tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69336871403733404872024-02-20T16:25:20.134-08:00Jazzy JewelryAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-24345193261480402092014-02-11T06:13:00.000-08:002014-02-11T06:13:34.675-08:00Some Big Updates!Hello again all!<br />
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It has indeed been quite some time since I've last written you. Here is my biggest piece of news, I'll be helping the wonderful Jill Wiseman in her classes at Bead & Button this year! The full week! :) So if you've already signed up or have yet to, you'll be seeing the both of us!<br />
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I've also been doing some work for the always fabulous Mikki Ferrugiaro, by beading some samples and doing some kit testing for her. I cannot even tell you how much fun that is! Here is the first sample I put together:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Mikki%20Ferrugiaro/BandedBallOrnament_zpsa90b0209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Mikki%20Ferrugiaro/BandedBallOrnament_zpsa90b0209.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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I have also been doing quite a few pieces of Jill's work as well. She has a group on Facebook now dedicated to her designs (most prominently her book - Beautiful Beaded Ropes) but all her other designs as well, including her mom June's designs too! She has also started a Youtube channel with helpful videos that go along with some of her tutorials, some that are basic stitch how-to's, and some free project tutorials! You can find all that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4PihGJSYFNMqzxC4k-dh6w" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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In celebration of how well the Facebook group is doing (I'm a moderator over there) I decided to make a new version of French Quarter Lariat, which was the first design from her book that I ever made:<br />
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Along with a slew of earrings from her free project video: Whirlygig Earrings -<br />
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After all of those, which didn't take long at all, they were SO easy, and made even easier if you watch the video along with it! I started to work on some of her Designer of the Year projects from Beadwork! Here is Infinity Cuff:<br />
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And Fireworks necklace:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/Fireworks_zps34e2c188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/Fireworks_zps34e2c188.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Light My Fire, I decided to do a choker version instead of a bracelet, and went all out on my fringe:<br />
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Another of her free project tutorials on the Youtube channel is the Ogalala bracelet, I did 2 versions, one with bead soup:<br />
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And one in black and red for my Mother-In-Law:<br />
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And lastly, I have a couple pieces that I worked on, I don't remember where they came from, Parisian Lights (I believe this is a free project on the Youtube Channel):<br />
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And Sleek, which has a video on the Youtube Channel, but is a supplemental video to go along with the tutorial, which you can purchase <a href="http://shop.jillwisemandesigns.com/sleek-bracelet-instructions-only/" target="_blank">on her website</a> :<br />
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And that's all for now, TTFN! :)<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-55949179476376639342013-09-13T14:57:00.002-07:002013-09-13T14:57:13.333-07:00I'm really bad at blogging. Lesson learned.Hello all! Sorry I've been gone so long. Pretty much forever in internet time! I've been busy, but not all beading (unfortunately for my bead mat)<br />
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I have started to exercise more, so I've been out of the house a lot more often (hence the blog absence). I've managed to drop some pounds already and I can feel the difference. I've also recently started my part-time school year job again, working for the local elementary school in the cafeteria and kitchen. I love working with kids, I always have, my first job was working at a daycare and I've worked at a few since then. The school definitely makes sense for me, even though it cuts into beading time.<br />
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I've been doing a lot of thinking this summer about what I want to do with my beads. Where their future is headed and what I want to get out of it. I would definitely love some input from fellow beaders out there. It's never been my intention/goal to write tutorials (although I am working on one - slowly - just to give it a shot) as I much prefer the actual beading. I can crank out pieces pretty quickly and that's just what I want to do. With all of the debate in the bead community about copyright, I've started to go through the pieces I've made and take out the ones from designers that will allow me to sell the pieces I've made from their pattern. These will still go to craft shows with me, the others will end up as gifts to relatives and friends someday.<br />
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I'm not sure I really have the motivation and will power to put into making jewelry a full time business for me and I really enjoy when it is closer to a hobby for me. I got way more stressed out than I ever thought when I was trying a more full time approach and it really affected me. I didn't like what it was doing, so I want to stop (being stressed.)<br />
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I know this isn't everyone's option or preference and to those that CAN do this full time (like my beading idols - Jill, Mikki, Marcia, Rachel, Laura, etc) I applaud you. I am extremely grateful that I have my Hubby to fall back on when I'm indecisive, but I almost don't feel like this is that. I know I don't want to go full steam with jewelry, I'd much rather spend half my time jewelry and half my time working with children (which is why I love my job) So the situation I have right now is the perfect one.<br />
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I wanted this blog to be about my beading journey (and it still will be) but that's also not all there is to me, and maybe the reason I've been so terrible at keeping up with it is because of that. So I will still post all of my beady treasures and the books I'm working through, but I'll also include things that happen at work, home or just in my regular life.<br />
