Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Last Chance

Alright, so since I never got around to finding the rest of the parts for the F.F. #5 cording giveaway.. until today...I've extended the giveaway for two more days; you now have until midnight on Thursday ( ET) .

So ... what is up for grabs this month?




9 bundles of satin rattail cording. 
2 bundles of hemp cording
5 bundles of faux suede











3' of black satin 3/8" ribbon
3' of purple 1 1/2" craft ribbon
3' of mauve 1/2" velvet ribbon
3' of black & white 1 3/8" vintage Conrad velvet ribbon







 So, yummy enough? Click on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. The winner will be posted on Friday's blog, as will the next giveaway!


Sunday, May 27, 2012

Open Challenge

 No you are not imagining things... this is indeed another post from me so soon! *LOL*

I know I've been incredibly lax with my posting lately, and my new years challenge has gone out the window.. or at least keeping track of it has ;)

At any rate, this isn't about that. This post is strictly about a NEW challenge :) One open to everyone to join in and take part :)

 In honor of Father's Day ( June 17th) , we'll be taking something from 'his world' and making jewelry out of it ;) The reveal date for this challenge is the 16th, so make sure to schedule  your blogs in advance if you're going to be away for the weekend!

Some of the ingredients in my chaos kit are star washers. Something that you can get at your local hardware store, and individually, they're cheap :) I asked at the local hardware store and they brought out a box that had about six or seven different sizes of both interior and exterior... I got a few of each size and I think my grand total was about forty cents. ( I later on bought a case with a few thousand of them in various sizes for ten bucks, so I'll never need to buy them again >.< lol)

So here's your challenge. Raid the tool box, the junk drawer, or visit the hardware store to use up some of your pocket change ;) Then make a piece of jewelry out of your toolbox find / hardware store purchase and share it in your blog on June 16th. Don't have a blog? Send me a link to a photo of your piece and I'll share it here for you :)

Can't find star washers individually, or just not inspired by them? No problem... what about regular washers, nails, screws, nuts...? The list goes on :)

Dad / hubby not the handyman type? 

Most hardware stores have sections with fishing gear ( ever notice how darn pretty some of those lures are ? ;) ), camping and hunting sections... the options really are pretty much endless. And like I said, you may not even need to go to the store if you have a well enough stocked tool box or junk drawer that offers up inspiration :)

This is a short notice challenge, with only a couple weeks to design and make your piece, so keep the time frame in mind while sketching out ideas. 

If you do want to make something really extravagant that you know won't be finished in time, then make sure to share a picture of your 'in progress' work on reveal day, and send me a picture ( or link to one) when it Is finished, and I'll share it then! :)

As well, since this does coincide, you could keep your design masculine and gift it to dad/ hubby ;) Although, no doubt masculine jewelry is a challenge in itself for a lot of us..I know it is for me ;)

If you're interested, leave your name and blog addie in the comments, then go scrounging for inspiration !

Let's have a bit of quick fun stretching our selves outside our usual box, and get our eyes opening to new possibilities during our adventures this summer :)


~ Skye


Thursday, May 24, 2012

Creative Chaos Challenge Preview








Alrighty... so you're probably all wondering what was in the first Chaos challenge kit ? I know Kashmira  is... she's been hounding me to share pictures ..I've been slacking to torment her ;)

Now that the other three participants have received their kits, I guess I can show you what we'll be working with :) 










So here's the pile o' goodies....

What?

 Not a good enough picture?  Shall I break it down for you?

*sigh* oh alright... lol








There are two of these buttons...I only took a picture of one because as soon as I hear Shay got her kit, I dumped out mine and started sketching... and I already have these two part way into a piece ;)  This is the one little left over spare I had in the same color and size.




 One little glass jar with a cork :)  The ones in the kits were filled with a mix of seed beads... they're not technically a part of the kit...I just used them to fill the bottles to help make them more durable for shipping ;) Plus I figured little beads were a nicer filler than cotton balls ;)








One white nylon butterfly ....on-a-steeek ;)  (... any one who gets that joke is awesome :) )












A piece of dark blue faux suede, and a piece of baby blue and white 'feathered' ribbon :)










And assortment of different sizes of star washers, both interior and exterior.










