A very amazing dog

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Feel Good Friday

Check out the Best Bead Give-A-Way Ever!

Denise Yezbak Moore is offering the Best Bead Give-A-Way Ever! on her blog.Now that I have let you know, I have to go back and finish reading her blog's past entries.

Below is a necklace I made with a lamp worked bead that has been in my stash for years. I could never figure out what I could do that would be substantial enough for the heavy glass and still match the heart. Many of my beady friends have been playing around with the netted rope and I realized it was perfect for this heart.

This made me LOL

Two more bracelets completed

I've completed two more bracelets from patterns by Jaycee. The first is Called Rainbow Lace.

And this one is Savanna Storm

I really enjoyed making the Rainbow Lace and have another color combination that I would like to use for the pattern.  The Savanna Storm makes a nice, heavy cuff type bracelet. I like the end result, but it was tedious to bead because first a base is made, then the top is embellished and a third pass is made with more embellishment for the edges. She has designed a necklace that goes with the bracelet, but I will need more beads to do that to match the one above.  I wonder if the pattern will be as pretty using size 8 or  6 seed beads in a hex shape instead of the 3 mm fire polished crystals.

And just for fun, here is a picture of a Clematis seed pod.

The flowers are beautiful, but I really like the seeds.

Beading on a Loom

I recently bought the Versa Loom. It's a neat little loom that is adjustable in length and designed to avoid having to weave in the warp threads. It works!

This is the first bracelet woven on the loom Herringbone. It was designed by Lisa Criswell and I found it at The Bead Coop.

I like the way the pattern repeated so the actual length of the bracelet was not important to the design. It was a great pattern to try on the loom. Lisa has some other loom patterns that I want to get for the loom.

The second pattern I tried on the loom was Grapes and Cubes designed by Rita Sova, the designer of the loom. It was a fun pattern in that it used 4 mm cubes, 11 triangles and 11 seed beads. I did it in two different color schemes.

This one was blue and purple.
 

The one above has green color lined cube beads, rose triangles and blue seed beads. The fact that the green cube beads are color lined means they really do not show up. They seem to reflect the blue seed beads making the whole thing look blue and pink.



I like the Versa Loom and want to make more things on it. Using a design that is a certain length will take some planning. The loom is very adjustable, but knowing the exact length needed for the beads used in the pattern will be important. It would be frustrating to get to the end of the bracelet and discover there is another quarter inch left or needed.

Bet this makes you cry

Part one


Part two:


I wish they all could come home. 

Three eaglets have a fish snack

All three eggs at Norfolk Botanical Gardens have hatched. Mom and dad eagle now have the job of making sure they are fed. In the picture below the three little ones are looking up at mom waiting for her to feed them the fish she has under her left talon. At this size a fish goes a long way. For a video of mom feeding the little ones go here. The littlest one is hiding on the far side of the other 2. At about 2:40 into the video he moves so you can see him.

Eaglet video

Below is a video someone pulled from the live feed on the morning of March 12, 2010 of the Norfolk Eagle nest cam. At first you see mom on the nest looking very wet. She calls and calls. At about one third in she gets off the nest and you can see the new eaglet pop up. Her little head is so heavy that she kind of bobbles as she looks around. That is where the term 'bobble head' for the newly hatched eagles came about. Since the camera is tightly focused, on the nest you do not see dad arrive, but you do get to see him get into the nest bowl and settle down. If the video is unclear look for the original here.

New Bobble Head

All day today the mom eagle at Norfolk Botanical Gardens has been restless and looking down at the nest a great deal. At 1:10 PM EST she got off the nest and visible in the front of her was half of an empty egg shell. The eaglet isn't really visible, but you can see some gray fluff just behind the shell.

Since then she has gotten off the nest several times and the young eaglet is visible in the the nest. She is still very attentive to the activity underneath her. There are still two more eggs to hatch, but it may take several days as they are younger.

There is a short video of the event at the VDGIF/Norfolk Botanical Gardens Eagle Blog. 

