Bead Journal Project-June

When I started this year's Bead Journal Project using the theme of Secret Treasures, I thought it would be a breeze. And so it did in the beginning. I could usually do the beading and construction of the actual recycled jar in only a few days, but choosing the piece to go into the jar and then actually telling the story of the piece is what has taken time and "challenged" my Muse. For June, I was stuck. I had the jar completed and I had the piece to put into my Treasure jar, but the story just wasn't fit to tell anyone.

My Summer started out in a bad tone. I was so excited in going to Lexington to take the Tambour Beading class, but it was an act in frustration for me. I should never have taken the class as it was for advanced people, and I didn't have a clue. In the past, if anything comes along where I use my hands, then I have no problem figuring it out even if my fingers and eyes twisting and turning until I've mastered the technique. But not this time. I struggled so hard to even figure out the first thing causing me to get more and more frustrated as the weekend went along. And when I get frustrated with something, that is it! I do the "sour grapes" thing trying to talk myself into hating what it is that I can't do. But I paid for this class, so I went even though I'd only spend 3-4 hours a day because I was determined NOT to let this foil my supposedly fun filled weekend. I'm usually a very cheery fun student wanting to talk & chat & socialize with my fellow students, but not this time either. I don't know if it was that I felt so out of place, or my frustration just put a big aura of "don't talk to her" sign around me. I was isolated in my inability to figure this all out. I finally did, but by then it was too late. My mood was ruined, and that was that. So began my Summer.

I enjoyed going out to Tacoma for the Puget Sound Bead Festival meeting new people & learning new techniques (which didn't frustrate me this time around) and visiting with my best buddy. But under all this was calls from Ohio telling me Fiona was getting more & more ill. I enjoyed my week, but I knew there was going to be pay back. And brother was there and still is. So all along there has been this dark undertone to everything this Summer. As too it has with the story that I wanted to tell about my June BJP.



For June, I wanted to put my class ring from Portsmouth High into a green jar, but I was so black with mood swings about everything that all I could think of were dark sad thoughts. I love my baby brother, Victor, so much. He & I can talk for hours about everything, but he is such a busy man with his 4 growing children, but I called him to talk to him about Portsmouth and this rage I carried in me. He grew up in Portsmouth. He was born in Portsmouth. He loves Portsmouth. Me? My parents moved back to Portsmouth Ohio in 1967 when I was in 8th grade from Los Angeles. It was a nightmare for me being pulled out of school and friends I'd known since 3rd grade and put into a strange situation that was beyond coping. I still have so many bad memories of going to school and living there. I wanted to write about this ring, but how to do that & NOT get caught up in hate. The ring itself is my version of difference. Everyone else bought their class rings from the vendor that came into the High School so all their rings could look alike except for small differences. I didn't want that. I was different and was treated different, so I wanted something I could wear on my finger to show that I was what they all saw me as...strange, different, odd. I talked to Victor about this, and told him I truly wanted to get all this away from me. I thought blogging about all these past experiences of those 5 years would help me get this out of me. To be sixteen years younger than I is something when he with his soothing voice told me, I needed to put that ring in the jar along with all my dark black thoughts and seal it up and never open it again. Let all that wither in that jar and then instead write about good thoughts about Portsmouth. So I am going to do that. I put the ring in the jar last night when I finished the pictures...the past is in there with it.

Things I remember about Portsmouth:

