Lots to share!

My post is going to contain the result of that "AHA" I received the other day. It will include some other photos from some of my favorite and not so favorite works around my house.





Here is a hand painted and beaded fabric square and pillow. After seeing Sesga's neat little table I thought I would share what my visitors see when they walk through my front door (most of the time) I am not proud of the mess I make, but I am often very pleased with what emerges from this pile! Hope you enjoy the creativity and are inspired to create your own (even if it only starts out as a mess, like my table!)
Have a blessed day, Remember that He chose you before the earth was even formed to go forth and bear much fruit!

Picture punnies

If you have read my posts,you know that I had trouble with my computer and camera not talking to each other. My hubby solved that by including the printer into the circle- unbiased third party, LOL. The printer has a port for my camera memory card-heehehe. I emailed a lady that I take photos and send to at the church and told her about my woes. When I managed to load the photos, I had to work out the settings to get them into the program I prefer to use. When the door is closed, a window is open. So I told her I had no problems climbing through windows. She emailed me back telling me that she was pleased that I was flexible as it was an important life skill to have. I tell you she is so punny! It is such a pleasure to help her out in her service to the church. It is a blessing to have such a wonderful church family.

Without further ado, I would like to show you the spoons I created- Last Week!

The dragonfly one has clear resin in it and the other two have a metalic addative to the resin. I hope to have these listed in my etsy shop soon.


I did get that "AHA" I felt creeping up and I will share that with you soon too. It will get done sooner if I get back to work on it now. Have a beautiful and blessed Day!

Creative nap

I have had alot to keep up with lately so I think I have been on a creative nap so to speak. I have made several doll forms to send to other beaders, but not much else. I started the mermaid and.... I am not satisfied. I keep telling myself to keep going she will love it but... I just don't want to look at it! I think I will begin again, Mr Finigin. I have even drawn up several sketches for the BFAC project, and was pleased with them...at first. If I wasn't so hard to please, I could breeze thru them all! I have just decided to take a lil break and work on something else.--- Like CLEANING! LOL Now that my house is clean for a little while, maybe I will get into a creative gear. I can sense something awakening, like an "AHA" moment coming.

I spoke with Rosalie this morning and had a great time. Thanks for the fellowship dear!

I had wanted to show you some photos of the spoons I finished, but my USB cable in not computing! GRRR.. technology. Guess I am going to have to buy a new one so my camera will moonlight with my computer.

I have been blessed with some quiet moments today and tomorrow is no school and no one is coming over- so I may get some real meditation time! If you don't take time to meditate on His word, it is hard to keep a good attitude. I have seen mine slipping lately so it is time to dig deeper in the Word!
Have a blessed day!

Laying low

I am working on yet another project that I cannot reveal until it is recieved. OhhHH but I want to! I am making the mermaid for my swap partner Gerri. I have been very tired this weekend and the weather has turned windy and cool- northern wind again. I should be bouncing around again soon.

I was blessed by the opportunity to take pictures at our Friend's Day at church. a lady came that I had wanted to invite but I didn't know how to contact her- I met her at the local skating rink. I noticed she was the because my cousin was talking to her and I went to give my cousin a hug. I looked over and.... there she was. She had received an add in the mail about our event!

My sweet husband was very kind this morning! When he made the coffee, he took out my special mug out of the dishwasher and set it in front of the coffee pot. This doesn't seem like much until you wrestle with the broken top tray of my dishwasher when you are still staggering around half asleep! It was very thoughtful of him. I say it all the time and I will say it again-- I am blessed! He treats me like a "princess".

Here is a remarkable photo of our house after all the braces were removed. This was the result of some of the concrete spilling over from the peak of the wall and it landed on one of the braces and the cross timber of the cross was where the brace was screwed to the wall with a "hat". This will be covered up by siding, but it will never wash off. It has stormed here several times and it is still there! It brings up some powerful emotions from joy to awe to sorrow for those who don't know what this really means!

What a Mighty God we serve!

What a whirlwind!

Well I have been busy lately. I Have had several pieces to send out-- Many of which will be going to JJ from my ATC group. I have been crowned the "Queen of altered Art" and will hopefully be hosting monthly altered "things" swaps there. It seems I have become quite the hostess- here that mom?- I did manage to get those in the mail today after a scenic and unfruitful drive to the post office at closing time yesterday. I am also hosting a Beads and Babes swap on BAD. I received a large parcel today and was amazed at what was in it. Not only was there a swap kit, but there where a bunch of extra doll forms and faces to pass along to all the players. There was also something special just for me.


