O-ring O-riginal

Thank you everyone! I am thrilled at the response to my O-ring design.

Complete instructions for this project will appear
in the March April 08 issue of STEP BY STEP BEADS.
Look for it in bead, book and craft stores mid February!

Who's going to the Tucson Bead Shows 08?

I'll be trying to do a daily blog from Tucson , the first two weeks in February. The shows include beads, tools, findings..fossils, gems, treasures from all over the world... with almost one hundred hotels, tents, halls, gyms and gypsy camps plus a couple resorts and a mansion full of gem, jewelry, mineral and fossil shows...talk about a rush!

Big beads in Tucson!

Beading Daily

Are you Beading Daily? I am beading nightly, but it's the same thing. Whatever the time, I am one of you who must bead, need to bead, on a regular basis. Beadingdaily.com is a portal to a fix, a cure, a moment of zen, a treat, an indulgence, a distraction..from the stress and foibles that plague us. It's a cool place to go to be with those of a like mind!

One thing I don't let plague me is the mess on my table. Case in point. Here's what's on my table as of this morning.




The paw has a puss attached. Meet Tai.

10.9.07 The Uncommon Quilter

If you want to be truly inspired to play with texture, color, personal journaling and simply making art, get a copy of THE UNCOMMON QUILTER by Jeanne Williamson (Potter Craft, Random House). Jeanne has been creating small quilts every day for years, each one a page in her life. (She has other accolade-worthy achievements but this is about her book!)

Now, I do not make quilts. I am a beader, but let me tell you, THE UNCOMMON QUILTER still gets my fires burning! Jeanne's explorations make me want to MAKE stuff. The book itself is superbly designed; modern and bright, it seduces you with lush full page, full color images and easy to follow projects. Yes, this is a HOW TO book! What it really teaches amidst the step by step projects is how to make your own creative discoveries, walking by Jeanne's side as she has made hers.

Share a remarkable journey with a highly creative artist, and become one yourself, with THE UNCOMMON QUILTER.
http://www.theuncommonquilter.com./

9.27.07 Hidden Mickey brick stitch

I'm heading to the Long Island Bead Society this weekend to lead a whole day of brick stitching. Can't wait! Brick stitch is one of my fave techniques, how about you all out there? It's easy, increases and decreases nicely without too much zigzagging, and forms a wonderfully firm fabric of beads. I'm teaching flat, tubular, circular, THE WORKS.

Here's my most ambitious circular brick piece so far. It started as a new way to work up some more modern takes on The Mouse Ears shapes. I Love WDW, but I am not into cutesie mousies. So here I ended up. Can you find all the hidden Mickeys?

Blog 1: 9.15.07. Less sleep=more time to make stuff

For those of us who never sleep, or do it poorly, I offer this: Sleeplessness should not impact creativity! In fact, it empowers us with more time. So by way of introduction, I post my first blog with a design that came from a restless night. Brick stitch is so cool, and rubber O rings make for a real industech style. Let me know if you want more instruction.

The SB