Free Jewelry Making Project from Bead Chic Week #1

Click on image to view close up. Copyright Margot Potter for North Light Books ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Leave a comment and I'll select TWO people to get signed copies of the book on next Thursday.

This is the first of four free projects I'll be sharing from my new book Bead Chic. For photo step by steps, you'll need to get a copy of the book. It's a really great book, trust me. There are 15 gorgeous variation projects from 13 well known designers in the craft and jewelry making industry and a lot of variety in terms of style and techniques. I give you a bit of everything, including stringing, exposed wire weaving, wire wrapping, metal stamping and hammering, making your own findings...but the focus of the book is on design. You'll explore how you take a design that inspires your creativity and make it your own through small changes in color, scale, pattern, texture, focal elements and foundations.

This is the project we did at my Beadalon make it and take its at CHA and it's very easy and satisfying. I don't know why, but to me, taking some wire and bending, coiling and hammering it into a pair of earrings never fails to blow my mind. It's just a copper wire, until you forge it into something fabulous. Like every project in the book, this is all about making it your own, so think about what you might change to make this project suit your design style.

Bead Chic
Curlicue Earrings
Chapter Three-Texture
Copyright Margot Potter

When coiling wire around a jump ring maker tool I pulled the coil off and gently tugged it apart and got these great little curlicues! They add just the right touch of whimsy to simple hammered copper earrings. You can take this idea so many places...so what are you waiting for?!

Materials
20 gauge copper Artistic Wire

Tools
Jump ring maker tool with ¼” dowel
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Chasing hammer
Mini anvil or steel bench block
Bench block pad

(Tools and materials courtesy Beadalon)

1. Cut off a 3” segment of wire. Round over a large dowel or use fingers to create a hoop shape.

2. Create a small loop at one end of the wire.

3. Bend the other end up at a 90 degree angle.

4. Use rounded end of hammer on a mini anvil to add texture to both sides of your ear wires.

5. Adjust shape after hammering.

6. Wrap wire around a jump ring maker with a ¼” dowel.

7. Remove coil and gently pull apart.

8. Move down every four coils and cut off coiled segments.

9. Use round nose pliers to make a small loop in one end and a larger loop in the opposite end. Make fourteen coils.

10. Thread larger end of 7 looped wires on earring. (Be sure coils are all facing the same direction.) Repeat for second earring.

Truth about Israel and Palestine, The Wall, Sewage Dumping, Farming, Settlement Building, Human Rights, and War

Israel’s Wall: The Facts

Palestine Monitor Fact Sheet - Updated: 8 January 2009
Source from: Palestine Monitor

• Currently, approximately 60% of the planned route has been constructed. Construction is ongoing in the districts of Qalqilya, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron. The Jordan Valley is almost completely isolated fron the rest of the West Bank.
• The Wall’s total length will be some 760 Km, which is twice the length of the 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line) between the West Bank and Israel.
• When completed, the Wall will de facto annex some 46% of the West Bank. .
• Approximately 385,000 settlers in 80 settlements are located between the Wall and the Green Line.(98% of the settler population will be included in the facto annexed areas).
• Approximately 35,000 West Bank Palestinians will be located between the Wall and the Green Line (an area known as ‘no man’s land’). They require permits to live in their homes and can only leave their communities via a gate in the Wall. This is in addition to the majority of the 250,000 East Jerusalem residents.
• 78 Palestinian villages and communities with a total population of 266.442 will be isolated as follows: Villages surrounded by the Wall, settlements and settler roads - 257.265 Palestinians Villages isolated between the Wall and the Green Line - 8557 Palestinians Villages isolated and residents threatened with expulsion - 6314 Palestinians
• The cost of the Wall to the Israeli government is now estimated at $ 2.1 billion. In addition, the Occupation has spent NIS 2 billion to construct alternative roads and tunnels.

34 fortified checkpoints, 3 main terminals, 9 commercial terminals and 22 terminals for cars and workers, control Palestinian right of movement.

