What the Wednesday?!?

Beading around the Cab.
Most Beadweavers do it.
I tried in once a few years back...and left it in the unfinished pile.

So this new year, it is one of my goals to learn it and do it well. I started with beautiful ceramic cabs, using a peyote stitch around it. I tried and tried and tried. I ran into the same problem every time of not making the peyote rounds big enough. Frustrated, I put the needle down and thought about why I want to bead around the cab. It is because I want to bead around river rocks that are too thick to drill. So I picked up some rocks, switched to a herringbone & netting technique and here are the results. The first rock is from Twin Lakes, Colorado. The second rock is from the shores of Lake Michigan.

















Tell me what you think. And let us know what you are working on and if it is turing out as you had hoped.

"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou." --Omar Khayyam

I have also seen this quote with the jug-o-wine listed first. Either way, it is all I need for a good meal. Bread, wine, and someone to share with.

Last year I decided that I wanted to learn how to make really good bread from scratch. And I want to make it often. Whole Wheat, Whole Grain, Sourdough, Rosemary, Cheddar, Challah.....And I never even made one loaf. Not one. So today is the day. I need fresh bread in my house and in my mouth. The smell of baking bread is the most comforting smell in the world. The taste of bread is the most comforting taste in the world. And Mama needs a little comfort right about now.

I dropped the kids off at school and came home to get baking and this is what I found. It is from my Sunshine Girl. She leaves note all over the house. They make my day! The Bug will occasionally leave affectionate notes too. Love those!











The dough is supposed to be rising as I type this. But after 60 minutes, it isn't. So I looked up some possible solutions to this dilemma. One was to put it in a slightly warm oven. I transferred the bowl to the radiator, hoping it would help. Here are before-the-radiator and after-30 -minutes-on-the-radiator pictures. I am not sure if I am seeing a difference or if it is just wishful thinking.













A lot of time has come and gone and it finally rose a bit. So I am now on to the next step of forming it into a loaf, putting it into a well oiled loaf pan and letting it rise again. This loaf it itty bitty! I am not sure if it is supposed to be this small or if I ate too much dough. A piece here and there would not conform to the overall dough blob, so I ate them. More and more pieces popped up. I ate more. And more. I am feeling a bit stuffed now and not sure if I can hit the treadmill today. Here it is, seeming lost and small, and you can see all the flaps of dough I didn't eat.



The Inspector.



















It puffed up a bit, so into the oven it goes! 40 minutes uncovered, 20 minutes covered. FINGERS CROSSED!!!










The moment of truth.
















(making guacamole in the background)
I cut right into it. It tastes pretty good! Kinda dense. I like bread dense and I like it airy. I like it hot and cold. I like it fresh and I like it stale, so it is hard for me to be objective about it.
Sunshine Girl says, "It's the best whole whole wheat bread I have ever had, but you know I like sourdough."
The Bug says, "Yummmmm! It is good! I love this bread! It is kick butt bread!"
The Birdman, being more polished than normal, as he knew he was making it into the blog, says "A hearty, wheat bread that would compliment a bowl of soup."

Overall, I would call this a success with room for improvement. I want to make it less loaf, more round and welcoming. I want to try buckwheat honey instead of clover honey. I want it to rise more. I want to do so many things but this is a good place to start. I will make it again and again this same way over the next few weeks and see if I can do better with this particular recipe before I go getting fancy. But YAY! I made EDIBLE bread!!!

Do you have any nuggets of Bread Wisdom to share? What is your favorite bread? What kind of foods do you make really well? What foods have you completely botched?

Giveaway on my Facebook Page. C'mon over!!!

Just a quickie to let you know I am having a little Giveaway for those that "Like" One Kiss Creations Beaded Jewelry on Facebook


Check it out!

First of the Year

Happy 2012 Everyone!!!

I did a little bead shopping over the holidays. My Mom, the Bug, and I went to Pennington, NJ to Artful Beads. Here is what I bought!



This winter, my goals are to take a clay class and learn how to make clay beads (my Sunshine Girl inspired me!), to bead around the cab, and to learn RAW. My other goal is to post on Etsy once a week. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....but for today, my goal is to make cookies for the neighbors and plant an Amaryllis.

Here is a pix of what The Bug made me for Christmas. I love it!!! I wore it all week!



