Luna Moth Challenge

Luna moths are one of those insects that you don't see every day, but they are amazing when you get the chance to find one! I remember seeing them resting on the siding of our house when I was growing up. The pale green color was interesting but the size was always what got our attention.

  

This Allegory Gallery Challenge was inspired by the Luna moth. Lovely shades of green found their way into the beads that were chosen for this challenge.

     

     

As I started to think about what I could create with these beautiful pieces, I decided to keep the Luna moth in mind as much as possible. That meant having an earthy feel to the designs, and so I put away my silver and gold wire and instead took out my copper and bronze wire.

  

    Double Strand Necklace 

   

I decided to start with a double strand necklace and added in some of my own crystal beads to add some sparkle. I used bronze wire and a bronze chain to keep an earthy, BOHO vibe. 

  

   

  Then I created this double strand bracelet, again adding my own crystal beads and bronze wire and chain to the beads from the challenge package.  

   

  There were several pairs of beads that just didn't seem to work with any of my necklace or bracelet designs. And rather than have them sitting on my board, I decided to get started on some earrings. 

I decided against using the bronze wire to create earwires, mostly because I had gold earwires from another project. Earrings are easy to swap with other jewelry and the gold really set off the colors nicely.

    

  

 This set goes great with the double necklace and bracelet. 

   

I wasn't sure what to do with the spotted beads, but they made a fun pair of earrings! 

  

 Pearl Earrings 

Muted colors can sometime make a big impact!

      

Jade and Crystal Earrings   

   

 Different shapes and finishes can really add drama to a design!

   

  Butterfly Flower Earrings

And of course, I had to use the butterfly beads! By adding them below the flowers, they swing and almost look like they are taking flight.
   

   Forest Path Necklace
   
I originally planned to use the wooden beads to create a bracelet, but they just seemed to get lost and didn't have the visual "punch" I was hoping for...so I created this necklace instead. Reminded me of walking through the forest late in the afternoon, when everything was quiet and the sunlight just streamed through the leaves. 
      

   Jade Necklace
   

   I started taking the jade beads off the string when I decided I wanted to make a long necklace with them. I started creating the links with the bronze wire but it was too dark. I didn't want to lose the earthy feel by switching to gold wire. Then I remembered I had copper jump rings! I used them to space the jade links out and it added another color to the design. I choose a large toggle clasp that makes a great focal piece. 

    

     

  That left me with the mystery component. And I have to tell you, I was tempted to make another beaded pendant with it! But I wanted to challenge myself so I told myself I had to so something different with it. Everything I tried just didn't look right...until I realized that I was forgetting my initial inspiration. I wanted to create something earthy but with a bold flair. 

   

       

I added this unique pendant to a multi-strand black necklace and fell in love with the design! 

   

  

To my surprise, I didn't use the seed beads or any beading techniques in this challenge. I have some ideas floating around in my head, though. Just need to find a couple pieces to make it all work. 

Please take some time to head over to the Allegory Gallery Design Facebook page to see how the other artists used these same pieces to create their own jewelry! 

Best Laid Plans

I  can't be the only person this happens to...you start a new venture only to be derailed just a few days or weeks into it.

I should be used to this by now...but it still is frustrating. Hard to think and write coherently when you're sick, so now that I'm at least up and about a little, I'm jumping back onto the blog bandwagon.

At least I've lost a few pounds for my trouble. The dogs aren't very happy because we haven't been able to do our walks. That should change soon...I hope.

Heat and humidity are the main talking points here...high heat and really bad humidity. Thought that by moving to the mountains we would be leaving the humidity behind. Should have asked the locals about the summer weather when we had the chance! At least by the time September rolls around, the humidity has taken leave of us for another year.

Hoping it will cool off enough for us to have a fire after enjoying my hubby's amazing BBQ ribs. He's been smoking them all day and I can't wait!

Going Once...Going Twice...

 Looking for something for Mom? Stuck for ideas? I bet she would love to have something unique! 
  
These items, created by me, will be up for auction at Artisan Studio Gallery Auctions on Facebook Saturday 5/7 from 9 am - 9 pm EST. (There will be lots of other things you can bid on, so be sure to check them all out!) 
  

  

For starters, hand-painted glass pendants 

suspended on a ribbon necklace

  

   

And who doesn't like earrings?!?

  

     

Maybe a beaded bracelet will catch her eye?

   

 Sea glass earrings will always take her breath away!

