Etsy Beadweavers' December Challenge - Snow Queen

The entries for the challenge are in and yet again, they are simply beautiful, creative and amazing! Imagine that all of these entrants took the time and talent to create these inspiring challenge pieces! You can click on the item in the text list below the mosaic which links to the Etsy Shop listing of each entrant where you will see more detail of each piece! Be sure to stop by http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ on the 9th when the poll will be available for you to cast your vote, December 9th thru the 15th!

1. mirka collar - thebeadedlily

2. Snow Queen Musical Box - enchanted beads

3. winter's court necklace - AmethystRavenstar

4. A Royal Affair - beadsforever

5. Snow Blind - artzilla

6. Ice Crystals Holiday Bracelet - arosebyname

7. Snow Queen necklace - CieloDesign

8. Jadis , Beadwoven Cuff - RegalBeads

9. The Snow Queen's Dandelion - divina

10. Snow Queen Choker - njema

11. Frozen Waters - Cuff - triz

12. Queen of Ice and Snow Necklace - HannahRachel

13. Snowdrop - ErtheFae

14. Ice Dream - nemeton

15. Queen of the Frozen Tundra - gypsyeyesjewelry

16. Snow Queen Beaded Cuff - celestialfoundations

17. Snowflake - ArtfulAr

18. Yuki Onna - Japanese Snow Woman - SmadarsTreasure

19. Anastasia choker - MCDdesigns

20. For the White Witch of Narnia - ThesePreciousThings

21. Snowflake Fairy - BeadazzledofOregon

22. Snow Queen - cigarboxbeads

23. Snow princess necklace - FleurDeIrk

24. Snow Queen Collar - LiciaBeads

25. Royal Crystal Necklace - SpringColors

26. Snowfall - beadsandblooms

27. Queen of the Snow - savoystudio

28. Snow Queen amulet bag - PFordCustomJewelry

29. Snow Queen Paisley Bracelet - myfairladyvt4

30. Victorian Icicles Necklace - FrancescasFancy

31. Snow Queen Icicle Cascade Necklace - Emarah

Voting begins on Tuesday, December 9th and ends midnight December 15th. The best way to show your appreciation for the efforts of these amazing artists is by taking on the difficult task of voting for your favorite. (The ballot will appear on the side bar on the right on December 9th at http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/.) Again, the individual pieces are listed below the mosaic where you can visit each entry for more information by following the link. Thank you, enjoy and be sure to go to the website to vote between December 9th and 15th!

Jewels of the Sea drawing

Sunday, November 30, 2008 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving) will be the drawing date for
"Jewels of the Sea" 2008 "Pink Ribbon Turtles" Project

If you haven't made your donation to put your name in the hat, now is the time to do it!
You can make your donation at www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm
Don't miss your chance to own this beautiful beaded artwork,
Or your chance to make a donation to the
American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research.
At this site you can make donations to win our two other
2008 "Pink Ribbon Turtles" for Breast Cancer Research.
The drawing date for those will be Friday, December 12th...
WOW...what a great Christmas present any of these would be!

Ive been MEME'ed!

Boy, I have never been MEME'ed before. I am supposed to now tell you 7 things about myself that most people don't know...Ive been giving this a lot of thought, and boy is this hard.

1. In high school I loved to dye my hair different colors, and shaved parts of my head. I liked blue and purple the most.
2. I have multiple tattoos, all of them turtles.
3. No matter what my Mother thinks, I pierced my tongue as a dare by a friend, not the "other reason" she assumes it was for...
4. I am not Amish, like people keep asking me about. Just because I have long hair in a ponytail and wear long skirts all the time doesn't mean anything except I am to lazy to cut or style my hair, and skirts are much more comfortable than pants.
5. I am addicted to playing World of WarCraft. It started as a good way to spend time with my husband(who is a video game freak) and turned into a full fledged addiction (Ive even found myself playing it when he is not at home!).
6. Cheese is my most favorite food in the world! It is my comfort food, and I would eat it for every meal of the day if I could. I like it even more then chocolate!
7. And last but not least, I am a vegetarian, but don't like a lot of vegetables(weird, huh?)

Well, that was really hard to do, not because I have anything to hide, but because I cant think of anything interesting someone might want to know about me that they don't know already! So I guess now I'm supposed to MEME some people (7 to be exact), and that might prove to be even harder then telling the 7 facts about myself. I might need to think about this for a little longer, because most of the bloggers I know have already been MEME'ed.

