Another over all update...

I know that I have been a major slacker on the blogger front.... maybe I'll get better at it... jeremy has started a blog recently and it has been a reminder that I have not been keeping up with my own blog...

So updates for previous post stuff:

I finished the pillows for my living room... at lest the ones that I had started so far.. here is the finished product..

Jewelry remake

So in the past few weeks I have made the decision that I no longer am going to be selling Premier Designs Jewelry in home shows anymore... Sooooo I decided that I was not in love with most of the jewelry I had purchased from them and thought I'ed play around a little and see if I could make them into something I loved... so heres what I came up with... 

 Artzy - before

after

these are the earing's I made to go with the necklace...

 first attempt at wire wrapping a bead... didn't do horrible...

Island Girl - before

 

   After

for this necklace I also used the beads that were in the original matching earing's, in addition to the beads in the necklace I owned I bought some little tiny  blue beads that matched the little tiny green beads (not really sure what they are made of)... and I bought the round ceramic beads that had the same look to them as the oval ceramic green beads.

        

The earing's I made to go with the new necklace (made with the little tiny blue beads I had bought)

Rhapsody - Before 

(didn't take pictures of this necklace before so I stole some from an e-bay posting)

After

for this necklace I ended up purchasing a few different beads, and leaving out some of the original beads... for starters I changed the metal to silver (I am a big silver fan), the small square crystal beads are new, a bunch of the small round beads are new, as well as the oval glass beads and small flat circular glass beads

the earing's I made to go with it using the larger purple beads from 

original necklace that I didn't use in the new necklace

Cabo - Before

After

I know i went from a two strand necklace to a three strand necklace... however the new necklace just is not as chunky as the original...  I added a little bit of length to the necklace and did liked beads rather than stringing them together... I loved the beads in the necklace just couldn't stand how chunky it looked on me before.

        

 Before - Ignite 

After

I loved the beads in this necklace, it was just too heavy looking... I took the black bead out because it was just too big... I used most of the beads from the original necklace... I put the silver beads on one strand, the red beads on the second strand  and added the really small red beads to the third strand. 

This is what I changed the earing's that go with it to... 

Over all I am very pleased with how they all turned out... Now instead of picking my one necklace that goes with everything, I end up picking my outfit around the necklace I want to wear that day!

Now I want to make a necklace that goes with a dress I own... not really sure how thats going to go... I have looked for beads that go with the colors in the dress, but have not found any that I like... If I ever do make something that will work I'll make sure to post the pictures....

Also I plan to do another post including pictures of the finished pillows from my last post over a year ago... and I plan to take some pictures of the house and post those... I know we have been in the house for over a year and I have yet to take pictures of it... I'm such a slacker... however we are looking to do some re-modeling over the next few years and I want to make sure I have some before pictures!!

sewing projects...

over the past few weeks I have been working on decorating and making our home more functional.... here are some of the things I have been working on... In our spare bedroom:

This is the original pillow sham that went with the bed set we got for the room, I didn't like them... SOOO...

This is the final product, I took apart the previously photographed pillow shames and made two square pillows and one long narrow pillow... I am also going to be making a table runner with the leftover scraps of fabric from the pillow and curtain fabric, I am also incorporate some fabric similar to what I will use for the sheets.

I will also be making curtains for this room out of some dark blue sheets we have... not started on them yet though!

I have also been working on pillows for the living room, we hung a quilt that Jeremy's mom made for him for his high school graduation and Jeremy's mom happened to have some scraps left over from the quilt that she has let me play with... Here is what I have come up with so far:

Pillow# 1

This one was my first and probably my favorite, I used the quilt as my inspiration and followed Julie's lead and this is what I came up with... I used the scraps of fabric Julie gave me and some scrap fabric left over from the curtains my mother and I made for the room. I will be adding strips of black around the edges for the front and the back of the pillow is probably going to be black too..

Pillow#2

I am not thrilled with this pillow, however I am trying to make them all different, so I wanted something new.... I may end up ripping this one apart again, but IF I do not, I will add black strips around the edge as well and the back will probably be the green fabric

Pillow #3

This one is the smallest so far, I tried my best to imitate the quilt... I think for the first time ever doing it I did alright. I will be using a black back for the pillow

Pillow #4

This is what I have started for pillow #4 and it will probably end up looking much like pillow #3

My goal is to make 6 pillows total! so I have 2 more to come up with! :-D so when there is more progress I will post it!! let me know what you think!! Or if you have any ideas for more pillows, I am all ears... keep in mind, the scraps are quite small...

Re-look at old art...

I meant to post this image a while back... I drew it originally in high school. It was an assignment for my art class shortly after my father had passed away. At the time it was supposed to symbolize the pain of loss. I used the rose as a metaphor for my heart at the time... how it was being crushed... I don't really see it exactly that way anymore, at least in such a negative light... I see it more now that there is always hope... I did not look at it this way until now, but I guess I kinda see it as God's hand and that we are the rose... that he shapes who we are though the pain and suffering in our lives... that even though we go through pain in the end we become the whole rose, more beautiful than we were before... because we have become who God had planned from the beginning... Recently I added the scripture: "Let us rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character & character hope" Romans 5: 3-4 in the larger words... and "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" Romans 12:12 on the ink part of the drawing... They both seemed to fit best into what the drawing symbolizes to me now. I hope you enjoy it :-D

Random quick sketch

Today I was sitting in front of my computer staring at the screen wondering what I should do, and I decided I was going to draw something. The sketch below is what I ended up with... I drew it with "The LORD is my rock, my fortress & my deliverer; My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge; He is my shield & the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 in mind... I have had this bible verse going through my head for months now... I have wanted to draw something that expresses just how much this verse means to me... but I guess to be honest, I will never really be able to, because for me... this verse IS God. And how do you draw what God means to you, how he makes you feel... I want to do something big with this verse and this was one thing that came to mind... but still not really what I am looking for.

The Journey Matters...

I have finished the background to the piece... I am not thrilled with it at all, but never the less it will be displayed tonight... Feel free to let me know what you think...

So I have been working on the piece for our next preview service for the past few days... It feels great to be drawing again!! :-D It has been fun... I realized that I had forgotten just how difficult it is to draw with oil pastels... hah... that was an interesting relearning time. I like how it turned out though.

the other two parts that are done for now are the crown and shackles:

The crown was done in ink

The shackles are done in scratch art, its paper with a layer of clay on it you use a small scrapping tip to do it.