Bead Journal - August Progress

OK, it's past the middle of September and I'm just now getting the background onto my August page. It took a lot of looking in my stash of beads to come up with a background that satisfied me and didn't detract from the flames. "Should be a night sky", said I to self..... Then waffled and tried neutral grays, creams, bright blues and even stark white. I'm happy with the variegated, muted color I did settle on. I may still use a lighter color from the top down to give it some added dimension. All, in all, I'm quite pleased with the new things I tried in this piece and how they are working out.

NHBS Fall Retreat

These beautiful beads obviously had my name on them. I picked them up and put them back three times ..... the fourth time I gave in and bought them. Ellen is one of my favorite glass bead artists and every fall at the NHBS Retreat, I have the opportunity to add something to my collection.

In September the NH Bead Society has a Retreat at Geneva Point on the lake and it's a chance to bead, visit, bead, giggle and bead with some of the members for two to three days. This year, I managed to arrive just in time for dinner on Friday night. It's a beautiful setting with a large comfortable room to set up your beading projects and supplies. The nice thing is that nobody has to cook as we can just walk up the hill to the main lodge for cafeteria-style meals.

We don't plan any workshops or classes, but just work on our own projects. Anyone who wants help with something asks and more than one member will chime in with hints, helpful suggestions or even supplies. This year Jo Tong did an impromptu demo and instructions on getting your needle and mind around RAW (Right Angle Weave). The drawings on the easel looked like some nightmare football diagram!


One of the nicest things about a bead retreat like this is the sharing that goes on. See Pam's chicken necklace.... Well she said, "it needs something." Something it got as one member added some larger black beads, another said, "try these larger yellow beads", someone else said, "graph an egg to put on the bottom" - creative collaboration is ever so much fun!




What is a bead retreat without beads? We are lucky to have two great bead stores that help feed our need for beads.




Donna from Bead It! in Concord had part of her store there.









Jo brought many of her Earth Treasures with her.

Bead Journal - July

July's Bead Journal Page is Done!

Celebrate Summer" is finally done, except for the backing. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to mount all 12 pieces. Until I figure that out I can't add the printed "ATC" cards to the back and edge the pieces.


July's significance is twofold... One being the bugs (pretty & annoying) that Summer brings to the North East. The second was a case of hives that started out with me thinking "bugs" - bedbugs, fleas or some other small biting insects having breakfast on my body.

I'm very pleased with the way it turned out and like the simplicity of the piece compared to the abundance of beads in June's page. It was hard to leave the metallic background showing and not bead very inch of it. The dangle on this one is a chain with flower beads. I did wire wrapped bead charms with a mix of glass flowers and leaves.

To follow the course of just my Bead Journal Pages use the label "bead journal".

Bead Journal - August

Oh My ~ It Worked!!

I woke up at 3 AM with an inspired idea.... how to do the bottom of my August page in a way that looked like "glowing embers". Never mind that I really need to put legs on my July Bug... I just had to see if this idea worked like I thought it would.

I took size 8/0 matte black beads and stitched them down with a center selection of silver-lined red, orange and blue Delicas. I was working on this at a weekly bead get-together 3 towns over and kept saying, "see, it's looking just like what I had in mind!" It's always exciting to have an idea come out like what you can see in your mind's eye. Unfortunately, the camera really doesn't pick up those flashes of bright, sparkly color on top of the black beads. I really does look like the last embers of a fire going out.

Now, I really do have to get back to putting legs on my Red and Blue July Bug. I've got 3 days left to finish July and August if I want to catch up.