On another note, I just wanted to share some pictures that aren't bead related...My boys dressed up for Halloween(they are old enough the don't do cute anymore :( . Without the face paint, they are cute as can be (I'm a Mom, I'm allowed to say that, right?).

And a loaf of sourdough bread that my Dad got me from San Francisco while he was there for my brothers wedding...how cool is this?

I never thought of making turtle bread before. I must say it was difficult to cut into, sawing him in half was almost a shame. I thought about trying to save him by putting a few coats of shellac on him, but Brian thought it would still get "funky" on the inside of the loaf, and that wouldn't be a good thing. He tasted great though, I dipped him in a homemade stew yesterday. Mmmmm....good!

Reminder!

Just a reminder to everyone that just because October is ending doesn't mean we can forget about Breast Cancer. Sales are still going on for raffle tickets for the Pink Ribbon Turtles where ALL proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer Research. Stop by the website today, and buy a few tickets for the wonderful beaded Pink Ribbon Turtles, or maybe buy some magnets, note cards, or stickers! A donation can also be made if that is what you would like to do. Tell all your friends that the drawings aren't until November 30Th, and December 12Th so these would even make great holiday gifts! Stop by the site and have a look!
www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm

Beaded Face Pin Swap 2008

I got my new pin in the mail yesterday! And it is so beautiful...



It is titled "Rose" and is by a fellow bead artist Grace Daniels. She made four very nice pins, and I was one of the lucky ones to receive one! Check out her blog to find out more about her and her beadwork. If you would like to see all the different pins that were made this year, or sign up for next years swap, visit Carol Strand-Siebers website.

Animal Instincts

The entries are in and once again, they are simply stunning! Click on the item in the list below to see more details! Be sure to stop by the etsy-beadweavers blog on the 9th when the poll will be available for you to cast your vote!

Voting begins on Sunday, October 9th and ends midnight October 15th. Please show your appreciation for the efforts of these amazing artists by taking on the difficult task of voting for your favorite. (The ballot will appear on the side bar at right on September 9.) The individual pieces are listed below, where you can visit each entry for more information by following the link. Be sure to stop by http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ and vote between October 9th and 15th!

1. Black Panther Necklace - triz

2. Flight of the Great Blue Heron - beaddiddy

3. barbary coast cuff - thebeadedlily

4. Just chasing my tail - Chrisbeads

5. A Feathered Affair - beadsandblooms

6. Animal passion necklace - FleurDeIrk

7. What Remains -Fossil Necklace - SalamanderHouse

8. Nautilis Fossil Cuff - vanishingpearl

9. Magpie Cuff - nemeton

10. Turtle Talisman - ErtheFae

11. The Mane Event Necklace - njema

12. Stripes of the Tiger Beaded Cuff - dreambeadweaver

13. Petroglyph Cuff - HighDesertBeadscapes

14. Safari Ric Rac Freeform Herringbone Bracelet - myfairladyvt4

15. Kiss of the Spider Woman Necklace - SpringColors

16. Where's The Orca Necklace - wMarlaine

17. Gotcha - Beadwoven Cat and Mouse Bracelet - SmadarsTreasure

18. Dragonfly necklace - PFordCustomJewelry

19. Fish Instinct Bracelet - enchantedbeads

October

As you probably already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. It is also the launch of the pink ribbon turtle raffle, in which I took part in helping create one of the pink ribbon 4q designs. Please check out this web page (www.atawhisper.com/prt.htm), and consider buying a raffle ticket or two. Not only do you get the chance to win a spectacular piece of beaded art, but you would be donating money to a very worthwhile cause (breast cancer research).

I also have some exciting news. I have taken a job at one of my local bead stores, Purple Sage. I am very excited to start there next week. I really enjoy working at a bead store, not only for the discount(woohoo!) but because I like to be around other beaders to see what they are doing, and help with any problems they might be having. If you live in the area, stop by and say hello. Its a great store with good prices, and a fabulous staff(lol)!

Finally!

I finally pushed the publish button on my website. I haven't got it completely done, it is a work in progress....but everyone who would like to see should go to www.libeadobeadwork.com . If you have any comments or suggestions, let me have it. All input is welcome. I will also keep adding pictures, so check back frequently!

