A Bead Makes the World Go Round

Okay, I know it is corny but this is how I think...they are "beadicisms" and they run through my head to the point that I drive myself somewhat batty. Here are a few:

All beads great and small

Life, liberty and the pursuit of beads

Grin and bead it

The importance of beading earnest

Bead us not into temptation

Give us this day our daily bead

I want to bead alone

Busy as a bead

Only a bead in a guilded cage

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your beads

Well, if you want to bead that way

Far from the beading crowd

A bead is a bead is a bead

Anything you can bead, I can bead better

A bead in time saves nine

Stop! In the name of beads (are you humming this in your head?)

The Beads of Wrath

Gone With the Bead...

Okay, enough! You are probably thinking of additions to my list right now. Can't help it can you? Sorry, blame me. Hah!

Since my last post, I am still dealing with pain from my arthritis but such is life. I fell off a horse when I was eighteen and he landed on top of me...I landed on my right side and that shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip and knee are what plagues me now. Just shows that every thing you do in life, stays with you. I was doing something foolish at the time and now my old bones are paying their dues.

The reason I mention my aches and pains (really, who wants to hear about that!) is that next week I am leaving for Tucson, Arizona for my annual bead buying trip and that means carrying around bags of rocks and metals all day for three days. I told my Mom and Dad that I need a donkey just to haul the goods. If you don't know about the gem and mineral show in Tucson, you aren't a beader. It is an incredible experience...the whole town is filled with vendors from all over the globe, selling their specialties...venetian glass, austrian crystal, bali and indian silver, african trade beads...and this is only a brief sampling. I buy for the entire year because the prices are so very reasonable compared to other sources and you can find some items that you would never see anywhere else. It is definitely worth the trip! Janice and Robyn are going too which always makes the trip fun. More about the show when and if (hah!) I return.

Now, if you have made it this far...bless you, for I can ramble on and on about my passion and I am well aware that most people could care less. I feel the same way about a host of things but I am always interested in what turns on those that I love and appreciate because having a passion about what you do is what makes life such an interesting journey (and it blunts the pain.) Have some passion on me...salud!

Spent this last week making 'purse jewelry' for a shop in Ruidoso where Robyn works and had a great visit with John who was in "El Pisso" (as he calls it) for a few days. I also worked on the following since my last post:

Remember those beaded small mirrors? This was done on a pine heart for a charity auction to be held on February 3. The charity takes care of families that are in need and to raise funds they hand out the pine hearts for artists to do with what they want. Last year was my first time to donate a heart and this year I made this one which I call The Bead Maiden.

This is the bracelet with the oriental feel that I mentioned in my last post. It is made with origami paper, beautiful silver/grey pearls and austrian crystal. It doesn't show up very well on the scan but you can 'click' on it to see a better image.

Another pair of my long, fringed, beaded earrings but this time I used some different materials and style. The body of the earrings are made of Japanese delicas (a type of seedbead) which are very consistent in shape unlike most seedbeads and make the finished work very smooth. I also made a diamond shape in the body instead of my usual triangle. And, as a experiment, the drops at the ends of the fringe are made of flat circular beads called rondells. I used these on a vertical plane instead of how they are usually used on a horizontal plane. Cecil said they reminded him of India so that is what I call them...

Please let me hear from you as this is one way I keep in touch with all my friends...