Excitement is in the air

Wow, where to start? Haven't been on blogger lately, cause I've been busy cutting and pasting and glueing....crafts. Our church is having it's first VBS, and crazy me said, "Oh, I'll do the crafts, I love crafts!" Not really understanding that meant I was in charge of crafts! So, no beading for me lately. I did finish a piece for a bracelet swap over at Tackle that Bead Stash; and it has been mailed and received. Can't wait for the reveal day for that swap. Stay tuned, it's Aug. 8th. 
I have a couple of other challenges I've entered, but they will have to wait til after VBS. I'm very excited for our kids. The theme is the Armor of God. It's very easy to teach Bible verses when you have cool armor to reinforce the idea!
And next week is the beginning of Bead Soup Blog Party!!!!  That was so much fun, I can't wait to do it again. If you've not heard of it, head on over to Lori Anderson's blog, Pretty Things. You still have time to get in on the fun.
I know some people are feeling sad, thinking summer is half over. It has really been a whirlwind for me, and fall promises to be the same.  I have switched curriculum in a couple of different subjects, so I'm a bit nervous, but mostly excited to get started. We will be studying US History this year, so I'm going to work on some unit studies as well. I know a lot of you live near historic sites, so please feel free to send me any links or info on interesting places or things.
Ok, gotta get back to cutting and pasting. Have an awesome day!!!
Blessings,
Shirley
Oops, couldn't let you leave without a few pics, right?

Wavy Triangle

 Does this remind you of the Sorting Hat?

 Kid....or Alien?

 Homeschool discipline methods! LOL!

 Really cool mimosa flower

 I love how the different backgrounds emphasize the color.

 She got this spiral to stack 45 tiles high. These are called Kapla blocks, if you're not familiar with them. Much harder than Legos, cause there's nothing to attach to, just a 1 inch strip of wood to lay the next strip of wood on. This is great for development of engineering skills.

 Classic block style, Daniel got his about 8 feet tall!

 The cute dog posing in her new haircut...nekkid! (Translates to "naked and up to something") In her case, just being cute!

BTW

Ok, today is UFO day, definitely. You know, those (stage whisper) unfinished objects??? Well, mine have been piling up, and since I'm devoted to staying home today, (me and the youngest got serious sunburn yesterday), I figured it would be a great opportunity to clear some stuff off the table that has been pushed to the side long enough.

The necklace and button pendant were for the last Margie and Me challenge. Since I missed the deadline, it just hasn't made it to completed stage.  The pink and white is another double daisy chain like the one from last week.

 These two pretties are projects for my LBS. The bracelet is from Beaded Allure. Lovely romantic projects. (Lots of use of 15's, which are not my favorite size bead).  What I like about making things for the bead store (besides the discount!) is that they choose things I wouldn't normally make, and in colors I don't usually pick.  The russian leaf is destined to be an earring.

Tiny size15 picots, swaroski bicones, and pink faceted crystals

Close up of the Russian leaf- gold delicas accented with red 15's

 One of my first spiral ropes. I have since learned why it came so loose. Apparently when you're left-handed, it can make a difference in beading!

This was a simple on-the-road project. You know, those things to occupy your time, but they don't need a whole lot of thought process? These are big, honking size E beads, with a tiny little size 11 pink rocaille in between the cream beads. I ran out of the creams, so I probably won't finish this one today.

So, what's on your bead table today?

Blessings, Shirley

Winner, winner chicken dinner

Ok, I'm so super excited about this bracelet! I was the lucky winner from Penny Neville over at Copper Penny Designs for her 100 blog post. This is one of the prettiest bracelets I've ever seen. I just wish the pics could show off the sparkle properly.

The Viking knit is stunning. (Like I really needed something else to explore!)  But I have a feeling it takes a while to get this kind of result. :)

 Don't know what the red stone is, but this is so perfect, just a little bling.

I love notes like this. Thanks so much Penny!

Have a blessed day! Shirley

It's Coming........

Can't begin to tell you  how excited I am!!!  I'm not such a competitive person, but it really reaches a fever pitch when you are working thru all the participants to get to the last one. The easiest thing for me last spring was to copy and paste the list of participants in a Pages (word) sheet. Then I just kept it open, and as I got a chance to go to my computer thruout the day, I could just pull up the page and go to the next link on the list.  It was like gambling or something, I just couldn't stop!!  I have met some of the most wonderful bloggers, designers, artists, whatever you call them, thru this challenge.  I was well pleased with my completed piece, and I truly look forward to doing this challenge again.  Won't you join me? Head on over to Lori's site on Aug 1st, and sign up.   There are all kinds of designers, new and old, lampworkers, metalsmiths, us lovely beadweavers, mixed media artists, you name it!

