Am I Over-Thinking Again?

This is a plea to all you beadweavers:

I've been in the studio this week working on another peyote stitch necklace. There is no one in my part of North Carolina teaching this method, so I've learned the peyote stitch from books and online tutorials. As a result, I don't have a good idea of which details to sweat and which to let go.

This week's project design is similar to my first which is the result of much experimentation. My mistakes in this first piece are not immediately noticeable, so I've kept it for myself and wear it often. Because of those mistakes, I'm not comfortable with the idea of selling it. But my question is, what constitutes a mistake?

This project started with an agatized fossil coral coin bead. I encased it with size 15 seed beads and keishi pearls. I'm delighted with the result:

Next came the peyote stitch bead tubes as accents, and again, pretty happy with the result:

I worked the odd-count tubular peyote stitch necklace base in size 11 seed beads, starting with 21 beads tied in a circle. Here I have a piece coming together even more beautifully than I had initially imagined, EXCEPT that the tubular peyote base of the necklace is so stiff that it creases unattractively when I curve it around. (x's mark the trouble spots):

I tried to loosen the tension as I stitched, but that just resulted in the tube being "squishy" and it creased even worse when curved.

Is this creasing issue just to be expected? Or is it a basic flaw, and now I have yet another necklace to keep for myself?

Late Night Insanity

Usually, I try to have a few days between posts. However, this was too good to keep. The weekends are when Marble Man and I get caught up with the tv recordings we've made during the previous week. Yesterday, we found a gem from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Airing on CBS right after David Letterman, Ferguson spends the first two minutes of every show performing some sort of lunacy to convince viewers to stay up for the rest of the show. Ferguson's attitude is: it's 12:30 AM, only pot heads and insomniacs are up and watching, so anything goes. On June 3, 2009, he outdid himself with this performance to Istanbul (not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants:


(I'm especially fond of the little guy wearing the leather shorts and playing the concertina. In my book, anybody willing to dress themselves like that for the nation to watch is A-Okay!)

I can usually rely on Ferguson for a fullout belly laugh, tears streaming down the face, and endorphin-induced euphoria. His monologue is the best of all the late night shows, in my opinion. He doesn't use cue cards, and he's very witty, although sometimes he does channel his inner 14 year-old-boy. More often than not, the early part of his show is worth watching.

Ahhh... if only more tv shows were this flamboyantly irreverent and funny. I hope you go through the rest of your day feeling those endorphins!

What's Cooking Sunday / Black Bean Burgers

Marble Man and I are still following our diet plans, as well as attempting to save some cash at the grocery store. Vegetarian meals seem like the best bet for meeting both of those goals. These Jamaican-flavored black bean burgers are really delicious, AND they look like beef burgers on the plate! It's kind of freaky how good they look... and then that first bite is a symphony of flavors. I guarantee, you'll be hooked on them once you try them.

Black Bean Burgers
serves: 8

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 C chopped onion
2 -3 cloves minced garlic
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 C black beans, drained
1 1/2 C cooked rice
a few dashes of tabasco sauce
1 C plain bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
black pepper

Heat 1 T oil and saute the onions, stirring until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, allspice and nutmeg and saute for two more minutes.

Pour into a food processor along with beans, rice, and tobasco sauce. Pulse repeatedly until mixture is chopped, not pureed.

Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Shape into 8 patties and fry in remaining 1 T oil over medium heat, about 4 minutes per side.

Enjoy!

Let Me Introduce My Friend,...

... Christie, of Sweetbriar Studio here in sultry North Carolina.

She is a purse designer extraordinaire,

has designed fun reversible fabric hats,

and felted pieces for the home.

She has two Etsy shops: one for her purses, hats, and accessories, and one for home accessories.

Christie and I have been friends for years (I've bought and made some of her purse patterns). Periodically, we meet for lunch and a chance to get caught up. Today was our first lunch in several months - time has flown by! During our chattering this afternoon, she let drop that she's started a blog. While you are sitting at your computer, why don't you hippity-hoppity your way over to her corner of Blogland and give her a big Bloglandia welcome?

Christie was one of my "helpers" at my show last November

Pooch's Memorial Garden

I've been plodding along, digging in Pooch's memorial garden for a week and a half now. This is one of those projects that seemed like a great idea... until we got a couple hours into it. Then, all I could think was "WHAT were we thinking?!?"

Each morning, I eat breakfast and drink my coffee, knowing I'm about to go out into the HOT, hot world (it was 92 degrees today!) and sling a mattock until I'm dripping. To make things worse, the mosquitoes are so big and aggressive that I need to wear long sleeves and sweat pants. The little creeps can drill through those heavy clothes, but I figure, if they're gonna get me, I'll make sure it hurts them as much as me! I've tried using insect repellent, but the skeeters just look at me and say, "Mmmmmm... Marinade!"

As I'm slogging away outside, Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" keeps running through my head.

You can see in the background of these pictures just how badly overgrown the ground covering vines are. Digging in a new patch is definitely not my favorite thing to do, but the end result will be a peaceful, shady foliage garden. So far, the front half is done and ready for some added top soil before planting.

An overall view

The dogwood sapling

Pooch's "spot" is under the aggregate pavers

I loved these two huchera plants - the leaves contrast with each other beautifully

Our neighbors gave us two gardenia bushes started from cuttings

Can you believe this is a geranium?!? GORGEOUS.

