OWOH Sneak Peaks 1 & 2 ... plus a reminder

I'll start with the reminder:

If you aren't familiar with the gLOBAL gUERILLA (K)NIT UP,

click the image above to be wowed ... who knows, you might want to play, too!

be sure to check out some of her more recent posts as grrl has made some

super terrific suggestions in regards to alternate materials & being prepared.

Next up ... here are the first two sneak peaks at what you will find in the cigar box that I am offering up for One World One Heart 2009
:

Pictured Above: 6 champagne corks & one tile (imported from Italy)

AND:

Pictured above: 12 shiny little shells & 6 cranes

more about the cranes: all were folded from 1 1/4" inch squares then dipped in a setting agent that has made them more substantial - but not beyond crushable - painted with acrylic paint & coated with gloss varnish.

(click HERE to see where some of them ended up)

At last check, the number of participants had jumped to an unbelievable 737!

WHOA!

You'd Think I'd Learn, Eh?

Please note: there was a half giggle trying to escape as I typed that ...

... just in case you haven't heard yet, hop on over to grrl & dog, check out &:

Did I commit myself to this? What do you think? lol ... guess you'll just have to wait and see. Who knows, you just might get inspired (click on the above image for more information).

In other news ... it's nearly 1:00am and I thought I would be a bit further along with these (though a smart cookie would have just focused on one ... never claimed to be that cookie & besides, both nagged me into creation). Look at the previous post to see where I left off ... might not look like I've made much headway ... here's an update, just the same.

as neither are currently titled, here's the light box:

And here's the dark one:

... what the heck are all those little black and white thingies on the wax paper?!?

I told uber-spouse that I'd finish at least one before I hit the pillows ... and bets on which one it will be?!?

Question ... do you dream in technicolor?

Cranes Revisited

Sometimes I get an idea in my head and reason doesn't seem to fit in ... the sky is a strange gray (remnants of Fay and her continuous rainy bands - she pretty much passed us by with only a day of high winds and rain; we've actually had more rain in the days since she traveled north and expect even more throughout the weekend, but we've been really lucky) and it's a bit gusty outside, but I just HAD to try to take photo's of the cranes earrings that are done. I didn't get a single decent shot of the first set that I took, so uber-spouse tried to convince me to wait until morning when the light would be ideal ... stubborn is as stubborn does ... and sometimes it pays off.

Here's a shot of the black and white pair:

and a close-up of one:

and a close-up of one from the light blue pair:

I have about 18 fishhooks left, so can make 9 more pair before I'll need more materials. I also have it in my head to start a canvas covered in cranes ... one of these days.

Dont forget about the Pink Artist Drawing :

As of August 23rd, $1,557.85 has already been raised! Woohooooo!!

AND there's still time for you to participate, too!

Click the picture above for more information.

Cranes, Cranes and ... more Cranes

When in doubt, fold cranes ...

lots and lots of little cranes ...

you don't have to count them ... there are 52 cranes ... or ... 26 pars of matching cranes

matching cranes? now, why would a girl do that???

fairy homes and pink charm progress

It's been a great Sunday ... and to think, it's just the first day of my weekend, too!

Sadie and I decided that today was a good day to try our hand at building a fairy house. Originally we thought we'd build it under a tree in the back yard, but due to a rain shower (and the fact that neither of us much like red ants) we chose the small ficus tree's pot:

Considering neither of us has any background in building (other than that of the Lego variety) we were utterly clueless. She thought we should just sink "walls" right into the dirt - brilliant plan! We made sure to use a few twigs that branched so we could rest twigs lengthwise across them and then layed smaller twigs across them to build a second level (there are two small rooms below the floor). The roofing is a combination of skinny dried vines and a little bit of hay. We're hopeful that one of these days we'll go out there to see that some little creature has claimed the home ... fingers crossed!

How about an update on the The Pink Charms Exchange? First, I have done a couple of tests using the Petal Porcelain Setting Agent that I purchased on Friday and am happy to report that I think it's really going to work! There are a few minor details that I need to work out, but I am hopeful.

I'm am still interested in trying Paverpol (Marilyn @ As Seen Through My Eyes recommended the product - she's been posting about her recent trip to France and it sounds like heaven!). I checked out there website and from everything that I have read about it, it sounds like some pretty amazing stuff. It's been added to the top of my Christmas wish list!

While I was shopping on Friday, I picked up a few "just in case" items ... I wanted to have a definite back up should the paper crane experiment end up a bust. This is what I bought:

The above is a little pack of metal links, some ultrafine pink glitter and some pink faceted glass beads ... bet you can tell where I am going with all this. I took Amber Dawn's comment, "make sure to have the pink stand out, make them pretty, sparkly if you can" totally to heart! So far I have only completed the first step ... I completely pink-glitterified the links (simple white glue) and am on to the second step of coating them in a high gloss varnish - one coat down, but at least one (if not two) more to go. Here they are drying in my fancy drying rack (those would be toothpicks for holding the links and masking tape over a small glass bowl for a rack).

Here's a closer view:

Once they have all been varnished, I'm going to use silver "pins" to sandwich a pink glass bead between two tiny clear Swarovski crystals and make the loop for a hanger and add a jump ring ... voila! Honestly, the photo's don't really do them justice - they are much prettier in hand (even at this stage) than photographed.

Ok, the cranes are calling me back to finish folding (folding 1 1/4 inch squares is a bit taxing, but tiny cranes look very sweet).

How's your weekend shaping up?

does anyone know how ...

... to make paper more durable/solid?

I have been working on a few ideas for the Think Pink Charm Exchange, but nothing is hitting the mark ... I really, really want to figure out how to make paper cranes that are sturdy ... they'd be perfect for the project (remember the Sadako Sasaki story?) - appropriate, don't you think?

I have these wonderful pink papers that would be perfect to use, some super fine glitter and pink Swarovsky bicone crystals that I could suspend from the center for an extra little sparkle ... I can totally see them and really think they could be terrific ... if anyone has any suggestions, I would be most grateful.

oh, we do hope we're not too late!

That's Tink. She insisted on coming to the party & I couldn't refuse ... she hasn't been to a party in more than 100 years, poor thing (neither have I, for that matter).

Of course she didn't have anything to wear. Together we were able to find just the right fabric to make a new party dress and wouldn't you know it, it took much longer to make than we anticipated. When she'd gotten dressed and was ready to go, we were in such a hurry we nearly left all the lemon poppy seed bread on the table (please ... help yourself - we brought plenty to share). If it hadn't been for faithful Fern ...

... I'm certain that we would have left it behind.

We decided to take a short cut to the party. Little did we know that we'd come accross a most amazing butterfly crossing (first time I've witnessed this magical moment). What an amazing sight that was! I do wish I had my camera with me ... 10,000+ butterflies in any and every color you can imagine (silver, gold, magenta, blue - even speckled like robin's eggs, jeweled toned & calico, too). They flew in on the whisper of a silken sweet breeze & blew kisses to us, the sky and the trees and then, almost as quickly as they appeared ... they were gone.

Before too long Tink was wiped out, so we stopped to rest our feet. While we rested I remembered the elements series I had done:

Earth & Fire

Air & Water

I realized it's been way too long since I have played with my colored pencils. Not too long after that, we were on our way again and now we are finally here. Hope we are not to late ...

Thank you for having us, eb, everything looks so beautiful, the food smells divine & your guests, well your guests look so joyful ... please excuse us while we mingle.