Excuses

I could tell you a lot of things while I'm such a lazy blog writer lately and all of them would be true, but it wouldn't make a difference, right?

So I'll just blame it all on Esme. No way I can work well at the computer with a giant cat like that, taking over everything? ;-)

Not a Monday collection ...

Let's make it short and crisp. I left ArtFire. It doesn't matter when, why, where, who, what ... I left and that's that.

Most of my items are moved to my Zibbet shop already. That's all that is changing, promise.

Well, there's one more thing. I don't make the Monday collections anymore now. Instead the Monday will be reserved to either artist features or my finds of the week. Unfortunately my decision came rather sudden which means I was totally unprepared for today (and also means that I neglected to send all kinds of Christmas greetings, shame on me).

I'll do my best to distract you with a picture instead. Look, it's a cat with a box!

Shhh ... did it work?

Quote of the week

I'm a Blackadder fan, since I have quoted from the series before, it's too late to hide that. One of my favorites is the Christmas story, quite loosely based on Dickens's story ....

Blackadder: Nuts, turkey and presents. What more could a man desire at Christmas?

Baldrick: Well, a tree.

Blackadder: Oh, of course, I quite forgot. I dropped in on Mister Thicktwistle's Garden Emporium and, I think you'll agree, got quite a bargain on this special Christmas ... twig.

Unfortunately we won't get to see this "enormous" twig decorated as Mr. Blackadder's niece takes it away later. What a pity, I bet it would have looked splendid!

Blackadder's Christmas Carol, UK, 1988

P.S. Charlie Brown and his little tree comes to mind, don't you think? ;-)

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a wonderful, peaceful and stressfree Christmas and so do the two mice in our little decoration!

Komodo sun

No, I'm not out to "hunt" the dragons, but the dragons ... wait, let me start at the beginning.

You know that with most of what I do I'm not bound to a certain spot. Somehow I haven't had one of my night sessions in my library armchair for a while, but last night I went up there and got drawn in by my Robin Hood DVD (the old BBC TV series) while rummaging through my storage box. It's amazing what things you can find when you haven't even been looking for them, that strand of andalusite I had been saving, some silver beads I had forgotten about, Tundura sapphires, a small bag of leopard skin jasper and an agate ring.

After a little thinking, humming along with Robin's Merry Men and fiddling I had an idea and this is the result. The way the beads lie next to each other reminded me of a lizard ... a dragon ... Komodo! And when I found the matte black agate I still had fit right into the middle, I was really happy.

Komodo sun pendant

Nothing much has been happening in my life beside that. I read, I work, I play, I get tortured by the cats (Ponder cooking bead soup for me by jumping on my bead mats for example), I get loved by the cats (nothing like a tiny cat like Meffi sleeping on your head, yup, not next to my head), pretty normal everything and probably pretty boring to you. Sorry about that ;-)

The Monday collection - Santa Claus is coming to town

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town

I can't help it, I love Christmas carols, no matter if it's the traditional ones or the modern ones and at this time of year they bounce through my head constantly!

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

Quote of the week

As you already know, it wouldn't be Christmas without a few movies very dear to my heart, so guess what? Yes, we're gonna have a Christmas movie quote, yay!

Remember how we were as children? We didn't hold back with our opinion about presents we didn't like. Politeness, come on now!
I bet Aunt Clara would have been a little hurt about Ralphie's (ah, I can see the first ones already know what movie this is about) reaction to the wonderful pink bunny costume she made for him.

Ralphie as Adult narrating: Aunt Clara had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl.

I just watched that scene again, it never fails to crack me up!! Do you understand why when looking at this picture?

A Christmas Story, USA, 1983

The Monday collection - Veggies galore

It's really dangerous to make a collection with yummy looking veggie items, I was so craving food afterwards which is hard if you are looking at a very empty fridge!

I'm not sure the task of cooking would be easier with these veggies around, they are not very nutritious, but so much fun!

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

Quote of the week

I have been obsessed with my bead loom this weekend and am late, I know.

I'll keep it short and give you a quote from one the best known highschool movies ever, I think.

It's also something to think about.

Alison (the outsider): Why are you being so nice to me?

Claire (the "school princess"): Because you're letting me.

You know what movie it is? Then let's sing together "Don't you forget about me ...." ;-)

The Breakfast Club, USA, 1985

P.S. And yes, I thought Bender was real hot, too ...

Experiment and a torso

Not experiments with a torso, you crazy people! ;-)

Let's talk about the experiment first (in the meanwhile you can fuel your fantasies about the torso). You know that when I learn a new technique, I have to think of a way how to combine it with the "old" ones. Ever since I started bead looming, my brain has been going click, click, click about how to bring it together with wire crochet. The very first attempt was pathetic to say the least. I didn't even rip up the cuff yet because I hate to separate tiny beads, even if there are only two colors.

