A Beady Review and a Chance to Win One of 3 Prizes!

I would like to present to you a source for beads that is new to me, and it may be new to you too.  Bead Crafty is a nice little online bead shop that is based out of the UK.  But don't let that deter you!  They pick orders the very same day they are placed, and shipping to the US is only $1.95!  The orders may take up to 2 weeks to arrive.  However, I think they have some lovely little finds that are worth checking out and waiting a few extra days for.

Their site is easily laid out so you can find in a snap exactly what you are looking for.  They have 3 main categories:  beads, charms and findings.  Some of the categories are a little slim, and you may not find every component you are looking for to make a specific project (not to say you can't), but what they may lack in quantity they make up for in quality and unique items.  For example, one thing I had never seen before I visited Bead Crafty was kilt pins.  There are 3 loops that you can attach beads to, and would make a wonderful decorative pin or something similar.  Neat!

The prices on Bead Crafty are very reasonable.  And, even though it's a UK site, all the prices are shown in US dollars so there is no confusion about what you are getting for the price.  The prices are clearly marked and to find out the size or more description of an item, all you have to do is hover over it and a little box will pop up.

Also on the site are some interesting Tips & Tricks.  One that I thought was interesting and different was how to make a beaded lampshade.  Beads aren't just for jewelry, are they?  One section that I could not get to was the link for the FAQ's.  I'm a little weird that way...I like to read FAQ's.  Is that strange or do others do that too?  I hope they can get the link fixed to that page so I can check it out.

I sent an email asking about the inventory, to which I received a prompt reply btw, and Sarah said they are going to be expanding their offerings, but their main objective is quality first.  Overall I think Bead Crafty is a quaint little site with some interesting finds.  To me it is the difference in shopping at a charming little boutique versus getting lost in a mega warehouse store.  I think it is worth your while to check it out.  And to give you some incentive to do just that, I AM OFFERING PRIZES thanks to the fine people at Bead Crafty!  YEA!!!!  And there are more than one to be had, so please please please tell your friends about this  giveaway.

How to enter:

1.  Follow my page.
2.  Leave a comment giving two things.  First, I need your email to contact you and to get your info so you can have your prize!!!!  If I can't get in touch with you, then the prize will have to go to someone else and that would be sad.  Second, visit Bead Crafty and tell me one thing you would buy first if you won the prize.
3.  Post to Facebook or your own blog WITH A LINK BACK TO MY POST and get an extra entry (leave 2 separate comments if you do this.)  I will need a link to the post so I can see that you actually did it.

What are the prizes???

How about 3 $20 credits to their shop!  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Let's go shopping!!!!  So, don't be afraid to invite more people.  After all, you want good karma so you can win, right?  lol.  Ok, so maybe karma won't really be a factor, but hey, you never know.

The winners will be chosen by a random number generator and entries will be accepted until, oh let's say 2 weeks...November 8th at 5:00 p.m. EST.  Sound good?

Ok, kids...Get posting!

All in the Family (and some beady things too!)

What is more wholesome and family-oriented than little league baseball on a spring evening with families all around rooting on the kids playing the all American game?  Nothing in my book.  It's about as good as it gets.  Just some highlights from Monday's game.  Matthew pitched a great game, as usual.  He doesn't have the strongest arm and fastest pitch yet, but he is very accurate and gets them swinging and missing.  Sara plays 2nd base and when Matthew isn't pitching he plays Short Stop.  So the batter hits the ball - a pop fly - and Sara catches it for an out!  Then she is quick enough to realize the kid on 2nd ran on the pop fly so she turned and threw it to Matthew who ran over to cover the bag.  He caught it and made the out at 2nd for a double play by the Criswell kids!  woohoo!

As the game was winding down, the other team had the last at bat.  We were already ahead by 6 or 7 runs, so there was no way we could lose the game.  In our league at this level you can't score more than 5 runs in an inning to prevent anyone from getting completely crushed and dominated.  So even if the other team scored all 5 of their runs, we'd still win.  So Jeff, my DH and the kids' coach, decided to have some fun out there.  He switched everyone's positions and told them where they were going to play.  All but Sara.  She asked where she was going.  He said, "You're pitching!"  She had a serious heart attack and you could hear her panicked scream, "Noooooo!" in the bleachers.  He whispered to her, put one hand on her shoulders and one hand on her chest (which he said later her heart was racing like crazy) and gave her his vote of confidence in his calming daddy way.  So she went up to the mound and gave her first warm up pitch. (Mind you, she's never ever pitched before.)  It went straight down the pike!!!!  Let me tell you, once those kids got up there to bat she really held her own.  I think we have another pitcher in the family.  With some practice I think next year she's going to be pitching and striking a whole lot of boys out.  We were so proud!  So much fun, let me tell you.

