Summer leavings

I'm not normally a fan of dried flowers, but I was glad that I had rescued these from my garden before the rains came.  Dried poppy pods, bluebell seed heads, dried grasses and sundry other bits and pieces.

The colour is a little off because I took the photo under incandescent light, and it turned out much too golden, but it makes me feel warm to look at it on this rainy miserable day.

Dried seed pods and grasses

New Beads

I thought you might like to see some of the new beads I have been making for my upcoming Studio Tour (November 15 - 18th).  The beads aren't new designs, but they are always popular at my shows, and I am just going to wire wrap them into pendants.

Misty Cedars - framed in black.

Organics - framed in black.

Thanks for looking!

What to do when your muse takes flight!

It has been several weeks (perhaps months) since I sat with any regularity at my torch.  However, with the one show I am doing this year looming - OMG, only 3 weeks away - it is time to get back to some sort of regimen.  Wouldn't you know it, my muse/inspiration/desire, etc has taken a vacation - not a good time at all.  As I don't have the time to play and see what happens, I decided to fall back onto the old standby - organics.  I can do them without a lot of thought, and my customers seem to really like them.  I also don't feel like making up necklaces, so have decided to just wire wrap them up and sell them as loose pendants.  Maybe I will make up a few chains for those that say "what am I going to hang it on?" - there is always one or two.

What do you do when your muse takes off and leaves you high and dry?

Organic style pendants in earth tones.

Organic style pendants in rusts and oranges.

Organic style pendants in yellows and oranges.

I made the pendants by forming a long oval - refining the oval with the help of the CG Beadroller Large Chunky Oval, flattening with a pair of parallel mashers, and gently fire polishing out any chill marks.  I think this is one of my favourite shapes.

I hab a cod!

Or I guess it should read "I have a cold!"  I am sick and I feel miserable - so there!!  OK, enough feeling sorry for myself - lol.

I finished one of my paintings last week before this bug knocked me down.  At least I think it is finished - but I am not sure how I feel about it.  Looking at it objectively, I feel it is too one dimensional, and I should have made some of the elements larger as they all seem to be about the same size.  I will look at it for a while and perhaps add something later.

"Goodbye Summer"

I hope I am better by next Monday, because I start another painting course with Robert Burridge.  He has been brought in from the US to teach a week long course just a few blocks from where I live - fantastic!

For those of you who are wondering about my beads, just as soon as the plastic surgeon says I can get back to the torch, I will be busy making beads.  I want to wait for her OK before I subject my face to the heat of the torch.

Have a great weekend everyone!