Feels Like Fall!

Weather like this is my favorite kind of weather! I know my girls Jess & Courtney think I am nuts, but this time of year with the 50 degree days and 40 degree nights is my ideal! I love fall colors and smells. The apple stand is full of wonderful colors and beautiful mum plants! I just love it.

Anyway, here is my progress on my October page. I thought I was so far ahead, but I am really not! October starts tomorrow. I am happy with how its turning out. Its so much fun to use these pretty colors, the subject matter is fun too. Just what I needed for this month after the doom and gloom of the past 2 pieces I have done. In my mind I have the next 4 or so pages all figured out. I may have to do more than 1 per month though, with all the ideas I have in mind! Gotta go bead shopping too one of these days. I keep talking about it, I just need to do it! Have a wonderful evening. I just brewed a pot of hot tea....yummy! Gonna curl up on the couch, sip some tea and bead! Sounds like the perfect evening to me.

Moving along!

My company has gone and I got some time yesterday to do a little beading. I am fairly happy with the progress so far! I am really having trouble coming up with an idea for the background of this page though. Not sure of what direction to go. For now I will be working on the tree and other aspects of this page. I have gotten some inspiration from a fellow BJP member Pam T and her beautiful tree, so I may do something a little different and add in some fiber or something similar to make the tree a bit more realistic. I am not sure I could make it have the look I want using just beads! This is one of the great things about doing this project, you can learn from, and be inspired by other members. Everyone is so encouraging and willing to help and I love that! I look forward to a peaceful weekend, full of beads and relaxation! I hope you all can find the time to do something you love as well. For me, creativity is my sanity.

Technique

I have gotten a couple questions on how to do bead embroidery. I actually learned on my own the hard way! In my searching for better ways to do this technique, I found an animated primer that really shows clearly how this is done. You can see it here. I have made a couple tweaks to my own way of doing things after seeing it done on this animated tutorial. I am looking for a book that clearly shows different ways of adding texture to my beaded pages. Does anyone know of a good book that shows this? I would really appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction.

Some progress.....

I have some unexpected company so I am not getting much beading done. I had forgotten how hard it is to get anything done with a crawling baby around! Don't get me wrong, I am loving every minute of it! As you can probably see from my sketch, I had to start over with this months page. I had most of the moon done when I decided I didn't like a color choice I had made. When I tried to tear the beads out, I tore the fabric instead! Actually it all worked out because I hadn't thought it through carefully enough and some of the elements for my page wouldn't have worked with the grommets I need to put on the page. Back to square 1!! Oh well, it will all work out in the end right?

Happy Halloween!

I have decided to do a fun piece for my October BJP. I am thinking Halloween! I sketched out a tentative plan. Don't know for sure if I will stick to this sketch, as things seem to change while I stitch. I have a vision of what i want my moon to look like. If it turns out as I hope, it will be really pretty! Sometimes plans and visions are way better than actuality though! We will See as I progress. I am loving this process! I feel it is really not only making me think, but changing the way I see bead shapes, techniques and feelings to! Is this perhaps what creativity is all about?? Watch and see!

AND THE WINNER IS........

Here are the entrants and their numbers!

#1 Kim H

#2 Erin K

#3 Cozy Cabin

#4 Christie

#5 Heidi Beads

#6 chris.britbiz

#7 Deborah

#8 Freebird

#9 Beadin Gram

#10 Marty

#11 Pam T

#12 lillian

#13 Ethel

#14 Michelle

#15 Thanh

#16 Betty N

#17 Beth Norman

#18 Lynn

#19 CC

Good luck everyone! And the winner is.................... LILLIAN!! Congratulations! Please send your address to:

need2bead247@charter.net Thanks! Watch for more give aways in the future! Tracey

Freebie Friday!!

Here is how it works! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog, from today until Sunday. That's it! I will assign a number to each posting in the order it is received. On Monday September 22 I will put all the numbers in a hat (or similar vessel) and my darling husband will draw a name. The winner gets this little ghost Halloween pin! This is my own design, beaded by my 2 little hands! I will post the winner on this blog Monday! Couldn't be easier, could it? Watch my blog tomorrow for the start of my October page. Its going to be spooktacular! I know, I am a dork! What can I say? Happy Friday everyone! If this give away goes well, I will pick a Friday each month and repeat it!

