For this week’s challenge, I chose a cute fabric with a bird on it, and made a dress for my Blythe doll, Lily (Ljiljana):
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I found this weeks assignment quite amusing – I should have known how to do this properly back in High School :-). We were to choose a signature, turn it upside down (so our brains would think and see things differently) and then draw what we saw. I chose John Hancock’s signature – how original! The upper signature is the original, and the lower one is mine (maybe if I used a quill and ink, it would have looked even better):
DH just came back from a business trip to Saudi Arabia. He stopped over in Croatia to visit his mother, and brought back some wonderful artisan made replicas of Croatian traditional jewelry.
To the left is a pendant of a coin of the Empress Maria Theresa of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (18th century), and the other is a traditional jewelry from the region of Pokuplje, Dalmatia (17th – 18th century):
Here is a beautiful Southern Dalmatian cross with filigree (16th – 17th century), and a Sestine Heart, for our daughter (19th century):
DH brought these two back several years ago. A decorative plate from the region of Runovic, Imotski (17th century), and a pendant of Saint Blaise (Vlaho), the Patron Saint of Dalmatia (Renaissance):
They are quite large pieces, but I’ll make an effort to wear them :-). You can find them here: Hrvatski Tradicijski Nakit.
I had lunch with my friend Donna yesterday. She has a bunch of hens that lay the most wonderful eggs! they come in different colors, and when I get a hold of fresh laid eggs, I love to make Pavlovas. Pavlovas are meringue desserts that we discovered while living in Australia. It is named after a famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. I like to top mine with fresh fruits and drizzle it with chocolate. Since it only requires egg whites, this time I made sure not to waste the yolks, and made a Lord Baltimore cake too:
Here are the recipes for both desserts (you can click on them for larger versions):
And here is the namesake, Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova:
I was rummaging through some old crafts supplies that the kids used when they were young. I came across some shrinky dink sheets, and thought it would be neat to make something out of them. I got out my new pack of colored sharpies, and started drawing. I like the look of bird cages, but I don’t like caged birds. So, I made a “Canary on a Cage” shrinky dink earrings. I knew they would shrink, but they seemed to shrink more than I expected. My daughter has already “adopted” them for herself :-):
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The assignment for this week was to use our non-dominant hand, and draw a person, place or thing and give it a name based on how you feel. I am right handed, so I used my left hand, and drew what came to my mind immediately: My Family/Love/Contentment. Non-dominant hand drawing and writing is supposed to be childlike; I think I hit the nail on the head:
The OWOH event has officially come to a close. You can still visit the many wonderful blogs of the 871 participants. Click on the OWOH logo below to go to the list. This has been an incredible journey. I have met and seen many wonderful artists and their blogs from throughout the world… and I have learned a thing or two :-). Thank you Lisa Swifka (A Whimsical Bohemian) for organizing this final event!
Now to announce the winners of my door prizes:
Debbie, Tara, & Stephanie, I have sent you an e-mail. Please get back to me within three days so that I can get these gifts mailed out to you. Thank you!
Here is a set of periwinkle blue bracelet and earrings that I just listed in my Etsy Shop. This is another of my favorite colors:
Happy Valentine’s Day!!! Here is a photo of the Valentine I gave to my DH. A card and a box of See’s chocolate ( what do you give a guy who has everything?). I have had the opportunity to live in many countries as well as another state, and I must say that my favorite chocolate is still See’s. My daughter and I went and bought this box, gave it to my DH, and then proceeded to polish it off! So, we went back to See’s and bought another pound! – DH noticed the different candy, we confessed, and he just laughed! I’m not sure if I will make my monthly weigh in with WW if I keep this up! 🙂
When you make jewelry, you invariably end up with some scrap materials. In my case, I use a lot of sterling silver when making my jewelry. I had no idea what to do with it at first, but two options presented themselves to me. I could either sell it back to the large jewelry supply stores, or I could go to my local friendly neighborhood Gem and Mineral Society. To optimize the use of my silver, I went to the Yucaipa Valley Gem and Mineral Society. There are many things that a member can do at such a society. I have done rock polishing, and taken a few silversmithing classes as well as chain maille classes. With my scrap silver, I took a casting class. I finally got around to finishing one of the rings. I mounted a 12mm cubic zirconia on a 6 prong setting I cast – it’s massive, but fun to wear :-). I have a bunch of rings still waiting to be cleaned and finished. It’s a learning process – you can see the left most cast ring, a steel shot from tumbling was stuck to it, and when it went into the pickle pot, it gave the silver a coppery finish. I kind of like it actually:
I have already spoken about my garden this month, but since I missed last month, I thought I would double up. This time, I am going to introduce my neighbor, Mindy’s garden. Mindy and her friend Jane (also my friend) have started a nursery called SunnysideLOCAL. They are a licensed nursery and certified farmers market grower located in Redlands, California. Mindy and Jane share a similar philosophy about food: As much as possible, eat sustainably grown food that is raised locally and tastes great. All of their edible plants are grown from organic seeds sown in excellent organic potting mix. Their growing fruit includes a variety of citrus, peaches (white and yellow), Nectarines (white and yellow), Black Mission figs, Wonderful pomegranates, strawberries (grown for jam stock), blueberries and melons. Insecticides are never used and weed killing is done with an OMRI approved orange oil based herbicide. They have a stand, stocked daily with their locally grown fruits, vegetables, and plants, as well as jams and jellies made from their own fruits. They can also be found at our local Saturday farmers market. For more on SunnysideLOCAL visit www.sunnysidelocal.com:
And here are some photos from their stand and nursery:
I have come across many talented mixed media artists on my journey through the OWOH event. So, for this week, I decided to make the “Queen of Bling”, a mixed media magpie trinket box (magpies are known to like shiny objects). I purchased a plain oval paper box, and embellished it with scrap paper, butterfly stickers, rhinestones, and rickrack. I then topped it with a nest decorated with silk flowers, and more bling. The magpie is made of paperclay, and painted with acrylics. She has onyx bead eyes, and wears a vintage pearl necklace. I had a lot of fun cutting, pasting, sticking, sculpting, painting, etc. I’m quite pleased with how it all came out:
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Lutka And Co.
Cutiepie Misfits
lutkaandco.com 