Some shells. Now these actually WERE jewelry... but not very attractive jewelry lol no I didn't take a before picture... be glad of that ;)  I included these because the blue shells are larger than most of what you see used, and the white had acquired rust marks around the hole. I did try to gently remove the rust, but.. no go.  Perhaps the others will have better luck, or will just find a way to work around it... or with it ;)





And lastly, two more slightly smaller buttons :)



They each also received a little gift of thanks for participating :)





The rules are simple.. they have to use some of these items to create jewelry... ( the more of it they use, the happier and more impressed I'll be ;) ) They don't have to use it 'as is'; they can alter any or all of the items in any way they want. They create, they photograph and they share on June 30th. I think I'll have them use at least a third of that pile. 
I'll have a couple little prizes as well. One will be for the one you all vote for as your fave piece , and the second prize(s) for any of them that manage to use ALL of the kit. 
 
So make sure to come back on Saturday June 30th and check out the four blogs ( nice small hop ;) ). I'll have something set up to collect your votes on your favorite piece... and perhaps I'll have a little surprise drawing for those who place a vote or leave a comment on the blogs ;)


Yes, there will be a second Chaos Challenge kit. I'm thinking of having the sign ups either in June or July, and the hop would be August or September... I haven't decided yet ;)

Monday, May 21, 2012

A touch of fandom...

Just a touch... a little bit... ;)

Back in my Messy Blog Hop post, some of my fandoms were mentioned... I decided it was time to share one a bit more in depth ;) 

Star Wars, anyone?

Yes, I love Star Wars.

How much?

To start with, a few of my favorite items in my collection...


 


The newest addition - My talking Boba Fett helmet :) He's still in his box...I'm so proud of myself for not taking him out yet lol ;
)















My brother gave me this, as well as the helmet above... and probably about 60% of all my favorite items in my collection :) My brother is awesome ;)












My favorite mugs and glasses. I have two other SW mugs that I love, but they're packed away.. somewhere...>.< lol





This is my R2-D2. He's about two feet tall and is voice activated. He 'sings', dances, plays games, and follows directions.

He is awesome :)

My ex brought him home, but I got custody :D












This is my lightsaber. I built it myself after a trip to Home Depot. There is a purple crystal insert in the top that you can pull out and attach the blade to ; the blade is a length of dowel painted fluorescent purple ( my blade color), and used for photos to make Photoshopping easier.





Photoshopping what photos, you ask?


Why... these photos :) 



StarWars fan photoshopped lightsaber space station
Jedi Skye
Yes, that's me in my Jedi robe that my ex bought me on Ebay that was made for someone about two feet taller than me lol  I'm actually standing in my living room, and that glowing lightsaber blade is really a wooden dowel ;)


I believe he 'shopped me onto Cloud City... lol



Star Wars Jedi Knights costumes lightsaber
A couple o' Knights


Me and the ex ...I 'shopped a sticker over his head ;) you can't see my little home made blaster because it's blending into my pants ( I'm not a traditional Jedi :p)... you can see what a horrible job that leather thing was lol  My ex cut and sewed the vinyl over tunics. I can't sew worth a crap ;)

 





... Neither could he, actually... lol
He could work photoshop however... we posed separately and he put us in the same shot.





So there you have it... a tiny glimpse :) Back when these photos were taken ( about ten or eleven years ago, at least... maybe a bit longer )  I was a member of a forum known as 'The Jedi Academy'.. headed by Bail Legato ( when I first joined, anyhow) Some of the 'jedi' who there at the same time , Sa'har Suntoucher, Deean Kett & Hellflower to name a VERY few, I am still friends with :) I only name these ones, because if any of you stumbled upon those forums back then, those are the names you're most likely to remember.

Oh, and for the record, I'm Skye Doomstar ;) Formerly Skye Sands, and towards the end, Skye McGrif... although I ditched that persona long before I kicked the ex out and went back to Doomstar ;) One other name that might ring a bell would be Vox Doomstar...  a young dark jedi that I adopted while I was there. I miss that kid. He's the only one out of all the ones I've lost contact with over the years that I still think about and hope he's doing alright. I've tried to track him down a few times, but seem to have crappy timing...I keep finding pages right after he's abandoned them >.< lol

...*clears throat*  Oh.. and if any of you remember a SW FanFiction website called StarWarsChicks... and happened to visit their 'adult' sister site SithChicks ...I'm also SanLyn Fen  ;)


Well I hope you've enjoyed my little jaunt here. Figured it was time for something a bit different ;)




