A few things

Willow Oak Dangles

A willow oak is a mighty tree with it's boughs reaching wide...stretching far from it's hardy trunk as a welcome oasis to everything beneath. Hidden within the multitude of delicate leaves is a playground for it's denizens:

The wren chasing the squirrel from one tree to another as punishment for being the curious little one who wanted to see what the fuss was about in her nest.

The mother squirrel watching the activity from the security of her tangled home.

The stately cardinal perched in indifference, only interested in his next snack.

I'm pretty sure they watch me with the same interest & amusement as I watch them...in fact, a little squirrel watched me as I made these earrings. I used a leaf from one of the oaks in my yard to make my pattern for these earrings. They are perfect in their imperfection as anything from nature would be. They are cut out of rose brass & granitized. I made a new word...granitized. I texturized them on the old granite curb that lies beneath the tree. Each pair of earrings will be slightly different because they are cut & texturized individually.





Raindrops

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April showers bring May flowers & I collected these raindrops from dripping hydrangea leaves in my garden. Luckily, it was dripping sterling silver & amazonite raindrops. These are handcrafted by my two little hands with sunny days in mind.

Show & Tell

Aaaww pretty!! They aren't mine (not enough sunny yard), but I captured them with my camera.



Dakota says "Hey!!!" That's why her little mouth is blurry...see her talking??

I got a little something in the mail today. I bought this for my beautiful Mom for Christmas or her birthday, or something like that. I know it's so early to be thinking about Christmas, but I had to snap this up. I found this wonderful Etsy seller via Twitter. She made a comment about having too much coffee, I commented back, then decided to check out her shop. Wow!!!! I love her illustrations & I love that she uses ink, paint, whatever on top of pages from vintage books. The one I picked out for Mom was on a page from a book written in German. It also has little notes written off to the side from someone who was reading the book, but I can't read those either. I'm so glad that she got the coffee jitters that day because I love so many things in her shop.



This is just the packaging. I ordered the illustration Friday afternoon & it got to me on Monday. How's that for fast?? She makes her own packaging & I can't imagine them being packaged any more safely or creatively. Lookie!!! I got a free owl illustration of my very own. The owl was encased in a clear envelope & taped to the outside of the packaging..all I had to do was peel it off. Yay!!! I got myself a present too...accidentally.



See?? What did I tell you? It came mounted on black cardstock(?) & backed by white mat board, so all I have to do is find the perfect frame. I love the torn edges of the page & the way that the black makes the little birdie "sing" from the page.



Here is a closer up of "Spring". I love it's filigreed simplicity (if that makes sense)....it makes me smile.

The artist also has a collection of signed prints that are just too funky & cute & she also sells some of her originals. I'm afraid I'll be stalking her shop from now on because her works speak to my quirky heart.

I didn't have anything new from me to show you today, but I wanted to share one of my new "finds" & new friend on Etsy.

Betcha want to know who did this..right???? As if you couldn't see it on the back of the package...it's

Deadpan Alley

Go check out her shop...I think you'll find something you like.

I hope y'all have a great day.

Pam

Chocolate Blossom

Happy Monday..or not, perhaps. Anyway, I though I'd pop in & make a quick post on the new item in my shop. It's Chocolate Blossom, & now I want chocolate....the cookies that have the gooey inside. For real, I do. I wrote the description, now I'm really, really craving a huge batch of those cookies....or was it that I was thinking of the cookies then the stone reminded me of the cookies??? Hmmmmm.

Either way..Pam wants a cookie.

I'm going to try to release a few more pieces into my shop this week. Maybe one a day or every other day. I have a couple more custom pieces to work on, but will post them when I'm finished. One is for my beautiful Mom for Mother's Day & the other is for my beautiful friend, Rupa.

Well, gotta do a load of laundry & maybe a stroll to the store for a little choccy. I don't trust myself with a batch of cookies.

Oh..guess I'll show a picture of my new piece...almost forgot.

Chocolate Blossom

I hope y'all have a bright & wonderful day.

Pam

Candy's "Something Blue"

Just thought I'd add a pretty little flower to start things off.

My friend, Candace, who inspired me to make Candy's Heart, asked me to make something for her. Her heart had mended quite well, as Candace is getting married!!! She asked me to make her a ring for her "something blue" for her wedding. Isn't that just the best???? So much for the demure, simple jewelry for your wedding day. I've been looking for an excuse to buy a larimar & Candace gave me an excuse to order 3 (well, I had to order more than one so she could pick....right?).

The stone is even more beautiful than I imagined it would be. I love, love, love the color & the white swirls remind me of lying on your back in a field & staring up at the sky. It's going to be a garden wedding, so I embellished it with flowers & a single calla lily. There will be 3 people uniting on the wedding day; Candace, her gorgeous fiance & the cutest little boy you can imagine, so I decided that the ring should have 3 very different flowers, yet bonded together.

