One More Stitch

New Project!

2012-01-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to finish this today but I don't know if I will. I worked on it last night but even with glasses and a good light it was straining my eyes so I quit. This is a project from the book Beading for the Soul. I love this book! It has some great projects in it and this is one of my favorites. It's called a Beaded Prayer. I'm using it more as a beaded intention/wish for 2012. I'm going to bead the outline of the rose and leaves and then put inside a piece of paper with my three wishes for 2012. I thought about everything I'd like to happen in the next year and these three are the most important to me.

I'm not sure how spiritual I am but it makes me think of the saying to work like everything is up to you and pray like everything is up to God. There are parts of these wishes that I can't control but I think there is a lot I can control and I'm going to work on that.

After the paper goes in I'll bead the edges and maybe add some fringe. Sorry the pictures aren't great. I kept trying but this was the best I could get.

The last picture is Mr & Mrs Freddie! I'm going to turn the edges under and then add a felt backing. I thought they came out pretty good. My mermaid is still in the project list but I haven't had a chance to work on her.

Mrs. Freddie

2011-12-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Freddie is coming along nicely. I'm hoping to finish her by tomorrow night. Then I'm going to cut out and back both of them so I can hang them on my Christmas tree! They look nice and sparkly with light shining on them!

Weekend Update

2011-12-04T21:25:00.001-08:00

I worked on my mermaid this weekend and started Mrs. Freddie. The mermaid is looking a bit more glittery - I added quite a few beads. I tried size 11 but they look too large so I had to use 15. My eyes are feeling the strain! Mrs. Freddie is almost completely outlined and then I'll start giving her some character. The outline beads are cranberry. They look sort of purple but in daylight they look cranberry. She's going to be mostly pink, with a little blue maybe. Or maybe some green. We'll see.

I ordered the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue and it came on Saturday. It's full of ornaments I want to make! I'm going to look through my stash and hopefully I'll find everything I need. I'm feeling very enthusiastic and full of energy to get things done. Not sure how long it'll last!

Next project!

2011-11-30T19:07:00.001-08:00

I started this mermaid project so long ago I can't remember! My plan for 2012, and isn't it impressive that I've already started, is to finish most of my WIP. I say most because I think there are some that I'm going to give up on because they just don't appeal to me anymore. My mermaid is 1st in line and she definitely still appeals to me. I'm going to add beads to her and make her very glitzy and gorgeous! I'll post progress updates as I go along!

Meet Freddie

2011-11-29T17:28:00.001-08:00

Freddie the Fish! I found Freddie in a book called Beadweaving by Ann Benson. I don't really like fish but something about Freddie appealed to me. I've been working on him for a couple of weeks and I finally finished last night. I think Freddie is quite handsome! I'm planning to hang him on my Christmas tree and I anticipate that a Mrs. Freddie and perhaps some Freddie children may join them if I work fast enough!

Pippin likes Freddy too. He's a little confused as to why I keep saying fish but he doesn't smell anything!

Earrings!

2011-10-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

I've made 9-1/2 pairs of earrings so far. I'm having a lot of fun making these and I think I'm getting better with each pair. They are simple ones since I'm just beginning but the fact that I'm actually making them myself is exciting for me! Here are pictures of nine of them. The 1/2 pair I'm still working on. It's a more complicated technique and I got one made but it needs to be redone. They're going to be very pretty once finished though!

These beaded ones were fun to make but the pair with the bugle beads doesn't hang well. I pulled it tighter than I should have I think.

I found this pattern at Fire Mountain Gems. They look like Christmas candies! I want to make a lot more of these.

I thought these two came out pretty. I like the brown/caramel colored swirls.

I've had the dance charms for a long time. You can't really tell but the dark beads are purple. I was very happy with the way this pair came out.

These are Day of the Dead earrings for my daughter. I'm going to give them to her on Saturday. Hopefully she won't see this post before then!

Some pretty orange and red beads. I needed some earrings in these two colors to match some of my tops. Now I can be color-coordinated!

August/September BJP

2011-09-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

For August/September I have chosen to celebrate the seadeities throughout the world - particularly Iemanja and Aphrodite. I got this glass shell bead awhile back andwas inspired by the idea of a shell washed up onshore filled with seawater,bits of seaweed, pebbles, and other ocean bits. I used some fibers threaded through the shell bead, tied off at the endswith various small beads. I used a mixof glass seed beads, amazonite chips, freshwater pearls, and larimarchips. So there's my oceanic shell onthe shore pendant! (posted for Jillian)

June/July BJP

2011-08-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

For the months of June and July I decided to create abracelet inspired by the Aztec goddess Chalchiuhtlicue - "She of the JadePetticoats" Quite a few technical difficulties were encountered incrafting this bracelet. Though it's more-or-less wearable I will probablyredo it at some point in the future. At any rate, I used hemp cord inblue and green, various colors of various beading thread, size 08 glass seedbeads, rectangular jade beads, and a couple of turquoise nuggets. I addedthe turquoise because "chalchiuh" in Nahuatl refers to anybluish-green stone - jade, turquoise, or serpentine. In "Bancroft'sWorks" her name is defined as meaning "petticoat of water, of ashade between green and blue" So in my bead and fiber choice I usedgreen, blue, and turquoise shades. In one picture I posed the braceletnext to a somewhat battered Talavera frog, since Chalchiuhtlicue was associatedwith frogs! (Posted for Jillian Texeira)

May !

2011-05-20T12:33:00.001-07:00

For May I have made the Fairy Queen's Herb Pouch! This little bag is stitched from batik fabric and adorned with glass beads, Swarovski crystal, prehnite, and peridot. The fringe on the bottom is meant to be representative of a creek running through a mossy woodland lit by unfolding Spring leaves. I added browns to the creek beads because I realized most creeks here have brown shades from the stones and soil underneath the water. The blues and greens are reflections of the leaves and sky, and of course some clear ones as well for the ripples of water. For this project I was influenced by some of the embellishments in Laura McCabe's "Embellished Beadweaving" book. I used the branched fringe, and spiral rope with drop beads on the top hanger part. The rest I sort of made up, but I think the book inspired me in those! To give an idea of scale the matte seed beads in the moss fringe are size 11s.

