Bead porn

You knew it existed.

Did you think it would be like this?

Even I am shocked. I've unpacked all my lampwork beads and put them in a drawer (no, I will not tell you which drawer, that is a state secret) and now I can pore over them, raggedly mumbling, "my presiousssss . . ." for hours on end.

And, since I can see them easily and often, I may even use some. Actually, I figure I'm going to have to use some, or the drawer will fill up and I won't be able to buy any more.

We all know what a tragedy that would be.

As you can see, they are neatly organized; I string them on pipe cleaners and attach a tag at the end with the artist's name on it. When I have a card, I punch a hole in that and use it. They're not organized by color or anything, but that's okay. When I use lampwork, I usually start with the lampwork beads and match other beads to it.

Now, where shall I start?

Snapshot

I have a new cellphone that takes pictures and sends them to my computer via bluetooth.

Pretty fancy, eh?

Don't tell me that you've been doing it for years; I've only recently given in to carrying a cell phone at all, and now I'm texting and taking pictures with it.

If it strapped to my wrist, I'd think I was Dick Tracy.

I took this photo while taking the garbage out; the sky was so pretty, even though, surprisingly enough, it really didn't color up much. I don't know why; it was cloudy enough, but it just sorta went from blue to grey to dark. No reds, no oranges.

It was another really hot day here today; it's still warm out there. Usually by now we've got a breeze and it's cooler, but not tonight. I guess summer's just late this year.

Busy, busy, busy

Hmm. Seems I've used that title before; I typed "Bu" and up it came. No matter; it still works.

We spent the weekend up in the Sequoias; no computers, no cell phones. It was lovely to step off the treadmill of life, but today, I'm back on it with a vengeance. I'm working on an article for a European magazine; it's for a necklace that I hadn't taken notes on, so I'm reverse-engineering myself.

I'm actually making it in a much more organized way this time; the original had quite a few "by gosh or by golly" moments that have been smoothed out this go around. I've also changed the color scheme, and put in pearls in place of the crystals; I'm writing the instructions for both options, so this one will be a necklace and a variation.

The magazine article is scheduled for Spring; I've been beading and writing like a madwoman today. I want to get it done and sent off as quickly as possible so that they will have plenty of time to prepare it for publication.

Then it will be back to finishing up my "Darkness" tutorial. It went into a holding pattern when the magazine article came up.

Lunatic fringe

I'm fringing today. Long, lovely strands of seed bead fringe; it's been ages since I made a fringe this long and lush. I don't know why I suddenly stopped adding long fringe to pieces; but, looking back, it's been awhile.

Maybe I stopped doing it because it's a pain to get right. I know, it couldn't be easier; just count, and make sure to go through every bead, but, for me, it's a hard element to get right. It's a slow process, and I'm not a patient person. Sometimes, making fringe gives me just too much time to think.

I haven't wanted to think for awhile; I've wanted to keep my mind occupied. I still feel that way, actually; but I needed to fringe this piece, and I guess I probably needed to think, as well.

It's time.

I'm beading as fast as I can

I'm almost finished with the structural part of my Haute Couture contest entry; one side is done, and the other is lacking only the last element.

I'm trying to get it finished as soon as I can; I have the possibility of an exciting new opportunity on the horizon; if it comes to fruition, I will need to spend quite a lot of my time on it over the next month or two. I've also got a couple of new projects that I'm in the process of turning into tutorials; I need to find some time to finish those, as well.

But right now, I'm caught up in my contest entry.

I love making big, over the top pieces. They're fun and exciting; although they take weeks (and even months!) of beading to make, I love watching them grow and change. I never know at the beginning of the day what it will look like by the end; I love the twists and turns that these big pieces go through. It's like reading a novel; the plot develops gradually and I don't want to put it down.

But just as my eyes will close while reading, my hands (and back!) need breaks from the beads. It's time to take a little walk; the beads will be here when I return.