Sunny Day?

Where is the sunshine as promised by the local weather guys/gals? I really want to know. I don't like dreary days, not one bit. Well, at least it's not cold and blustery to go along with the clouds.

I'm going to start packing shortly. I'll take off as soon as A gets home this afternoon. It's my first road trip in the cruiser. Well, that's not entirely true. The first day we had it, T-man and I drove to Blanco for dinner. That is probably the last time in my life I will have chicken fried steak. Let's just say the gall bladder really spoke out loud that night. But it was a beautiful drive and a great date night.


So, who's coming to Houston? Raise your hand. I will be at the Hess Club on Westheimer, in the Texas Ballroom. That's the big room to the left of the main entrance. Look for the Yellow Dog Beads booth. If you don't own any of Pam's beads yet, now is the time. These are the last beads I bought from her, but certainly not all that I have. You can find more information about the Houston Bead Society's Annual Bead & Jewelry Show on their website. Have a great weekend!

Proof of Beading

Okay, this is supposed to be a blog about beading (among other topics). You've all read my rants about not being able to do anything beady. Well, here you are.

This is one of my newest patterns, which will also be a kit come February. It is a bracelet, and now I must come up with some sort of clasp, else it will fall off the wrist! HAH! I've also picked out the next palette for the next new thingie, and my angels will be happy to know that their projects will be put in the mail tomorrow. Yes, dear readers, it has finally happened -- my ass is on fire!

I love my husband, but you all know that. One of the reasons I love him is that he supports me in my endeavors. Now, the bad news is I am going to need some outside work (and that is because we had to buy a car the month before T-man got laid off), and I've signed up for substitute teaching in A's school district. The good news is, T-man does not want it to interfere with the other things I do, so it's not something I must do every day. There is more to this story, of course.

We were driving home from the grocery store last night, and I started talking to my ADHD hubby about my seemingly ADHD tendencies. I think I've finally got this figured out -- it may not be the meds, it may just be me. You see, what I do with the beads was starting to feel too much like work again, and I don't like that feeling. I truly believe you should love your job, whatever it is, but when mine starts feeling like work, I dig my heels in and I just don't want to do it anymore. Soooo, T-man agrees with me. Then he points out that I've fallen back into that hole where I'm too concerned with making what I think the general public wants instead of making what I know to be creative and artistic. Are you with me? Once I got my mind around this idea, I got up off my duff and became productive again. And yes, it was pretty much overnight. No, the beading was not done overnight -- I picked this particular piece up and put it down so many times it would make your head spin. What occurred overnight was the change in attitude, the desire to create art and not just beaded stuff. T-man also pointed out that when I do what the universe has been trying to direct me to do for years, everything else around me falls into place in the best possible way.

Crap, it's Monday. I'm still hoping for those three day weekends. Plus there was the time change. Try explaining the why's of this to a 10-year old, and then explain why Arizona doesn't play along. *sigh* And this coming weekend I'm in Houston at the Houston Bead Society's Bead Bazaar as an employee of Yellow Dog Beads. I've got to get my hair cut, get some more groceries, figure out what clothes to pack because you never know what the weather in Houston will do. And of course, I must figure out (1) what beads to take and (2) what beads to shop for! And I understand that Beyond Beadery will be there this year!! Oh my stars, I've heard that you need sunglasses as you near the booth because of all the Swarovski sparkling in the light! More tomorrow, beady buds!

Beady Mornings

Okay, it’s quiet in the house as N still has not emerged from her room. The kitties are still in their room and I have GMA on the TV, but the volume is low, and the only real sound is the dishwasher, which is not overly loud. And I’m sipping my coffee (yes, bad grammar there), just kind of enjoying my morning surf, which is what I do. I hop around from this site to that blog, clicking on links, just kind of exploring the world wide web, getting into the groove for the day, seeing what's happening in the world outside my doors, checking on what other creative souls are saying and doing.