Hope to see ya there!

Blessings,

Shirley

BTW and other goodies

Hi everyone! Enjoying your Wednesday? It's hot enough to cook an egg already outside. I wish I could say I'm spending the day beading, but we received an invitation to the pool, so I'm taking the kiddies and the sunscreen and venturing out. Have I mentioned how lily white we are? Well, the boys are not so bad. My oldest can tan with the best of them, and my Daniel will tan after he burns. But me and Gracie? Not so much. She got the redhead from my dad's side of the family. Came out as a beautiful auburn color in her hair. And we both have the lovely white girl skin with freckles. So exposure to the sun really only gives us more freckles, and red skin that will then peel, and then we have white skin with freckles. <sigh> Oh well, at least the water will be fun!
Now, on to the beads!!  I have been determined to work on new techniques this summer, and I have some awesome books to do it with too. Mastering Beadwork, Beading Across America, Diane Fitzgerald's Shaped Beadwork, and a few others. Not to mention all the patterns on the internet!
So let's see if you can guess what the technique is for the one I chose!

 There are lovely red lined topaz drops in the center.

 Bronze 11's outline the design.

A gorgeous matte size 8 called Raku blue/purple iris make up the pattern.  If I had to name this beauty, it would be Fire and Ashes.












So have you guessed it yet? Well, even you non-beadweavers have probably done this stitch. It's something that most little girls are taught. Yep, you're right.....daisy chain!
Actually, this is a double daisy chain. It's from Carol Cypher's Mastering Beadwork.  I know I'll be making it more, since my daughter immediately requested one for herself!

Now, here's the "other goodies" part of the post. I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from Lisa Crone over at A Bead A Day. It was for a Swaroski Montana blue pendant. I was drooling, I wanted it so bad. And that sweet lady didn't just send the pendant, she blessed me with an abundance of goodies! See??

Here's the beautiful pendant.

I tried hard to capture the sparkle.

 Check out the metal flowers and the blue/white beads!

This bead frame is so pretty, I've never worked with anything like it, so I'm very excited to use it.

So here's my question....so many of you have talked about the fun of using liver of sulphur and gilder's paste to alter the look of metal. Could I try either of those on the metal flowers? Wasn't sure because of the crystal in the center.

Thanks for the advice!

 So now go check out the other Bead Tables. Bead Table Wednesday Flicker group

Blessings, Shirley

Perspective

So, this has been on my mind for a few weeks. For lots of different situations, I would realize that perspective is what makes the difference. When you are a child, your home may seem huge to you. When you go back to visit as an adult, it feels much smaller. I can remember telling my dad that I couldn't wait to get taller than him. As a kid, that was an exciting event. As an adult, looking at my father's slightly stooped shoulders, I would've given anything to be his little girl looking up at him again.
When you are working on a jewelry design, your interpretation of the colors or design are what influences your perspective of the project. I just received some lovely beads from a bead swap. I told my partner that I like bold contrast colors, like black, maroon, purple, cobalt, etc.  Her perspective of those colors was totally different than mine. And I love it!  Wanna see??

 Look at this gorgeous donut.

 The green ones on the cute handmade pouch have deep forest green/black streaks, and the glass chips are black at one end, and transparent green at the other.

 Some lovely jasper ovals and rounds.

 Awesome copper focal with Texas stamped into it, and some twisted copper rings.

 Textured copper washers.

 Don't have a clue on the type, but I love these little guys. Kinda cherry orange blush.

This is exactly why I love swaps, cause you get the benefit of someone else's perspective.

Ever been having a really rotten day, and then talk to someone who shares a bit of their story with you? Usually God throws someone at me who has just been told they have cancer, or just been in a car wreck, or it's the anniversary of their child's death. You know? Those things that make you utterly ashamed of having your pity party, and utterly thankful of the burdens you do have in your life.

 Perspective. Makes all the difference.

Blessings, Shirley

A Beady Giveaway

So this is a quick shout out for another wonderful giveaway. Amy over at Spyder Jewels is sharing the love. She has an abundance of seed beads to share. Head on over and join in the fun!!
 
You don't use seed beads, you say? Well, I'd just be thrilled all over the place for you to win, and then I can make some seed bead goodness for you!!!
Blessings,
Shirley