Home Sweet Home

So this is where I spend my days now, the orange recliner.

I bead there and as when I was ill I couldn't sit up at my desk for long I've gotten used to working with my laptop on top of my lap :)

From there I can look at the trees and the sunset, watch Bella play on the deck, watch TV and bead to my hearts content.

It's home!

I'd like to say that since I took this picture I've put pictures up on the walls but nope, not there yet. The cube storage now has 'Bento' boxes in three of the holes....they serve as storage, perfect for a quick tidy up because someone's at the door...lol!  They have tray lids which have now become my bead trays...all lined with bead mats...and I have more lids than boxes because they stack really neatly and I always have a bunch of projects in progress.  The top center cube space has become inhabited by acrylic boxes full of my Delicas and actually looks a little like art.

While the bulk of my beads are at home in my office storage I manage to have all my 'go to' beads right where I need them....within arm's length.

In decorating my new home I had the idea of going 'Steampunk' and had all sorts of ideas that would have been really cool.....and then I fell in love with that orange recliner. It is THE most comfortable chair I have ever sat in.

I think it was meant to be because it made me bring bright color into my life which is what I really needed to lift my spirits. 

I also knew that it would influence my work and help bring some fun and whimsy back into it.  I followed destiny's direction started looking at things that inspired me and made me feel joy....one of those things was the work of Suzanne Golden, how can you not be happy just looking at a pic of this vibrant, creative woman?  And it was Suzanne who inspired my Carousel Bangles  (the Carousel One tutorial is now in my store and by far my best seller to date).

The Carousel Too tutorial is in progress but I took a break to write a couple of tutorials that had been waiting in the wings.

The quick and easy "Zippy with Sunburst Snaps" named for the way the super duo beads mimic zipper teeth.

And "Ric Rac Honeycomb" which has two styles of 'ric rac' edging a band 

of my honeycomb stitch which I  just listed in my store today.

I actually missed the bright colors while I was working on these so expect to see more of the super brights in my designs.

After the last seven years of struggling about doing something that wasn't me, living in a place I didn't like and the health issues to boot I now find myself thinking each day...."I'm back"

I'm back to living in a less judgmental community, more culturally diverse place with everything I need close by. I feel so much lighter and brighter about my life....it's like my independence and sense of fun is seeping back into me.

You have to be yourself, surround yourself with what you love, live for yourself otherwise it just isn't worth it.

I'm Back

Boy, it's sure been a while.

When life gets in the way the blog seems to be the first thing to go.

Since I was last seen on my blog April 14th last year (eek!) to say a lot has happened would be a huge understatement.

SO.....update from where I left off.

Beading For a Cure.

I ended up discovering a stitch I hadn't done before, Pondo or African Circle stitch and it worked perfectly with the beads in the kit with the addition of some of the new two holed beads....Super Duos.

I sent in two bracelets for the auction.....the first being PonDuo Tapestry

The second being the top part of the lace cuff that wasn't working.

Many people requested PonDuo Tapestry be a tutorial and many asked for a kit too. I don't normally do kits but as this one had some hard to track down beads I did. There are still a few kits left and they are in my store along with the tutorial.

Battle of the Beadsmith

I know many of you followed my progress in this widely published contest and are familiar with my entry

"Armadillo Blossom Purse"

For those not familiar my muse gave me the challenge to cross an armadillo with a lotus blossom and threw in a difficulty clause that I use cube beads.

Here it is with the Armadillo Egg Vessel that came after.

And here's the 'glamour' shot of me with the purse.

And during all of this I moved Mom and I from Utah to California.

Cleared and cleaned the house for sale, packed a U-Haul truck, towed my car and got us to Fresno.....and I only broke two toes, threw my hip out and ended up on crutches otherwise it went quite smoothly...lol!

The second trip....back to Utah to list the house was a nightmare. I really wasn't well enough to go but despite my protestations we went. I was so sick with migraines the whole trip, which had to be extended because I was basically just a ball of pain.  We discovered the house had termites, luckily the good kind....well, less bad kind...had to tear down a wall and have the house treated, put in new carpet too. Fortunately I managed to have windows of wellness to organize all this and understanding realtors to help Mom

After major problems with the U-haul trailer for the journey back we made it. Home is now Fresno, California.

I did realize that maybe me moving even a couple of blocks from Mom might not be the best idea and we joked about if the apartment next door became vacant it would be perfect. I checked and was told the woman who lived there had no plans to move. A week later the property manager pulled me aside and said "You'll never guess what"

So after a few delays I moved next door in November.

Before the move happened we got a puppy...

 This is Bella after she destroyed a box of kleenex.

She's the sweetest and smartest dog I've ever had and is great pet therapy for Mom, which is the main reason I adopted her.  She has brought lots of love, joy and laughter...and mess...to our lives.

