BEADS!!!!

I am still in shock....bear with me....

Somehow I won beads.
Vintaj has a monthy giveaway on their blog. Each month, the entry part is something different. This month was an essay.

This is from the Vintaj blog, http://vintaj.com/wpblog/

The Winner of our Field Journal Giveaway!

Posted on April 7, 2014

We asked you to tell us your story of a special collection you’ve started or a memorable trip where you collected special treasures to enter our Field Journal Giveaway. Once again our 70+ blog readers blew us away with their tales of travel and sentimental treasures! The winner of our Field Journal Giveaway, who will receive this stash of lovely handcrafted Polymer Clay nature pendants, charms & beads by our friend and Art Bead Partner Heather Powers of Humblebeads and Vintaj embellishments is…..Christina Hickman!! 

“My Boyfriend and I went on a camping/fishing trip to Yakima. On the first morning there, we woke up to a stunning red and grey sunrise, and as I got my camera out to take a picture, a raven flew overhead. Later, we found a bead shop in town. The owner was cutting some new cabs, he handed me a piece of Serape Jasper-it has brilliant red and grey bands and it looked like the sky that morning. I bought the cab on the spot, along with a beautiful Ellensburg Blue Agate, which the owner also cut. The agate I had made into a ring, which I wear daily, and the jasper is part of a bead embroidered necklace that also has a raven.”

Congratulations Christina and thank you to all of the talented writers who participated! Stay tuned for our next giveaway, details coming soon!

Please check out the Vintaj blog to read all of the wonderful and inspiring essays written :)

Bead Soup!!!

I apologize to my Partner, Cheryl, for posting the AMAZING soup she sent me so late. I have been working ALOT.

I was really stumped on what to send Cheryl, I was packing beads the day I mailed them to her. My Boyfriend, Mike and I decided to go for a mini-hike to clear my brain when it hit me! Send home in beads. I love Washington, I have lived here for 14 years now and can't imagine living anywhere else.

In our fun questions-and-answers emails, Cheryl mentioned visiting Portland and loving it.

We Pacific North-westerners have such a wonderful and inspiring landscape, we have the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, the ocean, and the sound. Mike helped me pick moss and pine leaves to add to the box, and I found some little glass vial pendants and voila! Moss in a bottle :)

I had so much fun putting this soup together!

Here is one of the places we visited, and the inspiration for the soup colors:
Mukilteo Lighthouse:

I received some very carefully packed little boxes full of goodies (which I did not take pictures of, my bad) I want to make something with the pretty plaid ribbon that held them together...if I can find it....

My soup Beads from Cheryl:

She even found vintage shoe clips (grey and navy) and a sash buckle  (apple green and yellow) (Top, on ORIGINAL cards!) I am not 100% sure I want to use them, they do have a special place on my bead desk-with my collectibles, for now.

I had been slowly incorporating copper in my work, and I was thrilled when I saw the chain, clasps, and filigrees. I love the sunstones! It is one stone that I love and have none of...and it is the state stone of Oregon, where I am from originally. I also have quite a few Celtic silver pieces, so when I saw the triskele pendant and connectors I was shocked. It was so interesting how Cheryl sent things that have so much meaning to me!
The Kazuri pendant will make a really neat necklace for my friend, Mary. I am just waiting on a component I need to come in the mail. One of the orphan lampwork beads is already part of a necklace-and I have a few ideas for the rest of them. They are so pretty-I want to horde them lol!
I have a day off tomorrow so I am planning on diving in!

THANK YOU! For the amazing soup:)

I got my Bead Soup Blog Party Partner!!!!

<doing a dance>
SO Excited!
For BSBP #8, I was paired with Cheryl Gangle of http://rockcandyjewelrydesign.blogspot.com!

Ok so that is it for now (more to come, I promise)

Off to figure out which soup to send :)

Edwardian Inspired Blog Hop

Hosted by Beading Daily :) www.beadingdaily.com

I have a huge hoard of vintage beads in various states of repair/disrepair/awaiting inspiration.

Let me say how much I love swarovski pearls. They saved the day for both pieces.

