The End of 2006

This afternoon I spent a little time with my friend John and Brenda It's hard believe John is 93 years old. I treasure the memories we made together running the streets of New Orleans. Wishing all a Happy New Year

Tis The Season to be Busy

Once again it seems like I have traveled around the world and back again. We went home to spend Thanksgiving with my family in Michigan. I packed a box of beads but never found the time to work on anything while I was there. A day after I got home I packed up the same beads and headed to Gilmer, TX. I have this thing about making it to Marcie's before Judith does for our Gilmer Getway. You can read about the good time we had at Marcie's on Judith's blog. Two Christmas parties later I was on the road again to spend a week with my daughter Heather in San Antonio. We made sugar cookies. The cookie cutters were flying and we were covered from head to toe in flour dust. (Maybe it was fairydust. It was a magical time.) Together we shared an early Christmas celebration. I watched Eva sing in her Christmas program. We had dinner on the Riverwalk at the Rainforest Cafe. 3885 miles laster I made it home in time to spend Christmas eve and Christmas day at home my husband. Spending time with my family was the best gift of all.

It Starts with an Idea

1. It starts with an Idea 2. The color was already picked waiting for step one to be completed DB 1055. A rich metallic bronze iris matte delica. 3. The beginning of the design. A triangle shape amulet bag using a 2 drop brick stitch As worked on the triangle the design began to form in my mind. I see a coin and stick pearl bezzeled to sit on the outside of the triangle. What I want to do next became my dilemma. I want to put fringe on both outside sides of the triangle. I need a matching size 11 seed bead to complete this design. I put out an S.O.S to the Beadtalk mailing list. Part II will posted tomorrow. I hear those sheep wanting to be counted. Thank you so much for all the help beadtalk. I see the design coming together with all the informaiton and sources you provided

Displaying Your Beadwork

Where do you put your beadwork when you are finished with a piece? Mine went into a hat box. Hiding away in a corner of my beadroom. This weekend I picked up my display boards and hung my beadwork on it. That is not to say there aren't some pieces hiding away in another corner tucked in a box waiting to be rediscovered. I had a friend who worked for a company that made Grandfather clocks. These were frames that were not production quality. I hinged two together and set them up in the corner of my room where I can see what I have made. The sad thing is when I put the beadwork on the boards I realized how little beading I have actually done in the last year. It has been a long year with recovering from a hurricane and medical issues.

Beading with Brick Part II

"The Earrings" For the earrings I used delica's instead of size 11 sead beads. The loops at the top of the earrings were attached with size 15 seed beads. To keep the ethnic feel I used copper earring wires. I have a bracelet mulling around in head to complete this set.

Beading with Brick

This is one of my favorite patterns in Beading with Brick Stitch by Diane Fitzgerald Petroglyph Necklace. Beadwork by No Easy Bead I started this necklace last week and finished it this morning. The time consuming part of the beadwork is the finishing touch around the top of the collar. It is worth the extra time it takes to complete this step as it makes a professional finish on the top row. My next project is matching earrings. I have one finished and one more to make. This weekend I was asked what books I would recommend for some one who is rebuilding their library of bead books. I chose these books for the expertise of stitches and techniques these books contained. 1. Creative Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells 2. The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells 3. Beading with Brick by Diane Fitzgerald 4. Netted Beadwork by Diane Fitzgerald 5. The Bead Garden by Diane Fitzgerald 6. The Beaders Guide to Color by Margie Deeb 7. The Art of Beadwork by Valerie Hector. 8. One Bead at Time by Robin Adkins These books are on my wish list. One Bead at a Time by Robin Adkins. Designer Bead Embroidery, 150 Patterns and complete Techniques by Kenneth D. King Little Boxes by Julia S. Pretl Beading Her Image by Margie Deeb. What books are on your wish list?

