A bit Click Cuckoo ...

The other day I came home and had a serious urge to take my camera outside. The day was really overcast; I didn't on getting the best shots, but sometimes you just have to go for it just the same. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered most showed up in great "technicolor". These photo's were all taken in our yard. As much as I'd love to take credit for what's growing, I can't. Uber-Spouse is the one truly green thumb ... and the planner/planter, too. If you have a little time, I'd be happy to give you a close up (you can click on any image for a larger version).

This first photo is a close-up of the pistal and stamins of a hibiscus that lives in our front yard (there are three hibiscus bushes in all - all three in front):

There's something pretty amazing about them, don't you think? Here's an even closer view:

I'm pretty sure there's an alien species that looks just like that. Wild.

This next little bloom is from our mysterious Jamaica Cherry tree (also known as Strawberry Tree). We bought it at ECHO two years ago (at the same time we bought the mango and avacado trees) and didn't know very much about it. It seems to regularly bloom and fruit throughout the year. Last year all the fruits were infested by tiny critters, so I couldn't be convinced to try any ... it's said to be something of an aquired taste, too, so I'm hesitant anyway. This year we haven't seen any of the critters ... don't know how, but seems they've moved on. The small blooms are fairly delicate - sort of like tissue paper:

When the blooms die, they dry out before dropping:

I don't understand why some call it a strawberry tree as the tiny fruits look way more like cherries than any strawberry I have ever seen. They start out like little green pods, elongate and then round before turning from gree to red:

Here's another bloom:

Can you guess what this next image is?

It's a decaying Rubber Tree Plant leaf. The rubber tree use to live on our lanai, but was getting really pot bound & we'd been talking about moving it to the yard for some time. The day after it was moved, we got some crazy windy/rainy weather which didn't make for a super smooth transition from sheltered to exposed. I was so facinated by the decaying process - I'm sure I took more than a dozen shots from different angles. (Don't worry, this rubber tree plant is a fighter ... you'll see ...)

Here's one of Uber-Spouces newest ... a PAPAYA tree! We've only had it a few months and it is already bearing fruit. This little tree isn't more than 4 ft high right now. It's really quite cool. I had no idea what papaya trees looked like ... let alone the fruit (with the exception of the pieces found in tropical dried fruit mixes ... I know, pretty pathetic). The tree has a really neat way of growing. The trunk (at least this one) is fairly straight and sturdy with branches coming out parallel to the ground and evenly spaced/spread. The leaves and fruit are huge:

Here's a look under the leaf canopy and above the largest fruits (you can see a newer smaller one poking it's little nose above the third branch from the bottom on the right). The leaves are an incredibly bright green:

Here's a close-up of the big papayas:

OH! ... I was so into snapping pics of the tree that I NEVER even noticed this little guy - he just happened to be in one of the photographs ... isn't he a doll?!?

see ... big leaves:

and they have really cool yellow/white veins:

and gnarly monster toe roots:

here's a close-up of the little papaya:

Remember that decaying rubber tree plant leaf? This is the plant it's from:

A few of the leaves closer to the ground didn't make it (and yes, I did remove the dead/dying leaves from the plant after snapping the pictures). Most of the other leaves look really healthy and are getting their shine back ... plus, check out the new shoot ...if you aren't familiar with the rubber tree plant, that long skinny red thing is a new leaf. Plants seriously amaze me. I hope you enjoyed the little exploration through the yard.

Be well, breathe well. ~M~

Moonlight Squash Blossom & Pink Pretties

Not too long ago I was visiting Cat's blog and she posted a few items that she had just finished. All of the new pieces were stunning, but one just sang to me. For days I would go visit her Etsy shop just to drool (ok ... also hoping that nobody had purchased it, either) and finally last week I was in a position to treat myself to a prezzie ... drumroll, please ....

Tada!

My new necklace, Moonlight Squash Blossom, arrived in the mail on Monday:

here's a detail of the piece:

Pictures really don't do this stunning little work of wearable art the justice it deserves.

