FINITO - Terminado - Done - Complete - FINISHED !

Finally, the Piccadilly Bracelet is complete (except for adding a clasp).  To me it is fun and colorful and so unlike anything I've ever done before.

Photo Above - The left side of the bracelet features colors of light and dark coral, chartreuse and turquoise.  Embellishments contain semi-precious beads of green aventurine, wood agate, moss agate, dark blue sodalite, larimar, dark blue dumortierite and olive jade .  A cute little triangle bead in vibrate lime green adorns this first section and to highlight this little bead I encircled it with a halo of turquoise glass seed beads topped with much smaller, silver plated, seed beads.

Photo Above - Progressing from left to right: tube beads of lapis and apple green quartz combine with round tablet beads in pastel yellow and green, thus forming a bridge between the first section and a striped, seed beaded tube. 

Connecting the beaded tube to the bracelet's middle section is a glistening olivine crystal, flanked top and bottom with tiny garnet beads. 

Like the first section, I used a peyote stitch to form the base that is then embellished with tiny glass flower beads and a fringy stripe of garnet beads.

Photo Above - Heading toward the left side of the middle section, the smaller size 11 Delica seed beads give way to a section of larger size 11, Toho beads in turquoise blue.  A sweet iridescent, jet glass, heart sits proudly in the middle of these beads and is decorated with two tiny garnet beads. 

 

Another fringy stripe of garnet beads follows, bringing us to an open frame that features an unusually shaped white glass bead ( I only had one of these beads and wanted to make sure it received special attention).  Two little garnet beads are used to fill in the extra space and help center the white bead in its frame.  Once again I've added a fringy stripe of garnet beads.  These tiny garnet beads are only 2 mm round so I used the smallest size 15 seed beads I had as topper-stop beads. You can see them above in both a chartreuse color and in a pinkish color, called strawberry.

Photo Above  - Finally the last section. A peyote spiral striped tube in coral, white and chartreuse sits between two large crystal beads.  The crystal on the left is a dark ruby red while the crystal on the right is a fresh grass green.  Like the previous crystal, tiny garnet beads are used to hide the Fireline that connects the crystals to the bracelet.  When I fabricated the peyote tube I made the mistake of adding a fringe to the tube's top and bottom.  This made attaching the crystals difficult and if I had it to do over I would have attached the crystals first and then added the fringe.

 

The last section is again, flat peyote stitch, it features simple white stripes with a silver beaded center embellished by an adorable, pink glass, heart bead. 

 

This end of the bracelet terminates with a fringe of small 2 mm beads, since only three of the tiny 2 mm garnet beads were left I had to improvised by adding three tiny red jasper beads and three tiny hematite beads to complete the fringy stripe.  Sure it isn't like the other garnet bead stripes but with this bracelet just about anything goes. A fringe of turquoise drop beads graces

this end of the bracelet.  

 

Welcome to the World, Piccadilly ! 

 

I haven't decided if I'll place Piccadilly with some of my pieces in the Manatee, Florida art center (called; ArtCenter Manatee) or if it will go into a gallery in the Village of the Arts, where I have also displayed and sold many pieces of my handcrafted jewelry.

 



 



PROGRESS ON PICCADILLY

Piccadilly is coming along, though progress is slow.
Before I go much further I wish to give credit to Beading Daily  for it is there that I found Beth Kraft's tutorial on her Collage Bracelet.  Granted I took great liberties with her instructions, basically borrowing the primary concept but putting my own unique spin to it. 
There is a material's list included in her written directions, some of the findings and beads I didn't have nor was I about to purchase them.  Since the idea was to use up my dribs and drabs of beads why go out and purchase more ?  Also the instructions called for a Tube Clasp with side bar, an item not among my supplies, but I did have a pair of Slide End Tubes which, after having used them, I must say are divine.  If you're not familiar with these ends HERE'S a short video on how they function.

Photo below - close up of the slide tube end.



