Tuscarora Tuesday

Pretty as a Picture

Today's is Meghan's 17th birthday.  Sigh.

I thought this piece would be appropriate to pick for today simply because of that adorable little one in the hands of her(his?) proud mom. 

I'm thinking there is some artistic license going on with this creature. 

 

Looks like a squirrel?  But with a beak?  Hmmm.

But really, isn't this babe the cutest little thing? 

I can almost hear her (him) giggling. 

Nothing beats the sound of baby laughter.

(I love that  they are posing in front of a painted background of the Falls!)

Bead Happy and Often !

Well, I'll be.....

Much better pics of my Allegany Rock Necklace

The 4mm bicones are Palace Green Opal - aren't they a beautiful shade of green?
I used the size 8 clear beads for the edge to mimic the heavy clear glass of the furnace beads.  Speaking of the furnace beads......

Look at how substantial they are -

they're huge!

The earthtones mix I chose came with different sizes and shapes and colors in greens, browns and tan.   Some were even striped. I love the rich brown color.  I wound up using some of the mixed stone strand I bought awhile ago (from Artbeads too) to bring in the color of the rock. 

I'm really pleased with the results.  I don't make a lot of necklaces, and I really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so to have something come together without a real plan, well, that just makes my day.

And then it hit me -- wasn't one of those Toho Ring Kits I bought awhile ago these same colors? 

So I dug it out (surprisingly, I knew right where it was!) and whipped it together. 

Tell me - could it be any better of a match????? 

Whoop Whoop - score!

(So I'll take this opportunity to again gush about those ring kits Artbeads carries - I've loved every one I've made!) 

Now on to the dreaded sewing of my Tuscarora Class Project.  . . . . .
I found out the stuffing is called  "Warm and Natural".  First I had to cut it into strips.  Yeah, lots of fun! Not.

Then after stuffing and sewing it with a running stitch along the edge, I had to put on the (hateful) bias tape edge.  Hated every second of it - especially when the needle punctured right through my leather and aluminum thimble.  Talk about a pain in the .......finger tip.

But, it's done now and Tuesday I will be adding the glorious glorious fringe edging.  I love fringe!

Bead Happy and Often!

FTC Disclosure:  I received the furnace glass beads free of charge from Artbeads in exchange for my honest opinion and review of the product.

Here's Proof.......

.....I'm spoiled.  Look at what my dear sister Laurel brought me back from a trip to Salem, Massachusetts:

Delicas, seeds beads, and a mix of baby bugles and seed beads, along with the cutest bat bead and a golf charm all in a cute flower bag!!  Yippee - nothing beats a little surprise to brighten up my day!

And here's proof that I sometimes get a bit distracted in my beading....

Here's a shot of my beading table taken on Thursday:

Good Lord Woman!  Clean up one thing before starting something else-really !!  (that's Diesel laying under the table -- at least he doesn't insist on sitting on my shoulders like Cloudy!)

First I was working away on these fun swirly circles from the June/July issue of Beadwork.

 I thought they  might look neat with a little something in the middle of the circle, so I pulled out those matte faceted rounds I had gotten from Artbeads along with some 3 mm bicone swarovski crystals I had left over from Ashlee's wedding bracelet and stitched those into the center. 

Then I wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not, so I pushed it aside (literally) and then I was thinking about those furnace glass beads I got from Artbeads as part of their blogging partners program that I still hadn't done anything with.  The beads are awesome - so so shiny and smooth and just saturated with color inside. 
The theme was "summertime" and I was thinking that summer to me is being outdoors and hiking and collecting nature's beads (read:  rocks).  So I found a good rock that I could use and glued that to a piece of heavy peltex.  (note that it is hanging off the table on the right.)

While that glue dried a bit, I hunted around through my stash and pulled out a little of this and that and messed around with the furnace glass and really wasn't sure what the heck I was going to do.  And then by the end of the day, I had this:

The picture isn't the greatest - my battery needed to be charged (the camera battery, that is) and the lighting was bad and I had to leave for a "girl's night" at my friend Paula's house, not to mention the mess I had left behind......but I will take some better shots (hopefully) today and get those up.  As far as cleaning up the beading table-not making any promises on that!!

Bead Happy and Often!

FTC Disclosure:  the furnace glass beads and matted faceted rounds mentioned in this post were given to me free of charge in exchange for my review of the products.

Tuscarora Tuesday

This beauty is in pretty sad shape, but still amazing.

I noticed the same 3 line edging that is on my class project is used here. 

It's a similar design, with all the filling in between the motifs. 

I really like that basketweave/lattice stitch. 

There seems to be a leaf and stem by each of the  flowers. 

And the bird nest flower appears to use 2 shades of white beads. 

 The outline looks more opaque to me.

I was surprised to see the raised rope actually has a paper outline. 

That couldn't have been too easy to cut out!

