Bead Journal Project-December

December is ticking away. I'm feeling better, and am wanting to actually get back in the saddle and share some of my pieces with the world. I'm beginning to think that who cares if I brag. That is my right, and if some people aren't comfortable with listening to me, that should not stop me from sharing my Art with the world.

This piece is actually one of my found treasures. I was trying to find the gourds for Harvest' base when I came across these stuffed creatures that I had bought at Ikea earlier this year. They were only 50 cents apiece, and being a hoarder, I just couldn't help myself. So I brought out a stuffed elephant and a hippo. The hippo caught my eye. At the time, BAD was doing a "song" challenge, and I was thinking what a wonderful thing to do one of my favorite silly Christmas songs that had been playing on 93.3 since the middle of November. Guess which one it is?? Yes, "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas...only a hippopotamus will do....." And YES! I sang this song the whole week as I was beading this cute little stuffed creature. It is only 4 inches high and 6 inches long. I had a group of girls from work come over right after I finished it & one of them wanted to buy it. Sorry, not for sale. I didn't post him for the BAD challenge as I was feeling a little blue at the time, but I believe that was because it was suppose to become my December entry for the Bead Journal Project for 2008.

Bead Journal Project-November

For November, I wasn't sure what I was going to work on. Then I was cleaning out my clothes closet looking for some Christmas presents I'd bought last year, when I came across a doll that I had bought from Cyndy Sieving to help her pay for the 2007 Artistic Figures in Cloth conference. I really didn't like this doll when I bought it, but the face was cute. The original doll was in blue clothing, and had black wool roving hair. She was sitting on fabric green leaves. I don't know it you've noticed or not, but I really am NOT a blue person. My favorite colors are earthy tones with lots of oranges, yellows, and browns. So, I took this doll out, and sat her on the cabinet letting the Sun shine on her face. I realized that I loved the face Cyndy painted on her, and decided to recycle this doll by taking everything off & just leaving the doll form. Then I posed the doll with her head resting on the palm of her hand to give her a wishful look. Now done to the FUN! I had the best time beading this doll. I used beads from my stash that were dusty, and used some new beads from the trip to NYC. She was so Harvest looking that I decided to call her just that. But I needed to put her on a stand. So I brought some microscope boxes home from work which were sturdy enough for the base, but flexible enough for me to drill holes through so I could mount Harvest on it. Then I used some Fall Accents from Michaels' to decorate the base. I must admit that I really like this doll a lot. I wish I could claim to have made the doll itself, but to reclaim it to a Treasured piece sitting out in the Front room with all my other special dolls, was one of the objects of this project. When I showed Cyndy what I had done, she was happy with the transformation.

Bead Journal Project-October

For October I decided to recycle a doll form from the article I wrote for Doll Crafter's and Costuming. The article was my very first front page, and I was tickled to pieces over it. When the local bead store saw the article before it was published, they wanted me to teach the cat. It was the first time a beaded doll class was to be offered at Byzanitum. I had 5 students. Every single one of them really enjoyed the class, and asked me for more doll classes. Yes, I'm going to be teaching more in the 2009 year.

Roxane from Byzantium called this class the Howling Black Cat, and I really liked the name. Initially this class was taught with a fabric face, and this was how this doll began. But one member from Bead Art Dolls (sorry, but I forgot her name), had gotten the article, shrunk the pattern, and made this black cat using a button she got a Joann's. I really loved the button, and bought a set for myself. Now, this doll was the doll that I used in class for a sample. It started with all the different stitches here and there. It was a big mess, and I just put it to the side. But then, I thought to myself that if I didn't finish it now in October, it would go into a big tub of unfinished projects and never get done. Then I opened a drawer of buttons and saw that funny cat face. I was really inspired, and had the best time finishing this up in record time. It only took me a week to finish this 6 inch doll.

Bead Journal Project-September

First off, I want to apologize for not posting in over a month. I have been working on art projects all this time, but just haven't had the initiative to publish them. Back in July or August, someone told me that I was bragging too much about my accomplishments, and it made me a bit depressed. I backed away, and kept relatively quiet. But, I have commitments and need to publish them. This is the first for the new Bead Journal Project for 2008-2009. The committee decided that this year, we'd all start in September.

It was hard for me to come up with a big game plan for the year. I'd just finished a couple dolls for Global Warming and had read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. I wanted to do a big gigantic piece dedicated to Rachel, but I tried drawing, and thinking, and doodling, and nothing came to surface. Then I decided that instead of doing one big project dedicated to Saving our Earth, I'd do 12 small ones each month, and if I still had the energy I'd work on the bigger piece through the year. So my BJP project for 2008-2009 all revolves around recycling. Each month, I'm either going to work with something already in my stash, a doll that I have bought but really didn't like too much, or my favorite theme "Trash to Treasure" which is a piece bought at the thrift store which is probably ready to be thrown in the trash and taken to the landfill but I've "rescued" and turned into a piece of Treasure.

This month begins with something from my stash. I made over 40 doll forms for kits to sell when I went to EDAC in July. I came back home with 1/2 and from that, I sold half of those. So I decided to take one of my own design forms and bead it. Since I suffered so much from allergies in September, it was like I was swim all the time with my eyes and nose watering. So I decided to bead a mermaid. I used a clay face that Chris had made for me and incorporated fiber with the beads and sequins. I even came up with a new method to do hair. Therefore-Flora Swims.