Stuff Beaders Say

From the lovely and talented women at Interweave.  This will make you LOL.  Enjoy!

Peace and <3

Thank You!

7000 Bracelets for Hope Blog Hop is Found  Here

For everyone's kind words regarding my 7000 Bracelets for Hope bracelet.  I am so humbled that you ladies consider my work to be beautiful.  I am thrilled to have met so many wonderful women through this blog recently and I am looking forward to getting to know you all better.  Thank You!

Peace and <3

p.s.  I tried to respond to everyone's wonderful comments by replying on my blog.  Since I am rather new to blogging can someone please let me know that when I do that does it email the reply to the poster or should I just send them an email?  Hope this makes sense and thanks again for your help!

7000 Bracelets for Hope Blog Hop Reveal

Woo Hoo The day has finally arrived!  I am so excited to be part of such a great group of artisans that have joined together to support such a wonderful cause!  Not to mention that is is my first ever blog hop!  So without further ado let the unveiling commence:

Wearing My Heart on a String

Close up of Heart

I decided to join this wonderful cause in memory of my daughter Serenity Carolynn Gibson. To see what the other artisans have made please check out:

Elysian Studios  and  One Kiss Creations  Thank You Ladies!

  

The Studio Sublime

Crafty Hope

The Gossiping Goddess

SilverRose Designs

Firefly Visions

Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Michelle Mach

Pine Ridge Treasures

Backstory Beads

Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

Carefree Jewelry by Lisa

Sue Beads

MiShel Designs

Created Treasures

Taralinda Muses

My Life Under The Bus

Elizabeth Creates

SilverNikNats

Erin Siegel Jewelry

Carolyn’s Creations

My Life…one bead at a time

Fresh Baked Designs

Songbeads

Sunshine Bliss

Lori Anderson

Rainy Days Designs

Pat Barden Jewelry

Tell Your Girlfriends

Therese's Treasures

Windrock Studio

Bead Lola Bead

Spice Box Designs  <------- You Are Here

Antiquity Travelers

Vitamin C...A Daily Dose of Creativity

Beads and Bread

Sharyl's Jewelry and Reflections

Ahtee's Blog

Thoughtful-Notions

Beads for Brains:365

Wild Sally Road

All The Pretty Things

Skye's Creative Chaos

My Addictions...Handcrafted Jewelry by Patti

Lindy's Designs

Falling Into The Sky

Star Hitched Wagon

Mama's Got to Doodle

10KDgroup

Thanks for visiting!  Peace and <3

Musings and CRAWing

Freshmonsters

One of my goals is to learn how to do bead embroidery.  I just love it!  There just seems to be so many different things that you can do with it such as the photo on the left.  I have purchased several books by the masters on how to do it and I have bought several tutorials online as well as taking an e-course from Marcie Abney on it.  But for some reason it still eludes me.

KnotJustMacrame

Don't you just love this!  It just screams spring to me! I would just totally love to create something this stunning!  I have tried to make a beaded cuff a couple of times and I will sew the focal piece on and for whatever reason I just cannot seem to get past that step.  Either I sew the focal on crooked or I just get totally stumped on what beads I want to use so it always ends up being a UFO.  (My UFO pile is getting rather large)  Perhaps one day I will be lucky enough to create a piece like this that I can be proud of.  Perhaps I am being to ambitious as I am still pretty new to beading.  Who knows!?

One thing that I have recently discovered is CRAW!  CRAW is Cubic Right Angle Weave.  I really love it and it works up really fast for such a great result.  I stumbled across this video on youtube from one of the former Bead Mavens Ms Heather Collins.  

Heather makes learning this stitch a breeze and to be honest I really wish that she would do one on St.  Petersburg stitch as that is the next one that I want to learn.  I have created a piece using CRAW that I will show you on the 25th for the 7000 bracelets for hope project.  Speaking of that I really need to go get that piece mailed.  I hope everyone is doing well.

Peace and <3

Bead Buzz!

