Logical Nonsence

'The time has come, the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax
Of cabbages and kings
And why the sea is boiling hot
And whether pigs have wings.'
~Lewis Carroll

My grandfather was constantly quoting little ditties like this. He led a rather colorful life as a young man; orphaned at age 5 where he was then contracted out as a hired hand. He later worked as a carnival barker and a clown, just to name a couple. I believe he was also in the Navy, if that tatoo he had on his arm was any indication. I wish I could go back in time and ask him to tell me all about his life. He would tell the most interesting stories about being related to Daniel Boone, and being part Native Indian, but then again, he was a bit senile in his old age, so it's anyone's guess. I've been trying to track down his family history through Ancestry.com for a few years now, and having a time of it. Seriously, searching geneaology sites can be both frustrating and rewarding, and it certainly takes a lot of time.

So the title of this post really tells it like it is; a bit of this and that.

First, let me share some goodies I received in the mail recently.

This is a set of beads I received from Sally Russick for the upcoming 'Colors of Spring' Blog hop on March 31st. The beads are sitting on my bead table waiting for inspiration to strike--which I hope happens soon, 'cause I'm running out of time.



This pile of goodies came from Linda Larson at Objects and Elements as part of her destash. Just look at all the goodies!



These lovely headpins came from Lorelei as part of a Headpin challenge--the reveal date is set for April 7th. The headpins were made by Gardanne. As you can see, they have a balled end opposite the glass bead end, which makes for a challenge all its own--at least for me.



I won these gorgeous enameled earrings from Melissa Memann as part of the recent
Earrings Everyday blog giveaway. I love the pretty pinkish lavender colors.



This amazing resin pendant was handcrafted by Lynn Davis, which I won in a recent giveaway. I love the gorgeous antique look of it!



Yep, I feel pretty lucky after winning all these goodies. My grandfather was a teeny part Irish (at least that's what Ancestry.com says), and maybe I got a bit of Luck O' The Irish meself. Here's another ditty that grandpa used to recite. When I looked up the origin I was surprised to learn it was an old negro riddle. I'm guessing he probably worked with several negro slaves during his youth. I know he was shuffled around to many homes to work. See if you can figure out what item the riddle is referring to.

Round as a biscuit
Busy as a bee
Prettiest thing you ever did see





The answer is a watch. If you made it down this far, I commend you!

The Challenge of Music

When Erin announced the theme of her newest creative challenge I couldn’t sign up fast enough. The thought of making a piece of jewelry based on a song, album, or music genre was intriguing, and something I've never done before.

I love most genres of music, though some more than others. Growing up we took a family vacation every summer, but because our car radio didn’t work beyond the city, we passed the time on the long stretches of highway by singing Folk songs like Down in the valley, Oh Susanna, Home on the range, Yankee Doodle, and My Bonnie. Truly I miss singing these old Folk songs. In the ‘70’s I enjoyed Rock Bands such as the Eagles, Queen, Lynyrd Skynrd, Rolling Stones and more. I enjoyed some of the pop music of the ‘80’s, and even a bit of the hip-hop of the ‘90’s. It seems every decade has its own unique style of music, and it was not so easy to choose a song for the challenge.

Currently I am enjoying the soulful songs from Adele, though the radio stations tend to play them over and over until they are beat to death. I love her voice, and the raw emotion of her songs. The song I chose was Adele’s ‘Set Fire to the Rain’. I ran a few design ideas in my brain, but as I searched my stash I realized I didn’t have the right beads. And because I have put myself on a bead diet until I use up my stash, (another challenge of its own) I couldn’t make the vision that was floating in my head. Instead, I chose to make a piece that represents the emotion of her latest album ‘21’which came after a heartbreaking ending to her first real relationship.


'Set Free My Heart'

Red is the color of love, but it can also represent pain, both of which Adele experience with her latest relationship. The focal consists of a Swarovski Red Magma Navette Pendant, a vintage rhinestone bead, a red lampwork bead from Lynda’s Lampwork Beads, all of which are connected to a fabulous pewter winged focal from Lynn Davis. A few red crystal beads connect the focal to a dark petite etched chain from Vintaj. The dark chain symbolizes the bleak moments of the broken relationship.

Close-up of the pendant


Please check out what all the participants made for this challenge.

Erin Prais-Hintz
Marcie Abney
Christine Altmiller
Elisabeth Auld
LJ B
Lori Bowring Michaud
Shannon Chomanczuk
Cece Cormier
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Malin de Koning
Beth Emery
Michelle Escano-Caballero
Erin Fickert-Rowland
Therese Frank
Amy Freeland
Tanya Goodwin
Stephani Gorman
Amy Grass
Beth Hemmila
Kristina Johansson
Jennifer Justman
Tari Kahrs
Susan Kennedy
Ema Kilroy
Kathleen Lange Klik
Kirsi Luostarinen
Paige Maxim
Beth McCord
Natalie McKenna
Alice Peterson
Cat Pruitt
Bobbie Rafferty
Johanna Rhodes
Cynthia Riggs
Sally Russick
Sarah Sequins
Amy Severino
Staci Smith
Kristen Stevens
Lola Surwillo
Sandi Volpe
Lesley Watt
Holly Westfall
Shaiha Williams

Thank you Erin for allowing me to stretch my creative imagination with the Challenge of Color.