After this I got pretty sick, I think the year was so hard on me that I was drained and vulnerable.  I started eating healthier, started juicing again but it still wasn't bouncing me back. After seeing a check list on Dr Oz for gluten intolerance and checking off every single thing on the list I figured that might be my problem. So, I went gluten free.

The first week I felt better and I lost a couple of pounds, it wasn't too big a deal to cut out gluten.  Then it got serious. I became super allergic to gluten and the tiniest bit would make me horribly ill.  I seemed to become allergic to lots of things and wondered if I actually had Celiac disease.  It was pretty scary but I kept going, knowing that if I put healthy things in my body I would eventually get better.

And I have. January saw me have my first normal month in ages. I was working again, no longer a vegetable on the couch.  I wasn't quite well when I taught a little class at the bead society meeting and in truth I thought I was going to pass out and had to hightail it to the bathroom, and it did take me two days to recover but at least I managed it.

A month later and I'm feeling like my old self....well, a new, gluten free old self.  Yesterday I convinced myself that I am better because I booked my flight to the Bead & Button show in June. I did take the insurance because one never knows but I really want to go and this year is my best chance.

It also means I really am starting that new life I've been craving ever since my Dad got ill, died and I was stuck in Utah with Mom.

We're very happy here, Mom loves it as much, if not more, than I knew she would, she says she feels alive again and she doesn't miss her old home a bit!

So...I'm back, my blog is now back and I'll be sharing lots of new stuff as I get back into it.  Stay tuned...good things to come :)

When Designers Screw Up!

Sometimes things just don't go well...sometimes you just screw up :)

It's been a few days of things not going the way I want them to, it happens and I don't get upset about it, it's the nature of the beast for a designer.

But I thought it might be interesting if I showed you how I manage to screw up and at some point you'll see how I worked through it.

I'm doing a challenge....Layne's Legacy better known as BFAC or Beading For A Cure.  You buy a kit...which are limited and sell out super fast...and then create something which you will donate so it can be auctioned off to raise funds.  It's my first time and I was super excited to get the kit and see what we were given to work with.

I was thrilled with the colors...very in my comfort zone and decided I would make an evening bag.  So I started pulling things from my stash to add to it. Got all this done :)

And, have to say I'm loving it, I know the design will work and the only issue I was having was going to be parting with it.

Then I reread the challenge rules!!!

Silly me missed the part about only being able to add ONE other bead type...by this point I think I'd added four!

POOP!

So....this is set aside to be worked on when I have time and I had the brainwave that most of the beads in the kit are what it takes for my Lace Cufflette and I wondered if it would work with a multi-color palette.

Well..here it is, and though I like some things about it, like the design I worked into the lace I am not happy with it.  There are two things I really do not like....the bugles are too heavy....larger than the size I used and they just over power it. The other thing is the brick red...too much of it.

I designed the lace for 15/0s and I really think it needs to be that to really capture the lace quality.

And some of you may squirm when I tell you I will probably take my scissors to this but sometimes that's what you need to do.

There are really no mistakes if you learn something so I take this week as a school week :) 

I did receive my antiqued silver ear wires for the latest tutorial I'm working on (which would have been finished if I hadn't been doing the two things above).

So I did manage to finish the earrings and take the photos for the tutorial.

I had fun taking the pictures...I wanted to make the cubes float as if in space because they totally remind me of the Borg ship from Star Trek: TNG :)

The little box pendant can also be made as a ring box.

The tutorial is called "HoneyCube" and will be in my store next week :)

Quite the week!

The Yummiest of Books

 So....after a few days of pulling myself up by  my bootstraps I'm back :)

And I'm back to talk about something that helped me through a little patch of depression....the amazing book....

21st Century Jewelry

by Marthe Le Van

When this one first arrived I had a hard time putting it down and it tended to go with me from room to room.  It has to be the most inspiring book of jewelry I've ever seen and I can't recommend it enough.

Yes...it can be overwhelming and humbling to see such freaking awesome jewelry designs but if you can put intimidation aside and just soak in the pure brilliance of the work it will lift you, inspire you....and take the blues out of any day :)

I just chose two photos to give you a sneak peek....and I could have chosen any so I just let the book open where it wanted and it gave me two/three perfect pieces to illustrate how wide ranging this book is.

The first is simple elegance in the rings of Yesim Yuksek....here are "Deco Bride" and "Gothic Bride". Gee...the Gothic one makes me consider getting married just so I could have this one on my finger.

And from simple we go to sublime in this amazing piece by Vina Rust, "Eastern Cottonwood Defense".  The organic quality of this piece is staggeringly beautiful though I confess I wouldn't want to wear it.

Why wouldn't I want to wear it? Because I wouldn't be able to see it!!! 