FINISHED!!!

Wow! I can hardly believe it myself I AM DONE!! What a great feeling. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Not thrilled, but pleased. I wonder why the square looks so off in my pictures? Anyone have a clue? In person it looks nice and square. In the pictures it looks askew. Oh well! I have no control over that, it is what it is. Its a beautiful day here today. 70's, sunny. the cicadas are buzzing outside. I am loving my husband being back to work too! I have so much free time to do whatever I want, or nothing I don't want to do either.

SO! The next thing for me to do is figure out what I want to do for my next page. I have made myself a promise, and that is NOTHING sad for this one. After doing my Fathers page and then the last one being 1/2 gloomy I need happy! I think I will do a Halloween page! I love orange, black and scary so it will be perfect. I will try to sketch it out today and post it tomorrow. Wish me luck! Also, I will be doing a give away tomorrow (Friday) nothing too fancy but free never the less! Watch for that as well. All you will have to do is leave a comment with your name.....More tomorrow! Happy Thursday everyone!

Sad Day

The funeral is now over. I hope the family can heal in time and learn to go on after their loss. It was a very touching funeral, what a beautiful family this is and I am proud to have been a part of it. Bless you all!

On a lighter note, I was able to get some more bead work done here and there. I am still not in love with my page. I like it a lot, but don't love it. Maybe its just because of all the sadness going on around me. It brings my Fathers death back full force. How life changing and profound it all is. I know death is a part of life, not a favorite part, but a big part nonetheless. You have to make sure the people you love know how much you love them while they are still here. Otherwise you may not get the chance to tell them one more time. I hope all my loved ones know. I try to show them, but time gets away on you too! So I send a big hug out to everyone I love and even some I don't like too much or don't even know. Everyone can use an extra hug right? More tomorrow!

PROGRESS!!

I am finally liking where this piece is going. Took me long enough huh? Its been a relaxing day so far and I need it!! I am finding that I like doing bead embroidery even more than I thought I would. Maybe I have finally found my niche? Could that be? I don't know but I am loving it. With my page I did about my Fathers death, I found myself just wanting it to be done and over after a while. With this page, I don't want to be done! I am actually getting a little sad that its almost there! Is that strange or what? Now my mind is going to next months page...what to do? Do I do something fun or something with more meaning? I don't know where I will go with that one! I guess time will tell.

Its Friday!!

Well for a little while Anyway! We had some unexpected but nice company tonight so I couldn't post my update earlier. Here is how my page is progressing. I hope to be finished after the weekend, depending on what I manage to accomplish this weekend. I have a family reunion tomorrow and a very sad funeral on Monday/Tuesday. I don't know why I said a sad funeral, they are all sad to me! I hope everyone has a great weekend. My hubby is excited as its opening bow-hunting on Saturday. I am excited because that means the house to myself and LOTS of beading! Wish me luck!

Comedy/Tragedy

Well today turned out to be another of those comedy/tragedy type days! My Mom had a biopsy done on some bones in her feet. She seems to be doing ok so far... My husband got some great news too. The General Motors plant here in Janesville is closing and my husbands place of employment is a company that does side jobs for the GM plant only. This means he is also losing his job. He had an interview last week with a very promising company and got the news he got the job and they want him to start Monday! We are thrilled to say the least. I was able to get some beading done too. Here is my latest updated picture. Its really coming along!

Have a wonderful remainder of the day!

More progress

Hello??? Anyone out there? I got my grommets done yesterday as planned and a little more bead work too. If you notice from yesterdays picture, the line of green beads is gone...I hated it and didnt know where to go from there so I ripped them out and started over. I am really enjoying these bright colors. I don't really know where I am going with this piece. I don't think I actually have a say in it, the beads are doing all the talking here! As I work on this piece, my mind is going around and around about next months page. I am thinking something along the lines of Halloween or maybe a fall colors type page. Luckily October is a rather happy month for me, no bad memories or sad things to do a page about. Looks like I can do anything I please! I used to have a really neat picture of the most gnarly, ugly and scary tree, that would be really fun to work with. Hmm...I wonder where I have that picture!?

