Rings & Things

Rings are the thing this weekend. Of course, the black and silver one is mine, the one I wear that catches people's eye and they either love or hate my finger armor.
The middle one reminds me of harlequins and so will probably be called "Harlequin", it's actuallyy quite sparkly too...the richest looking so far. The stone is jasper, with topaz Swarovskis in 4mm and 3mm sizes.
The one on the left is black and olive green with some tarnished silver, light green Swarovski pearls and Swarovski olive bicones...I think the stone is serpentine.
The small ring in front....though I'm not sure it will stay small....I just put it down at 2am to get some sleep, is a Siam rivoli with Siam 3mm bicones. I made this one with a totally different technique, just building on the bezel. I don't think I'm finished with it...even if all I add are ring supports.....but I'd like to see it as finger armor. I wanted to make something similar to mine but different enough for it to be unique.

This afternoon will see me back to working on the rings and I have to say it's good for me....I just needed to step away from writing patterns, doing illustrations and all the other stuff that surrounds a beading business. It's easy to get bogged down in all that stuff and wonder what the heck you're doing because the actual beading gets pushed to the back burner. I'm also toying with a ring design with ruffles, I love ruffles and Miss Rachel's new piece is probably the catalyst on this one.

I got an e-mail from our newest bead society member, Val, yesterday after she had gone shopping at Bead Haven in Vegas. She was showing the usual excitement that people do when going to Gail's store for the first time....because the store is amazing...so many unusual beads. Great news that they are going to give us a discount...I never got a solid on that because I spoke to Gail, the store owner and not her sister who runs the store. With fifteen card carrying members now our little society is growing and that makes me happy, it's good to see your hard work pay off. With the introduction of the monthly FMG order I'm sure we'll gain more members.

The craft store where I teach finally got their Toho beads in (they asked me a year ago what I would like to see in the store), it's not a huge selection but we'll take what we can get! Sometimes I feel like a one woman army bringing beading to this sleepy little desert community....but I have some great support from my students.

Best Laid Plans

I got up early this morning to go to the life lab over in Virgin, my plans had already changed a little bit as Lora, owner of Wildfire Beads is in hospital (troubles with a pregnancy) and so wouldn't be there when I called on my way back . But I was still determined to go and do some drawing. I even e-mailed the organizer to let him know I would be there so he could bring my painting that he's been holding for me.

Well....I got into the car and the problem hit....my little car was not going anywhere. I messed around trying to fix the issue but to no avail. Then I realised because I usually stop at Starbucks and pick up a coffee on my way to the art class I was missing my caffeine fix. Back into the house, e-mail the organizer to let him know I may not make it and then make myself a latte. Once the caffeine hit my system I went back out to my car and tried to fix it again. Success! Of course by now it was really too late to head out to class so I put a load of laundry in and headed to my studio to do some beading. Of course, I was out of smoke fireline and I really needed if for the next project....so, back in my car and out to the store to get my much needed thread and a shopping list for my mom.

So...now I'm back home, the second load of laundry is in the washer, I have a fresh cup of coffee and I'm ready to start beading. I need to bead. I need the relaxation of it because I have been so stressed out this week. Last night I made a finger ring/armor and it's my goal to make at least two more over the weekend as I met someone who fell in love with mine and wants one or two for herself. The base pattern is easy and the embellishments are fun so I'm looking forward to a nice easy rest of the day.

Published!

So, finally you can find me on the magazine racks. My Challenge piece is in the latest issue of Beadwork magazine.
This is one of my most favorite pieces...even if it felt like a breach birth. The other designs, by Jamie Hogsett, Michelle Mach and Melinda Barta were all great. I especially liked Melinda's......simple but extremely attractive. I did find it very interesting that none of us used the center of the stacked rose.
What an awesome issue this one is. There are so many fabulous designs I didn't know what too look at first. If you're looking for some new projects this issue of Beadwork is a must! What company I am in......to be in the same magazine as so many of the top designers when I've only been bead weaving for 18 months, well, yes, I will pat myself on the back. And that lightening up on myself will maybe last the morning.

And, I will admit I was so excited when I bought the magazine I showed the clerk at Barnes & Noble, she got just as excited...lol! I guess the only complaint....could my name have been a bit bigger? I'm joking of course I couldn't believe how big the font was....it actually made me cringe a little like I did back in high school when they would call my name for commendations...one year I got nine and was almost under my chair by the time they got through the list.

