Islandgirl's Insights

Bead table Wednesday & almost wordless wednesday

2012-02-22T08:42:00.002-04:00

I guess these are technically all over my carpet not on my bead board... Such pretty colours... Listed 4 really pretty grey ones on Etsy yesterday... they're not in the image!

My new flame enameled headpins... or as someone renamed them on pinterest... mini umbrellas! These are on etsy as a custom order!

Islandgirl on etsy

Bead Table Wednesday... or meet Eve

2012-02-15T08:39:00.001-04:00

Ok This doesn't really fit on my bead table nor is "Eve" really a bead...

When and if she is ever finished she will be used to display finished necklaces in the gallery....

Don't ask how many hours of needle felting have already gone into this!

Ultimately she will be mounted on a turntable (the bottom of a jewellery stand that had the unfortunate habit of flinging earrings all over the gallery when people turned it!)

Yes she was suppose to have a head with 3 faces.... May still happen... but no time soon!

At this point in time I'm thinking a machine (ie washing machine) felted skirt... black will see if it draps the way I think it should.

This is what I started with... it's actually a float from a cage for a salmon farm... since the top was broken I thought I'd vary the heights on the necklines.... I glued some bits of styrofoam insulation on to build up the rib cage before I started felting... I used weldbond which dries really hard so I actually broke two sets of 5 needles... on the glue before I became more subdued in my felting!

Beadtable Wednesday , & Giveaway!

2012-02-08T10:19:00.008-04:00

Yesterdays enameled poppy's... This were inspired by Joanna of DaisyChain Jewellery tutorial in Beads & Beyond

Only problem is at the moment they are in pieces on my 'bead table' and I have no clue how to put them together... yes I have ideas... so here's the deal Anyone who posts a comment on this post giving me a suggestion on how to put them together will get a chance to win a 3 piece set (large flower, small flower and head pin)... your choice of colour... draw will be Feb 29, 2012 I would like to see what you do with them!

Middle flower is too close in size ... so is unnecessary....

Last nights full moon from the deck! Unfortunately it was low tide so no reflection!

New 'Dungeon' heart Countertop... Just in time for Valentines!

2012-02-06T10:23:00.001-04:00

My dungeon is being redone... at least the bathroom is

Before.....

Both the floor and the sink had rotted through

Wall backing onto dungeon workspace.... containing unloved furniture left by former owner!

New floor is concrete... will have some sort of removable tiles and the wall into my dungeon studio is now a half wall except for the 'toilet room' or WC.

New counter top.... I actually had 7 kilos of beads sorted that were suppose to be part of the counter... but all that went in were a few hearts which I place by hand after the fact!

It will have an under mount porcelain sink... that will not rot through!

Almost wordless wednesday

2012-02-02T10:31:00.000-04:00

For a change ... a picture of a bead!

Almost wordless wednesday

2012-01-25T14:47:00.001-04:00

My attempts to keep the deer from eating my flowers and shrubs! I saw 9 deer in the back yard last night. we found the fish net in the ditch a couple of years ago!

More from Mahogany Mnaor

2012-01-22T16:10:00.000-04:00

Finally took a picture of the windows I did for the dining room! They were set up for a dinner party...

Almost wordless wednesday

2012-01-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

So you think your going to knit????

Center Panel

2012-01-17T15:08:00.003-04:00

The center panel for the downstairs turret at Mahogany Manor in Saint John
& if you like ghost stories check out this link to the Mahogany Manor resident ghost.
(all the panels I have made for the house have bevels so that she has more choices on where she can come and go!)

Jewel Thief

2012-01-15T15:40:00.002-04:00

How I spent a cold winter day..... This is a needle felted work in progress... I need to tone down the obvioulsy crocheted branches and my Raven needs an eye... Think it needs some sort of border to stabalize it too... any thoughts on that would be welcome! (14.5 inch diameter/ 37 cm)... Colours are actually much vrighter, not sure why it's so washed out!)

Saturday

2012-01-14T17:08:00.001-04:00

I just scrolled down through my blog which claims to be about

Beads, beads, and more beads and jewellery...

In the last 7 posts you've seen pictures of a jigsaw puzzle... a really cute cat, lost luggage, a perturbed husband ... a yellow rubber duckie ... OK that was made out of beads, but not the type of beads you expect to see at this blog.....

