Meme

Feel free to play along..this is one of those lists....mark the things you've done in bold:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (not a big one.)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped )
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung kareoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
101. Seen more than 5 movies in one day
102. Spent a night in jail
103. Ridden a unicycle
104. Slept on the floor
105. Passed out drunk
106. Cheated a railroad company
107. Lied about my age
108. Been South of the Equator
109. Been baptized
110. Been to Japan


Meanwhile, the holiday crafting is going along nicely, and I've started the December BJP page, but not gotten too far on it. Next week, however, I've got a bit more time to spend on it.

November BJP and other work

Well, I finished the November page, my expression of my feelings on the November election! I'm so glad we'll be getting a different focus in our government. Also included is a beaded cord bracelet I'll finish up shortly. I love the combo of the turquoise size 8's and the cranberry 15's, and the texture of this sort of bead cord invites stroking. Also included, a pic of a pair of green wool toe-up socks. I've been on a knitting jag lately and am working on my third pair of wool socks. There's nothing like having warm feet in the winter!

Bosque del Apache

Cranes in flight.


Fall in the bosque.


Jake, birdwatching.


Geese in flight.


See the bald eagle in the snag?


Cranes feeding.


Cranes in flight.


Fall in the bosque.


Group of cranes.


My son Jake and I went out to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. He needed a break from the grind of studying and the Bosque is near his college and a wonderful place to go and unwind. We saw countless ducks and geese and hundreds of cranes, one roadrunner and one bald eagle. All in all it was a marvelous New Mexico afternoon, the air was cool and crisp, the sky bright and mostly cloudless and the scenery absolutely amazing. My pics are all from my little old canon elf. There were many professional looking cameras with enormous lenses out there that made me think it may be getting time to start thinking about a more sophisticated camera, but what I have is good enough for now.

YES! We Can!

Hooray for America! In celebration, I went to my Kuler and made a little color swatch reflecting how I feel about the day and the times. Check out Kuler, (Mary Tafoya introduced me to this site!) it's the dandiest thing for making color swatches to download to your Creative Suite or Photoshop. You can upload a picture of whatever you like to play with and create swatches. It's the best tool I've found so far for playing with color combinations.

Bead Retreat

A turtle and a horse that I got from Sally and stuffed and sewed together, ready for beading.



Some of Sally's stuffed leather critters, ready for her to bead



Rita's gorgeous loomed rose montee bracelet.



Some of my experimental polymer clay pieces, technique taught by Jan Jones



Mary's hands at work.



Loomed Bracelet, technique taught by Rita Sova--kit provided by Rita (thanks Rita!).



One of Sally's leather animal blanks that I bought from her and am stuffing and will bead later.



A gorgeous pair of Sally Ingrams' Diagonal Weave Earrings



My attempt at Vietnamese Button weaving, technique taught by Sally Ingram.



Mary is making these cool bottlecap earrings!


Over the weekend, I was lucky to be a part of an annual bead retreat that I've been attending for a decade. We met in Santa Fe this year and a dozen of us (plus several husbands, with varying degrees of interest in the goings-on) met, dined, beaded, played with polymer clay and buttons, shopped and all-in-all had a wonderful time. As usual, my roommate was Mary Tafoya, an extraordinary beader and artist. We also got to spend time with Sally Ingram, who makes the most gorgeous beaded critters, and who is one of the few living beaders who works in the Ho Chunk style diagonal weave and makes beautiful ceremonial hair wraps as well as long, gorgeous earrings, Sally taught us in interesting techniques for weaving or twining buttons into patterns for things like coasters, baskets and ornaments, a technique done by the Vietnamese. Many of the beaders got this right away, I struggled with it but am sure I can do it when Sally can give me a diagram of the thread path (hint, hint, :-) ). Rita Sova taught us a new technique for the Versa Loom, a bracelet with strands incorporated into it, that I love. She showed off the gorgeous loomed bracelet done with rose montees on the Versa Loom. I've already put in an order for some of the montees, so I can try and make one. Jan Jones taught us how to make neat wood grain looking polymer clay pins and showed us techniques incorporating paint and poly clay that end up with a cool crackle looking finish. Mary taught us how to make our own earwires from sterling silver wire, with several little cool variations! (will try to get a pic of some and add later!) Mary turned me onto MSNBC news, especially Rachel Maddow, who I think is fantastic! It was a wonderful weekend, and already I'm looking forward to next year!

October BJP

Wow! I finished my October piece in plenty of time, even though I've been working on a lot of other things. I named her the harvest goddess. The face cab is one I made last year, and I've been sticking to my vow of using my bead soup. I think I may have enough soup to last all year!

New finished objects

Besides working on my BJP, I've been doing some custom work. Nice to know that people are still willing to spend some cash on bling. I just finished a double strand 20 inch gold bead cord necklace and 8 inch herringbone gold triangle bead bracelet set for a doctor I work with. She's willing to pay what I ask and I try to charge what my time and supplies are worth without making the cost too outrageous (cause I want her to come back for more...hehe) Anyway, I think they turned out nice!