Finishing Touches

Life seems to get in the way and what should take just a short period of time to finish turns into a week. After making 10 beaded beads for the strap completing the necklace was easy. The part that I enjoyed about creating this piece was the surface embellishments on top of the bead embroidery. I put a second layer of seed beads around the pearls. It gives the beadwork depth which is hard to show using a scanner to take the picture. The beaded beads were made with a ladder stitch. I used size 4 mm fire polish crystals and size 8 seed beads. If you are looking to explore this technique in bead weaving visit Robin Adkin's website. She has two books on bead embroidery and another on Finger Knotting. Her site will entice you to give bead embroidery a try.

The Creative Process

The creative process where does it begin? For me it begins with a messy beadroom. I can't seem to work if everything is packed away nice and neat in its own box or container. I need to see it in order to bead it. Two years ago at the show in Tucson I found this cab. The name of the stone is Bronzite. It has been hiding in the cab box waiting for me to pull it out. I did and it spoke to me. "Make me into something that looks Victorian". I glued the cab to a piece of e'tal paper that was sitting on my bead table right next to a hank of 1-cut bronze iris seed beads. How lucky was that! Next I pulled out my box of pearls to discover tucked away in a tic tac box a stand of pearls. How many years ago did I buy these? I remember, it was one of the first stands of pearls I bought when I started adding them to the bead collection. They were just right for the embellishments around the cab. My daughter and shared our thoughts on finishing touches. She suggested a tassel at the end. Thanks Heather good idea! The top of the tassel is a beaded bead. I made a smaller version of the bead for the necklace part.

I hope to have the finishing touches commpleted sometime tomarrow.

Information about Bronzite.

The energy of bronzite promotes certainty and control, encouraging us to take control of our own actions and be more certain about what we want in our lives. The colour brings with it an air of grounding, reflecting the need to step back and re-adjust.

Countdown to Christmas

Living in the south it hard to think about Christmas when the temperatures have been in the 80's - 90's. We have cooler weather coming our way and my thoughts are turning towards the holidays. Christmas is 79 Days away. I have decided to start early this year with a beaded angel. These little cuties are great as an ornament or to wear as a pin. By changing the size of beads to delicas they can be worn as earrings. This pattern is on sale at Bead-Patterns.com for a limited time. Regular price $8.00. Sale price $5.00 The following pattern is also on sale this month. Christmas tree pin with surface embellishments just in time for the holidays. Regular price $5.00. Sale price $3.50. It's not to early to start preparing for the holidays.

Red Tiger Eye

This bracelet was the project at our bead society meeting Saturday. I was drawn to the faceted red tiger's eye last year at the Tucson Show. Yesterday was my first time using "Fireline". I think I am hooked. It will be hard to give up my nymo thread though for some projects. Tiger's eye is very protective stone and was traditionally carried as a talisman against ill wishes and curses. It a grounding and uplifting crystal and can encourage a feeling of self-worth and confidence in your own abilities. It can promote a positive attitude, assist in accomplishing our goals and help to recognise your own talents and abilities. This is a very good stone if you feel nervous, anxious, or fearful a lot of the time. It can be helpful if you're feeling drained, overwhelmed, or unfocused. Tigers eye is said to enhance our personal power, release blocked creativity, and to bring good luck, prosperity, wealth and success. Tiger eye is the anniversary gemstone for the 9th year of marriage.

Comfort Colors

My comfort colors have always been black, bronze and earth tones. I wanted to make another example for the class I am teaching on Bead Cruise 2007. The center is a vintage crystal. The challenge was deciding what technique I wanted to use to make it stand out as the focal piece for the center of the necklace. After capturing the crystal in a beaded bezel the solution was a ruffle edging. The ruffles drape over the leaves bringing the design to completion.

