5/01/03

Inspired by this photo of beautiful purple grasses, I made a trio of paper "boxes". Can you tell that Purples and greens are my favorite colors? Sometimes I purposely try to use other colors, and I end up not finishing the work, because I don't like it! So - I mostly work with colors that make me happy, and that's a lot of purple and green....

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5/02/03

Another box in the Purple Grasses suite - this one even has a matching gift card. I like collecting and drawing different shaped boxes. I need to get out and take more photos now that all the flowers are in bloom. That's another collection - flowers and textures to use as "skins" for the boxes.

I'm tired (I've been working hard) but my mood is still pretty good. I've been really good about taking my vitamins this week.

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5/03/03

This is the smallest of the Glitterflies. His wingspan is just 2 inches, and he has 3 mm crystals on his tail.

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5/04/03

So, I realized that I had stopped working on my doll, because I was afraid of her face not being perfect! What if I messed it up? Oh no!! So I just did it without thinking too much about it, and I kind of like it! The ink is running just a little around her eyes, so I'll probably touch it up just a little tomorrow. The head seems a little small for the body, too. I'm hoping that hair will make up for that. If not, well, as Patti Culea says, "Off with her head!" And I'll make a new one, and keep this one for another, smaller doll. Next, I have to go find some hair, and then I get to make her clothes - and jewelry!

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5/05/03

I did, after all, make her a new head. This one suits her much better. I'll use the other one for a smaller doll.

I think I'll name her Helena.

I used "white" roving for her hair - don't you just love the wildness of it?! I like her as a bleach-blonde. Now for her clothes. I found this wonderful shimmery purple/green... what else would I use? :)

Mood continues to be good! Huzzah! & Thank You very much.

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5/06/03

This is my first attempt at making fairy boots for Helena... They won't go over her heels, so I'll have to rethink them, but I'm learning a lot about doll- and pattern-making.

Okay - so I got discouraged today and ate potato chips! They sure are a comfort food for me. Right now, I'm in a decent mood, better than this morning, but not as good as it has been. I think this time it's mostly stress.

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5/07/03

I worked for my sister again today - Wow! -catering is hard work! Nothing like sitting in front of my beads... I did make lots of salads, and sandwiches, and fruit plates - but I didn't get any pictures. Here's a quickie stretch bracelet. It's one of those instant gratification projects, so at least I've made something beady for the day.

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5/08/03

I found a website with a great little tutorial on how to make these little fairies from Polymer clay. His hands and feet aren't QUITE as big as they look in the picture - it has to do with the angle of the photo. But he DOES glow in the dark! He's all baked. I'm not sure whether to just leave him as he is, or dress and decorate him. I made his arms rounded, intending for him to eventually hold something. Gotta think of a name for him, too. It took me about 4 hours total to make him.

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5/09/03

His name is Teagan, which means "beautiful". He's got a rutilated quartz crystal ball, and a green glass bead necklace. His eyes are onyx. He's 2" tall from his little bottom, to the top of his head, and his crystal ball is just an inch.

I actually want to make more! I have a hard time making more than one of anything, but he was so much fun to make, I'd like to try making a smaller one - and maybe give her dragonfly wings....

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5/10/03

Guess I'm in a green phase right now... Here's a simple stretchy bracelet. (The green beads were still out from yesterday.)

Not much to say tonight - I'm tired but in a good mood. Sweet dreams!

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5/11/03

Here's another in the Purple Grasses suite of boxes (see 5/ 01 and 02).

I'm getting together with Mom tomorrow evening to celebrate Mother's Day, so I'll use this box to wrap her gift. Now I have to make her something. That'll be tomorrow's project!

Happy Mother's Day!

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5/13/03

Wow - I'm just NOT feeling creative today. I had to talk myself into making this stretch bracelet. (It's in my favorite colors.)

I had to force myself into most everything I did today. Why are some days such a struggle? I'm not really depressed - just listless and unmotivated. Oh No! Could it be.... PMS?!

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5/15/03

The instructions for this Origami Bead are on the Oriland website. When you stack them up, they fit together. This one is made from 2 x 4" orange foil origami paper. I just had to try it!