Bead Happy and Often :)

Homework Done - time to play

Wow.  Working with clear beads could make a girl cross-eyed!   But I have to say - so worth it.  I really like the effect.  Of course, getting a decent picture not so easy, so you will have to take my word for it. 

I found the cat's eye (hmm, would that be a cross-eyed cat's eye??!) cabachon in my stash and after obsessing over what I was going to put across the top (my instructor wrote the word "Love" on the class piece),  I wimped out and but the stone on.  I didn't trust my bead-lettering skills and didn't want the word (or words) to take away from the motifs.  The cab matches the cylinder beads quite well, so I'm happy with it.

The way the beads reflect the light is nothing short of amazing.  I wouldn't say it 'sparkles' but it almost appears that it is lit up.  I just love looking at it. 

Once we assemble the pillow and stuff it firm, oh shoot, I'm not done with my homework!  (I just remembered I have to cut up the filling.  I'm not even sure what the fiber is.  Sort of looks like what one would use to line a quilt. Very soft and cuddly.  I'll ask on Tuesday what it is exactly. Anyhow I have to cut it into long 1/2" strips, which is yet another technique I've never used to fill a pillow.) 

So as I was saying, once the pillow is assembled, the beading should really pop.  Can't wait for that, but I dread the next class - sewing it together with that little bias tape edging.  Ugh.  Not my favorite part of the project.

Since I was done (well, since I thought I was done with my class homework), I pulled out my new Beadwork magazine (June/July issue) and drooled over all the projects in it.  Oh my, seed bead heaven!  This is my first issue that I've ever seen, and I love it.  I want to make everything in it.  I don't know if all the issues will focus on beadweaving, but this one does.  For years I only ever read Bead & Button, and I do love that magazine, but I have to say Beadwork is great too.

The first thing I tackled was "Sparkly Wheels"  which I turned into earrings for my sister Laurel to wear at her daughter's wedding.  

  Ok, so it's only one earring- I didn't have enough bicone crystals to finish the second one, but I'll be zipping over to Artbeads to replenish my stash and get other colors - these little wheels are a blast to make!

Then I tried this tiny little triangle from a bracelet project called "Aqua Allure" - I used the same colors from the beaded beads I made a bit ago, thinking I could use them together, but I'm still not sure where I'm going with these.....

This was definitely more difficult than the wheel, but the directions were clear and as long as I could talk out loud through it, I was able to do it.  I do enjoy peyote stitch and I need to push myself to understand it better.  The triangle is really cute.  It's actually double sided and it was fascinating to see it develop as I worked through the steps.  My God!  How do people come up with these patterns!!??!!  Amazing indeed.

Bead Happy and Often!

Tuscarora Tuesday

In honor of flag day (ok, so again a day late......and still a dollar - or two - short)

Enjoy!

break my heart

I get a phone call from Meghan last night.  She is all upset telling me this story of how she and her friend Sarah were driving down Lockport Road (4 lanes - 55 mph) and she sees some guys standing along the side of the road and there is like a jacket in the roadway near them.  The one guy looks at Meg and shrugs his shoulders and puts his hands up in a "oh well" kind of gesture.  Meghan looks back at the object in the road and swears she sees a cat in the jacket or whatever it was.  No Way! 

They get to a spot where they can turn around and by the time they get back, the guys are gone, but the object is still in the road and even worse as they are pulling into a driveway to get out of traffic, a car comes within inches of running it over.  Sure enough, a cat scrambles out to the side of the road and crawls into a nearby shrub.  Meghan tells me she thinks it is paralyzed or something because it was literally crawling with its front legs only.  Oh my GOD! 

I go flying to my car; pet carrier, treats and water in hand.  I get to the girls and find the poor cat in the bushes, panting, cross eyed, salivating.  Poor little lovey.  I soothe it the best I can, trying to gain its trust.  I slide it gently out from under the shrub and realize she is a female who might have just given birth.  After making her as comfortable as we can in the carrier, we go back across the road to where the girls saw these assholes and looked all over for her kittens.  Nothing.   Drat.

I called my vet and of course they were closed, so I will try again this morning.  There is definitely something very wrong with her hind legs.  I watched her try to move around and there is no movement in her back legs.  She made it through the night and actually growled at me when I tried to pet her this morning, so she must be feeling better.   I'm not real optimistic on what the vet will be telling me.

I cannot get my head around what type of person does this to an animal.  It makes me sick.

Update:  my vet did indeed confirm my fears.  Spinal damage.  She isn't suffering any more.  But I still am.  Mean People Suck.

Spoiled.

Last night I went to my mom's (and dad) to help her with her sock knitting.  I love to not only see her (and my dad), but I love to see what she has been creating.  This time it was some fun flowers and, of course, she  let me pick a few:

And she bought me a little gift from an art show they attended over the weekend.  A sweet little magnet - layered with fun details.