Israel’s Wall

The construction of Israel’s Separation Wall began on the 16th of June, 2002 and consists of a series of 25-foot-high (8 - meter-high) concrete slabs, trenches, barbed wire “buffer zones”, electrified fencing, numerous watch towers, thermal imaging video cameras, sniper towers and roads for patrol vehicles.

Israel originally claimed that the Wall was being built to protect Israel proper from attacks emanating from either the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, and that it was not meant to be a unilateral declaration of their borders. It quickly became apparent that neither of these claims were wholly true.

Israel’s own security apparatus, as well as a number of independent military analysts have consistently concluded that the Wall does little or nothing to protect Israelis from Palestinians, and that in fact, any reduction in violence coinciding with the construction of the Wall is due to political conciliation rather than the Wall itself.

Rather than serving any real security needs, it is now clear that the Wall constitutes a further effort by Israel to annex Palestinian land and resources, and enclose the major settlement blocks. Only 16% of the Wall has been constructed on the 1967 ‘Green Line’, while the rest snakes in and around major settlements. Despite rulings by both International Court of Justice and Israel’s own Supreme Court, the trajectory of the Wall has not changed. Instead, much like the settlements that it captures, the Wall constitutes a ‘fact on the ground’, or de-facto border, from which Israeli negotiators will begin to bargain.

Many experts and observers have focused on what the Wall ‘is not’ or ‘does not do’ - namely provide security for Israelis living within and beyond the 1967 Green Line - while few look at what it truly ‘is’ and what it ‘does do’ to Palestinians and the prospects of a future state. The Wall in the West Bank, captures not only land and resources, it sometimes envelopes entire Palestinian cities. When combined with the buffer zones and service roads, the Wall destroys the contiguity of the West Bank and further slices any future state into a collection of isolated cantons.

The Wall under International Law
In its advisory opinion on 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice stated that Israel is in breach of international law as the “construction of the wall and its associated regime cre-ate a “fait accompli” on the ground that could well become permanent” that there is a “risk of situation tantamount to de facto annexation”. Furthermore, “the construction of the wall severely impedes the exercise by the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination and is therefore a breach of Israel’s obligation to respect that right.” The Court also ruled that “the infringements resulting from that route (of the wall) cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the require-ments of security or public order".

Israel was further obliged “to cease forthwith the works of construction of the wall, to dismantle it” and to “make reparation for the damage caused” to all those affected by the construction of the Wall, and “to return the land, orchards, olive groves and other immovable property seized”.



Unreported World:
Aired on November 27, 2009 on C4
Unreported World travels to Israel to reveal how the rapid growth of Jewish "fundamentalists" is creating tension within Israeli society and endangering any negotiations on a peace deal with the Palestinians. Reporter Evan Williams and director Alex Nott visit the Mea Sharim district of Jerusalem, the heartland of ultra-Orthodox Jews known as the Haredi, or "those who fear God".

Jewish and the Haredi Battle in Israel 1 of 3


Jewish and the Haredi Battle in Israel 2 of 3


Jewish and the Haredi Battle in Israel 3 of 3



Changing perspectives on Israel (30th Nov, 2009)
The founding of the state of Israel was based on firmly-held views of Jewish history but new research questions some of its most fundamental principles. Do new perspectives on Israel's past require a new vision of its future? Report consist of 2 Parts

Part 1 of 2


Part 2 of 2

AlJazeeraEnglish (February 16, 2010)
Israel is continuing to build illegal settlements on Palestinian land, despite a 10-month suspension of new construction announced by the government. Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental organisation, says work is taking place at more than 30 settlements in the occupied West Bank. Nour Odeh reports from Beit Sahour.

Israeli Settlement Building Continues

RussiaToday (July 06, 2010)

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, suffering on the global front after a string of setbacks, is meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington to discuss a range of thorny issues. Norman Finkelstein, author of "A Farewell to Israel: The coming break-up of American Zionism", shares his view on US-Israeli 'unbreakable' bond.

