New Face Pendant - done!

I finished my latest face pendant today.  Yay!  I had almost enough beads to complete the fringe without breaking into the new container I found - yes - found. I really do have a lot of beads.  LOL.

She reminds me of a Valentine so that is what I've decided to call her.  (Even the beads around the face seem to form a heart.)  The only thing I need to decide now is how to hang her.  Do I do Viking Knit, use a cord or a ribbon?  I like Viking Knit but that means weaving the wire and beading the ends and creating the connections.  I enjoy it but it takes time - as does any good thing.  Oh well, we'll see.

This is a photo I just took before writing this post:

Valentine January 2015 Kelly Bell

Valentine close up of face

I used small teal blue seed beads in the fringe to compliment her eyes.  The face is made by sculpting polymer clay.  This one is hand painted and sealed and then attached to felt with E6000 in order to securely add the hand bead work. I hope that you like her.

Until next posting, take care - K

January 9, 2015 - cold and snow today - but warmer than yesterday

Link to my YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Kelly1mom/videos

Yesterday it was -2 below Zero F here at about 8 am without any windchill factor - and those of you from the North know that windchill is a factor.  It's reported that windchill yesterday made it more like   -30 below Zero F.  Today, luckily it warmed up to about 28 degrees F - again without windchill factor - but since it warmed up it was able to snow so yay - mother nature was very happy today.  I went out and refilled the bird feeders - they are emptied about every two days - lots of birds.  I have six bird feeders and they all go in the same rotation.  (Squirrels like them too but Wally doesn't like the squirrels so they don't hang around too much.)  I also have two suet feeders that were both empty but they won't go back out until tomorrow.  I keep the suet boxes in the garage and they are all frozen so I brought two cakes in to thaw.

I have been working on the face pendant that I showed on the sixth but am out of the main bead that I am using for the fringe so it's on hold until I find more of them.  Shouldn't be too difficult - just have to get out and get more - I hope.

I placed an order for some new stamps on the 7th and they arrived in today's mail.  I think Jaime ships as fast as Amazon.  Her prices are good too and she does free shipping for orders over $40 in the US.  Gotta love it.  I'm including pictures of the stamps I received.  Can't wait to use them - very much in a style I like for character stamps. Not 2 Shabby is a Zibbet shop and the url is:  www.zibbet.com/not2shabbyshop

If Only and Pursuit of Happiness by Santoro Mirabelle

These are Gorjuss Girl stamps - The White Rabbit, Toadstools, and Ruby; also by Santoro Mirabelle.

Last but not least, this is Mama's Day by Julie Nutting

I can't wait to use these stamps and see what I can come up with.  I am especially excited about the top two stamps because I think they are the most like my style of art that I have seen in a "rubber" stamp.  (really photo polymer I think)

Below, is a photo of the bead kit that I set up for myself to work on my current face pendant.  I am bringing my things downstairs where it's warmer.  This makes creating things difficult because I have a tendency to run up and down the stairs - but hey - I need the exercise.  If you're interested - My house is built from a foundation house that was created in 1786.  The front part of the house was a stagecoach stop on the Great Northern Turnpike.  Lots of history but really hard to heat and there is no heat source upstairs - old style house where the grates in the ceilings downstairs are the grates in the floor upstairs and the "heat" supposedly rises and "heats" the room upstairs.  I really can't imagine how hot it would have to get downstairs to heat the upstairs - I don't think I will ever even see the amount of money that would take - Oil heat - good thing I like it a bit chilly.  (shh, I do have electric heat in the back "master" area where I have a bathroom and my bedroom - thank goodness.)

I am hoping to have more interesting things to write about soon.  I posted my first YouTube video last Wednesday and hope to do more of those also.  All I need to do is come up with some interesting things to show and to talk about.  Wish me luck!  If you would like to subscribe to my YouTube channel that would be wonderful - add me to your Google+ circles too and you'll see any new posting from me automatically.  The link to my YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/Kelly1mom/videos

Thank you for taking the time to read - this was a long one.  Have a great day!  K

Happy January 6, 2015! Cold day, warm heart...