I also received some special cards from Phyllis-- Thank you, dear! I tried to email you twice but it bounced--that mailer demon is making a mess of my email attempts! I would post a pic of them but since they are copyrighted, I can't. They are beautiful images of watercolor paintings done by Phyllis herself-- if I could paint like that- somebody would shoot me and rob me of my talents!
Today was such a busy day for me. A friend came over for a crafty day of fun. I was unable to land today for an insatiable hunger. Once I ate a big lunch I couldn't focus. But MY son came home with another new friend. Here he is holding a sweet frog that he named "Spotlight" because we tried hard to get a good photo of the little thing. Here is the little creature I am told by my husband that he is a Leopard frog.
I added patches to a Scoutmaster uniform for my cousin's "emergency" and provided her with some stamps for the camporee passports (for the events at camporee). It was great because she provided me with the opportunity to work on a war bonnet kit that she bought to assemble and had to purchase a full headdress instead- it was too much for her to to in the amount of time she had. I always wanted to see those kits up close to decide if I wanted to just buy the parts or the kit for one. Now, no more wondering. If I don't mess it up, she will pay me to make it plus what I paid her for the kit returned to me. It is a win, win. It appears to be easy. Assembly is all-- piece of cake, right? I really thought it would be harder. Guess that was just me making things harder than they have to be again.
I have been contacted by my Mermaid swap partner and I have no clue where to begin,LOL. She has been here so she knows what I do and I have asked her for some clues. I know it has to be a mermaid!
I am also looking for two more commitments to bead on a project for the Turtles of Hope project . http://www.atawhisper.com/PRT4QRules.htm I have found one firm commitment and one I am not sure of. I will need 3 beaders total (not counting me) for a project that will not be done until August.
I hope that you have Blessed Day and love on all those little ones in your life.

NO photos

I don't have any photos to share today. I know you are thinking I am a slacker! LOL! I have been working diligently on my PIF gifts and you know I can't post a picture of them yet. If you didn't get to play yet you may be able to go to JJ's blog and get involved. You won't be sorry. I have been having a great time making things with specific individuals in mind. I will be recreating that pretty little dragonfly fork tomorrow for her too, I sooo hope I can do "it again Sam". I had a wonderful conversation with JJ today on the phone, talk about reach out and touch someone! I am so glad she phoned me- it is so much easier to talk ninety to nuthin' instead of typing it.
Been having a bit of a go around with the children lately, the changing season has been challenging us all. One thing has changed for sure, Dad is not having any of it this time! He has been putting his foot down. Literally- he bangs the floor with his heel (one time) and it makes a loud sound and the kids scramble! It catches me off guard sometimes and I even jump! LOL
I was a little saddened to find my prayer class over but my spirit was lifted when the Pastor said that he would be teaching for the next 5 weeks on finding the will of God ( I have recently found some scripture concerning this very topic). He kicked it off with scripture stating that the will of God is for us to give Thanks in all things! Boy if we do that we would groan a lot less, right? So what are you thankful for tonight? I am thankful to be called a child of God, to have a wonderful husband who supports me in all things, to have my kids at home with me to train them to be what He is calling them to be, to have a supportive church body, to have friends who are not afraid to tell me when my zipper is down, and to be an encouragement to others. I am thankful for you too, God bless you!

Oh, Brother

My brother came to visit me on Saturday on his brand new Harley. I was very excited to see him. We don't visit much but there is a very strong bond between us. Since our sister passed away last year, we decided we had better stay in contact more often. I was able to share with him the triumph of new walls for our house. I had thrown some steaks and brats on the grill just moments before he arrived unannounced, well except for that sweet sound of a Harley coming up the drive. I didn't know this, but he loves brats and his fiance won't cook them! So, it pleased me to be able to serve a meal that he doesn't usually get. I know he is gonna be hanging his head and using my middle name but here is a picture of him and His NEW HOG. Congratulations Bubba, I am so proud of you! Miles may have separated us when we were kids but it couldn't break the bond we have!

I am so blessed to have such a caring and dedicated brother. We only had five short years to bond before we were split up as children. It doesn't matter, there were times when I recongnized his voice but not the man in front of me who's mouth it came out of. Earlier on Saturday I had been chatting about those southern speech patterns that I have grown to associate with my brother and then -- Here he comes! There is a special place in my heart for him and I count it as a HUGE blessing.

New work for Etsy

I am going to list all of my creations for my etsy shop here for a few days. I want to make sure someone doesn't "speak" for it before I go thru the listing process. Those PIF'ers feel free to tell me that "you want that" or I will be sending you a complete suprise!



