Silver Heart Bracelet

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Red, Red-Orange, Orange

Last but not least, here is a very unique statement. In fact, it combines beads from at least two other bracelets I've featured (did you spot the blue hearts and the red teardrops?). Those maroon ones almost look like jelly beans! They have an interesting competition with the smaller 'focal point' orange bead. The red teardrops? . . . No comment. Somehow the bracelet does hold its conflicting parts together though. The silver heart shape is repeated by the blue hearts, which in turn are repeated by the blue round beads, which lead your eye back to the focal point. As you can tell, I did not personally string this bracelet, but it is evident there are no boundaries to what you can try with beaded jewelry!

Green Bracelets

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Pink and Green

Speaking of color schemes, here are two different bracelets made from the same colors. My sister likes this shade of spring green and had a lot of green beads on hand. She chose red and light pink to compliment the green and took off from there.

The left-hand bracelet began with green hearts separated by small pink beads. The three red-flowered beads are really unusual - each one is like a red cylinder bead overlaid with flat pink flowers and covered in a clear round ball. They picked up the pink as well as the flat red beads she used. The silver heart-shaped clasp my sister found adds a personal touch.

The right-hand bracelet, on the other hand, takes a whole different tack. It uses a cylindrical green bead covered in flowers for the focal point. Light pink and coral beads intersperse with the spring green spheres. The red teardrops bring almost an iridescent glow in contrast to the little brown beads at their bases. Contrast is the word for this bracelet - red and green, diamonds and circles, flat and round. I'd call it heavier and sharper compared to other flowery bracelet. Which one do you like better?

Purple & Pink

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Formal Bracelets

I like to wear these two dainty bracelets with dress clothes. For the top bracelet, I chose coral pink diamonds and round white beads. The purple circle beads created an interesting color combination. I used a matching white rectangular bead as the focal point. You have a choice when making a bracelet: you can either create an even pattern of beads, or you can build up the beads symmetrically to a central focal point bead. I decided on a focal point for both of these bracelets. 

A large, glitzy plum-colored bead created the focus for the purple bracelet. It's always good to have a color scheme in mind so you don't end up with a dozen different colors. I thought purple and green would be good for this bracelet. I found purple diamonds to match the central bead, separated by little blue diamonds. The mint beads are very unique, with their swirled, convex pattern. Finally, the rectangular, chisel-edged clear beads add an ornate touch.

Blue Flower Bracelet

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Blue and Orange

This bracelet has a much different feel than the last one. Large blue beads covered with opaque blue flowers are the focal points. Matching blue oval beads repeat the color, while rusty red seed beads create an interesting contrast. If you look closely, there are also some rust-colored spacers in between the other beads. I'm pretty sure my sister put this bracelet together, and you can see her tastes are a bit different from mine!

Heart Bracelet

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Bracelet #1

Now let's get back to making jewelry! I think I've covered all the steps for making your own beaded jewelry, so now I'll show you a few hand-made bracelets. The one above is my favorite from all the bracelets I've made. I started with the translucent blue heart beads, and added matching blue ovals. I thought it needed some brighter color accents and the coral pink seemed just the right fit. The interesting shapes of the opaque white beads made a nice filler. I used the clear diamonds to accent the center pink bead. I almost wish now I had used the diamond beads for all the filler beads - it would have been a lighter and more delicate look.

Italian Salad

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Green Salad

Here is a fresh green salad to brighten up your day. When this cold winter weather keeps you shut indoors, fresh vegetables are especially important to replace nutrients that come from sunshine.

Feel free to substitute your favorite veggies with any of my ingredients. I exchanged tomatoes and pimientos for the mushrooms and peppers in the original recipe, and added cheese and raisins for variety. I like the mixture of sweet and sour flavors in this Italian-style salad. It's really easy to throw together. Here's how:

Combine in a large salad bowl:

1 head green or Romaine lettuce, soaked in ice water and cut in bite-size pieces

1/2 c. frozen green beans, blanched for 3 minutes

1 small head broccoli florets, torn in bite-size pieces and blanched for 1 minute

1/2 c. cheddar or Colby cheese, cut in 1" squares, 1/4" thick

1 - 2 Roma tomatoes, cut in julienne strips

1/4 c. raisins                               1 T. diced pimientos

For the salad dressing, combine in a jar and shake well:

1/4 c. olive oil                1/4 c. canola oil

2 t. mustard                          2 t. honey

1t. basil                          1/2 t. oregano

1 t. red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Pour over salad and refrigerate for a half hour or so to allow flavors to develop. Serve in salad bowls and garnish with fresh basil or parsley, if desired. The salad is a great compliment for a steaming bowl of soup, perfect for a cold winter day!

Daffy Duck

Backyard Poultry

Duck Trio

Daffy grew up so quickly. The Pekin liked to herd the two Khakis around, alternately looking after them and bossing them around. It was a funny sight to see Daffy waddling around the yard. As it was growing up, one of Daffy's wings became lopsided. We were afraid it would not correct itself. But we learned from experience that Daffy liked our small patch of comfrey in the herb bed. (It could devour the whole bed if left unattended.) We fed it several leaves almost every day and by the time Daffy was full-grown, its wing looked perfectly normal.

Daffy

Daffy was a beautiful duck. Its full array of feathers were such a pure white. Each one lay in place despite Daffy's constant waddling. However, the duck loved to use its big bill for digging mud holes in the yard. Of course all the mud did not stay in the hole, and Daffy's perfect color was soon messed up with brown spots. At this point, Daffy would stand in the yard and quack for somebody to fill the pool with fresh water so it could take a bath. A half hour and much splashing later, Daffy would emerge with feathers almost as white as before. After preening its feathers to a shine, the duck would go looking for more mud holes to dig.

On the Nest

Daffy took egg-laying very seriously. It insisted on having a giant pile of fresh straw before settling down to business. The duck created an amazing nest with its webbed feet - even a chicken would be impressed. It was always exciting to find a large white egg in the middle of the straw!

We really miss our trio of ducks. Nothing can replace the unique combination that adorned our yard for the last two years. Piney, Cocoa, and Daffy brought so much happiness and excitement as they grew from furry balls to beautiful ducks. It seemed they had a new adventure or discovery every day. My sister wants to give a special thanks to our brother for his dedication and help with caring for our ducks. This project was my brother's and sister's and they proved to be excellent duck keepers.

Cocoa & Piney

Backyard Poultry

Khaki Campbells

Cocoa and Piney, the two smaller ducks, were now full grown at 4 pounds each. They were noticeably more active and faster than Daffy because of their long legs and slim bodies. Being a Pekin meat duck, Daffy was, well, chubby. The Khakis would quickly move off into the yard, as Daffy stood quacking "wait for me!" Of course, they paid no attention. When they were finally reunited, Daffy would scold them good-naturedly with a good deal more quacking.

Grazing

The Khaki Campbells were like twins and always stuck together, both chasing the same bugs and grazing the same spot of grass. They loved to roam the yard with their heads down and necks outstretched. It was so funny to watch one running in a zigzag pattern after a bug or moth! The ducks had become more shy now, running and flapping when we tried to catch them. Piney was the friendliest one of the Khakis, and did seem to enjoy having its soft down feathers stroked.

Pool

The one place Daffy had an advantage was in the pond. Having almost outgrown the little kiddie pool, Daffy allowed one duck at most in with it at a time. Piney, being the most gentle and smallest of the trio, was usually the one to be expelled from the pool. It stood patiently watching Cocoa swim with Daffy, and jumped in as soon the Pekin climbed out.