a Mundane Monday

It's the end of blooming things and there are just a few of the hardy Fall blooms to be seen here and there.  We've not yet had a hard frost so it's good to enjoy what's out there in the moment. 

 I had to catch up on a few things and run some errands.  One stop was at a thrift store where I found this delightful 1970's Nabisco cookbook.  The graphics seem so dated, but the contents are comforting.  Animal crackers, first made in 1902, then a chocolate wafer cake and Nilla wafer banana pudding . . . all things that bring out the fond memories of being a child once again.

I usually crochet in the car while we are out 'n about... however this trip I had a small problem - no make that 3 small stringing errors.  I couldn't fix them, I couldn't continue to crochet and that was everything I had with me.

Once all of the provisions were put away I spent some time with the camera.  Everyone tells me that for an Etsy shop you need to have artistic backgrounds. I played around with some different papers I had to see what things might look like.  I'm not totally convinced as I think it makes it all look a bit fussy.  What's artistic about supplies?  Shouldn't they be less artistic and more practical? After all, I'm selling the piece, not the composition.

resin ended head pins (28 gauge wire)

If you'd care to take a look, I do have the magnetic clasps up in the shop as well as a couple of other bead room clean out items.   I have so many bits and pieces that need to find new homes.  Now if I can find the time to sort them out and get them listed for sale.

 Well, I did have the wire pieces out and the pliers were on the desk -  A little bit of twist & tweak, add some more wire wrap to hold the large beads in place and I think I'll have a pair of earrings.

Paid the bills, did the laundry, sorted out paperbacks to give away and admired all of the yellow falling leaves on the lawn. Yes, it has been a very mundane Monday.

African "Sequins"

Giveaway/giveback is done ..... and the winners are......

#1.- Random selection is Jen, who will be getting a small packet. I hope I get to see if you ever do make them jump-ringed together so their flat side makes a sort of open fabric.

#2.- As for my personal selection, Bad Liz has the most intriguing idea of a bead embroidery project in the shape of a 45rpm record. She reminds me that I need to get back to doing bead embroidery. Liz, send me your physical address and I'll mail off your packet.

Here are a few interesting uses for these disks that I've come up with. Some of these pieces were bought in the $1 booth at the recent gem shows. What intrigues me is the African sequins would make the work fall into the earthy realm rather than the glitzy category.

This is a netted base with a stack of sequins sewed on top of each intersection. The sequins are two different sizes so you see a rim of the bottom color underneath the top sequin.

A loomed bracelet base with a pompom of sequins, each separated with a bead so that the sides show. I think this would be ideal for the striped ones as you would then see the pattern. In deconstructing this piece, I find that the sequins are sewen onto a fabric covered button base.

This is a pair of vintage clip-on earrings that I found years ago with the idea of replicating the sequin/bead fringe. It makes a very fluffy, light weight fringe.

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This is an idea that I'm going to try out just as soon as I hand my paperwork over to the tax man. I'm going to make a 2-drop peyote base. You could loom a base also. Then I'm going to make stacks of beads on top that end with a sequin and a smaller bead. I can just see this forest of overlapping sequins that would subtly move around. .... sort of a beaded shag carpet. This idea came from one of my students last Friday and I think I need to make a third packet and send to her. It's such a fantastic idea and I can just see how it would look. Amy, Thanks for the idea and I'll be in touch for your address.

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Thank you all for playing along and getting the creative juices going full tilt.

I've enjoyed the comments and also the off-line discussion about how these might be used.

Tax Man Commeth

.... or, I'd rather be beading ....

OK, it's time to clear the decks (ummm, my bead table) as the Tax man commeth and I've not yet sorted a year's worth of receipts. Be warned - grumpy/grouchy will be my nature til it's done.

Beading is my pleasure, but it's also my business and the IRS does require me to keep records. However they have nothing to say about procrastination. Every year I vow I'll not let it all pile up til the last possible moment. Every year nothing changes and I'm in the exact same spot - nothing gets done as the year goes along. They seem to have pills for everything today - where's the one for procrastination?

Off I go to to replace the beads on my work table with piles of paper.

New Orleans & 4 years of Blogs

4 years ago I started this Blog.

29,800 visitors read what I had to say in that time.

Thank you all for showing an interest in what I'm doing.

It's been a journey with lots of changes. Many good and a few not so good.

A little over 4 years ago I visited New Orleans and later created a freeform bracelet after the hurricane. This winter I'm going back to New Orleans. Although the city won't be the same, I know the time spent with Bev at No Easy Beads will be just as enjoyable.

A couple of photos of my very early beadwork

Back to real life

Maybe the phones will be quiet and I can go back to a regular routine. Here in New Hampshire we get more than our share of politics and it starts way earlier than the rest of the country. I finally let the answering machine pick up the last two days as I got tired of saying, "Yes, I'm going to vote (voted) and no, I don't want to discuss it." I watched the results until I fell asleep on the couch. Somehow it isn't as much fun as I remember when a kid and we got to stay up late to watch the results and the numbers change.

Trip Tidbit - Bad Frog Beer

We were driving through Rose City Michigan when I saw this huge "Bad Frog Beer" sign and then a whole lot more in the window of an antique store - well, I made my co-driver stop and turn around......

I remembered a gift of Bad Frog beer bottle caps from the husband of a friend back when I was doing bottle cap bracelets. I knew it was a micro brewery and I just had to know the why of all those signs. Turns out that is where the beer started and the owner of the building was the original brew master, grew up and lives there. His original brewery was taken out by a tornado, then he contracted the beer out and that brewery got bought out and Anheuser wouldn't brew micro beers. The next one burnt down. Locals swear it's retribution for the frog with the indecent gesture. He also had a string of Bad Frog Taverns in Detroit, hence the Tavern signs. So if anyone got caps from me and they say "Rose City" around the edges, they are from the original brewery and are now highly collectible. All my caps are with my bracelet stuff in AZ so I can't go look. What fun I had in Rose City - if not for those gifted bottle caps for one of my many projects, I'd never have stopped in Rose City Michigan.

Trivia - Do I have Value?

My blog is worth $2,822.70.
How much is your blog worth?

Interesting tidbit of useless information......

Thanks to Claudia & Jen for sending me on this amusing trip.