What about you? What goals do you have for the coming months? What were some of your favorite gifts that you gave or received?

Ornament Swap Blog Hop

Sally of Wireworked put together this fabulous Ornament Swap! She is talented and funny and generous with her time and knowledge and I am honored she is my friend. Thanks Sally!!!

My partner for this Blog Hop is Jenny Davies-Reazor. Please go to her site, because OH MY is she talented!!! Her tiles and shrines and pendants are all gorgeous and earthy and completely unique.

Here is what she made for me.



I am not sure if I can express all the reasons why I love this. But I will try. I am more of a seasonal person than a holiday person. We celebrate holidays with family and presents for the kids and way too much food and drink, but when it comes to decorating or just "feeling it", I gravitate to the seasons and not the designated holidays they encompass. And the shrine Jenny made is for the season and will be in my window seat all season(or longer!), not just for a week or two during the holidays. I love the textured and sparkling polymer, the beads as berries, and the bottom fringe! The fringe consists of rocks Jenny drilled (my passion!), crystals, gemstones, and a medallion she made. They dance! They clack! They bring Joy! The center of the shrine is a beautiful Angel. She is soft and feminine and lovely and peaceful. I find myself gazing at her for long periods of time :-)

I sent Jenny a seasonal ornament as well. I used a piece of driftwood that was laying around my kitchen for longer than I want to admit. And I beaded snowflakes to hang off it. Each one different from the next. I hope Jenny has a better picture of it than I do. After 3 days of 4 photoshoots, this was the best I could come up with. Sometimes the spirit of an item just cannot be captured in a photograph.




Please take the time to Hop over to the other lovely blogs and see what all these talented women made. And...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!! Thanks for stopping by :-D

Partner List for the Ornament Swap/Blog Hop

Erin Prais-Hintz and Alice Peterson

Sally Russick and Kim Hora

Susan Kennedy and Kathleen Lange Klik

Patty Gasparino and Cindy Wimmer

Hope Smitherman and Melissa Meman

Jennifer L. Justman and Sandi Volpe

Jenny Davies-Reazor and Christine Altimiller

Rebecca Anderson and Jen Velasquez

Jeanette Blix Ryan and Tamara Soper

Holly Westfall and Mallory Hoffman

WhatTheWednesday?!?

When I have a question or a problem that I would appreciate some feedback on I am going to put in a "WhatThe" in the title...and maybe a photo of this guy here because I love him and he lightens my frustrations when I look at him. Anyone want to join in on the "What The?!?", be my guest and you can borrow the image too :-) I got him at the Etsy store PhenomeGnome. Check out the store. It might just put a smile on your face :-D




My dear Bug (also known as Bugalicious, ChuggaBugga, BuggaLuggaDingDong)gave me her first Kumihimo piece. I love what she made! She bought the kit 2 years ago and has been working on it ever since. She gave it to me 6 weeks ago as a gift...one that I have to finish. So my dilema, as you see, is that the end I need to make a loop on has very short strings. The end she finished with the button has all the strings I need...for the other end! Ain't that the way it always goes?!



Do you see any solutions to this? My brain is stuck.

An Oh So Lovely Surprise!

I received a package in the mail. The timing was perfect. I was feeling low. I was feeling overwhelmed. It was the tail end of a rough month. One I was glad to leave behind.
I turned the calendar over, finished up some projects that had deadlines, reopened the package and learned something new!
Karen Williams at Skunk Hill Studio send me a care package ~she thought she was just sending me beads, but she really sent me comfort~ filled with beads, an iridescent dragonfly button, instructions, a lovely note, and sea glass (i have plans for that too!). Confession time: I weave pretty much everyday and I have never learned RAW. All the classes were offered at times I could not make it and I do not learn well from written instruction. So when I saw that Karen sent me instructions for Random RAW, that warm fuzzy feeling cooled ever so slightly. But then I decided the Universe was easing me in to RAW so I embraced the project! Karen's instructions were perfectly clear and easy to follow. No problems whatsoever. I finished it late last night and am starting another one tonight. I loved the process, the lacy look, the individuality, the way tiny seed beads make such a statement, the whole feel of the bracelet in my hands. And it looks fabulous on my wrist! Thank You Karen~I greatly appreciate your kindness and generosity :-)