I actually made this one before Christmas .. think it's a cross between a jellyfish and a sea-urchin.. My flat lap is in one of the equipment piles in the dungeon while the 'bathroom' is being renovated... the floor rotted out and the sink rotted through and there was a shower down there that no-one used... problem is it was a very tight space when the bathroom was full of equipment... now the bathroom is empty so you can't even move in the rest of the basement....

To tell the truth I haven't made any beads in ages... except enameled ones.. I look at all my pretty glass rods and come back in the house and play computer games.. if I do make a bead I turf it in the aquarium as soon as I take it off the mandrel...

Almost wordless wednesday

2012-01-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

My dining room table has been invaded..............

It's all Sue's fault!

Newest Family member

2012-01-08T11:03:00.001-04:00

Meet Elli-Mae ... Actually you might have seen her before here.... That was the first time I met her... you can tell it was love at first sight!

Killing a plastic bag on the dining room floor!

Showing off her new red collar... she hates everything about it expecially the bell!

Helping me play scrabble on the computer.... don't I have a neet desk!
She actually belongs to my son Stuart but since he was never home... we borrowed her because she was lonely.... Amazingly all three cats are 'sort of' getting along...

Bead Table... someday

2012-01-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

Finally finished my beaded rubber duckie... I won the pattern last winter... , So I bought the beads, then I started it using the pattern I won while we were driving through the US last May...but it was way bigger than I wanted... so I redrew the pattern last week... started making it using peyote only to discover that I had drawn the pattern sideways on the paper so it was drawn for brick stitch not peyote..... cut the poor duckie apart and remade it using brick stitch... think this was the first time I have done something in brick stitch... I can see lots of things I would do differently another time.....

Almost wordless wednesday

2012-01-04T09:38:00.000-04:00

Georgie is happily living in California now, where there is no snow..... although there is no snow here this year either at the moment... but I'm sure that will change :(

Today the forecast high is -8 C, the forecast low is -6C and the current temp is -14C... someone is rather confused!

Wishing everyone a Happy & Safe New Year!

2012-01-01T12:36:00.002-04:00

My title sums it up! We spent last night eating...at the Europa Inn in St Andrews... can you think of a better way to bring in the New Year?

I took my camera to dinner.... 7 course meal spread out over 4.5 hours I was going to take a picture of each course... but as soon as the food arrived I/we dove in and about the time the plate was polished I said...

" Oh S*.*t I forgot to take another picture!

I did manage to remember to take a picture of the soup course...(mainly because they had forgotten to set out soup spoons...) So this is Gord looking very pensively at the corn stocks growing out of his lobster bisque... actually the corn stocks were OK!

And this is what I spent my time between courses doing... The final version had the big dipper and the North star and.....

Color Trends for 2012

2011-12-30T10:01:00.007-04:00

Here are the color forecasts for 2012.

"70s appliances": Gold, almond, avocado green, and muted mustard. All I
can say about thisgroup is bleck... I didn't like any of these colours on appliances
and I don't see me wearing any of these colours as adornment bling!

Layered neutrals: Oatmeals, browns, tans, and grays. Boring however
copper that has been treated with LOS (liver of Sulpher) just could sneak in
as the first colour!

Pastels: Blush pink, robin's egg blue, and mint green. Sufice to say
I hate pastels...
but I did started making pink beads last year! Guess I was working the
upcoming trend a year early ...
and I just bought myself a pair of mint green shoes, so will have to make some
jewellery to go with them!

Graphic Black and White: I like black & white.. however it seems
to be a hard colour to sell here... earrings do sell bracelets and pendants don't.

Tangerine Tango: & Pantone's choice for 2012. Finally a colour I like!
Actually a lot of my wardrobe is this colour

I made these beads yesterday before I saw the
colour forecast...
guess they're a bit to manderine... may have to try
and custom mix some red enamels into this orange
or start a new trend!

Are these beads harvest gold mixed with tangerine tango?

Almost Wordless wednesday on Thursday!