Beaded Face Pin Swap 2008

I decided to join the Fourth Annual Beaded Face Pin Swap 2008 . The rules were simple, make a beaded face pin (only human faces, no animals) that is no bigger than 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches by September 26. Send in one pin, get one back. Send two, get two and so on and so forth. I decided to try out another of these face molds that I have. The face is actually a porcelain white, but somehow I cant seem to take a clear picture of lighter colored things without screwing up the brightness of the photo. I think I'll name him "Jack Frosty" because I used a pale blue to make the snowflake pattern he is bezeled in (my own design I might add).

Bead Artist Trading Cards

I finally got all my Bead Artist Trading Cards done! I decided to participate in a swap on All About Beads for the BATC's. I was supposed to make 10 cards that had to have at least 1 bead on each card, and the measurements should be 2.5 by 3.5 . For some reason, this gave me the biggest case of artist block that I have had in a very long time, but after about 2 weeks of "thinking about it", I decided that I had so much fun doing the Pink Ribbon Turtle in monochrome, that I thought"what the hay..." and chose to do a theme of monochromatism(is that even a word?) So here they are in all their beady goodness...

I had a really good time digging through my stash, to see what I could find in each of the colors. For the black, I found a single button that was on clearance at Jo-Ann Fabrics for $0.75, and I cut the shank off so it would sit flat on the backing. I was delighted to find the 2 cat heads in my goodies. A friend of mine stopped by when I was working on this one and commented "its amazing how many different blacks there are..." and I agree. The white card seems to be the favorite of most people that I show the cards to. My Mother(whose favorite color is white) really loved this card and tried to convince me that maybe she needed one just like it...hmmmm...her birthday is right around the corner(hehehe). The face is from a mold that I bought but never actually have used for anything yet. I think it turned out well and I will be using it again soon.
When I started the grey, I thought it would be the most boring of them all, but I am kind of partial to it now that it is done. It looks a lot better in natural light then under my Ott Lite though, which is rare.
I had a hard time with the brown card. I found the skull beads first and had decided to use them, but finding something to go with them was a task. The mouse is a bit large, but once it popped into my head, it had to be done. Thank heavens my stash is under a bit of photographic memory locator which led me directly to it. I have no clue where I picked it up at, but I'm glad it finally found a home!
The hardest part about the purple, was which shade of purple to use. I might've ended up using to many shades, but I am satisfied with the results. The big shell piece has a lot of different shades throughout. I think I got the little bear fetish back in the early '90s from a friend. I still feel bad I never actually made her what she wanted, and I have no clue where she disappeared to. It ended up finding a good home here though.

I owned lots of blue seed beads, but can you believe I only had one larger blue bead for interest, the heart. I actually just bought the heart recently for the Pink Ribbon Turtle, but didn't use it because it wasn't the right shade for that project. Works perfectly here!

Green is not one of my favorite colors(at least not bright green). I still own a million green beads though! I really like the pattern I laid them in. I see a barrette in my future a lot like the center section here...not so much green though!

Yellow is such a bright sunny color! I had this glass starfish that broke of a Pier 1 swizzle stick back when I worked there 8 years ago. I am such a packrat. I'm glad a few of these weird odds and ends have finally found homes(outside of mine!).

I am very surprised how much orange I found also. A color I use only in moderation. The cute little orange snake got my boys very interested in this one. They both wanted a necklace with one on it, but I only had one.

And finally red. Red always makes me think of hearts, so what better then a great big one smack dab in the middle. I am so happy to have all of these done, and in plenty of time to make sure they get mailed off on time also.

Post Office trip!

I'm off to the post office today. First I must mail my completed Pink Ribbon Turtle quadrant. I am really happy with how it turned out. All I did in the background is bezel around some mirrors to look kind of like bubbles. I used size 15 silver beads, so they blend with the mirrors, and just add some sparkle to the background. I don't know what anyone else is putting in their background so I thought I would go light, and not try to take away from the turtle in the middle.
They other goody I need to mail is this necklace I whipped up for my Aunt Nancy. She had this little purple stone that she liked, and wanted something made out of it. I decided to go simple on this one, so that it can be worn casually, and I didn't want to distract from the stone. I made the peyote tubes in purple, and added the pink around the edges, just like in the bezel around the stone. The beads that make up the rest of the necklace are 6mm amethyst, and a little 3mm pressed Czech. bead in between each amethyst. I hope she likes it!



The picture is a little washed out looking, I still haven't quite mastered this whole photography thing. Even though I took the picture outside, with the sun shining brightly, the whole thing had a purple tint to it, so I tried to adjust the brightness, and this is what I came up with. Ill just keep learning, and trying!

