Thursday, May 30, 2013

Humblebeads

I just received the leaf pendant I ordered from Humblebeads.


I love it!  I ordered the dark orange, which reminds me of fall leaves.

I really like the way she packages her beads, too.  She folds pretty paper into little bead holders, but unfortunately I can never manage to fold them back correctly!

When I opened the package, I was excited to discover a couple of extra beads thrown in.

Surprises are (almost) always nice.  

Tomorrow I'm off to an amusement park with the 8th grade honor society.  The park is about 3 hours away, and is pretty nice if you're into amusement parks.  Unfortunately, I'm a big chicken and won't ride any of the rides, so I'm stuck sitting around holding everyone's bags while they ride.  It's supposed to be scorching hot tomorrow, too.  (Well, 88 degrees, but to this indoorsy girl, that's pretty stinkin' hot!).  I'll be lathering on the sunscreen all day--that's for sure!

Too bad there's nowhere to hide and bead at the park!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

New accessories

Last night I had the chance to sit down and whip up a couple new pieces--a bracelet using one of the connectors I found this weekend, and a necklace.


It was a nice stress reliever to sit down and make these.  I've been having trouble lately feeling overwhelmed when I sit down to work on a project.  Even when I have a pretty clear idea of what I want to do, as I start pulling out beads I wind up with variations in mind, and have a hard time deciding which way to go.  I suppose that's one of those times when having a bead stash practically big enough to open a store isn't good.  

I forgot to mention the little incident we had at our house last week.  Hannah tripped over her own feet in the yard and wound up with a cracked bone in her wrist and a partially torn tendon.  Yep.  She gets her gracefulness from her mama!  I think we all have what I like to call the "Nelson gene".  Nelson was my grandfather and--bless his heart--he was the type of person who could stand completely still in an empty room and manage to get hurt.  So, it's really not the poor child's fault!  

Hoping for some rain today to wash all the pollen away!
 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

New findings

I made a Hobby Lobby run the other day, and while browsing around, I found these cool links.

They caught my eye immediately, and I knew I had to have a pack (they came in packs of 4).  I can't wait to use them.  I think they'll look good paired with some small washers (I think that's what they are--I'm not up on my hardware terms) I bought a couple of years ago, and some other random beads.  

I think a good night of jewelry making--and a few new accessories--is just what I need. 
 

Friday, May 17, 2013

Inspiration

Inspiration to kick start the creative process...




 Happy Friday!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Weekend events

We had a pretty busy weekend.  First, on Saturday, we had my BFF's little girl's first birthday party.  Here's a pic of sweet little Evangeline:


After that, Katie had her gymnastics recital.  All the girls and boys did a wonderful job!

I have to admit I'm glad I don't have to French braid her hair again for a while.  Her hair is long, very thick, and extremely curly.  I'd love to have hair like that, but it's a tough job to braid it!

Last night during the finale of Survivor, I whipped up these lock and key earrings to match the scarf I'm wearing today:





Even though we're well into May, it's still pretty cool here.  I can't complain, though, as that extends my scarf wearing season!  

I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! 

 

Friday, May 10, 2013

China necklace

The first china necklace is complete!  I hope Misty's aunt Mil likes it!!  

I added a blue glass bead I made, and a hook closure since she has trouble with clasps sometimes.  Can't wait to hear about her reaction! 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Bead table

Since yesterday was a nice, rainy day, Hannah's softball game was cancelled.  That gave me a chance to actually sit down, relax, turn on the last two episodes of The Following that we had recorded, and do some beading.  I pulled out some pearls, crystals, and a piece of the china, and got to work making lots of simple loops.  This is what my little lap workspace looked like:

I hardly ever bead in front of the tv, unless I'm working on a beadweaving project, but I really enjoyed getting away from the dining room table and into the living room for a change.  

This piece is close to being finished.  I plan to make a glass bead to use as an accent, then put it all together into a necklace.  I have an idea for the other birdhouse-looking piece as well that should come together quickly.  Luckily it rained tonight's game out, too!


Monday, May 6, 2013

Adventures in drilling

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that my BFF asked me to make some jewelry out of a broken piece of china that was her aunt's wedding china.  Last week, I decided to try to drill holes in the broken pieces to make pendants, and it's not as easy as I thought it would be.  I had to make Travis buy a special drill bit, which helped. The first piece I drilled with the new bit wasn't bad.  The second broke, and the third was okay.  The fourth took forever.  I figured my wrist would be sore the next day, but surprisingly it wasn't.  This is one of the drilled pieces:

The other is very similar in shape.  I've got a couple more pieces that are already sanded down, and I'm going to try to get the jewelry finished by Saturday, since I'll be going to a birthday party for my friend's little girl.  I can't wait--I haven't seen them since they moved to Ohio!