Copper - again!

                                                                                                                                                                         Here's the three latest pendants.  The one in the middle is probably my favorite.  They are made from sheet copper - formed & patinaed, pennies, washers and a piece of a drink can.

Learning - -

This is my art inspiration for the week.  Lerrn by reading, classes, or just by doing!  But try new things - take a class or teach a class.  Be inspired by your surroundings.  Just create!  My newest obsession is copper jewelry, especially pendants.

It's REALLY spring now

You can tell I'm really ready for spring & summer!  I'm even glad to see the weeds blooming!

I once heard an organic gardener say that a weed is only a plant growing where you don't want it.  So in our yard - there are no weeds!  We welcome anything that is green and blooms!

This bouganvilla blooms almost all year - and comes back strong and colorful after cooler weather or being trimmed.

This oleander is a real survivor.  The mother plant was bent and broken by a hurricane.  A branch that was placed in a pot rooted, broke out of the container & sent roots down into cracks in the patio.  I've nicknamed her Wendy (get it, windy?).

And tiny tomatoes for a future salad

GREAT BALLS OF - - - SQUASH!

Yes - round zucchini!  I found these at my local produce stand yesterday.  Never seen them before.  They were really good roasted with some red peppers, onion and garlic.

A new obsession

As if I needed one!  So here's the beginnings:

The first three are knit bags - before felting.  The ruler is 18" for a size comparison.  The last three pictures are drying after felting.  When dry, I'll post another pic with the ruler so you can see the size change.

DO WHAT??

You must be kidding!  While I do believe you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, this one is not for me.  But I read the suggestions on the back of this art inspiration card - It makes sense.  Look at things from different angles, in different lights, without preconceived ideas.  It's amazing what we can see - if we just look.

A camera is a good tool for this - a close-up, different light and shadows can give new perspectives. 

BE SILLY!

The art inspiration card I drew for this week says "Be really silly".  That's pretty easy for me, but there is a fine line between silly and ridiculous.  So I thought I'd share a silly story that happened last week:

Jack handed me two tiny flowers.  I carefully placed them in water in a shallow dish.  Two days later I marveled at how long they stayed alive.  Then he handed me another - that he pulled from his pocket!  As I carefully placed it with the others, I realized THEY ARE NOT REAL!!  So they still reside on the kitchen window sill - to remind me of my own silliness!

More copper pendants

Here's just a couple of pendants I did - One is woven of copper foil.  The other is copper sheet - folded and formed with dangles of sterling and beads. 

RAW MATERIALS

This week's Art Inspiration emphasized using quality materials in your art.  That's a real challenge since I like to recycle and repurpose found objects .  It's not always easy to decide what's trash and what's treasure.