Walking along the foggy streets dashing from one pool of light pouring down from the street lamps.
Rolling down the blazing leave colored hills around Portsmouth in the Fall when Daddy hunted for berries in the brambles.
Eating hamburgers on a snow day with money we'd made shoveling snow with Jerry and Cheryl.
The day Victor was born.
Meeting Chris for the very first time at Shawnee State's library and knowing this was HIM.
Sitting on the front porch of our 11th street house swinging and singing with Jerry & Cheryl while Jerry attempted to let the whole state of Ohio hear his off key voice.
Sitting on the Flood wall watching the barges slowly crawl up and down the Ohio River.
Riding my bicycle up the hill with the frosty hair pulling hairs from out of my cap.
Sitting with Grandma on her huge porch in August listening to the insects sing.
Cheryl & I laying on our beds listening to Bread over and over again on our turn table.
Playing in the sprinklers with Jeannette and Teresa.
Noel Family gatherings where my uncle who had a blue grass band would let me play my Accordian with them and not grimcing.
Buying my first car and being so proud of its paisley top and interior.
Picking the peas out of Teresa's Vegetable soup.
Watching Star Trek IN COLOR with Grandpa who'd then drive me back home because everyone else was watching Bewitched.
Sundays with everyone crowded around the television watching Bonanza.
The Christmas season downtown where all the stores where decorated and everyone was truly happy.
The candy stand at Kresages where the lady would let you have 25 cents worth of chocolate covered anything!
My first real adult job as a Pharmacy Technician at Scioto Memorial Hospital
Spending the nights with Mom Gray rocking in chairs and listening to radio plays.
Eating homemade noodles at my Aunt Rosie's house.
Telling jokes to my Uncle's Doc & Charles and they laughed!
Christmas I gave Victor the 1000 piece Martian landscape kit and seeing my Dad roll his eyes.
Driving my Plymouth Satellite out into Shawnee Forrest on a dirt road, rolling out a blanket and just sitting quiet listening to the breeze.
Taking Victor to school on his first day. And the teacher thinking I was his Mom.
Victor calling me Mom and laughing as he ran way.
Cheryl & I walking down to Shaeffers to get a bottle of Pepsi.
Icy cold sips of water at Kenny Springs.
Tangerine ice cream.
Getting a fog pass at the Johnda Lou drive in in Wheelersburg while trying to watch Marthon Man.
Driving around Shawnee Forrest with Chris at night.
Our first apartment in Portsmouth with plastic curtains.
Cheryl and Jerry's wedding.
Dad being so proud of his Meat Processing shop.
Grandma Gifford walking us downtown and buying me a lavender blanket because she knew my "blood was thinned out" from living in LA.
My graduation party.
Getting accepted at Ohio State.
Daddy holding my hand the night before I left.
Mom packing all my things into a trunk.
Looking at pictures of long passed people with Mom and Grandma.
Going through Grandma's house looking at all her stuff while she tells us stories about each piece.
Our dog Buck. Our cat Terry.
Toby jumping into bed with me after Jeannette had gone to school.
Teaching Victor to read.
Rocking Victor in the chair late at night while he was teething.
Taking Jeannette & Teresa to Mound Park drugs to get their school supplies
Spending hours at the Portsmouth Library.
The dark hall ways at PHS and that one staircase by the auditorium.
Paula and I in the high school play "Pennys from Heaven" where we didn't stretch out the balloons for the performance and made everyone laugh when we adlibed the scene.
Walking back and forth at Richard's News trying to find the perfect paper back.
Crispy Creme donuts and hot chocolate.
The juke box at Pizza Pub.
Family. Friends. Chris.
================================
Now to live my life with all these good thoughts embraced within my soul.

Beaded Jars

What a Summer! All I can say is thank goodness it is September 1st. Since I got back from Seattle, we've been back & forth to the Vet so many times with Fiona. There were days in the beginning when I thought she was not going to live. Her Diabetes diagnosis was a real shock to Chris & I. We had no idea, then on top of that she got Septicemia from a Bladder infection. She lost 7 pounds, was so lethargic, and would not eat. Slowly we've increased her insulin, changed her diet so many times, and finally...FINALLY have her semi regulated. She is blind from the Diabetes and is slowly adapting to getting around without her vision. She had so many bad days last month, that we cried so many times seeing her exhausted and drained of energy. Then one day, she perked up and demanded to go outside for a walk. A WALK! We both cried with happiness. Every day she gets better and better. She had energy, she demands to eat, she waits after eating so I can give her her shot, and she has learned to go in and out the back and front and yesterday she jumped up onto the couch without help. So, I've been a worry wart.

Work has had its ups and downs. It has been so busy with the hospital full many days and the ER just overcrowded and very busy. It has to be the heat. Oh yes...the heat! This is the 5th hottest Summer in Ohio. My electric bill can attest to that. Sometimes I'm just happy to be at work to stay cooled. We have air conditioning in the house, but it is getting old and do I really want to pay that much money? So we keep it a little warmer than normal. Most of the time it does not bother me...because I'm in the basement creating!

Byzantium shut its doors in August. I cannot divulge how much I spent in those last weeks. Let's just say I won't have to buy beads for years & I have some lovely new pieces of jewelry to wear. I bought two of the seed bead racks from the store. I wanted something to remember Byzantium by. Chris hung it up and I spent three days sorting through beads & hanging them all up. I've got to get a picture of that to share as it is something quite amazing. I also got invited to teach at 1 Stop Bead Shop here in Columbus. We are working together on getting at least one class for the Fall. I'm also working on finishing an on line class with A is for Artistry. Boy that is hard. I also had a week there when the stress from Fiona's illness was so much that I got Hal my sewing machine out and sewed up a dozen monsters.