March/April BJP

2011-04-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

With Spring upon me I was unable to choose just one Springtime deity, so I decided that this project would be for all Spring goddesses and gods! Since it also took longer I made it for both March and April. It's a multistrand necklace with colors inspired by the many green shades of this season, accented by occasional wildflower hues. I used different sizes of glass seed beads, from 11 to 6, small Swarovski crystals, and gemstone beads of jade, peridot, serpentine, green kyanite, seraphinite, prehnite, citrine, and green tourmaline. Included in one of the pictures is the Pestemon heterophyllus that inspired the combination of purple and blue in one part of my necklace!
(posted for Jill)

Bridget's Mantle

2011-02-25T13:23:00.001-08:00

For February I chose to represent Bridget's Mantle. I wasn't going to use this Goddess, since She featured in last year's February project, but here She is anyway! Since Her mantle is an important part of both Her Christian and Pagan mythology I chose to just render it. I used some of the batik fabrics left over from last year's projects. I even left the inner lining fabric out on Imbolc Eve to be blessed by Her! The beads I used are almost all glass, except for the peridot chips on the front, and the metal knot bead that is used for the clasp. I used some branched fringe (one of my first attempts!) on the front and I was happy with the way it looked. The design on the back depicts a manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) branch with flowers. Many manzanitas bloom at this time of year and I associate their honey-scented white to pink blossoms with Bridget. This one probably won't work as a pendant, but it might work on an altar!

2011 Bookmark Challenge

2011-02-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

From March 17 - April 28, you can join in the Needle & Thread: Stitching for Literacy challenge and stitch a bookmark that will be donated to a library or school during Children's Book Week. Read the details here to find out where to submit your bookmarks.

I thought this was pretty cool! I have bunches of patterns for stitched bookmarks. I'm going to dig some out this weekend and stitch a couple. I haven't done any cross stitch for so long I'm afraid I might have forgotten how!

Woden in Winter

2011-02-11T12:38:00.001-08:00

This year I've decided to create smallish (probably no more than about 3"x3") little beaded things that can be made into pendants if I so desire. That's kind of vague, I know, but I think I'll really enjoy this kind of loose format. The theme of these objects will be to represent a goddess or god from some belief system (probably mostly Celtic and Germanic Pagan, but certainly not limited to such!) Sometimes the representations will be more literal than others (an actual figure) but sometimes not. I'll just have to see where the shiny beads inspire me to go!

So, for January I've chosen to represent Woden (called Odin in Scandinavia) I used a small (about 2 1/2" long) piece of an ash tree (Fraxinus latifolia) as a base for my image. I was inspired by the rather rough unhewn types of images the Northern European tribes were supposed to have used to represent their gods. Woden's shamanic aspects are emphasized here with his fringed cloak and ornaments. I also made a sort of hood on the upper part of the figure. The cloak is peyote stitched from size 11 seed beads and the stones I used are black onyx, larvikite, and labradorite.

Caging the Wild Cabochon

2011-01-29T18:03:00.000-08:00

That's the title of the class Jill and I took today! It was a fun class and we learned (one of us somewhat faster than the other) how to wire-wrap a cabochon. I'd like to say the copper wrapped one is mine but Jill did that one. I thought we both did pretty good though! The top shows the back and the bottom the front (although it may not matter...).

I Forgot!

2011-01-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

I took a class in December on making a beaded wire Christmas tree and meant to post the pictures a few weeks ago but forgot. Anyway here they are finally! The first picture are the three that I made. After the class, I showed Jill how to make them. The second picture is her tree. As you can see we both need to practice making spirals but we'll get there!

November and December leaves

2010-12-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

I didn't get as much finished on these two as I had intended, but they're mostly done. November is the Dia de los Muertos piece. My leaf for this one is Cheiranthodendron pentadactylon - Monkey Hand tree - a truly unique and wondrous tree with a long spiritual tradition in its native MesoAmerica. The leaf is small, in the lower right corner, but just to the right of that I beaded a seed pod from the tree. The rest of the beadwork is pretty much just following the design of the fabric - I meant to add more, but didn't! December brings out the Madrone (Arbutus menziesii) berries. The madrone is beautiful at anytime of year but stands out on the hillsides at this time when covered in bright red berries! December 18 marks the feast of la Virgen de la Soledad de Oaxaca. I depicted her with a madrone leaf on her skirt! She's still missing her crown and I wanted add some madrone berry clusters and attempt some bead depiction of the bark - that what's missing there. So now I'm on to next year!

Beaded Tree

2010-12-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

I went to a bead class yesterday to learn to make a beaded Christmas tree. As you can tell I haven't finished yet. Aside from wishing I'd started with smaller beads at the top I'm pretty happy with the way it's turning out. I don't know why I put such large beads at the top. I think I was just getting caught up in the colors!

The second picture shows two of the trees the instructor made. Admittedly they look somewhat better! But I'll keep practicing and pretty soon mine will improve. I have to practice making wire curls - it's kind of difficult and painful on your fingers! I'm going to finish this tree and Thursday when my daughter comes to visit I'll show her how to make one and I'll do a second one for me. I think I want to do a blue and silver tree next but I'm going to use just small beads for it!

BJP is on Facebook!

2010-11-15T19:31:00.001-08:00

The BJP now has a page on Facebook! If you use Facebook please "like" the page and share it with your friends!

Bead Journal Project

2010-10-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Registration for the 4th Bead Journal Project will begin on November 8th. If you aren't currently participating and are at all interested, I'd urge you to sign-up. This is the second year I've been involved and I love it. I am admittedly somewhat behind this year . . . that's ok though! It isn't about how fast you do your projects or keeping up with someone else or comparing your work to other beaders. It's about personal growth through what you are creating, sometimes about working out problems by dumping out a bunch of beads and starting to put them on fabric, sometimes about just plain fun.

I found the BJP in the first year it started and went to different blogs admiring the work beaders were doing. Prior to that the only beading I'd ever done was small Mill Hill ornament kits. I've been doing embroidery, quilting and sewing for as long as I can remember but never beading. Anyway, I sent an email to Robin Atkins, who is the originator of the project, and asked about joining. She explained that they'd probably be doing it a second year and I could sign-up to join then. I am not a joiner nor am I a person who writes emails to total strangers. But I was so fascinated by this idea that my desire to participate overcame my initial shyness. There's something about working with beads that I find soothing and creative. And fun! During the first year (second of the project but my first year) my daughter was admiring all the beading and decided to join this year. It's been a lot of fun seeing her projects and comparing ideas.

