Bead Hoarders Blog Hop 2

It has been a very long time since I participated in a blog hop.

 An international move was a real upset to my creative mojo.

My new space is ready for work. 

 Doesn't look much different than my set up in Oki does it?

This time it's not crammed in front of a door in my bedroom.

I have my own space. 

And Boy! What a lot of space.

Yep, I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

 (Please feel free to share your ideas to finish the space.)

I swear my space must be too clean or something because all I do 

is work on a small project, finish it and clean it up.

That is NOT my process.

I've been creating since I was little girl, and for as long 

as I've had a stash (or hoard) of crafting supplies

I sit down to start a project and by the middle 

I've pulled supplies for at least 3 more projects and

by the end I've probably already finished a smaller project or two

that I hadn't even thought of when I sat down.

THAT is how I work.

I hope it's how I will eventually work here.

I have high hopes.

 When we first moved in (a month before our furniture arrived)

one of my father-in-laws brought me an assortment of plastic beads. 

I sat with them completely zoned in until this happened.

 

Oh geese, enough about me. 

Why are we here? The fantastic Lori has brought us all together again. 

Why?

To finally use all those amazing beads we keep looking at, but never use.

Boy do I have those, but with holidays surrounding today I took a more sentimental approach.

I have a only two dear friends who send me beads. One sent me a collection of pearls years ago.

So I created this perfect accent to my holiday spirit.

I still have 4 more colors to play with so more of Tina's pearls are in my future 

now that they've finally made their way to my bead mat.

My favorite piece for this project was a kit that my husband bought me

 for Christmas the first year we were in Oki. Like now 

the move had left money really tight, but he found 

the money to surprise me.

At the time I thought it was too difficult for me. Honestly it probably was. 

I'm thrilled to now wear this symbol of my husband's love for me and support of my creativity.

 Love those designs that are also gorgeous on the back!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the participants. I'm sure there will be TONS of eye candy.

Head over to Lori's to check out the list. After 4 tries to share the list here with only wonk-a-doodle results so I'm going to just let you use her fully functional list.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad you did.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Holidays!

Back in the Game!

I just signed up for my first blog hop since we moved. 

Now to sort my bead table and rediscover all my pretties. 

I'm so excited!

Head on over and sign up too.

http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2014/11/ready-for-2nd-annual-bead-hoarders-blog.html 

We all have pretty beads wishing to become our statement holiday jewels.

Let's get them ready to shine.

Back to Beading...Finally!

I've joined 3 local groups here in my new stateside home, and 

yesterday I met the local "bead society" group.

So in the new year I see joining a 4th.

1st duo project

I also found the local bead store this week which offers free 

classes as long as you buy $20 in supplies any day you take a class. 

NOT a problem!

Here's the large hole beaded bead she drew me a pattern for during my first visit.

If I ever get my beads unpacked I'm going to make a pair of these for my Nomades bracelet.

At the meeting we had a few tips on peyote 

for those who are putting off the bead it forward inches. 

I have been putting them off for YEARS.

http://bead-it-forward.com/

I didn't realize how many times the bead it forward project had changed hands.

I am thrilled that the kind and wonderful Amy Severino has taken on the project. 

TIP: Add a line of Xs then a line of Os to stay on the right row.

Apparently the Bead Society of Slidell turned in the most for the state of Louisiana last year with the lady sitting to my right turning in 31 alone. She already had a dozen out on the table for this year. My new friend, the super beader, is desperately seeking more animal patterns. So if you have them please share so I can pass them on.

I spent the entire day yesterday online looking for patterns for her and I ran across several programs that let you create your own. The only one I could get to work for this is $50 so I'm trying to decide if I'll use it enough to afford the cost.

my attempt at zebra print

So back to beading an all is right with the world. 

How's your week gone?

I do hope well.

:)

Who's There

TGIF Baby! Whew what a week.

I'm finally getting my new craft space set up 

enough to walk in so of course I set to making something.

 It's a big pinterest win for me.

I haven't had a door I could hang a wreath on in at least 7 years 

so I went to pinterest to see what's new and found this:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/42925002674448903/

I didn't read the instructions, but the supply list is excellent.

I went to Hobby Lobby, Micheal's and Jo-Anns and couldn't find this boa color. 

Bright side since it's so late in the season all the face and feet bits were 40% off.

I was hoping to leave it out till Thanksgiving, but mine's a lovely 

first attempt at a wreath after all these years.

Oh and best bit I live in Mardi Gras mecca 

so I got the boas at $3.25 each at Mardi Gras Imports. 

Yep, that's the everyday price. I may have to work with more boas while I'm here.

Outside Mardi Gras Imports "We Love Tourists...They're Delicious"

I may find a few more uses for those 89 cent wooden circles too. 