Don't you just love that title!  I saw it on Bead and Buttons website and decided that maybe I should use it to make a post about it.  I love Bee's.  Not real ones of course, they hurt!  But the cartoony kind.  There is just something so happy and cheerful about them.  So when I saw that title on B&B's page I just knew that it was good news and for a pattern collector like me it really was.  So if you are a pattern collector as well you can go here for several free beading patterns.

You see I learned how to bead by purchasing a beading tutorial from Marcie Abney on May 21'st 2011 That was this:

First Tutorials

I made the pendent in the top right corner as my first piece ever.  Being completely new to beading I did not have the required materials needed for it so I improvised.  Where I live the only beading store we have is Hobby Lobby and I purchased all my mats from there.

Very First Bead Woven Item

Needless to say I was really happy with the way it turned out even though it really only favors the one made by Marcie because I did not have the correct materials.  At the time I had no clue that cylinder beads were actually another name for Delicas so I just used regular size 11/0's since that is all that was available to me.  And of course I used plain round 4mm's beads that I now know are dyed (ugh) and imperfect (see the dimple).

In a few months (May) will by my first anniversary with the little seed beads and I am very pleased with where I am today concerning my progress.  Sometimes I even surprise myself with how well things turn out now.  Don't get me wrong, I realize that I have a long long way to go before I master this, if it is ever able to be truly mastered.  Because I am not completely comfortable on my own yet I almost always use some type of pattern for my work,  But today I went outside my comfort zone and created a piece that is entirely mine in design!  Yes it is simple, and yes it is using techniques that we all use but the composition of it is entirely my own and I have to admit that I am tickled pink.  

I would love to show it to you but it is my piece for the 7000 bracelets for hope blog hop that I am participating in and the official reveal day is not until the 25th.  So until then all I am going to show you is a sneak peak.  

7000 Bracelets for Hope Teaser

Gosh I can't wait :) 

New Projects

Wow!  Two Posts in one day!  It's an after Christmas Miracle!  Anyway I did want to share a few new things that I have been working on the last week.  Hope you enjoy!

These are Pom Pom Rings that I made using a video tutorial from Kelly of Off The Beaded Path on You Tube.   I have included the video as well for your viewing pleasure.  I just love her You Tube Tutorials.  I have really learned a ton from her.

Here is another bracelet that I made that you can wear like this: 

Front  (made from tsummerlee's video tute on youtube)

or like this:

Back

And I have of course been practicing my right angle weave.  I love the stitch there is just so much you can do with it.

 I was involved in a Secret Santa Swap this Christmas on the Beading Daily Forums.  And the person that I was able to create something for was Therese from Therese's Treasures .  Here is the bracelet that I sent her:

I liked it so much that I decided to make me one in Ruby:

And last but certainly not least here is what is on my beading table now:

Well that is all I have to share for now.  Thanks so much for visiting!  <3

7000 Bracelets of Hope Blog Hop.

7000 Bracelets of Hope is run through the Global Genes Project, a rare disease group for children. The bracelets are donated to the mothers and caretakers of these children, as a way to give them a little support and lift their spirits. 

The Blog Hop sign ups are today through February 11th. The Hop itself is February 25th. 

If you would like to participate, here's what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment here with your blog address and e-mail address.

2. Grab the button for the Hop on the Top Left of my page and put it on your blog.

3. Make a Bracelet with Blue as your primary color. The Global Genes Project uses the theme of jeans/denim, so think in those shades of Blue when you are picking out colors. Think casual and make it so it can fit any wrist size (approx 7-9")

4. Post a picture of your Bracelet on February 25th along with the link of participants Erin and I will send you. 

5. Mail your Bracelet and a nice note to the anonymous recipient to the following address: 
Children's Rare Disease Network
24701 La Plaza Suite 201
Dana Point, CA 92629


I would like to thank the two ladies that are hosting this, one of which I copied this info off of her blog.  As a parent that has lost a child this is something that I can see being very near and dear to my heart.  You can check out the hosts of this here:
One Kiss Creations
Elysian Studios