2011-12-29T12:37:00.001-04:00

While we were sitting at the airport waiting to fly home on Tuesday... this suitcase fell off the luggage cart on the way to the plane.... A couple of people did stop and look at it.... then it got put on the luggage cart (the one in the photo) and about 15 minutes after it fell off someone came along and delivered it to a plane... I hope there was nothing breakable in it as it fell about 7 feet... And yes I'm home from Edmonton where I spent 13 days... 4 of which were in hospital... not my idea!

Are Forsythia suppose to bloom in Dec?

2011-12-12T13:53:00.002-04:00

My forsythia is covered in flowers today inspite of yesterdays' negative temps! It's nice to see flowers blooming in Dec!

Holiday Ornament Blog Hop 2011

2011-12-04T00:55:00.011-04:00

Last year in a moment of panic when I realized I'd signed up for the ornament blog hop and had nothing made I gathered up bits and pieces that I no longer loved or didn't want to use... This year I remembered my intention to particpate with 10 days to make my ornament (am I actually getting more organized?)

Even with 10 days I decided to use a similar method of assembling components... I started with the art bead.... then came the little glass beads to compliment it.... Well the long and short of it ... the final ornament doesn't have a single component that was in the original pile...

My beaded bead was replaced with a slightly burnt enameled bead... My raindrop was remade in a colour that matched my beaded bead which I didn't use... and instead of using little flameworked beads I used small commercial triangular beads.... The original raindrops were made as a fund raiser for a local day care... 'raindrops of hope' so I thought using one in this years ornament was appropriate!

Then I hung it on the tree next to last years ornament and decided that they were much to similar...

http://islandgirlsinsights.blogspot.com/2010/12/art-bead-scene-ornament-blog-hop-sneak.html

Link to last years ornament!

So this year Charlie's tree gets two NEW ornaments! What a lucky tree!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season... and have a I started to declutter NO!

Here's a list of other participating blogs!
Humblebeads
Suburban Girl Studio
Life in the Lyon's Den
Jeannie's Blog
Blog by Salla
Maria Grimes
It's Been a While
Sue Beads
Artist At Work
Modern Nature Studio
WireWorked
Too Aquarius
Artfully Ornamental
Gem Rose Designs
Jewels by Ine
BeeTree by M.E.
Islandgirl's Insights (You Are Here!)
Angela Lund-Logan
Gem's PC Corner
Summers Studio
Sandy Volpe
The Next Bend
Skye Jewels
Janina Grigore
Elysian Studios
Art Bead Scene

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

Wish I could grow these here!

Calla'n Porter Menorca

Wouldn't you like to wake up to this view every morning!

Mallorca Spain

Almost Wordless Wednesday & Bead Table Wednesday (BTW)

2011-11-23T10:45:00.001-04:00

New Jellies using my new Ameritool falt lap.... Actually it's a Christmas present but it seemed silly to leave it in the box for 6 weeks!

Progress.... One week of knitting in the evenings!

Should have taken these pictures yesterday as it is snowing right now.... wet heavy snow...
YUCK YUCK YUCK!

Almost Wordless Wednesday & Bead Table Wednesday (BTW)

2011-11-16T09:38:00.000-04:00

My bead table has been taken over by an 'afgan' .... My mother decided that that was what they wanted for Christmas ... last weekend.... & My husband wants to know why the factory doesn't wind the yarn into balls before they ship it...... I think it's a cost issue ...

Comments????

Don't you just love the colours in this? I actually bought a 'kit' seemed easier than finding yarn that matched... Will I get this done by Christmas.....

Workshop Beads Cocoa FL with Claudia Trimbur-Pagel

2011-11-12T12:12:00.000-04:00

Claudia showing off her eye murini morning Day 3

Beads Day 1

Pirate Bead & Friend Day 2 (Spent the morning making the eye Murini in this bead!)

Beads Day 3 this were suppose to be set into the silver clay jewellery that we made on Day 4... I'm using the brown and ivory bead top left in my ring but will not be using either butterfly in my pendant!

Backs of the window beads that I made after I got home...

Fronts of the window beads.....

Token tree bead to see if I can still make them!

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

2011-11-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

I always take pictures of lighthouses whenever I see them

Think this is the bottom up...

Me at the top... I finally climbed one... only 203 steps!

And yes I read the no flip flops before I went up... but since it was the only pair of shoes I had ... Not sure why they weren't allowed...