So, I'm hunting for something that Pam mentioned (we've already exchanged several emails this morning -- oh man, deja vu!). I have a lot more time to surf and explore than she does, and I like it that way as some of my taxes pay part of her salary! Okay, picture this -- I'm sitting at the computer desk, in my jammies (that's how I work, okay?), sipping my java, looking for treasure. I Google, find a good possibility, I click and suddenly this HORRENDOUS NOISE emits from my computer!!! It sounds like a rabbit dying. If you don't know how that sounds, it's like an alien scream. This is coming from my computer!! Apparently, to get you in the mood to buy the beach themed product on this site, the designer decided to use the sounds of the Gulf coast. It was a sea gull crying LOUDLY, and now I'm listening to the gentle sounds of the surf. Oh, how apropos for my web surfing. Thank God I didn't have coffee in my mouth at the time

Remember the earrings I made that N claimed? Look below in Bead Musings. And you remember that A asked if I could make a smaller pair for her? Well, I made them last night. When she gets home today I'll take pictures.

I'm going through one of those periods where I have tons of ideas, and I try to write them all down. But I don't feel a need to pick up needle, thread and beads for some reason. I know this will pass, as it always does, but I feel this tremendous guilt for not doing what I should be doing.

But I will leave you with inspiration for your day. I give you a pot bellied pig, with thanks to Pam (who did not make this, but she did find it on eBay!).

Bead Musings

Bead musings are what this blog is supposed to be about, right? I suppose that every once in a while I should stick to the topic. Last night I found a really cool quote that I wanted to post today. Then T-man needed to work on the computer. Did I bookmark it? No. Did I write it down? No. Does my med-fuzzed brain remember it? Oh, hell no. And the short term memory lapse is really irritating, so I'll step back and punt.

While making my morning rounds yesterday, I stopped at Yellow Dog Beads where Pam had posted "I admire all those people who can officially 'blog' - just can't imagine the commitment it must take." For me, it has become fairly easy, especially with the kids gone during the day. I am here, by myself, with only the cats for company, and they don't care what I think or say. So, this is my outlet for conversation. It's great to have a one-sided conversation with no one arguing. I have discovered that I have gotten more visitors to my web site and my Etsy shop since I've started blogging, and that was the main purpose. It's become a very creative outlet. It's like bouncing ideas off of a big group, only no one ever disagrees with me! Oh, and never mind the fact that I am a frustrated novelist at heart. More on that later. I will admit that I had to force myself to sit down and type something the first week, but now it's a little easier. I'm still paranoid that no one reads this. If you scream in cyberspace can anyone hear you?

Then I surfed over to Kate's journal where she posted "Most people choose a life of art from a perspective of freedom, and the desire to have a life structure that isn't fraught with the playground politics of most offices. But get a Guild together, or some kind of power structure, and before you know it you have people who are meticulously recreating the very environment that most of us chose not to participate in in the first place." Okay, office politics were not the reason I did not reenter the workforce after A was born, but I certainly don't miss them. Later, I held offices in two different organizations, at the same time, and I wholeheartedly agree with what she says. T-man once told me if I ever ran for office in any club/society/guild again, he would divorce me! But I'm not sure I agree with her statement that a life of art entails freedom. There is still "WORK" to be done. It's not all fun and games, kids. In fact, very little of it is. Being a self-employed anything takes drive, commitment, organization, self-discipline and enormous motivation. It also entails being able to say "NO" firmly. I've been self-employed for ten years now, and I'm still working on all of those. I'm also still struggling with the frustration of dealing with people who believe that since you are at home, you're not doing anything important. By the way, I don't think that will ever go away.

But neither of these is the quote I seek. So let's talk about my muses, The Beads. As I told you yesterday, I am on an earring kick. I don't know why, it just seems to be the thing to do. I should be sending instructions, patterns and beads out to the angels, and I should be designing more projects for them to stitch. After all, February is just around the corner (I have a big to-do in February). And June is right behind February (I have the EGA Regional Seminar), and I need lots and lots of fabu kits, bead packs, instructions, etc.

