neldawn

I Love It- I Hate It

2010-06-28T19:45:00.005-04:00

It's been ages since I listed anything new in my Etsy shop. But I just listed Turquoise and Copper Striped Cuff.

I actually started making this piece for myself last fall. More important projects kept popping up and I kept putting it aside. When I finally decided to finish it all my troubles started.

I had never made a beaded toggle before but I had been told by several people that they were easy to make. My first toggle had major problems and was extremely crooked. I took it apart and tried again- ending up with with a better looking toggle that would not sit right. I decided to use a button instead. This meant ripping out about 2 inches since I wanted the button shank to sit down in the cuff and not sit on top. After finishing the cuff, with the button attached, I realized I had a 1/2 inch long piece of Fireline that was exposed right under the button. So... I ripped the 2 inches out again. While doing this ripping I had a flash of inspiration and realized what I had been doing wrong with the beaded toggle. I decided to use a toggle but I was so frustrated by then that I couldn't picture myself wearing the cuff. I purposely made it too big for my wrist and I hope it sells fast so I don't have to look at it anymore. I love the colors and maybe if I get some free time I'll try again to make something for myself.

Fabric Flower Pins

2010-03-28T15:39:00.006-04:00

I'm still not doing much beading. But I have been keeping busy. I've been trying to finish an embroidery project I started months ago that is to be part of a display in June. I have to get my act together so I can have it framed in time.

Since it looks like Spring around here, I took some time out to make some flower pins. Each flower has 12 layers of recycled fabric. The first batch has scattered seed beads in the centers.

The second batch has buttons and seed beads in the centers.

Crazy Hair Kids

2010-02-10T14:42:00.006-05:00

I haven't been in the beading mood lately but I've still kept busy. I was asked to design some pillow toys for The Hodgepodgery, a local shop that specializes in recycled crafts. It sounded easy... but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Once I had the basic design of the toys it took me forever to come up with a simple stitched face. I had friends and family vote and every design I came up with was- too scary, too weird, too sleepy, too old looking, etc. Finally, I came up with a face that most people liked.

Then I had to come up a name for my new toys. This proved harder than the face design. Once again I had voting and I think everyone came up with a different name. I decided on Crazy Hair Kids because they all have crazy hair... and I got tired of thinking of names.

Here's the first group that will head off to the shop.

The girls have a hair bow and a ruffle. The boys have a bow tie. Everything I used is recycled or salvaged except for the poly-fil.

Tea Time! Treasury

2010-01-20T20:43:00.003-05:00

I'm in another treasury! Ileana of Enchantedbeas included my Night Waters No. 1 cuff in her beautiful Tea Time! treasury. Thanks Ileana.

I was in another Treasury

2010-01-01T12:32:00.004-05:00

I'm a little slow posting this because of the holidays but I was in another treasury. The treasury has expired but it contained beautiful black and white pieces. Thanks Rita (alatsupplies) for including my Crazy Wavy Necklace.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T15:07:00.010-05:00

It's almost here- tomorrow is Christmas Day. It's not as much fun these days without little ones to buy toys for. My guys are grown and want big-boy toys. I miss sitting on the floor and playing. I'm taking a break from doing crafty things for a few days. So I will show off some of the Christmas stitching I've done in the past.

Here is a quilted wallhanging I made many years ago. Since I had never done any quilting before, I took a class called Cookie Cutter Quilt. Of course I had to add an embellishment to each square. I think it turned out pretty good for my first try.

Here is a cross stitched piece called Merry Christmas A to Z by Deborah Lambein. I started it in 1999 and finally finished it in 2000. This created a problem since 2000 did not easily fit in the space allowed for the year. I squished some of the zeros together and made it fit. This piece was the beginning of my love-hate relationship with blending filament. I love the sparkly metallic look the filament adds to an embroidered piece but I hate working with it.

15 inches of snow- Look's like I'm crafting today!

2009-12-20T15:15:00.004-05:00

The storm that hit eastern USA yesterday is gone but left 15 inches of snow here. I had a husband and 2 grown sons armed with a snow blower and snow shovels so I decided there was really nothing for me to do... but craft. In my defense- I did 3 loads of laundry and made lasagne to make up for not leaving the house all day.

