Changes

          Well, it has been a few years since I have blogged, and a lot has happened in that time.  I thought maybe now would be a good time to change the direction of this blog to what I do on a regular basis, which is farming.   I inherited my Dads farm,  We raise trees  for pulpwood and lumber..  This seems like a easy job,  but really it is not.
          I spend my days now  on the back of a tractor. mowing between rows of trees.  When I am not doing that I am busy taking care of my 8 chickens, and a wonderful vegetable garden. Or working in the fruit trees that I planted.  ( no fruit yet).
          Here in the south, it rains almost every day.  and that really does not help with the mowing.  First.  I won't mow during a thunder storm.  ( silly me,  I don't happen to like lighting)  and Second with all that rain,  you no sooner get done with half the field,  and you have to start over,  because  the grass has already grown three feet.
          Plus I am fighting 30years of neglect.  ( lets not even visit that problem).  But I am having to go through where all the trees  are planted and remove dead trees,  massive vines and  volunteer trees that have sprung up all over the place.  it is a massive  undertaking to get all of it cleaned up the way I want.  I have a vision of the farm and the way I think my Dad would have run it had he not died so young.  I am working hard to try and make that vision become a reality.  But it takes time and so time I give it in order to see the results I want.
          I will be blogging about my successes and failures of getting this farm where I want it to be and all the interesting things that happen along the way.
          So come join me for my adventures and photos of my farm. and enjoy the views of northern Fla.

Blue Heron

 

blue heron from Chicago Botanic Gardens

Hi there,
  Well another week has come and gone, and I did manage to get two beading projects done.  I am quite happy at the way they turned out.

  I took time out from my many projects to visit the Chicago Botanic Gardens.  I took over 130 photos and all turned out great.  This is one of the photos that I took.  I took lots of flower photos because that's what I love to do the most.  The day was nice,  not too hot and there were not
a lot of people there.

  I have been doing a lot of cleaning at the summer house and while going thru a box of old jewelry, I found an egg that someone had done.  It is a chicken egg and a face has been painted on it and then a hat with hair and a collar made of lace was attached.  It is so cute and of course gave me some ideas for some small classes.  I am hoping to incorporate some of the old jewelry into new pieces.  I  know that some of it can be used and other pieces are beyond saving.

I have been keeping up with taking at least one photo a day.  I will have to somehow scrapbook them all  so that I have some sort of reference as to what photo was taken when.  I can be quite slow at downloading photos from my camera, so I really need to keep a list of what I took and when.  I did finally manage to finish a scrapbook from my cruise that I took early this year.

This weekend starts the Lake County Fair here in Indiana.  I am going to spend at least one day there looking at what craft work was entered. I also want  see the 4-H projects and ,  well to be honest, I just plane want to see everything.  I am looking forward to going.  I know is is not as big as the Texas state fair,  but sometimes bigger is not better.

I am going to do some painting this week as well.  I have about 4-5 pictures that I want to paint.  Most of them are in my head, but others at things that I have seen, and would like to try that type of image just to see if I can do it.

I am still working on my eggs for the Masters Competition. I may be pushing the boundaries on what they think a beaded egg should look like,  but then again they may see what it is that I am trying to do and give me credit for attempting it.  I won't know until I enter it.  at least I like the egg.

Got a few more necklaces that I want to work on,  They involve old pieces of jewelry with some new beads added.  I need to get something like Ultrasuede on the back to help hold the piece the way I want it.

Well that's about all for now,  Keep smiling and keep crafting.

Becca

work in progress

  I picked up a magazine the other week  called Artful Blogging.  If you have not read it,  you might find it very interesting.  I know that I did.  I think that I am going to try a few of the suggestions, such as trying to take a photo a day,and post at least a photo a week  of either something I saw or something I made.  It will certainly keep me busy working on my projects.

I have several new ideas in my head for necklaces so I need to get busy and get them done. Of course there is never enough time in the day to get everything done.  But I push on  thinking that somehow I am going to get an extra 24 hours in a day.  ( fat chance of that)  But there you have it.

 This is a necklace that I just finished.  It is done is St Petersburg stitch using size 15 pearl beads and size 11 purple beads.  The Pendant is  made from an ostrich egg and decorated with pearlisk powders and chain.  The picture does not do it justice. but my photo box is in a different state.

