Goodbye, Tobi. / Zbogom, Tobi.

  Today is a sad day for us. We had to say goodbay forever to our 7 years old dog Tobi. He passed away tonight. We have discovered he was seriously ill oly this Monday and he's already gone...
  Danes ni ravno srečen dan za nas, saj smo se morali za vedno posloviti od našega 7 let starega psa Tobija, ki je ponoči odšel v "večna lovišča". Šele v ponedeljek smo ugotovili, da je zelo bolan, danes pa ga ni več ...

  Goodbye, Tobi ... we'll be missing you.
  Zbogom, Tobi ... zelo te bomo pogrešali.

YAY, My First Blog Award! / Jupi! Moje prvo blogersko priznanje

 
  What a nice surprise waited for me on Therese's blog - she chose me for the Newbie Blogger Award: A favorite new blog with less then 100 followers and less then a year old. I'm speechless!!! Thank you, Therese!
  Na Theresinem blogu me je čakalo prav prijeto presenečenje, saj me je izbrala za Newbie Blogger Award: Najljubši bog z manj kot 100 spremeljevalci, ki je mlajši od enega leta. Kar brez besed sem ostala!!! Hvala, Therese!

Here's what she said about me:
I chose Alenka of Pepita-Handmade blog.  Alenka lives in Slovenia and she started her blog in June of this year.  She is a polymer clay artist that has also just recently picked up bead weaving and is loving it.  That is not uncommon for most of us that have tried bead weaving, it is very easy to get hooked. I first met Alenka this past Bead Soup Blog Party she was my friend Amy of Amybeads partner.  I love what she sent to Amy to create with and after visiting her blog I decided to follow her. Alenka has also signed up for mine and Christine's " A Time To Stitch 2" challenge I can not wait to see what she has created for the challenge.

 O meni je napisala tako:
Izbrala sem Alenko od Pepita Handmade bloga. Alenka živi v Sloveniji in je začela pisati blog junija letos. Ustvarja iz polimerne gline in v zadnjem času se je lotila tudi šivanja perl, ki ji je zelo všeč. To ni nič nenavadnega za večino od nas, ki smo poskusile šivanje perl, saj te lahko zelo hitro "potegne". Alenko sem prvič srečala ob zadnjem Bead Soup Blog Party-ju, saj je bila partnerica z mojo prijateljico Amy od Amybeads. Zelo mi je bilo všeč, kar je poslala Amy in po obisku njenea bloga sem se odločila, da ga spemljam. Alenka se je prijavila tudi na moj in Christinin izziv "A Time to Stitch 2" in komaj čaka, da vidim, kaj je ustvarila za izziv.

 
 
I love Therese's beadweaving - her pieces are all beautiful, so this is a honour for me to be awarded by her :-D.
  Now I can continue with this chain and choose to award 5 people. I'm new to blogging and following the blogs so I'll need some more time ...

  Theresini izdelki so mi zelooo všeč, zato je zame prava čast, da se je odločila zame :-D
  Zdaj lahko tudi jaz nadaljujem s podeljevanjem priznanj 5 osebam. Ker pa sem še precej nova v spremljanju blogov, bom potrebovala malo več časa za izbiro ...

 

Little helpers ... or little pests? / Mala pomagača ... ali mala škodljivca?

  I love creating, even feel the need for it, and it's obvious I'm very happy when my two little boys show interest for what I do and for any kind of creativity or art. Well, ALMOST always.
 
  Sama zelo rada ustvarjam, pravzaprav je to že potreba zame, zato ni nič čudnega, če sem vesela vsakokrat, ko moja mala fanta pokažeta zanimanje za moje ustvarjanje ali katerokoli vrsto umetnosti. No, SKORAJ vedno.


  I don't have a studio, I've occupied a part of our living room putting there a table and some containers (well, there are more and more of them ;-)). The fact is that I can not lock it up and my tools and materials are always at hand - and not only for me ... That also means that occasionally there is a little surprise waiting for me.
  
