Bead Fight!

Sometimes when I'm designing, I have a pretty good idea of what the end result should be. I carefully choose the seed beads and the embellishment beads in certain colors. I find just the right thread for the stitch. Then I start stitching and taking notes as I stitch. I don't usually work from a sketch, just a picture in my head.

For the current project, I had an image of rosy pinks and golds. I had found beautiful Swarovski pearls, crystals and a drop in just the right shades. Then I found the perfect seed beads in a silver-lined pink AB, with just the tiniest flash of blue, echoed in the Swarovski pendant and some of the embellishment beads. I started stitching.

Did you know that beads can be sentient beings?? Cheese and rice kids, you would have thought I had never done this before! So I unbead and start again. Take out the 8° beads. And again. I need more color, so let's add those. Nope, that REALLY doesn't work! Start again. These seed beads are not working so I'll try those over there. And again. I'll go find a Delica in the right shade of pink. And again.

Last night, after the SIXTH false start, I got it to look basically the way I picture it in my feeble brain. And when I say false start, I don't mean just the first three rows. Oh no, it is not that simple. I bead a good two to three inches before I can tell whether things work or not. It's a very good thing that beading thread is inexpensive. Did I mention that this was just the neck piece portion??

OOOOOOOO, I can't wait to start the pendant (she said sarcastically).

I'm sorry, what did you ask? Why do I do this if it is so frustrating? It's very simple, my dear. The end result will be splendorous and so mesmerizing, that people will be struck speechless when they gaze upon it (at least I hope they will). Besides, I cannot NOT do it -- (whispering) it's part of my essence.

Come Fly With Me

I got my Fly Pen. I've gone through the tutorial and now it's charging its little battery. We have decided that if it does not work well for me, it will go to Ariel to help her with school this year. It is, however, very cool. I'll let you know how it works for my notes on how to make a beaded piece of whatever.

And now, since I've got that all figured out, I can start working on the new projects. Yes, yes, it's true -- I used the Fly Pen as an excuse for procrastination. It's been a very long time since I had a summer vacation. I have definitely been bored out of my gourd at times, but I've also had a lot of fun. I've spent lots of time with my girls and with my husband just playing. Playing is a very good thing and we should never give it up. We have played with the Playstation. We have played in the pool. We have played with the chickens and the kittens. We have giggled and laughed and hugged. Playing is a good thing, beadlings!

Now fly! FLY! Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!

And Why I'm Glad The Camera Battery Was Not Charged

All four pounds of Tatiana, the Ameracauna hen, climbed up my arm while I was holding her (she likes to be petted) to sit on my shoulder yesterday evening. T-man rushed into the house to find a camera with a charged battery because he thought it would be a great picture for the blog. Do you have any idea how bad your hair looks after a chicken combs it? I'm so glad the battery was not charged!

Remember Matilda, the spider with the web on the side of the pool? Two of her daughters have made little webs near that spot and are growing daily.

I'm hunting rosy pink beads today! What fun!! And yes, I'll charge the camera battery today.

Why The Digital Camera Battery Should Be Charged At All Times

We were cleaning the pool Sunday evening. Don't get excited or envious. We have an above ground pool just big enough for the four of us to float in. Anyway, T-man and I had drained it and were scrubbing it down. The sun had not quite set and there were storms on every horizon, but no rain on the prairie - just a lot of humidity. Suddenly, the sky was filled with dragonflies! I have never seen anything like this. It was like they all hatched simultaneously. They were swarming in everyone's yard. You could actually see them up at the other end of the road and way up in the sky. A couple of barn swallows took advantage of the situation (sorry, Cat). Alfred Hitchcock would have used this scenario to his advantage! Maybe I should give Clive Barker a call. Needless to say, the camera battery was not charged. I'm not sure I could have gotten a good shot anyway, but I definitely would have tried! By the way, I love stumpwork and finished these dragonflies that my dear friend Joyce had started. Cat now owns them.

I went shopping for beads yesterday so I can get started on my samples for my next proposals and work up some local class offerings. I came home with a big bag of Swarovski goodies from Laurie at Mica in San Antonio (nope, sorry, no web site for her yet). Ariel and I spent the entire day together. She has her own bag of goodies. We had lunch, then drove back to Austin to visit our favorite bead store and see more friends. Again, she scored on her own with goodies. Then we went to get her a MOOD RING. Yes, my child is repeating history. I remember my own mood ring. She put it on her sock monkey last night and proudly proclaimed "Mom! Monkey has moods!"

So, as a small teaser of things to come, I will let you know what I have in mind as far as the beads are concerned. I'm doing a project in crystal and with sprinkles of gold, one in rose and gold, one in bronze and silver, one in silver and gold, one in turquoise and violet, and maybe one in blue. I have a new set of patterns to be done in black with jewel tones. I hope you all noticed that green and purple (okay, violet might count) were not in there. T-man wanted to take my vital signs when I gave him this information last night. Hey, it does no one any good for me to become predictable, now does it?

Sad Monday

I just read that George Carlin died. This is sad for me. I actually liked his comedy, and I would like to believe that he was amazed when some of the seven words he told us could never be said on TV actually became commonplace. My dad always considered him obscene. I always enjoyed that he was a rebel. Did you know he was the very first host of Saturday Night Live? Yep, waaaaay back there in 1975. I had posted one of his quotes a few days ago, simply because it was funny (at least it was to me), but this one is much more profound and a good send off for the day:

Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music---George Carlin

Is It Truly Friday Again?

I would like some verification on that. It seems like just yesterday I was in San Antonio! My goodness, this week has just flown by while I have been a slug. No more, I must just back into my groove. I have a HUGE list of things to get done and being in SA talking to EGA members added about 10 things to the list. My fingers are actually twitching to get back into the beads, which is a very good sign! I also have a ton of cyber work to do, starting with the Etsy store and the web site (notice that I did link to those because they are pitiful right now).

And so the time has come to embrace Blogging Without Obligation, because sometimes less IS more. I'm not deserting you, I just don't want to spread myself to thin as that would become incredibly boring to you when I start struggling for something to ramble on about every day. "I would much rather give you wonderful tidbits of insight occasionally", she said with sincerity. I did mention that I'm a frustrated novelist, didn't I?

Do you remember Dale Carnegie? "If you believe you can succeed, you will" and other motivating quotes? He wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People and he was the undisputed king of motivational speaking before Steven Covey came along with his "seven steps". I found the most wonderful quote about art from none other than Mr. Carnegie and leave you today with his words:

The essence of all art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure.

I will "chat" with you more next week. Have a great weekend!

Sunny Day

Oh my, beadlings, it is sunny and it is HOT already! Monday, when Natalie and I were running around South Austin, it got up to 103. I'm pretty sure it was just as hot yesterday, but apparently we have had a COLD front move in and it's only supposed to hit 98 today! Oh, it is to laugh!

I have spent two days being a slug and I'm not sure how much more of that I can do. I'll give it another try today, but I'm not promising anything after today is finished. It's hard work being lazy! So, until I finish my "vacation", I really have no new stuff! That being said, stay cool and dry wherever you are and keep on beading!