We also got their baseball photos on Monday.  Here is Sara (9) and Matthew (11)...

And this next photo is pretty special.  It has 3 generations of Criswell's participating in Little League.  Jeff is the head coach, my fil is an assistant coach, and our two kids...grandpa, daddy and little ones.  How neat is that?!?

I'm so proud of my family, and I love them all so very much!

On to beady things to give you an update.  I worked on a new necklace for two days, thought it was a horribly ugly monstrosity and ripped it apart and resorted the beads today.  Started working on another new stitch, once again inspired by Mandy over at Beads for Brains: 365.  Maybe will have something new to show in a few days.

Also, I am going to formally start promoting myself as a teacher and work on getting together some small groups to teach stitches and techniques to in my home maybe once a month.  Won't that be fun?!  If you live in the Phoenix Metro area and want to take some very affordable classes and make your own beautiful custom jewelry, please contact me.  If you haven't beaded before, don't be afraid...I'll make it very understandable and enjoyable!  For those of you who have done some beading, maybe you'll learn a new thing or two and have some good company for a girl's afternoon.  If you know people who live in my area, please pass along the word.  I will provide a kit in their color choice to include beads, clasp, etc., a set of written instructions to take home and a link to a private youtube video showing how to finish off the clasp if they don't get to that point by the end of class.  All that for a mere $25!!!!  A screaming deal!!!!!  So please help me out and spread the word.  I would really appreciate some help in the blog world network...remember...sunny Phoenix!  (Actually I'm in Scottsdale, but easy access from anywhere in the Valley.)

I hope everyone is having a very happy week!  Getting kind of bored and lonely all day here by myself...drop me a line!

Signs of a Bead Addict?

(*update 6/19/10...for those of you coming to me from Google, Yahoo, or some other search engine...I do not know why the engines give most of you this particular post even though it has nothing to do with what you were searching for.  On the lower part of the side bar you will see a topic list.  That might help find something on my blog.  Also, if you have ANY questions about bead embroidery, bracelets, etc., i will be MORE than happy to answer your questions.  My email link is on the right side toolbar too.  Just drop me a line.  Happy reading!!!)



Well, I've FINALLY finished the beading on a hard (for me) loom project that I've been working on for months, I've finished March's BJP already, I'm waiting on TWO orders from Artbeads.com (one for the blogging community and one because they were having an awesome March Madness sale), and I'm feeling Lost and Lonely without any projects to do.  I'm wandering around aimlessly, continuously coming back to stare longingly at my stash.

I'd like to try some new things, like a bead embroidery cuff bracelet, but I've no idea really how to back it or add a clasp (or what kind of clasp to add for that matter); I want to try a beaded box, but am looking at the pattern with a blank stare and don't know how to start.  grrrr! 

Anyways, so I had to touch and play with my beads somehow, some way.  So what do I do?  I sort!  I've got all my colors sorted in separate freezer bags (because I have no other system) and then I've got another bag for doodads.  That's what I call the interesting little focal pieces and add-ons that are not regular seed beads...doodads.  It's a very technical term, I know.  But given that I don't have THAT many beads, I finished pretty quickly.  Now I'm left feeling lost and lonely without my beads again.  I think I'm an addict...I'm going through withdrawals.   Now I'm again wandering aimlessly, staring longingly at my stash; waiting to feel the tiny, smooth beads in my fingers again, stitching away on a new project.  Either I need a "fix" or I need a cure.  I would prefer a fix.

Snowdrifts and Christmas part 3 (DONE!!!)

Just in time for Christmas...it's finished!  I actually finished the beading about a week ago, but hubby needed to paint the frame and put the hanger on the back.  I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out, and each of the elements reminds of a different aspect of my Christmases.

Wishing all of you a very merry, love-filled Christmas and a happy (and safe) New Year!

