February Bead Journal Project

Ah, February - it was a short month, and flew by quickly. I didn't finish this until last weekend, and I still have March to start. February is a dancer. She is a glass piece by Ann Hoke, from Oregon. I beaded her arms and then attached her and all her fancy hair to the orange background. She's joyful, playful and a happy piece to look at.

Joe's Spirit Doll

Joe is a co-worker of mine at the hospital. He and his wife are in the process of trying to adopt a baby from Vietnam. This is a picture of the spirit doll (a class that I took years ago from Robin Atkins through the Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild) that I have made for them - with all sorts of Eastern good luck charms on it. The vines represent a "growing" family.

Joe, I hope that the adoption is successful. You are a great guy.

Whew!

Finished putting up pictures on the GLBG 2008 Bead Daze classes that were held in February. As computer un-savvy that I am, I think that I am doing okay with the web site. I try and keep it as updated as I can.....

The above picture shows bead artist, Rachel Nelson-Smith and a very clear diagram showing a precise thread path. Clear as mud??

Schwartzenbeader Blog

Check out Sue's Blog about the Round Robin Project!

Urchin Bead with Lentils

Look what I did to Marcia DeCoster's urchin bead! I took out the 3mm crystal and added a small lentil bead in a coordinating color!

Loomatics Round Robin Project

I am really excited about this project. The Loomatics are a study group of the Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild and we are working on a round robin project. This is something new for us and I know that every piece is going to turn out wonderfully! Above are two pieces that I have worked on. I know that you can't tell what they are, but I don't know if they read my blog.

Basically, we all started with a design on a piece of fabric to work our bead embroidery on and we beaded a portion of it. Then we hand our treasure off to the next person. My piece started on it's journey with Madeline, then onto the next person. We won't see the piece until this time next year. We are allowed to put some guidelines for the other beaders (no pink, no flowers, no penis beads, etc), but once the project is out of our hands - we have no control.

When we meet on a monthly basis, we talk about our work and our visions. The person who "owns" the piece leaves the room for a couple of minutes to let the beader of the month talk about it. The laughter that comes from the room really makes you wonder "what are they doing to my beadwork?" but I know that it's going to turn out wonderful because I know that none of the women involved would do anything ugly or hateful.

I've had Sue's and Deb's work come through me and added my little touches to their visions. Because of my sense of humour, and the fact that I started off with a moose, I know that mine is going to have little pieces of my personality through it and I can't wait for it to be finished!

p.s. It's pronounced "loom-a-tics" with the emphasis on the loom, not loo-matics.

Bead Daze Classes in Michigan

As a member of the Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild, I have the opportunity to work with some phenomenal bead artists such as Dallas Lovett, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Huib Petersen, Marcia DeCoster and Stephanie Eddy. The Guild just sponsored 4 days of intense beading classes for its members.

I volunteered to be classroom monitor (classroom 'ho, classroom angel, classroom assistant will all work) for Marcia DeCoster. I worked with her last year and learned so much from her, that I was very excited to have this chance again.

I had my friends Sharon Hessoun and Maggie McCloud come up from Ohio to stay with me and take classes. We spend the evenings around the dining room table, talking, giggling and ..... well, you had to be there.

The guild members that I have had a chance to talk with all really seemed to enjoy all the classes that were offered. Linda and I chatted a bit this morning - I think that we will talk about them for a couple of months, especially as our projects are completed.

Being the over achiever that I am, I just finished my Etruscean Treasurenecklace, which is something that I normally wouldn't ever make or wear - it's very polished and proper - not something that the "Bad Liz" would have on. But it's gorgeous! I love it. Silver and purple - dainty, little peyote bands on the armature - so not my style. I'll edit a post and let you all know what my co-workers have to say when I wear it tomorrow. My only decision - cream or pale pink turtleneck?

Bead Daze is a week of classes that are so wonderful that I wish that I could have cloned myself to be in all the classrooms.

(The only downside of the whole week was that I had to report for jury duty on Thursday morning, but I wasn't wanted - the only time in life that you don't want to be wanted. I was in class by 12:30 p.m.!)

p.s. Vicki - thanks for the conversation hearts - they really are my favorites!!

Amerika revisited.

The Amerika's was started back in April, and I started working on it again when I finished Soraksan Dragon last week. This will be the largest tapestry that I work on at 8.5 by 17 inches.

