Gossiping Goddess Spring Fever Design Challenge

Leslie Watt of Gossiping Goddess, Caroline of Blueberri Beads and Claire Braunbarth of Smitten Beads are sponsoring a "Spring Fever Design Challenge" blog hop. 

20 lucky people are going to have the opportunity to purchase a design kit that will include a colorful layered ceramic flower focal and some accent beads from Leslie, a painted bird ceramic set from Caroline, and a length of gorgeous sari silk from Claire.  Leslie and Caroline have some gorgeous sample pictures of some of the kits on their websites. 

You can click on the colored "Gossiping Goddess" and "Blueberri Beads" links above to view the pictures and enter for a chance to be one of the fortunate 20 participants.

I would love to have the opportunity to be one of the fortunate ones as I have never worked with Leslie or Caroline's beads or sari silk.

Visit the websites above for an opportunity to participate in the blog hop.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to return on Friday to see what I have completed for the Bay Moon Design patina challenge.  Stop by on Saturday to see whether I have managed to get my project together for Erin's Challenge of Music blog hop.

Carolyn

Grow Your Blog winner

If you are looking for the Winter Sparkle Blog Hop reveal, please click here:  winter-sparkle-blog-hop-reveal

I was finally able to draw the winner of my giveaway for a pair of earrings or some beads.  Annmarie from Wisconsin has been notified that she is the lucky person.  As soon as she contacts me with her preference and her address, they will be in the mail to her.

Thanks to everyone that stopped by and signed up to follow my blog.  I grew by half so I appreciate it.

I have signed up the the A-Z Challenge in April where you post every day but Sunday.  Your topic is the letter of the alphabet that is assigned for that day.  I have already started making my list.  There are some holes and I may be asking for some suggestions.  I thought I would talk about different gemstones and beading subjects. 

I hope to learn things about the different subjects and pass on what I have learned.  Please try and stop back by in the month of April.  I do intend to do some blogging in between then and now.

I have signed up for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party and a couple of the blog hop challenges that Lisa Lodge is hosting.  I have a patina challenge for Friday, February 28th and Erin's Challenge of Music Blog Hop is the same day.  I hope to get both done this weekend.

Stop back by and see if I managed to complete both challenges.

Thanks for stopping by.

Carolyn

Winter Sparkle Blog Hop reveal

Welcome to the Winter Sparkle Blog Hop put on by Lisa Lodge of A Greateful Artist blog.  Lisa always has the best bead kits for her blog hops.  In fact I have several more of her blog hops that I will be doing.

Lisa advertised this particular blog hop last year and I hurriedly signed up as she has a limited number of kits.  I don't know if Lisa did it on purpose because she says that she sends the kits out blindly but I received a kit in my favorite shades of gold/topaz.

 

Beads included in kit.

 Here is a picture of the beads that were included in the kit:  two sizes of pearls, topaz-colored rondells, bicones and rounds, clear ovals, gold daisy spacers, gold seed beads, and two swarovski crystal pieces.

I did pretty good at using most of the beads in the kit.

Swarovski crystal earrings

Pearl and rounds earrings

Here are two other pair of earrings that I made using some of the pearls, topaz round beads, and lt. topaz rondells.









Memory wire bracelet

 I used the majority of the beads making this five strand memory wire bracelet. I used the smaller size pearls, the topaz bicones, rondells, and rounds along with the seed beads.  I also made about five different styles of dangles using the smaller beads.




The last of the beads were used to make this necklace.

Necklace

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit the other bloggers to see what they have made.


Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life 

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations   You are here

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Ev Shelby, Raindrop Creations 

Dolores Raml, CraftyD's Creations

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Cassi Renee Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Annette Rivers, Mama Owl's Mess

Tammie Tusher Everly, TTE Designs

Crystal Thain, Here Bead Dragons

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Norbel Marolla, She Flies Again Jewelry

Karen Burg, KEB Designs

Karin Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Jasvanti Patel, Jewels by Jasvanti

 

See you next time.