Thursday, May 17, 2012

I'm BAaaaaack!! :D

So... long time no blog >.<  

... well, aside from the Freebie Friday post, which was late >.< lol

Sorry everyone. My brain just hasn't been in the 'sit and blog it' mindset lately. Too many things running through it at once, I guess. Nothing majorly bad or stressful, just... in the way, I guess
the biggest happening was that I found a lump in my breast and had to get it checked out. The last time this happened the doc felt it too and sent me in for a mammogram and ultrasound, but they couldn't find it >.< The popular consensus on it being that it was merely scar tissue form my breast reduction a few years before that. So, despite finding the lump, I wasn't overly stressed over it. The doc told me right off he felt too much movement in it for it to be cancer, since cancer lumps tend to stick in place and have no or very little movement to them.Plus I have boobs that have always felt lumpy to me, plus for the last eleven years have had the added 'texture' of the scar tissue, so self exams are difficult. This bump felt different so I decided to err on the side of caution and get it looked into. I've been up for a mammogram, got the boobs squashed all to hell and back, only to have the nurse say there didn't seem to be any difference form the last mammogram, and the technician wants an ultrasound to double check. So I headed down the hall in my little wrap top that didn't want to stay tied, REALLY thankful I got to keep my jeans on, to have that done. And I would just like to say, that it's AMAZING how that ultrasound tech can find the slightest tender spot and constantly press the hell out of it >.< lol  I haven't heard anything back yet about the results, but I expect to either here that it's just the scar tissue again, or possibly a cyst that I'll get to go have cut out .. yeah .. more abuse and scars on the poor jugs >.< lol  It's so good I'm not over vain about the parts of me that stay under wraps ... and that even with the reduction and scars, I still have some damned impressive cleavage ;)

Skye Sandra 











See? Believe it or not, those DD's  were once bigger ;) I was a D for several years but as I let the waist line grow a bit, they kept pace >.< Actually, this photo was taken last year.., like.. January maybe, and I put on some weight since then .. lost a bit again, too ;) when this was taken, I think I could still squeeze into my D cups, as long as they were a certain brand.










So, while not overly stressful ( the only real stress involved was in not letting myself get stressed over something I had no control over anyhow lol ), my heads been full of plenty... mostly in avoidance of chores.  No seriously. Since the Messy Blog Hop I've done a few starts at cleaning that have all ended in being minor tidies. My heads just too full of things. I start with one part then my mind jumps ahead to what else needs to be done that should be done first.. and so on and so on until it's too much to do and I just stop >.< Like I have this shelving unit I got from my mom for my bedroom to help organize some of my storage clutter. It's still wrapped up in plastic, joining the clutter because every time I think of getting started... my mind goes off on a 'to do' list tangent and I get overwhelmed. Example - I need to put the shelves together, but before I do that I should make room to set them up... which means I need to move stuff out of the way... which means finding places to put it all. Plus I need to sort stuff out to put in boxes that will fit on the shelves once they're together... And since I'll be back moving stuff..I want the tv and nintendo from back there, pulled out and set up, plus the large chair back there moved into the living room to replace the one couch. However, before I can move the chair out, I have to get the couch hauled out and to the dump which means arranging for someone to come help. And for the tv & nintendo, my old computer is sitting where I want them put, but if I'm going to move the computer around, I might as well  gut it for the parts to change up my current tower, but that means making room to haul them both out and set them up.. and figure out what the hell I'm doing... OR call my brother and get him to stop in to help. Either situation that calls for help arriving, requires some house cleaning done first >.< See? My brain just makes huge endless chaotic loops out of things until I feel buried under it all >.<

However, there is light at the bottom of that heap lol I was in a similar state with my jewelry making. I wanted to make stuff and needed to make stuff, but couldn't  because A) I had too many choice beside me and B) the need to choose had me allowing myself to become distracted by the computer, and C) .. becoming distracted by the mess than needs to be sorted, getting frustrated with it all and turning to other hobbies that I could access easier.

My solution? Until I find the strength to clean again, I've been grabbing a few complimentary colored bead cases, along with one of my boxes of findings, my tools, a small tray and bead mat, tossing it all into a bag, and leaving the apartment. By getting myself away from the distractions of the 'todo' list, and narrowing my choices to what I took with me, I've found a way to bypass the blockage :)  It's not a permanent solution, since I do have to tackle cleaning and reorganizing things so that I don't feel that way in my own space, however it IS becoming a very pleasant habit that I will endeavor to continue. I really like sitting down on the porch and enjoying the nice weather and devoting a couple hours to JUST my jewelry, with nothing else getting in the way.

