And a Prosperous New Year...

Peace & Joy = Kitties & Beading

Gosh, my blogger profile tells me I haven't posted here since December 6th~!  Goodness, I am sorry for my long absence!  What have I been doing?  Probably the same things you have, preparing for Christmas, struggling to keep up and dig out at work, fighting a persistent and annoying infection in my armpit and lymph nodes, and generally wondering where the days go.  I have no idea how it comes to show December 26th on my calendar.


We are starting to look ahead to the new year and our schedule for shows.  At this point I am still exhausted from this year's show schedule so not really jumping up and down yet about this.  But I will be.  Chris & I do really enjoy the shows and visiting with customers and folks who visit the booth.

Here are some of my favorite pics from this year:

My Winning "Garden of the Dead" contest entry

Tropical Beaky Bird necklace

Moon Marble Crazy weekend

Marble selections by Chris

Necklace design by Chris

Mina's award winning weaving

Penguin Bridal party and dachsunds

Hi!

Marbles on display at Marble Crazy

Marble by Chris in stand by Frank Brooks

Nick's graduation (nephew and our nephew Matthew's but couldn't find those pics)

Trip to the Traveling Titanic exhibit, in Kansas City in May with Caitlyn (niece) and Mina

Mina and Caitlyn goofing around at lunch

Chris & I with our "boarding passes"

Mina at Shrine Band Camp

Western Penguin Pals

Red Creek Jasper set

Mimi

Holiday open house with Frank & Deb Brooks

Memorial fundraiser for victims of bus/semi accident

Nest/willow set for Bare branches bead Challenge

Hope your 2013 is beadiful and bright! 

Random Post

Hello!  This is a Random Post.  What does that mean?  Random thoughts, Random photos, basically a rambling, random post where things don't really connect cohesively.

Recent Bead Challenge with The Jade Dog...

Darcy Horn, owner and artist behind one of my favorite bead companies, The Jade Dog put together a November Beading Challenge with winners receiving gift certificates to her store.  I didn't win or place for a gift certificate, but it certainly was a CHALLENGE!  I had one thing in mind when I started but the final piece was quite different from the original idea.  Mostly, I was in a time crunch and really didn't like the way the "vision" was turning out.  So I tore it apart and changed it.  I finished last Thursday while I was home sick, which was convenient since it was due on Friday!  This was the first attempt at making beaded fringe on a bead embroidery piece, and I need more practice.

Memorial Pendant wrap up...

For the past couple months, we have been working on Memorial Pendants for a fundraiser for the families devastated by the school bus-semi accident near Blue Hill in September (my original post can be read here).
We designed a pendant which contained an individual cross for each person lost in the accident, but that would hang cohesively as a group pendant.  With the help of my good friend and favorite Tierracast supplier, Viv from Dragyn'sFyre, we kept costs low and we donated all funds less our supply costs to the memorial fund.  We originally made 100 pendants/necklaces and 2 pair of earrings with single cross designs.  All of those were sold, and we created 17 more pendants and earrings with single crosses.  We sold almost all of those and the remainders we taken apart to make up 7 pair of earrings for one of the families for an order for Christmas gifts.  All told we estimate (haven't written the final check yet), that we raised $1600 for the fund.  We are now finished with the project, and while I am glad we could design something that was a beautiful tribute to the lives lost, I hope I never have to design something for another tragedy.  Heart wrenching.

Chris's Big Marble Order...
Chris was thrilled to receive a special order for 15 marbles for a gal for Christmas gifts for her friends and family.  She gave him a list of colors preferred by her giftees.  Here is what he created:

Very fun and creative gift idea!  She was thrilled with what Chris created and added a couple others to her purchase.

Pretty Designs...

This piece was sold on Saturday at our last show, but it was one of my favorite designs created this year.  The pendant is a Humblebeads piece from Heather Powers.  I put lots of Czech glass, matte finish Chinese crystals, and galvanized Lucite leaves from The Hole Bead Shoppe together on antique brass rolo chain.  Beautiful.  I love to do nature pieces, and am always on the hunt for focals to work a design around.

Finally...
One week of anticipation left!!!!

