Claying Around... A Wire, Clay and Bead Embellished Necklace

Here's a fun little bunny hopping by to say Happy Easter to you!

May this Easter bring  you and the special people in your life, lot of Love, Smiles and a chocolate bunny to nibble on.

This week I graduated to an old pair of gardening shoes .. not pretty by any means but boy at least I can get them on my "newly aligned" foot without screeching!  It has amazed me at just how sensitive my foot is since the operation and how I am having to learn how to walk again.  I never realized, until now, just how "off" my gait was before the operation.  The minute I put my foot down in the "old" position, I get a sharp pain in my hip to remind me to "get with the program" and adjust.

I won't be running any marathons soon LOL but slowly and surely I can stand again for longer than 10 minutes.  So I took advantage this week and decided to clay around....

Here's a photo of the "leaf" necklace I made to which I added some wire and beads.  Although it looks "red" in the photo (when will I ever learn how to do photography??? LOL), it is actually a copper metallic colour.  The highlighting, also in metallic was done with a couple of colours... blue, green and purple... and sets it all off very subtly.  I love how it just catches the light and changes colour depending on the angle.

Each of the individual leaves would make a sweet pendant all by itself.  I attached the leaves to an "antiqued" copper chain that I purchased and made a clasp to finish it off.

Just a reminder... there is still time to enter the April giveaway for the rather funky necklace I made some time back.  Just click on the photo in the Popular Posts (Blog Giveaway - A Funky Pendant Necklace) over on the right hand side of this page to see it and how you can enter to win it.

Hope this finds you happy, healthy and ready to gather Easter eggs this weekend,
Sharon

One World, One Heart, 2011 Edition

**Please note that this post will remain at the top of my posts for the duration of the One World, One Heart event. For newer posts, scroll down and click on the latest posts in the Blog Archive section in the right sidebar.**


Welcome to this year's One World, One Heart magical giveaway event starring bloggers from around the world!  Thank you so much for deciding to stop by myStoryART for a visit today.

Organized by Lisa Swifka, as a way for bloggers to connect with other bloggers from all corners of our wonderful world, this fifth and final year for the One World, One Heart Giveaway event promises to be the best yet!!

If you are a blogger and you'd like more information about how you can participate in this world wide event, just drop by Lisa's blog to read the "rules and regs" .  Many words of thanks and appreciation go to Lisa for all the work, time and effort she has put into this event over the past five years.  It is truly a gift of love on her part.

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If you are a first time visitor to my blog, allow me to introduce myself and give you an idea of what you can expect to find, see or do during your visit to myStoryART.com. 

My name is Sharon House and I'd like to invite you to sample many of the delicious "goodies" you can discover buried in 130+ posts you can find on my blog.   Tasty morsels such as...

• Entering your name for a chance to win the special giveaway gift I have selected for this year's One World, One Heart event.
• Wise woman tales and other delightful, intriguing stories
• Art projects to inspire you
• Hands on projects for all levels of artistic talent
• Tips, techniques and ideas you can use in your art
• Tutorials you can download or request
• Much, much more to delight the eye, tickle your funny bone and stimulate your creativity

If you like what you see and/or hear during your visit and would like to drop by again in the future, may I suggest that you bookmark my blog address in your browser or become a follower or sign up as a subscriber?  And, of course, remember to enter your name for a chance to win my GIVEAWAY. 



(Retail value $25.00)

I chose this funky, handcrafted polymer clay Inukshuk earring and pendant set (it also comes with a story, "The Story of the Inukshuk... The Meaningful Messenger") for my giveaway because of its symbolic meaning. The Inukshuk, originally found in Canada's arctic (and which was also the symbol for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games) is an enduring symbol of the importance of caring friendship between peoples and also serves as a reminder on an individual basis that we always have a choice in the direction we choose to take as we follow our life's path. 

Here's how to enter this Giveaway.