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I will definitely still be beading, there will still be pieces for sale, I'll still do craft shows (but I'm going to only do local shows), I'll absolutely still be at Bead & Button next June, so I'm not leaving the bead community, just changing how I participate!<br />
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Thanks for letting me ramble this time around. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-53649502373566434872013-06-18T08:07:00.003-07:002013-06-18T08:07:52.889-07:00Bead & Button 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202013/MilwaukeeSign_zps30a24c5d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202013/MilwaukeeSign_zps30a24c5d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I started my journey on Tuesday by driving to my mom's place and staying overnight. Then we (Mom and I) left from Minneapolis on our way to Milwaukee on Wednesday. It was an uneventful 5 hour drive there filled with excellent music and snacks. Got checked into our hotel room on the 12th floor and this was our view:<br />
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Went to do our registration for the show and check out all the Bead Dreams pieces. I saw this one for a great friend of mine that's getting married and has sunflowers as her accent color:<br />
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and then I fell in love with this piece because it is just so dang cool:<br />
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We went out for a bite to eat before Meet the Teachers and Mom had a Tiny Beer as I have decided to name it. She was actually taste testing one before ordering it, but it was so cute I couldn't help it!<br />
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and then our delicious food arrived, and it was delicious as we had no leftovers to take back to the room:<br />
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Then it was finally time for Meet The Teachers where I finally got to meet Jill Wiseman IN PERSON:<br />
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She was SO ridiculously friendly/nice/all other good things. It was fantastic to meet her and a pleasure to journey through her book and take her class! If you've been keeping up with my journey, you know I've made every single project in her book Beautiful Beaded Ropes which you can find <a href="http://www.tapestrybeads.com/Books.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Thursday began with an all day class for me. I took June Huber's Arabesque Cube and this is a half day of progress for me:<br />
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I did eventually finish, but not until I was home from Bead & Button and had worked on it for quite a bit longer!<br />
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And here I am with June, who was kind enough to take a picture with me after class:<br />
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Mom's class was also an all day one with Dianne Dennis, Wildfire, and here is her progress after class all day:<br />
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We did a bit of shopping, here is my haul:<br />
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and Mom's:<br />
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and then ate at the Italian place across the street from the hotel for dinner (which I have no pictures of) and then set up in the Gathering Place to bead for a while in the evening. Where I met another beading idol of mine, Mikki Ferrugiaro!!!<br />
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She was incredibly delightful to talk to and we had such a great time that we stayed in the Gathering Place until 1am! It was almost too much fun :)<br />
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Friday was my birthday and I had only one class: Light My Fire in the evening with Jill Wiseman. So Mom and I spent the day in the Gathering Place beading where we took up quite a bit of space:<br />
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We took a break for lunch and went to Rock Bottom Brewery where it was nice enough to eat outside. This is Mom and Domino who comes with me on all my trips now:<br />
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Then we went for an extended walk back to the hotel so we could walk across the river:<br />
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And saw some cool stuff, like this painted building reflection on the side of another building:<br />
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<br />Then it was time for class with Jill, which was so immensely fun! I finished my bracelet in class ( I have earned my nickname: Miss Speedy Gonzales ) and then we had fun looking at all of my projects from Jill's book. As requested, here is a shot of me, Jill, and all the projects!<br />
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After class with Jill we went out for a quick birthday dessert, which was mouth-watering:<br />
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Then came Saturday and it was time to start the journey home. We went antique shopping on our way and I found some very cool BakeLite Mahjong tiles that will be some new earrings for me very soon:<br />
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We took the scenic drive along the river on the way so this was my view across the river:<br />
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And Mom's view of the cute houses and the hills:<br />
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I stayed overnight at Mom's place and headed home on Sunday. It was a complete whirlwind of a trip and it felt much too short, but here I am, back at home sweet home:<br />
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Until next time,<br />
TTFNAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-438356518210076612013-06-13T07:52:00.001-07:002013-06-13T07:52:44.712-07:00The Wonderful World of Beaded RopesI've left you all waiting and for that I'm sorry! I DID in fact finish Jill's book so here are the remaining projects:<br />
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Bali Dreaming:<br />
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Revelations:<br />
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Finding Balance:<br />
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Elemental:<br />
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Flirtation:<br />
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Josephine's Fortune:<br />
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Bubbles & Bumps:<br />
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Ladies Who Lunch:<br />
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Reflections:<br />
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And last, but definitely not least (and with the most color!) Ray Of Light:<br />
