Tsunami?

Happily, the tsunami warning for our beaches was unnecessary, but it was interesting to see what a non-event it was. There were no warning signs on the beaches or anywhere else in town, so now I'm wondering what would happen if we really did have a tsunami? I hope we never find out.
While waiting for the non-event to happen, I was gallery sitting and beading and got another little pin/pendant started. Last piece before the next bjp and this time I don't even have the fabric yet. I'm thinking green will feature heavily, since many of our bushes and trees are already beginning to develop leaves, but beyond that it's all still up in the air.

WIPs

I've finished the hand brooch and a small 3-D beaded cross that was a commission, so I'm looking at some of my older works-in-progress that have stalled for one reason or another...maybe if I look at them long enough some ideas will leak into my head, lol!

The spring rains have begun...sure was a nice long run of sunny days though, so I'm not complaining...yet!

Hand Brooch

I'm working on a mini version of my hand to make a pin/pendant...all done here except for the back, finding and edging which I'll finish this afternoon while I'm gallery sitting.
We've had several days of sun, with at least another one to come, so I've been sitting out on the sun porch beading. Next weekend is our seafood and wine festival, so it will probably be wet as usual...it's amazing how rarely the weather is nice for it, but then it's held in a huge tent so I guess it doesn't really matter. I hear this year's theme is the Wild West...hmmmm, that makes me think of beef and beer, not seafood and wine, lol!

OWOH Winners

The winners of the OWOH giveaway are Pam Aries of Aries Gypsy and Leslie Anderson of My Life and Times! Thanks so very much to everyone who stopped by and left a comment...I've visited almost everyone, but still have about 20 to go. It was a real pleasure to visit so many talented and dedicated artist bloggers!

Hearts to You

Happy Valentine's Day! Just finished my second heart based pin/pendant in time to feature them both in my Etsy shop....little later than I expected but then a heart is a universal symbol that means "love" whenever it's seen. At least that's my first thought at seeing a red heart...

February Blooms

This is the earliest blooming tree around town...at least the one I see the most as it's down on bay drive so I see it often throughout the year. I took the photos on tuesday...today it's raining cats and dogs again but warmish compared to the east coast!

Edited to add...and in the last half hour the storm has passed and I see blue sky again!

Blues

We've been having lovely blue skies the past few days, which mean beach walks for my DH and I...I also realized the blue in the batik I've used for this month's bjp is just the color of the sky in the afternoon.
February is finished off with some blue goldstone hearts and then mounted on a matallic paper background and framed. I'm feeling very lucky this month as it's been a year since my diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer in my bones....last year at this time I was in shock and wondering if I'd even be here through the summer...it took about 6 months for me to regain my equilibrium and remember (again and again) that all any of us have is today and that worrying about how long I may be around would be a big waste of whatever time I do have.
I think the image of the rabbit in this piece represents me; balanced on a gold sphere, supported by my home (the ceramic square) and everyone/thing in it, and seeing all the different paths I may take in the future.
It feels like a very peaceful, balanced piece to me.

Almost Finished

The center hand is finished...gold iris nailheads, bugles and three-cuts, charlottes in three colors, marquise-shaped nailheads, laser-cut wooden rabbit, incised, handpainted ceramic square and a faceted jade rondelle...but I still have to bead/attach the blue hand to the large background hand and then mount them all on metallic paper and frame it.

A Bit Further Along

Still working on the hand with lots left to do...

Process

I was thinking about time yesterday and wondering where it had all gone...we've visited and/or lived on the central coast for 30 years, been in this house for 15 and I've been doing beadwork for almost 20 years now. And what's been playing in my mind is a very old song about rowing your boat gently and merrily down the stream...and that life is but a dream.

Then I look around the studio and I'm thinking, wow...it's sure a heavy dream because I must have a ton of beads alone! Not to mention the other stuff in here...lol!

So maybe I've got the merrily part down pat, eh?

Speaking of beads...here's some more progress on the second heart piece and february's bjp...this one is coming pretty fast so I may go on to something else next week...I'm thinking of a larger piece...maybe with a boat in it...

