Wellness words jewelry challenge reveal & GIVEAWAY

Today is a three post day!

Find the focusing on life post here ** Find the lucite and clay post here

 

Hello and Welcome! Today is a busy day here at the blog and I’m going to reward you all for putting up with me with a little giveaway at the end of this post.  I’m pretty sure it was a post on facebook from Erin Siegel that lead me to find Tracy Statler’s Make Bracelets! blog and this Wellness words jewelry challenge.  Reading Tracy’s post I was excited to complete the idea of choosing a word for the year by making it into a piece of jewelry to wear as a reminder.  At that point I had already selected the word MANIFEST and creating a talisman to reinforce this sounded like just the kind of action I should take – so I hopped on board. 

I’m going to show you the backside first, as it turns out I didn’t get any wide shots front ways that are worth sharing (still staring up at that dSLR learning curve)


I call myself a blue girl and I knew this piece would be blue all over.  This reverse of the focal is actually a test piece from the gift I made my dad for Christmas.  It was handy so it was pressed into service as a connection point for the knotted bead chain and the dangling bottle.



This bottle is a recycled, unused, cryogenic vial.  Did I hear you say “huh?” -  It’s a plastic screw top vial, liquid tight, that is used for storing lab specimens and such in the very cold freezers like -86C.  Covered in polymer I thought it would be the perfect keeper for things I would like to manifest.  With the aid of a strip of quilling paper and a fine pen I have 20 inches of things to manifest rolled up and tucked neatly inside.


Can you read my handwriting on the centre of that blue poppy-esque flower?  It says manifest.  I thought of serveral ways of including the word but in the end writing it on felt like the natural choice.  I have a whole pack of this quilling paper so I can always add new thoughts and intentions to my vial as the years go by.  The lampwork you see just above the cap is from Karolen Deupree and there are a few more sprinkled in with my polymer beads.
 

These disk beads that are knotted with waxed lined to form the chain to throw this necklace over my neck are a new design I’ve been playing with.  I spent the week with different patterns and colours and I really enjoyed the balance of control versus serendipity with this little bead.

Here is where you come in!

I would love the hear your thoughts on these new beads.  How would you use them?  Ideas for colour palettes you would enjoy seeing? What would you call them? (I’m struggling with a descriptive name) Ombre sets?

You see I usually try something out and if I get a little uneasy about it it can sit in a box for a few years.  I don’t want to see that happen to these little babies cuz I think they have potential.  So I want to live up to my word and manifest these little beads into a line in my shop.  I’d love your feedback to get me rolling.

Your reward – a chance to win 10 beads like I used in this Manifest necklace

 

Here’s how:

Leave a comment on THIS post.  For additional entries share this giveaway on your favourite social media, please leave a separate comment each time you do so that I can count ‘em up nice and easy when it comes time to select a winner (from anywhere on earth).  Since there are several hops I’m taking part in today I will leave the contest open until Friday Feb 8 midnight EST.  Sound good?

Oh and if your comment comes with this: no-replycomment@blogger.com it breaks my heart a little, so please leave me a way to contact you if your profile doesn't allow me to contact you...

Ok that’s more than enough from me today! Thank you for reading all the way through. Thank you to Tracy for the inspiration.  Please follow on to see what all these talented ladies made to make 2013 a banner year.

