Le Beadoir & La Tzigane

Parsnip & Carrot Purée

2011-11-19T17:43:00.006-04:00

We've all seen those strange white carrot shaped rood vegetables in the fresh produce section, Parsnips. Parsnip are richer in vitamins and minerals than its close relative, the carrot. They are particularly rich in potassium with 600 mg per 100 g, and are also a good source of dietary fiber. The buttery, slightly spicy, sweet flavor of cooked mature parsnips is reminiscent of butterscotch , honey , and subtle cardamom .

I came up with this recipe after tasting a delicious parsnip purée in a local restaurant (Jordan House Tavern, in Jordan Ontario). I remembered not particularly liking their taste as a child, but now, I just can't get enough of their subtle spiciness, and try to insert them in as many dishes as I can! So here is my very simple, very delicious recipe, which is sure to please many a finicky palate, as well as impress the more refined ones. It's easy, inexpensive, and quick to make in a pinch. (OH no! MIL is on her way, and I've got NOTHING to serve her for lunch. Easy peasy! Whip up this soup in less than an hour, and serve with a side of garlic bread!) ;)
You could make this soup with parsnips only, but I've added carrots to it, for my kiddo who's not too sure of the taste of parsnips alone. The carrots will make the soup slightly sweeter than parsnips alone, and result in a lovely creamy light orange purée.

Take approximately 1 pound (454 gm) each of carrot and parsnips, peeled, and sliced thickly.

Tada! The magic of digital photography!
No fingers were harmed in the slicing of these root vegetables.
Do ensure that you're using a sharp knife, especially on the parsnips, as they are known to be a tad tougher than carrots.

Put your sliced carrots and parsnips in a large pot that can hold at least 4 quarts (4 liters), and cover with your choice of chicken broth or vegetable stock.

Usually, I'll use my own chicken broth, but since I didn't have any, I reached for one of our trusty pantry staples. I always have these on hand, as my whole family are huge soup eaters, plus, since none of us can stomach cow milk, we also use it as a replacement to make the lightest, fluffiest garlic smashed taters! (there's a whole other post right there)

A little tip from Jewels' kitchen. If you're not going to use both broth packs, take note of the date you opened it on, and write it on the package. Yes, they have a long shelf life, and will last as long as the 'due date', but that only applies to sealed, unopened packs. Once they're open, you've got a maximum of 1 1/2 - 2 weeks to use it.

Let your veggies simmer at medium heat for about 30-45 minutes, or until soft. If you can 'slice' through a piece of parsnip with your spoon easily, they're ready. Here's where I reach for my trusty little magic wand! I LOVE this tool! If you don't have a handheld mixer, you can pour your veggies and broth into a large blender [in batches] - use a ladle so as not to burn yourself, and don't fill the cup entirely, you'll get some splash back that could send your lid flying, and create a big hot mess.

Now, back to my little wand. Take your pot off the heated element before blending, this will help prevent scalding once the purée action starts, and your mixture starts bubbling as it heats.

Starting on a low setting, gently purée your veggies, making sure to keep the business end of your wand submerged. If you don't, you're sure to wear some scalding broth, which I can assure you, is less than pleasant. So, nice and slow, keep that wand moving until every morsel has been obliterated, unless you like having a few chunks in there... If you find that your purée is a little too thick, you can add a bit of broth at a time, until you've reached the desired consistency.

I like mine to be between liquid and baby food consistency; not too thick, not to runny. :)
At this point you can also add a few herbs or spices if you like. Here are a few choices I've used in the past that have all turned out beautifully:
Cumin
Caraway
Coriander
Powdered Ginger
Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
Garlic
Fresh Peppercorn

Let it simmer on very low heat for another 10-20 minutes to let the spices' flavors blend in.

Et Voilà!
A delicious, restaurant worthy, deliciously aromatic soup!
So easy, my 10 year old could do it!
(but only if I do the cutting and blending...) ;)

If you can handle dairy, you could pour a nuage of fresh cream or a dollop of sour cream (LOVE that if there's fresh cilantro in there!)

Bon Appétit!

Jewels

Photo blog!

2010-03-17T12:04:00.008-04:00

Weeeeeeeeellllll, life's been good, and busy! I thought I'd give you a little photo collage to show you some of what's been going on in the last month. :)

Super storm!
Right at the beginning of March. Some days later, we had a flash thaw, accompanied by torrential downpours, and flash flooding of our sunken patio. Fun times!

Ah yes, a fiber weaver's pet peeve. Just about to finish a tam, 3 stitches to go, and I RUN OUT OF YARN!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRR!
LOL!

Alright, let's follow these first two photos with one of the coolest things to happen to me in a long while. I got a SWEETBOX from Jinny! Yeah! First off, let me tell you about this gorgeous lady's yummy goodies: They are To. Die. For! And I got a big box full! OMG!

Ooh, look at this assortment of sablés! And they're all gone! ;)

Oh! Oh! Oh! Will you look at THIS?????
A box of petits fours, just for Moi! Moi! Moi! ;)

It was hard, but I kept one of the two raspberry coulis filled brownies for my honey.
It was really, really difficult!
I mean, LOOK AT IT! A dense, rich brownie, made with nothing but the finest, natural, organic ingredients, slathered in organic raspberry coulis and topped with a thick layer of BELGIAN CHOCOLATE GANACHE! O!M!G!!!!!
ORALGASM! ;)

Yes, yes, let's get to the flash flood, shall we? See this? It's our new pool! It'll be all the rage this summer with the neighborhood kids. Well, only with the ones who don't have their own pool to dip in that is. ;) Lucky LUCKY us, we caught it before the water started seeping into the house. As you can see from this shot, Mimi was the only one having fun this day... "But Mooooooom, it's so cool! Can't we keep it like this????" No, no we can't!

Ankle deep in water. I love my gortex lined hiking boots, they certainly came in handy ;)

Well, we HAD to laugh! LOL! Here's D.H. pretending to take a dive.
I'm behind the camera reminding him that you should never dive in the shallow end. ;)

Two garden hoses (thank you Nana Jo!!!) is what it took to bring the water all the way to the street, so we didn't pump the water back into the front of the house...
Which was already filling up the garage... Yeah, I said it... fun times... NOT!

Today's Treasuries

2010-02-24T14:19:00.004-04:00

I'm honored to be in three gorgeous treasuries at the moment. The first one by AnnyMay, our Team French "coordonatrice" with the mostest. It's called "Bonne Nuit", and features an array of purple gorgeousness!

The second is by Lac'Okine, another Team French member, who chose the color green as her inspiration for this lovely T West, titled Spring Festival

And last but not least, we have Vicky's very first treasury, filled with a fantastic display of colors! In fact, it's called Colors. Colours. Couleurs.

Please click on the links to visit their shops, and I'm positive they'd love your comments on their treasuries. My Team French works SO hard at building these beautiful treasuries! :)

Merci Vicky, Geneviève et Anny!

Busy playin', with a little work on the side

2010-02-23T11:13:00.003-04:00

Been toying with the idea of a new banner for Le Beadoir, so I was playing with my camera and some beads the other day. I've got a lovely array of simple white dishes. I like white, it's plain, crisp, and always looks clean. I especially like that I can go around and mix & match with any styles without them being in a set. I lucked out a few months back at a discount store, where they were unloading tons of what looked like restaurant ware. I found these fantastic little condiment bowls in the form of fish, and what I assume to be an olive or pickle dish in the shape of a nautilus. Not pictured are the awesome large pasta and fruit bowls I scored along with these. Bonus: Everything was white, and prices ranged between $0.50 - $2.00!
I've already got my fair share of condiment bowls, but I couldn't pass the fishies up. I thought they'd be PERFECT to hold my beads while I'm working, seeing as they were neither too big or too deep. Only problem was when hubby saw them, he snagged about half of them for himself. Which was my fault, really, since I suggested it might be prudent for him to keep his hooks and beads and weights in while he was tying some flies... Meh! Nothing another trip to the discount store couldn't fix! ;)
The fishies were sitting in front of me, filled with beads, and they looked so cute I thought they might be worth photographing. Of course, one thing led to another, and I started playing with other dishes and beads... And, well, you know how it goes.

Here's one idea, I've a few more shots, but blogger keeps turning them clockwise, and I didn't think you'd like to have to turn your head to see them, so I'll leave it at this one for now.

Besides playing with my camera, I've been having quite a bit of fun with my crochet. A friend wanted me to design a scarf for her toddler, and provided me with this vibrant orange yarn. The ball was SO BIG that I thought "why not add a little hat with that?", so I did! Though I didn't have the little man's head to fit the hat perfectly, I figured Mimi wasn't that much bigger, and if it fit her snugly, then it would fit him for a while.

I was going for a beanie, but then remembered how little ones sometimes like to pull their hats off. So I added a little chin strap, which buttons up with one of my prized vintage buttons which very closely matched the color of the yarn. My friend RAVED about it! Said I couldn't have made the little hat fit more perfectly! Yay!

Oooh! I also started making these super cute skinny scarves. I had just finished a hat and knew I didn't have enough yarn left over to make anything big, but had an inspired idea! A skinny scarf! But it looked SO plain, it just needed a little ooomph! So I hooked some giant pompoms to the ends, and VOILÀ! Some super cool skinny scarves! :)

Now if I could just get over this nasty cold so I could take some new shots and list these.

The hat and arm warmers, as well as the above bracelet were sent to my Beaders Without Borders partner Payton. The bracelet was for the swap, the hat and warmers and exchange for some of her fantastic lampwork beads. Oooh, wait 'til you see the beads I'm getting from her! Gorgeous, GORGEOUS hearts that I fell in love with at first sight!

Besides that, nothing much. Shoveling, nursing my sciatica, getting over a nasty cold, and generally trying to keep myself out of trouble. Which means no shopping. Though I did splurge on some beautiful buttons from Natural Resources a week ago. If you like natural material buttons, you should check these guys out. I am very very impressed with the quality of their wares, and I couldn't believe how fast they got to me. I ordered on the 14th, and they arrived on the 22nd
Oh, and caved and went and had my eyes checked. That was fun! *rolls eyes*. I'm so glad I had my daughter with me to lead the way afterward. Good Golly! Do they absolutely NEED to put those nasty drops in your eyes??? LOL! My daughter was in the examination room with me, (since she was getting her eyes checked for the first time, I wanted her to see what they were doing so she wouldn't be so nervous), and when the doctor put the drops in, I guess the dilation was instant. She made both the doctor and myself laugh so hard! She said "Mommy! You look like a cat!" I said "You mean my pupil looks like a line?" she said "No! You look like Milo when he's rambunctious!!!" LOL!
We went to the glass shop so I could look at glasses. My prescription is very light, but I do notice that my eyes get really tired after a full day of work (it's the tiny beads and stitches that do me in...). Then we went to see my D.H., and he couldn't look at me, said I looked "way too freaky" with my black eyes! I had to look for myself and heck, I freaked MYSELF out! I took a photo, but only 4 hours after the exam. Still, you can see how long the dilation lasts. I'll say this though, everything looked so pretty and blurry. And blue! LOL!

Breakfast!!!

2010-02-18T13:43:00.006-04:00

Seems my blog has been sorely neglected for the last little while (MONTHS!!!), so I thought I'd give myself a little kick-start by introducing a different subject to my blog: COOKING!
Now, my disclaimer is I'm not a chef, but I AM a foodie! I love food, I love cooking it, preparing it, and most importantly, EATING IT! My favorite ingredient is Love (I know, cheesy, right?), and I strongly believe this is what makes my food taste so darn good. And I'm not just sayin' that! ;)
So, for my very first foodie installment, I thought I'd share my own French Toast recipe with you. This is one of our very favorite breakfast foods, and I've got a long list of friends and family members who'll vouch for their absolute deliciousness! (I'm not kidding, I've had personal requests for this breakfast...) Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:
4 large eggs (5 if you like your toast a little more on the spongy side)
1 cup of milk (give or take, depending on the amount of bread you have, you may need to add a tad more...)
*About* 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar
A dash of vanilla extract (I only use the real stuff)
A dash of ground cinnamon if you like
1 full focaccia loaf

Tools:
serrated knife
cutting board
large mixing bowl
mixing tool (egg beater, fork, doesn't matter...)
skillet
spatula
one seriously hearty appetite!

My one 'secret' ingredient, is the focaccia. My absolute favorite being the Ace Bakery Cranberry Raisin Focaccia. The one thing you want to make sure of when making French Toast is the density of your bread. When I was little, my Mom used to toast her bread slices ahead of time, this ensured that your bread would soak up more of the batter, and lessen the chances of your slices getting too soggy and breaking apart before you could get it in the pan. The reason I like to use focaccia is that it's already a dense bread, it's got a lovely thick crust, and the texture is akin stale bread. This acts like a super thirsty sponge and soaks up a LOT of the batter, making for the most deliciously moist 'cakey' bread on the inside that stays crispy on the outside.

Start heating up your skillet ahead of time, keep it at a medium-high heat. I use a non-stick skillet, with a touch of melted butter.

Cut your loaf in 1/2 inch thick slices (I usually get about a dozen or so slices at that thickness).
Thinner slices won't give you the (re: MY) desired texture.

Whip all of your ingredients together

*You like my little "Eggy"? ;)*

Then comes the messy part. I hope you're not squeemish, cause your fingers will get soaked! Push the focaccia slices down into the batter so they'll get nice and soaked, but don't soak them so much that the slices start breaking down.

Then just brown your bread in your pan, keeping a close eye on them to avoid burning them. If you keep the heat at medium, it should take about 4-5 minutes on each side for a lovely crispy brown toast. You want to make sure the exterior is nice and brown, but you also want to cook the interior thoroughly (no sogginess!).

Mmmmmmmm, can't you just smell it?????

Take two. At this point I've got two seagulls flying around the kitchen trying to snag a slice on the go!

The beauty of using this particular focaccia is that you don't really need any maple syrup with them, but you can if you want to! :) Another way to sweeten them up would be to lightly sprinkle them with powdered sugar. They're very hearty, so would stand alone very well for a full breakfast, but if I was going all out, I'd add bacon, potato patties, some lightly seasoned (sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and thyme) eggs, and a freshly brewed pot of coffee or tea.

Care to join us for breakfast? :)
There's more than enough!

I hope you like my very first 'recipe' installment, and look forward to sharing more with you.

Winter Wonderland!

2010-01-06T20:49:00.014-04:00

Well, I guess we're lucky, by this time last year, we'd already been shoveling the white stuff for months. We had our first substantial snow storm this week, and I'm happy to report that this little downfall has helped me stick to at least one of my resolutions: To reintroduce fitness into my lifestyle. Yeah, I'm a bit sore, but I'm sticking to it. Oh, and remembering to bend at the knees. Here's our front porch on Monday. Right before my neighbor picked me up to go run a few errands. What were we thinking!? Oh, right, I needed groceries... ;)

I wanted to take a few shots of the aftermath. The railing got a massive covering of snow, that pile was about 10 inches high, and it must've thought it was soft serve ice cream or something? Here's what it looked like this morning, when things started warming up just a little bit. Pretty cool eh?

Even the clerestory got covered. Id never realized just how much more natural lighting those windows let in. It made the place look so dark with them all covered like this.

Well, with snow storms comes cabin fever. Though we haven't taken on any major renovations, we've been keeping up with the tiny little things here and there we just couldn't live with anymore. Here's one such project. Above our kitchen sink sat what I can only describe as a fake window. No really, see for yourself:

It's not the best shot of it, but let's just say that it wasn't one of the house's selling points... At least not as must as the built-in vintage food mixer was.

So, hubby and I got to work. I removed the 'pane' a while back, and found that it was just like a recessed shallow box. But the scenery, oh the scenery... I just couldn't take it anymore. Every day I half expected Heidi to come jumping out of the Alp-like scene... It was just, so, not... here! LOL!

So here was my bright idea: To remove the pane, scrape off the paper, give the whole surface a good sanding, then a few coats of chalkboard paint. Oh, and a few cork tiles. So we'd have a cork/chalk board :)

I played with a few ideas on how to divide the panel. This looked cool, but then would have left the chalkboard so high, the only one able to use it would have been D.H.!
Well, unless we kept a step-stool at hand for Mimi and myself... ;)

Ta-Dah! :)
Quick, simple, and EASY!
But MEHHHHH-SYYYYYY!
Everything in the kitchen had a slight coat of black dusting, since I used spray paint. (but I made sure the area was very WELL ventilated!!!)

And hey! Did I tell you I got to plan a short and sweet escape over the holidays? D.H. had some time off from work, and I seized the opportunity to get up and go! Yes! I left my husband and child to go on a mini vacation, just for Moi! :) It was *really* short, but I enjoyed it fervently. And yes, I did miss my family, but I also missed my Mom. And heck, I hadn't been away by myself in over 8 years!!! (Little Highness arrived a little over 8 years ago... you catch my drift?)
I got to spend some quality alone time with my Mom, enjoyed seeing my aunts and uncles, got to meet my cousin's new beau, and was in awe at all the hard work my Mom and Denis did in their basement, which was previously considered a 'catch all' kinda room, and is now a gorgeous suite with kitchenette, game room, computer room, and ANOTHER living room!!!! LOL!
Oh! Remind me to tell you about some of the gorgeous vintage yarns my Mom shared with me. She finds the best deal places for stuff like that I tell you!

On the day of my departure, I went for breakfast with Dad. I know he wishes we'd had been able to spend more time together, but the trip was planned so quickly, all I wanted to do was 'get outta town'. ;) Dad and I had a bit of a gift exchange. Nothing big, I gave him what could be considered a goodie bag of varied assortments. Some homegrown herbs (no, not THOSE kinds of herbs!!!! The kitchen kind! Sheesh!), some hand crocheted man-sized face cloths, some handmade soap from Chase Street Soap Co. on Etsy (you really should check her shop out, Jessica and I did a little trade for some of each others' wares, and boy was it worth it!!! Her soaps leave your skin feeling soft and silky, no scummy soap film left behind, and no dry feeling either! And the scents are TDF!!!)

I think Dad was mostly surprised by the nice fat cheque I was able to give him, since I sold a few of his bowls and some captive ring rattles. Here's one of the lovely babies he gave me: A wood turned crochet hook! He gave me 5 of them, to test out and enjoy for myself. This is my favorite prototype so far:

Feels fantastic in your hand, in either the pen or knife hold, won't make your hand feel fatigued after hours of handiwork. He says he's going to make me one out of deer antler next. Can't wait to see it! I also like that he can make them to my specifications. This one here is 7 mm in diameter. I'd been looking all over for a 7mm hook, and could never find one - do they even make them???

