I won these fabulous beads!!

I've been bad.  I won these beautiful beads in a wonderful "give away" way back in February and meant to post them after I received them. Better late than never, right?  I wanted to post pics of them but had trouble getting great photos.  Well, here they are! The photo still doesn't do justice to the beads but take my word for it...they are gorgeous and fun!

 Lisa Oram made these just for me :)  I've been pondering how to use them.  They are SO pretty and I could wear them with most anything in my closet!  Just wanted to say "Thanks!" again and show them off.

Arm chair photography

I was sitting in my favorite chair today writing my post for this blog when I heard a Cardinal calling happily outside.  If the backdoor is open I can see the fountain on my deck from here.  I looked out and there, in one of the "cups" of my fountain was a large female Cardinal.  She had decided to use the fountain rather than the birdbath! I wanted to get a photo of her but I just knew she'd fly away if I tried to get close enough for a "great" pic so I just took it from my armchair, across the room and through the backdoor.  Not too bad considering the circumstances :)  Kind of made me wonder....if she can fit in a little fountain cup, maybe, just maybe, I could fit in the birdbath!  Nah, I don't think that's a good idea and I certainly wouldn't look as sweet :)

Wow! Time Flies......

It's been almost a month since my last post.  They say time flies when you're having fun.  It flies when you're not as well.  It's been a tough summer here in Missouri with all the super high temperatures and RAIN! Not to complain, I'd rather have rain than drought but even my garden is starting to complain! For "Fibromites" (Fibromyalgia sufferers),those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME, and other chronic illnesses, the changing weather plays a huge role in what we can and cannot "do".  Add a brain injury or two to the mix and well....let's just say I've been spending a lot of time in my chair with my laptop. Not the way I had planned to spend my summer!

"Summer Blues"

Since I've been stuck in the house most of the time, along with my daughter I'll tell you what she's been up to.  Most of you know my daughter also has a brain injury along with a rare mental illness. She's twenty-one going on fourteen.  There are many days when she inspires me and of course there are "those days" when we want to throttle each other :)  Keeping this on the upside....she has suddenly decided to start using her jewelry design talents again!  I recently posted a few of her new designs on my Face Book jewelry page but I wanted to share this photo of our latest collaborative effort.  I absolutely love it! 

Chrissy and I were helping a friend search for Vacation Bible School supplies at a local craft store when Chrissy came across this strand of wonderful Aqua glass beads.  They were so pretty I just had to say "Yes" even though I didn't really think she'd ever use them. We spotted the strand of pretty Freshwater Pearl drops nearby.  They are a deep bluish purple and of course we just had to add them to the basket :)

Chrissy surprised me with the design she created using the new beads and a few old beads she had in her personal stash. Most of them were not the best quality so I offered to let her go through my stash.  She wanted something white, something clear, and definitely something Bali (her favorite spacer beads!) 

She found a strand of White Swarovski Pearls,a strand of Aqua/Teal Freshwater Pearls and Bali Daisy Spacers.  This necklace was starting to come together!  She loves using crystal clear beads as well and I happened to think about a strand of gorgeous Faceted Quartz Crystal Rondelles she hadn't yet discovered.  They are quite large but the faceting on the edges is just amazing!  You might not even notice them until the light catches the faceted edge...then you can't take your eyes off them.   We worked and re-worked the design until she was happy with it but it wasn't quite long enough.

I decided to add wire wrapped pearls to each end of the strung portion of the necklace. It added the additional length she needed and gave her (or me :) the option to adjust the length as well. The clasp is a simple sterling silver lobster claw.

Chrissy is not a big fan of earrings but she wanted something simple she could wear either with or without the necklace.  In the second photo you can see the earring design she chose using Pearls and Crystal Quartz stacked on pretty Bali headpins.  They are very simple, summery, and elegant.

This is a more detailed photo of the beads.  You can see the Faceted Crystal Quartz rondelles a little better here.







High heat and rainy days also keep me from riding Boo, my favorite therapy horse...this is not a good thing.  I haven't been able to ride for nearly two months now and I can feel my pain level increasing daily. However, a little "jewelry therapy", working with my daughter on a project, and having the luxury of doing all of this in a cool air-conditioned house has been a welcome distraction. 

Just when I think life's not so great I find another reason to believe It IS!!  God is good :)  He keeps reminding me to get my mind off ME and to be thankful for the good things in life.

I promise to post again soon.  I've got so many GOOD things to share with you!