Old Beading

I'm currently working on creating four 12"x12" squares for Tommy's annual exchange challenge. They aren't due until September but I have another project due that same time frame so.......because I can't show my current project and Mr. Blue hasn't been touched in over a week, I thought I'd share some 8 1/2" x 11" beaded pieces I created for the Bead Journal Project back in 2010.  We had to create a beaded piece monthly....I think I was involved in this project for about 3 years. Hope you enjoy seeing some of my beading from 7 years ago!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

December's BJP Finished!

BJP December 2010

Finally!

Well, sometimes other life's happenings get in the way of us working and finishing our art work. I didn't start on my Dec. BJP until the 1st week in January but I had to put it on hold due to other art work priorities and of course playing with art work.

This was the start of my tree. I traced the outline of the tree onto some Friendly Felt. Next step was to figure out what color beads to use. All beaders seem to have those tubes just filled with left over beads from other projects

and I'm no different. Fortunately, I had over four and half tubes of mixed beads. Add some old bugles to the mix and I had enough beads to fill my tree! A big WHEW! At one point I did have to add some green seed beads to the mix. I also used some of my nice bugles for the tree stand, which I didn't mind. I've had these for awhile and I think they made a nice fill for the stand.

Here's a closeup of the beads. Yep, there is a mix of beads and there are LOTS of beads in this piece! LOTS!

So now on to the BJP for 2011! I did start on my January BJP and beaded part of the letter 'T' (you can see the start of it at the end of my post here) but now I'm rethinking what I'll do each month. My first thought was to bead a letter each month, then at the end of the year, the letters would spell out a sentence. Now I'm not so sure....I have two other ideas in mind but still not sure.

I did want to share two blogs with my readers. First check out, Dolly, from the Fiber Place and some of the dyeing and fabric painting she does. Turns out, Dolly, lives not far from me in Michigan and we've even attended the same fiber guild, Needlework and Textile Guild of Michigan. I haven't been to a NTGM meeting in several years, but I'm sure I've seen Dolly and most likely some of her work at show and tell. I'm fascinated by her hand dyed cheese cloth (in addition to some of her other pieces)! Really nice!!

The 2nd blog is from a friend of mine back in Michigan called Notes from Peaceful Steps. Teresa doesn't blog that often but she's very deep in her thoughts and writes quite well. I was particularly moved by her post today where she talks about the book 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, by Cami Walker. What a moving story and a book that I do want to read. I just checked and the library here in Florida doesn't have the book but B&N does carry it (no Border's close by Ocala!). I'm going to pick it up this week.

I hope you enjoy reading both of these lady's blogs. I think you'll get inspiration from both! Now off to watch a little TV and do some hand embroidery.

Back to Beading finally!

Before I show the two beading classes I took today, here's my Christmas tree for my Dec. BJP 2010.
Yes, I'm a tad behind in the Bead Journal Project 2011 but I only have myself to report to, right! I'm usually pretty good at meeting my own target dates but since mid summer I've let outside issues interfer with my art work (e.g. dog surgery, hubby hip replacement, etc.). OK, so I can't think of another excuse! I started back on quilting the background fabric then cut out my 'tree' and now I'm back to adding beads to the tree. You can see I've started at the top filling in the tree with what I call my 'extra junk' beads. Fortunately for me the 'extra junk' beads are the perfect colors!
Last week I signed up to take a bead class today, at my favorite bead shop (The BeadStrand) with one of my favorite instructors, Lynn H. Last winter I took several peyote classes from Lynn and she certainly got me hooked on this stitch. Today's class was called One Drop, Two Drop Peyote Bracelet. Right up my alley, plus I thought I could use the stitch for my art quilts.

These are some of Lynn's samples of her bracelet from today's class.

I feel bad but I forget the lady who sat across from me. Her colors were very pretty in this piece.

And my bracelet - yes, I beaded in yellow..not sure why but I liked the look!