No Two Snowdrifts Are Alike

No two snowflakes are alike.  Well, neither are snowdrifts.  I had a major "doh!" moment the other day after getting the majority of my snowdrifts done on my Christmas project.  I have been used to making pieces that are 5x5.  Naturally what did I do?  Made it 5x5, of course.  However, I intended my BJP projects to be 5x7!  oops!  So, I had to start over making it the size I wanted it to be.  And, in doing so, I realized that my snowdrifts from the first and second pieces look nothing alike, which isn't a bad thing.   I just thought it was a little interesting...we may intend things to look the same, but they rarely do.  Each has their own characteristics that aren't duplicated.  The wind was just blowing a little differently the second time around.  Here is a pic of my newly completed snowdrifts...

I just want to wish everyone a healthy, loving, belly-full and safe Thanksgiving weekend!  Let's all remember our blessings...we all have them even when things seem to be at their lowest and times are tough. 

Snowdrifts and Christmas

Well, my Christmas colored beads came in and I decided why waste time to get started.  I picked a fabric I had on hand, an off white material with a thin, black outlined flower/leaves pattern.  I set out some beads and got started.  But it just was not happening for me.  I would start something and tear it out because I was distracted by the pattern of the material and feeling uninspired.  This material was just not going to work for me.

I went to JoAnn's and found their Christmas prints that were on sale, and there were a lot to choose from!  Now I had to decide which one was going to be best for me.  I remember in class Robin saying that you need to start with a fabric that you love.  How true that is!  I discovered that using a "whatever" material was not the way to get creative juices flowing.  So I started thinking back to my childhood memories and what made them so memorable and special.  There were reindeer, snowflakes, stripes, plaids, santas...you name it, they had it.  But I kept going back to one particular material that has candy canes all over it.  The thing that made this fabric so special and the one that I chose was that it reminded me of the Christmas trees we used to decorate as kids.  My very favorite year was one that we had teddy bears and candy canes with beautiful red velvet bows tied around them.  Now, the material that I picked didn't have any teddy bears or any red velvet bows, but it brought me back to that place...exactly where I wanted to be to start my project.

The next thing I remember about Christmas growing up was snow.  How I miss the snow and the changing seasons.  Here in Phoenix, AZ we don't have the pleasure of changing leaves, the first snowfall, snow days from school, the warming up and greening trees of spring.  I remember going Christmas shopping in the evening when it was dark, the lights lining the streets, the decorations on the stores and light posts, even the red tail lights of the cars seemed to add to the colorful magic of Christmas in the midwest.  And then there was the snow.  Sparkly, drifting, crisp and cold.  I loved it.  And I miss it so much!  So, snow is where I started.

I started with white bugle beads to make a shape for my "snowdrift".  Then I added rows of various kinds of white and silver to represent the layers, the "fluffiness" of the snow with the silver ruffle on top.  (You'll have to excuse my poor picture...my camera doesn't take photos very well indoors.  I usually take them in the shade on my back patio during the daytime for the best lighting, but I wasn't patient enough to wait.)  So here is my first snow.

You can see the wonderful, colorful candy canes surrounded by the evergreen that first put me "in the mood".  Some of the beads are translucent so you can see a hint of the candy canes beneath them.  The piece will cover the material, so I decided that a hint of my inspiration showing through was all right. I realize it doesn't look exactly like snow, but it's my interpretation, so I'm going with it.  And it made my daughter think of snow before I told her, so I must have done something right.  Then I got stuck.  I have a lot of ideas going through my head that I didn't know where to go next.  So I remembered another thing Robin said.  When you get stuck, make another pathway.  So that's what I did!  I used the white bugle beads and made another snowdrift shape and then just repeated the layers.

Now, I have started one more small snowdrift in the upper right hand corner (last one for sure...I think lol).  I have other Christmas colors I want to add...I just don't know how I want to do them yet.  I think I want to do evergreen kinky fringe with red "holly berries" and Christmas tree bulbs.  But I also want to do (can't remember what it's called offhand for sure) a twisted chain to outline some of the areas.  And a little gold would be nice.  But I have to pick and choose, because I want this to be "simple" like my childhood memories and not chaotic how Christmas seems now.

And I want to say also that special people come into your life and bring blessings at the most unexpected times.  I don't know if she wants to be public, so I will just say that a "bead angel" came and is bestowing on me some of her beads to help me with this project as well as some coming up.  How thankful I am!!!

I will post more of my "Snowdrifts and Christmas" as I go along.

Shopping Frustrations...or Creative Challenge???

