Beads done!

So, yesterday I finally got all of that first batch of beads done, photographed and up in the Etsy store. (See the link in the left column if you want to see the store.)

It was my birthday and I was happily up til 4 am getting the camera shots just right so you can see the actual colors on the beads. I need to work on making the lines a bit more precise on the beads so I did another batch today which is currently drying in the garage. I am naming one of those "Peach Mojito" which is sort of funny because my husband came home and made me a mint mojito and I had never had one before.

My next bead experiment will be round beads, and barbell shaped beads, which I used to make back in the day.

Anyway, here are  few shots of the completed beads from yesterday.

Mod Podge

I decided that the acrylic spray I used on my paper beads yesterday did not look good enough so I painted them with mod podge, which is sort of like elmer's glue. The stuff dried quickly and has given the beads a more lacquered look, which is what I was aiming for. Now I need to find a clear acrylic spray to go on top of that is glossy and I think I have the whole process nailed down. I'll take some pics of each new color of finished bead once I do that.  It might be a couple of days.

Tomorrow is my birthday so not sure how much I'll blog. It may be Black Angus (never been in there, but a thoughtful person gave me a gift card) or Sushi night. Then this weekend we are having a big combined birthday party for me and my Auntie, whose birthday is the day after mine.  Our parties are big, but tame. We usually have 6 or 7 kids running around and about 15 adults. If we are doing an extended family party we go up to about 30 people or so.

We're doing a "family favorites" party, so we are all making signature type dishes. I am making these baked beans that are loaded with bacon and kielbasa. There is probably more meat in them than there are beans. They're a heartstopper, but delicious. I usually only make them about once a year. My husband is making me a Carrot cake. Yes, he's that awesome. He'll actually bake for me. He makes a good cake too! Am I the only one who thinks that a man who cooks is sexy? :)

I may not post any crafting pics this weekend, but may put up some food pics if they look interesting.

As to the crocheting, I am to the point with my prototype shawl that I can pretty much just sit now and repeat the same 2 rows over and over. I am loving the pattern because I could use so many different variations of yarn with it and would look great. More pics to come with that too. Unfortunately the colors I am working with at the moment look more like fall because I am working on projects for people in Australia where it IS fall. My next iteration will look more springy.

More Beads and some shawl

Today I made beads by myself, as the daughter was behind due to having to go and pose in a pink dress at Picture People with her 9 month old little sister. She liked everything about it except for the pink part. She is absolutely NOT a girly girl. I was not unhappy about the solitary beadmaking. It's sort of like pulling weeds in the backyard, it gives you quiet time to reflect.

I went out and invested in some clear, spray on acrylic which has greatly sped up the process, and I notice that my bead rolling has improved, but I need to work on some other forms. The spherical paper beads intrigue me.

So anyway, I made bright yellow with bits of green peeking in here and there, green with bits of watermelon pink, brown with red and turquoise, and violet of  course. That's my favorite color but I think they are the blandest of the bunch tonight. I'll put up some pics tomorrow after the varnish dries.

My Fibromyalgia is keeping me nice and awake again like it's 3 in the afternoon, so I am about to pick up the Sara Like Tiara Shawl, practice shawl and work on it for a bit. Here's a pic of it in progress so far. I think it needs a bit of soft mohair woven in and a little bit of  sparkle, but I am still loving this yarn which is  Lion's Amazing in Ruby.

I get to take off the annoying wristwatch I have been wearing for two weeks after tomorrow, and turn it into the sleep clinic on Monday. Maybe they'll finally figure out what, if anything they can do to put me on daytime hours so I can spend more time with my baby girl. In the meanwhile I'm going to suck up the quiet time here and enjoy having the silence to create. :)

Beads and quality time after Disney trip

I spent this evening with my bright but slightly neglected 8 year old daughter, making paper beads. She's so excited that I have an Etsy store and I am trying to both give her some of my time, and teach her a skill that would enable her to sell a product in the store and make some money if she wants to, since she is dying to do that!

I had not made these beads since I was about 18 years old or so, so had to take my time figuring out how to do them, all over again. I had seen a cover of a Sunset magazine this month that inspired me with it's vivid greens and ruby grapefruit, so I hauled that downstairs along with about 4 old Better Homes and Gardens magazines.

Daughter and I thumbed through and cut out pages that had colors that appealed to us. Then I either cut the pages into very long, tapering triangles, or straight strips. My daughter wanted to start with the red strips which were cut to be tapering beads, so I patiently showed her how to rub a gluestick on the end of the paper strip, and wrap the paper around a toothpick, using enough continuous pressure to make a tight bead. She got a bit frustrated but I was proud of her for calming down and really trying to make it work. She made some very nice beads!

