My first magazine page!

Well, I received my necklace back from Bead Trends this week. I'm glad to have it back. I can now wear it, and then whip out the magazine! The photo is slightly bigger than real life, and the photography is really fantastic! Here's my first-ever magazine page!!!!

And, the cherry on top is that this picture also appeared on the Vintaj blog!

I'd like to thank Erin Prais-Hintz, for creating the beautiful focal!!

April showers....we need rain!

Well, I thought (for half a second) that maybe my camera had "healed thyself". But a closer look at the photos on the computer screen reveals it was wishful thinking. You know, on the tiny screen on the camera, all the photos looked pretty good, but almost all are fuzzy.
But heck, I'm not gonna let that stop me from showing you some more of my flowers. I apologize in advance if they give you a headache, trying to bring them in focus.
I must find the time to shop for and buy a new camera! Does anyone out there LOVE their camera? I'm seeking your advice....

This photo is the "straight on" shot. It shows the pretty little flower in the center. These flowers I'm making are in layers. Bottom layer is a piece of Vintaj filigree, then a large enameled daisy, then an enameled cage-like thing, then the small flower, and topped with a pale blue Swarovski.

But the "side shot" tells another side of the story. I bent some starburst type flowers to try to replicate some sort of tropical flower (the "cage-like" thing). I don't know what it's supposed to be, but I like it! They are slightly irregular and funky. And I like the dimension it gives my flowers.

Then I took it one step further. These are more like a 3-D objects that resemble a flower. They sort of remind me of Fuchsia, or a Japanese lantern. The purple and green one really has that lantern shape!

I bent more of the starburst flowers straight up from the center, to make them look like something you might find in the center of a flower. I was thinking of a Stamen. These don't really look like that, but that's what I was going for.

I wish I had the words to express how much I love enameling all the components, and how much I love assembling the components, and how much I love the results. I love that every time I turn on the torch, I'm never quite sure what I'll get. I guess if I wanted to make 10 things the same I'd be cursing. But I love the imperfections, and the surprises.

Other topics:
I am going to Beadfest Spring this Friday. I know the ONE booth I MUST visit is Barbara Lewis' Painting with Fire. I am actually starting to run out a couple colors of enamel already. Plus, I want to add some colors to my collection, and pick someone's brain about a couple things I haven't figured out yet.

I'm also participating in Cindy Wimmer's Button Swap. I think I'm more excited to send my buttons to my partner than I am to receive the package from her. Of course, all that will all change when I actually get my package and squeal with excitement! Can't wait!!!!