The beginning of a flickr set. I have several more projects to complete, then, professional photos will be added. I am getting the house ready for Life Group tonight and a visit from my mother-in-law this weekend. Between my mother, my little one and my mother-in-law there will be a lot of crocheting sewing and beading this weekend; especially as we remember Pipo my father-in-law whose birthday we would be celebrating this weekend. God bless our dear father, abuelo, and brother. We miss him much...

Peace,

Nannett

My daughter, theyoungmisscepero, deemed these beaded flowers I am working on "Ice Flowers".  I decided to keep the name.  I am creating winter themed bouquets at the moment.  These projects help me to stay mentally cool during the physically hot weather and, it has been hot here.  Stay tuned for more "Ice Flowers", the heat is on to create a host of icy florals.  Peace to you all.

Here is a tiara and corsage I made for the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads 2010 Pearls, Organic Beads & Kato Polyclay contest.  I was a finalist and happy to make it that far considering the talent and number of contestants.  I used three techniques to come up with the design, they are Victorian beading, ganutell, and Panamanian Tembleque. If you can't tell by this point I will say it, I love creating flowers and plants.  To incorporate this love into something wearable is a desire of mine especially if special occasions are involved.


I've tried my hands at ethnic designs especially tribal Africa however, I fail most in most of my attempts but ask for a floral anything and yes, I can do it!  So, now that I have accepted my strengths and weaknesses I'm going to go to my work area and create something that is in my comfort zone to make.  I'll continue to attempt to create in the other areas but I'll only dabble, too many struggles can stifle creativity.  

Blessings on you and yours and keep creating beauty.

I found the time to photograph my favorite books on bead, floss, and wire flowers and trees. I love these books, they are wonderful resources. Much of what I do with crochet, beads, floss, and wire comes down to trial and error.  These books always hold a helpful technique to help me through the bumps in my creative road.

I have two not-too-common books on their way to me and, I will put a photograph of them on my flickr page. I can't wait to get my hands on them. I will need to pry my eyes from the pages and return to the creating!

Take care!  Happy crocheting, gardening, beading, and living!

Peace.

Although we are experiencing subzero temperatures in my corner of the world, my tropical plants are taking it all in stride inside.  On my converted sun porch, my tamarillo ripened its fruit.  The plant was loaded with blossoms over the summer, the blossoms lost their petals, and the fruit plumped up into green eggs.  I brought the plant indoors in September now, it is January and the fruit is ripe. 

Tamarillos are tomato relatives and when I brush the leaves the signature tomato smell is emitted. The flesh is smooth, like a tomato, the inside is pulp and seeds. See "My Potager: A Healthier Urban Lifestyle" on facebook for a picture of the inside of the fruit.  The taste is like a guava to me, my husband thinks it is similar to a grape and kiwi.  When I was a young child, living in Florida, a guava tree of some variety grew in our backyard. The taste of this tamarillo reminds me of the guava fruit from that tree.

This is my second plant, the first plant was killed years ago while I was traveling.  A storm struck , the wind damaged a window on my sun porch, the cold air entered the room, and the exposure to the freezing temperatures killed the majority of my tropical plants.  This fruitful plant is about two years old and is holding its own despite some leaf drop over the darker, cooler  months.  I am supplementing with artificial plant lights and a heater when necessary.

This is a plant worth having and it's satisfying to see this plant produce an abundance of fruit with minimal care. Fresh picked fruit in the winter, it works for me!

Stay warm and peace be with you!

My little girl created bead and wire earrings using her own designs.  Strawberries, acorns, cabbages, and diamonds are what she created immediately after I showed her this bead and wire technique.  She sold two pairs of earrings on our Etsy store already!  She made the first sale on Etsy and we are hoping for many more.  Kudos to you my precious heart!

This little rabbit was created by my ten year old, budding designer daughter. She worked on it faithfully for about a year. There were moments of unraveling mistakes then crocheting it again but, she never gave up. Now the completed bunny, along with its vest, is ready for her baby cousin to have.

I am a pleased mommy. What a lovely Mother's Day gift, my daughter is using the skills and crafts I teach her to create wonderful things. Thank you, baby girl!

I ordered a new bead loom to replace an older loom that could not keep the correct tension I needed to bead. The loom arrived today and, I am happy with it. Now, to warp the loom and chart the beading of this picture my daughter drew of her cat looking out of our bay window at birds (see below). I love this picture and I want to have a copy in beads. My daughter wants to charge me for the "Intellectual Rights"... What a little squirt!

My potatoes are growing! With the construction and repairs going on at my house, I was not sure if I would be able to plant anything this season. I did get around to the potatoes and a few other vegetables and fruit. I grow most of my produce in containers. These potatoes are growing in grow bags. This is my first year using the grow bags. I usually grow my potatoes in homemade chicken wire containers that I wrap in burlap and fill with hay. We will see what the harvest brings.

The weather here is on the cool side, a few days in the 80's, most of the time it's in the 70's and raining. Oh well... More to come.

Peace to you and yours!

These flowers were created for "winter corsages"; my term for wool flower pins. With the temperatures as low as they are here and around the country I thought I should work on making more. I like to embellish the flowers I create for the colder weather more heavily than the those I create for the warmer months. I use a combination of beading and surface crochet. I try to use colors that standout in the dreary days of winter, earthy colors for autumn, hot tropical colors for summer and soft hopeful colors for spring.

I am contemplating an entry for the 2009 International Free Form competition. The theme is the four seasons; an interesting and stimulating topic. Where I live, the seasons contrast with a bone touching starkness; you know when it is summer versus winter versus spring, versus fall. Every now and then there is a touch of one season in another season often times unexpectedly and thankfully; 60 degree Fahrenheit weather after 0 degree Fahrenheit weather is a sanity saver. A four season entry would be interesting to design and make in the midst of this current cold snap.

In the meantime, while I decide, I will continue to make flowers, lots of flowers....