It's done!!

I have finally finished the Christmas gift I was making for our Priest. It has taken me about 60 hours. Fr. Rooney's cross is about 10.5 x8.5, so it is of substantial size. I have been asked if it could be sewn on a Vestment. I said I could tack it on so that it can be removed for cleaning. However until the new Vestment is purchased, the piece has been put in a frame.
The cross took me so much time that I haven't time to finish the project for the Associate Pastor. However I will finish his, and just give it to him as soon as I finish. The Associate Pastor is from Cameroon, so I am making him his native flag with a cross below it. It is about the size of a checkbook.
So here is the monster project. Next years gift, is getting started the day after Christmas 2010.

Only two days left.

I am nearly finished with my biggest beading project for Christmas. I will post a picture of it later tonight.
I have lots of things to get done today, but later I will post the picture of it.It is huge and has taken $96.00 in beads and about 60 hours to complete.
I already have plans for what I am making next year for this person. I just hope he likes what I have made for him.
Anyway I have to run, I must get to the church to prepare for tonight.
See you later tonight.

One down and a lot to go!!!

My friends mother picked out a nice stone and my friend asked me if I could wire wrap and make it into a pendent. Of course I told her that I could and this is what I came up with. It is a Christmas gift for her mother. She liked it so well that she paid me almost double what I asked for the job. What do you all think? It is done in Sterling Silver wire.

It's December 12!!!!

Where did November go? It seems like just yesterday I was enjoying a turkey dinner.
I have tons of things to finish up before Christmas, and only 13 days left. Yeks!!!
I have at least 3 more things to finish, and a couple of parties to attend. How did I do it when I was still working?
I guess when one is working a 40 hour week, they manage their off time better. I had heard so many times before I retired, that others didn't know how they ever had time for a job. Well, I fully understand that statement now. It seems like the day just flies by. Up by 7:30 nap at 1:30 for a couple of hours, and to bed by dark. Just kidding. I sometimes gets to sleep in, but I am never in bed before midnight. Now I may take a nap or two, in my chair, but I earned it.I worked outside the home for some 40+years. Time to take it easy. Easy? when? how? where?
Sorry, I have to run lots to do. I will fill you in on the finished items as I get them done.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

I hope you all are spending time with family and friends. For those in other countries that don't do Thanksgiving, I just wish you a happy healthy day.
I only have to watch my hubby cook the turkey to take to my sisters for dinner. I come from a fairly large family, 5 sisters, and we still all spend the Holiday together. At the last family function I believe there was something like 74 family members there. That is just my sibling, and spouses, their children, the children of their children.and for some us older members of this family it would include, children of our children, and the children of their children. Does that make sense? It does get confusing even for us. LOL In other words, starting with my 92 yr old Mother, 5 generations.
We each bring a dish to pass, and we always have way too much food. Mom, will bring her much loved cake, I am taking the turkey and a couple of lemon meringue pie, and maybe a cappuccino cake. My sister Patti is supplying the house, mashed potatoes and Polish sausage, Terry will bring the veggie tray with dip and a Pumpkin roll, Jill will bring her much loved veggie pizza, and an Angle Food cake.
There is always a game of Rummikub and a table or two of euchre going on for hours. And of course a lot of catching up even thought we are all very close.
The guys will all be watching the football games, and the girls will be in the kitchen cleaning up. Mom will go home early, she doesn't like being out too late. Most of us will stick around way too long, just because we ate too much and find it difficult to move too soon.
I will try and write again, if not tomorrow than Thursday.

Annual craft show was today.

