Scottie and BEADS!

This is a picture of my beloved Scottie SkyeBlue who passed away 5 years ago. I loved this dog so much. She was the sweetest Scottie & so smart. I bought her sight unseen except for a couple .jpg over the internet. I had first seen a wheaten colored Scottie on a website from someone who lived out West. They sent me a picture for our website Scottie Obsession. Oh yes, I've been on the internet since 1990. We had one of the first personal websites dedicated to the Scottish Terrier. It wasn't about showing dogs, or breeding dogs, or anything commercial at all. It was all about my beautiful first Scottie, FalaPink. The website was primitive by today's standards, but I loved writing the fictional stories about Fala & the Scottish Clan Commandos that my fellow Scottie owners shared on a group called CyberScots ( I think it still exist someplace out there.). I had recipes, many links to other websites for Scottie owners, and one of our albums was dedicated to "Fala's Furry Friends". Many people back then didn't have the skills to have their own personal website, so I'd get many pictures in the mail from people all over the US/World (yes! I got mail from Norway, Russia, Japan, South Africa). It was a "global" Scottie world. Oh and THIS is how I met my best friend Cynthia who taught me to bead! But, a person sent me a picture of a wheaten colored Scottie. I WANTED ONE so bad. So when a person online posted she had a litter of wheaten puppies, I e-mailed & called her. I got a sweet little wheaten girl. She was shipped to us, and therefore Chris named her SkyeBlue. More about Skye i a later post as she was such a lovely wonderful Scottie girl.

Okay back to the story of the picture. Dulcey Heller makes the most wonderful beaded kits. I bought "Fire and Ice" from her & made it up in record time as I loved the design. Skye loved to wear the jewelry I made, and though I don't have many pictures of her wearing the necklaces, she has adorn many of my finished pieces. I sent this picture to Dulcey & explained to her that my Skye was my baby & therefore she wears what I wear, eats what I eat, and sleeps where I sleep (she slept at on my pillow with her paws over my forehead). I found this picture because at the Bead Unique Tahoe Retreat there is a call for pictures of pets with jewelry. I went through my files looking for this, and just have to share my lovely girl wearing a beautiful necklace. Alas, the necklace is broken, because when Skye died, I was so upset I started to cut it up. I made one cut and stopped thinking this was one thing I had of her. I have a box of "Skye" things to make a little shrine to her someday when my heart doesn't break looking inside that box. I still have the necklace, & I'm sure I could repair it, but now that necklace belongs to SkyeBlue.

Another wonderful Scottie sighting. LOL! On the Scottie groups I use to belong to, we'd do SS whenever we'd find anything with Scotties on it. Socks at Macys...sighting. New book with Scotties on it...sighting. Pajamas at Penney's...sighting. SO...here is my SCOTTIE SIGHTING with beads involved. I follow Marcia DeCoster's blog for drool factor & to hopeful learn something about color & design from her. I posted a message & there in a teeny tiny picture looked like a Scottie. I tried to enlarge it, but couldn't tell so I clicked on that person's webpage. BEAUTIFUL jewelry and A SCOTTIE! Check out the lovely work by Gill of Beadography.

One more thing. I finally got the repairs done of my piece "Getting Motivated" which won first place at AFIC and then was broken. I must say that it really does look better. Have to get Chris to get the camera out & take a picture of the new & improved.

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May 2009 BJP

Yesterday at Byzantium, I taught a very small hand held doll called Guardian Angel. I originally was suppose to teach this class back in January, but that was when I had that case of Vertigo that kept me from driving too far for over a month. Most of the students registered from that class were willing to wait for a reschedule. It was so fun to have a full class with faces that are getting to be familiar. I only had one new person, so we all had such fun talking and laughing while beading this small doll. Picture? Well, I left the doll there at the store, and you know I never got a picture of it before I submitted it to Roxy. I keep forgetting how much fun I actually do have teaching beaded dolls. I did learn something yesterday also. I need to concentrate on smaller projects so that students can not only learn techniques, but have something to take home that looks almost done. Andrea asked me to reteach the cuff class, so I'm going to come up with another sample using the flat method instead of using the blank inserts. Also, another woman asked if I could do one of the Trick or Treaters...the monster. So I'm thinking to reduce the size of the monster so it fits in a pocket and to find either some buttons with monster type faces, or to actually make one up myself make a mold of it. But tiny, is going to be the word.

