Let's see...

What have I been up to? Well, I'm still on this organization kick as far as the beading area is concerned. Just implemented my latest find: Filing trays. I've been using cardboard labeled storage boxes for my finished pieces and my pearls. I like that I can just glance at the boxes and find what I'm looking for in no time flat.
Now I can do it with my U.F.O.S as well. I found these two-drawer trays at Homesense. Lucky for me, I can stack two high on my shelf. I lined each drawer with a sheet of Vellux , and keep my unfinished pieces in them. The fact that I can pull the drawers out make the projects easily accessible and portable.

I've managed to find enough U.F.O.s to fill a drawer each for knitting, crocheting, and netting. I know I've got quite a few more pieces around here somewhere. Good thing I've limited myself to the dining room area as far as the bead stuff goes.

I have GOT to finish that piece on the right. I'm still searching for the perfect clasp for it. It's just one of those pieces that requires a lot of time and effort, and one that needs to be 'just so'. Then again, all my pieces are like that...

I just finished this cuff as a Christmas present for a dear friend. A bit different for me, no pattern followed.

My friend Kirsten gave me a neat book on crocheting with beads for Christmas, and I got myself another crochet book as well. Armed with these two books and 5 brand new crochet hooks, I've embarked on this brand new journey. A journey I fear will lead me down the road of an endless array of scarves, beanies and mittens... Sadly, I've also chosen to drag a friend down with me, and got Maria hooked on it as well...

Here is my latest piece.

Pretty magenta scarf in Shell stitch.

Closeup

The first one, done in Treble Crochet.

Not one missed stitch!

And now, for the pièce de résistance:
My first hat!
And here is darling Mimi modeling her hat, which she loves and has been wearing ever since. Yay!

Love those pompoms!

As far as beading goes, I haven't done much lately. Well, I have made a few netted bracelets, using wooden beads. The beads themselves are no larger than a size 6/0, and are very light. I've been trying to use different materials lately, see if I can't get the creative juices flowing. I've been trying to not do as much of my bead crochet ropes as well. Guess I need to stretch different muscles.

Oh, I also decided to give myself a little present over the holidays, and got myself a beading book. I've been wanting to do a huge Egyptian style broad collar for quite some time, and since I've got all the necessary materials at hand, I was doing a search on them. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon Bette Kelley's site, you have GOT to go see this lady's work, it's breathtaking.

So, what's on the agenda for the next little while? Well, I'm sick. My little one and I are battling a stomach bug, AND I've got a sinus cold (shoot me now!) So, I've been catching up on all the sleep I've lost since Mimi's birth - what, I haven't slept in 6 years! ;) - and in between naps, I'm teaching myself new crochet stitches. I'll tell you this much, it's a lot less painful finding a crochet hook than a beading needle in bed...

Okay, I've been up since 3:30, couldn't sleep from all the coughing. But I'm sleepy now!