It's very simple!  Leave a comment on THIS POST along with your email address and a link to your blog (I'd like to return the favour and stop by for a visit to your blog)   The draw will take place on February 17 and I will post the winner's name here on my blog. 

**A gentle reminder... you must be a blogger and have your own blog in order to enter the draw.**

Thanks for stopping by today. I sincerely hope your enjoy your visit and come back again soon!

Cheers,
Sharon

Having Too Much Fun...

Is there such a thing?  If so, I am wallowing in it!  I have been so art deprived these past couple of months that I am making up for it BIG TIME this week.

Sewing is still a little difficult since my eye operation... the close up work gives me a headache rather quickly... so I had to find something else to fill me up with "happy juice".  I decided that I would play with my clay... and get the "celebration giveaway" for this week finished up while I was at it.

I have hesitated *forever* in trying to make a face cane.  I wasn't sure how to go about it and didn't have a clue as to how it would turn out.  I found some instructions in one of my clay books and decided to take the plunge.  It took me forever to put it together (like most of the day!) and get it reduced.  Well what a laugh I had when I finally got it done... it was so ugly, it was darn near cute! 

"OMG what am I going to do with this big,  fat, homely cane?" I mused to myself.  "Well let's see if I can dress it up..."

The "ButtonLady" below was fitted with a black "wig" (with a few strands of gray) and a button bonnet with a bow.  I keeled over laughing... what a "honker" she has!  Mouthy too.  LOL. Well, she just had to have some friends, so I took a piece of the cane, reduced it down and made her some "girlfriends" to have "heart to heart" chats with.  The more I look at them, the more I smile!  I am beginning to like them... they are just so "real".   Go figure...

They need some names.  Got any ideas?  One of the girlfriends is definitely a "Shirley"!  Don't ask me why... I haven't got a clue... she is just a "Shirley"!  Can you guess which one it is? 

Let's have some fun.  Leave a comment with your name ideas for these lovely ladies and I'll throw your name in the hat for the "Celebration Giveaway" to be drawn this Friday.  If you left a comment on the previous post announcing the "giveaway", here's you chance to get your name in twice!

Which brings me to... a photo of the (finally) finished "Giveaway"!  I had something else in mind when I first announced the giveaway but then I got together with three of my clay buddies last weekend for a "clay play day" to make raku lentil bead pendants.  Well, I just had to make another one.  It turned out so nicely that I decided it was the perfect gift for the giveaway draw. 

We all forgot to put seed beads in our beads on the weekend but I didn't forget them when I made this one.  It has tiny beads inside and when you shake it, it has a very gentle rattle.  It actually has more texture on it than is showing in the photo... you know me, I'm not that great a photographer... but trust me, there is!

So there you have it!  Help me name those ladies (leave your comment below) then check back on Friday (June 11) to see if you are the winner.  I'll show you some more "stuff" that should be finished by then too.

Chat with you on Friday...

Sharon

Time to Celebrate...

Hi ya'll... glad to be back.  While I have been off recuperating from eye surgery, I have passed a couple of milestones... another birthday (no, don't ask! chuckle), another wedding anniversary, a number of fellow artists and visitors who have made my blog one of their favourites and passing the 35,000 visitors to my blog!  WOW!!  I am just thrilled to bits...and now that my new bionic eyes and I have made up and decided to be friends (it was not entirely smooth sailing), it's time to catch up...

One thing I will say about eye surgery... you don't know what "white" is until you can actually see "white" again.  Phooey, it is brighter than you may think it is.  But I gotta tell you, if the opthamologist had told me that once I had my new "outlook" on life I would see every wrinkle, no matter how tiny, in pure, living technicolour, magnified to the "nines", I might have told her to leave me in "hazy, can't see a darn thing" mode!  Phooey, my illusions are all gone... I have discovered wrinkles I didn't know I had... SIGH!