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5/16/03

This little Pyramid bead is made of 3 mm square beads. I like the way they fit together. I see possibilities for embellishment....

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5/17/03

I spent several pleasurable hours making another goblin. His name is Dweedle, and he has his own magic wand, an earring, and Dragonfly wings. He is a mix of gold metallic and glow -in-the-dark Premo. He's even smaller that Teagan, just an inch and a half seated. His wings are just over 3" across.

I also made a whole sheet of Dragonfly wings in different colors and sizes for future projects.

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5/18/03

Here are 2 different versions of Origami Beads. Both start with 3 - 2" squares, but the smaller one has lots more folding. I couldn't get it to interlock any tighter - maybe I used too small a square? The smaller one is at Origami Beads, The larger at Fabric Origami Workshop.

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5/19/03

I did a couple of silly things tonight... the first is an Origami container - kind of cute. The second is a "plexagon" - a sturdy 3-D shape made from two flat hexagons. Oh the possibilities! :)

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5/20/03

Another paper project today - There is this gorgeous Gladiolus blooming outside my apartment. I had to run and get my camera and take it's portrait. The triangular shape of the flowers suggested the pyramid box. I'll be using these photos an other things, I'm sure!

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5/21/03

I've had these Tanzanite colored flower crystals for a while now - I wanted to make something from them, and they wanted to be earrings. I put one flower loose in the pic, since they're sideways on the earrings. The shape is called Margarita, and I got mine from Beyond Beadery. Hmmm wonder if they come in green - they'd make great miniature Christmas trees.....

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5/22/03

This 3-D star is printed on cardstock, and the "skin" is a close-up photo of sand at the beach, after the rain. The colors in this pic are way off. I still haven't figured out why my camera decides to change the color levels... I can take 3 pictures one after the other, without changing anything, and they will all be different. If anybody knows why this happens - please let me know! (I have a Sony DSC S70 camera, and am taking the pictures under an Ott-Lite.)

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5/23/03

This is a tiny magic wand - just 1 3/4" tall, with cape amethyst, gold filled, vermeil and 9° 3-cut seed beads. Colors in this pic are fairly accurate... I know I'll figure this out one of these days! The star bead is a little crooked, but I wanted to let the perfectionist in me have a little vacation.

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5/24/03

A whole gaggle of Glitterflies! The widest wingspan is 3 1/2 ". The dark one is garnet colored - hard to tell in the pic.

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5/25/03

Here's a little wand I made for my brother-in-law. It's 2" tall - just a little bigger than the one above. The stones are labradorite, the silver-colored beads are antique steel-cut beads.

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5/26/03

This picture is awful - but my camera's battery ran out - so it'll have to do until the battery is done recharging.

This bead is an experiment in embellishing a plain polygon bead with Margarita crystals. I'm not really happy with it, so I'll probably take it apart.

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5/27/03

I had a whole strand of these man-made "cat's eye" stars... Now I have a stretch bracelet, and I still have lots of stars for other projects. (I have beads that I can't use, because then I won't have them any more!)

:)

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5/29/03

OK - I missed a day for the first time... I've got the flu (whine, whimper, sniffle, cough cough). I spent most of the last couple of days trying to breathe. I'm in a pretty good mood, even though I feel physically miserable.

Anyway, in between naps today I worked on getting all the different gift boxes ready to sell. I have four types so far. (See 5/1 and 5/11 for the other boxes.) I made another envelope, and printed out a whole lot of boxes, with different photo "skins". Next I have to figure out a price. Suggestions appreciated!

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5/30/03

I liked the little wand I made on 5/23 so much that I made a pair of earrings....

I still didn't get much done today, but I am feeling better!

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5/31/03

3 different shades of Amethyst beads make up this stretch bracelet. Amethyst is my favorite stone - it's my birthstone, too.

I haven't been taking my vitamins for a while - and I'm starting to feel that slide into depression. (I'm not very good with routines - one of the reasons I never went on the BC pill. I never thought I'd be able to remember it every day.)

I'm gonna go take my vitamins right now!

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