beadin in bed

Sunday night I picked up some of the beads I bought on Saturday and tried something new. I’ve been wanting to try to make one of Shelley’s bangles for a while now, and her new one in the February Bead and Button looked simple enough for me. I’d never really worked in right angle weave so it was a learning experience. At first I had a hard time figuring it out, but once I was able to see the tiny diamonds I was forming it became easier. And then I actually got better at it. My stitches were tighter and I was really having fun. Last night I picked the bangle back up and finished while laying in bed. I’d forgotten how good it feels to accomplish a piece in a short amount of time. I could probably make another in an evening now that I don’t have to figure everything out.

It was also nice to try something new, and be successful! The bangle has a wonderful feel to it, more solid than I thought and with a really wonderful weight. The base beads are nickel, so the metal definitely helps with structure and the weight, then I embellished with swarovski crystals and grey glass beads. I’m not a very blingy jewelry person so I mixed up the swarovskis with the glass and it’s just perfect for me.
Now that I feel more comfortable with the RAW I have an idea for a combo of RAW and wire bangle. I probably won’t work on it until next time I get together with Mom. That’s when I tend to do more jewelry work, and I’d have to “borrow” some beads from her stash. =0) haha I guess I don’t have enough beads to keep me busy, I have plans for hers!
Tonight I will either work on another bangle or play with some flowers. We’ll see what my mood brings.

class, laziness, busy again

Saturday’s class was a great learning experience.  I met 3 new beading ladies and I think they enjoyed learning this new technique.  I know I learned a lot, in how to teach, what to teach, and how much I like teaching.  I did enjoy it, and as I left Shelley mentioned possibly doing it again in a couple months.  That really makes sense because I think the classes would do better two or three times a year as opposed to monthly.  And I don’t want to become a full time teacher.  It’s nice to meet new people, and always fun to spend a day hanging out at a bead store, but I love making the intricate flowers.  Right now teaching is not my full time goal.  Good to know I can handle it though.
For the rest of the weekend I was lazy.  Everyone at my house was lazy.  I played video games with my brother who came up for the weekend.  And watched bad sci fi movies with Chris.  On Sunday night I finally did pick up some beads and played around with a pattern I’d been wanting to try.  It’s weird right now though.  I have a sorta clean slate.  I’m aching to bead again, to play with colors and make up some new flowers.  I kinda enjoyed the pattern last night and came up with an idea for something that could be really cool.  I should do it now while the idea is hot…but I think it would something fun to do with mom.  I finally have some time to play with the PMC that I got last month.  And maybe some wire work with the torch soon too.  I can only do all this during the week, because Chris and I have dedicated this long weekend to housework.  We haven’t done much to the house in a while, so we have a list that is probably too long to get done.  But we’re going to start on it this weekend.  I’m excited for that as well.  Lots to do, lots to do…good thing I’m looking forward to all of it.

Final Frost

Between two majestic mountains surrounded by their brother mountains for miles lies a glacier. Deep in a crevice on this glacier grows a small cluster of flowers up out of the ice. Sparse green leaves are the only color coming from these plants. Their blooms are various shades of grey and white. Some of their petals drip as begin to melt toward the end of this final frost.

I had two main inspirations for this piece. The first was Barbara Grainger‘s Willow Winter. I loved that she could create so much depth and detail using just one color, and a color as blank as white. My other inspiration was the up coming winter in the Midwest. Although white is often considered the winter color, grey is much more predominant during our winter months. The sky is grey with clouds, the roads grey from dried salt, fields a frozen brownish grey, sidewalks a blueish grey. Everything is muted and dulled with grey, which can be a source for the winter blues. My goal was to see if I could use this color that can depress so many and use it to make some beautiful flowers.

I decided not to make the bouquet very full. They grow out of ice from the glaciers, they aren’t going to be green and lush. They were meant to me petite and hopefully somewhat elegant. The complete piece stands 12 inches tall, and with the icicles about 9 inches wide.

home page

What’s that page you went to when you clicked the link to get here??? That’s my new home page! I now feel like an official web page and not just a really fancy blog. I have an announcement box that I will fill with exciting information as it comes in. I’ve also done some rewording of the About page, and am currently working in the Gallery. We did some organization of all the different bouquets and I’m about half way done with uploading new pictures of everything. It’s definitely a process, and a process that I hope to finish by the end of the weekend.

