Been Beading...............

These bracelets are from Bead and Button magazine Oct 2008. They are fun and I learned cross weaving with 2 needles. My materials are less than stellar, but cute for costume jewelry and work up in a flash!

This bracelet is also from Bead and Button magazine. I started it here and finished it yesterday (along with the above bracelets) after not touching it sense. I love it and plan on making more in different color combinations. All this beading lately got started from those simple Xmas ornaments I was making.

:-) Peace

My first Mosaic

Well, the picture is terrible. I took it with my phone and then forgot to get a good picture at the party. But anyway, Leigh is the (hopefully) proud owner of my 1st piece of mosaic. It was in her birthday gift bag from me. Ah, the lure of glass crafts. I'm hooked!!

:-)

Peace

Christmas is the busy season...........

I've went on a Xmas ornament bing last week. That was fun. Of course there will be more pics of other crafty stuff after the gift giving season. But there has been lots of crafty activity.

Attended the SIU Craft show.
Took a beginners mosaics class.
Got my last batch of fused glass from the SIU Craftshop kiln.
Tried to attend the Belleville Craft show (funny story).
Had the Shawnee Weavers Guild over for a Xmas potluck meeting.
Our Wednesday Nite Craft Club will be having a workshop this next coming Sunday.
Might do some more organizing in my craft shed today (its warmish)

:-) Peace

Summaries

You will see on both my blogs I'm all about summaries lately. Probably because I'm always catching up with myself. :-(

For some of my craftiness I've been doing some glass lately. Both glass fusion and lampwork beads. Robb and Sunny and I went to the craft shop to do some glass fusion two Saturdays ago. Of course, we had to wait until they fired it tho, before we could show it off.

Before

After

Click for more glass fusion pics

And last Saturday I went to take a class in lampwork beads, and the instructor did not show so I decided to stay and wing it by myself. Some of it actually came back to me as I proceeded. Sunday we had a club workshop. Everybody else, learned how to paint on glass, and I was a rebel and learned to do the brick stitch. I had something in mind for somebody's birthday and wanted to learn to do that. When I showed off my pitiful looking lampwork beads from the day before, that got Elaine and Birdie wanting to do lampwork beads again, also. So we set up a lunch and beading day for Wednesday. We ate lunch at Panera's, and then went over to the craft shop. I think I'm getting a little bit better, but I'm still sticking to the really simple stuff.

Click for more lampwork pics

:-) Peace

Long time no see

I have been busy as you can see on my other blog, but I have also been crafting. Just some things couldn't/can't be reported on (Xmas is coming fast!!)
I can now report on glass fusion. Robb and I took a class at SIU Craft shop Oct 18th. We had lots of fun. Some turned out and some didn't, but we learned from it. (make sure you use compatible glass, make sure your glass is clean) Anyway, here are some before and after pictures on the trivets I made and gave to Dad and Christel for belated birthday gifts.

Before

After

Robb and I took Sunny to the Craft shop last Saturday to teach her glass fusion. (she picked it up real fast, she is very artistic) They are not firing these pieces until Wednesday and they won't be done till Thursday, so I will show those later this week.

In other crafty news, Nancy and I went to the JALC Craft Show Sunday. Very nice stuff. And Saturday night I started a macrame anklet as a belated birthday gift for Sandy. (she knows and picked out her design and beads) Can't wait to go to our weekly Club meeting Wednesday night, I have missed 2 in a row and I miss everyone!!!!

:-) Peace

Sunday in Paducah

Elaine and I went down to Paducah for a new possible Machine Knit Club. And of course no trip to Paducah can be complete without a shop-o-rama at Michaels. We are still grieving since they closed our Carbondale Michaels store. We had 25% off coupons and we sure had fun spending them. Then next off to our fav Paducah restaurant "Flamigo Row" Yum Yum. Then to our lovely hostess's house outside of Paducah. Reba was a lovely lady, we had a great time. In addition to all the crafts we had in common, she also raises Orchids. My Dad would have been so enthralled to see all her orchids!!! We are looking forward to more meetings.

:-) Peace

Doris's Birthday

We had a lovely dinner at Newell House in C'dale. YUM! A few of the Club members are sick (bad timing for them) so our crew was smaller than usual but no less fun. I can now report on her gift from me. It was a knotted necklace from my new book "Chinese Knots for Beaded Jewellry". It has a Prosperity Knot

and double button sliding closure and is made in her sorority colors.

My first Knotted Project!
:-) Peace

Not much time........

this week for crafting or posting about crafting. (see shed project on my other blog) But I did manage to start 2 projects we have to call Birthday-Carmel (my niece) while Robbie gave a lesson Monday night. And today I am starting on Birthday-Doris (fellow club member). Both should be revealed next week.

Wednesday night at Club we did another painting lesson. Results above and below. As you can see I need lots of practise, but I do kind of like my roses!
:-)Peace

p.s. link to original paint workshop post on other blog

What's in a name

Of course, every project needs to have a name. Some names have to do with what I was doing or feeling at the time, such as my Pig-Out poncho or my Santa Monica shawl. Some names are just descriptive, such as blue cable sock. So then what do I do about the projects that I'm working on as gifts. What do I name them on the blog so people don't now what I'm working on and I can maintain the surprise. I guess I will just name them something like Xmas gift-Missa or Birthday gift-Nancy and show a photo gallery after Christmas.

Well now that we have that settled, I can also report on what else I was working on at the Wednesday Nite Craft Meeting. Xmas gift-Missa got several rows Wednesday night also, but rows of what you have to wait for.

Wednesday afternoon I started a new jewelry project called ladder stitch bracelet. ( I think this will remain its name for me also) Here is a progress pic.

I'm learning lots of new stuff with this project for sure!

:-) Peace

Come on over to the Crafty side

I thought I should start a specific blog for crafty news. Then I won't bore anyone on the regular blog. Last night was Wednesday Nite Craft Meeting. We all did our usual hodge podge, and I worked on my blue cable socks which I had cast on in September 2003 GULP! That was before "THE TENDONITIS" (which of course has wrecked my crafting life). I found the completed 1st sock a few months ago and decided to rack up an easy FO (finished object). One sock already done and they are worsted weight on size Fours (magic loop) should go fairly speedy. Been doing a few rows here and there ("the tendonitis"). I finished decreasing the toe last night and Kitchenered it today. All Done. I must have had a drastic change in gauge, but who cares, they are just for me (and just acrylic). Here they are in their blue acrylic glory..........

tried to get a detail of the cables.....pretty blurry

and so not the right color, but I do not claim to

be a photographer.

:-) Peace