BEE Challenge Reveal & Blog Hop


Wow! Alysen here ... It's been 4 or 5 months since I've participated in Art Elements' Monthly Challenge, due to different reasons (orders, coming home, a bizarre health issue (see end of post)), but when I saw the theme chosen for April by Niky Sayers, I had to join in.

I've cheated a little, because these are all Bee Items that I made in 2019 as part of my Outlander Inspired collections. For those of you who don't follow the Series or Books, the upcoming and very much awaited 9th book is titled "Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone". Niky cites this in her Challenge Blog Post:

‘The telling of the bees is a traditional European custom in which bees would be told of important events in their keeper’s lives, such as births, marriages, or departures and returns in the household. If the custom was omitted or forgotten and the bees were not “put into mourning” then it was believed a penalty would be paid, such as the bees leaving their hive, stopping the production of honey, or dying. The custom is widely known in England, but has also been recorded in Ireland, Wales, Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Bohemia, and the United States.’ 

TOP: 1/Bling Bee Earrings on 14k gold-filled hoops; 2/ Earrings with Czech Glass Beads and Wings;
3/ Frosted Czech Glass Drops wire-wrapped with Brass Wire; 4/ 18k White Gold bees on Sterling Silver Chains.
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BOTTOM: 1/ Torch-colored Brass Sunflower with applied Rose Gold Bee. Resin poured over front and back.
2/ Metal Honeycombs filled with Resin and Tiny Metal Bees.
3/ An experiment with soft solder on Copper 1/4" Bracelet Blanks. A failed experiment! When I curved them into cuffs, the components popped off of the flooded solder. A WIP that I will get back to sometime ...

Sterling Silver Penannular Brooch with soldered components and a Bee rivet on the Pin.
The Swirl on top of Pin evokes a Licorne because the Unicorn is Scotland's National Animal.
I was contacted by and fabricated the first of these Brooches for The Southern Sassenachs, a non-profit group that holds an Online Auction each year. All items are Outlander-Inspired, made by Artisans mostly in the U.S. It sold at $20 over the initial price, which was good news for my 1st Auction. So I decided to list it as a Made To Order item.
I do hope the recipient wears it often 😊.

Note: This blog decided to take over the color, size and style of font from here until the end of this post!! I apologize for that....
As a former graphic designer (my first career), I can't resist designing and creating in another medium than metal and leather. Over the past 3 or 4 years I've learned how to use GIMP, which is an app very much like Photoshop ... but it's Free. A no-brainer for this gal!!
So I made up some art for Bookmarks and had them printed on some cardstock. Then I bought some laminating sheets and used an iron (yessiree) to apply it, then I cut each one individually. The process is time-consuming and would be easier with a Laminating Machine (which I may eventually purchase) but I'm very happy with the way they turned out. I'll be creating a listing in our Etsy Shop for these, and all items shown are available over there.


The first Bookmarks I designed are above. I've since modified some of them, either in color or background to offer a different style and you know how artists are, we just aren't satisfied until it's "Just Right". Below is the Second wave, they have images and some make an ecological statement. Also there's one called Telling the Bees, which is what the next book by Diana Galbadon is about. Niky also talked about The Bee Goddess, her excerpt follows.  Proof that Great Minds Think Alike 😁. 



The Mother Goddess of the Minoans (Bronze Age civilization of Crete) was the primary religious figure and one of her manifestations was a bee, the Queen Bee was very important, as she was the ruler of the hive, adored by Bee priestesses.

**And now a word about that bizarre health issue. I barely got back home before my plans and life were turned upside down. Just 2 days ago I re-opened our Etsy shop and am ready to roll. However, my plans to go to the U.S. in May to disperse Mom's ashes and bring supplies back home have also been delayed because I can't fly until end June if even then. I will see with the doctor.
Add in restrictions with the Coronavirus and it's even more complicated!!


This is a blog hop so why not use some of your recently forced downtime to join me and see what the other artists who joined this Challenge have created. 


AE team: Niky   Sue   Jenny   Jen   Cathy   Marsha

Guests:  Tammy   Cat   Alysen (you're here)   Kathy   Sarajo   Kelly   Evie and Beth   Hope

Comments

  1. Such sweet bee items all around!

    I hope you are feeling better now after all you went through. Stay safe, Alysen!

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    1. Thank you kindly Cat! I am on the mend and my spirits and optimism are both high :). xoxo

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  2. My favorite bee has rhinestones around his neck. I love the blink. Your bookmarks are such fun. I am glad to hear you are feeling better and are more optimistic. All good!

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    1. Thx. That Bling one in silver seems to be the fave of my buyers too! Oh yes, optimist is my middle name :) .... despite everything happening in the world nowadays...

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  3. Your work is magnificent Alysen! I am so sorry that you are going through some health issues, for the loss of your mom, and having to deal with Covid-19 restrictions to complicate things. Sending you big hugs across the miles.

