Crystal planet

I'm waiting for beads. I'm not good at waiting. The only way not to go and stalk the mailman is to distract myself. Changing sheets, doing laundry, eating pumpkin soup (that I didn't have to cook which always is a big plus) takes my mind off the beads only for so long, though. I dug into my stash (unfriendly people would call it hoard and imply I need an intervention) and pulled out some orphaned beads. Ok, not that orphaned, the green ones that I got from a friend were more of a small orphanage which now has been closed (I used them all up).

The result is this little rock crystal planet, surrounded by small green moons ... ehm, which can't move much, 1. because they are all on the same crowded orbit and 2. because I tied them to each other with two strands of silver wire. Yay, I'm evil on a planetary level, even if it's just a very small one ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pendant is available in my Von Dir-Shop now.

The Monday collection - Witchy times

No matter if you celebrate it or not, Halloween is coming nearer. That was the perfect reason for me to make the first of more Halloween collections to come.

I had someone special in mind when making this one *waving to "my" Granny Weatherwax* Have fun with the witches!

My blog layout doesn't like the large collections. Please click the picture to get to the original collection!

Quote of the week

If you were one of the people spending more time with me, you would know the following quote. I use it a lot. I watch this movie a lot and it never loses its charm to me.

I'm an avid reader of mystery novels. Today many writers seem to think their stories have to be really gruesome and bloody, with detailed descriptions of the wounds and the maggots that crawl around in them, but honestly that often turns me away. Just the other day I put a book away because I couldn't stand the prologue describing a woman dying from being poisoned while holding her baby in her arms. Call me a wimp, but sometimes I rather go back to the old mysteries, the Miss Marples, the Professor Shandys, the Charlie Chans, the Chief Inspector Alleyns and so on.

This movie is as much an homage as a parody of those old detectives, packed with great actors.

Peter Sellers is Sidney Wang (Charlie Chan's alter ego ;-)), Truman Capote is Lionel Twain, the host who invited a group of famous detectives to his house to solve a murder ....

Wang: What meaning of this, Mister Twain?

Twain: I will tell you, Mister Wang, if you can tell me why a man who possesses one of the most brilliant minds can't say his prepositions or articles. "THE, Mister Wang, what is THE meaning of this."

Wang: That what I said. What meaning of this?

If you don't know the movie, watch it. Enjoy the blind butler (a great Alec Guinness) and the deaf-mute cook (Nancy Walker in her last movie) and be surprised at the ending.

Murder by Death, USA, 1976

Tiny post

I made tiny earrings. And tiny earrings (just one inch including the leverbacks!) get a tiny post. Here they are - tiny shells caught in fine silver wire to dangle on your ears, now listed in my ArtFire studio.

Mary Poppins, incomplete hearts and a witch

Since I was a child, I have loved the Mary Poppins books by P. L. Travers. I can't say how often I read them. I still read them regularly. I always wished I could have been one of those children, and it's impossible for me to pick my favorite adventure.

When looking at the pendant I just listed I remember the story about Mary's relative. He could repair all kinds of porcelain things, cups, figurines, but he could also repair something much more important - hearts.

Have you ever wondered how to repair a heart that is not just broken, but missing a piece? I just couldn't help myself, this beautiful green freeform cab reminded me of an incomplete heart, so I went on a mission - I made the heart complete by crocheting fine silver wire into the missing piece. I hid the "scar" with rainbow moonstones. And yes, you have seen it before, but I didn't explain anything about it then, AND it's listed now. Progress!

Make my heart whole, now on Zibbet

I also have a confession to make. I don't have enough time. Now that I'm not only married to my crochet hooks, but have also caught the looming bug, I'm probably doomed.

Let me show you my latest cuff. Can you see I'm looking forward to Halloween? And here the circle is closing. I first read about Halloween in a Mary Poppins book. Yes, it's true, I swear!

By the way, even if I don't have any loomed cuffs in my shop (yet?), let me know if you want to talk about one.

The Monday collection - Trees

I decided that from now on I'll try to curate a collection on ArtFire each week to share it with you. There are really cool items to be found you know, and this will be my excuse to do some extensive weekend browsing and go ooooh and aaaah - and maybe lose control one or the other time and get something for myself ;-)

So today I'll give you - THE LARCH! Nah, not really. I just couldn't resist because I love to say it. And it inspired me to make this tree collection. Enjoy!

My blog layout doesn't like the large collections. Please click the picture to get to the original collection!

Quote of the week

Once upon a time it was very, very cold. There was ice everywhere and the animals started to looking for green pastures. That was the time when a sloth, a woolly mammoth and a saber-toothed tiger became friends.

Do I need to say more? Probably not. Let's skip the formalities and go right to today's quote then.

Keep it in mind for every clique, group, forum or whatever you are a part of ....

Sid: You're hanging out with us now. Dignity's got nothing to do with it. 

So, so true! ;-)

Ice Age, USA, 2002

Welcome to autumn!

If you prefer it, I'll welcome fall as well. Whatever you call it, it truly is welcome to me because it's my favorite season and I am really looking forward to it.

When the Starving Artists Team decided on "Change of seasons" as the subject for the September challenge, my brain started going into overdrive. My first idea was to crochet leaves in different colors with Swarovski crystals to enhance the colors and let them dangle from a chain on earwires. I'll keep that idea, you never know.

