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...