More Eagle Cams

More of the eagle pairs that have live cams on their nest have eggs. Three of the nests are listed below.

The two eagles at Sooner Lake in northern Oklahoma have built a new nest in a tree and are sitting on 3 eggs.  This nest cam supported by the Sutton Center. Of the three eggs last year, one hatched and successfully fledged. 

The pair worked on the new nest over the winter while still doing a bit of repair work to the old nest on the platform. No one was sure which nest would be used, so cameras were placed in the new nest tree while leaving the cameras at the old nest. Below is fun a short video someone captured from the live feed. It shows both eagles on the nest. The female s in the center on the eggs. The male has arrived to take his turn, but she will not leave. He leans on her, shoves her with a foot and leans a bit more, but she refuses to leave her eggs. He finally flies to a near by branch.

Both the male and female eagle has a brood patch on their breast, but the female's is larger. She usually spends more time on the nest with the eggs. If you want to chat with others while watching the nest, visit the TV station KJRH  website.

The pair near Sidney, British Columbia have been busy restoring their nest over the winter. They have been together for a long time. For the past 2 years they have raised 3 eaglets to fledgling. The female laid her first egg on March 5. Hopefully more are to come. Here is a video someone recorded and edited from the live stream. It shows much of the interaction between the pair. It does not show them brooding the egg, but that's not a problem at this time.



The cams for this nest is supported by the Hancock Wildlife Foundation. For more information and pictures, visit their forum.

There is still one more nest I am watching. No eggs yet, but both eagles are active in their nest at Hornby Island.   This nest has been observed for years by Doug Carrick who lives on the island. He first put cameras in the nest in 2004. There is a website with good information and a forum with more information and pictures.

Below is a video of the eagles returning to their nest. They spend part of their year migrating and following the salmon runs. The video shows the pair begin their work  on restoring the nest in preparation of this years eaglets.



And don't forget the pair at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Their eggs should begin hatching this week.

Bungalows, Hearts and Moons

I love these bracelets.

Bungalows

Hearts of Many Colors

Many Moons

They are all available at Sharon Solly's Etsy Store The combination of the textured polymer clay on top of the copper is wonderful. I also like the way each bracelet has an unique clasp. She creates beautiful things and is always exploring new techniques, materials, and colors. I am lucky enough to own several of her pieces.

Angel of Hope

Someone has moved into my craft room. Do you see her?

There she is, on top of the bead shelves.

  

Angel of Hope came from Woodland Wanderings 

 

She is beautiful. I am hoping she will help me organize the rest of the room to be as functional as the seed bead shelves are. I also wouldn't mind a bit of help with my creative muse. She hasn't been here long, but I find her presence to be calming and reassuring. The wonderful fragrance of lavender probably helps. Woodland Wanderings has an Etsy store, Whimsy Hollow where she sells handmade soaps and balms. It is worth the visit.

Angel of Hope and Woodland Wanderings were part of the One World One Heart project created by Lisa Swifka. This was the fourth year of OWOH. Over 1,000 bloggers from 40 countries signed up. Each blogg on the list agreed to give away at least one item to another blogger who left a comment on their page. On Valentine's Day the winners were randomly selected. Even though the give away is over, the list of bloggs is still available. If you have a few minutes, stop by and visit a few. They are all fun, creative, and enjoyable. 

Morning after the snow

It snowed from Friday afternoon to early Saturday morning. We woke up to over 8 inches of the fluffy white stuff. I know this is just a flake compared to the amount of snow most of the country has had, but this is the South. We don't get snow that often. Below are some pictures for our snow.

First the artsy photos.

Now for the fun. The dogs had the zoomies.

 

 

The Eagles Have Landed

There are several places in USA and Canada that have cameras looking in on eagle nests streaming live to the world wide web. The eagles on the east coast have already laid eggs. The constant winter snow storms have been brutal for the eagles, but the season is early and those that lost eggs in the storm can lay new ones.