Speaking of crochet, here's my newest endeavors. I call them "Personal Spa Sets", and the set comprises three luxurious, thick, cozy crocheted items: A face cloth, a wide headband, and a lovely little "soap cushion" to wash your face with. I used to have such an extensive self-care routine, with all the different soaps, and creams, buffing this, sloughing that... With this set, well, I'm all set! The headband is wide enough that it holds every strand of hair out of my face, so no worries about getting my hair soapy. The soap cushion is just the right size and thickness to get the job done, and done well. The nature of cotton makes it so that the surface of the cushion is slightly exfoliating. Not too rough, and not to soft. You can either use the cloth to wipe your face dry, or as a general wash cloth. Either way, it too feels absolutely glorious on your skin. The soap cushion can be used with your favorite liquid wash, OR you can use the handy-dandy little opening at the back, and insert a tiny piece of your favorite bar of face soap (My current favorite is, of course, from Jess' shop, is the Oatmeal Honey Spice loaf). Smells good enough to eat!

Off White

Chocolate Brown

I've had so much fun making these sets, that I had D.H. go out and get me some more cotton in different colors. Which is bound to keep me busy for the next few weeks... ;)

But not just with crocheting mind you. I've recently started hanging out in my beading studio again, trying to get those creative juices flowing. I wanted to play with my pearls, but didn't want to make anything too complicated, so I stuck with an old favorite of mine, my Pearl Blossoms, but did something slightly different. Where I usually make them into a single pendant which can be transferred from chain to chain - or ribbon... - this time I chose to make them an integral part of the design.

I call this one Trinity.
Three deep red Pearl Blossoms hanging from an antique brushed brass finish chain.

This was the original one, called "Ye Ole Ball & Chain".
And D.H. named that one, 'cause that's what it reminded him of.

Now, on a final note, I want to share this news with you: Carol Dean Sharpe, of SandFibers, is having a lovely give away from her blog site to celebrate 1000 sales in her Etsy shop!! The giveaway is for a $100 gift certificate TO HER SHOP!!! Not only does Carol Dean create fantastic beadwork, she also sells some of the patterns for her glorious designs! Please do enter, Carol is an amazing bead artist and you will be sooooooooo glad you did. Click on the photo below to link to her blog.

Here's what Carol says of her contest:
"The winner can use this gift certificate in my Etsy store or to order a custom item. Or, because I will make the gift certificate transferable and without expiration date, you can give the certificate as a gift.

For your chance(s) to win a $100 Sand Fibers Gift Certificate, you can do one or all of the following:

1. Leave a comment here telling me what you would get with a $100 Sand Fibers gift certificate. (Don't worry: I won't hold you to your selections if you win.)

2. Blog about this give away and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.

3. Twitter about this give away and leave a comment letting me know you did. Be sure to reference @SandFibers in your tweet.

4. Link to this post on Facebook and leave a comment with a link to your link (does that make sense? lol)"

So? Whatcha waitin' for? Git!

Periphery

2009-12-23T11:34:00.007-04:00

So, yeah, seems I'm *still* not totally back in beading mode, but in my defense, so much has been happening around us lately. Not complaining, just coming to that realization now. Mimi was sick for a whole week, so she stayed home. Hubby's been extremely busy at work, so I've been in single parent mode for a bit too. Though now he's home [well, technically, he's currently at the river's edge, hopefully snagging the ever elusive 'big one'...] for a few weeks for the holidays. I'm hoping we can all catch up on family time, and that Mom might, just might get a chance to be by herself for a few of those days so she can catch up on her Self? ... Would be nice...

I think I should start with one of my favorite things: Family breakfast. I've been wanting to share this with my readers, just a wee bit of insight to me, and my family life. I do this every Sunday, and it's just for Us. It gives us a chance to sit back, relax, enjoy each others' company, and catch up on our week. Here's a sample of one of my best spreads: two eggs, over easy, sprinkled with pepper, sea salt, and thyme. French toast, made with a cranberry focaccia, oven roasted herbed potato patties, and bacon. GOTTA have the bacon. And no, the turkey one won't cut it, though I have tried sneaking it in every so often, you know, for 'health' reasons. ;) Of course, we only eat this way once a week, 'cause if I ate like this every day, then it would become easier to jump over me than to walk around me... I likes me food!

Do you have a designated 'Family Day'?

Last week, I was the very surprised recipient of this wonderful gift, sent to me by Nancy, who though we've met through here, on Blogger, became closer through facebook. And though things were sorta coasting along for me here, I think Nancy sensed that I wasn't completely %100 myself. I still am not, but I'm working on it. I was totally floored by the selection of shiny things she sent me, and couldn't believe that someone whom I'd only known for a short while would take the time to do something so thoughtful and kind for me. To put together a lovely care package, just to put a smile on my face. Oh I smiled. And I cried. But just a little bit. Here's what I received:

Pretty pink crystals, fantastic pearls (you know me and my pearls!), gorgeous looooong purple briolette crystals [which are destined to become copper-wrapped earrings], and this super funky stone donut that I'm just dying to make something with.
She threw in this card of neat fibers that I'm still fondling, and thought I've had quite a few ideas for their use, I'm still waiting for that "A-ha!" idea to hit me.

Oh, I've also been bit with the 'renovation' bug. Or perhaps I should call it the recycling bug. I spied with my little eye this beautiful old sideboard at Goodwill about 6 weeks ago. I had an idea to put it in our entryway, which I thought would help with all the front door clutter. I waited and waited for the price to go down, but it just wouldn't. Until one day, I went up to the manager and asked if she'd make me a better price. As you can see, it's found a new home. At %50 the original asking price. The piece was in excellent condition, save for a few scratches and marks on the surface veneer. However, I was planning on refinishing it to a beautiful flat black, to match all of the other items that had recently received the same treatment. Here's a before.

I worked on that baby for a week straight!
Lots of work, but oh so worth it! I sanded and buffed the finish away (dirty work that is!), removed the doors, drawers and hardware, then got to work with the paint.
Lucky for me I have a drive-through garage, so I was able to leave both ends open while I worked. Must be wary of those fumes...

And here is the end result:

I have to be honest. I'm giving myself quite the pat on the back for this project. The mirror was actually salvaged from a dumpster at our old appartment. The frame was white, and it's a super thick beveled mirror (they cost a FORTUNE these days!). It had been sitting in a closet for about two years, with the specific intent to refinish it, I simply didn't know what color I would go with. I had a pile of frames kicking around as well, all white. They got the black treatment too, and now frame our family ancestry. It's very heartwarming to my D.H. and myself to see our grandparents and parents hanging out on our wall.
[That yellow/tan chair was also a roadside rescue. Someone was throwing it out. I visualize it recovered in a gorgeous black on white damask toile fabric, but that's another project, for another time... LOL!]

From a different angle.
Though I did keep the original hardware on the sideboard, I have been eyeballing some new ones from Lee Valley - one of my favorite, favorite stores to shop at for original eccentricities.
GREAT place to find storage solutions as someone who needs to house lots of tiny little bits too!

Bringing the 'new' sideboard in meant that I needed to reorganize a few other pieces of furniture. Little Highness, lucky little girl that she is, has her very own craft cabinet, and though I'd love to keep it in her room, she simply lacks the space. Armed with my trusty measuring tape and a copious amount of "hmmmmmmmm, I wonder...", I found out that it fit near perfectly in the tiny nook at the end of our front 'hallway', with exactly one inch to spare on each side! Right, here's where I'll get all 'New Agey' on you, and start talking Feng Shui. ;) I figured this was the perfect spot for it, since that corner wasn't getting any use, aside from whenever we hit the loo - 2nd door on the right... - This new location now forces us to keep the bathroom door closed in order to see the lovely Balinese cabinet, AND now the Chi is functional, as opposed to being stagnant. Bonus, when L.H. grows out of it, I can reclaim it as our linen cabinet. Maybe...

Now, as for the rest of what's been goin' on. Well, we've discovered one of the joys of home ownership involved getting used to having new little room mates... Freeloading ones. A few months ago, we all started hearing little scurrying sounds in our ceiling area. Of course, we all gave the cat a side-eye glance, wondering since he constantly chases them outdoors (and subsequently tries to sneak them back in...), can't he simply catch the indoor ones? Well, indoor mice are crafty. CRAFTY I tell you!!! And I suspect have the stomach capacity of a cow! Look at this 10 lbs bag of basmati rice, which had JUST been purchased. So here's Jewels, preparing dinner for her family, when she decides "hmmmmm, basmati rice sure would be nice with these steamed veggies and the pan fried chicken breast..." Jewels reaches for the rice, and though she expects to feel the heft of 10 lbs of rice, lifts the pouch without any resistance whatsoever... "hmmmmm, didn't I just buy this bag of rice?" Walk with me, while you hear the sound of uncooked grains of rice bouncing off the floor... "What the!? Oh! There's a hole in the bottom corner of the bag!"

OMG! THIS IS ALL THAT WAS LEFT!!!!
LMBO!

Yes, well, the remainder of the rice went to the garbage bin, and out came the vacuum so I could clean up the ricey mess... But not without some serious grumbling, and a few choice French words thrown in for good measure... ;) If the little freeloading buggers thought I was going to take this laying down, they've got another thing coming. I hear they don't like the smell of fabric softener sheets. I'll have to photographically document myself slipping those above the ceiling tiles... That's if Milo doesn't get off his duff and get them...

Speaking of Milo, he's been a very good boy otherwise. The whole week that Mimi was home sick, this is how I found them:

Look at my big boy, belly up in the air. You'd almost think they get along from this photo, but in reality, they're actually closer to acting like true brother and sister. Constantly chasing each other, and lots of "Mooooooom! Milo's chasing me!" And I swear, every time that cat lies down to sleep, L.H. just HAS to pick him up and disturb his slumber...

Oh, and here are the two lovely flowers I sent to my last contest winner. I like to host the occasional contest on my facebook pages when I introduce a new product in either of my shops. This one was for my new organza blooms, and though the winner wanted them for his new baby girl, the bloom in question would've pretty much dwarfed her already tiny head. So I decided to make a small version of the original one, for a Mother Daughter set.

Cute, non?

Well, I'm afraid that's it for today. I do have TONS more stuff I need to catch up on, and tons more to share, but I'll leave it at this for this morning, and hope to have a chance to update this blog a bit more in the next coming weeks, since it is supposed to be a holiday for all.

Supposed too...

Pearls ARE a Girl's Best Friend

2009-11-24T11:28:00.004-04:00

Never mind diamonds. No, don't get me wrong, I like my diamonds, but pearls, Oh, pearls! They just have this certain "Je ne sais quoi" that makes my heart just pitter patter like a centipede's tap-dancing feet!
Two years ago, for our 10th anniversary, my darling husband asked me "What would you like for a gift honey?" I said "PEARLS!" Not entirely understanding my request, D.H. went out and looked for a jewelry item made of pearls for me. But after a whole week of searching, he finally admitted he just couldn't find anything that jumped out at him. Anything that he thought would 'suit' me. This is when I set him straight: "No honey, I don't want you to go out and purchase a pearl item for me, what I want are pearls, of my very own, to make my own jewelry with..." THIS D.H. could agree on. And so I searched high and low for the best pearl suppliers I could find, and afford, and I did find one with which I could agree on the pricing and quality of their items. Frankly, I fell in love with this site that sold nothing but Tahitian pearls, but, well, I just couldn't see D.H. buying me a boat load of black Tahitian pearls at $200 a piece... ;) So, I went with the Freshwater variety.
And I was NOT disappointed! Shall I tell you just how many pearls I did get from that single order? Well, it was 11 kilos!

Here I am, fondling some of my newly arrived pearl stash!
Gosh, I have that glazed over look, don't I ;)

And the ones I really found to be a personal splurge were these:

Natural 9mm round purple freshwater pearls.

And here's what I made with them:

A three-strand hand-knotted necklace with a silver box clasp.
I think I'll call them my "Desperate Housewife" strands... LOL!!!

But I did get quite a variety of other pearls, these natural pearls made my heart dance too. Having always had that "I wonder what this would look like" syndrome, I just HAD to try making a lariat with them. Of course, the unfinished rope sat there for a while, since I had NO clue what I could use to finish it. (Lariat ends are the BANE of this beader's existence... I always start with the rope, and always struggle with the ends. Well, unless I've purchased embellishments as an end in mind... ) 14 hand-strung 16" strands and two large Swarovski rondelles later, and this is what I came up with:

The rope is 45.5 " long (I thought it was longer, but then again, I have been measuring a whole lot of my ropes lately for listing in my shop... Oh well...)
I'm so used to making my 60" long ropes... ;)
The seed beads rope take longer to work up, but these pearl ones take longer to string.
Given the miliform nature of freshwater pearls, the holes all sit at different angles, so you can't really load them up in a spinner and string'em up... They literally had to be strung individually...
And yes, I HAVE been called crazy before, so you won't offend me if you call me out... ;)

I also like it worn tied at the wrist like an opulent handcuff...

Well, I've been debating with myself for a while now, wondering whether or not Etsy would be the right venue to list these in. I also have pearl rope done up with khaki freshwater pearls and smoky topaz Swarovski's on the ends. They'd be in the higher end price mark at $650 a piece... I'm tempted... Do you think they would sell? One thing's for sure, they'd certainly garner many "hearts".

I've been a bad, bad girl...

2009-10-28T15:22:00.003-04:00

I've been careless with a delicate man... Oh, wait, that's a Fiona Apple song! What I mean was, I've been careless with this blog! Well, not careless, really, just so darn busy with all the other avenues in my life that I simply haven't had time to write here, let alone read anyone else's blogs!

Well, with the cold months here already, I've been quite pleased to simply sit back, relax with a hot cup of tea (or coffee...) and a hook, and have been playing with my yarn stash. Oh, and what fun I've had! In the last three weeks, I've busily made at least a dozen cowls, (two of which have matching cuffs, see below...), half a dozen 'cup coats', and have even put some time aside to teach myself how to make organza flowers!

All this of course, was done in the midst of the little one getting dental surgery, then suffering through (and passing on...) two consecutive cold/flu viruses, keeping house, AND looking after a sick hubby who's business is soboominghecan'ttakeanytimeoff...

Anyway... At least I've had the time to photograph some of these creations, and this post is all about that: PHOTOS!

Deep Purple neckwarmer with matching cuffs.
The buttons were all salvaged from a second-hand store purchase.

Organza flowers with antique glass button centers.
These are SO much fun to make, and easy too! But still, a little time consuming, if you don't have a 'system' in place...

The cream one is one of my favorites. I also quite like the buttons I used, very understated, they almost look like carved crystal balls.

I went for a little jaunt downtown yesterday, and since we have a lovely little caffé there, called Balzac's, I thought I'd take along a few of my new cup cozies, and go ahead with a mini photo shoot while I had myself a little treat of medium roast and carrot cake. It was sooo worth it, even if I did start feeling very, very under the weather about 1 hour into my little excursion.

Another cup cozy, this one matches the neck warmer two photos down. I'm from a long line of crafty "Waste not, want not" Women, and if I like one thing in one color combination, I'll usually try to work with that same combination 'til there's no more yarn to play with.

Fiery Fall neckwarmer

Poetess neck warmer

Green Goodness neck warmer.
Might I add that I'm absolutely digging the versatility of these pieces? I love how you can wear the neck warmers in different fashions, as well as over the ears, as shown.

Well, I think that's about it for today. Hopefully I can get back to doing this blogging thing more regularly, but, I won't keep my hopes up about that, since I'm trying to line myself up with a few shows and sales. Oooh, and I did find a lady downtown yesterday who was VERY interested in carrying my beaded amulets in her New Age shop, and I'm quite excited about that prospect, and think my little amulets would do really well there as 'Medicine' bags.

"Magenta", the last bag I listed on Etsy, and which promptly sold!
Perhaps I should make more? ;)

Treasury: Beads are a Girl's Best Friend!

2009-10-15T14:18:00.002-04:00

Another treasury I've created today. Click on the photo to check out the gorgeous pieces on display. Just a small selection of the many talented bead artists on Etsy.

Treasury!

2009-10-06T11:26:00.003-04:00

I finally snagged myself a Treasury, and I thought I'd share it with you all!

I called it "Shades Of Fire" and it showcases a few of my favorite items at the moment.
I'm particularly partial to those large flower hair adornments; not sure if I could pull it off, personally, but I certainly wouldn't be averse to trying them! :)

*Which is probably why I've been playing with copious amounts of organza and tulle these last few days... Stay tuned!*

Thermos Cozy!

2009-10-05T11:40:00.003-04:00

My Darling Hubby is an avid outdoorsman, and likes to be prepared every time he goes out. After breaking his old thermos, he broke down and bought himself a new one. This time, when he came home, he asked his clever wifey if she could create some type of 'cozy' for it, so that it wouldn't get damaged on one of his excursions.

Well, not one to back down from such a challenge, his clever wifey sought out the perfect yarn for the task, and got to work! Armed with my trusty 5mm bamboo hook, and a copious amount of excitement (I kid you not!), I patiently worked on this project all of Saturday morning. Not having a pattern for such a cozy, I had to do, and re-do, quite a few times, just to get it right. Me and the 'Frog Stitch'? Yeah, we're tight!
So, here it is! The Thermos Cozy! :) I made two little 'ear-flaps' on the cap, that act as button holes. I sewed some nice, rustic looking wooden buttons to the body of the cozy, which allows for "easy-on, easy-off" of said cap.

So? Whaddya think?

I am happy to report that D.H. loved it so much (verbatim: "This is freaking AWESOME!"), that I now have every weekend spoken for, until I have made cozies for his fishing reels as well... (He's got 5 big "spinning reels" that need protecting...) In coordinating colors, no less... ;)

Spiced Chai

2009-09-24T16:56:00.001-04:00

Spiced Chai, originally uploaded by JewelsLB.

