HeartWindSinging Finished

I ended up stitching the ornament in place without the use of glue.   

What a surprise, and a laugh, I got when I checked the Etsy Treasury Hunt this morning.  Many thanks to Wiggle (whose logo I love) for adding Vinnie to this quietly beautiful treasury:

And thereby hangs a tale, eh?

HeartWindSinging

I finished the ornament and now I'm nerving myself to attach it to the little 'suede cloth' purse for which it is intended.    Glue or stitch or both?  I'm uncharacteristically hesitant at this point.  Perhaps I need to mull it over for a bit.

I took new photos of my beaded bead pendants and got them all posted for sale, both on Etsy and for LESS in the online shop.

There's Working, Then There's Working

LittlestoneDesign was kind enough to include one of my ponies in her treasury, "NOT the Usual Beadweaving."

I never seem to hit the Treasury clock just right - it's been a long, long time since I was able to show off my favorites in a treasury.

Now, here's what I've been up to today:

I've been dealing with a kind of beader's block recently - it felt like everything I tried to pull together was a struggle - the inner vision wasn't being realized, or at least not without a fight.  I must have made and remade the same three pieces a dozen times this past month.   Happily, that's over for the time being.  This most recent piece is just falling into place.  What a relief.

Maybe the energy drains are done with me for a while.   I want to believe.

More later - it's what I do.

Earth Angel No. 3

This is the lightest of the three angels in color and tone.  I love the citrine chip wings.  I used a Wild Horse magnasite disk bead, a jasper rectangle, a mother-of-pearl heart, and dyed freshwater pearls along with Japanese glass seed beads.  It has such a nice, fresh feel. 

I just started work on the purse ornament.  I've been fixated on this portrait of Georgia O'Keeffe;

and I'm not exactly clear on how but I want to pull that strength of image into this particular bead embroidery. I used the tools over at Colourlovers and came up with this (simplified) palette:

I'm still listing craft books on my website, but I finished posting all the papercraft books on hand.  Like this one:

(There are so many great ideas in here - I adapted a lot of the techniques into some handbound books a few years ago - I wonder where I put my notes?)
And this one:

(This whole 'encyclopedia' series is excellent - comprehensive with clear instructions and great photos)
And this one,

to mention just a few.  Pop on over and check out all the papercraft titles!

There are still a lot of books I need to scan and list, but I'm taking a day off.  I managed to trip and fall out in our garage yesterday, and I am stiff and sore all over today.  I really should get back to work on the Multiplicity bracelet tutorial, but honestly.  All I wanna do right now is bead.

Well, more later.  Can't be helped.

Thrift Store Finds and a Great Read

WEB SHOP UPDATE:  NOW OPEN WITH SECURE SHOPPING!!

My partner has been asked to officiate at a wedding next month, and our wardrobes are a little sparse in the dress-up department - we're pretty much jeans 'n tees people.  This is going to be summery casual affair, so we made a trip to the local Junior League thrift store where I found a pair of dressy casual Evan Picone slacks in a sort of honey bronze color, as well as a cream colored silk blouse.  Asa found a summer weight sport coat that, to our mutual delight, actually fit him (he's 6'8").   Accessorizing should be a simple matter.  I've been planning on embellishing a few purses for sale and have been collecting up suitable bags for a while - in my stash (from this same thrift store) I remembered this neat little camel-colored suede bag.  I thought I should be able to snazz it up in time to carry to the wedding.  I did a closer inspection and discovered its actually a Michael Kors!  And I got it for $4!!  I couldn't be more pleased.

And here's the beginning of the ornament:

Here's something else I found on our latest excursion; four Ultrasuede sashes, each one over six feet long - the center section is about 4 inches wide and two feet long, the ends tapering out to about 1.5 inches wide.  Perfect for lining bead embroidered pins, pendants and bracelets!  Picked them up for a buck apiece!  Woop Woop!!

Now for the good read.  Absolutely the most important perk to being a book dealer is getting first pick of the titles that come in to our shop.  This came in a few days ago and Saturday afternoon I opened it up.

