I Have This Bad Habit

Procrastination.  That's standard for me.  But that's compounded by my waxing and waning excitement about things too.

If you've been reading along, you know we have bees.  I may have mentioned sometime since last summer when we first decided to get bees that we really intended to get two colonies, in two hives.  In preparation, I finished painting and sealing the Winnie the Pooh hive and started the sea life (fish) hive.

And then I stalled.  We weren't getting bees last summer, as we'd hoped, since it was too late in the season and we couldn't risk them being unable to overwinter.  I was still excited at the prospect of bees, but it was happening somewhere in the distant future.

Then, spring started approaching... but we found out we were going to end up with one nuc, for one hive.  So I still didn't finish the fish hive.  Pooh was already done and we wouldn't need the fish hive this season.

[For those who may not know, a "nuc" is a nucleus hive; approximately 5 frames of drawn honeycomb filled with honey and various stages of brood (eggs, larvae, pupae), plus full of worker bees, a few drones, and one mated queen.  The benefit to having more than one hive is the ability to mix and match frames.  So for instance, recently when we found ourselves queenless, had we a second hive, we could have pulled frames of brood from the fish hive to install in the Pooh hive, and we wouldn't have the issue we're experiencing now, which is a decrease in population while the new queen's eggs become larvae and pupae before becoming worker bees.]

So the fish hive stagnated.

And stagnated.

And then at the May beekeepers' meeting, there was this guy.  He announced that he was splitting several of his hives into nucs.  I raced over to him after the meeting, found out the price, and gave him my card.

And then didn't hear from him.

So the fish hive continued to stagnate.

Until this past weekend, when he called and said the nucs would be ready at the end of this week!  Holy crow, I only had 5/8 of one deep painted and ready!  So last night, at my first opportunity, I had to finish the one hive box so we could seal it tonight and have it ready for the weekend.  With a nuc, we're only installing 5 frames in a 10-frame box, so we don't need a second box right away.  Of course, I'm going to get going on the second box now, because the breed we're getting are Buckfast bees and they're notorious for multiplying quickly.  That's a terrific thing for hive strength, especially this late in the season, but it also means they should need a second deep pretty soon.

Second deep later, though.  First, the first deep of the fish hive...

As you can see, I've been having fun.  We've got, so far, a cleaner shrimp and an oyster with a pearl, a hammerhead shark and some seahorses, a clownfish in an anemone and a hippo tang, and then a couple of jellyfish with a moorish idol.

Our girls will be living in style!

Artist Spotlight: Part One Hundred and Two & One Hundred and Three

First, someone you've met before, Kimberly of Makin' the Best of It.

You know I love her sea glass jewelry.

 

And her hand  painted glassware.

And her altered book art.  These are all available in her Handmade Artists Shop.

But have I mentioned what she does with wedding invitations?

It's gorgeous!  She'll take your invitation, mat it, and paint flowers to go with it.  You can even tell her what your wedding flowers were so she can paint to order.

And apropos of the day, she also makes pretty ornaments, like this sea glass angel.

On top of her many talents, she runs It's Better Handmade, a terrific forum for all handmade artists of any sort.  You don't need to have a shop at HandMadeArtists.com either.  The idea is to promote all handmade, so no matter where you've got a shop or if you haven't one at all, use It's Better Handmade to show off!

Next up, April of Brooklyn Bead Goddess!

April's got a Handmade Artists shop and an Etsy shop, in which you can find all sorts of amazing lampwork jewelry.

She makes each gorgeous bead herself, and if you're a jewelry artist you'll be happy to know that she also sells separate beads for you to use in your own creations.

Not so into jewelry?  That's OK, April also uses her amazing talents for magnets, keychains and purse charms, swizzle sticks, and my favorite - bottle stoppers.

Want to know more about her?  Check the blog!

Artist Spotlight: Part Eighty-One

You've met this artist, Nancy Pace, here before.  But she's been up to a lot!  There's the gorgeous jewelry, of course.

She even does custom pieces for her customers, so if you don't see something that exactly suits you in her shop, be sure to contact her and see what she can do for you!

Now she's also listed her artwork too!  There are some really fun and decorative pieces painted onto repurposed denim.

And then there's her fine art, available as original paintings or prints.

Check her out and make sure to follow her blogs, one here, and one here.

Highlighting Other Artists

The Handmade Artists Forum has a series of ongoing contests, "hosted" by various members, a different one each week.  The challenge is to create a Highlight according to a given theme, and then get the most comments on that Highlight.

I hosted one where the theme was "cliche sayings," and the winner got 2 bars of Reef Botanicals soap & a lip balm.

The one running now is "If you could be anything, what would it be?"  So... watching our 3 cats living a life of luxury, with down comforters to squish, beds to nap on, food to eat, warmth to gather, fish to watch, and humans to be petted by, I figure if I could be anything other than human, I'd want to be one of our cats.

I therefore present to you, "Oh, to be a cat!"

Now, of course I'd love it if you went to the Highlight to comment on it and help me win, but I'd also love it if you went just to get a closer look at the items I featured and check out the other wares by their creators!

Artist Spotlight: Part Eighty

You've met her here before, Debbi of Yankee Burrow Creations!

It's wedding season now, as I was reminded when I had to go to two different craft stores for plain ivory ribbon, so I'll show you some of her wedding-appropriate items.

First, there's this invitation frame.

What an awesome and beautifully quilled way to turn your wedding invitation into a keepsake!

Then there's this great crocheted ring bearer pillow.

The classic white would go with any wedding color theme.

Last, but not least, I think this silhouette would be a gorgeous and unusual gift for a couple just starting in a new home.

Artist Spotlight: Part Sixty-Seven

This time it's not so much about a handmade artist as a collection of 'em... at the Handmade Artists Forum.

At HAF, should you decide to stop by, you'll meet a plethora of artists who use as their media wood, metal, stones, fibers, paint, glass, soap and salts, wax, clay, and anything else you can imagine.  Just look at some of the items shared...

The supportive group offers accolades, instruction, suggestions, business sense, feedback, and friendship.  What could be better?

And not required for membership but also available... the Handmade Artists' Shop.

Do yourself a favor.  Check it out.