Beady Friends Cruise returns home

A few of the participants line up for a photo.

Liz, Marie and Estelle in front
Sharon, Mikee, Terri, Caroline, Carol and Margaret behind.

December Bead Journal Project

I am almost finished with December's Bead Journal page,

so I thought that I would post it.

I just need to complete the black picot edging.

Knowing, me, I will continue with the peyote bands

until the fabric is just a hint of what's underneath.

My inspiration was from the bright green fabric

and the glow-in-dark face that my friend Audrey made

(I think it was Audrey) several years ago.

I plan on taking my January page

on my BeadyFriends Bead Cruise

when we leave on January 19th.

This is a 5-night cruise of the Western Caribbean

with ports of call in the Grand Caymans and Jamaica.

I'm very excited as I haven't been to those

ports again.

And I do work to support my vacation habits.

(My other blog!)

Korean dragon - progress report

The Korean/Soraksan Dragon continues.

I've had some progress since my last picture.

Decision time approaches for the background colour.

Pale blue or continue the green colour?

Decisions, decisions.

I've said the pale blue since I started, but looking at the photo

again, the green is the background colour.

Beady Friends Cruise leaves on January 19th from Fort Lauderdale.

It's a different one from last year.

The last two years I went on this cruise: Bead Cruise

It's a great cruise, with formal classes, etc.

But this year, if I was going to cruise,

I needed to find something less expensive.

After all Michigan's economy does suck.

A friend told me about this cruise: Beady Friends Cruise.

It's less expensive, doesn't have the "famous" teachers or formal classes.

It features workshops by Caroline Beihl, Sherry Grove,

Connie Harty, Sharon Hessoun and Liz Thompson

Wait a minute....that's me!

The Bad Liz...

How on earth did I get roped into teaching a workshop on Bead Embroidery?

After all, my friends know that I hate bead embroidery.

(I learned to never say that I hate something,

because your friends don't let you forget it.)

More Dogs.....

When I sit in my studio and work on my beading,

there is usually one or two dogs under my feet.

After all, it is right near a heat vent, and the dogs aren't stupid

(they stay with me, don't they?).

Last night, I looked down and saw a "ball of dogs"

Casie (brown) was curled up, with Molly on her butt.

Chloe (in the middle), with her head on both of the dogs.

Just give me a big "Awwwwwwwwww" and I will be happy.

Less than two weeks to the cruise....

Korean Dragon will continue into the new year

Yes, I have continued to work on this piece.

I've been working on the green background and getting into some of the white.

I've also been working on a round robin project for the group, the "loomatics"

which are a study group from the Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild.

Most of us are GLBG members, and a few friends. That's my gang of

beaders in the top photo!

I started with Sue's piece and it's ready to be handed off the the next person.

And I am way to early - I think that it moves on in February!!

And I have been working on another Urchin Lariat from Marcia Decoster's pattern.

I do love it, but need to find the last piece so I can finish it. I did take a couple of liberties

with the pattern, but as this is for me, I think it should be okay.

November dreams - Flowers!

What?? Flowers from Liz? My goodness, who are you and what have you done to her?

Liz is so not a flower person, and yet, she's beaded a November piece with

beautiful watermelon tourmaline and seed beads.

I love watermelon tourmaline and these beads used to live in a bracelet that I made

and didn't like.

I couldn't have them living in a bracelet that I didn't wear!

They needed sunshine, spirit and the right project.

November field of flowers brought to you by the Bad Liz.

(The real Liz will return next month, not that you will notice a difference)

Wire Pendant and Holiday earrings.

I don't play with wire very much, but I wanted to play with this idea that was in my head. What do you think (especially Kat - who does wonderful wire work)?

I also made up some Christmas earrings for a friend and my step mother - just little things that I thought were cute.

Korean Dragon continues again

Do I really need to say much - I really like the progress that I have done so far. This could be my favorite piece, if I continue the way that I have.....

Korean Dragon continues

My dragon from Korea is beginning to take shape. I'm happy with the pearls and orange on the forehead. I like the goldstone "horns" and the nose came out really great. The swoops in the background will be shades of green as seen in the picture below.

I'm currently working on the eyebrows and the eyes. I really LOVE the way that this piece is working out.

Korean Dragon

I am working on this also - it's a temple dragon taken from a photo that I took in Korea in 1999.

Have to blow.....

...my own horn here. Here I am with my boot-leg photo (there was a "No Photography" sign) of four of my seven pieces in the Down River Council of the Arts (DCA) show. I took my husband to the show last weekend to see a large collection of Barb "Bent Needle" Davis - her beadwork is awesome! As soon as we have photos from the collection for the web page, I will post in the link. But here are four of my pictures - Lord Ganesha, Allah, Star of David and Om. I am very proud of the way that they look - like real art.

