We Survived The Great Tomato Purge Of OCT 09!!

Silly title, but an important job!! It is that time of year here in Virginia. Time to clean up the gardens and get them ready for sleep under a nice bed of chopped leaves and grass clippings!

We are having beautiful weather today and I got the kids outside to help me in the cleanup. I really do need their help as I don't want to overdo it and hurt my back. Fortunately, that was enough of a plea to get the kids out in the sunshine!!

We had a real tangle of vines to clean up in the tomato bed. Next year, I will be even more dilligent about keeping the vines under control!!! Our efforts quickly dissolved into a bit of a tomato toss with lots of giggles and laughs and general mayhem! But we got it done!!

A little tomato juice even rotten tomato juice never hurt anyone!! Becca was dissecting some green ones with her clippers and then she decide to try to burst one with her gloved hands. Now neither of my kids will eat fresh tomatos- what is wrong with them??? The tomato the Becca was fooling around with explored and squirted juice all over her face!! Of course that brought on a chorus of 'the attack of the killer tomatoes' and huge guffaws from older brother.

I am really quite sad that this is the end of the fresh tomatoes for this year!! We had such a

great crop and I have eaten fresh fruit everyday!! I will get more when these ripen but then we will have to dream of next summer for the new crop!! SIGH!!!!
Perhaps I will try to find a recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes. I have never tried them before and I am not a big one for fried foods but perhaps if I used Olive oil.....

Last fall, I put in some hardy chrysanthemums and they ahve opened this week! They are very tall and stunning! These photos make me want to get out my watercolor paints again!

I just adore white cosmos and next year will palnt many more white ones!!! They look so crisp and fresh and clean in the garden!!

I found this amazing web in the corner of the porch. Quite the work of art,don't you think??

Now for a little bit of Beaded art!

A good friend had her birthday way back in August and I am sure that she thinks that I have forgotten- no just late!!! She and I were searching all over for face beads to offer in my beading classes, we both enjoy including faces as surprise elements in our beadwork. Then i ahd the idea to create some of my own. From there it was s hort jump to design this bracelet for her .

I am quite pleased with how it turned out. Now I can surprise her with a very tardy birthday gift!!!
I hope that everyone is able to enjoy this nice long weekend!! Get out intot he sunshine if you can!!!!

TAA DAAA!! A New Bracelet

I have become very intrigued with Free Form Peyote Stitched Beedwork. I should say intrigues and TOTALLY Intimidated and at a loss at the same time. I love the free flowing organic nature of the work and I have been carrying out a bit of research to discover where one begins!! Finally, I found a small article in the latest Beadwork magazine, so I figured that this was the time.!
This is one of those projects that has a definate begininng but the end can be as far out as one is willing to push it!!! A bit difficult to know when to stop- so actually a bit of planning is a GOOD thing!!! This is my first attempt and I know that I will be doing more pieces like this one , in different color ways. This piece was much less time consuming than the Beaded cuffs so i will be able to offer these pieces for sale at about half the cost of the cuffs!!
A GOOD THING!!
RIGHT???!!!!!

Here are some close up shots: (All photos will enlarge with a left click on the image!)





I have used bits of real shell, lavendar pearls and semi-precious stone chips in amoung the glass seed beads.


I created the face bead myself and here you can see more freshwater pearls and mother of pearl star beads.


The loop and button closure is fashioned using a vintage glass button. You can also see vintage crystal beads and more pearls.
I am planning to add this piece to my Etsy shop later today.
I am off on a Bead trip today- to a wonderful shop in Alexandria called Beads LTD. I may not return!!!
I am sure that I will find all sorts of new treasures to add to future beadwork!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderfully creative day!

Finding Faces

As I have been teaching Bead Work classes lately, I have found that many students are interested in finding face beads and cabs. These items are not easy to come by and to find unusual ones is even more rare. There are several wonderful sources on the net but many don't want to go to the net and buy just one. Besides there is something very important about holding something in your hand and discovering whether it has the right "feel" for your particular piece of artwork.
So I have made some faces. I will be providing these for my students to purchase and I will also use them in my own work to make my work even more MY OWN!