* sighs *

AND

This past weekend I also recieved my package of little pink pretties from

Amber Dawn's

Think Pink Charms Exchange:

Above is a group shot and the next four are close-ups.

(Feel free to click on any photo to see larger versions)

I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am with each of these amazing little pink creations and feel so lucky to have them. I will definitely wear them with PINK ARTIST PRIDE!

... and think about this ...

all of this came about thanks to a community of people answering

Monica's

call to artists for a very special project ... speaking of which, the drawing for

Love Squared

& other fabulous artful prizes is still happening ...
the drawing is open until October 15th, so go check it out.

Another Step Closer ... plus Beachy Keen!

Somehow I missed taking pictures after getting the little charmies painted black ... ah well. Once black I felt like they were missing something ...

POLKA DOTS!

yep, that's right ... first I tried using ye ole standard tiny round paint brush, but it was rough going, so I flipped it around and used the butt of the brush ... mucho betterer. Here's a close up of the front and back:

Next step ... gloss. High gloss. I think that'll do the trick.

Next up ... photo's from Monday's treck out to the beach. I thought there would be neat things due to the recent storms & only wish I had planned tide timing better ... I thought I was going at low tide, but it seemed pretty high to me ... then again, that could be due to Ike.

--- click on the below pictures (any picture for that matter) to see a larger version ---

this crab carcass looked like it had been planted there and posed like that ... I just really like the way it's splayed and its colors against the color of the sand and shells ... take a closer look at the postion of the front claws ... what does it look like to you?

then I came across this bit of ocean vegetation ... the color of it was amazingly rich and deep. Plus, the little hitch-hiker was pretty cool, too.

The most surprising find was a handful of urchins scattered here and there. I have never seen any urchins on my beach visits, so this was a rare treat ... I couldn't help but snap a few shots and take a closer look:

and then I thought to roll it over (with a shell, of course) and discovered this little critter was still alive ... I don't know the proper thing to do when you come across a beached urchin ... are you supposed to leave them there to get eaten by birds or dried out? or put them back in the ocean? since I didn't have a naturalist handy, I did what felt right & returned him to the gulf (along with three of the four others I came across - the fourth was unquestionably lifeless, so I brought it home with me ...).

It was a gorgeous day and there weren't many people out, which is always a bonus.

What kind of fun things have you been up to?

Charm Update and Doodley Doo's

Slowly, but surely, I have been working on the charms. I have framed the glass pieces and added a loop for the jump ring. Here's a shot of them (post cooked / pre painted):

The next step will be painting the frames black. I haven't decided if I want to do them simply in black paint or a metallic black paint - I am leaning towards metallic, but think I will test a few in each color ... either way, I'm thinking that I'd like to finish them off with a coat (or two or six) of high gloss varnish ... I am really trying to take my time with these (procrastinate) since painting Sculpy has a tendency to be the bane of my existance ... I'm trying something a little different ... which has me holding my breath a bit ... fingers crossed, please. :)

In other news ... I am rarely found with just a single project going ... it had been a while since I doodled with my Sharpie, so ...

and

and may your days be full of

Wishing you a plethora of all three, ~M~

Soul Journal - Days 7, 8 & 9 ... Plus a Charmed Sneak Peek

Did you think Sadie and I had thrown in the towel on our Soul Journals? Nope, just put them on pause for a bit.

Day 7

We were instructed to journal (in small writing with a ball point pen) on two pages using the prompt, "I forgot to tell you". Once done, we covered the entire two pages in tape (Sadie and I used plain masking tape, blue painters tape and duct tape). Somehow I forgot to take a photo at the completion of Day 7 ... oh well.

Day 8

We sanded the tape to scuff the surface, put a light coat of gesso on and then painted (with a dry brush) and wiped off the paint - I used yellow and pink to make some sort of seriously Easter egg-ish washy finish. After the paint dried, we sanded the pages some more. This is how mine ended up:

oh! we also picked a flower and pressed it somewhere in the book ... hmmm ... wonder where it is.

