Spam I Recently Received

I usually don't read the spam I get, but the subject line of this one was too funny. And, boy do they lay it on thick!
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Subject: Dear Beloved One.

I am Mrs.Catrina Hawks from England I am deaf and has cancer of the breast I lost my husband 12 years ago without a child of mine.

I have to sell all my properties left by my husband because the doctors say i have less than 2 months to live.I have deposited the funds of $5 million US D which i sold from my properties and deposit into a Bank.I want you to help me use the funds to help the charity deaf and the motherless babies home before i die.

If you are a good and honest Christian i shall give you the contact of the Bank and also the Deposit Certificate so as to claim my funds before my death.Expecting your urgent response and may God bless you as you carry out my
wish.

You can write me at xxxx

Your's Dyeing Sister

Mrs.Catrina Hawks

Picture From Work

They really could have staged this photo better.

Matthew's Commentary

"You know, I never realized that from this angle my hairline looks like I have horns. Or, if someone were feeling really artistic, they could make my face look like Hello Kitty with the ears and all."

(Me, I was giggling about the dog. Notice the teeth).

Commission #2 Done!

One of my creative hobbies (aside from jewelry making) is a Japanese embroidery technique called Temari. I've been doing these for more than 10 years. It is a dying art in Japan, from what I'm told, but the detailed, geometric patterns are gaining popularity among American embroidery artists.
A few years ago, I made a Temari ball for my cousin's wedding. I did it in silk with primarily gold and various shades of neutral cream and white on a creamy base. I also did a 4-strand braid as a hanging loop, and I added a small tassel on the bottom.
A detail showing the gold threads between the intertwined layers.

My cousin's wife liked it so much that when they were up this winter, she asked me to do one each for their two sons. This is the first:

She picked out the more turquoise-y color and I matched around it. The thread in this one is all cotton.
Many Temari patterns are floral based. They use geometric patterns, but the effect is very floral. I wanted this to be more BOY, so I chose a different kind of pattern.
I really like how it turned out.
The dark color isn't black, it's navy blue. My cousin and his wife met while they were both in the Navy, so I figured I'd add that. The next one will also have navy in it.

Virginia Trip Pics

Pictures from our most recent trip to visit our friend in the Lexington, VA, area. Captions below the pictures!

Fresh home-grown eggs! Done with Julia Child's recipe, along with bacon, strawberries, coffee, bread, and Pigwa jam....oh, I mean Quince. The cap says 'pigwa' because the woman that made it is Polish.We went to the yarn store again. We were worried about the dog on the porch. Last time we were there he was possessed by demons. Barbara and I actually stopped when we saw the massive beast. You could feel the tension. He stared at us. We stared at him, expecting him at any minute to charge, the vile creature. But no. It was a different dog.We went mushroom hunting (didn't find anything, WAY too dry). We asked permission at this house. The woman was telling us about her peach trees and the bushels and bushels of peaches she got from the trees, pictured above. They can't be more than 4-5' tall! I'd really love to know what variety it is...
Some of the plants I got at a nursery we visited (l-r) Rosy maiden hair fern, Strep. concord blue (I've been looking for this for a while), a caladium that I fell in love with, and a flower that I can't remember the name of right now (better picture below, can you blame me for getting it?)
A gorgeous honeysuckle Barb bought at WalMart. She said they were working hard at killing it until she came along.
Barb's Khaki Campbell ducklings.
Barb keeping Grace the doberman away from the Khaki Campbell ducklings.Safe Khaki Campbell duckling silhouettes.
Grace trying on my crocs.
Bo the corgi at the front door.
The oxalis that we found carpeting the woods. I dug some mini bulbs up and potted them, then promptly forgot them at Barbara's. She's keeping them for me until I get there next.
The Russian Orloff rooster. He is very aggressive, and may soon be coq au vin.
We helped Barb put up higher deer fencing to keep the chickens out of the fenced in garden, and Bo got tangled. If you click on the picture you can see it better.
I've always loved this candle.
No wonder I bought this, huh? Looks great with the caladium behind it, too.

1 Commission Done!!!

3 to go....
A friend contacted me about a pair of earrings she saw on Peruvian Connection. She asked if I could do something similar. The ones in the catalog were too long and way too pricey. I said I'd give it a try.
Some people scoff at artists copying work. I don't have a problem with it, really. If we didn't copy other work we would be reinventing knitting or metal smithing with every generation. Copying a style is how you learn. This is a skill set I can now use for other work.
The leather really threw me in this, until a coworker told me about soaking leather and molding it. Some cultures do this to make masks. I tried it and....well, it worked!!
The center is abalone shell. The beads are all sterling silver, gold fill, or faceted glass.