  Ker nimam delovne sobe, sem za svoje ustvarjalne trenutke z delovno mizo na kolescih v dnevni sobi zasedla kotiček pod oknom in dodala še nekaj škatel (ki jih je pravzaprav vedno več :-)). Glede na to, da tega kotička ne morem zakleniti, so moji pripomočki in materiali vedno pri roki - a ne samo moji ... To pa pomeni tudi, da me vsake toliko pričaka kakšno presenečenje.


  For example, my poor (and only) Pasta machine for polymer clay had a close encounter with the red forming tool ... that left her with a permanent scarf! :-( 
    Eno tako presenečenje me je čakalo, ko je moj strojček za valjanje mase (po domače kar "pašta mašina") doživel bližnje srečanje z rdečim pripomočkom za oblikovanje ... in jo odnesel s trajno brazgotino! :-(

  And my forming tools pretended to be food, but escaped from the teeth in time not to be eaten:
  Ali ko so se moji pripomočki za oblikovanje pretvarjali, da so hrana in uspeli zbežati pred zobmi še preden so končali v želodcu:

  However, my boys' creativity goes far beyond my tools - to the forniture and the walls:
  Seveda se ustvarjalnost mojih otročkov ne omejuje na moje orodje, ampak se seli tudi na stene in pohištvo:


Ah, the bottom left figure is a mouse looking from her hole. /

 Mimogrede, levo spodaj je miška, ki kuka iz luknje.

 

  This one is also just my son's idea and execution:

  Tudi to je ideja in izvedba v celoti mojega sina:

 

  And you just can not have tears in your eyes when they make you a gift like this!!! Well, with a little help with the chain-work.

   A kako ne boš imel solznih oči, kadar ti sinček pripravi tako darilce!!! No, z malo moje pomoči pri sestavljanju rink.

   What's the point? I don't know ... and I've left their paintings on the walls (of their room only, of course) and I still let them use my tools ...
    In kaj je bistvo vsega? Pravzaprav ne vem ... vendar sem otroške umetnine na zidu pustila, kot so (seveda le v njuni sobi), moje orodje pa jima še vedno posojam ...


  Be happy!    
  Bodite veseli!
  Alenka

A Time to Stitch 2 - Update (1)

  Just as my friend Amy said, I was bitten by the weaving bug ;-)  I know, the deadlines for the polymer projects are much earlier than the beading one, but I just can't stop beadweaving. Well, there are several reasons:
   1. I like beadweaving very much, but I like polymer clay as well;
   2. In the same moment I sit by my polymer clay table and touch some polymer, two pairs of little hands are doing the same - on my table and with my polymer! I think everybody agree it is not very easy to work this way ...;
   3. I need less tools for beadweaving and it's much easier to carry it around ... for example to fill the waiting time while cooking (when you can not leave the kitchen, but you have to wait for several minutes and check the pots from time to time);
   4. You don't need to cure beads and you don't need to sand them ;-)

  Kot je že Amy komentirala, izgleda, da me je okužil virus šivanja perlic ;-)  Sicer sta roka za oddajo drugih dveh projektov bistveno bližja, vendar me še naprej kar vleče k šivanju perlic. V bistvu je več razlogov, zakaj je tako:
   1. Preprosto, ker uživam v tem - čeprav ravno tako uživam tudi pri izdelovanju iz polimerne gline;
   2. v trenutku, ko sedem za svojo delovno mizo in primem v roke polimerno glino, se poleg mojih pojavita še dva para malih rok, ki grabita mojo maso in moje orodje. Prepričana sem, da se strinjate, da v takih razmerah delo ni prav lahko ...;
   3. Zašivanje perl potrebujem manj orodja, poleg tega pa "delovno površino" bistveno lažje prenašam naokoli - na primer v kuhinjo, da zapolnim čakalni čas med kuhanjem (ko ne smem zapustiti kuhinje, da se mi kaj ne zažge, a je potrebno le vsake toliko preveriti stanje v loncih na štedilniku);
   4. Pri šivanju perl ne potrebujemo pečenja in niti brušenja ;-)


  Let's go back to the A Time to Stitch 2 challenge! I have already "learned" the CRAW (Cubic Right Angle Weave) and the RAW (Right Angle Weave) and yesterday I've decided it's time to learn also the last stitch - St. Petersburg. It was quite easy to get the logics of the pattern and memorize it, but the most difficult thing this time for me was to keep the right tension of the thread. And keeping the thread from knotting itself. Usually it happens just in the worst moment, when you absolutely don't need it :-$.
 
