Playing with Wire

It's a long weekend!  Yeay!  It's especially long for me since I got today off!

We just checked into the hotel here in Sarasota since S2 has a soccer tournament  here this weekend.

As usual, I brought my To-Go craft bag.  ;)

It is so full because I shoved my beading blanket in there.

On this trip, I decided that I am going to bead and make some jewelry.

So are you curious as to what I made on the 2 hour trip?

First let me show you the road so you know I'm for real.

I can't remember now if this was before or after the I-4 exit.  

That intersection was crazy.  Heavy backed up traffic.  Good thing we pass right by it.  

Soooo.......here's what I pulled outta the bag.

Its copper colored wire... Probably 20 gauge.

I cut a piece approximately a foot long.

Then I wound it around very loosely around my ring finger leaving enough wire on each end of the loop.

I wound it around 4 times to the thickness that I wanted.

(You will want to make sure that it is loose enough on your finger that it does not get too tight once you start wrapping.)

You then take one of the ends and bring it around the wire as if you are tying a ribbon.

Then keep looping it through, winding around the wires to hold them together and in place.

Its up to you how much you want to keep wrapping around.  

I stopped after a couple of wraps and clipped the wire to stop at the top of the wire.
This will keep it from snagging on things too much.
Make sure to pinch the wire down too so it is not sticking up.
(Again, this is to control the snagging)

With the other end, I strung a bead (a large seed bead) and then looped it around.  

Strung another bead and looped it around. 

I kept doing this creating a design.

(Sorry for the blurry picture....don't forget that I was in the car!)

After adding enough beads and wrapping the wire and looping it through in between the beads and wire, this is the result.

It actually only took me about half an hour to do this including the time it took me to find the beads that kept falling into the bag and car.

What do you think?

This is the very first ring I have ever made.

I think it's a keeper!  ;)

T's Enchanted Garden

Welcome to T's garden!

It really is full of magical things.

There is a sleeping angel perched over her armoire.

...and oil paintings framed and peeking through her painted bench.

There are more angels watching guard from above.

 And many beautiful quilts handmade by her Grandma.

Her bed is a present from her Lola and Lolo.

With beautiful golden carvings of flowers and doves.

We have cupids playing sweet music on a delicate ceramic tureen.

...and another holding her lampshade at the lamp's base.

 

We've got bead crystals that dangle at the bedside.

...and sparkling crystals that tinkle and shine from her fan and chandelier.

It is a tranquil place where all evil is caught and destroyed.

And where birds and butterflies fly and sing.

It is a place where when night time is upon it, daddy's Christmas lights glow like the stars.

Allowing the tired princess to sleep peacefully.

Stay tuned for her bathrooom.

This post party linked at:

Hookin Up with HOH by House of Hepworths

Catch a Glimpse Party #145 by A Glimpse Inside

It's a Party #120 by A Creative Princess

Blog Stalking Thursday 107 by The Crafty Blog Stalker

The Project Stash by It Happens in a Blink

Show and Tell #40 by Gingerly Made

Revisiting the Garden Gate

So in my old blog I told you about T's Enchanted garden (her room).

..and how it evolved from this wonderful sign she bought. 

Well this sign is right outside her bedroom door by the window ledge.
This whole wing of the upstairs is her sanctuary.
We call her room the princess tower because from the outside, her room looks like a castle's turret.

As you approach her door, you see her pink Cadillac parked by her curbside.  ;)
This was a present from her Jaja and Grandma.  :)


The wreath is made of artificial lavender and she put a white fantasy bird to perch on it.
The heart on her doorknob is the first heart she ever made for Tashi's Treats.

Are you ready to see her room?
Are you ready to see her Enchanted Garden?
Are you ready to see the princess tower?

Make sure to check out my next post!

Therapy On a Rainy Day

Remember this?

You can find the write-up about it here in my old blog.

Well, since it's raining and since it's not so hot outside, I thought I'd work on it.

I've put it on hold and try to work on it a little at a time whenever I can stand the heat.  

It gets excruciatingly hot where it is even with the fans overhead.

As you can see, I started painting it.
It's the brightest furniture....brightest anything that I've ever had except for fabrics.