After playing around with different ways to attach the peyote strip to the peyote tube,  I finally found that JoJo's idea worked and looked the best.  JoJo of Tahoma Beadworks & Photography suggested using a large bead between the two elements and connecting them together by running the thread through the large bead and down through the seed beads of both the tube and the strip.  Hers' was a straight forward solution that ended up working beautifully.  Thank you JoJo.

Photo below :  A large Crystal oval bead is used to bridge the two sections together.  Tiny garnet beads and #15 glass seed beads help fill in the spaces and give a nice clean transition from the peyote work to the crystal bead.

 

 

I found that the main problem with connecting the two elements was that the peyote strip was wider than the tube, even though both were 10 beads in width and both used size #11 Delica seed beads.  Other methods that I tried turned out looking lopsided. By using the larger bead as a bridge I found I didn't have to finagle with the difference in size.

 

Right now the bracelet measures about 5 and a quarter inches. That would fit a really tiny wrist, so I need to make it a reasonable length, attach the other slide end tube, add a clasp and then finish embellishing.  Well guess it's back to work on the beading.  :)

 

 

PICCADILLY PICK

There's nothing really different about me, as far as being a beader goes.  Like many other beaders I love beads and have accumulated an impressive stash of them.  I also have accumulated quite a collection of odd beads, orphan beads and a vast array of What-The-Heck-Am- I-Going-To-Do-With-These beads.  This situation is probably true of all crafters and the medium of their choice; bits and pieces of scrapbooking supplies, fabrics,  odd skeins of yarn along with many partial skeins, and the list goes on and on. 

Trying to use some of my odd-bit beads I began constructing the bracelet pictured below.

Kind of kooky, especially for me but I'm liking it and have already given it a name, "Piccadilly".  Usually I reserve a name until a piece is finished and then only christen very special pieces.  I must admit that as this bracelet progresses it gets more and more "special".

 

At the moment I'm faced with a dilemma and that's;  how should I go about connecting the peyote beaded strip (over on the left in photos below) to the beaded tube? 

 

A bridge of some sort is needed but I haven't decided what I want to do yet.  You can see that I used a couple of flat-round tablet beads and a few tube beads to bridge the other side of the beaded tube.  If anyone has ideas or suggestions please feel free to share them in your comments.  Also I'd love to hear about your collection of odd supplies that you just can't part with but haven't figured out what you're going to do with.

A Sad Goose Tale

Fate again was not kind to Mr. and Mrs. C. G.   Like the year before, momma goose was not to see baby goslings grow up to become fully grown geese.

After spending several weeks incubating her eggs, one-by-one each gosling hatched and each quickly died.  When the last tiny gosling passed away, Mrs. G. left her nest and spent the next half-hour walking around with her mate, the exercise must have felt wonderful to her.   Refreshed from her walk, she returned to her island nest and began to bury it and the remains of her babies, giving her lost goslings the respect she felt they deserved.  Once her task was done she rejoined her mate and together they waddled solemnly around our neighbor's yard.

At this point I would like to rant.  I like animals and am fond of pets, however I cannot understand why anyone would take on a pet only to neglect and ignore it. 

 Somewhere in our area there is a person or family that owns a dog, the dog has a collar and what appears to be a tag, it obviously has a home and yet it is always wandering up and down our street.  Our neighbor to the North of us (not the neighbor with the pond and the geese) often throws out bits  and pieces of food to this vagabond dog. 

It's clear that the dog is not well care for, he's dirty, probably has never been bathed, and his claws are in dire need of a trim.  I know about the claws first hand, one day he jumped on me begging for attention and accidently clawed the side of my left knee, leaving me with a three inch scar. 

Many times I wonder if the dog's owners ever miss him .  Do they worry that he could be hit by a car ?  Why have a pet if they're not concerned about it and are not committed  to taking care of or protecting  it?  Perhaps I just don't understand this mentality ?

