would you like to see something?

I have good news for those of you who read my last post.  Matthew's blood work came back with  no problems!  Yea!  Now we're just waiting for word on his ultrasound.  Praying that turns out ok too.  The confusing part is, if those two things are normal, what could possibly be causing the blood in the urine?  It will be interesting to hear what the final diagnosis is.  But, first we have to get good results on the ultrasound.  Keep those prayers and good thoughts coming for my little guy!!!  (And thank you so much to those of you who have already been doing that for us.)

As for the book, I've got 3 projects completed and ready to send out.  I was working on a 4th, but it just wasn't coming together smoothly, and we are going to scrap the idea.  I'm going to brainstorm some other ideas.  In the meantime I beaded something just because I wanted to, and I thought it would be perfect for this month's Bead Journal Project.  As you may know, my projects each month are to learn at least one new beadweaving stitch and make something pretty with it.  This month was a little different.  I didn't take an idea of a basic stitch and create my own thing around it.  For this month I think I may have created a new method of my very own.  At least I've never heard of or seen it done this way.

I was just playing around, letting my subconscious take over.  I had an inkling of an idea on making something with lots of fringe.  So if I had a lot of fringe, I would need a base to make the fringe come off, right?  I thought about just a string of beads as the core, and I also thought about a narrow square stitch band.  My fingers didn't do either of those.  I don't even know how to explain what I did.  The core twists and curves throughout the core, sometimes peeking out, sometimes staying hidden, while the beads just mix and mingle all around it.  And there is no fringe in the final piece.  Funny how that works.

After I finished it I reflected on it for a while.  The only word that came to mind was "abundance".  This bracelet looked to me like a cornucopia of beady yumminess.  Then it made me think of all the abundant things I have in my life, despite hiccups and struggles that I sometimes tell you about.  I have an abundance of love.  I have an abundance of joy.  I have an abundance of blessings in my life.  Therefore, this bracelet is called "Abundance".  I would have loved to make a necklace, but that would have taken about a gazillion beads which I just don't have.  Here are two pics of my bracelet...

Abundance

You can click for a larger view.  I just love the mixture of colors, textures, shapes and sizes.  It just makes me feel happy when I look at it.

So there you have it.  I finally have something done that you can actually look at and isn't book related.  I hope you like it!

July 2011 BJP....aka "the albatross" :)

Yes, it is the albatross around my neck.  The other day it was the monkey on my back.  Getting a picture here?  I have worked so hard on this simple little necklace.  It has most definitely been an exercise in persistence, commitment, and trying to be more patient.  It was a lesson that some things won't allow you to rush them.  With this I was limited by my hands, and although I am usually a fast beader, with this project I had to go much more slowly.  Commitment...I started it, and I was determined to finish it.  Many times projects are started and they aren't as fun and exciting as others so they go in the UFO pile.  Believe me.  There were several times that I thought about it!  So, I had to be persistent.  I had to motivate myself to work on it and go through some physical pain to get it done.  And I did!

The pendant was another challenge.  I had no idea how I was going to bead it, but I got some beads and a stone to go specifically with the seed beads I used, so I was going to make something work.  I had a few sputters and false starts, but I think I was thinking about it too much.  The other night I decided to "just bead" and let the stitching work itself out.  And it did!  I went back to my first days in bead embroidery under the wings of Robin Atkins, learning how to bead "improvisationally" and "just do it".   I am very happy with the way the pendant turned out.  I didn't like the big gaps between the round beads surrounding the stone (a very pretty piece of fossil agate...that's a close up on the first pic at the top), so I just started going in between them all with the seed beads.  It sort of reminded me of petals on a flower.  Of course, my husband didn't think it looked anything like a flower.  Do you know what he said?  He said it looks like his grandparents' old sofa.  Zing. Ouch.  I guess he doesn't like it.  Why should I be surprised?  He rarely likes anything I do...it's because he says "it's not his thing".  But I ask him why he can't appreciate my craftsmanship and artistry?  He doesn't get it.  Oh well.

