It is difficult to take super-macro photos while holding two dogs on leashes and a cup of coffee, but it is not impossible. Here are a few shots of the flora we saw.
The little dogs and I were out for a walk yesterday morning. Despite the fact that it was just after 8 AM, the air was so humid that I felt as if I were walking around at an indoor swimming pool. The dew had not burned off yet and it was already blazing hot. We were out a little earlier than usual for the summer because I like to avoid walking when my neighbors are speeding down the street trying not to be late for church. We were fairly successful, but did have a problem about a mile from the house when we encountered the Methodist minister's dogs running loose. These dogs are old and escape artists, and I have on occasion driven over to the church to let them know the Revs dogs are taking a walk without him. I'm not sure how much difference it makes because he doesn't walk them with leashes anyhow.
Just as Coltrane loves Lulu, Mingus adores Gracie. She is a large, short-haired, black with white markings, heavily muscled, old, Heinz-57. Mingus was doing his happy dance and sniffing noses with her. She somehow turned and scared Coltrane-the-wanna-be-tough-guy, who snapped at her. She snapped at him. Cries from my baby boy ensued, and I ended up picking Coltrane up in my arms (unhurt, but scared). He was fully recovered in six seconds. Gracie and her brother dog wanted to keep walking with us, but I shooed them away in order to keep the peace.
Viking knit fascinates me. I love wrapping the wire, then pulling a small piece through the draw plate to get something huge. I started a few little pieces in single knit, but could not understand how the double knit worked (despite fairly detailed drawings in Art Jewelry, Sept. 2009). Next I took a little class at Lizette's Great Beadginnings in Havana, FLA. Apparently I was missing the forest for the trees. The double knit was not the giant leap forward I made it out to be in my head, it was simply focusing on counting the rungs and not the loops that was getting in my way (here are some vk directions, some tips, some discussion of double knit with lots of pictures to clear up repeated confusion, i.e., rows = rungs). I think this might be enough to get you started. Below are a few photos of my first attempt. This is all single knit, but you can see that I started with lots of petals.
I decided to start with eight petals - what was I thinking!
This shows you how long my piece was before drawing it.
After going through the draw plate.
You can compare the length to the first photo.
Patinaed, tumbled, and sporting some beads.
If you try this yourself, don't run out and look for a drawplate. I made mine from a piece of scrap wood into which I drilled holes. I made mine in much the same way as is shown here. I have a huge selection of bits and probably started with something like 1/2 in. and continued making holes until I got down to a fairly small diameter. As I was drilling holes in the board, mine is a long and slender, not rectangular with a handle, I kept thinking of the paddle used for corporal punishment favored by my PE teacher in junior high. Not that I have any first hand knowledge - just seeing that paddle kept me dressing for gym all three years.
And yes, that is rosemary growing behind the ceramic lantern I used for a photo prop. I bought a little pot in the veggie section of Publix and it has grown like crazy. I snip and snip at it when I cook so it has bushed out to the point that I actually have to prune it.
I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that Andrew Thornton's Thursday Giveaway is six glowing Basha beads! Go on over to his site to throw your hat in the ring for these gorgeous beads.
In my haste to get started making something from the fabulous bead soup Marcie from La Bella Joya sent to me, I completely forgot to take a picture of it. Today I backtracked and took apart some pieces in order to take a picture. Right now there are some copper pieces I made hardening in the tumbler, so in a few hours I should get back to work on my piece. I have some beads all wired up, but this should give you an idea of the fun package I received.
Marcie handmade the beautiful copper, paper, and resin pendant. She also sent along some seed beads because she knew that I would take them and create some components (indeed, I have, but I will save the reveal for the 20th). You can find more pendants at Marcie's Etsy shop; I think my favorite is the pretty round Home is Where the Heart Is. She is having a sale right now.
Although terribly hot yesterday, the humidity was down even after days of rain. I sat on the side porch in the evening and spotted two amorous lizards on the leg of a chair. The males have been scurrying around for days puffing out their throats to display a red dragon beard and doing lots of tiny push ups. There have been lizards hopping here there and everywhere doing acrobatic feats to get from one place to another. The porch has been a little like an episode of Jersey Shore. This evening I discovered a male and a female in an embrace.
I had to raise the flash to get the photo and these poor babies must have thought they were seeing fireworks.
Coltrane is the fuzzy little bunny butt on the right. Lulu is my neighbor's Boston terrier. You can't tell from this end, but she has one brown eye and one blue eye. Coltrane and Lulu are almost exactly the same age and he has loved her since they were puppies. They run and roll and frolic. Lulu is a frenetic ball of energy; she zooms around wheezing and snorting, and even when she is standing in one spot, she seems to be in motion. Mingus, the red one below, doesn't quite know what to make of the little whirlwind of a dog, but he enjoys the game.
Lulu followed us on our morning walk. When we got home she came in for some water and dog wrestling.
My love affair with stamps began many years ago, but it was only in the past three that my collection has grown. I started stamping my students' papers as I went around the room to check their warm-up work. It was intended as motivation - to get them to hurry up when I started making my rounds. It has worked splendidly and they even started buying me stamps and stamp pads.
I brought them home to clean them after students used them in a preposition activity.
I started playing with polymer clay last fall about the same time I picked up seed beads. I'm not really sure what was happening in my mind, but I know it had something to do with frustration at not being able to buy beads where I live. Yes, yes, I buy lots on the internet, but there is something about holding them in your hands, seeing the color, texture, size, and weight that is essential to me. I thought perhaps I could make some of my own beads when I needed something in a particular size, shape, or color. Needless to say, during the school year I have too many irons in the fire and not nearly enough focus to really explore any medium. Here is a little peak at a few of the things I've made with pc and with pc and stamps.
This is white clay with polyclay glazes to look like a tile.
A little distressed. It has a hole at top and bottom for links. Need to add these.
Little birds with a polyclay glaze and some extra distressing and splotches of color.
I made the stamp for this one with an impression from a picture frame. It is translucent clay and ink.
A poppy in need of some more detail and a clear glaze.
A bee experiment with glaze.
A mold made from a stamp which clearly I must clean.