Our "flying pig" weathervane:

It's a good-sized patch - about 10'x10'. I have several iris clumps in the front yard that need dividing. I'm going to bring some of those to this new back garden. Throughout the year I'll add other seasonal things like bulbs and some fall foliage plants. This is a long project - I'm not sure it will ever really be "finished". It's going to be fun to watch it take shape.

Update: Thursday, June 4

Well, dammit! The deer came through and ate the huchera and fuchsias down to nubs. I don't care how cute and pretty the deer are... I dream of venison steaks at this moment in time.

What's Cooking Sunday: Orange Chicken / Roasted Vidalia Onions

Life is getting back to normal which, for me, means: "Stop eating comfort foods and go back to your diet!!!" These two recipes are very light and packed with savory flavors.

Roasted Smokey Orange Chicken
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 (5 oz) skinless chicken breast halves
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 C orange marmalade (of the "all fruit" variety)
1-1/2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Line a shallow baking pan with tin foil. arrange chicken in pan and lightly season all over with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine marmalade, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. Mix well and pour over chicken.

Roast for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

~

Roasted Vidalia Onions
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 medium vidalias (2 lbs) peeled and cut into 8 wedges
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 T balsamic vinegar

Arrange onions, flat side down, on jellyroll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat onions with spray. Sprinkle seasonings over onions. Bake 30 minutes. Turn onions over and bake an additional 25 minutes. Spoon into serving dish and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Back To The Studio

It's been a week since Pooch died, and each day is getting easier than the last. We spent the weekend digging a hole in the hard-packed clay in a shady section of our back yard. While we were at it, we thought it would be nice to dig in a memorial garden around Pooch's "spot". I'll be working all Summer to get that finished, but the biggest part (burying Pooch) is done. This final act brings to mind the old fairy tales where the heroine buries a loved one, and a magical tree laden with silver and golden apples flourishes over the grave. It's a nice thought, but I think we'll just keep the dogwood sapling that's already doing well there. And, yes, I do think the pun in that is funny!

I'm growing accustomed to being alone during the day: I've stopped cleaning so madly and I find I'm able relax into a work schedule. Today was my first full day in the studio - I have three new bracelets to show for my labors. All three were made with the flower chain bead weaving method:

tangerine and blue fire-polished crystals and apple green seed beads:

This piece has a peyote stitch toggle

~

garnet red and amber fire-polished crystals with light olive green seed beads

~

freshwater pearls and pink fire-polished crystals with silver-lined seed beads

This was my favorite of all three, but photographing it proved to be a bear. Neither white nor black backgrounds do it real justice. Any suggestions?

~

Thank you all for your sweet comments and caring emails during this past week. It means the world to me to have such loving and supportive friends.

And a BIG "Thank You!" to all those friends and family who showered us with dachshund memorabilia over the years. Because of you, we're surrounded with fun memories of our little man:

Corn holders! Funny!

Drawing Away My Sadness

For the past three years, my main focus each day has been to care for Pooch: feed him every 2 hours, make sure he gets his myriad of meds on time, take him out to pee every hour, and, of course, snuggle him as much as possible.

Now that he's gone, I find myself completely intimidated by all this new-found freedom. I've cleaned the house top-to-bottom and put away the dog toys. Now what? I don't much feel like making jewelry - my heart's just not in it at this time. I started a drawing on Tuesday - I could only work on it a little at a time, since Pooch demanded I have an arm around him while he slept. I had no idea he wasn't feeling well.

Tuesday I laid down basic shapes. Since I first learned to draw, I've had difficulty with facial features. I made sure to get those right in the first stage.

Wednesday morning, I added the drapery of her soft silk poncho and some of the railing. This immediately helped "ground" the figure.

I had to leave the drawing at this point due to all the drama of Wednesday afternoon and my deep sadness all day yesterday. Still sad today, but trying to fill my day with what I love to do. I decided to go back to the drawing. I've always been able to lose myself in artwork, and this morning was no exception. There's something so "Zen" about sitting quietly, working the pencils and eraser, taking moments to step back and analyze progress.

I dug out the 6B pencils and went to town adding some contrast: I darkened her pants and blouse so she'd "pop" in front of the railing. Then deepened some shadows for added punch.

I think she's done for now. In the future, I'll add some soft misty background - maybe sand dunes and a touch of ocean, for that's where I long to be right now.

The original image I used as a model was a page from the latest Chico's catalog:

I was ruminating over what to draw next, when Marble Man exclaimed, "Ooooooh, you should draw HER!" while pointing madly at the magazine. So, MM, you got your wish.

Thank you, Everyone, for all your supportive comments on my last post (and all the hugs!). It means a great deal to me, and helped a lot.

Farewell Dear Friend...

March 6, 1993 - May 20, 2009

Our darling Pooch gave up his fight today after an afternoon of continuous seizures.

I'm so glad to have known you - you'll always be my "little man".
R. I. P. Sweet Boy, our boon companion and Supreme Snuggler. I miss you so much already.

What's Cooking Sunday: Baked Oatmeal

Who doesn't love breakfast? And who wouldn't want it made ahead, freezable, and reheatable, too? That's what you'll get with this delicious and easy oatmeal recipe.

Baked Oatmeal
Serves 10
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

5 C rolled oats
4 eggs (or 1 C egg substitute to reduce calories)
1/2 C canola oil
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
3/4 C sugar (or Splenda)
2 C skim milk
1 T baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salk
1 large apple, chopped with skins left on
1 C raisins

Put ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Pour into sprayed 9 x 13 inch baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.

Great warm or cold, drizzled with milk (fat free half and half is even better!)