libeado

Beading For A Cure 2011

2011-09-01T16:01:00.000-04:00

Summer is coming to a close, and boy have I neglected my blog! I had a big case of beader block earlier on this summer, and managed to get a few things done that had deadlines, but I havent stopped to update here. Boy oh boy am I overdue!

I managed to get my BFAC piece done on the due date, and get it mailed off. Thought I would try to get back into the swing of things by posting some pics! I named it 'Xylia' which means woodland, or wood dweller. The colors this year were blue, green and brown which are not my favorites, but I managed to find a stone focal bead that worked well with them. I think it is a Jasper, but I am not sure. I also added a bunch of volcano swarovski rivolis to add that extra sparkle.

It is 18" long, with a 38mm focal piece. The fringe is 2" at its longest. I like the way it all turned out, and the colors ended up being fantastic! I think it has a woodsy, outdoor-ish feel, hence the name.

I bezelled the focal, and all the rivolis with peyote stitch. Then I connected them all with swooping strands of beads (boy that sounds silly). I added most of the odd sized beads to the fringe.

Finished it all off with a peyote toggle using the swarovski sequins on the ends of the toggle bar. I originally thought of bead embroidery because of those sequins, but went the route of beadweaving instead.

I really like to participate in BFAC not only for the challenge, but because of the donation. Cancer (colorectal in this case) has affected almost everyone I know in some way or another, and I am proud to do what I can to help find a cure for it. Please check out the Beading for a Cure website (www.beadingforacure.org) for more information on how you can get involved either through participating in the challenge, or maybe helping by buying one of the items when they are auctioned off in March.

Grandmas Cameo

2011-06-29T16:13:00.009-04:00

When I was notified of Artbeads new design challenge, I was thrilled! "What was old, is new again" gave me the perfect reason to bust out my box of Grandmas old jewelry. There were quite a few cameos, but I chose my focal piece because it looks like it is actually carved and not just molded. As I continued to dig through all the goodies in the box I found a pair of old clip on earrings that matched the colors in the cameo. I clipped off the back of the earrings, and decided that they looked best right under the cameo. Here's a picture of the old parts of my necklace, the cameo in the middle and the earrings right under it (with the three little rhinestones in them).

Then I started to browse the Artbeads website. Boy they have TONS of stuff! I decided (after many hours and what seemed like days) that I needed some swarovski rivolis in light peach which beautifully picked up the same colors of the stones in the earrings. Then I decided to order a pair of their cameos which I placed at the clasp.

I'm very satisfied with how the whole piece came out, and I think that it would make Grandma happy too! She was big on re-using items (in particular, wrapping paper and old greeting cards) and if she could see what kind of company her cameo was with now I think she would be impressed!I set out originally thinking I would make it all shades of brown, because the cameo looked like it was a shade of carnelian. After adding the earrings, and deciding to use the light peach rivolis to match, the necklace started to take on a whole new color. I added some swarovski sun margaritas, some peach pearls and seed beads in every color I could think of including copper, gold, and brown. I think adding lots of lighter colors brightened the whole thing up and I cant imagine what it would look like if I had stuck with just brown. It was so much brighter and happier then I think brown would've been!

Here is a shot of the cameos from Artbeads. They came as a set, one of them facing in each direction, which is one of the reasons I decided to put them at the clasp.

What I didn't mention earlier is that I decided I didn't want to ruin the integrity of the cameo pin. So I didn't cut the back off and glue it down to my interfacing, I left the pin intact and pinned it to the interfacing. I cut out little holes for the working parts of the pin so that when it sits on the interfacing the back is all flush. Then when I glued the Ultrasuede to my interfacing, I just left an open space where the pin is that is glue-free so that if I ever decide I want just the cameo again I can just unpin it!

* disclaimer - all products provided by Artbeads are free of charge for my opinion of said products whether good or bad. No compensation was given.

Turn up the heat!

2011-04-06T15:38:00.016-04:00

Back in January, I was contacted by Artbeads letting me know the topic of their next blogging for beads program*, Winter enchantment. We were to design a piece that represented what we found beautiful or inspirational about the winter season. And to me, there is NOTHING inspirational or beautiful about it. I can sum it all up for me with four simple words...TURN UP THE HEAT! I freeze my booty off all winter long, so I made a necklace that would warm things up. A ring of flames! I started with a teardrop pendant (swarovski of course), which I bezelled, and then brick stitched into a flame shape.

Then I took 30 swarovski teardrop beads, and brick stitched around them to make lots of little flames. You might recognize this pattern from Diane Fitzgerald's "Beading with Brick Stitch book." Its the paisley pattern (but I think they look like flames)! I even made a paisley toggle to finish it off! The beads are all silver-lined so they REALLY sparkle, and of course the crystals help the sparkle factor too!

Now this next one is something I made when the etsy-beadweavers were doing their "Fashion through the ages" challenge. I didn't take part in the challenge because I came up with this four days before the deadline. Lots of people were posting their entries which were inspired by the fashion from their youth so I started thinking about what I wore when I was younger...

Everyone wore studs when I was younger. I hung out with the "punk" kids, and lots of people had jewelry or belts made of black leather with silver metal studs on them. I think my husband still has one of these belts hiding in the closet somewhere!

So a band of matte black delicas with silver metallic studs was born...and I really like it (just like I did back then)!

*disclaimer- all products recieved from Artbeads.com are free of charge in return for my honest opinion of the product

Along the Garden Path

2011-02-06T16:11:00.003-05:00

In the spring, when the flowers are just starting to bloom, a walk along the garden path is a little different then summer. You can see the cool grey color of the stepping stones, and the pale vines and soft purple flowers come alive against the cold stone finish. The grey color used in this necklace was the color I chose to work with for Margie Deebs spring color report. I'll admit, I wasn't happy the prettier color were all taken, and what I was left with was the color of cement! But I think I did pretty good with it anyway, right?
I was originally going to do the whole necklace using silver shade rivolis, but then I was browsing the Artbeads site, and I found the most perfect thing! The "Divine Rock" is what it was called, and it fit perfectly into my stepping stone idea! So I bezelled the rivolis, and the rocks, and set them up into a pattern I really like!

I added some green vines, with pretty purple flowers (star flowers from Diane Fitzgeralds "The Beaded Garden"). They kind of weave around the stepping stones, and add a little bit of color to the otherwise very boring grey!

And of course I ended it with a beaded toggle, like always! I was happy to send it off, and be done with it (it caused me to lose much sleep!).

Bronze Tiger

2010-11-22T14:55:00.008-05:00

Geesh, I hate taking pictures! I just realized that this one has been done for over a week, and I was just putting off taking the pictures! Anyway... This is my fall Artbeads piece*! I was inspired to make this by watching a documentary that had Jackie O in it. She was wearing a necklace that was hard to see, and even in black and white, I knew is was a perfect design! Of course mine turned out different then what she was actually wearing, but I like it anyways! It is made with 16mm tiger eye coins, which I bezelled with bronze delicas and 15's. Six great big tiger eye teardrops, which I also bezelled, and then connected it all together with some swarovski crystal (light colorado topaz) because I can never resist adding some swarovski bling! I really loved how this turned out. I LOVE tigers eye, and with the bronze and crystal it really is very rich looking I even made the toggle because I think it adds something to a beadwoven necklace, to have a beadwoven toggle!

I also entered this one in Artbeads "What inspires you?" contest. Voting goes from November 23rd through December 8Th. So please check out there website and vote for your favorite (you get five votes in each category, so use them wisely!).

And then I figured, as long as Ive got the camera out, I might as well take a couple of new photos of this one too.

I made this necklace for Margie Deebs Fall color report (2010), but it was to long. I had this feeling myself, but when Margie suggested shortening it, I knew it was the right decision. So now I can actually list it on etsy! (which is the next stop on my to do list!)

*disclaimer- All products received from Artbeads.com are free of charge in return for my honest opinion of the products.

Necklace from the Black Lagoon

2010-10-15T18:56:00.003-04:00

Here's a necklace I made to enter in the latest Fire Divas jewelry challenge. I was inspired by the focal bead, which is called "Monstrous Algae."
When I think about monstrous algae, I think of the monster from the black lagoon. This necklace is not monstrous, but I couldn't resist naming it like I did.

The focal bead was made by Melanie from Arensea. Its a fabulous bead, and I used its colors to do the rest of the necklace.

I made some netted sections, which I strung on beading wire. I used swarovski crystals, and brass findings.

I finished it off with a brass toggle. It is 22 inches long, and the focal bead is 30mm. I'm so glad I got it all done and entered into the contest on time(today is the last day to enter). I love entering the Fire Divas challenges. Not a lot of people enter, which gives me a better chance of winning some new beads! And we all know how much I need more beads...lol!

Hooray for Bollywood!

2010-09-14T11:30:00.006-04:00

When the etsy beadweavers announced the September challenge, Bollywood, I was thrilled! I had so many fantastic ideas for bollywood fashion it was hard to choose just one! When I think of Indian jewelry I think of bright colors, mirrors, and bells. Fuchsia and purple were at the top of my list for colors. Mirrors were always my favorite part of embroidered clothing, and bells seemed to always announce when the wearer had arrived.
So when I combined these things, this is what I came up with! I found mirrors at JoAnns in their mosaic department. The larger ones in front are 1 inch, and the smaller ones towards the back are 3/4 inch. I bezelled them all, and then started to sew them all together.

I wanted the center to be a bit larger then just the mirror, so I took some memory wire, covered it in aquarium tubing, and then covered that in peyote stitch. It seemed to work well with the circular motif, so I used some netting to hold the mirror in place. After all the mirrors were connected I added netting with bells to the bottoms of the center mirrors. The rest of the larger mirrors in front I added 4mm swarovski bicone fringe to, just to up the sparkle quota. In the back I added a peyote toggle and bar for the closure.

I decided though, as I was finishing up, to not stress the deadline and leave it at home while I went to visit my sister for the Labor Day weekend. We had a great time, and I don't regret my decision at all. It will still get listed on etsy, just in my own sweet time! (which must be today!)

Old habits die hard, so here at the end of the post I confess my inability to stay on top of my Bead Journal Page. I know I am not the only one to fall behind, but my guilt comes from knowing that I certainly am not TRYING to keep up....So anyways, here's June...

