Holiday update and a new BJP year!

 Happy New Year to all of you!  I hope that you all had a marvelous holiday season.  For me, it was exhausting, but it was really good nonetheless.  First, my oldest baby and his girlfriend, Michelle, moved in with us.  Now we have a family of 7 in a 3 bedroom house.  Tyler and Michelle have been assigned to the sectional sofa in the living room.  Unfortunately, there are no extra beds or rooms other than that.  At least they have a roof over their heads, are getting good meals and aren't freezing out there.  Here's a pic of Ty and Michelle:

Tyler and his girlfriend, Michelle.

They are both searching hard for work, but this is an awful time of year to be looking for a job.  Everyone is telling them "middle to end of January."  Please keep good thoughts, prayers, whatever it is that you do for these kids so they can get on their feet.

Getting ready for the holidays was hectic.  I was the designated cookie maker for the family get-togethers this year.  I had big plans of making several dozen of 4 different kinds of cookies.  But, *sigh* I only made 3 kinds.  Well, I only made two.  Michelle had been wanting to make cookies, too, so she and Sara teamed up to make the chocolate chips.  They turned out great!

Sara and Michelle baking cookies for Christmas

Then, during the week before Christmas, my best friend from high school (who I haven't seen in 22 years!!!) came to Phoenix and stayed with us for a few days!  It was so much fun to get to know her again, talk, get caught up, etc.  I felt bad because my house and lifestyle is not very exciting, so I didn't really know what to do to entertain.  One day we took a car trip in a big circle through the different areas around Scottsdale, and we had a great lunch at a place called Island's.  Oh my, do they have the best dang burgers on the planet!!!!  We had a very nice time together, and it better not be another 22 years until I see her again!!!  We had lost touch just up until a few months ago, and she tracked me down through Facebook.  The wonders of modern technology!  Now I know how to reach her, and I vow not to lose track of her again!!!

Angela!

Of course, the kids all got just about everything they wanted for Christmas.  I know we spoil them.  But they are only kids for a short while.  Does anyone remember my computer that crashed and died on me a few months back?  Well, we had the hard drive wiped clean and had windows reloaded on it.  The kids got that for their room for Christmas, and they were sooooo excited!  We got a wireless adapter thingy and I got them hooked up to the internet, and they couldn't be happier.  They have very tight restrictions on where they can go and what they can do, but they haven't argued one bit about it.  Right now they are having a lot of fun on a website called "Club Penguin".  Keeps them busy!

Sara and Matthew

Unfortunately, I didn't have much opportunity to get photos of Sami during the week of Christmas.  One of her very good friends that moved away to Arkansas came in town to visit her dad, and Sami was invited over to their house for a few days.  She had a great time visiting with Lejend, and I'm happy that even though she has moved away that they have stayed in touch.  Unlike me and Angela when I moved away!

Oh!  And I nearly forgot!  The other morning there was a knock at the door.  I got up to go answer it, and I was a little irritated.  I was sure it was going to be yet another salesman wanting to fix my windshield.  We get LOTS of different types of door-to-door salesmen, but especially ones who want to fix my windshield.  So I opened the door with a scowl on my face...and I couldn't believe it!  Unannounced all the way to Scottsdale, AZ from Denver was my parents!!!!  They didn't tell us they were coming, so we were all shocked, and happy and surprised.  We had a nice few days visiting with them.  Pop took the little ones hiking up Camelback Mountain, and for the first time ever they made it to the top!!!  Me and mom looked at each other's bead work, oohed and ahhhed, and I showed her how to do a couple stitches.  Years ago I got her into some heavy duty scrapbooking, now I have gotten her into beading.  lol  Like mother, like daughter. (Notice, the wall behind them is also Sara's Art Wall. :)

Mom and Pop

Bead Journal Project 2011

OK!  Now on to the beads!!!  I did not finish last year's project.  I think I only got through June.  The reason is that my carpal tunnel has gotten so bad that I can no longer do bead embroidery.  My hands hurt up to my elbows within about 5 minutes, and it is just too painful and frustrating.  So this year I am going to do something different.  I know that 99% of the people in the BJP do bead embroidery, so I hope my ideas can still be appreciated even though they are not the norm.  My goal this year is to learn a new type of bead weaving stitch or method or idea every month for the next year to expand my knowledge of beads and to find as many ways of expressing myself through beads as I can...that doesn't hurt my hands.

Each month I will make a necklace and bracelet set.  This month I chose to do wire crochet.  I was surprised at how fast they worked up!  I chose 4 different types of beads.  There was a czech glass green square, a Czech glass maple leaf in cobalt luster, a pearlized glass garnet nugget and a copper-ish serpentine glass square.  I used 26g silver craft wire and a simple, plain silver toggle for the closures.

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I call it "Joyful Chaos", which describes my last few months of 2010.  There were a lot of happy things going on, such as my son coming home and Angela coming to visit, but it was also very chaotic and stressful at the same time.  Here are some pics for you to see.

(Just a note...the silver chain at the top is not part of the necklace...that is Michelle's chain that she already had on.)

And a close-up...

Here's the bracelet, and I also made a matching wire-wrapped ring in 20g silver parawire.

I didn't post anything for New Year's.  I think because I convinced myself I had to come up with something profound to say.  But I had nothing.  I just want to say that I appreciate all of you.  So many of you have become personal friends in 2010, and I hope to become friends with many more of you in 2011.  May all of you have a blessed, happy, healthy and prosperous 2011!!!

Free Gift Cards!

Did you hear about what Artbeads.com is doing?  They are giving away 10,000...yes, I said 10,000 free $10 gift cards before Christmas!!!

All you have to do is send in the email address for 10 friends who you would like to have win one.  I know I'm going to enter in 10 friends to win.  So, make your list, check it twice and click here to send in their names.  Your lists must be in to them by December 22 so they can mail them out before Christmas.  Better get busy!!! 

Sara's Dress & Ring

Hi, all.  Did you have a good Thanksgiving for those of you in the states?  We did.  As a matter of fact, I am cooking a turkey dinner right now.  We always go to relative's house for dinner, and I never have leftovers for turkey sammies.  I just didn't want that again this year, so we are having our own 2nd Thanksgiving dinner at home.  The kids are starving and the house is smelling pretty good, so tummies are grumbling.

Sara picked out a sparkly red dress that she just had to have for the holidays this year.  I was thinking something practical that she could also wear to school, but no.  She saw that dress and I could not get her to look at anything else!  So I caved in and bought her the impractical but pretty sparkly red dress.  And, of course, the shoes to go with it because white sneakers with hot pink laces just would not do.

She wore the dress the first time on Thursday, and will wear it again for Christmas.  Then, I got my order in the mail from Bello Modo.  Usually they put a free little goody in the package, and guess what I got? Three 4mm Swarovski bicones in green, white and red.  So guess what I did with it.  I made Sara a Christmas ring to go with her sparkly red dress for Christmas next month.  She really loves it.  Here are some pics...

Sara in her new red dress...

And here is her Christmas ring...

lol...she's been painting with watercolors all day...can you see the paint still in her fingers even though she washed them?

Anyhow, there's her ring.  I'm getting better at wrapping them and getting the sizing right.  Sara's turned out to be the exact size I was shooting for, and I was very happy about that.  What do you think of it?  It's much daintier than the other ones I did.  We both like it.  I'm thinking about making more with the 4mm bicones.  What do you think?

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.