20 Steps Outside My Door

Year? Make? Model?

More bloggers participating in "20 Steps"

Mimi Roy

Shena Meadowcroft

Amy Waldman

Ken Miner

Terri Rodstrom

Marti Conrad

Dini Burisma

Colour Combo Challenge Week 126

It's week 126 at the Colour Combo Challenge group. I really liked this palette, I added a bit of orange though I have been using it a lot lately and it seemed a natural addition for me.

 This set has 9 beads in this weeks colour palette. The smallest bead is 5mm (.19 inches) x 10mm (.39 inches) and the largest (centre focal) is 13mm (.51 inches) x 14mm (.55). The set is 25.00 free shipping. It'll be listed to my etsy later (but shipping won't be free there!)

Colour - Focus on Life Week 17

This weeks Focus on Life blog topic is colour. I've been working on a few pieces in bright primary opaque colours, something very outside the box for me. I usually work with reactive glass and encase everything in clear for the most part. It's exciting to just focus on the colours, the shapes are fairly simple, it's the colour palette I am trying to mesh together. All I have left to do is find the perfect hot pink!

Little Dogs That Bark

Colour Challenge Week 125

I struggled with this weeks Colour Combo Challenge. I loved that it was a dedication to the Boston Marathon Victims and wanted to try and do a running shoe. The shoe was a lot harder than I anticipated but I did finish the set instead of abandon the whole thing as I often do. The set above has a running shoe focal measuring an inch long and 6 matching spacer beads it's 20.00. Email me at nvalentinestudio@gmail.com if you'd like to purchase it.

20 Steps Outside My Door

I'm shocked at how differently this challenge is making me look at my day to day surroundings. My husband is a bit of a pack rat and loves old antique's. Line up with a old steer skull he found in the bush while hunting is an array of old goodies.

More bloggers participating in "20 Steps"

Mimi Roy

Shena Meadowcroft

Amy Waldman

Ken Miner

Terri Rodstrom

Marti Conrad

Dini Burisma

Focus on Life - Take a Walk

It's week 16 of the Focus On Life blog challenge and I'm really enjoying it. This weeks theme was, take a walk. While I run a few times a week a walk is something I don't do that often. So off I went on a walk heading towards the core of our small village. I'll admit I planned on picking up the mail too so I had a dual purpose going on. The above picture is the gravel trail from our place up to the corner where there is a store, restaurant and coffee shop.

The "Welcome to Metchosin" sign is new this year and I really think it's pretty cool. Made by a local metal artist it greets people as they come into the Metchosin core.

Globes are finally getting finished

I've been working on some globes for the last couple weeks. I had a large projects I wanted to tackle and I hate to say it but its grown even bigger! I started with blowing lots of clear globes. Then tackled making the teeny glass components to go in them. Then made the silver caps to go on top, but the hardest part was deciding what to put with what to go in them! The top one is a glass mud skipper with some sand. I think it turned out absolutely perfect ( I know I'm partial but it IS adorable ) the mud skipper nestles in the sand and it's eyes and mouth give it a lot of character. This one is 75.00 and is just over an inch around.

This rubber ducky is what started it all! Friends Kristi and Marion showed me the duckies back in Feb and I really loved the idea of theme'd globes. This ducky globe is just over 2 cm around and is 60.00

Smile and be strong

20 Steps Outside My Door

Yes there are often cars parked right outside my front door. Anyone want to guess what kind this is?



Mixed Metal Mimi's "20 Steps Outside My Door" post.

By Shena's "20 Steps Outside My Door" post.

Amy Waldman's "20 Steps" post.

Ken Miner's "20 Steps" post.

Teri Rodstroms "20 Steps" post.

Colour Combo Challenge - Week 124

This weeks Colour Challenge beads.  It's week 124 and we had this colour palette to work with. I really enjoyed playing with the skull press I've had for a while but had yet to try. Both beads sets are listed in my Etsy shop.

Focus On Life Week 15 - Aged Beauty

Well this is right up my alley! This weeks Focus On Life theme is "Aged Beauty", and my yard is full of aged beauty. My husband is a pack rat and collector of all things aged (old) it's often a struggle to maintain some sort of order around here.

I often waver between liking the aged beauty in our yard and feeling like I live in a junk yard. Some things I find pretty and some just look like old junk to me.

The truck above I have mixed feelings about. Currently is sits parked right outside my door, that transmission fell out of it over a month ago and has yet to be fixed. So there it sits.

But it has a lot of history to it, we've driven it to many car shows and had a lot of fun in it, some of our wedding photos were taken with it too.

The truck also has a goddess gear shift knob I made my husband several years ago, which he loves. he loves to show it off often saying to his buddies "Look what MY wife made me" with a big ole grin on his face.

This old pump sits waiting to be made into a water feature. I love the patina it's acquired over the years. The horse shoe is a old logging shoe with corks (screws) in it for traction. 

I live by this!

Colour Challenge Week 123

Colour Combo Challenge week 123. I had fun with this weeks colours, I like the larger holed stripy disks they can be focals or used as button style toggles. A small accent set makes this a nice jewelry designers set. Listed on etsy this set is $30.00.

20 Steps Outside My Door

I could have taken photos of this planter for hours.

More bloggers participating in "20 Steps"

Mimi Roy

Shena Meadowcroft

Amy Waldman

Ken Miner

Terri Rodstrom

Marti Conrad

Dini Burisma

Focus on Life Week 14 - Up Close

This week's Focus On Life photo theme is "Up Close" using your macro setting. I use a marco lens a lot, all my bead photos are taken is a Nikon D70 with a 60mm macro. But I have hardly ever used the macro setting on my point and shoot camera so this was the perfect time to try it. Cherry blossoms above are from our tree out front.

This is a tiny terrarium I have on the kitchen, this was taken with the camera touching the glass outside the terrarium.

What do you think this is?

Colour Combo Challenge week 122

I've joined a Colour Challenge FB Group it's week 122. The colour palette for this week is above and I made a small bead set, I love the large holed flower bead.

A life of purpose

20 Steps Outside My Door

This photo is actually more like 2 steps from my door. I loved the way these were all lined up in a now from biggest to smallest. I'm not sure we planned it that way or if it just happened. 

Mixed Metal Mimi's "20 Steps Outside My Door" post.

By Shena's "20 Steps Outside My Door" post.

Amy Waldman's "20 Steps" post.

Ken Miner's "20 Steps" post.