Mar15

A New Magazine

Posted on by
A New Magazine

Room to CreateI couldn’t resist a quick trip into Hobby Lobby as I passed through Mooresville, NC on Thursday. I couldn’t resist buying a copy of this magazine, either. I figured it was a cheaper (not much) knock off of my beloved, “Where Women Create,” but I was pleasantly surprised. There are Q and A’s with each crafter, of course, with sources for the storage items (or similar), and instruction for a simple project from each maker. The photos were all glossy and bright, too, unlike my photo of the cover!

I’ll take this down to Mama’s House and add it to my library. I am working on that library! I bought a monitor to go with my old Dell computer I moved down there. I hooked it up, and it worked! Now I’ve just got to get it mounted on its stand. (It’s surprisingly heavy!) My old keyboard and mouse look awful, so I need to shop for new ones. That should be a fairly inexpensive fix. I will report back.

Mar11

Well, Looky Here!

Posted on by
Well, Looky Here!

crocus 1

and it brought along a friend!

crocus 2

I think crocus are the perfect Easter flower! I love how they pop right out of the dead and the brown and the gray! That top photo should make a good image for my glass gems. Not bad for an IPhone 5 camera (I’m so ashamed, I don’t have the 6.)

I’m also curious. Saffron, a very expensive spice, is simply the dried stamens of crocus. Every year, I say I’ll save some and don’t. Maybe this year!

Mar11

Speaking of Spring!

Posted on by
Speaking of Spring!

Once upon a time, I don’t know how long ago, I found, and I don’t remember where, some beads that reminded me of Easter eggs and jelly beans. So, I made a bracelet:Easter bracelet

 

I think the beads are dyed agate. They are simply strung on clear stretchy cord, and the knot secured with clear nail polish.

I dug it out, yesterday, and wore it with an aqua top. I wasn’t going anywhere special, just to pick up groceries and a pizza, but it just made me happy to wear it!

Mar10

Knitted Beaded Bracelets

Posted on by
Knitted Beaded Bracelets

knitted bracelet

The day that my granddaughter, Vivien, was born, I attended the annual Needle Arts Extravaganza in Statesville, NC. There I discovered, “Friends and Fiberworks,” yarn vendors from Candler, NC (near Asheville.) I bought a kit for this knitted bracelet from them. The design is by Beth Todd and you can buy her pattern on Craftsy, or a kit from Friends and Fiberworks.

knitted bracelet 2

The kit came with yarn, beads, clasp and instructions. It knit up fairly quickly, and I enjoyed bringing a bead up with every stitch. I even enjoyed pre-stringing the beads.

knitted bracelet 3

The only thing that was difficult was making myself knit in the back of the stitch.

I enjoyed it so much that I bought other colors of thread and beads and made another.

knitted bracelet 4

After I finished the pink one, I went a little nuts buying #6 seed beads and matching threads. I had a teal colored bracelet all but finished, dropped it, and it unraveled almost to the beginning. After that, I lost interest and turned my attention to my next obsession, glass gems!

knitted bracelet 5

Mar5

Pinterest just got Better!

Posted on by
Pinterest just got Better!

How I love it! They have a new little “pinning” gadget, tonight. I like it. Here’s something I pinned:

tiny flower embroidery

No, excuse me, I love the new gidget. When you choose a pin, you are presented with a text box that includes a flashing cursor, and a scroll list with the 3 boards you used last, followed by a list of the rest of your boards. The good part is you can start typing the name of the board you choose and it pops up, without having to scroll through the whole list! This is something I had suggested to them in a post a long time ago. They tried something similar for a while and then took it away. I assumed people didn’t like it. Either that, or you could pin so fast it crashed their server! I’m so glad it’s back! I love Pinterest, but do not enjoy scrolling through all 79 of my boards when I choose something to pin! Hurray!

Mar4

It’s a Keeper!

Posted on by
It’s a Keeper!

Tentmaker necklace Tentmaker Neclace!Tentmaker Necklace2 Tentmaker Necklace3

I made this necklace to sell, but I think I have to keep it. The cotton cord is hand dyed and painted. That’s one of my very favorite clasps. I made the bail myself from a vintage-looking metal stamping. I like the back as much as the front! The image is decoupaged on the back of a glass nugget, covered with card stock and sealed with Diamond Glaze. I plan on wearing it over a black turtleneck or tee. I’m right proud of me!

Mar2

I <3 Artbeads!

Posted on by
I <3 Artbeads!

Artbeads.com, Exceptional Beads and Jewelry…

Artbeads.com stocks more than 30,000 beads and jewelry-making supplies including Swarovski crystal beads, gemstones, charms, pendants, clasps and much more!

I just placed an order. You get free shipping with just a $15.00 order, Swarovski everything was on sale, and I had an additional 10% off code from a previous order!

Here’s one of the goodies I’m getting. I have some pink and metallic gold cording for Kumihimo:

Devoted 2 U Crystal PendantSwarovski Devoted 2 U Crystal Pendant in Astral Pink

Mar2

Oh, My, Goodness!

Posted on by
Oh, My, Goodness!

Look what I have found!crazy quilt heart pinheart4 Gloster QueenThese beauties are the work of one Barbara Gray, the Gloster Queen. (She also raises Gloster canaries.) I found her work on an Artbeads Pinterest board. All photos should link to her etsy shop. I didn’t even look to see what she charges for her pins. Whatever it is, it’s not enough! Here is her logo:

Gloster Queen logo