It's That Time of Year...

...when the world falls in love...every song you hear seems to say...Merry Christmas...may your New Year dreams come true...

Such a great Christmas song...I could sing Christmas songs all day...lalala...

First on my agenda for the day...Santa...yes...I believe...in the magic of Santa...and I hang my stocking every year...but here are a few Santa's (for those of you who are collectors) that I've gotten over the years...three are by Gene Keith...art teacher extroidinaire at Athens Elementary School in Athens, AL...the tall one in the back and the two on either side are ones he carved...I bought the two to the side...the tall one in the back was a gift from him...we'd had a bad ice storm and I brought him part of a persimmon tree that had toppled...he took part of it and made this lovely Santa...you can see a little more of his work at: http://www.athens.edu/college_arts/art/faculty/main.html if you will scroll to the bottom of the page...Thanks, Gene!  Your talent blesses my house each Christmas!

Each year I try to get one new decoration...this year it was this darling Santa Dish...I thought about putting a bright red or white candle in it...but rethought it when I realized I'd have to somehow get it out of the dish when it had all melted down...so am satisfied with the Peppermint Twists from Walgreen's...

I also make Christmas ornaments each year for my darling grandchildren (and a few other folks)...this year the ornament it a spider web and spider...why?  Go and read the story about the Christmas Spider at: http://kraftmstr.com/christmas/books/spider.html  This year I made 7...one for us...one for each of my 4 grandkids...one for my great niece (holy canoli...I'm old enough for a GREAT NIECE!) and one for my godson's beautiful baby girl...hmmmm...I've done palm trees, mermaids, trees, snowmen and a few other things over the years...time to start thinking about what to do for next year...

One of the beadgroups I belong to has been "repurposing" teeny beanie babies (and other small critters)...I've done three...one was the flamingo "Fionna" that was auctioned off on MissionFish for Breast Cancer Research...one was a little pony...who turned out really cute...even if I do say so myself...the success of those two prompted me to find other beanies...naturally I went to Ebay...and found a couple more...Stegosaurous...my favoritest of dinosaurs...was one I got...and he was a challenge...but I think he turned out right cute as well...on his belly I put my initials...something not on the other two because I hadn't thought of simple peyote as a way to make my initials in beads til I started little Steg...don't you just love him???

Speaking of Fionna and the Breast Cancer project...the "Pink Ribbon Turtles" Project for 2009 was able to send $650 to the American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research.  The drawing piece, "Friends" went to R. Ericson of Cocoa Beach...only the second time the turtles have stayed in Cocoa Beach...to find out more about the project...and what's in store for 2010 please go to www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm

And last...but most certainly NOT least...RUBY

...my little birthstone dolly came home the other day after traveling down under to Kathleen in Austrailia, up north to Marty in Michigan and out west to Debra in Colorado to be adorned in her brilliant red attire...isn't she just glorious???  Ruby was part of the Birthstone Round Robin that the group Beaded Art Dolls held this year...I was fortunate to be grouped with these three very talented artists...and RUBY just LOVES to show off her outfit...complete with purse...a girl needs a purse...ha...don't you just love her???  Even though she's my birthstone (JULY/RUBY) she is such a perfect color for Christmas she is standing near the Christmas Card basket for all to admire...THANK YOU ladies...can't wait to do another one!  Are you a beadwork artist?  Head to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beaded_art_dolls/ to find out more about the Beaded Art Dolls group...we have lots of fun...and some of the dolls that are created are amazing!

OK...so that's my epistle for the day...time to have a little lunch and relax a while...

May your holiday season be blessed...which reminds me...here is the beadwork I did for our Christmas card this year...a picture says a thousand words...remember the reason for the season!

Faith, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love

God Bless

Only 9 more days!

Only 9 days til the drawing!

Be sure to get your drawing tickets!

www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm

All proceeds will be sent to the American Cancer Society

for Breast Cancer Research.

"Pink Ribbon Turtles" Project Auctions!

The first of the auctions are finished...and the second round has begun!  In the second round there is "Basking in the Sun" by Gretchen Coats of Saginaw, MI...exquisitely crafted...the 4 little pink crystal turtles bask in the sun on their lily pads while a delicate white water lily floats nearby...