Day 9

Time to revisit the pages started on Day 6 ... we were to add a lighter color (I actually chose three - magenta, a really light powdery blue and a glitter paint) - wiping and dabbing along the way. Once the paint was to a point that we liked, we had to grab a pen or marker and write: 8 words describing your pictures, circle one picture, draw a messy square around four, draw a dotted line around two and draw a broken "stitch" line around one. Work them till satisfied ... I started off with my handy dandy fine point Sharpie. I thought I was done when I finished the prompts ... UNTIL ... I saw the white Uniball that Sandy had sent along with the Mad Hatter Winning Package of goodness ... oh, I do believe that I am in LOVE ... ok, here's Day 9 fini:

and a close-up to boot:

... and it should also be noted that Sarah asked how many of us found and put together the word "ART" ... uh, guilty (yes, I have been known to state the obvious on occasion)

And for the Charming sneak peak

... this is where I am with the Michelle original designs/glass/Sculpy prototypes that I am working on for possible inclusion in Amber Dawn's latest Black and White Charm Swap:

Not so easy to photograph ... If they don't end up working out (or making the cut for the exchange) I know that I can easily turn them into little tiny magnets ... something about them appeals to me.

... Remember ... you can click on any image to see a larger version ...

... and all Large Itallic words (except these two) are actually links ...

Here's hoping all is well in your little universe!

Did Someone Say ETSY?

Nope, not my shop ... my really good friend Marilyn just opened up her very own Etsy shop. Marilyn makes these really amazing woodcut prints (yes, she carves the woodcuts herself and does all the printing by hand) and some clay prints, too. She is now making them available for purchase through Etsy.

Click on either banner to check out her shop

and the incredible work that she's listing.

Not only will you be supporting the arts, but you will be helping an inspirational homeschooling mom turn her dreams into a reality.

Babies ... so Charming

Can't help it ... sometimes I think I'm so clever (humor me and nobody gets hurt) ... last night there was an amazing sunset. I thought I'd try to get some photo's when this little guy decided to steal the show:

With all the rain we've been having the frog mama's and the papa's have been behaving like bunnies - there are nearly a gazillion baby frogs around (most of them pretty good at hiding) ... this brave little one posed for the paparazzi. Unfortunately, I forget how humid it would be outside, so the first few shots are foggy with lens condensation ... ah well, at least this shot is a keeper. The sunset shots ... not so much.

In other news, Amber Dawn is hosting another Black & White Charm Exchange ... I was slow getting started. The first submission was weak in the creative sense, but I still think it ended up cute (but not original quality enough for the actual swap). Check it out (the photo is larger than actual size):

The ring is the small end of a closure. If you remember the charms that I did for the Think Pink Exchange, you'll recognize the inspiration ... this one is a tad boring in comparison. :)

Next I broke out one of my tiny crochet hooks (7/1.65mm) and some black #10 cotton thread and came up with (again, photo is larger than actual size):

It's sweet ... but still didn't rock my world. AD had some concerns about it possibly snagging and the durability ... I'm not so concerned about that (plus I was thinking that I could dip it in the setting agent that I used on the paper cranes and could actually shape it and be certain that it could stand up to some serious wear). I think I would like the nest idea better if I used a natural colored cotton thread with some metallic thread laced through it here and there ... not an option in a black and white challenge, eh.

Back to the drawing board ... tonight I have been playing around with another design. Materials: shrunk down Michelle originals (thanks for the suggestion AD), decorative clear glass beads (the round ones with one side flat), Sculpy and paint ... I think I might be on the right track ... I'll share photo's when good light and I are on the same schedule. If you are interested in participating in the swap, visit Amber Dawns Black and White Charm Exchange post and leave a comment to let her know that you are interested.

Hope all is well with you and yours ...

8/31 update:

I have been playing around with the glass/sculpy pieces and haven't quite got something I like. I haven't completely thrown in the towel as there are a couple of tricks up my sleeve ... will post when I'm a little happier with the outcome. In the meantime, I have been thinking knots ... I did a search for macrame owls and found a couple instruction sheets that look promising. Since I need a break from the other ones, I plan on giving it a shot tonight after dinner - fingers crossed!