May's Honey Do List Challenge

from

Sj Designs

I am so glad I ran across this from Sarajo Wentling

Here is the description f the challenge

This year, my husband Eric has decided to issue me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... we're calling it the Honey Do List.  I know that I'm not the only one who loves a good design challenge, so I'm inviting folks to play along!

Here is this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:: This month's challenge was going to be some kind of spring flower action, but I was lucky enough to take a class on raptor photography at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum this past weekend and found a new muse!  This is Samantha the white morph great horned owl sitting in a flowering crab apple tree.  Our photogenic raptors were brought out by the Minnesota Raptor Center who rescue injured birds and release those who can survive back into the wilds, while keeping the birds like Sam (who has a broken wing) for demonstrations and education opportunities.  So, this month take inspiration from the bird itself, the colors, whatever strikes your fancy!

Well I am late but I am hoping to add my link any way.

I made a necklace that very much reflects the rustic in me. I started making these owls and I call them Scratchy Owls. I know not all that creative of a title but that's what they are, scratchy.

I used a polymer clay Scratchy Owl, two acrylic leaves, I made a tube bead out of River Birch bark, a silk bead, and then my polymer clay barn. I also made the head pin that you see the very red dot at the bottom of the barn.

There are also vintage beads and Czech rounds.

May Art Bead Scene Challenge

This month's challenge really had me thinking! So many things that I could do with this but mainly what I saw were color blocks and lines. I did notice a subtle graininess mostly in the red brown block right in the middle right. I used to do ceramics and will again when I get a small kiln. In the mean time I try to have my beads reflect a ceramic glaze quality.   

 "On a Shaker Theme", 1956

by Charles Sheeler

oil on canvas

23" x 29 1/8" (58.42 x 73.98 cm)

I took the painting and turned it and wow it really revealed a dimensional quality that intrigued me.

Here are some of my favorite parts of the painting.

Here is the pendant I created from the blocks and lines inspiration. I also have been playing with a faux raku look. I loved making raku pottery I guess I'll have to do a post on that!
I used red leather and a Tagua nut bead from Lima Beads and Clay River ceramic squares from
 Art Beads






 Here are the beads that I made representing some of the colors that I saw in the painting. I wanted to
keep it light and fresh.

I continued on with these. I always seem to come back to this color.

 Shephards purse.

Faux Raku also for the challenge.

Yup! It's Spring!

Here is my beautiful daughter swinging away!

What I wanted to talk about is inspiration, and for me my gardens give me mmany things to be inspired about. What I did was walk around the yard and photograph the colors and shapes that I love. Here is one Coral Bell that I adore. It's the color and the variety of shades that it gives as it grows.

Allium

Love this Bergenia and it had spectacular blooms!

This is a Niobe Clematis. I put it going down the stone wall because it doesn't get really big and it can look like a waterfall.

These lovely flowers are Blood Root. They have leaves that turn colors depending on the amount of sun, I'm pretty sure. I have not seen them bloom before!

ADORE!! this color Forget-me-nots they are starting to be a part of every garden.

My Kwanzan Cherry bloomed! Yay! Not a lot but Enough to give me hope that it will be a full beautiful tree one day.

So here are some of the results of my Spring garden inspiration.
This one from my Lenten Rose.

I really seem to like the rust, coral, and red colors along with a verdigris green.

My rustic rusted owl.

From a vintage poppy stamp.

I like the rustic finish,

I took a flower from my my Cherry tree and made a mold 

My Spring so Far

I had to show you this spectacular sunset we had some weeks back. No photo adjusting just a gift from nature! 

Of course there are flowers popping up and the inspiration is flowing. This is Lung Wort I love the fact that you get three colors from it.

Grecian Wind Flower. I learned if you aren't sure it's a weed don't pick it because these seem to pop up in a different spot each year.

 Wild Trillium - YAY! I have been waiting for them. I am trying to re-establish them in the wooded hedge row of our property that used to be a cornfield.

 Not sure what this tree is but I thought it had really cool dangly things to make a mold of for my bead making.

 Here's the other pull on my love of gardening - the vegetable garden. I started to tackle it with the help of my mighty son before it dispersed into the lawn.

Peety Pie up front and Tucker at the back.

The soil is wonderful organic broken down manure from the farm down the road. I can't wait to get more.

To my surprise the kale was growing from the old stalks! Yay! untill Peety ate it. 

Almost half way finished. You can see one of my favorite tools in the background, a potato fork and a new one below.

 The double tongs popped those dandy lions right out! I was able to plant onions, lettuce and beets.

 New Beads For April Challenge

I absolutely love this polymer clay bracelet bar that kinda came out accidentally on purpose. It is rustic and feminine which is how I describe my personality.

A lovely button came out of the challenge too also polymer clay

 

I am having so much inspirational fun with this month's Art Bead Scene's challenge!

 Here is a pendant made from polymer clay.

 And here is a kitty bracelet bar that I also made from polymer clay. I just couldn't resist him! Cat's  were a big part of my life growing up and I definitely  have kitty plans in my beading future.  I also made the button and the round beads. The solid color beads are from Gaea that I bought from
  Lima Beads.

I also incorporated 2 vintage buttons, Sari silk and small ceramic beads from Bead Haven in Frankenmuth Michigan.

For some reason I just love the minty green.

Here you can see the images that I picked out from the painting and I just couldn't resist the kitty!

I redid the button because the darker one bugged me!