June is the month that I married my wonderful husband. On June 26Th, 1999 (hence the numbers at the bottom) Brian and I were married. He is my best friend, and soul mate so I dedicated this one to him. He doesn't like the colors, but they were the colors we were married in (me in white, him in black, and the bridesmaids in burgundy). The center heart is also a locket, which I plan on getting our wedding photo shrunk down to fit because it can still open.

And here's July!...

This little turtles celebrating the 4Th of July! The flag that its holding is actually a pin that was my Grandmas. Kind of looks like its being waved, huh? The yellow bugles are supposed to be fireworks going off, and the stars and moon are sequins from a stash of things my mom gave me long ago.

I still don't have August started, or even have an idea for that matter...but I'm sure I will think of something. As soon as the gears in my head slow down a bit, I'm sure it will come to me, right?

Twisted

2010-08-06T15:23:00.004-04:00

This is my entry into the Etsy Beadweavers August challenge "Silver and Gold". I knew right away what I was going to make as soon as I heard the theme! Earlier this summer when I was visiting relatives, we went to this cute little artsy area to do some window shopping. In the window of a jewelry store in Occuquan Virginia I saw a necklace similar to the one I made.

It was a small spiral of silver on one side, with a small spiral of gold on the other and they spiraled together in the front. I didn't take a picture, but just jotted down some thoughts on what my own version would look like. Oglala stitch was perfect, and size 15 seed beads helped scale it to the right size. Because it was so lightweight, I needed to weigh it down on the front. A beaded bead with swarovski crystals was the perfect solution!

I finished it off with a Sparkly Wheel, and bar to make the toggle. Simple and sweet! I listed it yesterday on etsy, and it is one of 50 entries! Please stop by the etsy-beadweaver blog between August 9Th and 15Th to see the rest of the beautiful entries and vote for your favorite.

On another note, my necklace "A Sunny Day in the Garden" sold! The buyer inquired as to matching post earrings, and these are what I came up with. The are a hair under 20mm across, and are finished off with sterling silver posts. I think they turned out great, and the customer likes them too! What a perfect end to the week!

Finished off some things...

2010-07-06T13:20:00.005-04:00

I finally checked a few more things of my beady "to do" list! This first one I started last fall for the etsy-beadweaver challenge "Indian Summer". I was never quite satisfied with it, so I never entered it into the challenge. I took it up north with me this weekend, and finished it off...and I must say I am now satisfied!
These pretty little flowers are supposed to be sunflowers. The flowers are made up of crystal copper rivolis, bezzeled and then surrounded with petals of rust and yellow.

I don't normally take pictures of the back of my pieces, but I had to share this one because I am especially proud of how nice it looks even from the back!

The rope is made up of 3 herringbone ropes braided together. I finished it of with a toggle made to look like a flower also. I can just imagine how nice this necklace would look with a sundress. It is bright and cheerful and sure to turns heads, so if you are interested in this one check out my etsy shop.

This next necklace is not really a "loose end" that I needed to finish up, but rather necklace I wanted to put together just because I was inspired by the glass bead in the center. A while back I had placed third in a Fire Divas jewelry challenge and one of my prizes was a gift certificate from Tera from Beadygirl Beads. It was a hard choice, because I liked so many of her beads, but I finally decided the peace bead spoke the loudest, so it came home to my house!

I made up some beaded beads to go with it, and made up this necklace to enter in the current Fire Divas jewelry challenge.

As I said, I was inspired by this fabulous focal bead. Pictures do not do it justice! I made some peace beaded beads, and some Cellini spiral beads and then strung it all with some swarovski crystals and sterling silver findings. Tera was also kind enough to add a few little extra beads that match and they are also in the necklace.

I'm not really sure how I keep leaving my BJP till the last picture of the posts. Maybe because I am sad to say that I am not keeping up with the months, even though I knew before hand that I would not be able to keep up. This is Mays Bead Journal Page. It is made up of a cloisonne turtle (the legs and head move on this one) and some broken earrings from my Grandmothers old jewelry stash. I chose the iris to represent the irises that bloomed in my own yard in May, even in those colors! The crystal clusters are representing the lilac bushes that my boys gave me for mothers day a few years back. They are also purple and bloom in May. You might wonder why I used the brick red in the background, but I will tell you it is to represent the brick driveway that I have where all of these flowers are bordering.

Now if only I could come up with an idea for Junes BJP, I would feel a little bit more on schedule. Oh well, I am sure that something will inspire me soon...

Fish On!

2010-06-16T14:47:00.006-04:00

When Artbeads contacted me about their blogging topic*, "Summertime Fun", all it took was a quick glance at the new swarovski fish beads before I had a fun necklace idea! It was a hard choice at first because I was given the broad spectrum of their glass beads to choose from. I just cant seem to help myself when it comes to swarovski though!
I made a spiral rope with over 300 swarovski 4mm bicones. It also has 2 crystal copper fish beads to break it up in the front of the necklace.

The clasp is in front, and it is made up of a sparkly wheel and a handcrafted sterling silver fish hook (I made myself!).

From the sparkly wheel hang 4 fish pendant beads. 1 crystal copper, 1 indicolite, 1 blue zircon, and 1 aquamarine. The copper is supposed to look like a goldfish, but I'll admit its more brown then gold! The whole thing is very sparkly, and has a really fun feeling to it.

And last but not least, I finally finished Aprils Bead Journal Project! I started this back before Easter. and it was nice to get it done. It is supposed to look like an Easter egg (because Easter usually is in April). It has gold turtles (because they fit my turtles throughout the year theme), and presents, because both my birthday and my sons birthday are in April! The rest was just filling in the blanks.

I've finally started my May BJP, and hopefully will also get to Junes before the month is up! I'll cross my fingers, and hope for easy beading!

*disclaimer- all products received from artbeads are free of cost to me in exchange for my opinion of said products.

Mums the Word

2010-06-01T11:35:00.003-04:00

I just got done with another one! I created this necklace for Margie Deeb, for her fall color report. It is a beautiful mustard colored cabochon, with deep red mums up either side. A couple of olive green leaves stick out underneath.
First I made a netted base in a chocolate brown metallic size 11/o seed bead. Although it is hard to tell from the pictures, it is not a circular pattern, It comes to a "v" in the front.

I made 6 flowers with a 6mm Czech glass fire-polished bead for the center, and made petals with a deep red size 11/o seed bead.

I bezzelled the cab and attached it to the center of the base. Then I attached the flowers, which are done in a basic leaf pattern and the leaves, which are done in peyote stitch.

I used a magnetic slide clasp in the back in a bronze color which match the brown beads in the netting perfectly! Easy on, easy off!

It was hard working with these fall colors right now. Ill admit I am VERY excited to start on my Artbeads summer fun necklace. It will be choc' full of summer blues, which is what its all about in the summer in Michigan, fun in the water!

Beading For A Cure 2010

2010-05-16T14:00:00.005-04:00

Its done!!! I feel like this has been in the works forever, but am quite satisfied with myself now that its done. Beading For A Cure is a charity that I started donating to a few years ago. It was started by some friends of a woman named Layne, who died of colorectal cancer. Every year there is a kit, and the rules are simple. Use at least one of every bead in the kit, and add no more then one type of bead to it. When all of the pieces are done, they are auctioned off on eBay, with all of the proceeds going to help support colorectal cancer research. This year, I had no idea when I bought my kit, that colorectal cancer would play a part in my life. A family member was diagnosed, and had a tumor removed just about a month ago now. He is doing well, and hopefully will continue.
I absolutely loved this years kit. Bronze and purple work so well together and there were so many beads in the kit, it didn't really need any additions but I couldn't help myself. I added the focal piece, which is a 37mm fancy octagon Swarovski crystal in Light Colorado Topaz (from Artbeads*).

I bezzelled the octagon, and then added 4mm cyclamen opal crystals, some from the original kit and some that I added. The kit also contained 4mm Czech crystals, and 4mm freshwater pearls, which are in the connecting strands of the necklace.

I made some squares with right angle weave (R.A.W.), and then used 6mm cyclamen opal crystals inside the little windows. Each square has two little fringies off the bottoms, that add some movement to the whole piece.

I made the toggle with another R.A.W. square, and a bar also in R.A.W.. From the square I dangled a little cancer ribbon charm to remind the wearer of the necklaces significance.

I was horrified when I was making this, to find out that as I was getting ready to connect the clasp, I was four pearls short! ACK!! I of course tried the bead store I worked at to find something similar, to no avail. Many thanks go out to Tracy for helping me out and sending me some more pearls so that I could finish my necklace the way I had envisioned it. Thanks Tracy!!!

*disclaimer - all products recieved by Artbeads.com are free of charge and are given to me for my honest opinion of the products.

Bloomin' Turtle

2010-05-04T12:00:00.005-04:00

So for the first few months, I felt like I was keeping on track, and would be able to pull these things off in a timely fashion. WRONG! This is March's Bead Journal Project...and although it has been done since the beginning of April, I am obviously just getting around to taking the pictures! I still haven't finished Aprils, and now its May, and I don't even have a clue as to what it will look like this month, let alone when I will get to it. Oh well, at least there is no BJP police, to track me down and make me feel guilty, even though I rationally know that I shouldn't.
So this little turtle is bloomin'! Of course March is the time when everything starts to turn back to green, and come alive. It also happens to be the month that the Beadwork Challenge that I participated in hit the news stands! I used a lot of the left over beads from my challenge kit to make this months project. I just added a turtle (still have lots more) and a few seed beads. The leaves and flowers, and a majority of the seed beads came in the challenge packet. I was especially happy to work in the olivine, flat-backed, leaf shaped swarovskis , because I have no idea where else I could have used them!

I am trying my hardest to get more done, and post the finished pics! Stay tuned (probably this weekend) for my finished Beading For A Cure piece. I'll admit that April and Mays BJP will be on the back burner, while I create something for one of Margie Deebs Color Reports (I'm super excited to get started on this )! Bead on!

ABS Turquoise Challenge

2010-04-01T16:51:00.006-04:00

Again I finished just in the nick of time! I put the finishing touches on this piece today, and its deadline for contest entry is today. This is my entry to the Art Bead Scene Turquoise Challenge. The challenge was to use these four colors in anything you want, in any proportions you want.
I don't know why, but for some reason, I immediately decided to do a bead embroidered collar. The first beads I found were the turquoise pieces, and then went to town picking out the rest of the seed beads and things. Of course I used many sizes of beads(adds to the texture), 15's , 11's , 8's in seed beads, and I also used some czech glass.
It did take me a while to find the big donut in the middle, but once I saw it I knew it was the one! I think its pressed turquoise because it looks like chunks all smashed together and then polished up. Its still pretty though! Then I bezzelled 2 swarovski rivolis, one of which I placed right in the middle of the donut, the other above it.