One of my favorites nest to watch is at Norfolk Botanical Garden. This pair raised 3 eagles last year.They have 3 eggs and have stayed on the nest through each storm. The  first egg was laid January 31, the second was laid February 3 and the third egg was laid February 6. They should hatch around March 9-10.

Below shows dad tending the three eggs.

Mom on the nest.

Dad is staying strong during a snow storm.

There is a cam in West Virgina about 75 miles from Washington DC, on the campus of  the U.S. Fish and  Wildlife Services' National Conservation Training Center. This nest has had a very hard time because of all the snow. She was laying eggs in last weeks snow storm and lost them due to the weather. The nest became completely covered in snow except for the small space where the female diligently stay on the nest.  Now there is less snow. Both eagles have brought new sticks and grass to the nest trying to build it up again. I know she has laid at least one new egg. This camera has sound.

It's hard not to place human emotions on these birds while watching. I have to remind myself that this is their world and I am the visitor. They have been dealing with adversities far longer than I have. The bond between the female and male eagle is wonderful to watch. Right now the mom spends more time on the nest, but dad does take his turns. It is fun to see one rearrange sticks on the nest and then the other puts them back. I hope you enjoy watching the eagles as much as I do. I have a few more nest cams on my list, but will save those for another day as the eagles are not in the nest yet.

It's Snowing

January Bead Journal Project

Once again I am participating in the Bead Journal Project. This is the third year for the project and my second year to participate. I managed to get 7 of 12 months finished the first year. I skipped last year, but felt drawn to the project this year. With 287 members, there are three different group blogs. One, Two, and Three. Photos are not suppose to be posted on the main blogs until April, but there are many links to current work.

Below is my completed January page. It is the Woman in the Moon on a 4 by 4 inch square.


I was having a difficult time deciding upon my theme this year when I realized that December 31, 2009 was a Blue Moon. The moon has always fascinated me. As a child growing up on the high plains in the panhandle of Texas I remember staying out at night with my girlfriend watching the moon rise and gazing upon all the stars. The skies there were clear and there was little light pollution, so the Milky Way filled the sky. So the first piece had to show the Milky Way. I know most think of it as the Man in the Moon, but throughout history the moon has has more connections to the female. It seems fitting that it is a Woman in the Moon.

I think it is going to be fun to explore the moon through bead embroidery. I have a list of my favorite songs that feature the moon. I'm not sure where I'll go after that, but I do know I have the moon to inspire me.

A Winter's Day

Western North Carolina has been in a drought state for several years. The weather patterns changed this fall and ample moisture from the gulf has found its way to the area. Once again the little streams are flowing with beautiful, clear water. This one comes down the mountain and flows into our pond.



While walking around the pond we saw some interesting white dots in the water. It was shallow water. I think they must be some kind of egg, but I don't know what. I know they are not frog or newt. Could they be salamander?


Here is a close up of one.


We found this hornet nest in a small Tree of Heaven. The Tree of Heaven is a noxious weed tree that will take over an area. They were introduced from China to the United States in the late 1800's.


It was easy to cut the small tree down to get a better look at the nest.


I have always wanted to see one of these up close. A very complex creation.

Flowers in winter

One nice thing about winter in the South is that flowers bloom most of the season. During the last week of December I took my camera out to the garden. I found several camellia bushes blooming.

This pale pink one is a favorite. I love the multiple petals that swirl around. It's very full and kind of messy.


One bush was full of buds just beginning to open.



And this camellia has never had blooms before. When I took the picture it was full of tightly closed buds. I can't wait to see what they look like opened. I think the flowers survived the recent cold weather since the buds were still so small.


My little violas were also blooming. They are such a happy flower that blooms all winter. I was afraid the recent 2 week spell of freezing weather had harmed them. They looked very sad until the warmer temps came back this week.

It was fun to see this rose bush trying to show off. Unfortunately the freezing temps killed the rose bud.