simple enough, and it was fun.

A variety of earrings.

This is Prince Albert, made from a tobacco tin, a tin can lid, some resistors for his medals, and a vintage rhinestone button.

Vision Bracelet

cAt PlAyiNg DeAd

This is a bracelet that I just finished. I seem to have a thing for these eyes. They keep showing up.

You Could Kiss A Lot Of Toads If You Need To Find A Prince

You can tell that Spring has sprung around here. Love is in the air. You can hear it all around you...toad's love songs. I hope that these pictures aren't too risque'. I guess it's not any worse than the Animal Planet channel. Our pond seems to be the rendezvous location for all of the area toads. I was amazed today when I walked down there! They are everywhere! There are trails and trails of eggs! They are paired up and several seem to be having a foursome. There must be a shortage of females. They were almost oblivious to me being near to photograph them.
After walking around the pond, my DH and I took a walk in the woods to look for morel mushrooms. No luck, but the wildflowers are starting to bloom. This one is a trillium.
Maggie enjoyed the walk with us. See her new tag that I made for her? By the way, I was going to keep Tootsie, but a lady that I know called and had seen the poster that I put up and had fallen in love with her. She is going to keep her in the house and will take her camping and all kinds of things that dogs love. I thought I would cry when she took her, but I know she has a good home. It's easier now with two dogs instead of three. On a sad note, one of my sister's dogs died today of kidney failure. She had been unwell for a long time. Maybe I could find her a puppy like mine.
After the walk, we took our little boat out in the pond and went fishing. I caught 5 fish. We let them go.

In spite of the beautiful weather, I managed to make some jewelry. I made this bracelet this morning. It is brass, faux pearls, silver-toned wire, and recycled beads from some old earrings. I kind of like the way it turned out.
Long post...long day, but fun.

New Bracelet

Here is a new bracelet that I made today, being modeled by one of the many cucumbers in my sink, destined for the pickle jar tonight. ( The cucumber, not the bracelet. )
It is not cool as a cucumber here today though. The high was around 100 degrees.