Memories and Thanks Blog Hop

Lori Anderson invited us to participate in a blog hop in honor of her friend Marianna, who passed away.  To read Lori's post about her, click here. 

We were to either make something in honor of Marianna or someone close to us.  I really wanted to do something for Marianna too.  Lori told us that Marianna's favorite color was red. When I started working on the pieces for this post, I thought that since it was the holiday season an ornament would be nice. 

I made this ornament with twin beads, crystal tear drops and seed beads. 

I knew who I wanted to make my jewelry in honor of right away.  My Dad passed away 16 years ago and I miss him every day.  He had a great sense of humor, taught me the meaning of sarcasm, got me started on Monty Python and movies like Young Frankenstein, and introduced me to the world of fantasy fiction.  He gave me my first Tolkien book, The Hobbit and then the Lord of the Rings not long after.  I started reading the Dune series by Frank Herbert because he recommended it.  He convinced me that Star Trek really wasn't that bad, and then it wasn't long before I loved it as much as he did.  There are so many things that make me think of him.  He was a huge Bears fan, but didn't like watching basketball because the squeaking noise the players shoes made on the court drove him crazy.  He would watch it with the volume turned down though, I remember that.  He always encouraged me to do the best job I could no matter what I was doing.  

When I was in 3rd grade, we built a dollhouse together.  We picked out paint, wallpaper and furniture and he put it all together.  I really loved that dollhouse.  

I wasn't sure what to make so I looked up his birthstone.  It's aquamarine (March) and I had just gotten a pair of cabs in that color.  I had to use yellow too, because when I was little and we lived in Chicago, he painted our whole apartment yellow because it was my Mom's favorite color (except thankfully for my bedroom, because yellow is not my favorite color).  

I finally had all the beads I needed and was working with them last weekend. Saturday night I started making dinner.  I was using the broiler in our new oven for the first time.  The heating element (it's electric) hangs down quite a bit lower than it did in the old oven.  I stuck my hand in without a full glove on and hit it on the heating element.  I have a pretty bad burn on my right hand, it's healing well but I can't bead right now, using my hand that way really hurts.  I will do another post in a week or two with the completed project, but I wanted to at least show you the beads.

Here are the cabs, I'll be making earrings with them.  I'm using Nicole's bead backing, it is wonderful and I just love the colors it comes in. 

 These are the other beads I picked out.  I need to pick one set of the yellow ones for the top part of the earrings.  I can't decide between the tear drops and the rectangles.  I'll probably bead both and decide then. The background is the the ultra suede I'll use for the backing, and there are also some of the seed beads I'll be using for the top part of the earrings. 

One last thing - I had mentioned the last time my sister and I were in Hobby Lobby together that it made me sad to see the dollhouses and I missed the one Dad and I had made.  For Christmas, my family got me this:

 

 It is the same one I did with my Dad, except this one has a porch.  I will be working on it after I finish my earrings.

Thank you for stopping by and sharing my memories.  Please go and see what everyone else created for this very special blog hop.  

Hostess, Lori Anderson       Pretty Things 
Lena's blog -- Mommas lil Birdies

 Adlinah Kamsir                   Dream Struck Designs

 Aimee Biondolillo               Aimee's Jewelry Treasures

 Alicia Marinache                 All the Pretty Things 
 Andra Marasteanu               Handmade by Indra Marasteanu 
 Andrea Trank                      Heaven Lane Creations
 April Grinaway                   Brooklyn Bead Goddess

Barb Solem                         Vivi Magoo Presents

Becky Pancake                    Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Beth Emery                         Stories by Indigo Heart

Bonnie Coursolle                Jasper's Gems

Cassi Paslick                       Beads: Rolling Downhill

Catherine King                    Catherine's Musings

Cece Cormier                      The Beading Yogini

Chandra Leitz                     Juniper Goods

Charissa Nesler                   FireStorm Designs
Charlie Jacka                       Clay Space

Christina Hickman              Vintage Treasures Jewelry

Christine Murrow               Charis Designs Jewelry
Christine Stonefield            Sweet Girl Design

Chrizette Bayman               Bead Soup Mix

Cindy Wilson                      It's My Sea of Dreams

CJ Bauschka                       4 His Glory Creations by CJ

Crystal Thain                      Here Bead Dragons

Cyndi Lavin                        Beading Arts

Debbie Rasmussen             A little of this, a little of that

Denielle Hagerman             Some Beads... and other things I like
Diana Gonzalez                  Arte y Poemas

Diane Hawkey                    diane hawkey

Dita Basu                            ankarshilpa

Donetta Farrington             Simply Gorgeous

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell     Deeliteful Jewelry Creations

Emma Todd                        A Polymer Penchant

Erin Kenny                         beadiful therapy

Erin Prais-Hintz                  Treasures Found

Gina Hockett                      Freestyle Elements

Gloria Allen                        Innovative Dreams Jewelry

Heather Marston                 CSW Designs

Inge von Roos                    Inge's Blog

Iveth Caruso                       Creative Atelier

Jacqueline Marchant          Fiddledeedee Jewelry

Jami Shipp                         Celebrating Life!