The Hobbit (from IMDB)

I am such a Lord of the Rings addict!!  I couldn't get enough when the first three movies came out, and I am SO excited to see the next three!  Premiers next week, and I will be seeing it with Chris (and dragging Mina kicking and screaming) as soon as possible!!!

Final Show for 2012 and More Memorial Pendants

 Tomorrow at the Blue Hill Holiday Bazaar we will have more Memorial Pendants available for purchase as well as a few pairs of earrings with the single cross designs.  All proceeds go to the Blue Hill Families Memorial Fund.  This will be the last batch available.

We have our final show for 2012 tomorrow in Blue Hill from 9-3 at the community center!  I can't tell you how happy that makes me!  I love doing shows and love my business, but by this time of year I am shot.  I counted up the other day and we have done 18 shows plus 11 Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market (June through September).  Wow!  I would have guessed 15 shows, but that is a lot considering Chris and I also work full time and part time both.  We have had an incredibly successful year (beyond our wildest dreams) and are very thankful for the opportunities we are given and the talents we have been blessed with.

So what is on the horizon once the show is done?  Cleaning house!  As you can imagine, with all the BUSY in our life, housekeeping is pretty low on the list.  If we don't put our house back in order we may have to move and start over!  Plus Mina wants to redecorate her bedroom in a "Steampunk Circus" theme, so that revamp will take some time too.  Before you know it, March will be here with the first show of the season at Moon Marble Company!

Thanksgiving Blessings...

There have been a plethora of "Today I am thankful for"s on Facebook this month.  I do a post here yearly of the things I am grateful for and this is that post.

I want all of you readers to know how much you are part of the blessings I am thankful for.  You warm my heart with your comments and the fact that you return here again and again to read what I have to say is a huge joy to me.  Thank you.

I am thankful for my parents and that we are able to keep them as healthy as we can.  Both my parents have a list of medical conditions that provide daily challenges.  I am thankful for the wonderful doctors who provide care and treatment to them.

I am thankful for Chris.  He loves me unconditionally and that has been a huge blessing to me.  I went through many years of anguish thinking no one would ever love me for who I am without having to be someone I am not.  He is my best friend, my lover, and my soul mate.

I am thankful for Mina.  Our beautiful daughter amazes us every day and after many years of infertility and catastrophic consequences from a tubal pregnancy, I thank God for her every day.  She is bright, beautiful, amazingly sarcastic, and has a hugely caring soul.  It has been a joy to watch her grow into the lovely young woman she is.

I am thankful for our three crazy cats, Sabrina, Suki, and Luna.  They bring joy and laughter to our lives daily.

I am thankful to live in a country where I have free choice.  What I say, wear, think, and work are all privileges provide in this country.  I am grateful for the soldiers living and past who have protected my freedoms and have given their lives doing so.

I am thankful for beading.  The hobby that has turned into a prosperous business, is also a daily blessing.  It provides a creative outlet for me and allows me a place to shut the world out when I go into my studio porch and create.

I am thankful for the wonderful friends I have made through beading. My friend Viv (company on Etsy, Dragyn'sFyre), is an example of this.  She has been my Tierracast supplier for some time, but recently has gone above and beyond to help me keep costs low and get the bulk supplies I need for the Memorial Pendant project we have been working on.  Viv is a huge blessing to me and I hope you will provide her with your support, her prices are low and she is a gem to work with.  My friend Lisa Suver, (company on Etsy, FanceeThat), is also another blessing to me.  I enjoy our quick chats and working up bead designs with Lisa!  Her beads are featured in many of my designs and she is a joy to bead with (long distance). 

Happy Thanksgiving and don't get trampled during the Black Friday sales (or on the way to the pie table)!

Seward Junior Women's Craft Show Tomorrow!

We are thrilled to be participating in a new show for us tomorrow in Seward, Nebraska.  Here is the link:
Seward Junior Women's Craft Show

We are located in the Harvest Hall.