While cleaning up some craft supplies recently I found the plastic loom frame and bag of fabric loops I bought many years ago for Chris (my oldest son) to make potholders for Christmas gifts for both his grandmothers. He made one set and refused to make any more. I got the potholders that year. I love to cook and they have been used daily for MANY years (after a family discussion we came up with between 12-15 years). But they are worn out and I didn't think they would survive another washing.

I decided to spend part of the snowy afternoon making myself another set. I couldn't find the directions but it I figured it couldn't be too hard since this is designed for children. Wrong! My first one took 3 hours. It came with a plastic hook that kept bending and was almost impossible to use. I decided a large crochet hook would work better but by that time Chris was napping in the room where I keep all my craft supplies and the door was locked. I remembered a piece of heavy copper wire with a hook on one end that I retrieved from the garage trash this summer thinking it might be interesting to use sometime. It was a crude crochet hook but it worked. I wove the loops a different way and the second potholder only took 30 minutes. I wasn't planning on spending most of the afternoon making 2 pot holders but I was determined to finish since all 3 guys were making fun of me.

Here are my new potholders as well as the original set. The one on the left is the one that took 3 hours.

This is the equipment I used. It's hard to see the plastic hook but that's OK since it was pretty useless anyway. I have lots of loops left so I've promised both Chris and Eric a set of potholders as a house warming gift when they finally move out of the house :)

December EBW Challenge

2009-12-12T14:05:00.003-05:00

December's EBW challenge theme is Peace & Winter Olympics. Last month there was a tie for first place so we have a combined theme. Please go to the EBW blog and vote between Dec 9 and 15 for your favorite entry.

People Pin Party

2009-11-29T15:20:00.008-05:00

I managed to finish four People Pins this week! They decided to have a party and I snapped a pic of them doing a line dance.

Things started getting out of hand when the original two Pins I made (and still wear) showed up. They all started screaming for pizza and beer so I had to break up the party before things got out of hand :)

Another Treasury

2009-11-20T06:50:00.003-05:00

I haven't had any new items to show off, but I'm in another treasury! MaryTDesigns included my Rebel Bride cuff in this beautiful treasury. Thanks Mary.

Pearly Grey Treasury

2009-11-13T22:10:00.002-05:00

I just discovered that my Night Waters No. 1 freeform cuff is featured in a beautiful treasury by windyriver. Here is Pearly Grey treasury.

Lovely Blog Award

2009-10-27T20:04:00.003-04:00

Krafty Max Originals has awarded me the Lovely Blog Award. I never seem to have the time to spend on my blog that I had planned when I started it, so I am truly honored.

The rules are- Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Now I'm off to find 15 blogs to pass the award on to.

Fall Leaf Walk

2009-10-25T13:45:00.008-04:00

It's a beautiful sunny fall day in south central Pennsylvania. Quite a contrast to yesterday which was ugly and cloudy with periods of torrential rain. Bob and I decided to go for a walk since this will probably be the last nice day we can get out to see the beautiful fall leaves. He sprained his knee last weekend but fortunately our favorite leaf walk is a flat path along the edge of a nearby lake. We were shocked when we got to the "lake". It had been drained so repairs could be made on the dam that is at one end and was a huge mudpuddle at one end. But the leaves were pretty and that is what we really wanted to see.

I wanted to walk along the edge of what little water was left so we could pretend we were at the beach. There was only one spot that was low enough so that Bob could climb down with his bad knee. There were a bunch of neat looking tree stumps in that area.

We did see lots of pretty leaves. And I found some pieces of driftwood I can use for little wall hangings and an unusual piece of rusty metal. I think I can do something interesting with it since it has holes and all the edges are smooth.

EBW October Challenge

2009-10-10T12:04:00.003-04:00

The theme for the EBW October challenge is Super Power Jewelry. I didn't come up with an idea but several members of EBW did. Here are their great entries. The voting is from Oct 9-15 on the Beadweavers blog.

My Personal Challenge- Friday and Saturday

2009-09-27T15:02:00.012-04:00

My lay-off week is over. Posting everything I created this week helped me feel like I really accomplished a lot -even though I didn't finish as much as I had orignally planned. I'm back to work on Monday so I won't have the time to be taking pics and posting everything like I did this week. I do have a few more pics left from this week.

I started another People Pin and
experimented stitching a freeform peyote chain into a knot for a necklece.

