Beads and Hurricanes

I had to break down and clean up my studio area this weekend (or at least started to!).  I came across a bracelet I made during Hurricane Gustav 2 yrs ago.

It's made using two-needle right angle weave in a bargello inspired pattern. Gustav was a very mild hurricane compared to Katrina. There was some coastal flooding with minimal damage and we only lost power for a couple of hours.  I did get the day off of work so of course I needed a beading project to keep me occupied and this is what I came up with.  It has a pleasing colorway and overall shape but is very 2 dimensional. I haven't been able to come up with any really good ways to add more interest to it.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

I've been very wary of hurricanes since Katrina and have come to dread the start of every new hurricane season.  Hopefully we will be lucky again this year.  You can see the damage to our house from Katrina here:  devastation and repair--exterior and interior.  And to think we were LUCKY!

Components

Components for the art deco inspired design I've been working on. 
It continues to evolve ..............

 

 

And in adventures from this weekend: gorgeous weather and a local nature trail.  Yea for spring!!

Coastal Mississippi

 Scarlett on the nature trail

 A camellia flower-- beautiful winter blooming plant 

Nesting osprey

Spring Has Sprung!

This weekend was absolutely beautiful!  We (mostly my husband) planted an early garden and most everything has sprouted and is starting to grow.  Very exciting!!!!!  We put in spinach, lettuce, beets, Swiss chard, carrots, green onions, snow peas, and kohlrabi.  My husband thinned the lettuce this weekend and I got to eat the little sprouts-- first greens from the garden!

 Paul thinning the lettuce.

 Scarlett standing guard for squirrels.

 First salad of little sprouts. Yum!

On the beading front: I've been super busy at my work and haven't had as much time as I would have liked this last week for creativity.  I did manage to finally finish the bracelet made out of hexagonal components.  I've decided to call it "Jeweled Honeycomb".  Bees make perfect hexagonal compartments in their combs to store the honey and this bracelet reminds me of the richness of honey and perfection of natural structures. Hexagons fit together with out cracks and are quite common in nature: quartz crystals, basalt columns, wasp nets, snowflakes, the scutes on a turtles shell, etc.

Jeweled Honeycomb bracelet

Jeweled Honeycomb bracelet

I started a new project today that I'm really excited about.  It has a distinct Art Deco flare and is more architectural than my usual work.  Kind of a new direction for me!   Stay posted for photos : )

Disastrous Mess

My studio area has become a terrible disastrous mess!  I have too many ideas all at once that I just have to try and then forget to put things away............  And then of course it takes time to clean it up, which takes time away from being creative.  Oh, the vicious cycle!   

 One section of my studio. 

My husband made the neat wooden shelves for me on the left.  They are modular and he is making me another type to go underneath of them to hold a different type of container.

I am also lucky enough to have a beading friend who never gets tired of keeping me company.  My dachshund, Scarlett, is very much the lump on the bed and perfectly happy to stay that way!

Scarlett being one with the covers.

Hexagonal Lenticular Bracelet

Progress on the bracelet I'm making with the greenish-blue hexagonal lenticular components.  Just trying to figure out how I want to incorporate a complementary toggle closure.