Now on with the story:

Unfortunately, as momma and papa geese were bereaving, this stray dog trots into our neighbor's yard, he smells the remains of the goslings and proceeds to swim across the small pond and onto the island.  There he quickly sniffed out the burial spot and began to unearth the dead goslings and consume them.   In little time he had unburied the 4 tiny bodies and disposed of them via his tummy. 
When the last morsel was swallowed he swam back to the "mainland" and proceeded to play "catch the big geese".   A couple of minutes of the dog's harassment was all it took for Mr. and Mrs. C.G. to call it quits and fly away. 
Eventually our neighbors  came out and chased the stray out of their yard and then they closed and latched their gate.  It would surprise me if Mr. & Mrs. Goose return next Spring.  Two consecutive nesting failures and an attempted attack by a stray dog is enough to discourage even the most stalwart of geese.

All that remains is a patch of goose down and feathers.



GOOSE TAILS

Our snowbirds are back.  Each Spring for the last 3 years we've had a pair of Canadian Geese come to nest on our neighbor's tiny island. 

 

By now everyone in our neighborhood is familiar with them and I casually refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. G. (G for Goose- or Geese).    On occasion I call them C.G. - (Canadian Goose - or Geese) but that's for formal introductions only. 

 

Photo above  - Mrs. G. in her well feathered

nest.  Looks like she has some well chosen words for the

paparazzi !

 

The first year Mr. and Mrs. G. protected a clutch of about 6 eggs, only 4 of which hatched.  Unfortunately the last gosling to come out of its shell was somehow injured and our neighbors had to call Wildlife Management to come capture it and take it to a qualified veterinarian.  If you're interested you can read about that nesting  HERE and HERE. 

We never found out exactly what happened to the tiny gosling, if it did or did not survive.  Since it was not returned to its small family flock we can only assume that it could not be rehabilitated but we wish to believe that perhaps it is living comfortably in some type of sanctuary for handicapped wildlife, happily well-fed and lovingly cared for. 

Last year Mr. and Mrs. G. nested but none of their eggs were viable and after several grueling weeks spent incubating them Mrs. G. finally gave up and abandoned her nest.  She and her mate waddled about our neighbor's yard for a week or so and then, without much ado, departed.  

 I never quite understood just where Mr. and Mrs. G. go . . . I mean, if they come to South Florida for the summer then where to they reside in the winter ?  Do they fly further south to winter in Cancun, Cozumel or Puerto Vallarta ?  Do they waddle around some posh resort nibbling on tapas and sipping frozen corn-mush Margaritas ?  Can you picture Mrs. G. paddling around a pool in a shocking pink bikini?  Or Mr. G. sprawled out on a chaise lounge wearing his Foster Grant sunglasses ? 

They have returned now, for their third year, and once again Mrs. G. has made her nest on the island.  Always she chooses the same spot.  However I think this year she must be especially irritable as Mr. G. tends to keep his distance,  we often find him either browsing in our back yard or napping under the shade of the huge old oak trees at the back of our property. 

 

However he is quick to return to be close to his mate if anyone happens to stray outside, and he always joins Mrs. G. for a late afternoon swim around their pond. 

Will this year bring forth any fluffy, little goslings ? 

We will just have to wait and see as Mrs. G. isn't about to tell.  :)

Ugly Necklace Contest

At Land of Odds it's that time again.  Time to prepare for their Ugly Necklace Contest. 

Making pretty is . . . well, pretty easy.  Making Ugly, now that's a different story.  You'd be surprised at how truly difficult that challenge can be.

What goes into an Ugly Necklace ?  Anything you want (plus a lot of imagination).  There was even a designer that created a necklace with fluffed out tampons as its focal components.  Yeah, so anything goes.  lol

Head on over and take a look - you may find inspiration - if not, then at least you'll get a good laugh.

Hooked Up on Hooks

A blog reader contacted me wanting to know how I made the fancy  shaped links in the "Hook and Eye" necklace.  So I am trying to clarify that some links were Clasp Hooks to begin with. 
I used  my ever trusty Wubbers, bail making pliers to close the open part of the hook, creating a unique link.  One hook was left unchanged  for use as a clasp . . . which is its original purpose.

Ready made Shepherd's hook clasps (photo above and below) were used to construct many of the links in my Hook & Eye necklace.  One hook was left unchanged and used as a closure.

