Craft Room: Glass beads + dyed imperial jasper + dragonflies

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Craft Room: Necklaces for Nancy

I made these two necklaces for my friend Nancy for her birthday (she’s a Christmas Eve baby). The first necklace has Unakite Jasper beads and copper accents. I’ll have to get back to you on what the stones are that I used in the second piece.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Cats

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Craft Room: Shades of gray

I’ve made both of these necklaces adjustable (they are at their longest lengths in this photo). You can wear each separately too! The longer necklace is glass, crystal and some kind of marble looking stone (I’ll identify it soon), with a druzy stone at the bottom. The shorter necklace is made of crystals and Amazonite beads. Got the nekkid mannequin on clearance at Dress Barn (going out of business; and who doesn’t need a headless mannequin torso in their studio?). Apologies for the mannequin’s nude-ness. 

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Thursday sky

Thursday sky, view from my front porch

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Queso-gram: lounge lizard

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In the studio: Sarah

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Just before the holidays, my friend Michael Powell assisted me in my second portrait session in our shared studio. Our subject was the lovely and talented Sarah Katz, a freelance filmmaker/producer/director.

Learn more about her work at https://katztale.com/

Here’s an excerpt from Sarah’s bio on her website:

Sarah Katz has worked in television and multimedia as a Producer, Associate Producer, and Researcher for more than eighteen years.

Sarah routinely produces news stories about American policy with foreign journalists as part of the Department of State, Foreign Press Center’s Media Co-Op program. An upcoming documentary produced with Pakistani journalists through the Foreign Press Center will tell the story of Muslim communities in America.

Sarah has produced over one hundred and fifty-six half-hours of educational content for The Great Courses, covering topics from science to literature and archaeology, and has credits on over forty documentaries for the History Channel, National Geographic Television, Biography, Planet Green, and Investigation Discovery. Sarah is a member of the New Media Council of the Producers Guild of America and a former Docs In Progress board member. At Docs In Progress she launched the Documentary Inspiration Awards celebrating the work of Oscar winning Director Marshall Curry and Editor Matthew Hamachek. She holds a Master of Fine Art in Film from American University for which she received the Guy P. Gannett journalism scholarship from the Maine Community Foundation. Finally, she has an undergraduate degree in French literature and spent a year volunteering in Zimbabwe.

 

Revisiting our Celebrate Home Magazine, winter issue

The winter issue of our Celebrate Home Magazine is available for digital download in the links below. Click on either of the links below to download your FREE pdf copy of this issue. The first links is for single-page viewing (perfect for printing off your favorite recipe!); the second link is set up for “reader spreads,” so you can see the magazine in spread format (my favorite!).

Thank you for your support.

Single pages version: Celebrate Home Winter 2013

Reader spreads version (my favorite!): Celebrate Home Winter 2013 Spreads

You can order a print-on-demand copy of the magazine (at cost, plus shipping) here: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/513977

Click here to view on issuu.com.

On the cover: Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, award-winning Impressionist painter from San Antonio, Texas

In this issue:

FEATHER YOUR NEST
Winter-inspired lovelies for you and your home.

HOME
Delicious Pops of Color
Easy on the eyes, the Hedstrom house takes advantage of light-filled views with clean lines and engaging color.

FAMILY
Living the Fairy Tale: To Quit or Not to Quit?
Mothers share their struggles with jobs and families.

FOOD & ENTERTAINING
Bowls of Comfort
Take the chill out of winter with our filling soup recipes!

A Wintertime Dessert Party
Pair wine and desserts for elegant and easy entertaining.

Green Chicken: Creating a Family Heirloom Cookbook
Create a cookbook that cherishes family recipes.

The Many Seasons of Beer
Beer aficionado Jefferson Evans explores the world of seasonal brews.

THE ARTIST
Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Impressionist Painter
Always proud of her Colombian and Mexican roots, this artist’s passion is reflected in her colorful work.

HOW-TO
Winter Photography Indoors
Stay indoors to photograph nature this winter.

PETS
How Much is That Doggie in the Window? Choosing the Family Pup
Think you’re ready to add a furry friend to your family? Here are some things to consider.

THE CREATIVE LIFE
Every Picture Tells a Story
Discover five tips for decorating your walls with original art.

