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Red moon hunt

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

5 p.m., Sept. 27th, 2015

We just went to play to the baby's toy room after dinner, when my husband suddenly made an appearance at the door and said: "Get ready, we are going out now".

You do not have to ask me twice! 20 minutes later we were sitting in our car, heading towards... I did not really know where we were heading to. We drove over the bridge... What could be that way? I knew it was the Red Moon hunt... but how far do you need to go to see the moon? It can be seen from anywhere!

"Do you know that some people believe that it is the end of the world?" - he asked. 
"No, I've never heard that."


- Do you know where we are? - he asked while parking the car.
- We are in White Rock!
- I wonder how many other people had the same idea?

He was right... There were many people who had the same idea! Cars kept coming to the parking lot...

- Look, there is a nice flower here!
- It is probably a weed...
- Then it is the prettiest weed ever!


I asked him to stop about thirty feet further down the pass...
- Do you know what I took a picture of? - I was pretty proud of my "shadow" picture! :)

- The moon will show up there, - he pointed to the direction opposite to the sun, - Look, the cameras are already pointed that way too!

We went towards the water where I tried to take a picture of the sunlight on the surface of the ocean. Not bad!


- What else are you taking a picture of?
- The seagulls!
- Oh, no! 


The sunset was pretty, but the photographers had their tripods and cameras on them pointed to the opposite direction.
- What is the English for people who would eat anything? - I asked my husband while unprofessionally taking pictures of the sunset.


The sun was gone and we realized that the moon was not there yet. I checked Internet for the Red Moon time. At least thirty minutes away still... It was cooling down and we decided to wait for it in the car.

We watched more cars still arriving. 
- I am afraid it will be hard to get out of here, - my husband said.


 We waited until 7.45 p.m. before we went back. Eclipse has already started. We watched it for  about 10 or 15 minutes. It still was there... The kiddo was laughing his head off :) 

- Should we go? 
- Not yet... The world did not explode yet.


We finally headed towards the car... The parking lot was half-empty!
- I thought we would be first to leave, and we are the last!

We watched the eclipse all way home.
- We did not need to go so far to see the red moon...
- This was not the reason why we went, right? :) I liked the sunset more than the red moon anyway.

Beautiful nature

This is an autumn picture that I took in Melbourne, Australia. Do you know when it is a fall season in Australia?
April, of course!

Jewellery masterpieces

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Diamond and Platinum Art Deco brooch or spray with separate circular diamond and sapphire circle pendant. The pendant hinges to the brooch or both can be worn separately

Wool pictures by Elena Koltunova

This is a guest post by an artist who works in a felting technique. Have you ever seen felt pictures? Me neither! :) Let's see how they are made!

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Hello all! My name is Elena and I lay all sorts of things out of wool, mostly toys. Sometimes I lay pictures. Today I'll show you how I do this.

Wolves are a very popular theme as people often order pictures with a pair of wolves for the wedding anniversaries. I love wolves too and I'm happy when I get these orders!

Here are two pictures and two different pairs of wolves.


First I need to choose a design. Let's work on this one:


Then I need to start with the laying of the basis of the picture, which is a piece of a thin felt of a desired size. I use a marker or a felt-pen to draw the picture first. I do not need any details at this point, just the outlines. If I could not draw, I would print a picture out, cut it out with the scissors and outlined it :)  

Now it is time to cover all the lines with the wool by attaching it with a needle. I have to admit that it is easier to work in color than a monochrome palette.

Here is what I've gotten for now: 


I pin the felt down to a foam so it won't move.


All the outlines are filled now, so I start working on adding more shades of gray. The more shades, the more vivid my picture.


The technique allows me to create a shaggy wolf fur. So, this is what I am going to work on now. The wolves will look more natural this way. To achieve it I attach thin and short strands of wool at the one end only, leaving the second end free. I keep working until I cover all the areas of the picture that need it ( and I need to remember about the shades here also!)


It is all done!


Now the picture just needs a frame with a glass cover (and a small moth plate!)


How many shades of gray do you see? :)


Here is another pair that I've just finished:


Elena Koltunova
Online shop (in Russian)

Monday Inspirational Quote

Monday, September 28, 2015

Mixed metals Heart Pendant

Party nails

Very cheerful nail design by Roza this week. Love the color combor for a happy kids' party!


Sunday Interior Decoration Ideas

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Good news! Anna is back and she curates collections for home decoration again! Here is her first autumn treasury for a September rainy day. Wonderful finds!