Another thing about Byzantium before I share my May Bead Journal Project. I don't think I've posted a picture of Fantasy Swim here on my blog. Fantasy Swim was my 2006 Bead International submission for the Dairy Barn. Fantasy Swim took me 6 months to make & was my first assembalage piece. At the Dairy Barn, it was in a glass case in the front of the other displays. I was so proud of my funky mermaid with her court. BUT...it traveled around the US in other galleries and finally came home a week before Christmas 2008. It has been sitting in my front room since then. I decided to take it to Byzantium and live there for awhile so others can see it took. I'm also going to concentrate on teaching stitching elements as completed on Fantasy Swim so this also will be a promotion for my classes in 2010. So there it is, and I'm hoping it finds someplace to be displayed so future beaded doll addicts can see her.

Now for my May project-Sprout. As you remember, I'm all about recycling this year. For May, I've decided to do a rabbit. It was originally a beanie baby from a fast food Happy Meal. I love orange. DUH! I've made other muslin rabbits disguised as carrots, but they've all been sold. So I had nothing to make me laugh. Therefore, for my May project, I made this bunny disguised as a carrot. I showed it to Frodo when done, and he could care less. He's more interested in the BROWN bunnies that roam around our yard, and sit on the patio daring him to get outside and catch them. Oh yes, we have many many bunnies in our yard. There are 5 big evergreen trees on the back of our property, and I think the rabbits have their homes there. Well, no I know they do as I can't tell you how many times I have to go out back and pull Arwen & Frodo from the back where they are barking and barking at a stupid rabbit. But then the rabbits aren't stupid as they know those stupid dogs will bark and bark and bark while they sit grooming their fur on the OTHER side of the fence where it is safe. So for all those bunnies who torment my dogs, eat my bulbs, and dash out in front of my car every single morning...May is for the Bunnies! And, this bunny is sitting in a display case at Byzantium with my blue jay because I'm teaching Trash to Treasure on June 20th. My class is half full already, and I've been asked to teach it here at my house for those who aren't able to make it to the class. That is also the week for the Quilt show here in Columbus. I had to ask Chris if it would be okay to have the house with crazy beading ladies here. He said why not...doll makers, Scottie owners, beaders...what is the difference? I agree...all friends having a good time.

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Bad to good day

Okay, first off I've had a very very bad 24 hours. I first find out that the tech who quit 2 weeks ago is not going to be replaced so we'll have to work short to cover that. Then Monday I find out my other tech who has only been with us less than a year turned in her transfer request to work at the bigger hospital (I told her it was a big mistake, but whatever. AND to top the cake we get an e-mail from the President that there will be a salary freeze for 6 months (I was so looking forward to an hourly raise as I've been at the top of the pay scale for two years & then raised it 2 weeks after I got my last evaluation). AND they are not going to be matching out retirement 403B. Yeppers...I was in a very very low & foul place. I was suppose to go to my 25 year recognition dinner tonight. Imagine trying to eat food when you know that is ALL you'll get. SO yes...not a good mood at all & when I woke up & told Chris he was upset too and told me we didn't have to go to this dinner tonight.

THEN...I open up my Yahoo mail & get an e-mail from the lady (thank you Anne) who bought my Podling from our BFAC auctions. She told me first that she actually knew Layne (!) and thanked me for donating my artwork to the project. Said her Mother had died of colon cancer. Then told me that the piece was in her studio. GUYS...I broke down & cried great big tears. I STILL am choked up about this. Here I was at my darkest point and one e-mail from something I did for charity has changed my whole day...heck, my whole year! She told me she found me through the BJP. So not only has BFAC helped to change the lives of our fellow men who are afflicted with colon cancer, but it helped lift my dark mood & has given me a newer outlook on the window of life that I see every single day. Thank you BFAC for making this day more bright & meaningful

I thought of this saying to sum up my feelings:
The job I do with my hands is to make the money to live on...the work I do with my heart makes me soar and enjoy life. Hand and Heart keep me whole.

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damaged.....

Right now I don't know wether to be mad or relieved. Chris wanted to hang my spider ryder "getting motivated" from the AFIC challenge on the wall. He used these plastic hangers. I told him to not use them as they were not strong enough. I've had them give away with other dolls, but lucky nothing was broke or damage. If the dolls are light weight, I've epoxied the hangers on the wall & they work. Well...yes, he didn't listen to me. When I woke up this afternoon, he told me hung the spider ryder on the wall & it fell & broke. He wanted to fix it...I told him no! I've waited 6 hours before I went down to see what the damage was.