And, as we were finishing up our 1/2 drop peyote bracelet, Lynn talked about her Herringbone Hills bracelet class being offered next week. Long story short, another lady came in, Iris, so Lynn taught us the class in the afternoon! Check this out! This is Lynn's sample. Click on this picture to really get a good look at Lynn's work.

Iris used some really cool beads and I'm sorry my camera just didn't show them as they look in person. Iris used black, crystals, and a dark, dark brown (called by another name I forgot!) which look spectacular!

Lynn decided the shape looked like a crocodile so she chose these colors. Doesn't it look like a croc!

And my little 'snake'! He does look a bit like a snake, doesn't he?? I love the pattern even though it's not a quick and easy piec. Lynn's instructions are very detailed and easy to follow so I know I can finish it. And I know where to find her if I run into a problem! Now you know why I might not finish my Dec. BJP or my Jan. and Feb. BJP's! Finishing these two pieces will be priority one for me!

It's been nice and warm here and still 68 @ 7:30 at night. I've got the fan on overhead and Bob's in his sweats! Go figure! Still it's great to have nice weather compared to some of the states. Just hope the Super Bowl fans keep warm and are safe this weekend!

A week already!

Yep, we've been in sunny (so far!) Florida for a week already. Our 3 months do go by fast. I always say I'm going on a 3 month vacation since that's what Bob and I feel when we are here. It did rain heavy late yesterday and through the evening and was actually the first rainfall this area has had since before Oct. It's been very dry here and of course fire alerts are on all over.
Today is sunny and beautiful out. I was sitting outside working on one of my projects but just came in for some lunch. And speaking of food..yep, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Toreo's last night along with Carol and Tony. Of course the 99 cent margaritas can't be beat and the dinner special ($6.49!), Alambre, is SO good. Bob and I always have half our dinners to bring home to enjoy another night! Grilled chicken, onions, peppers with rice, beans and pico de gallo...YUM. Of course the margaritas are as good as we remember. We've had some bad margaritas at different restaurants throughout the years, but we've never had a bad one at El Toreo's. I'm looking forward to going back already!

I had an email from Laurie from Artsy Chick Quilts asking what threads I use in my beading. Because I'm stitching beads through 3 or four layers, I prefer to use Silamide thread. I don't care for Nymo as I find it shreds too much when stitching through layers. I order via the net since it's more economical to buy by the spool and I've found Beadwranger's web site to carry all the different colors and have the best prices.

Some bead shops carry Silamide on cards for around $1.50 or $1.75 and if you just want a small amount for a special project these work just fine. I never have a problem with my thread breaking use the Silamide and it goes through my size 10 Soft Touch embellishment/beadwork needles just fine.
Make sure you click on Laurie's link to see her VERY cool quilts! Laurie is also one of the artists in our traveling MQAI exhibit. She mentioned that her MQAI Art of the Kitchen quilt is already finished for this year!!! I actually forgot to add that quilt 'to do' to my project list and the online class I'm taking from Susan Sorrell! See why I need to write everything down! My friend Mary can identify with this! She and I keep 'post-it-notes' in business with all the sticky notes we have around the house! Anyway, I wanted to take one of Susan's classes this fall but was just too busy with projects, holidays and thinking of packing for Florida! So this gets added to my '2011 To Do' list!

This is the first letter for my BJP 2011 project for January. I'll probably start beading on friendly felt again just because I don't have any background quilted yet. Still no machine to sew with!
I'm ready to cut out my tree too. I finished the base so now it will can be cut out and another piece waiting for a quilted background.
Today, I'm playing with some 'zentangle' work. Very relaxing while I'm listening to Reliquary on my Ipod. I love the books by Preston and Child. The Pendergast character is so interesting and makes for a good story line. I did another 1.5 miles on the bike this a.m.! I'm really lovin this bike riding!! And I'm able to breath better while riding! Thank goodness!

B & B Time!

Yep, it's B&B time around here! Beading and biking!! Gotta love it!