Information

The Seward Craft Show has over 100 booths in two locations (Harvest Hall and Ag Pavilion) on the Seward Fair Grounds.
On average over 1,000 visitors attend our show each year.
Visitors are asked for $1 free will donation to attend the show.
Profits from the sales of the booths go back to multiple organizations in the Seward Community.
Food booth is located in the Harvest Hall (rolls, sandwiches, soup and beverages)
Coffee and rolls are sold in the Ag Pavilion
Crafters in the Ag Pavilion will have the option of having a sloppy joe meal delivered from the Harvest Hall

The show is sold out of booths and is two buildings FULL of HANDMADE crafts!  Chris will be torching and doing demos all day 9-3:30.  We have TWO booth spaces so we have plenty of room to set up all of our goodies!  Hope to see you there!

If you haven't bid on the Art Charm swap charm donations yet there is still time!  All proceeds go to Beads of Courage and you can bid here.

We donated a green eyed Batty Bat for the auction! 

Laughter Art Bead Charm Swap & Auction

I recently participated in the Art Bead Charm Swap hosted by Jen Cameron, Glass Addictions.  Our theme was "laughter" and our challenge was to create a charm that went along with that theme.  We had to make a charm for each member of our group (in my group there were 11 beaders), plus one extra for an Ebay auction benefits going to Beads of Courage.  If you are not familiar with Beads of Courage, here is a link to their website: Beads of Courage.  They are a wonderful organization and we have donated beads before to the cause.  So without further delay, here is what we created:

 A flutter of batty bats!  Chris made the lampwork bats and I did the wire wrapping (I had to order more Swarovski jet 4mm bicones after this project!).  Why did we choose batty bats?  It was almost Halloween, and these cuties make me giggle.  They bring to mind a Loony Tune cartoon, which involved a vampire and Bugs Bunny.  The vampire would say Hocus Pocus to be in human form and Bugs Bunny would say Abracadabra and the vampire would be changed into bat form.  Each transformation came more quickly and by the end of the cartoon, the bat looked like it had flown into a wall (though after a review of it on YouTube, the vampire had a stone block dropped on it in bat form)!   Each batty bat charm was attached to one of our Pixybug Designs pendant cards (which we order from Dolphin Bead Designs) and a business card.  The whole batch was then sent on to Jen.  She had the monumental task of sorting, dividing, and mailing the charms back to the individuals in the groups.  This swap was open to international participants as well.

This was the batch of handmade charms I received:

I like the smiling mouth the best.  Appeals to my quirky side!
 The charms in their packaging:

So there you have the results!  Now if you would like to help out, Jen will be posting the auctions for the Art  Charms at :

Auction Site: http://myworld.ebay.com/glassaddictions

The auction will go live at 3pm Eastern time today on Ebay.  Please bid often to help raise money for the Beads of Courage!
Stop by the other artists' blogs to see what they made!  Here is the list! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to bid on the charms in the auction to support Beads of Courage!

Participant link list:


Alenka Obid http://pepita-handmade.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-exchage-reveal.html

Alicia Marinache http://www.allprettythings.ca/2012/11/charm-swap-reveal-blog-hop-and-auction.html

Babette Cox http://babettecox.com/blog.htm

Carol Watson http://www.carolwatsonartglass.blogspot.com

Carolyn Chenault  http://carolynchenault.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/beads-of-courage-auction/

Cassi Paslick http://cassisbeads.blogspot.com/2012/11/beads-of-courage-charm-swap-reveal.html

Charlene Jacka http://clay-space.com/2012/11/early-christmas/

Cheri Reed http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/2012/11/to-participate-in-charm-swap-you-must.html

Cheryl McCloud http://cherylmccloud.blogspot.com/2012/11/charm-swap-reveal-blog-hop-and-beads-of.html

Deb Kauzlarich http://debkauzlarich.blogspot.com

Denielle Hagerman http://somebeadsandotherthings.com

Emma Todd  http://apolymerpenchant.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-swap-in-aid-of-boc.html

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-swap-laugh.html

Ginger Bishop http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-exchange-2012.html

Inge vonRoos http://ingetraud.wordpress.com

Jean Peter http://jeanpdesigns.blogspot.com/ http://jeanpdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/2012-charm-swap.html

Jeannie K Dukic http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog/2012/11/12/beads-of-courage/

Jennifer Cameron http://wp.me/p1xIa0-wn

Kia Dallons http://kiadallonsstudio.blogspot.jp/2012/11/laughter-is-best-medicine.html