My sister Laurel recently gave me a sweet little gift too - an adorable tiny journal with a ladybug on it and in it!

Since I was a little girl my dad always called me Lynnbug, so ladybugs have always been my sort of totem.  

 I used to have a 'vanity plate' on my car -- now its the roof of a birdhouse my mom and dad had made for me:

Yep, my family spoils me!

Bead Happy and Often!

Homework / Class work

Its been such a nice day chatting with everyone about the birds I saw this weekend.  Thanks so much for all the comments, its so nice to have a common love - be it birds or beads :)

My class tonight went well.  Finished up the first motif and my middle leaf turned out more like a feather, but I'm good with that - after all it's part of the bird nest motif, right? 

I started my butterfly and am not really too keen on the red/green combo, but I will stick with it. 

I choose this kit because of the poppy fabric, not realizing the beads were so  Christmas-y looking. 

Oh well, it's all good.

Bead Happy and Often !

Tuscarora Tuesday!

~*~*~*~*~*~

For all you bird lovers, you have to see the bird banding I attended this weekend.

FaBUlOus!

(it's toward the end of the post - past the insects)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Now, on to the real reason you are here-Tuscarora Tuesday!

Featuring.... Birds!

Brown and blue is one of my favorite colors combinations.

Didn't get all my homework done for my class, being in the woods all weekend really kind of took up a lot of my time. Go figure, right? But I did get two full rounds of the straight line border completed and 3 of the bird nest motifs. Boy, those aren't easy. Mine are definitely newbies! I'll get some pics up hopefully tomorrow. I'll take some step-by-step shots of the bird nest so you can see the idea behind creating them. Of course, mastering the technique is something I've yet to accomplish, so be kind, ok?

Bead Happy and Often !

Bonus post!

Hello again! Yes, it's true - 2 posts in 1 day. I wanted to keep my Tuscarora Tuesday post strictly Tuscarora, but I did have something else I wanted to share.

First of all, I know I have said it before, but I will say it again--thank you thank you thank you for all the love you have shown in listening to my tale of woe concerning Hannah. Every comment feels like a well-needed hug and I can't say enough how much you all mean to me. Really and truly. Ok then, with that said, let's talk beads!

I finished the Toho Ring Kit, and as much as I love the motif.......

I really love the design of the band. I just am so impressed by these kits. Does anyone know of any other Toho kits out there? I haven't looked for any, but I would have to believe they have put out other kits than just the rings.

Those faceted glass rounds I got from Artbeads turned into these:
The facets really catch the light and give so much visual texture.

I found the instructions in a book by Carol Wilcox Wells entitled The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving. The design was created by Leslie Frazier, though I added the size 15 ring around the edge. They worked up fairly quickly -- I made these on Monday afternoon in about 2 hours or so. I really wanted to bake a rhubarb pie, but it was so hot and humid that wasn't going to happen. So I had to bead, it was too hot to do anything else. Still haven't decided what they will turn into. I like just holding them for now :)

I got the book from my public library, but it's now on my 'to buy' list. It's a great book - lots of different designs and projects from a variety of artists.

Well, my dear friends, I need to re-focus my brain and get into packing mode. We leave for my beloved Allegany State Park tomorrow to attend the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage and I haven't done a single thing to get ready. Although after having camped for years, we are fairly organized, I still need to take inventory of supplies and get my grocery list together, shop, and get the laundry done; not to mention I'm dying to see what all you have been up on your blogs. I guess I should have taken today off from the office........

~ Bead Happy and Often ~

FTC Disclosure: I received the faceted round glass beads free of charge from Artbeads in exchange for my honest opinion of the product.

Tuscarora Tuesday on a Wednesday :)

Hi There! OK, so I'm a day late (and a dollar short--story of my life, right?). It's not that I didn't want to post, it was just that the day did not have enough hours in it (again, story of my life, and I'm sure 90% of the world population).

But look at this latest class I'm taking!! In all the classes I've done (hmm, someday I should add them up), I have never done such a traditional Tuscarora piece.

So classic with the clear beads and those cylinder tube accent beads and look - I'm even going to learn the traditional "birds nest" motif!
The triple line edge around the entire pillow is also very characteristic of the designs of the Tuscarora.

BUT -no matter how well I can duplicate their designs, I will never call what I create Tuscarora Beadwork. I can't; I'm not of the Tuscarora Nation. To do so would dishonor their culture.

So after 2 hours of instruction (minus about 20 minutes when I had to leave to go fetch up Hannah from the public library and drop her at home - did I ever mention how much I love living in a small city?), this is what I accomplished:

Well, actually I have a wee bit more done- the outline of the circles which will eventually be the bird nests is done too, but I didn't have the chance to take a picture - I was out of time and had a golf date with my friend Elrene!

~ Bead Happy and Often ~