Better late than never right?

Six, Seven, and Eight, respectively

I made number 6 on the way from Tennessee to my home near Pittsburgh. 

I used clear Tilas, magatamas, 11/0s, and some dagger beads over this super deep purple semi-matte ornament. 

 The pattern was loosely based on a project in Beadwork involving Tilas, but I didn't have the magazine accessible in the truck, so I went by memory.  This one is for the husbeast, whose favorite color.


Number seven was made while I was at home.  This one will eventually make its way to my parents-in-law.  I used some beautiful deer antler buttons that I found at the Powder Horn Trading Company in Kalispell, Montana. 

I also used peachy-ish colored pearls that I found there.  The idea with the buttons came from Bead and Button (I think...) there was a pattern using vintage shank buttons.  I altered the 2-hole style of the buttons with a bit of wire to work the pattern.  I covered the wire with a few 11/0s.

I used 4mm pearls and 6mm pearls, buttons, 11/0s in dark matte brown, silver-lined blue 11/0s, transparent blue 8/0s (in place of the 3mm beads)

I made number 8 on the way back from Pittsburgh.  It happened after a failed herringbone attempt at a rivoli bezel, then a failed netted bezel, and a failed peyote bezel.  I don't know what was going on, so I gave up and did other things with different beads.  I seem to have forgotten to take photos of number 8.  Crap.  Well next time, I'll tell you all about it :)

Then I got sidetracked when I got home and startd back on the Hallowe'en quilt.

5 and a bag

I have been beading in my free moments.  I really really have...
I started working on an ornament using Laura McCabe's Eiffel Tower Ring pattern from Beading Across America but, when she says size 15 Czech Charlottes, I think she means it.  Now I have  weird purple thingie sitting on my bead tray.  It kinda looks like one of those little tables that comes in a pizza box.  I didn't get to the add the rivoli part. I gave up.  Poor little guy.

I did finish another ornament.  I'm calling it Creamsicle.  It has lots of silver lined orange Delicas and pearls. 

The focals are beads from Hobby Lobby.  I like it.

I also finished my medicine bag for my father in law.  I decided, afte seeing a magpie for the first time over Thanksgiving, that a magpie would be a most fitting creature to represent me.  They are smart, they like shiny stuff, and they hoard things.  Me to a tee. :)

He is black, white, and iridescent blue/black Delicas and Treasures and 15/0s in black and white, beaded on felt, on leather, with an elk ivory, obviously .

Ding Ding Round 1!

Ornament time is upon us. Damn near passed us by! EEK!

Here are numbers 2, 3, and 4.

What happened to #1? (remember the flamingos?)

Anywho, the second ornament of the year features a black shatterproof ball, beaded over with rainbow sherbert colors. (11/0sin magenta, orange, and electric slime green)

It is simple netting but the progression of colors does really cool stuff, dunnit Ern?

Looks even cooler spinning around in circles :)

Number 3 s a gift for two of our closest friends. They made mention that they have never received an ornament, so I asked their Christmas colors, and they replied magenta and turqouise, but its a dusty magenta and a blue-y turquoise. I think my colors are a bit vibrant, but I am pleased anyway.

It features magenta 11/0s turquoise 11/0s, turquoise fire polished beads, turquoise acrylic flowers and magenta drop beads.

Finally is number 4. I am all about rivolis and ornaments now. This one has blue rivolis with a peacock finish, small blue-green rounds, and gold 15/0s.

I like it even if the cover is too loose in one place and too loose in another. I think I'll call it blue jean.

Two more medicine bags!

Only have time for a quickie today, I wish I had more time!!!! but I don't, but you'll all be pleased to know that next week starts Ornament Time! Pretty stoked about that :) That just might mean regular posts for a few weeks!

Ok, remember last time we met, I was working on medicine bags for my father-in-law? Well, I've finished 2 more, for the brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

BIL's bag depicts a little darks brown bear under the moonlight and the Big Dipper. He is pretty dark, but it's night, and he is a bear. you shouldn't be able to see him :) He is done with Delicas, and Czech 11/0s, with an elk ivory and a cougar claw, beaded on felt and attached to the leather pouch.