You don't have to have any experience or particular skills. It's pretty easy (at my age with a good lamp and magnifying glasses) to put a bead on a needle. And don't feel you have to be "creative." I didn't think I was creative enough to come up with anything original but I have and I've learned a lot in the process. If you have even the slightest interest, just a small thought that maybe it'd be fun, then JOIN!

Oak Pendants

2010-10-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post the photos from our class! My daughter and I took a class together and made wire oak pendants. I saw the class offered at a local bead shop and was going to take it and make one for her as a Christmas gift. Then I started thinking she'd probably enjoy the class so I told her about it. We both had a great time and it was fun going to the class with her. I love wire-wrapping but it takes practice and I know I still need a lot more. It's also hard on your fingers - mine were numb and full of pokes by the end of the class. It was fun though! The top picture with the cord is Jill's, the bottom mine.

October Bay Leaf

2010-10-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

The California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica) is an incredible tree which can grow very tall and develop some very twisty and thick trunks. The leaves are dark green and fragrant. These trees reach their most impressive proportions in riparian habitats, but also grow in the company of live oak and madrone on the north-facing slopes of my local hills. Despite being evergreen the laurel drops some of its leaves in Autumn. Shades of yellow change to orange, umber, and - after rain - deep garnet hues. In my project the leaves have fallen onto the stones of an Autumn-dry creek - the grayish green color and patterning of this batik fabric suggested a dry creekbed to me. It seems that every time I go to draw a leaf outline of a fallen bay leaf the leaf is crossed by another leaf. So I arranged my model leaves (which appear in one of the pictures) to suggest this arrangement, which I then stitched with my beads. The little snake goddess pendant is there because I've often seen snakes slithering across the dry stones in arroyos. I decided to give this headless pendant a yak bone skull in observance of Samhain and Dia de los Muertos - times when Death and the dead are celebrated. My next project will also focus on one of these holidays - as I said before I really enjoy Autumn!

September Big Leaf Maple

2010-09-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

For the month of the Autumnal Equinox I have revisited my Vernal Equinox leaf from March. The maple (Acer macrophyllum) leaves that were just beginning to unfurl in Spring have now began to turn yellow and brown. Though the leaves turn in a mottled pattern from green to yellow to brown here I gradated them from left to right to show the season's change. I also reversed my half sun half moon motif from the Spring Equinox to show that the days are getting shorter. Though it's the same size as the unfurling leaf I depicted before I tried to give a sense that this a bigger, mature leaf that is ready to fall into the Autumnal mulch. Autumn is my favorite time of the year, so I'm looking forward to the upcoming months!

Wire Wrapping

2010-09-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

I took a class last week at a local bead shop to make a wire wrapped beaded heart pendant! It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed making the heart. Over the past week I made a wire-wrapped leaf for my daughter. I thought it came out pretty good for a second attempt! I think this is inspiring me to get busy beading again. I'm way behind on my BJP!

Ginkgo Leaf in Fog

2010-08-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

This month I chose to depict a gingko leaf. This is my first non-native leaf, but I think that millions of years ago they did grow here, so it almost counts! I remember my grandfather pointing out this tree to me years ago and telling me it had grown when the dinosaurs were alive. This fixed it in my memory and when I met my fiance I learned that he too shared a fondness for gingkos! Since John (my fiance) has his birthday in August I chose this ancient tree for this month. He also has a fondness for bunchgrasses, which I depicted (rather abstractly) in the lower left corner. The right is a fabric following design of ocean colored beads in tribute to the fact that the Bay Area this year has had an unusually cool August. I've enjoyed all the fog rolling in off the Pacific, so I beaded a representation! I chose the fabric color to match the colors of the year right now - Summer-dormancy shrouded in fog that awaits the rain.

Elder Leaf for July

2010-08-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

As the dry season settles in we still can find some green in Sambucus mexicana - the blue elderberry. This project is pretty simple - a leaf, some flowers (upper left), and green, not yet ripe berries (lower right). Right now most of the elders have green berries, but a few are already a deep ripe purple, and some are even still in flower! I chose the elder partly because this fabric's colors reminded me of it. In fact one of the reasons I used few beads was so I could still see the fabric's lovely hues! The elderberry branches are used by indigenous Californians for clapper sticks and flutes so is associated with music here. But of course this little tree has a lot of history and mythological associations in Europe, also, and I found out recently that the European and Californian elders are now considered to be the same species! This much revered plant is one of my favorites so it was nice to represent the elder in beads. You can see a leaf from one of my garden elders in the first photo!

Ocean Seaweed Garden

2010-07-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's taken a couple of weeks to post, but I did finish it by July 1st! As the hotter part of the year approaches we take more trips to the cooler coast. It's only 45 min. away and usually is about 20 degrees cooler and wonderfully foggy. So for June I chose seaweed shapes rather than leaf shapes. I used white pearls (yeah, I know they're freshwater - it's still aquatic, though!) to depict lines of foam as the waves go out. The other dyed ones were scattered around and used to construct a holdfast for my largest seaweed. And the shell was one I found washed up on the shore. It also repeats the spiral, which also popped up in last month's project. I think the colors and shapes of the seaweeds turned out pretty well. I mixed some garnet nuggets into the reddish one. I also used shiny rather than matte finish beads to give the impression of being wet and freshly washed up. Here's a couple of pictures of the beach and seaweeds that inspired me!

May BJP

2010-06-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well May is finished and I'm officially caught up and working on June! May was a very difficult month for me. It felt long and dark and endless so that's what I was trying to show in my project for this month.

I had originally planned to use all black beads around the heart but something just wouldn't let me and I kept adding color so maybe it wasn't quite as dark as I thought. The heart in the middle is full of holes which is how I've felt but it's also anchored. I used red and white beads to hold it in place and it felt like I was trying to stitch up a fractured heart but I think it worked. The line of white beads is hope because I know there is still a lot and I just don't look in the right place sometimes. Why it snaked outside the borders I don't know - it just had a mind of its own. I did a close-up on the blue beads in the corner because they looked so pretty and sparkly!

