A blog hop and a memory

As I was doing the blog hop last week as part of Sally Russick's 'Focus on Life' photo challenge, I came across a photo - of Flowers - by StudioWaterstone. (I am so fond of the blog name itself, it reminds me of  "The Fallingwater" by my favorite Architect Frank Lloyd Wright. (Wink) The Interior Designer in me is a fan of Mr.Wright )

I wondered how can somebody totally disconnected from me pluck a sharp memory from my life and represent it in a photo! That photo was all me. And the very few words written about that photo is like making us concentrate completely on the photo itself. Those are wildflowers, flowers alongside a road, as she says, seeing many passers by, many of them not even noticing them. But they still bloom so beautifully, just for sensible observant people like Lori.

The minute I came across this, I contacted Lori to ask permission to tell the world - This is the photo I liked the most in the series - beauty of Flowers - by Sally Russick. She replied with such a sweet message giving me consent to go ahead. Happy I am, like a kid! I wanted to link it somewhere I could always come back to. So, this post.

One visit here and you will understand why I will tell she has magical fingers. Art, Creativity, Photography.. Total Inspiration!

Thankyou Lori.

And, I have another Lori in my mind to whom a huge 'Thankyou' is due. I will save that, for another post! Surprise.

Focus on Life 8/52 : Monochromatic

My life : Week 8 : Photo 8

Monochromatic. That setting which immediately takes us to the mood 'good old days'. I think that feeling of relating lovely old days and memories with monochromatic has ended with my generation! 

The below photo is of a metal work I got from Michaels. It reminded me of shields that warriors used in olden days, and the minute I made it monochromatic, I knew this had some 'time machine' or 'Jumanjee' effect on it that it appeared a 1000 years old.. I liked how it transformed.

 This one in a bluish grey monochrome.

This wall sconce at home makes me feel - well, 'at home'. Doesn't this look kind of serene?

The below two photos, the 'mischief button' in me was turned on somehow, and these are original photos. A silver flower basket on my black coffee table! :) It says : "Dont dare turn me black and white, I wont change". Stubborn. But good. Oh, if you are good enough, there is no issues with you being that stubborn and never agreeing to anyone trying to change you. Dont you agree? Thanks, Lady Flower Basket.

Thanks to Sally Russick to making us experiment so! Lets see some monochromatic pictures here on her blog.

Focus on life 7/52

                                           My Life : Week 7 : Photo 7

I might be the last one to tie myself up here!! (*grin*)

Yeah, you guessed right! "Life took on": An upcoming Craft Fair, last minute stocking up, and setting things up early hoping to avoid the unavoidable stress!

No more long stories, here is the pic that was waiting all these days to smile at the world- the ones which always smile at me, at my creative-nook!

Oh yes, that vase is recycled by me, from a Pringles can! Just sticked adhesive vinyl counter-top protector sheet on it! A neutral base for my flowers!! And that 'White Lady' behind was originally a "Merry Christmas" 'red and green busy pattern' lady. I gave her a wardrobe change - one coat of white acrylic, two coats of pearlizing medium! Voila! (I might paint her red and green again, come next Christmas! But I am sure she will be happy..!)

And these are pics I had taken while I was in India....All from my parents' garden!  Love all these!

I know most of you might have done a bit of hopping around, but come on, roaming places is much more fun, with a friend holding your hand!! Lets go to Sally Russick's!! 

An experiment, a lovely result!

Let me show you something I have done, mischevious! I opened a glass bowl, which had a golden foil as its cover, inside which was a dissert. Dissert went to the place it was supposed to, but the foil dint go to the trash. It came with me, to my work table. My first instinct was to crush it into a 'Heart shape', as I always do. (See a sample on this page) But this one had a paper backing, so I couldnt do that! Instead I ended up making these..

I wanted to give it the look of hammered metal. The beads are my own handmade clay ones - berry and cream. Secured the edges with copper 'stitches'. Yeah, I sealed the sheet with clear glaze on the edges before assembling it..

Focus on life 6/52

                                                    My Life : Week 6 : Photo 6


Feel the LOVE. Sally Russick's prompt for week 6 of Focus on Life.

