Staying cool - NH Snowflower bracelet

New Hampshire has been in the midst of a heat wave. Hot muggy days with temps in the high 90's and overly high humidity. To mentally stay cool I've been working with cool white beads. I have a white project on the bead crochet hook and gave my brain a rest with a freeform peyote bracelet.

NH Snowflower Bracelet

The bracelet that I just finished is part of a series - I guess when you make more than one and have plans for more - it's a series! The first one I did was the Nopal Bracelet . Now I just have to decide what the next flower should be. I have lots of photos that I've taken of flowers during my travels. Maybe a peony in pale pinks with dark green leaf side bands?





Some of my beading friends laugh at me as I like to bead late into the night, in bed, while listening to the radio. Thank heavens I found a beading tray with a small lip around the edges. It keeps the beads on the board and me from waking up with random beads stuck to my anatomy in the morning.

Where do you like to bead that might be considered an unusual place?

Creative Visit

Ann Dillon lives just down the road from me, yet we don't get together as often as we would like. Sometimes what it takes to break a creative block is to spend some time with another creative person, catch up and exchange ideas.

We did that recently and both of us came away with some new ideas percolating. We concluded that we also might try out some felted beads and chain-stitch bead crochet sometime this summer.

She developed these large hole beads for me to put on bead crocheted ropes. They make great focal or slider beads and work well with my crochet work. Her newest work is in colors that I can't wait to work with, especially her multi-hole focal beads.


Now I can't wait to get my beading surface cleaned off and try out some ideas.

Creative Block

"Abulia" is a high-priced word for lack of willpower.

Claudia (who happens to live 2 towns over) mentioned it in her blog, which took me on a reading journey ....... it really hit home. I hadn't even looked at my beads, nor done any beading in over a month. My studio space needs re-organizing and put back together after the winter's living space projects done by others in my absence.

Overwhelming responsibilities has been cited as one possible cause of abulia. I think mine is overwhelming disorder..... Over the winter the stair railings got done and half of the finish flooring in my studio laid down. This meant that everything got moved out and the people doing the moving couldn't remember where things were so they just put things back - any old which way. As I started re-ordering things I decided to paint the bedroom and finish the bookcase wall under the stairs. I took apart the bookcase and piled everything in my work area. Once I had the totes of fabric out in the open I started sorting through them to see if I could reduce the volume of fabric - more piles. Then it was a search to replace the bricks with proper brackets for the bookcase and I made more piles of books and reference materials from the now defunct bookcase. When you live and work in 750 sq. ft. it's easy to let disorder quickly fill up every flat surface. Meanwhile I quit smoking and took up playing computer games to block out the mess and addictive cravings - and I've gotten nothing done. - It's a vicious circle! The worst is that I keep adding to the chaos, not ending it.

One beading friend suggested I dump a bunch of beads onto a plate and see where it takes me. This bead crochet project is what I should be working on as I need to get the second prototype done and instructions written on how to make the necklace.

And..... New Hampshire skies remain cloudy and rain is in the daily forecast. Just how much does the weather influence willpower?

from Arizona to New Hampshire

2,935 miles in 17 days

from dry, large sky in South East Arizona

to wet, tree closed hills of New Hampshire

I'm back in New Hampshire for the summer with my children and grandkids. The trip was fun, albeit long with a hairy end!

First stop ~ Dallas, TX: I visited with with Becky, a jewelry designer, and we made a trip to Sam Moon for fake hair, costume jewelry and handbags. No trip to Dallas is complete without stopping in to The Rock Barrell where I had to buy several strands of their close-out glass daggers from India. Suprisingly excellent quality pressed glass in mixed colors for under $3 a strand.

Second stop ~ Gilmer, TX: ...my home away from home with Marcie and Dave Fitzwater. Marcie is still recovering from a fall on the Bead Cruise and wasn't up to doing much this trip. It doesn't stop her from doing some of the most beautiful freeform bead work though. We did manage one quick trip to Hancock Fabrics to buy metallic embroidery thread for a new bead crochet necklace project. We laughed at ourselves as we separated 8 yards of embroidery thread into individual strands to string beads. It takes 2 people and a lot of arm waving and running around!

Third Stop ~ Memphis, TN: This was my beading visit of the trip with Mel, Medieval Needle. Her stitchery is something to behold. I'm in awe of what she can do with thread on fabric. While her husband painted the sunporch, we got out our beads and worked on projects. Mel finished a bracelet and made two more. I worked on several items that needed repair, tried a bracelet design that didn't quite work and finished my bead crochet necklace.

I did four even count peyote bands in matte black 8/0 beads and strung strands of red 6/0 beads between them. I used stretchy cord for the last set of strands thinking it would be enough to allow the bracelet to slip over the wrist.... didn't happen unless you are a 3 year old! So back to the drawing board on this one as I rather like the effect.

I finished my bead crochet necklace - designed from an idea I got from one purchased at Target. I used DMC polyester metallic embroidery thread and randomly strung a bead soup mix interspersed with 6mm red fire polished crystals.
I really like the added sparkle and color that the thread gives the piece. I need to apply some major adjustments to the next one and I think it will become a Bead Patterns item. I like the sparkle and fullness at a lighter weight and it would make a great project for those beginning bead crochet. It's composed of only a chain stitch with beads.

Fourth stop ~ Louisville, KY: a good visit with non-beading, but creative friends. We "did" the city, thrift stores, eateries and custom designed homes in way too short a time. I'm still tired thinking about all of the running around we did. I did tuck several bags of thrift store clothing finds into the nooks and crannies of the car.

Linda and Annette ( L to R in photo)took me to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for lunch. What a treat. I could hardly eat my lunch for looking at all of the fun and funky things all over the place. I chuckled at the hanging lamp made out of an old pair of pants covered with used tea bags.

Fifth Stop- Bluffton OH: Annette joined me in the car for the trip North to her home in Ohio. We had wanted to stop and see an arboretum, but the weather was too threatening to be walking around outside. The weather finally turned nice.... cool, bright sun, white fluffy clouds and a light breeze. I could have just sat on her porch with a cup of coffee, rocked and watched the corn grow. We did take time to visit the Toledo Museum of Art. Unfortunately the Libby Glass exhibit was not available - it is awaiting it's new home in a new building. I did see an Egyptian necklace that would look stunning if worn today. It's a beautiful inspiration for you polymer and wire artists. It just proves that if you wait long enough, everything comes back in style!

Annette's husband has ringed their field with bluebird houses. I had one of them take over my car mirrors as a perch. I'm not sure if this was the blue bird of happiness as I was unhappy having to do a bit of a cleaning down both sides of the car before I left!

Last stop ~ New Hampshire: Somewhere along the trip I must have annoyed the Fire Gods. I spent 2 hours stopped on the NY Thruway waiting for them to clear a 2-truck accident that had burned both semi's to a crisp.... then not 2 miles further was another truck fire that gave me another hour stopped on the thruway. The end of the trip on NY's mountain rte 7 & Vermont's Rte 9 saw a house fire that had traffic detoured up another mountain, around a second and down hairpin turns of a third. It wasn't fun with a great big truck right on my tail! When I got down to the Connecticut River Valley in VT, I stopped and let my nerves rest. I sure wish I'd had someone to call and say, "come get me!"

Now I have to put everything away and re-organize my Summer Studio so I can get some beading done. I have several things percolating away in my head from trip ideas. It's hard to take time for the mundane stuff when all you want to do is bead out new ideas.