Temptations

NY3RB4688774 

I want it all!  Great stuff from Etsy. Members of  CASTteam, Christian Artist Street Team.
  mattscraftywife   

 
rustiqueart                              

  baruchslullaby                  

 

julieandco 

 

Trees

I seem to be obsessed with the weather lately, as are so many others. Over the last couple of days I took a few cool pictures. the one above was about 7:30 AM  Monday morning. This picture does not show the depth and beauty of the sky that morning. This was facing northwest, the sun was behind me. I took a chance of being late for work that morning because I could not for the life of me let this go without pictures. I guess I took about 19 from different angles, the colors were unbelievable. I'm always disappointed with the pictures because I can't  feel them the way I can when I'm looking at the scene.

This one I took this evening, about 5:30, on my way home from work. This hill is in front of my house. The sky was dark, with these pockets of sunshine here and there. It seemed that everywhere I saw a good shot I couldn't get off the road. I finally got this one on the road I live on, which has practically no traffic and I stopped dead the road. At least most of the people driving on this road are neighbors, who would be tolerant of their "somewhat odd" acquaintance parked in the middle of the road. We're all used to people doing this to see the deer, anyway.

I have had an affinity for nature, and trees in particular, for a long time, I guess all my life. A few days ago I was working on a gourd and decided it was going to have a tree theme, and It occurred to me that the reason I was so in tune with them was that they are reaching  towards heaven. If you've ever been in a forest, you can see how the trees all grow up, reaching higher, their branches thinner at the bottom than the top,reaching for the sun. If something gets in the way of a branch it will strive to go around or through it to continue it's reach upward. As we reach towards the Son, and the Father.
The next day, I read a blog post by Phyllis Ducey of pfdoriginal artworks on the Etsy CASTteam blog.
It brought me full circle, not only the reaching branches but the roots that anchor us and keep us steady and continually growing.

collecting

I had a great day yesterday, I helped my husband cut wood (he cuts and I load) which meant I got to get out in the woods. The weather has been so nasty it's been a while since I've been out. The weather was cold but still, in the woods anyway, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

He cuts deadfall, and a lot of it has been dead long enough that the bark is peeling off, which means GOODIES!!! Which in my case means beautiful pieces of lichen and bark to bring home. I brought home a few pieces, but there are a lot waiting for me when I go back.

 

 We're supposed to be getting 10 to 13 inches of snow tonight, so it may be  a few days until I can go back.1

I finally got up the nerve to cut into my big gourd

I have an idea of how I want to proceed but of course it will change several times.I Never end up the way I started. This is actually the back. Cutting was  was the hardest part, now I'm cookin'.

I'm working on opening a second shop on Etsy, I hope to get it started tomorrow. I want to use it for photos and other things that don't fit into the theme of Beantree Designs. I'll post it here when I get it going. 

Blessings.

 

More Goodies

 I had planned to spend today in my studio, but as often happens with me plans didn't pan out.. Instead I spent the most of the day on the net, I hope doing productive things. I'm going to say I did, anyway.
One thing I did was look back through my Etsy favorites again, which of course sent me off looking at other great things.

ara133photography

RozArt 

  

NewCreatioNZ









TotallyCrosses

I went outside today and took some pictures of the ice that was coating everythnig from the freezing rain we've had yesterday and today. it was starting to melt and drip and I think I got some cool pictures.

Sometimes I worry myself. As I was going arournd the front yard I thought "wouldn't it be great to get a picture of the birdhouse with ice on the plant", kind of a partner to this picture, from my Etsyshop.http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37421520 

Anyone care to guess where I'm going with this?

IT'S WINTERTIME. IT'S COLD. THERE ARE NO PLANTS
FOR THE WATER TO DRIP OFF OF.
Duh.

Oh well, I did get a lot of cool pictures of the bare branches

Etsy Goodies

I've been lurking on Etsy for a long time, but since I started selling last month and started learning how the site really works, I've gathered a LOT of "hearts" for items I would love to have and artist who have talent to spare.
For the non-Etsyite, you chose to Heart a shop or item that you'd like to buy later, or find later, or just go find again to drool over and admire the talent.  Here are just a few of the many wonderful things I've found. 
Click on the name to go to the Etsy shop page.

TCaponePhoto 

villageofone

visionbydean

ellejewels

jewelrybycarie

I know that a lot of places are a lot colder, with a lot more snow than we have here in Virginia, but I sure am tired of it already.There seems to be a layer of ice and snow that just won't go away. It's been too darn cold for it to melt any. We've had a lot more snow than we usually have by this time of year, and colder earlier, too. It reminds me of the winters we had when I was a kid,which has been a few years ago. Quite a few.(don't ask.)
I've been working on a couple of projects with a new design, I almost have them finished so I'm excited about that. I'll post the to my Etsy shop as soon as I've finished them. Sometimes it takes me a long time to finish something, I'll set it up and keep looking at it until I have an idea what will make it complete. .
Here's part of my "studio" (which is also my storage, junk and exercise room and is converted to a bedroom when my grandkids come to visit.)
I'm the type who has everything thrown around me while I work, where I can reach it if I want it.
This is quite a bit neater than usual.
Everything gets put in boxes and under tables when the conversion to bedroom happens.

















These are items that are "glued up" waiting for the glue to dry. I found that sugar, rice, and popcorn in bags make good weights to hold things where I want them while they dry.






This is my light tent for photos. It cost a total of about $20.
Tablecloths from a clearance table for $4 each and a plain
white sheet give me a choice of how much light to let
through. Clip-on lamps I already had and GE Reveal 100
watt bulbs. Works great for a shoestring budget.

Enter

A new year. Every year as I get older it comes faster, is a little harder to believe,and sound a little stranger. 2010? Twenty ten. I guess it will be even stranger to say twenty eleven. Oh well.
I've been spending my time over the past several weeks entering into what has been a dream of mine for years, to open a shop online to share some of my projects with everyone hoping that they will enjoy them. I can't remember a time I haven't loved making things. I learned to sew and crotchet as a child, loved to draw and paint and collect rocks and watch bugs and birds and grow plants, and I haven't outgrown any of it. My husband and sons have a running joke about my "rocks and sticks". Why else would God make me love them so much if he didn't want me to bring them home with me? And if I love them so much, isn't it logical for me to want to share? Although I will admit logic isn't always my forte.
After a while I started to try different ways to bring all those things together, so that maybe other people could see the beauty in them the same way I do.
I do some beading, polymer clay, glass fusing, and am trying to learn (off and on) lampwork. I think digital cameras where invented just for me, because I have loved taking pictures since I was a kid , too. Now I can take as many of one thing as I want and pick out the good ones to keep. Of course, the collector in me doesn't want to delete the bad ones.
I want this blog to be something others will enjoy, also, and would love to hear what you think. I will make a real effort to stay up-to-date.