Several Posts in One!

I have been lagging behind.  I do actually have a very good reason.  My allergies are attacking me, making it difficult to sleep and difficult to focus on anything past my itching, burning eyes which sets off my sneezing, runny nose.  So I am combining the post I have been trying to put together for several days, showing you a BUNCH of things I have been working on.

A Fall of Scarlet.

This was from last weeks BTW (Bead Table Wednesday) post.  I finished the piece on Thursday or Friday, and it SOLD on Saturday at the Farmers Market.  The customer wanted matching earrings and I needed a picture, so she let me hang on to it until she picks it up next week at the Farmers Market.  So here is the finished piece:

My model (Mina, who was being difficult and wouldn't let me put her "face" in the picture) has a lovely décolletage (I think that is the word I am looking for), and USUALLY makes an excellent model.  However, during this photo shoot she was surly and uncooperative!  Anyway, the necklace is spectacular (unlike my photography abilities) and the earrings I made match the crystal dangles but have extra tiny crystals dangling from the bottom of each earring.  I wish all of my pieces sold that fast!

Also last week I showed you the mess on my beading table, and I worked the WHOLE day on it Sunday and here is a picture now:

Trust me.  I DID work all day at cleaning it.  I am in the process of organizing (moving beads from one container to another, thinking I am making progress) and purging.  As you can see, my "assistant" makes working on things difficult.  Luna either wants to sit RIGHT in front of you so you won't miss the opportunity to pet her, or she is trying to eat or carry off anything that will fit in her tiny, frustrating little jaws!

But you have to love a cat that loves beads as much as I do!  Now if ONLY I could get to my supplies without waking the cutie!

Bead Soup Party Update:
I have had my Bead Soup mix from my partner, Valerie Norton, out and worked on my designs.  Sure we were in the car on the way to Grand Island to go to the State Fair to the Cheap Trick concert, but I did get them out and figure what I want to do with them.  Mina is learning to drive, so I sit in the BACK seat, while Chris sits up front.  My nerves need all of the distraction they can get!  (She is doing well.  It is just the fact that I am still suffering occasional panic attacks from our car accident a year ago, when our car was totaled.  Any situation that takes the control out of my hands tends to set them off, especially when the driver is hugging the white line at the ditch, or getting too near the yellow line down the center!)
Here are the groups I have divided my soup into:

Autumn Vintage

80s Retro
I am waiting for a couple items to use with the Retro piece to be delivered, and this is also the piece I will use my lovely sterling silver clasp on.  Valerie made both of the gorgeous pendants for my soup mix!  I can't wait to get them put together, our Bead Soup Reveal Day/Blog Hop is September 17th!

Other Beading Fun 
I have also come across a couple other internet beading challenges that I am attempting.  This one is a Beading Daily Bead Along, which is more of a "we all have our beads out and are working on the same project" kind of project.  Here is what I am using:

A mix of metallic beads and metallic and translucent coffee brown Delicas to do the netting project.  The group project is Linda Richmond's Net Full of Gems which you can download for free by clicking the link.  We are supposed to be finished with it by the 12th, but I don't know that I will be done by then.  I do know that I love the color combo, and the way that the different size of beads gives it a free-form look.

Michelle Mach's Very Vintage Fall Bead Challenge
I recently began following Michelle's blog through Creating the Hive's community.  She does a beading challenge featuring the limited number of beading kits she puts together and sells on her website.  I just happened to read the post at the right time and was lucky enough to purchase one of the 24 kits.  Here is what I received:

So our reveal day/blog hop for this is on October 4.  Stay tuned!
It is time to shake Luna from my hand that is trying to type and go get ready for work!