Winter Dreams and Summer Plans...

We're barely into Winter and already I'm dreaming of warmer days when the birds, bees, and dragonflies are fluttering about blossoming flowers. We have many weeks of cold and dreary weather ahead of us. So the best therapy for me is get all of my spring and summer colored beads out and create something for the coming warmer months.

I'd also like to plan for my upcoming Spring Shows and decide what to make ahead of time. I learned this year that to wait for inspiration is not a good thing to do. Nothing like last minute preparations crammed into a few weeks of hectic activity to convince you that there has to be a better way to prepare!

Maybe I need a big Dry Erase Board to map out and prepare for this year's shows. Yeah, I need a plan...A Big Plan:
1. What sold well this year.
2. What shows were more successful.
3. What to make this year.
4. What supplies I need to buy.
5. When to get started and how many to make.

So while the winter winds howl and skies are dreary I will be brainstorming and making My Big Plan! And dreaming of blue skies and warm sunny days picking blackberries and watering flowers...

New Year Hopes...

Gosh, the holidays have come and gone... thank goodness. So much to look forward to this year... a trip to Hawaii, a new direction for my Etsy shop, craft shows to line up, new classes to teach at East Street Beads, new friends to meet through beading, etc. I'm super excited to share this with my readers.

After much thought and reflection, I've decided to focus my creative energies on Kumihimo braiding. Anyone can string beads, but I love finding a pendant with that "WOW" factor and then creating a complimentary Kumi braid. I just ordered two beautiful lampwork glass focal beads on Etsy, one from Norway and the other from Israel! I'm super excited to get them in the mail and start a Kumi braid for each!

Kumi, Kumi... I'm hooked on braiding! First you find that special focal piece that touches your heart and/or releases your creative energy. Then you start to visualize the braid that will most compliment it. Do you want the braid to accent the piece or the piece to accent the braid? Or both? Next you start to think about matching up the colors and deciding what material to use. That's the fun part of Kumi braiding... you can use fiber and beads! Mix it up, try something new... Satin cord, yarn, wire, silk, waxed linen mixed with... seedbeads, semiprecious stone chips, fire polished Czech glass, Swarovski crystals! I could go on and on because as I tell my Kumihimo students, the skies the limit! Don't be afraid to try a new fiber or a different bead or stone. Unleash the Kumi Queen or King and you'll be creating great pieces, too.

I use a simple foam disk for creating my braids but someday I'd love to try the Marudai Table, the original way to make a braid that is centuries old in Japan. I'm not a Kumi expert and I have lots to learn. That's so exciting! So if you've been thinking about trying a new skill this year, try Kumihimo Braiding and soon you'll be hooked, too. I still love stringing... every once in a while I take a Kumi break and go back to my roots. But my true love is Kumi.

Hot !Hot !Hot!

It's been a hot summer! But I'm NOT complaining! After three blizzards last winter, I'm enjoying this summer! Lots of changes on the horizon...The move out west was put on hold, which is a bummer. I was so looking forward to buying some cowboy boots! Maybe next year...

I had my last "official" workday at the bead shop yesterday... Going in a different, more positive direction with my beading. Hanging out with the dogs for now and starting a new kumi project! It involves Snowflake Obsidian and should be great for the Fall and Winter! I really needed a break from the shop but I'll miss all the great customers! I plan to fill in occasionally so I'm gone but not forgotten...

I'll be starting on some wedding projects soon for a dear friend of my daughter. We've known her since she was in second grade and I'm excited to be able to make something that she'll wear in her wedding! If it works out, I just might incorporate the new ideas into my inventory!

I went to a great bead show last weekend with a good friend of mine. We had a ball shopping and talking and sharing beading ideas. Bead shows are great for picking up new ideas and seeing what's hot in the world of jewelry making. Terri and I are beading buddies and if I could, I'd love to open a "Bead Shop" someday with this talented smart lady! Thanks, Terri, for being a terrific beading pal!

While it might be HOT as heck outside and the summer sun is turning the grass a crispy brown, I'm staying cool inside and finding lots of new projects to start. I hope you are too!

Happy March! Happy Birthday, Dear "older" Sis!

Happy March and Happy Birthday to my dear sister, Debbie! I wanted to create something truly wonderful this year for my sweet "older" sister cause she's always teasing me that in her book I am the oldest one... Gosh, what would I do without her? So I came up with this design and absolutely love it! I left her a message on her phone telling her how much I like it and asking her how much she wanted to pay me to send it to her!!! LOL! We're always teasing each other that way. I think she'll be very surprised, if she doesn't see this before her birthday, that is. She never checks my blog, unless I tell her to read my latest post, so I think I'm safe until after her birthday. Then I'll tell her the pictures were here all along! She'll be very perturbed with me! She can't stand to wait until her birthday to open her presents! So everyone who reads this will know what it is before she does!

The stones in this set are blue Larimar, and red Sponge Coral. I Kumihimo braided the top of the necklace with 8/0 Toho seedbeads and used copper findings, clasp, and cones. It was a lot of fun designing and making this set for my sister. I'm sure she'll want me to teach her how to do the braiding the next time we get together. Now that winter is almost over and spring is almost here I can look forward to my traditional trip south for a nice long visit!

Tropical Island Dreaming...

