Mom's Surprise Birthday!

OK...my mom had a special birthday coming up (I won't say which one!), & we hadn't seen each other in years!!! My new monitor has a webcam built in, & my niece had a laptop with one built in. So I told my niece about Skype & she got set up so we could surprise my mom! She had no clue.

You can see her here walking in...I snapped this picture from my computer in Kaua'i!

Then my niece brought her over to see something on the computer:

Here she sees it's ME!!!

There go the Italian hands explaining everything! ;)

And there's my mom wishing she could hug the computer!!!

This really makes me think of my Grandma & her arranged marriage back in Italy. She had to come to the states even tho' she didn't want to. She never got to see her family back there again. When I went to Europe as a young person, I brought her back a picture so that she could see her sister who she hadn't seen since she was young! She cried & kissed the picture! Just like my mom wanted to hug the computer. We've come along way, but we still need touch-avision! And smell-avision, so I could smell the wonderful Italian food my niece made for everyone!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Helpful Hints

OK...last time I posted back around Labor Day, I promised more Helpful Hints! Well, it's taken me awhile to get back to posting, so decided I'd add more than just one! You may already know all of these, but they sure helped me along the way. I hope they can help someone out there!

First, a thimble makes a great bead scoop! Who knew?

Second, I keep my leftover beads in a jar & use them in my beaded zen bracelets. I have all sorts of jars from tiny condiment size for Delicas, to larger crystal cruets that sparkle in the sun!

This next one I think I remember getting out of an old bead magazine. It has to be at least 15 years old 'cuz I don't think I've worn lipstick much in that time! The lipstick case is just the right size to hold bobbins of beading thread. Where the mirror is, some people would put a magnet to hold their needles. I left the mirror where it was & just used some foamy stuff to hold my needles. This is good for travelling to go with your tins if you need different color threads.

And last, but not least, I don't like counting, so am always trying to figure out an easier way to follow the charts I make. Here I used a bit of double stick tape to hold a copy of the pattern down to the tin's lid, then I cut a piece of strip magnet to hold my place on the chart. This works great for small patterns like my Pockets. I left the release paper on it so it wouldn't grab my needle or scissors when I travel. (Note: the pattern I'm working on here is one I adapted from a piece of old filet crochet that my Italian Grandma did long ago!)

Hope a hint or two helps you!

Warmest aloha!

Face Pin Swap

Here's a face pin I'm working on for a swap...it's a swap I've wanted to do for 2 years & finally managed to figure it all out! Now I just have to get it done & mailed! You can read about it here & also see the previous years' pins! Lots of talent out there!

Pocket Tops

I've made Prayer/Amulet Pouches for years...some were off loom beaded & some were knotless netting. But they were always worn as a necklace or pin. This time I've decided to make some pockets. These won't be worn, but can be set on a desk, your home altar or bedside, to hold a special prayer, wish, dream, or....? I'll post some pics once they're attached to their bases. But for me, it's easier to work one part at a time & then do the assembly. So here's some of the tops! These are all off-loom beaded one bead at a time. Here's a pic of how it's done:

Pals Visit From the Mainland

It's been a fun summer! Not only did my family come to visit, but some good pals from the mainland came also! Here they are with me in the middle, & that's their "little" boy standing up on the beach. He & his pal made the biggest sand castle! He takes after his dad who is an incredible builder! And that gorgeous woman? Well, she's my soul sister & former aerobics instructor! I love them all, and miss them, so much!

Happy Labor Day!

Well, I just deleted my Beachcomber's Cuff Bracelet from my etsy shop! Do you remember it? Here's a couple pics:

A pal of mine saw it & asked me to reserve it! So I did! It's waiting here for him to pick up! So if anyone wants anything similar, you'll have to contact me by email as I'm letting my listings run out on etsy! New directions and new fun OOAK designs!!!

Project Done & more to Do!

So I got another project done. This one is another wealth talisman:

AND, here's a big project waiting on me to finish! I need to paint all of these faces I molded so they'll be RTG for art dolls & other projects! Whew! It's been a fun, creative time in the studio lately!