I'm hauling the 27lbs of the bead society FMG order over to Suzanne's today so we can sort it all out...and say over and over "I wish I'd ordered that".

Last night's Project Runway was the tease for next week and the Bryant Park show, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the three gals came up with. I'm thinking Irena may have gone down the wrong path on this one and I know it's awful of me but she is the one I'd like to see come in last, there's just something that irks me about her....overconfidence maybe or how she was always putting down the other designers. Anyhoo, I'm hoping Althea or Carol Hannah take it.

Of course, I was inspired again and have a necklace design sketched, this time from the blouse Nina was wearing. I'm not sure how I'm going to pull it off because it demands some rigidity, off course I do bead tight, too tight sometimes, so we'll see.

Have a happy Friday the 13th everyone.

Somebody Put a Hole in My Life Jacket, please.

After doing some blog hopping this morning I feel decidely 'beige'. There are such amazing designers out there pushing it to the edge and it's made me feel my work is very 'safe'. I always worry so much about the practicalities of a piece...the wearability, the 'will it catch?', 'will it go with lots of outfits?', 'will it appeal to the masses?'.
The blog hopping this morning was the result of feeling 'blah' last night and actually putting the beading down early and going to bed. I hoped to inspire myself. Sometimes where I am gets me down, Southern Utah is not exactly the San Francisco I love where inspiration is on every corner and where what is outrageous here is daily wear there. It's so easy to get into a safe rut here. I find myself talking a lot about California and remembering what fun it was to be out costuming all the time and I make one of my girlfriends send me all the details of where she went, what she wore, what she did so I can live vicariously.
I'm a duck out of water here and that's why I'm working so hard at this beading business, so that I can at least travel, plus it's not something that will keep me here when the reason that does is gone.
I think I also have to get a bit more rigid in my daily planning, if I can get everything done for my month of classes plus the bead society in one week then I could devote the other three to designing and that might give me the time to phase out the safe and be more daring.

So, my day today is full of pattern writing, laundry and class tonight. The DBS FMG order arrives today and tomorrow will see Suzanne and I sorting it into individual orders. Then I plan a weekend of beading with a little art thrown in.

Beads, Religion, Mystery and a Gift

Ok, so my impatience was showing last night...I couldn't resist playing with some ides for the Patchwork Quilt bracelet. I'm liking the colors a lot, I love the sapphire rivolis and they are going to be joined by some olivine ones. The border on the larger piece I'm not so happy with but I already have worked out a new route....my horoscope this morning says I'll be burning the candle at both ends tonight.....lately my horoscope is one day late. Last night was quite a late one and I had to make myself go to bed in the early hours.

Also, I have to read before I can go to sleep. I'm a big mystery fan and love the writings of Greg Iles and James Patterson with a little Dean Koontz thrown in for an odd factor (pun intended). At the moment though, I'm reading Dan Brown....yeah, The Da Vinci Code. I have this aversion to reading or seeing 'the hot new thing', I don't know why, but when the hoopla dies down I tend to take a look at what was so hot. I finally caved and picked up the book from the library along with Angels and Demons....that one I thought I'd read BEFORE I see the movie. It's been almost two years since I saw the Da Vinci Code so I don't remember it in so much detail that it will ruin the book, and actually they do seem to have stayed true to the book...so far.

I have to admit I'm actually in to anything Da Vinci....as an artist he is my hero. I should make myself a bracelet that reads WWDVD? because I actually think that a lot. This whole code thing had me looking through my big book of Da Vinci's work at the Last Supper....and I have to say, it's Mary Magdalene. I also wonder just what the Catholic church has locked away...what relics they have that they don't want us to know about. Religious organizations with secrets bug me....I like full disclosure.

So, reading and watching all the mystery stuff had me dreaming a beading mystery the other night. I was taken to the scene of a murder, mass murder and as we were approaching the bodies there were these huge bags of beads and some beading scattered around. I stopped to look, thinking "dang, I'd like this stash" only to have my thoughts interupted by a detective who says there was an unrecognizable female body found with similar jewelry on her. I immediately thought....we can identify her by the beads. Large bags like that can only mean she is a designer who makes kits and if we checked the local bead stores and societies with her jewelry we'd be able to identify her. Weird how the mind works isn't it?