I could look at this piece for ages and would rather frame it and hang it right in front of my desk!

Though the pieces I've shown are metal, do not be deceived this book contains jewelry in just about every material out there.....from plastic & ribbon to post-its (yes, post its!) to precious metals.  It illustrates perfectly that if you have an idea you can create it with any material around...blue corn, OMG!

I don't know how I can recommend you buy this book more than saying "Just do it", if you have to search through the sofa for loose change....do it!

You will not regret it :)

The second book I'm going to talk about is also by Marthe Le Van (I want her job ;))  and is about one of the crazy challenges that happen in the jewelry community.....this one is also the title of the book

Ring A Day

Some one came up with the idea to challenge people to design a ring every day for a year....use whatever you have wherever you are.

This makes for a very interesting book that also shows us there are no limits to supplies if you're willing to think outside the box.

And to illustrate that here's one by Maria Apostolou..."Olive Leaf"

Now this one may not have a long life but you have to admire the innovation and the design...and from here, where could you take it?  A silver leaf sewn with gold thread?   I've always been one to search for inspiration in unusual places (the color palette from rotten fruit) so this book makes me smile and inspires me further.

As a lover of sushi this one totally appealed to me, created by the extremely talented and Volcano Roll eating Lora Hart with, of all things, plastic sushi grass.  

This is a totally fun book!  And if you want to learn where inspiration comes from this is like 'Inspiration 101'. Want to learn how to come up with original designs?  Buy this book....it will make you smile, it will make you laugh and you'll be teaching your muse to think outside the box without even thinking about it!

Do Google the designers, I did, and I was amazed at their creativity!

So....two more from the pile of awesomeness from Lark Books.

These two definitely lifted my sagging spirits and made me feel that excitement about designing deep in my soul again.  Maybe they'll do the same for you :)

Where Does the Time Go????

Did you ever see that video of guys attaching a motor to a kids playground roundabout?  Where the guys are holding on for dear life and it still isn't enough and one is thrown off?

Well....I feel someone has attached a motor to the world and it's spinning so fast I can't keep up.

I have been working hard on the new Pavé designs and I'm close to finishing the first tutorial which includes a bangle, bracelet with snap clasp, hair accessory and ring.

So, this one should be complete today, tomorrow at the latest and the next pavé tutorial will be what I'm calling the "HoneyCube" (though the Trekker in me thinks it looks like the Borg ship....yeah, I'm a geek)

I finally perfected the end decreases last night, though it was one of those things where I kept going off on a tangent...my focus was not staying focused....lol! It's versatile and I see lots of possibilities and that's makes it tough to stay on track.  A couple of pendants spring to mind...or six!

This morning my kit for Lacey's Legacy, "Beading For a Cure" arrived and I've already gone through my stash and found some ridiculously perfect cabochons to go with it.  How did I manage to have a couple of cabs with EVERY color in the kit in them??  Sometimes things are just meant to be.

It's the first time I've signed up for a kit as I typically don't even make finished jewelry these days....just lots of samples for tutorials. But I have had a couple of people express a desire to own something I made with my own two hands...so I thought this would be a great way to go about it as the finished pieces are auctioned off.

I need to review the stack of books I have and I've been reading through them so I know what I'm writing about....always goo to do that :)  So reviews are coming.  On a sad note Verenabeth never got back to me with her address, and she had such a good story....but as prizes are for people who follow my blog (and if you don't follow even to see if you won) I'm going to draw for the book from the people who answered.  Look for the winner on Wednesday :)

And the Winner is........

Verbenabeth

Congratulations!  As someone said it was very difficult to get past such a great story of generosity and love. For me it wasn't just that, I am a huge believer in the arts and crafts being passed on through the generations and the thing that pushed me over the edge was the fact that Verbenabeth sees arts and crafts as a way to make a living.  I was raised in a home that thought arts should just be a hobby and were not something you could make a living at. I had to bring newspaper ads to my father to prove there were jobs for an artist out there before he would even consider allowing me to go to a technical college. I studied Graphic Design simply because that was the only job listed in the "Help Wanted" section. I did manage to squeak in a foundation year by changing colleges but even after my pleas and the pleas of my professors I wasn't allowed to go to a 'real' (degree) college.  So I have to show my support for a parent who encourages art as an expression and career opportunity :)

Not to worry if you didn't win.....with the help of Lark Books I will be doing many more giveaways and giving you the heads up on other giveaways of their great books. Today I can share a fabulous giveaway for an advanced copy of Sabine Lippert's "Beaded Fantasies"

Sabine does amazing work and  has just been announced as one of the designer's at Marcia De Coster's Beading By The Bay next year along with the amazing Huib Petersen which has a LOT of us majorly excited.