I think the whole thing looks kind of "Aztec" or like a kaleidoscope. The colors remind me of lilacs, and summertime.

Its pretty light weight, and actually adjusts in size so it will fit every time (no matter what your shirt neckline is)! I wrestled with the idea of putting fringe on, but after a few failed attempts, I decided I was satisfied with it, even with out fringe.

Now all I need is a name for this piece. I actually find that the hardest part about making things. I usually can only come up with really silly names...

I also think I am going to enter this one in the etsy-beadweaver April challenge "light as a breeze". Its very springy, and with the right title, and story line, I think it will work! Check out the rest of the entries between April 9Th and 15Th at the etsy-beadweaver blog and pick your favorite!

Artbeads and Beading for a Cure

2010-03-23T11:10:00.013-04:00

Artbeads* declared the months of February and March as 'the beauty of spring' months for their blogging community*! This was such a hard choice, considering I could choose anything to blog about! After giving it some thought, I decided I needed to try out some more wonderful swarovski crystal. Having already loved the fancy pear, and the fancy oval, I decided to pick the 37mm fancy octagon in light colorado topaz. And again, I love them! So big and fantastc, I cant wait to bezell them! I also choose some cyclamen opal bi-cones in both 4mm and 6mm (which is a very interesting color). And last but not least, a nice antique gold awareness ribbon charm (I'll explain this choice in a minute) which is just perfect.
I picked these things, because I plan to add them to my Beading For a Cure Project for 2011. Kits have just gone out, and after some thinking time, I decided what to make and thought these Artbeads pretties would make a nice addition!

So the kit this year (as seen above) is composed of seed beads of many sizes (8/0's , 11/0's , 15/0's and drops) in both purple and bronze. There are also some swarovski crystals in 4mm and 6mm in cyclamen opal. Some fresh water pearls and some 4mm fire polish round the kit out.

If you look here, you can see how nicely the light colorado topaz goes with the bronze, and I plan to attach the ribbon charm at the clasp because of course Beading For a Cure is to help with colorectal cancer research. I still have a week or two before I can get started on this new project, but I wanted to share these pieces with you now because I am so excited to get started!

Lets not forget the March is national colorectal cancer awareness month. The Beading For a Cure auctions are now underway, and will continue on through-out April until May 9Th. Please stop by the site and make a bid on your favorite beady design!

*disclaimer - all beads received from Artbeads.com are free of cost to me in exchange for trying them out and giving my honest opinion of them good or bad.

Turtles in Love

2010-03-23T10:58:00.002-04:00

Boy am I behind, but I'm only behind in taking photos! I actually got this finished on the last day in February, but haven't gotten around to taking the pictures and posting since then. This is my February bead journal page. This month I used two stone turtle fetish beads. One is rose quartz, and the other is a pale shade of yellow...and I think it might be a quartz also. Ive had the big crystal heart for forever (have no recollection of where it came from). The two little "candy" heart beads that say "kiss me" and "cutie pie" I got from a woman that was in the nursing home with my Grandmother many years ago. Seems Grandma and Aunt Nancy would talk about me making jewelry and such and the woman collected together some old jewelry and other beady things she had and gave it to my Aunt to pass on to me! They are actually so convincing that they are candy, that both of my children wanted to know where I was hiding the rest of it! I added "be mine" and a whole lot of pink and yellow beads. Amazing how many pink beads I have, considering it is probably my least favorite color to bead with.

The Queens Jewels

2010-02-28T16:52:00.008-05:00

Ive just finished my latest creation that was sparked by some Swarovski crystal that I got through Artbeads blogging for beads program*. I was sent some fabulous crystals in the crystal red magma color, which is one I hadn't seen in person yet. What a fabulous color! One of the crystals I chose was a 30mm fancy oval, which captured the color beautifully. A lovely crimson/brown color is how I would describe it.
So for this necklace, I bezzelled the 30mm fancy oval with delicas in both size 11s, and size 15s(which are fairly new). I surrounded it with a spray of 4mm round crystal fringe, and then suspended it from 2 leopard skin jasper teardrop beads, and hung a 3rd from its bottom. The teardrops are also bezzelled with size 11 and size 15 delicas. I also had some 22mm cosmic ovals which I attached to the top of the 2 teardrops and then attached the strap to the other side of the ovals.
The center part of the pendant measures 3 1/2 inches from the top of the crystal fringe, to the bottom of the teardrop. The necklace measures about 19 inches long.
The strap is made with size 11 delicas, and 4mm round crystals in the herringbone stitch. A pattern was created in the strap using the same burgandy delicas used to bezel the stones and crystal, and a gray delica which matches the color in the leopard skin jasper teardrops.
The toggle is made up of a sparkly wheel (pattern by Nikia Angel), and a bar. the sparkly wheel uses 4mm bicone crystals, 4mm round jasper beads, and size 11 delicas.I have to say, after trying the size 15 delicas, I am impressed with their shape, and uniformity. They blended so well with the size 11s that it looked seemless. I also will add that they break very easily because of their size, so I think I will stick with my size 15 seed beads, becase they will be better for multiple passes through the beads.

This necklace will be going on to my etsy store, for I am entering it into the March challenge whos theme is "fairy tales". Voting takes place between the 9th and the 15th of March at the etsy beadweavers blog, so stop by my etsy store to purchase this lovely, or drop on by the blog between those dates and vote for it!

*disclaimer - all beads recieved from Artbeads.com are free of cost to me in exchange for trying them out and giving my honest opinion of them good or bad.

My first Bead Journal Page! (and a necklace I made)

2010-02-09T13:29:00.006-05:00

This year I decided to join the Bead Journal Project. It was started a few years ago by Robin Atkins, I think this is the third year were doing now. So I spent many months trying to figure out if I wanted a theme, and what shape and size I might do. One of the rules is to keep the same size/shape throughout the year. I thought about doing a dodecahedron, one side for each month. I thought about artist trading card size...I even contemplated doing goddesses for each month. After much thinking I decided I would do circles, and they are 4 3/4" across. To be exact, I am tracing a tin that I got from my Aunt, that is shaped and decorated like a Big Mac(yes, from McDonald's) which humors me greatly (I'm amused easily). I also decided that for every month, I will use one of the many turtle beads that I have in my collection. I love turtles, and I have LOTS of turtle beads. I am currently not able to part with them, or think of anything I would make for myself with them, so I thought this was a perfect excuse to use them, and keep them! So here is January's page...
It is all done in white, and with the feeling of snow because it is cold and snowy in Michigan in January! Ive decided to call it "Turtles in the Snow" for obvious reasons. I made some swarovski snowflakes in crystal 2xAB and then attached them to the pellon. I haven't even cut this out because I am not sure if they will need the extra fabric when framing it(which I intend to do when I am all done). I had such a good time making this one (which I finished on January 31st) that I dove immediately into February's page. I haven't finished "Turtles in Love" yet(but I'm close), because I had to put it down and try to finish my etsy-beadweaver challenge piece.

Which brings us to my next set of pictures! I didn't get it done in time, but I did get it done! The etsy-beadweaver challenge that was due on February 5 had the theme of "inspired by the ocean". I had these great beads, that reminded me of the ocean, and the colors reminded me of the sand and the surf.

I decided to make a lariat, with the beads on either end(because I only had 2) and a double spiral rope for the length because then I could swirl the "sand" and the "sea" together.

I could have finished it on Friday night, when it was due, but I wouldn't have been able to make it quite as long as I wanted, so I decided to skip the late night photo shoot. I finally finished it Sunday night, during the Superbowl, and it is a whopping 54" long! It could be used in so many ways...for a necklace, or even for a belt (if your waistline is small enough).
So all I need to do now is go and list it over on etsy. And while I'm thinking about it, the voting for the people that DID get their creations done on time is going on now at the etsy-beadweaver blog, until the 15Th of February, so go on over and vote for your favorite!

A Turtle and some Christmas presents

2010-01-24T12:25:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I am lucky to have a brother who is kind of in a related field of work. My brother, Anderson Coats, is a glass artist. He can make all sorts of beautiful things out of glass, including (my favorite) beads and pendants. So being the "nice guy" that he is, he made me a turtle pendant because I stomped my feet and told him I wanted one since turtles are a passion of mine. Anyway, here is the cute little guy that he made, and the necklace I made to go with him!
His head, flippers, and tail are a nice dark, sparkly green. His shell is a fabulous swirly pattern of greens, golds, and even a hint of a dark shade of orange/brown. And of course, because he is glass, he has a wonderful shine to him (when hes not covered in my fingerprints from fondling him).

I made this design up myself, trying to figure out how to use some beads that I got from entering the Beadin Paths Ugly Bug Ball last year. I added some indian red, and some tourmaline swarovskis for added sparkle. And boy does it sparkle! The clasp is a beaded toggle made with matching seed beads and crystals.

Next for your viewing pleasure, is a Christmas present I made for my Mom. I was inspired by Marcia DeCosters "Ka'iulani" pattern from her new Beaded Opulence book. I just added a little extra embellishment (some crystals) to her design and then my own toggle. Its a great book by the way, if your looking for a new beady book to add to your collection(lots of good projects)!

The toggle is a sparkly wheel (pattern by Nikia Angel), and a beaded bar. I love to use these as toggles. It makes the back of the necklace just a pretty as the front!

And of course I had to make a matching set of earrings, so that her ensemble would be complete! Who wants naked ears, right?

Last but not least, it has been a tradition for me now to make members of my family and friends beaded Christmas ornaments every year. Because I got bored always beading around glass balls, I have been trying to get a little more inventive with shapes, and variety. This year I made stars, which were inspired by the wedding tiara I did last year with stars on it. I got inspiration for how to make these from Diane Fitzgeralds Shaped Beadwork book. I combined her pentagon shape, with 5 elongated triangles, and zipped them all together. Viola, you have a star!

I made a bunch of different colors (not all shown here) so that everyone could have a personalized version. Thanks heavens crystal AB swarovski rivolis go with just about every color!

Now on to new beading, for the new year. I am currently working on my first Bead Journal Project, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully I'll have pictures by next weekend!