 

 

In my supplies I had a few figure 8 links but not nearly enough to fashion a chain from.

Wanting a fairly long chain meant that improvising would be required, so I constructed a number of  stylized infinity links to get the length needed.  I made some of these links large and some small to create a bit of variety and add interest to the chain. 

All links were then put together using 5 mm x 18 gauge, gold plated brass jump-rings .  Hope this made sense as I wasn't sure how to explain it without creating an overly long, and perhaps boring, blog tutorial.

Hooks and Eyes

 Besides the rag rug I've been preoccupied making other things, such as this matching chain and earrings set.

There is naturally a story behind these pieces and like most stories this could be a long one so I'll try to condense it as best I can.

Some time around 2010 my etsy shop went from being an unsuccessful jewelry shop, to being a mediocre jewelry making supplies shop. 

Back then the etsy forums was a busy place and the busiest of the forums was Promotions.  Forget speeding bullets,  Promo threads came and went faster than Superman himself, therefore many threads fell by the roadside unnoticed like so much road kill.

 

One day I spotted a Promo thread that was a genuine plea.  The poster had a small etsy jewelry supply shop that she wished to close and she was clearing out the last dribs and drabs of her inventory.  The few items she had left were grouped together in one lot and drastically discounted, the price had been slashed to the bone and items were below cost . . . she was desperate. Unfortunately no one had time to read her post as they were all too busy playing the Buy and Stay, Buy and Replace, Give and Take or whatever happened to be the hottest rock-em-sock-em promo threads going.  (I later learned that those threads were perpetuated by groups of shops and they worked together to keep their threads at the top of the forum.)

Anyway I could not help but feel sorry for the shop that posted its going out of business thread and so I contacted the shop's owner and informed her that I was interested in purchasing her lot of odds and ends.   Much of it I really did not need but I felt an empathy with her situation and knew firsthand how it felt to be invisible in the promo forum.

One item in this lot of supplies was a bag of gold-plate shepherd hook clasps. 

Over the years I've used a few of them but still had a number left.   Then I got this idea to create a necklace using the hooks and the eyes along with a number of my own handmade links.  There are various colors of gold in this chain, some darker, looking a bit like antique gold, and some a paler, lighter yellow gold but I think it all works well together.  I even saved 2 of the Shepherds hooks to make a pair of matching earrings.

Maybe I'm dorky but I think they're kind of cute. :D

From Rags to Rugs

Photo above - Old rag rug

 

I've been keeping busy.  Unfortunately it hasn't been with blogging. 

Many years ago I purchased a rag throw rug to place on the floor in front of my kitchen sink.  It wasn't much to look at but it was durable and well made and it has lasted through what must be at least a thousand washings. 

Though it was getting tired and worn I could find nothing as nice to replace it with.  I looked in the home improvement stores and in the home goods sections of a number of department stores but nothing could match the homey, little, old  rag rug. 

Photo above - Close-up of one of the many well worn areas.

 

At a big home improvement store we did find a few woven, rag rugs but the fabric strips were in psychedelic colors of  caution tape orange, neon chartreuse, hot pink and tomato red.  Not exactly the color scheme of my kitchen and not the look I was going for, so I opted not to buy and to just keep looking.

Normally my hubby doesn't get involved in matters that concern the interior of the home, unless it pertains to repairs, like a dripping faucet.  His domain is the garage and that is his haven to do and decorate as he wishes.  However, for some odd reason, he ran across a display of rag, throw rugs and decided to purchase one for me.  Said rug was approximately a foot too long and 18 inches too wide, it contained several "odd" strips of fabric in neon orange and tooth rattling chartreuse . . . not to mention the occasional violet-purple, goldenrod, vivid turquoise blue, and  Mexican salsa red !  Those colors probably would not have been so glaring had there not been so much black thrown in with it - the stark contrast made the neon strips stand out even more dramatically.