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It was such a fun journey to work my way through this book. I found some new things to make, I learned some new skills, I got MANY new ideas, and I discovered a versatile type of beading that will be extremely useful in the future! I want to say a gigantic Thank You to Jill for all of her support and for how wonderful she is in person! (I'll tell you all more about that in the next blog - I didn't want to overwhelm you) I had a blast making all of these projects and sharing the progress with all of you!<br />
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Until next time (which will be soon, I have all my Bead & Button pics after all)<br />
TTFNAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-4812293744459532212013-05-23T16:19:00.000-07:002013-05-23T16:19:53.367-07:00Update on time!? Heck no!Of course I've been too busy with the new house to update you all on any kind of regular basis. Ugh. I've not even had much time for beading lately as I've been working at a couple of 'real' jobs at an elementary school and as a nanny. Thankfully, the school year is almost at its end so I'll have the summer to myself!<br />
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In the meantime:<br />
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I tried one of Carol Dean Sharpe's patterns when she had a fantastic sale going on. I haven't yet made it to the other patterns I purchased but I will get there! So for now, I have done 'Ohm'<br />
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After that, I joined a new beading group on Facebook (new to me!) Operation Tackle That Bead Stash, which challenges you each month with a project that you use only your stash items to complete! This is perfect for me since I buy waaay more beads than I use :) So, here is my April Stashbusting challenge:<br />
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My May & Color challenge Stashbuster:<br />
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And the Pastel Color challenge:<br />
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I also decided on a project from the new issue of Bead & Button, I have decided to call my version Galaxies as that's what they look like!<br />
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Then I finally made my way back to Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes book and started with Dancing Waves:<br />
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Finally, I finished a project that I am very proud of personally. Designing and creating my very own Beaded Dice Set. It's a full set of 7 dice for Dungeons & Dragons!<br />
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I have yet to figure out a way to add the numbers on, but I'm working on it!<br />
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And that's all for now in the beady world as I get back to the grindstone trying to finish Jill's book before Bead & Button show in Milwaukee in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! In which, I will be taking one of Jill's classes! I'm so excited to meet her in person I can hardly wait!! Don't worry, there WILL be pictures of my adventure there. :)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-70886425366004041812013-02-28T05:47:00.001-08:002013-02-28T05:55:16.531-08:00Officially Past The Halfway Point! Yes, it's true, I've officially made it halfway through the book! The adventure just keeps getting better as I go, even though I've completed a few of what I think are the most time consuming projects, each NEW project I undertake keeps throwing something new at me. This book really is wonderful, and incredibly useful and versatile, not only do you learn the projects presented in the book, you are learning all kinds of techniques that can be used in other endeavors. That focal piece you've had sitting around because you just couldn't find the right necklace to put it on? Solved. Enough talk, here's some pictures of my progress through the Heirloom necklace, with the color scheme suggested by my Mom!<br />
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I had barely started this in the picture above and it did take me longer than I suspected to do this one because of the type of stitch, but MAN is it cool once it's done, but first, a picture of the outside rope, before anything substantial is holding it in shape:<br />
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And now, the finished product:<br />
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Not only did I complete Heirloom, but I whipped up a version of Winding Road as well, which puts me just over the halfway mark at 14 out of 24 projects completed:<br />
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TTFNAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-85351607922680795322013-02-20T05:47:00.001-08:002013-02-20T05:47:28.163-08:00The Journey Continues!Another couple of projects down! I specifically chose my next couple of projects because they would be shorter, to give me a break after Abundance was done. What comes after? I'm not sure, there is absolutely nothing on my beading mat right now, which I will fix in just a moment!<br />
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First up is the Dew Drop Spiral, originally a necklace in the book, but I thought I would like it better as a bracelet:<br />
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Next up is the Bohemian earrings, which are so light I can't even tell that I'm wearing them:<br />
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And lastly, the Heavenly Hoop earrings. I chose a very contrasting color scheme so the outside spiral embellishment would really stand out:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/HeavenlyHoops_zpsa17d1b98.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/HeavenlyHoops_zpsa17d1b98.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And that's all for now! Onto the next!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-47395616989233098552013-02-17T15:10:00.002-08:002013-02-17T15:10:56.733-08:00The next chapterThe next project I tackled is probably the most time consuming one in the book. Abundance. I started this journey by using only the beads I have (something I pride myself on doing, I hate having to buy beads for a project) and it seemed a daunting task. There are multiple layers of rope on top of the previous one, which gives the piece not only depth but structure as well.<br />
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Here is the beginnings of the progress:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/AbundanceProgess2_zpsd58b9189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/AbundanceProgess2_zpsd58b9189.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then I finished the first layer of the rope and moved on to the second, after which I continued adding to a smaller section to create the focal area. After many hours, this piece was finished:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/Abundance_zpsa05e5783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/Abundance_zpsa05e5783.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There it is! Abundance! I am incredibly proud of this piece, it looks beautiful (to me anyway) with white lined white sapphire and glossy black beads.<br />
