Inspired by Reading: Girl Reading

I had a very hard time with the structure of the narrative in this book. I often found myself very confused whether the words were being spoken aloud or thought to themselves or narrated. I admittedly didn't read the whole book, I chose to read the chapter set in current time and make a project based on that.

I LOVE this paragraph and the symbolism of her new shoes...

Here's my imagined pair of heels she had to have...

"...because they belong to her, because she is irrational, because she cannot accept that objects of such unequivocal beauty and expense would break their promise of perfection, because she is a woman, she wears the new shoes to go out again."

"...Are you all right?

Yeah, they're just new.

They're very nice, but you probably shouldn't wear them if they hurt you."

"...inquires after a first-aid kit. Jeannine protests, but the barman efficiently locates and offers blue Band-Aids in various sizes. Grateful in spite of herself, she applies two; they take the edge off the soreness, prevent further friction." 

Here is my tribute to her 'shoes'.

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Halcraft Pretty Palettes Challenge Reveal

Thanks to Erin Prais-Hintz for the fun Halcraft beads challenge! Here's her inspiration photo...

Here are her bead findings from Michael's...

My design actually fell right into place and after splitting the beads I had JUST enough of each kind! I added some purple and blue glass pearls to mute all the crystal cut glass and I was off and running.

Thanks to all for a fun challenge! Check out Halcrafts blog for more participants designs!

http://www.halcraft.com/blog/

 

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Andrew Thornton's Amethyst Aether Challenge Kit Reveal

Andrew put together a special Steampunk themed kit in amethysts and bronzes. (I am especially partial to purples!) There was some leather, sari silk and waxed cord in the kit, plus I dug through my stash for some other cording as well. Here are 3 bangles I wrapped in the same style but three different materials...

The pendant on this necklace I made with Ice Resin and a bag of watch parts I got in Pittsburgh. (The base is a piece of scrap paper I had in the perfect colors.) I used purple stringing wire and framed some fun beads to portray movement.

The next picture shows the same necklace plus two more. The far right one I used Andrew's mystery component that he made, I added Swarovski, Czech glass and pressed glass. The one to the far left I had some purple electroplated Quartz points that I made into a leather knotted necklace with beads from the kit...

This picture shows the Quartz point necklace, the watchwork necklace and a Steampunk Bug pendant I made from a watch spring, old key, scrollwork wings and big beady eyes...

Here's my loot! What a fun challenge, thanks Andrew!

Please remember to blog hop and share some love

Shai's Ramblings

Holly Baldwin

Susan Kennedy

Tammy Bowman

Ann Schroeder

Andrew Thornton, Jo Pound, Donna Hoblit, Julie Tomes, Emma Tomes, Laurel Ross, and Lisa Mendum

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Using stash from Bead Fest

 

 

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Some non-challenge pieces

This necklace is a multi strand with amethyst cubes, Swarovski bicones and three beautiful dog-tooth amethyst as the focal...

These earrings are made with electroplated Quartz points...

These earrings are made from upcycle Redbull Yellow cans and punched out with heart punches...

This necklace and earring set is made with a Gaea ceramic focal and some amazing dyed agate...

 

 

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Andrew Thornton's Frenzied Motion Kit reveal

This kit was SOO colorful! It was Andrew's representation of a frenzied dance club with the lights and sounds and feelings, welcome to Frenzied Motion Challenge Reveal!

I was outside in the yard one day and noticed that all our dog's toys have that same color scheme...

Sooooo, I snapped a pic and did some filter and photo booth magic...

Then I used the same filter and photo booth magic on a picture of the bracelet I made for the Frenzied Motion Challege...

So without further ado... My memory wire Frenzied Motion bracelet!

I found some beautiful blown glass Sue Beads that have a pixie dust finish on them and used all sorts of goodies from the kit. It is a very fun bracelet to wear.

Share some fun and hop these blogs!

Beadsophisticate

Christina Hickman

Michelle McCarthy

Marybeth Rich

Alison Herrington

Ann Schroeder

Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Joanne Goldberg, Lisa Mendum

http://queenbeedesignsny.com/?page_id=62

http://innermusejewelry.blogspot.com/

Bead Fest Spring!!

Some goodies I grabbed at Bead Fest Spring!

Inspired by Reading: Home by Toni Morrison

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ MY POST IF YOU INTEND TO READ HOME BY TONI MORRISON, AND WOULD NOT LIKE TO KNOW THE ENDING.

I was captivated by the author's constant use of trees in the novel. I read this on my nook, so I was able to search the book for the number of different trees she talked about. She references 11 different trees: Magnolia, Butternut, Pecan, Sweet Bay, Oak, Peach, Pear, Cherry, Apple, Fig, & Dogwood. 

The sweet bay tree plays an integral part in the novel, almost a character itself.

• It is where Frank invented escapes as a kid and investigated the territory while playing near the stream. "Often they sat by the stream, leaning on a lightning-blasted sweet bay tree whose top had been burned off, leaving it with two huge branches below that spread like arms." 

• It is where he found himself when he needed to 'find himself'...

• It is where the novel ends, with Frank and Cee getting some closure in the small town of Lotus, on the bank of the Wretched, at the base of the tree with its arms spread one to the right and one to the left. 

I chose to make a tree pendant, but I decided to use waxed linen and knotting instead of wire...

I wanted to show the split down the middle of the tree, so I used a white waxed linen in the center.

I used a polymer clay 'moon' bead that I made for another book club book.  

The leaves are peridot chips from Allegory Gallery

When I was finished, the white linen was TOO bright, so I stained it with coffee (by dripping coffee on it and letting it sit in the sun). I like it much better now.
I will say it is a HUGE pendant but I did wear it once already!

I also made some earrings for the town of Lotus, Georgia. I love how the author used Lotus as the fictional town's name. Lotus flowers are breathtakingly beautiful but grow out of mud. They flower above water in gorgeous blooms but their roots are based in the muck and mire of the yuckiest ponds. These are cut wood lotus flowers from Allegory Gallery layered on top of pink enameled disks from C-Koop resting on top of green lucite leaves.  

Check out Andrew Thornton's blog to see what others made when they were inspired by reading the book Home by Toni Morrison!