Today was my annual once a year craft show. Although I made more than enough to pay for my booth and eat lunch, the monies floating around today was less than years past. I did however have a wonderful thing happen to me.
I took with me some of my jewelry art pieces that I had made, and my niece some wonderful metal enameling that she hand cut form copper. I knew from doing this craft show for the last 5 or 6 years that a piece of art jewelry with a price tag of $250.00 would never sell, and it would be a waste of table space, but I thought it would be a good show stopper, and did it ever pay off big time to our advantage. It was well into the show when a youngish couple (youngish is anyone under say 35) stopped at my table, and spent some time looking and asking about the pieces on our table. After a short time they told me that they were from the Collingwood Art Center, and that they were having an ART festival in February, and that they thought that our pieces would fit right in with the type of show that they organize, and asked if we (my niece and I) would be interested in doing the festival. Now all we are doing is waiting for the invitation to arrive via e-mail. I am so excited, I have never been invited to Art festival before. I am so on cloud nine right now.
Now I really have to get busy a step up my art work. I have a couple of other embroidery cuffs drawn in my sketch book. One with several turquoise cabochons, I only like making something once so all my designs are one of a kind.
Thanks for listening to ramblings.

The Very First Bead Embroidery.

I made this piece taking me the better part of 5 weeks. I bought the stones from a vender that comes to the store. I fell in love with the unakite aknew right away what I wanted to do with it.
I went home got my sketch pad and pencil out and processed to put on paper what was in my head.
As I started beading I lost sight of my sketch, it just sort of took on a life of its own. The only thing that resembles my sketch is the placement of stones and the copper sequins. The beads and the colors never changed, but boy did the design change.
I really could use the same sketch for another cuff and no one would know the difference. Anyway it was really funny, how no matter how much I wanted to get back to the original design I just continued to go the way the bracelet told me.
On the brooch I had no sketch just what I had envisioned in my head. I just glues the main stones or beads and started beading.
I wonder what will talk to me next? I have a few turquoise cabachons that I bought from the same vender as the unakite. Although I also have a design sketched for them, I doubt they will turn out to look like the sketch. I guess if it turns out okay I shouldn't ask, just go along with the flow.

My Margie and Me design.

I was able to do a challenge with Marcie Abney this last week. She gave us a pallet to using a beaded item design. I instantly loved the colors and had a pretty good idea what I wanted to do with them. I started right away and finished on Thursday, just in time to post it on BD on Friday morning before I went to work. Here is my design. Now give me a break this is only my second bead embroidery I have ever done.
I will post my first ever embroidery later tonight or tomorrow evening.

I'm back

Well, its been sometime since I last updated here. I will try and do better in the future.
Since I last posted I have become a great grandma again. This is number 6. We now have 3 girls and 3 boys. I would say it is time to stop, we have an even number of the sexes.
Anyway #6 made her debut just in time for trick or treat. She was born at 7:23 on October 31. weighting in at 5lbs 6oz and 17 inches long. She is a peanut. A real cutie.

Here is what some of you have asked for.

Some of you have asked me to post pictures of some of my pieces. So I thought since I had a little time on my hands, while at the repair shop I would do just that.

This first piece is a piece I made several years ago for my craft sales inventory. It is made up of faux leather cord with gold plated chain, and Swarvoski Padpardscha crystals.
This is yet another inventory piece. made with gold thread rutilated quarts and MOP disks, and handmade sterling silver clasp.
This necklace was a very early piece that I used seed beads in. It is a green Aventurine chips and donut. Did a peyote bail with Delicas.
This was a piece I did several years ago, I entered it into a local bead store design contest. And to my surprise, it won first place, and I received a $10.00 in store gift cert. This was before I was using Fireline, and about a month or so ago, I discovered that the nymo was coming loose, what a heartache. Now I have to redo it, to make sure it doesn't fall completely apart. What a bummer to put so much time into a piece to have to redo it.
This piece, was one of my very first pieces using a free form style of wire wrapping. It really turned out pretty good, although this picture doesn't show the sterling silver as being as shinny as it was. I used a (I believe) red poppy jasper and a carnellian leaf bead, as a pendant.

