She Made-She Made October

She Made-She Made is happening a couple days early, as it seems Hurricane Sandy is going to beat the crap out of us.  I am not sure if we will have power the day we were supposed to do the October reveal.  So the beauty of a two-woman event is the flexibility it offers :-) 

(an aside...is it a little nuts that all I have banging around my head are the lyrics to "Sandy" from Grease and "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" by Bruce Springsteen, the early good years?  non-stop, these songs are looping.  i think i have a large amount of anxiety about this storm but i am trying to keep my composure)

Here is what Therese and I were working with for October...a very Late Fall feel to this selection.







And here is what I made with it.  I really love those plump and luscious dark drops and that leaf!  I added hints of the sky and the evergreens. 

A Big Thank You to Therese for the beads, the motivation, the friendship, and the fun!

Now go see what she made~I can't wait to see it myself!!!

A Time To Stitch 2 Blog Hop

The day has arrived!  We are here to show our stitches for  A Time To Stitch 2 : Right Angle Weave and St. Petersburg.  Therese and I were thrilled with the response for this one.  Thank you, Ladies, for signing up and meeting the challenge.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did :-)
Unfortunately, Shannon was unable to participate.  We will really miss her.  Her work is beyond wonderful!  Please take a look at her blog and see for yourself.  We hope she will be able to join us again soon. 



Nikki Byers signed up for the hop but doesn't have a blog ( but her Etsy site is here ) so I am posting her pictures for her.  It was her first time doing these stitches and she did a great job!  I love her color choices.

And now for the bane of my weaving existence...Right Angle Weave.  Therese suggested that it be one of the stitches for this Challenge.  I knew it had to be.  It was the only way for me to finally learn it.  It has been a constant source of frustration for the past 6 years.  I cannot do it, no matter how hard I try.  So this time, I buckled down and tried even HARDER.  And whaddaya know? With the help of Karen William's tutorial, I did it!  Not great and not at all fancy.  Just basic, straight on RAW.  But I did it.  YAY.  Not sure if I will ever make it my "go-to" stitch, but at least now I won't ignore patterns that use it.  Here is what I made:

                                   My First Attempt   (focal bead by Marsha Neal)

                                              Second Attempt

                                                                             









Now onto St. Petersburg...I took a class it it once.  Sally taught it probably 4 years ago.  I did ok with it, but never tried it again until this hop.  Don't know why I left it for so long, because I found out that I love it!!! Maybe now I will finish the necklace I started way back when.  But for now, some new items:

                          First Attempt, with Peanut Bead center, Square Bead branches, Seed Bead ends.

               Second Attempt, with Twin Hole center, Seed Bead Branches, Fire Polish Round ends.

Third and most Favorite Bracelet Attempt.  LOVE the Colors!!!  LOVE!!!  Simple beading, but the right colors make the look!



Last, but certainly not least, St. Petersburg bezel around the cabochon.  Oh.  Yeah.
This absolutely gorgeous cab is from Erin at Elysian Studios .  She has many more cabs and other beautiful components on her Etsy Site, Elysian Art A La Carte. Go check it out!  I have my eye on a few more cabs and a couple colors of Gypsy Trade Beads too :-) 

You have been here long enough.  Please go see what all the participants made.  I know I cannot wait to start hopping!  

Thanks so much for stopping by :-D

Therese Frank and Christine Altmiller 
Nikki Byers 
Kristen Stevens 
Shirley Moore 
Cynthia Machata

Lola Surwillo 

Maryanne Gross 

Alenka 

Karin Slaton 

Katherine Gale 

Sally Russick 

Amy Severino  

Alicia Marinache 

Sonya Stille 

Tanya Goodwin 

Lisa Stukel 

Marla Gibson 

Sarah Sequins 

Mandy 

 Andra Weber 

Kim Hora 

Karen Williams

***Come Back Tuesday for She Made~She Made

***Thursday's Thing will be back next week

Giveaway on my Facebook

Hey Ladies (and the occasional Man)!

Giveaway time on my Facebook page since I hit 100+ "likers" on the page!  
I never had a goal to reach 100 or even 50 for that matter.  But on Sunday, I saw that I was only 9 away and decided to make it my goal.   Therese spread the word and had me to 101 within an hour or two.  I now call her the Town Crier :-)  Thanks Therese!

I spared the Facebook people the details, as some would understand and some would not.  I beaded for 12 hours yesterday, only to tear everything apart again and again.  TWELVE HOURS.  I had on good music, the sun was shining in, all was right in my world.  But it just wasn't happening.  Zigzag was wrong.  Peyote was wrong.  Herringbone was wrong.  And so on down the stitch list.  I think I was trying too hard.  And when I try too hard, I need to go back to basics.  So this giveaway piece is the result of going back to basics, with a twist.  I still had to create the focal by drilling and painting.  In the end, the simple look was the best look.  Today...I am keeping it way simple to get out of this mini-rut.

If you want to throw your  name in the hat, just "like" the FB page and leave a comment under the picture.

Here is what you will find there:

Also, I posted a new item on Etsy.  Dainty little Late October Earrings. 

See you Thursday for the Time To Stitch 2 Hop!!!

Is It Really a Week Later?! Thursday's Thing

Time certainly does fly! 
It is really apparent when I see this picture several times a day, because the Bug is a teenager now.  How does that happen?  I thought I would forever be wiping her butt. 
I keep this in the bathroom.  Whenever a guest goes in there,  they cannot help but comment on this adorable picture :-)  It really is one of my more precious things. 

What is your "thing" ?