There are so many things that I want to try.  It seems a bit unfair that I don't get to try them all but I  suppose that one must put a limit on what they do.  If you end up with too many fires in the iron, you won't really like the outcome. Either you will not have be done your best job, or you will not be able to express yourself the way you would like.  I think that I am going to have to narrow myself to the things I love the most.  That would be my passion for beading and working with stones, egging, painting, quilting, and photography.  If I want to do a good job at any of the above,  I need to really concentrate on that particular project .  I find that I sometimes  want to hurry thru a project so that I can get to the next, and then it ends up showing in my work.   Concentration seems to be the biggest
part of many of my projects and  I know that I don't want shoddy workmanship to be my defining aspect of my project.

 Well,  there are the thoughts for today.  I am going to work on another necklace,  It is one of my favorite patterns, and I  have the perfect pendent for it.  Then off to finish a bead picture.  I have been working on it far too long,  and really want to get it done.

Happy Creating
Becca

Life Changes

       Ya know, it has been almost three years since I lasted wrote on this blog.  A lot has happened in those years. A divorce, and new marriage, and the loss of both my mother and my new mother-in law in just the last 9 months. A move back home and retiring from a job that I really loved is making me look more to my creative side and wondering how far it can take me.  I can not say that I have quit working, since I now have a farm to manage ( I love the old farm, it is so quiet and peaceful there).
I have moved my workshop to the farm and even have a new barn to house it in.
        I already have several projects in the fire so to speak.  The IEAG ( International Egg Art Guild)
has a project called the Masters Program.  this is where you make egg art to a specific specification and are graded on how well you do.  I have decided to work on several egg categories so that I become a better egger as well as egg teacher .  My first eggs will be for the novice grade.  I am doing a painted egg ( a scene done with acrylic paints) and beaded egg.( lots of beads usually in a design) and a decoupage egg.  The decoupage egg is the one giving me the most trouble.  I just don't feel good about the way it is turning out.  The design is good,  but getting the finish right is the problem.  Even tho I have put about 15 coats on,  it still feels like I am going to sand the design right off, and the egg feels sticky when i am sanding it.  If I ever get it right it will be beautiful.
   I am also teaching at the San Antonio Egg show in October.  I have designed a really beautiful egg jewelery box.  It is made from a rhea egg, and has a satin lining.  On the top of the egg I have beaded embroidery flowers surrounded by no-hole beads, the rest of the egg has size 11 beads on it.  The hinge is made from mesh hinge chain,  There is an art to using this chain and I am going to teach the class the proper way of putting it on the egg.  I think that it gives the egg a very polished finish and I really like using it.
       I am also going to be teaching a midnight madness class at that show.  I still have a lot of work to do to get the print ready to use,  but the design in my head will work out great, and I think that everyone will like it.
       When Mother died,  I inherited a lot of quilting material.  I have lots of designs that I could use the material for.  the problem being that it takes me so long to quilt.  I am looking at getting a Tin Lizzy long arm quilting machine.  That way I can not only get the top done,  but get the quilting done as well.  
      I mentioned a black swan egg that I was going to do.  Well,  she is finished and I am very pleased at the way she turned out.  I have several more eggs waiting to be done. and numerous paintings that I want to do.  I am getting better about being able to translate what I see in my head to the canvas.  I also have several beading ideas that I need to start working on.  But there never seems to be enough time in the day to get them all done or thought about.
      I will sign off for now but will be back with updates on my projects soon.  Keep being creative.

