Kit Work

These four pictures are the pieces I did from our Bead Society kit this year. There were many beautiful and diverse art pieces made from this kit. Of course, the colors were right up my alley.

This first piece had an odd shaped donut that cried out for fringe. Did I ever tell you I hate fringe? It never seems to lay right for me. Oh well.
This necklace includes three lampwork discs made by one of our local bead makers, Vicki Cedarquist. I love using them in my work.
This piece is one of my "hats". Apparently, viewed from the top, it looks like an old fashioned decorated hat. I must be getting in a rut as several people have made the same comment about some of my pin/pendants.
You can never go wrong making a freeform peyote bracelet from a kit. There are always lots of options for embellishments.

It's been a busy week for me. I helped our LBS owner, Becky, in her booth at the Woman's Conference on Tuesday last. It was tiring, but fun. Robin Roberts from Good Morning America was an inspiring speaker. We were able to talk to hundreds of women about the shop and how much fun beading is.

The above pieces were displayed at our annual CCBS Bead Show on Sunday along with those of other members. It was a nice display and will be at our County Fair in October as well.

A week from tomorrow we leave for the Bead Unique Bead Retreat in Tahoe. I'm really getting excited about it. I need to get Marcia's book out and brush up on RAW. I do use it often, but practice never hurts. Beki Haley's class will give me a really blingy necklace when finished. Hope it goes with my jeans and teeshirts. LOL. I know I will get a lot from Sherry's class. I feel like my work is a bit static right now and I'm hoping she can give me some suggestions to improve it.

I took some pictures at our show and of some of my newer works, but Picasa is being stubborn today and won't take them. I'll try again later. Have a great beady day!

Swap Pins

Here are two of the pins I will swap while in Tahoe for the Bead Unique Retreat. It's getting closer all the time and we are all getting excited about our trip. There are six of us coming from the Fresno/Clovis area. We'll be sharing a two bedroom suite and even have a full kitchen. All reports state the Retreat site is beautiful and will be perfect for our purposes. I still have to finish my UGLY project but it is coming along nicely. Have to make a run to Michael's before I can finish it. I can't wait to see everyone else's work.

I have admired the work of many of the attendees for years. It will be such fun to finally meet them all and be able to exchange ideas and techniques. The Internet made it possible for so many of us to get to know one another over the years. Now BU has made it possible for us to get together in person. The classes scheduled should be loads of fun.

I'd best get back to work now. Have lots to do for our Women's Conference on Tuesday and then our CCBS Bead Show on Sunday. Then only 10 days until we go to Tahoe.

Last Two BJP Pages

Finished on time! Yay! Talk about leaving it until the last minute. This first page is called Summer Flair. I got the fabric in a scrap bag a couple of years ago and couldn't resist using for my July page. It's a flannel fabric, but just seemed to be perfect for a velvety summer night sky. Following through on using texture, it was fun finding the right beads to show off the flaring fireworks.
My last page comes from a class I recently took from Annie Hesse. She came to our LBS to teach a doll class. Once started, it was difficult to put the face down until it was finished. I just had to show her off on my August page. Annie's class was pure, unadulterated fun. She is funny and knowledgeable and oh so patient. She is a doll herself. I call this page Bad Hair Day. LOL

This ends the BJP for this year, but you can bet I will be signing up for another year come October 1st. Knowing I have this project ongoing all year keeps me focused. I can plan my other projects around it and make better use of my time. Part of me wants to change sizes for this next year, but then again, I do like working in the 4x6" size. Not sure what I will do yet. Lots of time to make up my mind.

I have been busy getting ready for our annual Bead Show here in Fresno. We will have 30 vendors this year. It will be held on September 20th, a Sunday. If anyone wants directions, let me know. It's always lots of work, but lots of fun too.

Almost immediately after the show, six of us from here will head for Tahoe and the Bead Unique Retreat. Can't wait! I'll finally have a chance to meet some of my online friends in person. Lots of swaps, and interesting projects to finish before then. One of them is an Ugly Beaded Object. Have you ever tried to make something ugly on purpose? Not as easy as one might think.