Pink Saturday & Flowers for Reba

Welcome to PINK Saturday! I haven't played in the PINK for awhile. But, these beauties had to be shared. Last week was a very HARD week for me. I had to put my precious friend down on Thursday the 18th (if you want to know details or to CRY go HERE). The next day I could NOT stay in my house. So, my friend & I went to Central Market which is a high end grocery store. They had the most beautiful tulips on sale. I bought TWO! One bunch for me & one bunch for the princess.

I think tulips are so wonderful because they are like the promise of spring in the cold of winter. These seemed appropriate. All week I enjoyed them & watched how they changed. Kind of like my emotions.

The petals opened... the differences in the light made for pretty PINK pictures.

As you can tell they are on the counter in front of my sink looking into the great room. So they were there every morning to greet me, there when passing through, & there when & cooked & cleaned up supper. And on Wednesday this is how they looked on their final day. BEAUTIFUL!!!! Look at the glorious sunshine coming in all my window (& we needed it after grey, cloudy, snowy days). There is light at the end of a tunnel.

Thank you for stopping by today & be sure to click on the PINK Saturday button on my sidebar to go thank our hostess Beverly & the other girls that are playing today.

Beads Pearls Bling & SUNSHINE

I have been sooooooooo DOWN in the dumps since loosing my precious Reba that I feel like I have been living in a grey FOG. But, today dawned a beautiful (cold) morning with sunshine spilling in all my windows. My heart smiled! And I thought... "I should share all the lovely colors of these beads before I finish putting them in their boxes". This is just PART of the stash of wonder that I bought back in January when I was at Market in Dallas. I had already put away as many beads & pearls as what is laid out here. BAD BAD BAD I was indeed!And here is a glimpse of the pearls just dumped on top of my glass bubbles (used for soldered charms) I have to sort & put these in boxes too. But, I LOVED the colors all together in a mish mash. Do you?

And a bowl of BLING! And you ask what are you going to do with all of this? Well, some of this I will be taking with me to use in my classes (click on the button on my sidebar to take you to the site) at ADORN ME.
This is a week long event hosted by Linda of ART UNRAVELED. It is the first all jewelry type event & she has brought in MANY famous talented teachers!!!!! I am so thrilled that I will have a chance to go & create in this mecca of talent. And be with my friends & have the social times that I so crave with them.

This is the class (click on the photo to enlarge it) I will be taking from my friend & mentor Diana Frey. I fell in LOVE with her & her creations last spring when I went to California to take a class from her. I can not begin to tell you the wonder. Just to hear her sweet laugh & to be around her wonder is heaven for me. I am soooooo honored to call her friend. Click HERE to see the post about that class.

And this is the Crystal Princess taught by another dear friend & teacher Diane Cook. I know you remember my post HERE about the class I just took from Diane down in Round Top, Texas. She is also amazing & about the sweetest soul I've met. I KNOW that Diane & I will become great buddies because we have so many interest in common & she lives so close. In fact, I am already slated to take another class with her on etched metals in May. COME JOIN ME YOU TEXAS GIRLS!

Last but not least this is the class taught by Deryn Mentock. I don't know Deryn but, I do know her work & her reputation as an artist & teacher is wonderful. This will be a 2 part class. The first part will be creating resined paper that will then be used to create part of this luscious necklace. So, I needed (hey that's what I'm telling hubby... need sounds more necessary than wanted) all these beads, pearls & bling to create!!!! So, no telling him any difference & I promise to come back & share the photos & stories. If you live in Texas or have some air miles to burn come join us. I think there are still openings for many of the classes. And there is a vendor night that should be awesome & it will be open to the public if you live near Katy, TX (suburb of Houston). Click on each of the gals mentioned names & it will take you to their site for you to see more of their work & talent. NOW, off to pack & wait for UPS to deliver new tools ordered. Oh, don't tell him about those either. Hee Hee Bad girl Bad girl what ya gonna do????

Beautiful Gifts In The Mail & the Beautiful GIFT of Friendship

BEAUTY COMES IN SMALL PACKAGES! And can be found in some of the simplest things! Chandelier crystals in a vintage family treasure & a flower made out of pattern tissue paper with glitter & MOP buttons. Simple.... Beautiful!!!!!

