The Beader's Muse

Here are some pictures from the Beader's Muse contest. It was a challenge to do things the way I wanted to get it and the chain part I really didn't get. It doesn't hang the way I want it to hang.
I imagine that I will be able to wear it occasionally. It is an interesting piece. The muse was very cool to work with and I am definitely curious to see what other people came up with. I used a lot of beads from my own stash because they were the right colours and I enjoyed fishing through for the right bits and beads.
Now to pass the photo's on to Scarlett. The entry is tonight and in the next little while we will get to see what the muse was.
This is contest is sponsored by Artbeads.com.

New Ideas

It amazes me that at a time when I have time, when I am not busy, I have misplaced my need to bead. I have ideas, I have beads, I have no will to pick up the needle. And it just kind of fizzles.
So in an effort to keep thing moving, and to maybe spark a creative desire, I tried my hand at snow dieing. This was fun! It helped that we had snow! I live in Ottawa for crying out loud! It's supposed to be the snowest capital in the world and we haven't recieved much snow this year at all!!
Here are some pictures of the whole event. I did not have procion dyes, just ones from Rit, so the colours are not as vibrant.












I'm trying another new idea for the Beaded Journal Project. If it works, I'll post, if it doesn't, if it fizzles, then I'll try something else.
I wonder where the muse goes, when she takes a trip?

All the Wonderful things happening in the Bead World!

First off, I want to mention that Use the Muse IV at Use the Muse is up and the beads are beautiful! I have entered this year and I am very excited to participate, as this is the first time for me! Feb 25th is the last pre-order date! It's also the last day to get the pre-order price!
The beads are beautiful and I'm looking forward to seeing the muse too! I love these colours too so I think I'm in a good position here! I can't wait to play!



In other news, Mark the Date - March 7th!!! Check out the Beading For a Cure Auction Items!
Beading For a Cure is up and running and I have a project in it. I was given the beads at the last minute and the ideas just flew!
I love the birds and really wanted to use the beads to show them off. I can see these birds hanging in a sunny location.
Now, if you want more, if you love these colours, there are some great pieces available so take the time to browse the gallery! This charity is a wonderful opportunity to not only purchase amazing pieces by fantastic artists, but also supports a very worthy cause.
I'm going to create a button for you to link to the BFAC website. Wish me luck!

Lynette From Rockhill Designs

WOW! This is so cool! Lynette from http://www.rockhilldesigns.blogspot.com/ is having a February giveaway and I really love it!! Below is the picture, and I have to say that I found Lynette from the Bead Soup project she was involved in. This looks like this was a very fun game to play and the women involved sure did create some beautiful pieces!!

RockHill Designs 'tree of life' sterling silver necklace.
(rolo chain is slightly oxidized, the necklace measures 16")

Cheers, Denise

Beading Updates

A Birthday present for a friend. She turns 21 and she sent me pictures of floating bead necklaces that she wanted to learn to make, but we never got to it. I hope she likes her birthday present. I feel safe to post this, cause I don't think she comes on this blog!

Here is my BJP. I took out the boring white, it was boring for me anyway! I wanted to have some colour! So I went flipping through the magazines and found this colour palette eyeshadow for the spring and pulled out beads that are those colours. It may raise a few eyebrows to see pink and an even bigger surprize to find out that I had it in my stash but it's not a bright pink or a bubble gum pink, it's softer and I think I can do a bit of it. Consider my boundries stretched!

Cheers, Denise

My new project.
I'm having a tough time with that bird. It doesn't sing at all and it doesn't call to me but this piece of labradorite sure does! I find that it responds well to greens and dusty rose. I don't know what else I'm going to do, but here is a hint of things to come and I did go and by some beads that are labradorite too. They are gorgeous faceted beads - bigger than and 8, smaller than a 6. They have the most incredible flash! More blue than this stone, I might add.

I am so hoping that this project gets my muse back in it's mojo because I do want to do birds for the beaded journal project and they just aren't flying!!! I am thinking about changing the type of bird and the colours I started with aren't that great.
I've also decided that I do not like beaded words. Really. I don't like the look of it. So I'm probably going to rip it out and find another way to add words.

Oh and I am loving this new camera! Doesn't it take great pictures! I have a bunch to learn about it, but it's very forgiving.
Cheers, Denise

I had some fun doodling today and playing with a pen. I was blog hopping when I found this blog - http://valentinaramos.blogspot.com/ . Now I do not take credit for the right hand side of the blog, as I was following the same look as Valentina. The left hand side of the page I did do, it's a doodle that I have been playing with for years, like multiple decade years! And I have fun doing it, it's mindless and yet soothing. I've seen it in quilting of course, and wonder if there is a childhood memory lurking somewhere!
Another thing I've been doing is listening to Rice's podcasts. I just love her podcasts because she asks the right questions, questions that I would want to hear the answer to and sometimes I don't even realize I wanted to ask that question until she asks it!! Go to http://voodoonotes.blogspot.com/ and look on the right hand side for links to her podcasts. I also upload them on to my ipod and listen to her at the gym. It's good to learn and work out at the same time!
Cheers, Denise

This is the bird I've barely started. I think as a first word, it's entirely appropriate, don't you?

This is a picture of the beads I used for the bracelet and earring I made. I've placed these pictures out of order, sorry about that!!

I got out some beads todays to play and while I didn't really sort them, I did get a bunch out! I'm guilty of making quite a mess, and I did clean it up, but I'm not any more sorted then Iwas before I started! Here are a few pictures of my mess!

Some Photo's

Hi Everyone!
My 12 year old daughter got hold of my new camera's and these are just a few of the photo's she took?
thoughts? a bit of an artistic eye, wouldn't you say?