Seasons Blog Hop Reveal

When Lisa Lodge of A Grateful Artist-Pine Ridge Treasures announced her Seasons Blog Hop way back in February, I thought it would be a fun hop to join!! Her idea was to send out beads and then the participants would 1/ Create jewelry that represents one of the four seasons or 2/ Create jewelry that represents a "season" in your life. Thank you, Lisa, for this fun, inspiring hop!!

When I received my beautiful selection of beads, I kept thinking spring, renewal, soft rains and new beginnings. I love the soft rains and pastel colors of the first blooms of spring - these beads represent that, to me.

I chose the biggest lampwork bead as the focal and started adding beads around it to make a bracelet. All of the round beads are from Lisa and the flower beads are from my stash.

                  
                                                    I think I'll keep this one!! I love the sweet, little butterflies!!

I found this wonderful poem by Alice C. Batemam 

The Renewal of Spring

The tiny tender shoots of green  
Reminding us that this is spring  
The cold dark winter left behind  
The summer sun now on our mind

The feeling that all will be well 
We leave behind our winter shell  
To go explore a warmer world 
To watch the buds as they unfurl 

To smell the earth, damp from its rest  
To feel inside we've passed a test  
We've made it through another year 
To watch new life as it appears

We take long walks, inhaling deep  
The rich new smells from after sleep  
The earth awakening again  
Shaking off the winter's pain

Drinking in the fragile sun 
Showing us that we have won  
Another round of cold and frost  
We've paid the price of winter's cost

We are renewed, as is the earth  
We are enhanced to see the birth  
Of all the green and growing shoots  
With fragile stems and fragile roots

If they can make it through the cold
We know that we can then be bold
Enough to feel our own release
And give our souls much-needed peace

Thank you for stopping by - please check out all of the beautiful designs!!

Hostess: Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Cassi Paslick, Beads: Rolling Downhill

Stephanie Sanner Haussler, PixyBug Designs

Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes

Karin Slaton, BackStory Beads

Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution

Lori Jean Poppe, Lorillijean Creative Corner

Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams

Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design     ---- you are here ----

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Alicia Marinache,  All the Pretty Things

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz

Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs

Toltec Jewels, Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends

Lennis Carrier, Windbent

Erin Kenny, Beadifultherapy

Tanya Goodwin, A Work in Progress

Cilla Watkins, Tell Your Girlfriends

Renetha Williams Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts

Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry

Sierra Barrett, Giraffe Can Has

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Shirley Jones Moore, Beads and Bread

Dawn Horner, Northern Adornments

Charlene Bausinger Jacka, Clay Space

Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Miranda Ackerley, Daze and Days

ZnetShows Partner Picks Summer Challenge and Giveaway

ZnetShows has another challenge for its design team - we were paired up, sent beads our partner picked out and asked to design jewelry.

My partner is Hope Smitherman of Crafty Hope - here is her Etsy shop.

Hope's selection of beads is both colorful and beautiful!

I made a chainmaille Mobius Rose (also known as a Love Knot) and attached that to a Chinese crystal with a beadcap and three crystal dangles.

I made a pair of simple, swingy earrings with the antique brass Freeform charm. I added an aqua Sea Glass nugget bead (S38-B30) to the charm - I love brass and aqua together!

I used light green Irish waxed linen cord, light sapphire Sea Glass nugget beads (S39-B31SFIVE), light green Sea Glass beads (BDS-1865-43), and a smoky quartz Sea Glass button spacer for this bracelet.

I love the colors in labradorite, so I made this necklace using the black Glass beads, an olive Sea Glass tusk (S42-B22FOUR), blue opal Sea Glass bead (S03-46FIVE) and a Swarovski crystal.

Personally, I think turquoise can go with any color, so I paired a turquoise Howlite oval bead with the orange Aqua Terra Jasper beads and copper.

There will be a giveaway with this challenge - check the ZnetShows blog on Saturday, July 6th to enter to win beads and see the list of participants in the ZnetShows Partner Picks Summer Challenge.

Reba's Beans

                                                    These are THE BEST beans - sweet, spicy and delicious!!

