Week 45 - Grateful

November's Topic for the Focus on Life:2014 weekly photography challenge is,...ful

Here's what Sally prompted us with for week 45:

 Week 45: Grateful

"For the month of November there will be WORD PROMPTS to look deep into your being and reflect on being positive!" 

Grateful:filled to the brim with feeling the appreciation of kindness;

                

Right now I am loving the 'kindness' of our wonderful Arizona weather. 

 

I am grateful for the beauty that surrounds me every day.

Please click on the links below to see what everyone else is grateful for today.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Life!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus On Life - Weeks 43 and Week 44

I missed a week of the FOL:14 photography challenge while I was back home visiting family, but Sally had a little 'oops' moment and so this week's prompts are 'Two For One' - Week 43 and Week 44.

Week 43: Your favorite color 

  I'm not sure what my favorite color is - kinda depends on my mood and my surroundings, or where I'm at, at the time.

When I think of my favorite color(s), images of Sunrises, Sunsets, the Ocean and beautiful fall trees come to mind. 

 

 

So that's basically all colors, wouldn't you say?!!

And now,....

Week 44: An ordinary photo of the extraordinary everyday,...aka take a photo of what ever you would like and post it!

 

 

 This photo was taken on an extraordinary day spent with one my nieces. 

  We had the most lovely time and the beauty around us was anything but ordinary!

Let's see what everyone else captured this week, shall we?

 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Extraordinary Beauty!

Cheers,

~Shel~

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Radio Silence

When this post goes live, I'll be jetting off to see family and there will be 'radio silence' here on the blog for a week. 

I wanted to leave you with this wonderful sunrise photo.

I am just amazed at the lovely art that decorates the sky each morning and evening here in the desert. 

I always love it!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Beautiful Skies!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Waxed Jewelry Cord Love!

Hey all - I just wanted to give a quick shout out. 

I recently got some new colors of the Waxed Jewelry Cord from Sandra, over at The Knotty Do It All.

I just LOVE this waxed cord and here's why:

• You can twist it so that it separates and use smaller holed beads with it.
• It's synthetic (not silk, linen or cotton) so you can melt the ends with your thread zapper (or the flame from a lighter if you're that brave and coordinated!) - No Need For Glue!! 
• The colors are pretty steadfast,....no running, fading, etc. that I've encountered.
• It doesn't stretch with wear the way waxed linen, silk or waxed cotton seems to stretch.
• The color choices are awesome!  Check out the link here to Sandra's shop to see for yourself!
• It's sturdy. I mean really sturdy. (Pile on those heavy, glass designer beads and see!!)
• It works up wonderfully whether you're knotting it, doing macrame or simply stringing with it - it has this 'drape' to it that is just super!
• It's not too 'waxy', but enough that it does exactly what you want a waxed cord to do.
• Did I mention the colors,....and that it's really sturdy?
• Quality cord. Simple as that!

Here's the colors I have on hand at the moment. 

Vino is my favorite. I use it all the time, but I think that Med. Brown and Java may have a new place in my heart this fall season!! And that Agave - swoon!!

I keep joking with Sandra that I'm eventually going to add some additional 'color' to my life and order some reds or something else!!  

Seriously,...how much more 'neutral-black, gray, brown-ish' could I get? LOL!

I created this knotted, large hole pearl necklace and bracelet set using the Waxed Jewelry Cord I purchased from Sandra's Knotty-Do-It-All shop.  

It's a fun, versatile and excellent quality cord.

If you have any questions about this cord, shoot me an email, leave a comment here on the blog or hop on over to The Knotty-Do-It-All website and ask Sandra herself! 

She's super nice and is just a wealth of information!

Sandra Younger at the Tucson Gem Show

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Waxed Jewelry Cord Fun!

Cheers, 

~Shel~

A Punch of Color (Macro)

It's week 41 for the Focus on Life:2014 Weekly Photography Challenge.  

For October our topic is COLOR and so this week Sally prompted us with this:

"Since October's topic is color, why not take a look at color on the macro side of things?  

A Punchy Shot of Color, Up Close!"

I LOVE macro shots. They just amaze me.  All those cool textures, colors, and itty-bitty insects. Tiny little worlds going on right before our eyes, only we can't see them unless we stop and get super, super up-close!

It rained recently here in the desert. Supposedly the 'last' of our monsoon weather for the year.

I love taking macros shots of the rose garden in our yard. I'm a bit out of practice as I haven't taken any macro shots for a while now, but boy are they fun to try and capture!

Let's see what other Punchy, Up-Close Shots of Color the rest of the gang captured this week, shall we? 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Color Up Close!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL:14 - Week 40 - Color

Wow, week 40. October. Time flies, doesn't it?! 

This month our topic for the Focus on Life 2014 Weekly Photography Challenge from Sally was "COLOR" and for this first week in October our prompt is:  

Color Photography.  