These luscious crystals were sent to me by my new friend SANDY that I met at Heart & Communion Art Event(click on her name to visit her her cute blog). We sat together the second day for our chandelier class. We had sooooooo much fun together. Sandy lives out in California & had flown in for the event. Why is is I have so very many friends in California???? I sure could live there I tell you!!!! That is a dream of mine to live there during the summer to escape the Texas heat & to enjoy all my friends, art events & classes, shops, California coast & seafood, all the beauty... anyway I got off track sorry. After the class Sandy & I thought we needed more crystals for our chandi's. She got back home & found a mother load & we split it. I got my goody package in the mail. After much cleaning I put the crystals pouring out of my Grandmothers beautiful tea cup & thought it made a pretty vignette. THANKS for sharing sweet Sandy!

Here's a photo of Sandy. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside!

Here we are together on day one. Sorry the camera is in the photo. I borrowed these photos from my next friend I want to introduce you to.... Cheryl (hope it's OK I borrowed them Cheryl because it's hard to take photos of yourself & I didn't have one of you & I so I had to borrow the one of you & Lonnie). Cheryl, on the right in the photo below is also from California & came our with Sandy. She was soooooo much fun too. She has a cute Blog called Inside the Bubble (click on the name to visit) What talented & fun gals. Hope we can keep up with each other all through the year until we see each other at another event.

Mail LOVE!!!!!!! Everyone is on the ALICE IN WONDERLAND kick with swaps going (LISA was making some at Art Group the other night) & movie trailers & talk talk talk about the movie(personally I think the movie looks kind of DARK to me). My wonderful friend Julie made this adorable (not dark at all) ALICE card & I told her I loved it when I saw it on her blog. She sent me a note that she wanted to send it to me as a gift. WHAT A SWEETHEART!!!! THANK YOU JULIE!

A close up of my adorable card(click the photo to enlarge it if you want a closer look). Don't you love her? Be sure & go see other pieces of Julies amazing work. Just click on her name above & it will take you to her blog for a very enjoyable stroll through wonderful photos & art.

Below are THREE of my friend Vicki's new die cuts that she sent to me again as a gift! Vicki is a super creative designer! She always has amazing pieces on her blog (she is a designer for Crafty Secerets & so is Julie) so be sure to click on her name above to drool over her wonders. I know I have shared the story before but, for those new to my site... Vicki & I met in Arlington, TX at the Scrapbook convention 3 years ago. I was soooooooooo impressed with her talent & she was so very humble, sweet, & encouraging when we visited. I didn't have a blog but, she gave me her blog & email address. Many correspondences later & a LOT of encouragement I had my blog up & running. She was a frequent visitor & we kept in touch. Every time she comes to town we get to see each other. Last year we went to dinner after the show & laughed so hard. Go HERE & HERE to see the new die cut she has designed & a few of her wonderful examples. THANK YOU VICKI FOR SENDING ME NOT ONE BUT, THREE OF THESE BEAUTIES TO PLAY WITH.

Hope I have given you some fun things to look at & some new people & places to visit. If you visit please leave them a comment & tell them Charlene sent you. Blogland is an amazing place. HUGS TO ALL OF YOU!

Fused Metal Class taken at Heart & Communion

Hello everyone! Thank you for coming by to visit today. I love a happy, fun, interesting blog but, if you read my last post it was a bummer & I needed to get back up on my horse & ride to a more "happy place". So what happier place than the Art Event called Heart & Communion that I went to on February 6 & 7th. Go HERE to see the first post for this event. This sweetie is none other than one of our hostesses (& owner of the amazing CHURCH that the event was held at)Shea Fragoso. She is holding the fabulous bag that was provided by the wonderful Jo Packham & the team at Where Women Create Magazine.

These are the goodies in the bag. Some of the items were... an apron from Slice, craft knife from Excel, 3 different types of adhesives(Zip Dry, Gem Tack & Beacon's new glue), A new type of thread from DMC (I loved the little keepers for the thread), a CROWN key ring loaded with BLING, Valentine images & lots more. Everyone was so generous. THANK YOU to all who supplied these items.