This really seemed to have a mind of its own and took off in a direction I hadn't planned. Which I guess is what life does all the time. I think June is going to be brighter though!

Queen of the May

2010-06-02T09:57:00.001-07:00

Another view of my project.

The Penstemon azureus whose hues inspired me.

This month is The May Queen in a Western Hawthorn Leaf! I've had this little Goddess spiral pendant for a very long time but since I don't really wear much gold-colored jewelery I never got around to incorporating Her into a necklace. But I love the design and the gold color is perfect to evoke the afternoon light through a verdant mixed evergreen forest in May. And May was especially verdant this year with above average rainfall! So I adorned my little May Queen with a bunch of green beads, with some Penstemon purple and blue colors as well. I also scattered some beads in those colors outside the leaf. Penstemons come in a range of colors but here I was inspired by Penstemon azureus. But the upper left represents a Clarkia unguiculata flower - the common name is Farewell to Spring! The model for my Western Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) leaf was the little hawthorn I bought this year at the native plant sale. It's the plant that you can see a bit of in the background! Anyway I had fun with this, but it was challenging to figure how to make the leaf margin look serrated. It was pretty simple to stitch, though, once I figured out how to do it - I think you can see from the picture what I did. The other problem when I first started was unexpected - I had trouble attaching the pendant because it's fairly heavy! But eventually persistence paid off and once I ran the thread through a few times it stayed put. And I love using these batik fabrics! The colors are so much fun to look at and work with. I'm also really liking using the interleaving paper to back these!

April BJP

2010-05-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

The last 7-8 months of my life I've been taking a lot of risks and when I found this little plaque in my bead box I thought it'd make a nice statement for April. One of the risks I've been taking is around writing. April is National Poetry Month and I joined National Poetry Writing Month to commit to writing a poem every day. I did it but it was difficult at times. Putting my feelings into poetry feels very risky to me!

I don't know if you'll see arrows or vines. They are supposed to be arrows but they do look rather viney! I was trying to figure out what to put on after I added the plaque and doodling came to mind. When I doodle on paper I draw arrows branching out so I tried to replicate that. I think these are prettier than the arrows I generally doodle! I embellished them a little because I wanted this piece to look pretty. I used my favorite color, pink, in different shades and the silver because I thought it contrasted nicely. I guess I was trying to make risk look pretty. . .

March BJP

2010-05-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

I finally finished March! My neighborhood has a number of corner curb gardens. Here's a picture of one that is mostly lavender but others are full of different flowers. In March a lot of flowers, especially bulbs, were starting to bloom and I enjoyed walking around looking at the little gardens. I decided to depict one of these for my March BJP.

I originally considered trying to do something that was more an actual picture but I figured it'd take me far too long and I'd never get caught up! What I ended up with is more representational but I'm pleased with the way it came out. I used fabric and beads on the bottom to depict dirt and embroidery floss to do the stems. There are a lot of trees in my neighborhood and a couple of the little gardens even have a small tree so I made the outline & branches to represent a tree. I was a little afraid it would overwhelm the piece but now that I'm done I think the flowers are holding their own. The first clump with purple beads is lavender, then daffodils, tulips and a rosebush. So now it's onto April and hopefully I'll be caught up soon!

Black Oak - April BJP

2010-05-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here's my April project - an unfurling Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii) leaf! These trees are really amazing when they leaf out in the Spring, and I've included a picture of the tree that inspired me here. This month is usually the peak of the wildflower season in this part of California, so I included the multicolored beads in specific colors I've observed in flowers. I liked the idea of including the fabric design in my beading, so I did the viney things in multi-hued greens. These greens recall all the grasses and leaves that accompany the flowers. I also got a chance to use some interestingly textured bugle beads that Mom kindly shared with me!

Note: This entry says posted by robin michelle but it's Jill's April project. I just posted for her because she's a luddite. . .

Big Leaf Maple - March BJP

2010-03-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

For my March project I chose Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophylum) which begins to leaf out at the beginning of the month. I'm always a bit anxious around Spring because this is when it starts to get unpleasantly warm (for me that's over 70F!) and I know that soon it will be Summer and the rain will stop. But Spring is really a special time of year in this area - the Winter-dormant plants are all starting to leaf out and grow, the Summer-dormant plants are still actively growing, and the wildflowers begin their incredible flower display. It's one big swirling explosion of green and flowers!

So I went out to a local hillside where I found my maple leaf beginning to unfurl. It was a translucent green tinged with a coppery color - I used these colors in my outline. The circle in the middle that is half yellow and half white is representational of the Vernal Equinox - half of the Moon and half of the Sun for the balancing of day and night. To create this I strung the beads and sewed them down into a spiral shape.

While walking on the trail looking for my maple leaves I came across trillium (Trillium chloropetalum) and gooseberry (Ribes menziesii) blooming in the woods! The trillium is an incredible woodland bloomer on a stalk about 18" high with three huge leaves topped with three sepals and three petals. I stitched these on the left of the leaf. I just included the sepals and the petals, which can be white, maroon, or rose-pink. These are depicted as you would see them looking straight down at the flower. The gooseberry is a thorny shrub and the flowers hang down from the branches like little fuchsias. The gooseberry flower is on the right-hand side - the flowers are smaller than the size I stitched them. I used different bead shapes and thread for this one and I think it looks pretty realistic. I was actually a bit surprised by how realistic it turned out! So there's my project - inspired by a Springtime woodland!

Note: This entry says posted by robin michelle but it's Jill's March project. I just posted for her because she was having computer problems.

February BJP Finished!

2010-03-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

I finally finished February! It took awhile and I'm not entirely sure what it means but here it is. Since each month is supposed to be a journal of what's going on in my life that month I was waiting until about half-way through the month to start. I put the rose cameo on Feb 13th and then worked a little around it on the 14th. On the 15th a close friend of mine died. I stopped working on it after that and didn't start again until the 1st week of March. There are a lot of tears on this because I thought about him every time I picked it up to work on. My original thought when I had started February was a kind of nebulous idea of something along the lines of "looking for love in all the wrong places" as a satiric homage to Valentine's Day and some not so great choices I had made. Once I started working on this again and thought about it, I realized in a way it still fit. My friend Paul was one of the right places I looked for love. He was one of my closest friends and always there to listen to me gripe & complain. He loved my bead stuff too. I have some pretty heart beads he had sent me after he moved and I wanted to include one on this but when I finished it just didn't seem to fit so I'll save it for another project. I halfway wanted to do this all in dark beads to reflect how I felt but I could imagine him coming back to haunt me for being morbid and weepy! He was a happy person and laughed a lot and that's how I want to remember him and I do when I look at this. I mostly did wavy lines - through no plan, it just came out that way. Maybe because I've felt not so stable this past month. But it's done and I'm fairly pleased with it!

