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.

Bit disty around here innit?

Clearly I am not the bestest housekeeper :)

I am still around, and I have 2 or 3 things that I will be posting about very VERY soon, probably not this weekend though. I have to travel back to the Pitsbugh area for work, and for me. Every silver lining has a touch of grey...

My husband is working in Pittsburgh right now, and I am in Tennessee, which sucks for both of us, but he is working, so that is a good thing.

I get to see him this weekend, but I have a funeral to attend tomorrow, which is a huge blow to my family. My dad's best friend has passed away from a massive blockage in his heart. He was in a coma for almost 2 weeks. He taught me to play guitar. I still have one of his guitars. He told me to keep it as long as I practised. I am going to pick it back up. I miss it. I need to spend a few hours a week with it, just me and it.

Some of my earliest memories are times at Rick's house, playing with his kids. The last time I think I saw him was at my wedding in 2009. He said he was dressed as a mourner. I had a passing thought of attending his funeral as a bride, but I don't think anyone would get it. It will just be another good memory.

I think I may be one of those eternal optimist people, no matter how sarcastic or strange I may think I am. Yes, something sad or traumatic has happened, but what are the good things that go along with it? He is at peace. He is whole and hale. He is with his loved ones who have gone before. He hung on long enough to allow his family and friends a short adjustment period so the blow of his death has lessened slightly. That's a luxury many don't get, and it helps. It really does...

Actually, it's Thursday isn't it? I have a fitting piece of "from the vault" If I'm not mistaken...

I called this necklace "Touch of Grey"

The color scheme was taken from the idea of clouds, with silver linings, with a touch of grey...It's made from 11/o seed beads, and glass fish tank pebbles. I want to say the strap is chevron chain, but don't quote me on that.

Tomorrow...

My exam is tomorrow! I feel ready. I hope I am ready. I reaaaaalllly hope I am ready. I've done hundreds of practise problems, studied hundreds of hours, and spent more money than I would like to admit on study guides and references(seriouly, the equivalent of about 6 trips to Beyond Beads North worth of references, and y'all know I don't hold back when I'm in there...well, if you didn't know, you know now :/ ). I hope the exam has problems that aren't too insane. I couldn't study everything, so I have to console myself with studying as much as I could. (the study guide over a thousand pages, it would be virtually impossible to study everything therein...)


I'm relieved that it is finally here. I haven't done much of anything except study for weeks now. I haven't sewn a single stitch on my quilt, or stuck a needle through a bead.

If I pass, I get to put letters after my name(PE for Professional Engineer), but I won't find out until July whether or not I passed, so there is a bit of a waiting game.

I'm toying with the idea of going back to school and getting more letters too. I could have the longest name ever...Amy Marsspyder PE, MD, DDS, RN, PhD, ABC, ETC...And I'm totally kidding. Mostly...

Anyway, thank you for listening, and for your support, and hugs to everyone out there in blog land :)