And I've been working on my recycling theme too. I gave a challenge to the gals over at A Bead Story to use plastic toys/animals into making a piece of ART! Here is one of the pieces I came up with. Cynthia & I were at a gift shop in Ocean Shores Washington, when we saw these adorable animals. We each picked out a couple and decided they'd be perfect for the challenge. I decided to use the trio of Hedgehogs to begin. I also got into my box of junk & found an old Avon plastic jar that had some type of body cream. So out came the beads and sequins, and I completed this beaded jar in a week. I wanted to keep the basic jar clear so that pretty vintage buttons could be kept inside. Funny, but when I took this over to 1 Stop for everyone to see, they could still smell the body lotion when I opened the jar. This was a fun project & I have a feeling you'll be seeing more of these from me in the future. I also completed a box with the plastic elephant, but you'll have to wait on that one.



So here I am wanting to complete some things for September. I also need to play catch up on my Bead Journal Project. I had a real collapse of inspiration in telling the stores behind the the Treasure jars, but I think I'm on the road to recovery. I also have a vacation coming up soon. We are going to Hawaii for a 2nd honeymoon. Chris has a brand new camera so I'm sure there will be lots of great pictures.

Beading for a Cure 2011

This is Mother's Love. She is finally completed and photographed for the Beading for a Cure 2011 challenge and competition. This is an OOAK (original one of a kind) doll made by me (Dot Lewallen). I purchased the kit from the Beading for a Cure organization & added one bead type, sequins, a pendent, and crystal Rivolis to this hand made doll form. These are the 5 images I'm sending into the competition judging. Mother's Love will be auctioned off in the month of March/April on eBay for our charity with money going to the Colo-Rectal Cancer research.

Enjoy.
dot

End of an Era

I thought today I'd write about my favorite bead store, Byzantium. As I sit here & try to come up with something to say about Joyce and all the girls at Byzantium is that I'm sad to be losing a long close friend. Byzantium has been in business for 25 years & has been a bedrock for the art community in Columbus offering beads to excite and delight everyone. It also is a haven for those looking for inspirations and imagination with all the things Joyce has collected over the years from African drums, tibetian prayer bowls, Haiti Voodo Flags, Navajo jewelry, silver pieces from Afghanistan, Nepal jewelry, beaded Hoichu masks, carved fetish, African trade beads, gemstones from all over the world, Central American jewelry, plus just about everything else you can imagine. And all of this has got to go as Joyce has decided to retire & spend time with her husband Jeff doing the things she hasn't done since being a owner of a busy bead store has kept her from just average things some folks take for granted. She wrote in an e-mail when people asked her "well, what are you going to do now that you are retired". I can hear her small laugh when she wrote she was going to work in her garden, eat breakfast AND dinner with her husband, take a daily walk & bead! Joyce has no time to bead at all! So hopefully she'll get her wish.

But for people like me it is a sad time. Every time I go to the store, there is less and less left as every day she has more & more discounts. Oh and shall I say that more & more is coming home with me! I've been helping out some selling items and it has been a thrill. I've seen more unusual and interesting thing than in all the years that I've pressed my nose to the glass cases trying to see what was hidden away. Because of that, I've got to add to my collection some interesting pieces of silver jewelry and rings. I've also purchases a string of black coral with sterling silver inlays that I'd never seen before. I have bags & bags of vintage French sequins that are someday going to make a lovely dark lady mermaid. I've also got to see old friends who I haven't seen in years & students come up to me giving me a hug and try to talk but tears are in all our eyes. Monday I went in & there was my very first bead embroidery teacher Rena standing there larger than life. It was like a big old reunion as she lives out of town & we lost track. We hugged, kissed & exchanged e-mails. Each time I leave, I turn to say goodbye to a place that means so much to me, as here was where I first got to bead bug!

But I'm happy for Joyce & blessed that she has been there to encourage me & LOL! help me with picking out colors for my teaching kits! Joyce knows I have a real problem doing blue kits! Joyce also gave me the confidence to teach and to publish articles. Roxanne, Corby, Tammy, Larrisa, Laine and all the other girls have given me hugs & thumbs up with every item I bring in to show. So you see, it is like having a long time loving friend pass away.