Then I thought it would be nice to have a tree with all the different colors - the green that is still showing, but will soon be gone, the yellow and red tones of fall ... so I came up with this little tree pendant on a slim tube rope.

Each tiny branch is crocheted individually with Swarovski crystals worked in as the leaves. You can wear the pendant from both sides of course with one side showing more yellow and green and the other one showing all three colors.

As there is not just one brown in nature, I chose to make the rope from a slightly different color. To me it makes the necklace look more alive. Of course it's no problem, should anyone prefer the same color for the rope and the tree.

This is available in my ArtFire studio now.

Oh dear, it's Monday ...

... and all I can think of is sleeping.

How I wish I was one of these cats!

 

Watch out, it's cat sleeping gas - an ArtFire collection (click the link for more information, unfortunately my blog layout doesn't like the large collection layouts ...)

Quote of the week

Ok, I know. Sequels are rarely, if ever, as good as the first movie. The one I chose for today is not as good as the first one in my humble opinion. It's nice however and it's fun to watch, especially the scenes with Peter MacNicol as Dr. Janosz Poha, my favorite character in this movie. And of course I may choose because this is my blog. HA! Gotcha there.

Dana, the cellist from the first movie, is working at a museum now restoring paintings (am I the only one surprised about her being so multi-talented?).

In this scene you see people carrying a painting of Vigo (who'll try to possess Dana's baby boy later) in and you see Janosz supervising everything.

I'm glad I am not the assistant he's addressing in today's quote. The look on her face and the way she's shaking her head suggests she's not amused. 

Janosz (in a heavy accent): Everything you're doing is bad. I want you to know this.

Alright! So uplifting. I guess Dr. Poha never attended a leadership seminar ;-)

Ghostbusters II, USA, 1989

Miss me?

In that case you'll be happy to hear that I'm still around. Kind of. In an unorganized sort of way. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems I can't stick to my list, I can't even get myself to update it because I'm afraid I'll drop dead halfway, it'll be so long. Or maybe I'll break my wrist, you don't want that, do you? ;-)

To prove that I haven't dropped dead yet however, I'll show you my latest piggy. Right now I'm working on another critter, the excitement whether it'll work out or now is almost killing me. Almost only. Actually I wouldn't bet on this one to ever go public, but like always I'll at least have learned something from it!

Quote of the week

I have been wanting to post this for a long time.

No idea if Americans know the Frenchman Louis de Funès, but I grew up with his movies. Some are just silly nonsense with lots of face making and puns, but some are brilliant.

In one of the brilliant ones de Funès is a bigoted factory owner who involuntarily gets involved with an Arab rebel which finally forces both to pose as rabbis to save their lives.

There is much more to it, a wedding, red hair, a Jewish chauffeur and green bubblegum. Hilarious all the way through. And also there is an abundance of quotes, but I would like to share this dance with you. Ignore the words, they are not that important.

The people think that they meet Rabbi Jacob after many years that he spent in the USA and the lady proudly announces that he'll dance for them now. In my opinion it's one of de Funès' best scenes EVER! I hope you'll enjoy as much as I do each time that I see it.

Thank you for the upload, MesoniLangea!

The adventures of Rabbi Jacob, F, 1973

Bead soup and other disappointments of life

More time, more time ... my kingdom for more time! I'm so behind in telling you important things. Like what, you ask? Like the rain cloud I made (without dancing!), like the fact that my photo project came to a temporary stop, like what my vacation was like and and and ...

To make you see that it's actually not my fault, I'll tell you a little story.

One of my top priorities at the moment after work is pampering myself. That can be anything, a DVD, a new design idea, a long nap, a book, calling somebody, I just need that right now. And nowadays it can also be working on a loomed piece. I hear some people laughing who know what a big fight I put up to not get dragged into the bead net, well, yeah, I'm a weakling. There, I said it.

The cuff I'm working on at the moment only has two colors, and I'm not sure if I'll have enough beads. Of course I can buy more, but not around the corner and you know how it is, you don't want to wait for your beads or drive to Greenland for them. So you concentrate on believing that the number will be just right - as long as you don't lose any of the beads. You don't want to end up like with a puzzle that is missing one of its pieces.

I concentrated so hard that parts of my brain started smoking, so I can't be sure how it happened. One minute I was on my bed cross-legged looming along, the next minute I had beads all over the place. I was so shocked I forgot to take a picture, but look at this one, those things are really tiny! (Yes, they really are. This IS a macro! Do I have to explain everything? :-P)

Under surveillance of three interested cats I started picking up beads. They were everywhere and even had made their way under the pillows. Finally I figured I had found them all.

Let's now jump ahead to actual bedtime. I slept a few, but not enough, hours, then I woke up, played and snuggled with the cats (what else is there to do at 2 am?) and went to bed an hour later to give sleep one more shot. When another hour later I finally felt I was drifting off, I could feel something under my fingers. A bead! I blame it on my weary mind that I was convinced the world was doomed if I didn't hold on to this bead. We are not talking a one carat diamond here, we are talking a tiny glass bead. So I held it between two fingers and fell asleep. After a weird dream and about 25 minutes later I was woken up again and imagine my still dizzy brain's joy when I found I was still holding the holy bead!

I sat up and gathered my senses to have a look.

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Guess what! It was a crumb from the cat kibbles!!!