Norman Finkelstein on Netanyahu visit to US


AlJazeeraEnglish (July 17, 2010)
Israeli settlements have been dumping untreated waste directly into a sewage canal that runs through the occupied West Bank, affecting Palestinian villages along its banks. The hazard posed is compounded by the dumping of toxic chemical waste on agricultural land, with villagers reporting a rash of skin diseases and respiratory problems. The Israeli government has banned plans by the Palestinian Authority to build pipes and pumps to treat and divert wastewater away from the affected villages. Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports.

Israeli sewage-dumping affects Palestinian villages


AlJazeeraEnglish (13 July 2010)
As a Libyan backed aid ship sails for the Gaza Strip, another group of international activists has been defying the blockade, but this time on the land. Foreigners acting as human shields have been helping farmers in Gaza harvest their crops. About 30 per cent of Gaza's arable land is on the border with Israel and the area has been declared a buffer zone by the Israeli army. Palestinian farmers risk being shot with live fire for working their fields. Nicole Johnston reports from Bani Salah.

Gaza farmers risk being shot



Russia Today: Finkelstein on Gaza Flotilla Attack (2010)
RussiaToday — Follow latest updates at http://twitter.com/RT_com and at http://www.facebook.com/pages/RT/3266... Political scientist Norman Finkelstein has spoken to RT to give his assessment of Israel's raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Israel - Lunatic State


Russia Today:
Humanitarian Aid Flotilla, Free Palestinians
The world has strongly condemned Israel for storming a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. At least 9 pro-Palestinian activists were killed and dozens injured when Israeli troops stormed the vessels. Paula Slier is in the Israeli port city of Ashdod, where the ships have arrived. She's been assessing the growing chorus of condemnation.

Oppression, Scam, Cage, Blockage, where is the Humanity?

Russian Today CrossTalk on Aid Raid:
On this edition of Peter Lavelle's CrossTalk he asks his guests why humanitarian aid for Gaza ended in an Israeli war crime.

Israel Seizes 'Freedom

USA Israel Eagle has landed

'Price to pay' for opposing Israel
AlJazeeraEnglish — June 03, 2010 — Though international criticism has been mounting against Israel's raid on civilian aid ships bound for Gaza, reaction from the United States has been cautious. Glenn Greenwald, a former constitutional lawyer and civil rights litigator, said this muted response is due to the "huge political price" US politicians must pay for being seen as adversarial to Israel. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Greenwald, a contributing editor for Salon.com, said what is clear is that the Obama administration has given its full support to the Israeli government once again.

The support of US for years till now Obama and Israel




Gaza: The Killing Zone (May 2003)
life in Gaza is a constant gauntlet of Israeli sniper fire, military rockets and army bulldozers. No one is safe. In light of the escalating tensions, we're bringing back one our most moving documentaries, a hard-hitting expose of life in the Occupied territories. We speak to the children caught in the crossfire and find out the true cost of Israel's targeted assassinations policy.

It's The Real Thing...

The last few days, it has been SO
hot here in Phoenix. I have found

myself going back to a happy memory
in my life as a child. Grandpa Rogers

owned a Texaco gas station, and every

week Moma would go over and gas up the

car. (This was a time when they actuallly

serviced you car with a gas fill up. They

washed the windshield and they even

checked your oil for you. Imagine that?)


 Us 4 kids all piled in the backseat

and off we would go for gas. Now the

best thing about Grandpa owning a gas

station for us kids was this:

I am old enough to remember a kind of soda

machine that was in the shape of a tall cooler.

 Lifting the lid revealed glass soda bottles

 submerged in chilled water, their necks protruding

 from horizontal slots in a metal plate.



Buying a coke involved depositing coins

(10 cents at the time) and sliding the chosen
bottle to the left and into a little bay where

the bottle could be  pulled up through tipping

doors unlocked by the money in the slot.