   

 And if auctions aren't your thing, you can always check out my shop to find something for Mom... Whispering Mountain Designs

Monday Musings

Had an interesting conversation via Facebook with a friend of mine this weekend. 
  
I had posted a spectacular picture of Devil's Nose, the mountain you can see from our front porch and my post was along the lines of: "When we first moved to Tennessee, I was amazed each day by the beauty of the mountains. Our first time driving home from grocery shopping, I asked God to help me never get so used to seeing the views that I forgot how much it made my heart sing those first weeks." 
  

      
Our conversation drifted to how easy it is to see the same thing day in and day out and it becomes something we see but don't really notice. 
  
And I realized that relationships are the same way. We live with someone for years and if we're honest, we start to really focus on the things that bother us. We think about only those things that drive us crazy. All the things we wish they would just do differently. But we lose sight of those things that make them uniquely "them" and drew us into their lives in the first place.
  
So, I've been trying to take each day and tell my husband something I appreciate about him. And if I forget to tell him before he goes to work, I make a mental note of something and think about that while he's gone. 
  
Because if I don't, all it takes is just one thing for me to start putting him down instead of building him up. And my job is to make sure that when life outside the walls of our home drags him down, that he is lifted up when he's here. Life's just too short to major on the minors. 
   

Going Once...Going Twice

For some people, shopping is all about finding a great deal. Others, it's about finding that unique piece that you just have to have. No matter your shopping style, if you add in the excitement of an auction, it's guaranteed to make your purchase that much sweeter!  
  
Artisan Studio Gallery Auctions is a great page where you can find amazing artwork and spectacular jewelry all yours for the bid! Every Saturday, from 9 am to 9 pm EST the auction is open with super low starting bids and amazing BIN (buy it now) offers. 
  
Here are some of the beautiful things available today!
  

    
I decided to offer these two sea-themed pieces of jewelry this week.

  
 Jump over to Artisan Studio Gallery Auctions to see what else is up for grabs this week!

Monday Musings - Ideal or Real

If you are anything like me, you tend to live in two different worlds. 

  

I mean, we all live in the real world. And for most of us, that means we have to work and cook and clean and do all of those unpleasant tasks that are necessary simply because you don't have anyone else to do it for you!

  

But there is also the pretend world. That's the place where you can go anytime you read a book or watch tv or play computer games. 

  

  

But there's another pesky little world that we rarely even acknowledge exists. And that's the "ideal" world.

  

Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to make our lives look a certain way, or own just the "right" (you can fill your own blank here) that we forget to enjoy where we are right now. After all, we'll only come this way once...

  

Moving to eastern Tennessee was a huge change for me. And I had all these dreams of what it would be like when we got here. I'd have the house I always dreamed of, and things would just flow into place... (I can hear you snickering at me...be nice.)

  

This past year and a half has been a time of trying to find myself again. Both my parents are gone, my grandparents are gone, AND my daughter just got her driver's licence. So all the people who needed me for specific things that no one else but me could give no longer need me. At all. (Yes, that's a bit melodramatic...my daughter will always need her mom.) 

  

But I find myself wishing for the "ideal" life. Not a perfect life, but more like the one I had kind of hoped would happen once we had made this monumental move. And I found myself being dissatisfied with the majority of things simply because a few things weren't working out the way I thought they would.

  

There wasn't a big moment when I realized this was all happening. I just sort of noticed that I was being really negative all the time. And then I realized how silly this all was. 

   

  So, I'm trying to look at the positive things in my life. And stay focused on those. 

  

  

Like my amazing family. 

  

And the view from my front porch. 

  

The gorgeous Tennessee sunsets. (Although sunsets on the ocean will always be best, in my humble opinion.)

   

  

  And the gorgeous flowering trees that are all over our property. These beauties are from one of the peach trees in the front yard. 

  

And mostly for having a great God who loves me no matter what mood I find myself in and is willing to invest time in me so that I will become the person He has always wanted me to be. 

Hidden Cove Challenge

I have to admit it...I love blog hops! They give me an acceptable excuse to be spending time on the computer. And I love to see the creativity that comes with a beading challenge like this. 

If you've never participated in blog hop or have never hear of one, let me tell you all about it. We all receive the same package of beads and beading supplies. We can use whatever other supplies we happen to have on hand. And then we create some amazing and stunning pieces of jewelry with those supplies, take pictures of them and then share them with the world! 