What next??

Not that I don't have about 4 projects going - ones that I actively work on, but I am thinking, thinking thinking.... I've been looking at pictures of my dog Molly. Molly is the amusing, lovable, entertaining dog and would be good to put in a bead embroidery piece. I have several pictures of Molly that would be good. Above is Molly and my niece, Isabel's feet. Below is Santa Molly - which would be cute, but I don't think that I can leave it out year round....

I'm certain that one of these days, the picture will just JUMP out at me, like Casie on the Rocks did.

Another another starfish

So now I have a little starfish with arms (or legs) about 2.5 inches long - that's better (and much quicker)! I did a row of purple beads up each leg (or arm), to give it a little more body. The center worked out exactly the same as the last one that I did - with using RAW, and a count of 5 beads. I still don't know what stitch that would be. It's not exactly RAW, and it's not chevron, but something between them. I don't know - Liz's stitch?

Another starfish

I worked on this most of the week. I still used the chopsticks for the legs and they are slightly shorter, but I adapted the middle and it worked much nicer. Now, to write up the directions. Yikes! That's the hard part for me......I am not a technical writer. I used RAW in the middle, but actually used it with a group of five beads, instead of four. Is that still RAW?

September refinished.....

I didn't give up, I did it again with slightly different colors. That was only because with the mess on my desk, I couldn't find the ones that I used the first time. I left the bit that Chloe didn't eat, because that's now the history of the piece. It's cute. I decided to leave the piece the way that the dog left it, with the roving pulled out a little.

It's taught me to put my beading away - in a box or drawer.

October Bead Journal Project.....

Dear Cristina: My goodness I miss talking with you. The office just isn't the same since you left last June - was it June? How much longer until you and Deep come back to Detroit??? You brought these little doves back from Peru and told me to make something with them. They have been sitting on my work bench, until I grabbed them a couple of weeks ago and started working with them.

I wish you and Deep all the happiness that I have had in my marriage. I hope that your bad days are just seconds compared to days and weeks and months of happiness.

When I first learned that you and Deep were a couple, I thought "Deep? And Cristina? No way" But after getting to know you during your chief year, I realized that it wasn't as silly as I thought that it was.

Hurry back to Michigan, don't be sad to leave Nebraska. It's getting lonely!!

Moose with a Rose

I'm doing a couple of bead embroidery pictures for Jeanette Shanigan for her bead quilt. She has a rose theme this year. Roses. Me? I can't do flowers. So I did a moose with a rose in it's mouth. What do you think?

September after......

....ah, new dog, I just wanted to throttle her, but she doesn't know what she did. She's just 1 1/2 years old and this piece just smelled to good so she jumped on the dining table and ate it. My bead journal piece for September was no match for Chloe, the rat terrier/Jack Russell mix that was adopted two weeks ago. I get to start again......

September finished early

Just something a little different for Liz. I felted some wool on the Pellon backing. I had a wishbone from Thanksgiving several years ago - I guess I do save this junque for a reason! I covered the wishbone with right angle weave in three colors and mounted that on the felted Pellon. Simple. Clean. I really like the simplicity of this month.

September teaser

Any guesses?

Bead Journal Teaser for September

Working on a start for September. I lied. I lied. I am working with size 15 seeds in RAW. Marcia - look what you have done to me!!! I don't know if it's the size 15s, the RAW, the DeCoster patterns that I have come to love or just what I am doing for September. It's different. Very different.

August Bead Journal Page - finished (at last)

Whew - I was worried!! I didn't think that it would be done. Even finished the 3-bead picot around the edge. I like the fact that the design is fairly simple. Done all in beads from my vintage/antique purse. Now, my idea for September? Not going to tell you. Different, I think.

August Bead Journal Page - continue

As I bead this journal page, there is a little song that goes through my mind. It's the song from the "Wizard of Oz" movie - not my most favorite movies, but one that I do enjoy watching every year. Some childhood memories die hard, don't they?

You're out of the woods
You're out of the dark
You're out of the night
Step into the sun, step into the light
Keep straight ahead
For the most glorious place
On the Face of the Earth
Or the sky

Hold onto your breath
Hold onto your heart
Hold onto your hope
March up to the gate
And bid it open

It shouldn't be took much longer - just a couple of evenings. Then I can start on September, which is just a vision in my head. Especially since I lost my note with my "most brilliant idea" - that's a bummer.

But the end is in sight and the dog wants out.