There is a poem on the acknowledgements page and when I read it, I knew I'd have to spend at least a part of my summer with Julia Cameron:

WHY WE WRITE

There are many things which resist naming,
And that is why we write.
We write because language is slippery,
And the truth is.
We write because
The light we have to see by
Is always shifting
Never forget that writers are prophets.
We speak in tongues.
We testify.
We are for each other a believing mirror.
Our words make us visible.
Our listening makes us heard.

Never forget that writers are soldiers.
Our writing is the long march,
The walk into time. 
Each word is a drum. 
We sound it across great distances, 
Reaching one another and ourselves. 
Every poem is a day's march. 
A celebration more necessary than water or wine. 
Every poem is a drink of blood. 

Never forget that writing is an act of courage -- 
Not on the days when it is simple and we discount it. 
Not on the days when it is hard and we write like sand. 
Our words are torches. 
We pass them hand to hand 
And mouth to mouth 
Like a burning kiss. 

Never forget to say thank you. 
Every syllable is a grace.

J. C.

The book is "Floor Sample; a creative memoir."   I'm looking forward to the rare, spare, stolen moments ahead.

More later, as always.

The Problem With Being Work Obsessed:

You find yourself scattering your energy, but at the same time your field of vision narrows.  You get so detail-oriented, you become myopic and self-involved.  Worst of all, you just lose sight of all the wonderful people around you that have taken their very precious time to read your silly stuff, and more than that - have commented on that silly stuff.

Today I picked up the most recent copy of Artful Blogging -

and it wasn't so much any one thing I read there, as it was the sheer weight of talent encountered.  I was inspired; I went to my dashboard here on Blogger to have a look at the creative pages of my readers and was stunned to see I have over 100 of you here!  I spent the afternoon being blown away by each and every page, and became a follower of all your blogs.

You're all inspiring and delightful each in your own unique way, and I can see I'll have to get up just a little earlier and have a second cup of coffee every morning until I get caught up.

And thank you all for sharing.  It really does mean the world.  Well, my world anyway.

More later, as always -

The Web Shop Has Stuff In It!!!

BIG UPDATE:  The shopping cart on the website only likes PayPal!!  I'm working on it!!


That's right, and it's not just for my finished pieces any more. Gently used craft books are beginning to find their way online, starting with beadwork

 and basketry.

I finished scanning the very eclectic "Miscellaneous" category this morning,

as well as bookmaking

and clay titles

and should have them up by the end of the day tomorrow.

Coming book attractions include needlework, textile arts, doll & bear making, sewing, quilting, papercrafts, knitting & crochet to mention but a few.

Once that's done, the fun REALLY starts.  I get to organize, photograph and list all the destash beads.  Yoinks!!

More later, cuz I just can't help myself.

Back From Vacation with Treasure

Went rock shopping around town during our time off - Southwestern Minerals on Central near Louisiana had some great cabochons - clockwise from top left; Fancy Indian jasper, Piute, fancy picture jasper, snowflake obsidian, and epidote.

New Mexico Bead & Fetish did not disappoint - I found a few treats - top to bottom; lemon chrysoprase, pink jasper, fossilized coral and Imperial jasper.

At  Sun Country Gems I picked up these great picture jasper beads (they're the size of a silver dollar);

Elinor Oldham (next to the Cost Plus on Menaul) had some great fossilized stone rounded rectangles (photo's a bit fuzzy) along with a strand of jade and serpentine;

Mama's Minerals had some amazing stuff on the sale racks - I grabbed a few strands of  Wild Horse Canyon picture jasper:

No trip to Old Town is complete without a stop at The Old Town Cat House, where I picked up a new mug:

Got this book ^ at Bookworks, on one of our last stops.

All these treasures to play with, when clearly what I need is a time machine.

I finished loading all of the Etsy merchandise onto my website, AnotherCountry BeadWorks, and I'll be spending tomorrow scanning in and listing craft books.  Once those are in it'll be time to bag, tag and list the unbelievable amount of destash supplies.

And away we go.  More later, as always -

Earth Angel No. 2

Setting up the new website is more labor intensive than I projected - our mini-vacation time is being eaten up with getting all the shelves filled.  You can see the work in progress - I've got a few things up - but not nearly enough yet.

AnotherCountry BeadWorks

Still working on the Multiplicity bracelet tutorial, too.  Getting some great photos for illustration - love the new camera!  Still exploring all its capabilities.

More later, as always -