Just finished crocheting this cute bag, after completing its prototype yesterday (It's my own pattern dont'cha know, and I'm SO proud of that! LOL!). Of course, my little highness gets to keep most of my protos, except if they're not age appropriate ;)

My Darling Hubby got me this wool as a Yule present last year, and I hadn't even taken it out of the bag until yesterday. I'm really liking the look of the large coconut shell button, and chose a deep wine red thread to complement the red lacquer of the flowers. It's a fantastic little bag to hold my keys, my iphone, and a few cards. I like it so much, I've decided NOT to put it in the sell pile! ;)

Etsy Treasury: When Yellow Leaves

2009-09-23T17:31:00.003-04:00

A lovely lady by the name of Jane, of Glorious Hats, has added my "Stone" bangles to her beautiful treasury. Take a peek:

You can also see it by clicking here. Thank you Jane! :)

Mimi's New Shoulder Bag

2009-09-23T13:35:00.002-04:00

Mimi's new shoulder bag, originally uploaded by JewelsLB.

I'm still playing with my beads, but when the cooler weather comes in, I always pull out my yarn to play with. Of course, the beads get a tad jealous, especially if buttons are involved, but they understand... I think. I know the Swarovski's gave me the cold shoulder this morning, it only lasted a short while. The pearls? Well, they're like a happy oblivious puppy: They just ran up to me and licked my face 'til I gave them a stern "enough!" ;)

Here's a little shoulder bag I started working on Monday night. This bag is completely freeform, no pattern was followed. The body and strap are all extended single crochet, and the drop is just a series of stitches in varied lengths, which I customized to fit the large button Mimi picked. Lucky Little Highness that she is: she gets all my prototypes! ;)

Definitely going to be making more of these, but now I'm thinking I'd like to add some of my nice art buttons for the closure. I'm thinking Raku, metal and wood (oh my!) ;)

Jewels

Almost Fall!

2009-09-17T12:34:00.003-04:00

Four more days and it's Fall! Already? Time is just flying by right now. I honestly thought I'd have more me time once school started, turns out I was slightly off on those calculations. We've had a few organized school excursions already, which required some parental assistance for the teacher, and I've been running back and forth from Niagara Falls to St. Catharines and back again, for doctor's and dentist's appointments for our Little Highness. Nothing TOO serious, she just needs some dental work done, but she's a nervous patient, and still young, so her dentist has chosen to perform her procedures under full anesthesia in the hospital. That last part doesn't sit well with me, and that probably has to do with the fact that I sincerely don't trust hospitals. I know it's not a 'bad' place, but I can honestly say that I don't have many positive experiences when hospitals are concerned. At any rate, what I thought would be Me time, turned into "Running all over town, catching up with myself and everybody else" time. ;)

I have been keeping busy during 'off' hours though. Wait, do I even HAVE off hours??? No, guess I don't... LOL!

I recently organized a necklace swap on my facebook "Canadian Beadworkers" group (which is turning into more of an international group, LOL!), and I thought I'd share the piece I made for my partner with you. I chose to make a lariat for Nancy, and though she did mention liking darker colors, I did use artistic license and mixed some lights in there too. I created a bead soup with 6's in silver lined purples in light, medium and dark tones, and another mixture of iridescent 'ambers' in the same tones. I liked the outcome enough that I believe I might make another lariat with the same soup. I will make sure that the ends differ from these ones however, since I don't really like to duplicate my pieces too much. Well, unless they're part of a collection/series, of course...

For the ends, I used two large glass crystals, in a smoky topaz color, and extended the fringes about two inches down, embellishing them with an array of glass beads, keeping in the same colors and tones that were in the rope. The only thing I played with were different finishes. The rope itself was shiny enough, so I went with plain transparent beads, and frosted finish beads that I hoped would stand out.
I'm quite pleased with the result, and I'm happy to report that Nancy LOVED it! :)

I was also commissioned by a friend to make a very special piece for her sister, who also happens to be a close friend of mine. Of course, it was my absolute pleasure to be given complete carte blanche to create this particular piece, having intimate knowledge of my friend's likes. This is a new design for me. Not too overly complicated to make, even though I did have some minor difficulties with the clasp attachment. Very fiddly! LOL!

Four beautiful strands of netted beads in metallic iridescent green, and silver-lined beads of the deepest most delicious 'fir' green I've ever seen!
I used a sterling silver four-prong slide clasp, which I thought really lent itself well to the design of the strands. It kept them nicely spaced, and gave the piece a well 'organized' look. (Cause, you know, I'm all about organization... ) ;)

I thought it fell quite nicely on the bodice, and was weighty enough to feel, but not so light that it felt too delicate to wear.

Well, now that I've caught myself up with the last few details of back to school, work, housework, moving (Items that were lovingly packed by my Mom, and promptly lovingly moved 7 hours South to me, by my Dad), renovating (my Studio! Yes! It's finally getting the well-deserved attention it's been vying for!), and, what? Oh, yeah, more housework... ;) I'm hoping that the next few weeks will see me doing a lot more in the beady creation department, and less in the laundry department. Oh who am I kidding? I've got an avid fisherman and an 8 year old Princess in the house... Laundry services is sure to be added to my resume, should I ever need to look for a job! :P

Hope all is well with you, my dear readers!

Blessed Be!

Interview With An Etsyan: BizzieLizzie

2009-09-08T09:06:00.016-04:00

Back in July (has it been that long already????), I had the pleasure of participating in an online "Blog Giveaway" contest at BizzieLizzie's blog, and 'Lo and behold: I won! Not only did I win a fabulous "refillable" handmade lavender sachet, I also decided to participate in Charlotte's Pay It Forward, and was so pleased when I received my parcel, as right along with my precious lavender sachet, was this super cute little coin purse! My sachet now resides under my pillow, as there's nothing I like better than falling asleep with the smell of lavender in my nose. So calming. The coin purse is, well, in my purse! My Little Highness was right by me when I opened my parcel, and her exact words were : "OH! Is THAT one for ME?" I told her I'd be very happy to share it with her, but that I would like the opportunity to 'play' with it a little bit first. Truth be told, it's absolutely perfect to hold my Iphone!

My new sleeping aid, filled with lavender!

My new change/iphone purse! Perfect for small lose items you don't want to lose in your purse!

I was so impressed with Charlotte's workmanship, her attention to detail is impeccable, right down to her personalized label. Since I'd been to her Etsy shop before, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you, drool with me will you?

This gorgeous "Ebony & Ivory Slouch Hobo" damask bag is just DYING to come live with me. Hubby doesn't understand my constant fascination with handbags, but then again, I don't get HIS fascination with fishing rods either, so... I'd say we're even, wouldn't you? A perfect day bag, I can tell it would hold all of my essentials for a full day *dare I go there* SHOPPING excursion!?

The next bag I chose to show you is her "Rays & Dots" market tote. I fell in love with the colors in the fabric, and can so totally see myself doodling around town on my vintage Shwinn bike with this bag, ever so casually slung across my shoulder, sitting on my hip. (I'll HAVE to sling it on, since my basket will be full of fresh market goodies!)

Another bag that caught my eye was the 'Minimalist Branches with Leaves" hobo bag. NO markets for this one, though now that I think about it... ;) No, this one I'd take on one of my many reading excursions. It looks like it would be the perfect size to hold a good book, some sundry snacks, and a bottle of water. With my blanket in my basket, I'll bike to the nearest park, and rest for a few hours, as I read, and watch the clouds lazily float by. I suppose this sounds like a rather Summery activity, but this I like to do once school has started, and I find myself having a few hours of Me time. (A rare, and very precious commodity, it seems...)

Oh, but I'm not completely selfish! I did spy a few goodies I thought my Little Highness might like for herself! She's just MAD for elephants, and frankly, anything *cute*, and this little "Elephant Love" zippered bag would be perfect to hold the precious tiny treasures she likes to lug around whenever we go out. (can't leave the house without that Littlest Pet Shop now can we?)

I was so pleased with my new Bizzie Lizzie creations, I just had to try my hand at an Etsy interview, and so this is it! Charlotte was kind enough to answer a few questions for me, and though they might not be the 'run of the mill' type of questions, these are the ones I'm curious about whenever other 'creators' are involved.

Charlotte had been busy after coming back from a trip, and I believe she was still wiping her brow from a hard day's work when her reply came back to me. ;), and though I was going to go to the trouble of editing everything, I rethought that, and chose to give you the unabridged version, these are Charlotte's personal words, and give you a peek into her process. Hope you like it!

"Hey Jewels!

Phew! Laundry is DONE! What a chore! I'm getting slowly back in the routine! LOL

Okay - here are some answers for you:
1. What inspires your work?

I am so inspired by colors. Fabrics speak to me! Nature for sure! I love our colorful world!

2. With a busy family life (I don't know if you do, but also if you have a job outside of the home...), how do you budget your time in order to keep productivity up?

It was tough. I worked part time - 9-2 up until last December. THEN, I took the plunge and quit the day job! Working for myself is the hardest and most fulfilling job I've had. I work long hours to make it work. Many more hours than any career I've ever been a part of! It's hard for me to "turn" it off! When I'm really busy - it's nothing for me to get up at 3:30 in the morning and work through the entire day without stopping! Well, I do stop to eat and drink! =0) AND, I have a 10 year old - so I have to stop for her as well.

3. What made you decide to develop your hobby as a business?

I've always sewn stuff. It wasn't until I became a mother that I wanted to stay home with her, so at that point - I started sewing for others and it wasn't free anymore! =0) Lizzie just turned 10 in April. My sewing has been a supplement and source of income off and on for about that long!

4. Do you listen to music/watch T.V. while working, or do you need complete quietude and solitude?

No TV watching. There's no TV in my sewing room, but I do like to listen to the old movies in the background while I am sewing. Definitely music most days. There are some days though- solitude is the only way I get it all done! On those days - even the phone calls can wait!

5. What tips can you share with Etsy newcomers that could help them get noticed?

My first push is to LOVE and I mean REALLY LOVE what you do! It's got to drive you to make it work. You've got to promote yourself and get noticed. Take the best pictures and then when you think they're the best - take them over again. I am always changing up my pictures. That is my weakness - I HATE the picture taking part and feel like there is always room for improvement in that arena! Again - LOVE what you are doing. Do not be discouraged by others. Find out what works - just for you!

6. Do you require any special steps to get the creative muse going? Or is she just a 'spur of the moment' kinda gal?

I am the "spur of the moment" kinda gal. I am that way with my creating and my personal life. I LOVE what a new day brings and uncharted territory! Drives my husband NUTS! BUT, we discover lots of new things my way! My desire to create - comes from within! If I have to force myself to do it - I step away from it for a bit. It never turns out right - when I try and force it!"

I recognized a lot of myself in Charlotte's answers. Mainly LOVING what you do. If you love what you do, with a boundless passion, then it will never feel like work!

And this, my dear readers, was my first foray in "Interview With And Etsyan". I hope I did well, and that this was just the first of many, many more to come. I welcome anyone who would love an article of their own to contact me. I'll try and keep this as a regular feature of this blog.

Keeping Busy

2009-08-24T16:24:00.011-04:00

Lavender from my garden.

Take a deep breath, it smells Heavenly!

Well, it's been a really busy summer here. Not getting to do much outdoorsy stuff, what with all the rain we've been getting, but I've been keeping myself busy. With my renewed fervor to get my business running successfully, I've been engrossed with nothing but learning how to achieve this goal. Reading any and all Storque articles, reaching out to experienced sellers, and letting others mentor me in areas that need improving. Let's face it, there's always room for improvement, right? I even splurged and got myself a few good books. One called "Make a Profit with your Passion", and "The Craft of Planning Your Art Business", both are accessible through here, which is the Artist How to site. (some really good stuff there for people interested in taking their hobbies to the next level. Re, the money making level. :)

Anyway, last week was pretty busy. I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to host two Posh Parties in my home. I always get requests for invitations to these parties, but always get the inevitable "Oh dear, I can't make it that night". So I thought I'd cut to the chase, and host a party on two different nights, in the hopes that I'd be able to please a few more people that way, but it wound up biting me in the butt: Only one buyer showed up on the second one. Ah well, live, learn, and pass it on, I always way. I at least got to spend some time in the good company of friends, and family. :)

Wall earring display

A few pieces displayed on the dining room table.

Some of the rings I taught myself how to do.
It was tricky to learn a new tension technique, but after a few dozen, I think I've got it down pat. I didn't have a tutorial for them, just photographs to study.

Here are a few closups:

Here my Mimi and Selena playing with a Nintendo DS. Don't ask me what they're doing, I don't play those games, and I just thought they looked SO funny waving around in front of that game, LOL!

A shot of a custom ordered pendant and earring set requested by my friend Lise. I am happy to report that she liked it very, very much! :D

I even set up a display for my Dad's wood turned pieces. He's coming down this weekend, and will be bringing me even more of his pieces. These two will be really REALLY difficult to part with:
*I love how some of his new pieces are accented with bark. These two vessels were made from the same piece of Manitoba Maple*

Oh, and since we've had a few cold evenings, I started playing with yarn again, and tried my hand at cup cozies. Again, no pattern, just playing around. The buttons are just for show, but I thought they were a cute touch! I like these a heck of a lot better than the throwaway cardboard ones you get at the coffee shop. AND, my friend had a great idea: To make a slew of them in a multitude of colors, so that when you have a party, your guests will know which cup is theirs! :)

P.S.: Don't forget to read my PIF post, and play the Pay It Forward game. Honestly, I'm surprised that more people aren't willing to play. It's such a wonderful thing to do, and I would like nothing more than to make something just for YOU! :)

Pay It Forward

2009-08-02T13:28:00.003-04:00

Names and links have been changed in the interest of sending you forth to the right place, but for the most part, this post is pretty much Verbatim from Charlotte's post. :)

I found this Pay It Forward Game on a fellow Etsian's blog. BizzieLizzie She is also on Twitter and had it not been for that venue - I don't know that our paths would have crossed.

Okay - Here's how it works:

I am entering into the following contract with the first 5 people who comment on this post and then commit to do the same on their blog. I'm the world's worst when it comes to commitments via the BLOG - but this one really appeals to me!

Just read below and if you feel up to the task copy the following into your blog and leave me a comment.

I am willing to send a surprise worldwide (I live in the Canada, BUT before any goodies are sent out - I must see a post on your blog - send me a link - that'd be perfect).

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber.
5. I reserve the right to do something strange or weird (though I don't really make strange or weird myself - but left the text in - just in case someone else may think so).
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address – after I contact you.

Welcome to everyone. I will however, make an effort to do something that you like based on what I see on your blog, BUT there are no guarantees.

Hoping I won't have to beg :)

Playing with the camera. Again.

2009-07-27T10:26:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm nothing if not willing to learn and improve. :)

While doing a little cleaning last week, I had an epiphany of sorts. I found this lovely little chachka at Winners a little while back, and thought it would be a great way to display keep my jewelry off the counter in the bathroom. While dusting it, I thought how lovely it would look as a display unit. As luck would have it, I'd just come back from the dollar store with a few bags of river rocks that were slotted for flower arrangements.
I set everything up on the living room floor, and decided I liked it quite a bit. However, it needed more rocks! So, a second trip to the dollar store was planned, and 9 bags later, voilà:

I just love how the stones make the beads pop out.

So I played around some more with some of my old pieces that were kicking around. I like how the photos turned out, and have a few more ideas I'd like to try out. Like misting the rocks before laying the pieces down. That might look pretty nice too.

Come to think of it, I'm thinking I should put a few of these collars up on my Etsy site, seeing as collars are 'in' right now.

While on Vacation

2009-07-21T09:03:00.008-04:00

It dawned on me that I have yet to share some photos of my sojourn at Dad's place during the first week of July. It was an interesting, and very wet week. ;) We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time outside, as it was unseasonably cold, and, well... WET! However, the time we DID get to spend outside was spent wisely: I beaded! :D

But first, I wanted to share with you my daily morning view. This is what my Dad gets to see every single morning. The Gatineau River softly flowing by, and the lovely blue mountains as a backdrop. Pretty impressive, non?

Well, as I said, I did manage to get a bit of work done. Quite a few finished crocheted pieces, and even a few pairs of earrings. I even managed to finish a prototype for a new bead embroidered pendant, but it wasn't quite up to my standards, so it's still 'in the works', ;)

Here's a little production line for some earrings I've been working on. This is how I like to set myself up when I know I'll have a large number of pieces to make in the same design. It makes it easier for me to keep track of what's finished, what's yet to be finished, and, well, it just appeals to my OCD self... ;)My Papa, my occasional companion during my mini beading marathons. He makes a mean cup of coffee!

Another occasional companion. This little guy must have been have thought the bowl was the Indy 500, cause I swear, he went around it at LEAST 500 times. Round, and round, and round, really entertaining actually...

My other companion, Cracker, whom we renamed Rosie, since Mimi didn't think Cracker was a suitable name for a lovely feline lady. Rosie is a feral cat who recently adopted my dad. A lovely lady, she's really good at keeping the rodent population down. She was quite gentle too, and took a liking to me after I decided to help her with her grooming. Poor girl was shedding enough for three cats, so, armed with a fine-tooth comb, and copious amounts of patience (on both our parts), and about 90 minutes, I believe we did manage to make a whole other cat from all the hairballs I pulled off of her. Rosie and I became inseparable after that. ;)
(No, really, Dad said he'd never seen her quite so smitten, as she followed me everywhere)

When I needed a break from the beads, I just looked down the hill, and enjoyed the view of the river. Sometimes a boat goes by, filled with a few lazy fishermen, other times, it'll be loons, or herons, or gulls. Never a dull moment.

One of Rosie's favorite perches. She just weaves her way up the posts, and lays in wait, until something else catches her attention.

Ah yes, everything is bigger in Quebec, even the flies!
No, at the risk of raising panic, this was just a cicada. See that little tongue thingie sticking in my finger? Yeah, those things sting. Real bad... And yeah, I sent it flying when I felt that... LOL!

Well, that's it for tonight folks. I did manage to take hundreds (I kid you not) of photos during my trip, but I think I'll save some for later.

A few snapshots...

2009-07-19T10:13:00.010-04:00

I was at a networking meeting recently, and while everyone oohed and aahed at my photographs displayed on my portable digital frame, my closest seated networking mate (we'll name her 'B') looked at the photos in question and started with:

B: "What kind of lighting do you use for your photographs?"
Me: "I actually invested in a lightbox and a few lamps, so that I could photograph my pieces at their best. Why do you ask?"
B: "Well, I'm noticing here that the photographs are quite dark, and you've got quite a lot of unsightly sharp shadows" (points to this photo)

Now, granted, I am NOT a professional photographer, but after being told by a lot people that my photos were indeed good and 'professional looking', I immediately felt self-conscious and thought to myself "well, she's been in X business for X amount of years, perhaps she knows what she's talking about..."