I hope that everyone has started 2015 off in a good and happy way.  It's been quiet here - but that isn't a bad thing at all.  I've been watching the Supernatural series and am quite enjoying it.  Went to Bennington, VT today to deliver my 12 year old grandson to school - seems he felt it was too cold to continue to wait for the bus with his sister and went home to his empty house instead.  He's a treat - enough said.

This year I am going to try making my way on line.  I have this blog - very old blog but I like it anyway, a YouTube account which I've only used for family type stuff - but that can change, and an ETSY shop which, at this time, is empty - but can also change.  This will all be my goal for 2015.  Can't wait to try.

Yesterday was a very quiet day - I took down all the Christmas decorations from inside the house and packed them back away in the garage.  Today I will take down the decorations from the front porch.  Christmas at this location will officially be a wrap.

It snowed yesterday and it's snowing again today.  Cold will continue - high tomorrow will be 19F and the wind chill is reporting to be about 30F below zero.  Needless to say (although I'm saying it anyway) I will stay inside I think.  This is actually the best time of year to try and do an online presence - since it requires me to be at my computer and not outside - say - shoveling my way out of my driveway.  Sometimes a plan does come together.

photo of my backyard from my Kitchen window 01/05/2015 - pretty!

While in Bennington, I stopped at the Tractor Supply Company and bought 40 pounds of black oil sunflower seed and an additional bird feeder - so another plan for today is to go out and fill the feeders up the rest of the way and add another one to the landscape.  I also bought cat litter which makes Fred happy since he doesn't much like the cold outside either.  Wally is a great guard dog though and thinks its his duty to rid the feeders of any unwanted squirrels.  You can't make him understand that when it's this cold they have to eat too...

I have been working on a couple of new face pendants.  I can't seem to help working on things that involve faces - seems I'm addicted to them and find them fascinating.  Maybe part of the doll maker in me that I can't seem to surface.  Hopefully, I will complete at least one of them today.

Hearts

Pisces

note size difference.

The Christmas Spider - as promised...

A long, long time ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year ... Christmas Day. Not a speck of dust was left anywhere. Even the little spiders had been banished from their cozy corner high up on the ceiling. To avoid the housewife's busy cleaning, they finally fled to the farthest corner of the forgotten attic.

Finally, it was Christmas Eve. The tree was decorated and the children delighted. But the poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the magic of the season. The oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone had gone to bed and then sneak through the crack in the door to see the wonders of the tree. The little spiders silently and carefully came down out of their attic corner and across the floor to wait in the crack on the threshold.

Pretty soon all was quiet, so the spiders quickly crept into the room. The tree towered so high that they couldn't see the ornaments on top. In fact, the little spiders' eyes were so small that they could only see one ornament at a time. They all scurried up the trunk, out along each branch, filled with a happy wonder at the glittering beauty. The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long, they danced in the branches, and every place they went left a trail of dusty, gray web. When at last they had inspected every bit of the Christmas tree, it was shrouded in the dusty gray of spider webs.

Santa smiled as he thought of the happy spiders seeing the tree and how much they liked it, but he also thought of how sad the little mother would be over the dusty tree. He reached out his hand -- and just then the sun came through the window and touched the tree. All the webs started to sparkle and shine turning into shimmering, sparkling silver and gold. The tree glistened in greater beauty than ever before!

Ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their Christmas trees 

and according to the legend, it has been a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the tree.

May all your Christmas' be special and your New Years be bright!

K

Close of 2014 - beginning of a bold new year - 2015

Hello and Happy New Year!  This has been one of those not so years - no so bad / not so good.  I hope that 2015 is brighter and better for everyone.