  Pa se vrnimo k izzivu A Time to Stitch 2! Do sedaj sem se že "naučila" dva vzorca: (Cubic Right Angle Weave) and the RAW (Right Angle Weave), včeraj pa sem se lotila še zadnjega, to je St. Petersburg. Logiko šivanja sem kar hitro osvojila in po dveh ogledih tutoriala že šivam na pamet, največje težave pa mi dela ustrezno zategovanje niti. In seveda doseči, da se mi nit ne vozla. Seveda se ponavadi to zgodi v najslabšem trenutku, ko si tega res ne želiš :-$. 


  Here's the video tutorial, borrowed from Therese's blog:

   To pa je tutorial za St. Petersburg, ki sem si ga sposodila iz Theresinega bloga:

  I can still not show you anything, have to wait for the reveal day ;-)
   
  Na žalost vam izdelkov še ne smem pokazati,  ker moram počakati na dan razritja, ko boste lahko občudovali tudi izdelke vseh ostalih sodelujočih v izzivu  ;-)


  Happy Sunday!
   Veselo nedeljo vam želim, kar je je še ostalo.
   Alenka  

Need your help! / Na pomoč!

  Beadweavers, this time I need some help from you! Nothing particular, just an opinion.
  Tokrat kličem na pomoč vse, ki imate izkušnje s šivanjem perl! Nič hudega ni, le vaše mnenje potrebujem ...

  I have made this pair of earrings and the coordinated bracelet, but don't know how to finish it (the bracelet) ... What kind of clasp or stitch or anything else should I use? The beaded part just perfectly wraps the wrist, so it should not be anything wide ...
  Najprej sem naredila uhane, nato pa še zapestnico, vendar se mi je ustavilo tik pred koncem ... Rada bi vaš nasvet, kako naj jo zaključim? Ker se že narejen del lepo ovije okoli zapestja, pride v poštev samo nek ožji zaključek oziroma šiv oziroma karkoli ...

  Any suggestion would be much appreciated!
  Vsakega nasveta bom zelo vesela!

  Thank you in advance,
  Vnaprej hvala!
  Alenka

Practising ... / Vaja dela mojstra

  Right now on my desk ...

  Ravnokar na moji delovni mizi ...

 

Challenges and Swaps / Izzivi in izmenjave

 
  It's challenges time for me as in the last two weeks I signed up for more challenges and/or swaps, all international.
  Pa je zame spet čas izzivov oziroma izmenjav, saj sem se v zadnjih dveh tednih prijavila kar na tri, vse mednarodne.


  With the Polymer Clay Swaps Facebook group (admnistered by Tina Holden) we have just finished our first swap - the Window Ornament Swap (read my post here) - and all of us were already impatient to begin another one. This time the theme is a JOURNAL COVER IN YOUR FAVORITE TECHNIQUE (it's a one to one swap). It can be multi-media but Polymer Clay should be the focus. You and your partner can decide and tell each other your journal size ...
There are still two days to sign up (until 10 September) and the deadline for sending the creation to your partner is 15 October. If you would like to participate - join the FB group, where you can find all the details.  

  V Facebook skupini Polymer Clay Swaps (ki jo administrira Tina Holden) smo ravnokar zaključili s prvo izmenjavo - Window Ornament Swap (izmenjava okenskih okraskov) - več najdeš tukaj, a smo že vse sodelujoče komaj čakale na naslednjo. Nova tema je NASLOVNICA DNEVNIKA V NAJLJUBŠI TEHNIKI, ki je lahko iz različnih materialov, le da je osnova polimerna glina. Velikost naslovnice določita partnerja v izmenjavi. Prijave so do 10. spetembra, zadnji datum pošiljanja izdelkov pa 15. oktober. Če bi želeli sodelovati, se pridružite FB skupini Polymer Clay Swap, kjer boste dobili vse podrobnejše informacije. 

