The Roseman roses--Kyrsten, Katie and Kourtney--are absolutely adorable! In no time at all, they and Joyce were tangling away like a quartet of Zentangle professionals. Kyrsten even "invented" a few wonderful new tangles that I captured for my use later. Then I showed the girls and Joyce some of the things I've made from seashells.
In particular, I've had a lot of fun decorating jar lids--and reusing jars otherwise headed for the recycling bin. The white jar lid is one I covered with crushed jingle shells. You grind the jingles up with a mortar and pestle, which causes the shells to flake. I used a glue gun and glued the entire jar lid with the flakes to get that white sparkle effect. The finishing touches are a lovely piece of blue-green seaglass and a land snail shell that I bleached white by boiling it in a pot of water and Chlorox,
The second jar lid (black background) was much simpler. I glued a broken shell in the center and added others around it. The center shell looks like a rose bud, doesn't it?
The third lid is in progress. I think I'll cover most of the lid with paper and then add the shells as I've indicated. I liked the juxtaposition of the shapes, colors and textures.
Joyce and I played with various combinations of shells I've collected. I plan to turn some pieces of broken, polished shells into pendants. So today, I made a trip to Michaels to buy wire and supplies.
Next Monday, I'll share a post by Joyce. It's one of the most inspiring stories I've read in a long time. We'll also give away a piece of Strung Up Jewelry to one lucky commenter. I've asked Joyce to pick something special for one of you! Be sure to put next Monday on your calendar and plan to comment!
Even though I took the night off to be creative with my new peeps, I still managed to finish Death of a Schoolgirl: The Jane Eyre Chronicles. I've sent it along to my beta readers for their comments. The first of these, my sister Jane, really enjoyed it. There's always this sadness when I finish a book. My arms feel a little empty like I've given up a baby. It's really bittersweet.
How about you? Do you ever feel a little sad after you finish a big project?
13 comments:
Candid Canine linked a cute shell house pattern, which I passed along to my niece, just as she and her children returned from the beach. http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/2011/07/miniatures-idea-seashell-house.html
You've offered more lovely ideas to pass along. Thanks.
The jar lids are stunning. I can visualize crushed sea glass with the shells on top for the third lid. What a neat project.
Finishing a quilt for me must be like finishing a book for you.
Major league cool! I'm inspired!
Love the shell lids. I've been a little intimidated to try wire-wrap jewelry, but I'm telling myself to stop being silly and give it a try. If it comes out awful, I can always take it apart.
And by the time I finished a book I was so tired of it, and so eager to start on the next, that I couldn't wait to get it out the door! Beginning work on a trilogy right now, and wrestling with plots. That's always the hard part for me. Wish the plot fairy would tap her magic wand on my head and give three good plots.
Carol, I'm not sure I could stand to crush sea glass. I love it too much.
Julie, repeat after me: It's only wire.
Re: plots
Yeah, they can be tough. But once you get into the book, there's this delight, this sense of "wooooow, did I write this?"
When I finish a novel, there is relief - it's finally over - and, if it's good, a desire to get someone whose opinion I trust to read it. If it's really good, there is a tinge of sadness that I won't be spending time in that story anymore.
Joanna, you're so right! The best days of writing for me are those where you see the action running in your head like a film, and all you have to do is write it down. Those help balance out the days when you'd rather clean the oven than try to write. The "can't write my name in the dirt with a stick" days. But those good days--they're the best! Recently went back and read my first book, published in 1982. I still like it, but I kept thinking, "This is so old-fashioned!" Well, it has been 30 years.
See? Monica and Julie, I knew it had to be normal. It's like...I miss working with those people, the characters I created.
It is always bittersweet finishing a book, but then it is not really gone forever - there are revisions, copy edits and galley proofs. I am finishing doing the galley proofs for the mass market editon of You Better Knot Die (ccrochet mystery #5). It is fun going through it again, though since last weeek I was going through of the galley proofs of Behind the Seams (crochet mystery #6) which comes out in hardcover at the same time, it's a little confusing.
Ah, but there's always the next book to jump into, Joanna! I admit, though, that I miss working on each one after I send it off--until the edits come in, of course, as Betty said. My Harlequin Nocturne Guardian Wolf is officially available today--and I've been working on its Alpha Force sequels and related Bites e-novellas!
Betty and Linda, you are both right. There are always the revisions, and then the promotion, etc. I forget sometimes which book it is that I'm supposed to be promoting! I did a blog post at Killer Characters on a book that isn't out yet. (DUH.) But when the book is officially "off my desk," I feel a teensy, tiny bit lost. Betty, is it scary to have a hardback coming out?
Joanna, You Better Knot Die came out in hardcover last November. I worried a lot, but Berkley was happy with the sales enough to offer me a contract for three more hardcover releases. Then a year later, they come out in mass market.
Post a Comment