So, the conversation ensues:
B: "You should really consider getting a really good photographer to do your photos. Someone who has the proper tools to really show your pieces at their best value. These sort of just look like snapshots."
Me: (as I run through my head all the time and effort I actually put in photographing my pieces) "Well, it's known that beads are one of the toughest subjects to photograph. Can you recommend anyone in the Niagara region?"
B: "Oh no, you'd have to go see a good photographer in Toronto."
Me: "I see."

I didn't know what else to say, so I just sat there quietly, until I could find another conversation around the table to jump into. I wasn't trying to be rude, I just honestly didn't know how to reply to her. Meanwhile, my brain is jumping all over the place... "Are my photos that bad?", "Do my photos make me look unprofessional?", "And aren't there any *good* photographers in Niagara?"... And then my ears perked up, as I heard the person who currently had my frame in hand say "oh, this is absolutely gorgeous. Jewels! How much is THIS piece?"

Me: "It's $200"
Her: "Ooh, I can afford that! I'm going to get it for myself!"
Me: "Awesome! I'll make sure to set it aside for you!" *beaming smile*

So, there I was, sitting on the fence. On the one hand, thinking that, ok, maybe my photography needs improving. On the other, thinking that, clearly, it couldn't be that bad if someone was ready to purchase a $200 piece just from seeing it on a 3.5" portable digital screen. Right?

*** Side note: I LOVE my little digital screen. Especially as a jewelery designer. I've always encountered people asking if they could see a sample of my work. Now I can just whip out my little frame and show them a few pieces at the touch of a finger. The frame itself will hold 48 photos in its internal memory, but countless photos if you put them on a memory card.***

Therefore, the goal of this post is to garner your opinions, dear readers. I can be quite thin skinned and sensitive when it comes to my creativity and creations. Photography included. I do put a lot of effort into photographing my jewelry, coming up with the right setting and composition; sometimes taking over 12 shots of one item in order to get just the right one. I then spend hours in Photoshop editing, cropping, brightening, sharpening, resizing and so on. Yes, there's a LOT involved in creating the right shot.

Berry Pearl Cubes, dangle earrings

This was indeed a 'snapshot'. A self-portrait of sorts, just aim and shoot.

An effort to try and show how the earrings look worn.

Embelished Peacock pearl blossom

Quadra Bead pendant.
(this one seems a bit dark, but I'm not certain it isn't just because of the beads' colors or my computer screen. I am certainly pleased at the detailing...)

Red Dagger Totem earrings.

Latest Hoop-Là bangle and earring sets.

I recognize that not all computer screens are not created equal. I myself am currently making due with an old 'tube' screen, as our beautiful LCD flat screen has gone and died on us. I usually try to look at my photos from multiple screens to see if I've done a good job at relaying the true colors of the pieces (usually turns out good). So, what I'd like to ask you now is to give me an honest and true critique. Anything and everything you think I need to do to improve, whether displaying, cropping, staging, I want it it all! It will be greatly appreciated, and hopefully, this exercise will help me grow in the right direction.

Now go on and give it to me. I just finished zipping my thick skin suit on. I'm ready!

Thanks!

Jewels

The Great Journal Exchange

2009-07-16T09:58:00.006-04:00

Think of it as one of those "Pay It Forward" kind of deals. While I was busily Tweeting this morning, I discovered that one of my followers has the same affliction I do: Chronic Journal Collecting.
This led me to believe that there might be many more journal collectors out there. I can't even tell you how many untouched journals I've got sitting in my bookshelf. And, of course, I've EVERY intention of writing in every single one of them. But let's be honest here, I'd have to live a few lifetimes in order to fill them all. (I'm not kidding, I've got quite the collection of untouched journals...)

So, here's my plan. I'd like to see if I can get a few folks in on this, and have a great journal exchange. Everyone and anyone who has way too many journals is invited to join. And trust me, I know exactly how difficult this will be for some of you, but think of it this way, you'll be getting a brand new journal in return! Won't that put a smile on your face? :) See? I've already got one!

The rules are:
1. Every person entered must send a journal.
2. The journal should be of a size one can write in (none of those tiny mini ones!)
2-B. Only unused journals, trust, I don't want anyone to know what goes on in my head when I write in my journals... LOL!
3. Names will be drawn randomly out of a hat. #1 will send to #2, #2 to #3, and so on...
4. You have until August 1st, 2009 to enter.
5. Leave your name and email in the comments section so that I can contact you with any and all information. (please, do NOT leave your mailing address in the comments!)

Now. Let's see how many folks come out and play!

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-13T08:12:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm back. It's taken me a few days of R&R to recuperate from my 'vacation', but I think I'm back on track with the 'home life'. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting my parents, but I gotta say, it's been nice spending the weekend getting back into the swing of things at home. Hubby was a DOLL, and decided to stay home and spend these last two days with us, as we puttered, de-cluttered, and cleaned around the house. With a bit of gardening and weeding thrown in for good measure of course. ;)

And while hubby was busy oohing and aahing over the brand new fishing toys I got him at the Float Paddle & Fly, I was uploading what seemed like 8000 photographs onto my hard drive. Of course, Blogger being Blogger (a totally temperamental shite... 'scuse my, wait, that's not French...), I couldn't even share them with you here until today.

Being at Dad's was so quiet, being in the middle of nowhere, with practically absolutely nothing to do, that I did manage to get quite a bit of beadwork done. Mom's is different, seeing as she's in the city, and we have so many things to do and see. I did get some work done though, and in the interim, also got to finish this necklace I'd brough - with the express intent of FINISHING it - which I'd started, oh, what, 6 months ago? Turns out I HAD to finish it, since Mom fell irrevocably in love with it, and just HAD to have it! My only chagrin? The ensuing argument over payement. I didn't want to take Mom's money, I don't like to sell my pieces to Mom, seeing as she gave birth to me and all... But she circumnavigated that argument by going to her hubby, and asking HIM to buy it for her. And then they wouldn't even accept my offer of the "Friends & Family" discount. Honestly, I don't understand why my Friends and Family don't WANT the discount. A dear friend actually told me that my discount (%50 off) was too high, that it should be closer to, like, %10. What? What kind of discount it THAT???

Anyway, I digress... I thought I'd show Mom off wearing her brand new pearl necklace that she absolutely LURVES! I even threw in a pair of matching earrings, so that she'd have a lovely ensemble.

My pretty Mama with her new jewels!
I was afraid the piece might be too large for her, but it turns out that the scale was perfect for her petite 4'10" frame.

Peyote bail and tube on a Mabé pearl pendant, with Nepal stitch embellishements twining up like vines on one side of the pearl rope.

The other side was left plain (hah! like pearls are plain!), but was embellished with a fall of branched fringe at the back to enhance the silver clasp, and act as a slight counter weight to the pendant.

And here is Maman at Moca Loca, where we all enjoyed a little sweet treat and some absolutely sinfully sweet mochachinos. Topped with Whipped Cream, natch. ;)

We all enjoyed our visit at the caffé. I especially liked the décor, and was quite impressed with the floor. Or rather, how they'd installed their hardwood flooring. I'm thinking this will look good in my bead store, when I finally open one. ;) All around there were tiny little wares displayed for purchase. My favorites were the small stained glass pieces that hung in ever window. I was tempted to get one for myself, but was afraid it wouldn't travel well all the way back to Niagara. Here are a few of my favorites:

Flowers, flowers, flowers.
I so loved the vibrant colors in this piece.

And this one was just neat. I'm not particularly into abstract, but this one spoke to me. I liked the colors, and for some reason, could see many things in there. Which wa probably the artist's intent, non? ;)

Well, I know it was a long time coming, but this is it for today. I've got a meeting with one of my sellers today, and I've got some personal grooming to catch up on. ( I am SO not meeting up with a gorgeous spa owner in my chipped, left-over-from-my-vacation-toe-nail polish!)

I hope you all have a wonderful relaxing day. Think of me, while I'm busy trying to conduct business as I simultaneously try to keep my Little Highness entertained.

Love & Light

Jewels

What IS that thing?

2009-06-14T15:03:00.002-04:00

Consider this your personnal invitation to my New CONTEST on my facebook Le Beadoir page. Click on the photo to link to the contest. Tell your friends! :)

Me!

The New Quadra Beads

2009-06-03T10:06:00.005-04:00

Well, technically, not so new, since I started making them about 6 years ago... But I hadn't really made that many in the last little while, until people started asking for them that is. I'm thinking the fact that this one is on my business card is why people are really starting to show more interest in them:
I used to believe that the fun part in making them, was that it was a great way to go through odds and ends beads, left over from other projects. But now, I'm getting custom requests for them, which is sending me all over town in the search for particular stones or colors... More often than not now, it's "Do you think you could make one with these colors?", or "I really like this, but can you make it smaller?"

Ah, the joys of offering custom work. I'm on the fence with custom actually. I mean, I don't mind doing it at all, but whenever I get requests for custom work in front of an impossibly colorful array of my already existing work, it just drives the "You can't please ALL people ALL the time" point home, you know? From my very first craft show, when this lady had about 8 different sets of a particular design to choose from, she STILL asked if I could make one in a different color! Gives you that "Can't win" feeling, non? ;)

Anyway, here are the newest ones I've just completed:

Turquoise, wood, silver, and glass beads.

Ceramic, lace stone, wood, copper, and glass beads.
This one has a different shape. It's the same pattern, but the different sized beads gave it more of a 'flying saucer' shape, as my DH likes to say.

Coral, wood, silver, and glass beads.

Jasper, lace stone, wood, copper, and glass beads.

Same beads as the one above, but changing the sizes of the end beads brought it back to the original design's shape.

This is cute: Large round frosted glass, with wood, silver, and glass beads.

I just got an order for a few more, custom of course. And wouldn't you know it? I've been asked to 'tweak' the design just a touch. This person LOVES my Quadra beads, but she likes to be able to see them from the top, as opposed to sideways, which is how I wear them, just strung on a silver snake chain. No biggie, it's manageable, but still, it still drives that point home. LOL!

Now, if you'll excuse me, the timer just went off, and I've got to remove these eye patches I've been sporting for the last 30 minutes. (I absolutely LOVE these BTW! They totally take the puffy sleepy eye look away! I keep mine in the fridge. Double whammy of depuffing power!) Hey! Nothing like multi-tasking in the morning, am I right? ;)

Back to basics

2009-05-07T12:30:00.008-04:00

I've really thrown myself into my Etsy store. Doing a total online reno. My awesome step-dad was so impressed with the Etsy interface, that he very generously offered to help me find a way to save money, simply by switching online hosts. I've still got quite a bit of work to do, what with transfering all of my items from my original site to my Etsy store, but I think it'll deffinitely be worth it in the end. Oh, and guess what? Guess what?

Yes! Barely two weeks in, and I've already made my FIRST Etsy sale! I was so darned excited, I thought I was going to cry. First of many, right? I'm officially and "Etsyan" ;)

My Garden Party Purse is currently on its way to her new home, in Carnation, WA.
I'm sure she'll be VERY happy there!

So, I haden't been doing much beading in the last week, what with all the computer/online work I was busy with, but the few weeks before that, I had busied myself with a few new projects. I wanted to have a nice Mother's Day promotion, and thought a Mother/Daughter cuff combo would be a nice touch. The idea came to me after I had made one for myself, and my daughter loved it so much, that I made one for her as well. She was so pleased to "look just like Mommy", that I just knew someone else out there had another Little Highness that would like it just the same.

Here's Jewels, busilly working on her cuffs on a beautiful warm, sunshiny day.

Not a day goes by that I don't count my lucky stars for where we now find ourselves. I can't tell you how blessed I feel that we finally have our own home. No more appartments for us!
And just sitting there, on my back porch, enjoying all the little birds serenading me with their songs. Nothing beats that.

Hm! Blogger turned this photo on its side. Don't know why... But it still looks kinda neat.

I really like using my Dad's bowls for this kind of work. They're perfect to hold/store my WIP project.

Here are a few shots of the finished product. My Little Highness was kind enough to help model them with me. This one has had quite a few hits on Etsy, I think it's the vibrant colors, they're very eye-catching.

The chosen shot for the site.

This is the shot I really had in mind for them, but we just couldn't get the right lighting, and goodness, my wrist looked way too 'veiny' in this one. Ick! :[

True Blue set

Amber colored set. (This is the one I was working on in the top pic)

I had planned to go for a very special photoshoot today, to redo some of my photographs in a more 'fashionable' setting, but my poor photographer fell ill. So, we're postponing it 'til she's back on her feet. Sure hope she didn't get anything too serious. What with all the health scares going around right now. (It's all about the H1N1 in this house lately... "WASH YOUR HANDS!!!" :/ )

I do know I won't be able to do much beadwork for a few days (maybe weeks...), as I re-injured my wrist while gardening on Tuesday. I may have overdone it a little with all the shoveling and digging I did (spent nearly one whole hour digging up a bamboo patch, and moving heavy garden stones), but what did me in was a rotten rosebush root bulb... Darn thing snapped in half while I was tugging on it with all my might (which is considerably strong...), and sent me flying. Bad news is, I heard it crack... And yes, I did shed a tear... or two... Now I just have to find the time to go get some Xrays. In the meantime, I've been wearing my trusty brace (from when I initially injured myself), and have been vigilant with a regimen of ibuprofen and ice. But it definitely needs to get looked at by a professional (other than my hubby, who hasn't been blessed with Xray eyes...)

Well, that's it for today my friends. I hope you're all doing fantastically well, and are keeping yourselves healthy.

MH TurnStyles on Etsy

2009-04-30T10:13:00.005-04:00

Well, I did it. I opened an Etsy store for my Dad. Now I have to find a way for him to see it. He's so far removed from civilization where he lives (I'm not kidding! He just GOT a phone line in about 5 years ago now, and to be honest, even though he's expressed an interest in getting himself a computer, and hooking up to the net, he'd get nothing but sloth-speed dialup, and I could totally see him turning the actual computer into kindling if something didn't work right...), but they do have a small library in the village about 6 miles from his place. Maybe they could show him how to surf the net...

Anyway, I've got the original banner up there for now, but I think I'll be working on a new one. The type seems a bit lost against the bangles. It needs to stand out a touch more. I've been working on this one too:

Me likey!

I also re-did some of the shots, trying with a different colored shirt, and lighting. I found the bright noon sun washed out the colors a bit, so I went for bright, but slightly overcast. I think the colors came out more vibrant. IMO.

Another Black Walnut and Maple bangle, this one's a bit narrower, I think it might be a bit more mainstream. I like it too, even though my fancy is mostly tickled by the super wide ones. Chatted dad up about a few more ideas yesterday, I believe that got his creative juices flowing. What he likes is that the ideas I'm coming up with are things he would never have thought of himself. And they all include using materials he's already got at hand. Frankly, I think he's stoked! LOL!

I so can't wait to see what he comes up with next. It's weird, this passing on of ideas over the phone, no visual aid, trying to convey my visions. It's interesting to see how he's usually pretty close to what I was thinking, but with a bit of his own twist on it. He's very stuck on symetry right now, and I'm going through an asymetrical phase of sorts, so if I ask him for something off center, it's sort of a head-scratcher for him... Well, so far, I haven't had to resort to sending him my sketches, but, I don't think that that's very far down the line. ;)

MH TurnStyles: newest bangle collection

2009-04-27T17:06:00.006-04:00

For those of you who've been visiting me for a while, you'll remember that my Dad took up wood turning a few years back. During my last visit there, which coincided with my birthday, he asked me what I would like him to make me as a gift. Being a 'Man's Man', he, of course, offered to make me a "bowl or something?". He actually never expected my reply of "A bangle! Ooh, Dad, would you make me a bangle? Do you think you can?"
His reply: "What's a 'bangle'?"

LOL!

So, I explained to my backwoods Daddy what they were, and what I had in mind. He proceeded to make me a very simple maple one (which you watch in action here). This bangle, of course led to many more ideas, which challenged my Dad. And, well, you know men and challenges... ;)

Anyway, I've been waiting for these for MONTHS - only because Dad's lathe was out of commission for that length of time, resulting in a minor case of cabin fever for the old guy, but he's over it now - and I finally got them this morning. Nearly darn well tripped over the parcel actually, the delivery guy had literally left it ON my doorstep. Ass over teakettle, that would've been cute, eh? Oy!

Here are the ones I photographed today. But no photograph or computer screen could do these justice. None of these have been died in any fashion, the only thing added was tung oil, to add luster and bring out the natural grain of the wood.
These have been made as per my specifications: I wanted them wide, multi-colored, embellished, and since they are to be this wide, I also asked him to make them 'tapered' (one end opening a bit wider than the other), so the wearer can slide it up her arm and still feel comfortable with it on. I think these are still in prototype mode, as I'd like to see if we can't design one with a more aggressive taper. Also, Dad doesn't seem to think that these are quite up to snuff. He thought he could make better ones... I say they're pretty darn outstanding!

Mahogany/Maple combo

Black Walnut/Maple with a little central 'bead' detail

In action

Padauk/Maple

Maple/Black Walnut with shell inlay detail
(dad collects the shells by the river banks by his place)

I've got a few surprises up my sleeve with these babies. Dad and I have been discussing some design ideas, and so far, I'm pretty impressed with what he's sent me. I'm seriously considering opening his own Etsy account. I've even got the banner done (at top), what do you think?

I did it!

2009-04-14T16:12:00.006-04:00

Yes I did.
I finally bit the bullet, and opened an Etsy account. Not only did I open an account, I'm going to run an Etsy 'store front'. Yup. I'm on Etsy. I'm still going to keep my website mind you, but I'm thinking of trying something different. A little experiment, if you will. Some of you might be familiar with the fashion terms "Prêt à Porter", and "Couture". Well, that's what I'll be experimenting with. For the last few months now, I've had this idea that I'd like to try setting up two shopping bases for Le Beadoir. One for my "Prêt à Porter", generally produced in high volume, more affordable lines, the Etsy store; and one for my OOAK, higher end "Couture" pieces, Le Beadoir. They'll both be under Le Beadoir umbrella, and I'll probably be tweaking my main site to give it a bit of a more 'growed up' look ;)

I've done quite a bit of research through Etsy, as well as studied those whom I believe were more successful on the site, and tried to decipher what I should and should NOT do. Honestly, the fact that I've been working at this for a few years has helped as far as photos and descriptions go. And I did get quite a bit of insight on the successes one can achieve by reading their weekly Storque Spotlight articles, especially the "Quit Your Day Job" ones. But to be realistic, I DO understand that I will 'reap what I sow'. You only get back what you put in, you can't just sit back and rake in the dough à la "if you build it, they will come"...