Beadwork Challenge

2009-12-31T13:05:00.007-05:00

A month or so ago I was contacted by Beadwork magazine to let me know I was chosen to be the reader participant in their beadwork challenge. I was just tickled! They sent me the kit, which was provided by fusion beads. The day I received the kit in the mail we had our first snowfall here in Michigan, so it was a surprise to open the package and find lots of bright flowers and springy colors.
I instantly thought about gardens, and when I think of gardens, I think of ponds of water! I knew that I would need some water to bead around so I thought up a design and took it to work(Purple Sage Beads, Saginaw, MI) and had one of the owners, Vicki Hubbard, make me some custom fused glass pieces. They were perfect(and exactly the way I drew them)!

The finished piece actually turned out different from what I originally planned, but it worked out all the same. I bezelled the glass pieces with seed beads, and knew I needed fringe with leaves to cascade below...

I planned a flower sequence that I liked (leaving out some of the brightest orange flowers) and then made fringe with leaves for all three sections.

I added the metal branch pieces to all three sections. I was amazed that the curved pieces on either side fit so perfectly considering this is not where I had planned on putting them when I ordered the glass.

Next I connected the three pieces with swarovski crystals in blue zircon, lime, and mocca. To each connector strand I added a jump ring which holds the flat backed, sew-on, mocca, leaf crystals.

The hardest part of this piece was trying to decide what to make the straps like. So many choices...so little time! I finally stumbled upon something that I thought worked. It is RAW, 4mm blue zircon swarovski crystals with some of the seed beads for embellishment. I added some wire guardians to the ends of the strap so that I could have a nice sturdy connection with the toggle from the kit.

I was told that this challenge will be published in the April/May issue of Beadwork magazine, so keep your eyes peeled! It was so much fun to do, I encourage every serious beader to apply to participate in one of the future challenges.

Cubic Zirconia, fish, and going in circles!

2009-12-01T12:53:00.007-05:00

Have you ever heard of blogging for beads? Well, its a program put together by Artbeads.com where they let bloggers try out their products (free of charge too! woohoo!) in return for their opinions of the beads. I have lots of opinions...and they asked me for mine! So over at Artbeads, the declared November and December "cubic zirconia months" and asked what I might like to try out...I fell in LOVE with the stars that they had, and for good reason. I really liked them, before I even saw them, but boy oh boy, when they came in the mail, I was thrilled! They feel nice and heavy, more like a natural stone then a crystal. I liked them so much, I bought some more with my own money to finish this necklace off!
I whipped up this nice beadweaving lace pattern by Sandra Halpenny, using the stars in place of 4mm crystals (like the pattern called for).

I added the teardrop cubic zirconia in the center for a focal piece. What a nice hunk of "laboratory grown crystal created to be a diamond substitute" as they say on the website. Very clear, and faceted nicely too, I might add!

The stars are 10mm and 5mm, and again are faceted, and the clarity is amazing! All I needed to do was to add the beadweaving, some seed beads, and a few swarovski 4mm crystal AB bicones! I'm thinking of entering this necklace into the Etsy-Beadweaver December challenge as a "peace piece", I just need to consult with some beady friends first!

Now this next bead, was a present from my very talented glass blowing brother, Anderson Coats of "Like a Moth to a Flame". He went through a period were he was making fish, and they are so realistic you can just about feel the scales on their sides! This fish is a female Rio Grande Cut Throat, and although I haven't done my research, I imagine it looks just like the real thing!

Now, when making a fish necklace all I figured I needed to add, was some waves! So I did this necklace in Oglala stitch, with 4 shades of blue...

Then I added some 6mm pressed glass rounds, and this is what it looks like! Its a bit longer then I planned, but I haven't figured out how to properly guess how long the oglala stitch will come out in the end.

I added a beaded toggle, because I feel that a beadwoven necklace should be finished, in the same manner it was started! With seed beads!

This last one was a necklace I made when I recently had an obsession with square stitch. I have a skirt that is pink and brown tie-die, which was the color inspiration. I started with round swarovski crystals, and square stitch medallions around them.

The rest of the length of the necklace is done in daisy stitch. And of course again, finished with a beaded toggle. This time it is a beaded ball with a loop.

Sorry I save up so many things to post at once, but I will admit, photography is not my favorite part of beading. I like to get it all done at the same time!

Stay tuned for an upcoming contest I plan to run...I just need to think of a theme!

What a Good Weekend I'm Having!

2009-11-21T11:11:00.006-05:00

I'm having such a fabulous weekend, I thought I would share with you why. I had a contest entry due yesterday. A Haute Couture Contest where you had to make a piece of jewelry that was inspired by one of the many photos posted on the site. All the photos were giggle worthy, the kind of "fashion" photos that make you say" who on earth would wear that?" I picked photo number eight, which you see here...
Isn't that a lovely outfit? We were to make a piece of jewelry that was inspired by the outfit, not necessarily to be worn with the outfit. This photo made me think of a weird pod type thing, so I made a "fringe pod" for my necklace. It has three shades of green in it, splattered with crystals, also in three shades. The bail is done in yellow, with amethyst highlights, just like the dress. The necklace is done in herringbone stitch, also done with the same color graduation. Darkest green in front, fading back to yellow with amethyst highlights. It also has crystals in coordinating shades scattered throughout. It measures about 19 inches in length, and hangs very nicely.

I think I will list it on etsy, so if you are interested, pop on by to my etsy store and check it out.

I also got some very exciting news yesterday evening from the staff at Beadwork magazine. I'll tell you more in a week or so....but Im excited! YEAH!

Pink Ribbon Turtles

2009-11-01T09:53:00.003-05:00

The Pink Ribbon Turtles or now on eBay, for your viewing and bidding pleasure!
Of course you've seen pictures of my "Basking in the Sun" from a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures of the other things that are available for auction, with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research.

"Swimming for Freedom of Fear" was created by Karen L. Cohen. It is a 5.5" X 9.5" wall hanging that is bead, machine and ribbon embroidery on cotton.

"Bubbles" was created by Maria Teresa. It is a professionally framed bead embroidery picture in a 6" X 6" shadowbox frame.

"Fiona" was created by Jena Tuntas. She is a teeny beanie baby that is completely covered in bead embroidery.

And "Montees in Pink" is made by Bev Moon. An original design made with pink swarovski montees, and sterling silver beads.

There are only a few days left for the auctions, so I urge you to run over to the pink turtle website!

New Fall Goodies...

2009-10-20T13:42:00.005-04:00

I added some new things to my etsy page today! Yeah! What a sense of accomplishment...I don't add often, so when I do, I feel good. This lovely necklace was sparked by the chunk of agate that is the centerpiece. We got a nice load of stone beads at Purple Sage, and lots of nice big chunks were part of it. I just couldn't resist the color of this one...

I wanted to go pretty simple with it, and let the stone BE the necklace...so over to the seed bead department I went. I couldn't decide between these three colors for it, so I decided to use them all, and try my hand at a triple spiral (Ive only done single, and double before...). What fun it was! A tight fit for all of those size 11's, even with a size 6 seed bead base. I bent my needle all up (and broke one also).

I couldn't decide which side of the stone was the right one(after discussing with my hubby and realizing we had a difference of opinion about which side was meant to be in front) so it is now labeled "reversible"! I also made the bail big enough that it could be taken off all together, so just the rope can be worn.

A beaded bead makes up the clasp, with a RAW loop to secure it. The bicones I used on the beaded bead are glass, but have a texture to them that is very similar to the stone.

I also finished this lovely spiderweb necklace that I made last year. I made this necklace because I wanted to try something out that I had seen in a magazine right around that time. I believe the article was by Dustin Wedekind, or "bead boy" as he is sometimes called. Anyway, it was right around Halloween, and the etsy-beadweaver challenge happened to be "animal instincts". I thought this necklace would be perfect, but let myself get talked out of it by people who said "spiders aren't technically animals...". Another women entered a spiderweb necklace made with bugle beads, and hers sold very quickly. I had missed the entry deadline, and was then so discouraged, I didn't even finish it. It was tossed aside to the UFO pile until just recently.

Well we all know that Halloween comes around only once a year, so my window of opportunity on selling this one is closing quickly...

I already had all the spider "bodies", which are swarovski crystals. So I finally sat down, and put the spiders in their webs, and I must say, I think they look at home there!

Star light, Star bright...

2009-10-16T13:51:00.005-04:00

First star Ive beaded tonight! Well not actually beaded tonight, but you get the picture. I had a last minute rush job of making a tiara and barrettes for a bride who is getting married tomorrow. So in 2 days time, I designed and executed this star themed tiara. I was very worried that she wouldn't like it, but she said she loved it, and it was better then she imagined! I don't do a lot of custom orders, so this is all very new to me.
I made 1 large star with an 18mm rivoli bezzelled into the center of it, then made 2 smaller stars, and some crystal stars to go around it. The focal piece is on the left side, because this is how she wanted it! She really likes stars (not only the theme of the wedding, but in everything she does in life).

I wrapped topped drilled crystals (both 6mm and 8mm), 4mm pearls, and silver stars onto the rest of the tiaras length. Lots of sparkle for the day we all want to be the sparkliest (is that actually a word?).

Then I had these barrettes to make for the flower girl. I was told that she had very fine hair, so they needed to be small. Each barrette is about one and a half inches long, with 1 large star (same size as the smaller stars from the tiara) and 2 crystal stars. I don't know whether she will wear both, or just one. The hairdresser will get to decide that.

I am really happy with how it all turned out. I felt good when I went to bed last night(a little later then normal), and feel even better about it today after giving them to the bride and getting her reaction. The stars were not as easy as I had imagined, but easy in the long run. I used Diane Fitzgeralds' book Shaped Beadwork for the inspiration. I started with a pentagon shape, and added 5 triangles for the points. Easy as pie, right? Well actually, easier then pie (I hate making pie crust!)!

Basking in the Sun

2009-10-11T14:10:00.007-04:00

Well Ive finally finished! I came up with this idea in January, but put it aside until it was almost to late. This is for the Pink Ribbon Turtle Project 2009. Many years ago Jena Tuntas started making pink ribbon turtles in memory of her mother. She would raffle off a picture that she had made of turtles, with pink shells... the rink ribbon turtles! Last year a story was published about the Pink Ribbon Turtles, and I contacted Jena to see if I could help.