I'm going in Saturday to find more treasures to add to my collection & to see if they need help with customers as Saturday is the 75% off day. Yikes! So far, I've heard the last day Byzantium will be open will be August the 7th or longer. I saw that I'm off that day & will go in hopefully to see bare walls as all the goodies will have found their way to new homes, and to say my last farewell to friends.

Fiona progress

Well, Fiona has turned the corner. She started to want to eat Wednesday night. I wasn't sure if my Fiona was even going to be around this time of the week as she was very close to leaving Chris & I. I'd come home every morning & see her just laying on the floor near the water dish. I couldn't see her breathing & was so afraid to see if she was cold or not. I'd call her name, and they she would stir slightly. I'd pick her up and give her such a hug that she made it another night. So imagine how on Wednesday evening when I gave her a tin of Cesars and she gobbled it down. Both Chris & I were in tears. He looked at me. I looked at him, and it was relief. We were so happy we opened another tin of the Cesars & merrily she gobbled it up. Naturally she had Frodo & Arwen to help her clean up the mess as she cannot see what she's dropped.

Friday morning we took her in to Dr. Miller. Her blood sugar was still elevated so we are going to increase her insulin and try to feed her more protein rich food and snacks. Oh, she loves boiled eggs & pork rinds. He laughed & said whatever she'll eat is great as we need to get her to eat & gain some weight. I know this might be hard to believe to dog owners, but she lost 7 pounds in 3 weeks! Last night she devoured 1/4 cup of Iams kibble and a whole can of Alpo. I know all those prayers that people have been sending to me have been answered. We have a ways to go to regulate her blood sugar, but she is alert and knows her name. She's even investigating the downstairs & navigating areas around the table. I just need to remember to shut the basement door or put the gate up so she doesn't fall down the stairs. But I'm so happy that Fiona is showing some improvement. Thank you everyone for thinking of me & my sweet old Scottish lass.

I almost have my BFAC completed. The beading is all done, and all I need to do is to finish one last assemble piece then it is pictures, posting, and mailing away for next years auction. I can't believe that it has taken my 3 months to complete this project & she is going away to live at someone's home forever. I just hope she finds a good home next year & we are able to get a nice hunk of cash for our charity. Oh, I'll post more next year when the auctions start.

I'm not much at sewing, but I want to finish this sample for the Lily's September class. I have it 75% done & need to sew with Hal some components to finish. Guess what? Can't find the power cord to my Janome! I had to actually clean off my work table & some of the racks of fabic, but can't find. I wonder if I #1 lost it someplace/somewhere-god-knows-where, #2 misplaced it in the piles of stuff in the back section of the studio, or #3 it was stolen my those mysterious trolls that hide in the crawl space and always get blamed for missing things. I wonder if my old 30 year old Brother will still work? I do know where it is! I have pants to mend too as I have to put a little hem in Chris' new trousers. And did I say, I'm geared up to sew on that blasted machine for a change. Oh well, hopefully Chris knows where "I" put it! Probably the same place "I" put the power cord to my cell phone!

And now for something interesting. Lark is having a give away on their blog for three fabulous books. Check it out & put a comment to have the chance to win.

hots as Hades in Ohio...but I'm chilled out in my basement trying to find that blasted power cord!

Back to work

I tell you it is always so upsetting the first night back & everyone at work ask you if you are "happy to be back?"...really? Like I really would rather be at work than on vacation doing what I love to do? Must be some sort of sour grapes like thing.

I had a great time in Seattle visiting my friend Cynthia. We went to the Puget Sound Bead Festival which was a total BLAST! I got to take a fabulous class with Janice doing a Steampunk Bracelet. I wasn't sure if I could handle doing the metal work as I have weak hands...but...Janice convinced me that I could do it with proper tools...oh..and I bought proper tools too! I'd use one of her great pliers and needed that one. Then I'd use one of her fabulous hammers and needed that too. I had a big pile of hammer and tools on my desk when Cynthia came into class & asked if I wanted a nice wire cutter...I told her I didn't think so. Then I just glanced at Janice & she gave me a look & a twist of her head...I broke down. How could I NOT with a look like that which said "really? really?". So I came home with enough tools & kits to keep me busy. I also got to take classes with Janice's partner in crime (LOL! yes, Tracy got me too) Tracy. If you want to see some fabulous wire work check out their business which is WiredArt. Wonderful stuff.




