Brown Jewelry

Do-It-Yourself Decorating 

Another Bracelet

After the success of her blue heart jewelry set, my sister proceeded to make another set. This one had a brown and dark blue theme, a more imposing presentation from the pastel hearts of the other jewelry set. It was also less complicated. The bracelet was simply two different strands hooked together at the fastener, rather than interweaving strands. Compare it yourself to the blue heart bracelet here. This is not to imply that it was any less difficult though. Stringing all those tiny seed beads is a tedious job which I do not envy in the least. The necklace below was made in a similar fashion to the blue heart necklace, with strings of graduated length so they would all lie evenly spaced together when worn. Check out the even tinier seed beads at the very back of the necklace. You wouldn't catch me stringing all of those little beads willingly!

. . . And Necklace

 

Blue Set

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Complete Blue Heart Set

When completed, the blue bracelet and necklace made a beautiful set. My sister had done a lovely job! The blue hearts artfully placed in both the bracelet and necklace tied them together, while the blue oval shapes also repeated. The shared off-whites, pinks, and reds further harmonize the two pieces. In this picture you can also see better the many smaller seed beads that separate the large beads. Stringing these tiny filler beads was definitely a tedious job. But the effect is very striking.

Blue Jewelry

Do-It-Yourself Decorating

Blue Heart Bracelet

I have showcased plenty of my own beaded jewelry on my blog so far. However, I am now going to treat you with some examples of real handmade jewelry. My sister is a natural when it comes to beading, and has made some amazing pieces. Take a close look above at one of the first bracelets she made, and you will see how really complex it is. There are actually two strands of beads running around the entire bracelet, parting and joining wherever you see them cross over each other. This was not an easy piece of work, to say the least, and I know since I watched the whole process.
My sister made the necklace below to complete a set with the bracelet. You might notice similar beads in both. The delicate task of this particular beadwork was not interweaving bead strands however; it was creating separate ones. Each of the three strands of beads in the necklace had to be made respectively shorter in order to lie flat at the same time without unsightly overlap. This was not easy either, but you can see that they are all arranged equally with near perfect spacing. Joining all three strands at the top clasp was another operation unto itself, and even I cannot tell you how she managed to knot all the strands together in one fastener. I must say both came out beautifully, regardless of any personal bias!

Blue Heart Necklace

Lake View

Ohio History

Sun on Caesar Creek

It was almost mesmerizing to watch the cloud reflections sail across the sky blue water. The wind picked up and rippled across the reflections, blending the distant trees into the sky. My only wish was for a boat to sail across Caesar Creek Lake to the far shore. A sunny sky makes such a difference in the appearance of a lake. I have seen lakes too many times under gray, rainy skies, and a bit of sunshine and blue sky simply transforms a lakeside view.

Caesar Creek Geese

Ohio History

Lunch by the Lake

Caesar Creek State Park was a beautiful place to spend the afternoon. Besides boating and fishing, the park offers trails for hiking, biking, and fishing. There is also a nature center near by. But our main interest was the picnic facilities, where we enjoyed a good lunch - with a few bees for company. We also enjoyed watching the geese while we ate.

Lakeside Geese

There was an interesting stretch of muddy bare ground along the waterline, between the grass and the lake. The dirt area extended almost up to the picnic pavilions. Our best explanation was that the lake had flooded all the way up there in the spring. I believe it is created by a dam, and would thus be used as an overflow basin when there was too much rainfall. Otherwise, the park was having some major grass-growing issues. The geese did enjoy rooting around in the mud for bugs and worms, as well as slurping around in the lingering puddles there.

Caesar Creek Lake

Ohio History

A Lake with History

A stop by a sunny lake ended our adventure in southwestern Ohio for the day. Caesar Creek Lake lies within the 4,700-acre Caesar Creek State Park near Wilmington, Ohio. The lake is fed by Caesar Creek, which was named for a African American slave who was captured by the Shawnee on a raid along the Ohio River. The Shawnee adopted him and gave him the Caesar Creek valley as his hunting ground; Caesar was said to have gone on many raids with Chief Blue Jacket. Apparently, even a lake can have Indian history; Fort Ancient was not unique in that respect. An ancient Indian trail runs along the Caesar Creek valley; interestingly enough, it was used by many runaway slaves as part of the Underground Railroad.