Beads and Beach

I was gallery sitting this afternoon and got some photos of the beach...love the light on the waves...and some beading done...Not too sure what I'm doing with the beaded beads...maybe a bracelet or hung on a chain.

Bay and Bridge

I'm having a fasting ultrasound this morning, so I took an extra long walk and found myself at the top hill of our neighboring RV park...what a view they have! I wonder if we could ever leave our little doublewide and garden and trade it for an RV and that view? Maybe if the day comes when the garden is too much for chuck to handle, we'll think about that move...

Another BJP Year Finished

It just all came together this morning...I call it, Goodbye/Hello to Turtle Island.


World on a String
is a great 5 part documentary on the history of beads...our library ordered it on my recommendation and they just love it...maybe your library would like to have a copy too?

More Sun

We're still seeing sun here, at least in the afternoons, so I've been spending an occasional hour or two out by the island...some beading...some photography...some meditation. It's a good spot for all of those activities. A seal was fishing by my spot and I could hear him breathing when he came up for air...didn't have the lumix with me though, so I didn't get a close-up.
Got some more earrings done...and a bit further on the bjp.
And a photo of the fog coming in the bay yesterday afternoon.

New Beginnings

It's interesting that this years bead journal ended in august since september has always felt like the beginning of the year to me...probably because I was one of the lucky few who loved going to school and did not mourn the passing of summer.
So today is like the first day of autumn for me...even though the summer sun is still around during the day, it is beginning to get cooler at night...and I'm determined to greet each day, whether it's sunny or misty or wet, with an equal amount of gratitude.
I love the Basho quote I've put on the top of my new header...it's one of the main reasons I started the 40-part Basho series I finished last year (you can see them all on my Flickr site).


I may not be able to wander very far physically, but my spirit is the eternal traveler.

Nope...

not done and it's looking like it may take a while, as I feel it's going to take a lot more beading before it's finished...but then, I've got 4 months, lol!

Still Working on BJP

I'm going to be working on my last bjp for this year today and tomorrow...might finish it or not...

Now I'm wondering what bead embroidery series or challenge I can do between now and january when the next bjp starts!

Anyone else have any plans for "filling in" the next 4 months?

More Earrings

These are from an old pattern I did years ago, but the earring design is new...I sure wish I could figure out how to handle all the light flashing off the beads in my photography!

New Series

I've been working steadily on the new jewelry series...mostly earrings and I think I'll probably make another couple bracelets too...all done with delica beads (japanese cylinder beads) since their precision suits the patterns. I also made a pendant with bail using some czech 22 kt. finish seed beads...creates an entirely different look which I don't like as much as the delica-look.

Between some good (read, sunny) weather and a brief return to caffeine (I've been staying away from it), I'm really feeling productive again!

Beading by the river

I love to drive up our river road about 5 miles to this little roadside shaded spot and bead. I park the van and then move into the back seat while keeping the sliding door open and start beading...every once in a while I look up and all this blue water and the little "island" (you can only get to it by boat ) with it's house gives me such a sense of peace and serenity...I think it shows in the beadwork too.

Shaped Beadwork

The shapes are from diane fitzgerald's new book...the bracelet and earrings are my design. I have a couple of galleries to show them to but if they're both overstocked on jewelry, I'll put them in my Etsy shop.

Beads and Ships

From my walk this morning...the NOAA ship leaving our bay.
Some more pieces and beads to go on the august bjp.
One possible hand I'll be beading for the fiber art traders group I've joined on yahoo.
I'm thinking of doing some beachcombing this afternooon...low tide is around 3pm, but it's not a very low tide so I may wait until friday when we have a minus tide in the early morning.

Boats and Blooms

A few photos from my walk this morning plus a shot of the boat shortly before they rescued her.

Abalone

I'm working on the abalone button...lots of freshwater pearls too and the new metallic finish charlottes...they're just lovely to work with.

Surprise

When I went to work yesterday afternoon I couldn't find a place to park...almost the whole parking lot in front of the visual arts center was closed off for emergency vehicles due to a fishing boat coming aground on nye beach. And a 50 foot boat with 1600 gallons of diesel fuel is a bit heavy and hard to move! Luckily, they were able to offload the diesel fuel, so an environmental catastrophe was averted, but it's going to be interesting to watch this afternoon to see if they can get her back afloat and off the beach...hey, never a dull moment in nye beach!

added on thursday...she's off the beach and back in the harbor for now...

Bizzy

It's been quite a few days...between the pow wow on friday, beaders' gathering and lunch on saturday, short visit from son & girlfriend on sunday, wonderful surprise visit from friends on monday along with blueberry picking in the morning...we've been having fun!
I also managed to get a few pieces beaded for a bracelet and I'm working on another abalone piece this afternoon...I'm hoping I've turned a corner here and can get back to getting at least a bit of beading done every day again, as I used to!
I also got two pairs of earrings done this last week...I collect hands and they often end up in my own earrings and this week I found some metal ones in silver and copper I liked and a couple of stone ones that are unlike any I've seen before...brings my hand earring collection up to around 9 pair, I think...and an added good note-heard our friend who had major surgery will be going home in a day or two...absolutely amazing! One week and he's home again...ain't modern medicine grand!

August BJP

One of the pieces of abalone I bought at the pow wow has found it's way into this month's bjp, along with some of the new metallic charlottes....my, they are pretty! Here's a photo of the ones I bought...a finished triangle pendant from diane fitzgeralds new book using some 22kt.-finish beads from the pow wow along with some vintage nailheads and a close up of the abalone piece...I love the organic shape of this piece.
I haven't taken a lot of landscapes this summer, but this one of the bay at sunset is one I managed to do.

Siletz Pow Wow

Here are a couple of photos I took a few years ago at the pow wow...this year isn't as sunny, or at least it wasn't today!

Last BJP of this year....

wow...time surely flies! I do have my bjp ready to work on, but haven't even thought of where to begin with the beadwork...
I did find a great shaped key and had a crystal that just fit in it....I'm living with it for a while before deciding how to hang it...
And tomorrow is our annual bead buying trip to our local pow wow...I've been going for almost 14 years with a group of friends to buy most of the charlottes I use during the year and some unusual abalone pieces...although this year I won't be buying much, but the trip itself is always a treat...no drums or dancing...that starts tomorrow night.

River Road

Went to visit a friend in the valley yesterday and took him this leather bracelet I made...not my usual, but I liked the cicada (for long life) and as he's having major surgery tomorrow, it seemed timely.
On our way home we took the long way...about 20 miles from the coast we headed up into the hills on some logging roads and had some fun with our county map...no GPS for us, lol!
Here's a shot of the alsea river yesterday afternoon, then a view of one of the interior valleys of the coast range and our van sitting up on a ridge road, just before heading west...into the darn overcast...but at least we got our fill of sun and heat in the valley!