I'm still not convinced I like the colors in my needlepoint piece. Here's what it looks like after my meeting.

And the best part- I found a pair of earrings I had made to match my Night Waters No. 2 cuff so I had a piece to list on Etsy!

Personal Challenge- Wednesday and Thursday

2009-09-25T17:14:00.006-04:00

I'm a day behind posting my accomplishments for the week. Bob and I went to the Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, MD on Wednesday and to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA on Thursday. I was afraid there wouldn't be many flowers at Longwood since it's now officially Autumn here but I was pleasantly surprised. The entire garden was in bloom! We both enjoyed our day trips but I didn't have much beading time.

I can do some simple beading while riding in the car so I started a free form peyote necklace. Here's what I have done so far. I've decided to try putting the catch in the front and put some sort of dangling fringed embellishments on the ends. The shop I started putting my pieces in wants recycled-repurposed crafts so I'll see what odds and ends I have to use as embellishments.

I did finish the fall colored bracelet I started earlier this week. The button and most of the embellishment beads are recycled. And I made 2 more snowflakes.

When I finally got a chance to catch up on things yesterday I found one of my free form cuffs in a treasury made by enchantedbeads, one of my fellow EstyBeadweavers. Thanks Ileana.

My Personal Challenge- Tuesday

2009-09-23T10:08:00.008-04:00

Tuesday was not as productive as Monday was. We ran some errands and watched a movie so I had less beading time.

I did manage to get the embellishment on the bracelet I started and made 2 more snowflakes.

Late in the afternoon I realized my ANG (American Needlepoint Guild) meeting is on Saturday and I have to finish 2 rounds on the project we just started. I hadn't chosen my colors, so after a quick decision I started stitching. I decided to use an over-dyed thread that I made in a class several years ago as one of the colors but I'm not sure I like it. I'll keep going and rip it out later if it looks bad after I add more rounds with different colors.

My Personal Challenge- Monday

2009-09-22T10:32:00.007-04:00

This is a lay-off week for me. Bob is also off work this week and we had planned on going away for a few days to visit the New York state wine region. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any affordable rooms so we decided to just do some day trips from home. My mother visited last weekend so my house is neat and clean. It's rainy here so I'm stuck inside my clean house with nothing to do between day trips. Hmm... sounds like the perfect excuse to do some beading!

I've decided since several EBW members are doing personal challenges I will start my own. I'm going to try to do all "the fiddly, diddly finish work" that I have and clean up my work table. Thanks for that great quote Cheryl. I will post what I get done each day this week.

Here's Monday's accomplishments-

I added the buttons and loops to 2 bracelets that I made to put in a local shop and finished the base for another one.

I started 2 People Pins for a custom order.

I experimented with some little snowflakes I need for some mixed media pictures I plan on making.

I feel like I got a lot done in one day. Of course I'm used to being at work all day and only having the evening hours to do beading and embroidery.

I was in a Treasury

2009-09-05T15:47:00.004-04:00

I'm a little late posting this. The treasury has already expired, but I'd still like to thank dorothydomingo
for including my Night Waters No. 1 in her treasury. I really appreciate it when someone who is not an EBW member likes one of my pieces enough to include it in a treasury. Here's what the treasury looked like.

My Prize

2009-08-31T17:53:00.004-04:00

Earlier this month I won the FHF team Anagramathon Treasury drawing. I followed their clues through the treasury and at the end posted the 2 pieces I liked the most. They had a random drawing and I won! I was shocked since I never win anything.
My prize is this beautiful set of lampwork beads by Jolene of Kitzbitz. Fortunately, the colors I wear the most are blue and black so I'm keeping them for myself. Now I just need the time to create a great piece for myself.

I'm in another Treasury!

2009-07-19T15:58:00.005-04:00

I found my Rebel Bride cuff in a Treasury created by fellow EBW member Kraftymax. Thanks Kraftymax! Here's EBW Red White Blue-

I'm in a Treasury

2009-07-12T11:45:00.004-04:00

I just found Night Waters No. 1 that I made for the April EBW Challenge- Time Machine in a Treasury on Etsy. Thanks PRPs Treasure Lighthouse for including my piece in your great looking treasury.