Jean Yates                          Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Do!

Jennifer Reno                     Musings of a Crafty Jenny
Jenny Robledo                   Peppa's Dream

Jennifer VanBenschoten    Jewelry, Art and Life
Jessica Klaaren                  Cellar Door Jewelry

Jessica Murray                   Whimsical Monkey

Joan Williams                     lilruby jewelry

Jo-Ann Woolverton            It's a Beadiful Creation

Joanne Browne                   josjewels1

Jodie Marshall                    Jodie Marshall Lampwork Beads Wearable Art

Johanna Rhodes                 Fire Phoenix Creations
John Rasmussen                 Rasumussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

JuLee Wolfe                       The Polymer Penguin

Julie Bean                           Blue Pig Blog

Karen Mitchell                   Over the Moon Designs

Karin King                         The Sparklie Things Blog
Karin Slaton                       Backstory Beads

Kat Douglas                       Washoe Kat's
Kay Bolton                        Toodles and Binks

Kelly Hosford Patterson     The Traveling SideShow

Kim Ballor                          Vitamin C ... A Daily Does of Creativity

Kim Dworak                       CianciBlue    <------------------You are here

Kim Houston                       The Pink Martini
Kym Hunter                         Kym Hunter Designs

Laren Dee Barton                Laren Dee Designs

Lea Avroch                          LA Jewelry Designs

Leanne Loftus                      First Impression Design

Liddy McLaughlin               Liddy McLaughlin Art

Linda Florian                       Lily's of the Valley Jewelry & Creative Creations

Linda Inhelder                     Must-Haves Jewelry

Lisa Hamilton                      Simply Irresistable Jewelry
Lisa Suver                            Fancee That

Lori Bowring Michaud        Artfully Ornamental

Lori Poppe                           Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

LouAnn Elwell                    Southpass Beads

Mandi Effron                       Craft-o-licious

Marcia DeCoster                 MadDesigns

Marcia Dunne                     The Alternative Foundry

Marie Covert                      Creating Interest

Marjorie Savill Linthwaite     bennubirdrising

Marlene Cupo                        Amazing Designs by Marlene

Martha Aleo                           Ornamento

Marti Conrad                          Marti's Buttons -n- Beads

Mary Ellen Parker                  BeeTree by m.e.

Mary Govaars                        MLH Jewelry Designs

Mary Lindell                          Mary Lindell Artisan Jewelry

Maureen Connolly                 Mrs Beadsley's Workshop

Maybeline Tay                       The Jewelry Larder

Melissa Elgin                         The Addicted Beader

Melissa Mesara                      one-eared pig beads

Menka Gupta                         Menka's Jewelry

Michaela Pabeschitz              la mar de bonita

Mischelle Fanucchi               Micheladas Musings

Mona Rae Baroody               Who Does She Bead She Is?

Nan Emmett                          Spirit Rattles -- Spirited Earth

Nancy Pedersen                    Something Heartfelt by Nancy

Natalie Davidson                  NorthShore Days
Nikki Douglas                      Bead It and Weep

Pam Farren                           re-maker

Pam, the Crazier Sister        The Crazy Creative Corner

Pam Traub                            Klassy Joolz
Priya Krish                           Hellopalz 
Rebecca Anderson               Song Beads

Rebecca Sirevaag                 Becca's Place

Robin Kae Reed                   Artistry HCBD

Rochelle Brisson                  a creative chelle

Rosa Maria Cuevas              Helena de Troya

Sabine Dittrich                     perlendschungel

Sandi Volpe                          Sandi Volpe

Sandra McGriff                    Creative Chaos

Sarah Goode                         Pookledo
Sarah Singer                         String a Song of Sixpence

Serena Trent                         All Things Made Jewelry

Shai Williams                       Shaiha's Ramblings
Sharon Palac                        Sharon's Jewelry Garden

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson    Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections

Sheila Davis                         Stone Designs

Shelley Graham Turner        Fabric of My Life

Sherri Stokey                       Knot Just Macrame

Sherry Baun                         Unicorns Jewels

Skylar Bre'z                         Brising Beads

Stephanie Haussler              Pixybug Designs

Tania Spivey                        Moobie Grace Designs

Terri G.                                Blooming Ideas

Terry Carter                         Tapping Flamingo

Terry Matuszyk                    Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Toltec Jewels                       Jewel School Friends
Tracy Kruse                         Goldkisses Art

Tracy Martin                        Nutkitten's Jewelry

Zia Parks                              Anzi~Panzi's Work Shoppe

Zoe Marcin                          Beads, Tea and Sweets