February BJP

February is a month of contrasts here on the coast. We have many wet, windy days and then a day or two of lovely sunshine and warmth with hardly any wind at all. A few of the spring flowers may be in bloom...our daffodils and the neighbors earliest rhodedendron, for example, but mostly the field grasses are sienna and ochre colored. So for this month's bjp I've found some lovely muted browns in the cotton batik fabric as well as a contrasting blue (for our occasional blue skies) with muted green and purple to remind us how close spring is now.
I've also posted a photo of our bridge for this months header.

One World One Heart

I'm joining the One World One Heart giveaway again this year. It's always fun to see how many of the blogs I can visit in a couple of weeks and I like giving my work away occasionally.
This year I'm giving away two of my house pin/pendants....the winners will be chosen from those who comment on this post between now and February 15th. If you have the time to visit some of the other blogs, I think you'll find it worthwhile and inspiring!

Added Feb.5: I've been visiting all the blogs of the folks who have left comments and I'm about half way through (50 so far) and my! what a talented group we have participating this year! I have not been leaving comments though, as I do not want to win anything but I'll be visiting again after OWOH is finished and commenting then. What a wonderful way to meet fellow artists!

Photo Friday

While waiting for february to begin....I've been enjoying putting a photo up for Photo Friday each week...I seem to do better with a bit of a deadline.
This is a photo I took yesterday on our walk along the bay...I didn't want to get too close and frighten him away.
If you click on the photo, it will enlarge.

Yesterday

It was a lovely sunny day and I was glad to see it...drove up to a local park in the van and finished my first beaded fiber valentine pin/pendant and got started on a second one as well as taking a few photos.
Here's the van and the view and the pin...hope you got some sunshine in your life yesterday too!

Sitka

A couple of weeks ago we drove up to the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology for their open house...unfortunately the artist we had come to see wasn't able to be there, but we did listen to some writings by current artists in residence and the elk herd was right on the front field, so I got some nice photos.

Fini

All done and getting ready to start on a couple of heart pin/pendants for my etsy shop....plus I've got the fabric hands all cut out for the february bjp, but won't start it until next month.
The weather has been off and on rain showers but yesterday when we went for our walk we saw some pussywillows beginning to bloom and we have a tiny daffodil already blooming on the sun porch...it may not quite be spring yet, but I'm catching a glimpse of it in the distance!

Mostly Finito

I just have to mat and frame it...but all the stitching is done...

I've been getting more interested in steam punk so I added a few tiny watch gears to this piece and put sequins under them so they would stand out a bit...kind of to remind me once again that everything old is new again and each generation adds their own special twist to the older bits.

Onward

A bit further along...I'm taking it slowly, trying to find a set time to bead again. It's too cold to sit out on the porch and the light, even with my little ott light, isn't the best in the living room so I'm ending up beading at my big desk in the studio. I've been having breakfast and then beading while watching an instant play movie on netflix on my computer.
Also thought I'd post a pic of my mom and son from christmas...they adore each other and get along very well, which I'm so grateful for, as I know that's not always the case in families!
There are so many worthy organizations trying to help the quake survivors in haiti, it's hard to know where to start, but I think I'll contribute to the red cross when I get paid for my last class. There is also a wonderful blog (with links to their shop) of haitian artisans started by rebecca sower...they've sold all the work rebecca had brought back from haiti before the earthquake, but when things get up and running again, it will be a good place to visit and buy if you want to help out in the longer run.

Small Bits

I haven't gotten too far along yet, but it's beginning to pull together for me....I've got to add enough to balance the weight of the wall of 6's on the bottom....I think I'm making sure that luck doesn't escape...and the meandering path of bugles certainly represents the twists and turns life takes, whether we wish it or not...

Improv Hearts

These are just a few of the amazing pieces my students did last night...aren't they wonderful, especially for anyone who hasn't ever beaded or embroidered before (although I think a couple of them must have had some needlework background long ago)!
They were a delightful group to work with which didn't surprise me at all because 99% of the folks I've run into at our local hospital have been just fantastic-hard working, dedicated professionals in a very demanding profession indeed!
And they all rose to the challenge of their improvisational hearts, don't you think?