Bead-Aid

Diamond and Daggers Created October 2003 by Beverly Herman The pattern was graphed by Judith Giffin and is featured in her book "Patterns and Graphing for Bead Crochet Ropes" This piece is being autioned on ebay. All proceeds go to Bead-Aid. On August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Many beaders in our area lost their homes. Bead-Aid sent a BIG box to the New Orleans Bead Society. The box contained books and beads and hope for many of our members. We can never say thank you enough for all that you did for us but we can pass it forward. You can make a donation to Bead-Aid through paypal to beadlady@beadlady.biz or place a bid on one of the items listed on ebay.

Presenting Bead Art by No Easy Beads.

Just a few of the things have made over the years. I hope you enjoy the slide show.

"The Awakening"

"The Awakening" A time comes in your life when you finally get it...when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries ut...ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening. You realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon. You realize that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you... and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance. You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions. You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself... and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you - or didn't do for you - and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that everything isn't always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself... and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties... and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness. You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with. You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake. Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO. You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and take more time to exercise. You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play. You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it's OK to risk asking for help. You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms. You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people... and you learn not to always take it personally. You learn that nobody's punishing you and everything isn't always somebody's fault. It's just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower. Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart's desire. You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can. by Virginia Marie Swift

Not much beading going on this week. They are renovating our apartment complex and finally made it down to our building. The generators are running and they are pressure washing the buildings. The old window frames are being replaced with new. Next the painting will begin. The mold in the air is terrible. People walk out of their apartments and start coughing. Mine was bad enough to send me to the doctor for a breathing treatment and a shot of steroids. I would like to run away from home for the next couple of weeks but that is not possible. My prayers this week go to all of those who have love ones recovering from surgeries, for those families who have lost loved ones this week. May God bless you and heal your love ones. May you be blessed with peace and healing. Nite Boo

Go Saints Go!!

In New Orleans this week it wasn't hard to show your team spirit. Carnival season has started and Mardi Gras is right around the corner. The Saints won yesterday!! I am not a fan of football *gasp* but I too, sat on the edge of my seat last night watching the last five minutes of the game. Yesterday I took a drive over to Gary's Crafts to pick up charms to go on the bracelets we are making at our next bead society meeting. What did I see on my drive across town? A SUV....the driver had Saints flags on the side mirrors sporting a Saints football helmet. Quite a site to see pulling into the parking lot at Sam's Club. At the next traffic light I looked over to see a young man with his arm hanging out the window showing off his Fleur De Lis tattoo with the Saints written underneath. Here is a little Lagniappe (lan' yap) with more New Orleans Slang.

Nouveau

Nauveau. Beadwork by No Easy Beads. Pattern by Beady Boop Finishing this piece off the loom turned out be much easier than I thought. Copper findings complete the bracelet. I am very happy with the end results. My next project is to learn twisted Ndebele. I started the base last night. Today I will see if I can do the twist.

Working the Loom

The easy part was working the pattern on loom. The hard part will for me be taking it off the loom. All those threads to knot to tie off. "oh my" Sova Enterprise has a new loom called a Versa-Loom. This loom elminates tying off and knotting the warp threads. It is adjustable for different size projects. The loom design makes it easy to work with fiber and beads. The Versa-Loom has been added to my list of things I want. I ordered two books last week from Amazon.com. American Indian Beadwork by W. Ben Hunt; J. F. I want to learn how to make a rosette. Beading in the Native American Tradition by David Dean. One of the things I hope to learn is the gourd stitch. My friend Mare taught this technique at the first ABC Beadcave in Arknasas. I was teaching a class at another table and was unable to see how it was done. My hope is to someday bead a walking stick I found on the leeve using this stitch. Exploring bead techniques is an important part of learning and growing in the art of beadweaving.

The Keeper of Beads and Things

I have become a keeper of beads and things. I asked my husband when did I became a pack-rat? He said I was pretty well entrenched before we met. I thought he was making up a new word. I had to look it up: Entrenched is an objective. It has two meanings. Meaning 1#: dug in Meaning 2# estabished firmly and securely. I am entrenched in 10+ years of beads. I decided three days ago that I needed to clean and re-arrange my beadroom. My poor husband had to move the bookshelf three times before I found the right spot. I had to get the flamingo collection just right. Everywhere I looked there were boxes, containers and bowls with beads in them that needed to be put away. Everything has been put away and put back into place. Almost....I have to tackle the walk in closet next. I am happy with the way things have been re-arranged. My next bead project is to finish this loom bracelet. The pattern is by Beadyboop called Nouveau Now where did I put that loom needle?

The Beginning of 2007

This year I am not going to make any New Year's resolution. For luck and money I decided black eyed peas and cabbage were not for me. I am going to wear my rose color glasses and find peace living in New Orleans. Looking through my rose-coloured glasses, things seem more pleasant than they really are. I am nostalgic for a city I knew before the storm.