Hiding the best deals on the bottom shelf at my Wal-Mart...shame, but glad to find them.

Alright what else is happening in the house as we settle?

A lot!

Hubby's been so busy learning new skills that he's come down with something. Poor thing.

My son is settling in at school & even enjoys afternoon bike rides 

with a few of the neighborhood kids.

Bike rides 

let me tell you what that cost me. 

With my husband out of town my son and I set out 

to get a bike. The process of getting it out of the store and into the back of my car 

left both of us fussy and with torn skin and eventual bruises. 

BUT WE DID IT all by ourselves!

As for me I'm volunteering again.

Surprise, surprise I know.

I love the Slidell Ladies for Liberty!

Monthly they ship care packages to deployed service members. 

Such a great group of ladies and a few men too.

It's fast paced. I like to stay busy.

Also joined the Camellia Quilters.

The dozens of projects during show and tell 

made me feel like a first grader in a college course, but I accept the challenge.

Now to uncover and plug in those sewing machines.

Finally I'm still trying to put myself out there with my direct sales business in attempt to keep myself in good standing (minimum sales per 3 month period). That's a huge step for an introvert like me.

It hasn't paid off yet, but it is helping me find my confidence again so it's worth the cost.

www.nomadescollection.com/gingerb

(Is it horrible that I wish I had some of these super strong, but easy to open sterling jump rings?)

While Nomades uses Swarovski too the 2 pearl and 2 large Swarovski crystal spacers are not Nomades.

I used my beady resource knowledge to find the colors Nomades doesn't carry yet.

Plus I love my bracelet. Since I'm not a sharer it helps people learn a little about me.

One of my attempts had me sharing tears with a brand new friend.

Her nephew was killed in the war in October almost 5 years ago. 

Her sister, a gold star mom, is part of the wear blue movement.

Wear Blue runners run in remembrance for service members lost. Some races now are putting up banners and pictures as well as being flanked my family members on certain miles to be a physical reminder of why they run. To see these displays is overwhelming but powerful and inspiring.

First let me thank you for surviving my ramblings. Now let me ask you. 

Would you like to participate in an advent calendar style swap? 

I participated in one years ago and would love to do it again. There were two options health and beauty style (chapstick, nail polish, bath ball, etc) or beads and findings. I of course chose beads, and it was great to open a little packet of beads each day. It really was a bit of good cheer that helped me through the often chaotic holiday season. 

So if I run it who's interested? 

24 tiny individually wrapped and one small gift would need to be mailed mid-November for international to insure they arrived by 1 December.

If someone else is already doing this year please share the information. 

Thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad you are here.

Festival Season

I went to a craft show and a festival today and the parish fair last weekend.

I'm loving my weekend outings in our new area. 

Today I constantly had my hands full, but here are a few photos from the fair.

Recycling Robots

 Something about the fair brings back childhood memories.

 Might be the vintage feel of some games that seem exactly as I remember them.

My bumper car boys

The fun's not done till you ride on the Ferris wheel.

2014 Art Charm Swap

I have been so thrilled with my experiences 

with the Art Charm swap the past two years.

It's really getting to me not knowing if 

I can participate this year.

Yep still no word on when our stuff will arrive from Oki.

Though all the stuff they stored for us for 4 years arrives tomorrow.

I know my neighbors will be thrilled because the lawn mower is in that shipment.

Please join in if you have the time. 

Beads of Courage is a wonderful cause, and this event is so much fun.

Plus last year's auction allowed for a $1500 donation. That's just plain AWESOME!

This year's theme is "Soar."

I mean come on I have at least 6 ideas already.

Sign ups close Sept. 10th and charms must be received by Oct.20th. 

Here's where to sign up:  

http://www.glassaddictions.com/blog/2014-art-charm-swap-and-beads-courage-benefit-auction-sign-ups

Here's one batch I sent last year.

Here's what I sent the year before.

Looking at it now I think I'll have to make sure to steer aware from multicolored flowers. I really didn't know they were that similar till I stuck these pictures up here. Anyway. Click the buttons on the sides here for Art Charm 2012 and Art Charm 2013 for my previous reveal posts. I introduced my connection to the charity in the 2012 post. Jennifer let me use one her photos to make the 2013 button image.  I know it's trivial, but I was so glad to help her out. She puts in a ton of work to make this annual charity auction and swap a success as well as a smashing good time.

I really feel like I'm missing the annual family Thanksgiving dinner or something. 

How to make 11 art charms with all jewelry supplies not here?  

Ideas? 

Shout um out 'cause I really don't want to miss this year.

Charming and Chuffed

So we are in a new home in the US, and it's HUGE!