This is now my second Pink Ribbon Turtle (I helped with a 4-way project last year). Jena really made it easy this year to get involved, by saying do whatever it is you want for a project, just remember the shells of the turtle must be pink. I'm a little late with my donation (its been that kind of year), but better late then never, right? The Pink Ribbon Turtles are already underway this year, so go and check them out!

I made my turtles out of Swarovski rivolis in dark rose, and fuchsia. I bezelled them, and then did some st. petersburg stitch around the rivolis to make their shells. They have top drilled bicones in peridot for their feet and heads, and regular bicones on their tails. I square stitched the lilly pads, and made a water lilly flower according to most of the instructions from Diane Fitzgerald's book, The Beaded Garden. I just changed the middle of the flower to one pale yellow bicone, instead of a beaded bead like in Diane's version.

Block Party 2009!

2009-08-27T09:56:00.011-04:00

Once again, Monica Magness is doing a raffle to help raise funds for breast cancer. She is taking all sorts of donations, and there is an art block quilt that are all up for raffle. Please check out her site, Girl-gone-thread-wild , to read more about it! I have decided to donate this necklace that I made to the prize wheel, so if you like it, go buy a raffle ticket. Maybe you'll win it, and even if you don't, you'll know that the money is for a good cause.
This 20 1/2 inch long necklace features a pendant made by Anderson Coats (my brother) of GuruGlassworks . The necklace is a herringbone rope made up of multiple sizes of beads including size 15's, delica 11's, size 11 seed beads, size 10 triangles, size 8 seed beads, and 4mm swarovski bicones. The sizes are graduated to give the herringbone rope more visual interest.

I finished the necklace off with a sparkly wheel toggle made with 4mm swarovski crystals, delicas and size 15 seed beads. It really is a very nice necklace, in a golden lime color, which the pictures do no justice. The crystals are lime AB, and there are rose and olive highlights throughout the beadwork that are also in the pendant.

I really hope you all go over to Monicas' blog, and read more about this, and take a look at all of the goodies she has on the prize wheel (more then just jewelry!). Breast cancer has once again hit my family, and almost everyone I know has a loved one that is affected by cancer. Only together can we actually defeat cancer!

A couple of new things...

2009-08-23T14:04:00.004-04:00

At work on Saturday August 8Th I had the pleasure of repairing a necklace that was just fantastic! It was a choker entirely made up of seed bead coral fringe. The texture of it was just amazing so I was compelled to make this bracelet(which takes less time then a whole necklace!) It was a lot of fun to make, and it feels great on. Very luxurious!
I just listed it on my etsy site, so if your interested, stop by and take a peak. There are more photos of it there also.

After fixing the above mentioned coral necklace, I had to make a few beaded beads for a customer, and decided I needed a couple of those for myself, so I bought some lime green pearls, some peridot crystals and made up 8 of them. Well, the dilemma of what to put with these beaded beads then presented itself. Green goes with turtles, and I haven't made a rivoli turtle in a while so I made my pendant a turtle with a brick stitch bail.

Isn't he cute? He's made out of an 18mm rivoli with a 10mm round crystal for his head, some 8mm top-drilled bicones for legs, and two 4mm bicones for a tail. I'm starting to think about writing up the instructions for making this cutie, and selling the instructions. Any thoughts on this, or advice?

After making the pendant, I still needed some length to this necklace so I made some peyote tubes. I added some more pearls, and crystals, and a bunch of sterling silver to finish it all off. This ones for my own collection, which is something I don't do often, but I thought I needed a new piece to wear to work and it got great reviews!

Use the Muse II

2009-08-17T15:28:00.002-04:00

Scarlett Lansen has finally revealed the winners of the Use the Muse II contest! There is a great photo gallery of all the entries at her website, if you have time you should check it out. Since the muse has finally been unveiled, it now means I can share what I made with my kit.
The entry deadline for this contest was on July 18Th, which was also the day my youngest sister got married! What a coincidence that the wedding was on the beach at Fife Lake, and all the colors in the kit reminded me of water. It also had pearls and the 'muse' was a shell piece by Lilly Pilly. I bought a few more fresh water pearls, and some crystals to add to the kit, and just stitched until it said "done!"

Montana Sapphire

2009-08-06T14:34:00.006-04:00

This is my entry to the etsy-beadweaver August challenge, First Ladies of Style. I got these BEAUTIFUL montana crystals from Artbeads.com , and when I saw them, I knew they had style written all over them! I think one of the finest jewelry combinations of all time is the sapphire and diamond, so I decided to surround these beauties with crystal AB crystals(and lots of them!).

The focal piece for this necklace is a whopping 40X27 mm tear drop (or "fancy pear" as they call it) that is nothing less then drool-worthy. What a pleasure to work with! I don't know about the rest of you, but montana is not one of my favorite swarovski colors (its not bad though), but when I got this crystal...WOW! Most people that have seen it didn't even realize that it was montana! What a beauty! I surrounded it with 4mm crystal AB crystals, and then connected it to its little rivoli buddies (also surrounded by crystals )2 size 14mm rivolis, and 3 size 12 mm rivolis on each side of the necklace. After 2 days of contemplation (okay, really I was trying different ideas, and ripping them back out ) I decided to go with braided herringbone ropes to finish off the straps. Both the ropes, and everywhere else in the necklace I used size 11 delicas and size 15 seed beads in a silver-lined crystal.

For the toggle I used a sparkly wheel (original pattern designed by Nikia Angel) made with 4mm montana and 4mm crystal ABs and a peyote tube for the bar. I will say again, just how beautiful these crystals from Artbeads.com are, and I cant wait to get started on the crystal copper rivolis (that also came from Artbeads!) I plan to use for the etsy-beadweavers September challenge, Indian Summer Dreams!

If you want to see the rest of the creations that the etsy-beadweavers made for this challenge and to vote for your favorite, got to the etsy beadweaver blog between August 9th and 15th !
If you are interested in buying this piece, please visit my etsy site at http://www.beadwoman3.etsy.com/

Barbie goes to the Ugly Bug Ball

2009-07-24T16:44:00.005-04:00

This is the Barbie that I made to send to The Beadin Path, in Freeport Maine. Every year they have a challenge to make something, and when you are done, you send it to The Beadin Path to be displayed for a month and then they send it back to you. This year they wanted people to make bugs of any kind, real or imaginary. The challenges official title was "The Ugly Bug Ball", not that my barbie should be considered ugly...
I beaded some wings for Barbie. I started with the big beads that are in the center sections of her wings, and then did brick stitch with size 11 czech seed beads until I felt they were proportioned with barbie. I put wire around the edges to make them stiff and not floppy, and then covered the wire with more seed beads.

I picked the colors for the wings because of the color of the barbies hair. Once the wings were made, I had to connect them to barbie, which I did with a wire "harness" that crosses her chest, and straps to the back.

Most of the harness is under her black velvet bodysuit, but there was some metal exposed, which I covered with some black seed beads to make them less conspicuous.

I added a butterfly necklace, which I used a lace pattern by Sandra D. Halpenny from her book. I used swarovski crystals though, not fire polished crystals, which changed it a little, but I wanted to match the fringe on her skirt. I also added some fringy armbands because they looked so bare!

Here's a picture of her skirt, which she doesn't need to keep her covered (because of the bodysuit), just to add more decoration. It is a netted skirt with swarovski and glass dagger fringe. I sure hope she has a good time in Maine!

I do want to thank my husband, Brian, not only for putting up with my constant "how does she look now" questions, but for constructing the base on which she stands, and talking me out of my own ideas, which would have worked, but his looks better!

Colorworks contest results...

2009-07-13T15:26:00.004-04:00

When I opend my "inbox" after work today, I found an email that read...

Congratulations!

Your work was chosen by Margie Deeb as one of the top ten finalists in our first Colorworks contest! Though you did not win first place, your piece will be showcased in a special Colorworks gallery in the November/December 09 issue of Step by Step Beads. Thank you for submitting such outstanding work!

Best regards,
Leslie Rogalski
Editor in chief, Step by Step Beads

YAHOO!!!!! I have been waiting to hear about the results to this contest, and have heard nothing, so I assumed I didnt have anything to hear. What a way to finish my day!

Beading for a Cure 2010

2009-07-08T14:50:00.003-04:00

Once again this year I have participated in Layne's Legacy, Beading for a Cure. Every year they sell a kit, and you make something using at least 1 of every bead in the kit, and by July 15Th send your project back to them. In march (which is Colo-rectal cancer awareness month) all of the beaded goodies are auctioned off to raise money for cancer research. I didn't know Layne personally, but she had a lot of good friends who make this possible every year with all of their hard work. This year I really liked the colors in the kit, but I still had a hard time getting the ball rolling on this one. I am happy with how it turned out though.

I made a Cellini spiral, which I then strung onto 49 strand, 0.019 diameter soft flex wire. I finished it off with sterling silver bead caps, crimp covers, a lobster claw, and a chain to make this necklace 18 - 20" long. The center pendant can be removed, so you could also wear just the spiral.

The center pendant is a peyote bail, with the swarovski montees sewn onto it. The lampwork bead is surrounded with sterling bead caps (matching the ends of the necklace) and caps that I made with some of the 4mm crystals. I added 5 little fringes coming out the bottom, which Ive been told makes it look like an octopus or squid.

Here's a close up of the spiral, where I used most of the seed beads.

There was just one color in the kit that I didn't like, but I managed to squeeze a couple of them into the beaded bead that I put on the end of the extension chain. Now that its all done, I just need to name it, and get it mailed off. Have any good ideas for a name for this piece? Let me know...

On the shores of Dollar Lake...

2009-06-11T16:17:00.004-04:00

When I went up north for Memorial Day weekend, we went to one of my very favorite places to visit nature! In northern Michigan, on state land, lays a lake and surrounding forest. You have to hike into the woods to find the lake, and what a find it is! I've camped by this lake before (and hope to again soon), and both my hubby and my children have caught many a fish in this lake (catch and release).

I don't fish, but I like to take pictures and I like to look for "treasures" that I might find on the ground. On this particular trip, I was inspired by the rocks that were "On the shores of Dollar Lake", hence the title for this cuff I made. When I got home with my "treasures", I couldn't wait to dig through my stash of seed beads to find some "sand" to embroider around the stones...

I found what I think is a perfect sand color (matte with a bit of an iridescent glow) and put myself to work on this cuff. I used some snaps for the closure (had them laying around), and the only thing I had to go out and get was a fabric for backing this piece (leather...couldn't find ultra-suede, wrong season they say). This cuff is so comfortable on, you almost forget its there!