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After taking on such a large piece, I wanted to do a much smaller one, that I knew I could accomplish in a much shorter amount of time. I decided to give Forever Tango a try and here's my result:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/ForeverTango_zpsc6e0a1c3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/ForeverTango_zpsc6e0a1c3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That will be all for this evening, so for now I bid you all adieu!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-71629856477535089642013-02-11T16:08:00.000-08:002013-02-11T16:08:06.175-08:00The saga continues!As I work my way around Jill's book (which you can purchase <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jill-wisemans-beautiful-beaded-ropes-jill-wiseman/1110928918?ean=9781454703563" target="_blank">here</a> ) I find myself having a difficult time deciding which project to do next. I think, I'd love to do Abundance, but Flower Power looks super cute, but the Ziggurat ring would be so fun, but the figure eight earrings would be so quick!<br />
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Knowing that the plan is to make ALL the projects in this book, the decision is slightly easier because I know I'll get to them all eventually. Only slightly though. :)<br />
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Next up in the rotation was the Ziggurat ring, which went together very quickly and was incredibly easy to follow the directions for:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/ZigguratRing_zpsf9c3be31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/ZigguratRing_zpsf9c3be31.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Teal is definitely one of my favorite colors to work with, I wear it a LOT. In fact, my shirt is teal at this very moment. It is a wonderful color and the ring worked incredibly well and is comfortable to wear also!<br />
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I have just finished the next project in my list, Flower Power, but as I don't really like flowers all that much, (I'm not that type of girl) I chose washers from the hardware store instead of porcelain flowers:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FlowerPower_zpsf47ed8e3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FlowerPower_zpsf47ed8e3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So I've dubbed mine Metal Power instead.<br />
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Until next time, friends. :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-74135989906499324542013-02-08T16:32:00.002-08:002013-02-08T16:32:55.916-08:00A New Adventure!I've gotten a wonderful gift in the mail (ok, I bought it for myself!) Take a look:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/Books_zps1d369fc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/Books_zps1d369fc3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I almost immediately started working on Jill Wiseman's book Beautiful Beaded Ropes. I took a few minutes and looked through the pages to see which project jumped out at me. I started with a lariat necklace called French Quarter Lariat.<br />
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Here's the result:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FrenchQuarterLariat_zps455102c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FrenchQuarterLariat_zps455102c2.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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Next it was suggested by Jill herself that I work up a version of Butterfly Kisses:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/ButterflyKisses_zps84f88237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/ButterflyKisses_zps84f88237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then I couldn't help myself from doing Falling For You, as I had been thinking about it since I started the first project:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FallingForYou_zps48ea7ac6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FallingForYou_zps48ea7ac6.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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And then I whipped up a quick pair of earrings in the form of Figure Eight:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FigureEightearrings_zpsc873ee8e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Jill%20Wiseman%20-%20Beautiful%20Beaded%20Ropes/FigureEightearrings_zpsc873ee8e.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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That's where I'm at for now, but I'll do my best to keep you all updated on my progress. My goal is to work my way through the entire book before the Bead & Button show where I will be taking a class by Jill Wiseman!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-73014926196919841602013-01-06T12:57:00.002-08:002013-01-06T12:58:04.668-08:00The Tricky Terrain of CopyrightRecently I read an article in Bead & Button that opened my eyes. I would love a design from the magazine or another book or online, I would make that design and I would add it to my inventory of things to sell at craft shows. I really didn't think I was doing any harm by this. It's not like I was taking credit for the design, I would tell people where it came from.<br />
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But then I read an article in the new issue of Bead & Button (issue #113) and I guess I wasn't the only one to have a change of heart. (<a href="http://cs.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/BAJCS/blogs/beadandbutton/archive/2013/01/02/quot-love-hurts-quot-in-the-february-2013-issue.aspx">Check that out here</a>) I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry to all the designers I've inadvertently done this to. There's really no way for me to take back the pieces that are already gone or go back in time and not do this in the first place. However, I can make changes as of now and for the future. So that is the plan. I will no longer sell pieces that are designed by another person. The only work I will be selling is of my own design.<br />
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For me, this means a complete overhaul of what I have done and rethinking where I want my beading to go. I'm going to take this as a challenge to better my own beadwork and design strength to create an entirely new line of pieces. Here is what I've decided on. Geek Beads. I am a total nerd at heart and that is where I will let my heart go in my beadwork. Here's a couple examples of what I mean:<br />