Here Comes the Bride EBW Challenge

2009-07-11T15:58:00.009-04:00

It's been over a month since I posted! It's been a busy time for me with work and vacation. More on our vacation in another post. I entered a piece in this month's Beadweavers challenge- Here Comes the Bride.

My piece is Rebel Bride.
Please visit the EBW blog to vote for your favorite piece. Voting ends July 15.

I had a personal challenge to make some bracelets with the same beads. Here is another freeform cuff I made with the same beads as Rebel Bride.

Custom Pieces

2009-05-25T20:32:00.008-04:00

I'm WAY behind in posting since I wanted to post at least every 2 weeks. How about once a month ? :) I just finished some custom pieces and sent the pics off to my customer. I will list them on Etsy even if she doesn't buy them. First is a copy of the necklace I used for my Etsy banner and matching earrings.

Next is a custom length of my Blue Multi-Strand Necklace and matching earrings. The earrings are a clip-on version of my Team Colors Earrings.

EBW April challenge- Time Machine

2009-04-10T16:22:00.005-04:00

The voting has started for the April EBW challenge- Time Machine. I actually finished a piece this month in time to enter. My entry is #28- Night Waters No. 1. This is the first in a series of freeform cuffs I've started making that have a black, grey, silver color scheme with an accent color thrown in for a little added interest.

Voting is from April 9 to 15 on the Beadweavers blog. Please visit the blog to see all the entries close-up and to vote for your favorite.

Some embroidery

2009-03-07T16:09:00.011-05:00

Last weekend I went to the Gathering of the Guilds. Once a year the local fiber arts guilds get together to show off their work, sell stash and try to get new members. There's embroidery, quilting, knitting, crochet, tatting, weaving, rug hooking, lace making, sewing, basket weaving, and straw weaving. I belong to EGA (Embroidery Guild of America) and ANG (American Needlepoint Guild) so I spent a lot of time running back and forth between the two tables.

I tried to take pictures of some of my embroidery. It's hard to take good pics since I have glass on the pieces made out of dark fabric or have beads. Here are two of my favorite. I'll show off more in the future.

This is Marissa's Weathervanes designed by Peg Dunayer. It was an ANG correspondence course. I loved the look of the white and metallic threads on the black fabric. This was the first piece that I substituted threads and used some of my stash. I won a blue ribbon at the York Fair with this piece.

This is a large cross stitch sampler I made when I was in college. It has hung for the past 25 years over the fireplace in our living room. I made it on muslin which has discolored nicely after so many years and several smokey fires. It looks like a real antique.

Salmon Run Cuff

2009-02-22T19:07:00.008-05:00

Wow- it's been a month since I last posted! So much for trying to post once a week :) I taught my rescheduled Crazy Wavy bracelet class last week. I had 6 students (which is about all I can handle) and 5 bracelets were finished by the end of class. I thought the class went well and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

I've been busy but I managed to finish a cuff. Since I hate coming up with names and doing the Etsy write-ups I asked Bob for some name suggestions. He came up with Salmon Run. Here's a sneak preview of Salmon Run. I'll list it on Etsy as soon as I get the pics touched up and the write-up done.

Custom Necklace

2009-01-18T13:22:00.005-05:00

Yesterday morning was bright and sunny so I decided to try to take some better pictures of my pieces already listed on Etsy. I haven't finished anything for my shop lately but I didn't want to miss out on the great photo opportunity. It's been freezing cold in central PA so I took them inside by a sunny window. I'm pleased with how they turned out.

I do have one finished piece to show. It was a custom piece for a birthday gift. Fortunately, the birthday girl liked it and now I have to make matching earrings.

Crazy Wavy Bracelet

2009-01-11T20:01:00.005-05:00

It's been awhile but I'm back. Things were crazy over the holidays, both at work and at home, so I didn't have much time for blogging.

Last Nov I agreed to teach a beginner freeform peyote bracelet class at our local recreation center but not enough people signed up for it and it was canceled. Some of the disappointed students told their friends and I now have 6 students signed up for the same class in Feb. The rec center will be posting their Spring classes soon so hopefully more people sign up. Here's a picture of the sample bracelet. Can you tell it was fall when I made it?

