Thrift Shop Find

I have been wanting a holder/stand for my beadrollers (graphite bead shapers for you non-bead makers) for a long time.  I have been wanting something that would keep them all neat in one place, and wouldn't take up too much space.

I was at a local thrift shop a few weeks ago and saw this old teaspoon rack and figured it would be just the thing - it cost a whole $1.00.  My husband cut out the middle row, reamed out the slots a little bit and hung it up for me.  The bead rollers all fit in sideways, and I can see the names I have printed on the sides, and it is just a few feet from my work table.  It is perfect - I love it!  We couldn't have made something better from scratch.  There is one slot left - I guess I need to purchase another roller now - lol!

Look Out - Coming Through!

Jackson just loves to steal Alley's ball - he is such a bad boy - lol.  He has so much fun stealing it and running off, and poor old girl, she doesn't know what has happened because she is blind - life is just not fair!  He usually gets tired of the game and drops it, and she has such a good nose that she can follow where he has gone with it, so she does get it back in the end and is so pleased with herself.

Sorry the pictures are a bit blurry, but he was moving fast!

Have a great day!

What's In A Name???

I think that I find naming my beads the hardest part of the whole process.  I just couldn't come up with a name for this set - so ended up naming it "Woodland" - not overly appropriate for this set, but that's what it ended up as.
Please accept my apologies for not posting very many new beads lately.  My  mother is in the hospital trying to recover from a stroke, so I am running up there most days to help her with eating etc.  Thankfully my sister lives here too, so we try to take turns.
I am not sure just how much beadmaking and blogging I will be able to do in the next few weeks - only time will tell.

WOODLAND

Thanks for looking!

Frosty Mornings - Brrrrrrr!

I have two new focals in my Etsy shop.  The beads were inspired by the frosty mornings I see out of my kitchen window - brrrrrrrrrr!

Thanks for looking!

A Room With A View

I am still playing with bright and happy summer colours.  I heard on the news yesterday that today is officially called "Blue Monday" because it is traditionally the day when people feel the most depression from winter - not sure where the statistics come from.  Anyway, this is my way to combat the winter blues.  Little colourful glass window frames, looking out onto abstract landscapes.

A Room With A View

This set can be found on my Etsy.  Thanks for looking!

I need Some Sun!

I really need some sun right about now - what about you?  I decided to use some bright colours and make a happy sunny set.  I have called it Summer Picnic.  Note that the blue is really a lovely cobalt blue, and is darker than the photo shows - at least on my monitor.   I have just listed this set on Etsy.

Thanks for looking!

New Sets

I have just added two new sets to my Etsy shop.  One is shown in a previous post - African Autumn (my customer took the other two :O), and the other is one of the Whispers sets.  Whispers is shown here.

Good night all!

Finally!

It has taken me 7 months of trial and error to finally repeat the colour I wanted from this glass.  The glass is by Double Helix and is called Terra2.  It is supposed to replace the original Terra, but just between us, it is actually quite different.  Hopefully I will be able to replicate the colour again - some times I wonder just how much the weather and atmospheric conditions contribute.  Not to mention the way you hold your mouth, the way you sit on the chair, etc - no, now I am just being silly - maybe!

Ocean Gifts

This set can be found on my Etsy.
Thanks for looking!

Etsy Re-Opening Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning (Monday Jan 10th) I will be re-opening my Etsy shop, and listing all my new beads.  There aren't as many as I had hoped/planned - you know, life just gets in the way sometimes!

Black and Tan

Thanks for looking!

Watercolours

I have been playing around with frit (crushed glass) lately, and have discovered a new way to apply it - well, it's new to me anyway.  I am really pleased with the way the beads are turning out - to me they look like tiny floral watercolour washes.

APRICOT ROSE

WATERCOLOUR PETALS, BLUE-GREEN

WATERCOLOUR PETALS - PINK

WATERCOLOUR PETALS - GREEN

I'll be listing these and lots more in my Etsy shop on Monday morning.  Thanks for looking!

The Best Laid Plans . . . .

I was making the second group of beads for my custom order, and I think I must have picked up the wrong rod of glass.  Either that or it was a different batch (kind of like the wrong dye lot).   The picture below is what it was "supposed" to look like - the set is called "Whisper".  However the greyish glass turned all blotchy, and really quite ugly.  Oh well, I will try again tomorrow with a different glass. 
Today I am going to start on my crocheted afgan with the yarn that I posted about earlier.

Have a great week!

Custom Order Beads

This October I received a request to make a set of my "African Autumn" beads.  I told the customer that they wouldn't be ready until the new year - so here they are - I thought you might like a preview.  I am pleased with how they have turned out.  I wonder which set she will pick?

                                                                            Set "A"

Set "B"

Set "C"

Now I have to make the "Whispers" set she also ordered - stay tuned!