acreativeforce.blogspot.com
alankarshilpa.blogspot.com
allprettythings.ca
anniamaebisuteria.blogspot.com.es/
apolymerpenchant.com  - You are right here, thanks for coming!
beadlolabead.blogspot.com/
beadrecipes.wordpress.com
centsations.wordpress.com
clay-space.com/
creativeatelier.net 
elliesbijoux.com
emakdesigns.com
erinsiegel.com
etsy.com/shop/shamaen
facebook.com/hotsouthernmessdesigns
facebook.com/soquilidesigns
fairiesmarket.blogspot.com
firstimpressiondesign.blogspot.com
gemsbyjudy.com
glasstastreasures.blogspot.com
handcraftedserenity.blogspot.com
facebook.com/azuresunshines
facebook.com/whdalaska
jeanetteblix.com
kimmykats.com
kymhunterdesigns.blogspot.com
lisayangjewelry.com
macmillanmarie.blogspot.com
makebraceletsblog.com
miabellasoul.com
misheldesigns.com
mycreativechallenge.blogspot.com
noseycritters.blogspot.com
pixiloo.blogspot.com
sandivolpe.com
sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com
shaterra.etsy.com
shinylittlethings.blogspot.com
shymedesign.se
shymessmycken.blogspot.se
simpleearthcreations.com
soultosubstance.com
suebeads.com
sunshinebliss.com
sweetbeadstudio.com
sweetwillowdesigns.blogspot.com
thebeadingyogini.com
thestudiosublime.com
treasures-found.blogspot.com
twitter.com/ldymlivelystone
vault31.blogspot.com
veradesigns.blogspot.com
 

Focusing on life – week 2–one little word

If you are looking for the Memories and Thanks post it is here

 

Welcome to week 2 of Sally Russick’s focusing on life series, all the details are on her blog the Studio Sublime.  This week’s focus is the one word for 2013.  I was excited to receive this prompt and to capture the word I had already chosen: MANIFEST.  I’m defining that as the verb: to make stuff happen - to be the action that fills the gap from idea to fruition.

 

 

Here is one of my older pasta machines.  Actually it was my very first.  It still runs nicely although it has some pitting in the barrels.  It is standing in at the moment since my regular machine is a bit out of whack and needs some tweaking.  Taking apart, cleaning and in particular reassembling a pasta machine makes you want to be an octopus for just a few minutes.  I’ve been avoiding the task but it needs to get done.  I’ve lined up some new (but look at the rust!) stamps that are for a project I’m going to try to complete tonight (Friday) we shall see.  In the background is a large format journal.  It’s divided with plain, grid and lined sheet section of heavy weight paper and I have plans to use it thoroughly this year.   I think I may create a plate for the front, in polymer, perhaps MANIFEST-O.

 

I’ll leave you with this little article sounds like good advice to help achieve some goals, or as they put it, “manifest anything”!

A wire, a word and a window

a wire.  Well, a lot of wire is in my future.  Supplies and tools have started to arrive and I’m very excited to join a bunch of excited ladies for the Aspire to Wire e-course starting next week.
a word.  Ok blogosphere I hear you.  A single word to hang the upcoming year upon.  Oh the pressure.  The mere mention of  “SMART” goals kinda makes me wrinkle up my nose and shift my weight in the chair.  Writing goals down?  Hmm, maybe it’s time to give it a try.  Deep breath.

1 – It’s really fun to write a blog knowing that there are folks reading it.  Followers I can and can’t see (directly) are a wonderful thing.  Thank you so so much for coming here and chatting with me!  Ready for it? GOAL – 300 followers by end of year.  Measureable and I hope achievable.
2 – I would also love to see my etsy shop full of a variety of shapes, colours and loveliness.  I know that when I land in a shop I love to have at least a handful of pages to browse through and get a taste.  GOAL – a shop full of 150 listings by end of year.  That sounds a little safe, perhaps a stretch of 200 (eek).

Baby steps.  So how do I reach those goals?  Let’s make that the job of the word for 2013.  Ready? (said more to me than you).  MANIFEST.  The verb, that is.  I’m going to sum that up as I’m gonna make stuff happen.

a window.  The part you would see is 58mm across.  Really though, it’s so much bigger than that.  Today I decided that I was going to have enough confidence in what I have to share to show it to you with the most powerful tool I could wrap my hands around.  Ta-da!



My new DSLR, lenses and cute sling bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag at all  (no sense in attracting thieves).  Thank goodness for Frank, the thoughtful salesman at the camera store who listened intently to my pointed questions comparing several models...for two hours.  Notice there is no goal above about better photographs.  Just giving myself the time and space to learn.  I think it’s going to be a fun ride!