It's the thought that counts so I tried to accept his purchase graciously. 
I placed the rug on the floor in front of the kitchen sink and tried to ignore it.  It was like trying to ignore a hangnail, or an eyelash that's fallen into your eye . . . it couldn't be done.  Then I decided to wash it (perhaps hot water and detergent would soften the colors or at least shrink it some.  When I removed it from the washer the rug was no longer rectangular.  I'm not sure what the shape was but let's just say that all the stripes were no longer straight but careened up and down the rug like drunken sailors.  Trying to straighten it out, I realized that the rug was very poorly made (but then for $5.95 what else could I expect?) and that the whole thing needed to be remade (oh joy ! - said sarcastically).

In my mind I thought it would be a simple and quick project to take the rag rug apart and reweave it.  WHAT THE BLAZES WAS I THINKING ? 
I began the project 4 weeks before Christmas, thinking I'd have it done well before the holidays,  I finished it 3 months later (and yes, I worked on it every single day).   

Photo above - the rug canvas that I found at Michael's and some of the vibrant fabric strips that were taken from the new rag rug.

Photo above - work in progress, the remaking of the new rag rug. Here the rug is about 95% complete, too bad I didn't think to take a "before" photo showing the rug with all its black background and its jarring stripes of psychedelic colors. 

 

The canvas netting  I used was designed for latch hook rugs and so the squares would not accommodate some of the wider strips of fabric, therefore many strips had to be cut down to make them narrower.  All the strips had to be ironed and folded and ironed again before they could be tediously woven through the netting.  Then there were the edges of the rug canvas that had to be reinforced and finished off neatly so the whole rug would not come apart in its next laundering. It would have been easier, if not faster, to have made a brand new rug from scratch.

 

In honesty I know I would not attempt this again as the canvas netting was very stiff and rough,  it abraded my knuckles to the point that I had to resort to wearing a pair of thick cotton gloves . . . have you ever tried to weave something wearing gloves ?  Awkward !

 

Though I left a few strips of the black and the dark navy blue fabric the newly rewoven rug looks a lot brighter than before its remake.

 



Photos above - So there it is.  Maybe not the best or the most beautiful rag rug, but it is done and it is on the floor doing its job.

 

Have you ever had one of those projects that you got involved with and then wished you had never started ? 

 

So Far So Good -

Familiar picture of the Clampett clan from The Beverly Hillbillies.

 

I wish to thank all of you for your kind comments and your comforting support.  It was and is greatly appreciated.

At present things are on an even keel with my daughter and son-in-law.  Much like two kids on a teeter-totter where neither child is up or down.

It wasn't long ago that my daughter, Kathi, had another meltdown.  She was tired and frustrated with being the only one trying to salvage their marriage.  She felt that no matter what she did,  no matter how hard she tried, her spouse seemed to think it was not enough.  Frankly, she was exasperated and didn't know what to do next.

Through her tears she mentioned that maybe she should just pack up and move out as that seemed to be what her husband wanted.  I was the first to nix the idea.  "No" I stressed firmly.  "You stay put.  The house is home to your children and they need their home and their mother.  If anyone should leave it should be him, not you."   John, my loving hubby, backed me on this and told her not to move out.

Naturally we went through her drama of self-doubts, doubting her abilities and her strengths.  I reassured her that she would find the courage to get through this and if it came down to divorce she would find the strength to continue on without her so-called, soul-mate.

After she left to return home, she got to thinking and the more she thought, the madder she became.  When she got home she stormed into the house and began emptying out the closets and drawers of all of her hubby's clothing,  she went throughout the house finding his personal belongings and threw all of his possession into the bed of his pickup truck.  When she was done his truck was piled high with almost everything he owned . . . it looked like a Hillbilly moving truck . . . shades of the Clampett family on The Beverly Hillbillies.

When her husband got home and saw his truck, he barged into the house yelling; "What the f _ _ _ is going on?"  

Kathi explained, "Well you wanted this.  You were the one that wants us to split, so there's your stuff.  You're free to leave."

His response was adamant; " I'm not leaving !"   To which Kathi answered, " Well don't expect me to move out!  This is my home and the children's home and I'm sure as hell not packing up all my stuff and all of the kids belongings and moving out. Since you're the one that wants out. . . there you go."

