Let your performance do the thinking. ~Charlotte Bronte

 

numinosity and challenges~

my love love tommy just came home and said ~that ones a keeper~ as i was about to post it. so, imma not gonna post it 'cause i think he's right and i kinda felt it as well anyway. it's just so pretty that i wanted to share! so here is a glass numinosity bead with yummy amber chips, a long ceramic bead, lace trim and white glass seed beads. it is a keeper and one-of-a-kind. thanks kim! <3

but i digress. i have been posting about challenges, one of which i blew today by having red chile cheese fries! ah, the shame of it! ok, another ten days on the real food challenge it is to make up for that flatooey. blech. but, it was going real well till my meltdown today, so I was thinking of upping it to the 100 days if i can keep my cravings at bay. ;) seriously, last night i used my grammas recipe for egg noodles and substituted whole wheat for white flour and they were awesome! even picky little dude ate them without question and both kids asked for them again. with the noodles we had pesto made from the basil we grow and then pickled peppers and green beans from last years crop. what a meal! i can deal with this. i think i can continue this challenge with the caveat not to cave to cravings.

then the homegrown challenge is going well too. 30 days of locally purchased products. even found a place to get gas. *big smile*

the real challenge of course is staying creative as the stash dwindles and the cash is not available to re-stash. i'm a teacher and it's summer. gotta be careful, but this is when i am most productive as the rest of the year i am full fledged teacher! sooo, in drops a box of yummy goodness from kim at numinosity beads to keep me going. i made some stuff (like the necklace above) and intend to make some more for sure. i'll get her back, no worries on that! thanks kim. cheers y'all!

~doll head and another challenge

i made some stuff, which i enjoy, but my stash is getting so puny, i can't make much of anything at the moment. so, another challenge? making something pretty with what i have, which is almost gone. hahahahaha. means i'll be shifting gears and sewing again soon!
but back to my original challenge of 10 days of real food. going good, but I can make some very fattening food if i want to, so ima gonna watch that part. tonight~chicken curry~ with peas from the garden and red quinoa salad. yum!
so, since i'm challenging myself, i'm also going to do the 505 30 days of buying local which means local beers, co-op shopping for all the food and walking since I won't be able to buy gas! lol
cheers!

frozen charlotte and a pipe stem. vintage faux pearl necklace. sterling.

bike chain links. silk. antique linen buttons.

leather pouch with a watchmakers vial. assorted pipestone, glass, faux pearls and then one-of-a-kind shell beads made by me!

bike chain links, lace, cut crystal beads. love. <3

~10 days of real food and new jewelry too!

a friend was telling me about the 100 days of real food challenge and it sounded good. i needed to cleanse a bit. too many chili cheese fries these days. so i checked it out. i went ahead and did the 10 day pledge and hoped my family would hop on board. my little one, who said he wanted to be a foodie 
~what's that sweetie?~ i asked.  ~it's a person who tries new food~ he said
so i thought,
~excellent!~
well, he's struggling and won't give up his nose dogs (hot dogs that he was told were made out of noses).
so, slowly i will get him on board.
tom's cool with it, so that's helpful to have an ally.
i'm on day four and it's been great! i'm not missing the eating out, which i thought i would, and i feel good too. so far we are eating really well. home made seafood chowder, steak and potatoes, lot's of oats, whole wheat brownies, fruits and veggies, quinoa salad, chicken satay, smoked salmon spread on whole wheat crackers, homemade granola on yogurt...tomorrow i'm making a lamb stew from local lamb. the only challenge is getting the local or wild caught meat/fish/poultry and we are using what we have at the moment (so not completely in the rules of the challenge, but not throwing away the food, i will just replace it once it's gone with the good stuff).
i don't know why it took a challenge to change my eating habits. i've known for forever that we should eat a certain way for sustainability, but liked eating out too much and fell to the whims of my family. not any more! it's been fun looking for new recipes and challenging looking for ~less than five ingredients~ but the thrill of the hunt takes over and it turns out to be a fun challenge instead of a restraining one.
hell, if i can get through six more days, i'll go for the hundred and then try to work the budget idea in as well. $125 a week for a family of four. we'll see.
cheers y'all!

