8/27/08

blog

lookie, lookie!!!

.... i redecorated (my blog!)
i've also been busy teaching myself to crochet.....(thanks Joanie)
and i love it!!!  what a great way to break your creative block...
when i make more than a "swatch" i'll post a picture...
     *look at all these picture promises.....
i'm such a stinker! (i need new batteries and patience....)
goodnight!!
 

8/22/08

sleepless in florida

Dear Internet,

three nights in a row and barely i sleep....(yawn) silly me when i lay my head down i shall never rise.... oh the things running thru my head... to many things to do..... my house is a mess, my head is a mess, my insanity has me in a funk.... i must get my affairs in order.. i hate chaos yet i feel completely surrounded by it arrrgh... 

i'm starting a new job soon..working at Sev's afterschool program... i'm trying to get involved more in his school life and what do you know, they are even going to give me money to do so *gasp* (perhaps now i can continue to afford the jewelry making, eating and rent habits i have developed) 

well i need to at least nap once again, i must rise in 3 hrs and 45 mins to get my munchkin off to school, i think i will spoil him with pancakes and then myself by playing my music loudly while trying  to resume some order in my life, maybe i will get the camera out and take some pictures and maybe just maybe i'll even upload them.... well one can perhaps hope....
wish me luck!!!
Anika

PS. connie and carla is on the tele, too bad i have to nap....i haven't seen this in a few (if you don't know... i love this movie)
:(

8/21/08

lost

sorry i've been a little distant......

my head has been stuck in a funk.....

6/19/08

Random

Hahahaha.....

I love Wiki!!!

Long Time No See!



I've been busy ... 

..Promise
more pictures tomorrow.....
maybe even a post with text...!!!

5/7/08

busy busy busy

such a crazy week.....

my friend case is staying with us....
he just had surgery on his leg....owie!
we've set up camp for him in the living room...
i've been playing nurse so i really haven't had any time for my craft.....
:(
last weekend i had my friend jimi over, we knew it would be hard to get together and craft with case here so we pulled an all nighter. jimi makes crazy beautiful stuff.....he's new to fusing so he came for a lesson....let me tell you....even new to it, his stuff came out amazing,i swear anything he tries he masters.....one weekend of playing with wire and his stuff looks like he's been doing it for YEARS!!!
it's been a long time since he was inspired,
i feel honored that i had a part in helping him rekindle his love affair with beads.....
speaking of beads.....
i have a few i need to be ordering.......
ok....i'm off for now!

5/2/08

SOLD!

such a busy past week.....

so much to update you on....and not nearly enough time to do it right now......
but i will tell you this......
almost all the pieces on here have been sold, so look forward to new things and new pics.....
and as always e-mail me if you are interested in any of the things i make ....
bittergreen (at) gmail (dot) com
ta for now
xo~
anika
;)



4/23/08

pretty isn't it?





look what i made.....it's my very first chain.....i made it from 16 gauge fine silver wire.....

i fused all the links with my new torch and shaped the links by hand.....
the center piece is also the clasp, there is a large yellow glass drop, the elephant and fish beads are czech pressed glass and the large blue stone is light aqua chalcedony its rough faceted.....one of my favorite stones
it's a very striking piece 
and i'm so proud..!!!
looks like the self teaching is working!!
xo~

parties and passion



i feel much better now....i've been sick ugh...


we had a surprise get together for my mom and my son sevrin the sunday before last....
my son's birthday is on the 5th and my mom's is on the 15th....
in my family there seems to always be two birthdays a month well the months of march april and may so we group them....
well anyways sarah brings some bug as a gift...
all us have passed it around....ick!!
"thanks sarah"
;)
i have tried to keep busy since last i posted.... making my jewelry
i'm self taught and its my passion....