Beaded doll is 3 1/2 X 11/4 inches- almost small enough to fit in a mint tin ( she is just too thick).

An alteredwire whisk with blue wire wrapped beads and a cross charm and a shrimp fork beautifully done with wild plum colored (dyed) blister pearls.

I have done forks-- how bout these spoons? More spoons to come after a few more experiments. Ihope you enjoy looking at all this neat stuff. They are available at the Craft Mall on the Square in Decatur Tx, on the north side of the the historical Wise County Courthouse. Seeing how I like to talk, I have the job of promoting the shop.
Have a blessed day!

I Got it!

I got this big box in the mail today. My son brought it in and I thought it must be my husband's since I didn't order anything. Well, to my suprise, it was for me-- from Barbara J. OHHH I took special care opening it because I had no Idea what was inside. This was the PIF she sent me. The purple round container had some goodies in side it. Chocolate to lighten the beading spirit and everything you need (except the needle, I have plenty of those anyhow) to get going on a beady project ( beeswax, thread, beads, cabs, a button, a bead scoop and even some polymer face beads) not to mention a nifty container to take it all with you. That is not all she sent though. The PIF states to send something handmade, and she did. I saved the best for last! She sent me this doll and first it smells wonderful- Like the" ladies you know will be nice to you" and it is a very earthy scent. AND she must have sent someone to look at my house because it matches my decorum PERFECTLY! The greens and reds and oranges- and the feathers are great. The green wire really brings out the green in my peacock feathers. She has found her new home on top of the tv. I am sure she will be nurturing my family while they sit listlessly in front of the tube.

I am so blessed to have a beautiful doll made by such a talented artist. I will have to get better photos in the morning when the light is on the other side of the room. This photo does not show all the wonderful details as well as I had hoped it would, but I am so excited that I had to share it with all my blogger buddies. I have posted a PIF too (in a previous post) that still has room for someone to receive a handmade pretty from me as well. Barbara has set the bar high and I intend to keep it there. Many thanks to you Barbara I am just smitten with her. Did she come with a name?

Again I tell you, I am blessed!

Puzzle purse

I finished my puzzle doll "Babe" and attached her to a canvas bag from Hobby Lobby. Her she is completed with a new make-over. After adding eyes and that green lil corky curl, how could you resist her? Now she is truly a sweet "Babe"

I think it will make a fine bag for a "going to meetin' bag". It has 3 pockets on the front and she was sewn onto the center one. "Orange" you glad I finished her? This one is dedicated to "My orange diva twin" Sandi W.
Have a blesssed day! I know I have been blessed according to His riches and Glory!

Pay It Forward

Many of you have played "pay it forward" but for those who have never heard of it, an explanation is necessary. The first three to comment on wanting to play, pledge to offer the "pay it forward" on their blog as well. In return for your comments I will send you each a handmade gift within the next year. Please, be sure to email me your snail mail address so I can send you your gift. I will be sending it sooner rather than later- not wanting to engage the forgetful realm. Thanks goes out to Barbara J. (who's blog I commented on) for paying it forward.

So let's spread a little love around and PAY IT FORWARD!

Pay It Forward rules: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange (and email me their mailing address), and who make the same pledge on their own blogs.I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward meaning you will do the same for three people who comment on your blog.

New things to add to My Etsy

I now have a link to my Etsy shop, http://beaded2bless.etsy.com/. I will be adding these two little jewels to it today. I sold the fork I had listed there this week, so now I must replace it with a new one. Here it is..

It has a plum colored dyed blister pearl as the top focal bead and a large faceted turquoise flower bead for the center focal, The purple pearl is adds a little movement, and the frame at the bottom that says "cry out to Jesus". I also have my first little beaded doll that has this phrase on it and I carry it in my purse always. The frame is secured with wire and the tines of the fork.

The next piece is an altered domino using Technique Tuesday stamps. On the front are Love birds stamped and painted and on the back are hearts with swirls. It has a chain that is about 18 inches. Linked to the chain are copper "sequins" and turquoise swarovsky bicones and these neat little copper colored faux pearls.

I met the mother of the lady who bought the first fork I showed here. She was sent by her daughter to purchase another one of my items- a beaded doll in an altered tin. What a blessing it was to meet her! After talking with her I have decided to put together a few kits to make some beaded dolls. I also talked with a lady on BAD who was dissatisfied with a kit she purchased- I know I can create a lovely kit with well made doll forms, so be looking for that in my etsy shop soon.

