Something Green UWIB Style

Hi there and Welcome!
It's time for a blog hop! I am so excited this is my first time participating in a blog hop!
This one is being sponsored by my teamies at Unique Women In Business .
The theme for this month is "Something Green". I hope you enjoy seeing how each member created something unique and exciting for their expression of this theme.

I created these lovelies that I called Fandango Leaf earrings by forging the frames out of copper wire and wire wrapping beautiful green vitrail finished crystal bicones to them to make a kicky pair of modern earrings.

Be sure and check out the wonderful "Something Green" creations from the blog hop participants

Audrey F   http://AudreyGardenLady.blogspot.com
Karen T-M   http://www.jmjcreations.blogspot.com/
Robin K   http://www.nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com
Linda R   http://bellalindadesigns.net/
Birgitte H    http://SewDanish.blogspot.com
Judy W    http://www.wellspringcreations.blogspot.com/
Rita W    http://ritascreativenest.com/
Robin P   http://www.pocketfullofcolors.blogspot.com
Ann R   http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.com
Trudy M  http://mommagoddesstreasures.blogspot.com/
Cory T   http://aquarianbath.blogspot.com/
Cory T http://delicateadornments.blogspot.com/
Nancy P  http://nancyswildwirejewelry.blogspot.com/
Wendy K  http://blog.vintageday.com/
and check out the  UWIB Blog

Thanks for coming by!
Audrey
____________
Today I give thanks for my family, a lovely sunny day, time with my best friend, fresh okra and blog hops....
oh and coffee  ~smiles~

What I am up to today...Genealogy / Family history and Stories

As part of my hobby quest to document my family heritage, I am transcribing Court ordered road records from the 1790's while my DH and son are out doing their man things.

It can be slow going what with the handwriting, the faded entries, the age of the documents with their assorted creases and tears. Still in an era when many people didn't read and write, I am thankful to have them. I've even found a few of my ancestors in them.


Take a peek and you'll see what I mean (and this is one of the better copies)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What would you like to know about your family heritage??
 
 
Today's blessings:
Family, sunshine, a little rain and Coffee

My funny Valentine.....

On Valentine's eve, I left cards and sweet little present on the table for the 2 loves of my life to find at breakfast. On Valentine's Day, those 2 wonderful guys let me sleep in a little...got to love those two.
My son couldn't stand the suspense anymore though and woke me up so he could show me what he made me for Valentine's...

 Yep, It's a Lego Valentine.....

Then wonderful hubster got in on the act...

Sigh...I love those guys of mine!!

On the wrong side of the Needle ??

Did you know there is a right side and a wrong side to a sewing needle? Don't believe me?
Just take a peak at the needle's eye under a magnifying glass and you will notice that one side is more beveled than the other...making that side easier to thread...
Next time you are frustrated or going blind while trying to thread a needle, just turn it around and try the other side...
Oh, also, lick the thread and the needle eye as well....It really does work
Just a few facts about Sewing Needles
•Sharps are medium-length needles with small, rounded eyes. The larger the number, the finer the needle.( Just like wire gauge...)These are considered a general all-purpose hand-sewing needle.

•Betweens are short needles with small round eyes for fine quilting and detailed handwork. The larger the number, the finer the needle and of course, the finer the stitch. Again, Just like wire gauge...
•Embroidery/Crewel: For all types of embroidery and crewelwork, these needles with their long, oval eyes can handle yarn or several strands of embroidery floss.
•Large Eye is a needle that is actually two thin flat wires bonded at both tip ends of this sharp needle. You open the two flat wires to thread any thickness of thread making it foolproof (and so easy!) to thread. I love these.
•Beading needles are for picking up several beads or seed pearls at a time before attaching to project. They are long & fine with a small, round eye so they can pick up even the smallest of the seed beads
•Long Darners have large eyes and long shaft make the stitches line up perfectly. The shaft is perfectly straight until the point, so all your stitches will stay nice and even.
•Leather has a 3 sided chisel point so it can easily pierce through leather and suede.
•Silk Ribbon needles have large eyes and sharp tips for stitching into fabric so can be used with cardstock and lighter weight papers.

To be sure, I left out a few  but these are some I use.
How about you?

Almost lost vacation- South Dakota 2004

 Now Found!!!! 



It was 101 degrees when we landed in
Rapid City, SD but the next day, it snowed....