My etsy store!

I finally got off my booty, and opened up my etsy store! You can see some pictures of what I've got for sale right now in the right column, or click the link, and see everything that Ive managed to get up for sale. I also joined the Etsy Beadweavers Street Team! What a talented group of beaders belong to this group. Every month they have a challenge, and then they have a vote for the winner on their blog http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ . This months challenge theme was Art Deco, and here is a picture of all the entries. Voting takes place on the blog on the 9Th of August(right around the corner) so go on over, and place your votes!

Turtle head

I managed to get the rest of my Pink Ribbon Turtle finished over the weekend, and thought you might like to see...

I had a real hard time deciding what to do for the head. I wasn't sure whether I should make it have eyes or not. Every time I put beads on for eyes, it looked kind of silly, so I went with this instead. Now all I need to do is connect it to the background fabric, and embellish the background. It looks as if I wont have any problems getting this done on time...and then on to my Bead Artist Trading Cards (BATC) that are due in October!

Stanley

I sat down yesterday to work on my turtle head, and I got distracted by a thought process. After spending some time browsing Laura McCabe's website and looking at her cell phone fobs, I thought to myself, "hey, I bet I could make myself a turtle fob!" I really like turtles, and since I have turtles on the brain lately with the Pink Ribbon Turtles it just came naturally. So this is what I came up with...I used a 12mm emerald swarovski rivoli for the shell. I stitched a peyote bezel around it, and then made the ridge on the shell with a st. petersburg chain variation. I added a 8mm peridot swarovski for the head, with a head pin inserted for attaching to the fob. The legs are 6mm peridot top-drilled crystals, and two 4mm peridots for the tail. I also beaded the bezel so that it was closed on the back of the rivoli, so that his shell looks complete.
Ive named him Stanley. I'm not sure why, but the name just spoke to me while I was making it, so Stanley it is. I hope he will enjoy dangling from my phone. Now on to bigger, pinker turtles...again...

Pink Shell

I just ran outside, and took this photo of my beaded turtle shell for the Pink Ribbon Turtle 4Q. Thank heavens it is such a sunny day(excuse the glare on some of the stones). I cant wait to get started on the head! This is such a fun project, I cant wait to see what it will look like when everyone gets their quadrant done, and the whole thing is put together. I am so thrilled to be working with such great beaders , Jena Tuntas , Dot Lewallen , and Cynthia Bicker. Well, I'm off to go beading! yippeeee!

Prickly Pear

Finally, the rest of the pieces came in the mail yesterday so I was able to finish constructing, photographing, and mailing off my BFAC project. And what a relief it was to do all of that.

The kit we started with didn't look half bad to me when we first got it back in March. When I finally sat down to play with the beads though, I found I had an obstacle. All of the beads looked quite different when they were strung, and I found that I didn't like the colors at all!

I came up with the idea to make some beaded beads with right-angle weave, and that way I could use small concentrated blobs of color spread out through my project. After adding some 8mm round Jade beads, I came up with this necklace/bracelet set.

All of the beaded beads are different from each other and both the necklace, and the bracelet have magnetic closures that are hidden within the beads, so that each piece seems to be a continuous beaded rope.


One of the other nice features of the magnetic closure, is that the necklace which is 16 and 1/4 inches long, and the bracelet which is 8 and 1/4 inches can be combined to make a necklace which is 24 and 1/2 inches long.

Hopefully the versatility of this set will make it the perfect addition to someones jewelry collection. I am so happy to be done with one more challenge, and on my way to the Pink Ribbon Turtles! Woooohooooo!!!

ahhhh...relief

Well, I finally had to set down the mask, and move on to other things. I still have a reasonable amount of work to do on the mask, but for sanity sake, I know when I need to take a break. I still intend to finish it also, hopefully before Christmas, but I needed to get some other projects done first. The Beadin' Path will be posting pictures in about a month so everyone can see what the talented artists who got theirs done in time did with their masks.

First to get done is my Beading for a Cure project. I finally came up with a pattern that works for me, and made a bunch of beaded beads. I am almost patiently awaiting a delivery of the few last supplies I need in order to take some pictures, and send it on its way before the deadline of July 15Th. Hopefully I will get these pictures up on my blog before the holiday this weekend(fingers crossed).