Visibly shaken he replied, "Go where?"  and Kathi said, "I haven't a clue.  You're the one with a plan so go follow your plan."

By now he realized he was in deep poop and stammered, "Plan?  I have no place to go!   I don't have a plan! "

Calm and undaunted Kathi shrugged, "Well mister, looks like you need to come up with a plan then."

Flustered he conceded, " I think we need to sit down and talk this over."

And so began a serious conversation between the two.   Kathi has asked him to go to a counselor, telling him it did not have to be the one she is going to.  He can pick the counselor of his choice or go to a church clergy.   

When Kathi had her next  counselor appointment, she told her about what she had done and how it had turned out.  Her counselor was quite shocked and said what Kathi did had been very risky and that the outcome could have turned out detrimentally different.

Presently Kathi and her husband are each making concessions and for now the teeter-totter seems to be in balance.  I'm hoping it will stay that way.  We will see.

Life's Ups and Downs

Since my last blog post life has been a volatile roller coaster ride of emotions for my daughter.  One day optimistic, the next . . . not so much.

 About a month ago, or more,  I actually wrote a post about how things were looking up.  My daughter, Kathi, had begun seeing a marriage counselor.  Even though her husband refused to attend the sessions, she went alone.  Kathi was encouraged and optimistic, the counselor told her she was fairly certain that her husband was simply suffering from a case of Mid-Life-Crisis and that Kathi's marriage could be saved.

Well to make a long post somewhat shorter- I had not finished that particular post but had saved it in drafts to complete after dinner that day.   As I was washing up the dinner dishes Kathi drove up and knocked on our door.  Because I was up to my elbows in hot, soapy water, John, her daddy answered the door.  Kathi did not say a word but just collapsed into his arms in a flood of tears. 

It took us almost 15 minutes to get her over to the sofa to sit down and calm down enough to tell us what was happening.  Fortunately it wasn't that her husband had filed for divorce or even that he had packed a bag and left.  She was totally frustrated, feeling like she was trying so hard to save their marriage and getting nowhere.  To her it felt as though she was putting in all the effort and nothing she did was good enough.  She thought it was hopeless and she didn't know how she could or would go on without him.  She couldn't fathom how, after so many years, he would be so quick to throw it all away and she had no idea how she could go on by herself.

Immediately I told her, that somehow she would make it, she would manage, that she was strong, much stronger than she realized, and that she would survive.  Many women have and  many women do and will go on without their life-long mates.  The world does not end because of divorce or even death.  Life goes on.  It may be a long road but with each day the path gets a little easier, the pain a little less and soon the sun comes out again to brighten our lives.

If she believed me or not - well that's another story.  She wiped her eyes, gave us hugs and then left to return to her own home and her children.

So much for my optimistic blog post, I deleted it shortly after she left.

I Don't Love You Anymore !

A storm is brewing

 

Last night my daughter called. She was in tears, heart  breaking, sobbing tears.  Her husband of 19 years just told her he wants a divorce, that he no longer is in love with her.   It was shattering news and I could feel my daughter's pain as though it were my own.

What can a mother do ?  I tried  to console her and then  suggested  they try to salvage their marriage by going to a marriage counselor together to find out what the root problems were .  She said she already suggested  that but her husband said no, he didn't want to go and that it wouldn't change anything as he has been unhappy in the marriage for a very long time.   I still think a marriage counselor would help, they're trained to ask the right questions, to dig deep and bring up the real issues that are hidden under emotions of  frustration, contempt,  or disillusion.

Right now  my daughter's life seems to be in chaos and I am praying that she and our son-in-law will somehow work through it all to save their marriage.   19 years together is quiet an investment of time and is worth taking a few weeks or even months of counseling to try to save. 

I'll be praying for them.

 

HAPPY 2014

 

Happy New Year one and all !

May 2014 be blessed with World Peace and Brotherly Love.

May you all enjoy good health, much happiness and may you savor prosperity.

Joyful Wishes from Anna Maria - A Beader's Blog



MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL

May your hearts always be filled with love and happiness.