This poor baby was missing the whole back half and the clasp-the front dangle section and a about 15 beads on each side of it was all that survived... I wonder what happened to it..anyway....I added some swarovski crystal pearls and I am pretty happy with the results. I think it was originally a Czech glass necklace from the early teens. I have never seen beads in this barely there shade of palest pink.

And this lovely confection of design was rescued from a Goodwill store- I could not believe my luck when I found this sitting alone in a baggie. $16.00 later and it was home with me. There was originally 2 long oval beads on each side, but one was crushed to dust at the bottom of the baggie-along with the pearl on the drop. The little blue beads in the back were knotted on faded cotton that was also falling apart. I cut each little bead off the cord and wired them. I added some pearls to make up the missing blue oval and got creative placing the left over one-no bead left behind! I guess this would be opera length (it comes past my navel) but looks just as amazing doubled up. I am 100% sure this was a Czech glass piece too judging by the assembly and pendant. I think this was more 20's.

A close up of the pendant:

I had a blast digging through my stash...I have some amazing purple glass beads that I did not get to in time but now that the box is out...

Has it really been that long???!!!

To quote a co-worker: Holey Tacos!

Honestly, I have just started beading again after a few months off...work (busy), hiking (not enough) and health (stupid hands...and ear which is a long story) have taken priority.

Several things lit a fire under my a**:

The lovely Emma over on the Beading Daily Forms has created a color palette challenge. I will be revealing my colors and designs on the reveal day, 2/5/14.

Beading Daily is having a "Downton Abbey/Edwardian Design Challenge" which is right up my vintage bead hoarding alley. Reveal day is 2/1/14 (got to wrap one thing up and then will post.)

Bead Soup Blog Party # 8 is around the corner (omg! squee! yippee! yay!)...I often read Lori's blog-bless her she had a plate full of life and just heaps beads on it. And pie.

I finally broke through the wall on my Raven embroidery project....Add turquoise and voila! I have a ton of new ideas now and I think I am ready to approach him again.

I just starting poking through my blogs list and found Charlie over at Clay Space has a Hunger Games Challenge going (see button on my blog)-I am a month late so I missed District 1 but that leaves 12 more (if she is counting 13.) Which is right up my Hunger Games obsessed fan girl alley.

Beads and desk are dusted off, beads are all over the house, and once again I am looking out at the world and thinking "I wonder what delicas I would need to make that in beads...or those colors look amazing together...where are my beads...oooh lookie new swarovski colors...is that a real owl feather....Laura Mears has new designs...the cherry blossom tree has buds on it....

Yep, I think I am slowly crawling back toward the light. Those beads are just so sparkly!

Embroidered Hummingbird is done!

I have been working on this little guy since the beginning of September and I am so happy he is all done :)

I also made this cuff bracelet yesterday-inspired by the Magpies that were all around out campsite but would not hold still for a photo lol.



Snowy Owl finally finished!

After months and months of hitting the wall with this little lady I am finally done! I have been quite literally living at a new bead store in Bellevue the last month or so, taking the owl with me and getting inch by agonizing inch sewn. If it was not for the help and encouragment of Candy and Cara at Bird Tail Beads, I think this would have never been completed.

I really wanted to add a fringe to fill out the bottom of the piece and give the top and bottom sections some sort of connection. Beaded fringe was not an option for me, I did that with the Hawk and he is very heavy.

I came up with the chain fringe idea on Friday while visiting with Cara. It took me all day Saturday to complete the super fiddly execution. And without further ado, here is "Winter Solstice":

Along with Ms. Owl, I have also been working with my Vintaj Big Kick (goodness how I love mashing metal!) This necklace design was inspired by a pattern in the Vintaj Mixed Metals book (I do not recall the artist's name, but I thank her for the awesome idea!)

I also gave in and started making wrap bracelets (they are EVERYWHERE!) Even my cat likes them.

Well, that's it for now...next embroidery project is a Hummingbird (also by Laura Mears).

If you live in Washington State or come here for a visit, please stop in Bellevue and visit Candy at Bird Tail Beads. They have been open since last December and have a great selection of swarks, vintaj, glass, and metal beads. Yes, this is a shameless plug for my LBS (local bead store.)