Sorry this isn't the best picture, but Ive always wanted to take a nature photo with some jewelry and never found the perfect piece to do it with until now!

New Stuff!

2009-05-16T14:26:00.004-04:00

I made this piece originally for the May etsy-beadweaver challenge "Hollywood Red Carpet Creations", but because I got sick I didn't manage to finish it on time, so I didn't get to enter(boohoo). I thought this would be perfect, because it is LOADED with bling because of all the crystals I used in it.
I started with some swarovski rivoli buttons that I got from artbeads.com . Needless to say, they were FABULOUS! I had three 27mm buttons, two 23mm buttons, and a little 12mm button I used for the clasp. I bezeled the buttons with some gold lined delicas, and sewed them all together to make the centerpiece. It still needed something, so I added an 18mm rivoli to the top of the centerpiece, and added a swarovski 30mm crystal heart dangle to the bottom.

One of the things I liked so much about the rivoli buttons (besides the sizes which were great!) is that they have a hole on the back, so once I sewed them all together, I strung the whole thing on some 49 strand .019 diameter soft flex, so I feel this necklace is really well constructed.

I covered the soft flex on the back with some gold size 8 seed beads, just so you wouldn't have to look at the wire. The wire continues on through the whole necklace to make it extra sturdy. I then used some fireline to make the strap a flat spiral, because I felt just the 6mm crystals by themselves was a little to boring (LOL). As I said, I didn't get this done on time to enter the contest, but I will be adding it to my etsy page soon!

Right when I finished this sparkly piece, I had to immediately jump on my entry to Step by Step Beads colorworks challenge with Margie Deeb. I had no clue what to make with the color combo I was supposed to use, orange/purple/green. But after finding some seed beads in a harmonious palette, it just kind of happened. I had Vicki Hubbard (from Purple Sage) make me a dichroic fused glass donut, and the rest just fell into place!

I managed to get this finished, and my entry mailed off at 11:58pm on May 15Th (the deadline), just in the nick of time! I'm really happy with how it turned out, and am more then happy to add this piece to my own collection of jewelry. I will be keeping it myself because I was quite disappointed with the metallic orange Japanese seed beads I had. I know metallic finishes wont last forever, but was peeved to have it start to come off while I was still creating this piece.

Oh well, I don't mind having to keep it for myself. Gives me one more thing to wear at the bead store when I work. Its a bit brighter then my normal jewelry, but I love it anyway!

Hoppity!

2009-04-29T09:38:00.003-04:00

After many LONG hours, and what seems like an unreal amount of beads I have finished him! Hoppity is a gift for the owner of Purple Sage(where I work) who is pregnant right now(but hopefully not to much longer!). I had a great time making him (except it seemed to never end!) and changing him from a beanie baby, to a "beadie baby"!

Every square inch of him is beaded with pinks, purples, white, and silver. Over his heart I bezelled in an amethyst heart shaped stone.
I didn't bead his whiskers, but I thought about threading some bugles onto them. I figured it might look goofy, and to leave well enough alone. I am so excited to give him to her, I hope she loves him! I think she will because she loves beads , and she has a beadwork collection (maybe he'll have some friends at her house?).

I also decided to leave his tag on his little bootie, so everyone could remember his name, and to prove he was a beanie baby.

Now I get to move on to my rivoli buttons from artbeads.com! The idea I have for them I think will be perfect for this months etsy-beadweaver challenge "Hollywood red carpet inspired jewelry" because I am going to make it drip with crystals!

$1.00 sale at Artbeads.com!

2009-04-21T08:58:00.004-04:00

My buddy over at artbeads.com has informed me that a great sale starts today! All sorts of different goodies, for just $1.00 each! check it out at http://www.artbeads.com/dollar-days-sale.html . I am not sure what time today it starts(seems to me that they are in a different time zone then myself), but it does start today April 21st! I have been warned of course that things sell out VERY quickly,so the quicker you get over and look,the better!

And speaking of Artbeads.com, stay tuned for my next etsy-beadweaver challenge piece that I am making, where I am using some new swarovski rivoli buttons that artbeads sells(just need to finish what I am currently working on right now). Here's a sneak peak at the buttons...

the biggest ones are 27 mm,yippeee! Nice and big! These buttons are NOT one of the sale items for $1.00 , they are still really new...So as I said, stay tuned!

The entries for the April challenge are in!

2009-04-09T10:10:00.005-04:00

The entries for the challenge are in! They are as always simply beautiful, creative and amazing! Etsy Beadweavers took the time and have the talent to create these inspiring challenge pieces! Tiny little beads and a needle and thread along with incredible patience bring these selections to you to vote and choose your favourite.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 go to the etsy-beadweaver site on the 9th when the poll will be available for you to cast your vote, April 9th thru the 15th!
1. Atlantis - AnnetteMackrel

2. time machine cuff - thebeadedlily

3. Magical Mystery Cuff - beadsforever

4. Time Standing Still - ThesePreciousThings

5. Fantastical Journey - beadsandblooms

6. As Time Collides - crownrosegems

7. Drops Of Time Necklace - binkaminka

8. Sweet Innocence - Medic5415

9. For the Women of the Future - SmadarsTreasure

10. Time of Innocence - AmethystRavenstar

11. Baroque - Firepolished beaded ball - carmenesque

12. Time machine - beadsbyvezsuzs

13. Her Airship Sailed Through Time - ErtheFae

14. London Blue Police Box Pendant - FrancescasFancy

15. Endless Time - Necklace - clairecreations

16. Myth, Magic and Reality Converge - dreambeadweaver

17. Timeless Neckpiece - SilverDragon

18. Atlantis bracelet - CieloDesign

19. Atlantis Queen Wedding Necklace - RedCatArtBeads

20. Timeless colors - pjlacasse

21. Sticks and Stones Choker Necklace - HauteIceBeadwork

22. Tudors Inspired Crystal Cabochon Necklace - SpringColors

23. Time Machine Lands on Bronze Age - fashionsfrome

24. Nefertiti necklace - FleurDeIrk

25. The Edwardian Necklace - daynamiles

26. iNecklace - beadwoman3

27. Somewhere Over The Rainbow - BeadazzledofOregon

28. Night Waters No. 1 - playnwithbeads

29. Make Love Not War Necklace - HannahRachel

30. A Magical Journey - enchantedbeads

31. Window Into Time - njema

Voting begins on Thursday, April 9th and ends midnight April 15th. Show your appreciation for the efforts of these amazing artists and take on the difficult task of voting for your favorite. (The ballot will appear on the side bar at right on April 9th.) 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 etsy-beadweaver blog to vote between April 9th and 15th!

iNecklace

2009-04-05T19:52:00.004-04:00

Have you ever gotten an idea that you just HAD to create something. Its almost like a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde type thing where you just cant help yourself. I was obsessed with the idea of cutting up a computer board, and turning it into some funky necklace.
I glued the motherboard pieces to felt, and then beaded around them. I didn't quite know where it would take me. First I wanted to make a whole collar, then a cuff. But with deadline time drawing near, a plan started to formulate. I just did the three pieces, and barely finished it in time.

I love the bottom piece with Quantum written on it. The whole thing is very industrial looking.

I finished the whole thing off with a "toggle switch/clasp". I even managed to keep the toggle in working order so you can "switch it on/off" and hear it click. This is my entry to the etsy-beadweavers April challenge "time machine".

Etsy Beadweavers March Challenge

2009-03-09T08:44:00.005-04:00

The entries for the challenge are in! They are as always simply beautiful, creative and amazing! Etsy Beadweavers took the time and have the talent to create these inspiring challenge pieces! Tiny little beads and a needle and thread along with incredible patience bring these selections to you to vote and choose your favourite.
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 go to the Etsy Beadweaver blog on the 9Th when the poll will be available for you to cast your vote, February 9Th thru the 15Th!
l. Sunset Necklace - HannahRachel

2. Black Desire necklace - FleurDeIrk

3. Carmen's temptation pendant - 6Carmen6

4. Dulce de Leche - nemeton

5. Green with Envy - BeadazzledofOregon

6. Temptation in Turquoise - beadsandblooms

7. Temptation - MadeByOlga

8. Temptation in the Garden - glimmerstone

9. The Seductress - RachelesOriginals

10. Forbidden Fruit - EPOriginals

11. Temptation Burlesque Collar - gypsyeyesjewelry

12. Tempted by Temptation - dreambeadweaver

13. Sweet Beaded Temptaton - BeadFabulous

14. Green Gold Temptation - binkaminka

15. Mist on the Moors - beaglebeads

16. Serpent's Temptation necklace - CieloDesign

17. i want to believe cuff - thebeadedlily

18. Chocolate Temptation cuff - randomcreative

19. Mirage in the Desert Necklace - Charmingthings

20. The Spider and the Fly - daynamiles

21. Chocolate Cherry Cordials - ThesePreciousThings

22. Caught in The Web of Temptation - cigarboxbeads

23. Aztec Summer - beadworkbyamanda

24. Temptation By the Sea - myfairladyvt4

25. Hamadryad's Heart Fringed Choker - SalamanderHouse

26. TEMPTATION Necklace - enchantedbeads

27. Eye candy temptation - PFordCustomJewelry

28. A case for Temptation - LiciaBeads

29. PUSHING LUCK - caraway

30. Temptation Cuff - SpringColors

31. Luscious Cherry Chocolate Necklace - FrancescasFancy

32. Bead Store Temptation - beadwoman3

33. Temptation Dance - SmadarsTreasure

34. Sunrise Temptation - njema

35. Moonlit Seductress - ErtheFae

Voting begins on Monday, March 9Th and ends midnight March 15Th. Show your appreciation for the efforts of these amazing artists and take on the difficult task of voting for your favorite. (The ballot will appear on the side bar on the right on March 9Th.) 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 go to the Etsy Beadweaver blog to vote between March 9Th and 15Th!

Another Birthday

2009-03-07T09:49:00.003-05:00

Boy my family has a lot of spring birthdays! They have been keeping me very busy making birthday presents. March 8Th is my Aunts birthday, and I made this necklace for her. I bezeled a petoski stone for the focal piece, and a spiral rope for the necklace. It is done with many shades of brown, and padparadscha Swarovski crystals.
I picked the petosky stone, becuase my Aunt , who is from Michigan, now lives in Connecticut. She loves Michigan things, and as far as I know, petosky stones are not available in most other states. I really love how this turned out, and I am really glad that she likes it! This is also the first front closure I've ever done, and I think I like it enough to do it again!
Happy Birthday Aunt Nan!

