From the Windy City to the Big Apple: Saturday Morning

I'm back from a whirlwind weekend in New York. Mark and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary last November. We had planned to spend a weekend in Chicago this summer doing all the tourist stuff to celebrate. Two weeks ago Mark found out he had to go to Stamford, Connecticut for training, so we decided to celebrate our anniversary in New York City instead!

We arrived in White Plains, NY late Friday night. Our flight was delayed, making our arrival even later than planned. We went straight to our hotel in White Plains and promptly went to sleep. Mark set the alarm a little too early (!) for the next morning, so we were on the move first thing.

We arrived at the Milford Plaza by about 9:30 a.m. Here's a view from our window.

Our first stop: the New York Public Library. The man at the hotel thought I was insane when I asked him for walking directions. He couldn't believe we wanted to see the library. Am I crazy? Maybe. But I'd always wanted to see it and it was beautiful.







The gift shop wasn't open yet, so we decided to walk down 5th. That's when I remembered Rebecca's recommendation to visit Beads on Fifth! I remembered the location and we were in luck - we were really close to it! Well, Maybe Mark wouldn't see it as being lucky, but I sure did!



I bought several packages of sequins. Why? I don't know. I was feeling the sequin vibe at the time. They'd be great for bead embroidery. I also bought some 20 gauge sterling wire because I ran out of it while doing my Silver Waves pieces. I could have spent more time (and $!) there. Thanks for the great suggestion, Rebecca!

Then it was back to the library so I could buy the messenger bag.


Mark was happy we were finally able to leave the library and move on to Times Square.



Times Square was a lot of fun. So much to look at! By this time we were starving, so we went to Charley O's for lunch.

This is where I'll leave off for now. It's time to get N. off to day camp. I have the day off today for doing laundry and the like. I'm hoping to work on a project or two as well. It was sort of nice to have a computer break for three days, so I think I'll extend that into the rest of today as well.

Before I go, one last picture of New York Public Library architecture.

Sigh.

Silver Waves.

Finally...the pieces I've been working on at the kitchen table are finished. It will be nice to use the entire table for dinner instead of squishing close together to eat.


But, it was worth it. This design comes from the Silver Waves class with Janice Berkebile of Wired Arts. My hands are tired and sore - long days of typing followed by bending and forging thick wire is tough! By the outcome is wonderful. I've made two necklaces and three bracelets!






The necklace I made for my mom has a glass bead hanging from the center piece. She and I found the bead at Bead & Button from Lily Rose Beads. James has some really great glass beads. Typically glass beads are made on a mandrel and are solid, but this bead is actually blown and is hollow. And the photos on his site are much better than mine below.

I'll see you back here on Tuesday. Have a splendid weekend, everyone.

Pyrex

I haven't found any more white vases while thrifting lately, but I did find these cute little [white!] pyrex bowls. They are perfect for holding N.'s snacks and durable enough to survive being moved around by N. He likes to have his goldfish crackers be portable because he's a busy little guy. At 49 cents each, I couldn't resist!

I may have to have a snack out of them myself. They would be so cute filled with berries.

Unexpected gifts are the best kind.

Look at what my mom surprised me with! What a very nice thing to do. She made this with sterling silver and many different Swarovski Crystal components and beads. The cubes are very cool. I never know what to do with them, but now I don't have to worry about it!

Thanks, Mom!

Earrings.

I received this pair of earrings for my birthday last year from my friend Lisa. She made these from sterling silver and included the crystal for a touch of sparkle. She holds some of the credit for really getting me started down this road. She has a great eye and makes some really fabulous jewelry.

I hope these shoes were made for walking.

After reading many favorable comments about Earth shoes, I really wanted to try a pair. I have some back issues after having been in many car accidents where I was rear-ended and Earth shoes are supposed to be good for spinal alignment. I feel like I'm on a constant quest for sandals that are comfortable enough to walk around in for a day of shopping. Does anyone else feel that way? I received my Tina Rice enamel pendant in the mail today. It's even better in person. I can't wait to wear it.

Sorry...no real beading news today. I worked on a silver wire bracelet over the weekend. No pics yet.

The sparkly cube.

I learned how to make this cube in a Laura McCabe class. I don't often make things with green beads; I always seem to lean toward pinks and browns. Lately it's been sitting in my jewelry box and I look at it each time I open the drawer. I could have made it to be strung on a necklace, but it's not my kind of thing to wear. It has lots of shine and sparkle and is just a fun thing to hold.


Do you have any plans for the weekend? N. has swim lessons this morning, though it is looking rather dreary right now. I believe we have thunderstorms in our forecast. Our town is having its annual fest with rides, lots of food, and all the usual trimmings. We planned to check that out today, but if it's raining maybe we'll catch a movie. Tomorrow Mark and I have a date planned! But now, I'm off to make pancakes for breakfast.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Time for another ring basket.

My mom made this ring basket for a friend of hers as a retirement gift. She and I are very different; she is more free-spirited and random, while I prefer patterns and to map out the pattern I'm making. I like how her flowers in this basket are just sort of here and there, wherever she felt like putting them. I think the color combination is very nice as well.

And now, please indulge me while I have a short mommy moment. I have been scanning and uploading N.'s artwork on Artsonia and just scanned this lovely card from him. I think it says, "I love Mom" because he got tired and didn't feel like writing "Mommy." On the inside it says he loves me because I take him to McDonald's for breakfast every Saturday morning. Hmm. That's some wishful thinking right there.

Have you heard of Artsonia? It's a really wonderful site where you can upload children's artwork and share it with your friends and family. You can also purchase items with the artwork on it, such as mugs, magnets, and the like. It's a great way for schools to share their art exhibits as well. Uploading my scans was very easy; the downside is that it takes 1-2 business days for them to appear on the site. You can also visit the Museum to view different art galleries. There is some really great artwork on the site. Take a tour!

Needle cases.

I do loads of things with beads, but bead stitching is still my favorite thing to do and peyote stitch is my favorite stitch. I love how the beads click into their little spots. After doing many, many ring baskets (and I still have more to show!) and the hexagonal box, I made some beaded needle cases. The beaded part can actually slip off of the wooden case. The pattern for this one was in one of Jenny Might's books, though it was so long ago that I made these that I cannot remember which book it was in.

Please forgive that the photo below isn't the best photo ever. I'd have redone it, but it's from years ago and the purple one on the left has been living with my friend Andrea for some time.

I decided to make one with my own pattern on it, but as you can see, I didn't get very far. I like the pattern and should really finish it one of these days.

I don't really use my needle case as such; instead, it's more of a decoration (because I use my sewing book made by Jenn). If you click on the bookshelf photo in this post, you should be able to see it on the second shelf nestled amongst some books on the far left.

Tina Rice enamel.

Oh man. I love this pendant I just bought from Tina Rice. I've really been into pinks and I adore things that look sort of earthy, old, and organic. I've been checking out her Etsy shop for some time now, just waiting for the right piece for me. When I saw this piece on her blog, I hurried on over to her shop and it was available. Yay!


I can't wait to receive it! I really need to pull out my kiln, figure out how to work the temperature controller, and try some enameling. Really.