Kimberly Roberts http://bahamadawn.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-swap.html

Kristi Bowman  http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/charm-swap-reveal-hop.html

Lea Avroch http://lajewelrydesign.blogspot.com/2012/11/2012-beads-of-courage-art-charm-swap.html

Leslie Schenkel http://twistedchicken.wordpress.com/?p=171

Linda Florian http://www.lilysofthevalleyjewelry.blogspot.com/

Lori Greenberg http://lorigreenberg.com/blog

Lynnea Bennett http://designsbylynnea.blogspot.com

Mallory Hoffman http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-time-has-come-art-charm-blog-reveal.html

Marcy Lamberson http://studiomarcy.blogspot.com/2012/11/charmed-by-minions-im-sure.html

Marsha Neal Studio http://marshanealstudio.blogspot.com/2012/11/charm-exchange-and-beads-of-courage.html

Maureen Connolly http://mrsbeadsley.blogspot.com/2012/11/charm-reveal.html

Melissa Meman http://melissameman.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-swap-blog-hop.html

Monique Urquhart http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/2012/11/charmed-im-sure.html

Natalie McKenna http://www.grubbi.co.uk/

Perri Jackson  http://shaktipajdesigns.com/11/blog/reveal-the-laughter-art-charms/

Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-exchange-auction-and-reveal.html

Robin Koza http://www.robinkoza.com

Shaiha Williams http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-charm-hop.html

Shannon Hicks  http://uptwnsh-fallingintothesky.blogspot.com/

Shelby Foxwell http://sundownbeaddesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/charm-swap-reveal.html

Shelley Graham Turner http://shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com/2012/11/reveal-2012-charm-swap.html

Shirley Moore http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com/2012/11/beads-of-courage-art-charm-reveal.html

Stephanie Haussler http://www.pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com/ You are Here!!!

Susan Kennedy http://suebeads.blogspot.com/2012/11/beads-of-courage-charm-swap-reveal-and.html

Toltec Jewels http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com/2012/11/BOCArtCharmRevealBlogHop.html

Vanessa Gilkes http://culturezine.com/blog/

Bare Branches Blog Hop

Heather Powers, artist and owner of Humblebeads, put together a blog hop featuring her gorgeous beads and a mix of other beads, sari silk ribbon, and brass charms.

The day I received my kit, I put together my bracelet!  It really was easy to find inspiration with Heather's beads and bead mix.  I used the focal bead and wire wrapped it to the brass branch focal sent in my kit.  On one side of the bracelet, I used a large link chain and wove the sari silk ribbon back and forth and knotted large hole pearls from the kit on the ends of the ribbon.  I added bead dangles from the bead mix and Heather's lovely polymer round beads.  I thought I would add a bit of whimsy with a  bird and a pair binocular brass charms.  Who doesn't look at nature during a hike in the woods! 

On the other side of the bracelet I used a smaller link rollo chain and designed it more like a charm bracelet.  Using the beads and brass pieces from my soup mix, I created several charm dangles.

I liked the bracelet design so much, I created a pair of earrings from my bead mix.  At that point the group deserved to be finished out with a pendant.  I ordered another from Heather a couple days later for the pendant.  I used the left over Czech glass from the bead soup, added a wood slice bead, a brass acorn charm, a willowy Vintaj leaf from my stash and a couple natural stone and crystal beads to finish out the dangle.  On the earrings, I used Heather's polymer beads, brass bead caps, and Czech glass from the mix.  The bead caps stuck out away from the beads so I used my pliers and molded them around the bead so they were more tight fitting.  Don't want earrings to be tangled in hair or clothing!

Here is another creative photo of the pendant and earrings.  Dusk was approaching and the natural light was dying so the rush was on to get a good picture for my blog post!

The orange pumpkin sets off the teal of Heather's beads nicely!  This picture also shows the wooden bead slice and the natural stones and crystals I used from my bead stash.  I may still tie a piece of the leftover ribbon on the pendant, and since time was short I need to actually finish the chain on the necklace with a clasp. I just draped it for the photo!
Be sure to stop by the other Blog Hop participants to see what they have created with Heather's Bare Branches Bead Soup Mix!