SIL's is playing double duty as my OTTBS entry. It is another elk ivory (which I have figured out how to polish, and is super shiney) it uses a few shades of green Delicas, a few shades of red, a little gray ad a touch of copper, and some red 15/0s. Her favorite flow is called indian paintbrush.


Do you think I did the inspiration justice?

So I'm really not very good at destashing...

Oops...

But I made some stuff with the beads! Not as many out as in, but still, progress is progress right?

It all started with a commission of sorts, by my inlaws.

The husbeast's dad had a handful of elk ivory. Apparently you can make some pretty sweet jewelry with elk ivory. The ivory came to him through hunters, and at least one road kill. (Road kill jewelry...a first here at Spyder Jewels) :) Anyway...he also has some cougar claws. Said cougar was stalking him and my mother-in-law as they were walking their fence line. And as opposed to being eaten by the cougar that was stalking him, he removed the threat to him, his family, and their livestock. He disposed of the body in the wild, as per state requiree. A few weeks later, after nature had taken its course, he went back and harvested the claws. With the ivory and the claws, he asked me to bead some medicine bags for him, my mother-in-law, and their 3 kids(and me) I got to work on my mother-in-law's first.





Her favorite color is blue, and she likes sunflowers, so I beaded a sunflower. I wanted to add contrast to the in-between petals, but didn't have the right shade of yellow/gold/orange, so to the bead store I went. The bead store didn't have the right color either, after I had picked a few colors and ther objects... Oh well. I'm still pretty happy with how it turned out. The claw is also removable so she can wear it by itself if the mood should strike.

My father-in-law's bag was the next one I completed. I was sitting around beading an ornament when my husbeast informed me that dad-and-mom-in-law had almost been eaten (again) by another cougar. This seems to be a pretty regular occurrence for them...it concerns me.


But, it seemed fitting to put a cougar on his bag. I'm not wild about the darkest brown, but he really likes it, so I'm happy with it.

Husbeast's sister asked me to make some barrettes for one niece and some hemp necklaces for other niece. I didn't have the right beads for barette danglies, nor any accent beads in the right colors for hemping.


Cue another bead store trip...oops

I needed a break between medicine bags, so I made an ornament



.This one is for my best friend's mom. She is a survivor, and I thought this pattern was the perfect accent for ribbons. I'm sure someone can make a correlation between pink flamingos and cancer, but not me, at least not today.



I know she'll like it, and that also makes me happy. I did have to make a bead run for the charms. (and more beads just 'cause)


But I made a necklace out of some of them and have all sorts of plans for some more of them.



Not all of them obviously. I'm haven't gone weird or anything:)

Someone please let me know if the pictures appear? Thanks!

Testing?

Grrrrr...This is so friggin irritating. I have been trying to upload photos and write about stuff I have finished and effing blogger keeps going crazy when I try to upload anything. Is anyone else having this issue? I am using the new "improved" blogger user interface if it makes a difference. Seriously, apart from reading 2 more books, I have finished 2 beaded medicine bags, an ornament, a couple barrettes, and some hemp stuff... confounded Blogger...

Janet Evanovich is stealing my summer!

You heard it right folks. Since we last met over a lovely bonfire, I have made precisely 2 beaded objects. One simple hemp necklace, and half a barrette for my niece. That's it. Really.

I have played around with a few things, but nothing I liked enough to bring to fruition.

I have, instead, read 12 of the 17 Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. They are a fun read, but I have this problem with books. I can't just set them down and pick them up again later. I pick one up and I have to finish it. Some people won't go to bed mad, I won't go to bed with a half finished book...I fully blame my mother for this interruption. She left Fearless Fourteen laying around in her bathroom where anyone could pick it up.

Also, I've been spending 12-14 hours a day, 6 days a week with these guys


To give you an idea of size, my head doesn't come up to the top of the tracks on these rigs.

Well, gotta get back to them. Happy beading everyone!

