COMING ALONG...

The hummingbird piece of beadwork is done! This piece will be the front flap of a suitcase bag, and now I'll start on the side panels. They are going to have sitting hummingbirds and probably a fushia for the flowers. I haven't designed the sides yet so if you have any suggestion on the type of flowers please chime in. Thanks again for your opinions on using the "B" hummingbird.
The back ground blue is such a gorgeous color. I bought those during our Anchorage trip (at the Alaska Bead Company) and wish I had gotten more than one hank. The name of the bead is capri opal. I think it has a very old fashion feel to it and love the contrast with the reds!

2 HUMMINGBIRDS

Working on an order for an excellent customer, she has requested a hummingbird. I made the first one and wasn't sure about it so I made another one. It will have lots of flowers surrounding it but I don't want to start beading the rest of the design until I can decide. Which one do you like? A or B?

A

B

HALLOWEEN HAIKU

Right now I'm working on this piece I call dragonflies revenge...OOO AHG AHG AHG

the cat swats at wings

crunching on the dragonfly

she listens for more

WORK AT THE BUNNELL

Click here to learn all about the Bunnell Street Arts Center

Tomorrow I'll be taking some of my work down to the Bunnell Street Arts Center. It will be a good chance to have some stuff being shown in one of their fancy glass cases while I'm closed for the winter. If you haven't been in there you should go and check it out. I'm looking forward to seeing what's new, Melissa Daubert is having her opening on November 1.
Stop by, the gallery is in this wonderfully cool old building with a warm and creative atmosphere.

 

WHAT TO SIT IN?

 Went for a road trip to Anchorage to find a new beading chair. My old faithful will not stay up (the piston is shot) and every 1/2 hour I find myself looking at the bead table as if I'm 7 years old. So I raise it up and then I'm quickly back down again. I sat in many types of seating on my journey. There were some really wonderful choices in a price range I couldn't afford so I wound up with a bungee cord chair. I'll let you know if it works out after I put in the long hours.
 In honor of the spooky holiday coming up I'm working on a bear skeleton piece.  Happy Halloween all!

 

MOVING ON

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

These past few months my schedule has consisted of me doing a crazy amount of beading. Right now    I'm not in a big hurry to get back to the bead table. My wrist and arm still ache and I've been looking for an excuse to try my hand at a mosaic. So I'm working on something I've been planning for years. My pile of old cracked mirrors, broken dishes and tiles from the last kitchen counter top are finally getting used. It's a blast to work on something big that comes together quickly! Thin set is holding all the pieces in place. Now I have to grout. I'm nervous, I don't want to mess it up...

BACK AND OUTSIDE

I've returned from Santa Fe and the show was a great success! So, I can breathe a sigh of relief. Now that it's over I realize just how stressed I was. The good new is it's still summer and I'm going to spend as much time as I can outside enjoying it.

SHOW IN SANTA FE

Okay, it's down to the wire. Two weeks from today I get on the plane and head off to Santa Fe and then, hopefully sell the beadwork. I've been preparing for a year. If you are around the area on August 15,16,17,18th I'll be at the  Eldorado in the concord. The nerves are starting to kick in, I love doing what I do but the selling part, not so much...   p.s. thank you for everyones input on the leopard, I went with the majority and used a softer sun.

PLEASE GIVE ME SOME OPINIONS!

I need help making a decision.You see the sun, well I have it drawn in with orange rays radiating out. What do you think, is that to much? I can leave it just the orange orb ( which is what my husband Robert thinks I should do) or go ahead and bead the rays? It's a very different look, which do you like???? This leopard is turning out really good so I don't want to blow it with the sun. Thank you for any input you care to give!

REST IN PEACE

Today I'm sewing with black beads on a" Day of the Dead" piece. My father passed away late last night,  he was 90 and I'm glad that he was able to die peacefully in his own bed. It's weird that this is what I've been working on. My dad would like this piece.  I remember how he always brought flowers to my mom like clockwork when the ones in the vase started to wilt. He was a talented artist and his medium of choice was block prints. Here's a portrait he did many years ago for some occasion.

He had a very unique sense of style and his work was always very much his own. His atoms are mingling with my moms now. He leaves Mag, Dave and I with lots of crazy memories and a true closeness for each other, not geographically, but with a loving family bond.

SET UP

Busy setting up the gallery. We open May 9th!

ANTSY FOR SPRING

 Working on some spring time pieces even though  the weather is not cooperating. I'm loving the simplicity of the loon piece. I have some clouds drawn in but I think I'll leave them out because I like the stark contrast of the butterflies with the bright blue background. The little cross neck pouch is cheerful, that opal lavender vintage bead is so pretty. 
I've moved the bead table back upstairs to the gallery. It's nice to be back in front of my big windows, the light is so much better. I can't help but feel antsy though, the giant snowflakes falling down today are not part of the spring time feeling I was hoping for. You can bead all the spring themes you want but you can't make it warm up any sooner...

THE COMPLETE PICTURE

So here are the finished wall pockets. I hemmed and hawed on how to make them. Finally I ordered some salmon skins for the the back pieces and used neoprene, (the material that all the fishermans waders are made out of) for the lining, which in my mind tied it all together. While I was putting them together I kept saying I'm in whip stitch hell. This was way, way, way to much whip stitch to do all at once! Using the same colors and pattern on all three helped the continuity though and in the end the whip stitch hell payed off...

LYNX

Just finished the lynx, whew, he turned out better than I thought he would when I was in the middle of it...

TWO DONE DEALS

 Thought I'd put up the bags now that they are completely finished.We attempted something different with these bags. On the back we've added i pad pockets.They are lined with  gorgeous, soft neoprene to keep the electronics safe. I say we, because my wonderful and talented husband Robert does the majority of the leather sewing. This (of course) is the best because I really rather be beading. I use to do it all but then when we got this sewing machine, he liked it because it was such a piece of equipment. The motor is huge! Anyway, I'm always showing pictures of the bead table so here's a shot of the leather sewing machine. I'm really happy with the new pockets, should be interesting to see how well they go over...

back zipper pocket