Photography!

I was a really really good girl this Christmas and Santa (Dear Husband) brought me one of these:

Needless to say I was really excited and grateful as I have been wanting a Digital SLR for about 15 years now.  I used to have a manual SLR and several lens and filters for it but it was stolen out of my car when I was pregnant with my daughter over 10 years ago.  I was heartbroken over it and because of finances I just never got around to replacing it.  

So I just wanted to share a few shots that I took with the new camera recently that I really like.  All of these shots are unedited with any type of software.  These were all taken with a Canon EF-S 55-250 mm Lens.

Macro Shots

Metal Star

Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs and a fork

Ivy

Craft Beer Bottle Caps

 Random Shots

Our Cat Nele

Bird on Chimney

Hammock Swing in Our Backyard

 Needless to say I have not been making much jewelry recently because I have been busy learning the camera.  I have forgotten how much I totally love photography.  I was an art major in college so it really calls to the artist in me.  I would expect to find more photos here soon.  Thanks for visiting!

2012 Word to Live By!

Many Bloggers around the globe are approaching 2012 by selecting a word to describe the New Year.  I have decided to jump on that band wagon and by maybe putting it in print that it will in fact become more of a reality for me than just another broken resolution.  So without further ado my word for 2012 is:

Ok so maybe that is 2 words and not just one but I honestly believe that it is something that I need to work on.  My attitude has really been the pits lately and I for one am tired of it so it is time to change it.  It will probably take a bit of work but it is something that I do want to work at :)

For the rest of you out there I wish you much:

and <3!

A Great Post

I am making a post just to point out another blog post written by someone else that I think everyone should read.   Enjoy!

The True Cost of Handmade by Somer Sherwood

p.s Make sure you read the comments.  I almost fell out of my chair laughing at some of them.  Enjoy :)

Happy Thanksgiving all!  <3

Painting with Fire

I have discovered something new!  And while I have not bit the bullet and jumped into it like I normally do I am excited enough about it to blog about it.  It has totally inspired me and I hope that it excites and inspires you are well.  It is called Painting With Fire and it is a enameling technique by Barbara Lewis.  The reason why I am so excited about it is that you do not have to have a kiln!  This is something you can do without a ton of supplies in your home or garage using nothing more than a torch for a fire source.

If you would like to see what has me so excited you can visit Barbara's Site:  Painting With Fire .  There you can purchase a kit with everything you need to get started for only $110 bucks.  The kit includes everything but the MAPP Gas and you can purchase that at Lowe's or Home Depot for about $9 a canister.  Once you purchase the kit you will be able to make beauties like this:

All Beads made above are made by Barbara Lewis

And while I have only purchased Barbara's book from Amazon called "Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry: A Workshop in Painting with Fire" (it should be here soon!) I think I have found what I want for Christmas from Dear Husband.

Earrings Galore

Between Soccer practice and games I have been missing beading.  So I have been working on several new sets of earrings.  Enjoy!

This is the result of me learning how to do triangle weave.  These are sewn the exact same way but because I used different shaped 4mm stones they look a lot different.

I was experimenting with Brick Stitch and this is what I came up with.  Simple but stunning!

These are Paisley Drop earrings that I made from a tutorial from Interweave Press.  Well worth the purchase price in my opinion.

These are just beaded bead that I embellished with Pearls and Swarovski crystals.  These are my favorite!

Now back to soccer lol............

Harvest, Pumpkins, and Soccer!

I have been so busy lately! We decided to sign up our daughter for soccer this year and while it is a huge time sink we are really enjoying it. This is Trinity's first year in soccer but I really hope that she does it again. Because of this I have not had time to make anything new at all as soccer practice and the games tend to take up all of my free time.

I knew nothing about soccer as when I was in high school 20 years ago it was not played in this area. I am so happy we decided to let her try it! The games are such a blast and I never knew how competitive I am. The parents tend to get into it more than the players do lol. Of course we are still trying to learn the rules and such but it really has been a good family thing for us to do. So if I am away for a while it is because practices and games are taking up a huge chunk of my time. Me a soccer mom? Who Knew!

Slacking

I admit I have been slacking.  In fact I am slacking still.  So in the meantime here is some thing I found in Pinterest that I though you might enjoy.    I will be back soon, life has just gotten in the way!  <3

Source: stumbleupon.com via Ashley on Pinterest