Rethinking Color

2008-12-21T21:14:00.006-05:00

When I first staring making beaded jewelry I always used dark colors- black, navy, charcoal. I had lots of friendly advice about my color choices, mostly telling me to use bright colors instead of the dark tones I was drawn to. Not everyone likes dark colors I was told. So, I bought LOTS of bright colored beads and started making bright colored jewelry. And now, most of the compliments and requests I get are for the darker tones I originally used. I am rethinking the colors I will use in the future. I see dark tones with a splash of brightly colored accents in my future (since I still have LOTS of bright colored beads). I just re-listed some Jagged Circle Earrings in my original color combination- charcoal, bronze, and steel.

Present to myself

2008-12-14T15:19:00.005-05:00

I really hate to tear apart anything -even if it isn't turning out like I imagined. This necklace started out to be a freeform cuff but I thought it was too stiff and kind of lumpy looking. So, I tossed the unfinished piece aside and moved on to other projects. I found it while I was straightening up my craft table and decided to try to make a necklace out of it. I really like the way it turned out so I treated myself and kept it. It's navy, grey, and purple and looks great with a denim dress I have. In the winter I usually wear a burgandy cardigan with the dress so the necklace still works.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T16:28:00.005-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the USA. Our turkey is finished and football is on TV so I get a break to do what I want. I've been extremely busy at work the last 2 weeks and haven't had any time for crafting - working 10 hour days. I work for a ribbon distributor and we formed a partnership with another ribbon company. Fortunately, we have the money and ended up in control so my job is secure, but the hours have been brutal. And next week doesn't look any better.

I managed to start a necklace during a bus trip last weekend to NYC. Last summer I discovered I can do freeform peyote while riding in a car. The problem with the bus was I had limited arm space so I had to use shorter lengths of Fireline- meaning more knots which I don't like. Since it's a gift I won't post any pictures.

I did start a freeform cuff before my work hours went crazy. It's not looking like I wanted but I'll finish it since I hate to tear things out. There's nothing wrong with it- it just has more white than I visualized when I started.

I finished a new piece!

2008-11-16T15:04:00.006-05:00

I managed to finish a piece I can to list in my Esty shop. I'm excited, even though it's a replacement for one of the necklaces my MIL bought. Lately I never seem to have time to work on my crafts so I feel finishing something is a big accomplishment. Fortunately it's been fun things that have kept me from beading and not work. But next week doesn't look any better for crafting.

I went to a friend's surprise birthday party on Sat. Kim is a former co-worker and one of my wild and crazy crafting buddies. She moved about an hour from here so unfortunately I don't get to see her as often as I'd like. On Mon and Wed an old friend will be staying with us while he's in the area on family business. Fri night Bob and I are going to a concert. Then we're off on a bus trip to New York on Sat. Bob says no craft shopping- only theater, museums, and a fancy dinner. But he's willing to stop at any shop we happen to pass!

Here's what I added to Etsy-

EBW November Challenge

2008-11-09T16:14:00.008-05:00

It's been a quite a few months since I entered an Etsy Beadweavers monthly challenge. The November challenge theme is Ancestral Expressions. I was having a hard time coming up with a design idea since my family does not have strong ties to any one nationality. So I decided on a patchwork design. I've always loved antique patchwork quilts that were made from worn-out clothing and any other scraps of fabrics that were available. Some were plain and functional while others were embroidered and embellished making them works of art. Many of these quilts were passed down from generation to generation along with the stories about the fabric patches and family members. I've always enjoyed taking raw materials and creating something- as shown by my love of beading, embroidery and cooking.

So, I took this-
and created this-

Please check out the EBW blog and vote for your favorite entry. Voting is from Nov 9 to midnight Nov 15.

Here goes nothing...

2008-11-01T20:13:00.009-04:00

This blog is my birthday gift to myself. My hubby and 2 sons are out of town for the weekend visiting my mother-in-law and I'm home alone on my (never mind the year) birthday. I've decided to prove that even aging baby boomers can be part of today's computer technology- even if I'm a little slow getting started.

Today was beautiful and warm in PA so I decided to spend the afternoon outside in a lounge chair doing what I love to do- bead! It's November and I managed to get a sunburn on my face while I made a replacement black Crazy Wavy necklace for my Etsy shop. My MIL bought 2 of my necklaces and my shop looks rather empty.

Here are pics of the necklaces my MIL bought since my guys took the camera and I can't take pics of my latest creation.

Crazy Wavy Necklace

Stormy Cloud necklace