Rainy Day

Well, I guess today is a payback for all my comments about the beautiful weather lately! Its a rainy Monday here, only about 55 degrees tops, gloomy and wet. PERFECT day to bead! I had a hard time sleeping last night so I grabbed my lap tray and my beads and worked long into the night. Well, actually long into the morning! I finally got tired about 5 am. I did manage to get lots done though. Maybe I should just give up sleeping at all, seems its highly overrated. I think later today I will add my grommets to this page. I don't know why, but I love doing that! I think I can actually see where this page is going. I'm still not in love with it, but I feel its coming along. On a day like today, the bright colors are a definite pick-me-up. More tomorrow!

Something a little different!

I didn't feel like working on my page today, so I thought I would take a break from it and do something different. I made this pattern awhile back and wanted to see how it turned out beaded up. I think I like it! What do you think? I love these Pincharming pins, the head screws off and allows you to slip your beads right on, then screw the head back on. This allows you to change it up whenever your little heart desires. I have worked on my page today, but I wont show the update until tomorrow. I am moving right along that's for sure! Check back tomorrow to see where I am at!

Great Day of Progress

What a beautiful day here in Wisconsin today! Sunny, low 70s, absolutely gorgeous. The complete opposite of this piece so far! How did I spend my day you ask? WELL I beaded of course! I got quite a bit done and am in the stage of not liking it. I like the process, just not the piece. For one thing, I do not as a rule like gray. I don't like monotony. I don't like sad. That in a nutshell is what I have in this page so far. SO, I guess that explains my feelings thus far. I can't wait to get this half done and start on the more positive side. I know "Life ain't always beautiful" so I guess I will stick this piece out and see how it develops. I do have lots of September left if I absolutely hate it, right?? Hope your weekend is wonderful!

A Little Progress!

Here is my progress for today. Not much, but it gives you an idea! I have decided to do the tragedy side in shades of gray. That means I will do the comedy side in vibrant colors. I am thinking maybe a cloud over the tragedy side and a sun over the comedy side. As I said before, conflicting colors and styles. This should be fun! Looks like I will have loads of time tomorrow to bead, so maybe I will make more progress then. Wish me luck and thank you for looking! My mind is just whirling with thoughts and plans for more pieces. I am already looking forward to October! How pathetic is that?

Comedy/ Tragedy Septembers Piece

SO!!! Here is the much anticipated (by me anyway) September Page for the BJP. I have decided to do a Comedy/Tragedy theme for this months page! The year 2008 had been just that for me, extremely bad in some ways, and unbelievably good in others...thus the comedy/tragedy theme was born! My Father passed away in January as many of you know from my practice piece in another posting=tragedy. My first grandchild was born 3 weeks later=comedy (well happiness anyway) My daughter Jess (who I am extremely proud of) graduated with Distinction from the University of Minnesota with a Nursing Degree, moved back home after 5 years away, bought a house here in Janesville, accepted a job at Mercy Hospital AND got married to the perfect man for her ALL of which is wonderful. Her husbands family is dealing with the illness of his father which is a definite tragedy. My poor Mother has faced a never-ending series of health challenges over the years and faces yet another surgical procedure in the next week or so. HANG IN THERE MOM, I LOVE YOU!

It seems to be a never-ending roller coaster ride thus far. To reflect all to this emotion I decided to work my next piece exactly in this was, conflicting emotions and styles as well as colors! I have it all planned in my head, lets see where my needle, thread and beads take me! Watch for daily updates (well almost daily anyway) Thanks for looking and your comments make my day!

Coming clean......

Ok, I have a confession to make. I couldnt wait until September 1st. Since i have never done bead embroidery before, I wasnt sure I would be able to do it, how long it would take, would it look acceptable etc. SO....I decided to do a "sample piece". I had heard how doing embroidery could be a way to deal with emotions or trouble in your life, that it was therapeutic to some degree. I didnt have to think long to decide on what topic I would like to work my first piece in. I lost my Father to cancer early this year after a very short bout with this killer disease. I was with him through chemotherapy, radiation and through the whole death process right until the end. It has forever changed my life, some ways good, some ways bad. I wanted to do something to honor him in some way and this is what I came up with. His favorite color was blue and I modeled the eye in the picture after my own eye. My Dads Birthday was in August so this was the perfect thing to do. What do you think? I am pleased with how it turned out. LOVE YOU DAD.