This as close as I come to asymmetrical. I just like things that look even on each side. Hymm , sorry it's just me. I made this with both green and blue f/w pearls, some glass beads, some natural stones, and a MOP leaf, along with some sterling silver bead caps. Oh yea, and some Swarvoski crystals as well.
This piece, is a piece I worked on for some time. It was a piece of triangle shaped shell. It came dilled from side to side, near the top, but I needed the hole larger. I wanted to put the sterling silver wire through it and hang, from it a dangle with some jade and peridot on it.
This recycled glass bead necklace was a commissioned piece for a beach wedding. I also made earrings to match. The wedding was a barefoot occasion in Hawaii.
This is one of my very first pieces of peyote stitch. I used two different sizes, not because I knew better, but because, I used what I had on hand. LOL. It turned out pretty good, considering I was doing this by the scuff of my neck. Didn't have a pattern, and didn't know exactly where I wanted to go with the design. It is adjustable, by the little gold band that goes across, just about 4 inches form the bottom.
These earrings were a special request for a co-worker. She never came up with the money, so I still own them.
This was a commissioned set for a fall wedding. It was her forth wedding so she was wearing a beige suit, and wanted something to stand out. She bought the Swarvoski Squares and some gold plated delicas, and the gold choker. Gave it all to me and said, " make something unique and special for a fall wedding". This is what I came up with.


This piece was a challenge for me. I first, fell in love with the focal piece, and had to come up with something that would set it off. I was stumped, but a fellow beader suggested, that I should put a bunch of color related beads into a baggie, and let them marry for a while till I was happy with them. I did, and everyday I would pull them out and look at them. After, I think maybe a month, I finally was happy with the marriage and put it all together. And you now see the end results. That was about 3 or four years ago. I have never forgotten that lesson.


So now you have seen a lot of my work. Most of these have sold since I made them sometime ago, however there are still a few of these pieces availible if you are interested. Just hoping!!!!
Anyway I would like to hear what you all think, Have I an outside chance, as a jewelry artist?

My car is done, I will post this later this after noon , from home.

My good news

Just have to share some good news. I sold a necklace on Sunday to a total stranger that happened to fall in love with the piece. I also sold three pairs of earrings and a bracelet to a couple of my golf buddies.
Here is what I sold. The necklace is a gold filled wire wrapped Ocean jasper, on a spiral rope.
This next piece is a bracelet made in the hugs and kisses design. I am not sure who designed this, however whoever did I would like to give them the credit for the design. This isn't the exact bracelet, the I sold was brown pearls with gold seed beads and Swarvoski Padparadscha bicones. It also had a Dragonfly toggle in a gold tone.

These are the earrings I also sold.


And because I had to have to have a brake job done on my car today, that couple of sales helped me pay the mechanic. $296. and half was covered by the sales.

I am back.

I have been really under the weather. I have had a real bad sinus infection, and just now getting back to my blog.
What has been going one other than my health. I was given the title of ' designer' by the owner of the store I work at two days a week at. When I went to work on Friday, I found a package on the counter with a note saying " Sue this is for you." It was four boxes of business cards with my name and under that the title ' Designer'. Boy, was I surprised to say the least. I never had a hint that she had ordered these.
Yesterday I finally able to get out with my golf league. I won't talk about how bad I played, I will just say I enjoyed the fresh air and the company of my golf buddies.
I often sell my things to my golf buddies. They are some of my best customers, and are always eager to see what I have new. Well, to make a long story short, one of my friends asked me if I would get together several things, for her to setup in her husbands law office. She has done this before and I really make a bit of money. She enjoys doing it and I always reward her with several pieces made especially for her. She is such a sweet heart. When I went to the office with my plastic shoebox full of my makings, I was able to meet several of the office staff. I was very pleased to hear things like, " I am so glad to finally meet the 'jewelry lady' " and "I love the things I bought the last time and I am so glad I get a chance to buy more". I am so thankful for having such wonderful friends.
I have a couple of new designs I am working on, and I promise I will post some of my designs here, on my blog when I get a chance to do so. Although I have read horror stories of some designs being stolen from peoples blog site. I don't understand why people what to do such a thing. I guess, they just don't have their own ideas, so they have to steal from someone else .
Today I am heading out to Harbor Freight to scout the store to see what I can find to add to my jewelry workshop. I am going to buy the metal stamping set. They are on sale for $4.99 this week. I called the store yesterday to make sure that they had some in stock. So while I am there I will walk the isles to see what else I can find. I love thinking outside the box. I am also going to stop at Lowes. I was there a couple of weeks ago and had an idea when I see this one item in their many handy isles. I will post a picture of what I find, and what I do with it.
The other day I was on my way to my youngest son's business when I see a 'garage sale' sign. Well I stopped and didn't see too much, till I spotted a box full of wire. It was full of several different types of wire. Doorbell wire, telephone wire, speaker wire, and so forth. I spotted one small bundle of wire. I am not sure what type of wire it was, other than it was copper, and was a double wire wrapped in white plastic. I could see that it was two solid core copper wires and according to the writing on the white plastic, it was 18 gauge. The gentleman wanted $13 for the whole box, so I asked him if he would take 25 cents for the one piece of wire. He said he would, so I quickly handed him a quarter. I told him he could still sell the rest of the box for the $13 and he smiled. I am so pleased with the wire. I haven't had time, as of yet to strip it and do some twisting, which I so want to get the time to do. I love working with copper wire. I most often buy my copper wire from HomeDepot, it is fairly inexpensive and I can buy the size and length that I want.
I am off to do some hardware shopping <> it all goes into my studio, who would have guessed.

