I Want To Fly

I want to fly.
Not in a plane or with wings.
I want to fly in a balloon.
I want to go up in a hot air balloon,
To look down and see the patchwork
of the world below.
From up there, all the petty squabbles
disappear.
The world is a blend of texture and color
that works together.
I want to fly in a balloon.

Arline 2006 

This is my version of the Potato Chip bracelet from Beadwork (I think) a couple of years ago. I used 8's, 11's and 15's in a straight netting. The clasp is one of the mesh ones. It adds so much to the bracelet I think. I also did one in a pearlized cream color that looks like it could be in a wedding. 

Summer Warrior

Picture this: An elderly mini-motorhome with four beadladies (a nurse with a broken foot, a beadstore owner with an injured knee, a retired social worker, and a librarian) on the way to Tacoma for the Puget Sound Bead Festival. The motorhome broke down in 107 degrees. Picture this: the above four women (not small) in the cab of a towtruck with the driver taking a 30 minute ride down Mt. Shasta. Fixed the motorhome and headed for Tacoma full speed ahead. Bought lots of yummy beads (of course) and met some neat people. I also bought a bag of fabric scraps. This Talisman Doll is made from one of those scraps. His darling face is raku and is made by RAMA. He reminds me of an Eskimo, but is not really dressed for the snow. I call him my Summer Warrior.
We headed the motorhome toward Shipwreck Beads. Boy, were we in trouble! After spending just a little money there (Yeah, right), we headed for the coast. We arrived back in Fresno at 5am and I got up at 6am to go to work. Don't think I accomplished much that day. 

Katrina Survivor

This is another of my Talisman Dolls. I did her around the time Hurricane Katrina hit the South. She reminded me so much of a Mardi Gras dancer, I call her Katrina Survivor. There was so much devastaion down there that I felt there should be at least one survivor.

 

Autumn Into Winter

A quiet brook rippling over rocks and pebbles,
It reflects the red and gold of the trees of autumn.
There is chill in the air,
A frosty coolness that seems to go deep into your bones.
The bright colors of fall seem to last so short a time;
A burst of celebration before the winter comes sneaking in.
Fat, soft flakes slowly drift down to rest on a pine bough.
Faster and faster they fall,
Until they cover the needles resting beneath the trees.
Through it all, the brook bubbles along
Until little frost fingers form at the edge of the stream.
Further and further they advance
Until the brook is quiet and cold.

Arline 2004

 

This is a piece of bead embroidery I did as a demo for a class I teach. It is done on a heavyweight Pelon. In actual fact, it is the same as Lacey's Stiffstuff. I like to work on it because you can dye it to match or contrast with your beads. If the backround shows through, it doesn't matter as it isn't stark white. I do most of my embroidery with Fireline as it is strong, and even resists bugles and crystals.

 

 

The Bookstore Browser

The doll on the left is the very first doll I ever beaded. When I look at it now, I wonder what I was thinking. I entered her in the Big Fresno Fair and won Second Place in the Advanced Class of Beading in Fine Arts. The beaded hand next to her was done by a friend. She won First Place and Judges' Choice. The detail on it is spectacular.

My doll was inspired by all the people who sit around in Barnes and Noble bookstores reading. However, please note she is reading a Beading Magazine. The doll was actually beaded in Barnes and Noble and Borders bookstores. It was great fun and I met many wonderful people during the 60 hours I spent there. 

Down the Garden Path

I designed this bracelet on a netted base. It is a derivation of one I learned using verticle netting. It is the first of a series I hope to design and teach. 

A Soul At Rest

I hear a soft whisper of sound
That repeats itself endlessly.
The wet sand is firm,
But my footprints soon disappear,
Fading into nothingness.
Down the shore, the sandpipers step quietly
Looking for food.
A wave comes in, frothy with white foam.
As it sneaks back into the ocean,
It leaves half buried bits of pearlized treasures.
A distant headland juts out into deep water,
Impossibly blue.
As a soft breeze drifts through the cypress trees,
My soul rests.

Arline 2004 

Big and Bling

This is a piece I did for my Secret Pal in our local Bead Society. She loves big, bling, and purple, so that's what I gave her. The crysals are cabbed on top of a freeform bracelet. I don't usually work with a lot of crystals so this was something new for me. It was kind of fun, so I may do more.  

Mother Nature

This doll is the first of a series I made, called Talisman Dolls. Each of the dolls has a special meaning to me. I also teach a class in how to make beaded dolls.

This particular doll, Mother Nature, reminded me of all the trips I've taken to Yosemite. The greens of that beautiful valley are represented here as well as Mother Nature's prolific abundance. Note the baby which stands for all the young animals produced in the wild. 

Welcome to my blog

This is a first for me. I've never had a blog before, but here goes.
I am an RN in Central California. I work with physically and mentally handicapped adults. I love my work because it enables me to write. I love doing that only second to beading and reading. I write the stories of my patients to get MediCal approval for them to be in our program.

I also enjoy writing short stories and poetry, so don't be surprised to see the occasional poem in here.

I call beading my sanity saver. It brings me a measure of peace I have never found with any other artistic expression. Sharing my work with others and receiving feedback from them is a joy for me.