 

Joyous Wishes and a Merry Christmas to You All !

 

The photo above is a shot of our Christmas poinsettia bush.  Last year our church had a number of potted poinsettias left over from their Christmas decorations and they offered these plants to their church members.  When the small pot was brought home it contained a wilted little poinsettia bush that looked to be on its last and final days so we planted it outside, gave it some water and hoped for the best.  This Christmas it has astounded us with its amazing growth and the amount and size of its poinsettia blossoms. (Yes I know that the red petals are not petals at all but are modified leaves and that the actual blossoms are the tiny little yellow flowers adorning the center of these brilliant red bracts - still, flower or modified leaves,  they are spectacular.)

 

To all my lovely blogging buddies, I know I've been lax about blogging this past year and I pray that in 2014 I can do better.  I do appreciate you all and think you're truly wonderful.  I wish each and every one a Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays - Joyous Season - or the seasonal greetings you prefer.  Best wishes to you all - each and every one -  Anna Maria of A Beader's Blog

The Oxymoron of Manufactured Handmade

Photo above - Small seed beaded earrings featuring a pumpkin motif. 

 

There have been distractions lately.  Normally I handle distraction well but for the past few weeks I've chosen to ignore them.  Rather than dwell on these distractions  I've buried myself in making jewelry.   I find it calming, this simple task of beading.  Concentrating upon  an intricate peyote pattern, counting the beads, like counting stitches in a cross stitch pattern, relaxes me,  occupies my hands,  keeps my mind busy and, most importantly, satisfies that spirit within me that craves to create something. 

 Photos above and below - 2 drop peyote bracelet, in progress.  Holly pattern courtesy of  Fusion Beads.

I don't think  I am an odd-ball to feel this way,  I'm sure most of you can relate to this feeling of serenity as you paint, sketch, sew, crochet, knit etc. etc.  The mind seems mesmerized by what it's doing and all that other "clutter", those shouts that echo and ricochet from one brain cell to another, are temporarily silenced.

Photo above - Seed bead hank put together using my bead spinner

 

Photo above - For some reason, to me anyway, these seed bead hanks remind me of Egyptian jewelry - very regal.  I made one necklace using these beads before and thought about offering these as destash on etsy but lately my etsy shop has been like a morgue -  really, really dead. Hanks are 22" long and contain 12 strands.  If anyone is interested send me an email with your inquiry.
 

Ah yes and etsy!  Etsy's been one of those distractions that I've been trying not to dwell over.  All of etsy's changes, their  embracing of big handmade "manufacturers" ,  it's something I am still having a hard time assimilating.   How can something be handmade if the construction of the item is farmed out to others for  mass production ? 

When handmade becomes manufactured it loses its heart and soul and also its worth vastly diminishes.  It becomes no different than the items one would find on the shelves at Wal-Mart.  Mass produced, manufactured goods are not crafted with the devotion and passion as that of a product made one at a time by one person.  Would a Picasso painting be worth as much if Picasso had a factory manufacture his masterpieces, cranking out hundreds at a time ?  Would people value them as much?  Would they be willing to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars for these knock-offs?   

We all pretty much know the answer to that.  No!  No one would pay the same price for a Picasso that was not painted by the great  twentieth century artist himself.   

So why would anyone wish to purchase somebody's stuffed armadillo toy that's manufactured in China and pay the same price as when it was lovingly handmade by the artist ?  Well that beats me, I really don't know.  Perhaps they don't realize that what they're buying is no longer truly a part of the once vibrant and untarnished Handmade Movement that once  flourished on etsy? Unfortunately on etsy that movement now appears to be drowning in a rising sea of manufactured "handmade" products.

Photo above - Pumpkin motif seed beaded earrings.  These were fun to create and I confess I ended up creating several in Christmas colors of red, green, white and or gold.  Some had candy cane stripes, some had diamond designs or hearts or holly berry motifs, but they all kept me happy and busy.  For anyone that lives in my neck of Florida all of my seed beaded holiday earrings can be seen first hand at Sandra French's Gallery in the Village of The Arts in Bradenton Florida.