Ok...so you're saying to yourself..."she's done beads, done religion, done mystery and beaded mystery....where's the gift?" The gift comes from my blog partner Artbeads who sent me a personal thank you and one I can share...a discount at their online store valid till the end of the year...how cool is that? So, all you do is go shopping at Artbeads, where there is no minimum and always free shipping and at the checkout type in this code SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0424 and they'll knock 10% off your total. Just in time for Christmas....happy shopping.

Should I be Simon or Paula?

This morning I'm off to Mesquite with Selina where we are judging an art show. My first time being a judge so I'll try to not let it go to my head and I'll probably be more like Ellen...hmmm....the dancing judge?

After doing my session of netting last night I started adding the baby pearls to my shell packages....they do look pretty.

I find if I take a photo of work in progress I get a much better sense of it....like a new set of eyes. When I'm painting or drawing I can get the same effect by holding my work in front of a mirror but that doesn't work so well with jewelry.

I also made a list last night of designs I want to send to the magazines and what I would like to make into kits if I manage to win a certain competition. That started me designing....and I have come up with a new bracelet design based on quilting though not the Cathedral Windows which I have slated for my book. I just have to get a bead palette, based around the olivine and sapphire rivolis Artbeads sent me.....and Patchwork Quilt will be on it's way.

The Dixie Bead Society newsletter went out last night and the meeting is planned and now I better get my butt in the shower and on my way cos....here come de judge.

Our Own Local Bead Store

I finally got over to Wildfire Beads in Hurricane, Utah yesterday and met with owner and lampworker extraordinaire Lora McLaughlin. Of course I forgot to take pictures, but her store is cute and stocked with lots of goodies that you can actually touch, play with, co-ordinate and she aims to keep her prices competitive with the online stores. We sat in the classroom and chatted, getting to know each other as before this we'd only met for a few minutes at the travelling bead show when it was in town. She didn't even remember me, lol, thought I was from the Yellow Pages. Too funny. I jogged her memory with two words "Bead Society" and it all came back to her.
Lora says business has been great but with five kids and starting the store she has had no time to flame up her torch so she had hardly any of her lampwork to show me. She actually went online to her empty Etsy store to show me pictures of work she has sold. She does great work! I especially like the beads that she antiques, they look so rustic.
She asked if I would teach some classes at the store and, of course, I said yes. Lora is also going to carry my project booklets, the ones I create for my classes. I'm thrilled about this as it allows people who maybe can't afford to take a class still able to learn the techniques to make their own creations.
Lora and I are both excited to collaborate on some projects too. I've wanted to find a lampworker I could design with and some of my ideas had Lora excited to get back to her torch.

The details: Wildfire Beads is at 134 South Main Street, Hurricane, UT 84737 and is open Tuesday thru Saturday 10am to 6pm. She also has one of those great frequent buyer cards that we bead addicts love. So, people, get out there and support your local bead store.

Lora will also be our guest speaker at the next Dixie Bead Society meeting which will be Tuesday, November 17th at 6pm in the St George Library.

After all the excitement of the day I finally sat down to bead after dinner. I finished a quarter of the top netting on my collar (my daily allotment) and then picked up my little packages. I love the colors of this one, they are very different for me but I fell in love with these little shell beads and they told me what colors they needed around them (yes, the beads speak to me and I can see a padded cell in my future). They whispered in my ear that if I looked in my pearl box I'd find some tiny freshwater pearls that matched them perfectly....and they were right. Now if they'd just tell me how they'd like them incorporated we'd be onto something....oh, Morganna, where art thou?

Lora and I talked about my little packages designs and I told her some things I'd like to see in them....she got quite excited and is going to make me some lampwork beads so I can create some very 'off-the-wall' pieces.....hey, I won Beading Daily's pattern play challenge in the 'Off-the-Wall' category, I may as well run with it. My 'off-the-wall' designs are inspired by Picasso but I needed help from a lampworker....and I'm so happy to be collaborating with a fabulous one.

Lisa Crone thinks I'm at one with the Universe right now....maybe she's right, because no sooner than I voice a wish along comes the fulfillment. Hmm.....I could use the makeover they're giving away on local radio......