To see this auction please head to: http://cgi.ebay.com/Basking-in-the-Sun-Pink-Ribbon-Turtle-Project_W0QQitemZ170404625858QQihZ007QQcategoryZ158657QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

"In the Pink" is a lovely pink three strand bracelet made by Lesley Bishop of Bristol, PA...I just love the turtle centerpiece! 

You can find this auction at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170404628957

Pink Ribbon Turtle Auctions!

The auctions are underway! Find links to the auctions at www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm . Beautifully beaded works from all over the world! Links to each of the following items is on the website above.

First...from Gretchen Coats, Saginaw, MI..."Basking in the Sun"...the beading on this piece is extraordinary...framed in a shadowbox this piece is approx. 8.5 x 10.5.

Created by project founder, Jena Tuntas of Cocoa Beach, FL, "Fionna" was originally a Teeny Beanie Baby from this year's crop at McDonalds. She sits on a wooden prop and wears her turtles on her wings and her pink ribbon hanging from her heart.

Next in line..."Bubbles"...this little fella swam all the way from Portugal! The artist, Maria Teresa, may be familiar to a beadwork artist...she has been published in several of the beadwork magazines...and her work has even been on the cover of a few of them.

Is jewelry something that catches your eye? Then you will love "Montees in Pink" by Bev Moon of White Pine, TN. This beautiful bracelet is Bev's own design and is made up of Swarovski Montees, sterling silver beads and a sterling silver clasp...it's gorgeous!

"Swimming for Freedom of Fear" is an original design from Karen L. Cohen of Milford, PA. Bead, machine and ribbon embroidery make up this sweet wall hanging.

I'm expecting one more to arrive at my doorstep any day and will let you know when it's on the auction block.

The Pink Ribbon Turtles Project is in it's 5th year. Drawing tickets are still available at www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm as are the links to all of the auctions. The auctions are at ebay's charity site MissionFish.

Don't miss your chance to get your drawing tickets...and don't miss your opportunity to bid on these beautifully crafted items. Links at the above site.

2009 "Pink Ribbon Turtles" Project

The 2009 "Pink Ribbon Turtles" Project is Underway!

"Friends"

by Jena Tuntas

This is the 5th year for the "Pink Ribbon Turtles" Project. Founded in 2005 by the artist (above), the project is dedicated to the memory of her mother, Nina Isabelle Etheredge Fritz, longtime educator and community activist in Cocoa Beach, FL, who passed with breast cancer.

Each year a unique bead embroidery design is created, framed in a shadowbox frame and given in a drawing. The design always includes one or more turtles. Each of the turtles has a pink shell, the color of the Breast Cancer Fundraising symbol, the pink ribbon. The artwork is beautifully framed, and offered in a drawing. This year's piece (above) is entitled "Friends" in honor of the friends that help us through the tough times in our lives.

In 2009, for the first time, there will not only be a drawing, but there will be auctions of items handcrafted and donated by artists from around the world. The auctions will begin on October 26th on MissionFish. Below are two of the items that will be auctioned. More will be announced at the time of the auctions.

"Fionna"

Beaded Teeny Beanie Baby

by Jena Tuntas

www.atawhisper.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Swimming for Freedom of Fear"

6" x 9"

Bead, machine and ribbon embroidery on cotton

by Karen L. Cohen

www.kcEnamels.com

The drawing date is Monday, November 30th. All profit from the donations for drawing tickets and auctions will be sent to the American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research. For more information and to donate for drawing tickets go to www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm and pay through PayPal, or contact me at prt4bcr@mindspring.com if you prefer to pay by check or money order. All checks and money orders should be made payable to the American Cancer Society.

Have a wonderful day!

Just a Reminder!

If you haven't gone and seen all of the

2008 "Pink Ribbon Turtles"...there's still plenty of time!

Make sure you get your tickets! Drawing date for "Jewels of the Sea" is Sunday, November 30th. Drawing date for "Ling" and "Kameko" is Friday, December 12th.

Make your donation at www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm .

ALL profit from this project goes to the American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research.

Grandchildren, Storms and Beadwork

"Ma, we make a cake?"

What grandma can say no to a 3 year old with a request like that? Of course...what he wanted most was to make the decorations on the cake...he wanted blue and green and red and orange and yellow...and stars...

My youngest grandson loves the book I wrote for him and my other three grandchildren, "The Adventures of Shorty". His mom says he reads it all the time. So when discussing what we were going to put on the cake, Shorty naturally came up. At first, Shorty was going to be an astronaut (a recently drawn pic for the new Shorty book)...then he decided on tennis...then the astronaut on a skateboard...finally we decided that just Shorty on a skateboard would be best.

