Small Confession

Unfortunately A Beader’s Blog is not all about beads, their history, their composition and characteristics, where they are made or where precious and semi precious gemstones are mined. No, it’s not even about their chakra powers or a blog about beading how-to-do’s. I figured that that’s all been done before and just about anything one wishes to know is easily accessible on some website somewhere...more likely on many websites in many places. So forgive me for not going into minuet detail about either beads themselves or of beadwork, no details about how to do right angle stitch, odd or even count peyote, or the basic ladder and brick stitch.
This blog is about a beader, a craftaholic...me. A journal of my thoughts, ideas aspirations. Trying to keep it short and sweet will be my biggest challenge, so please be patient with me for, as the saying goes; "I’m a work in progress".

Photo is of past pieces that I had created and sold at my last Art Show...bracelet is made of Swarovski crystals in pink, amethyst and white opal , while necklaces feature beaded star flower beads, all have sterling clasps. Can't say as I earned much for all the time spent putting them together...at minimum wage I would have made far more working at McDonald's...and that's the honest truth !

Baubles, Bangles and Beads

Below are a few paragraphs that I wrote before I ever published A Beader’s Blog and, at that time, was undecided in the direction I wished to travel or the subject I wished to pursue...it then became part of the foundation of my original Blog, the one that was gutted to rebuild anew. I offer this post once again as it seemed as though I was missing a few of my corner stones.
Often my mind jumps from thought to thought like a grasshopper on hot asphalt, so conjuring up a blog title was as challenging as getting a child with ADHD to sit still during a long, boring lecture. My first impulse was to christen it "Chaotic thoughts of a deranged crafter", then quickly my mind jumped to Alice and her bizarre trip to Wonderland and of course "Down the rabbit hole" popped up, followed by "Of Cabbages and Kings" from Lewis Carroll’s, "Through the Looking Glass"

"The time has come", the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things; Of shoes...and ships
And sealing wax...of cabbages and kings
And why the sea is boiling hot...and whether
pigs have wings."

My mind was like a junk drawer filled with odd bits and pieces, useful in conjunction with something else but not useful in itself...and then I thought of my jewelry box, a catch-all for such things as safety pins, trinkets and pretty baubles, some broken in need of repair, others broken beyond repair but too pretty to throw away. Perhaps life is much like a catchall, some of it sentimental, some of it useful, some of it not so useful but we keep it nonetheless. And so now, much like random thoughts, I ponder this title; "Baubles, Bangles and Beads".
If I use it that’s hard to say, for tomorrow it may not suit my whims so I’ll continue to mull it over and see how I feel about it after a day or two. . .and then again it may not even be available, if so it would, perhaps, make a good title for something. . .though I’m just not quite sure what.

Note: as it turned out "Baubles Bangles and Beads" was not available nor was "Down the Rabbit Hole", "Through the Looking Glass", "Of Cabbages and Kings", "Pig Wings", "Flying Pigs" and the like...choices were narrowed down !

Not Counting My Chickens

Appraiser has been here and gone. Was fairly painless, he took a stroll around the outside of our house...took some exterior measurements then came inside to look around. Going from room to room he jotted notes, took a photo or two and quickly went on to the next room. Now I suppose it’s just a waiting game. Will refinancing be approved ? Hopefully...can't see why it shouldn't, but then as the old saying goes; "Never count your chickens before they hatch" .

Found some very useful information yesterday. Inquired on one of the Etsy Forums how I could go about laying out my Etsy Mini to suit me, as I seemed to be having difficulty in getting it to respond to my clicking on my "featured" stars. Another Etsian, Dottyral of http://www.dottyral.etsy.com/ offered me help and a link to a tutorial that would allow me to pick out just the items I want and to place them in the order I want...just hope I can manage to do it...hate to admit it but I am definitely, Computer Technically Challenged !
For those who don't know, Dottyral makes the sweetest, cutest pin cushions...all handmade and so unique. A perfect gift for those friends of ours that like to sew.

Our Humble Home

Photo above - Our home, newly constructed.  Landscape not in yet, nor the driveway.

Just a simple farmhouse was all I wanted; nothing grand, nothing pretentious. Here, taken near sundown, is a photo of our humble home. Landscaping had not been done, but then it's never really DONE...with this winter's frost we'll probably have to replace a good 50% of our plants. Southwest Florida usually is a haven from freezing winter evenings but this year was not the case. Had several weeks where the temps fell into the 30's and several days when it plummeted into the upper 20's...for our area that's cold...really cold ! Well back to rounding up all those dust bunnies, just thought you'd like to see the little home that we are trying to get refinanced

Banks and Dust Bunnies

 Having our home refinanced. Thought it would be a simple task but after the housing melt down, refinancing has turned into a long and complex procedure. Been at it for over 2 months now and of course I've been busy during that time trying to sell my jewelry, set up my online Etsy Shop and create a bigger web presence. Found out today that an appraiser will be out to look our house over, make sure it's worth the amount of our bank loan. Yikes...that means I've got to tear myself away from the computer and get out the vacuum, and the duster...hope they don't deduct points for having dust bunnies under the sofa, or beads, silver wire, and tools all over the dinning room table !

Photo : "Summer in Sanibel" inspired by the Gulf of Mexico, the sparkling sunshine waters, and crystal white coral sand. A vintage white Sun Burst "salvaged treasure" creates an awesome focal point to this seed bead and crystal necklace.

Dust Bunnies

Having our home refinanced. Thought it would be a simple task but after the housing melt down, refinancing has turned into a long and complex procedure. Been at it for over 2 months now and of course I've been busy during that time trying to sell my jewelry, set up my online Etsy Shop and create a bigger web presence. Found out today that an appraiser will be out to look our house over, make sure it's worth the amount of our bank loan. Yikes...that means I've got to tear myself away from the computer and get out the vacuum, and the duster...hope they don't deduct points for having dust bunnies under the sofa, or beads all over the dinning room table !

REDO or DO OVERS

This is not really my first Blog...I had another, though it was in this same spot. It, however, wasn't all that I wanted it to be. First of all it was far too winded and much too verbose for the average blog reader. So it's been shortened, updated and presented a second time...sort-of-like warmed over, left overs.

Simple yet simply pretty, these seed bead earrings remind me of a crocheted lace doily...I christened them WHITE LACE. They have flashes of Czech glass, Aurora Borealis beads and are as light as air...well just about!

Awesome man !

The face speaks for itself. Our grandson Chandler at his first Daytona 500. He watched closely and with anticipation as the pace car slowly circled the track, behind it the race cars maintain their distance . . . slowly circling. Finally the pace car pulls away . . . all petals to the metal and with an astonishing burst of power and deafening whines from the engines, the race begins . . . AWSOME MAN !