The colors might not be the "IN" colors on the Pantone Fashion Report, but I thought they looked rather nice together.  I used peach, tangerine and brown seed beads with the core bead in brown to create this triple spiral.  I know one other month I did an embellished regular spiral, but this was much more challenging.  The beads got real tight by the third color in the round and I really had to coax and push and pull the needle through a lot of the time.  Working so hard on something, though, gives a nice sense of accomplishment, don't you think?  It is just over 23" and is hooked with a gold-plated simple lobster claw.  Oh!  And I also tried a new stitch on the bail!  I showed you a twisted tubular herringbone not too long ago, but tonight I did just a flat herringbone.  I guessed at how to make the turn to the next row and thought, "No, this can't be right."  I looked up a tutorial online and I was right!  Gave myself a pat on the back for getting the hang of this beadweaving stuff and seeing how it should go intuitively.

Ok, here it is...my July 2011 BJP project and new stitch in my repertoire...

Also, the pendant is backed in a nice soft tan microsuede and beaded the beads using Nicole's Beadbacking.  It is so nice to work with, holds its shape, doesn't fray or unravel...you should try it!  Check it out at her Etsy shop and visit her blog, Beadwright.

Bead Journal Project for June 2011

It's that time again...I've completed another month for The Bead Journal Project 2011.  As you know I am not doing bead embroidery, which is the norm, because it hurts my hands to do that type of beading anymore.  I am learning at least one new beadweaving stitch a month and creating jewelry pieces.  This month I tackled tubular netting.

I really had a lot of fun with this stitch.  I have admired it for so long in other people's work, but had no clue on how to do it.  I finally found a link on how to do it, and I am ashamed to say that I can't remember where I found it. :(  I did one monochromatic necklace and bracelet in pinks first.  I was happy with the way it turned out, but it just wasn't, oh I don't know...enough of something.  I wanted something that stands out a little more.  Maybe a little more "fancy".  I'll show you the pink one last because I really want to talk about the 2nd set I made first.

I chose 3 different colors of 4mm Druks for the core.  I had a little bit of a problem ordering these at first.  For the pink set the packaging for the core beads said 3mm (bought from a local store).  Therefore, for the 2nd one I also ordered 3mm.  Then they came in the mail...They were NOT the same size.  I measured them both on the ruler and they both look like 3mm when measured, but the pink must have been a large 3mm and the browns a small 3mm or something because the 3mm Druks I ordered were so small that I could only do a 3 bead net instead of a 5 bead net.  That just wouldn't do.  How can 2 different 3mm beads be so different in size???  Crazy.  BUT, since I ordered the Druks from Artbeads.com, they have a very simple return/exchange policy.  It was pretty painless, and the replacement order was processed and shipped pretty quickly after they received the old beads in.

Back to the tubular netting set.  I chose 3 different colors of core beads.  One is a gorgeous tortoise shell looking bead, one is a brown sparkly luster bead and the 3rd is a brown matte.  Then I used 3 different colors of accent beads for the intersections of the net.  I used a bronze seed bead, a Miyuki rainbow matte rose/green metallic cube and a Toho orange/rust hex.  The cube says rose/green, but it is really just a light colored metallic that is very pretty.  The seed bead for the net is an 11/0 in medium brown lined amber Toho.  I started and ripped apart the necklace 3 or 4 times before I decided on a pattern I liked.  I took each of the core beads and matched them up with one of the accent beads and used the same throughout.  The beads make a wrap-around diamond pattern that is really hard to see in the photos.  Just know there is a pattern with rhyme and reason to it! lol

I really struggled with what to call it, too.  (again)  You know how I am about naming my pieces.  I'm a little weird that way.  I think I like "Noble Luster".  It is very sparkly, and the colors just appear to be stately to me.  Sara says it reminds her of Fall, but to me it was a little more than that.  For this set I created a necklace, 18" long, a bracelet 9" long (but it's not truly 9" around.  Since it's a fat bracelet, the inside circumference is actually smaller than 9" and fits an average wrist very well). And a set of little dangly earrings with 14k gold plated ear wires.

Here is the necklace...

And the bracelet...

And the earrings...

And the whole set together...

You can click on the images to get a larger view.  The camera never picks up the sparkliness of the beads, you know?  I find that frustrating.

Here are photos of the original tubular netting project I did that I embellished with a dragonfly pendant.  It's pretty, but it lacked some "oomph".  That's why I wanted to do another set that was a little more dynamic.  But it's still pretty if you ask me.  Here's the bracelet...

And here's the necklace...

By the way.  This little necklace form that I got from JoAnn's to display my jewelry was one of my best purchases.  I highly recommend getting one.  It was less than $8.

