No. 6 - Who Wants Some Watermelon?

I can't believe summer will soon be over.  School starts back in two weeks!  And it's already been almost two months since I announced my bead challenge.  Where has the time gone? Summer has flown past me. Isn't it funny how some days drag on and you wish time would speed up? Like when you're stuck  in traffic or there's a long line at the store? Or when you have an upcoming vacation and you just can't wait to leave.  Then there are days that speed by.  Like when you finally go on that much anticipated vacation and it seems you just got there when you find yourself packing to go back home.

Well speaking of summertime and my bead challenge and home brings me to today's blog post.  The last bead challenge I got was from Kimberly at Madeforjake. She wanted to see what I could make with "watermelons" as my theme.  Now, I just love watermelon.  I mean, who doesn't?  Just the thought of a big sweet juicy slice of watermelon takes me back to my childhood.

I remember my Daddy bringing home a fresh from the field watermelon and leaving it setting on the porch until Sunday.  Then, before leaving for church, he would put it in the freezer to get it good and cold.  Later in the afternoon Mama would gather up some old newspapers, a knife and the salt shaker and we would all head outside to the back porch.  It was Daddy who would cut open the watermelon and hand us out each a big wedge.  Yum!  It's hard to say what's sweeter, the melon or those great memories:  the sticky juice dripping from my chin and running down my arms, spitting the seeds in the yard and when we were full, throwing the rinds out into the woods for the raccoons or possums to finish.  Good ol' country livin'. Memories that me and my sisters now share.

Now making watermelon beads is brand new to me but thankfully there are lots of tutorials on the web.  So I started out making a fairly simple round watermelon cane.  But then, I got stuck. Where do I go from here?  I sliced the cane and made a few flat beads but I wanted more.  I wanted something a little different. So, after thinking about it (more like putting it off) I finally came up with an idea. A way to turn these flat slices into a round (sort of) bead that I haven't seen before.  I am happy with the way they turned out.  So what do you think? Do these beads make your mouth water for that sweet summertime fruit?  They do for me.  And it just so happens I have some in the refrigerator.  So I think I will go have me a slice while I think back to those sweet, simple days when I was a child.

peacocks, polymer and a trip to the past

Has it really been over 2 weeks since my last post?  Wow, where does the time go?   And speaking of time, today I thought I would go back in time.  You see, I made a set of beads which reminds me of peacocks.  I am loving the colors; a blend of wasabi green, cyan, a beautiful purple and lapis blue.  Well, all this thought of peacocks took my mind back to some childhood memories. Or maybe it was those subconscious memories that sparked the beads. Hmmmm.... anyways here is a small look back.

When I was a little girl, we lived next to an old southern plantation called Dixie Plantation.  My grandfather, who took the job as caretaker of the plantation,  moved his family there in the 1940's and lived there until his retirement.  The gentleman who owned Dixie was named John Henry Dick.  He was an extraordinary artist who loved nature, especially birds.  In fact he had some exotic birds living on the plantation, including peacocks.  I was very young, but I remember walking down the dirt road behind my house with my Grandmother and other family members to see these beautiful birds.  Being a child, I didn't realize how lucky I was to have the privilege of being in the company of such an extraordinary, well respected man.  We could walk and explore the grounds any time; the old slave cabins and cemetery, or climb the majestic centuries old oaks, whose limbs swept the ground. What a beautiful place it was!

My Mom stills lives next to the plantation, but we don't have the privilege of going over any more.  In fact, the wooded forests and swamp lands look nothing like I remember. The land has been cleared and the old home where my father once lived has been torn down. I feel fortunate to have memories of this place that was once so grand and beautiful. If you are interested in reading more about John Henry Dick a small write up on him is here:  http://spinner.cofc.edu/~speccoll/jhdpage.html?referrer=webcluster&  He really was a fascinating man, published author, artist and world traveler. I feel honored to say that he was a part of my families life.  In fact, had my grandfather not gotten the job and moved his family there, my Dad would have never met my Mom!

Now back to my beads.  Here they are.  The beads I made that started this trip down memory lane.  I really like them. A lot!  Don't the colors remind you of peacocks too?  I'll be listing them for sale soon, so if you can envision something made with them come by and visit my shop.  I'm always open!