Keeping warm with Bead Soup

My soup ingredients arrived from Janet today with an amazing variety of beads...oh my gosh these are fun. Look at the incredible houses from Jubilee , handmade ceramic beads from Gaea and a patina brass bead from MissFickleMedia. Janet made for me a brass clasp and also sent along a stash from Michael's like the coral colored ceramic beads and Industrial Chic components. This is a creative smorgasborg and ideas are circling my head already, you are sure to find me under the electric blanket with my sketchbook jotting down ideas.

Guess what!!! I'm at 199 posts that means my next one is a giveaway to celebrate.

Angie

He gets me

...really he does. Today Bob came across this Calvin and Hobbes comic then commented he was going to enlarge it and hang it over our bed.

Is winter over yet??

Angie

Bead Soup Sneak Peek

A sneak peak at part of the soup ingredients I sent to Janet at Singingwoods.

This is my first time participating and I always get those jitters when I do something new...did I send enough, or maybe too much, will it arrive safe and sound...you know what I mean??

Angie

Winter Weather Survival Mode

It's 1 in the morning and guess what..it's snowing again. Probably just a couple of inches but ah now it's time for the million dollar question...will the kiddos have school in the morning??

More snow means more time under my electric blanket... but I added a few goodies to help ease the pain of this frosty winter. First let me show off this beautiful handmade tea steeping mug sent by my best friend all the way from New Jersey. I love, love, love it. I have been using it since it showed up on my doorstep in December but with regular tea bags because I have never used loose teas.

So let me pause for a moment to tell you an experience I had back in 2004 when I was on a day cruise down the Ohio River on a steamboat dressed in a historical 1860's costume (maybe someday I'll share more..lol). The cruise included lunch served by The BonBonerie, accompanying our food was the most wonderful tea I'd ever tasted...apricot...I have searched ever since then for some shelf brand tea that had apricot but it just simply didn't exist. Thinking again on how to buy loose leaf teas for my new mug I did what any 21st century adult does..I googled it...and there it was ...apricot loose leaf tea! Didn't waste a moment sticking it in the virtual cart, along with a few other varieties to sample, and wait for it to arrive on my doorstep.
Add to my tea excitement a little gem of a book I found while the the family took a quick jaunt to the library this evening, Past Objects by Scott Jordon. The story is a fascinating yet short autobiography about a 'digger', an amateur untrained archaeologist, who has been unearthing treasures in New York since the 1970's.
The rest of the book is a brief catalog of his most precious finds.

Little known 'Angie fact'..I briefly studied archeology in college but in the end moved toward a 'more acceptable' history major. Needless to say this book is a good accompaniment for my electric blanket and apricot tea.

Stay warm,

Angie

snow day = blog day

The call arrived at 6am..no snow on the ground... but no school. A "big" storm is coming so I guess they figure no sense in getting the kiddos off to school just to turn around and get them a few hours later. Oh well I don't mind sort of expected it and I rushed out last night to finish up my accounts for the week. I am free as a bird today.

It's a good time to catch up with my projects..here's a sneak peak at the very early stages for my eggs in the swap being held by Thimbleprims. Today is the last day if your interested in signing up, just click the badge on my sidebar for more info.

This is pretty cool, I've been trying to figure out how to dye crocheted pieces without actually going the messy route of actual dying..does that make any sense?? Looking around the studio I grabbed the alcohol inks, saturated the thread and let them dry for a few days. When I rinsed them out with soap/water some of the the color washes out and becomes more muted but that is what I was looking for.
Struggling with my 'imperfect but productive' resolution already, these guys gave been on my work table for weeks..why not in the shop... ^shrug^.

Here is the book I made last week, taught by Barbara in her home. How cool is this!
It's leather wrapped with five signatures bound in place.
I can't thank Barb enough for taking the time and providing the materials. I just love learning something new.
Well there you have it..all caught up.. but it's early and the snow is still coming down. I guess if the kids are off again tomorrow I'll have to post again..lol.

Angie

Back on the wagon

...the blogging wagon that is, yeah I know it's been really inconsistent lately, such a good thing I didn't make a New Year's Resolution to blog more often..ha ha

Winter months can be hard on me mentally. It is cold here averaging about mid 20's to 30's each day, very little sun, and oh the snow..yuck. I have been very bad about spending time under the nice warm electric blanket reading and drinking tea. What I should be doing is making and blogging.. but oh the basement is SOOO cold unfortunately that is where the studio and the computer happen to be located.

Here I am with lots to share. Lets start with my dear blogging friend Marie who sent me a package full of giveaway goodies that helped to warm my heart.

As Ms. Maria and I opened each little gift we ohhhed and ahhed. Oh the vintage goodness, the creams and browns... look at this heart with lace, ribbon, pearls, delightful rhinestone button and stamped aged tag!
This little box was hiding within a lovely stained crochet piece and an altered bottle cap.
This plaque she made is stunning..the paper, the little girl, all embellished with vintage style trims. Then speckled eggs in a basket, I've been thinking for days on the best place to put them so I can look at them all year round.
A little pad of paper with a folk art snowman had a sweet note from Marie, and finally hiding at the bottom of the box an altered journal. I remember reading on her blog about her lucky find locating these journals to alter..just darling.
Marie you totally out did yourself, always so kind and generous!! It is always a treat read your blog daily and of course, to win one of your giveaways.

But there's more to share...I joined up to participate in Bead Soup...for the first time.

I really want to try some new challenges and this will be a great one. Lori Anderson of Pretty Things absolutely outdoes herself with this blog party where you are partnered up with another blogger ...swap a mixture of beads...make beautiful jewelry and share your work. I've been partnered up with Janet of Singingwoods, she puts together some beautiful combinations. You can check out her blog and her shop if you have a moment.

Yes I have done more in the last two weeks but not much..worked a bit, snow days home with the kids on occasion, made a book by hand (more on that later) but mostly I'm under the blanket. I think Mr Bob is really second guessing that choice as my Christmas gift this year...

Stay warm wherever you are,

Angie