These are my inspiration.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/sduarte/5200311620/ 
 http://luniversdines.blogspot.com/2012/08/mediterranean-style.html
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4LAdTi5h4Ust01hqO0yvY7V8obdA5azl9mQfqaC_rqk55C7d3xlNpwfQvPuvJXQMfxjR6I35GP13VVggI9R7zKz4BAKhq4g_6SCjLnNa5FkwIHy1cWlDV_Qexwl0UMB_dReEkRaGZg-h/s1600/door_read.jpg

I've also discovered the cull wood pieces at Home Depot and Lowes so I only buy wood from there now
unless I have to otherwise.

So it's a work in progress.

I've had these tiles for forever since I've always wanted to do a mosaic project.

So what better than this outdoor armoire.

Especially since I will be putting some of my plants on it and it will take the splashes of water perfectly when I water.

I decided to just tile it randomly without a design
since I didn't know how much of what color tile I have.

It's quite therapeutic.

When You are Given Lemons....

Make lemonade!!

...and we will be making lots of it!

We planted this tree 3 years ago when it was a little baby.

...and as much as we babied it, it kept dying back to the ground every year.

Or it gets eaten up by leaf miners.

We really have kinda just almost given up on our trees bearing fruit.

Then one day, on the way to watering the tomatoes, I saw some fruits.

I was soooo excited!

I called everyone out of the house and we were so over joyed.

We really had almost given up hope...

And now, it keeps flowering and fruits keep coming!

I can't wait until it starts yellowing.

It's exciting to watch!  ;)

Stay tuned!

I party at

Whats It Wednesday #8 by Ivy and Elephants

What I Learned Wednesday #68 by We Like to Lean as we Go

Linky Party 77 by Fine Craft Guild

Zeta Pillow

A friend of mine asked me yesterday if I can save one of her projects.

This is what she gave me.

She had designed and stitched it herself but the project wasn't quite working out for her.

So she asked me if I can save it.

Here's what I came up with.

What do you think?


I linked this at
Wicked Awesome Wednesday by Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Look What I Made! #162 by Creations by Kara

Solar Repellant

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Lowes as I was waiting for T to get out of her piano lessons.

As luck would have it, I was passing by the sale carts when a lady was asking for the price on the roses.

According to MomK, deer don't like roses.

I was ecstatic because I really want some pretty flowers 

But it has been a challenge figuring out what the deer don't like.

These knock out roses came out to less than $2 each!!

So I bought them all.   The lady only wanted like 3.

I bought 12 and gave my mom 3  of them.

The rest I planted the following weekend and mulched all around it.

I was so happy to have a rose garden!

I look at it every morning and every evening to check on their growth.

They were all doing so well and they were looking so healthy!

But this morning when I went to say hello to them, they were bald!

BALD I tell you!!

The culprits?

UGH!!

So off to Walmart I went and bought a whole bunch of solar lights.

And put a couple around each rose plant.

Earlier in the swimmer when T had her littler flower garden, 

we noticed that the deer stayed away when we put solar lights around it.

We don't know if it has a hum, or if it is the actual light output.

But whatever it is, they stayed away.

So we are going to test it again on my roses and if they stay away then it is confirmed.  

Stay tuned!

Celebrating LIfe

The first call I got yesterday was from my Dad.

He was so excited to wish me a Happy Birthday.

I was in the car with my best friend off to our regular Saturday jaunts.

Right away I told my dad that I wanted to speak to my mom.

As soon as she got on the phone I yelled Happy Birthday!!!!

My bf looked at me and asked me why I am wishing her a happy birthday too.

You see, every year for as far as I can remember, I wish my mom that on my birthday.

She is always one of the first ones, if not the first one, I speak to as soon as I wake up.

...and why not?  After all, it is her "birth"day too.

Now that I am a mom, I know how special my children's birthdays are to me.

I am always brought back to the months that I carried them and through the period leading up to their delivery. 

It is such a joyous moment.

For me, it is important that I let her know that I do not forget her on my special day.

Because it is her day too. 

And as I reflect back to all the days that are behind me, 

I am truly grateful.

To God, to my mom and dad, my family and friends and all of life that surround me.

And I pray that I am given the blessing of many more days.