My Personal V8 Moment

You know the classic move in the V8 commercials?  The slap on your forehead that accompanies the great enlightenment and insight?

Yeah, I had one of those this weekend.

During slow moments at the show I was doing, I worked on bezeling a couple of donuts from my stash. Peyote is my usual bezel choice, but this time it felt like time to try a right angle weave bezel.

Yes, most of the seed beading world has done these. Yes, I realize that my insecurities about RAW is irrational, and can only be overcome by working through it.  And yes, I have had many previous escapades with the stitch that ended in bug-ugly projects, inappropriate language being thrown around, and frustration.

And you know what?  This time it came together like magic!  I don't know why.  I can't explain it.  Perhaps it was an early holiday miracle.

So I did two.  The photos aren't great, but here they are...

There's no telling what they'll eventually become part of , but I think the smaller one is going to get some spikes...stay tuned!

She Gave/She Gave

Are y'all familiar with the She Made / She Made reveals that Therese and Christine do each month?  These two fabulous ladies swapped beads, and each month one of them decides which beads to use from the swap stash, and they both create something from the choices.

So today, I have a twist on that idea, that I'm calling She Gave / She Gave.  Bear with me, it makes sense (at least as much sense as I ever make...), even though the explanation may get a little long-winded (often another of my great gifts traits)

I had the great joy of meeting Therese in person in October.  In addition to big hugs and lots of chatting, Therese gifted me with some beautiful jewelry she had made, along with a couple of very cool goodies that you can see in the last photo on this post.

Christine has become a great online bloggy friend, and while we haven't had the chance to meet in person yet, I love her sense of humor and her eye for creating stunning jewelry.

When I recently began a torrid love affair with St. Petersburg Stitch, I remembered a fantastic bezel Christine had made using double St. Petersburg.  I wanted to try.  But it obviously needed a bead with a thicker side.  What to do?

Then I remembered the bead from Therese.  Perfect.

Beautiful, subtle coloration in the stone.

And this, my friends, is the result - the bead given to me by Therese, bezeled through an inspiration given to me by Christine.



A little more thread showing than I'd like,
but for a first try, I can live with it.

Thanks, ladies!  This will probably end up in a bracelet I'm contemplating...

The Project That Ate My Bead Table

A couple of days ago, I was talking about a project that had started modestly but had grown to be much larger and more involved than I had imagined.

I promised to keep everyone updated on the progress of the thing. Yes, it's a way to give you a glimpse into the madness that passes for my creative process.

But really, it was a way to hold myself accountable to make progress on this thing that has been sitting on my bead table, mocking me in its incompleteness. I mean, if I promised to show you how it's coming along, it had better be coming along, right?

So here are the watch faces, all bezeled and ready to be made into a fabulous necklace.

Yeah, now to go figure out some fabulous....stay tuned!