What Have You Been Up To?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Elaine

Sometimes I look up and time has flown by. Spring finally landed and I’ve been spending a little more time digging around outside. Each year since I’ve moved I’ve tried to work a little more on the gardening and growing stuff thing. I picked up a pottery class to finally try throwing pots on a wheel. Tonight is the night we glaze everything so I will have pieces to take pictures of soon! I told people that everyone gets lop-sided bowls and cups for gifts this year.

I’ve been topping up my stash of goodies for my show in Calgary this weekend – the Lilac Festival! I’ll be in my same booth, at the east corner of 14th ave and 4th street. This will be my fifth year doing the show. They’re calling for rain so think happy sunny thoughts for me please! Or at least, very little rain and mostly sunny happy thoughts.

After the show I am firming up my summer plans: the Windscape Kite Festival, selling at the Frontier Days, setting the kid up as my assistant and hopefully enjoying the whole summer thing. The fall has already turned into this list of busy-ness to get ready for and yet something about summer always seems to make it seem a little slower and mellower. I guess that’s probably the biggest proof that I am not a farmer. That and the fact that I asked which way to plant the garlic and onions…

Spring!

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Elaine

I do believe the winter is giving up here… I know, I shouldn’t jinx it. And yes, it IS the end of April. To celebrate a little I made the robin cane that has been on my to do list for most of the not-spring. This is the unreduced version of it. You can see them as beads in my shop, too!

Beads on my Table

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Elaine

There are always beads on my table.

Sometimes there’s LOTS of beads on my table. Especially when it’s a bake-more-than-one-pan day like today…

Mostly all of those beads get holes or a little paint or varnish or sanding but I did actually turn a few of them into a daisy chain bracelet.

When I first started beading I used to make miles of daisy chains. Years later I made the first of these tiny little flower beads (they’re 1/2″ or less across). They’re cute but I don’t use them for much except as dangles on bigger pieces. This is a prototype because I’d love some simple “wrap” style bracelet with these. This one is strung on memory wire with a firm hook loop to help it keep it’s shape. The leaves dangle from part of the clasp.

What’s on YOUR bead table? Have a look at the rest of the BTW group.

The Soup Is On!

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Elaine

My partner Michi sent me such a package of pretties I had a hard time actually buckling down and making things! Luckily a friend solved the issue of what to do with the focal because she claimed it and ordered a necklace. Phew!

She had an example necklace for me to measure from – a long chain necklace with front pendant – and away I went! All orders and requests should be that simple!

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A Little Bare

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Elaine

Not that the studio is bare or even slightly empty but my bead table – ie: the project pile – is a little barren right now. I’m still working through the backlog of cleaning, organizing and planning from the bead show. Up there is a snapshot of some of the big wholesale order of metal stuff that was waiting for me when I came home.

This is what I baked up this morning. I’m hoping to run my slightly belated spring sale soon (coincide it with the BSBP reveal on Saturday maybe?) and trying to top up all of the crowd favourites in my shop before it goes on.

These will be thicker flat flower beads. They work great for simpler stringing than the dangle flowers. I often antique and distress them a little when I use them in pieces. Once these guys are done I’ll photo the whole collection I have left from the bead show and list them all.

How’s your bead table look? If you want to share, check out the Bead Table Wednesday group on Flickr.