Then I get to start my turtle for the Pink Ribbon Turtles 4Q. I have all sorts of beads that I have been buying, and getting all my creative juices flowing, and I am revved up, and ready to go! I am hoping to start the shell this weekend, while I am in Fife Lake at the cottage this weekend. Hopefully I will find some time to work on it, but with all the family being there, I am sure I will be distracted.

In the meantime, I am creating a website for myself. This is the year I would really like my beading career to start to take off. I have been playing around for about 24 years now, experimenting, and having lots of fun. Now that my kids are a bit bigger (Xavier is 7 and Aiden is 5) and both will be in full day school in the fall, so I will have some time to concentrate on furthering my goals. Keep your eyes and ears open, because I want to try and get the website up and running this month. The address will be www.libeadobeadwork.com .

Tough times

Have you ever gotten one of those feelings that you have emotionally hit bottom? I think today is that day. The past month has been very difficult for my family with illnesses, and deaths. I cant even begin to describe what we've been through, but hopefully it wont get any worse. I am tired, and drained. The tears have flown, and are now starting to dry up...hopefully things will start to look up soon. I know that I have been neglecting my blog, due to lack of pleasant things to say. I hope that too shall change. May I have something pleasant to share with you soon.

I didn't manage to get my mask done on time for the deadline at The Beadin' Path. I am still trying to see if I might be able to complete it in time for the grand unveiling on June 27Th. I hope to take some pictures soon, if the sun has any plans for reappearing here in Michigan. We have had some real severe storms lately, luckily we were spared at my house (first bit of luck Ive had in awhile), but lots of people have had problems with loss of power, and lots of trees down in the area. I am still working many hours a day at trying to complete the mask, and cant wait to get started on something new but I figure that if I put the mask down now I wont pick it up again for a very long time, and I would just like to finish it, and see it completed. I cant even begin to count how many hours, and beads have gone into this thing, but the number is surely impressive.

We Give Our Loved Ones Back To God

We give our loved ones back to God.

And just as He first gave them to us

and did not lose them in the giving,

so we have not lost them

to Him...

For life is eternal,

love is immortal,

death is only a horizon...

and a horizen is nothing

but the limit

of our earthly sight.

Heavy Heart

I have some heart ache today. Last night my grandmother passed away. It was her time, and she passed with no pain, but I am still on the verge of tears when I think about her. She is a good woman who will be missed greatly. Most of my pain, I must admit, I am feeling for my grandfather. He has spent so many years at my grandmothers side, that I worry what his loss will bring for him. For the last two years he has devoted almost every waking hour to her, sitting by her, even when she wouldn't recognize him, he was there. I hope that his strength, and the love of his family will hopefully see him through this most painful time. I wish I had a picture of Grandma to post. She was such a beautiful woman.

On somewhat of a lighter note, I have been working non stop on this blankity-blanken mask. I am making great progress(I hope to get some photos soon, and maybe even post them), but I fear that it still will not be done on time. I am now starting to feel the pressure building behind the deadlines that are coming up shortly after the mask. The project that I have for Beading for a Cure is due back by June 15Th, and I will admit that I still don't know what I am going to make. I figure that will be easy to do as long as I start by June 1st. And then I get to start my Pink Ribbon Turtle ! I at least have the fabric picked out for that. Now I just need more beads! (my husband would argue that with me...)LOL!

Speaking of more beads, Red Fox Beads opened this week. You can check out this short video that the owner Shelia Reisinger made of the store. She is staring out well, and with some beady support, she will expand in time. I was there on opening morning, and she already had a few customers in, and even I couldn't resist buying something (I don't have much self restraint when it comes to beads).

Panic!

April 11Th and my mask is no where near done! I am in a panic at the moment because my beaded mask for the Behind the Mask Challenge is not nearly close enough to being done to make me feel very good right now. It took me until January to come up with a feasible idea, and I have been working steadily on it, but it is not coming along like I dream it should be. I guess there is still a slight chance I might be able to pull it all together, if I give up sleeping, and driving my family taxi. I told Brian that if he would put his life on pause, and take over my duties (children, house, car, etc.) and if I also gave up sleeping, and glued myself to my chair, I might be able to do it...but I don't think any of that is plausible. I will keep beading, and trying, and panicing...until....it is time to start the next challenge so I don't fall behind on that one too. Why is there never enough time? Well, maybe because I am sitting here at my computer, reading e-mails, and forums, and posting on my blog...oh my, the guilt is tremendous.