I happened to stumble across Allegory Gallery several months ago and fell in love with them. Periodically, they offer a hand-picked selection of beads and beading supplies that coordinates with a particular theme and I was lucky enough to find them in time for their Hidden Cove Challenge. 

   

     

I guess you could say I cheated when I decided to participate in the Hidden Cove challenge. Water colors are part of my "go-to" bag whenever I'm feeling a bit lost in my creative zone. But nothing ventured, nothing gained as the saying goes. 

   

  

Take a look at all these amazing and beautiful pieces we received! And as if this wasn't enough...there was a mystery component as well! 

  

  

I had to start with the surprise pendant, which is a polymer clay piece with metallic ink and paint washes. I played around with using it just as it was for a necklace, but I couldn't get the idea of using it as a focal for a beaded pendant out of my mind. 

  

I used three sizes of seed beads in shades of turquoise, metallic aqua and gold to create the bezel and design around the mermaid. The pendant is finished with ultrasuade, an ecofriendly alternative to leather. I put it on a necklace made of leather and bronze chain for a boho feel. 
    

 My next design was quite the challenge. I wanted to use the seed beads that were part of the kit, but they were all different sizes and shades of blue. Pulling out white glass pearls from my stash, I sketched a design that felt like waves. I found the large orange beads while looking through my beads and decided to use colors that were more like a sunset instead of sand. The finished piece is a work of art, using about 2000 beads to create it. 

  

I decided to take a break from beading and jumped right into wire work. I started with the Dalmatian jasper and used only pieces from the kit to make this fun bracelet. 

  

  

There were carved pieces of Dalmatian jasper in the kit as well. I paired them with some of the frosted glass and faceted Czech beads to create this fun pair of earrings. 

  

I have to make a comment here...there is a HUGE distinction between authentic sea glass and man-made frosted glass. I collect and work with genuine sea glass and while the frosted glass is beautiful, it is not sea glass. And that is another post for another time.

I decided to dig out my soutache and made this fun pair of earrings with the blue beads from the kit. 

  

I had several pieces from the kit separated to use for a necklace tried to make something that was asymmetrical. But it just isn't naturally in my nature and after several attempts, I created this fun (symmetrical) necklace. 

  

   

I was looking at the wooden beads and decided they would make a great pair of earrings.   

  

  

There were a couple of blue beads that had white swirls and spots that reminded me of the nighttime sky at the beach. I added some Swarovski crystals and Czech beads as well as some of the flat beads from the kit for another pair of earrings. 

  

There were some aqua glass chips that caught my eye the next time I pulled the kit out and I just added them to a fun gold chain to make a charm bracelet. 

  

  

And finally, I decided to use the last three pieces of frosted glass for a pendant. I added Czech beads and Swarovski crystals for a bit of sparkle. 

  

  

I still have a few pieces from the kit that I haven't used...mostly because I'm still working on the design in my head. Sometimes it takes a while for it to all come together. 

  

I want to invite you to check out the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge facebook page where you can find links to everyone's blogs who participated in this challenge. There are some amazing pieces out there! 

These pieces will be available in my shop Whispering Mountain Designs soon!

Fabulous Friday

I just finished beading a pattern by Lorraine Chairman Hickton. She is an amazing artist and designer and I am privileged to be able to work with her in testing some of her new designs. (Be sure to check out her shop with lots of beautiful patterns for sale. Click here: Trinity Designer Jewelry.)

   

  

This bracelet is titled "China Town" and the vibrant colors are so in keeping with Chinese celebrations. You can almost see dragons in the design, if you look close enough. 

   

These bracelets are stitched using Delica 11/0 beads. Each bead is stitched on, one by one, to create this amazing design. And if you've never seen these beads up close, let me tell you that they are small!

  

   

Here is the bracelet just getting started. 

  

   

I set out each line with the beads I need so I don't miss a color. That little row above the bracelet is the next row of beads I would be working with in this design. 

  

The stitch used for this design is called the brick stitch. The beads sit stacked on top of each other, instead of in staggered rows with the peyote stitch. 

  

  

A close-up of the bracelet, to show off the intricate design. It truly makes a colorful statement when worn! 

  

You can purchase this bracelet in my shop (click here: China Town bracelet). 

  

This is another of Lorraine's designs, "Blue Baubles." It is one of my favorites. You can view it in my shop by clicking here: Blue Baubles

Traditions

Traditions are important to keep a family together. I learned all about keeping traditions from my grandmother. There were things we did each and every holiday, from using a certain set of plates to putting out the special salt and pepper shakers that matched the decorations.
  