I remember two wonderful features of
Grandpa's soda machine.
First, the soda came out very cold and wet.
On a hot day, it was great to hold the bottle

 in your hand or press it to your forehead

or cheek. To the side of Grandpa's station,

he had several tree stumps, just made for

sittin and sippin. Us kids would all be in a row

either drinking or having that cold bottle on

our forehead.



Second, buying a soda from this kind of
machine had a game-like quality.
Often different kinds of soda were mixed
together  in the slots of the machine:
coke, root beer, orange, grape,
strawberry(yummy). My fav.
To get the soda you wanted, you sometimes
had to play a little game of sliding

unwanted bottles out of the slot and into

another row so that you had a clear path to

the exit bay. This was a much more participatory

 form of soda purchase than today.

Now along with that soda, inside of the station,

sat a cabinet, much like this one. Good old Tom's

candies. I always chose a 3 flavored coconut bar.

I loved them then, and I adore them still today.

They looked a little like this:

Now ofcourse they were Tom's brand, and the

colors were red, yellow and white coconut.

But this is what they looked like. Oh how I

wish I had taken pictures over the years of

the candies that filled that cabinet. There were
peanuts in packages inside of a glass jar
like this one. What I wouldn't give for one
of those jars today. Such wonderful memories.

 

Yes, those were the good ole days.

A strawberry soda pop and a coconut

bar to eat. I can remember holding

on to that bottle by putting it between

my legs, so that I could eat my candy.

I mean Grandpa serviced his cars pretty

darn fast, and I so wanted to make sure

I finished before Moma would say,

"Okay kids, it is time to go. Bring your

soda bottle inside, thank Grandpa for the

treat. Time to get home,
Daddy will be there soon." 







I hope you have enjoyed my memory of the real thing.

I love thinking back over the good years.



As always, thank you for stopping by my little
piece of heaven here in the desert that
I so love to call home.
Country hugs and much love,

Gore, Wolfowitz sokong Anwar dalam WSJ

NOW Economist comes in
--------------------------------
A little Poke at Malaysia's judiciary from my fav mag on op-eds.
See here what sakmongkol says about case. Interesting comments below the post - a lot of angry people, but they did not try to argue about Anwar's innocence, just angry vitriol against Umno.

I was in court as a reporter for long months in Anwar's trial in 1999-2000.
The 'corruption' trial (actually abuse of power, not corruption, cos he was found guilty of asking police to force 'witnesses' to change their testimonies about sodomy case) and the first sodomy trial.
A lot of games he played then too. And a lot of his foreign friends jump in too.

The reason why I want the current trial to end fast is this: if there is no evidence that Saiful could bring up, the case is finished. Umno is finished, Pakatan would win the next elections, take over the government and Malaysia would be loved by investors again.
Right now, we see a lot of claims and innuendoes but no proof.
So what is Anwar so frightened about.
There is no case, so don't worry! Right?

TERBARU. Read this from influential Huffington Post - which argues both ways. It says while people may doubt the government's angle, this is different from Sodomy 1. Why should people dismiss a claimed victim of sexual assault just cos Anwar is involved?

Conclusion of the writer, a speech writer for George W. Bush:
"In the trial of Anwar Ibrahim, the most one may hope for is that the truth will emerge in its course. Western media, reporting on it from afar, would do well to treat it not as a replay of 1998's script, but as they would a similar proceeding in the West: and not fall for the agenda of any of its parties."

Touche.

-------------------------------------------------

A friend in need, is a friend indeed, kata omputeh.
Kata pak arab: The friend of my friend in my enemy.

Wolfowitz dan Al Gore bersatu hati defend Anwar di sini, sini, sini (bahasa Melayu) dan sini (kena subscribelah beb).

Mahu pemerintah Amerika campur tangan. Mereka mahu Obama:
"...make clear the importance the US attaches to the role of the law in sustaining a political process in which justice and freedom are natural allies".

