Art Elements April COM challenge

Sounds of time, like waves that flow

Endless hours that come and go.....

This month's COM for Art Elements is from Jennifer Cameron of Glass Addictions and was a beautiful swirly lampwork glass bead that reminded me so much of the sea and it inspired just a few quick lines of creative writing as I sat down to write this blog.. they have been in my head since the arrival of the bead.

Unfortunately for me this month has been one of the crappiest in the longest time as we lost our beautiful, young Simmy Cat...

... he was just a year old and leaves behind his sister 'Mudgy who has really struggled with his passing and of course our Gordy with whom Simmy used to play 'proper cat fighting' games but he was so good with Gordy who was brain damaged at birth (for those that don't know) and although he is 4 now Simmy being a big boy at such a young age could play with a cat that has no 'gentle button' but no malice.  Between him and 'Mudgy they helped Gordy in ways I could never have imagined or expected.  He is sorely missed by all of us and of course this impacted on the last couple of weeks, my creativity disappeared down a deep dark hole and is only really just coming back out....

BUT....

When I first saw this beautiful bead and heard the sounds of the sea in my head, I reached for my bookcase and my rather dusty book of Chinese Knots - I love knots!  I had a small clean up in the studio and found my limited stash of silky cord.  

Now I love reading, everything and anything, although I do have a penchant for animal stories and like most people now I have the digital device for reading books downloaded BUT my most favourite thing in the world is holding a real book, smelling the pages and touching each leaf as I make my way through the story.  I lose myself in a good book.  As a result I love bookmarks and each bookmark I own can tell a story of their own.  I wanted this bead to be the 'anchor' of my bookmark - I don't know about you but for me objects can hold memories and although I didn't create this bead it instantly reminded me of standing on the beach, the wind blowing in my hair and the smell of the sand, the sea... I lived near the beach several times as a child and I love the solitude, the reflection of memories, it seemed a good fit to my recent loss.

Unfortunately  my concentration has been so intermittant that I have only managed the 'concept' of my bookmark but I like it so far, I will be finishing this at some point, there is always a book that needs a bookmark!  

Don't forget to blog hop around those that joined in this challenge to see what everyone else has been creating.

Guest Designers:

Sarajo Wentling

Deb Stewart

Art Elements Team:

Sue Kennedy

Laney Mead

Lesley Watt

Claire Fabian

Karen Totten

Cooky Schock

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Caroline Dewison

Cathy Spivey Mendola

Niky Sayers

Lindsay Starr

Jen Cameron

Taken with the mobile phone



I have been playing with my phone, its a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.  I have always had the oldest phone in the house, my last one was at least 8 yrs old, so when it broke I got the new one.  I am not good with change and it has taken me a few months just to get used to making a phone call, texting and adding a contact, but I rather like the bigger screen and reading the internet searching all those fab things you can when waiting for your daughter to finish work....I always thought after the ballet lessons ended when she was 13 that my days of hanging around in the car where over, nope back to waiting around for her to finish work now that she is nearly 18!

 

 

So, eventually I figured out the camera and how it works and even uploading it to Flickr and Facebook, go me life in the old girl yet!

 

First up is a photo I took yesterday down at the river, then using the colour settings I had a play, used the frames and Voila modern vintage, pretty cool eh? 

 







Izabel







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second photo is of one of my newest beads that will be coming with me to Stourbridge Bead Fair 2013 this coming Sunday 25th August, and finally a photo of my beautiful Izabel who turned 7 yesterday, I used the soft tone application on the editing software.  Unfortunately the camera is only any good for close up photos but it does do those well, more distant shots and I need to take the big camera which is  a bit difficult with the dogs, balls, poop bags, leads.........

 

 

Laney 

Autumn sunshine and missing bumble bees!

It all started with this hollyhock.  A massive great big bumble bee was nosing around and getting covered in pollen.  I dashed in the house to grab my camera, and by the time I came back out - which was straight away - he was gone. Shame would have made a great picture.

This afternoon, I decided to head into the garden and do some tidying up.  I haven't been in the garden much this year, what with the weather, lots of bead fairs and life getting in the way, the garden is definitely looking unloved.  I didn't even grow veggies this year.  The dogs had a bone this morning after the river walk, so they still had something to do whilst I was enjoying the bright autumn sunshine.  This is Defi, growing into a handsome boy now, happily nibbling away on Izabels left overs.

Even our Meg came outside for some sunshine, here she is doing the 'hind lick' maneuver, not bad for a girl (cat) in her early 20's (human years), bet I couldn't get my leg that high anymore!  ...and yes my car is that dirty, the downside of living rural when its been raining and the farmers have been in and out of the fields with the tractors.

Seeing as I missed the bumble bee, I took some time off from the gardening - it really doesn't take much to persuade me - and wandered around, deliberately ignoring the weeds, and concentrating on the movement in the garden.  I love flowers.  But.  I love my chooks and cats and dogs more, so I don't have any flowers.  EverReady Looky Likey (the name stuck!) was caught on the old picnic bench that serves as a potting bench in a good year and a dumping ground this year - its all been tidied up now though - she was investigating the many bugs that were lurking in the discarded pots.  She had quite a feast!

I haven't been home alone today, my son had a day off and was ...and still is...cleaning his van, always nice to show off what I have actually grown from seed. Planted in well rotted manure and left to fester, this long legged triffid matured into a rather large nearly 19 yrs old!

Oh Izabel....Izzy...bell...bells....

She did come round to the front with me and Defi eventually!

This picture was one of those...oh good I have the camera moments.  Megan had moved to a sunnier side of the garden and two of the new girls, EverReady Looky Likey and one of the Marran girls tooks to sunbathing with her, I think the chooks are settling in nicely.

Another quick snap shot of the three girls.

Autumn Fruits

 

Finally, the beads of the day, beautiful autumnal colours, Poppies, acorns, blackberries, blue berries, Poppy heads and sculptural leaf shapes, all available in  my Etsy shop.

 

Hope the sun shines tomorrow, I do really need to do much more tidying in the garden!

 

Laney x