I have had a blessed day and I sincerely hope you have too. Blessings to you and to your family from our Father in Heaven who loved you before He created the earth.

Blogger Awards

I am here to pass on a special award to five of my blogger friends, just as it was passed to me my Sesga on http://sesgaloves1950s.blogspot.com/. Thank you Sesga for giving me this opportunity to honor those who have touched my heart with their design, creativity, interesting material, and their heart.

My first award goes to Dot Lewallen at http://speediebeadie.blogspot.com/. She has connected me with some fantastic people at BAD and BDZ, and she has learned to put her heart into her beadwork (by beading things that are of personal significance). Thank you so much Dot you are such an inspiration.

My second award goes to Pat Winter at http://comfortdolls.blogspot.com/. She has encouraged women all over to make a special little doll to send to comfort battered women at shelter's all over the nation and even abroad. What a beautiful encouragement to women every where to love and upift one another. Thank you Pat, you too have become a special friend!

My third award goes to Phyllis at http://phylliskingartworks.blogspot.com/.She always emails me such encouraging comments about my blog. Even though she has been unable to get them to post, she still takes the time to email me one. What a special proofreader you are, LOL. I alway love to hear from you even if others can't read your encouraging words. Thank you, Phyllis.

My fourth award goes to Monica Magness at http://girl-gone-thread-wild.blogspot.com/. Though we have never exchanged words or emails, I have visited her blog often and am always hearing of how she has touched the lives of so many of the people I do know. You are a hero to many women, Monica.

Now the fifth and final award goes to Rosalie at http://greenbrier-rose.blogspot.com/. This lady holds a special place in my heart. She is always beating the odds of illness and coming out on top. She is blessed, talented, and loved by many. What a wonderful friend, she has a great sense of humor and a down to earth personality. Love you Rosalie.

There were many more blogs and people I would love to have honored but I was limited to only 5 and I count myself blessed to know more than five people who encourage and uplift me daily.

Right now for the instructions on your part all you Award winners
1 you pick 5 blogs you consider worthy For their CREATIVITY,DESIGN.INTERESTING MATERIAL ,AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE BLOGGING WORLD .
2 Each award must have name of author and a link to their blog .so everyone can go to visit their blog.
3 each award winner must display award and link to person which gave their award .(click on picture of award then save as )
4 The award winner and the one who has given the Award must show link to Artypico ,so everyone will know origin of award .http://arteypico.blogspot.com/

Building Site

Today we poured the concrete for our IFC house. The pump truck was beautiful against the blue sky. Here it is just waiting for the concete mixers.

Here is the great big boom from the other side of the house. I call this photo industiral art. I also took on that has my hubby in it to show the scale. But I don't think he wants to be on my blog.

I have been needing to get a photo of me, but you have a hard time taking a photo of yourself. So when my son was bringing me my camera, he thougt it would be good if he took a few photos first. I cropped this one so you don't wonder which one is me. So- here I am after just rolling out of bed, throwing on clothes, and shoveling cement. The goofy look on my face is a "Yeah, I see you, would you just bring me the camera and quit playing with it." I had to delete 6 pics of the ground from Mr Snaphappy.( but he did get this rare photo)

I have more to share tomorrow. I am very tired from today and taking 5 kids skating tonight. Oh, I got news from the "Shop" and a lady bought the fork today and wants more work too. Have a blessed day, and I will post about the exciting award I recieved from Sesga and a PIF notice.

Still not done!

My cousin's dear daughter called me today. She is one of my special children! She is a college student and calls me from time to time. I am younger than her mom and older than she is with a lot of experience under my belt. She is a bright young lady and I have told her before that I wished she had been my daughter- or that if I had one, I would want my child to be like her. I told her of my new blog and she went to it right away. I mentioned from one of my posts that I haven't had time to make anything today either. She told me that I did make something today. "You made me happy," she said. What a sweet girl, I love to hear how intellegent she is and how the Lord continues to lead her. So todays post is for her ( I know she will be reading this soon.)

RAOK received today from Sandi @ ATC connection- titled " I love orange" on the envelope she wrote "to my orange diva twin"

Magic Carpet beginings themes- Floral Fantasy for the B.D.Z. group

Puzzle Piece Doll Challenge progress pics for B.A.D.

Here are the corset ATCs that I am not so happy with. Not exactly what I planned. I am going to do a few more that are different. Hope you enjoyed the many "in progress" photos as they are STILL NOT DONE. Have a blessed day.