Bridget's Leaf Garden

2010-02-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

February - for this month I wanted to incorporate the celebration of the the feast day of the Celtic Goddess Bridget - Imbolc - with the seasonal changes here. I had been reading about this holiday in a wonderful book called "Kindling the Celtic Spirit" by Mara Freeman. I also went back to some the original source material in Alexander Carmichael's "Carmina Gadelica". After this I decided to use the quartz crystal to represent Bridget and surround Her (in beads) with the first flowers of the season. So I looked around and saw a lot of lupines (I'm not sure which species) and a few California poppies (Escholtzia californica) in bloom. The Lupines produce beautiful spikes of blue flowers, whereas the poppies are brilliantly orange and chalice-shaped. I also included the little white beads for Milkmaids (Dentaria californica) which I've also seen at this time of year in some of the oak woodlands further inland. But of course I needed a leaf shape! At this time of year the California Buckeyes (Aesculus californica) begin to leaf out. Imagine a bare tree with silvery branches and each branch is tipped with green flame. This is the drama of buckeye leafout! But after searching out my tree (I'll post on this later) I realized that a simple outline of the leaf would not convey the experience of the leaves bursting out. So instead I used the shape of the entire tip with all the leaves coming out. Then as I stitched I also wanted to incorporate the design on the fabric. As it turned out it's somewhat abstract, but I hope still representative enough anyway!

January BJP

2010-02-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

I decided to do this year's BJP as an actual journal of what is going on in my life that month. I chose a 4x6 size because I wanted to have plenty of room. Now that I've finished the first one I'm not sure either of these were good choices! 4x6 took a lot of beading! Working on this as a journal was hard, there are a lot of tears mixed in with the beads and a couple of times I took sections out and redid them. But it was good - I was doing improvisational beading following Robin Atkins ideas in One Bead At A Time. I keep re-reading the book looking for directions! I'd find myself unsure how to bead a section and then when I started it just seemed to happen on its own.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. January was a difficult month for me. Last October I moved from the SF Bay Area to Sacramento. Not a huge distance in miles but emotionally it was like moving to a foreign country. I'm living by myself for the first time in my life which is wonderful but scary. I don't really know anyone here, I'm looking for work and still, most mornings, waking up and wonder why I did this. But it's also amazing and I'm glad I did it and I hope that shows up in the beading!

I have in my mind a very clear path of where I want to go and that's what the blue bugle beads are representing - a ladder I'm climbing to reach my goal. All the little side paths and circles are things that get me side-tracked from that goal. Some in a good way that help to clarify and redefine things, others in a negative, unhelpful way. While I was working on this I sent pictures to my daughter asking her what she thought. At one point I had the heart and passion plaque on and told her I planned to completely bead everything. She said that sounded good but to be sure I didn't lose my plaque or heart. I know she meant design-wise but it made me realize that was important for my life also. I came close to losing both in January but now that I've encircled them with beads, I think it's going to be ok!

Jill's Leaf Garden

2010-01-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

I have finished my January Bead Journal Project! My theme for this project is Gardens Inside A Leaf Shape (leaf to be chosen by season) on a piece of 4"x5" fabric. This month was inspired by the lush world of lichens and mosses found growing on a coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) trunk at this time of year. Though they're present year round, the mosses in particular are hydrated and growing during the rainy season. I wanted the leaf I chose to be one that is actually in leaf at this time, so I chose an oak which is evergreen. The leaf is outlined with crystal and white beads to remind us that despite the mildness of Winter in California's Mediterranean climate there are still frosts and occasional snows on the higher mountains. Through the color, form, and texture of the beads and stitching I tried to give an overall sense of the way these mosses and lichens look on the tree trunks. I used shiny green beads to show how the mosses look when they're damp with rain - they have a glowing green translucence! The fabric is a batik print that reminded me of bark. The challenge I found in this project was to represent without illustrating. I wanted to give a sense and feeling of these organisms that grow in the oak woodlands and portray them with accuracy, but not to feel a need to copy them perfectly. Accuracy is important to me, but this isn't a beaded field guide so I don't have to be exact! The biggest technical challenge I encountered was getting the leaf outline in the proper shape - but I got creative with couching, and I was pleased with the result! I even used short bugle beads for the little spikes these leaves have on their edges. So there's my January Leaf Garden!

Another Ornament

2009-12-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

I thought this came out cute. It's a Mill Hill beaded kit that I found in my stash. I decided not to try & stitch it to look like my cats - the only concession I made was to give him green eyes and a pink nose like both my cats!

Eyeglass case

2009-12-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

Well I guess being sick can be productive. I don't feel like doing much so I've been stitching today. I started this eyeglass case about 3 years ago . . . it's nice to finally finish it! The original picture had a different looking cat but I changed the colors so it looked like my cat Mellifera. If I don't feel better soon, I may empty my half-finished project bag! This was actually an easy project. It's a stitch & zip kit and uses floss on a preprinted canvas. It really should have gone much faster than it did!

Eeyore Ornament

2009-12-06T23:32:00.001-08:00

I had plans to finish my BJP pieces into a small quilt and work on a number of ornaments before the end of the year. Between moving and job hunting and being sick I haven't gotten much of anything done though! Friday night I went through some almost finished projects and pulled out this Eeyore ornament to finish. I thought it came out pretty cute. It's my first Christmas ornament in my new place!

I'm Done!! August BJP Finished!

2009-10-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've finished the whole year! I'm very excited about this. One of my bad habits is that I'm an awful procrastinator. Now admittedly I've finished a little late but I did the whole year and I'm very proud of myself. I've really enjoyed doing the bead projects and am excited about participating next year. Anyway on to August!