Examples of journals and covers provided by Tina Holden.
 Primeri naslovnic in ovitkov, ki jih je posredovala Tina Holden.

  I just could not resist to the invitation of Jen Cameron on her Glass Addictions web site for the ART CHARM BLOG HOP, the theme is laughter. To participate in the charm swap, you must be willing to make enough charms for everyone in your group (including yourself) AND one extra so that a set of charms can be auctioned to benefit Beads of Courage. This means if your group has 10 people, you will make and send a total of 11 charms. One charm is a “donation” to be auctioned off to Beads of Courage. I liked the charitable part and I signed up. All the charms need to be in Jen's hands by October 15 - that means that I need to send them by the end of September as thay need to reach the other part of the ocean (US).

  Na spletni strani Jen Cameron Glass Addictions sem zasledila še en izziv, kateremu se tudi nisem mogla upreti. Naslov izziva je ART CHARM BLOG HOP, gre pa za izmenjavo malih umetniških obeskov (primernih za na zapestnico) na temo smeha. Sodelujoči bomo razdeljeni v skupine po 10 in vsak bo moral izdelati po en obesek za vsakega iz skupine ter enega dodatnega, ki bo namenjen dražbi v okviru projekta Beads of Courage, skupaj torej 11 obeskov. Obeski morajo preleteti ocean in prispeti k Jennifer v ZDA do 15. oktobra, kar pomeni, da jih moram poslati najkasneje do konca septembra.

  And I'm still not over :-$ ... I'm beginning to learn bead-weaving and Therese from Therese's Treasures with her friend Christine are hosting the A TIME TO STITCH 2 challenge. They offer two stitches to choose from: Right Angle Weave and St. Petersburg. You can choose to do one or both of the stitches. And it is open to first time bead weavers to the advanced bead weavers.  The object is to just have fun. There is no pressure to complete a project, just post what you have done at the time of the reveal. And you can find all the tutorials on her site.

  It's just perfect for me - no pressure to make something difficult or to finish the piece in time, just learning and having fun! Today is the last day for sign ups and October 25 is the reveal day.

  In še ni konec :-$ ... Ker sem se začela učiti šivanja perl, sem dobila odlično priložnost v okviru izziva, ki ga organizira Therese (Therese's Treasures) s prijateljico Christine. Gre za A TIME TO STITCH izziv, ki je primeren tako za začetnike kot za mnogo bolj vešče. Ponujena sta dva vzorca šivov, "Right Angel Weave" in "St. Petersburg" (v slovenščini še ne poznam ustrezne terminologije), med katerima lahko izbereš enega ali oba, na Theresini spletni strani so dostopni tudi tutoriali. Namen izziva je predvsem zabava, zato ni pomembno, da se izdelek dokonča, lahko se objavi tudi nedokončanega. Čas za prijavo je le še danes, razkritja na blogih pa bodo 25. oktobra.

 I have to admit I've already started with the Cubic Right Angle Weave and I think I have understood well the logics of the pattern, I can already stitch the beads with no need to look at the tutorial. However, it's quite tricky - you think you've mastered it, but you can quickly make a mistake if you loose the concentration ...

 

  Priznati moram, da sem se že lotila dela, in sicer sem začela s spoznavanjem vzorca Cubic Right Angle Weave. Zdi se mi, da sem razumela logiko šivanja in kar osvojila tehniko, vendar pa je pri šivanju perlic potrebna dobra koncentracija, saj se lahko mimogrede "zašiješ" ... 

  Am I exagerating with all this challenges? Well, maybe I am. Definitely I need to hold back for a while ... and don't sign up for another one until I'm done with at least two of these.

  Hm, mogoče kar malo pretiravam z vsemi temi izzivi ... časa za ustvarjanje namreč nimam veliko. Se bom morala kar precej zadrževati v prihodnje s prijavljanjem na nove, vsaj dokler ne dokončam dva od prijavljenih izzivov.


  Have fun and do what you love,
  Uživajte in vzemite si čas za tisto, kar radi počnete,
  Alenka

First time ...