It is bad, but I think I might be able to fix it better. One of the spider legs is broke, the arm is out of joint, the hat is pulled away, and the base is broken to bits. I took the felt off the base & all those records underneath just broke away into little tiny pieces. Luckily the beading part wasn't damaged. I'm just going to let it sit down there for a couple of days until I have enough energy to repair it. I'm not going to let him do anything with it as I'm so ticked. He wanted to fix it, but I told him NO! I'll do it. I think instead of those fragile records, I'll use some foam board cut into a circle. They might be strong enough as a backing without breaking if dropped. As for the leg, I'll just have to put more beads on it to get it more stabilize. The other damage can be fixed with a little thread & needle. Oh well...I think I can make it better. I'm going to put more embellishment on the spider web itself. I think I'll sew some metallic threads around it. I'm also going to repair the fly. He got squished. Oh well........

I have a couple months to repair this before it goes off to the Ugly Bug Ball in Maine. I'm mad that he didn't listen to me, but I'm relieved that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

First Place Winner at AFIC 2009

YES!!!! Imagine my surprise when I found out that my piece for the 2009 AFIC Challenge was picked first place original design. When I entered this piece & saw some of the other entries, I knew I hadn't a chance. The exhibit hall was opened Friday night at 8 pm for the conference attendees. Cynthia & I were late getting into the hall because we were "visiting" (or yakking away with everyone). I was only about 20 steps in the exhibit admiring all the teacher's dolls, when Cyndy's sister Patti comes up to me & asked if I'd seen my doll yet. I told her "no", and then she told me I had to "go see". I looked at her with a question & she just pointed me to the back where the last of the challenge dolls were hung up. Cynthia told me she'd go look first. I stood & watched as she went to check out what Patti had steered me to. Then I saw Cynthia pointing & holding her hand over her mouth. I walked back & there on the wall was a first place ribbon next to my doll. I jumped for joy! I never thought my spider rider would get chosen as first place. Everyone came up to me then & congratulated me. When I saw Rosie who was one of the judges & thanked her, she told me I deserved it. You can't imagine how proud I was at that moment. Four years ago back in 2005, I attended my first AFIC conference in awe of the talent. Now, my piece got chosen best. What a distance I've come in those years.

This is part of my recycle theme. The whole piece is mounted on a 78 record which has been covered with black wool from an old skirt. The vest and wings of the doll are from a piece of lace I got from a fabric salvage shop in Barberton Ohio.

The spider is the first doll I made. He is called Winston. At first, I just was going to have only a spider on a web, then I sewed up a doll trying my hand at using limbs. I loved this wee guy & just to see if the size was right for a beaded doll, I placed him on Winston's back. Winston looked surprised, but welcomed Holsume. So they became partners. Winston was leery about leaving his web, so Holsume found a fly to entice him to move. Therefore, "Finding Motivation".

Winston & Holsume will be traveling later this summer. They are going to the Ugly Bug Ball in Maine.

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Beading for a Cure

I'd like to introduce you to Gertrude. Gertrude started out life as a thrift shop reject. She originally was a Dream Pet hippopotamus with fabric eyes, funky yarn hair, and nothing special about her except she was purple. I spent a month working on her using the bead kit from the Beading for a Cure group. After I finished her up, I did enter her in Bead Dreams on a whim. She didn't get in which I expected, but I wanted to give it a try. I'm not really a blue type of person, but after I finished her up I just fell in love with her. I've had two people offer to buy her already. Don't know if I can even do that. I'm having doubts about sending her off to the BFC auction for next year. Last week one of the other beaded dolls like Gertrude only got a bid of @ 65 dollars. I don't know if I could let Gertrude go for such a low price as I've already been offered $150.oo for her from a local collector. Plus, I'm feeling that I might want to just keep her. I've got some time to decided, but for now she's living with me & I see her every day when I come down the stairs.

I've been absent for awhile as I've been busy getting ready for AFIC (Artistic Figures in Cloth). My best friend Cynthia came early & we got to spend some time together. I had a great time. I'm still unwinding & will post later about AFIC...an announcement that surprised me! and photos of my entry. Stay tuned as I've got to get the camera out.

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Addition: I just saw that our auctions for BFAC are back up. My doll an OOAK Podling is doing well & is going to bring in a nice price for our charity. I think I'm changing my mind & Gertrude just might have to leave my house to be auctioned off for next year. I was worried, but now I feel more confident that my Gertrude darling will do well next year. I hope Beki likes her company as that is where she will go to live for awhile. dot