I have two cats, Pippin & Mellifera. Pippin was named by me for Peregrin Took from The Lord of the Rings. Mellifera was named by my daughter Jill and her name means bearing honey. They are littermates born on August 22, 2004 and they came to live with me in October 2004. I somehow have become very attached to these cats and just can't imagine my life without them. Since they were born in August, this month's heart and poem are dedicated to them. Actually it isn't strictly a poem but it fit better for cats than any of the poems about cats that I found. They can seem so domesticated and tame and then they'll do something & you realize they are still wild animals at heart. Yet they stay with us and allow us the pleasure of their company. Pretty amazing I think!

August's "poem" is from The Cat Who Walked By Himself by Rudyard Kipling:

"He will kill mice, and he will be kind to babies when he is in the house, just as long as they do not pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that, and between times, and when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods or up the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone."

Here's a picture of my cats: Pippin is the top one, mostly black and Mellifera on the bottom, mostly white.

August update

2009-10-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of my progress so far on August. It's actually almost complete. I need to find 2 cat beads to put on and then it will be done. Unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding what I had in mind. I want a black cat & white cat and they should be in a walking pose. I've seen some beads that came close but nothing is exactly what I'm looking for. I have a couple more places to check before I give up though! Anyway I'm feeling pretty good because this is the last month! Once I get those beads that will be it & I'll post a new picture with the poem and explanation.

July BJP Done!!!

2009-09-22T19:15:00.001-07:00

Wow I'm really getting excited! I've finished July and now all I have left is August! The picture on this is a little dark. I tried fooling with it but I'm not much of a photo editor! My Mom died on July 14, 1999 and I wanted to do this month's poem for her. What Came to Me by Jane Kenyon makes me cry every time I read it. For me, it's all the little things that are the hardest after someone dies. I couldn't figure out how to interpret this poem in beads but knew that I wanted to use yellow fabric as a background because yellow was her favorite color. When I found this fabric in my stash I decided to just bead the outlines of the flower. I think it came out really pretty! The picture doesn't really do it justice - the beaded outline that looks brown is actually a pretty light purple color. So now it's onto August and then I'm officially finished!

What Came to Me

I took the last
dusty piece of china
out of the barrel.
It was your gravy boat,
with a hard, brown
drop of gravy still
on the porcelain lip.
I grieved for you then
as I never had before.

~Jane Kenyon

Bead Journal Project 2010

2009-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Probably if you're reading this you are already a BJP participant and already know this stuff! Just in case you aren't and inadvertently stumbled on this blog, I'm going to repost what I shared on my other blog!

* * * * * * * * * *

This past year I've been participating in the Bead Journal Project. It's a 12-month project where you create a beaded journal piece each month. When I started my beading experience was very limited and I was really worried because I didn't feel like I was creative enough to do something every month. I was also worried because I'm a horrid procrastinator and tend to give up on things. Happily, while I did procrastinate, I haven't given up and I've found that I love working with beads and I'm a little more creative than I thought. All very positive things!

August was the last month for 2008 and the next project year will begin in January 2010. If you're interested, check out the links below and consider joining next year. I'm definitely going to and my daughter has enjoyed watching me do this so much that she got interested and will be joining also. If you'd like to look at what I've been working on for this year you can check my stitching blog. The links below will guide you to pages of other BJP participants. Look at the work and hopefully you'll be inspired to join!

The Bead Journal Project starts in January, 2010.

Registration starts October 15, 2009 at beadjournalproject.com/reg.htm.

No experience is necessary! The goal is to create one visual journal piece a month for a year that includes beads.

Participants work can be seen at beadjournalproject.com /bjp.htm.

June BJP

2009-09-08T23:15:00.001-07:00

I'm getting close - just two more to finish! June's project is dedicated to my daughter Jill as she was born in June. The following poem by Robert Duncan is one of her favorites. I was trying to figure out how to interpret it and asked Jill for her thoughts. It took her about 2 seconds to sketch something that I really liked so I went with that!

Often I Am Permitted To Return To A Meadow

as if it were a scene made-up by the mind,
that is not mine, but is a made place,

that is mine, it is so near to the heart,
an eternal pasture folded in all thought
so that there is a hall therein

that is a made place, created by light
wherefrom the shadows that are forms fall.

Wherefrom fall all architectures I am
I say are likenesses of the First Beloved
whose flowers are flames lit to the Lady.

She it is Queen Under The Hill
whose hosts are a disturbance of words within words
that is a field folded.

It is only a dream of the grass blowing
east against the source of the sun
in an hour before the sun's going down

whose secret we see in a children's game
of ring a round of roses told.

Often I am permitted to return to a meadow
as if it were a given property of the mind
that certain bounds hold against chaos,

that is a place of first permission,
everlasting omen of what is.

~Robert Duncan

May BJP

2009-08-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Finally I finished May! I'm a great fan of British history and specifically Tudor history. May's BJP is dedicated to Anne Boleyn and is based on a poem written about her by Sir Thomas Wyatt. It's loosely based on this picture of Anne. Anne was the 2nd wife of Henry VIII. I won't detail her story here as it's pretty easy to find online if you don't know it! On May 29, 1533 Anne was crowned Queen of England. Three years later, on the 19th of May 1536, she was executed. She paid a high price for those three years.

Whoso List To Hunt
by
Sir Thomas Wyatt

Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, alas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Since in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.

Hearts for Anna

2009-07-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful fund-raising project. Artful Home is soliciting donated work by artists to raise money for Anna Millea, an artist who is fighting an aggressive return of breast cancer. She has no insurance due to being considered "uninsurable" because of her pre-existing condition.

Take a look at the Subversive Stitchers blog and if you can possibly contribute some art for auction, please do!

Note that time is short for this. The deadline is August 7th so work fast!

Pink Artist Block Party

2009-06-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

I just signed-up for the Pink Artist Block Party. This is a very cool project on the girl gone thread wild blog by Monica Magness. It's pretty straightforward: you create a piece of art by July 31st & submit a picture. Creations are auctioned through Sept 1st to raise money for Susan G Komen for the cure. All the details and sign-up sheet are in the 5/29 post on her blog.