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My favorite mythological creature (and future overlord) Cthulhu:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Geek%20Beads/BabyCthulhu_zps6e4e9d77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Geek%20Beads/BabyCthulhu_zps6e4e9d77.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Also on my radar is my favorite comic book character Batman:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Geek%20Beads/Batman_zps81e52f11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Geek%20Beads/Batman_zps81e52f11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And, although I am not as versed in this geekery as I will be someday soon, the Star Trek Commander's Pin:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Geek%20Beads/StarTrek_zpsbaefd786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Geek%20Beads/StarTrek_zpsbaefd786.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These designs are completely original to me. I have spent the time to design them in my head, on paper and then with beads. As for the rest of my collection/inventory that I am no longer selling? I've decided to start giving pieces away as gifts to my friends so I don't have to worry about any copyright issues.<br />
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Once again, I just want to say to all of the designers that I have done this to, I am sorry. I still love the beadwork you create and it will not stop me from making pieces for myself or a few family and friends as gifts, but I will no longer hurt your work by selling it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-87051455716766439332012-11-28T07:37:00.001-08:002012-11-28T07:37:13.828-08:00Mostly SettledWell, I have been absent for quite some time now due to moving into the new house. I will reward your patience with some pictures of the new place and some new beady treasures as soon as I charge my camera (So beady treasures will probably be tomorrow since I have to locate the charger first!) Hubby and I are now the proud owners of a bi-level 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house.<br />
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First up is the kitchen, since it is the most lived-in room in any house:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/Kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/Kitchen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then right next to the kitchen is the upstairs living room:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/Upstairslivingroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/Upstairslivingroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The master bedroom:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/MasterBedroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/MasterBedroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The downstairs living room bar area:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/DownstairsLivingRoom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/DownstairsLivingRoom1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The downstairs living room theater area:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/DownstairsLivingRoom2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/DownstairsLivingRoom2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The guest bedroom:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/GuestRoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/GuestRoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And last but not least, my own wonderful beading office:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/JennsOffice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Our%20House/JennsOffice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have not painted any of the rooms yet but that is my next step. I will have more beady goodness for you all soon, now that I am able to get back into my normal flow.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-47974774108920748272012-10-14T18:23:00.001-07:002012-10-14T18:23:31.924-07:00Long absence....my apologies!Hello again everyone! I have been absent far too long, I will do my best not to do this again. I have not been up to much jewelry lately, as hubby and I are moving and I have two craft shows, a concert and work to go to. As you can imagine, we've been perpetually busy. We close on our current house at the end of October and will close on the new house 2 weeks later. In the meantime, we will be staying with the in-laws who will also be housing almost all of our belongings. I will most likely not have too many updates between now and getting into the new house. Until then, my friends!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-83483963967190532282012-08-17T20:44:00.001-07:002012-08-17T20:44:56.908-07:00Ornaments Galore!Well I seem to be in the right mood to make an abundance of ornaments lately because here are a few more!<br />
A small silver and gold ornament: <br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/SmallSGOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/SmallSGOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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An extra large ornament containing white, silver and blue:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/ExtraLargeOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/ExtraLargeOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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A netted ornament using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Netted-Beadwork-How-To-Diane-Fitzgerald/dp/1931499152/ref=la_B000APEA5G_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1345261288&sr=1-7">Diane Fitzgerald</a>'s netted egg as the base:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/NettedWGOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/NettedWGOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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I've also gotten a couple of custom orders already as well! Here's one in jewel tones for Hubby's aunt:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/JewelToneOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/JewelToneOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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And one for one of my best friends, inspired by a peacock feather, to wear in her amazing dreads during the holidays!<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/PeacockOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/PeacockOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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TTFN Folks!