I have been exploring the world of BeadBugle.com . William Johnson has asked me whether I might be interested in writing for them. I had never heard of Bead Bugle before, but he tells me they have been around for 11 years, and somewhere near 40,000 readers. That's a lot of people. I am still exploring what other people have been writing about, and giving this a lot of thought. I think it will be a lot of fun, but I haven't actually come up with what I might write about. I have never really been a writer, but there is a first time for everything. I'm writing here aren't I?

On another note, I have been out beading with the girls. Shelia has told us that May 13Th her new bead store will open. Red Fox Beads. It will be in her house for now, until she gets a good customer base, and can afford to move to a regular retail establishment. I'm happy for her, I have always thought that Freeland is a good area for a bead store. I am a bit upset though because seed beads are not on her list of must carries yet. Why can no one except Bead Haven carry my beads? I hate driving out there...ah, well, I guess that's my problem though. Maybe she will be pressured by the general beady public to carry them, and they will want to take classes and such, and she will give in to the pressure...a girl can dream, cant she?

Love Squared Revealed

Last night Monica Magnuss posted the photos of the pink artist project. The doll has been named Love Squared and is approximately 40 inches tall. Now that Monica has finished constructing her, she is going to start her journey to Art Doll Quarterly, and then will be auctioned off. All of the proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen foundation to help with breast cancer research.
I cant believe how beautiful she is. Monica did a fabulous job creating her. And a big round of applause for all of the people who donated their time, and their craft to help with such worthwhile cause. Cancer affects so many people, the only way we can fight such a disease is together.
I dedicate my squares (one is featured here, on the right side, silver beads with a pink ribbon) to my step-grandmother, Evelyn Kitchen, who was lucky enough to win her fight with breast cancer not once, but twice. I hope that my efforts, and everyone else's, will help make the chances of surviving cancer even just a little bit easier for everyone.

Pink Ribbon Turtles

This is a picture of the Pink Ribbon Turtle for 2007 made by Jena Tuntas. For the past three years Jena has been raising money for the American Cancer Society to help with breast cancer research. I found Jena through an article written by Beadwork Magazine about her project. She has been making these beaded turtles, raffling them off and donating the proceeds for 3 years now.

Well, I don't know how much you know about me, but I have a slight obsession with turtles. I saw this article written about Jena, and I knew I had to check it out, so I looked up her website http://www.atawhisper.com/. Jena makes the MOST beautiful turtles Ive seen in a long time, and I thought to myself, "hey, I want to bead turtles too!", and what a worthy cause. I wrote Jena an e-mail, and told her I would like to help her out, would she consider expanding her one-woman vigil? She was very receptive to the idea, and was happy to include me, and possibly more people who might want to contribute to this cause. So, my question is to the rest of you good beaders out there, would you like to help with the Pink Ribbon Turtles? If you might consider donating your time and efforts you can find out more about this years "Pink Ribbon Turtles 4Q" that Jena and I are trying to coordinate.

Bead Quilt Squares

This weekend I decided to sit down and finish up my squares for Jeannette Shanigans Bead Quilt. This years theme is "Life is beautiful like the rose, but beware of thorns". You can see the rest of the squares she has received so far by visiting http://shanigansbeadshenanigans.com/BCQuilt.html . The deadline to have your squares to her is April 1st, then she will construct the quilt, and donate it to Bead Artists against Breast Cancer . I think its great that so many people want to contribute to such a worthwhile cause. Too many families are affected by cancer of all kinds. I am glad that even though I don't have the money to donate to things like this, that I can use my talents to help.

In case you don't know, March is National Colorectal Cancer Research month, and speaking of good cancer research donations, the auctions for Beading for a Cure are underway now and will continue through May 4Th. Try to take some time and check out the eye candy that all of these fabulous artists have donated to help raise funds for colorectal cancer research.

Pink Artist Squares

I finished my Pink Artist squares and got them all mailed off on time (whew). In case you don't know, the Pink Artist project is being organized by Monica Magness at http://girl-gone-thread-wild.blogspot.com . She is collecting 2X2 inch art squares to cover a doll and blanket which will be sent to Art Doll Quarterly, and then auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and breast cancer research. Feel free to click on the link to the right with the pink artist on it and find out more about it. Some fabulous squares were donated!