Bead Journal Project for June, 2011...done!  I can't wait to see what I do for next month!

Oh, and one more thing.  In my post with the little flower chain stitch, I forgot to give credit to the writer of the tutorial.  If you would like to do that stitch, visit Inspirational Beading.

May Bead Journal Project

For those of you who have been watching my BJP entries for 2011, you know that I am learning 1 new stitch a month and making a necklace/bracelet set to learn and master some new skills.  The stitch I learned this past month is the spiral rope stitch.  I used 2 different colors of size 8's (green and blue) and alternated them in the core.  To spiral around I used 6 different colors of 11's and 2 colors of 10's (purples, blues, a green and a pink).  I picked them up randomly.  That's to reflect how I've been feeling lately.  Things are randomly organized if that makes sense to you.  I also used little bits of things I had only a few of to swirl around the spiral.  That's the little bit of chaos thrown into my life. lol. 

This rope took a lot of time and dedication.  The bracelet is 7.5" and the rope is 35".  I was soooo over the spiral stitch by the time I was half way through it, lol and I had to really make myself continue.  But I do like the look of the spiral stitch, and I'm positive I will use it again in the future.  Maybe not on such a long rope, though.  It is long enough to wear both as a long necklace or doubled as a short necklace.  This piece to me has a little bit of quirky charm.  There are different sizes, shapes and colors of flowers, discs, iris beads, glass rounds, some puffy pillow types, a cube, some pretty magatamas and all the while consistently placed gold metal discs in between.  So on every angle of the rope there is something colorful and fun to look at.  And with all these colors, it will go with anything!  :)

Here is the set I call "Baubles & Bits".

As usual, if you want a closer look just click on the pics.  I've got ideas floating around in my head for June's BJP, and I'm thinking I would really like to incorporate some of the cabs and beads I have been making with the polymer clay.  Lots of fun!

To all my mommy readers, whether to people babies or fur babies...Happy Mother's Day!

I Conquered Netting!!!

Yea for me!  I am a very stubborn person when I set my mind to it.  Thank you to all of you who responded so helpfully to my last post.  What I ended up doing was finding a very very basic netting pattern, and I studied the thread paths and how the rows went together.  From there I designed my own pattern.  Now I don't know if my pattern is "correct", if there is such a thing for "technically sound" netting, but it is what it is and I am over the moon for it.  This is going to be my April installment for my 2011 Bead Journal Project.  I am actually ahead of schedule a little bit.  Well, not really.  I still have the earrings and bracelet to make to go with it, but I ran out of seed beads and the store where I got them is fresh out (I took the last two tubes to finish my collar).  I put some more on order so I can finish up the bracelet and earrings. 

I bought these wonderful red daggers from Fusion Beads, and there weren't very many left.  I got most of what they had in at the time.  I do get lucky sometimes!  I bought the Swarovski Pearls in Bordeaux from Artbeads.  I had intended to use my reds and whites to make something for a Valentine's Day contest.  I have never entered a contest.  However, at the time my muse was on hiatus and I couldn't come up with a single thing.  Too bad I didn't come up with this collar at the time because I would have been proud to put it on display.

The collar is just about 22" long by 4 1/2" wide.  It is quite substantial and a little weighty.  That's good, though, because it doesn't slide around too much.  I used A TON of 11/0 seed beads, size 8/0 seed beads, bugle beads, 4mm cubes, 5mm Swarovski Pearls and the red daggers on the ends.  I couldn't believe how many seed beads this thing ate up!!!  I used about 3 tubes!

Ok, everyone.  Here it is!  I call it...

Wrapped in Red

What do you think?  Was I successful in defeating the netting stitch, or did I make technical errors?  I can't wait to do the bracelet to match.  As soon as the beads come in to my local stomping grounds and I pick them up I will get going on it.  Obviously a bracelet won't take nearly as many hours as I have invested into this collar, so I should hopefully have it up soon.  I also see so many possibilities with this stitch.  Color combinations, patterns, etc.  I think I will do more of this!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!  Don't have too much green beer! 