Whenever I bake cake, I bake it in two square pans. One goes home with the grandson's...the other (or what is left of the other after we've all had a piece) stays here. This works out well since my husband and I, though we love cake, don't eat much of it.

So the first cake (above) was decorated with Shorty on a skateboard...artistic direction by my two grandsons...the eldest helped with the icing...then they both helped with putting the candy stars on it.

The second cake? I let the oldest decide. A tennis player...he decided on a tennis racquet and tennis balls...that's the one we ate after the kitchen was clean.

Then it was time for a rousing game of "Simon Says", and a little bit of "Hokey Pokey", both of which the youngest is learning in pre-school. He is doing pretty well with the "Hokey Pokey", but he hasn't quite gotten the gist of "Simon Says"...it's fun none-the-less. We even got grandpa up to do the hokey pokey!

School will begin (again) on Monday, and all of them will be busy with that. The oldest is in middle school and trying out for the basketball team; the youngest going to pre-school a couple of days a week; and mom, who is a teaching assistant, going back to work. Dad...keeps us all safe working as an officer at the police department.

Now...the reason I say school will begin AGAIN on Monday...is the fact that they started last Monday...and then Tropical Storm Fay came through...and stayed...and stayed...and stayed. We had three and a half days of nothing but wind and rain...and they didn't go back to school all week.

Fay...never making it to hurricane force...dumped over 30" of rain in some places. There was a lot of flooding and a few tornados. It was nothing like Jeanne from a few years ago in strength, thankfully, but was still devastating for some. In the state of Florida TS Fay was responsible for about a dozen deaths and thousands without power and flooded out of their homes. We are thankful that our only damage was the porch getting about half way flooded and the loss of our air conditioner from Wednesday evening til this morning when it got fixed...thank goodness. It was hot those three days...but nothing like the heat we're going to get now that there will be sunshine...at least til the next one!

On the first day of the storm we looked out our back door and saw a Great Blue Heron just standing in the wind and rain. (Video above) We weren't sure at first if he was hurt or just disoriented. We finally decided he just "landed" and was afraid to spread his wings to take off for fear he wouldn't be able to control his flight and land in OZ somewhere. After over three hours of standing in the wind and rain out the backdoor...he was gone. Hopefully it was on purpose...if not...I'm sure the Wizard will have a lovely pond for him to fish in!

During the nearly 4 days of being sequestered in the house due to the storm, beadwork was most certainly a way I entertained myself. (That and the Olympics...great combination!) One of the first things I did was finish a "challenge" from one of the online beading groups I'm in. The challenge was to make a bracelet using the 'peyote' stitch. I had just recently learned it, so I thought it would be a good challenge for me. The tough part...at least for me...was that it was to be "freeform". As much as I try, being anything but symmetrical is difficult. I've managed to do it on a few of my turtles, but usually they are very symmetrical. Now symmetry and "freeform" are not necessarily opposite...but they are not synonomous either. Some of the bracelets the ladies in the challenge produced were exquisite...and not a bit symmetrical. None-the-less...I perservered. Though quite symmetrical...I am assured by the ladies that it is indeed considered "freeform". Which is good...because it's about as freeform as I can get...at least until I learn a bit more about the 'peyote' stitch.

I don't know if you can make them out...but the two circles are actually little polyclay faces. The beadwork around the bracelet is not "exactly" the same...but very similar from side to side.

The second part of the challenge...to make a ring to match. I didn't use the little cab faces...but used some of the other little beads I used around the bracelet to jazz up the ring.

I'm pleased with how they came out. I'll probably put them up for sale on my etsy site ( http://www.atawhisper.etsy.com/ ) . Being a Licensed Massage Therapist, I don't wear much jewelry, (certainly not rings) and in this case, I don't have anything to match these wonderfully bright colors. But I sure had fun making them!