Since today was the first day in a very, very long while that I'd had some any real 'Me' time, I decided to start working on my store. I spent the better part of this morning (4 hours!) on creating a new banner for the store, resizing some photos for my avatar, and re-writing my bio/policies/profile pages.

The first banner I created wasn't bad, but it didn't quite have the look I was, well, looking for:

Then I started really playing around with some ideas, and I came up with this one, which I found to be the best. Well, the best to MY liking. Clicking on this one will link you to my Etsy store.

Now, I've yet to start uploading any of my items, but I've gone ahead and started shopping. Oh. My. Goddess.! I've found such beautiful works of art on that site, and everything from beading, to sewing, to crocheting/knitting, and even photography. I've already bought a gorgeous silk-screened slouchy tote bag for my Little Highness, for when she has sleepovers. It's actually quite big, and, well, she may have to fight me for it on occasion...I also got myself a fantastic 25-yard circle skirt, for Belly Dancing, natch! ;) Except I had mine died a deep emerald green at the base border. I. So. Can't. Wait. To. Try. It. On.! SoCan'tWait!

Now, if only I could find the perfect pair of harem pants, I'd be all set. ;)

Getting the Groove back

2009-03-24T15:41:00.004-04:00

Phew!
Where have I BEEN?!?

Well, for one, hubby and I are in the midst of a grand opening (His very own clinic, wow!), which has been a long time coming.

Now, with all the 'work' work that's been going on in the last few months, my poor beadwork has taken a back seat to the new hectic schedule. However, I am feeling my Muse coming back - I believe she did enjoy the short hiatus... But, she's ready to get back in gear.

Perhaps it was due to all the 'work' work that I felt I had lost my groove, so to speak, but now that I feel it coming back, it's not without some trepidation. You see, I've misplaced my inspiration too... Blah! Not that I hadn't done any beading at all, I have. It's just that most of the work I've created lately was more or less 'production' work. Custom orders for clients of some of my more popular (read: run of the mill) pieces. Nothing that really required my undivided attention and absolute creativity.

Well, this too was temporary. During 'reading' week I did some, well, reading. I'm sure most of you out there have heard of the hype over the Twilight series (books AND a movie!), I caved and started reading the books. Not little books either people. We're talking over 500-page bricks here. The books were quite good, hard to put down, and I was weary of seeing the movie, as I'm usually very disappointed in movies after reading the books they're based on. Well, I did see the movie, and was duly disappointed by the lack of emoting from the actors, and the fact that the Edward in MY imagination looked NOTHING like the Edward on the screen... However, I found myself truly inspired by the movie's backdrop. The Washington Rain Forest scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and instantly made me want to make something that looked like the lush, green, overgrown forests that were being showcased. This particular forest is called "Hall Of Mosses", in Olympic National Park.

Breathtaking and Awe inspiring.

I want to sit under this tree's roots, meditate and love the Great Mother.
I want to smell the forest floor, let the birds sing me a lullaby while the wind brushes my hair.

I imagine a necklace, big and bold, with tons and tons of fringes dripping from it.
Absolute lusciousness.

A freeform Peyote cuff is what I see here, with some errant tiny fringing here and there.
Mother Nature always knows the exact color balance needed for her creations, non?

I'm Fabulous! Smiles

2009-03-06T16:38:00.004-04:00

Belinda, over at Bead Fetish, has bestowed upon me the "Fabulous" award because, well, she thinks my blog is FABULOUS! *grin*

Thank you so much Belinda, but you know, now this will probably make me raise the bar on my post contents... I'll have to up the ante and post more photos, more posts, and, well, just MORE! LOL!

I am so happy and grateful that someone in the bloggoshpere finds me and my little blog fabulous.

Thank you Dah-ling!

Now I will take the opportunity and pass the award on to other fabulous beady bloggers, as I've been influenced by some fantastically creative bead workers on here:

Linda, at Born Under a Bead Sign
Nancy, from NED beads
Jodie, and her lampwork beads
Darcy, at The Jade Dog
Triz Designs at Beading Mania

Jewels

Bead Knitting FEAST!

2009-02-26T12:00:00.004-04:00

Yes, I know, I've been scarce. But I'm still plugging away. :)

I've spent so much time running up and down the stairs in the last three days that I'm starting to lose weight! LOL! I decided that a good cleanup was in order in the downstairs 'den', where my beads have been living until my studio is complete. I was getting a little depressed that things were at a standstill, since things are a bit topsy turvy for hubby's work right now (things changing hands and all...), and now, not only does the den hold my beads, but his fishing gear, AND some work related stuff...

Tuesday, Jewels went downstairs, and was so tired of the clutter, she just had to do something about it. HAD to! So, two days in, and still at it today. The turning point for my mood came yesterday, when I found a way to create my own little settup for my light box. I now have a lovely spot designated for the light box ONLY, and every time I finish a piece, all I need to do is turn on the lights, and shoot! Yes, I'm a happy camper! So happy, that yesterday I took the liberty of photographing some of my older pieces that hadn't been shot properly. And I must say, I'm quite pleased with the results.

Under a Lock & Key

A tiny knit amulet
I like to adorn my bags somewhat. The embelishments here are simple, yet meaningful. The little lock is on the outside...

With the key tucked in inside.

This is just me enjoying the shot :)

This was my very first knit bag. I just love it. I love its monochromacity, and how the daggers just swing on the front flap. It has a very 'slouchy' feel to it, very nice.

It took a very, very long time to make the "X's & O's" rope strap on this bag, MANY hours!

"Coffee Buzz"

My second bag! :)
Opaque brown beads on metallic thread. Another rather monochromatic bag, but I do like the metallic flecks in the thread. I also tried to match the Nepal Chain strap with said flecks. The brown stones are Jasper, one of my favorite stones actually.

Strap long enough you can wrap it around once.
Beauty of it is, the bag isn't so heavy that it chokes you.
And that's a good thing, right?

"Ladybug Jamboree"

One of my more difficult pieces to photograph; it's all in the contrast. The super light green beads against the very dark green thread (and beads...), it's near impossible to catch the nuances of the colors in it. But, I think this is a pretty good shot.
I just love how all the little ladybugs are dancing around the bag. It's a happy bag! :)

Luckilly, I was able to get about 2 hours of computer time yesterday, so I got to manipulate my photos (crop, resize...), and now they're ready to upload to the site. I've also been rather busy learning the ropes over at flickr, twitter, AND Etsy. Yes, I openned an Etsy account. Not sure what for yet. I've had quite a few requests for tips and patterns on other sites, and it might be nice to share my patterns and tutorials that way. I might even put some kits together, who knows, but for now, it's just an Etsy account, and that's that. Oh, and another site I've been enjoying fervently: Ravelry! OMG! I'm HOOKED! Much to hubby's dismay... Well, he can't say much, he's hooked on his fishing sites. Did you know there was such a thing? ;p

Toodles my loves. I'm off to work, and I hope my next post won't be so long from this one.

J

Bead Play

2009-02-02T15:23:00.003-04:00

I'm still quite obsessed with my new Hoop-Là line, busily creating a line of them, including some cool earrings. They're just so gratifying and fun to make! Granted, not instant, but quicker than, say, my ropes... Or this Cellini bangle I'm making for Moi.

I am so in Love with this variety of greens, they're so me! :) It's not often that I'll start a piece with myself in mind specifically, usually the pieces 'speak' to me as I'm making them, but this one, I took the time to select the beads and put a lot of thought as to what it would be worn with: EVERYTHING! lol!

I also finished a rope a little while back. A bit different than my standard lariats, as in I went and created a lovely beaded toggle instead of simply embellishing the ends. Looks quite nice wrapped around a few times with the toggle done up.

And here's my little production line from the weekend. I was feeling a bit under the weather due to this lovely head cold I'm dealing with right now, but, nothing a copious amount of over the counter drugs won't cure... ;)

And voilà: My new Hoop-Là earrings to match the bangles.
Sadly, the Ladybug bangle has already been snatched up, but, I'm quickly working on another one. Methinks these will sell like hotcakes at whatever show I stop at!

We've got a Winner!

2009-01-27T09:36:00.004-04:00

Spring Blossoms

The contest was so much fun, but it's finally come to an end! I didn't have as much response on Blogger as I would have hoped, but it was quite the hit on Facebook :)

Here is the combined list of suggested names:

Facebook:
Linda Jones: "Fanbangles"
Carolyn Dussault: "Ring of Fire"
Katharine T. von Stackelberg: "Pleiades"
Gisela Kingsbury: "Ringling Circus"
Eric Strauss: "Dangle Bangle" or "Earth, Water,..."
Carolyn Shannon: "Dancing Duo" for the earrings
Maria Mauro: "Kashmir" or "Bangle-Desh" (LOL!), "Infinity", "Beau Jangles" (LOVES it!)
Nancy Dale: "Connections"
Melissa Sedore-Bélanger: "Angel Dangles"
Patricia Tassery-Stefani: "Ushuaïa"
Crystal Stanislawek: "Within", & "In The Loop"
Joyce Bazzaz: "Seven Brides", "Port d'Attache"
Vikki Ecker-Thibeault: "Circles of Eternity"
Suzanne Gabriel: "Winter's Harvest", "Les Rêves d'Hiver", ou "Les Oeuvres d'Hiver"
Dawn Karkach: "Colours of Spirit"
Jituska Triesz: "Eternal Nocturnal", "Caviar Dreams", or "Hoop-la" (awesome!), "Transcendent Iridescence"
Johanne Blondin: "Peacock-Boo"
Shelly Zulak-Labay: "Soulful Nature" or "Soulful Natural"
Nicole Ciali: "The Majestic", "Harmony"
John Lindquist: "star spangled bangle", "angled bangles", "jangley bangles", "beady Bangle" or "blue mornings dawn"
Tracy Murida Gardiner: "Iceland Charms"
Stéphane Richer: "Wicked Beads" (But I can't go with this, 'cause that's too close my friend Linda's business name)
Julie Grand: "Coral Reef", "Ocean Floor"
Selena Blancato: "Fruits of the Vine", "Little Charmers"
Louise Mayer: "Trinity"
Jennifer Pasquill: "Tasselicious" (seconded by Valerie Brown)

Blogger:
Sarah: "The Jingle Jangle Bangle, and Jingle Jangle Earrings" (totally CUTE!)
Carlene: "Dancing Circles" (Adored that one!)
Backyard Beads: Echoed "Dangle Bangle" (which was the original name I'd given them, so I put it back in the hat! :D )
Phos: "Keys to the Heart" (See Phos? I KNEW you were a big softy!)
Gnatt: "Beckon" (now that's cool!)
Andrew: "Freya" series (Andrew, you and I think along similar lines, I too am familiar with the Norse Goddess of Love and Fertility, I think I know her, actually... LOL!)
Lori: "Crashing Waves" (They sort of sound like crashing waves!)

************************************

After putting all of my favorites in a hat, I worked in the elimination process, until there were two left. It was a tossup, literally, a coin toss was the only way I could get through!

It was Heads for "Hoop-Là" [my little twist on it ;) ], and Tails "Tassellicious".
Drum roll please!
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............

HEADS! For Hoop-Là!
Jituska wins the prize!

Thank you so much for playing everyone. I had a blast hosting this contest, and hope that you'll play in any future events, 'cause I'm positive I'll be having many, many more of these! :)

Namaste!

Jewels

Contest: Name that line!

2009-01-19T16:19:00.004-04:00

This new design has got me stumped, or perhaps I'm just in a minor naming slump. ;)

I can't seem to be able to come up with anything I find suitable to name this line! Not only do I have brand new bangles, but I've gone ahead and designed some cute little earrings to match! Help!
Can anybody help me?

As you can see, the design is suitable to many colors (okay, so I've only got three pictured so far, but trust me, the deep red one is To. Die. For.!)

For some reason, my camera does not like to photograph this deep blue at its truest. It's actually closer to a deep cobalt, so yummy!

Hm, now about a prize... Let's me see here.

Oh! I got it!

To the winner go the spoils: The person who comes up with the perfect name for this line will receive one of these lovely bangles, in their color choice! (which shall be shipped anywhere in the World!)

Who wouldn't like a custom piece? :D

So, who's gonna play? And don't be shy, tell your friends to come play too!

Oh, and PS: Boys, you should definitely play, even if you won't wear the bangle, perhaps a lovely lady in your life would like it? Hm?
;)

Contest closes January 26th, 8:00 pm, E.S.T.

Good luck!

The Twisty Scarf: And Exersice in Insanity.

2009-01-16T10:17:00.005-04:00

I started making this scarf on a whim last year, after purchasing my first instructional crochet book. I, of course, had just been on a yarn shopping excursion, and had oodles to choose from, so, after learning how to create ruffles, I was hit by one of those 'what if' moments... And did I EVER have my work cut out for me!

Not being one to take things, shall we say, lightly, I decided to start said scarf with a 220 single stitch chain. Each of these had 4 treble (or triple) crochets hooked into them (say it with me now, that makes for 880 stitches!).

I returned with one treble in each of these 880 stitches, and crocheted 2 treble crochets in each stitch on the fourth row (I'm losing count, what is that now? Oh yeah: 1760 treble crochet stitches.) :D
(insert insane laugh here...)

Alright, you ready? Not being daunted by the task at this point, I thought that the gorgeous Fuchsia Lacette yarn (very, very, very thin yarn...) would make the PERFECT accent for the edge of the scarf, and really pull out the hot pink in the beige/pink/brown yarn I'd chosen for the body. Now, because the Lacette is so thin, I had to make 5 (FIVE!) treble crochet stitches in EACH of the last 1760 stitches

You ready?
Here is my gorgeous Twisty Scarf.
Total stitches: 8800
Total hours: (hm, let me see here... I couldn't work on it much more than 2-3 hours at a time every day, and was working on it since, what? April? Let's say I was working on it 2 days a week... I'm gonna round it out to) 120 hours!
Total yarn: Two large balls of bouclé, two small balls of Lacette

Yes, I'm officially insane!

But OMG! Look at the gorgeous scarf I made myself! And it's One Of A Kind!

Alright, alright, I'm still insane.... ;)

Busy Bee Bangles

2009-01-14T19:19:00.002-04:00

No, no! That's not what I'm naming them, although... ;)

So, yes, I've been a busy little bee. As of last night, I had completed 16 new bangles, with 6 more bodies waiting to be joined. As of tonight, add another 7 to that! :D

Yes, I am pleased as punch, and think my recent productivity will lead to fruitfulness. Well, I hope, anyway...

I've been making these with 6/0's, but the gunmetal ones are 8/0's, and I really like the look of them as well.

Tools of the trade.
My trusty 1.25 hook and my teeny bonsai scissors. (they're tiny, and sharp, and I LOVE them!)
This is an original bead soup, using remnants from projects past (my favorite soups, really. Just like my chicken soup: everything but the sink!) :)

I might endeavor to make a few more plain bangles with some other remnant bead soups that are kicking around, and once those are done, I believe I'll get back to those 'Dangle Bangles' I was talking about in my previous post. I know I really should be spending some time with the light box, photographing these last pieces, but when the productivity bug bites, I like to just go with the flow, you know? Besides, the natural lighting's gonna be off for a few days, we've had some really cold snaps lately, and as of today, the skies were way to gray. What? That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! ;)

A few new pices

2009-01-02T23:22:00.002-04:00

This necklace I actually completed back in November, for my BFF's birthday. I'd always wanted to try my hand at a Peyote toggle, and this was the result. I was pretty impressed with it, forgoing the usual Peyote ring to go with it, I decided to design the clasp around these cool vintage wooden rings I salvaged from a necklace I bought at a flee market about 20 years ago... ahem. Yes, well, I have been beading for a while... Did I tell you my mom used to eat beads? I beaded in the womb, yes I did! ;)

The ends were embellished with 10mm Peacock pearls, and some wooden rondelles.
I just love the organic feel of this necklace, everything just fell into place naturally, and it looks so good on!
(well, yes, I'm bragging a little bit, but I'm really proud of it!)

So for Yule, I decided to gift M with a matching bracelet, so she'd have a nice set. Of course, the pieces can certainly be worn together, or by themselves. I still had some of the beads pre-strung on the string, but wasn't sure how I was going to finish this particular piece. I like the look of bracelets sans clasps, personally. So, my connundrum was how to design a bangle that would incorporate the same elements that were in the necklace... (that little Jeopardy tune played in my head for quite some time before I came up with it!) o_O
And here it is! The Dangle Bangle! (Hey! If you've got a better name for it, be my guest! That's the best I could do...)

I dug into my wooden ring stash again, and slid it onto the body of the bangle before joining the ends. My biggest challenge these days is doing the invisible join on my ropes. It's tricky, but oh so worth it!
Then I made a little bead ring to attach to the wooden ring, and beaded a pretty little tassel using the same pearls. I didn't have the necklace right in front of me, so I forgot about the rondelles, but, honestly, I like the tassel just the way it is.

Slides on perfectly, no obstruction whatsoever.
Awesome!

Closeup.

I'm happy to report that M LOVED it!
As a matter of fact, she told me so again today! :)
And she's quite pleased that her next present will be the matching earrings! LOL!

Holiday! It. Would. Be. So. Grea-eat!

2008-12-30T13:17:00.001-04:00

Seriously, my holidays have been busy, busy, BU-ZY! You? I honestly thought I'd get a whole lot more relaxing done, but so far, the only ones that are really enjoying a 'break', are DH (Darling Husband) and LH (Little Highness). Well, besides those two (two too few!) shopping excursions I've been on with the charming Miz M, I really haven't had time to myself.