Find the featured shops in this collection as well as other featured shops in our growing guide of great items for the house decor here.


Bead day. A switch cover

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Found on BeadLust

Jewellery masterpieces. Luis Masriera, Spain

Friday, September 25, 2015

Crescent hair pins are in again!

Have you seen this awesome hair pin by Chanel already? This is not the only sample (see my pinboard below for more pictures). 

I personally love all of them! This is so classy... and classic! Really, it is hard to come up with an awesome fashion jewelry style that did not exist already at some point.

Chanel Resort 2015
The crescent hair pins were in more than a hundred years ago!

Why were they so popular? What did they mean?

John Singer Sargent, Mrs. Mahlon Day Sands (Mary Hartpence) , 1893–1894
The MOON is sometimes thought of as female, mate to the male Sun. Keeper of the cycles and rhythms of time, nocturnal animals are associated with it. The archangel Gabriel is said to have as his abode the moon, and the crescent moon is one of the symbols of the goddess Isis. The moon also symbolizes death and rebirth in it's waxing and waning. (source

That was not the first time when the crescents were popular as jewelry pieces.

Do you know who else wore a crescent hair pin?

Artemis

Pinboard for the crescent hair pins and more:

DIY. Making feathers with yarn for a crochet toy

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Today we have a guest post by Svetlana Kosheleva. Svetlana makes beautiful crochet toys, take a look at them in her blog! She is very creative in her art too! Look at the yarn feathers that she created, they are just awesome! She generously shares her idea with us today. Here is how she describes her work:

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I was working on one new toy that I needed to make some feathers for (it was a bird, of course). I found a description on how to make feathers. The described way was long and boring... but I honestly tried to follow the instructions. When the second "feather" gave me a blister I stopped to think of another way, that would be easier. (Really, lazy people are the most inventive!) 

Got it! I took a piece of a cardboard (in a desired size of a feather) and wrapped my yarn around it:


more....


and a little bit more...


Now we are done!


Then I used sewing machine to sew it in the middle (you can also draw a line before you start wrapping your yarn around the cardboard)


Cut the yarn:


..and another side:


Rip the cardboard off:


This is what I got. Now this needs to become a feather!


Take a piece of wire that is longer than your feather when folded. Attach a few pieces of yarn through the end loop, then wrap the whole length of your wire with the same color yarn.


This is how it should look like:


Then just glue them together:


Glue a piece of yarn on another side to cover the stitch:


Isn't it pretty?


I am about to make more feathers!


Why don't you try it yourself!


Svetlana Kosheleva

Throwback Thursday. Sydney, Australia, 2011

Opera House, Sydney, Austrlia




Office gifts for co-workers

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

What could you give to a co-worker as a gift? Here are a few great ideas!


A Cup or a Cozy for a cup

Funny Coffee Mug by MostToastyGoods
Office Sweet Office mug by RubyRidgeStudios
Work mug by Mugsleys
Nerdy and Cute Travel mug cozy by MugHugCozy

A Planner or a To Do list

Printable Entrepreneurs Planner by SamOsborneStore
To Do List Pad by worksmarterdesign

A Business card holder or a Business car carrier 

Monogrammed Carbon Fiber Business Card Holder by aandlengraving
Business Card Holder by andrewsreclaimed
Leather Business Card Holder by PopovLeather
Ceramic Business Card Holder by ChiGallery

A Pen


Personalized Engraved Pen Set by mrcwoodproducts
Hand Turned Pen by PennTexPens

A Pen holder

Wood Desk Organizer by Myflowermeadow
Hedgehog Pencil Holder by LennyMud
Pen Holder by Name2Puzzle
Vintage 1940s black marble en holder by cammoo

A Cell phone holder

Adjustable iPad Mini Stand Collapsible Stand by WoodWarmth
Custom Wooden Dock and Charging Station by TsingDesign

A Wrist support for a keyboard

Keyboard Wrist Rest by iwoodlab
Computer Keyboard Wrist Support by ComfyCreations

A Mouse Pad
Aztec Mint wood mouse with matching mouse pad by Darkoolart
Reclaimed wood pattern mouse pad by MarylandCorvus

A Wall calendar

Chalkboard Wall Calendar by brownshades
Calendar Poster Print by yumalum

Office art

Beetle Insect Art Print by NiftyPrintables
You're Creative - Office Art by ThePaperMountainCo

 
Jewelry Designer Blog. Jewelry by Natalia Khon. Design by Pocket