to fill you in...
i have always loved handmade jewelry....when i was younger i lived in San Antonio Tx.
my grandparents lived in FL... i went to spend the summer between 4th and 5th grade with them. my grandfather got a job in Banner Elk, NC while i was there so i went with them when they moved..... what a neat experience.... i had never seen mountains....
that summer my grandmother took me to the coolest places including tons of craft fairs.
and thats what started my love affair...
i loved all the beautifully handcrafted jewelry.
the artists there did amazing things with the natural stones and silver.....
i was about 10 then
.... after that i was infatuated with silver and the artist that used it.... in TX all the woman wore tons silver and there were even more incredible artists....
when i was about 15 i began to make what i could.... the usual friendship bracelet ... remember those? fishing lures and seed beads....
then i moved to FL and met jimi, who became and is still my best friend
he introduced me to the joys of dmc embroidery floss and chinese knotting....
he made the best stuff...... and still is my biggest inspiration... he is my muse....( i don't think he knows this~ i guess he does now)
in high school i signed up for beginning jewelry making i was SOOOOO excited finally i was going to learn how to use that metal....
well my luck there weren't enough kids that signed up that year so they stuck me in sewing.......i at the time had no interest whatsoever in sewing ... i flunked that class.....
:(
and shortly after my first year in high school, the party started......those following years are pretty much a big blur....i had fun but accomplished nothing..... wasted youth (wow, i'm such a cliche..lol)
somehow in that blur i began playing with beads again.....
indian bead weaving....
oh the the joys of hanging with hippies....
:)
of course jimi ended up into the beads as well.
his work was amazing and so inspirational.....
(i think men make some of the best jewelry ....the fusion of the femininity and masculinity can be so very beautiful)...he taught me so very much.......peyote stitch was our passion!
i never thought we could do it and make money... way to many hours in the process.....
but fun anyways.....
then when i was about 24 i met another man who inspired me..... we'll call him daniel....
when we first started hanging out he showed me the joys of hemp.......he was amazing i still have some of his stuff..... i should take a pictures of it and show you ..... he was so talented....and we we both became obsessed with old african trade beads.....
then my life went on another roller coaster ride......
and now i'm where i am now.....
mother of a 9 year old and convinced that my passion should be my job....
so here i am passionately teaching my self one step at a time.....with my creativity pushing my abilities every day, i learn just a little more......
i have recently fallen in love with the beauty of gold.... old tribal gold.... soooo very lucious
my goals are to work with those old trade beads i fell in love with and gold wire.....
but my wallet says patience....
i sometimes think this should have happened so much earlier in my life due to it being a constant love... but all things i believe happen for a reason.....
and alas i am understanding the lesson i have always struggled with......
patience
xo~

4/16/08

sick

the past two days have been crazy and long.

i have had a bit of a stomach flu or something somewhat similar,
i have also had a swell headache to match....ick!!!!
yet i have pushed myself right along....
i swung by fdj twice this week, and still i need supplies....
i picked up some solder paste and some bur cups .....wrong size of course but i'll survive.
they kinda work.... now at least i know what size i do need.....
busy bee i will be......
i am making a bunch of new stuff this week i'll have more pictures up in a few days..... i promise.... 
keep your eyes peeled for my website that should be up and going soon.... bittergreendesigns.com
yay!!! (let me do my little happy dance for you)....*use your imagination*
;)
i also got some pretty groovy news last night as well....
i expand more on this later once i have some chit chat time with my girlie...
tons of detail sorting in this area.....
things seem to be really looking up....
ok ta for now.....
there is a ton a beads calling my name
xo~


4/15/08

ta da...


here she is .... my lap magnet....

isn't she just so cute....
true: i'm crazy.....
false: i regularly dress my dog (it's only necessity, she was cold)...
true: i made her pearls...
meet my lil devil
Talula
;)

4/12/08

demonoid

so i got good news today.....

demonoid is back...
woot woot!!!!
those of you who know... know how wonderful this is....
they've been gone for like 4 1/2 months....... i almost gave up
;)

summer or spring?



such a beautiful day outside......

summer is coming .....
we had a debate on the porch last night... the men swear it's already here....
i reminded them of how lovely it is in the shade it is after all only April.....
still without convincing them they banter.....
fools they forget how hot the shade can be in August......
;)


4/11/08

earrings...

here are a few pics of my earrings...
i hope you enjoy...
if you have any questions,
email me....
xo~










testing

here goes....

i can't lie this isn't my first blog....
it's been a while since last i posted...
and with so many things still unsaid....
i shall begin again.....

xo~