Happiest of Holidays

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (for those who celebrate it) and/or the happiest of holidays. We had a lovely time with our little family. The girls were home (& didn't fight) and along with their boyfriends, we had a lovely Christmas. DH surprised both the girls and I with Kindles! I've been having a lot of fun playing with it and downloading books. There are so many free classics that I want to read, I haven't even spent money on books yet!

Our family room is coming along. The carpet was laid today, so the echo is gone and the room is warmer! Now we just have to get some furniture down there!

Here's the completed Pink Marble Cuff. I found a large button that reminded me of a Roman shield which went along well with the marble design. I'm working on a cuff now which resembles blue zircon. It's a little darker than I wanted, but we'll see how it goes.

Isn't It Pretty?

Pink Marble Cuff...just need to do the finishing touches!

SNOW!

Living in a snow globe...and getting ever so tired of it!

December 2010

This is crazy! We have had snowfall every day since December 1st! This type of snowfall is normal for oh, late January or February! Hopefully it will let up enough for me to do some Christmas shopping this weekend. This is what our yard looks like:





This is a pattern I beaded based on the accompanying photo. The colors were chosen by my program to best match the photo, but I'm not happy with the results. I'll be trying it again, but I'll change out the colors to make it closer to the photo.






The second pattern based on the next photo turned out better, though it went gray rather than the green/blue of the photos. I am also working on a series of patterns for cuffs based on textures and nature. I like how they're turning out and I think they'll be fabulous when they are beaded!

Starburst Snowflakes...

This is the latest cuff. It's Starburst Snowflakes and is 7" long and 1 1/2" wide with a three button and loops closure. The buttons have a pearl finish on the top and silver-tone shank. I love the matte cobalt blue with aurora borealis finish. Then I've added medium navy blue and a very pale blue along with a matte transparent white and crystal clear to create the stars.

I've created a lot of patterns lately, too. I've been fascinated with creating patterns from the photos from our Alaska trip. Then I went through photos from our trips up to Chautauqua Lake in NY and started a lot of patterns with those. Then I turned to the gorgeous flower photos I took this past spring and summer. And now I'm playing with natural patterns like those in quartz, marble and agate! It will take me forever to get through all these patterns, but it'll be a lot of fun! Currently, I am working on a pattern based on this photo:

Remodel Update

Here are the latest updates on the family room! DH has filled the hole between the family room and kitchen and finished up the rewiring in the one wall. He's also added recessed lighting above the fireplace and over what will be a booth/bar area. He's always wanted a home theater, so that's what this room is going to be. Makes me tired just thinking about all the work I'll be doing when he gets the wall work done. Painting, painting and more painting!

Brand New

Doesn't this look like it should be soft and warm like your favorite winter sweater? It's not fuzzy, but it is cool! I added the wooden button because well, it does look like a fuzzy winter sweater!

Someday...

Someday I'm going to be able to create for a living. Well, that is what I'd like to do anyway. I've had a mental boost lately with a couple of good sales and when that happens, I feel like, yeah, I could do this for a living. I've wanted to bead as my livelihood for years, but there's always been that pesky little thing called money getting in the way. I'm just too old to be a starving artist.

I am having a creative problem lately...I can't seem to focus on one project at a time. I have so many ideas and patterns that I've created, it's tough to get through one because I'm thinking about the next. I've just finished a chocolate brown, cherry red and cream colored argyle patterned cuff, and I have a pattern for swirling water (based on this photo) that I want to work on, but then there's this streamer/confetti looking cuff I created a pattern for that is, of all things, based on a pillow Izzy had on "Grey's Anatomy". I've been seeing patterns for new cuffs in a lot of things lately, thus the lack of focus. I suppose there could be worse things...like no ideas at all.

Oh yeah, then there's taking pictures! I have three cuffs I haven't photographed or listed yet! Hopefully it'll be bright enough tomorrow to get some good photos.

Happy Dance

I LOVE getting new beads and then I get media overload and can't seem to figure out a color palette for my next project! But oh, what a dilemma to have, right?! So, here are my 36 new colors (OK, it's really 35 because I accidentally bought one I already had)...

The next photo is of the latest project I just finished. This one is called Berry Square Cuff. I am currently working on an argyle pattern in chocolate brown, deep red and blush. I'm going to call it Cordial Cherry since it seriously looks like those colors!

Newest Projects

This is the latest cuff. I think the name will be "V is for Victory" Deco Cuff. Lovely beadweaver, Rikki came up with the name and it's very fitting!











Then this is our nearly "naked" family room. Dear husband is in the process of putting wiring in for lighting. Then it'll be ripping up the carpet, fixing the cement flooring and having new carpet laid. Oh, yeah, I guess I'll have to paint before the carpet goes down. I see much wall painting in my future. We still have the living room, dining room, kitchen and the upstairs hallway and bathroom to paint. I'm getting tired just thinking about that!