I've been reading Monica's blog for quite awhile and love the work that she & other's have done for this. It's a worthwhile project that hopefully you'll be able to join! Meanwhile I'd better get busy & decide what to make!

Wordle

2009-05-24T00:47:00.000-07:00

This is the Wordle I made from this blog. I've been doing them for all my blogs - it's kind of fun!

Unicorn WIP

2009-05-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to finish up some things I've been working on for a long time before I start a new project. I started this Unicorn picture many, many years ago. It's been so long I can't even remember when! Anyway I've been working on it on and off this week and am pretty close to finishing. Many things I've started and abandoned I find I don't like anymore but I still like this one. I was considering using it as birth sampler for one of my nieces but I think with Unicorn written so many times it might distract from the birth information. I don't know - I'll have to think a little more. Anyway I'm very pleased to be so close to finishing! Now do I have to finish something else after this or can I start something new? I think I should get to start something new!

Jasper

2009-05-10T16:04:00.001-07:00

I finally finished Jasper. The reason I'm calling this picture Jasper is because I think he looks like my nephew. My nephew Jasper the cat, that is, not the human one! You can see the real Jasper in the 2nd picture. He looks a little sulky but it's because he is shy and I was housesitting with him & I think he missed his Mom & Dad. He's actually a very sweet little cat and (don't tell the others) but kind of my favorite cat nephew.

The picture I stitched is supposed to be a British Shorthair cat so I've decided that Jasper is part British Shorthair. Now that he's finished I can go onto May BJP and find something else to stitch!

Beaded Rings

2009-05-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

We are having a party at the end of June for my daughter's 33rd birthday & we are making assorted things as kind of party favors. I found the pattern for these beaded rings in Getting Started with Seed Beads by Dustin Wedekind. I've made 21 so far (probably more than I need) and I'm not sure I can stop - making them is quite addictive! Hopefully my nieces will find them as cute as I do!

April BJP

2009-04-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

April's project is based on the poem What Do Women Want by Kim Addonizio. I've been thinking a lot this month about what I want. I'm not sure I've come to any definite conclusion but I know one thing for sure - I want a red dress!

What Do Women Want?

I want a red dress.
I want it flimsy and cheap,
I want it too tight, I want to wear it
until someone tears it off me.
I want it sleeveless and backless,
this dress, so no one has to guess
what's underneath. I want to walk down
the street past Thrifty's and the hardware store
with all those keys glittering in the window,
past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old
donuts in their café, past the Guerra brothers
slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly,
hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders.
I want to walk like I'm the only
woman on earth and I can have my pick.
I want that red dress bad.
I want it to confirm your worst fears about me,
to show you how little I care about you
or anything except what
I want. When I find it, I'll pull that garment
from its hanger like I'm choosing a body
to carry me into this world, through
the birth-cries and the love-cries too,
and I'll wear it like bones, like skin,
it'll be the goddamned
dress they bury me in.

March BJP

2009-04-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

I think I'm actually caught up now! I've already started April and plan to have it finished by the end of this week.

A short explanation for March: Over the last year I've lost 45 pounds and am still working to lose more weight. I love the Venus of Willendorf figure and she is kind of a symbol for me of, among other things, learning to accept myself as I am even while wanting to change. The following poem is part of Transcendental Etude by Adrienne Rich. It expresses how I feel about a lot of changes taking place in my life right now. I really liked doing this one although it was a little difficult to work on sometimes. I'm not sure the pink outline really goes with the other colors but I couldn't decide what to use so I went with pink since it's my favorite color!

But there come times –perhaps this is one of them—

when we have to take ourselves more seriously or die;

when we have to pull back from the incantations,

rhythms we’ve moved to thoughtlessly,

and disenthrall ourselves, bestow

ourselves to silence, or a severer listening, cleansed

of oratory, formulas, choruses, laments, static

crowding the wires. We cut the wires,

find ourselves in free-fall, as if

our true home were the undimensional

solitudes, the rift

in the Great Nebula.

No one who survives to speak

new language, has avoided this:

the cutting-away of an old force that held her

rooted to an old ground

the pitch of utter loneliness

where she herself and all creation

seem equally dispersed, weightless, her being a cry

to which no echo comes or can ever come.

February BJP

2009-03-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

February's BJP is inspired by the following poem from Rumi:

Dance,
When you’re broken open.
Dance,
If you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance,
In the middle of fighting.
Dance,
In your blood.
Dance,
When you’re perfectly free.

January BJP

2009-03-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Since January is traditionally associated with new beginnings, it seemed an appropriate month for this poem by William Stafford. Also an appropriate poem for creative beading!

When I started this I had a general idea of what I was going to do but it came out somewhat different. I had originally planned for the hand charm but then I found the muse-like figure & she seemed to fit. I was beading away happily and stopped to look and realized it felt done to me. I'm still not sure why I stopped where I did - I had planned to bead the entire heart. But it feels right to me like this. I think this is my favorite so far! I'm actually still a little perplexed as to how I feel about this one & how it ended up this way.

I've been reading Robin Atkins book, One Bead at a Time, and am feeling very inspired by the improvisational beading idea. I think some of that is showing up in this one. Anyway I'm really happy with this one. It moves me in a different way than anything I've done so far.

When I Met My Muse

I glanced at her and took my glasses
off—they were still singing. They buzzed
like a locust on the coffee table and then
ceased. Her voice belled forth, and the
sunlight bent. I felt the ceiling arch, and
knew that nails up there took a new grip
on whatever they touched. "I am your own
way of looking at things," she said. "When
you allow me to live with you, every
glance at the world around you will be
a sort of salvation." And I took her hand.

Bracelets

2009-03-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Jill made a bracelet for herself - the green one at the top - and I liked it so much she had to make me one. Mine is in pinks & purples.

The bracelets are from a pattern in the Oct/Nov 2006 issue of Beadwork. She made some changes with the beads and added an extra color to give them great contrast. They are even prettier than the picture!

December BJP

2009-03-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Since the release of the Lord of the Rings movies, beginning in 2001, December has been LOTR month for me. For a few years I was re-reading the trilogy every December. The last couple of years I haven't so I have some catching up to do!