I still need to work on my February Bead Journal Piece.....but this UFO (un-finished object) told me it was ready to be picked up again.

Soraksan Dragon

I love this piece.

Especially when I know that it's from a photo that I took

during a trip of a life time.

I started on November 2, 2007

I finished on February 8, 2008

with approximately 240 hours.

It's 7.75 inches by 13 inches.

I used seed beads, in size 11 and 15s.

I used a few pearls and some vintage sequins.

Playing with Wire

That's wire, not fire.
This is a bead that I received in a Focal bead swap on my recent bead cruise.
Looks good to me.....

Beady Friends Bead Cruise – January 2008

With temperatures in Michigan hovering in the teens (or lower), it was a perfect time to go on a cruise with 18 of us – bead crazed babes and hubby. Poor guy! Although it is funny that one of the woman asked a friend of mine if that was the same husband that I had last year (he is – he’s lost 30 pounds and cut 14 inches off his hair). We left out of Fort Lauderdale and headed to ports in Jamaica and Grand Caymans.

Shelley, Lynn, Estelle, Sharon, Terri, Mikee (all from Ohio), Deb, Sherry (both from Virginia) Brenda, Tina (both from Florida), Marie-Minnesota, Caroline-New Mexico, Carol, Margaret (both from Chicago area), Connie, Jennifer (sorry, I don’t know where they are from!) , Jill and myself (both from Michigan) were eager participants.

Our first day on the Navigator of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), we had workshops, not organized classes. This was really good for those who wanted to have a spa treatment or hang out in the pool, or just bead on their own. Our “goodie bags” were fill of items donated by different vendors/companies in the bead world – Bead and Button publications, Beady Eye Girl, (remind me to fill in more names).

In Jamaica, there were several members that decided to go on the White River raft trip – Estelle, Margaret, Sherry, Sharon, Alan, me, Deb, Brenda and Tina – what a cool trip. We had a guide named Clayton who gave us a little history of the area. He did little to dispel the myth that Jamaicans say “yah Mon” after every sentence (although I wonder if he did it for us tourists). We were all outfitted with a life vest, jumped in a tube in a cool Jamaican stream, and away down the river. Some of the rapids were a good white water, some were ripples. We laughed and sang our way down the river.

Being that Alan and I do a tubing trip in Michigan every year for 4 hours – this 1.5 hour trip seemed way to short. But at the end of the raft trip in Michigan there isn’t a fully stocked bar with double shots!

Following that trip, we ended up back at the port where Estelle, Sharon, Shelley, Alan and I had lunch – which included a Red Stripe beer. I couldn’t leave Jamaica without having a local beer. As we were getting back on the ship, a few raindrops came out of the sky – just like the country was sad that we were leaving.

The next morning we found ourselves in the Grand Caymans – beautiful blue seas!!! We got on the tender for a little shopping and then joined our excursion on the Nautilus – a semi-submersible boat with huge windows. We toured over a couple of shipwrecks, and coral reefs to an area where we could snorkel. I enjoyed this, but since I couldn’t wear my glasses, I don’t know if I would do this again. I came out with a monster headache – partly because I had to squint to see anything, and partly because I was hungry. After our return to shore, we decided to head to lunch (we being Lynn, Caroline, Mikee, Terri, Alan and I) at Senor Frogs – great nachos, large enough for 3-4 people. Also, it had great cocktails!!!

Our dinners were reserved for the later dinner – which I think we learned that we didn’t care for as much as an earlier dinner. Several nights we ate at the buffet, which is where we learned that they have SUSHI every night. Open beading went on several nights until midnight or later. Many people went dancing and drinking in the evenings.

I sincerely enjoyed myself – as I have every bead cruise that I have gone on. I know that I got to know many of the beaders better this year.

Also, this year, I have inducted Lynn and myself to the “baby bling” category of jewelry buyers – this just means that we purchased jewelry, but not enough to be in the “Bling Diva” section of the cruisers!!!

January Bead Journal Project

January 2008.

I was on a cruise with a bunch of bead crazy women.

I picked up the little dolls in the Grand Caymans.

Along with the shells and starfish.

So, imagine yourself walking along the beach.

Sunset behind you a delicious magenta colour.

The perfect end to a perfect trip.

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.....