Feel the Love

So, yeah, I'm late with this post...  but here it is!  :p

Okay, last week's prompt was "Feel the Love" for Sally's Focus on Life blog hop.  After the events of the last few weeks, and the trouble I had with the "Capture your Heart" prompt, I was really not looking forward to trying to figure this one out.  

Then, it hit me.  What did I do last weekend?  Well, I, and several good friends and 2 VERY NEW friends, moved ALL MY CRAP!!!!! And let me tell you, I have A LOT of crap....  er.... stuff....  

So, here's me, feeling the love:

That would be my coffee table.  and a hutch...   and crap stuff

the garbage bags are clothes....  I swear....  

Okay, this is actually 2 views of the same room, and, in one of those weird twists, it is WAY worse than it looks.  And this is only one room!  There's another that I refuse to open the door to anytime soon.  And there's furniture in the guest bath...  oi...  But you know what, it's all here now, and I have some of the most FABULOUS people in the world to thank for that.

So, LaRita, Kurt, Frank, Nancy, Amy, John, Jayden, Skyler, Nathan, Matt, Marie, Mia, and Matthew--I love you guys.  Thank you.  

And Sally--thank you for giving me the opportunity to articulate all this.  It's been a great help! 

RanaLea

Capture my Heart

This week's Focus on Life prompt from Sally over at The Studio Sublime was a bit difficult for me. She asked us to "Capture our Hearts."

See, I was supposed to have something wonderful happen at the 1st of the year, but it hasn't happened. I don't want to go into details, but what I thought was a wonderful relationship has fallen apart.  And I don't know why.

I had pondered not participating this week, but then I decided, no, I needed to not let this impact what I WANT to do.  And part of what I want to do, is blog more, and participate in this hop.

So, I started looking around.  Where could I find hearts in this new life I'm having to build for myself?  Well, oddly, I found a perfect heart--for me, in this time-frame, at least--in my shower.

It's all dinged and rough around the edges.  That's my heart right now.  A little bit broken, but it'll mend.

I also have to include my furry-hearts.  They seem to know that mommy is a bit tender just now, so they're (mostly) being good.

Buttercup, at her cuteness best.

My Dobby-head, guarding the bed! lol! 

So that's this week.  Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out the other entries!

RanaLea

Art for art's sake?

For Week 4 of the Focus on Life blog hop, Sally's prompt to us was to "Create Art."  Oddly enough, this one has been the most difficult for me so far, not because I don't feel I'm artistic and creative (in fact, I sometimes think I have TOO MUCH creativity, and it can get very scattery!) but because I'm currently suffering from a severe lack of time and, oddly, space...

You see, I've just started classes again (I teach College English) and in true Crazy-Rana form, I'm teaching 7 classes across 2 colleges.  oi....  We're three weeks into the semester, which essentially means all my fun time is getting ready to go down the drain in deference to essay reading, grading, and emails.  For the most part, this is okay, as I really do like my job.  I would just like to like a little LESS of my job.  If that makes any sense.  So there's the time aspect...

I am also in the middle of a very, VERY slow move.  Eventually, I'll be all settled in back in my parents' house (it's okay--they've retired and are traveling a bit, so I mostly have it to myself) but at the moment, I'm actually living in 2 places.  So, half of my things are in one house, half are in the other.  I have the art supplies in one house, but the good places to DO the art are in the other house.  It's very odd...  

So, I decided, that instead of DOING art this week, I would work on preparing to do art.  Since my art takes the form of so many different things--jewelry, painting, card-making, crocheting, cross-stitch, maybe (one day) knitting--I decided I would take care of the things you need to do to get to the actual art.  For me, right now, that means earwires... 

See, I'm also participating in Art Jewelry Elements Earring challenge--trying to make at least one pair of earrings every week.  And yes, sometimes I use premade earwires, but ever since I discovered the fun of pounding on wire with a hammer, I actually prefer to make my own earwires.  It's a bit of an involved process for me, since I don't have a tumbler (yet), so I have to file and hammer every single one, after all the shaping. 

Brass, Sterling, and copper wire, coiled and ready for cutting! 

