Gemstone Goodies

by Melissa // August 10, 2009 // 2 Comments

So, I got some fun things in the mail.

Malachite, amethyst, lapis lazuli, and cultured freshwater pearls – not to mention some shiny gold beads and findings and a very nice set of red jasper focal components.

Fire Mountain Gems is a fun place to shop.

I also picked up a spiffy beading board:

which is AWESOME for laying out necklaces. Instead of just stringing beads to see how they look, you can measure how long you want your necklace to be and start in the middle, working your way to the fastening. You can also lay out more than one strand at a time, which is massively useful, since trying to design a multi-strand necklace on the fly is far more complicated than one might expect.

So, I made this today…and I like it. :)Â Max is pretty smitten with the hearts, too.

In other news, a Hitler cat has been hanging around our porch for the last three days. The kids, of course, have gone nuts over it and it’s been almost all I can do to keep them from rushing out “to rub it.” Now, I don’t have anything against cats. I like cats. (I’m also allergic to cats, but that hasn’t stopped me from being friends with cats in the past.) I do, however, have serious qualms about letting my kids go ‘play’ with a random stray cat that just hangs around and stares at us. Hopefully it will move on quickly, and this will soon be but a happy memory.

There's something creepy about a tiny moustache on a cat.

It occurs to me that the sliding door needs washing.

Super Monkey Ball!

by Melissa // August 6, 2009 // 3 Comments

(Gratuitous Nintendo reference ftw!)

So, to round out the little collection, I made the boys a monkey. I think it may be my favorite of the three – look how cute he is! Look at the startled little face, hahaha. The best part, really, is the ears. They’re so nicely three-dimensional.

I think they look good together. 😀 Now that I’ve got that out of my system, I’m trying to get some more work done on my shrug, which has languished unfinished for FAR too long.

More Ani-balls

by Melissa // August 3, 2009 // 2 Comments

Let me just lead with a less washed-out picture of the lion I made:

See? So much cuter in the sunshine! That goes for the tail view as well:

Come show me, wanna see you shake your tailfeathers!

It’s been raining for days. It rained this morning, as a matter of fact; long and hard and thoroughly. I was afraid it might not dry out enough for me to get outside forÂ some shots of the aniballs in their…’natural’ environment, but in the evening enough had evaporated that we cautiously ventured out.

As you can see, Charlie got his elephant:

and I must say, it’s even a bigger hit than the lion. It’s slightly larger which makes it easier for little hands to throw and catch, and the boy’s have had the grandest time making elephantÂ sounds as they throw it around. The elephant has a little tail of its own, as well:

Although not long enough to use as a handle. These little guys are fun!

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