Just hanging out and having fun

Last Friday evening was fantastic. It was cold outside, but warm inside, and the little one and I decided to do some beading together. Daddy took a few shots of us working on our projects. Mimi's didn't get that far, but I'm happy to say that I finally completed my latest lariat, which is yet unnamed :( Any ideas? 'Cause I'm at a loss... It reminds me of underwater life though, so I was thinking of something sea themed.As per usual, I went with different ends. It's weird, it's like I went from this whole "everything's gotta be symmetrical" kick, to "Oh, no, nothing must match!" lol!


I simply could not get a good shot of the ends. Lighting was too harsh, and the wind was blowing too hard.
Maybe this one?
Nope!

A better shot of the NLM lampwork bead (LOVE their work!). I bought this bead at the Bead Oasis show, in 2005 I believe. and I only decided to use it, what, 6 months ago? LOL!

dig dig dig "Mommy, I need to find all the yellow bear beads" dig dig dig.
Mommy sits by thinking "Yup, beader in training..." LOL!

Until my office is completed, I've been dragging my projects upstairs, where the large bay windows offer the best lighting. And, once again, my beads have taken over the living area. But at least the dining room table is free and clear, and no beads shall be accidentally harmed or eaten. ;)

That's better!
Now we can see her pretty face! :)
Too bad about mommy's frizzy hair...

Fish faces!
while mommy chats on the phone with Auntie

And here's what I've been working on since Monday. I had some old charms and coins kicking around, and plenty of beads I just didn't know what to make with. Frankly, I've had some of them sitting in my stash for well over a decade! LOL! And, well, with Samhain quickly coming (here TODAY actually!), I was in the mood to create something 'charmish'. So, without further ado, may I present to you my brand new line of "Lucky Charms", where each and every piece was made with love and gratitude, as well as infused with spells for luck, wealth and wellness. They can be worn as anklets, bracelets or necklaces, whatever tickles your fancy, and each will soon be available for purchase on my website. As soon as they're all the photos are cropped and resized that is... LOL! Guess I better get a move on, seeing as I've got 24 to work on... :/

I simply love this photo of all of them like this.

A better look.

Alright Readers:

It's contest time!!!!
You remember my good cyber buddy Scott, the glass blower in Pensacola, Florida? Well, he's hosting another one of his fantastic contests, which probably means that I'll be copycatting that too, LOL! Rules are simple, you just need to comment on the post, and tell him who referred you. Of course, if you want to refer to his contest from your blog, you are certainly free to do so. I would say you are encouraged to do so! :D

Now GO!

Sleeping Beauty

Well, the latest I've just completed. See, I started this one in May, I think... And it's taken me until now to finally get the 'beading' feeling back. Truly, I haven't felt the desire to create anything beady in what seems like ages, and I'm doing my darnedest to get back to it. I think I've pin-pointed the origin of the slump to when that lady had placed an order with me for the museum, and then just backed out of it after I'd completed a whole collection of Lentil Twist bracelets and Pearl Blossoms for her. I was then left with about 20 each, and a broken heart. Not to mention a deflated ego. :( Ah well, live, learn, and pass it on: Get everything in WRITING! Less chances of folks reneging on their order...


I've done something a tad different here. Instead of leaving well enough alone, I had just finished this necklace base, when some silver leaf charms that were sitting on my table caught my eye. A frantic search for some 11s to add to the design, and I was off to the races. I call this piece "Sleeping Beauty", as it reminds me of what the surrounding greenery would have looked like after Sleeping Beauty's 100 year slumber, like the leaves has been sleeping with her this whole time, and had petrified into silver.

Not the best shot, but a good idea of the counter balance fringes at the back.
Hey! It's hard enough taking self-portraits, try taking one behind your back! LOL!

The Saturday Art Fair. Part II

This was my second week attending the "Queen Street Art Saturdays", and I finally made a sale! :D
The artists had been moved indoors last week, due to inclement weather, however, even though it was freezing out, I much preferred being out on the sidewalk this time around. A lot more foot traffic, and a lot more interest generated, since both motorists and pedestrians were intrigued by all the movement and colors and tents lining the street.

