Giveaway...gotta love 'em!

Nope, haven't won anything...yet...but there is always a first time.  One of my fav blogs, Lori Anderson's "Pretty Things" has an Auntie's Beads giveaway.  Just follow the link and leave a comment.  I just love black...goes with everything in my wardrobe!  If you aren't logged in, be sure to leave a way for her to contact you if you win.

Snow and Beading...a perfect combo!

What I did during the Tulsa Snowmageddon...bead, of course!

The snow was deep on Carl's patio but inside he was watching hunting shows and I was beading.

I had a limited selection of seed beads at his house but I remembered I had the little red lampwork beads from the Oklahoma Bead Society bead swap in January. 

 I combined those with the black and red seed beads and a few inexpensive butterflies from Hobby Lobby which I also happened to stick in my purse before the storm.  Voila!  Beading project!  I didn't have findings with me so I beaded a bumpy peyote necklace and clasp to go with it.  Very comfy around my neck. 

To fill up the rest of my time, I spent some time learning to weave a netting stitch. 

Fun!

OBS Beadathon: Eleven hours of fun.

Wonder of wonders, I "almost" made it through the entire first OBS Beadathon.  I planned on staying 4 or 5 hours at the most and ended up being enticed for 11 hours by Mazzio's Supreme Pizza and the incredible productivity of a great workspace and congenial co-workers.  I finished 3 projects which is unheard of productivity for me.  The best part is I really like all of my projects. 

I have very little experience with stringing projects so I decided to concentrate on stringing for the day.  Lots of experienced stringers around to give a little help! Barbara Bellatti helped inspire me with my first project of the day, a simple stone necklace.  She volunteered a few bronzite pebbles from her stash that really made the project come together.  Love the earrings too which I put together from various beads in my stash and a couple of round green stones from our venue, A Memory to Scrap, in Broken Arrow.

I strung a second string of simple black and clear glass beads which although attractive may need to be restrung with bigger spacers so they lay correctly flat across my neck.  I have worn this strand to work and I like it too.  Very light and comfortable.

And lastly, about 10:00 p.m.,  I strung this metallic necklace. Jan Rogers was keeping me awake by talking to me and of course, there was Shane's dancing.   I read somewhere that "metallics are having their moment" and I have to agree.  I see metals everywhere on everyone!  Of course, for me it isn't jewelry without earrings.

Thanks for viewing friends!  Thanks OBS members for helping me ! 

Bead Blast is Coming!

http://okbeadsociety.com/beadblast2011.pdf

The Oklahoma bead society is having their 5th annual Bead Blast on April 16, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Union 8th grade center.  Come join the fun with classes, beads and findings as well as finished jewelry products.  Vendor tables are available for as low as $20 for members and $30 for non-members.  Don't forget to vote for your favorite bead creations at the door.  My soon-to-be-created masterpiece should show up in the beginner category unless I wimp-out.  See you there!

Book Giveaway

Wow, visit mixed-media-artist blog and enter a comment for a book giveaway for "Scraps" an inspirational guide to collage art.  Who doesn't need a little inspiration now and then?  Hurry, you must comment by February 23, 2011 to enter for a copy of the book.  http://www.mixed-media-artist.com/2011/02/book-review-and-giveaway-scraps.html

Happy Valentines Day

Here is a lovely little money saving idea for you.  I just received my order from Jason and Jet Beads.  I didn't need a lot...just some ear wires and I really wanted to use those cool new Sterling Silver filled ones at Fire Mountain Gems.  I took a chance on Jason and Jet Beads and found, YES!  this isn't too good to be true.  You can order Fire Mountain items at the 50 plus item rate through Jason no matter how small your order.  The ordering method is easy and work like a charm.  Details on his website.  Although I try to use our local shops whenever possible, there are times when Fire Mountain just makes financial sense. Jason drop ships from FM directly to you.  Feel free to contact me to verify my comments. Happy Beading!
http://www.jetbeads.com/

Flawed Beginnings

I was busy in the Fall through Christmas and into January 2011 learning stitches and creating the beaded pieces above. Each piece was a challenge to put together and has significant mistakes, some were creatively incorporated into the existing designs and some are just hanging out for all to see. This bothers the little perfectionist in Pam. It's as if the errors are sticking their little beaded tongues out at me. Still, I am quite proud of each piece for different reasons.

The Zebra Bracelet is completely my own design and my very first attempt at 2-drop peyote. I was inspired by the name tag project we did at the January Oklahoma Bead Society meeting. The Farfalle bracelet is my first to use those crazy little peanut beads. It feels really silky and yet substantial on my arm but even though I measured 5 times, it is still a little too big. Too big is a recurrent theme in the pieces I made for my daughter, Heather, for Christmas. An example is the pink and black necklace and earrings. Obviously, experience is going to be a great teacher. Sadly, I forgot to photograph several gifted pieces at Christmas time.  Oh well, I'll do better next year.

This winter I loved finding new websites including Deborah Roberti's "Around The Beading Table." She has a talent not only for creating beautiful jewelry patterns but also clear and easy to follow instructions. Another great blog is Mandi Ainsworth's "Bead Circle".  I enjoy my membership in the Oklahoma Bead Society.  I am learning from these beaders.  Can't wait to see what 2011 has to offer!