The sweet pink heart necklace above was made for everyone by Debbie & Shea. I enjoyed wearing it during the Valentine week after the class.

I showed this to you in the previous post but, if you missed it... I had to show you the soldering table. Mine sure doesn't look like this one but, I did love creating under the glow of those amazing windows that Debbie refinished herself. Be sure & go back to the previous post to see more of these amazing windows.

This is one of the displays of the work of our two amazing teachers(click on their names & it will take you to their sites) Natalie Hansen & Lonnie Jenick

The work of these two ran the whole gauntlet of wonder!

Here is Lonnie showing us how to use the torch

And below are some of the girls working on their jewelry. Natalie & Lonnie were wonderful teachers. They seemed to be everywhere for answering questions & helping. I know they were exhausted after that all day class.

Some of the girls just did one necklace in class & a few of them finished their piece. I did not do that. I chose to work on technique instead of completion. So, I did 4 different pieces that each used different techniques taught in class. The pieces will be turned into jewelry to wear at a later date.

As soon as I got home from class that week the search was on for TOOLS!!! I have told you before that I am intimidated by "Big Girl Tools" but, each class I take & Diana Frey's encouragement that "YOU CAN DO THIS" makes me more at ease. I bought my torch & my butane (are you proud Diana?) And I bought a pipe cutter & resin. I also need to buy metal snips but, I did buy the metal (photo above) used for the jewelry we made.

It's rough but, this is my birdhouse charm. It is made out of the metal that you saw above. The shape was cut out, formed, & the image put inside. Then I had to use a pipe cutter to cut that tiny piece for the opening in the house. At this point I mixed & filled it with resin. I need practice but, I think once I finish putting the necklace together with beads & chain it will be a fun reminder of the time spent in this class.

This sweet bird with his crown is another piece that I made in class. The resin must have been mixed wrong because he has NEVER dried. He is still sticky & now has MANY of my fingerprints on him (since I keep checking to see if the resin is hard). After more than 2 weeks it ISN'T going to get hard. I have emailed Natalie & Lonnie but, haven't heard back as to a cause(I think Sandy said she also had one piece that didn't dry) but, I'm thinking MIXER ERROR!!!!! Or as hubby says "it's the operator"

Another charm... This was also made with just the flat metal & the strip that was bent into that clever little heart. I had never used metal stamps to do words in metal but, it was fun. I love the way it came out. A little patina & the letters & creases in the metal just pop making it look old. I again, can't wait to do the chain & add other charms to finish this off.

Last but, not least is my crown bracelet. I used the chain they had for us in class. But, I like the thicker chain you see at the bottom of the photo. I am going to take the finer chain off & use the thicker one. Come back soon because I want to introduce you to some of the wonderful people I met at this class. I will give you links so you can go & visit them. It's so much fun to find NEW blogs to visit isn't it? Hope you enjoyed the photos from my Fused Metal Class. Have a great week.

AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO WERE SO KIND & SENT ME SUCH SWEET COMMENTS, LOVE & SUPPORT FOR THE LOSS OF MY PRECIOUS REBA. IT MEANT SO MUCH TO ME THAT YOU CARED SO MUCH! FRIENDS DO INDEED MAKE A TERRIBLE TIME MORE BEARABLE!

Doing The Right Thing

The heart beat at my feet!!!! Has left me today. We fought the fight but, we couldn't win this war. Our precious Reba rallied for about a week & I thought the worst was behind us. But, lab work came back with other stories on Monday (the CPL had skyrocketed from 239 to 499). It's not confirmed but, the big C word was suspect. The pancreas would not heal & she just slipped away day by day until all she had been was gone. And what was left in the wake was a thin, frail, weak, beautiful girl that shook with pain & looked at me with searching eyes. It broke my heart but, I had to do the right thing & let her go so as not to suffer anymore. What is left is house shouting with quiet... a rug next to my bed that will never hold my precious friend, a food bowl half full of uneaten food & enough pain to make me want to crumble into a million pieces. I tell you that today I lost my best friend. The one that loved me no matter what. I'm sorry baby girl! I loved you well & you loved me back. Wait for me in that beautiful place of promise. Watch over me & know that I loved you true.

