I started out my fifth decade thinking that I would make a small artsy quilt for every month until I turned 51. Well, with settling in back here in Hawaii, I just couldn't manage that lofty goal. BUT, I felt the need to commemorate my fifth decade in some artful way.
Lately, I've been really into beaded embroidery. That hobby comes and goes. I will always like using a needle and thread and using them with beads is pretty much heaven for me. SO, I decided to make a bead embroidered doll to celebrate my entrance into the 50s. I call her Griselda the Nifty Fifty doll.
I'll be posting updates on her. I have her scheduled to have her finished by 12 October.
In other news, I just got back from two weeks in New Hampshire visiting my mom. It was really nice and restful. I gardened and shopped for vintage beads, jewelry (to take apart), vintage beaded bags for my collection and clothes. No sales tax in New Hampshire except for restaurant type purchases.
I'm girding my loins this weekend to do a mountain of laundry and continue my quest for organization of my craft supplies :) (Don't ask me how that is going :) )
Ding, ding, ding....time for book review! I've gotten a couple of craft books lately and thought I'd give my observations:
Totally Twisted: Innovative Wirework & Art Glass Jewelry
First one I really, really liked is Totally Twisted.
It is a good book for learning to manipulate wire to make wire jewelry. There are several nice projects, but more than that, it gives you techniques you can use to make lots of other jewelry. Check out the link to this book on Amazon.
Simply Stylish Chain and Metal Jewelry
This second book is also very good. Lots of chain looks...mixing metals, which is hot right now, and even some metal clay techniques. Check this one out for some really good projects.
Bugle Bead Bonanza: A Sparkling Collection of Jewelry Projects (Lark Jewelry Book)
The third book is about using bugle beads (had to plug my favorite online bead store). I have lots and lots of bugle beads. I use them for fringe on some of my mixed media quilts and once in a while in a necklace. I have some lovely vintage bugle beads and I want to explore other techniques for using them. Well, I'm not going to find them in this book. It uses bulge beads for...guess what...fringe and necklaces. There are a couple of bracelets, but they weren't very imaginative. This one is going on my pile for books to be put on eBay. One of these days, I'm going to list them all and get some of my money back.