Becca

Halloween, San Antonio Egg Show

Well, time certainly moves at a regular pace here. Halloween is just around the corner and I am just back from the San Antonia Egg Show.
The Egg Show was wonderful, and I got to catch up with lots of my friends. I entered a really neat egg for the Halloween competition. I did not win, but it was fun to enter and see what everyone else had as entries. I did sell some of my stuff, and have plans to make more to sell. I also have some cute ideas for midnight madness, or for a little make and take at my table. might help generate more revenue for me.
Now on with the ideas and the quilts that I need to do. I have several ideas for some eggs, one for a dragon and one as a sewing box, think that both will be cute. I also got two ostrich eggs to get one of my fairies in. I will be doing some piecing and fixing to get this to work.
I have a swan egg that I am going to put small pearls on including the neck. they will be black., it will also have black lace on it and has black lace already on the wings. Not quite sure what I will put in the inside. but I am sure it will be interesting.
( too many ideas, too little time)
the quilts have already had some cutting out done, and this weekend I hope to sit down and sew the top on one. then I will get to the other. I did get into my old quit box, thinking that I had maybe two more quilts to do. seems that I have about 5, Most are in some semblance of being cut or stitched. after I finish those, I have been collecting several quilt of the month blocks for full quilts. they look like they might be fun so I will start them.
I have seen some beautiful bead work done and really want to see it I can come up with ideas for some of the beads that I have Someone has asked me to make a necklace for them and I have a wonderful idea which I hope will translate into a very beautiful necklace. It will have a glass animal with it.
I just sold my seascape necklace which was peyote , with sea shells and a large glass turtle. The peyote was done in sea green and blues some was frothy, and some was wavy. It was very pretty and I hope my friend enjoys wearing it.
Well, that is all for now, happy beading, friends, and talk to you next time.

all work and no play

I have been busy getting things ready for the San Antonio Egg show. I now feel relatively caught up. but I still have to get the competition eggs done and there are three weeks untill the show.
Mostly what is left is the beading. the egg that I was going to use is not big enough for the faries, so I have a nice dragon that I will use instead. this will be rather a comical beaded egg.
I used a new program, called Bead 4, and turned some of my photos into beadwork. the first one that I did, which was a photo that a friend sent me, was sold before I even got it finished. I redid it with different colors and framed that one. I am going to do it one more time and then take a photo of the finished project and get it up on the website. I have two more photos that I have turned into bead charts and soon they will also be added to the web site.
I hope to have more compititions to do, I want to even do a quilt , that is something that I have not done in a while, but I think that it will be fun.
Off to to some more fimo bears, and beading.

Teddy Bears, Bead Challanges and Contests

Well, even on good days, I can not stay caught up. I have been busy trying to get ready for the San Antonio Egg Show. I have been making fimo flowers and candys, as well as chocolate eggs and bunnys. I have also made some chocolate eggs from real eggs and made the fruit out of fimo that I put on the top. I am going to do a dealer table at the show. that means that I must have stuff on my table to make the eggs as well as eggs to sell.
I have some kits that I am going to have available also. a nice little beaded jewelry box that would hold a ring. and the french beaded flower kits.
I have also made some cloth teddy bears that are small and will fit into a egg.I need to make some honey pots, and some picnic baskets to go with them. I think that would make a really cute egg.
They are having a contest there on Halloween eggs. I have an idea for a egg which has a witch and some children in it, but I have to figure out how to cut out the opening. I don't just want to do an oval cut on this. Maybe something with a bat or pumpkin with a stem.
I also want to do another beaded egg for the regular contest. but I need to figure out what I want to do. I have a really nice fairy that I would like to put in the egg.
The Wild West Bead Society is having their annual fall bead Challenge. I am not sure what I am going to do, but it will be interesting. Everything must be in fall colors and can not have been started before Aug 17Th. So I have to get on the drawing board and get cracking on this. It has to be a wearable item also. I think I have an idea, but I will have to think about it.
The Arlington Gem and Mineral Society has their show on Sept 4 and 5.at the Arlington Convention center. They have a few contests, and I am hoping to enter two of them. the wire wrapping and the Cab cutting. I will be working at the show in the auction area. Maybe I can pick up some nice stuff there also. I know that there is one piece that I would love to have. but I think that everyone else wants it too.
The wire wrapping has to be done in 22 karat gold filled wire. I got 22 gauge, 22 karat gold filled wire, and have a beautiful cab to work with. I really want this to turn out well. I have gotten several ideas on what I would like to do. so I am hoping that I can execute it well.
The cab has to be agate and cut to certain dimensions. I think that I have a stone that I can use. and I am going to start working it this week at the club house. I like to freehand the stones, but this time I will have to try to be perfect.
It will be very interesting to follow what the rules are.
So back to work . Happy Beading, or Egging or whatever it is you love to do.