Tin Kits

In cleaning my studio...or reorganizing the mess...however ya look at it...I happened to find some really old tins with projects in them that I had never finished! Well, I decided to dump those old projects 'cuz, guess what? They are the exact size I need to put my monthly BJP pieces in!!! Here's a pic of September's project RTG:

I also discovered that I could use this for other patterns I'm working on. I'm making some Prayer Pouches & the designs are the same size, usually, as the BJP pieces. So the graph I made fits in the top of the tin, & I can carry the whole kit, including small scissors, thread heaven, beads & pin with me wherever I go. Just thought I'd share the idea. I had some kind of felt with adhesive that I glued to the bottom so things didn't pop around in the tin. But it's been so long, I can't remember what it was called! Anyway, here's a couple other pics to give you an idea of how it works:

Round Robin Art Doll Done

I've been involved in a round robin art doll project for...has it been a year? ;) We all must have been on island time! Anyway, I still don't have my doll back....it's on it's way, but I did get to deliver this one back home. Here is how she looked when she left the first artist:

And here is how she looked before I delivered her. She is a forest sprite & has developed some boobs along the way! She's glad to be home & her mom is happy to have her back!

Heart Pins

Remember way back in July? I was working on an Angel heart pin? Well, here's some pics of the finished pin.

I also finished another heart pin I called Hidden Love 'cuz as I beaded it, I realized that the heart in the center was becoming hidden! So hear's a couple pics of that one:

I just can't resist the heart motif!!!

"The Gift"

...so, like I said in my last post, I couldn't avoid temptation & joined up with the 2008 BJP. And have all my designs RTG for the next year. My theme? Coming up with that was interesting. In our family, we have a word for people who have an ability to know things, or see things ahead of time... as well as some other abilities. We call it The Gift. Others call it being psychic. Some call it witchcraft! In the Italian tradition, it's called Stregheria...which supposedly predates the Celtic tradition. I've been studying this since I have this Gift. Some Italians say it's hereditary, but I have a feeling that most people have this "gift", but not alot of us use it or want to acknowledge it. I was blessed to never be laughed at for it, & so I continued to use it or access it.

...now the problem is which symbols to use? Us Italians tend to have alot of words & alot of symbols & sigils! So that wouldn't work. And my Scandinavian side had too many Runes! Ah, but I had a book called "A Witch's Runes" by Susan Sheppard. She chose 12 symbols to use for her book, plus one that is all encompassing. She is an astrologer, so her symbols matched up with the Zodiac too. She talks about the history of using runes & symbols...from the Roms to the Egyptians, to the Native American petroglyphs, etc. Some of the runes she chose have been used by several different groups around the world, but her designs are mainly of Pictish origin.

...so, I decided I wanted to study these symbols as they relate to my gift. Each month I will do an off-loom beaded rectangle of the symbol, connecting them with the Zodiac & the traditional gemstone color for that month. This was alot to figure out in one day! But I did it! Here's a pic of my sketchbook so you can see how I tried to match it all up! And a bunch of my beads laid out to see what I needed to order for the year.

I also did a practice piece to see the actual size & what color thread I was gonna use. It was either white or a neutral. This picture is kinda blurry, but I decided to go for white as it seemed not to add to the color of the bead as much. Not sure if you can really tell in this picture.

As I go thru' the year, I will try to explain each of the symbols & it's meaning. And I hope to get a clearer picture of this part of myself. You can follow my progress here on my blog, & also visit the 2008 BJP blog here. There's not alot up yet as we don't officially start until September...and we're not allowed to show pics on that blog until the end of the year. I feel like I'm at the starting gate & can't wait to run!!!

Oh, one other thing! Each rectangle contains 625 beads. The center, which will be my connecting piece for all 12, has a symbol that encompasses the meaning of all of the 12 other symbols. It will take up 4 squares. Now, y'all know how I feel about math, but once I found my calculator & multiplied 625 times the size of 16 squares, I got exactly 10,000 beads!!! I was totally amazed at how this turned out considering I did it so quickly. So I'd like to dedicate each of those 10,000 beads to each of the beings (men, women & pets) whose lives were destroyed during the times of the Inquisition. I know there were alot more than 10,000, but it's a start.

Blessed be & warmest aloha!

