The bright pink roses are Zephirine Drouhin, the pale pink is Sceptre’d Isle and the barely pink is Blush Noisette. The purple flowers are Columbine. The scent from this little bouquet has completely filled my dining room.

My rose bushes were seriously neglected for over five years. For all this neglect, they still burst into bloom. I am honored and humbled that roses grace my table. The Lord’s plans are good.

My granddaughter and bubbles.

It was a marvelous Mother’s Day.

All the perfume bottles are made of beads, earring backs and jewelry findings. They are tiny, some less than half an inch. To help the bead “bottles” stand up, I glued the bead on a pierced earring back. If you want to see the most detail in these photos, click on the photo to open a larger image. Then at the upper left of each photo will be a link that says “ORIGINAL SIZE AT (number) “. Click that link to see the largest image.

Miniature perfume bottles made from beads and jewelry findings. Please click on the photo to see a larger image.

A small plastic organizer with the lid removed served as an elegant “glass” shelf unit for the miniature bead bottles.

Miniature perfume bottles made from beads.

Miniature perfume bottles made from beads. This dresser tray is a mirror with trim glued around the edge.

To make the tray, I glued seed beads around the edge of a small mirror.

The first two photos were taken in my kitchen window… so many years ago, even before we planted the rose bush which has climbed all the way up to the kitchen window. I don’t remember where I put all the tiny bead bottles. When I find them, I think I’ll put the display case in the bedroom or bathroom window. I love tucking miniatures around the house. Most people never see them but I like knowing that my home has an even smaller story for those who have eyes to catch it.

A Rainy day in May.

I’m discovering that the weather greatly affects my pain level, ever since having my spine fused. Despite the pain, I shall redeem this time.

Rain in May, drip drip drip, fall the crystal drops …

Today when the sun peeked out briefly, I stood outside even while the rain was still falling, so desperate to feel sun on my face.

Even the trees are becoming mossy from all the dampness this spring.

Then the clouds moved in again and I tucked back in the darkness of my work space. But places don’t have to stay colorless and uncheered. I got out the beads.

Seed beads, mostly size 11, including Aiko and Delicas, fill a bin with color.

Pearl, crystal and glass beads.

They glistened and captured every speck of light. I didn’t want any light to get away.

Beads in a small condiment dish.

I made petals and leaves and flower centers.

Gold and bronze bead flower centers await petals and assembly.

I use children’s teacups and dishes to hold flower components while I work. Here a child’s teacup holds stamens.

A small child’s teacup holds white stamens.

I made a cardboard insert in a bin to hold my bead bottles upside down so I can see the color of the contents better.

These vintage flower centers belonged to my grandmother. I’m looking forward to using them. Thank you so much, dear sister Donna for sending them!

I will use these vintage flower beads in French Beaded flowers and jewelry.

Even though it is dark and rainy outside and there are no flowers blooming in the window, I have flowers blossoming on the table.

French Beaded flowers

French Beaded flowers in a shoebox await stems and leaves.

French Beaded flowers

This will be the biggest fig harvest yet.

The leaves are gorgeous when the sun streams through them.

After winter, always new growth.

And the harvest.

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27: 13-14

Always the harvest.

Love to you all and thank you for your support. It means a lot to me.

The “At Dot Com Book” is made from a cardboard 3-D @ symbol, cut in half, with an accordion page glued inside.

Inside the At Dot Com Book. The accordion page is made of separate sheets of cardstock, cut and glued together to represent elements of the earth – green leafy vegetation, pink floral and blue water. For the water page, I masked off continents (which I cut from paper and taped down) and sponged blue and aqua inks over the paper.

The “C Book” scrapbook was gifted to my daughter-in-law when my granddaughter was born.

The C Book. The colored bits around the edge of the book are actually Light-Brite pegs. I was hoping to add a battery operated light inside the cover but never found one the right size so the book was finished without lighting capability. The word inside says “smitten”, which I still am. -heart-

The C Book shown open.

The “D Book” was for my husband. He works in construction so I made this book with wood tones and brass nails and hinge. It only has two pages inside and will be used as a scrapbook.

The D Book is closed with a clasp and secured at the spine with two hinges. Although there is an accordion page inside, the book opens as a normal book and the accordion page does not fold out because of the hinges at the book’s spine.

To decorate the “J Book”, I covered the cardboard letter halves with green decorative tissue paper and then stitched the plastic flowers on with embroidery floss.

Artist Book – The J Book, made from a 3-D letter J.

The J Book was the most complicated book to create. The photos taken of flowers growing in our yard are all separate, attached together with string and suspended from the book with string. They fold into the book accordion-style. Because of the weight of the photos, I glued rocks into the base of the J book for stability. Some rocks were kept loose inside the J and are used for display when the book is opened. When the book is stored on my library shelf, I keep it wrapped with a green cord to keep it closed and to keep the loose rocks inside.