November BJP done

November's BJP piece is done - it's supposed to look like swirling winds, which we have a lot of this time of year. We also have swirling water, as this is the start of flood season, with a flood watch having already happened. The colors picked were 2 kinds of red and pearl white. I stitched black felt strips on the ends, and did not follow those lines with the beading. It's hard to see, but the beading bulges in places from the felt underneath, adding another element.

I'm still learning to use my new camera - the first picture isn't focused well, but the detail shots of the top and bottom are! I'm considering taking pictures of some of my stuff for art print - my friend Sue (see website here) made me some cards with pictures of some of my BJP pieces from last year. It's definitely cheaper than buying the actual artwork that takes a really long time to make, and it's another way to get something for your work! I'd like to get a really good picture of my split salmon cuff to sell as a print.

I've gotten behind on my doll - life keeps getting in the way! I'm hoping in a few weeks things will calm down again so I can make better progress. I'm also working on neck straps to go with some pendants I've made. I received one of Carol Wilcox Well's books for my birthday, and it was hard deciding which technique I wanted to use! What I have ready to start is a crocheted rope using different size beads for a curve, and a more complicated patterned crochet is probably looming on the horizon!

Halloween

I haven't done much beading these last 2 weeks. I've made 3 pinatas, a gingerbread haunted house, and had a Halloween party with 11 kids!

The gingerbread house was a first for me. I got it constructed ok, but when we went to decorate it I made the icing too runny. I was too tired to mess with it, so everything I put on it ran! It's supposed to be frightful anyway, and the kids had fun helping.

The pinatas turned out great again. This is the 2nd time I've made pull pinatas, versus bash'em ups. I don't like the idea of teaching little kids it's ok to beat anything! So the streamers are attached to the strips holding the bottom on, and one string is actually tied to the bottom, so as the kids pull them off, the bottom lets go, and out come the goodies! The one for our party didn't open, but it's easy enough to poke a finger in and pull it apart. The oldest kid there wanted to keep it, he might try and make a body for the alien chicken!

This is my first casting of my plaster bust mold. It stuck a little, I need to seal the plaster more, but it's ok - I'm going to put thin cardboard strips on the back stiffen it, close the neck area off, and probably put some expanding foam in the back. You at least get the idea that it's not flat chested! It's really going to help check the lay of my neck pieces without having to continually getting up to look in a mirror - I've already started using it!

I didn't finish my installment on the doll this month - I ran out of brown Nymo! So I should be getting some tomorrow (I ordered from CCBeads) - I have about 10 more hours on the leg to finish, then start the front or back. I need to get armature wire to start constructing her legs and torso, and I still haven't figured out a good small but heavy weight to put in her feet to give her ballast. Hopefully next week I'll have my BJP to share too!

Life-time To-Do List Got Shorter

These pictures are of the moon and sunrise over the San Juan islands. Wednesday I got to meet Robin Atkins - that was one of the things on my professional to-do/wish list! She was gracious enough to meet me at 7:30 am - the best time for me to take the ferry (why is it that every time I try to plan something, everyone else's world is already topsy-turvy?). After a scone and hot chocolate, we went to Lime Kiln Point so I could scramble on the rocks to peek in the tidal pools. Then I got to see her studio - it's amazing! Everywhere I looked there was something else that begged a closer inspection! Her work has a texture to it that gets lost in pictures - to be able to see it in person was wonderful. I'm working on the next part of my doll, so I did get some beading done on the ferry ride over, and a little at her studio - I could have spent a few more hours just looking at her work. The moon on the ride over was glorious, just calling me outside to look at it. The ride back the boat was vibrating a bit much to bead, so I plunked myself in a seat to enjoy the scenery, and saw a pair of Dall's porpoises! So I truly was blessed in every part of that journey (and that Sue agreed to get the kids to school for me!). It's amazing to me that, having decided to pursue something to an art form, one of the top people doing that art form lives so close! My life can be very hectic sometimes, but that day was just so awesome!

Crafty Strikes Again

So, I may not have gotten a huge amount of beadwork done this week, but I have been busy, and sick, and (how much whining can I do?).


This is my Nov BJP base, the bead colors that were chosen are 2 shades of red and pearl white - I'm going for swirling wind, which we tend to have a lot of in these parts.


This is a project I'm starting for when I need a break from the doll - it's African turquoise, I'll put it on black with probably lots of silver. The grey pieces are actually chipboard, I got a couple packs of them from a scrapbook store.


Ok, ugly mug time! It's very hard to take a picture of yourself when there's plaster hardening on you. Yep, plaster! I'm trying to make a mold, so I can cast (probably in paper) an actual "bust" to display necklaces and collars on. How will I know what it's going to lay like if I don't have something that I can check it on - especially for length? And let potential costumers see as well? It needs to be lightweight, transportable and cheap! So for $5 (I may have also used a coupon) I put gauze with plaster on it on myself. The mold is actually pretty good - I need to seal it so I can cast on it. I did not put the plaster around my neck, so I could peel it off, and then used a can the right size to re-create a neck. I cut the back of the neck while still flexible and patched it together. The mold is very light weight once dry. So once the 3 pinatas for Halloween are done, I'll try making some mini-mes!

Oct BJP

I managed to get my Oct BJP page done this week - finally something I can show! The chosen colors were matte amethyst, AB lime green 8's, and turquoise 15's. I picked out beads that went with the colors, and came up with "Things that go bump in the night" for a theme. The glass bead in the lower left has fringes around it, and the one on the right has little picots on the bottom, and fringes with sequins on top. It was fun to do, especially since I've been using only a few colors for about 24 hours of beadwork, and now I'm going back to that project. Next months colors are 2 shades of red and pearl white - all 11's.

Once again, no pictures. I got outbid in the last 30 seconds on the camera I want to get on Ebay. So tomorrow I will be receiving the tripod and case for a camera I have yet to get! I can't believe what people are paying on Ebay - the camera retails for less than what they're paying, not even including shipping. And I'm still working on my un-publishable doll. I almost have the first leg done, I'll have about 30 hours in it, and I want to have it done by the end of the month to stay on track. I still haven't figured out what to use as a weight in the foot - it needs to be small, so I can pack it around the dowel in her foot, and really heavy to give her a solid base to keep her standing. Maybe instead of dowels I should use armature wire? Then I could extend it from her legs to her neck, and bend it the length of her feet. This is such a new format for me, it will definitely take some experimenting!

I'm seeing Red!

No new pictures this week - I've been beading a storm, but it's on the doll, which can't be publicly seen (competition rules). That kinda sucks, cause it's great beadwork! I usually don't think my work is great, but some of this is really good! I figure I have about 10 hours left to finish the first leg, already put in around 16 hours. I'm glad I joined the BJP again, at least that will give me a break from working with the same colors all the time - red and brown (hence the title). I've pulled any beads that remind me of Oct, so as soon as it's Oct 1, I can get that rolling. I've also been working on other creative pursuits - starting 3 pinatas for Halloween, adding fabric to the hems on some jeans for Meghan, altering a blazer for my pirate jacket! Now if I could just win the camera I want on Ebay, I could take better pictures of it all!