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-6151295566113076422012-08-15T06:58:00.000-07:002012-08-15T06:58:39.397-07:00Xmastime? Really?!Well, no, but it IS time for me to get ready for my fall Christmas Craft Shows, so the ornaments have begun! Here is the first one I've done so far<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/WhiteOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/WhiteOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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And because I wasn't sure if I liked it all white or not, here is the same beaded section, but on a blue ornament:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/BlueOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/BlueOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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Then I decided to make a more Christmas-like one with more red & green in it:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/RedGreenOrnament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/RedGreenOrnament.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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And that's all I have for ornaments so far, but I realize I've neglected all of you so I felt you needed an update anyway! I will definitely post more of my Holiday items as I make them for all of you lovely people to see!<br />
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Til next time!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-6068641973482183642012-07-17T12:31:00.001-07:002012-07-17T12:32:17.526-07:00The Housing of BeadsHello friends! It's been awhile since I last posted and I apologize. Hubby and I finally have our house on the market so it's been a crazy few weeks! Here is a quick peek at our current cozy cottage, not enough space anymore, but perfect for a starter home or older couple!<br />
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And just for comparison, this is what it looked like when we moved in 6 years ago:<br />
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On to other things then, I've made a bit of jewelry lately but not nearly as much as I would have liked.<br />
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I had to tweak the pattern a touch to make it work without the right beads, but I finished a couple versions of <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/mikkiferrugiarodesigns">Mikki Ferrugiaro</a>'s pattern Pave ring:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/Honeycuberings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/Honeycuberings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then I did the spiral star of hers as well:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/SpiralStar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/SpiralStar.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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I was playing around with the pattern and was asked by a good friend of mine to make a small beaded piece for her hair, since she has dreads. This is what came out of that:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/DreadHairpiece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/DreadHairpiece.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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After that, I received a copy of Mikki's Honeycube pattern and couldn't wait for the beads I ordered to arrive!<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/HoneycubeSet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/HoneycubeSet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I whipped up a version of a new bracelet from Bead & Button:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/Reversible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/Reversible.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And finally, I was just playing around with Mikki's honeycube pattern to come up with these beaded beads that I put together:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Necklaces/OriginalDesignHoneycube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Necklaces/OriginalDesignHoneycube.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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I'm working on a few other things at the moment, but nothing is quite done yet so I'll have to leave you all in suspense for now!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-5913247601824819342012-07-03T10:59:00.003-07:002012-07-03T10:59:43.755-07:00Anime and BeadingThis past weekend I went to my first ever Anime Convention, AniMinneapolis. I love to dress up and truth be told, I am a giant geek. I had a great time and met some very cool people. I went with my best friend/sister Caroline and it was a blast. Here's a few pics from the weekend:<br />
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This is me meeting Inuyasha, my very first anime love.<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/AniMinneapolis%202012/SAM_0648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/AniMinneapolis%202012/SAM_0648.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was the Final Fantasy Photoshoot:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/AniMinneapolis%202012/SAM_0697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/AniMinneapolis%202012/SAM_0697.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A Crossplay (Meaning a girl dressed up as a male character or vice versa) Rurouni Kenshin, my favorite anime of all time:<br />
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We also met Captain America and Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy!<br />
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Now, I'm sure you're wondering, but where are all the beads? Well, there weren't any there, but I did look into getting a booth there next year, and doing marketed pieces toward anime! So I'll let you know what happens with that.<br />
As far as what I've been working on lately...<br />
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A new project from Beadwork:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/OrangeFireCrystals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/OrangeFireCrystals.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Two versions of Wicked Weave by Mikki Ferrugiaro (you can find more of her stuff <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/MikkiFerrugiaroDesigns">here )</a><br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/WickedWeave1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/WickedWeave1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/WickedWeave2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/WickedWeave2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I also got Mikki's Pineapple Lace pattern and had to try it out in my go-to colors:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/PineappleLace2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Bracelets/PineappleLace2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I also got Mikki's Dark Secret Key Pattern and immediately fell in love with it!