That was the good part of my vacation, and don't we always seem to have something bad/wrong happen when we are trying to relax & have a good time. This had to do with my oldest Scottie Fiona. Fiona's been under the weather since last month as she ate either a mole or a rabbit & was sick from that. She recovered, but the day...and I mean hours! before I was to get on the plane to Seattle, she felt bad again. I called Chris every evening to check up on her status & every day there was more & more bad news. Finally on Sunday evening, Chris told me he thought she was blind. BLIND! She was walking into things and had the white cloudy eyes. Monday she was laying on the A/C vent, and Wednesday the night I was to leave on a red eye, she was lethargic. I had Chris make a Vet appointment with Dr. Miller. I left Seattle at 1am PST & got to Columbus at 1pm EST. Withing a couple of hours, I had her at the Vet. She was so sick. She had a fever & actually had a seizure while the Vet Techs were trying to weigh her. She'd lost 4 pounds, had a temperature of 104 & then the worse news, she had a blood sugar of 471. Dr. Miller shook his head and told me she was diabetic & had a raging infection to complicate the matter. I was shocked & had to call Chris when Fiona was taken to the back for further treatment. We both decided that no matter what, I was going to bring her home as we didn't not want her to die someplace without us. Visions of Skye dying 7 years ago made us realize we had to do everything to save our Fifi.

Dr. Miller is a wonderful Vet & he really understands what we were going through. He agreed that I could care for her just as well as if she was hospitalized. I got some very powerful antibiotics for the infections & NPH insulin for the Diabetes. I took her home & we thought for sure she was going to die. She was so weak, and I could no get her to eat. I finally decided that I had to force fed her. Tears were streaming down my checks as I pried open her mouth & forced her to swallow food. We both curled up next to our Fiona to give her love as we didn't really think she'd be with us Friday morning. But Friday morning she was still alive. I gave her the insulin and medication, but still had to force fed her. It was touch and go all weekend. I had to pour my heart out on Facebook & I could not believe all the wonderful people there with me in my grief and my concern. Once again, I have proof that the Internet is a wonderful place to find people who understand and cyber hold my hand.

As of today, Fiona is getting better. She is actually interested in getting out of her bed & investigating the downstairs. She ate a little food and even begged for what was on my dinner plate. She is permanently blind so no longer can I look into her lovely tan colored eyes, but now I know my Fiona is going to live and be with me sharing my life and my heart. Every day will be a challenge for all of us as Frodo & Arwen don't seem to understand that Fiona gets chicken when they get kibble! Oh well, they get some too...yes, everyone here is spoiled.

Picture is of Fiona taken about 4 weeks ago.

Off to Seattle

I'm sitting here waiting to go to the airport and head out to Seattle for the Puget Sound Bead Festival in Tacoma Washington. I'm going to be staying with my long time friend Cynthia, get to see my granddogger, Fory, and go to the beach over at Ocean Shores. I'll be gone for a week & am I looking forward to it. Pretty tough week here in Columbus. My sister's dogs were attacked by a Pit Bull Saturday night. One of her Chihuahuas has a severe head trauma. Poor little thing is blind in one eye and can only walk in circles. She is getting better, but if the neighbors had their Pit Bull on a leash like they were suppose to, the two little dogs wouldn't have gotten hurt. Columbus Animal Control came out & told the owners that they either had to surrender the dog or place it in a home with containment fencing. They people found another home for their dogs, but still my sister's little old girl is the one damaged by this & oh yes, the people don't have any money to pay the Vet bill...of course! Then my Fiona is sick again. Yesterday when I got home from work, she'd thrown up & is very lethargic just like two weeks ago. She recovered from that with some boiled hamburger and rice diet, but here she is sick again, & I'm going to be gone for a whole week. Chris is going to be very vigilant in watching her progress. I hope she's just eaten something too rich for her older digestion. If not, when I get back, she'll be heading to the Vet.
My Vet is loving me these past couple of weeks. Arwen got her yearlies, Frodo had 15 teeth pulled , and now Fiona possibly sick. But we love them & want to take care of them. Once again, I just hate that I'm leaving with her sick. I promised Chris to have a good time & not worry about Fiona so much.



I thought I'd show you pictures of the classes I'm taking in Tacoma. Can you believe that not one of them is doll or bead related? I'm doing all metal classes. I'll be doing a bracelet, pendent, and a ring. My suitcase is packed with hammers & saws (yikes!) & I sent most of my tools out to Cyn's house already. Okay, I'm going to have a good time...I really really am. See you all in a week.