So I am slowly finding ways through my disorganization to get things accomplished, and finding some enjoyable new ways of doing things in the process. Btw, the reason I'm not on my porch right now, is because I face the sunrise and until late morning, you're pretty much blinded if you sit out there lol  The sun's high enough now, but I decided to get busy and BLOG first ;)

While I was avoiding blogging and cleaning chores and everything else, I did get stuff done.
I went to my parents and photographed the house my dad had bought and renovated himself, then set it up online for him to sell. Then I headed back a weekend or two ago and posted it on another site for him, plus sat on the dock on their main Koi pond and caught a bunch of fish for him. That was the reason I was 'invited' to spend the weekend... dad had someone that wanted to buy some young koi and I'm a better fisher than he is ;) He can sit out there all day and catch three or four... It took me about a combined fishing time of three hours to catch twenty two lol The last one was an accident..I swear, he just jumped on my hook. Dad had come to see how many I had caught and to make sure I hadn't caught any of his butterfly koi by mistake; when he heard how many I'd caught he was shocked and said that was enough lol While I was using the baited hook to coax the little guys up to the surface so dad could point out just what the butterfly koi looked like, number twenty two leaped for the bait and got it lol 

I seriously can not tell if my dad is proud of the fact that his little girl is so good at catching fish... or pissed  that she's batter at it than he is ;) LOL

While I was there, the super moon rose...so I took some pics.
moon rise

 While I was there, the super moon rose...so I took some pics. Here it is just rising. Nothing but a ball of white light with my poor little camera lol









 telescope and camera combo shot of the super moon




Here it fully risen... how did I take such a good shot with such a crappy camera? I cheated of course :D
We set up my dad's little telescope out in the field for a clear shot, then after an agonizingly long time getting the moon in frame and in focus, I set my camera to close up, zoomed in in a bit, set it over the eyepiece of the telescope and bam... instant fabulous photo :)  so proud of this picture :)  




Here's my little set up.


Like I said, you would NOT believe how hard it is to find a SUPER MOON  through that telescope >.< And to add insult to injury, I turned it around and tried to find the north star and zoomed in on it no problem... turned back to find the moon again.. took FOREVER >.< lol






What else have I been up to? Well, I've signed up for my first non-jewelry-blog related bloghop . The Skull-a-Day blog was advertizing a blog hop that I just HAD to get in on :) That's on June 4th, so I'd better get my butt moving on deciding what to make for it! ( the button is on my sidebar for anyone who wants to find out more about it :) )

I also took part in Lori Anderson's Spring Pantone Bead Swap. I haven't received my beads yet since they're winging their way here from France, but my partner sent me pictures  that I'm not gonna share with you ;) I'll wait until they arrive and take my own pics to share:D hehehe. 

Here's what I sent her.



I sent them all sorted and labeled , of course. Plus there were a few others that were added after this picture was taken; some large pale purple glass pearls, and some metal beads as well. 

I ended up having a hard time finding the colors as shown or even described, as did my partner, so we found beads as close as we could get them for the most part. After all, despite the name of the swap, a grab bag of pretty beads is a grab bag of pretty beads, regardless of colors :D


Alright, so I think I've tormented Kashmira long enough ;) She's been waiting to see what I sent out to the participants of my first design challenge.
creative chaos design challenge blog hop
                         
   hehehe ... yeah, I'm gonna show more than just THAT ;) I'm not THAT much of a tease!

... not often at least ;)

Alright, so here's what Rochelle, Alicia, & Shay should all be finding in their mail boxes shortly.
creative chaos design challenge number one kit

An assortment of  star washers, shell bits ( that were drilled), some feathery ribbon, faux suede cording, a little bottle, a butterfly on a stick, and some buttons :) 

I had other things I wanted to add in, but I decided to stop myself and save stuff for the second design challenge ;)

The rules are simple.. they have to use some of these items to create jewelry... ( the more of it they use, the happier and more impressed I'll be ;) ) They don't have to use it 'as is'; they can alter any or all of the items in any way they want. They create, they photograph and they share on June 30th.  I'd planned on having them have to use at one least one item from each baggie.. but I think I'll change that and have them use at least a third of that pile. They all received a little gift with their kits for participating, but I think I'll have a little prize or two as well. Perhaps have you all vote for your fave piece , plus have a second award for any of them that manage to use ALL of the kit?  Yeah .. kinda like those ideas :)  I'll be sending out an email to them shortly containing the link to the button I just made, plus the official rules... I'd meant to include them with the kit but I was lazy ;)

