Catching Up (SJ Honey Do Challenge and Peek at my Week)

I've been trying to keep a blog calendar of dates on which to blog and their topics. It worked pretty great at the beginning, but lately, I haven't been able to keep up. It may have something to do with it being warm enough to get in the pool...maybe. In any case, Here's a couple of the topics in one post: two weeks worth of peeks at my week and my reveal for SJ Designs Jewelry's Honey Do List for May. I'll start with the easier of the two. 

Sarajo's husband, Eric, sets forth a challenge for her each month in the form of a picture for inspiration. This month, he chose a photo he took while they were in the Denver/Boulder area of a large rock formation. I have to admit that I'm not sure exactly what it was - a mountain, a cliff, some kind of rock wall. I don't know. I do know that while I wasn't initially inspired by the photo, a little thought about it reminded me of a collection of beads and charms that I had paired together and stashed away to work on at another time. Once I finally located the baggie, it took very little time to pull the necklace together. 

The pendant is consists of a darkened steel ring that I made by smashing and riveting two ends of a piece of wire together. From it hang two charms from Petra of Scorched Earth and a small key. (The spike charm has lovely layers that remind me of rock layers.) Above the ring is a Gaea bead. And, the front of the necklace is made of brown and white dyed agate beads with antiqued brass chain at the back. I really think it works perfectly for the challenge. Isn't it weird that I had pulled all this together and just put it aside? It's like I was waiting for this particular inspiration. Thank you to Eric and Sarajo! Make sure to head to SJ Designs Jewelry to see the inspiration picture and what Sarajo and other designers created with it in mind. 

Now, as quick a rundown as I can give of two weeks. 

First up is May 6-12:

For #The100DayProject this week, I focused on altering fabric and lace.

34: I used one of my paint rags and a couple of brass eyelets while at the art retreat to make a simple pair of earrings. 

35: Thin, vintage lace was combined with fold-over crimps and beads to also create earrings. I colored the silver-tone crimps with Vintaj patina for a more aged look. 

36: We eco-dyed fabric and paper while at the art retreat. I cut a small circle of my fabric, sewed on a button, added eyelets, and hung a charm I created with a small shell and resin in a bezel. 

37: Since I'm usually away from home on Wednesdays, you can count on those projects likely being super simple. This was the case here. I simply cut a length of ribbon lace to which I added ribbon crimps (like I do in the velvet bookmark video). From there, it was simply a matter of adding a clasp and a little chain to make the bracelet adjustable. 

38: Using more of the eco-dyed cloth, I cut/tore it into strips and wrapped it in a bead cap to make a quick tassel.

39: I thought I could cut shapes out of lace and make something fabulous. However, I have to admit that I really struggled with this one. And, I'm not sure I like the results either. 

40: This was my favorite of the bunch! I ripped a rectangle from an old tablecloth, bunched it up, and sewed down the edges. I thought I was just going to end up with a simple, wrinkled rectangle. However, in the bunching and sewing, it curved. I was devastated at first but quickly saw the possibilities. So, I added a few more lines of stitching and several mother-of-pearl buttons. Then, tube rivets were added to hang it. I couldn't stop there so the whole necklace was completed with a few more buttons and copper chain.

Sunday was our last full of Art at the Beach 2018. We went to brunch at The Ruby Slipper Cafe in Orange Beach. And, I'm sharing my meal because I overcame my "fear" of eggs Benedict by ordering and devouring two of their specialty versions. So good!

Later on Sunday, we took a quick jaunt to the beach. I snapped this photo of everyone (even my own shadow!)

Back at home on Monday, I was reminded how much I was missed. 

Throughout the week, I had loads of natural surprises to take in and enjoy!

And, I even got a little busy-work done as I aged and sealed wire for later use. 

The following week (last week) was May 13-19.

This week, I altered all the pieces from a set of fancy metal paper clips. All of them were hole-punched in the end for ease of use in jewelry.

41: These were altered with a texture hammer and aged with Novacan black.

42: It took a few tries to figure out how to use the Lisa Pavelka waterslide transfers that I've had on hand for ages. Once the slide was finally on and sealed to the clip, I simply added bead dangles. 

43: The clip was run through an embossing machine to texture it. It was then colored with Vintaj patina. From there, I tried adding beads. It was a struggle as I don't think I used the right materials (thread may have worked better than wire). I'm not completely unhappy with the results, but I had envisioned something a little better. 

44: The center of the clips were altered with a metal stamp with a flower on it. My metal stamping game is pretty low. However, I persisted, adding ebony rub-n-buff to accent the flowers. A few beads were added to hang from the bottom.

45: My disc cutter is still one of my most favorite Christmas gifts ever. I tested its skill and my own by punching a circle from one of the clips and then hanging it from the bottom. I really love the geometric nature of it.

46: Not sure if I could emboss Iced Enamels onto the clips, I gave it a go. And, it worked. To add a little more color, beads were wrapped right onto the clips rather than hanging from them. 

47: Running behind and short on time, I simply stamped Staz-On ink onto the front and back of the clip. 

Sunday was Mother's Day, and I was able to visit with my mom and grandmother for a few hours. (The rose was to my mom from my step-dad - sweet!)

Pat spotted this gorgeous sky and called for me to come see. It was weird because it wasn't quite time for the sun to set, and the sun was at my back and not where the light in the clouds is. Still, super cool. 

I finally dove back into my art journal after the retreat. The background of this page was where I had stopped when I started packing up. It gave me a nice starting point when I got home. 

I am more partial to this page that was also completed last week. 

We have a few blueberry bushes. I was quite happy to find that the berries are finally beginning to ripen.  

I spent two days chauffeuring family members to doctor appointments - so that was...fun.

I was happy to end those two days with a girls' night flow painting get-together. It was so much fun! My paintings are at the bottom center. I'll try to take some more pictures of them now that they're home and dry. 

We finished out the week by letting one of our teenage nieces have a few friends over for a swim party. And, then we went out for margaritas to recover from the teenagers!

It feels like the weeks are flying by faster than I can savor them. How do you make sure you relish the moments?