Moon web

"Your January/February challenge is to make something that depicts your zodiac sign." Thank you, JAC challenge mistress. I had made a crab before once, but not with signs as inspiration, and a quick search on my blog informed me that I was indeed never inspired by my zodiac sign.

I had no idea at all at first, but then I found a piece of blue fabric that has been around since I first started selling jewelry. A friend of mine who sewed visited and we went to the "Sewing World" in town, a shop for fabric, sewing machines, haberdashery, picked a dark blue fabric with big golden stars, and she made me a bunch of jewelry bags from it. I used part of the fabric for backgrounds in photos and as a "shawl" for Jo, my manikin head, then eventually it got stashed away.
When I found it now, the backside without the stars screamed night sky at me and inspired me to go look for one of my metal curtain rings.
I thought I had shown my first bead embroidery piece using one of those rings, but obviously I only did on the gallery page, so here it is. It was a new interpretation of one of my favorite HeatherCats, Silhouette Cat.

I glued the curtain ring on, beaded the bezel, and embroidered the scene which sounds a lot easier than it was because the ring is quite massive. Let me assure you that I learned nothing from that for the challenge piece.
It would be smarter to embroider the scene without the ring getting in the way and then glue it on and do the bezel, but the scene would have to be perfect in size for that to work. Maybe I will think of trying that the next time.

My plan had been to embroider the constellation for Cancer using a star bead for the biggest star, a bigger seed bead for the smaller one, and crystals for the others.
When I had finished that, however, I hated every bit of it. It looked like a weird clock, squeezed into the space. I cut it up again and thought I'd just use the ring for another night scene and start a completely new challenge piece.

Choosing a bigger cat eye cab for the full moon is a nod to the most beautiful perigee I ever experienced, when the moon on our way to work was so big that it felt as if we could drive right into it. It was really magic.
What next?
I decided on a spider web, something else I have been fascinated with forever. With spider, of course.
Then it struck me. How about a tiny cancer constellation next to the moon that Cancerians are so often drawn to ...

Voilà, my challenge pendant.
My muse works in mysterious ways sometimes.

Random Saturday - Ponder and Harry

Usually this would have become a post on Ponder's own blog, but he is too busy running around the house and practising his new aria for the midnight performance, so I'm not hesitating to steal it right from under his nose.

So who's Harry? Or should I say who was Harry?
Let me explain about my relationship to spiders. First, I have them in my flat. Second, I don't mind. Of course that is easy for me to say, after all we don't have really dangerous spiders here. I have to admit that I didn't use to be as cool about bigger black ones as I am now. Just the other day my sister reminded me of the time she and I worked hard on evicting one of those from her flat many years ago using a TV guide, a sieve, and a glass if I remember right. I hardly have those now, though. Most of my spiders are named Charlie (after Charlotte, the spider, one of my favorite characters), sometimes called Chuck, or Harry.

Two days ago Ponder and one of the Harrys met. Ponder had been excited for a while and like most of the time I had no idea what he wanted from me. I should find out soon enough after I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Singing loudly Ponder jumped into the bathtub.
When I checked, all I could see was a leg, probably from a Daddy Longlegs that seemed to be trying to escape into the drain. I heard a munching sound, but that doesn't mean anything. It wouldn't have been the first time for Ponder to nibble on a (not very juicy) "Longleg" and then let it go. He kept hitting the drain and I almost thought he was going to try and stick his paw in.
Instead he retreated one level up and kept watch in case Harry came back.

"Where did he go?"

"Honestly, where did he go???" (Doesn't it look a bit from far as if he has lost his head?)

"He's gone. He didn't want to play with me."

Needless to say that I had a hard time helping Ponder to get over that loss ... until the next Harry or Chuck turns up!

How are your furry masters around spiders? Do you have a story to share?

Arachnophilia

Guess what I found when I went into our little garden today! A bunch of very special spiders enjoying the spring sun, crawling around on flowers and bushes.

Ok, ok.
Although it would have been fun to discover a new species, I have to admit that these little crawlers are in fact my own creatures. Please imagine now how I throw my head back and break out into a mad scientist's laughter.
I had these tiny, just half an inch long carved face cabochons in my stash for more than two years. I took them out of their little bag, put them back, took them out, but I knew it wouldn't be easy to make a bezel for them without hiding any facial features.
This time I was game to try it in the wire knit technique and add some beads. When I had finished the first one, I suddenly had the idea to make a spider. After finishing the first spider then I couldn't stop myself anymore ... and now I want to make a whole army of spiders and take over the world, mwahahaaaaaa! ;-)

Walking around the house

I just wanted to take the trash downstairs, but then I saw him - Spidy. So I went back upstairs and got my camera. Oh, how I wish I knew how to really work a camera in these moments! The light could have been better too, but it doesn't come to the back of the house until later.
Spidy was working hard on his beautiful web, he just stopped for a second if the breeze got too strong.

I don't know if he went on strike finally because I kept molesting him or if he just needed a break, but here he is, as well as I could capture him, sitting still. Or maybe he didn't notice he had left out a bit?


While I was at it, I took a look around what was new.

I love fuchsias, always have. It's probably their bold color combinations that I would never dare to wear, but this fuchsia can pull it off easily.


This is a bud of a plant that I don't know the name of.


And before I was called back to the door by the mailman, I said hello to this rose.


Enjoy your weekend!

Crawly creeper in my house

I like spiders, I really do. They are beautiful creatures, they are talented little artisans and even if I wouldn't want to meet one as big as Tarantula (there is nothing like old b/w movies with great special effects ;-)), I like watching them. I have watched them spinning their webs for hours.

I have owned spider earrings before (now where did they go?), I have a beautiful huge rhinestone spider brooch that lost one leg, though :-( and soon I hope to impress my coworkers with my new beaded spider hairpin.

So when I saw these coasters from Auntifrannis Sunny Days Embroidery, I was smitten at once.


And do you want to know the coolest part? The spider is glow-in-the-dark! Since I still didn't get a black light, I finally chose to take pictures in the dark. You will forgive the quality (of the pic!), I hope. At least you'll get the idea.
I love my coasters so much that I almost feel bad about using them now!



Check out Franni's shop, she has so much more cool things to offer. I know I will be stopping by in time for Christmas!