Yes, Pat you were right that glow must have been a heavenly glow & I just thought it was the light reflecting on the snow. Silly me! Rest in peace precious!

Snowy Day in Texas & Mosaic Monday

I know so many of you have snow all through the winter & it does not fascinate or excite you! But, this is Texas & we don't get much. So humor me & let me share some snow photos. The vintage image above is one that my friend Cami shared with us HERE. I thought she was so pretty & since I was having a "bad hair day" for my snow post I thought I would pretend that she was me for this post. So, welcome to my first Mosaic Monday. I have always admired so many of you when you do a mosaic & have wanted to learn to do them too. Today have included a few in my post so, thank you Mary & all the other girls for letting me play along.

This is how the day started. A SOFT WET SNOW with great big flakes. It was already snowing when I woke up & it snowed all day long.

Here is the front of our house about mid morning. I love how the colored glass items I have in the flower beds stand out bright against the snow. See my pretty BLUE glass tear drop that hangs next to my wind chimes.

We saw a lot of these fellows about the neighborhood. The kids all had a GRAND Time. There were snowmen(notice he is wearing a cowboy hat), snow forts & snow fights to be seen on every block.

This mosaic is of the snow that night. I love how the light played off the snow to create a totally different effect than the day time shots.

And see those little pitter patter of prints? Well it is none other than sweet Ms Reba returning up the front walk. She just loved going out to explore in this "strange stuff"

Here she is all "FLAKY". She has been really sick with pancreatitis since Christmas & I think we are finally coming out of the woods (we have another blood test Monday morning). But, here she looks good & wanted to say thank you to all of you who continue to call, send emails, & comments about her recovery! BIG PUPPY KISSES!

I loved the photo of this bench by my front door. This bench used to belong to my sweet Daddy when they lived in Houston. When we moved in here 11 years ago he gave this bench to me. He used to sit out there & smoke (bad habit for sure) & enjoy my garden. Isn't it pretty with the snow & the way the light is shinning on it?

My last mosaic is of the HUGE pine tree next to my house. The limb hanging low from the weight of the snow & the snow filled sky in the background. I LOVED the golden glow in these photos. You can see those huge flakes still coming down. Thank you for visiting & sharing my snowy mosaic post.

A Crown To Start My Collection

Myspace Glitter Graphics

A couple of months back my friend Lisa of Tarnished & Tattered & I were shopping at an Antique Mall & I found this crown. I loved it & had to bring it home with me. I have always loved crowns (I'm a princess Diana fan from day one & then there is Princess Elizabeth of Austria, & let's not forget Marie A) anyway I have some small rhinestone tiara's packed away & one in my bathroom a friend gave me ... do you see where this is going? So here is my crown laying on my gold duvet cover.

And here she is perched at the top of my mannequin. Below you can see the mani with the crown & a couple of my necklaces I have made(I have taken her lace jacket off for you to see the goodies better but, she does look a bit bare).

OK, you have seen my find but, let me share with you where I would love to see this go....

If you read my previous post (CLICK HERE) you heard about my magical time at Heart of Communion Art Event. One of our lovely hostesses Shea has a crown collection that made my heart go pitter patter. Let me share a few shots of her collection below.

Are you drooling? I was! This is a few in her living room. Did I mention she lives in a church? Go see the previous post.

Shea has taken many of her precious crowns & placed them in this wonderful showcase located in sweet baby Stella's room. Just look at the beautiful shape of this cabinet. I would love to find a piece like this to put my many treasures in. Oh Shea, it is absolutely a perfect place for more of your crowns. Stella is indeed a princess in training.

A close up of the crowns in this case. I want my crown shown above to be the start on many to come.

I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse of my new crown & my vision of where this could go. Now, I need to go find a few of the little tiara's that I know I have put away from when I owned my shop (you know how we shop keepers stick away a few favorites...well I know I kept a few). Off to the closet to dig for treasures. Be sure & click on the sidebar button (notice there is a crown necklace being given away with a click on another button on the sidebar)& go visit Cindy & the others.