Then it was on to the "Pink Ribbon Turtle" Project. Dubbed "Turtles of Hope" by Beadwork Magazine last April, the "Pink Ribbon Turtles" project took on a new level. Originally the turtles were made only by me in memory of my mother, who passed away with Breast Cancer in 2000. After the "blurb" in Beadwork Magazine, another style of PRT was created. With the help of my new friend, Gretchen, we decided that in addition to the turtle(s) I make each year, that we would have a 4 Quadrant Turtle. The turtle was divided into four quadrants and four different artists completed a quadrant. We were thrilled when a second group decided to help with a second 4 Quadrant Turtle. For more information, stay tuned...on October 1st all three turtles will be professionally framed and available in a drawing, ALL proceeds going to Breast Cancer Research.

So anyway...when I finished my freeform bracelet and ring challenge, I spent some time putting the quadrants together. (Ralonda, in Texas is in charge of the second turtle). I will give you a little peek here -> of the right side of group 1's turtle...these turtles will be fabulous I know!

For more information about "Turtles of Hope" - the "Pink Ribbon Turtle" Project, you can go to (http://www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm). You will find pictures of turtles from previous years, and a bit of the history behind the project.

Later on, when the ticket "sales" begin, I will make sure the information for you to get some is right here, along with pictures of all three of the 2008 "Pink Ribbon Turtles".

During the hottest part of the Tropical Storm that kept us all indoors for a week...when we didn't have air conditioning...I did as little as possible. Everytime I moved I would break into a sweat. So I sat myself in the coolest room in the house and sorted my beads. My husband was amazed...he thinks I have more beads than the bead store. And he only saw the ones in the drawers! I have more in the closet! But anyone who beads...knows that you can't have too many beads!

The air conditioner has been fixed, the grandson's have visited, I've just eaten my supper, and I think...I'll go do a little beadwork.

God Bless!

A Very Pink Day!

Pink Pink Pink...this particular day it seemed everything turned pink...so I suppose you could actually say that "Everything is Rosie"...assuming the rose is pink too!

PINK #1

Working on this year's "Pink Ribbon Turtles" has been a real treat.

Why?

Several reasons.

First, there are three turtles on this year's "Pink Ribbon Turtles" that we always have the drawing for starting in late September...the drawing being the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Each of the turtles will be a little different...but the thing they all will have in common is a pink shell.

Second, this year's turtles will be very bright and festive. In the past the color has been predominately PINK...this year the background is BLUE...like the ocean...the three turtles will each have a different color of green for it's body...and the "sealife" around them will be very colorful as well. I'm really excited about this year's turtles. When I am a little farther along I will post a picture.

Third, there is going to be more than one drawing! This year there will be two other "Pink Ribbon Turtles" drawings as well. WHY? Back in early April "Beadwork" magazine published a short article on the "Pink Ribbon Turtles"...this article was read by many across the United States...but one beadwork artist decided she wanted to find out more. Gretchen Coats contacted me and asked if she could help in some way...and the "Pink Ribbon Turtles" in 4 Quadrants was born. Now there are 8 artists working on two different 4 quadrant turtles. To find out more go to www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm . I've seen the work these ladies are doing and you are in for a REAL treat when you see the two turtles put together. Pictures of the 4Q turtles should be available by the end of August.

PINK #2

I was out at the golf course...trying to get in 9 holes before the rain came and was playing rather quickly...the sky was dark all around and very noisy...and lo and behold...what do I see wandering around with the Ibis but a Roseate Spoonbill...just as cute and pink as you please...wandering around with a group of Ibis! I was really excited and quite disappointed at the same time...I had forgotten my digital camera...boo hoo...I'm pretty sure it was a young one because its head was more white than pink and his pink was on the pale side instead of the really deep pink like the adults are...it was also about the size of the Ibis it was wandering with and not at all big...but I was tickled none-the-less.

PINK #3

At home...finished with the computer for the evening...I was leaving my workroom to head to the porch for some beading...as I walked past one of the shelves near the door something caught my eye...a piece of Rose Quartz in the shape of a heart...this particular piece had a flat back to it...which puts it in the "category" of a cabachon...and I remembered an email on one of the beading groups I am in where someone was asking about beading a heart-shaped cabachon...so I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't use this particular one...it was a "one of a kind" I had...but remembered that I had 3 of them in my "stash" of cabs that were a little smaller...so I dug them out and gave it the old "college try"...the picture above is the result...I've done two...have the third one out on the porch to do...and am seriously thinking of going ahead and doing the larger one...hmmmmm...I think I see a Pink Quartz Heart Necklace in the future!

So...it was just a Pink sort of day!

For info about the two birds I mentioned click on either of these!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseate_Spoonbill

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_White_Ibis