A Few More Beads

Gosh, what with this glorious weather we have been enjoying there has been little time for blogging. I love summer, it is really warm out there now and there is not a cloud in the sky - it really lifts a person up. I was swanning round town this morning and everyone looked so cheerful or maybe they were just smiling back at me - who knows but I have had a lovely morning. Back to the house then to find that my latest batch of wire and beads have been delivered.

I have been a bit inspired on the old beading front after a while away. So I made these two by way of a warm up and then I am going to be branching out a bit. I'll post up the results if they are any good - if it is an utter disaster I will not - well, I might but only for a laugh.

These are brooches, the dragonfly was given to my mother in law for her birthday last week and my Mum nabbled the snail - she has a bit of a thing for snails, though not when they venture into the lettuce patch...

Anyhoo, that is about it for now. Hope you are enjoying beautiful weather too.
Have a great day

Latest Bits

These are some shell and crystal stitch markers and a skein of beaded blue faced leicester yarn. Now I have yak to ply and skein up as well as silk to dye. This is fun!
Have a happy, busy day.

Christmas Shopping

Whew! What a nightmare and it has barely started yet. Swansea was heaving, full of people who pushed, shoved, ignored personal space - old women are particularly good at this. I leant into one old space invader in the queue in Marks, really put some weight on her, evil of me I know, but she was a sturdy old bird and didn't budge an inch. So I brought out the big guns. In an act of staggering violence, I turned around and raised my eyebrows at her. She stepped back. Never have met a Brit that can stand in the full glare of a raised brow.
Feeling much better we went to Debenhams and I promptly lost my sister. She could not have disappeared more effectively if she had been kidnapped by aliens. It took me well over half an hour to find her and we could not figure out who was more annoyed with whom, though as the younger sister I naturally took the blame because hey, I'm the youngest right? And if my eyebrows can make an ignorant old biddy take a step back, my darling sister's lifted eyebrows would have made her spontaneously combust. I know my place. I love my sister by the way, she is my absolute hero.
As a particular treat, it was off to the LYS (see, I know the lingo)* to pick up some Y obviously. But while there I succumbed to the lure of some particularly stunning ice blue frosted glass beads...and some bugle beads in mixed colours and some sequins (tacky I know, sue me) and little pink cubes and some frosted plum ovals too. Have I told you I have a serious bead habit, it is worse than wool really because they are so much easier to store ie, keep hidden from V's sight.

So, back home and hide the goodies. My husband is out to the rugby tonight, not an uncommon event in Wales, but my dear V has lived on this earth for over forty years and has never, in my knowledge, gone to a rugby match in any of them. I wonder how he will like it? He'll probably shout himself hoarse, have a whale of a time with Uncle Daisy and probably take another forty years before going again.
What shall I do tonight then? Oh I know...some beading I think.

*
LYS - Local Yarn Store, whough Swansea is only local-ish for me. There is no YS near me' cos I don't count the acrylic nightmares that Shaws in Neath offer us as yarn. I've got nothing against man made fibres, but make them soft for goodness sake.

Beaded Stars

Filthy weather outside, stuck inside, chores all done (amazingly - just shows how much time I waste on the 'puter). Anyway, I wanted to work on something fiddly but not challenging to the brain, so out with the beads once more.

I had a good lot of pics to put up here and blogger is just not playing. But you can see the method from the above pic.

You just need about 13" of wire, I used 6mm silver plated, but I have used sturdy fuse wire in the past. 20 bugle beads, 10 beads (4mm) these are swarovski crystals and I love them 'cos they sparkle like crazy which is always a good thing, but particularly good at Christmas.
Twist a loop and wrap round, thread the beads according to pattern, bending wire as you go. A little bit of tinkering at the end and you have a star.

After making three, you will be able to make them in your sleep - they are that easy. I love stars. So beautiful.

When Spinning is a Chore

Get the beads out...

mess, but good mess

Finish with dragonflies

And weird tutti frutti earrings

Freshly made Stitch Markers

Flourite chips with swarovski crystals (these are my favourite ones)

Green glass 4mm rondelles with size 11 clear seed beads

This little lot represent two hours work that went like two minutes

One of the reasons why I slacked off on the bead work was that it was so absorbing. I'd start playing after the kids went to bed (1 six year old and 3 year old twins don't really mix with beads and wire do they?). Anyway by 9 it was safe to drag out the bead box and then I would forget everything until V would yawn, stretch and suggest that as it was gone midnight perhaps we really ought to toddle off to bed. I was invariably like a corpse after a few late nights like that and so the beading just had to ... not go, but be put to one side for the sake of my health! (And everyone else's as I am such a collossal mare if I don't get my sleep.)

But there we are, beads got a breath of air again and they are still out, singing their siren song at me,

"They are better than stars or water
Better than voices of winds that sing
Better than any man's fair daughter
Your green glass beads on a silver ring".*

From Conversation Overheard on a Salt Marsh

Back to Beading

Another obsession but one not worked on lately. Beads. I love 'em. Spend far too much on them, make tons of stuff that my family won't wear cos its too outlandish and I don't sell them cos people aren't prepared to pay the price.

But now thanks to Nicole at the lair of the book wyrm I have found out about stitch markers and am off to make some. Tons of beads, wire, pins and rings. I feel an all nighter coming on