  ... BEADWEAVING!!!

  During the 6th Bead Soup Blog Party I've seen the wonderful creations of my bead soup partner Amy and beautiful, sometimes even breathtaking pieces of other beadweavers, and I said to myself "I have to learn this!". And yesterday it was just the right day for a first attempt.

ŠIVANJE PERL - MOJ PRVI POSKUS!

 

  Med sodelovanjem v 6. Bead Soup Blog Party-ju, sem se srečala s čudovitimi kreacijami moje partnerice v izmenjavi Amy in krasnimi izdelki iz drobnih perlic ostalih sodelujočih - pri nekaterih sem ostala celo brez besed... Takrat sem si rekla, da to moram vsekakor poskusiti ... in včeraj je bil ravno pravi dan za to.

  Preamble:
In my stash I had only: white and baby-blue Rocailles (2,6 mm), no beading thread - just some dark blue sturdy sewing thread, 3 beading needles and some Beading Daily free tutorials. The Hexagonal Netting tutorial by Dustin Wedekind seemed quite acceptable for a begginer and I decided to try ...

  Opozoriti moram, da sem doma imela samo bele in svetlo modre 2,6 mm perle, iglo za šivanje perl, za nit pa sem vzela kar čvrsto nit za šivanje džinsa, ki je ne moreš pretrgati na roke. Naj omenim še, da je bila temno modre barve, torej ne ravno idealna za svetle perle. Imela pa sem tudi nekaj tutorialov od Beading Daily, med katerimi se mi je zdel Hexagonal Netting tutorial (avt. Dustin Wedekind) kar primeren za začetnika.

  The beginning was not so difficult and a self-confident thought passed through my mind: "oh, it's easy!" ... and just a few minutes later finishing the second (white) round I bumped into a mistake I made in the previous round (see arrow). Aaahhhhh!!! And my self-confidence faced a steep fall ... 

   Na začetku mi je šlo kar dobro in čim je moja samozavest zrasla, je prišel prvi šok - o sem zaključevala drugi krog (svetlo moder), sem naletela na napako v prejšnjem krogu ... Ajajajaj!!! In moja samozavest strmo dol ...

 Let's try again! I was working just fine, finishing the first round (first if not counting the circle in the middle) ... thinking "this time I am not going to make the same mistake" ... when another surpise was waiting for me just around the corner* - the thread stuck! Arrghhhh!!!  :-$

  * In this Hexagonal Netting pattern the "corner unit" is the increase unit of the round on each corner to keep the netting flat.

  No, pa poskusimo še enkrat - lepo počasi in natančno, da ne ponovim iste napake ... ko ravno zaključujem prvi krog (če ne štejemo osnovnega krogca na sredini), pa spet presenečenje!! Nič kaj prijetno, seveda: nit se je zataknila in ni šla ne naprej ne nazaj ... Grrrrr!

  "I'm not giving up!!! If I need a whole day to make it "perfect", I'll keep trying!"  The third attempt ... and  I reached first base! YAY!!!  :-D

  Seveda se ne bom pustila kar tako - če bo treba, bom poskušala ves dan!!! Na srečo tega ni bilo treba in je bil že tretji poskus uspešen! Juhuuuu!

#25/52 PAIR OF EARRINGS

  A piece of wire and here's my very first beadweaved earring. I made another one and this is also my 25 pair for the 52 earrings a year challenge.

  Dodala sem še malo žice in že je bil moj prvi uhan iz šivanih perl končan! Nato sem naredila še drugi del para in to je sedaj moj 25. par uhanov za izziv 52 earrings a year.

  There will be absolutely more beadweaving by me - I find it really relaxing (I know, it doesn't seem so when you read my previous words ;-)) ...  almost a kind of meditation. I just need to get some practice and some material for it. 

  To je torej šele začetek, vsekakor se bo moje prijateljevanje s šivanjem perl nadaljevalo - res je sproščujoče (čeprav iz zgornjega opisa ne izgleda ravno tako ;-)), celo neke vrste meditacija. Potrebujem samo nekaj prakse in pravega materiala.

  Hugs & love,

  Alenka