Oceanic 6?

I saw a commericial this week talking about the Oceanic 6…the 6 surviors that get off the island and become famous. I could have sworn the commercial said they’d get off this week!  Seems a bit early but anything is possible in this show.  We know Jack, Kate, and Hurley get off…so who are the other 3?  any guesses?  I’m thinking Ben b/c for some reason I think he was the guy in the casket.  The other two I’m torn about.  Also I’ve been told that when Hurley looked into Jacob’s cabin it was Jack/Claire’s father he saw.  My eyes weren’t that fast, but I’ve heard its true.  Tonights episode is going to fly by, I can feel it b/c I’m already anxious for next weeks!

what are you doing this weekend?

So far this week has been filled with more crazy weather. Yesterday was dense fog all day long, it was like living in a video game. The high was around 50 so all that snow we got is mostly gone. Today the fog isn’t as bad, and the temps are lower and dropping. It’s supposed to rain, sleet, and then snow some more this week. And then by the weekend get warm again. Right now the prediction is sun on Saturday which after a week like this will put anyone in the mood for spring! And where there is spring there are flowers, and if you go to the Bead Parlor this Saturday the 9th I’ll be teaching a class on how to make these sunny, cheery, bright flowers that will bring spring back in any room. haha, some sales pitch huh!

Really though I will be at the Bead Parlor in Bloomington this weekend teaching this class. Call this week and sign up! Also good to know, Shelley is having a major bead sale, so all the more reason to stop in.

Spring is definitely starting to creep it’s way into my thoughts. I’ve been staying very busy and really haven’t noticed the winter blues, but knowing IL weather in Feb, we could still have a lot more winter to go. That doesn’t stop big plans for yard work from creeping in. I enjoy gardening and working in the yard almost as much as beading flowers. We have some pretty big landscaping plans we’ve been talking about all winter. And after my trip home this weekend I’ve been really thinking about the veggie garden. Last year wasn’t very successful, but I really wasn’t as into it as I should have been. This year I’m working on a plan. I’m thinking lots of different veggies…but keeping the tomatoes, peppers, possibly onions/garlic, near the house. And putting the squashes out in back in the real garden. They need lots of room anyway. These plans along with the house plans that are starting to creep in, plus all my bead goals this year…I’m bordering on overloaded. BUT thats ok right now. I know something will probably fall thru the cracks, but I’m going to try the balancing act and see how long I can keep it all going.

freaky weather

Today is the weirdest, freakiest weather I have ever encountered.  We got home from Chicago around 430 and were unloading the car and discussing whether we were hearing thunder or trucks on the road.  5 minutes later we look outside and it had started to snow.  10 minutes later we leave to go to a Super Bowl party and its snowing very hard, the roads are already covered.  We get down the road and its starts lightening out and booming thunder.  We call the party to see how the weather is there (its kinda out in the boonies…not good roads to get stuck on).  We go farther down the road hoping it’ll get better…more lighting, some sliding, thunder, more thunder, and we can’t see the car in front of us.  We turn around and drive home.  We were only what would normally take 5 minutes away, it took us over 10 min to get home from there.  No more than 15mph, crawling, and still can’t see a thing.  It’s now an hour later, we’re home with the game on, cable is going in and out, there’s at least 2 inches more on the ground and its just slowing down.
It has been a weekend of snowy weather.  Friday we got 8-10 inches of snow, enough to call off work.  It was wonderful, like a trip back in time to when I was a kid watchin the news for school closings.  We still had to wait until mid day to leave for Chicago to give them time to get the roads cleaned up.  I spent the time working on pictures for the website.  Tonight I’m going to download my camera and see how they turned out.  The weekend itself was fun and went by in a blur.  We got to see some friends that we don’t see very often.  It was nice to catch up and see whats new.  Also saw both families which is always fun.  Now we’re home and that’s a great feeling…despite some weird freaky weather.