Herringbone colours

Quite a story with this necklace. I think that I started it in 2003 or 2004 after the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee. I bought a kit from Buy the Kit and started working on it. I love the lariat that designer Nikia Angel made with it. After 19 inches, I just didn't like doing it! It sat in my stack of UFO's (Un Finished Objects) for several years.

In late July, I went to my friend's house in Ohio and met up with several beaders who have been on the Bead Cruise with me. They saw the piece and ooohed and aaahed over it. Now this is a piece that I took with me because I was going to take it apart and reuse the beads!!! Estelle, Shelly and Lynn - I finished it over the weekend and I am going to try and sell it at the Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild Bead Bonanza on October 14th. I wouldn't have finished it at all, if you hadn't threatened me with bodily harm!! Thanks!

Casie on the Rocks - Finished!

I was camping in northern Michigan (well, it was actually Mid-state, in West Branch, but anything past mile market 200 on I-75 equates to being "Up-north") for the last 8 days. What great weather - not too hot, not too chilly, just wonderful.

My beads and I did a lot of work this week. I finished "Casie on the Rocks" while sitting in the sunshine, watching Casie and Molly check out all the dogs that walked by their jail - er, pen.

I'm pretty pleased with the way that this piece turned out - I might do a little more on the rocks, but then again, I might not. I used an adaptation of the Nepal or Biva chain to add textural leaves to the piece.

Casie on the Rocks - part 5

My work on "Casie on the Rocks" has continued this week. I promised myself that I would complete some projects before I start something new. I have been working on the rocks - browns and greys, with a little black thrown in. I also re-beaded Casie's one leg - the back one that is to the right. I didn't like the other texture and colour that I beaded it in, so out it went. The new one, on the left looks better.

Progress!!

August Bead Journal Page

This is the start of my August Bead Journal Page. I am using size 20 seed beads from a vintage bag that was just shredding. I've been taking the bag apart slowly - even though almost 1/2 the bag was missing, there are still a lot of beads, especially the "dirty" grey colour for the background. I like the start of this project.

Guesses, part drei

Well? I used mostly orange size 11 seed beads, with an occasional purple bead. My inspiration was an orange and purple starfish picture that I found on the internet. I worked the legs in right angle weave around a chopstick, with decreases along the stick. It's drapy and flowing and just really fun.

Go Me!!!

Dear DCA/GLBG Art Show Participant:

Thank you for sending in your application(s) to contribute your beautiful art work to this show. It has been very exciting to review all the submissions, which are a great representation of the talent this Guild has. What a tough choice to pick the show pieces! In order to display a variety of artwork, we selected a range of beadwork types/styles from embroidery to jewelry to sculptural.

We are happy to inform you that the following item(s) of yours will be shown at DCA/GLBG exhibit in late October, early November 2007:

• "phases of the moose"
• 'intermoosal relations"
• "lord ganesha"
• "om"
• "mayan god"
• "allah"
• "star of david"

Downriver Council for the Arts (DCA) and Home Gallery

I might become "somebody"!!!

Guesses, part dieux

It's more than the last picture......

The Loomatics continue to meet in Michigan

A nice Friday evening in Dearborn Heights! The Loomatics study group of the Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild continues another summer. In this picture are: Diane, Madeline, Sue, Linda, Sandy, Liz, Jeanette and Sharon. Once a month we meet for a nice evening of beading, socializing, man bashing, ghost stories, truths, lies and everything in between. Tamaya, who is also a member, was unable to attend this night - (but with a little baby - has a good excuse for missing the fun) and Deb was off probably photographing Rick Springfield!

Guesses, please?

This is the start of a project in orange and purple right angle weave. What is it?

Urchin bead

Following instructions from Marcia Decoster's lariat, I have a sea urchin of unusual colours living at my home. It will end up hanging from a silver chain. I used lime green, peacock blue seed beads and tourmaline 3mm swarovski crystals. It's yummy!!

Bead Journal July - finished

This is my finished square for the month of July - it's the Big Dipper and the North Star in a field of the Milky Way. I was inspired by all the stars that my husband and I see when we go camping in Northern Michigan - away from the lights of Detroit, you can actually see a lot. I used shades of blue and silver size 15 seed beads for this month. The "stars" in the dipper are pearls. The finishing touch will be a 3-bead picot around the sides. I like the flow of the sky, the whorls of the dark sky, so very typical of a July night.

Bead Journal July

Working on it slowly, but I have managed a couple of hours over the weekend. The milky way is giving me a headache, but the majority of the people that I showed it to knew what I was doing.

Busy, busy, busy....