The two squares up top are the two that I sent. The first one I made was the pink ribbon. Funny, I don't really like pink much, but I have an awful lot of pink beads. The second square holds the initials of my step-grandmother Evelyn May Kitchen who was a two time breast cancer survivor. She was in my thoughts while working on these squares. I'm glad I can contribute to such a worthy cause.

Empty Feeling

Well, I have been in Freeland lately. I decided to check out where the bead store used to be. I guess when people say you can never go back, they really mean it. There was the bead store (where it used to be atleast) and it was empty. I dont know what I was expecting, considering that it closed in November, but it still was a shock to the system. Brian tells me on quite a regular basis as we are driving around Saginaw that "He used to live there" as he points to an old building, or in some cases an empty lot where there used to be a building. I have never given this much thought, but it is strange to see something that is still so fresh in ones memory, but in reality is gone, or changed. It leaves this little blank space, that cannot be filled, for whatever reason. I still have pleasant memories, and even some hopes about the bead store. Somewhere in my head, I am wishing that someone(maybe my old manager, or maybe even myself) will re-rent this location, and again fill it with sparkly little pieces of glass, and friendly people drawn together by a similar hobby. I miss the people, I miss the atmosphere, and I miss the feeling of going to work at a place that I love. I havent gotten a new job (yet), and I dont think I will ever get one that will be quite the same as the bead store. Ive heard many people comment, and I whole heartedly agree, that a job at a bead store is the best job in the world.

Whats in a name?

What Gretchen Means

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

So I decided to see what this blogthing might say about my name, and that is what it said. I was a little surpirsed that it was so on! I dont put a lot of faith in these things, but you be the judge. Follow the link, and try out your own name, and see if its accurate.

I still cant find my camera, and I am starting to think that the boogey monster must have taken it. Why is it when we need something the most, that is when we cant have it? I have resigned myself to accepting the fact that I will have to buy a new one. I guess it was about time anyway. Good thing tax refund time is here, it will make this purchase a little easier on me. All I want to do is take some pictures!

I am starting to make some progress on my Mask for the Behind the Mask Challenge. Last weekend I finally got Brian(my husband) to cut the ceramic tile for me. Bet that hint is making you wonder. I am beading along happily on it and hoping it will work out as I am planning. Sometimes the plan has to change while I am in creation mode, but I think I have thought this one through nicely. Good thing the deadline was extended until the end of May. I am sure I will be able to get it done before that. Lets hope Brian gets his 1099 soon so that we can go do our taxes(then I can start taking work in progress photos).

Help with problem beads

I have teamed up with Michelle Mach from Beading Daily to try and help some beaders out with any problem beads, or projects they might have. Yesterday on the Beading Daily website Michelle unveiled their newest idea on helping out the beading community. Somehow she found my blog, and read my post about the bead store closing, and how much I miss it, and asked me if I might want to work with her on an idea she had. You can write to Beading Daily with any problems you might be having, or if you just need some creative stimulation. They will then forward these problems to me, and I will give my opinion of what I think might need to be done!


Michelle sent me this picture of some beads that she had bought and wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I suggested this:

When I saw the pine-cone polymer beads the first thing that popped into my head would be a lariat with maybe one bead on one end, and two on the other. I would pair it with some jasper, and even some nephrite or serpentine and give it a fall feel. Maybe the green bead could go on one end, and start in the green family, and blend slowly throughout the necklace to browns, with the other two browner pine-cone beads on the other end.

So, if you think you might want to know if I have any suggestions for you, just log on to www.beadingdaily.com and check out their post from Monday January 28Th, and it should direct you to how to go through the process! I am very excited. This should surely be fun!

2008 Beading for a Cure

The 2008 Beading For A Cure challenge pieces have been unveiled! Last Friday they posted all the pictures of all the submissions, and I have to say what beautiful work everyone had submitted! It is absolutely amazing how many different things can be made with the same starter pack of beads. I would really suggest that you go and look at all the photos for yourself at http://www.beadingforacure.org/ . The slide show takes a while to load, but the pictures are great! And all of the work will be auctioned of on e-bay in march.


Here is a photo of my submission. I really had no idea what I was going to make for many months after receiving the packet. Then one day it just kind of started to flow. I started with the medallion in the middle, and once it was made it had this nice little curve to it that held the lampwork stone like a cup, so I peyote stitched a bezel around it and viola! my center piece had been created. I don't know about the rest of you, but I cant see the combination of red, orange, and yellow without thinking about flames(maybe its because I'm an Aries...). And so the rest of it just came together. I hope this years kit will be fun! The pictures I took myself really paled in comparison to what was done here. A professional photographer really can make a world of difference. It is amazing how much nicer the pictures look when they are displayed on one of those neck display thingies. I think I need to get one of those(of course until I find my camera even a neck thingy wont help my pictures!).

