On with September

Day three of work - beading the flower petals is so meditative - I don't have to think (which sometimes is a very good thing) - Now that I think about the rest of the page, I really wish that I had some form of 'beading training'. I would like to make a 3-D cane or two to sew the leaves and berries onto - I would think that doing a peyote chain thing-a-ma-bob would work for this. I watched someone once do a peyote stitch around a drinking straw - that would be perfect. But, alas and alack, I don't know how to do even a straight peyote stitch, much less a circular one - or any other type of proper bead stitch either. And so I'll improvise - maybe bead around a piece or two of cording? I'll think of something. I'm not patient enough to wait until someone teaches me how to do the peyote thing. I'm sure Mei would do it in a heartbeat if I drove up there - but immediate need gratification will rear its' ugly head once again.

I like doing the beading on something already plotted out, but I really think that I like just 'having at it' better. Next month perhaps I'll go back to random abandon with my page and see where it takes me.

Jump Start on September

It's felt like fall here for some time now - really it's almost felt like winter. I got an early start on my September page last night. I've been beading eggs for another collaborative project, and am working on one that is all teeeny weeeny pastel delicas and I just needed a break from eggs. I looked at the pile of doll forms that I have ready and they didn't speak to me either so I decided to start September.

Reminded of the sunfower that Charles is so tickled to have grown, I made a rough sketch of a sunflower on one side of the heart - the other side will have blackberries - a constant source of annoyance to me, particularly in September when it's time to put the garden to bed - there was no garden this year, my arthritis has pretty much forbidden much gardening as of late - but Charles grew container gardens on the porch, full of wildflowers (and his sunflower yanked from the yard where it was planted by the birds) - even without a garden, there are blackberries to deal with - the Himalyan blackberries are to the Pacific Northwest what kudzu is to the South. I don't want to poison them - the birds nest in the brambles and bunnies live in there too - plus everything trickles down and that weed poison will end up poisoning many things in it's path. They are near to impossible to cut down - the canes are thick and the thorns are huge and very sharp. The only real way to get rid of them is to dig them up and since they are taller than I am, that's a job I'm not ready to take on. In late September, after the birds have eaten the berries, I attack - with rock salt and vinegar - it keeps them at bay (kinda) - they've lifted my fence and grown into my pottery shed - you'd think I'd be more ruthless with them.

And so September will be my love and hate page - There are many things to love and hate about September - September is the month my father died and is the month my wedding anniversary would have been in if I were still married. It is a month of beginnings and endings - of sunflowers and thorns.

Long Time No Bead

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I've actually been working on a couple of little things - just very little is done, I finished another egg for that art exchange I'm participating in - and started yet another one - beading an egg with delicas takes a long time - a very long time - particularly since my hands have been bothering me so I take many more breaks than I'm used to.

It's also been very hectic - no it's been chaotic - at work and that tires me. I come home, sit in my chair, look at my beads and stare into space until it's time for bed. I've been pondering my September page - It's interesting to me that since I've begun this BJP my color pallette has changed rather dramatically, resulting in a need for me to add beads to my stash that I never had a need for before so today I headed down to Shipwreck for some topazy/goldish bead goodness. Since this entire project is a learning experience for me - a beginning in bead embroidery, this time I thought I'd change up and draw the pattern onto the fabric first and then embroider, rather than just going willy-nilly as is my normal procedure.


While not totally bead related, but sorta kinda - I'm very excited to be taking this class in October, along with some others. I can see this rug-hooked house with beads and buttons - I haven't had a proper vacation in a couple of years now so I'm really looking forward to this trip.

Eggheadz #2

The kids came over to visit yesterday which gave me time to just sit and bead on this egg - these are really addictive.

eggheadz

I'm participating in a flickr group where we were each sent 2 wooden eggs to decorate that will then be exchanged - I decided to try a beaded egg in the beaded bead fashion. All of the web instructions that I could find for beaded eggs called for glue which didn't seem like much of a challenge - this is my work after 2 days - there are still a few bald spots that need a little fill and I learned some things to try on the next one, but this was a fun, relatively quick, project. Drilling the holes in the wooden eggs was actually the hardest part.

I hate being "stuck"

And stuck is where I am right now on this doll I've been working on for the past while - I'm stuck on the parrots for one - I ordered some parrot beads that are way too small, doubt my skill level at being able to bead them successfully and don't like them left plain. Something will pop into my head eventually. I was stuck on the ruffle at the bottom of her dress - mostly because I don't care for the color combination used and then it came to me (duh) that I could just change it with the beads so that's the plan. Next on the agenda, a Virgin of Guadalupe.

The RA pity party

Has ended for the most part. I was first diagnosed with arthritis when I was 15 and had shattered some bones in my foot. Slowly it progressed but I always thought I had a 'deal' with the arthritis fairy that it would stay out of my hands. I suppose waiting until I was nearly 53 to go there, isn't too bad all things considered. There are many many many things far worse than this. No new art to post today but here's a picture of a moasaic I did as a solstice gift for someone last year. It makes me want to get the clay out again.

in progress

Not much to say

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in my hands a few days ago and am pondering exactly how to continue doing art with hands that are failing me. In lieu of any new art, here are some pictures of some lovely beads made by some wonderful women on etsy.com. My pity party should end soon and I'll be posting more art.

Thinking ahead

I received this bead in the mail today that I think will be the focal point of my September Bead Journal Project page. September around here means the Western Washington Fair as I live about a hop, skip and a jump from the fairgrounds. The Fair (we always capitalize the word Fair in Puyallup) means all sorts of things but particularly the harvest, so I'm thinking September will feature blackberries and be full of berry colors.

p.s.
The bead is from Teeniebeads.

August Bead Journal Page - complete

August Bead Journal Page - day 4

Bead Journal Project - August day 3

This one is beginning to have a mind of its' own. Charles thinks it looks like a headdress for Carmen Miranda or a Vegas showgirl. I'm thinking it needs fruit and I think that, somewhere in this house, there is a strand of glass fruit. I really like the addition of the black - it grounds the piece - or something - maybe I just like black beads. In any event - here is work after day 3.

August Bead Journal Page - day 2

I'm feeling better about it today - I still have such a long way to go in learning how to get those beads to butt up perfectly against one another - but I am happier with the movement of the piece now.