Studio Wednesday

Oct15

I’ve had a really lousy week so far so I decided to cheer myself up with some lemon and orange slices. No, not the fruit and no, not the candy that looks like the fruit but the polymer clay cane variety. I’ve been thinking of making a fring-y bracelet for awhile now, using lemon, orange, lime and pink grapefruit cane slices, and today was the perfect day to start that project!

I took a break around mid-day and went for a nice long walk. What a beautiful warm fall day. It was so peaceful and quiet except for the swishing sound of my sneakers on the newly fallen golden leaves. I love their sweet dry smell. The sky was so blue and the trees were ablaze in orange, red, gold and maroon. As I looked up at the trees, I could see the leaves falling down like a soft rain whenever the breeze kicked up. A perfect moment…

Back from Texas

Oct12

I returned home from Texas last night, very tired but very happy that I could attend such a special event in my son’s life. It was an amazing experience, one that I now share with millions of parents across this great country of ours. To all of the young men and women making the decision to serve our country, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your proud service and selfless dedication.

I stayed up to watch too much of the Red Sox game last night when I returned home so, in light of this tired stupor I find myself in, I am postponing my Saturday Morning Tea til next week. To all of my loyal tea review readers, thank you for your patience. If there is a specific kind of tea that you would like to see me review, please let me know.

Studio Wednesday

Oct8

Today was not the usual full day in my studio as I was organizing and packing for my trip to Texas tomorrow. I was able to string the necklace for my turquoise cabochon. Originally, I wanted to have each strand directly attached to the beadwork framing the cabochon but the beads didn’t lay right when I tried it. Then I tried adding a bead in between a couple of the caramel picot beads on top. As I did that, I realized that I could peyote stitch a piece coming out of the top. Furthermore, that piece could be built up 3 rows, one for each of my necklace strands. The small oval turquoise beads were purchased at the Whole Bead show a couple of weekends ago. I brought the cab with me to the show so I could match the color of the turquoise. It’s amazing how many different colors turquoise beads can be! I’m still mulling over what to do with the clasp.

I also got a little time in on my September journal bracelet. The turquoise beads on either side of the tree spirit face were also purchased at the Whole Bead show. I love the crackle pattern in them.

I looked on the Weather.com website and saw that it will be 87 degrees down in Texas. It’s a good thing I hadn’t put my summer clothes away just yet. Be back on Sunday!

Saturday Morning Tea

Oct4

October has always been one of my favorite months. With the trees peaking into a full glory of warm colors, it is a time filled with everything ripe and rich and delicious. Which brings me to my morning tea, this year’s second flush Darjeeling from the Margaret’s Hope estate. Designated as a “muscatel” tea, it has a ripe fruitiness that fills my mouth with each sip.

About 5 weeks ago, I reviewed another second flush Darjeeling, from the Makaibari estate, here. These teas are similar in color; a deep, rich amber, and the taste of harvest fruits. That said, this tea has a more pronounced grapeness that lingers into the finish, staying in my throat long after my sip. There is also a note of sweet, dark currants.

I have a big bag of MacIntosh apples sitting on my kitchen counter and everytime I pass the bag, I think about a nice slice of apple spice bread. Mmmmm, a perfect complement to a rich tea like this.

Next weekend I am headed to San Antonio, TX for my son’s graduation from basic training at Lackland AFB. As I won’t be home until late on Saturday night, my Saturday Morning tea will be postponed until Sunday morning.

Time to go slice some apples!

Studio Wednesday – The Birth of a Freeform Peyote Bracelet, the Final Part

Oct1

For the final phase of my bracelet, I created a rectangular paper template and placed it underneath my beadwork so I could see which areas needed to be built up. You can make a flowing organic shape that does not have straight edges, if you’d like. Use your imagination to draw any shape template to use as a guide.

Now it’s time to create my clasp. Because my bracelet is wide, I’ve decided to place 4 medium size pearls along the left edge to see how they would look.

I like the look so I go ahead and sew them on one at a time, being careful of the spacing as I bead.

Once they’re all placed on my bracelet, I reinforce them by running the thread back through each pearl. This is an important step to make sure they are securely fastened. You can even go through the beads a third time if the holes in your “buttons” allow it. Switching to a thinner needle can help in this process. Now it’s time to add loops to the other side.