 

Carolyn

Grow Your Blog

My name is Carolyn and I have joined Vicki of 2 Bags Full and 595 other bloggers in this yearly event that Vicki has started as a way to "grow your blog".  Please join the rest of us as we visit each other's blogs and find new blogs to follow thus "growing our blogs".

Again, my name is Carolyn and I live in the Pacific Northwest where I reside with my chow mix dog Hank.  We live in a nice residential area where we take lots of walks even in the rain and snow.

I blog because I design and make jewelry and the blogging allows me to enter blog challenges where we receive beads and design jewelry from the beads received along with beads from our own stash.

I try to blog at least once a week but it has been hard going as the computer is in one room of the house and by the time I relax enough to want to blog it is time for bed.  I got a tablet for Christmas and I haven't figured out how to use Blogger on it.  Any suggestions are welcome.

I will be having a giveaway along with some of the other participants on February 15th.  I haven't made a final decision on what it will be.  Please leave your name and email address along with whether you would like to win beads or a pair of earrings.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you consider following my blog.

Carolyn

Anyone use Blogger on a Kindle?

I got a new tablet for Christmas and would like to do my blogging on it but haven't found the Blogger app in their store.  The one available does not have any good reviews and I hate to purchase something that is not going to work.  Any suggestions?

I do see that Wordpress is available but I hate to have to start a new blog but that may be what I will have to do as I have time when I am relaxing before bed to write a short post.  Otherwise, I have to find time and go to the computer and then type it.  Once I am in front of the computer it is not a hardship but finding the time to do it is.

I will be involved in a blog hop on the 24th to help build my blog.  Please be sure to come back then.

Thanks for stopping by.

Carolyn

"Into the Forest" blog hop reveal

Today is the reveal day for the "Into the Forest" blog hop sponsored by Lisa Lodge of A Grateful Artist blog.  I got a kit from Lisa that included

faceted rounds, bicones, seed beads, nuggets and a pendant. 

It took a little thought about how to proceed and I made the following:

I used the green bicones, faceted peridot rounds and the seed beads.  I had a brass leaf that I used as a backing for the pendant.  I made matching earrings

Sorry for the picture quality but it is raining outside and cannot get a good picture.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the other participants:

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Eleanor Burian Moore, The Charmed Life

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Chris Eisenberg, Wanderware

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  you are here.

Janine Lucas, Esfera Travel Blog

Jasvanti Patel, Jewelry by Jasvanti

Shaiha Williams,   Shaiha's Ramblings

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Toltec  Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

Monique Urquhart, A Half-Baked Notion

Janet Bocciardi, Honey from the Bee

Dini Bruinsma, Angaza by Changes

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Christina Miles, Wings n Scales

Elizabeth Engriser, Bead Contagion

Alice Peterson, Alice Dreaming

Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things

Catherine Yvonne King, Catherine's Musings

Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs



Focus on Life Week 1

Happy New Year, everyone.  I plan to be more active on my blog this year.  I have joined several groups and challenges that should get me going. 

The first one is The Studio Sublime's Focus on Life postings.  Once a week Sally sends us a challenge to take a photo that meets her challenge and post it on Saturdays.  I have my photo so let's begin.

January's focus is: minimalism: there are many definitions of minimalism but the most prevalent is bare mininum.

Week One: The Minimalist Photograph - Focus on one object

I was leaving work one day last week and saw this little fellow by the bus stop.  He is very tiny compared to other birds around.  I actually thought he was a leaf and almost stepped on him.  He does not seem to be afraid of humans as I was able to walk by him and he didn't move a muscle.  Does anyone know what kind of bird he is?

Please stop by the other blogs that are participating.  Here is a link to Sally blog where we all link up to our blogs:  Focus on Life Week 1

Be sure to come back next week to see what the next focus is going tobe.

Thanks for coming by.

Carolyn