I really hope she likes it (I always get nervous), because Candace left it all up to me...no pressure, right?? It's only her wedding day. Care, I can't imagine making the wedding rings like you do.



Here's Candace's ring with my monster. I've struggled with this ring because of the size & I was trying a different method of soldering. It's mounted on a thinner backplate than I typically use, but it's mine & this was more of an experiment than anything. I'll end up taking it apart & remaking it at some point, but it'll have to be after I get a larger torch. I still have to work on the bezel because it's quite ruffled & not in a good way. It's a fun, clunky, somewhat gaudy ring, but it was a good experience & I learned a lot by making it. In fact, I'm sporting it right now & haven't hurt myself with it yet....it's another small victory for me. The stone reminded me of a tulip so I decided to place it in a garden, even a little butterfly stopped by to check it out.



Candace's ring looks like a little baby next to mine. The stone in her ring is 28x11mm & my ring (total size) is 40x45mm.

I hope you all have a great weekend!!
Thanks for stopping in to see what's going on in my little world.

The Green Cloud

Good Morning all!!!

I'm reporting to you from under a green cloud of pollen. Well, to be fair, we had a little shower last night that rinsed the sidewalks & cars into a streaked, tie-dyed looking landscape. This has been one of the worst years we've had for pollen in several years, but hopefully it will end soon. Luckily, I don't really have sinus problems & allergies, but I sympathize with all my friends who have been sniffly & headachy for the last few weeks. It's no fun seeing green water pouring out of your hair when you wash it, but there are worse things in life than a little green goo.

I'm back at the bench & working on a couple of new pieces. One is for my friend who is getting married next month & she wanted me to make her "something blue" for her wedding.....most of it's in the pickle right now waiting for completion. The other piece is a little something for me. I realized that I only have a couple of my own pieces & that I needed to do something about it. Well, I may have bitten off more than my little torch can handle. It's the largest piece I've attempted & I may not be able to do it, but I'm going to try. It will require the use of 2 torches at the same time (safety hazard?? Yep.) but it's a bit exciting to have fire in both hands. Hopefully I'll have photos tomorrow....I don't work very quickly so it does take me a while to create new piece.

In the meantime I hope y'all have a great day!!

Happy Spring!!!!

After an unusually cold & bitter winter we are greeted by the beauties of Spring. I love Spring & Fall. I think it's because it's almost like a new beginning. The air smells fresh & the landscape seems to change daily.

The trees are stretching their limbs getting ready to sport their new Spring attire....

...and the flowers start poking their little heads out of the soil to see if it's safe to come out & bask in the soft sunlight.

align="center">I kinda feel the same way. I feel more energized & more like taking on new challenges with more vigor and obstinance. In the past several months, it's been too easy for me to succumb to my own doubts & personal challenges. I was afraid that I'd forgotten how to dig deeper & find the tenacity that used to be exist on the surface (just ask my friends)..lol. I'm hoping that it's coming back & with it, the old Pam. I miss her.

Sometimes something happens that shakes you out of your own self pity & makes you open your eyes & take a look around. I had that happen & luckily, it turned out OK.

A few weeks ago my dear, sweet, sweet 84 year old Grandma fell & broke her right hip & right shoulder. When I received the phone call I had my first mini anxiety attack. I'm very close to my Mom & Grandma....we're all each other has so we're bonded in a very deep way. I felt something was wrong when I woke up that morning, and called both Mom & Grandma, but neither were home. I tried to put it out of my mind, but it was still pressing down on my consciousness.

Anyway, Grandma had a total right hip replacement & a rod put through her right shoulder. Luckily, she's left handed so it could have been worse. She has wonderful physical therapists & occupational therapists working with her right now & hopefully she'll be back dancing in no time.

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that my Grandma fell while she was line dancing. Yep...that's my Grandma. While I'm sitting home most Fridays nights, she's at Red Barn tapping her toe & occassionally dancing to the tunes with a handsome gentleman. It was the Electric Slide that got her. I told her from now on she just needs to hold on to a nice man & dance & forget about those group dances.

My Grandma's always been a little firecracker & I hope she continues to be one (without p*ssing off her therapists & nurses, of course). I love your Grandma!! You & Mom are my heart.

I've also had a few technical problems that had nothing to do with being in the country where I couldn't get proper internet service. I've had the hardest time transferring photos from my camera to my computer. I'm not very techie, but I think I've figured out a different way to do it. I should probably get a new card reader because sometimes my pics will transfer & sometimes they won't.

Anyway...if you're still here after all of this, muah!!! You're a good sport & very patient. Now take yourself away, pet your furbaby & hug your kids or pet your kids & hug your furbaby....either way, have a great weekend & thanks for listening.

xoxo

Pam