More Endings & Beginnings

OK...so the 07-08 Beaded Journal Project is over! Ended! And you can see my page on the official website here! It has all the focal pieces I worked on this last year. Check out some of the other bead artists' pages. They're incredible!
Well, it was so much work that I had decided that I was not going to do it again this year. Over. Done. BUT then there was that notice in my inbox...the deadline was that day! Ack! Suddenly I didn't know if I wanted to do it again or not! There's so much more I wanted to learn about beading! I've always wanted to make a piece to hang in a window to see how it would look with light shining thru' it! Could this be my chance to do that? Well, knowing me, I couldn't resist temptation!!! I quick sent off an email that it was still the deadline day in Hawaii & to please include me! Ack! What had I done?
But amazingly enough, I had the whole theme & all of the designs/patterns done by the next day! For the whole year of 08-09!!! Whoa Nelly!
I guess it is our prerogative to change our minds! I'll talk all about it in my next post!

Gotta Go!

Well, Ron (DH) & I had our summit meeting. We looked at what's gone on this last year & decided we were happy about some things, unhappy about others, & some things we wanted to change. We believe that if you aren't happy doing something, don't do it!

So, I have decided to close my etsy shop after the listings run out. We both don't like selling, but love to create. There's a story online that has inspired us for many years. You can see it here. I hope the link works! If not, here's the site to copy & paste: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/11/24/hometowns/ht01.txt

This so much more describes how we like to work. After making this decision, I felt so free! I could create for the love of it, not for a store or to chase money! So, since I'm not concerned right now with the selling of things, I am spending most of my time in the studio making what comes from my heart! And I have been creating so naturally the longer I spend in there working! I don't know why we didn't do this before! :) We are a little slow with certain things!

Anyway, hopefully some day we'll have a place to put all of the wonderful things we're creating! But in the mean time, we are happily playing in our studio/workshop!!! Wish us luck!

P.S. Huckleberry Hut is still up and running! We still are enjoying that! ;)

New Heart Started

I admit it...the heart is my fave motif!! I'm just stuck on them!!! So here's a little look at something I'm getting ready for my shop...

The sterling silver bead on this one says "Angel". I've already finished some other beaded hearts, but those will have to wait for another day to post!!!

Happy aloha weekend to all!

May BJP Completed!

Boy, I never thought I'd make it with all that's been going on! But I finally finished my May BJP!!! Now all I have to do is mount all my focal pieces on painted boards & add danglies & words! Gee...sounds simple, huh? Ha! Anyway, here's some pics of the process. I based the form on an ancient statuette of The Venus of Willendorf. In reality she is only 4 3/8 " high. Mine is 6". Some believe she is a mother goddess figure, which is one of the reasons I chose her for May. I also challenged myself by only using 3 colors of seed beads. I wanted to see if I could show shape & form with a limited palette. I found out that lined beads show up bright, which wasn't exactly what I wanted. I also wish I'd started with her belly as I like the way she looks from there. But it was an excellent learning experience in more ways than one!

Now on to getting them all on boards!!! Whew!

Erica's Affirmation Angel

Before my niece came to visit, she had just finished up college, & was in need of a break! She'd been working alot too! I wanted to make her something special for her graduation...and her birthday. So, there was an idea I'd had for my store, & I decided to make her the first of the series. Hers is a little larger than the others will be, but they will be the same basic idea. It's a small stuffed angel with a pocket in back to hold affirmations. (I also included a check as a surprise!) ;) I think she liked it! Here's some pics of the process:

Once it was complete, I stuffed it with pure cotton & a handful of lavender. It smells so good! I wrote her a card from her Affirmation Angel! I hope it helps her in the next part of her life's journey!

Family Visit & 4th of July

Slow but sure, I'm getting back online. Most of my family have returned home, but my niece has decided to stay until August sometime. Here's a pic of my sis & my nieces with us at the local pizza joint:

For the first time in 20 years, our little town of Kekaha held a 4th of July celebration! It was fun to be at a local event & see neighbors & friends. I've included a few pics here...including some interesting fair food! Loco moco & saimin! My niece & Ron really liked it! The fireworks were pretty incredible for such a small town! And of course Ron's flag with his pirate hook on top!

Hopefully I'll be posting more soon!