Lost returns

Yes I admit it…I’m a big fan of Lost and I’m super excited that tonight is the first night in over 6 months that it will be on TV. Although it will not be the full effect watching it by myself, I will very much miss the wine and M and mine’s quick predictions of what will happen next during commercial breaks. But I’ll take what I can get and tonight is last season’s season finale. A two hour event on ABC, I think it starts at 7 central time. I’ve been trying to remember all the cliff hangers…is Kate preggers? will they kill off Juliet? how about Jin..I believe he got caught drinkin and driving and the writers have a record of killing off the characters of actors that get in trouble with the law. what else… I know there’s lots…something to do with Jacob..is he real? or an alter ego of the creepy Ben. What’s the deal with Locke? I dislike him by the way. And I’m a big Sawyer fan!

So tonight while I watch Lost and remember the rest of the cliff hangers I’ve left out, I will also be working on some beadwork. Maybe lacing some leaves…perhaps wrapping some wire…and possibly thinking about fishies. Last night while hiding from the cold and wind I finished the winter bouquet. I need to take pics…not sure when that’ll happen b/c Lost is on and then Friday we’re headin up to Chicago. Could be next week.

And now I leave you with the nerdiness of scientists. enjoy and yes that is a “who’s your daddy” line. 

tug o’ war

This was a weekend of tug o war and not only with Orion. Although that was my favorite battle. Photography…I’m getting there. I made a photo tent and put lights on either side and snapped over 170 photos. Some turned out ok…I’m still trying to decide if they’ll work. With the tent I was able to get a smooth background so that you can’t see the folds in the fabric. I was also experimenting with a textured background. It was harder to photograph but I think the pics turned out better. FYI kitty’s and photo tents don’t mix well. It’s like a small child…at first it was a fort to nap in and then it was a fort to demolish.
I did get somewhere with my winter bouquet. I’m working on a real name for it. All the flowers are assembled and I’ve even found what I’m going to plant it in. Right now I’m working on the arrangement of flowers and that will determine if I have enough leaves. Pics of that will be coming fairly soon…perhaps next week.
I am trying to be patient and wait for the right idea to come to me so that I can finish my other large project. I’m having probs with the patience part. I want to work on it, finish it, so that I can start on a couple other projects floating around in my head.

the blurry line

LB wrote a post today about a topic I’ve been thinking about lately.  She’s just now voicing the identity crisis that I’ve been having in my noodle for ages now.  Am I an artist?  Typically art is considered a drawing, painting, or sculpture…I’ll give you that.  In my personal definition I’d go farther than that.  I’ve seen some amazing collages I’d call art.  My aunt is a is creates amazing basketry that can’t be anything other than art.  I’d consider much of the metal work I’ve been oogling over lately to most definitely be art.  And I would and have always considered LB’s pieces to always be art.  And just recently I’d put my own debate behind me, it will always be there, but I’m wasn’t listening for a while.  That’s when I started making progress…making decisions about what to do with all the flowers that are spewing out of me. 

And then I went to Borders book store last weekend.  I was browsing the new magazines looking at some recipe mags and then making my way to the new bead mags.  The bead mags at Borders are under the “crafts” section, not a big surprise that is usually where they are found.  I’d been griping recently that they don’t carry the “Art Jewelry” mag or some of the lapidary mags I’d been interested in.  Well last weekend I went to the other side of the magazine racks to browse that area..mostly men’s mags about cars and women.  But I did find an “Art” section and in it I found photography, sculpture, weaving magazines.  And then there it was “Art Jewelry” as well as a couple of other metal magazines.  Some of these other metal mags were just as step by step walking you through projects as any bead mag.  So who decides that metal jewelry is art where bead jewelry is craft.  I know I don’t make jewelry but technically my stuff fits more into beadwork than metal work…so are my flowers craft?  I work really hard at them…I create them from nothing, I don’t use patterns, and a most of the time my stuff almost makes itself.

I know this is a debate that is one of those where the line is so blurry there will never be a clear answer.  It is also a debate that will never completely leave my head.  But my husband just told me something that makes the most sense right now….“It’s up to you to decide what it is…art or what you want it to be.”  He’s right…it shouldn’t matter to anyone but the person who created it.  And that’s what could in the end make it art.