We entertained our neighbors, Gary, Rebeca and Sophia on Christmas night. I went all out and created a fantastic (if I do say so myself...) turkey dinner. My only problem was the teenie tiny stove I've got. There was no way I was going to get a 10 pound turkey in it AND manage to oven roast the ham and the sweet potatoes... So, I seasoned and stuffed the bird, and delivered it to Rebeca, who kindly followed my instructions on the baking part, and it came out perfect. I prepared my sweet potatoes the way I usually do: 1" thick slices, toss in a large bowl with olive oil, then coat with rosemary, fresh ground pepper, and some seasoned sea salt: YUM! (In case you feel like trying them, you lay them flat on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, turn them over, and bake for an additional 12 minutes. Times may vary according to ovens... Trust me, you'll LOVE them!).

I'm not ashamed to say that I was SPOILED ROTTEN this year :D Yes, Santa was good to me. I got socks, 'cause I LOVE socks! I got an ironing board, I got tools, I got yarn, I got 6 lbs crystal FIRELINE! (woot!) And that was just from HUBBY! I got fantastic 450 count cotton sheets, a billfold, a cookbook for my crock pot, a gorgeous crystal ornament and a decorative candle holder from Nona and M, and I got myself quite a few other little trinkets. ;) I really was spoiled. I must have done something really really good this year to deserve so much!

The weather here is positively preposterous. One week you think you're in the Arctic, the next, it's balmy southern weather... Go figure! Those 24" of snow we got last week are all but gone now, leaving way to torrential downpours and possible floods all over the neighborhood. One neighbor's sump pump has been going non-stop since Friday... But, so far, we're pretty lucky. No flooding on our property, and we're vigilant about going out there as soon as there's a lot of melting or raining going on, and clear any water that seems to have a difficult time draining. The warmer days also gave the furnace a nice break.

So, I'm getting ready for the new year. I've got a few possible prospects for Posh Parties, so I've got to get busy and make some pieces. I was contacted by Tom, the photographer I've been modeling for (have I mentioned that before?), and he's willing to redo some of my photos for the site, as I really think the necklaces would be better displayed on a model. And since I can't afford a model right now, I guess it'll have to be me...

I've been working on some new earring styles, and am looking forward to adding these to the site as well, and making more and more and more Pearl Blossoms. They're popular, and sell well, so, I think that always having a few of them on hand will be ideal. I took a better shot of my wall-mounted earring display to show you. I'm so happy I scored two of them for myself. I can't wait for my office to be completed so I can just set them up.

And lucky me, I even snagged a matching table-top one. This will help for when I've got extra pieces to display when I'm at home, or, just to bring along as an extra table display when I go to shows.

A closer look of the display in action.
My new "Goddess" earring.

And check it out! Right before Christmas, I found this other table-top piece, sold as a votive candle holder, I simply removed the candle cups, and voilà, a brand new display! :D

What else have I been up to? Oh yeah! I finally got the Celini Spiral under my belt! Here's my first attempt.

I'll be sending this one to DH's auntie in Montréal. I know she's just DYING to get it!

The new "Infinity Simplicity" set.
I've decided to splurge and use those gorgeous Peacock pearls hubby got me for our anniversary last year. I think the finished result is quite stunning.

I finished the blossom, and then embellished it further with some 13/0 charlottes in a gold wash transparent purple. (the same as in the matching earrings actually!)

Well, I think that's it for today folks. I'm running on empty right now. Have been busy babysitting two large black labs, a cat, an aquarium full of fish, and a budgie for my neighbors. And every single pet is a love sponge, where three times a day, at least one hour each time, is spent snuggling, loving, feeding, and generally looking out for them. Oh, and the LH in tow to boot! But, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Hope all is well with you all, and that Santa was just as good to you as he was to me.

Love and Light!

Jewels

Chasing Rainbows!

2008-12-24T16:43:00.003-04:00

I was over at Me Her Now's blog today, and peaked at her rainbow. Thought I'd share my own with you, and to tell you the truth, it's pretty darn accurate. Well, I think is is...

Your Rainbow

Your rainbow is intensely shaded green, violet, and white.

What is says about you: You are a contemplative person. You appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Staying in and [trying] to keep warm

2008-12-20T07:26:00.013-04:00

Yes, it is officially Winter in good old Niagara Falls! Darling Husband had been tracking this storm on the weather network, keeping a close eye on the radar and satellite images looping over and over. We could see the mass coming our way, and knew we would be in for a bad one. They were calling for 20-30 cm of snow, winds of 50 to 70 km/hr, and, well, we all know just how cold it gets, no need for thermometers for this one. I believe we got closer to around 55 cm ( 18")

Ah, but I've been a good little Rat, and after stocking our pantry up for the last few weeks, I wasn't too worried at the prospect of being stuck in the house for a few days. What I HAD'NT thought of was the possibility of a power outage. Actually, neither of us had thought that through... Good thing I've got a steady stash of candles, and no shortage of lighters! Didn't hurt that we had access to a generator through one of D.H.'s friends either. ;) I was pleased that Little Highness, warmly cocooned in her favorite blankie, napped through most of the outage, which, luckily for us, lasted only a bit over 2 hours. But her reaction at the sight of so many "COOL CANDLES ALL OVER THE PLACE" upon her awakening was just as stressfull as dealing with the outage itself. No worries, I never left her side. Even carrying the candle myself to accompany her to the loo once or twice. For a 7 year old, there's strength in numbers where darkness is concerned!

In the beginning!
What we are looking at here is my back neighbor's backyard, which opens up to the main street, which is practically cloaked from the snow. Cars (yes, there were a few nuts out there) are moving at a snail's pace, but for a few idiots that didn't seem to think that slowness = carefulness in these types of weather...
Around 10:00 am when this shot was taken. I've wisely decided to keep L.H. at home after seeing the advisory that all school buses were cancelled. Schools were open though, go figure! But it didn't take them long to start calling parents to come pick up their kids. L.H. was disappointed, having some really cool presents to gift to her bus driver and teacher, but, after I explained the safety issues of traveling down the streets when even the bus drivers didn't want to take chances, she understood. Actually, I think what made it acceptable was the fact that our neighbors, R and S, were also staying home and would be coming by for a pre-lunch visit. Well, it looks pretty, but I must admit, I was glad the neighbors were coming over to OUR place, and not the other way around. Even if they ARE just two doors down...

We were all quite impressed with this squirrel's intestinal fortitude, to brave this kind of weather for the sake of a nut! Those tails are a cool design feature eh? I couldn't help but notice its ingenuity at using it for coverage. It kept blowing in the wind mind you, but squirrely kept re-propping it back over its head.
Picture this: Jewels trying to snap a photo, surrounded by two young ones squealing "Oooooh, look at de cute widdwe puffy wuffy squirrel! Oh, mommy, can we let it in? It looks soooo cold!" Oy! Did my mom have to put up with that nonsense????
(DON'T answer that!)

The steps to the back walkout have officially disappeared to leave behind the coolest slide in the neighborhood. We'll let the kids go first, you know, to test it... ;) Perhaps knowing that the steps have a 10" lift will give you more of an appreciation at the amount of snow we'll have to clear off of them.

I just found this to be a rather neat shot. Love how the bush looks with the snow falling through the spaces there. Reminds me of coral.

Little Higness after waking from her nap.
She lurrrrrrrrved the candles everywhere. Don't you just love her slippers? She asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I told her I wanted a pair just like them. Well, in style, not necesarilly color. Not sure I'm a polka dot kinda gal, but I wouldn't be averse to the lovely black cable-knit ones I spied at La Vie En Rose....

Lucky for us, the power outage [caused by a felled power line] didn't last too long. The furnace kicked back on just short of us being able to see our breath IN the house! Well, at least we had plans B and C to implement had we needed to, but, I'd say we were pretty lucky. You know? It made me think: Would I prefer a power outage in the summer or winter?
It WAS cold enough that any and all perishables might have been stored outside, and would have kept, but we might have gotten frostbite in the house, regardless of the mountain of blankets we had! Whereas in the summer, you may lose a whole lot of food, but you certainly wouldn't be exposed to hypothermia... Food for thought, eh? I think I'd take a long power outage in the summer over a winter one.

Still here, I swear! :D

2008-12-17T13:42:00.003-04:00

Ok, ok. I know. Too few and far between. But, I guess this is now my busy time of the year, as I've intented it! ;)
Now that I've just finished shoveling 10 cm of snow from my driveway, the sidewalk, the walkup, and the porch, I can actually sit and relax. The typing is a bit slower at the moment, as the old arms are a wee bit tired from said shoveling. Not too bad though, just some needed exercise.
I've had a few custom orders to fill for some friends, and have been finishing some old pieces. One of which is "Flight of Fancy". Wanna see?
Here is a shot of the project while I was still working on her:

It took me so long to figure out how I was going to finish this piece. I had thought of simply adding a pin at the back, to turn it into a brooch, then thought I'd do that AND add a bail so that it could be either worn as a pendant or a brooch, but for the life of me, I can't seem to be able to locate any of my pin backs! That's what I get for moving into a house. Now I've got much more room to lose my stuff in! ;) Well, at any rate, here she is completed. Not the best shot, but I wanted to share with you, so there!
Her body is made of four Peyote Bezelled Rose Quartz cabochons, which were then connected with a little bit of R.A.W., and her 'wings' and 'tail' were embellished with long fringes, which are weighted down by lovely little natural purple freshwater pearls. The new pendant hangs from a simple Spiral Rope Chain, and the Peyote bail allows for the wearer to remove the pendant if they wish to. I done did good I think!

Oh, in other great news, "Tanzanite Daggers" has been SOLD! :D She has found a new home through Niki, my new friend who's been carrying my pieces in her Spa. I was ecstatic! And so is her new owner!

I've been doing a lot of 'behind the scenes' work on my site. It hasn't been updated yet, but for a few tweaks here and there, but come new year, I believe I'll be fully ready to publish it with all new pieces, and a complete wholesale catalog. Now THAT's a lot of work!
The last few weeks, I've just been in complete production mode, save for the custom pieces I've finished, and it feels really, really good. The Muse is back, and I'm coddling her, nourishing her, and letting her run all over the place, giving her free reign to take me wherever she wants to lead me.
One new thing I've also decided to add to the site, which I will share with you here, is that my Pearl Blossoms is now available in a "Four Seasons" package. Clearly, I thought that was a very clever idea! ;) See?

"Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter"

I've also been working on some new earrings to match them, which will also be showcased here shortly. So stay tuned! :)

Miss U!

What have I been up to...

2008-12-05T10:59:00.004-04:00

I've been up to so much, I can't keep track with myself!
I had my second annual Christmas Posh Party Wednesday night, and it was wonderful! Using my newfound networking tools, I figured I'd invite quite a lot of ladies, so that I would meet my criteria. Here's the formula I learned. If you invite 100 people, 30 will say "YES!". Of those 30, you'll probably get 1/3 who actually show up. That's %10 attendance. I did one better than that, I reached %15! :D (of course, I WAS aiming at %30, but hey! I done did good!)

So, out of my 61 invitees, 9 showed up, and shopped, shopped, shopped! I was impressed with these ladies, they liked what they saw, and weren't afraid to tell me! :D Have I said it was awesome yet? 'Cause it WAS!

Sonia, Sheyla and Laura gabbing away. You'd think these ladies would run out of things to chat about, since they all work together, but Nooooooooo.
A bunch of chatty Cathys they were! ;)

The other young lady who's back is facing us was my lovely assistant Selena, who did a fantastic job of tabulating everyone's receipts, and kept a fantastic account of everything.
Methinks she'll be hired again come next Posh Party.

Barbie got Bagged!
No! Not like THAT!
I didn't serve ANY alcohol at my party!

My pretty tree made an appearance again this year.
And Edith, my house, loves it when all these folks come visit her!

What a fantastic find this was. I had been searching high and low for the perfect display unit for my earrings, and 'lo and behold, one simple trip to Winners, and voilà, I found it! Well, two of them actually! :) But I only put one up for now, since my office isn't finished, and these will be on permanent display in my office for when my customers come over.
I also found another similar table-top piece which will come in handy for out of office showings, as it's the exact same design, but more along the lines of a 'cage'. I should really have photographed it to show you... Ah well, next time!

Isn't it neat?
The earrings hang perfectly on the wires, and those little saucers at the back hold tea lights, which were lit for the party. And no, neither the flames nor the heat affected either the pieces or the wall. It's perfect I tell you!

My new lines of Pearl Blossoms pendants and earring sets were quite popular, which pleased me to no end. Even my new crocheted scarves were a hit! I'm well on my way to a good wholesale catalog, which I hope will launch me on my fantastically successful jewelery making career. ;)

Taggart!

2008-11-21T07:12:00.006-04:00

Yes, I know, I was tagged, what, two weeks ago? :/
And by not one, but TWO of my readers! Linda, and Pam. Oh, I'm a such a bad, bad, bad little blogger these days, but honestly, I DO have a good excu... erm, reason. See, for all the time that I was in that funky funk, well, it seems I'm making up for lost times.
I've actually been beading, crocheting, and generally creating my fingers off, to the point where I've aggravated an old wrist injury :( But the injury isn't what's prevented me from writing, 'cause I've been writing LOTS. See, I'm on a mission, and this mission is to become all I was meant to be: A financially independent, wildly successful jewelry designer. :) I've been sitting on my laurels long enough, it's time to dust myself off, and start again. And start I have! I've been attending seminar after seminar, practically one a week; some on marketing, some on networking - m'kay, MOST on networking... - and the very last one was on the "Law Of Attraction". I'm HUGE fan of the Secret, and strongly believe that everything that happens to us, we've drawn to ourselves, good OR bad. It's all in the state of mind, and the vibes you're sending out, and frankly, my vibes for the last few years weren't exactly healthy. So, I've taken a healthy dose of "give yourself a swift kick in the a**", and taken myself back from the brink of whatever that darkness was that I'd let take over me, and here I am, getting back on track! :)

Okay, so, now, back to that tag... I'm supposed to share 7 interesting/unknown facts about myself, and then I'm supposed to tag 7 more people. But, being the difficult girl that I am, I'm going to play the game my way. I'm NOT going to pass the tag on, but I will ask any and all of my readers, that if they are interested in participating, then by all means, I would love to know 7 unknown facts about you, and tell me when you write it, so that I can link to them. Is that good? :)

Alright, number 1!
I am a bonnafide Pool Shark! I started playing pool when I was 14 years old, after making the mistake of telling my dad while watching him play with my pepere, that I would love to learn how to play. The next summer was spent being woken up by a pool cue poking me in the ribs, and my dad teaching me. I am forever grateful that he did, as it did wonders for the old hand/eye coordination. (little tidbit here: Hubby and I met playing pool, and I BEAT HIM 3 games in a row... after letting him win the first one, of course... ;p )

Number 2:
I can tie a cherry stem in a knot using nothing but my TONGUE. Mm-hm, great party trick, and a great way to get phone numbers at that party too! LOL! Not that I pick up boys' phone numbers anymore, but it sure did the trick back in the 'old' days. LOL!

Number 3:
I have this innate ability to learn ANY language. I've had friends that spanned the globe, and each and every time they've tried to teach me their mother tongue, I can pick it up just like that. What's dumbfounding, is that I can even pick up their accent. I'm currently endeavoring to learn conversational Italian, and Spanish. I would love to speak as many languages as I can, fluently.

Number 4:
I love, love, LOVE baby beef liver! If you don't like it, don't EVER come to a pub with me, as it's my favorite pub fare and I can never pass it up, LOL! Especially with mashed potatoes, bacon and onions, and smothered in gravy! My mom used to feed it to me as a baby, and I loved it then too.

Number 5:
Since we're on the topic of food, my absolutely favorite food is Sushi. I've managed to find one good place around here, but I hear that in this area, if I want fantastic Sushi, I'll have to find my way to Toronto.

Number 6:
I. Am. A. Witch. A good one. I am a sole practitioner and belong to no coven, however, I have 'cyber' met a few other Witches that I wouldn't mind meeting in person to work Magik with. And no, I can't turn you into a toad. People do that to themselves... ;)

Number 7:
As mentioned above, I am a strong proponent of the Secret, and I believe that we got our house using the Secret. The secret to the Secret is feeling. You have to feel your goal with every fiber of your being, and the Universe WILL respond to the nature of your 'song'. Trust me, it works!

Now, I wasn't sure I was going to go there, but, since I did get tagged by two ladies, I thought I'd play differently, and play twice. So, I'll do my best to come up with 7 MORE facts about Moi, if you're still interested... :)

Number 8:
I have a slight case of O.C.D. where organization is concerned. A place for everything, and everything in its place is my life's motto. I love being able to find something in the blink of an eye. For example: all of my beading magazines are organized by number (year, month...). My friend Kirsten once called me and told me about finding an interesting article in a particular 3 year old issue of Bead & Button, so I asked her which issue it was, found it, and was instantly looking at it while she expressed her dis concertedness at how I managed to do this... Until she saw my organization in action that is...

Number 9:
On my 8th birthday, August 8th, 1980, my dog Micha had 8 pups!

Number 10:
I am an avid reader. And it can be any subject, if it's written well, I'll read it. I also am on this constant quest to learn new things.

Number 11:
I have a very neat white birthmark smack dab in the middle of the front of my right thigh: It's in the shape of a maple leaf, and never tans. I once had a boyfriend ask me why I tanned with a maple leaf decal on my thigh one summer... Yeah, like I'd use a maple leaf decal and put it on my thigh... *rolls eyes* LOL! Hey, I just tell folks that it's proof I was made in Canada, eh? ;)

Number 12:
I am a collector. I can't just have one of anything, I have to collect MANY of something... Seriously, it's a problem. Sunglasses: 14 pairs. Shoes: 30. Purses? Let's not go there, shall we? Oh, and don't get me started on socks. I LOVE SOCKS! But not just any old socks, I like nice detailed socks, and stockings too...

Number 13:
Lucky number 13... No, really, 13 is my lucky number!

Number 14:
I have a quite extensive, quite eclectic CD collection. Bonnie Rait? Check! Enya? Check! NIN? Check! Amr Diab? Check! Mozart? You guessed it: Check! :D Something for everyone.

So, I hope I didn't bore you TOO much with these little tidbits about Moi. And as promised, I will not tag anyone, but if you play, let me know, 'cause I'd love to read your facts. Another fact about me, I LOVE learning about you all!

Hugs all around!

Jewels

Photo Post!

