Gift in the Mail

Look what came in the mail! I totally forgot that I had played a blog game - show off your bead tray on Denise's blog http://bitsofbeads.blogspot.com/ and got these great blue beads in the mail with a nice note from Denise! Looks like November might just have to be blue. This was such a nice treat. Thought I'd show them off. Thanks Denise!

Beading Area

Denise from the Bead Journal Project 08 suggested that we show our beading areas. So today, I took a picture of my bead tray - it's really big! No, not really, it's actually a travel size diaper wipe container that I put a matt in. It's great because I take it with me wherever I go. It fits into my purse until I switched to my small winter one, today. I bead while my son goes to TaeKwonDo. I used to just drop him off and come home but with the price of gas I now go and stay so I bead. I can bead in the car with this, too. Most of the time I bead in a recliner with my feet up. I get comfy! What's everyone else using?

September Bead Journal Project

I just finished my September BJP "page". I have decided on circles for a shape and began this month with a mirror. I am in transition and the mirror symbolizes reflection. While I was beading, I thought about turning 50 this month on the 24th (how appropriate to start a new year beading). What am I going to do for the future, career wise? How can I improve my health? How can I spend my time better? What do I really want? I guess that's what this year will be about. This was a freeing piece - totally impovised except for the mirror.

Summer is Almost Over

It's been a while since I've added anything to this blog. Summer is almost over, school is almost to begin and it will be quiet in the house. Our Bead Journal Project for 2008 starts September 1 and will end August 31, 2009. I'm not sure what size I'll be using this year or even what shape but I have a few days to decide. I'm excited to being another year of beading with one full year under my belt and some knowledge, too it will be interesing to see what comes out and onto the fabric. I've been beading all summer and as soon as school starts I'll take some pictures of what I've done. I've learned a bit too which it neat. Anyway, it's almost time to start and maybe the blogging will continue too. For all those who are in BJP, good luck and happy beading.

New Adventure

I just started an encrusted crazy quilt class on line with Joggles and thought I'd just share my first block. This is lesson one - create a block. I assume we'll be adding lots of embellishments in the next 5 classes. Maybe I'll add each step here.

The colors are off. I started with the offwhite with a lavendar hue brocade center, added lite blue, yellow, pink, green, purple a green and gold brocade a darker purple and a sparkly purple. I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses. I can see many trips to the thread shop for silk thread and embroidery floss. I'm especially looking forward to adding beads and buttons but I think that's last because everything else will get caught on them.

I've Been Tagged

Robin, from Beadlust and Bead Journal Project (see side lines for sites) just tagged me to do this mere. Just 5 interesting questions. It’s kind of fun learning about other friends out there that I’ve never met, so I’ve done my best to answer.

• 1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
  10 years ago, I had just quit my job after 17 years at the Hartford Courant to raise my son. We were doing the playgroup thing, the nap thing (I miss this), and just keeping a 2-year-old busy and out of trouble! Reading children’s stories and watching children’s movies, visiting museums, playgrounds and all those things kids do.

• 2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
  Oh, I live such an exciting life! Grocery shopping, clean the house, write some emails to my boys (I am a boys scout merit badge counselor), write a thank you note, plant some herbs and veggies. box up some books to donate to the library, take my son to TaeKwonDo (he became a black belt at age 10, he’s 12 now and going for his 2nd degree black belt soon). There must be more but it’s still early.
  

• 3. Snacks, I enjoy?
  That’s a tough one! Hum, it would have to be cheese, a really good extra sharp cheddar! I am choosing to eat right and have stopped eating sugar and white flour. I’m following the Atkin’s program and have lost 33 lbs in the past 3 months. Before this I’d have to say anything with chocolate.

• 4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
  Wow, there’s a lot I could do with this amount! Pay off the house, get a new car, put my son through middle school, high school and college. Bead, sew, oh, have someone clean my house and then I’d donate, donate, and donate! I have a soft spot in my heart for Fidelco Guide Dogs. We were so lucky to be the caretakers of a retired Fidelco dog, Jordan. He spent his retirement with us and he was the BEST dog ever. We had Jordan, a beautiful German Shepherd, for 5 years. He was so fun to have. He was gentle, loving, vocal (not in the barking way) and protective without even doing anything! He was really big!! So I’d donate to them. I’d donate to other organizations, too but right now I can’t think of any.
  

• 5. Places I have lived?
  Groton, Mass
  Fort Devens, Mass
  Newington, CT
  Verdon, France
  Atlanta Georgia (Atlanta Army Depot)
  Fort Ord (Monterey, CT)
  Williamsburg, VA
  Newport News, VA
  Heidelberg, Germany (Graduated HS in the Castle)
  New Britain, CT
  Newington, CT
  Manchester, CT (I’ve lived here since 1991 – longest time I’ve lived anywhere)
  I think that's it - just don't ask for dates - that's almost impossible. Can you tell I’m an Army Brat?

• 6. Peeps I want to know more about.
  

beadin'gram at http://beaded-creation.blogspot.com

Williamsburg Beader at http://williamsburgbeader.blogspot.com

http://sacredartist.blogspot.com/
http://nightbeaderatlarge.blogspot.com/
cc at: http://hrhcc.blogspot.com/

Not knowing many people on line, I'm tagging the above cyber-friends for this meme and hoping you’ll be willing to do it. By the way, “doing it” means you get to answer the same 6 questions as I have, and then tag 5 or 6 more people. Of course, you don’t have to do it. But if you do, please let me know so I can be an appreciative reader!

Finished 2007 Bead Journal Project

Here are a few pictures of my completed book. The pages are 5x7 and it's about 6 inches thick as you can see from this picture.

Just a few of the pages. Funny, the book stands on it's own! I just realized that.

I used peltex as a stabilizer with cotton as a fabric or painted the peltex as a backing to the beads. I then sewed each page to felt and used grommets to loop them all together. I planned each page to have about an inch more on the left hand side. I didn't know at the beginning what I'd be doing with all the pages but I did plan ahead just in case by leaving the extra on the left. Good thing!