I almost got this written this afternoon except my Boyfriend yelled that he could see smoke and a possible fire across the wash from the house. Right now it's so dry and brush fires in Arizona can quickly burn out of control. Stay tuned for an update.....
As I was cleaning up the studio work table to host a couple of visiting bead people, I threw all larger loose beads onto a tray.
I kept thinking, "what a nice combination."
The idea bulb went on...... I'd clean a bit, string a few beads from the tray, put a few beads away and string a few more beads.
A messy work surface does say creativity, doesn't it? Grab the crochet hook and see what it looks like as a single crocheted chain.
Not bad....
I'll unravel this first attempt as I need to figure out how to even out the chain tension. Some areas bunch up into over large picots and others have too much cord showing between beads.
I think it's a quick, fun way to use up odds and ends of beads and add some fun to an outfit.
It's about 10 days to leaving for New Hampshire for the summer. Please tell me the snow and mud season has left the East Coast.
Given what needs to be done before packing the car, I've put the moth sculpture away for 6 months. I did see an oriental running stitch quilting technique that might look great on these wings.
Well.... the moth project is now packed away for after Thanksgiving when I get back to Arizona. For the moment all of the pieces and odd other bits are in one box waiting.
I unearthed another project that needs more research. I was playing with the possibility of paper jewelry and put it aside when I noticed that the edges of the paper were badly fraying. I need to find a sealant for the paper that leaves it still feeling like paper and not stiff wood. This took me back to my summer camp days. Did you ever make lanyards as a child?
I'll have an idea, try it, reject it and put the project tray aside for another while. The potato starch was interesting, but what a mess it made. I would have been better off making potato soup with it.
You sure can find a lot of possibilities waiting to happen when you deep clean a studio. Let's see... there are 2 sliced up billiard balls, a box of rusty flea market keys, Arizona Artifacts waiting to be made into a unique pendant, A bead crochet large cuff bracelet waiting for more pieces of rope, and tubes of seed beads everywhere.
Then as I was sorting out an attic box I found my inherited purse - It does glitter very nicely - I guess I do have an odd piece here and there of blingy, faceted glittering stones.
Patterns & Graphing went out of print last year and I've finally gotten a printed republished edition up on Amazon.
A couple of years along now with a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis, I am back to being semi-useful, functional. Sixty eight years of a very active lifestyle changed to one where I have to carefully plan what and where I am going to do day by day. Medications have helped enough so that I can enjoy my beads once again. I won't bore you with any of the details, but my blog posts will probably be sporadic.