I guess that's part of what has been hard the past few years. My parents died five years ago and Granny died two and a half years ago. My daughter is 19 and we are living 600 miles from my family and almost 1000 miles from my husband's family. So all of the traditions that were part of my life are no longer there. 
  
Take this Easter, for example. My husband's job has him working midnights this weekend and my daughter and her boyfriend have to work Easter Sunday. If they are (hopefully) able to make it to church with me, there won't be time for me to make a traditional dinner. 
  
We looked at having it earlier in the week, and even tried to have it sometime next week, but to get my husband, daughter and her boyfriend all here at the same time just isn't possible. So I decided to get creative.
  
Out went the plans for the Easter ham and my Granny's macaroni and cheese recipe. Her broccoli casserole. Deviled eggs. Chocolate cake with homemade icing. 

Instead, I needed to find something that could be cooked in one pan and ready in less than an hour. So, out came the lasagna recipe. (My recipe, because Granny didn't really like Italian.) 

Definitely not what I was looking forward to making this year. But the four of us will be able to sit down for a few precious minutes before they have to scatter...and that is the tradition I will always treasure. 

Don't...Just Don't

Today, one of my friends on Facebook lost her father. It was sudden. I know how that feels. Five years ago I lost my father (only two months after he had a heart attack.) Then my mother, who had been battling a long-term illness, died 28 days later.

Grief sucks. It's unimaginable unless you've been on that crazy train yourself. And while there are really no words that can help take away the grief or pain of loss, we had so many people reach out to us during that time.

"I'm so sorry" was probably what we heard the most. And it helped. People who shared memories and moments they had with my parents also helped us smile through our tears. Hugs. Lots and lots of hugs while we cried.

But not once did someone tell me to not be sad.

My friend had someone tell her not to be sad that her father had died. Three hours after it happened.

I'm hoping that the person who said this to my friend had a heart that was in the right place. She may have meant that he isn't suffering anymore. He's in Heaven and we will see him again one day. She may have meant to think of the good memories that they had with him.

But it was an incredibly insensitive thing to say.

It's OK to be sad. It's OK to be angry. It's OK to hurt and scream and cry and curl up in a ball on the far side of your bed in the corner and not come out for an hour or two. It's OK to want to talk about it one minute and then not want to talk about it the next. It's OK to not want to do things the way you have always done because it hurts too much. It's OK to have feelings. Even the messy ones that make other people uncomfortable.

And these feelings will continue well past the funeral and graveside service.

When my dad died, I looked at my husband and told him I think I finally understood why grief hurts so much. We weren't created to be separated. When God made Adam and Eve, they were supposed to live forever. Together. But choices were made and one of the results of those choices was having to deal with the death of loved ones.

Is there hope that as a Christian, I will see my family again? Absolutely. Is there the promise that we will never be separated again? Definitely.

But for now, grief is the reality that has invaded our lives. And my friend's life as well.

So when you have the opportunity to comfort someone who has lost a loved one, please give them the best gift of all...the gift of grieving, in their own way. Stand by their side, hold their hand, do a load of laundry for them, bring over a meal and dessert, keep asking them to join you to do things you guys have always enjoyed (and let them say no without making them feel guilty), let them talk, let them share the same memory over and over again, let them ask the unanswerable questions without trying to answer...


Just please, whatever else you do, do not tell them to not be sad.

Thursday's Treasures - It's a Spring Thing!

Bright and brilliant colors are the hallmarks of spring...yellow daffodils, red tulips, purple hyacinths, and a whole range of other flowers make their appearance as the weather starts to get warm.

   

The brilliant sheen of copper wire makes the design of these sea glass earrings perfect for the upcoming warmer weather. 

  

  

Sea Glass Earrings  

  

I have been collecting sea glass for years and finding two pieces of sea glass that are similar enough in size, shape and color to create this breathtaking pair of earrings took quite a few trips to the beach and hours of sorting through piles and piles of gorgeous sea glass! 

   

 Brown sea glass and copper wire create a unique color combination. Both on the warm side of the color wheel, they compliment each other in an earthy kind of way. Orange lucite flower beads and dark orange frosted glass beads are accented with an antique copper bead cap and the same copper wire that the sea glass is wrapped with to create the upper part of the design. Copper ear-wires complete the look. 

   

These earrings can be purchased here: 
Sea Glass Earrings 

You can view my shop here: 
Whispering Mountain Designs 

  

Have an awesome week!