<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/TealOrangeKeys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/TealOrangeKeys.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/WhiteKey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/WhiteKey.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/GreenKey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Other%20Stuff/GreenKey.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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I also made another of her Shuriken stars:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Necklaces/Shuriken2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Necklaces/Shuriken2.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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Also, I started this one awhile ago and finally got around to finishing it, Rachel Nelson-Smith's Fly Me To The Moon necklace:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Necklaces/FlyMeToTheMoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Jewelry/Necklaces/FlyMeToTheMoon.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
That's what I've got for now, until next time, everyone! Happy 4th of July!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-86790385225520364762012-06-11T08:02:00.002-07:002012-06-11T08:02:42.799-07:00Bead & Button Show 2012Well, I have made it home after a fun-filled week in Milwaukee! I got to meet some wonderful people like Sherry Serafini:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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and Melissa Grakowsky Shippee:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And I got to see Marcia DeCoster again!<br />
<span id="goog_1671595039"></span><span id="goog_1671595040"></span><br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's the view from the hotel room:<br />
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I went with my mom and we had dinner at the Calderone Club one evening, it was good food and a nice evening:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0327.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here are a couple of the amazing Bead Dreams Competition pieces, I tried to get the names in there for credit purposes but if any of them don't show and you know who made them, please let me know so I can add the names (I forgot to write them down!)<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0364.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The one I voted for (came in second!):<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0357.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The piece that won:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0362.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And the best in show piece:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0366.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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On the way home this weekend, mom and I went to a few antique stores as well:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0371.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And I found these for hubby!<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0379.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As for me, I took 2 classes, one from the fabulous Marcia, assisted by Liz, the Rising Sun. I was the only one who finished in class and she blogged about it <a href="http://maddesignsbeads.blogspot.com/2012/06/finished-in-class.html">here</a><br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0377.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My second class was with Melissa Grakowsky Shippee, Cosmic Connections:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0378.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also had some time one afternoon while Mom was in class so I worked on Mikki Ferrugiaro's design which you can get <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/MikkiFerrugiaroDesigns/4765789/TUTORIAL_Shuriken_Star_PendantBrooch_with_Focal_Clasped_Rope/Patterns/Jewelry/Pendants">here</a> and I finished it yesterday:<br />
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<a href="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/kittievr4/Bead%20and%20Button%202012/SAM_0374.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Phew, I tried to take pictures, but it all gets so crazy trying to get everything you can in, Hopefully I'll remember to take more next year!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-45069283304305908432012-06-05T06:57:00.000-07:002012-06-05T06:57:35.784-07:00Off to MilwaukeeWell, I'm off to the Bead & Button Show! Tomorrow technically, but I'm driving halfway there today to meet up with my mother and from there we are heading the rest of the way tomorrow. I feel like I'm late to the party with all the status updates and blogs and pictures I've already been seeing! It will be my birthday this week as well, and I am going to have the best birthday this year. I get to take a Marcia DeCoster class ON my birthday and be in Milwaukee all week! So until then friends, Adieu!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-66748197635273343142012-05-26T06:41:00.002-07:002012-05-26T06:41:37.992-07:00Slow ProgressWell I've left you all hanging again! I've been so busy with house projects lately that I've had almost no time for beading. Here are a few of the things I've done. Some of them are a little older but I hadn't posted them here yet. First up are some fun beaded beads:<br />
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They were pretty easy to make up and can be done in a large variety of colors! Then I threw together some earrings:<br />
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I love the structure these have! Next, I threw together quite a few different bracelets. I was trying to branch out and try new colors:<br />
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You can see how well that turned out. I gravitate towards black and silver for almost everything. It makes for a great go-to because I know I've always got those colors on hand and because the finished product can usually go with whatever I'm wearing. Then I tried my first project out of Sabine Lippert's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sabine-Lipperts-Beaded-Fantasies-Beadweaving/dp/145470246X">Beaded Fantasies</a>:<br />
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Then I got my pattern for Mikki Ferrugiaro's Dark Shadow pendant:<br />