Bonfire Pattern

I made a real life colored pencil and graph paper pattern that I used for my cuff, basically so I could change it as needed, but here is a jpg version for anyone interested. (If someone can tell me how to post a PDF on here, that would be swell...)



I only ask that you do not mass produce the pattern or the cuff. Also don't teach it for profit or pass it off as your own design.

Have fun!

Tackling it!

I am tackling my bead stash!

As a new follower of Tackle That Bead Stash, I decided to tackle their July moodboard theme.

In my last post, I wrote about those ohmygodsandoverlords gorgeous friendship bracelets? Remember? And I wrote that I had never finished one? Because they take too long? You remember all that? You're awesome :)

Anyway.

I drew heavy inspiration from those bracelets (which are a teenage mutant ninja mutant version of a fairly simple xoxo pattern) and then ran to my bead stash and picked colors.

I then sat down to bead, you know because that's so much quicker than tying a knot :)

And out popped this.




It didn't pop, more of a very slow oozing.



I have used Delicas in Black, matte transparent dark grey, matte transparent light grey, silverlined ruby red, silverlined orange-y red, silverlined orange that is slightly greasy-not quite glossy, not quite matte, and silverlined gold.



The clasp is a gold bar clasp, held on by Swarovski and Thunderpolish crystals in shades of orange, red, grey and black.

All beads, findings, thread, needles, etc were from my stash!

This one blazes up like fire when the light hits it.

I hearts it lots.

Resolution!

I think I may be on the way to keeping some resolutions

I studied and passed my PE exam!

I'm doing pretty well with the nose booping!

I'm not doing very well with the de-stashing, but since I've joined Operation Tackle That Bead Stash, I think I might see change on the horizon!

and two of my in-progress quilts are finished! My mom finished quilting the star quilt that I pieced-There are pics of the top here-I have photos of the quilt proper somewhere, but not here :(

Also, I pieced and quilted this one in quarters, but when it came to connecting the pieces, I gave up. I tried and tried and they just looked sloppy-so the obvious thing to do was...MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooom! Can you fix this? And she did. And it's perfect :)



I reckon after a washing, alot of the puckering will go away, but I'm so happy and I truly hope my bestest friend will like it. She likes Scooby Doo and the color pink, so she SHOULD.


Anyway, thats two finished out of five, so now I can start eleventy-three more? Right?

Also, I'm not getting any taller...

Knots and braids

While the in-laws were in town, I did very little in the ways of beading.

However, Monday rolled around and I couldn't stand it anymore. I didn't want to lug out the bead tray and do something fancy, I just needed to do something mindless.

I didn't have the disk set up for any Kumihimo, so I went to something else I can do, but pay very little attention to.

Macramé.

I inadvertantly cranked out 4 pieces on Monday. (Plus one on the ride to Chattanooga that I gave to my niece)

I made a choker with 4mm or 6mm hematite cubies


We have a lacy choker. I like the beads, but I'm not wild about the placement.


With the leftovers of the above, I made a bracelet. I used little porcelain(?) tubes with Asain motifs as accents.

I know I've had these forever because I remember making bracelets between classes with them in my second year of college (Circa 2002)

And finally, I wanted to do something with bright colors, and explore bead placement on the knotters. I think I accomplished that.



There is something very...off about my knotting here. I think a large part of that is this ball of hemp. The cord itself is very uneven and swallows the knotwork. Which is good if it breaks in more quickly, but bad if you have done fancy knotwork.

I'm also out of practice. You can tell that by the unevenness of my spacing.

I went looking for knotty blogs after this wave of macramé hit, and I stumbled across Neico's Knots via her etsy shop. Tell me that isn't some gorgeous macramé.

I also found this etsy shop belonging to KnottyVal Is this bracelet not gorgeous????

I don't have the patience for that kind of work. (and yet I'll spend 10-12 hours on a beaded thing and think nothing of it) I used to make friendship bracelets when I was young, and they always took FOREVER. Now I'm tempted to go buy a pack of floss to make a big one, so I can get 3 rows into it and eventually retire it to the GIANT BAG OF EMBROIDERY FLOSS...OF DOOOOOOOOM when I get home. I guess if I'm still interested when I get back to Pittsburgh(where the giant bag o embroidery floss...of doooom lives, I could try it then) Nah, I'll just drool over this one.