THE COLLECTOR
Bejeweled: Camilla Houghton’s Unique Ring Collection
What started as a gift exchange between two sisters expanded into a beloved collection of rings.

CRAFT
Ring Bling Box
Give your rings a new home with our easy craft project.

PERSPECTIVES
What Home Means to Me

 

Lovely Scout

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. iPhone 8Plus

A few weeks ago, we had this beautiful girl as a houseguest for a week.

 

Sad puppy dog eyes

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Lobo shows up to entice me to feed him. I try to avoid his sad, puppy-dog gaze. I tell him I’m working and I’ll be with him in just a minute.

He goes away, and then comes back a few minutes later. Apparently he can tell time.

Upstaged

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Lobo wonders why his little brother Queso gets more exposure than he does.

Queso-gram: Downward facing cat

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Queso-gram: Namaste

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Daily tripping hazards

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Nandina berries

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

I photographed these beautiful Nandina berries outside a church-turned-antique-artists place near the book fair. I was pretty certain they were Nandina berries, but in my web research, I discovered that Nandina domestics berries are actually POISONOUS to birds that frequently eat them (as well as cats, dogs, etc.). This article recommends either removing the plants entirely or at least cutting the berries off when they appear if you want to keep the shrubs (which have beautiful fall coloring).

Read more here.

 

Serendipity

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Now — That’s My Man — Sgt. Dyer

Spring cleaning find: photo of my dad on my parent’s wedding day, December 13, 1952. Written on the back, in my mother’s handwriting is:

Now — That’s My Man — Sgt. Dyer

I’ve seen this photo before, along with one of mom and dad together in front of this same greenhouse, but I don’t remember seeing the writing on the back until now.

 

Beading + Lobo = trouble

Craft Room: Copper + Jasper + Wood

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Copper metal beads and closure, with picture jasper, leopard jasper, wood, and dagger beads called “Pierre Veritable Piedra Autentica” (I researched and it’s a “genuine stone.” Looks a lot like a jasper to me.)

Craft Room: Multi-strand glass beads

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Just learned how to make multi-strand necklaces a few weeks ago, so this is my second attempt. This one is for Gina!

Craft Room: Pink + gray

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Natural zebra stones and glass pearls (bottom row), lava beads and glass pearls (next row), natural shells and faceted clear glass beads (top row), metal and silver accent beads and chain, gray faux suede cording

Craft Room: Boho hematite necklace

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Long layered necklace with rainbow hematite spikes, various metallic glass and ceramic beads, metal chain, faux leather cording

Craft Room: Dainty stuff

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Tiny glass beads (egads do those beads roll everywhere!), round shell accent beads, metal end cones and clasp. This is my first (and possibly last!) tiny beaded dainty necklace. I added the tiny little “made with love” charm because it was. 

Craft Room: Guitar straps

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So here’s a little project Michael and I collaborated on a year or more ago (and promptly set aside for…well, actual paying work). Colorful, funky guitar straps (I’ve also started a couple of camera straps); might put them up for sale in my shop whenever I get that going. I have fabric cut for many more variations; if there’s interest, I’ll make more!

Update: Just got my first order for a guitar strap as a Christmas present for a guy who loves guitars and cats. The fabric is modern, colorful cats!

Craft Room: Glass pearls + lampwork bead + metal accents

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And for a minimalist look: Metallic faux leather bronze cord with glass pearls, metal accents, and lampwork bead

Craft Room: African Opal Jasper + copper

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And now for a much more time consuming test project: each of these beads had to have an individual eyepin created to hook to the next bead! (Repeat, repeat, repeat…) I now have a better appreciation of the higher priced handmade pieces I’ve run across like this! This one is made with African Opal Jasper beads, copper findings, and crystal beads.

Craft Room: Amazonite + crystals

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Shorter piece (with lobster claw clasp): faux suede cording, pewter beads and rings, Amazonite beads and crystals

Mama’s closet: the place to be

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Serendipity!

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Serendipity! Lobo is in my closet and ironically lounging by my Chuy’s T-shirt that reads, TACOCAT spelled backwards is TACOCAT (with a graphic of a cat in a taco shell). He does not look amused.

Queso-gram: Contemplating the universe

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