Anyway, it seemed appropriate to base December's BJP on something from LOTR. This is one of my (many) favorite poems from the books:

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

November BJP

2009-02-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

Here is my November BJP. This is based on the following poem by ee cummings:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which
grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Stitching Break

2009-02-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

In between beading I've been working on what I thought would be a quick little cross stitch picture. It's taking a little longer than I'd thought but it is pretty cute. The picture is of a British Shorthair cat. Below you can see one of my cats. In between monitoring my beading & stitching progress, he likes to sit on my keyboard & check out the neighborhood!

November Update & Question

2009-02-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

I'm working on November but it's going kind of slow. This goes with an ee cummings poem.

I realized today that I wasn't explaining the tie to each month so far! September's poem/project didn't really have a strong meaning for September. It's just one of my favorite poems & I wanted to begin with it. I love fall and October especially and it always makes me think of the poem Fire & Ice so I did that for October. November's poem is special and the heart has a special, pretty personal meaning for me.

A question: I'm having difficulty getting the edging beads to lie flat and smooth. If anyone has tips I'd appreciate hearing them!

October Done!

2009-02-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here is my October bead journal project. It is based on the poem Fire & Ice by Robert Frost. I had originally planned to completely fill in the fire side & then my daughter suggested leaving it unstitched at the top to give more of a sense of flames. I like the way it came out!

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
~Robert Frost

October Progress

2009-02-17T11:47:00.000-08:00

Progress so far on my October BJP. I'm having way too much fun with this! I hate to stop beading and do "real" work. This one is based on a poem by Robert Frost but I won't post the poem until I finish the piece.

September BJP Done!!

2009-02-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

I finished my first one! I'm really excited about this and pleased with the way it came out. I'm anxious now to start on October which I plan to do tomorrow. Aside from small bead kits, this is my first ever beaded project and I love it! Maybe I'll start October tonight . . .

A short explanation: Each month's heart will be based on a poem that I like. This month is from Emily Dickinson.

After great pain, a formal feeling comes -
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs -
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
And Yesterday, or Centuries before?

The Feet, mechanical, go round -
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought -
A Wooden way
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone -

This is the Hour of Lead -
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow -
First--Chill--then Stupor--then the letting go -

Bead journal project

2009-02-10T17:43:00.000-08:00

I'm way, way behind on my bead journal project. I hope not the behindest person but I'm a little worried. The project started in September & I'm currently finishing September - - -

Anyway I had hoped to post a finished picture today but it is taking longer than I'd planned so I thought I'd post my progress so far. I'm hoping to finish by tomorrow night and then I'll be able to start on October. I have drawings and poems for each month through February. My goal right now is to finish through December by the end of this month and catch up by the end of March.

I'm using heart shapes and each month's project is designed around a poem. September is a poem from Emily Dickinson which I'll post when I post the completed project.

Convent's Herbal Garden - Finished!

2009-01-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

Last Fall Ornament

2008-12-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

This is the last Fall ornament for the tree this year. We are going to work on Christmas ones now. I say we, but really mean Jill as she is the one doing all the work! For sure next week I'm going to get one done!

New Beaded Ornaments

2008-11-23T10:28:00.001-08:00

Jill finished 2 ornaments for our tree. The ghost was actually finished before Halloween - I just didn't get it posted! The pumpkin she finished yesterday. We have a couple more fall ornaments to do & then we'll have a fall tree for another week or so.

Blog Action Day

2008-10-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today is Blog Action Day. The purpose of this annual event is to focus blog discussions on a particular topic. This year's topic is poverty. A stitching blog like this doesn't really have much relevance to poverty. However, it did make me realize how thankful I am that I'm able to indulge in activities like embroidery, sewing, beading, etc.

The Cross-Stitch & Needlwork blog today had a list of organizations that accept stitched items as donations. While not addressing poverty explicitly, this is a great way to contribute to a charity. One thing not on their list which I think is a great idea is making pet blankets for animal shelters. I'd like to say I had done this but unfortunately I've only thought about it. Guess it's time to do more than think!

Finished Ghost!

2008-09-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

I finished him tonight & hung him on my tree. I thought he turned out pretty cute!

Ghost Update

2008-09-28T18:39:00.001-07:00

Between watching the Presidential debate Friday night and the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie Saturday night, I've managed to finish most of my ghost! This isn't the best picture but you can still see that he is pretty cute. I'm going to try and finish him tonight and hang him on my tree. I still have 3 or 4 Halloween ornaments that I'd like to finish and get on the tree before the end of October.

My Halloween Tree

2008-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I started stitching the little beaded kits from Mill Hill. I especially like the Halloween ones and have been looking for a black tree to hang them on. I hadn't been thinking about setting anything up yet this year but was in Safeway the other day and while looking at their Halloween stuff saw the perfect tree. It's black wire w/glitter stuff on it and is exactly the size I wanted. You can see it hung w/the ornaments I've finished so far. The last picture is a ghost I'm working on now that I hope to finish in the next day or so.

Convent's Herbal Garden

2008-09-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Jill says this is finished except for the beading!

Beaded Crystal Scissor Case

2008-09-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is a kit that my daughter gave me last year for my birthday. As you can see I haven't got very far yet! I'm going to move it to the top of my stitching to-do list. In a few days I'm going to post my wip list as an incentive to myself!

Work in Progress

2008-09-04T11:30:00.001-07:00

I'm going to share this blog with my daughter, Jill, and include her stitching projects also. This is a project she has been working on for about a year called Convent's Herbal Garden. It is close to being finished and, as you can see, really looks great!

New Blog

2008-09-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Due to a lot of personal issues, I haven't been doing any stitching for quite a while. My original blog is pretty cluttered with the personal issues and I've been thinking for some time about starting a blog devoted just to stitching. So here it is!

I joined the 2008 Bead Journal Project and September is the first month so I'm going to make that my first project. The BJP is a year-long project to create a monthly "journal page" using beads. My pages are going to be heart shapes, approximately 3x4 inches using a poem as the theme for each one.

September's poem is this one from Emily Dickinson:

After great pain, a formal feeling comes -
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs -
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
And Yesterday, or Centuries before?

The Feet, mechanical, go round -
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought -
A Wooden way
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone -

This is the Hour of Lead -
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow -
First--Chill--then Stupor--then the letting go -

I'm not sure how this is going to translate into a beaded heart but I have the rest of September to get it done!