The New Cuffs

OK, here they are...Crystal Bliss Cuff and Pearl Blush Cuff. Similar to my Rock & Roll Cuff and Little Black Cuff, but I created these using netting stitch versus right-angle weave.

Two More

...new cuffs. One is all icy sparkling gorgeousness and the other is lovely pearly goodness! I'll have initial photos tomorrow, I just have to finish the pearl one first.

UPDATE: OK, I ended up having to drive out to baby girl's apartment to deliver new plates for her car (there went almost 3 hours of my day) and now I have to go to work, so...I'll try to get them photographed tomorrow or tonight if I can get my lightbox set up.

So Many Beads....

...not enough time! I have so many beads (three more bins not pictured) I want to play with and 15 or so different projects I'd like to start...creative overload!! I guess there are worse things to have!

Netting

I'm finding the fun in netting again! I haven't done this stitch in a very long time and I'm finding it just as fun to do as RAW and actually looks a little lacier than RAW.

Something New, Bad Photos

So I made another version of "Screening for the Girls". This one is single-bead RAW, while the original is 2-bead. The other cuff is an all baby pink single-bead RAW, I've called "Be in the Pink". $5 of the proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

A Few Days Ago

I Won, I Won!!

For once I actually won a giveaway prize and it's GORGEOUS! Carol Dean of SandFibers had her 3rd Just Be(ad)cause Giveaway and she picked me for one of the prizes!!! So, this is what I picked! I can't wait to get it! Yay!

The New Stuff

This one is "Screening for the Girls Cuff" and $5 in proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen Foundation.









This one is called "Give Cancer the Raspberries Cuff" and will also benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.











This one is called "Rainstorm".











This one is "Breaking Dawn" and it has nothing to do with "that" book!












And lastly, "Brassy Cuff" which is actually more copper than brass, but gorgeous nonetheless!

New Stuff Coming

I have three completed simple cuffs and working on a fourth. Three of them are in the pink family and will have proceeds donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I'm thinking I may list all of my newest pieces in my Art Fire shop. Well, maybe one or two in the Etsy shop just to get some "new blood" in there. I'll have photos tomorrow.

I Love Fall

I know, most people love spring with the earth wakening from it's winter sleep, but I love fall. The smells in the air, bonfires, the colorful leaves, school starting, the cool crisp mornings and nights (perfect sleeping weather) and just the whole transitional time between hot, humid summer and cold, dreary winter. I don't mind the rain or cloudy skies either.

I'm also inspired by the colors of fall...I just got my latest bead order and in it are the most beautiful, tiny 15s in olivine green, some lovely 11s in dusty purples, topaz and grays. I'm currently working with metallic burgundy iris and they are gorgeous, too! So, what am I waiting for??? I'm off to bead....

Sand Fiber's Giveaway

My dear bead friend, Carol Dean, is having a giveaway on her blog. She's not only giving away gift certificates to use in her wonderful shop, but she's also giving away one of her gorgeous Blooming Beads! Click on the photo to go to her blog and comment to win!

Little Black Cuff

Another new piece. This one is all an all black embellished RAW cuff & the perfect accessory to that Little Black Dress! (black opaque Japanese seed beads, black Swarovski pearls and black Swarovski crystals with a black satin ribbon "corset" closure)

More Detail and Better Photos

Here is one of the cuffs ("All Screened In Cuff") I posted previously, but this is a much better photo. The cute little camera my sweet husband bought me on our cruise is definitely not great for taking macros of my pieces! You just couldn't see the gray and black distinctly. So here is a new photo from the listing I just created.

The next cuff ("A Little Fishy Cuff") is another of the patterns I created based on astrological signs or symbols. This particular one is the symbol for Pisces and is in purple, capri blue and orange. The purple is representative of the February birthstone, amethyst, the capri blue for the aquamarine of March and orange...well, that's one of my daughter's favorite colors and Pisces is her birth sign. I've also created a pattern for one based on Gemini in emerald green for my oldest daughter.

The last cuff ("Rock & Roll Cuff") is one I'm not sure I'll list in my Etsy shop. I had a friend at work tell me I should bring some of my pieces to sell at the gallery where she works. This is one of the cuffs I think could go over really well in the area where the gallery is located (an artsy college town). I can also charge for it differently than I do on Etsy. I think I would really like to give this selling option a shot. I need to sell more than I have been on Etsy and this might be the place to do it.

A Few New Things

Here are some new cuffs that I've recently finished. I've been hooked on the RAW technique lately and having fun embellishing them, too. (OK, so these aren't embellished, but I do like embellishing them!) The multi-colored peyote cuff is a special order for a birthday gift. The symbol is for Virgo & I've used the colors that sapphires (September's birthstone) come in! I don't know how well she liked it yet, but I'll hopefully see her tomorrow night. It was fun to do, though!