Slippers and jammies...

Well, the title says it all. I have been reduced to a slippered and jammied Michigan resident while the temperatures have dipped finally into "winter" status. Today is now my third day of not leaving the house. Thank heavens for a 3 day weekend, and not having to wake up at the crack of dawn to get dressed and go into the cold just to get someone off to school. Oh how I dream of the days when they are old enough to drive themselves to school. Of course then they wont want to be at school as much as they do now, and they will have the ability to drive themselves to somewhere other then school and claim they were there anyway. Are mothers truly ever happy? First the kids need to much, then they need to little...what to do?....BEAD!
I always thought I was well organized. HA! I make myself laugh. How on earth could I misplace my own camera, in my own house and not be able to find it? I have finally found somewhere to try and market some beaded things( http://www.etsy.com/ ). I have a reasonable stockpile of things to try and sell, and all I have to do is take some pictures, and see what happens. Can you believe I still cant find it? Will I be reduced to buying myself a new digital camera that has the ability to take fabulous bead shots? Chances are that I would probably buy the same thing as what is missing because I LOVE that camera!!! Where, oh where has my little camera gone, oh where, oh where can it be???? Can you hear the frustration in my words? Well, maybe if I spent as much time cleaning my house as I spend beading, and looking at bead related things on the computer I would find it. Damn. I have guilted myself into housework. Oh well, maybe I'll find something good. Wish me luck!

Winter Blues

I cant believe it is mid-January and barely feels like winter and yet I am still sick of it. I used to love winter, with romantic thoughts of hibernation and spending all of my time indoors while beading. I now live my life getting in and out of the car playing taxi-mom, with barely anytime to warm my slippers up when I am home. Although I shouldn't complain to much today, because I just spent the last two days in my jammies and not leaving the house because the kids have been sick. I did do some beading, but it seems like my to-do list never gets any shorter. I still haven't started my mask for the behind the mask challenge, but at least I know what direction I am heading with it. I just need to get all the supplies together, and get to work! I am starting to worry though how much this thing will cost me to ship it to Maine, because it is going to be HEAVY. Hopefully I can afford it when the time comes!
I finished another square for the bead quilt ( www.shanigansbeadshenanigans.com ) but my camera has disappeared so I cant show it to you yet. I really need to organize my house! There are beads everywhere, and toys everywhere else. You would think a camera would not be that hard to lose, but...I have done it! Well, I need to get the trash out, I can hear the trucks rumbling close by...

A whole new year?

I survived the holidays! Including every member of my family, even the ones I don't normally like to deal with. And I can even say that I was nice! I spent Christmas night and the 26Th being sick, along with my son. Two days later my husband had it, and shortly thereafter I traveled the country and left the illness with my Mother in Washington DC. Last time I talked with her, she felt like she got hit with a truck. Hopefully she is feeling better.
I have also had the pleasure of continuing my animosity towards Charter Communications. Geez I hate their service. Especially the phone. My phone has been disconnected, and they don't seem to want to tell me why. I received no notice of this, and now that it is not working, they will probably want to charge me $60 to turn it back on. I cant wait until my order goes through to reconnect with AT&T. Never once was I dissatisfied with their service. I never should have left, but the bundle packages seem like such a big savings...at first...and then you pay and pay and pay...
So now that it is 2008, I am starting the year with good hopes! I have some challenges to work on, like the Beadin' Paths behind the mask challenge( http://www.beadinpath.com/) and of course Jeanette Shanigans bead quilt (http://www.shanigansbeadshenanigans.com/). I am sure I will find more to play with this year also. I am also hoping that something I have been discussing with Michelle Mach from Beading Daily will work out nicely. Stay tuned for more information on that as I talk with Michelle more. I was thinking of giving http://www.etsy.com/ a try this year to try and sell some of my jewelry. Any one give this website a try? I cant seem to tell how the artists are doing there because most people I have found seem to be new members also. I guess I will have to try it out, and I will let you know. I can afford to lose the $.20 listing fee for a few things just to see if it will work better then eBay. Well, I should be getting my butt to the grocery store. Happy New Year everyone, and may 2008 be great for all of you!