2008-11-13T12:50:00.005-04:00

Pretty much is, really... Been a busy few weeks, filled with quite a bit of fun. I've been trying to get to the bottom of my new yarn stash, wouldn't you know? I can't believe I'm getting myself that deep into crocheting now. *rolls eyes* Of course, my absolute favorite thing to do at the moment are scarves. They're what I call my 'cozy work'. I just sit here, on a cold, dreary day, and the scarf just starts to drape over my legs, and the yarn in my fingers just warms me up, and I totally get lost in my work. I've done a few hats, but they don't give you that same cozy feeling as the long, thick scarves. Plus, no counting with the scarves, just straight crocheting. :D
"Le Yarn Stashe"

We went on a family date last Saturday, and did we ever have fun. It was our daughter's first time down Clifton Hill, where we showed her as many tourist spots as we could, without spending too much money. And I'll be darned, even the souvenir shops have started carrying WEBKINZ! *grumble, grumble...* And of course, she found a few she'd never seen before, so, we had to say "Well, your birthday is coming up, maybe we can add it to the list of things you'd like?", lol.

Here we are in front of one of the cool light displays down there. Looks really neat in person, I've always had a thing for these bright blue lights. Dunno why...

Mimi has really been flourishing, artistically speaking. I'm always encouraging her to embrace her creativity, and to not care if anyone makes fun of her pink giraffes and blue monkeys. But this really impressed me the other day. While waiting for daddy to get back home before our date, she sat down with her geometric shapes, and created a fantastic fish for her Dada (that's what she calls him...). All by herself she did this:

Isn't this cool?
Matches her socks too. ;)

Speaking of crocheting. Our friend Angelo has been asking me for a skull cap for the longest time, since he likes the hairless look, he often suffers from a cold head. So, I went and found this great slate gray wool, and started to work on it, and just when I was about to finish it, I started thinking "Gee, I wonder what would happen if...", and wouldn't you know it, I came up with a neat new fishing hat for C. Instead of finishing the had off where it would have been a skull cap, I continued crocheting at the back, where I added a flap at the back of the neck. Hubby loved it so much, he commandeered it, saying "Sorry Ange, MY hat!" LOL! Now hubby won't have to worry about his coat collar not keeping the wind away from the back of his neck, since the flap keeps everything nice and covered. :) I was so happy to finally make something that he just absolutely wanted, and loves.

Speaking of feeling wanted and loved, guess who's wanted and loved? ME! Well, my jewelery is, anyway, ;)
During one of the latest marketing seminars I attended last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Niki, a young lady who owns and operated her very own day spa in a town called Virgil, not too far from Niagara Falls. Well, during the seminar, Niki inquired as to whether I'd be interested in having my jewelery carried in her shop? Of course, I said yes! How exciting! And yes, I'm still smiling!

So, what do you think went into these two bags? I'll tell you!

A thick 3-yarn Sciarpe in pinks and browns
The Sciarpe is standard size width, and I like the fringes nice and long, to add movement to the piece

A thick 2-yarn Sciarpe
in black and white Popcorn yarn (I think it's called Cha Cha?)

A thick 2-yarn Sciarpetta in vibrant pinks mixed with neutrals.
The Sciarpetta is a bit narrower than the Sciarpe, which doesn't feel as bulky when you wrap it around the neck.

A thick 2-yarn Sciarpetta in a purple and neutral mixture that I call "Heather"
Again with the super long fringes

A thick 2-yarn Sciarpettina in a mixture of greens that I call "Chartreuse"
The Sciarpettina is very narrow, but also very long.

5 pairs of Drop Duster earrings

Three Hirsutus necklaces

4 regular bangles, and 2 freshwater bangles (a new collection that I will name the "Luna Bangle"

Two teeny knit bags, this gunmetal on black one, and another purple on purple one. Very cute amulets.

This luscious red knit bag, accented with Garnet Swarovski hearts and bicones, and finished with a tubular herringbone rope.
This one is a big bigger than a standard amulet, where you could probably put your standard lipstick in here.

And here is the fabulous Niki!

We were both so happy with our meeting. I have a fantastic feeling about this, and feel that it is only the beginning. So much more to come. So. Much. More.

:)

Jewels

Site updating, and new piece

2008-11-05T15:50:00.003-04:00

Phew! What a lot of work!
I finally finished with the uploading of each and every one of the 28 Lucky Charms I finished last Friday. I photographed them yesterday, then cropped and resized each photo, and today was uploading time. I still have a few things to tweak on the site I think, but so far so good. I thought I'd share a few of them on here with you, but if you wouldn't mind checking their page out on my site, and telling me if it's alright, or if it needs some changes, please let me know? :) Thanks! You can find them here.

Now, I'm really taking a chance with this last one, but I figured since M doesn't really come on this blog all that much, and I'll be seeing her tonight, it would be okay to share it with you. I made this crochet rope a few months back, and couldn't, for the life of me, find the perfect ends for it. Well, with all the moving around, and cleaning we've been doing lately, I've been finding some beads I completely forgot I had. Until I stumbled upon them once again that is... ;)

The rope is made with tiny size 12/0 matte black seed beads, which took what felt like an ETERNITY to complete. This is my first attempt at making my own clasp, such as this. I made a small pearl-embellished Peyote tube, that fit perfectly into that lovely little vintage wooden ring I salvaged off of a second-hand store find about 15 years ago! (ACK! I really AM getting old! LOL!)

I accented the ends with some angular wooden rondelles, peacock fresh water pearls, and some silver beads. I think she'll like it. It's simple, yet very classy, just like M. I keep thinking I should add maybe one more piece, but as I go through my little mental inventory of all of the pieces she's got already, I can picture this necklace going well with so many of them. :)
So, I'm gifting it to her tonight, over dinner at a nice Vietnamese restaurant.

Just hanging out and having fun

2008-10-30T16:58:00.009-04:00

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:

2008-10-24T17:48:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-21T13:13:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-06T06:45:00.004-04:00

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.

Still moving in!

2008-09-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

We moved into our new house on the 29th of August, and we've still got about a dozen boxes to unpack. Also still getting used to the lay of the land, having moved to a new city.
I'm back in Niagara Falls, after moving out in '97. And boy, have things changed in 11 years! I am so grateful to my Mother for sending me a bicycle, which has allowed me to explore my new surroundings at will, and has helped me get some much needed exercise back into my life. (But let me tell you, that first time back on a bike, my poor poor bottom! OUCH!) LOL!

After straightening out most of the main floor, I felt a great need for some company, so I planned a little House Warming/Posh Party. I was a bit disappointed at first, when only a few people showed up, but I must admit that as the evening wore on, I was quite pleased with the women who had chosen to come and surround me. It was a perfect evening, spent with people who truly cared about me, and who couldn't have been happier for me and my new abode.
Sadly, I didn't think of taking photos while Wendy was here :(, but Wendy, the next time you're here, get ready to pose! ;), and thank you again for my beautiful gift, that was so thoughtful of you. Thank You!

I'm still quite happy with my display form, but I do think I need a larger surface to lay my pieces on.

Yes, a tad blurry, but since I was in a blurry mood, I found it fitting.
Katharine, Nonna, Maria, and Bianca, who always managed to find her way to my floor for some reason. *giggle*
And NO, there was no booze involved!

My Bibi pose!

Thank you so much for the house warming gift Katharine. I've always wanted one of those gorgeous crystal hearts.

Show me a beader, and I'll show you a bent needle...

2008-08-19T12:26:00.005-04:00

I can't believe the torture I put my needles through. A (non-beady) friend once asked me, quite curious, if I had to get my needles anywhere special. I asked why? she said "I've never seen one bent like that..." LOL!

Oh, of course, I've started playing again. Must be all the newly found space around me, as more and more of our prized possessions are packed away for safe moving. And I did just finish a piece for an anklet swap I participated in. I was inspired by Rachel Nelson Smith's "Ootheca Cuff". Sadly, though she is one of the best beadweavers I've seen come along in a very long time, I can't afford the asking price for miss Nelson's kits or patterns, they're quite dear ($190 for the kit? YOWZA!), so I had to reduce myself to studying a photo of her Ootheca design for a bit, and subsequently adapted the design to my own idea, surface embellishing two base rows of 4-bead RAW, embellishing alternate segments with Tubular Peyote and Lattice Weave.

I used bronze metalic iris beads in both 11/0 and 15/0, and some lovely bronzey freshwater pearls as accents.

I like it. Very substantial.
Doesn't feel flimsy at all.

I just hope my swap partner likes it as much as I liked making it. I'll be making more of these, but it won't be too fast, seeing as it took me a good 4 hours to finish. :/

Not newly made, but newly photographed

2008-08-19T11:13:00.005-04:00

I made this piece wayyyy back in May, right before Mom came down for Mother's Day weekend. It's based on a pattern for the "Diagonal Lines" Brick Stitch bracelet that was once featured in the 2003 August issue of Bead & Button.
I adapted it to a longer strip, and only embellished on the bottom edge, which gave it a nice natural curve. I used a SS 4-prong slide clasp, and Mom LOVED it! :D

Sits nicely, right at the base of the neck.

Cubes, 2mm firepolished crystals and 15/0 Charlottes in bronze metallic A/B.
The cubes required a LOT of culling due to their irregularities in length, and lots of chipped corners. I've tried these with the Japanese cubes, and they still required quite a bit of culling.

Another piece I made a while back was a custom order, after the customer saw my bracelet samples for the ANPT article I submitted. I must say, it turned out quite nicely. The only problem was that the resulting bead-knit fabric tended to loosen up and the choker would start to droop right below the neckline. Nothing a little black cotton lining couldn't fix!

A mélange of both regular and Charlotte cut size 8/0s in gunmetal grey with a 5-prong SS slide clasp.

So, there you go, a little newnes in the eye candy department. :)
Hope you like them. Let me know what you think of the knit choker, that's all my own, and I'm pretty proud of that. :D

U.F.O.s

2008-08-08T07:07:00.002-04:00

I have a problem. I have too many U.F.O.s (UnFinished Objects) kicking around. The problem is in their design. They're missing important components needed to finish them.

For example, this first one I started this past spring, and I haven't been able to find just the right clasp for it. Well, I did find a lovely sterling silver leaf pattern toggle that might suit it, but I still have to figure out how to finish the ends on this rope. I suppose I could also go the hand-woven route, and make some lovely Peyote end caps, with a matching toggle. At this point, what I think is stopping me is TOO MANY IDEAS! ;)

Still needs a bit more embellishments within the rope itself.

I just love the look of Mabé clusters.

The next piece is a lariat, inspired by one of our ice storms this past winter. I wanted the piece to be branch like, and the end is meant to look like an ice covered branch. I ordered a custom lampwork bead for it, but am still waiting on that. (My lampwork artist got herself a day job... :(... LOL!)

I'd like to design this piece as if it was going through a Spring metamorphosis, like when you see branches or plants, still covered in snow and ice, but they're little flowers and leaves still find a way to peak through.

I thought it looked pretty neat.

Been keeping the old hands busy

2008-07-22T16:43:00.000-04:00

So, seems the sun has brought back this fantastic renewal of energy, and I've been a busy little bee. Well, I think bees might like these last creations of mine, if I do say so myself.

While packing (again!), I found yet another forgotten bead stash (again!). This time, drops, leaves, and 'petals'. They didn't look like leaves to me, as they have this slight curve to them, but they did look like flower petals, so petals they'll be. :)

Here is a lovely little bouquet for your viewing pleasure. Great for the allergy sufferer who loves flowers, but can't stand their pollen, LOL! Also great for anyone who might have metal allergies. Also a fantastic way to accessorize your ensemble, without breaking the bank.

The black and white one on the tip of my pinkie there was custom made for my Mimi, and boy oh boy, did she ever love it!
We went out on the town today, and she proudly showed it off to anyone who'd ask.
My little Princess. :)

I also found a stash of size 6/0 triangle beads that I just did not know what to do with. I was going to try a reversible bracelet, 'cause they look so darn neat, but for some reason, just went with Ndebele instead. Still looks pretty good. Hubby thinks that this might make a nice band for a man, but I'm not sure that he'd actually wear it himself...
Perhaps if I played around with clasps and used something a bit more rugged looking... Or leather lacing. I don't know! I know girlie, not guy-y... ;)

So, that's what I've been up to. That, and I've found an avid student at the shop. Her name is Sarah, and she just came in one day, looking to learn, so I sat right there with her and taught her stringing. The next week was wire wrapping. And the following visit was Peyote. And the girl just wants to learn more, and more, and more. LOVE IT! It's done wonders for my recent lackluster efforts in the bead foray. I swear, I thought I was on my way to selling my beads off... I don't know where it came from, but it seems to have gone away now. And I hope it stays that way too...

Hope you're all enjoying a fantastic summer, and that you're wearing lots of sunscreen, 'cause I don't know about you, but I'm finding the sun incredibly hot nowadays. SPF 50, re-applied twice in as many hours, and I STILL got a sunburn... OUCH! :(

K. Back to the old beading table!

New stuff

2008-07-10T10:34:00.000-04:00

In the midst of packing in the event of our imminent move (we're house hunting, and I don't want to be caught off guard, so I've already started packing, even though we haven't bought the house yet... LOL), I found another nice stash of wooden beads.
Smaller ones this time, that I'd set aside for something. An idea I'd had of mixing these wooden beads with glass beads in a crocheting project. Well, that idea kinda was put on the back burner - sort of like everything else around here these days.... - and since I've been in this incredible 3-D mode lately, I thought I'd make more forms with them, but once I started playing, something else happened. Something wild and natural, and so I just went with it.

I was going to make a series of beaded beads with these, but after I finished the first one, I decided to keep playing, and to see what it would look like if I just kept constructing more segments, but keeping them all attached. And as if that wasn't enough, I went ahead and did a little surface embellishing with some 4 mm Swarovski bicones in Jonquil (nice light yellow). And here is the result:

Now, this angle doesn't really do the piece justice, but each of those segments are three dimensional. Or as Mimi likes to say, they're "Puffy".

The only problem I had was that I hadn't realized just how fragile these beads are! Too much thread and BAM! the beads exploded. No seriously, they just shattered. And as [my] luck would have it, the very last pass I was going for, the very last bead, was just about to finish my thread, just gonna pass through this last one bead, and there you have it. It shattered. Darn it! Darn! Drat! Darn!
See it? Right there, the missing bead. Nothing but thread left behind. I decided to skip taking the piece apart and redoing it. Something that I would SO have done in the past. Instead, the new me has chosen to keep this bangle for herself, and now calls it her 'prototype'. So, I wrapped more thread around the thread left behind by the missing bead so keep it nice and neat. I might add something there in the future, like a charm or something, just to make it more covered, but for now, it's staying as-is. To be honest, I've never seen a piece like this, and I'm quite proud of its design. I will be looking for beads in different materials to make them, since I'm not sure I'd want to sell these if they're liable to break so easily. However, I've worn it quite a few times, and so far so good.

I made a few strung pieces for my "Sticks & Stones" collection a little while back, but only got to photographing them a few days ago. They're not my usual style, since I'm more into the weaving than the stringing, but I really like them. I think what I like most about making these is that they're incredible gratifying. Almost instantly so. ;) Stringing is actually difficult for me. I have more vision for the larger, constructed pieces than stringing.

This one is made of glass, wooden beads, and large seeds. Or beans, they could be beans. They're perfectly round, and look so earthy.

Jade, bone, wood and hematite

Carved glass cubes, wood, glass and seeds (beans)

Carnelian, wood, sandalwood seeds, and czeck glass rondelles.

More forms.

2008-07-06T20:15:00.000-04:00

I've decided to make these into little sets. I call them my little "Executive Sets". You know, those guys we love who just don't do jewelery. Well, they might not totally be into these executive sets, but they might think they look cool.

The white set is much smaller than the other three, by a third actually, but since I didn't put anything in the photo to scale them by, you'll have to take my word for it. ;)

The Sphere, the Star, and the Cube.

Aren't they cool???????

Garden bracelet

2008-07-01T09:14:00.000-04:00

School's out for summer!
Yay!
No more paper, no more books, no more teacher's loving looks. (Yeah, I know, it's dirty, but Mme. Line was a fantastic teacher.)

Sadly, our beloved principal got the notice that she was being transferred to another school in the area, as her 6 year contract was up. We knew that her contract was coming to an end, but we thought that since she had settled in so nicely, and had done such a fantastic job with this school, that they would have let her stay. But no. Mme Muriel was a fantastic principal, and was definitely one of the deciding factors in choosing St. Marguerite Bourgeoys for our daughter.

We met with her when Jaimée was just 3 years old, and preparing to enter J.K., and from the moment we met her, she reached out and held my daughter's hand. She personally gave us the full tour of the school, and even went to far as to introduce Jaimée to her future little classmates. During our walk, she greeted every child that crossed our paths by name, like every one was her own. And she treated her whole crew like family. She will be missed terribly, and more than one person, grown-up and child alike, cried during her going away ceremony.

I was unable to contribute to the pot for her present, but I was able to make her something entirely unique, and made just for her. Frankly, it wasn't too dificult to design. I knew already that Mme. Muriel was [overly] fond of purple, so the color scheme was easy. Then, while searching around for the right beads, I stumbled on a few drawers filled with pressed glass flowers: Trumpets, cups, and drops, oh my! ;)
I had a small length of sterling silver chain, the kind with all the extra links attached to it, and a nice little sterling silver toggle. And then? Then I realized I was out of HEADPINS!

LOL!

Good thing I work in a bead store, and was able to pick some up. And so, I got to work on this gorgeous (if I do say so myself) 'ChaCha' bracelet. While I was working, I happened to glance at the dining room table, and spied these cute little pressed nickle leaves. Ooooh, and a few peackock pearls that were previously discarded as too 'wonky' for my tripple-strand necklace, but were perfect for this project!
And here it is!

dark amethyst trumpet flowers, light purply/blue cup flowers, light (not white, not clear...) drop flowers, pressed leaves, and pearls.

The card was written in French of course, but I'll translate it for you:

Voici un petit jardin pour encercler votre poignet Muriel,
Pour vous rapeller de toutes vos petites fleurs à S.M.B.

"Here is a little garden to encircle your wrist Muriel,
To remind you of all of your little flowers at S.M.B."

I would have loved to see her reaciton personally when I delivered the gift to her, but as luck would have it, she was absent that day. However, I had quite a few teachers and teacher's aids come up to me to tell me of her reaction, and I guess she was beyond touched. She certainly seemed so when I had the chance to see her last Monday, and she just wouldn't stop hugging me, and told me that she had shown it to absolutely EVERYONE, and even made them read the note I'd written.
Then it was my turn to be touched.

