Hats Off! Challenge Sign Ups

Worried what you might do to occupy your beady imaginations after the BSBP?  Come join me for the first Hats Off Challenge!

This springs from my observation a couple of years ago that the timing of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and the Kentucky Derby were very close, so I took it upon myself to declare it Hat Week.  I found pictures of some of the fabulous hats being worn in London and Louisville, and paired them with jewelry from my worktable that seemed reminiscent of them.  See here and here for some examples.

This year, I'm expanding the celebration by kicking off the Hats Off Challenge, where participants will create a piece of jewelry inspired by one (or more) of the fabulous hats below.  Look through the photos (it is a little photo heavy), get inspired, and leave me a comment below to sign up.  Then on May 4th, we'll get in the mood for Derby by blog hopping to enjoy everyone's creations!

Here's the inspiration (click on them for a closer look):

Black and White







Color, Texture and Shape



 



  

 

Unconventional Materials

 

 

Inspired by Nature

Sculptural

 

 

Put A Bird On It

 

 

Ready to play along?  Leave a comment to sign up (make sure I can reach you by email)!



Daggers and Spikes

No, I'm not planning the costume I'll be wearing for the season premiere of Game of Thrones...

I'm celebrating the wonders that were contained in a tiny package that arrived from The Best Bead, all the way from the Czech Republic.

Aren't they fantastic?  I've been wanting to try out the new spike beads, and couldn't find any around here.  What did we do before the internet?!?

So in between drooling over the eye candy in the first BSBP reveal this weekend, and freaking out over finishing my pieces for the second reveal, I'll be fondling these little lovelies and plotting what they might become....

Harbingers of Spring, and Maybe A Challenge?

How do you tell it's springtime in your town?  Daffodils and tulips blooming in a blaze of glory?  The warmer rays of sun shining through your window?  ANY rays of sun shining through your window?

Around here, you can tell it's spring when the stores bring out the Derby hat displays -- here's what I spotted while out shopping this weekend...

The photo's a little blurry because the salesladies always give me the
stinkeye when I take pictures among the racks...

If you've been here for a while, you know that moving to this area of the country brought out my fascination in hats, as chronicled here and here, and here, among other spots.  I'll be honest - I got a little giddy when I saw these today.

I've entertained a fantasy of hosting a Triple Crown Bead Challenge (okay, so the name needs some work)  -- jewelry inspired by the awesome art of millinery.  I'd post some photos of fantastic, beautiful, and/or wacky hats that have been spotted at Derby, Ascot, or other famous races, and participants would choose one as an inspiration for a beady creation. It would be after the BSBP, probably with a reveal in May/June... What do you think?

She Wasn't Lost, She Was Just Hiding

Please excuse the unidentified stuff on the beads to the left.
The Muse apparently forgot to dust.

The other night I was griping because I couldn't get the beads to work.  Instead of the lovely designs I had in my mind, what was coming off the needle was a bunch of truly tragic crap.

My muse wasn't actually gone -- she was just hiding.

After a good self-pity party and a few hours away from the bead tray, things started falling back into place.  So it looks like I may get things finished for the Time To Stitch challenge after all.

Whew!  Do you ever have those moments (days, weeks) when you think the bead muse has gone on permanent strike?  And what do you do to lure her back?

I Will Not Curse. I Will Not Curse. I Will Not Curse.

Y'all, some days the beads just do not want to play nicely.  Apparently today is one of those days.

I've been sitting here, trying to get something - ANYTHING - to work for Christine and Therese's Time to Stitch challenge, and it just ain't happening.

All I seem to be able to make is butt ugly blobs 'o beads.  That was not the title of the challenge.

So before I start hurling around the kind of language that would've made my grandmother blush and sailors chuckle, I'm gonna set things aside and watch some basketball.  As Scarlett would say, "tomorrow is another day"!

This Is Why You Should Read the Blogs Every Day

If the blogs I had neglected reading over the past couple of
days had been printed out, this would have been the stack.

 

Y'all have been very busy people!  Work and family obligations have meant that I missed reading my blog feeds for two days.  When I finally got a chance to sit down with the computer, it took me a long time to catch up on all the beady goodness you've been posting.

 

Now I feel like a slacker - gotta find time to pick up the beads, needle and camera!

Birthday Dinner and Bead Shopping

It was only after seeing this photo that my husband finally admitted that
he's finally been outgrown.

My baby turned 21 this past week.  (Imagine me, fainting dramatically onto the sofa.)

We drove up to visit him on Friday, to take him out to a proper birthday dinner and celebrate.  Much good food and great conversation ensued.

And then on Saturday, I visited two bead stores in his city that were new to me. Don't worry, sweet husband got to go to a couple of stores that interested him as well.

The haul from store #1 vintage lucite rings, Swarovski cubes, rhinestone chain, wooden discs, dyed jade and a rockin' cool mermaid in carved resin

The mermaid's back

Store #2 yielded some seed beads, which aren't that interesting to look at, so I'll spare you the photo.

So it was the boy's birthday, but we all got some new goodies!