....I haven't even done my housework (which won't surprise any of my friends), but I have been beading. Working on my July piece for the bead journal, finishing the previous piece (Urchin by Marcia Decoster), and the current piece - Crayon Colours. The beads are Bellisimo beads that I learned from Marcia - and tubular netting over a plastic tube. The spacer beads are from Trudy E. Barnes - Trudy's Colour Creations (trudysbeads@kc.rr.com) which I purchased at Bead and Button in Milwaukee, WI in June. What do you think?

Good Wednesday to you......

....I haven't been working on my BJP, but still have a good headway on July's page. I hope to get back to it over the weekend. At this time, we have no weekend plans (and would like to keep it this way, but you never know).

I have had time to finish a Marcia Decoster Urchin Lariat - and I think it's wonderful. I think with enough time, I might actually become a fan of RAW....

The weather has improved, it's been in the 90's, and today, the upper 70's with a great breeze. Tonight, I am off to my friend Sandy's house for several hours of beading bliss.

Alas, no progress pictures this time

What have I been working on? I have been making components of a Marcia Decoster lariat, that are looking pretty good! I have been working on my bead journal piece for July, it's just over half done and I like the look of it. I've ideas for many more of them and have been writing them down so that I can remember what I thought about.

I was out on Friday with my Loomatic buddies in Ypsilanti at Stony Creek Bead and Gallery for our monthly hang out. Sue Schwartzenberger offered the classroom at the store to hang out in, have dinner, do some beading. She has a really nice store - and it's closer than Ann Arbor, and might be closer than Pam's Bead Garden in Plymouth (in these days of $3.00 or more a gallon of gas, that is important).

I've been doing a lot of gardening - I do like being out there in the sun and just hanging with the girls and working on my skin cancer (just kidding, I take precautions - my father's skin cancer taught me that). I harvested a ton of bamboo stakes this year, I must have 30-40 of them. It's nice strong stakes that I am getting now. Some of the bamboo is over 18 feet tall. Wonderful!!

It's been a nice summer - good temps, good sun factor, almost enough rain. Let's hope it continues.....

Bead - A - Day Calendar

Hi!

Let me introduce myself: My name is Sharon Hessoun and I’ve been a bead and wire artist for about 17 years. There’s not much that I don’t like about beads and wire, but I have a particular passion for knitting wire and love off-loom beadweaving.

I’m very happy to be the new Editor for the Beading Bead – A – Day Calendar and I’m in the process of compiling the 2009 edition. Believe it or not, the 2008 calendar has been printed and will be arriving in your local bookstores within the month!

The 2009 calendar will have different projects and inspiration pieces from the 2007 and 2008 editions, as well as basic instructions in numerous techniques. If you have a project that you’d like to have considered for inclusion in the 2009 calendar, please contact me at calendar09@gmail.com .

Don’t be shy! This is a great way to get your work “Out There”! If your work is included, you’ll receive a free copy of the calendar as your payment, along with your contact information published with your project!

I hope to hear from many of you with projects and inspiration pieces to consider! There are a lot of days in a year!

Sharon Hessoun
Beadecked and Beaddicted
www.beadeckedonline.com
calendar09@gmail.com

Bead and Button 2007

I'm home, safe and sound. I took the train again this year and really enjoy that mode of travel. Several persons who read my blog mentioned that they wanted to see my haul of beads. I was very good this year, I stayed WAY under my budget and I am happy with what I did buy. I think that the scare with my hubby becoming one of the unemployed scared me earlier and I didn't want to spend just to spend. Here are some of my pictures.

This is Abigail and Anne at the Intercontinental Hotel's Chocolate Bar. It looked so good, but I behaved myself. I had a bite or three of a sugar free dessert that Julie ordered.

This is unusual for me. I usually just buy, but here, I have an idea in the back of my head....

Rosanne and Bev had to make certain to run into me for this bottle of ale - Moose Drool! We didn't have much time this trip, but we did spend a lot of time with each other on the Bead Cruise in March.

June Bead Journal 2007

First month has been finished - pretty much. I am going to sew moose charms at the bottom. Now this month wasn't a stretch for me. This was my start. I wanted to start with my comfort zone - where I am and what I know. I thought that this was going to be a good place to start.

Teaser 2

Gods, I am awful, aren't I?? I am leaving for Bead and Button on Thursday morning, and don't believe that I will have time to make another post before I leave on the morning train. So this is what you will get until I return with all my goodies from Milwaukee.

Bead Journal - Teaser

Bead Journal - I have been thinking about this project for a while. I have a shape down, and some colours (or color for you non-Canadiens out there). Here is just a hint of a tease......Started working on one square - it's early, that I know......