Maknanya pada mereka, sistem kehakiman Malaysia tak boleh dipercayai langsung.
Baik lekas-lekas kasi Umno-BN tewas agar Pakatan dapat berkuasa dan perbaiki sistem yang dah rosak.

“While Anwar Ibrahim is on trial before the state, the state is on trial before its people and the world.”

Wuduk dengan NEWater - Bah. 2

Ini cerita benar yang jelas menunjukkan kenapa yg kaya terus kaya, yg rakyat biasa terus sangkut di bawah. Kesian kita.
Hanya beberapa tahun lalu, saham syarikat Hyflux hendak disenaraikan di bursa Singapore, SGX. Harga IPO (initial public offering) ialah S$1.

Saya pun pikir (angan Mat Jenin): Whoa, ini saham melibatkan industri air. Pasti boom sebab manusia dalam dunia makin ramai, dan nak minum air botol dan siram pokok dan sejukkan elektronik chips dalam factory. Semua menggunakan air.

Dan syarikat Hyflux ini ada Temasek Holdings, state investment arm macam Khazanah, sebagai shareholder.
Satu lot - 1,000 saham - harganya S$1,000.
Tapi pikir punya pikir - nak cari duit kat mana kerana saya nak beli lima lot. Lalu tertinggal bas. IPO tutup.

Kini, harga saham itu ialah S$3.30.
Maknanya jika dulu beli satu lot pun, dengan harga S$1,000, sekarang dah boleh jual dengan harga  S$3,300, untung S$2,300.

Kalau ada duit dulu dan beli 5 lot, untung $2,300 x 5 = $11,500.

Jika saya orang kaya dan beli 10 lot, untung $23,000.
Dan seterusnya.


Apa pun, menarik cerita syarikat air ini. Katanya ia bermula apabila omputeh foundernya lihat mesin aircon di rumah. Lalu terfikir: macam mana air boleh diterbitkan berlambak-lambak ‘dari angin’ yang hendak disejukkan oleh mesin aircon ini?

Depa pun buat experiment nak buat mesin ‘air ajaib’ - dari angin jadi air.

Lalu bertambah besarlah syarikat ini.

Dua hari lalu, Hyflux buat announcement nak melabur projek air di China dgn partner dari Jepun, Mitsui.

Pada tahun 2008, Hyflux menang tender nak membuat desalination plant menggunakan reverse osmosis yang terbesar di dunia (gambar) - air laut disedut, difilter, dibunuh bakteria, lalu boleh diminum! Projek di negara Algeria - siap tahun depan (GAMBAR).
Hyflux juga telah membina projek desalination plant terbesar di China. Dan plant pertama tukar air laut jadi air paip di Singapork.

Jadi seperti saya di Makkah dan Madinah, orang Temasek dah wuduk pun dengan air dari laut.
Tapi di pulau kecik ni, ditambah lagi (aiks) - ada juga air NeWater yang digunakan untuk berwuduk. Semua keluar dari paip yang sama - air Johor, air kolam, air laut, air NEWater.

It's My One Year ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts Blogiversary!

Advertisement Copyright ILoveToCreate

As many of you know, this has been a crazy summer around Casa de Potter. Imagine my chagrin when I realized yesterday afternoon that I missed my one year Blogiversary with ILoveToCreate! It was July 16th last year when I posted my first teen craft project. Not to throw out a tired and overused cliche...okay I'm actually going to do that very thing...but time really flies!

Every week, my challenge is to come up with a project that is teen friendly and teen achievable. If it's too complicated or two 'grown up', it's not going to pass muster. Heck even saying pass muster isn't going to fly, teens have no clue what that means, and quite frankly neither do I. Let me search that...okay here! Trends are shifting constantly and I try my best to keep up with them. Silly Bandz were in and out of our schools here in literally one month. Who can keep up with that pace?! I try to combine a little retro sizzle with a modern twist, which is I suppose the trajectory of most of my work.