You know, I've got to admit, as an artist, regardless of the medium I use, one of my greatest pleasures is bringing such joy to people by gifting them with something I made of my own two hands. I just love making people happy, and this was certainly one of those times.

Called out

2008-06-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

I was.
I was finally called out for my lengthy absence from my jewelery blog. I've been in a funk, yes I has. And although I have been beading, I certainly haven't felt like my old creative self in a long time. I've also recently decided to part with one of my greatest stressors, also known as my 'day job'. It was time. Well, overdue, but that's just a different tale altogether... Anyway, I'm hoping that I'll be back to me soon.

I don't know about you, but as a beadworker, and jewelery designer, I've always been at a loss as to what I could make as presents for my guy loved ones. And to tell you the truth, I don't have a whole lot of 'metrosexuals' in my immediate circle of family and friends. My dad not being into chatchkas at all (I don't have room for THAT! lol!), the only thing I've ever made with him in mind was a crocheted chapelet with a three-dimensional cross. He liked it, but it's not 'him', you know? Anyway, as some of you might know, he's an avid wood worker, and so I thought I'd like to make something that combined my craft with a medium he loves: Wood!

As luck would have it, my friend Kirsten had a ready (and sizable) stash of wooden beads. HUGE wooden beads. What the heck could I make with those? The previous few weeks, I had been playing around trying to figure out Valerie Hector's 'Cornerless Cubes' . I did figure them out eventually. I really thought they were going to be like the Plum blossoms I've done, but this was something else to work out (and it only took me, oh, 3,492 tries to figure it out...).

So I got started, with the huge beads. And I liked it so much, I just kept making more and more and more forms; blossoms, cornerless cubes, diamond shapes, and even cubes! I just played around with different sized/colored/shaped beads. I played around with different colored threads to see the effects. And here is a sample of some of them. I think my favorite part is how much Mimi likes to play with them.

Isn't this the strangest perspective of a cube? It doesn't even LOOK like a cube!

These two are meant to be used like dice, with every colored face representing whatever number you assign to it... What do you think?

Now, these are all self-supporting armatures, no base in any of them. I think my dad will like them. I can just see them on display in one of his wooden bowls on his coffee table. They'd be cool toys for small and big kids alike. ;)

Pearls!

2008-05-14T18:23:00.000-04:00

What else?

I finally got to playing with those gorgeous peacock pearls I got last June for our 10th anniversary. This was one of those times where I just couldn't bring myself to cutting into the strands, for fear of not creating something good enough to showcase them.

I decided to keep it simple with these, and just hand-knotted three graduated strands, finished with a sterling silver security box clasp. You know what else I love? Nobody else will have a piece like it! It's mine! All mine!

Hi! Hi!
These pearls are naturally this color. Meaning they're not died. They cost a pretty penny, but worth every one if you ask me!

This second piece also involves pearls, natch! However, I'm not sure about the type of clasp I'd like to use on it. The cream colored silk ribbon is temporary. However, I do sort of like the look of it.
I made something similar in design to this a few years back, using liquid silver bugles and seed beads. I had to play around with the bead counts to make each subsequent row sit flatly. Initially, I didn't like the body once it was done. I found it looked bare, like something was missing.

That something was some surface embellishments, with, what else? More pearls!

Weighty. I love how it just sits on the collar bone. Now this collar would look awesome on a bride.

New stuff

2008-04-10T21:40:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but I've had a heck of a long winter... It didn't start out so bad, really, hardly any snow until around January. Then, it was nothing major either, just a few inches, melt away, fresh snowfall, few more inches, melt away. Kinda dirty and yucky looking with all the leafless trees and the frozen muddy grass.

But then, oh, then, lemme tell ya! If my classes weren't being called off on account of a storm, then they were canceled on account of my being SICK! I was starting to have a serious case of Spring Fever, until last week. You know, I shouldn't have been happy, because my honey was leaving for Ottawa for 3 whole days - which incidentally bummed me out even more, since my family and friends are there, and I couldn't come...-, however, the hotel he was staying at was conveniently close to my friends Camille and Manon, and so, I was going to be able to get my parcel to them faster, safer, and, well, cheaper (I'll spare you the details of what hubby 'charged' me for this delivery service...) ;)

LOL! I kid! I kid!

Anyway, the first piece was created with a sort of mish-mash bead soup. The seedbeads in the rope are size 8's in a home-brewed mix. A friend gave me a bead-filled shoe box one day, exclaiming "I'm a quilter, NOT a beader!". Well, who am I to deprive my friend of the pleasure of gifting me with her castoff beads. I graciously accepted! (NATCH! like I could EVER have enough beads... Hah!) Some of the beads were fantastic, a few packs of black Matsuno (in matte and opaque finishes) caught my eye, and to these I added some lovely dark plum silver lined Charlottes. POW! Ooh, oooh, oooh! Let's try this now: I've got a few vials of size 8/s of unknown origins, but they look Chinese made to me - you know, all uneven in shape, size, and, well, everything, LOL! - in iris teal, silver-lined amber, and BAM!

Whoo-hooo, this one got the juices flowing. The whole time I was working on it, I kept thinking of my friend Manon, and I knew it belonged to her. I was almost done the rope when the daggers came in, I knew I wanted a large lampworked bead on one end, but what on the other? The daggers worked like a charm. I had my friend Teri make the bead to match the rope. The ends were a challenge to me though. I just couldn't decide on how to finish the rope, and it just gave off such a polished, yet out there look. Then they found me. The crystals! It was at the December bead society meeting, and I won a cute little package that contained three large Swarovski crystals in clear, amber, and amethyst. Perfection. But three weren't enough, so I had to get a few extra colored ones from the shoppe, and dive into my teenie weenie stash I've got here.

Now, how to I add the crystals solidly, without the fear of having them cut through the material used? I love the look of my pearl duster earrings, but how to I attach that to the ends? I figured it out...

I did go a bit crazy with all the crystals, but I like it just like that. I think it's an awesome piece, and I'm glad Manon loved it as much as she did.

I had something different in mind for Camille. She likes necklaces too that one, but on occasion, I've seen her with nothing but a lovely pair of earrings and bracelets. Manon and Camille have very thin bone structures, and I find making bracelets for them challenging, but I think I got the dimensions right with this one.

I had these awesome wooden beads kicking around, some cute size 15/0 Charlottes in a metallic iridescent green, and away I went. A little R.A.W., some surface embellishing, and voilà! The earrings are quite simply the cutest things I've ever made. And they keep that bow shape real nice, due to the insane amount of thread passes I used for as much as the hole of a minuscule size 15/0 bead would allow.

Cute! Cute! Cute!

Here's a closer shot of the bracelet. I used a nice little four-prong sterling slide-clasp. This piece has one of those "old school revived" vibe to it, don't you think?
And Camille said it fit her perfectly and that she loved it. Double yay for Moi!

I've also been trying to do some updates on my site. It's in dire, dire need of some new stuff. I did have quite a few pieces, but they sold before I could even upload them - a good thing, of course! - and since I haven't really been beading for my business (I think I mainly beaded to make gifts actually...) I haven't got anything new to add. Except for the bowls my dad brought when he was down for his visit.

I finally got to photographing them, and after cropping, resizing, 'fixing', itemizing, labeling, measuring and describing, I managed to put 6 of them up on my site today. (man, that's a LOT of work!). I thought I'd share this next one with you, since it won't be on the site. It's mine. Oh yeah, one of the perks of being the artist's daughter. Hah!

This lidded hollow vessel was made from a solid piece of black walnut. Dad purchased some wood from a fella who was just going to use it as firewood anyway... So, dad offered to buy some of the sugar maple he had laying around, and he just 'threw in' this piece that just looked discolored and old. To dad's surprise, when he started shaving it on the lathe, he said it was like watching chocolate fly across his studio. How cool would that be!?! (Mmmmmmmmmm, chocolate...).

Mine!

This next one here came from a Sugar Maple burl. He brought me two bowls he'd made from the same burl, and they both looked completely different. This one has incredible detailing. Not exactly sure if it was the bark, or from rot. But it looks awesome!

And look, look at how different the second bowl is. But you can clearly tell they're from the same piece. Of course, these digital photographs don't compare to the real thing. Sugar Maple has this really nice marble-like quality to it, where you'll see the markings in the wood when you're looking at it dead on, but when you take it to a light source, especially sunshine, you get this great little light show. It's not so much a color show, but more like a still, monochromatic aurora Borealis.
Perhaps you wouldn't mind my imposing on you, but I'd certainly like your help with this. I'm used to the beadwork lingo, and I can sell my jewels, but I'm not so sure I've got it right with dad's stuff. Maybe you could go take a peek and suggest something more or different I could add? The descriptions just look so bland to me.

Well, it's nice getting back in the beading saddle to be quite honest. I missed it. Now, it's time to catch up on all those projects I've dreamed up in the past few months. Oh yes, I might not have been ready to take needle and thread to bead, but I still took pencil to paper when an idea popped into my head. I've got a few started, but am still looking for the perfect clasps for them. - It's just as important to get the right clasp as it is to get the right beads in my opinion... And, well, in my perfectionist, can't leave well enough alone brain, I just have to find the right one. LOL!

Beyond Ecstatic!

2008-03-28T12:01:00.000-04:00

It's here! I finally got it! The brand new Spring issue of A Needle Pulling Thread, and it looks AWESOME! It's quite a nice magazine, lots of fantastic projects in there. How exciting to see it, and hold it, and to see MY work in the pages of the magazine. My mom was so excited she had her hubby drive her to the nearest Chapters to buy her very own copy.

I suspect she was bringing it to work with her today, LOL! Oh, she was so proud, it made me feel like a million bucks!

I omitted the two project pages, since I thought there might be some infringement issues as far as publications go. Not sure there, but better safe than sorry, right?

The only drawback at the moment, albeit a temporary one, is that my site is down due to some technical difficulties, but will be back up and running by next week for sure. I cringe at the idea of people going to my site to check out my work, and to not be able to access it. But, at least it will be back up shortly. (Phew!)

In the meantime, I'm going to continue riding this excitement wave. Wow! I did it! I got an article published! Woohoo!

She's Aliiiiiiiiiive!

2008-03-08T12:00:00.001-04:00

Yup, yup, yup, it's winter, and I'm taking it easy. Haven't done much this winter, besides get sick and organize... And work, of course. But, occasionally, I've had a few good times thrown in, just for good measure. Or should that be balance? Too many people around me are losing balance. And that balance line is so fine, that most of the time, we cross it without taking much notice. You just wake up one day, and poof! You're totally off balance; your life has become nothing but sickness, or work, or children, or school. You kind of forget You. What You need. What makes You tick.

I've taken some time off for self-reflection. I'm searching deep within, looking for that once brilliant spark that has recently eluded me. It dawned on me that the one constant thing surrounding me was excess. Too much stuff. Borderline pack-ratting. Tiny collections in over abundance. Here, there, everywhere. And it wasn't just me. It was all of us. Little Highness has taken to collecting any and everything tiny. Littlest Pet Shop, Ponyville, My Little Pony, Barbie, you name it, it's hiding in a corner around here somewhere.

Me? Oh, you know how it goes. Why, just last night, I was looking at photos of when my bead stash was just a baby. You remember those days, right? Back when all of your beads fit in the original little ziploc you bought them in (Hah! you just had ONE of each color!), and you could stow two bags per compartment in that embroidery floss organizer you stole from you mom... Now? Hm, now is a totally different story. I need 4 large 'parts' cabinets, multiple screw-in stackable units, drawers, drawers, and yes, more drawers over flowing with beads. Beads of all colors, shapes and sizes. And let's not forget the semi-precious stones and pearls I've accumulated. They are perfectly organized in colorful, labeled boxes, where I can find them at a glance. My finished pieces are also stored this way. Makes things so much easier. Order is my friend.
...
Oh, and don't get me started on hubby's hobby now. You walk in here, and you KNOW a fisherman occupies the premises. And he's not messy about it, he's also a fan of order. Of course, I like to think that that's a bit of me rubbing off on him. 'Cause when we first moved in, his fishing stash was all over the place.

We all like to have our own little areas, where we can look at it and feel 'that's mine'. I think everyone needs a spot like that. It's just that after 10 years, and a six-year old, everything was starting to jumble into one big mess. So, yeah, the last few post were about cleaning and organization, but I strongly believe that neatness should be a part of creativity. I mean, yeah, I've had some gorgeous serendipitous pieces come out of my occasional disorder, but I mostly prefer to know exactly where to find what it is that I need, right there at my fingertips.

Anyway, enough about this cleaning chit chat. I'm doing other things too. Last Sunday was Samantha's birthday. We decided to go celebrate at Fivebucks with a little treat. I also gifted Sammie with one of my own beaded beads, with a silver snake chain. I brought a little candle to top her cupcake. One of them little melted-caramel infused chocolate thingies.

The bead.
Made with jade, bone, hematite, silver and glass.

She liked it! She liked it!

Wednesday brought on some seasonal weather. No school buses, so the little one was quite happy to get a cab ride to school. I spend the day in the shoppe, packaging headpins, eye pins, and jump rings. Not much happening, what with the roads being barely navigable. I don't think the camera could do the view justice, but I tried. The wind was incredible. Blended with the powdery soft, and terribly abundant snow, all I could think was 'wow'... I was amazed that within not even 30 minutes of being cleared, the sidewalks were already covered in about 1/2 of snow.

Thankfully, I was safe inside, sipping on some yummy tomato soup, coffee, and munching on some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. My Pinkie by my side, playing a seemingly endless loop of fantastic music, via my USB stick. Yay for Moi!

Oh, and good news, I finally sent the contest winner her prize this week. Ever wonder what lives in Jewels' purse? Take a peek:
Tissue, fruit cup, wallet, cell phone, MP3 player, crochet hooks (natch), Purel, agenda, note cards, and my business cards. My camera of course, but you can't see it here, since I'm using it. LOL! Joyce, your parcel should arrive within 5 to 10 days. Oh I can't wait. Let me know when you get it Joyce.

And, since I'm in an artful mood, I thought I'd share some of Mimi's latest creations. I've recently supplied her with some plasticine, which I like so much better than play doh, since it never dries. We're discovering that different color pigments affect the clay differently, the warm colors are easier to manipulate out of the package, but the cold colors need some kneeding to get there. Poor Mama's got some tender hands... Well, it's really got the Little Highness' creative juices flowing. Remember now, she's only six. she used one of her little figurines as a model, and made this fantastic bunny. I certainly was impressed.

Which reminds me: Easter's coming.

Fini!

2008-02-27T19:03:00.001-04:00

Et voilà! J'ai fini!
I finally put the finishing touches on the contest piece. The very first color Joyce listed was "Bubblegum Pink". ;) As luck would have it, I've recently discovered that our local Liquidation World had received a shipment of various accent yarns in a myriad of colors. (Don't even get me started on that place. I could spend a fortune on BARGAINS! Darn my Rat-like hording quality...) :p
Anyway, the yarn was $2 a ball, or $3/2... Guess who's been spending $30 a pop on yarn ALONE on my little visits. All of these bellow were found in the bin.

*K, cute, funny story: Kirsten and I went to L.W. for some yarn. The balls are kept in a huge cardboard bin, and it pretty much looks like a bomb went off in it. Picture this; Kirsten to the side of the box, picking the desired yarn as I struggle to push the giant mound out of the way, butt wagging in the air à la Winnie the Pooh... LOL! *

You know, I usually wouldn't pick these colors, but I liked the texture of the Cici yarn. I'm not sure I'd like to work with the Cici all by itstelf (itstelf? What the heck am I drinking??? I mean itself, of course...), but when I put these three together (I simply lurved the mauve mohair!), they just worked for me. Knowing they were also on the list of preferred colors helped matters lots too. ;)

Now, I know that Joyce occasionally reads my blog, so I won't show you the piece in its entirety, but I'll give you a little teaser. I used artistic license of course, and added a few little "Jewels" touches. And you thought I was done with the beads... :)

Joyce, j'espère que tu aimes les couleurs que j'ai choisi. J'essaie de te l'envoyer cette semaine.

And yes, I am feeling better, thank you for asking. We're finally all back on track with school and work. I'm still tired, but I'm sure that once I finish my 112 hour catnap, I'll be just fine.

Well, I should go. I got a special request from the fabulous Miz M today, for some custom-made wrist warmers. Three pairs on the list actually. Need to make some for Miz M., Miz Bibi, and Miz Jin. Guess I better get busy eh?

Le Beadoir & La Tzigane

Parsnip & Carrot Purée

Photo blog!

Today's Treasuries

Busy playin', with a little work on the side

Breakfast!!!

Winter Wonderland!

Periphery

Pearls ARE a Girl's Best Friend

I've been a bad, bad girl...

Treasury: Beads are a Girl's Best Friend!

Treasury!

Thermos Cozy!

Spiced Chai

Etsy Treasury: When Yellow Leaves

Mimi's New Shoulder Bag

Almost Fall!

Interview With An Etsyan: BizzieLizzie

Keeping Busy

Pay It Forward

Playing with the camera. Again.

While on Vacation

A few snapshots...

The Great Journal Exchange

Home Sweet Home

What IS that thing?

The New Quadra Beads

Back to basics

MH TurnStyles on Etsy

MH TurnStyles: newest bangle collection

I did it!

Getting the Groove back

I'm Fabulous! *Smiles*

Bead Knitting FEAST!

Bead Play

We've got a Winner!

Contest: Name that line!

The Twisty Scarf: And Exersice in Insanity.

Busy Bee Bangles

A few new pices

Holiday! It. Would. Be. So. Grea-eat!

Chasing Rainbows!

Your Rainbow

Staying in and [trying] to keep warm

Still here, I swear! :D

What have I been up to...

Taggart!

Photo Post!

Site updating, and new piece

Just hanging out and having fun

Alright Readers:

Sleeping Beauty

The Saturday Art Fair. Part II

Still moving in!

Show me a beader, and I'll show you a bent needle...

Not newly made, but newly photographed

U.F.O.s

Been keeping the old hands busy

New stuff

More forms.

Garden bracelet

Called out

Pearls!

New stuff

Beyond Ecstatic!

She's Aliiiiiiiiiive!

Fini!

I'm Fabulous! Smiles