 We love to visit the National Parks of our Great Country! Many years ago, 2004 actually, we took a family vacation to South Dakota. We made a great big circle tour and saw lots of wonderful landmarks, wildlife and Native Amercian settlements and treasures. While I have never forgotten that trip, it was only recently that I came across the pictures again..pictures that I thought were long lost with a computer crash from years ago. To my great relief, I found them in a totally unrelated file..Yipee!
Here are some I'd like to share



in front of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills

 



Blue Belle Lodge /Custer State Park

 





Florida's marker ~ Mount Rushmore

 



Where the Buffalo roam...Custer State Park, SD

 





Jellystone Park in SD

 



Mammoth site near Wall, SD

  The landscape, scenery and wildlife were incredible ......

Ready for a chuckwagon ride..



Circle View Ranch in the Badlands




An awesome view aross the terrain

 ...the history, amazing..the wide open spaces, unbelieveable!

I highly recommend South Dakota as an amazing family vacation. If you have questions about what to see, where to go, etc., please feel free to contact me or leave a comment...

The Husband store....

The Husband Store



A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City , where a

woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance

is a description of how the store operates:
You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper

may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to

the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!



So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first

floor the sign on the door reads:



Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs



She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign

says:



Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs & Love Kids.



'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'



So she continues to ascend. The third floor sign reads:



Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good

Looking.



'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.



She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:



Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and

Help With Housework.



'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'



Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:



Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help

with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.



She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the

sign reads:



Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on

this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible

to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. (scroll and

keep reading!)



PLEASE NOTE:



To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a new Wives Store

just across the street.



The first floor has wives that love sex.



The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.



The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.

Wearable Art~ Gift from the sea

Many distractions later...I finally got the new bracelet finished and listed.
It was a tough one to photograph well. I think I took about 30 shots of it
trying to get a good angle and to show the whole work. Photographing jewelry
has been a real challenge for me.....but I'm learning...

Gift from the Sea Cuff bracelet

Gift from the Sea Cuff Bracelet available in my etsy shop


You can read about the inspiration for the piece and the process at Gift from the Sea~ a work in progress

Right brain exercise for creativity ~ Spark

One way to ramp or respark your creativity is to engage your right brain. After spending most of the morning on Tax prep stuff, I really needed a spark. There are a lot of really awesome creative bloggers out there and it is all to easy to spend hours and hours reading them......you know what I'm talking about.
Wait, you say...What do you mean by right brain?.....
Different sides are our brains control different activities and functions
The Left Brain  is Logical, Sequential, Rational, Analytical, Objective and Looks at parts.
The Right Brain is Random, Intuitive, Holistic, Synthesizing, Subjective and Looks at wholes.

Want to figure out which way you are more prone to go as an artist?
There's an interesting quiz here for just that  Left Brain Right Brain quiz at about.com

So, now that I know this, what are some Right brain exercises....
Here's a good one... Take a line for a walk
Want a simpler version...have a laugh while watching the gals from Blacksburg Belles at
blind contour drawing exercise

I'm off to go take my line for a walk...
I might even post the results later

Have a wonderful day!

Pantone Colors Spring 2011

I am so excited...if you subscribe to the color by season thing, I am a spring and these are my colors...
Pantone 2011 Spring colors
Yeah!! I love warm, bright, clear color!!!
What might you create with this pallette?

Show me...please...

Gift from the Sea~ a work in progress

Whe I was a child, my Mother took me to lots of museums. Sometimes I thought it was boring but many times there were amazing inspirations there. Her love of art and craft have always been an inspiration to me.

On one vist, I recall seeing a particularly fascinating Japanese painting of the oean. I love oriental art. While searching the internet for it recently, I came across this amazing version of it which is completely made from bits of plastic. It has an amazing message.....


by supernova17 This triptych is based on the famous Japanese painting, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. Instead of paint, the colors are composed of 2.4 million pieces of plastic - the estimated amount of plastic that enter the world’s ocean’s every hour!

 
 

The paitining itself inspired me to start thinking about a new project...

Here's a glimpse of it as seen through my working magnifying glass



As you might imagine, I can only sit for so long looking through a magnifying glass and so I have to give my eyes regular sight breaks...
not to mention breaks that come with life....dinner, laundry, family, homework helper, scouts, etc.
I hope to complete this new cuff sometime this week.  The little hand beaded goldfish is rising up out of the waves to deliver his gift, a pearl, to you.
Still have to finish the rest of the waves, create a closure and back it with a lovely soft felt...

"Miles to go before I sleep".........