Bumps in the Road Bracelet

What makes this bracelet different? The technique. Instead of doing row after row of single peyote, I did a sequence of rows with fast peyote. It was amazing to see how quick the peyote worked up doing two rows at a time. Dona Anderson shared how to do this in a class she taught a couple of years ago in Shreveport, LA. I enjoyed picking out different color combinations for "Bumps in the Road Bracelet" My friend Judith from Beadline Studios has my favorite color combination pegged. Maral Gassner has kits available for her variation called "Peyote Shells"

It's All In The Loops

It's been so hot down here in the south. My thoughts wondered to snow filled streets with sounds of children laughter as they slide down hills. Rosey cheeks from the bite of the cold. Reality puts me sitting on my patio with sweating running down me like a mule in a corn field. Where is all this leading? To the bracelet that reminds of a winter's day. The pattern is a design by Julz in the Aug 2006 Bead & Button magazine. Tomorrow when I watch the updates on the tropic I will work on another in brighter colors and try not to think about tropical storms that could be heading our way.

Mayan Treasures

Bead Cruise 2007 is now official. We will set sail from Galveston, TX on a 5 day cruise to Cozumel and Costa Maya on March 26 - 31 2007. I am excited to share the Mayan Treasure bracelet that I will be teaching as a class on the cruise. Heather and I set a plate of beads on the table. Using the same color palate of beads I shared some tips and tricks as we worked on our bead embroidered cuff bracelets. It was fun seeing the similarities and the differences in our bracelets. The necklace I created to go with the bracelet is a bead embroidered rope enhancer on a crocheted rope. I have big dreams of making a bead embroidered collar to complete the set. In the mean time my mind wonders to the Maya ruins and the adventure I plan on having exploring Costa Maya next year.

The Healing of Beading

It has been along haul down the road to recovering from pnemonina. Lack of oxygen also included lack of oxygen to my brain. My creative process was in limbo waiting to come back to life. While I waited and healed I started a crocheted rope with 1-cut size 11 black opaque seed beads. The lampwork beads are by Siren's Song. I bought two different beads on purpose with a lariat in mind. I had no idea how it would look completed until I finished it. I am pleased with the outcome. It took a pink swap to keep things going. My swap partner was Liz. You can see what Liz made me on her blog. Can you guess what she made? I will always treasure this beautiful piece of bead art. I am going to tell you a little story before I show you the pictures of the swap pieces I made for Liz. There are all kinds of pinks. My favorite opaque pink, bright pink, rose pink, mauve pink. I am hoping this first one will go with your new pink shirt. It is crocheted with mauve pink pearls and size 11 and 8 seed beads. I used tribal silver bead caps on the end with a tribal silver toggle. I got the components this year in Tucson. Than I wanted to make something Liz she could carry with her or sit on her desk. The cardcase has pink rose montee accents around a swavarski crystal component and green pearls. Hopefully I will be on my way now to create more designs. Flat Caterpillar Crocheted pattern is by Judith Bertoglio-Giffin. This pattern can be found in her book "Bead Crochet Ropes" or at Bead-Patterns.com

After Bead Cruise 2006

Bead Cruise 2006 has come and gone. My daughter Heather did an excellent job of putting together and running the cruise. Bead Cruise 2007 is in the works and Heather is planning something bigger and better for next year. Want to see how much fun we had? Visit the Bead Cruise website

Summer Colors

You would think everything would be done and I would be counting down the days before the cruise. I am waiting for some last minute supplies for my kits until than I shall bead. This set goes with a shirt and pair of capri I am wearing on the cruise. I bought the lampwork bead from "The Fire Goddess" Last year at the AKS Gem show at the Ponchatrain Center. They will be here this weekend for the Spring Gem Show April 1st and 2nd. Click here for a coupon to get in free. I am off to bead. I have a bracelet to finish for the cruise swap.

Accents For Your Attire

Beauty of the Bead I try to create pieces of beadart which will accent your attire. Sometimes you buy an outfit and look for that perfect piece of jewelry to show it off. Other times you find the perfect piece of beadwork and have to look for the outfit to wear it with. Last year for my birthday my friend Sally gifted me with this wonderful lampwork pendant. The colors explode from within and were hard to capture in a picture. The bead required something substantial that would not take away from it's beauty. I crocheted the rope using black 4mm puffy faceted rondells with a hint of bronze on the ends. It adds to the sparkle and gives the rope a vintage look which I think matches perfectly with the dress.

