Spirit Guide

I have this journal my sister Laurel gifted me and I use it to jot down project ideas or thoughts that occur to me while I bead.   I write in it randomly - just open to a blank page somewhere and write it down. 

Not so unusual, right?

Well, this is where it gets weird.  I picked it up yesterday for really no reason.  I didn't have a burning thought that I wanted to capture or there wasn't any gotta-do-this-someday idea swirling through my brain.  I just reached for it and open it up and found this sheet of paper folded into a page.

It's the Story People story that I have in my bathroom and the one that I want to bead a companion piece for using Jen's face cab.  No idea where I was when I copied it down (it had to be before I bought the print, which was years ago) or when I sketched a (very) rough idea for a beaded picture.  In fact, I don't recall doing it all.  Now what's a little frightening.  But I guess that's why I write things down - I know my limits when it comes to my memory!

So now, I REALLY want to just set everything aside, call in to work, and get started on this piece! 

~ Bead Happy and Often ~

Belle's (Beautiful) Chair

I went to a local estate sale last week and fell in love with this one chair.  WAY out of my budget for a chair that I really didn't need.

Thanks to the generosity of the son of the woman who had passed, he offered me the chair at a price that I couldn't resist.  (Thanks Bill!!)

He told me the chair belonged to his grandmother, Belle, and it was a chair designed in a way to allow the ladies to sit without crunching their gigantic skirts which were so in fashion back then. 

(Ok, so now I know I should go research in what year those huge hoop skirts were in fashion....but if that's what you need to know, by all means go find out and let me know.....not that I'll remember!)

That's just a card I got notifying me of a gift subscription to Where Women Create magazine I tucked behind the net.

Regardless of its age, I love it and am beyond happy it now graces the corner of my ever-evolving bead studio.

~Bead Happy and Often~

New Toys!

I received my latest face cabs from Jen over at Graphix Outpost.  I la-la-la-la-LOVE Jen's face cabs!

 The sweet rainbow face I want to use to make a beaded picture for my bathroom. 

I think it would make a perfect addition to my favorite Story People print that I have in there.   Just haven't come up with the design yet.

And this adorable sun that my realtor gave me as a housewarming gift (which I also la-la-la-la-LOVE) is so perfect in there too.  I haven't gotten around to hanging it up on the wall, but I may not ever get around to it,  because I really like him where he is.

Hannah made this mosaic in art class this year and I think it would look good in the bathroom too.  Of course, she wants it for her room (imagine that!). 

I don't have any immediate plans for the gray cat face.  Just had to have it!  Hmmm, I wonder why????

~ Bead Happy and Often ~

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming

Ok, so back to March's BJP.  As I was saying, March was crazy windy and my emotional balance was a bit weak, so I chose my mantra for March to Bee Strong

Fine.  You're right.  Its B O R I N G.  but at least its done!

April brought a ton of responsiblity.  I bought my house and had a lot on my plate.  I'm still eating, so to speak.  April BJP is far from finished, but its not because I've lost interest.  Just busy Bee-ing RESPONSIBLE.

Unlike some of the other house inhabitants -

Their only responsiblity seems to be bird and chipmunk watching.  Which, I admit, I do a fair amount of myself! 

or napping -

Which I DO NOT do! 

I have made some progress on the Mystery Lace Sampler though that I am working on with the Amherst Museum Lace Guild. 

Romanian Needle Lace

Bobbin Lace Snail

Limerick Lace - impossible for me!  Its all wrong.....but I'm leaving it

Needle Lace Tulip

Guess where the tulip belongs :)

I might have already shown you my entry for the Lace Guild's shoe contest - I called it Snake Skin Shoe.  

Hopefully tonight I will be able to ignore this drawer that really needs to be organized

and instead I'll hide in my studio....and Bead

Bead Happy and Often!

BJP 2012 February and March

My BJP 2012 garden is a little slow blooming this year.  But here are a few blossoms so far

I already shared January, so let's play catch up with February and March.

February was a tough month for me.  I was anything but Happy.  So to pull myself out of my pit of un-Happy, I chose my February aspiration: Bee HAPPY. 

I wanted to mix it up a bit, so I found some purple buttons that I decided to use.

My embroidery skills leave a lot to laugh at - but its wasn't a Happy laugh.

A couple of sequins tossed in.

Even those party gems couldn't turn my frown around.

The more I worked at  Happy the more I wasn't - both personally and when it came to this BJP entry.  Hated it.  And then I stumbled across this little quote that I have hanging on my fridge.  You know how when you have something for a long time, you tend not to 'see' it anymore?  That's how it was with this little snippet:

Hmm.  Well said Mr. Ripley D. Saunders. 

March was a very windy month (literally - holy cow, the winds blew fiercely).  I would watch the wind whip through the trees and pray for them to stay Strong (yes, I'm a tree hugger and proud ot it).   Personally, I was struggling with conflicting feelings of whether or not I should try AGAIN to make it work with Pete.  Right at that time that I was wavering back and forth - I got a message from a dear blog friend (yes, Nicole Campanella, I'm talking about you).  She gave me a cyber shoulder to cry on and helped me to stay Strong and be true to me.   No brainer there - I would aspire to Bee STRONG in March.

What the ......I don't have any pictures of March????  Oh geez!  Sorry about that.  Its dark now, so I will take a picture of the finished blossom tomorrow and get back to you.....

Kyah and Rainy enjoying a beautiful morning

Bead Happy and Often (and don't forget to take some pictures along the way!!)