Bead Store Temptation

2009-03-05T15:07:00.009-05:00

I had no intentions of participating in the Etsy-Beadweavers March challenge, because I had no good ideas for their theme "Temptation". And then I got my tax return, and took a trip to the bead store! I wasn't even shopping or looking for anything to fit this challenge. And then I saw them. Three 35mm agate beads...and I HAD to have them! I had no game plan or idea for which to use these beads, so I took them home and started to play. The beads spoke to me! They guided my hand as I created this necklace...and this is what it evolved into...I managed to get it done, and get it listed right on the deadline day! WHEW! I think it turned out quite well...don't you? If you LOVE this necklace, don't forget to stop by the etsy-beadweaver blog and give me your vote, March 9Th thru the 15Th. I also whipped up this necklace for myself (I need new jewelry to wear at the bead store while I am working) using St. Petersburg chain, and this lovely focal bead by my brother, Anderson Coats. I used to tell him all the time that there was money to be made in the bead industry (he did glass blowing, and lampworking) but it wasn't a priority at the time. He told me this is the first bead he ever made (he's made lots more now!) and he thought I should have it (yea!).I also got my squares for Jeanette Shanigans bead quilt done, and mailed off. Every year she collects squares from different beaders from all over the world, and assembles them into "quilt" and then they are auctioned off at the annual Bead and Button show. This years theme was hearts.

New Products

2009-03-04T08:38:00.019-05:00

Have you seen the ads in the beading magazines for this new thread, Wildfire? I was curious, how it would be different from whats on the market right now. I am a die hard Nymo fan, and am not to fond of Fireline, so I wondered whether I would like this product. After much use, I decided I DO like it better then Fireline, but Nymo is still my favorite choice. Wildfire describes itself as "super strong, waterproof, and zero-stretch...will not fray at the ends...features the strength and durability of DandyLine with a smooth, thermally bonded coating". When you look at the Wildfire real close up (much closer then my camera could take a picture of), you can see that it is a nice supple thread, with a coating over it. This coating is kind of "rubbery", making it a little hard to cut through, and a pain to thread a needle with. As I said, I still prefer Nymo (old habits die hard?), but am glad I tried this out.

This was my first time for using the ZambaPro beading wire also. It comes in one of those neat clamshell packages, which are great for storage. I don't really have preference for beading wire, but I did like that this ZambaPro wire didn't feel like it was to heavily coated with nylon like SoftFlex. My sisters birthday was February 3rd, and one of her presents was this beaded belt. I think it was perfect for this application because it is strong, and flexible, which hopefully means she will get a lot of wear out of this belt. I also used it on my nieces Hello Kitty necklace I made in February, but I doubled it up, because I know how hard on jewelry young girls can be. I tried out these new "hybrid" beads at Artbeads.com made by Toho. The beads are made by the Japanese Toho Bead company, and then shipped to the Czech Republic where they were given traditional Czech glass finishes. I got a good assortment of colors, finishes and sizes, and decided to embroider an eyeglass case for my sunglasses(I rarely make things for myself). I thought this would be a great way to decide how well these finishes will last when they are constantly being rubbed against.

Since I was making this for myself, I dug around in my stash of turtle beads, and picked out a couple of turtles to use for my case. I also used a cab that I made many years ago when I took a lapidary class(the big green stone on the right). After much beading, this is the case before I put it together.
I really enjoyed beading with these beads. The finishes were unique, and beads were pretty uniform in size. There was not much need for culling. My favorite out of these ten colors would have to be the "copper penny" which was bright and shiny, just like a new penny from the bank. After I glued the embroidery to my old sunglass case, and finished the edges, this is what it looks like. Here's the front...

...and this is the back. I've had this put together, and have been using it for a week or so, and so far no signs that the finish is coming off (and this case gets moved around frequently in my purse). The metallics are still shiny, and the flecks are still discernible on the stone finishes. And if they don't yet have available that exact color , size, or shape that you need(hopefully they will be adding more options for these hybrid beads) you can still get all sorts of other seed beads from ArtBeads, stop by and check them out!

Some new things

2009-02-23T13:05:00.007-05:00

I have been busily beading, and have a few things to share! First, earlier this month was my nieces birthday (she turned 9 on February 11Th), so I thought I would make her something. After searching the web for awhile, I found the cutest pattern for a hello kitty pendant done in right angle weave! This is just a quick picture I snapped while it was in the box before I wrapped it up and sent it to the birthday party, but I think it turned out VERY cute, and the birthday girl was quite pleased! The necklace also has beaded beads (done in RAW), and I made some earrings to go along with it.

This other necklace is something I am donating to my mothers church for a charity auction they are having. We got these new beads at work, and they spoke to me! This is what they said...

I am also very happy with how this turned out. I cant remember where I saw the inspiration for this piece, but through my searching of beaded pictures(1000's of them!) the pearly part is similar to some of Laura McCabes work. The necklace is constructed with herringbone stitch, and the little beaded slide (but it doesnt actually move) is done in right angle weave. The pearls at the bottom are just fringe attached to the herringbone base.

2009-02-08T11:17:00.008-05:00

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 go to the Etsy-Beadweaver blog on the 9th when the poll will be available for you to cast your vote, February 9th thru the 15th!
1. Caribbean Surf Collar by: nemeton
2. Scorpion Fish by: njema
3. Dreaming of Hawaii by: randomcreative
4. A Walk on the Beach by: beadsandblooms
5. Peace on the beach by: PFordCustomJewelry
6. Orchid Beauty by: ArtfulAr
7. Rainforest Necklace by: charmingthings
8. Blue lagoon necklace N961 by: FleurDeIrk
9. Paradise by: beadsforever
10.Pink Flamingo Fantasy Necklace by: gypsyeyesjewelry
11. Sultry Salty Sand and Surf by: janetkemp88
12. hawaii '09 necklace by: thebeadedlily
13. Tropical Sunset Garden Necklace (1384) by: clairecreations
14. The Lively Sea by: farfrumplainjane
15. Tropical Holiday bracelet by: 6Carmen6
16. Beachcombing the Sea of Cortez - A Tropical Holiday by: dreambeadweaver
17. What if I'm a Mermaid by: ThesePreciousThings
18. Tropical Breezes by: RegalBeads
19. Tropical Chic - Choker by: Triz
20. Spinny Girl on the Beach by: BeadArtbyShari
21. Tropical Garden by: SpringColors
22. Tropical Paradise Necklace by: CieloDesign
23. Coral Reef Cuff Bracelet by: FrancescasFancy
24. TORTUGA by: caraway
25. CRYSTAL LEI by: fashionsfrome
26. Tropical Nights by: SmadarsTreasure
27. Tropical Flower Brooch by: enchantedbeads
28. Tropical Dream Cuff by: arosebyname
29. Calypso Necklace by: DeepSeaBeads
30. Tropical Whale Tails Bracelet by: SalamanderHouse
31. Tropical Holiday by: veroque
32. Caribbean Sunset by: totallytwisted
33. Bougainvillea Bouquet by: KerrieSlade
34. Tropical greenwood by: beadshead
35. Beachcomber by: vanishingpearl
36. Island Treasure Chest by: BeadazzledofOregon
37. Mayan Sun by: ThreeFatesDesign
38. Girlie Drinks and Sunsets by: HannahRachel
39. MAUI WEDDING by: Chrisbeads
40. Strelitzia by: MadeByOlga
41. ti leaf and orchid lei by: beadwoman3
42. Sunset in the Islands by: 1965angelika
43. Tropical Treasures by: BeadCatcher
44. On The Beach by: SilverDragon
45. Loopy Lei Necklace by: beadworkbyamanda
46. Tropical Rainforest Getaway by: Bead4you
47. Sea and Sand Necklace by: Beadmatrix

Voting begins on Monday, February 9th and ends midnight February 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. This month there are so many exquisite entries it will be even more difficult to choose just one! (The ballot will appear on the side bar at right on February 9th.) Thank you, enjoy and be sure to go to the Etsy-Beadweavers blog to vote between February 9th and 15th!
Many thanks to Ann of Francesca's Fancy for compiling the information and creating the Mosaic.

My first EBW Challenge entry ever!

2009-02-04T12:27:00.007-05:00

I finally completed my challenge entry for the Etsy-beadweavers February challenge "Tropical Holiday". I decided to make a flower lei after thinking about lots of beautiful tropical flora. This is fashioned after a ti leaf and orchid lei that I saw online. It is 46 inches long, and felt like it took forever to make! The whole piece is constructed using herringbone/ndebele stitch.

Now on to the next project!

My first collar!

2009-01-08T15:15:00.006-05:00

I managed to survive through the holidays, and have to share a few pictures now that they are done. I wasn't sure how it would all look when I was done, since I didn't have a plan, but it turned out pretty good I think. Way back in September last year, I did some bead artist trading cards for a swap. All of them were monochromatic, and my Mom flipped over the white one(her favorite color is white). She wanted something done in white like that, and we decided she needed a collar. I have never actually done a collar before, so I got out some old Bead and Button magazines, and some bead embroidery books I have and went to work. I don't think it turned out half bad for a first try. All in all, Mom was impressed and it was a very Merry Christmas!

Etsy Beadweavers' December Challenge - Snow Queen

2008-12-08T08:45:00.008-05:00

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

2008-11-25T16:39:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-11-03T08:52:00.001-05:00

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!

2008-10-29T08:51:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-15T11:12:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-08T09:27:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-02T08:58:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-09-23T10:11:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-16T10:58:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-10T12:38:00.006-04:00

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!

2008-08-08T13:28:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-08-07T13:23:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-23T11:33:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-10T13:32:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-09T14:05:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-03T11:34:00.009-04:00

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

2008-07-01T15:01:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-10T11:14:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-16T16:48:00.005-04:00

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

2008-05-15T10:12:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-04-11T10:36:00.003-04:00

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

2008-04-02T10:09:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-16T15:38:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-15T14:49:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-02T16:00:00.003-05:00

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

2008-02-19T11:14:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-02-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-29T10:18:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-22T09:47:00.001-05:00

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...

2008-01-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

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?

2008-01-03T11:08:00.000-05:00

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!