Bead Journal Project 2011 and a New AMC Show

I have made the big decision to join the Bead Journal Project for another year.  Last year I only finished I think 6 months of projects.  It started out very well, but I chose a very ambitious size of 5"x7".  My carpal tunnel got so bad it was to the point that I could no longer do bead embroidery, even for 5 or 10 minutes at a time.  At that rate it would take several months for me to finish just one project.  I was very frustrated because I was enjoying being a part of the group so much.  When the call came out for the new registration I thought to myself that there's just no way I can do it.  And I ignored all the posts on the blogs and Facebook to join.  I was sad.  I really wanted to join.  So then I thought, I can beat this!  I'm not going to give in to carpal tunnel!  I just have to get creative, right?  I mean, there's nothing in the rules that says it has to be bead embroidery does it?  I just have to think of some other format of beads that I can express myself with each month that won't be so taxing on my hands.  So tonight I made a leap of faith in myself that I can overcome and I joined the 2011 Bead Journal Project.

Here is my call to all of you.  Have you joined the 2011 BJP yet?  There is still time!  Registration doesn't close until December 8th.  For those of you out there who think that you can't or aren't good enough...this is not a competition!  This is self expression, and all the work is beautiful and done just the way it was supposed to be.  If you would like to learn how to do bead embroidery but don't know how, I have started a series on how to do bead embroidery with step by step instructions on different stitches on my Videojug pages.  There are videos along with text, and of course if you have any questions you can always ask me.  Do you have any friends who might want to learn how to do this?  Send them to my video links...they're very easy to follow.  Don't want to learn bead embroidery?  Well, I'm not doing it this year, so think of some other creative form of beading for personal expression.  After all, the rules say that they just need to have beads.

Some main characters: dad, Rick; mom, Lori; son, Carl.

And now, I am off to watch our family's favorite new drama series on the AMC channel, "The Walking Dead".  Haven't heard of it?  It's about zombies!!!  My son Matthew especially loves zombies.  The show is very well done, great special effects and the story line is suspenseful.  If you have not seen this show, you really should check it out.  I think they show repeats on Sundays to get people caught up, with a new episode also airing Sunday nights and repeats of the new show throughout the week.  The kids are not allowed to stay up late on school nights, so they get to watch the new show repeats on Friday nights.

Pride and Celebration

I've already done an April Bead Journal Project piece (see a few posts down if you missed it), but April is such an eventful month for me that I couldn't put everything into just one piece.  So this is my April BJP piece, part 2.

This piece is called "Pride and Celebration" because I have so much to be thankful for in my life.  This project is my reflections of me.  First, I chose the colors based on inspiration from a peacock.  Bright blues, greens and gold, with a little bit of purple thrown in.  I was drawn to the shape of the swirl, but I don't really know why.  Robin A. had some insight on this when I met with her, so maybe she will share her thoughts. 

I celebrate April 18.  Due to my illness my family and I had been living apart for about 2.5 years.  Last April 18 we moved in together as a family again.  It has been nothing but a joyous home life, and our one year anniversary is important to me.  April 21 is my birthday.  I am officially 39, and I will hereafter be 39!  Because it's my birthday, I've been reflecting on me.  I take pride in who I am, perceived flaws and all, and I celebrate my talents and accomplishments.  I feel that I am a talented beader, I am an awesome mom and wife, a great cook, a good friend among other things.  I have a lot to offer as a unique individual, probably because of my morals and values that I was brought up with.  And April 17 is the date of the first class I will be teaching...it marks my progression as a beader and is something I was wanting to accomplish.  I'm hoping that it goes well and that it is the first of many more to come in the years ahead.

I did have difficulty managing the 15/0's for the entire background.  They always prove to be a challenge to me, and I guess the only way to get better is to practice, practice.  The colors in the photo were kinda washed out.  The background is an aqua blue/green, and the colors in the swirls are very vivid and bright in person.  I'm just not that great of a photographer.  I did try to adjust the colors in Photoshop, but I'm not that proficient with it yet, either.

I am very proud of my peyote stitch around my paua cabachons!  I'm not a peyote stitcher, so this was quite an accomplishment for me.  I was very happy with how nice and neat the peyote came out around the paua.  Oh, and I certainly can't forget to say thank you again to Robin for the gift of the beautiful shell sequins that added some confetti to my party.

So here is "Pride and Celebration", pride in myself and celebration of my April milestones.

By the way, if you live in the Phoenix area and want to take my class, there is one or two spots open.  Email me at indigosbeads@live.com to get more info.  Hope to see you!!!