Sally said, "Capture your most colorful moments to date!  This week its all about color photography!

This wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. Looking around, all the colors seemed the same,...even the pearls I was able to work with for a few minutes were all white. 

Not very colorful. 

Then, as we sat down to eat one night, my hubby and son's favorite show came on.  Yes, we're awful, we usually eat in front of the idiot-box. But we laugh, talk and have fun while doing it, so it makes for some great family time!  

Anyway, when this came up on the screen, I shouted out, "Pause it!" 

They looked at me like I was crazy. I explained to the son and hubs what our photo assignment was this week and how, even on my daily walks, I either saw nothing very colorful or I'd forgotten to take my phone when I did see something, so this was my only chance!

So, here's the color that was in my week. We laugh all the time at each other as we each try to be the first to complete the puzzle. It makes for some very colorful dinner conversations, let me tell you!

Let's see what other colorful moments everyone else captured this week!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Color in Everything!

Cheers,

~Shel~

I'll leave you with these colorful signs,....

An InLinkz Link-up

FOL:2014 - Week 39

September's topic is SIMPLICITY for the Focus on Life:2014 Weekly Photography Challenge and for week 39, Sally prompted us with:

Hands

Sometimes it just takes a hand 

to help

to heal

to hold

"We got this"

Now, let's see the HANDS all the other participants captured this week.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Knuckle-Bumpin'!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

Knotting Pearls with out Tools - Tutorial

During the Pearls! Pearls! Pearls! II Blog Hop back in June of this year, I posted a video that the folks over at Pearl Paradise shared which demonstrated the method of how to knot pearls with out any tools. 

I mentioned in another blog post that I use this method quite frequently and do it basically the same way they demonstrate in the video, only I seem to do it 'backwards' to the method in the video,...possibly because I'm ambidextrous.

 I've had several people ask me for a video of how I actually do this knotting technique and so here it is.   

I was working with a necklace using some of the waxed jewelry cord from Sandra over at The Knotty Do-It-All (LOVE her waxed jewelry cord - you should check out all the colors she offers!!) and decided, since it was a rather thick cord and I was using large hole pearls, it would be the perfect opportunity to show you how I do this method of knotting.

In the video I keep saying it's waxed linen cord - it's not linen, it's a synthetic waxed jewelry cord. Sorry I misspoke there. You cannot 'melt' the ends of waxed linen, but with this waxed jewelry cord, you can and I prefer to do that over using glue to secure knots for clasps, etc. 

The waxed jewelry cord tends to stay in place while I'm showing you what to do here in the video and it's also thick enough for you to actually see the knots on the screen, which is very helpful.

Now, if you've followed me for any length of time, you all know I'm super techno-challenged (that's my disclaimer - LOL!!), so keep this it mind as you watch, okay?

For some reason, it's a bit 'fast' in that is seems to be speeding up my voice and all - so I kinda sound a bit like one of the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz,...sorry. 

And although the camera was on a tripod, it appears as if it's 'moving (almost like there's a GoPro on my head or something), but I think you'll get the idea. 

MiShel Designs - Pearl Knotting with out Tools Video Tutorial

Feel free to ask any questions you might have or leave any comments here or over on the You Tube page!

Thanks for watching!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Pearl Knotting Fun!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Simplicity: ONE

Our topic for the month of September in the Focus on Life: 2014 weekly photography challenge is SIMPLICITY and for week 38, Sally has prompted us with:

ONE 

One being, one part, one piece.  We are all ONE.

Capture a photograph with only one subject or one piece or a small part of a subject.

This week I received my first certification in the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) industry of which my husband and I are immersed in with our business.

It is one step, with more to follow.

I am one, of many.

As is this one,.....

Let's see what everyONE else has captured this week, shall we? 

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and One Simple Step.

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up

A Simple Window

For the month of September our theme for the Focus on Life:2014 weekly photography challenge is:

Simplicity

and this week, week 37,   

Sally gave us this topic:

 A Window

The windows on the tree house are pretty special. They are some of the windows from Grandma Emma's original cabin that was built in the 1950's up near my sister and brother-in-law's cabin.  

Despite the fact that, due to it's size, there were relatively few structures lost during Arizona's largest wildfire to date - the 2011 Wallow Fire - Grandma Emma's was one of the few cabins that burned completely to the ground. 

The only thing left was the fireplace.

The Fireplace  - 3 Years After The Fire

At least that's what we thought at first. 

And then we all remembered that the tree house windows belonged to the original cabin. 

The Tree House - with the original Hindman Cabin windows!!

So, they not only provide a view, 

they also provide a 'window to the past'. 

Let's see what other windows every one else has captured this week.

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Window Happiness!

Cheers,

~Shel~

An InLinkz Link-up