Its all in the Cuff

Lately I have had a hard time beading. I start projects only to leave them unfinished on my beading table. Last week I saw the April 2006 issue of Bead & Button at Beads R Us in Alexanderia, LA. On the front cover were these gorgeous cuff bracelets. Kriss showed me the one she made. I just fell in love with it. It's big, its bold and it says "look at me" when you wear it. The green and orange pops with vivbrant color. Kriss gifted me with the one she made. I have been sporting it around New Orleans showing it off to my friends. Thank you so much Kriss. I treasure the bracelet and can't wait to wear it on the cruise. I had to buy the magazine and make one in my favorite colors. Blacks and bronze iris cut seed beads. The pattern is by Karmen Schmidt. The article states it can be a time comsuming project. It took me two days to make the peyote band and three days to add the embellishments on the top. The clasp became my biggest obstacle in completing the bracelet. I had a 3 loop sterling silver slide clasp. I took it out of the container and one of the loops fell off. I thought I would have to wait to finish the bracelet when I could purchase another clasp. I discovered they used a four loop clasp and I had one!! Its all in the cuff and the clasp is attached ready to wear with my black skirt and new T-shirt.

Mardi Gras Pattern Sale

Mardi is February 28th this year. I always try to create a new pattern for the carnival season. This year time just got away from me before I could get one done. So I have decided to have a sale of the Mardi Gras patterns I have created in the past. The lariat on the left was designed using Mardi Gras Mask pattern. #887 The face is by Diane Briegleb. You can purchase one from Cindy Tipton Just send her an email with your request. You can see a complete lisitng of patterns I have for sale at Bead-Patterns.com. Sale ends February 26th. Jester Amulet Bag #915 $5.00 Sale $3.50 Mardi Gras Jewel Necklace #6207 $12.00 Sale $8.00 Comedy-Tragedy Amulet Bag #883 $5.00 Sale $3.50 Mardri Gras Mask #887 $5.00 Sale $3.50 Touch of Russian Elegance #9398 $15.00 Sale $10.00 Queen of Hearts Mardi Gras Mask Pattern #5657 $6.00 Sale $4.00 Microscope slides are very popular this year. At many of the booths in Tucson the vendors were selling microscope pendants and pins. This is a fun way to display a picture of your kids, grandbabies or pets. You can also create your own works of Art and make a collage. Microscope Beaded Bezel Pattern #10909 $10.00 Sale $7.00

A Mass or Two

Another one of the treasures I found in Tucson was 2 masses of 4mm faceted fuffy crystals in a gorgeous cranberry red luster. After seeing a necklace that Judith Giffin crocheted using the larger beads, I knew I had to try one also. Armed with my new European crochet hook. Thank you Judith!! It is a wonderful gift. I got my C-Lon cord and strung 2,100 puffy faceted crystals and began my quest to make a necklace. I like the C-Lon for crocheting with larger beads. The rope has a nice feel. For accents I used two marcasite bead caps and a marcasite toggle to complete the necklace. The bracelet has a marcasite bead as a focal point to tie the two pieces together. I have two more projects in the works. I hope to get another one of them completed this weekend. All of a sudden I have so many ideas and not enough time.