Babies, babies, and more babies

This week, I haven't gotten much done, except help my niece with with her new set of twins. It wasn't the twins I was there for, as much as the other two children. Because my niece had a c-section she isn't allowed to pick up the older two, one will be 3 in July, and the other is 14 months. So we have been just a little busy.
This afternoon my granddaughter, came over and held the babies for awhile. We had a good time just holding and snuggling with the little ones. I love babies, there is just something special about the way their hair smells, and the softness of their little hands.
Tomorrow, I have a peyote beading class to teach, and I am not even ready to do it. It isn't that I have a lot to prepare for it, its' just that, I haven't even written the directions yet. It is just the basic stitch that I am teaching, but I like to have a handout of the directions for the students to take home with them. I am not sure yet, if she is bringing her own directions, that she want me to help her with, or if she is coming with no set idea of what she wants to make.
I don't mind teaching a basic class, in fact I would rather teach a basic class to the customer, before they come and what to make a bracelet or necklace of a stitch, they haven't a clue how to do. It just takes from the rest of the class, if I have to teach the basic class to one student, before she understands what to do, in order to keep up with the rest of the class. If I am going to teach say, 6 people how to make a peyote tube necklace, I would want everyone in the class to have a basic knowledge of peyote. If it is private class than I don't care, however it is better if they have basic knowledge, that way, they would have a better chance of completing the piece in class.

Welcoming 1st post

This is my very first blog, so I guess I will start out by telling you a little about myself.
I am a retired tailor, or as I prefer to be called, an alteration specialist. So now instead of sewing clothes, I sew beads.
I have been married to my husband for 46 years come July 25, 2010. Now if you are thinking, that is a long time, you are right. It sometimes seems like 146 years. However I have to admit it has been a pretty good 46 years for the most part.
For 22+ years my husband supported myself and our two sons, with his career in the USAF. We traveled around the world, living in Europe for about 7 years. 3 1/2 in Germany and 3 1/2 in The Netherlands. The rest of the years we were mostly stationed in the Good Ole U.S.A., Oregon, Texas, Arizona, Texas again, and Florida. Hubby also did his time without the family. He spent 1 year in Goose Bay Labrador, and a year in Vietnam.
After hubby's retirement from the USAF we moved back to our home state of Michigan. After securing jobs we settled in a small town in Southeast, Michigan. We have been in this house for the last 23 years. I had never spent that long in any one house before in my life. And I have to say I am getting itchy feet to move. But I have too many beads to want to move anytime soon.
Our children are now grown, and have provided us with 4 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. They all live in Toledo, Ohio , just across the state line, so we see them on a regular bases.
In the weeks to come I will try to post some pictures of my newest creation. And keep you informed as to my the things at my web store. http:www. justgot2bead.webs.com