Eat your greens.

Backyard Ichthyology

The fish are jumpin, almost.

Why I will never have a clean house....

I'm meant to be sanding and painting a small kitchen cabinet.  All I did was come up to the attic to get an extension cord.  Two hours later this is what I've done instead....

Clay molds and polymer clay

Ancient goddess,  dragons, and griffins for small medallions

Deco and art nouveau pendants

Less is more

After shopping obsessively on Friday and spending a shocking amount of money on beads and findings, I made more earrings and a couple of necklaces all day Saturday.  Some are real stinkers and need to be redesigned.  When I look at the blue crystals on the right end of the middle tier, I think of the judges on Project Runway when they say they have doubts about the taste level of some of the designers. What was I thinking? Probably the most successful pair is the simple turquoise set in the middle of the lower tier.  Less is more.

Pond 2 Now Open for Swimming

Thinking about winter approaching and what to do with the wash tub full of baby fish, I decided to open a second stock tank for the small ones.   Two of my tanks came from an estate sale in Champaign.  They were in an attic and had been used as cisterns for the house. I moved a bed of iris to make a space for the new tank.  I spent a week patching holes and spraying the patches with spray on rubber sealer.  Filled it up only to find, after a preliminary test, that there was another leak.  Another round of patching and sealing.  Then I had to order pump and filter equipment.  Another week of waiting.  Meantime I noticed that some of the small fish weren't looking too healthy.  I wish I had moved them into the large tank right then, because when moving day finally arrived I found several recently deceased fish.  They had finally exceeded the capacity of the old tin wash tub and were sick from the stagnating water.  But enough survived to happily live in the tank if they all survive.  This morning I saw several healthy baby fish coming up to eat.  Now I'm trying to think of something to do with the overpopulation of water hyacinth.  I've given some away and filled two wash tubs.  Next year I must remember buy only one plant instead of three.

On another note, I've been on a beading jag this week.  I made this necklace, then realized the metal findings were too flimsy.  So I took it all apart and hammered each jump ring and eye pin to add strength, then put it all back together.

Then I went on a pink bead bender.  (Yes. That is a lot of pink, and there are more not shown.)  I ordered the rhinestone rondels with the dentilated beadcaps and I really like them. Can't wait to buy more of the blingy findings.   At least I'm using up some old supplies and enjoying my new work table setup.  That is when the cats will share the space with me.  

I think I will go on a turquoise bead bender next.  But I do love anything pink.

How did the white pair slip in there?

What will I do with all of these?  

Maybe some junior high girls with questionable taste will want them.  

I'm off to the craft stores to buy some more beads!

July ends and August begins...