Here is the link to me describing my desire to  balance want/need/satisfaction,  in case you missed what I am trying to do here with Thursday's Thing.  I do not  know in advance what pictures are going to show up here until Thursday rolls around...each week will be a surprise to myself :-) 

Have a great weekend, Everyone!  And thanks for stopping in.

Thursday's Thing

I love looking at Etsy Treasuries and other Bloggers' Wish Lists, highlighting items they would like to have one day.  And Pinterest...I like to get lost there sometimes too.  I guess it is built into us to Want.  Want something more than what we have.  I know I am that way.  Lately, when I go to the store to get something I want, rather than need, I usually come home empty handed.  Either I realize, after I am face to face with it, that it really will not fulfill me. Or I remember I have it in a darker shade. Or I just decide I cannot cram another item into my itty bitty house.  But lately I just seem to have everything I need.  I really hope this feeling continues.  Because really, how much do I NEED?  Very little...with a couple items in the desert island pleasure bag to make me feel like ME (those items?  beads and music, baby!).  I will always window shop, on line or in person.  That won't ever stop.   It fans the flame and gets me inspired to make new jewelry. 

So for a while (not sure how long), I would like to show some of the items around my house that really mean something to me.  It will serve as a reminder that I probably do have everything I want.  Maybe it will keep that desire to go buy something at bay. 

 The First Thursday's Thing is my Monkey.  Admittedly, it would NEVER cross my mind to ever buy this thing.  But it was my Grandpa's.  It was always on his bar and he would turn it on and hit the head and make it screech and let it clap its cymbals together.  He would get so excited every time he played the monkey for me.  I remember him acting more like a child than I did in those  monkey moments :-)  When the time came to empty out the house, my family presented me with the monkey.  They said I was the only one who would love it properly.  It sits in my kitchen now and makes some people smile and makes others run in fear.  I still have a love/hate with the monkey itself.  But I have so many memories tied up in it.  I couldn't part with it even if I tried.  And it is growing on the Birdman, Bug and Sunshine Girl.  I was away all day Sunday.  I came home to a thoroughly cleaned (relative term when you live in the country) and de-cluttered kitchen.  A lot of things did not make the final cut to stay out on the counters and shelves.  When it came time to decide about the monkey, they really wanted to tuck it away but decided I needed it out on the shelf.  Those Sweethearts :-)




I wonder what next Thursday will bring.....in the meantime, leave a comment and let me know what thing is special to you.

What Therese and I will be Working with in October...and Other News

Here's my choice for the next "She Made-She Made" reveal.  Therese and I will post what we make on October 30th.   A real fall feel to this selection. 

I have absolutely nothing in mind...do you, Therese?












I am not sure what is the "right" side of this leaf or if it even has one. 











I took the bead  pictures, walked out of the workshop, and saw this.  I am glad I had the camera in hand.  One looks at the world a bit differently with a camera around the neck. 

And now information on a giveaway~

Alicia over at All the Pretty Things is having a giveaway to celebrate the one year anniversary of her blog...she has some Beauties she is giving away, so go take a look, follow her lovely blog and throw your name in the hat!


I hope you are having a Wonderful Fall so far...any big plans?! 

She Made~She Made, The First Time

 The time has finally arrived for Therese and I to post our first She Made ~ She Made Monthly Challenge :-D      Yippeee!!!!!

The details of the monthly challenge and the stash involved can be found here. 

These Blue Amazonites have a very beautiful color the the shape and faceting on these made them real easy to work with.  I used every single one of them and  will definitely keep my eyes open for more when I shop for beads.




My first design brought me back to the first class I ever taught for pay.  I call  this design "Girl's Best Friend".  I have used picasso donuts, tiger's eye, Swarovski crystals of various shapes, and carnelian in this design in the past.  The first time I saw these blue beauties, I knew I wanted to make this bracelet.

Next, I went with tilas.  They sit on my table, seldom used, almost taunting me.  I rarely know what to do with them.  Then this happened:

And last, but certainly not least, a necklace.  This was a challenge x2.  The challenge between Therese, the blue amazonites and me, and the challenge of weaving around a cab.  I am still not comfortable with this.  Maybe if I stuck with peyote I would be.  But I am interested in finding other stitches that work well around the cab.  I think I found a Great method, but that picture cannot be shown until the Time to Stitch 2 reveal on October 25th (that should give you a Big Hint as to what stitch I have fallen in love with to go around the cab!).  I played around and came up with what essentially is ladder and picot for this one.

Here is a closer look at the cab.  It was made by Erin at Elysian Studios.  It is made of polymer clay and is the most comfortable thing to hold in my hand.  It reminded me of a worry stone.  As I fondled it, I could feel the smoothness and beauty and it really gave me peace.  And peace is not something I ever feel when working with cabs!  Erin will soon be carrying these jewelry components and other handmade beads in her Etsy shop.  Can't wait until they are in the shop and I can order more! 

I may redo a bit of the area right above the cab.  The teardrops do lay well above the cab, despite what story the picture tells.  And I do like the twist the beads take that are immediately above the cab, but I am not sure I love it yet.  I was trying to get a more "imperfect" feel there and I think I achieved that.  But it might be too imperfect. 

Thank You to Erin for making such a beautiful cab!

And Thank You Therese for the generous gift of all the beads you gave me, for the inspiration to go new places with my weaving, for putting up with my lack of computer knowledge, for the fantastic badge!, for being my Hop partner, and for your friendship.  A few hours in Carlisle was not nearly enough.  I cannot wait to see you again :-)

Now it is time for you to go over to Therese's Treasures and see what she made with these lovely Blue Amazonites.   Thank you for stopping by and sharing a bit of your day with us!