BAD, BAD, OIL SPILL

The oil spill in Louisiana is seriously a disaster. I know because I lived in Cordova in1989 when the Exxon Valdez (The ship piloted by Joseph Hazelwood) reeked havoc on Prince William Sound.  The black ooze that slimed the waters and beaches was over 10 million gallons. This new oil spill will be worse. That was a ship that had a finite amount, this drilling site in the gulf of mexico is pumping out an endless supply. There won't be a good solution. The wildlife is doomed. The fisherman who made a living in the gulf, well, their lives as they know it, are over. I know all this because I lived in a community that experienced all this. I remember waking up every morning that summer listening to the radio giving the HUGE dead bird counts. The sad horror of the blackened sea otters and seals. The fishing destroyed. I could go on and on. So my heart goes out to the people, animals and plants who are now facing this reality. Lets think about this and decide.    NO MORE OFF SHORE DRILLING

bookmarks

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I have this one lovely customer who wanted me to make a bookmark. I thought it wouldn't work, to thick to fit it between the pages, but decided to try.  She loved it, and now I make one every now and then and really enjoy it. A real departure from my usual, small and compact, a challenge to get some feeling into this small space. Beaded bookmarks, who knew?

question?

I'm preparing for a show in Santa Fe. Not until August, so these might not be the bags I use for the poster, but I would appreciate your valued opinion! Do we like the black background or the white?

Almost gone but causing trouble

Screech! Crash! Tail lights upside down in the dark night. Oh no! A truck laying upside down in the ditch across the street. Spring is here, but it comes in spurts and sputs, one day  it snows and then it rains and then it sunshines and then people get reckless, thinking its safe dry pavement and then, crash, boom, bang. First time I've ever dialed 911.  Boots on, Robert and I head over to the pull off with a flashlight hoping not to see a gory scene. My heart is pounding.We here pounding, the guy is trying to kick out the windshield. "Get me out of here dude." The door is stuck, yarding on it, it comes loose. Another car pulls up. A woman gets out. The guy stands, blood on his hand. "Are you alright?"  The lady from the new car is whispering with him, they try and turn the truck headlights off to no avail, then get in her car and drive off, saying nothing more. Leaving the dead truck with it's lights on, crumpled, upside down, spring snow coming down. An owl flies over silently, then flashing lights come down the road.  We tell the police, he left.

Sewing while visiting family in the lower 48

Hello, yes, still on the road. Decided not to put up any pictures of the family visit, at the beach, bike riding , birthdays and such, and stick with the at the bead table theme. It's been raining and hailing with lots of thunder and lighting thrown in, so I have been getting some sewing done. Heres a picture  of the eagles piece I'm working on.

You can see it in it's half done stage. Two thickness of wool felt stretched on a hoop. Then the picture I've drawn is rubber cemented to the felt. Using the couching method ( One needle is double threaded and the beads are strung on that. Then you use a second needle to lock down every two or three beads, going over the double thread. ) I bead right over the paper to make the beaded picture. Of course the better your design, the better the beadwork. There are always some changes you make and things like you can't find a bead color to do what you were thinking of, but those all pan out in the end.


The canyon will really pop ( I hope ) when the black beads are in, and give the piece some good depth. Turquoise sky and wala! Another done deal...Will post it when its a finished purse.

away from the bead table

Well, I'm traveling. Brought some beadwork with me but as usual, it's hard to bead on the road. Not an excuse, just is.  I moved the table where I'm staying closer to the window, and there is a very nifty sky light right over me, so that should help with the lighting. But tomorrow is a day for cooking corn beef and cabbage  for my Dad. Happy Saint Patrick's Day all! This computer I'm using has this photo booth feature which is a really fun waste of time. This is me wasting time...

PAGE 15

  Well, this is the end of the story. I'll be gone for awhile and when I come back I'll have "The Blue Bead" as a full color, paperback book (size 8 1/2 by 11) for sale. Hope you enjoyed the preview, thanks for coming to the blog and all your lovely comments!


 Afterword

Maggie sat at the table, drinking a cold glass of milk, watching the moose in her yard. Her journal was open in front of her.

"Had a great day. Grandma really liked her purse. She saw the blue bead and got caught up in telling stories from when she was a girl. She said Raven stole a bead just like the one I gave her, and then maybe a fish ate it! I don't think so! I read in my history books that those beads were made in Bohemia in the 1700s. So how did it get here, it's a mystery."

Yawning, starting to feel sleeply, she closed her journal and shut off the lights. Under the covers her mind wandered, and she started to plan her next piece of beadwork. A raven came to mind.