News for today is that I've received Mike Ford's new book - Future Ways of Robot Hearts -

Mike if you don't know, is my son, Michael - - this is his second book of poetry and short stories.  He writes directly from the heart and in a voice that we can all relate to - a true reflection of the heart.  If you get a chance - go to Amazon and order a copy for yourself - it can be a quick read - but it's also one that you can spend lots of time thinking about too.  Future Ways Of Robot Hearts

I've been spending time lately thinking about what I want to do now that I've retired.  I love crafting and creating so I would like to take off in that direction.  I also enjoy YouTube and have an account.  If you know me then please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and when I start doing videos - you will see what I am up to.

I have a Day Runner Planner that I use every day.  I just set up my new one for 2015.  I'm including a few pictures here to show how it looks.  I may do a video on it's set up.  I've seen a lot of videos about planners and set up lately and I have to say that it looks very costly and I think my Day Runner sums up the best of all worlds and works really well for me.

I use the day on two pages and keep three months in my planner at a time.  Previous, Current and Next.

This is what the package looks like.  I order mine from Amazon and it is relatively inexpensive.

 Day Runner Two-Page-Per-Day Monthly Planner Refill 2015, 5.5 x 8.5 Inch Page Size (481-225)

The day is laid out on two pages.  The sections are labeled as Prioritized Activities, Schedule, Expenses, and the second page is Daily diary/notes. 

Each month is shown at the front with a full two page spread.  There is a notes section and it shows the month before and the next month at the top of the pages.  Holidays are indicated.

The last page of the previous month faces the three month calendar and is for notes for the month.  The tab for the current month shows the previous, current and next also.  I find this calendar set up to be excellent for schedules, recording for budgets, and journaling - all in one place so I don't have to worry about missing something that I recorded somewhere else.  

The Day Runner comes with a four year over view page that can go right in the front of the planner.  It's great for long range scheduling or when you need to know what day a certain date falls on.

This shot just shows you the individual tabs for each month.

I have tried many planners over the years and find that this Day Runner works very well for me.  I keep all my appointments, record my expenses, track my pet vet needs - medicine times, etc.  Going forward I will also use it to note my time on my blog and on YouTube and any other business activity.

I'm looking forward to a much more organized year.

Stay well and be blessed! K

December 3 - time for Christmas Spiders - anyone?

I didn't quite realize how many beads I have.  I have lots of beads...not a bad thing - at least not when I want to make beaded Christmas Spiders.  I am posting some pictures today and I'll work on putting up the story soon.  Love it!

Happy December!

Another Decembr is upon us and once again all I can think is how time flies!  I've been working on setting up a December Daily and completed December 1st today.  This year I'm a little ahead of the curve and have some Christmas shopping done.  Yay!

My daughter, Becky, and I will be taking my dad back to Texas on the 9th.  Can anyone say "Road trip!"?  The winter weather here will be too hard on him and since there is a choice - he will be somewhere a little milder.  He is doing okay.  Dementia is a terrible thing - terrible is mild and all I can say right now.

I've been working in paper, polymer and beads lately and hope to settle on a schedule in the new year to show my work here, on Pinterest and maybe even YouTube.  (Not sure but we'll see.)

This is a picture of my December Daily for yesterday, 12/1:

The picture on the bottom left lifts up and my journaling is on the back.  The frame at the top also allows the picture to be removed and there is journaling on that one too.  I'm really enjoying this process and I know it will be heart warming for family in the years to come.

My grandchildren spent the last part of thanksgiving week and weekend here.  Samantha wore a pair of faded skinny jeans that had both knees ripped out.  I know this can be fun and fashionable but in the winter, cold and painful come more readily to mind.  This is a picture of the start of my repair/design work.  I will be using embroidery floss to help further anchor the flowers and rainbow fabric to the fraing denim.  Hopefully it will prevent or at least minimize curling of the fabrics after washing.  When she out grows them I will try to salvage them further by making pouches out of the legs and a bag from the butt.  

That's about all I have for today.  Hope you are all happy, healthy and able to do things you enjoy!  k