Bacon - 5 slices
medium onion
1 lb. ground beef
28 oz. can Campbell's Pork & Beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup barbeque sauce (your favorite)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp red pepper sauce


Fry 5 slices of bacon in a deep 10-inch cast iron skillet until crisp. Set the bacon aside on paper towels: drain off grease. Chop one medium onion and brown in same skillet over medium-high heat, about 5-6 minutes. Add one pound lean ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off excess grease. Stir in beans, stewed tomatoes, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, mustard and red pepper sauce.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15-20 minutes - until it tastes real goooood! Crumble the bacon over the top before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings

                     
                                                                                ENJOY!!

* If you buy your hamburger in bulk at Sam's/Costco like I do, 1 lb. ground beef = 2 cup cooked ground beef.
* I cook my bacon in a cast iron skillet in the oven at 350 degrees for approx. 20 minutes - until crispy.
* The beans can be eaten with a spoon or with tortilla chips - yummy, either way!!

"Found" Dresser Rehab

I'm not too proud to say I've done a little dumpster-diving - I've found a few treasures on the side of the road or put-out-with-the-trash. When I saw this dresser next to someones trash cans, I knew I could give it a new life as a jewelry supply dresser - I'm so glad I did!!

I wish I took more before pictures - it had a few cracks on the sides (wood putty to the rescue), and it was sooooo dirty inside (I love Clorox wipes!).

                                     I took out the drawers and spray painted the inside an unexpected pop of color.

Then, I painted all of the drawers inside and out before I tackled the outside. I used sample pots of paint that I already had, plus, I used a couple of coupons for free sample pots of Behr paint. So far, no cost to fix it up!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint went on the outside - Duck Egg Blue on the drawers and Old White on the base. After antiquing, waxing and distressing, I LOVE how my new jewelry supply dresser looks!!

                                                        
                                     I bought new drawer handles, but at $1.68 each, not bad for "found storage"!

ZnetShows June Challenge Beads

Znet Shows June Challenge has us partnered with another designer who picked out beads for us to create with.

My partner is the very talented, Hope Smitherman of Crafty Hope!

She picked out a lovely mix of beads from ZnetShows ..........

BDS1618-21FIVE   Glass beads, black 6mm
ZMX-42-01   Tiaria Chinese crystal beads, Arabian Tapestry 8x5mm
PT513-05   Labradorite coin 25mm
M0374-AB   Freeform charms, antique brass 30mm
S50-B15   Sea Glass freeform button spacers, smoky quartz 14-15mm
BDS1879-02   Aqua Terra Jasper beads, orange 8mm
BDS1851-01   Howlite oval beads, turquoise 30x20mm

                                                   Our reveal will be on July 6th, so check back for more details!!

Banana Split Bread

We always have bananas in our house, so we often have a couple of over-ripe bananas which means we get banana bread! We love banana chocolate chip bread so I try to make it once a month. I found this recipe awhile ago and it's become THE favorite!

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp milk
3 eggs
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/4 tsp butter extract
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt - then add mashed bananas, butter, milk and eggs. Mix well until combined. Stir in extracts and 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces (I use mini chocolate chips).

Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans) - fill pans to about half full.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then bake 45 minutes (35 min. for mini loaf pans) or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once cooled, gently melt the 1/2 cup chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bread and allow to cool before slicing.

ZnetShows Baby Conch Shells

Bill Zhang of ZnetShows sent some more lovely beach glass beads and I was a lucky recipient of the baby conch shell beads!!

                                                                 Look at all of the pretty colors ..............

I used the lovely turquoise bay baby conchs and attached them to a piece of wire I shaped and then hammered for texture.

                        I love the jet black conch shells and added freshwater pearls to complement them.

I just bought these pink faceted glass teardrops and they matched the blossom pink conch shell perfectly! I added a crystal between each teardrop for a bit more sparkle.

I had tangerine bottle-neck style rings (S55-B83SFIVE) in my stash and attached a royal blue conch shell, a peridot green tusk bead and a silver starfish to chain - I love these bright, summery colors together!

I just received this beautiful Japanese Chirimen Kimono cord from StinkyDogBeads (love that name)
and had to use it! I attached a royal blue conch shell to a small piece of the cord, then made tiny dangles with fuschia and blue crystals, and attached them to the copper chain.

Ombre is hot right now, so I made a necklace using some of the blues. I had some glass rondelle beads from Auntie's Beads and attached the conch shells to them.

Thank you Bill for the sweet conch shells!! Go to ZnetShows  to see all of their beautiful beach glass beads, gemstones, and crystals. They also have a facebook page and blog that will keep you up to date on their latest "happenings".