July

July was in with a bang! My pocket represents just that... all the fun and fireworks of July, the seemingly frantic pace that surrounded us, with everyone going off in different directions. It was a madcap month! I helped my friends with some renovation work for some other friends and flared up my knee, so I had to quit doing that, which I really enjoyed and was bummed I couldn't help anymore. I found I like wielding a saw... lol So half of July was madcap rushing here and there and the other half was perched on the couch with my knee supported and hobbling around. I got a steroid shot and I hate them, but such is life. I did learn the knack of beading while on the couch... so I've been getting a head start on things.... July also is when my divorce was final so there was some sad times too, but I've been seeing a really good counselor so I'm working through it. All in all, my mental health is better than it was this time last year, my physical self is in the toilet... arghhhh but what can you do? Day to day....

June

June is done... fairly easy pocket this time. I followed the image already on the pocket and did some fill-in with beads. I felt 'compelled' to do this pocket and it was a challenge and fun too. Just beading to be beading, but I guess it shows some of my contentment and settling in to the new life of being single. I added straps to all my pockets and found out it was easier to add them before I beaded, but a little trickier to bead with the strap in the way. Anyway this one is just whimsical and fun...

playtime

I've been working on this for awhile and finally finished it in July. It's mostly just my mix of beads - my study in golds... lol I recently finished my study in pastels and I am working on my study in purples. Totally freestyle - no pattern or end result... just beading with colors and creating art. This and the others were all done on the same stuff that Jody (my friend here in NM) uses in her beaded goddess's. Stiff stuff or something like that. Very easy to use and it takes a wash of color nicely also which I did for the purple piece. I am thinking I will frame these after I figure out how I'm going to do the matting - material or paper? quilt it or flat? ughhhh

playing catch-up - May

This is May's pocket. This represents my 2 trips I made in May - one to my mom and one to my daughter's graduation - she graduated magna cum laude! and held a job. I wanted the orange to represent the roads and the winding paths I took. The rest is just a representation of the things I saw... It was spring and things at the lower elevations were blooming but the mountains still had snow but were so far away... I went to the Caverns of Socorro which was an awesome adventure - on the way to Lafayette LA where my daughter was (she's now in Kansas awaiting classes to start for her masters degree). On the way home I went to Big Bend National Park... big park, lots to see offroad, hotter than Hades even in may, but worth the trip. Was good to be home though... I didn't take my girls with me to my daughter's but I did to mom's. I really missed them while I was gone.

and of course I added my bear totem... I look at it and wonder if it is finished yet or not. lol