Now, just as a little aside here, I'd like to ask you all a question, and I hope it won't make me come off as some sort of snotty snob, but, what are YOUR views on Art?
See, here's why I'm asking. We have some incredibly talented artists in our midst, and the goal of these fairs is to increase awareness to local arts. But somehow (perhaps because the organization lacks a panel of juries to determine who should participate or not...), quite a few 'crafters' have been participating, and my gripe with that, is that it's starting to give the Art Fairs a bit of a flea market feel. And I don't think that's what they're going for.

You know the difference, right? In the Artist's booth, you can tell they poured their heart and soul into their work, and have spent countless hours creating them. You can see it, feel it, smell it; and all of their pieces are "One-Offs". Whereas the crafter, well, everything looks practically prefabricated, and honestly, some of the shite I saw there looked like plain B&S to me. (Buy and Sell, where they'll purchase something made in China for pennies, and then sell it for, say $5 at the show...) You can plainly see the difference in quality, it just jumps out at you, but for some reason, the (mostly male) organizers have got it in their greedy brains that "we're just trying to raise awareness for now, trying to get people to come in, and THEN we'll weed out the crafters"
And I don't agree with that! Crafters have their place, they're called Craft Shows... And Artists usually don't do well at these shows, since their meaningful expensive Art is surrounded by mindless, cheap crap! Also, and I'll use my neighbor as and example here, if you've got a photographer, selling one-of-a-kind custom framed photographs sitting next to a guy who is selling, say, printed phosters, who do you think is going to sell more? The guy with the $300 photos, or the guy with the $10 posters? Am I wrong is wanting this venue to be purely geared to the Arts, since this is what the organization claims it wants this as well?

Alright, enough of that... Off my soapbox, for now. ;)

Here is a shot of one of Niagara's greatest attractions: The Chipwagon! Man alive, the best fries in the world come from chip wagons, eh? This is a little Mom & Pop operation, where pop sits in the corner, HAND PEELING AND CUTTING the potatoes, while mom fries'em up, and serves the masses. Look at this lineup! One lady stood in line for an hour just for fries! And these guys are there all week, so they see this kind of traffic every day. It's got Chris and I thinking that perhaps we should open a chip stand when retirement creeps up... LOL!

But I'm a good girl! I only have their fries on SATURDAYS!!! :D

I don't have a tent, and frankly, I don't really want one, but most have one when they're on the street. I met Doreen here (in the grey coat) last weekend, and we took a liking to each other. We asked to be put next to each other, so that we could partner up for pee breaks! And oh boy, did we EVER need them. We had to inbibe many a hot drink so our bodies wouldn't give out to hypothermia... LOL!

My little table. I finally splurged, and got myself an actual folding table and chair for these shows. And even though I wanted to get a second one of each, 'cause I think it would work much better, I didn't, since our funds are rather tightish' at the moment, and every spare penny is going back into the house. You know what the first thing Chris said when we were setting up? "You need another table and chair!" LOL!
So, guess what I'm buying during my next COSTCO shopping excursion.
Oooh, and don't my new scarves look delish? I've been making these like a mad woman, since crocheting is a rather cozy hobby, and I've been under some stress lately, I've been finding comfort in just sitting on my couch, with music playing, and my fingers working. Lots of Ooohs! and Aaahs!, now let's hope they generate lots of Moolah next time! ;)

Me and my little 'insistant' Mimi. What a good girl she was. We made it a family affair this week, and both Chris and Mimi came with me so I could set up and keep me company while I worked. Made the day go by so much faster, and much more pleasurable!
Also more expensive, since we had to get treats for the whole family... LOL!

I sold two pairs of hoops!
Sitting behind the table, I happened to glance at these when the sun was just peeking out (for the first of two times that day...), and I couldn't get over how pretty the beads looked in the sunlight. Now, of course, the photo doesn't do the effect justice, but I tried... ;)

So? How was Your weekend? Did you do anything different, exciting or new? Did you get out in the world and show off your stuff? (ooh, that sounded dirty, didn't it? :P). A few of my readers did something exciting recently. Both Diana and Linda have bit the bullet and opened their very own Etsy stores. You should click on their names and go take a look at their Art, it'll be well worth your time, I promise! And yes, these ladies create Art, with a capital A.

Blessed Be my friends.