October 11, 2013

Fall Season in Western Massachusetts, Lake version

I've been able to get outside alot this Fall season, for road-trips around New England, being a tourist in my own neighborhood. Yes, I'm one of those Leaf-Peepers ambling all over the road cause I'm busy looking at the pretty views. Many folks pay alot of money to be in New England, on vacation, this time of year. We are very spoiled, as our commutes to work take us by some of the area's most beautiful sites. The foliage colors haven't quite peaked here at home, but I wanted to share some of the lovely places I've been lately. Today, it's all about lake views...

Warren Lake, East Alstead, NH

 Lake Mascomet, Enfield, NH
A fine spot for our picnic at Lake Sunapee beach, NH




 I found my own road. somewhere along the MA-NH border.

April 22, 2013

Beading Central

 Now that spring is here, I'm taking another look at my beading supplies with a fresh eye.I'd like to have some new items for the craft show season.   I decided to dress up my glass tile pendants with some charms and sparkly beads. It really makes the collaged tile colors "Pop"! This has been a good exercise in color theory & aesthetics. One of my goals is to find a use for my "orphan" beads. You know the ones: there aren't enough of any one kind of bead to make a necklace, but that single bead might work well as a focal with dangly bits on another piece. I'm using pearls, handmade focal beads, vintage beads, Swarovski & other crystal, with pewter & copper charms. The wire is various colors, too.  Right now, I'm wiring up a dozen pendants, with more to follow.  So far, I like the results! I took a few quick photos so you can get the idea.

 I actually had this idea in my head for awhile now, but like everything else in my head, it's taken some time to manifest it into reality. The feedback I've received on the new designs has been encouraging.   With the Spring sunshine, I've moved my beads out of the Studio.  The two skylights in the living room make for perfect light while color-matching beads to the collaged pendants.  Oh, and I have a new mascot for the Studio. We rescued Mos (pronounced Moss) last June. She's pretty laid back, and as long as she gets her treats every so many hours, she leaves the bead board alone. 

 Bead Central




Mos manages the Media. I like to watch movies while I work...












Glass tile pendant with enameled & vintage beads...
 And finally, Mos offers her opinion on my work...

March 20, 2013

It's Spring! Really!

Spring Blessings on the Vernal Equinox!

We may have had 8" of snow fall yesterday and it's 28 degrees, but it's Spring on the calendar!





May 8, 2012

A Sunny Spring Afternoon Birding at Home


Spent yesterday afternoon doing some raking & pruning, before the rainy days started here.  Finally got the forsythia contained back into it's bed, and removed a couple dozen small Black Birch trees that were trying to colonize the hill up back.  Tim had said he saw a Hummingbird, so I put the feeder out.

Baltimore Oriole (top) & Male  Rosy-breasted Grosbeak
After that, I decided to take my camera and rest on the front deck.  Yes, indeed, there was a Hummingbird zooming around!  There was also a pair of Rosy-breasted Grosbeaks, a Baltimore Oriole, a pair of Cardinals, Blue Jays, Catbirds, and Goldfinches.  Oh, and the Lilac is blooming, along with the last of the Daffodils.  Such color!   I couldn't get the birds into one photo, and still be able to see them all clearly, but I got a couple of shots so you could enjoy them.  Just a nice afternoon at the Studio!

Mr. & Mrs. Grosbeak 

White Throated Sparrow





Fun at the Fair

Had a nice day Saturday at the Arts in Bloom Spring Festival!  The rainy weather finally cleared off, and we had lots of sun.  It was nice to have friends & family stop by my booth. I even sold some items, which considering the low turnout (probably weather-related), was encouraging.  Thanks, everyone!
To see more photos from the day, check out my Facebook page...


May 4, 2012

Arts in Bloom Spring Festival!

 


 Come join me for fun, food, & crafts on Saturday (tomorrow), May 5th, 12-5 at Butterfield Park in Orange, MA.

 
 I’ll be set up at the Tracy Ellen Studio booth, featuring glass tile pendants, magnets, and resin jewelry. All very affordable, and perfect for the women on your Mother’s Day, birthday, or Just Because... list!


 
Here's a link to the Festival page on the Art for Life blog. This has the timetable for the performances, as well as the info for the rest of the afternoon.
There's even going to be a Maypole! You know I love that! 

I hope to see you at the Festival!
Large Glass Tile Magnet


Eiffel Tower Pendant

Glass Tile Magnets



April 28, 2012




It's a new day, a new blog, and a new beginning for me! My name is Tracy.  Some of you know me from home, school, or thru Etsy. Some of us are just starting to get to know one another. No matter which you are, I hope that we will be able to get even better acquainted!   Some of the things you'll find on this blog are notes about what projects I'm working on, including in-progress photos & new items in my Etsy shop (opening soon), as well as notes and photos from my daily travels. I'm also a decent cook, so I might occasionally post recipes, with photos, if they turn out well. To be honest, I'm not sure what else will show up here?! What would you like to see or learn about? To learn a little bit more about me, check out my "About Me" page.
Snowball helping me collage glass tile pendants

I live on a few wooded acres in a small town, in rural west-central Massachusetts. We're pretty far north, almost in New Hampshire. Because of the rural nature of my neighborhood, I'm always seeing interesting birds and wildlife.  I try to document the seasons thru my photography, and you'll find some of those attempts on this blog. My photography skills are still pretty raw, but I'm working on it. 

Resin pendants just out of the molds
I've been holding off posting here because I wasn't sure how to set the "right' tone for this new space. It seems kind of silly now, but I worried about what to say, and how often to say it, or if anyone is interested in what I have to say.  If you have a blog, you probably can relate.  I finally decided that I wanted to enjoy this blog, so I'll post the things that interest me, and hope that you'll enjoy that, too.  My goal is to get a Smart phone so that posting with photos will be easier and more automatic.  Until that happens, I'm working thru my computer and downloading photos off my camera, then up onto the blog.

I welcome comments, here and on my FB page. If you have a shop on Etsy, add me to your circle, and I'll check out your shop.  I'll be ramping up my presence on Etsy again over the next couple of months.  We can trade blog badges, too.

Mindy-Wigglebutt,  the neighbor's dog who practically lives at our house.
Take care, and I'll be in touch again very soon...right here!