The brass, cut and shaped.  Working on filing the ends here...

my bench block!  Top five fave purchases of 2012.  lol!  This is when the wire gets "work hardened" so it holds its shape...

Copper earwires all ready to go! :) 

RanaLea :)

And now, for a little "Me time" :)

Continuing with "Focus on Life 2013," Sally's prompt for us this week was "Me Time." She suggested we "Really [take] time for YOU without feeling guilty.  Just you for 5, 10 or 15 minutes, dare I say longer!"

I gotta say, this was a toughie for me.  On the one hand, I kinda feel like I take a lot of time for me, since I have no significant other and no children.  But on the other hand, I teach seven English classes, try to make jewelry for a living, and have a LARGE extended family, with whom I love spending time.

So, I decided on 2 things for my "Me time" this week.

First, I've been working on these components for a few weeks now, but I had just never found the time to put the set together. So, I did.  :)

The Goddess bead is by Desert Rabbit Design.  The lentil in the bracelet and the rounds in the earrings are by Lampwork Beads by Linda. I made the netted pearl sections after learning the technique a class I took at my favorite bead shop, Sparkle Spot Beads, a few weeks ago. ow to find something to wear it with! :)

And my other thing?  Well, I got my nails did.  lol!  Okay, that's something I would do anyways, but with all I have going on right now, it was LOW on my list of things to do.  But I decided I needed the pampering!  :)

Go check out the other entries in this week's hop!

RanaLea

Words, words, words...

I'm back!  :)  Okay, so this week's Focus on Life prompt for Week 2 is "your word" for 2013.  I've heard of other folks choosing a word to guide them in the coming year, but I never really had.  Also not really a "resolutions" person, since I tend to forget about them...  But, I thought it might be interesting, especially considering Sally's prompt, to choose a word for myself to guide me in 2013.

Of course, then I had to actually choose the word!  Never easy, especially if you're wordy (well, I teach English, after all...)  So, I started a list (I'm a list girl...) I had things on there like "move," "forward," "onward," "live," "love," "persevere." Good words all, but none of them were really it, you know? So, I pondered all these words, and finally settled one that encompasses all of these concepts... So, without further ado, here's my word for 2013!

CREATE!  I made this using the "Meritum Paint" App on my phone.  It's fun! :) 

 So, what do I plan to create?  Well, I plan to create stuff:

Mostly jewelry, but also some card stuff.  See my word there in the mix?  :)  The iron?  Yeah, no idea why that's there... 

I also plan to "create" more blog posts:

My 'puter! :)  I love my Mac... 

And I need to "create" order in my stuff... 

Boxes... :( gonna be a while with the boxes...

Is this all I plan to "create"? No.  But this is a start!

Check out all the other 2013 "Word" posts here.

Thanks for stopping by!

RanaLea

Me :)

Have you ever really thought about yourself?  Who you are and what makes you you?  I have.  A bit, at least....  That's what today's post is about.  But first, why?

Well, I learned about a wonderful weekly blog hop idea through one of my favorite jewelry artists yesterday, THEAJewellery, the Gossiping Goddess. Sally Russick, of The Studio Sublime, is hosting a year long photo journaling blog hop.  She's calling it "Focusing on Life 2013" and I think it's a fabulous idea.  :)

So, back to me. (one of my favorite subjects. lol!)  I do like to talk about myself, this is true. And, if you ask my bestie, it's all about me.  But, I don't much like pictures of myself (a common sentiment among women, I think...)

I started thinking.  What is a self portrait?  Well, it can be the easy answer--a picture of yourself.

This is me, several years ago.  I think I look like my grandma....

 But then, that also begs the question, which you?

The ready to take on the world you, with your armor of makeup in place?

Love my green eye shadow.  Makeup by Dollipop Cosmetics.  :) 

 Or the working at home, not going anywhere, chillaxing you?

or the slightly ditzy and just found the fun stuff in the PhotoBooth controls you?

Or the internal, "this is what makes me thrive" you?

Well, I guess it's ultimately all up to you.  But this is me.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

RanaLea