I can, whenever I see this picture on the wall, at home. I got this drawing(?) from Bangalore, India, from a sidewalk sale. I paid very less for this, but the place it holds in our life is - well, huge! I dont want to go into much detail about this here, mainly because it is a photo of one our Gods(Yes, India is a land of many, many Gods!), and also because I am not mature enough to 'write' about God. This is Lord Krishna- the epitome of love and romance, and his devotee/Lover (lady-love in correct English) Radha.

PS: Lord Krishna has many many names attributing to his handsomeness, his strengths, his mischiefs etc, and my husband's name is one of those. So that again connects my soul to this story!!

Hope you can look into this picture and feel the love too.

This is the first time ever I am clicking a picture of this.. This one is really worn down on the corners, and I really wish to frame it, but not doing so because then it might not be able to travel with me wherever I go. This has taken some long long journeys with us! And also, it stands as tall as my shoulder, so framing and carrying this around is out of question.. Thats the reason why I could not capture the whole pic too..They are surrounded by a peacock, a deer, and flowers and vines all around. How much more romantic can the scene get?

Now, lets go in search of some more romantic places. On the board with me, to Sally Russick's.

AJE

Please go here to see my latest addition to AJE Earring challenge.

Paris Calling

Oh no, nothing serious, just a lovely necklace I made! 

Ok, the pendant is a compact frame within which is an Eiffel tower on one side and calligraphic writing 'Paris' on the other. I got it - 'I dont know what I wanted to buy trip to the closest beadshop'. Hm, long time back. I dont remember who the maker was, sorry. But I made a necklace with it. Finally. Check this out.  

Hm, and a myriad of beads - turquoise, turquoise glass, garnet, seaglass, frosted glass flowers, multicolored glass rondelles, sunstone, blue glass beads, daisy spacers, part of a toggle clasp to act as a connector(Boy, toggles do act as beautiful functional connectors, especially when you cant find the matching toggle bar. A lonely toggle bar can always get help from a correct sized large jumpring! Thats why I guess, we all have stash and rubbish, all stocked up, as precious.)

And as I always do, not consciously though, use of two metals! It just happened the bezel was steel and my lonely toggle was antique gold. So i kept the wrapping silver and the real clasp to the necklace goldtone. 

AJE Challenge - Week 5 & 6

It has been some weeks since I worked with copper, one of my favorite materials. So, I dug out my copper coil, and thought. What should it be this time. Why not try some Celtic knots? Sounded interesting. So, there we go - this one took birth! A bit of oxidising, and a tiny bunch of deep red danglers, and I think she looks poised.

What do you think?

One more

And, this is my first hand with sheet metal. This is my next entry to the challenge! 

I cant part with these, this is going to be with me!!

Do you know what this technique is? I did what was just rolling out from my imagination, not sure whether it falls in any 'category'!!

Focus on Life 5/52

My Life : Week 5 : Photo 5

When I read the prompt by Sally Russick this week, I was like "Man, I have been doing this forever". It all started when I accidentally started seeing heart shapes in the most unexpected places. What a joy, to share this. Actually, I havent thought about sharing this for so long, it just dint occur to me. But I first found something fresh, and not from the archive for the prompt. The ones I have found over the years have been listed after that. Welcome to see those.

Do trees ever talk? Yes they do!! This tree told me something. A little story of pain, and a story of joy.

It might have hurt while that branch was cut off.. But later the tree might have become really happy that it was for good, after all.. To constantly remind anyone looking up to it, that "My heart sees you". 

Like some directions we humans too branch out, would not be good. But when God nips off that branch, dont be frustrated, it was for good, it was to create more love in our lives... See, like this we are stamped with love every day. Open you heart - thats all it takes...

A close up, it was quite a tall tree!

And here are the other places I've spotted LOVE! 

Behind the apartment I used to live, in India. this one stood in a huge empty hillside plot, but  lovestruck!

And this too..

The sky reminded me "You are Loved" - In Dearborn (In this world where everything can be altered, I must say, this photo was never been open in the EDIT window. This is By Nature, pure)

The above seen cloud disappeared by the time I previewed this pic on my camera. I was indeed happy that I could capture it.

And this, while we were driving around last spring!

A heart ready to embrace!

And this is something I found inside the house

Click me to see the love!

and this one : I make everytime just to make my hubby smile, something I have been doing from the time we met, 14 years back! Candy Foil!

A habit that would never stop!! 

Now lets go to TheStudioSublime to see where other people have found love.