It's coming!!!

2007-12-20T11:59:00.000-05:00

Is everybody ready yet? Because it is almost here! Aiden, my 4 year old is done with preschool until the 7Th of January. I almost don't know what to do with all the extra help I am receiving. The family is all starting to show up for the holidays( siblings from California, Kalamazoo, etc.) and the parties are being planned. And myself? I am no where near ready for any of this! I still have presents to create, and candy to make, and heck, I still have to even think of what I might be doing for certain people. I still have that male relative problem. Why cant they be more ...hmmm what is the word I am looking for...accessory-able? I would even go so far as to say more beadable! I seem to have this problem every year, and its not as if I am not trying! It seems as if my dad is just not the type to wear a necklace, or as I commented earlier a tie clip, belt buckle or cuff link type of guy. Well, Im off to go and make some more wire curly-ques and thats all that I can say for fear of giving to many clues...

A New Light!

2007-12-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days that just seems to bring your spirits up? I think I am having one of those days today! Yeah! I needed this. Actually, its a good day for lots of reasons. I live in Michigan, and Saturday night into Sunday we got enough snowfall that they cancelled school today. Who doesn't love a snow day? Then I got a really cool email, that has just made my spirits soar! I love new beady endeavors!
Ive been thinking lots about The Beadin' Paths ( www.beadinpath.com) bead challenge that I entered, the beaded mask. I have been reading the posts from other challengers on their message board and trying to get a good idea of where I might start. Lots of people seem to be thinking the same things, bead embroidery, hiochol type beadwork, peyote, and even some RAW suggestions....Hmmmmm what to do. It will be on the back burner in my mind until after Christmas though. Everyone finished making their presents yet? I will admit that I am still coming up with new ideas for things to make people. I do wish there were more ideas to do with beads out there for the men in my life but I don't think any of my guys need belt buckles, tie clips or cuff links made with beads! Any body have good guy suggestions?

Bead Store Blues

2007-12-13T11:17:00.000-05:00

Well, its been a few weeks now since Ive had to work, and the bead store is all closed up. You would think that this would be a happy thing, to not have to go to work, and have lots of time to deal with Christmas and all, but quite truthfully I think I am going through withdrawl. I am no longer used to days playing taxi to the kids, and barely getting a moments rest. I miss the bead store, and all of the customers. I made a lot of good friends while I was there, and they really helped the creative juices flow. I like to see what other people are doing in the bead world, and I liked to help problem solve. Now the biggest problem I get to solve has to do with who gets to play video games first, and whether or not all the homework is done. I don't quite know what to do with myself. Any suggestions? I am still beading daily(its a good stress buster, and I have a lot of presents to make), but the kids don't really want to talk about it with me. My husband is very understanding, and he will listen, but beads don't quite get his creative juices flowing, and he never has the same ideas I do. Oh well, maybe I will fall into a routine soon, and maybe I will find a new bead store to work at. A girl can dream cant she?

libeado

2007-11-08T15:06:00.000-05:00

Okay, so what do you do if your "name" is being used elsewhere for the same purpose? I have realized that maybe this isn't a problem because the other woman who is using the name libeado is from a state far away from mine, and maybe it will never cross paths, but what about when someone googles it, and 2 different things pop up? And both of those things have to do with beads? I have been using the name libeado since the early 90's but haven't gone very far with it. I did get my DBA but it has since expired, and I don't know how long the other woman has been using the name libeado. I have found that many bead stores have the same name, but no correlation to each other. Oh how the Internet has changed things. 10 years ago, I never would have known about this other woman, and therefor wouldn't be concerned about it. What to do, what to do?

Bead Quilt Square

2007-11-08T13:54:00.000-05:00

Well I completed my first square for Jeanette Shanigans Bead quilt. I know that it technically isn't a rose but do you think it will matter? I just fell in love with this flower that was made of shell and thought it would be so pretty that I would give it a try.

I know the picture isn't perfect but I still have a lot of practicing to do on taking the perfect picture. On that note, I would like to thank my ever generous husband for buying the new digital camera that takes a kick butt picture when it comes to the detail needed to properly photograph beadwork. Now if only I were that good, we could have awesome pictures. I find the hardest part is getting the perfect lighting. I should make myself a photo box, and see if that helps. I did find an instructional page on the net explaining how to make a cheap photo box with a cardboard box and some glass. Any one out there know of any other good methods?

I still haven't gotten any replies on anything, so I am assuming that no one has found this blog yet, but I did Google libeado the other day and this blog did come up as one of the hits, on the first page none the less. That must mean that the 250 words tip must be true. I know I could just tell people about this, but that would mean everyone that looked would already know me, and I wants some opinions of people that I don't already know. Where are all you guys hanging out at? Am I missing some really cool beading blog that I don't even know about?

Monday at the store

2007-11-05T11:03:00.000-05:00

Well, Here I am at the bead store on a Monday. The most boring day of the week to work here. Everything else except the dry cleaners is closed in this plaza on Mondays, so we don't get a lot of traffic. I do believe that Monday must be a good day to pick up your dry cleaning because there seems to be quite the flow of people down there today. I am trying to motivate myself to do something today. I am just not sure what yet. I finally got my pellon to make my squares for Jeanette Shanigans bead quilt she is doing for breast cancer. Every year she does one, and this year the theme is roses. Check out what she has done so far on her website http://www.shanigansbeadshenanigans.com/ . I give a lot of credit to women like her. Not only did she come up with a fabulous way for people to reach out and help with such a worthwhile cause, but every year it gets bigger, and she stays so dedicated. I really am glad that we have people like her in the world. Okay, well I have motivated myself just by talking about it so I am going to go and make a square. I will post a picture when I finish it, or you can check it out on Jeanettes website once I mail it to her in Alaska! Thanks again for listening, maybe you would like to respond?

What gives?

2007-11-02T17:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, well it has been about a week since my last post. I still don't think anyone has even looked at this blog, let alone can even find it. I read somewhere that in order for Google to even hit on something it has to have a minimum of 250 words. I don't know if this is true or not, but I am sitting here trying to add more words so maybe I will be easier to find.
I have been continuing work at the bead store, and just dealing with all the comments that people are making about the store closing. I have been beading for approximately 22 years, and am shocked that people keep asking me whether beads are actually a profitable business. Of course they are!! Beads have been around since the dawn of time. Humans never get tired of trying to adorn themselves and make themselves stand out from a crowd, be it jewelry, tattoos, piercings, etc. The owner of the bead store I work at just doesn't seem to have a business head on him, or maybe he is just giving up. I wish there was something I could do to convince him to hang in there, but it is to late, and he is hanging up his towel(or something like that). If I had the time, I would consider opening a small store of my own, but with 2 young children (Xavier age 7, and Aiden age 4) I don't feel I have the time to put into a business yet. I still have feel I need to put the most time into my guys while they are little ( Aiden is still in preschool, and only half day at that). I am still wondering whether an Internet venture is that right way to go. A book I read recently suggests that all artist should have their own web page, but if it cant be found, what good is it? What makes a web page worth visiting? And as an artist, do you just show your work? Or do you have to try selling it over the Internet also? I happen to live in a town where there is not a good market for the type of jewelry that I like to make. It is a small town in Michigan, and Michigan's economy is not doing all that well. People do not have the same sort of disposable income that the rest of the country seems to have right now. So how do I get my product to a market that will buy it? I don't travel much, so that isn't really an option. I wish someone would just find this blog and give me their 2 cents worth. I need input, and I am hoping someone out there might be kind enough to give me some. So this is my plea....please respond if you read this. I am starting to get kind of lonely here all by myself.

Bead Dreams

2007-10-25T10:06:00.000-04:00

Ok, so correct me if I am wrong. I am not the only one on the planet that has many a sleepless night because I am working out bead problems in my head, am I? I was once told by a young beader I had just met that after I had been beading for awhile those dreams would stop and then she asked me how long I had been beading. Needless to say I think it shocked her that I had been obsessed with beads longer then she had been alive. Funny, I think the dreams are more frequent the longer I have been at it. I guess I shouldn't complain, I have worked out many a dilemma in the wee hours of the night while trying to convince myself to just to stay in bed because sleep WILL happen if I stay there long enough.

Some projects I have made come entirely while I am laying in bed. This beaded butterfly mobile developed while I was "dreaming" about long walks in the forest with my family. I love to watch butterflies flit around, and it always amazes me at how many colors and patterns they come in. This project was my entry in my local bead societies bead challenge in 2007. I ended up in second place, first place being a beautiful beaded floral arrangement. The pictures will hopefully be up on the web page soon http://www.saginawvalleybeadsociety.org/ . Sorry this picture is not as good as I hoped. The wind was just enough that day that the butterflies were dancing around and making it hard to get a nice pictures.

Beadwoman

2007-10-24T13:23:00.000-04:00

well, since no one responded to the first post ( and I know you might still) I figure no one is interested yet. So I thought, what might make people even want to look at this? I guess it comes down to pictures. As I said before, I like to play with beads, and make all sorts of things from jewelry to house wares.

This is a picture of my recent submission to Margie Deebs color challenge. Check out the rest of the entries at http://www.margiedeeb.com/ under the color challenge page. I thought that this piece was easily understood to be a beaded woman figure, but after talking with my family, no one could figure this out on their own. I am not offended by this, actually I think it is rather funny. Oh well, some times only the artist can truly see their own creation for what it is. Any one out there have any opinions? I would love to hear them!

New to all of this!

2007-10-22T10:02:00.000-04:00

Well, this is my first post. I am very new to all of this, but thought I might give it a try. I currently work at a bead store in Freeland Michigan, and am having some inner turmoil on what step should come next in my life. I have been beading for 23 years, and finally when I got this job at the bead store I felt like I had found my place in the beaded world. Well, now the store is going to close at the end of November and I need to find an outlet to share my creations with others. I have been entering beaded challenges, and trying to get my name out there a little, and new prospects are opening themselves to me on a daily basis. I have been considering selling some of my work on ebay, but I am not sure if this is the proper venue for my work. Will the customers who would buy my work even find it on ebay? Where is the right place to sell hand beaded jewelry and other crafts? Is the internet fully saturated with online bead, and jewelry stores? Who might know the answers to all the question that I have swirling around in my head? Before I spend a lot of money trying this out on the internet, I would love some feedback. Am I better off trying to do something with some local boutiques? Or is worldwide a better market?