But no, I have this need to churn out a bunch of dangly things right now. The first pair has already been grabbed up by N, although she will tell you differently -- her story is that I "offered" them to her. My story? I was holding them up for an opinion, only to be met with an open hand, beseeching me to bestow the pretties in it. I bought these beads specifically to put them on these oxidized head pins and ear wires. Then A wants to know if I can make her a smaller pair of dangly earrings. And she also wants the oxidized wires so they will look almost like the ones her big sister has. So, today is an earring day. More pictures tomorrow!

I've Been Beading

First, the bad news. Hubby got laid off a week ago Friday. He's been making money doing those little jobs that he loves to do, and he has been working every day. The problem with the odd jobs is that eventually they run out, the economy can change at any time (as we learned several years ago), and they don't offer benefits. Have you ever asked a specialist what his fee is if you pay them cash??? And we won't even talk about tests, diagnostics or procedures or pharmaceuticals. On the up side, he is out looking as we speak.

Me? I haven't slept since the night before he got laid off. I have been beading, though. I bought this beautiful kit from Ann Benson's Beads East. I love the color, loved the technique, and truly enjoyed making them. But they are just too heavy for my ears, so I may end up having to sell them.


Now to the good stuff. You have 24 hours. My favorite three posts will get a free kit for this bracelet. The kit includes enough beads for an eight inch bracelet, crimp tubes, a PLATED clasp (don't argue -- it's free), Beadalon, and full instructions with color diagrams. You will need a size 12 beading needle and Fireline. If you do not enjoy working with Fireline, I will be very upfront with you -- you will be weaving with it.

Please post something other than "I'm sorry to hear about hubby" or "the earrings are lovely". I want true interactive blogging. Here's your topic: What is your favorite color combination and does it work with beads? For example, my favorite color combo is teal and violet. It doesn't work well simply because it is so difficult to find beads in those colors. I do have a wonderful set from Pam, but I must make repairs to the bracelet before I can post it. But I could not find seed beads or Delica beads in those colors, so I had to work the bracelet with iris beads to blend in.

So, what I would like from you, dear reader, is your favorite combo and whether it not it works with beads and why or why not. And winning posts are at my discretion, so be creative and entertaining with your posts to win a free kit for the lovely lavender/green bracelet. BUT you must leave some way for me to contact you via email. I do get a notification that posts have been made, but I will also need you to follow up your post with your own email. Ready, set, GO! Winners will be named tomorrow.

Bead Me Up, Scotty. NOW!

Okay, I know you have all been waiting for the free kit comment contest and I do apologize. It's not quite ready. I need to attach the clasp and take pictures, not to mention putting together the instructions and the kits. Due to extenuating circumstances, that I don't really want to go into on the world wide web, our life was turned a bit upside down today. And things will get better, but today necessitated things other than blogging. I will finish the bracelet this weekend, and we will have the contest next week.

In the meantime, I'll give you a topic to discuss amongst yourselves --- the challenges of color theory for artists who work with tiny bits of glass held together with thread, or more commonly, "Why Don't These Colors Work? They Looked Fine When I Held the Tubes Together in the Store!" The Bead Goddess Margie Deeb, has covered this topic numerous times, as have several other beaders, including Pam. If you are at all serious about beadweaving, you must learn color theory with glass beads, and sometimes even relearn color theory, especially if you have had any type of art training. When working with glass, you must learn to deal with light reflection and refraction, you must learn to deal with transparency, with matte, with gloss -- it's a whole different ball game.

Your challenge: pick some seed beads you like -- different shades of the same color, contrasts, coordinates, mixes, whatever. Work a small piece, it doesn't matter what stitch, BUT do one piece with white thread, one with gray, one with black and one that blends. Now see which colors work well with each other and with which thread, and which colors make you want to gag! I think you'll be surprised. And then . . . .

let the rest of us know how it went. Click on "comments", type your comment. If you have a Google ID, type it in, if not click on "other" and if you really don't want us to know who your are, click on "anonymous".

Have a great weekend. We are celebrating N's 19th birthday, which is Monday. When she was born, it gave a whole new meaning to "Labor Day"!! It's hard to believe it was 19 years ago. I will be back on Tuesday morning, bright and early.