Been hearing a good bit from our British neighbor in Oki,

 and the word "chuffed" popped in to my head.

Just like the first 5 times she said "knackered" to me, 

I looked it up to realize it did not mean what I had guessed.

I really did think I'd be better at this with all the British TV I watch, but it's just not the case.

A quick lesson in British slang...

Chuffed-really happy/very pleased

Knackered-tired/exhausted/worn out

While I am both actually, I'm working hard to stay positive. My son is in 

a great school that the community holds in high regard. Mom and Dad turned on their super powers to make sure he started with everyone else on the first day which was Aug. 7th. Yep a mere 10 days after we stepped off Oki soil. My husband is already comfortable enough with his commute that when he was not told until he made it to work that work would start 1 1/2 hours later than normal he drove all the way back to walk our son to the bus. 

Have I mentioned enough how great a man he is? No. I haven't. He's way too good for me.

We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary last week by the way. He decided to buy me gift cards from the local chain craft stores I've been trying so hard to stay out of. He went in in uniform which he said got him many odd looks about. (It's not a military town we live in here).

So I sit here on the air mattress my mother loaned us, so happy for all the blessings I've been given which includes this mattress, but still a little bummed. I am ready to unpack! It's been over a month. Rationally, I get it. My home furnishing are literally on the slow boat making their way half way around the planet. Creatively the last time I made jewelry was for the BSBP and I don't want to wait any more. My sweet, wonderful husband has given me the GIANT dinning room for my work space and I'm ready to fill it up!!!!

Since I seem to forget my camera every time I leave the house here are some tiny things I have snapped photos of since my return to the States.

Here are a few beauties from my mom's butterfly bushes in SC.

(click any image to enlarge)

 

Here's a dragonfly and box turtle from my new yard in LA (Louisiana).

 Finally the closest thing I have to jewelry making is playing with my Nomades bracelets. 

You know I can't be like everyone else so I bought some Swarovski spacers. 

Yep, the pearls are Swarovski too.

Oh wait, since I don't have a garden yet I managed to take this image in a hanging basket I bought to hang outside my kitchen window. I think it's a great start. Apparently I have a bit of a reputation for taking jewelry pictures in my garden. Hey why not combine your favorite things.
Disclaimer:  These items were not made by me. 
I'm supporting a military spouse run sterling silver business 
specializing in military duty station charms.

I was really proud that Nomades shared it on the company's facebook page.

Okay, hubby's headed home and I'm off to play sous chef. For any of you thinking why don't I cook for my wonderful husband the answer is simple. I don't want him to be hungry. 

To those who really know me...stop laughing.

All Boxed Up & Nowhere to Go

Every 3 to 4 years I'm homeless for a month or two.

For some of you this is a shocking and possibly frightening idea.

For me it's routine.

Let me clarify by first telling you I've never spent the night on the the street. 

Oh wait. I did once in high school. What the heck was the point of that? Who knows, but there must have been one because there was a group of us.

I also have never slept in a cardboard box, but since the movers finished a full day ahead of schedule this time I have now slept on one. I must tell you would could have stayed in a hotel, but I am Scrooge McDuck sometimes.

 Guess it's past time for me to tell you my husband is in the military. That means that every time he's restationed (I might have made that word up) the family goes through a PCS or Permanent Change of Station. For my family that means they come box everything up, and move it to the next place where it waits for us to tell them our new address. This time as we are moving from Japan to the US we'll arrive long before our furniture.

They let us send a little bit ahead so we'll have something other than what's in our suitcases. Plus I still have 1,000s of pounds of stuff I haven't seen since before we left for Japan waiting for me stateside. My family is playing a guessing game as to what we'll find in our LTS, long term storage. All of that is just a distraction right now. What's weighing on my mind is the fact that we fly off this island, possibly forever, in 6 days and we still have to sell both our island cars. Forgive the scattered ramblings of woman driven stir crazy by this tiny hotel room and the weight of all we have to accomplish is a really short amount of time.

Oh did I forget to tell you schools in our new area start in 15 days! Yep, no home, not even in the same country at the moment, and my most heartfelt desire is for my son to start school with everyone else. It's tough being the new kid not that I would know, but it's easier being the new kid on the first day. 

Gotta give a big public THANKS to:

my lil sis who has purchased my son's school supplies and has them waiting for us. 

my wonderful mother who's kept my car ready to go for all the years we've been overseas.

and to which ever one of them is willing to let us stay before we head off to our new area while we have my husband's car inspected (It's been in LTS too.)

Oh and all the wonderful military spouses who've shared so much knowledge with me over the years.

I really don't know how I'd do all this without them.

For now, I'll continue to work hard, do my very best and just keep breathing.

I'd rather be creating though.

To my future daughter-in-Law...

