Shopping For Ribbon!

That the first step!
I know! I make beads and jewelry! Well, I have a wild hair to make a silk ribbon project. My bedroom wall over the bed needs something and a picture won't do. Bedrooms are places that not just anything will do on the walls. They are private and very personal - at least mine is.  And I want something soft and pretty and I love flowers. So, I have decided to get out my embroidery needles  and make a free form embroidered flower garden wall hanging.
This is what my bedroom looks like now.
I have an old distressed chest that I got for a steal at a yard sale from a family that used to have an antique store.  I put a pretty white washed shelf above it for books, jewelry and such. The steps to the right are for my old little doggie that can't jump onto the bed anymore. I made them from an old step stool on top of a home made platform.  I suppose I should paint it but I'd rather do other things! naughty me!

My bedroom is done in lavenders and the wall color is called dolphin grey which is a bit lavender. My big doggie just put her head down as I took the photo below - darn!  The flowered head piece hanging on the wall  is from my daughter's childhood. She wore it in a dance program that was so sweet. So, I think you can see that something hard would not do. i don't want metal. No wooden frame picture with glass. I want it to be a handmade wall hanging.
I found an oval quilters frame at Jo Ann Fabric  that I will use to work in and also as the permanent frame for the piece. It is wooden and I think I will paint it but I am waiting until the piece is finished before I decide. I may like it natural wood color.  More on this tomorrow. Pictures of the beginning  project.    ;-)

Vacation Days!

Yay, for vacation days!!  Well, I took a few days off work just to hang around the house and finish a few projects that have been on the back burner. Plus, I needed some days away from the work stuff. I started off with super energy and got alot done:

I cut the canna lilies out of my garden as they have been taking over the garden and blocking the sprinkler from getting to the other side of them. I decided they need their own spot where I don't care if they take over.
I got my two porcelain vines tied up so they will trail up the pagoda.
I got the wisteria in the ground finally!
I cut down the bushes on either side of the steps in the front and it looks SO good now! Open and neat!
I trimmed two of the three trees along the driveway.
I got rid of the branches I had trimmed from trees and boards from a failed attempt at raised gardens.

And then I was marking the wall  to hang a picture over my antique vanity and my back went into spasms! Oh, pooh!!  That was two days ago and today I started using flexaril and some electric current pads. My dd has a battery operated Empi set. I decided to borrow it as I was not getting better on my own.  I hate not being able to keep going and I have to be back at work next Saturday. Darn!!

 Tomorrow I think I will sit on my duff and make beads. I am waiting on a glass order that has some yellow glass in it that I need for a special order. I hope it comes but I have some new beads in mind anyway.

I hate to leave you without eye candy so here are some beads I am making for this custom order.  Two focals and 2 bead sets!  Enjoy. 

This is a set of six beautiful light yellow coin shaped 22mm beads with a pretty frit blend that I made myself and a beautiful murrini accent .

This is a pretty, soft butter yellow with a speckling of pastel frit across it. It  is etched to give it a soft glow. It is 1& 5/8 inches long and 1& 1/4 inches across.

This sweet 1.75" soft teal shade is a blend of transparent teal and opaque teal. The mix is a beautiful wispy blend that looks like frothy ocean waves

This sweet soft teal shade is a blend of transparent teal and opaque teal.  These  beads are about 13mm around.

:o)

Flower beads

I an an avid gardener so it follows that I would love flower beads.  I have practiced in the last year or so various styles of flower beads!  I have yet to try sculpting flowers but that may come.  For now I am having fun making disk flower beads, murrini flowers and 3 petal flowers. These are all available in my Etsy store and are on sale right now!  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CabariBeads

This is a set of my Fun and Funky Disks beads that I indented to give them petals.

This focal bead is called Night Pond in which I used murrini as flowers.

I added silver glass dots to this disk flower beads.

This is a beautiful colored silver glass 3 petal flower on a large focal bicone bead.

I used silver glass frit as a background for this 3 petal flower focal bead.

This set is called Summer Garden in which I mixed my own frit blend to act a background flowers to the larger murrini flowers.

Good Bead Production Day!

Well, good all around day. I worked my other job today as I work six days a week. Ugghhh!  But I got off at 1:30 this afternoon and came home to be greeted by my pups and kittehs. 

My funny Jessie girl - the love of my life

Juno - my goonie girl

Molly - my daughter's swimming doggie

Daisy - my old girl!

And the menagerie of kittehs

My DD was napping because she had gotten up early for a job interview.  I wondered what I was going to do with the rest of my day.   I piddled around and decided to take 3 of my dogs to the dog park that was built by Pet Safe ( thank you) a few miles away. There is a fenced area separate from the rest where the dogs can get in the lake and my pups love it!  After about an hour they had enough of swimming and chasing other dogs so we drove home and my DD was still sleeping. I got on the computer and edited listings in  my Etsy store for a couple hours and then decided to remake a few beads I have wanted to redo. I turned on the kiln and got a bunch of mandrels dipped and drying. Then I realized my DD needed to get up for work - fast! I got her up and she began telling me about her day and her job training that she will be traveling out of town for.  We started picking out clothes for her and she tried on several skirts and blouses and found a few that will work perfectly.Well,  another 40 minutes had gone by!  So, she dashed out the door to her job and I finally got on the torch! Do your days go like that, too? lol

I have a special order to fill from my Etsy shop as well as a few other beads to make. I made 12 disk beads like these - Fun and Funky Poppy Disks - but I added some black dots in the center of a couple of them and made a pair with yellow centers and a pair with coral centers. I can't wait to see them after they have cooled!

Then I made this  focal bead and matching disk beads for the special order. They are organic and they make me feel as if I am at the ocean!  I also made a new set of five silver glass beads. I can't wait til morning to see how they turned out! After that I went outside with my black doggie Jessie and pulled weeds in my flower gardens for an hour or so.  All together I made 28 beads and had a fabulous day!  Yay Saturday!  BTW, I have a 20% off Pre July 4th Sale going on right now in my Etsy Store. Check it out! Link on the right!

Newest Fun and Funky Lampwork Disk Beads

I am in love with this color combo! this year I planted my first reblooming hydrangeas - two of them and I am so stoked. So this disk bead set has been made in anticipation of those fabulous blooms!  I just hope I chose the right spot to plant them. lol  This set is so gorgeous in green, blues and purples. These disks range from 23m to 27 mm around. These are on sale now!