Here are a few of our unvarnished beads before stringing:

At this point daughter had to go to bed, so I strung the beads and hung them in clever fashion. I then painstakingly did their first coat of varnish, with a tiny bottle of clear nail polish that I had. Next time I will definitely be using a different product!!! :)

Here is a picture of the stringed beads after their first coat of varnish:

I'll probably repeat this fun and see if I can streamline it a bit! I love seeing color come to life in a new way and I have jewelry making friends who might like a few of these. I'm also considering doing some polymer beads too when I can afford the materials!
As to the crochet projects: I am firmly into the Michaela scarf which is looking very pretty with the larger hook size, but have run out of one of the yarns I need to keep going.

I started the prototype shawl for my "Sara Like Tiara" Shawl and am finding the project interesting, but need to find a way to incorporate a bit of sparkle for the elegant lady it's being made for.

I'm also working on the Gryphon blanket, but once again, waiting on a chocolate yarn I've ordered from Lori's Yarns in Alpine, California. Baby Gryphon is one week old today, so I have a bit of leeway there.

Will post pictures of all 3 projects as I work through them!

Spending the day today getting ready to take my two girls to Disneyland!!!!! I am excited because the last time we went I was pregnant, so I could not go on any of the rides with my 8 year old, Sydney.
This time I have 9 month old Rowan, but bunches of other family members there so we can take turns watching her. This is our first big trip together as a family since we hurriedly drove across the US in 2008. That trip was not so fun. Before that we had a wonderful trip with all of these people to Prague in the Czech Republic.

On the creative side of things, I am trying to decide which project to bring to work on. It may be the Sara Like Tiara shawl, or the very purple Michaela Scarf. (See above pic) The scarf is too stiff so I need to pull out the yarn and rework with a larger hook. Silk mohair should NOT be stiff. :)

I'm also hoping to find sopme funny trinkets or beads at Disneyland for another project I have been considering, but not holding my breath. Their stores have a very limited spectrum of merchandise!

Fabulous earrings

I got 2 amazing pairs of earrings in the mail today from a friend in Australia, who has a jewelry making business that specializes in lovely Tensha beads, like these. I could not believe how much more gorgeous these were in person! I highly recommend her shop, Eartopia! which is at http://www.facebook.com/Eartopia

New blanket is up in the etsy shop

This is the blanket I've been whining about for 2 weeks now. Still not sure how to get this to post up pics straight to the blog, but getting there.

Women's History Month- contribution by Juliet Marillier

"We stand on our mothers’ shoulders


When Gillian invited me to post here as part of Women’s History Month, I immediately thought about the different ways in which men and women pass down their legacies to future generations. I touched on that in a scene from my novel Heart’s Blood. Here, secular scribe Caitrin, employed to sort and translate family documents, is taking time to look at some garments stored in an old chest.


The library held the ink and parchment records set down by men. But that was only half the story. Women talked to their daughters and granddaughters, weaving memories. If no living women remained, one might still learn something from what they had left behind: a garden planted in a certain pattern, a precious possession set away with careful hands, a gravestone for a beloved pet. And clothing. I did not know who had owned these gowns, these delicate undergarments, but perhaps they had something to tell me."

I thought that this particular article by Juliet Marillier had some things to say about creative families, and families in general, so was apt.  If you have not read her books, you're missing out.  You can find out more about those at: http://www.julietmarillier.com/   to read the continuation of this article the link is: http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/786322.html

Awake

I'm still feeling the same glowy feeling I had at 4 am this morning when I did the last blog, but it's been overlaid with a severe need for caffeine. I settled for instant espresso powder poured into a chocolate atkins shake.

I'm waiting for the baby to get up from her nap (she's been upstairs asleep, and leaving big drool marks on my arm) so I can get her dressed and take her out for pictures on the first baby blanket that's going up in the Etsy shop! I'm excited to see it in natural light, and to see the difference that the light change can make in the photography. It's been a process trying to learn about how to take pictures for a shop and make them look good. I want to try a light box too, but I need to actually build one. :)

First post ever!

This week has been sort of an exciting time for me. I feel like a butterfly. I've felt walled up into a tiny chrysalis for about 3 years now as I've gone through some big changes in my life, not the least of which is being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, being told I could no longer work, partially losing my sense of identity..... I'll talk more about that in later posts.

This week I feel like I'm suddenly expanding. I am on the side of the tree fluttering my damp, fragile butterfly wings. I am exploring new ideas and feelings, and am so excited about them that I can't sleep.

I like that after 20 years or so of using my logical left brain, I can suddenly, joyfully, leap into the abilities of the right side of my brain!

This blog is part of that, and will talk about some of the process of making the artwork I am doing now, reinventing my life as a disabled person, raising a family, and whatever else happens to capture my fancy!