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Aren't they fun? The bracelet flows so nicely when it's worn and then pendant is just too cool to not want to make a zillion of them. You can find Mikki's stuff <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/mikkiferrugiarodesigns">here</a>. Finally, I decided to just play with beads yesterday and found an old button that is rather large. I figured it would make a cool pendant, so here it is:<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-20342404614537590492012-05-09T20:11:00.002-07:002012-05-09T20:11:31.880-07:00Wedding project!I've been working on a custom order for one of my hubby's cousins, she's getting married and asked me to make the bridal party some jewelry! So stoked! The bridesmaids and the flower girls are all in my hopefully capable hands! Here are some previews, bridesmaids are finished up, just need the sign-off from the bride herself, then onto the flower girls<br />
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The purple came out darker than expected in the picture, but it's much lighter in person and has already been matched to the outfits.<br />
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I'm off to the cities to visit with my mom for mother's day this weekend, and I'll be taking her and her bestie to see Dark Shadows on Friday along with some plant shopping both Friday and Saturday. Until then, friends.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-33572011932888445462012-05-02T10:52:00.002-07:002012-05-02T10:52:58.695-07:00Unintentional HiatusI promise I haven't forgotten you! I feel like I've been gone for ages from the blog world. I've been stuck in reality working on house projects lately, painting the basement, fixing up the gardens, mudding doorways, and of course all the usual stuff like laundry and dishes.<br />
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I was out of town this past weekend for a short getaway with the hubby and some friends to Minneapolis/St. Paul, we went to a Reptile Expo, which is super interesting, there was everything from snakes, to lizards, to alligators, to cockroaches, to toads. It was quite the experience, we came home with a new addition to our scaley family in the form of a baby kingsnake. Super calm, she's been a doll so far. After the expo, we were off to the State Capitol for a tour and then on to the Mall of America. Then we headed back and my best friend from high school came up to visit and we did a few tourist things up here in the Fargo area. We hit up the Fargo Air Museum and the Hjemkomst Heritage Center. All in all, it was a pretty darn good weekend.<br />
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I know I've left you all hanging as far as pictures are concerned, so I will try to throw in a few today from my trip since I haven't had much time for beadwork lately. But now that I'm home, hopefully that will change at least a little.<br />
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The new snake (+Hubby)<br />
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Everyone (but me - someone had to take the picture!) on the steps of the State Capitol:<br />
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Hubby & Best friend with Woody at Legoland:<br />
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Obligatory posing like the statue pictures:<br />
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And that will have to do until I have some time to make some new beady things!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-36818439258711859522012-04-11T08:14:00.000-07:002012-04-11T08:14:17.382-07:00What a busy weekI've been getting ready for a craft show this weekend in Minot, ND over the past couple weeks. Making sure I've got all of my displays and tables and parts for setup, not to mention trying to gauge how much inventory will be needed. I promise to update you all with pictures of new projects and of the craft show once I'm home next week though. Unfortunately I still have some errands to run and packing to do so I can't stay here for too long and thus, you're stuck with a shorter than usual post with *gasp* no pictures! But not to worry, there will be plenty of pictures next week. Until then, my friends!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-36041043346094627722012-03-28T11:07:00.000-07:002012-03-28T11:07:22.658-07:00Worth the WorkI have been holding off a bit on writing a new blog post until Marcia had a chance to get all the pieces by mail and take some photos. I am privileged enough to have my very own <a href="http://maddesignsbeads.blogspot.com/2012/03/beaded-opulence.html">blog post</a> written about me over on her blog. To me, this feels like making it big time. Marcia has been one of my beading idols for quite awhile now and I use her book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marcia-DeCosters-Beaded-Opulence-Beadweaving/dp/1600592929">Beaded Opulence</a> almost like a bible. She's quite the bead world rock star, so for me to enter her scope in any way, is amazing. I will post new pieces soon, for now, go read her blog!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933687140373340487.post-86496181111808289412012-03-16T06:36:00.000-07:002012-03-16T06:36:15.694-07:00Light at the end of the tunnel!Without further ado, the last few projects in Marcia's book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marcia-DeCosters-Beaded-Opulence-Beadweaving/dp/1600592929">Beaded Opulence</a><br />
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Amphora was great fun to make, I love how it took shape as the layers were added, and it has so many color possibilities! Even though I didn't have the chain the directions called for, I think I made it work out okay:<br />
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Then I worked on Deco and let me tell you, I used up quite a few beads on the rope portion for this one. However, I've gotten so many compliments on it already, I can't really complain:<br />
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Quetzal I will admit I had a great time with, as you can tell since I made a bunch! So many possibilities, and so easy to customize to the right size, I even made a miniature version so the base wasn't as big!<br />
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And lastly, Serena, which I left for last not only because it IS the last project in the book, but because it didn't immediately jump out at me as a project I just HAD to make. Once I did this one though, I can tell you I'll definitely make a couple more, seeing it built from the bottom up made me really fall in love with it!<br />
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I will be sending Marcia all of these pieces so she can see them in person (she promised to send them back as quick as she can!) and so she can take some better photos of them, since I can only do so much with what I have. This journey was so much fun, and I highly recommend this book, especially if you're learning RAW (right angle weave) as it shows a lot of different ways to utilize it. Thanks so much to Marcia, for her suggestions and care packages while I completed my projects!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12465573704720829844noreply@blogger.com2