new work on etsy today. :)

~loving a trade

i sent out a lovely box of colorful beads to shipwreckdandy and in return i get a box full of latte, ivory, cream, nougat, taupe...thank you, thank you, thank you! i am truly enjoying the new look and so it seems are my customers as i have been selling well. funny. most of the sales come from posting photos on my facebook page, but, etsy is up in views and favorites as well. made some more goodies this morning and late last night. fun, fun for me. today: swimming and the orthodontist after the jewelry supply. you?

bike part earrings with numinosity drops and sari silk.

bike part necklace with shells and milk glass buttons. a piece of aluminum showed up from latvia via the alchemy shop. it has pretty designs and a little ~pitting~ as if it had been dissolved a bit.

here it is full up.

more from numinosity. a lovely little giftie that i truly adore: recycled copper with flecks of enamel.

and lastly, myrrh beads with inlaid bone and african trade milk glass drops.

thanks for the support! sale is over. new stuff now... ~

neutrals and a sale~

eeeee. i've been having fun purging, remaking and challenging myself to go all neutral. i used to create using mostly vintage and antique buttons as you see here.










spending time to make "heishi" from buttons going from tiny to huge! i'd sit at the desk for hours getting it just right then stringing them up. i'm inclined to use the buttons again in varied ways along with their sister buttons the old creamy milk glass and plastic housecoat buttons of yesteryear.  

 like here

and here

and here














then there is the slew of creamy and white beads and sundries that still amuse me and i'm trying to get them together. all the rest of these photos contain refurbished necklaces and earrings as well as new work using vintage and contemporary components.
i had departed from making my own findings as silver was so expensive, but i am back at it and you will find most of the findings are hand formed and oxidized. however, some earwires are reworked surgical steel 'cause i have them and want to use them up! anyway. that's what i've been up to as well as prepping for 2nd grade. yippee! here we go:

vintage glass, glass, shell, rhinestone buttons. garter clip. antique gold foil lined beads. sterling.

bike chain link necklace. shell, river stone (got out my diamond bits and drilled away!), pipestone bead. salvaged chain.

bike chain link necklace with loads of pearls.

bike chain chunk necklace with river stone. steel.

ok. this has a little green. i made it last year, but love it, so i added it. curtain rod finial, vintage faux pearls, bike chain link necklace, key, salvaged chain.

old domino and a half hidden cow collage on a  bike chain link necklace.

criffles from numinosity with shell and sterling silver.

linen, seam binding, housecoat buttons, wool and shell. sterling.












typewriter keys, bike chain link, silk, steel. sterling.

numinosity drops. bike chain links, silk, steel.

bike chain links, milk glass buttons, steel.

antique keys, milk glass buttons, bike chain links, steel.

vintage shell buttons and faux pearls, dragonfly's from the bouncing box, salvaged chain.












my sale still exists on my etsy site to pass along all my wonderful older recycled creations. stop by for 50% off at checkout (coupon code halfoff). luv, luv!

~half off in my etsy shop

yup. that's right. i am offering all of my current jewelry at a 50% discount as i re-invent myself.
it's just that time and I'm crazy, so i get to!
as i take on a new job (teaching 2nd grade as opposed to middle school), dye my hair and start a new body of work i am selling out on etsy! my dream has been to make all of my recycled art in white/creamy tones. dunno why, but i'm really liking what i'm making, so...
coupon code at checkout is halfoff. see something here in any of my posts that is not on etsy? i'll list it just for you then you use the code. :)
enjoy the day my dears. <3

here's some more work just back from an art opening. not on etsy but still for sale. :)

 watch maker vials, glitter and lavender. sterling silver.

 christmas light bulbs, vintage beads, bullet casings. sterling silver.

 shell from an old bracelet, grab bag beads, steel. surgical earwires.

 hand-rolled paper beads, Tibetan turquoise, bullet casings. sterling silver

antique shell buttons, chain, dragonfly's, vintage faux pearls. sterling silver. surgical steel.