I'm Inspired

and that's a good feeling!  I took a class with Bettina & Lubna of LB o J'zazz.  For my local friends they have a bead store & great classes.  I loved Bettina's teaching style & both of the ladies were available to help us individually.  I'll be taking another class :)

The above sample, left, was made by Bettina & inspired by the picture on the right:

Iranian glazed ceramic tile work located on the underside of the tomb of Persian poet Hafez at Shiraz, Iran, Province of Fars

My piece

I could not get over how intricate the piece looked & how easy it was to construct.  I am hooked & probably in trouble - it's good trouble though.  I need to go through my stash & see what I have that is conducive to this design.  The nice part is there's room for lots of experimentation: color ways, seed bead sizes, Czech firepolish sizes.  Bettina taught the class & came up with the color ways for the kits.  It was so hard to pick which one I wanted.  In the end I selected the one with purples & browns.  I was so excited to wear it this morning that I just added a jump ring at the top & suspended it from a brass chain.  

Not Sure of my Direction

This post was going to start out about the funny anecdote from yesterday.  (I parked my car like a Kuwaiti next to the curb, yes in a driving lane, with my hazards on.  I did this to run in & use an ATM)  Then I did something I normally do.  I found a mosque I passed several months ago that caught my eye.  I pulled over, this time in a parking lot, to take pictures.

So, back to the title.  I'm feeling a bit lost these days.  I'm not sure what direction I want to take my jewelry business.  I'm not sure where I want to go with my volunteer work.  Some days I'm not feeling so creative.  It's frustrating as my window of free time has diminished a bit with a part time job.  I'm the type of person that's always ready to go.  I guess this is one of the ebb & flow periods that I just need to push through.

Creative Goings On

Frame & Round Swirls: Lileya

It's a 5 day weekend here so I "should" be able to get all my new jewels posted. 2 days down & 3 left. The above picture is a little teaser of some of the new pretties I've made. It's taken me a bit of time to get back to "normal" since we gotten back from the states. I've started my part-time job & the kids start school soon so hopefully I'll be able to get into a routine.
Most of the new pieces are in aqua hues, neutrals & corals/fall orange.  I'm a bit surprised about my recent color choices, not the aqua - just the other stuff, but I guess that's part of me & my creative journey.
So I better get off this blog & back to work! :)

Stepping Out of the Box

Storyboard: Sassy Designs - Border: Allison Pennington - Doodles: Ida

I did quite a few things that were not my norm on this vacation.  When do I pass up a shopping tour?  Well, I did, in favor of swimming with Sting rays.  I'd also like to mention I went & did that on my own.  My hubby is a certified diver & I am not so we did separate activities in the morning. We were fortunate enough to take a cruise to Cozumel, a first time visit for me to Mexico.  Normally I get very squeamish when fish are swimming around my ankles.  Who knows what came over me.  String Ray Beach was great.  I felt totally at ease feeding & hanging out with them.  After the sting rays I went over on the other side to snorkel & yes another first!  I can't wait to get my photos developed from the water camera. Other highlights: I wanted a blue drink & I got a pretty aqua martini to match my top, riding the train at Disney with my boys, dressing up for dinner on the cruise (I wore a dress almost every night), attempting to eat healthy on the boat, & visiting Silver Springs for the first time.

So Many Beads...

Digital Brushes: Hof3 Magical Brush Kit & Class

... so little time.  August came & is almost gone.  We had a lovely trip back to the states & 3 weeks went by so quickly.  We packed so much in there!  I even surprised myself & did a few things that aren't really me.  Like, I left ALL my jewelry supplies & tools at home.  I chose to swim with sting rays over the shopping trip.  I took lots of photos to document all this - which is so very me ;)  I hope to blog soon to add the photos & post about our experiences.  It was great to arrive stateside & have the agent in customs say "Welcome Home".  It's kinda cool to have a few places I call home.

New Pics Around Kuwait

An interior window a Crowne Plaza restaurant

I can tell you what area I was in, but not what building this is.  There was some shopping on the bottom floors & a hotel sign.  I'll have to go back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This building is beautiful mall I have yet to go it.  It has all the high end designers.  Think Lanvin, Balenciaga.. A bit out of my price range, but I think I may still be able to get in with my camera.  The front door is below.

This is the "round building with the orange".  I seriously need to take a tour of buildings here.  I drive around & find amazing architecture & have no idea what they are!  I normally have to make a mental note to come back & find a place to park or take pictures at stop lights!

The 360 Mall.  This mall has so many different areas.  The arches are just stunning.

Not a flattering picture of me, but I love that this was a picture taken in Kuwait at with a Seminole head on the sports wall!  BTW, that's Michael Jordan in the left hand corner.  His number 23 has been transposed to 32, since Arabic is written & read from right to left.  Could.Not.Stop.Laughing

Canvas Work

Dream Canvas - Digi Swirls Hof3 

So I have a bit of a canvas thing going.  I've always loved finding meaningful quotes & love this one I used above.  This piece was also inspired by Serina Wilson Stubson.  I did another canvas not too long ago inspired by her.

Love Canvas - WIP - Digi Elements Hof3

This one is a little 4x4 that I'm still working on.  I'm probably going to add a love quote around one of the hearts.  I did a spring green base with acrylic paint & added lilac tissue paper for texture & color.

Canvas Fashion Sketch - WIP - Digi Swirls Hof3 - I LOVE this set of digi brushes - if you couldn't tell!

For those of you that don't know, I was a Fashion Design & Merchandising major in college.  I never found my footing as an apparel designer, although I'm quite happy with the path I'm on now.  I still sketch occasionally & lately I've been running into fashion drawings.  I saw some amazing ones at the mall & I'll have to go back & take photos.  I don't know why I just didn't whip out my camera while I was there.  

Beth just posted about Justine Limpus Parish & I was so inspired that I covered a canvas last night with some acrylics.  I planned it out & today I did the sketch on the canvas.  I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this piece but I'm liking it already.  I plan to add some pen detail but after that who knows!

Spoiled Rotten

Beth absolutely out did herself.  She was my swap partner & I've had to take a few hours days to digest & let it all sink in.  Make sure to take a peek at Beth's blog, she's brand new to blogging! Her flickr account is here. We both participated in Molly's Crown Swap.  See the blogs of all participants here.

As you can see from my blurry pictures I was shaking with excitement as I opened & tried to document all of the goodies.  Also I "artistically" took pictures on my comforter cause I was waayy too excited to take them in the craft room.  I am like a little kid sometimes.

 Seriously, his & her crown tins with a jeweled handle. AND all the fun goodies inside!

 I almost cried when I unwrapped this beauty.

And then I did when I saw these beauties inside. Items from her personal stash that she gifted to me.  I am always so lucky to meet talented & giving artists.

Yet more crown/pink themed items for me.

And look, a tiny crown in pink in it's own little storage box.  Eek!

Here's the absolutely stunning box my crown came in.  Since we move all the time, I'm so darn excited that she has her own box to be packed in.

So here she is!  What a beauty!  I think she needs a name.  I'm working on that, but I'll take suggestions.  So don't laugh.  These are the only 2 pictures that came out of the crown.  I was just a tad on the excited side.  I'll have to take more pictures tomorrow when I get some light.  In the meanwhile, you can take a look at her photos over here.  I'm really laughing that I was so excited & took pictures on my comforter.  I do have a nice place set up in the craft room...

  Go visit Beth & say hi!  I was so touched by her generosity.  She very obviously put so much love & thought into my crown & gifts.  Everything in that box screams me.  We're visiting the states soon & my box made me feel like I was back home.  Thank you for bringing some of the states over to the desert.