Finally, I put ends on a kumihimo rope I did. I had intended this to be the rope for a bead-embroidered MTG cab, but I don't like it. The color fade isn't right.

And the two sides don't mesh well.

Individually, they are pretty, but together...

I absolutely hate it as a necklace.


But as a bracelet, it's not that bad...This last photo is the most accurate in terms of color-the dark side is very blue-y and the light side is very minty.

Potter Wands

Hole Lee Crap.




DIY Harry Potter wands...

These are from dadcando

This has nothing to do with beading or quilting or anything else my blog involves, but seriously, its a friggin Harry Potter Wand.

Roller Coaster...of love (Say what?)

I just had the BEST weekend ever :)

My inlaws flew in from Metline Falls, WA and stayed from Wednesday through this morning. (Would that all weekends were 5 days eh?)

We did so much and had so much fun together, including a squirt gun fight, a trip to Dollywood, a trip to the Chattanooga Aquarium, a trip to the International Towing Museum (who knew that even existed??), fireworks, flea markets, movies, cake, ice cream, and a Hoarders marathon.

We went to Dollywood on Friday, fully expecting ridiculous lines, but it was like the park opened just for us(The Mystery Mine was AWESOME!). IN-SANE. No lines. Well, one line, but 15 minutes? Puh-lease-I've been to Cedar Point, I've been in my share of 3 hour lines, so that hardly even counts...(And love the Blue Streak! And the Millenium Force! And really love the Magnum!)

I guess everyone was going on Saturday though, because we tried going to check out some stuff in Gatlinburg on Saturday, and the traffic was backed up from there all the way onto I-40. (Thats like 16 miles-google it) Needless to say, we gave up after 45 minutes and went to a movie instead.

Apparently here in Tennessee, there aren't any restrictions on the types of fireworks average Joe Consumer can buy. This made the husbeast WAAAAAAAY too happy. He bought all sorts of explosives. And of all the things that could have taken off fingers, toes, etc, I suffered a second degree burn, lighting a sparkler. A sparkler. Sparkler.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

Only hurt for one night though. It's ugly, but doesn't hurt now, that's a good thing. And there is no nerve damage, because I can still feel with it. And its on my right hard, so that's good.

Also, check out the little museums around you. They offer a glimpse into things you never knew should be immortalized. Example, the towing industry has a wall of fame for outstanding towing persons. They also have a display honoring their fallen. You never think of things like how dangerous ther work is until you see the list. Stop and honestly thank them sometime, and not just for unlocking your car. :)

Well that's all for now





What do you mean I forgot something?





Like an announcement of some sort?





Oh yeah...that...

First, on Moonrise closing-while I am a sad thay are closing, it was for a good reason. She didn't really go out of business because of the economy, she wanted to retire, and play with beads for her, without the stress of running a business. I am happy for her, and hope that she has a wonderful stress-free retirement. And if I wasn't putting myself on a bead diet, you can bet your eye-teeth I'd be out scouting new shops next weekend...I'm a hoarder. MY hoard is just made of tiny delightful blobs of glass...Sigh :) So shiny...

I counted up all the entries (1 for an "I'm in!", 1 for a repost, and one for a rollercoaster) Since I didn't set any limits on number of entries, they all count. I came up with 66 entries.

I popped over to random.org, and entered in all the info...

And out popped numbers 13 and 38, which, according to my calculations, are, Pine Ridge Treasures and Lisa Criswell/Indigo's Beads!

I will be sending out an email today. If you would kindly supply me, via return email, with your shipping address, I will get your packages in the mail this week!

Thanks so much to everybody for entering. Logging in this morning and seeing 55 comments really blew my mind and made me so happy. I truly, truly thank you :,)

Sharing the Love!!

So my local bead store owner is retiring, and closing her store forever this Saturday.

This means KILLER deals

I just bought $800ish worth of beady goodness for $250. (This is my early birthday present to me :) )

And, because I now have a bumper crop of beads, I'm sharing.