Luckily I have a fashion savvy teen here who advises me on the cool (or not too cool) factor of my ideas and contributes her own amazing projects to the mix when I need a helping hand. Ya gotta love that!

I've compiled a small smattering of my personal favorite projects here with links to the instructions for your edification, entertainment and enjoyment. If you go to this RSS feed, you can find all of my projects from the past year! These sometimes get lost in the shuffle of older posts and it's fun to take them out for another spin. I hope you enjoy and I look forward with breathless anticipation to sharing more Teen friendly craft ideas featuring the fabulous products for ILoveToCreate in the coming year.

Love
Madge

Madge's Top Eleven (I know, it's not ten, I like too many of them!) Favorite Teen Craft Projects from 2010...in no particular order!

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR INSTRUCTIONS!

Crafty Rock Star Necklace

Upcycled Denim Book Cover

As Time Goes By Necklace

La Tour d'Eiffel Tower Lamp

Mod Girl Chipboard Necklace

Pretty in Pink T-Shirt

Moulin Rouge Tiny Top Hat Headband

Snow Day Christmas Canvas

Halloween Hootenanny Invitation

Pretty in Peeps Necklace

Avalon's Awesome Sweet Dreams Throw Pillow

Shake, Shake, Shake...

I received a couple of things
in the mail. SO:

I just had to share.

I have put on my finest
perfume, "Lovely".
Picked out my laciest outfit,
and then I decided to let
you see my new slippers.

I am doing the Happy Dance.

My Dear Friend
Julie @ Life With The Tucker and Wolek Clan

sent this to me:

I asked for HOPE and she said,

"Hope Is Putting Faith To Work When

Doubting Would Be Easier."

Just look at the beauty it holds.
Gorgeous flowers and fairies running about.
It has 3 little birdhouses and

I love the ribbon that is hanging from.
Julie Sweetie, thank you from
the bottom of my heart. If you haven't
visited Julie please pop over and let her

bless you with her beauty.
Be prepared, She will grab your heart.

And would you just look at this:

PJ @ Seens From The Back Of My Eyelids

sent me this wonderful book. I have been reading

a lot during my illness. I find it quite relaxing, and

when I can't sleep at night, I read a chapter or two,

heck okay, you got me, sometimes 3.



PJ, my sweet friend, thank you from the very

bottom of my heart. You know how I love to

read. If you haven't visited PJ, please stop by

and say hi. She writes, she tells stories, and she

shares so many wonderful ideas.
You will be blessed a zillion times over. 

And lastly I won a giveaway.

A Christmas in July.

Brenda @ The Rusty Thimble.



I won this precious Little GingerBread Man.

He smells of cinammon and such goodness.

Love the little safety pin buttons and the

rickrack trim. He is tea stained full of goodness.

Look at the stitched eyes and smile.

And also in the box was this precious little
apron modeled by one of my Precious
little Grand daughters, Isabel Timberlee.

 Isn't she just as sweet as pie?
I love you Sugar Pie.
Thank you for assisting me tonight.

And lastly Brenda included in my box of
love, a beautiful set of linen crocheted and

embroidered dinner napkins. Now if you
haven't visited Brenda please click on

the link above and stop in and visit
her beautiful Primitive blog. She makes
the most beautiful gifts for her Etsy shop.
She just got moved into her new house.
Stop over and give her a house warming
hello. She will love you for it.

That's right. While I was home recooperating,
I received many prayers, letters, cards, books
and special gifts of love. You each know who you are,
and I can't begin to thank you for making me feel
so special. I was not able to blog  about them, I
wasn't doing much more than sleeping in my chair

and staying focused on just breathing. I am trying to
stay up and moving now. So THANK YOU,
each of YOU, for all the Sista Lovin.
You are all the wind beneath my wings.

As always, thank you for stopping by my
little piece of heaven here in the desert
that I so love to call home.
Country hugs and much love,