Sabine is based in Europe so it's a big deal to get her Stateside though I hear she will be over this June....if you get the chance to take a class with her JUMP because I have a feeling her classes will sell out fast!

I spent my beading time this weekend working on my first bead embroidered piece and made a lot of progress, almost finished with the surface beading and ready to start the 'extras'. I am so glad I bought Jamie's "Dimensional Bead Embroidery" because I'm going to need some of her ideas putting the backing on it being fairly heavy.

The progress photos aren't great but I did like this one as the light bouncing out of the main pyramid is just too cool and an effect I hoped to achieve but didn't know how I was going to pull it off....lol....by accident!

Probably because of the pyramids I've been calling this "Osiris" as I've been working on it...something about black and bronze too, I think. Anyway...this is where I am...it still needs it's bells and whistles but as my first step into the world of bead embroidery I'm feeling pretty happy.

Today it's back to the drawing board for me....finishing the test sample of Pineapple Lace and getting the edits done so I can finally release it.

Happy Monday :)

Books, Books, Oh So Yummy Books!

So, as some of you may know I was recently asked if I would like to review some books by Lark Books....no, I don't know what I did to receive such an honor and I'm totally stunned that anyone would even want my opinion, but you're going to get it :)

First up is Diane Fitzgerald's "Favorite Beading Projects"

Now, Diane is one of the Grand Dame's of beading as far as I am concerned and it's daunting, to say the least, to offer my opinion of one of her books...but here we go.

 I think this is a very well thought out book...even a little sneaky, in a good way :)  What do I mean by "sneaky"?

Well, seed beads and bead weaving can be scary to a lot of people and their immediate thought is "I can't do that"....as a teacher of bead weaving and having done numerous demos I have heard that hundreds of times.

With this book Diane cleverly introduces seed beads by showing mouth watering projects that take the reader from simple stringing designs into actual bead woven designs.

Take this project, "Fortune-Teller Beads", if you're someone who has strung beads this is very tempting, because it builds on what you know with a simple technique to take your skills to the next level.  All of a sudden you know how to do netting stitch, and if you can do that...well, the door is open. 

I love smart people and smart things and I can honestly say Diane and this book fall into those categories.  If you have ever looked at seed beads or bead weaving and thought "I can't do that" buy this book!  If you know someone who has drooled over your designs and said "I could never do that" buy them this book!

The designs are delightful and temptingly easy enough for a beginner.

My thanks to Diane for writing this book because I know she is converting people to bead weaving with it and as a designer of beading tutorials I get to benefit from there being more seed bead lovers in the world :)

And now for something completely different :)

Something I don't do but have always wanted to do....Metal Clay.

I do work in polymer clay but haven't as yet moved to metal clay.....mostly because my mother thinks I'll burn the house down with the blow torch.  She's wrong....that would be my brother :)  With the upcoming move I will have a place of my own...with hopefully a garage...and that workbench I see in Costco so I can start working in metal clay.

So...we have "Metal Clay Fusion" by Gordon K. Uyehara and what a scrumptious book!!

This book makes me want to order metal clay immediately (must not, must not) with stunning photos of Gordon's gorgeous work, I'm a fan.

And Gordon shows us how, step by step!

It really is a thorough book on the skills required, teaching you everything you need to know to create beautiful metal jewelry.  In a mere skimming of the book I learned so much and I know it will be my 'go to' book when I do start working with metal clay.

Gordon really covers all the angles, from a really complete list to put your 'Metal Clay Kit' together and how to use everything, with techniques to take you from beginner to advanced.  He does recommend taking a class if you've never worked with metal clay before and once you've looked through this book I think you'll be looking for the closest, soonest class available.

I also really appreciated the section on "Artiquette" about being professional as an artist and being original....I will share what he says about being original because I think this cannot be said enough and he says it so well.

"Thou shalt not copy. Just don't do it. Though it's true that there really is nothing new under the sun, let me make it very clear : If it looks like somebody else's work, don't publish it or sell it as your own. Add your personal, distinctive touch to it so you can make it your own. This is especially true with regard to published step-by-step instructions. Even though it's public, it never was your idea. So step up and credit the designer. Someone will call you on it anyway. Avoid the embarrassment, because those in the community will know."

True words!   And here are a couple of examples of projects in the book...a very original bead and a cool bangle.

Click on the book covers to go to where you can buy these great books.

And finally....yesterday I received a big box of books from Lark, one of which was Jamie Cloud Eakin's "Dimensional Bead Embroidery" which I bought a couple of weeks ago and reviewed before I knew I was going to be a reviewer. So...now I have two copies....I'm not greedy, so I am giving a copy of this great bead embroidery book away.

Just tell me why you should be the lucky recipient and the person who convinces me they need it the most will get it...though you will have to pay the shipping. Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address so I can contact you.