I will be giving away $50-$75(retail) of seed beads and other goodies.
Edit-I lied, I'm sorry...thats each...not total...


And here s the prize. In each set (I've tried to make them as equal as possible) there are Delicas, Delica 10/0 hexes, 15/0 Miyukis, Tilas, Drops, bugles, 11/0 Miyukis, 4mm cubes, 8/0s, Swarovski 6mm cubes, and Swarovski 4mm bicones (or rounds). Each set is a nice mix of staple colors and jewel tones. One IS a little warmer than the other, but I don't think that is a problem. :)

To enter, all you have to do is post a comment down below with an email address. Then, I will pick 2 names from said entrants, and split the prize between them.

I will do the drawing on Tuesday July 5th, so you have until then to enter.

Bonus entries:

-Mention this giveaway elsewhere, and link to the mention in the comments.
(more to come :) )
-Tell me about your favorite rollercoaster, or other amusement park attraction (mine is the Exterminator at Kennywood

Good luck and happy beading!!!

Is there a ghost?

So last night I finished beading this necklace. The pendant is a pattern from the Bead Pattern Book, It is called Okno bu Mu. (Also giant thanks to Kristen for posting about that site a while ago!!!)


I used black 13/0 Czech charlottes, delicas, and galvanized pink seed beads originally from Hobby Lobby(?). Perhaps my skin is acidic or something, but the finish started coming off on my hands, which irritated me until I remembered that I have a box of nitrile gloves. Score one for working in hazardous waste! Stopped the problem right there. I also used wine colored 4mm Swarovski crystals and size 8/0 glow in the dark beads in place of 3mm crystals. I HAD to do something to break up the pink and black.


The rope is a kumihimo braided thing, with 8/0s in silverlined fuschia, 8/0 black, 3mm drops in pink lined pink and black, galvanized pink 11/0s and black 11/0s.



It is amazing to me how quick Kumihimo is. Truly, it is astounding. I got some of those snap shut bobbins, 10 minutes with the bead spinner, a few minutes here and there, and poof, necklace. And it is SO supple. Go buy a disk. Right now! Seriously! Also borrow 2 bullet sinkers from somewhere. The ones I got are about 1/2" long. I string them on a scrap wire hook and put them in the center for the weights. You dont even need the snap bobbins or the bead spinner(although they do make life wonderful). I used tiny spools that I had procured from somewhere on the last rope I did.

You back? Right, after you finish reading this you should start braiding. Well, actually, you can probably read and braid. But I want your full attention for this...

Is there a ghost in my house?



Not really. I was trying to capture some glow in the dark beads glowing in the dark, and decided to snap a photo of my husband walking down the hall. I thought of sending it to one of those ghost shows, but nah. All that equipment would upset the cat.

One finished one finished?

I finished my Magic the Gathering cuff. I also figured out the name of the card I used for it: Recumbent Bliss. (Illus. Todd Lockwood)



Anywho, as I said before, I used roughly 20+/- different seed beads including 15/0, 13/0, Delica, rocailles, charlottes, cubes, triangles, drops, etc. 4 CZ stones, some labradorite beads, a sliding bar clasp etc.



I beaded the whole thing on black stiff felt with Fireline, and then backed it with a piece of soft black leather.




The second piece I have made draws heavily from Laura McCabe's embellished beadweaving.

It uses her pagoda forms, as well as partial instructions from her April Showers necklace instructions. The focal is all mine though, well the artwork is by Ron Spears, but the beading is all mine by golly!



I used a basic swamp card, in resin. I beaded around it with varying shades of greens, blues, turquise, grey and a hint of firey red, you know, for zest. All of that is attached to white felt(because I didn't realize I had a whole big chunk of black in my bead bag. Silly place for it if you ask me...) And that is attached to soft leather.



The pagoda forms, and the rings and rods are made using the same colors, and there is also some multicolored fringe.


I'm not sure if I'm done with this piece. I think it needs more "fluff" on the strap by the other fluff. The strap just seems a little too, well, little.