Give Or Take A Pound Or Two

There is a lot to be said about bead shopping in Tucson. I left home on January 23rd to start our 3rd annual trek to the bead shows in Tucson. The first leg of my trip was to Gilmer, Tx. 409 miles. Marcie, Becky and I were going to drive to Tombstone to stay with Judith and go to the shows. Things don't always work as we plan. Marcie's husband a medical emergency which prevented her and Becky from taking the trip with me. It took me a few days to make up my mind if I wanted to drive on to Tombstone by myself. The gypsy in me won out and I decided to make the trip on my own. Driving through Texas can be a very lonely adventure. For miles there is nothing but desert. No lights, no radio and cellphones don't work. Where was my puppy when I needed him? My goal was to reach Van Horn the first night. I promised I would stop driving when it got dark. I had 40 miles to go as darkness closed in like a blanket with just a sliver of light on the horizon. It reminded me of a child peeking out of the covers and seeing the hall light on. I made it. The next day I arrived at Fort Huachuca early in the afternoon. I couldn't pass by without stopping and having a cup of coffee with my brother Chris. By the time I got to Judith's I driven 1,043 miles to Tombstone AZ. We started our marathon shopping Sunday at the largest Gem and Mineral show in the world. The entire town of Tucson is filled with vendors from all over the world selling everything from pearls, stones to finished goods. One of the treasures I found at the show were hand painted lacquer beads. I was thrilled to find one with a flamingo. Five days later and I am 10 lbs lighter and carrying back 25 lbs of beads to New Orleans. I will write more later. Right now I am dead tire and suffering from a big case of bead overload. I should be fully recovered by the time I get back home.

What a Mess!

Are you sure she can work in that mess? I ask this question when I let my beadroom get out of control. Just before a major trip I spend days putting things away and trying get some kind order back in my room. I seem to spend more time sitting in front of my computer beading at that desk than I do beading at the table I have set up. Project after projects piles up until I can no longer see the top of my desk. What a mess!! The last two days I spent putting things away. The pictures only show part of my room. I have a walk-in closet with lots of drawers. It is amazing when I use them how uncluttered things become. I thought being a Virgo I was suppose to organized! I am sort of. Ask where something is in my mess and I can usually find it. Now that my room is back in order I am ready for my trip to Tucson.

Virgo

The Myth: Prim, proper and pedantic. Fussy and fastidious. Organised and ordered. These are the words that they use when describing those born under this sign. Virgos are, say the so-called experts, obsessed with detail. They are list-makers and line-drawers, i dotters and t crossers, law abiding, protocol following readers of small print. The Truth: Oh no they're not. First of all, the goddess that governs Virgo is not a symbol of celibacy but a figure of fecundity. She is Ceres; the harvest queen who stands for all that is voluptuous and abundant. Virgo is a sensual sign and Virgos are pleasure-loving people. They like to live life to the full and they also like to do things to the very best of their ability. It is from this that their reputation for having high standards has come. They can be picky, it's true but only about things that matter to them. And as for being terribly tidy well, some may be but most are just happy enough to know where things are. To a Virgo, tidiness is a psychological state not a physical one

Be My Valentine

Just in time for Valetines Day the beading bug has bit. It has been a long time since I have wanted to create something new. I love the microscope slide pendants. Soldering really wasn't my favorite thing to do. I may venture off and try something new but everything comes back to the beads. It took two days to design and write the pattern. I realize when I made the bezel for the second slide that not all 11 seed beads are the same size. Back to the drawing board to recount and add extra beads to fit the microscope slide. With this complete I added the instructions to Bead-Patterns.com You can find supplies for creating a microscope slide at ARTchix Studio Along with the microscope slides and tapes they carry a large selection of vintage images. The heart in the back ground is needle felted using Merino wool roving with silk. Accented with a bead embroidery. See everything goes back to the beads!

Humblebeads Sale

Butterfly with a Humblebead If your loooking for a good focal bead or a kit, Heather Powers is having a bead sale. Here are some examples of beadwork I have completed using Humblebeads as the focal point. Netted Bracelet with the cuff bead as the focal point. Let your creativity flow and pick up one of these beautiful beads to incorporate into your beadwork. When: January 13-18 Where: http://humblebeads.com/beads1.html What: All beads and kits 40% off How: Just fill up your shopping cart, the discount will automatically be calculated during the check out.