Happy Halloween!

Wishing you a happy and safe Halloween :)

Halloween/Day of the Dead Jewelry Blog Hop

When Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio announced her Halloween/Day of the Dead Jewelry Blog Hop, I knew just the piece I wanted to use.  Diana's rules for this hop are just that you make one piece of Halloween or Day of the Dead themed jewelry and that you use at least one art bead in it.  When I signed up, I had just been to my first bead show and scored the gorgeous pieces above from Star Spirit Studio.  See that sugar skull on in the center, slightly to the left?  That's the piece I knew I had to use.  So I drug out a bunch of beads and cord.  

When I say a bunch, I mean a bunch, huh?  The raku finish on the pendants has a huge range of color in it.  It varies from piece to piece as you can see from the photo above, and some are more colorful than others.  The sugar skull has really clear colors and I decided to play off that.

I went with micro macrame for this piece and used four different colors of cord:  pink, blue, green and khaki.  I let the colors wander where they wanted.  Sometimes they meandered or flowed gently, and sometimes they intertwined so much it almost looks like plaid.  I used quite a few different beads, too, but I let those take a back seat to the knotting.

The pendant really needed to have a place of honor, so I gussied up the front of the necklace a bit and added a bail.

For a bit of fun, I added a bit of wire wrapping in some links echoing the large bead from the center and then added a large floral clasp at the back.  And there you have it.  My sugar skull all dolled up and ready to party.  Let the festivities begin!

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what everyone else made!

Diana Ptaszynski

Staci Smith

Kathleen Breeding

Sue Kennedy

Dianne Miller

Lisa Liddy

Toltec Jewels

Linda Landig

Laura Medeiros

Veralynne Malone

Lynn Jobber

Michelle McCarthy

Karen Totten

Jayne Capps

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Joan Miller

Melissa Meman

Melissa Trudinger

Kari Asbury

Inge von Roos

Andrea Glick

Stephanie LaRosa

Lola Surwillo

Jennifer Cameron

Diane Hawkey

Kristi Harrison

Nicole Valentine Rimmer

Tanya Goodwin

Shai Williams

Sandra McGriff

Sarajo Wentling

Marie Covert

Lisa Stukel

Lauri Vyselaar

Sherri Stokey  <--- You are here

Pam Traub

Lori Dorrington

Kristen Stevens

Eleanor Burian-Mohr

Sally Russick

Dawn M. Gallop

Christine Damm

Micro Macrame Bracelet Watch eClass

It's done!  It's done!!  The class for this knotted watch band is finally DONE!  Put a done stamp on this one, it's done!  (Can you tell I'm happy to have it finished?)

The brand new eClass is available here at CraftArtEdu and they're offering it at a special introductory price for a short time.  And (insert drum roll here)... I even got busy and put together some kits to go along with the class.  They're available in my Etsy shop.

I made this bright capri blue version when I was photographing the steps for the class and  I have a kit so you can make the exact same watch if you like.  You can find it here.

If you've visited my shop before, you might have noticed the watch in my banner.  It's this same pattern knotted in oyster cord with the softest gray beads with rainbow finishes - both matte and shiny finishes.  I made a couple of kits in these colors here.

I also made up some kits in cobalt and in black.  I was on a roll.  Then I decided I might as well make up some kits for some of my other tuts since the shop was getting pretty picked over.  If you're looking to make Christmas gifts, the selection is pretty good right now.  

I even put together a new combo for the Hydrangeas set using the colors I love.  I still have to make up a sample, but here's the palette:

I'm off to work up some earrings to show off these colors.  Oh, and did I mention the class is done?  

Autumn with a Smidge of Winter

Seasonal Confusion

My husband and I like to take a trip up into the Rocky Mountains in the fall just to wander about and admire the scenery.  Don't get me wrong - we like to do that in the summertime, too, but autumn in the mountains is just magical.  The leaves are an amazing color of yellow that looks lit from within and contrasts strikingly with the deep hues of the evergreen trees.  We were a week or so later this year and stumbled into an interesting mix of seasons.  The trees were ablaze with color and the evergreens just across the river were covered in a blanket of snow!  When we drove higher up, we ran into this:

Snow Covered Peak

I couldn't WAIT to get back into the lower country!  I am not, not, NOT ready for winter yet.  I may never be ready for winter!  Thankfully, it wasn't long before we found more of this:

Colorful Mountainside

I'm sorry my photography skills aren't really up to the challenge because the real deal was ever so much more breathtaking than my pictures can convey.  I love these colors spilling down the mountainside.

Aspens and Evergreens

I tried making a couple of color palettes from some of my photos.  I'm thinking of making some jewelry pieces based on one or both.  Anyone want to join me?

Sunlit Aspen Color Palette

Aspen and Evergreen Color Palette

More Micro Macrame Classes

I've been so busy working on new classes, I think I forgot to tell you I added one!  The new necklace class is available at CraftArtEdu.  In this class, I've combined videos and still photos to help you through learning how to knot a multi-strand micro macrame necklace using nylon cord, beads and a button clasp meant to be worn in the front.  It has loads of possibility for customization.  You cold make it with a great Czech glass button and fun Czech beads.  Or how about a mother-of-pearl button with handmade polymer clay beads?  Or a Southwest theme with a thunderbird button and beads in turquoise and coral colors tied up with a sandy brown cord?

If a necklace doesn't appeal to you, I also have a micro macrame wrap bracelet class and a lacy and intricate bracelet and earrings class there.  And don't forget the free Micro Macrame 101 class with good, basic information on knotting surface, tools and equipment and cord.

This week CraftArtEdu is offering 20% off all of my classes.  You don't need a coupon code and the sale is good through Friday, October 11, 2013.  When you buy one of their classes, it's yours forever and you can watch it as many times as you like.  There is a handout with each class that you can print out if you like to follow along that way.  AND they guarantee you will like your classes or they will give you your money back.  What's not to love?  

I'm working on a class for a bracelet watch next.  I'll leave you with a sneak peek:  

Five Generations of Family

We are really lucky to have five generations of family, all the way from my grandmother down to my grandson, Carter.  We were finally able to get all of the five of us together in one place today and we tried really hard to get a good photo.  Easier said than done when you're working with a group of five people and nearly impossible when one of the five is a 9-month-old!

In the picture above, my son, Nick, is on the left.  And the dangly little critter there is his son, Carter.  That's me in the center.  My mother, Sharon and her mother, Blanche are on the right.  My grandmother is 88 years old and it meant the world to her to get to hold her great great grandson.

Cater and his great great grandmother

We tried a LOT of times to get just ONE good photo of all of us, and I don't think you can say we got one.  We did get some entertaining ones, though.  

Carter and his great grandmother

My grandson and I

Carter and his great grandfather

Today was a day overflowing with love and joy.  Life is good indeed.