What say you studio audience? Should I fluff it or let it be?

Also, as an aside, I love Laura's McCabe's work. I am the first to admit, I'm a McCabe junkie, but she likes to find weird, difficult to obtain stuff. I guess that makes her works more special, but it's kinda irritating at the same time. Also, the April Showers necklace instructions for the strap don't say what size beads to use. The quantities for two different sizes are in the materials list but if one isn't weighing their beads, how does one know when one has used x grams of 11/0 Japanese seed beads? But maybe I'm just illiterate or something, but I re-read that section a half dozen times and still couldn't decide which she meant. In the end I used 15/0 under the pagodas and fringe and 11/0 in the main part of the necklace.

Also, I passed my PE! I am now a Professional Engineer. And I have a stamp. And an embosser with a seal on it. MY seal! My very own seal! I seriously almost peed my pants when I got the congratulations letter stating that I had passed, and that I could buy my seal and register it in the state of West ByGod Virginia!

Playing With Tilas

So-in the latest Beadwork, there was a project called Morrocan Tiles by Heather Kahn. Having recently acquired a small stash of Tilas, I thought I'd give it a go.


Of course, I didn't have quite the perfect color combination, but in real life, the red Tilas aren't nearly as red, and the black isn't nearly as black. Apparently AB finishes are really hard to photograph (especially with a cell phone :) ) Actually, the whole look is better in person. I promise...


The pattern was clear and easy to follow, although, starting out, usually there is a "string a stop bead" or tie into a circle, or what have you, but it seems that the natural thread path is the stopper here, which I found out after about row 2 and was pleasantly surprised.

The hardest part of the entire beading event was adding the accent beads on top. If I make another of these, I think I will add the accent beads during construction, as it was REALLY difficult to needle through the middle of the components. I only chipped one Tila, but I can see how the beader could easily break one, and if one is broken, I'm not sure how to even think about replacing it. You may have to unbead the entire bracelet at that point...eek.

It seems that you could do each tile separately, or all together, which is what I did. If you did them tile by tile, replacing a tile seems like it wouldn't be as difficult.

The base of the bracelet seems like it would really support many different types of embellishment, with the only trick being weaving through already woven tilas. Perhaps it would be better to work with a slightly loose tension? I don't know...

Has anyone else tried this design? If so, how did you fare?

New Stuff!

I may be a glutton for punishment...

My mom asked me if I wanted to try my hand at piecing a quilt top for her. It was the least I could do since she quilted my top for me. I said I would give it a go. It took me 10 hours on Saturday to complete a single block. OM-friggin-G. Why did I do this to myself? Anyone?

Although, it is a pretty bitchin block...It is aptly called Storm at Sea



This a quarter of another in progress. All the major stuff is done, I just need to join the four quarters and its ready for a new home...



This is a cuff that I finished beading Saturday after I became thoroughly frustrated with the Storm. It isn't finished, as it isn't backed and is just kinda sitting there on the felt stabilizer, but it is very nearly done.

It uses about a billion (actually about 20) different seed beads including 15/o, 11/o, delicas, Toho treasures, cubes, triangles, hex cuts, etc...

The focal is a Magic the Gathering resin cab I made. Don't ask what card it used to be, because I haven't the foggiest.


There are also labradorite rectangles and 4 cubic zirconia stones. The CZ came from a friend of my mother's who was cleaning out some of her stuff. Apparently she used to sell jewelry, and asked my mom if I knew anyone who made jewelry. My mom mentioned me and now I have a sack full of CZ, imitation sapphire, ruby, emerald, etc. in little brown envelopes. I'll post more thoroughly about those in the future.


This is a bracelet I made while playing around with RAW. I can't remember where the inspiration came from as I printed it out a long long time ago, but the final result differs significantly from the inspo.


This one was a bit of a pain in the ass, as it were. I don't do RAW regularly, so it was good to stretch my boundaries.


I like the colors, they are so vibrant and summerlike, but I'm not sure how I feel about the bracelet. Well, it was an excercise, and I accomplished what I set out to do, which was to play with RAW.