I did finish up filling in some areas on the 'tree' for my Dec. 2010 BJP and finished the trunk. Now I'm beading the 'stand' the tree sits in. Once I finish that I'll cut out the tree and it will be ready to attach to my background. Only problem, I don't have my machine back yet from its 'day at the spa'. That will be the first project I do on the machine is quilt the background. I am going to start on the BJP for 2011. Right now, my plan is to bead a letter each month. When all 12 months are finished, the letters will form a saying! That's my plan but as Robert Burns once said "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray".

I was also putting together my projects to do this year and so far I have on my list:

BJP Dec. 2010
BJP - monthly for 2011 (12 journal size)
Fiber Art Valentines (lots!)
Ami Quilt for AAQI (9"x12")
IBTM* - Paul Klee
IBTM - Van Gogh
IBTM - Georgia O'Keefe
Group quilt w/Tommy F.

(*IBTM - Inspired by the Masters exhibit - 16" x 20")

Funny, when I put the list on paper it doesn't look like much! So why do I feel like there is a lot to do! Actually, the IBTM quilts are do if you want to or if you have time to or just because! So that's nice. I don't have the pressure of 'having' to complete a project. I do have part of my Klee piece finished and I'll get started on that maybe by February. I am pretty excited about working on Georgia O'Keefe. My very talented friend Susan has this very, very unusual way to create reverse applique for a stained glass look. It's VERY labor intensive but the results are amazing. Of course Susan's workmanship is beyond perfection....and she has offered to show me her method! She did offer last year but I never did find a project to use this method. I have this year and I'm really excited about it!! More on that later.

So on Tuesday I rode my bike 1.288 miles! Today I rode 1.789 miles!!!! And I could actually breath!! OK, not perfect breathing but at least I didn't feel like I have going to pass out this time! It did take me 15 min. to go that far but hey..we have to start somewhere!

So when we aren't biking, golfing, beading or eating (which by the way we're headed to ElTore's tonight for 99cent margarita's!!) this is what we do best! Sleep!

Yes, Mandy is laying on the blanket Amber made me! I told Amber this blanket is now Mandy's! I don't get to use it.

And Grandpa...he did golf five days in a row!! You have to give him credit! For 71 years old and having hip replacement in October, he deserves to rest!
Temp is 63 and a little overcast but still nice out. Same yesterday so we're happy.

My First Bike Ride of 2011 & beading

I found this picture/animation on the net and I think this grandma is doing lots better than I did today! Whew! I took off on my new bike (actually new to me, it's a used bike but in great shape!) this a.m. and headed to our friends, Peggy and Sammy's house..just down the street. The key word here is 'down'! Peggy decided to ride with me so off we went. I should say off Peggy went! In our community there are 'rolling hills' and lots of them! I guess when I would walk in the community I didn't notice the 'hills'! Peggy was just clipping along like nothing and she doesn't have a 10 speed like I do. Well, I thought at one point I was either 1) going to black out 2) have a heart attack 3) have a blood clot explode in my head or just fall off the bike from sheer exhaustion! And I thought I was in good shape! NOT!! At least my cardio isn't in good shape (this is from my son the triathlon rider!). Peggy took pity on me so back to her house we headed and then I started to walk (my bike & me!) up the hill to head home (remember I took the easy way 'down' to Peggy's house - so I had to go back UP!). After walking past about 8 or so houses I felt much better so back on the bike I went! And I rode all the way to our house! After I kissed the ground and got my heart rate back to normal, Mandy and I sat on the front porch for a few minutes. And I thought Mandy panted hard! Geezzz I really did enjoy the ride I'm just not in good cardio shape...I'm pretty flexible even with my RA but the old lung capacity and heart rate need some work! I'm really looking forward to tomorrow to ride again. I have to catch up to Peggy's stamina!