About 3 years ago my hubby and I took a fantastic trip to Tahiti for 2 weeks of sand, sun, and relaxation. Boy, I sure wish we were looking forward to another trip of that caliber! I think it ranks as the best vacation we ever had the good fortune to enjoy! The South Pacific is absolutely beautiful and although I do like the Caribbean my heart belongs to the South Pacific. Hawaii...Tahiti... I'm island dreaming. But not this year. Due to a major down-turn in our finances, we'll be celebrating our 35th anniversary at home this year. You see, my husband lost his job the week before Christmas. What a jolt that was! Kind of a lousy way to say Merry Christmas, don't ya think? While others got their end of year bonus, he got a pink slip. Oh well... We have so much to be thankful for and hopefully there are new opportunities just around the corner.

This gives me the chance to go cold turkey on my bead buying habit. I'm cleaning out my bead drawers and reorganizing my bead stash. It's amazing what I've accumulated! I've got so many potential projects it makes my head spinnnn! I found my Kumihimo disk and completed 2 new projects! One is made with hand dyed nylon ribbon and has a wire wrapped fused glass pendant. The other is various shades of copper fibers braided with a single strand of beads and then wire wrapped with a copper Swarovski Galactic Pendant as the focal piece! I'm really stretching out and trying new ideas!

So while the last decade ended on a somewhat somber note for my family's financial situation, I'm still fulfilling my New Year's/New Decade's Resolution... I'm keeping a positive attitude! Life is what you make of it and although we can't go to the islands this year... there's always the hope that we can go next year! In the meantime, we're tightening our belt, dusting off the old budget, and digging out the DVD of our Tahiti trip to watch on our anniversary... and Tropical Island Dreaming...

Time Vortex...Or How Did The Past Week Disappear?

Did I just blink and a whole week went by without me knowing it? Must be a time travel vortex or something equally strange... Honestly, I don't know what happened to the last week! Did I misplace it or what?
My only coherent memory was the Bead Fest on Saturday. And it was a doozie! Now does anybody know the correct spelling of that word cause I don't... Back to the subject...The bead fest was awesome & stupendous, and I want to give Interweave "2 Snaps Up" for doing such a great job of putting it together. It really wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be, and all the vendors that I spoke to were extremely patient and friendly. The lighting was good for the most part, although the bottom floor could have been brighter. Some people complained about it being too warm, but I liked the temp just fine. I hate freezing cold rooms when you're trying to concentrate and can't, due to frozen extremities. No, everything was perfect for me. The booths were so colorfully put together and the beads and gemstones sparkled. Every bead in the building was calling my name but unfortunately some of them were passed up. My husband was such a trooper! He even encouraged me to spend more than I budgeted for... imagine that! ;~)
I bought a dozen different color tubes of seed beads, hand-dyed ribbon and fiber for Kumihimo braiding, real Venetian glass beads, Christmas Holiday glass beads, sterling silver/vermeil/copper cones, hand beaded focal beads from Bali & Nepal, wooden focal beads from the Philippines, and some silver clasps and findings. I collected lots of business cards from my favorite vendors, too.
If you love beads & haven't been to a BIG bead show before, then You Have Got To Go, my friend! Get there early. Wear comfortable shoes. Set a budget and figure that you'll go over it by $100 or so. Collect lots of business cards. Talk to the vendors about their product. And look for inspiration!
I can't wait till next year and do it all over again! I'm sure I'll look back and wonder how the year went by so fast. Must be that ever increasing time vortex. ;~)

It's Time To Kumihimo!

I was lucky enough to have lived in Japan for three years back in the late 60's-early 70's. My father was in the Air Force and stationed at Tachikawa AFB, and we lived in a Family Housing Annex named Kanto Maura. I attended Chofu Middle & High School when I was in 7th-10th grade, and I made some pretty good friends there. We had a blast going shopping on the Ginza and riding the trains all over Tokyo. We ate at the local restaurants and my favorite Japanese dishes were Gyoza , Fried Rice, Yakatori, and Yakasoba. I guess Sushi was available but not all that popular with the Americans, so it didn't interest me. I even had a good paying weekend job teaching Japanese pre-schoolers how to speak English. That was lots of fun and the kids were so cute! 1000 yen bought a lot of happiness for a teenager back then, and I loved to shop for anything Japanese! Bought my very first pair of Panty-Hose in Tokyo! We didn't have them in the states in the 60's as far as I know! I made it to the World's Fair in Osaka when I was in 9th grade. Osaka was a beautiful city and the fair was fantastic. All in all, I have the best memories of living in Japan. The people were kind and very tolerant of silly, giggling American teenage girls! I'd love to go back and visit Tokyo but I know that it has grown and changed a lot in the last 40 years!

So it doesn't surprise me to discover two amazing crafting skills from Japan! Japanese Style Amigurumi Crochet and Kumihimo Braided Jewelry! Both are so darn clever and fun! It takes a little while to get the hang of the circular crochet patterns of Amigurumi but once you do, you're hooked! ;~) LOL! And Kumihimo is also based on a circular concept as well and involves a round disk that you turn in a circle as you move your cords to create a braid. I've made two bracelets so far and I've ordered more supplies so that I can practice and perfect my technique! I hope to list some of my creations in my Etsy and Artfire shops very soon!
I loved living in Japan and I'm very happy to add two totally rewarding and entertaining new skills to my crafting journal! If you haven't Kumihimo-ed yet, give it a try!