So there you go... a fairly lengthy and extensive update on my blog avoidance lol

I'll try to get back into my blogging habits ;) I do have to do a blog post to share my Star Wars fandom side ;)

~ Skye

Friday, May 4, 2012

Freebie Friday # 5

 Hello  :)

Happy Star Wars Day :)  you have no idea how much I was tempted to do a Star Wars giveaway of some kind, but alas... I couldn't bring myself to part with any of my treasures :)

Yes, here we are again... the first Friday of the month. Time for a new giveaway :)

I had thought to do some jewelry for this round... but I have several pieces already that need to be made.

Then, I thought about making some hook clasps, ear wires, and beaded chain... or maybe make some domino pendants or something....  but then I realized, I have too many things sitting here waiting for me to finish them... whether it's jewelry or bits of jewelry, I just don't have time right now to take on another project. >.<

I was going to pick out a pendant and some coordinating beads, then I hit upon an idea. I've been coming across so many posts and blogs lately where the person has mentioned that they've never used fibers in their work but would like to.

Now... my 'fiber' collection is nothing special, but I figured I'd help one of you start your own :)


A variety of satin rattail cording , and three  little bundles of faux suede. I couldn't find my  hemp cording or my ribbon in time for this photo, but I'll include some of those as well  and post a new photo of the full bundle up for grabs another day :)

Sorry for the short post. I've had a rather... interesting... week, the kind that never works out the way you planned. And now my plans for the weekend have shifted as well... instead of my mom coming up here for a girls weekend, I'm heading out there. I was told that my dad 'needs me to fish for him'... because I'm better at it ;) hehehe  so I'll sitting on the dock at their ponds, fishing  young Koi out so my dad can sell them ( catch and release, obviously ;) )

Plus, he wants me to do some computer stuff for him >.< lol Oh well, a weekend in the country, watching the dogs run circles around the pond chasing any frogs that might be there, while I fish and visit with my parents... sounds rather nice :) Just keep your fingers crossed the weather stays nice for me!



Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Creative Chaos Design Challenge

Hello :)

Yes, at long last, I have FINALLY gotten around to setting this up :)

Actually, to be truthful, I've had the kits picked out and ready for quite awhile now, I was too lazy to get around to taking the picture and writing the blog post >.< lol

So, here's how it works. I have four bundles, one for myself , plus three of you guys :)

The goal is to create jewelry using these items, that are not usual jewelry fare ( key chains and hair decorations will be counted  as 'jewelry' ).

You do NOT have to use the entire kit, nor are you limited to making one thing.

Each 'kit' contains four little baggies of items. You have to use SOMETHING out of each baggie.

This means you could make four separate items, or you could make one item using all four ingredients together. It's up to you.

You also do NOT have to the use the items as you receive them. You are welcome to alter them in any way you'd like.

Sign ups will automatically close Tuesday May 8th and I'll announce the participants on Wednesday. I'd like be be able to mail the bundles off on Friday ( the 11th), so if you enter the draw for a spot, make sure to check on Wednesday to see if you got in and send me your address! (If you leave me your email address, or send me a note containing the name you entered under and your email address, I will send you a note if you win a spot )

There will be a blog hop in June to show our creations. I haven't yet set a definitive date, but was thinking  around the last two Saturdays in June ( the 23rd and 30th)  That gives two weeks for the mail, plus four to five weeks of design time. The participants will vote on the actual Hop date that will work best for them.

Due to the items in this kit, you can NOT participate if you live in Australia, or in any other country that restricts the importing of organic materials such as shell, wood or bone. If you're not sure, google postal restrictions for where you live. I named Australia because I know from previous experience about them having the restriction.

Alrighty... ready to see the bundle? I was torn here... part of me wanted to do a teaser pic and let the actual items be a surprise... another part of me thought you could work up some ideas while you waited for the package to arrive....


                                                                ..I went with the teaser ;)

I WILL say, however,  that one of blurs contains buttons ;)

So... interested in accepting my challenge? Do you think you can take a surprise box of 'non- jewelry' items and find a way to use some of them to create jewelry?

If so, go ahead and click on rafflecopter to enter and try for a chance at taking part :) As I said, I only have three kits to mail out.