Reading is still somewhat of a challenge... my old prescription no longer works and I have been making do with a pair of glasses from two prescriptions ago.  They tend to give me migraines (UGH!) so I am not spending much time reading, writing, doing close up work. Ah... just a couple of weeks now and I'll have a new pair... then watch out, I'll be in a frenzy catching up on all the stuff I have felt I have missed (LOTS).

Fortunately, I've had the time to get some finishing touches done on a few projects that needed "something" to finish them off and complete some polymer clay projects.  I haven't quite been twiddling my thumbs, sitting around eating chocolate (although with Mother's Day and my birthday falling on the same day and another wedding anniversary in between, my chocolate stash has done well but alas is disappearing quickly).  Amazing how much time you recover when you can't do housework (ah, such a sacrifice GRIN), gardening or going swimming most days.

My REALLY BIG news in the past month has been that three of my polymer clay steampunk creations have passed the first adjudication for a "steampunk" book that is scheduled to be published next year.  More photos have been submitted of all three projects for the final adjudication and I should know the results soon!  Am keeping my fingers crossed.  I'd love to show you a photo... but alas, not allowed.

Hopefully within the next month, I'll have the blog mp3 player working again (I have to figure out what is causing it to misbehave) and will get back to recording some stories for you... in the meantime... if you have read this far then...

GET READY FOR A SURPRISE GIVEAWAY...
to celebrate all the milestones in the past month and a half! 

All you need to do is leave a comment on today's post... make sure I can get in touch with you...and I will announce the winner on June 11th!  I won't tell you what it is (because I haven't quite made up my mind yet... sigh) but I will tell you that it will be something to treasure.  Does that peak your curiosity?  I sure hope so.

BTW... Do you like "jocks in frocks with knives in their socks" and pipe and drum music? Translated: cute guys in kilts, with Scottish kilt knives (Sgian Dubh... pronounced "scan" "do") stuck in their socks,  beating on their drums and puffing on bagpipes.  If so, see my hubby and his band buddies in their GOLD medal performance at the 147th Highland Games here in Victoria last weekend.  Click on the links at the bottom of this post.

Short and sweet... but glad to be back.  I've really missed chatting with you all...

Have a great weekend...

Sharon

Links to UTube Videos

My hubby's band buddies competing at the 147th Victoria Highland Games (yep, it's been going that long) last weekend.  Here are the links to a couple of UTube videos:

443 Marine Helicopter Squadron (Canadian Air Force) -  hubby's band - two videos..the GOLD medal performance and the march off -   My hubby is the guy showing off (tee hee) by twirling sticks (he's a tenor drummer)

Mass Band ... hubby's band is pretty much front and center in this video. What a stirring moment it is when one sees all the pipes and drums coming into view as they come over the rise in Topaz Park... it gives me goosebumps every time I hear and see them do this!  Unfortunately you can only see them going down the hill at the end of the video.  It's one of those times when you just gotta be there to appreciate it!

Happy Hearts Day Giveaway!

Happy Hearts Day! Meant to post this yesterday but got all caught up in the Olympics! LOL

Here's a little something I made for Valentines Day as a giveaway to one lucky blog visitor... a heart pendant with a Swarvoski crystal and a set of matching heart earrings! Read on and see how you can enter this giveaway....



I don't know about you but I can tell you I sure dislike all the hype around Valentines day! So I decided a number of years ago to declare Valentines Day as a day for me (and women everywhere) to spoil themselves rotten LOL.

This is the day to treat yourself to a massage or pedicure with your favourite massage therapist or manucurist.

A long, leisurely soak in the tub with a glass of wine and some pretty music playing in the background sounds good to me.

Buy yourself some chocolates and indulge your tastebuds for a day!

To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment (and how to get in touch with you) telling me how you are going to spoil yourself rotten on Valentines Day! On Tuesday the 16th, I will draw a name and announce the winner on the blog so remember to check back to see if you have won!

If your name is drawn, just send me a quick email with your snail mail address so I can get it in the mail to you "pronto" LOL. If I don't hear from you by Wednesday evening, I will draw another name...


Happy Hearts Day


Sharon