So after feeling back to normal I had a nice soak in the tub, then I started beading my December BJP for 2010! Finally! This is my tree that I printed on some Friendly Felt. My thought process is to bead the tree with some bugles and seed beads to fill in for the branches. I'll just fill in with enough beads until I attach to my quilted background.
I'm going to mimic tinsel by stitching some type of fringe on the tree, this will also help attach the tree to the background. I'm also thinking of making one or two presents out of material to place under the tree but we'll see as I change my mind almost as much as the Michigan weather! Speaking of weather, it was 75 at one point today and is 64 at 6:30 p.m. as I type this blog. Just another beautiful day today.


I'm digressing again aren't I!



While I listened to 'Reliquary' by Douglas Preston on my Ipod I did some beading (below) on my tree! I finished 'Fear the Worst' by Linwood Barclay, who is a good mystery/thriller writer. I still have to look up the difference between mystery and thriller..they both seem the same to me!

And I wanted to show my 'bead box'. This jewelery display case was given to me last winter by Betty in our Weaver's group here in Ocala. I just love it!! I can close the case up and carry from room to room and not spill my beads. The case fits on my lap perfectly as well. If you ever come across one of these for sale at a jewelery shop (perhaps going out of business or on the net) pick one up! They are great! I really appreciate Betty giving me this and I think of her each time I use it!


















And to close is a picture of our Sybil! He's doing just great and lovin' the warm weather as much as we are.

BJP November 2010

Above is my inspiration for my November BJP. And below is my finished piece 'Winter Winds' (at least I think that's what I called it). Now I have to go back and look at my label..but I think it looks like winter!

This is part of a snowflake and I just deleted one! Geeezzz...if you want to see them, just click on the larger piece above. I'm in the middle of watching Lions play and it's too hard to move pics around.

We had fun with the kids this weekend. I forgot to take pics until this a.m. Yesterday, they painted wooden frames for gifts and hopefully I'll remember to take my camera on Wed. and get pics. They also did some mono printing on paper. Amber and I made some chocolate crinkle cookies from some cookie dough her grandma Nancy had made. Amber made Christmas cookies with GN a few weekends ago. Of course kids played pool and grandpa got out two putters for the kids to practice putting on his putting pad (ok, that's what I call it!). This a.m. we made waffles, egg beaters scrambled eggs and bacon.
Then kids walked Cody, our neighbors dog and I ran outside to get a picture just as the kids were walking past the house. Amber's already down the street!
The kids dried Cody off and then went back outside to play in the snow for awhile. There's a major storm this weekend and it's still snowing @ 1:30 p.m. and is suppose to continue through the evening. Might be a snow day tomorrow for kids!




























Darrin and Grandpa are working on programming a remote. Darrin is setting up the remote for us to use so that we can get rid of 3 other remotes! One remote is enough for us to use! So that's our weekend. Darrin just called and he got home safe with the kids. I worry about the kids driving in the snow and ice!! Yes, I'm a worry wart! But that's just what mom's do!

November BJP and another book review!

I've posted before about Margaret Ball's 'EMBEADERY' book and how much I reference it! Once again, Margaret's book came to my rescue! I bought this book several years ago and even had a spiral binding put on so the book would lay flat when I'm following the beading instructions.
But back to my post...I had a design in mind for my November BJP but just couldn't figure out exactly how I wanted to bead my 'idea'. So, I did what I always do! Look at Margaret's book!
If you look closely on the right side of the picture, you see some orange tabs...those are pages that I marked for this month's project. Yes, there are several but I wanted to have several different stitches on my BJP. If you haven't read/seen this book and if you're a beader (newbie or not) and enjoy beading embroidery, this is a must have for reference and inspiration. I can't tell you how often I look at other beading books, and granted get ideas from them, but I always end up going back to Margaret's book for stitching!

So after getting inspiration from Embeadery, I proceeded to pull beads from my stash. Now see if you can guess what I'm going to bead! Shades of blues, whites, purples and maybe even throw in some pale pinks!