I wanted to buy beads to do a Christmas inspired piece for the first BJP.  I shopped online...the stores near me seem to be so limited.  Artbeads.com was out of stock on so much stuff, and I was so disappointed!  I guess I didn't shop early enough.  And then I thought I wanted some little dangly holiday charms or snowflakes or something.  omg, I had no idea how expensive they were!  Well, hubby gave me just a $20 budget, so we'll see if I can get creative enough on the few beads I found. Because $3-$5 each for a dangly just wasn't in the cards for me today.  Unfortunately, I'm a pretty new beader and I don't have a lot of stock, so $20 doesn't go very far.  Time to get the juices flowing!!!  I got some silvery and gold bugles, gold and white 15/0's, a white and cream 8/0, and a couple 11/0's in various shades of white.  I have some pearl beads on hand in a couple different sizes, some green and red in 11/0's and 15/0's.  Oh and some sparkly/shiny beads that look like little Christmas balls.  So, I'll show pics of the progress when my beads come in.  Stay tuned!  :)

Tranquility

My second piece I did, Tranquility, was the complete polar-opposite of my first project.  This one, done in shades of blue, amethyst, a splash of green and some pearl-colored beads, was done with thoughts of peace and serenity.  I tried some different stitches in this one, including the running water stitch and branch fringe.  I was completely happy with how this one turned out.

Every element I love in this piece.  I started off with the amethyst chips and the mirrors at the bottom and then the pearl and disc and leaf beads at the top.  There was a silver button with a floral swirl in the top right, but I just couldn't fall in love with that, so I ended up taking it off and I'm glad I did.  After the "chunky" pieces, I began to fill it in.  My final struggle to complete it was a blank spot in the middle.  My daughter, Sami, said it could use some green.  I wasn't sure about it at first, but now that it's done I think she made the right recommendation, because I have learned to like the green kinky fringe with the white beads at the ends as well.

I went shopping today for a few new things.  Greens, golds and coppers caught my fancy today.  Holy cow the metallics are expensive!  My husband is unemployed and beads are such a luxury...he has me on a very tight leash when it comes to my bead shopping.  So I have to be very thoughtful of every single thing I buy to make sure I love it right off the bat and will get good use of it.  I can't be buying things I "might" use in the future...otherwise I'd go nuts at the bead store!!!

Anyways, I will start tomorrow on my next project with the things I bought today.  Will post it when it's done.

getting started with blogging and my 1st project

I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants trying to figure out how to get started with this.  I figure the best way to learn and get started is to just jump in the deep end and do it.  I've never done a blog before and will probably flounder a bit here and there, but as everything else in life I'll get better over time.

I've been beading for a couple years now as much as I can.  Beads are expensive and we're on a tight budget, so they're pretty much a luxury.  But I've recently started selling loom and peyote patterns at www.thebeadcoop.com and am making a little pin money each month now.  woohoo!  (If you'd like to see/buy my pattners click on "our designers" on the left and click on the number to the right of my name.)

I started off with square stitch and looming on a loom my wonderful husband built for me.  I couldn't get enough of it until recently...I was introduced to improvisational bead embroidery and took an amazing 2 day class with Robin Atkins (click to go to her website--has a link to her blog too).  Looming doesn't even compare to what I personally get out of embroidering!  I'm working on a loom project right now and it's almost a chore to finish it because all I can think about are the patterns and colors I can put on a piece of fabric.

I spent a couple months collecting beads in shades of purple and blue, a little green and red and various little doodads getting ready to take the class.  I had no idea what i was going to do with them, but I couldn't wait to get at it!  I was nervous about the class because I have anxiety issues and don't do well with too many people at once.  Well, my anxiety issues were a non-issue after all.  I was so excited to be in that class and learn from someone so knowledgeable and experienced that I was able to focus on the beading and not about having an anxiety attack.  The anxiety hit on Sunday night after the class was over and all the adrenaline subsided, but that passed and Monday morning I was ready to continue my project.

I had no idea where my first project was going to go.  I had so many thoughts going through my head.  I was thinking about the last couple years of my life dealing with being bipolar, the manic, the depressive, the roller coaster, the process of healing and becoming stable, my family being together now...so many things...I just couldn't focus on a single thought.  They were swirling in my head like a tornado.  It only took me about a week to finish my project because I worked on it diligently every day.  Here's where the piece went:

Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show how vibrant the colors are.  But I think you can get the picture.  So many textures and patterns throughout the piece were very reflective of my thought process, which is why I call this one "My Racing Thoughts".