Of course I was inspired by Erin Simonetti after seeing her using kumihimo threads in her work. If you can use thicker threads, you can use wire crochet ropes, can't you?

Here's news for you. You can.

Keep in mind, this is an experimental piece, but after learning a few essentials from this one, I think there are quite a few possibilities to play with this and I'm looking forward to it!

Now the torso. Gee, people, really. You'll be disappointed. Meet Ms Newberry (and no, there's no story to the name, it just popped up in my mind).

Ms Newberry started her job today - after a short introduction yesterday. Her job description is to stand in my upstairs kitchen all day and to model a longer necklace from time to time. She's wearing a little outfit in decent grey at the moment. I might have to keep her away from the computer, I don't want her to start ordering less decent outfits!

I know she's not a torso, she's a personality with ... hm ... with arms, but without head or legs. I don't know much more about her yet except the fact that you have to be careful with her arms when you carry her around because she likes to lose them. If she develops any more interesting quirks, I'll let you know ;-)

Universe

I'm not really good at making free form pieces. I have to push myself hard to make something slightly asymmetrical and free form ... well, that takes me back to school when I argued with my art teacher about being too much in love with details and too stuck to symmetry. I can still see him taking my tool from me when we had to do an etching of a forest, scratching some wild branches into my carefully designed wood, telling me that nature was wild. So he was right, but still .... let's say we loved to provoke each other and being almost grown up now I see he did have some points and am able to admit it, too :-P

This piece started out with an attempt of using thicker gauge wire for needle lace. I'm not sure anymore what exactly I wanted to do with it then, but when I found it today and then stumbled upon some more gorgeous bubble lampwork beads by Deronda O'Neill, it was like a sign - possibly from my art teacher *grin*

The beads look like the planet Earth to me with their lovely color and this gave me the idea to turn the silver into the atmosphere surrounding it, keeping it organic and "wild".

"Universe" is available in my studio now.

The Monday collection - Stripes, stripes, stripes

From socks to zebra butts you'll find all kinds of stripey fun in this collection. I admit my favorite are the zebra butts ;-)

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

Quote of the week

Today is about a movie I keep coming back to, probably because of being attracted by the 60s mood ...

Here a short summary - ladykiller dentist Julian Winston tells his lover Toni Simmons he is married while he's not. After she tries to kill herself, he wants to marry her, but when she wants to meet his (non-existent) wife, he's in trouble. He asks his assistant Stephanie, a rather prickly and stern woman, to play his wife. Throw in Igor, the young playwright, Harvey, the annoying actor and Julian's friend, and Mr. Sanchez, the diplomat, and start the merry-go-round ...

My quote today is from the scene when Stephanie has to go out with Harvey to prove to Toni that she wants the divorce just as much as Julian. Harvey orders champagne and Stephanie looks at the label ...

"Oh, I didn't know they made champagne in Idaho."

All I can say to that is "Cheers!" ;-)

Cactus Flower, USA, 1969

P.S. Why do I feel the urge to make a 60s inspired piece of jewelry now ... strange ...

Friday Musings Illustrated

I bet you know the excitement of finding a long expected parcel in your mailbox. This landed in my mailbox yesterday as part of a swap in my bead looming group (if you are curious and want to know more about bead looming, check out Erin Simonetti's blog, but be sure to sit while having a look), it came all the way from Australia from the lovely Gretchen.

Isn't it beautiful and slinky? And it's MINE!

I haven't shared my latest adventures in looming with you for a while. These are just a few of my latest cuffs. As you can see I'm still experimenting.

I have been wanting to tell you about this snail for a while. The talented ColtPixy (sssh, she has a 50 % clearance sale in her ArtFire studio right now!!) swapped her for some of my things. I'm totally in love with her, can you see why?

What else have I been up to ... let me think. I listed more pieces, I took pictures, I scheduled blog posts and I have to giggle every time I hear the name Tesla, but that's a long story. I cooked, I keep struggling with level 50 of an online game and yell /$%§/$/"" a lot. I give Esme her pills and am happy that she comes back to me afterwards instead of hiding. I am working on an eye pendant, slightly creepy, but fun.

And I had a far too long nap this afternoon which kept me from folding the laundry. What a shame ;-) You won't get to see a picture of that, either. Oh yeah, I should write two e-mails quite urgently.

One more last picture before I go, for those who don't read Ponder's blog. Isn't he like a visitor from the past?