This is my background piece for November. I quilted very little on the background this time. This piece measures 12" x 10" but it will be cut down to a journal size of 8 1/2" x 11 or close to that! No ideas yet on what I'm doing??
TaDa! OK, so you still don't know what I'm doing! Guess I better say or maybe not! Maybe I should wait to see what folks think and then I can always change my mind!! hmmmmm So what do you think my idea is?? Any comments??

And guess what! I won a piece 'mail art' from A Creative Dream's monthly give-away! I'm so excited that I'll be getting one of June's original mail art pieces!! I can't wait!!! And yes, I'll post a picture as soon as I get it!!
June's blog post on mail art got me started on creating those unique envelopes! Her blog, A Creative Dream, is certainly that! June is such a talented and creative person and shares her talent and creativity with her readers! Just check out her recent posts on creating a 'repurposed book' . She actually did four different posts on the ENTIRE process!! So very cool!! You can see the 1st post here. I know once you see this post you want to follow up with the other 3! Make sure you sign up to be a follower as well! You'll love the inspiration...and make sure to comment! Although, some of us tend to follow her blog and lurk rather than comment..I blame it on the wine or margarita's hampering the ability to type! But look what happened to me when I commented! I won!! Guess I must have entered before I had that margarita!

So off to do some 'unsewing' on a quilted piece I'm working on. Long story...ugh story...then to bead while watching our Lions play today! Let's hope for a win! Or at least a good showing..which they have done..but the win would be so much nicer!

BJP 2011 and a book review!

I've been busy everyday but can't post pictures because most of my work has to do with Christmas gifts! Hence, don't want the recipient(s) to get a preview! Plus, I've been designing my fiber art Valentine that we do each year for Fiber Arts Magazine, Valentine challenge. Each year our CCC fiber group exchange names and mail our fiber Valentine to the magazine. Our group has been in their magazine and/or online catalog each year!

I also signed up for the BJP again for 2011! I've really enjoyed this year and look forward to starting next year as well. Although I do have to finish Nov. and Dec. I did work on my BJP yesterday but I didn't care for how the quilting was turning out so I pitched it! If you're interested in joining the BJP 2011, you can register online here and you can see my journals for this year here.

I do have a book review for you! I had ordered this book through our library a few weeks ago and I just loved it! SO, I splurged and it was delivered over the weekend. It's a great bead book written by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini. Their work is just plain gorgeous!! Stunning!! Beautiful!! True, the book is primarily about jewelery but it has so much inspiration in it I'm having a hard time wanting to put aside my gift making and get busy transferring their jewelery ideas onto fabric!

Let's face it...all beading is made up of the same stitches. It just depends on how and where you put them. I'd highly recommend this book to any beader, whether it's jewelery or bead embroidery that is your favorite past time! This book is definitely coming to Florida with me (along with about 20 other books!). Even if you aren't interested in the book, do check out Heidi and Sherry's web sites (links above in previous paragraph). You'll be amazed!
And if you want to find the best price on the 'net' for any book, go to DealOz.com. This is a great site that will find the book you want and list all the prices including shipping. You can find some great deals there! Which can be a good thing or a bad thing! We'll keep thinking it's a good thing!

BJP for October

Yippee! I made it! October 31st and I'm finished with my BJP for October! I did some 'resewing' of some areas which took some time but I'm happy with the results. So here's a closeup of some areas.

The finished piece measures 8 1/2" x 11" and I used mainly 11 delica's and some 11 seed beads just for the stem and outline. This was my own design but fun to work on. No, I haven't named it yet...it's based on Van Gogh's sunflower...ok, I know I'm not a VanGogh but...it's a sunflower or part of one to me! Now on to November!

Bob and Mandy are both doing great! It will be 4 weeks for Bob on Tues. and 4 months for Mandy on Wed.! So far so good for both of them! Bob's been putting and chipping out in the front yard as our weather has been just wonderful!! Sunny days just about every day!! The best fall we've had in Michigan in ages.
So now it's Halloween and time to give out candy! We've had as many as over 270 kids one year!! So I better get ready for the on slot of kids! Happy Halloween one and all!