I found this beautiful post today and just wanted to preserve it here for my son's future. He's a decade further into his story than the child this woman write about though.

"I will do my best by you to raise a man among men. A leader among leaders. And to help him be strong, resilient, brave, loving, and humble. A good man in a storm."

Read the entire post here:

http://thedomesticfour.com/2014/07/12/to-my-future-daughter-in-law/

 "You are a piece in the puzzle. A very important piece."

"...my dear girl, you hold his future."

Kraft Band Coming to America!

While I literally race to finish my Okinawa bucket list 

and shed all the excess weight from my household goods shipment 

(so I can make one more run to the 100 yen store)  ;)

I am taking this little breather to show you my latest creations.

Giant Baskets!

 

just kidding...sort of

You can see my first big basket above at my last craft sale.

When I got home from that event I finished this one which is like a Moses basket for a toddler.

They get bigger and bigger.

Here's a look at them all nestled.

and my collection of kraft band (or eco-band) to work with when I get settled in the US.

Can't forget the "tires" (hubby's term) of natural. Oh and the stripes!

Maybe I'll cut some strips and make more coasters on the plane.

Both these sets and 2 others have sold already plus 2 dozen individual coasters.

This one is the only one I have left. Probably because I just finished it.
(UPDATE:  It's now spoken for too.)

It was fun to come up with 2 new weaving patterns.

If you are in Okinawa next (school) year look up the Eco Weavers. 

They were such a great group of women.

Clearly they taught me a lot.

Thanks Ladies.

You are all awesome!

Pricing Question

Since I have so many talented people's attention here I have a question for you.

How do you determine prices?

I'm having a moral dilemma about charging a friend for a piece.

Here's my prototype. Yep, it's something I'd never done before.

It's roughly 27cm x 35cm at it's base which makes it 

10cm too short for my friend's purposes.

It took 9 full hours of my time and a full 50g bottle of glue.

(I'm hung up on the glue b/c I've never used a bottle in a day. It's like a real crafting achievement.)

Now the materials I buy in bulk so that's shy of $20 US for even the basket size we need.

But what do I charge?

She is my friend, but I've had so many people say I under value my work.

At the shop where my items sell anything over $20 rarely sells so it's given me a skewed view.

Help me do what's best here.

I value your opnion.

Here's an inside look at the basket.

 

Sorry fb friends for the cross post. I'm really struggling with this one.

Thanks!

Hope you are enjoying your summer

or winter for those of you in the southern hemisphere.

:)

Okinawa Memory Quilt

If you are looking for the BSBP8 post click here.

So today I'm talking about sewing yet again. This time quilting specifically.

I am the queen of quilt tops. 

Before joining the Pacific Patchwork Guild I would make quilt blocks, but never put them together. Now I make tops, but never quilt them. Hey at least it's progress.

Anyway, back in 2010 when I first moved to Okinawa I read an article in the newspaper about Okinawa Memory Quilt groups. Then I set out to find one. Sure enough a group of ladies from the PTO started one with their friends. Well, we all joined, bought the stuff, our leader sent out great motivational emails, but when it came time for the due date people started jumping ship. So instead of making 30 cherry blossom patches I only had to make 22. (Which honestly I was okay with because I was behind schedule.) When I turned mine in I received one completed patch from each of the other members of the group. They all show things that make Okinawa memorable. Here it is 2014 and I found them prepping for my move. So I thought I'd share the blocks I received in case they are ruined during shipping and to inspire the fabulous woman of the PPG who I wish I had met sooner.

Here we go: 

(click any picture to enlarge)

Cherry Blossom

This was what I made so many of. The text says "cherry flower" or sakura or 

at least that's what the florist on my street told me. 

I even had him show me the order of the strokes and I sewed them the same way. 

There are beads in the center of the cherry blossom too. 

You know I had to get seed beads in there somehow.

Butterfly and Dragonfly

Fruit Bat

Carp Flags

American Village

Fan

Hibiscus

Kimono

Kokeshi Doll

Latern

Oki car (unfinished)

Okinawa Map

Ryukyu Dancer

Pineapple

This one is my favorite. 

Can you imagine having to do all this hand stitching 22 times?

Roller Slide

Geta

Sanshin

My scanner isn't big enough to accommodate these blocks. :(

Can you see all the beads at the end of the guitar?

Sushi

Taiko Drum

Torii (unfinished)

Tug of War Rope

There is a whole heck of a lot of stitches that give this one great detail.

 Wow...just WOW!

US and Japanese Flags

Considering a whole bunch of these ladies had never sewn even a button I think the work is fantastic. 

We were given an idea and we turned it into little reminders of a great part of our lives.

I wonder if I could get a group to do this at every duty station?