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    1. Well Marsha, we're all dealing with Covid19 so we've all got complications. I shared my experience to hopefully help others who may be walking around with a heart tumor and have no idea. I'm glad it happened here at Home and not in the US ... we have universal health care here and since mine was an emergency, it was all covered 100%!! And any tests, doctor visits, etc. from here on out also 100%...

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  4. Beautiful projects and great inspiration (Outlander). Oh my about your heart issue. It's so great that you finally went to the doctor - we as women really need to listen to our bodies and our intuition. And very sorry for the loss of your mom.

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    1. Yikes Sue, that reminds me I haven't yet watched the last episode on Netflix!! Righto about listening to our bodies. Thx for condolences, but she was 96 and wanted to go ... she's not suffering any more and that's a good thing. xoxo

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  5. Those bee jewelry pieces are so awesome!! The cuff with the sunflower is definitely the most that's my style. And your bookmarks are great too. I don't have a laminator either but have been considering one as well. I'm sure you'd get more use out of one than I would though. I just like to have gadgets. Ha! Somehow I missed your post about your heart. I'm glad it was caught and that you're doing better now. It's such a crazy time right now so I hope you're staying safe and healthy! Sending you best wishes.

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    1. My house is so small, and no basement so I don't have room for many gadgets Hope, but it would be much faster and easier!! I still have printed pages to cut apart and laminate. I just barely finished that heart post yesterday ... like I said, I'm happy to be among the living, no matter what nasty viruses exist!! I really credit the doctors and caregiving personnel, will write a follow-up post about my Cardiac Re-education ... it's just got to be documented, and out of my head :) ...

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  6. I love all your bee jewelry especially with the added bling! But my favorite piece is the penannular Outlander inspired brooch! So perfect. I also love all the bookmarks you've made.
    I am still reeling from your blog post about your surgery. That must've been so frightening for you and your whole family. I can't imagine going through that. And with COVID 19 going on at the same time as your surgery/recovery I am sure it added more undue stress. Take it easy my friend and continue on your healing journey.

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    1. Thank you Cathy, it was frightening but I trusted the skills of my surgeon. I think it was much worse for my kids, especially daughter who happened to be at home and came to visit every day and helped so much even when I was at Rehab despite having work looming over her head. Yes, the virus set in about 7 days after I got to Rehab, so we couldn't have visitors. At home, I take precautions to avoid any possible contamination too ... being a "fragile" nowadays :/// .

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  7. One can never have too many bookmarks, and yours are wonderfully colorful. Your jewelry! My oh my, all the bee goodness!! Although I really enjoy all of your pieces, the brooch with the licorne is speaking loudest to me. Perhaps it's because my mother-in-law is from Scotland. I love that the unicorn is their national animal.
    Your post about your health scare was eye-opening, and I wish you continued recovery and good health. So sorry about the loss of your mother. I hope you soon get the chance to make your trip back to the states.

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    1. Thank You Kelly for the kind words and condolences. I'm a bonafide Outlander Fan and that's how I discovered about Scotland's National Animal. I hope you've had chances to visit there over the years. It's on my list. Mom was 96 and really ready to go, plus she's not suffering physically or mentally now. Oh, I'm sure I'll get back for a visit before the end of the year ... I'm an optimist and daughter's living there now too. Stay safe in the midst of this nasty virus.

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  8. Your bee jewelry is so inspiring! I am serious love with the cuff bracelet with the little bee. I am sure the person who won the brooch is loving it every minute. The bookmarks are cool! I hope you are feeling better and take care of yourself!

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    1. Thank you Beth (I think it's you). I am feeling good & aside from taking 5 meds a day and having to monitor my numbers for the blood thinner I'm just a little slower than usual :). I just spent almost all day tweaking the bookmark photos in the editor, taking some other pix and making a listing, you know how long that takes!!! I hope you and your mom are staying safe and not feeling too housebound. It's nice having something creative to do in these housebound times.

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  9. Your bee jewelry is wonderful. So many great designs. As for the bookmarks ...love! One of the reasons I resisted getting an e-reader is that I collect bookmarks and quite enjoy using them. Best wishes for your return to health.

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    1. Thank you Tammy for your comments and wishes. I don't have an e-reader at all, I love books and their smells! As you might see in the 1st listing pic for these bookmarks. It's well used, as are all of the Outlander books :) ..

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  10. Alysen - what can I say? Sending love. I caught up on your posts from the last few months yesterday. I am sorry for your loss, glad you are healthy! That is quite a plethora of bee themed things! Gl ad you are back!

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    1. Thank You Jenny. I haven't had many posts the past few months, but I just hope by sharing my experiences that people will get echocardiograms when possible. I never thought about it, never dreamed that the nasty little tumor was growing ... I'm happy to be back and creating and looking forward to the next theme! You and yours stay safe!

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  11. Alysen, I'm so glad you got to handle the tumor before it got worse. Hope you are healing well, and are enjoying arty stuff (and life in general) again.

    Love the sheer variety of your bee items. How do you even get the inspiration? :)

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