Sunday, September 19, 2010

Vicki and I went to the memorial service for Kathy's husband, Brian. I have never seen my friend Kathy look so drained, so lost, so reduced, so taken apart, so ravished by grief. All I could think of as I looked into her haunted eyes was, "this is the price of love." and that was so terrible I could only hug her to hide the loss and pain against our shoulders.
And yet, when I looked at her, I saw her as most beautiful. Her beauty was far above any beaded work.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

I think I found out why I am not beading. Always before I had this really comfortable recliner that I sat in to bead. However since I got a netbook, to take to Japan, I leave it on the table beside the chair. Now when I sit down there, I take up the laptop and go back to computer work.
There is so much that needs to be learned with the new computer, and so much to set up (I just found the magnifying glass for that really tiny print) that I feel guilty enjoying the beads instead of 'working.'
I did ask Vicki if she had any of those tiny bobbins of beading thread. She did and she is giving me one. Now I can take my mag glasses, and a needle because that will not take up much room in the overloaded suitcase. I am hoping Vicki's thread will hold me together on the trip as I bead for sanity.
This afternoon Vicki is picking me up so we can go together to Brian's Memorial Service in Point Arena. He was the husband of Kathy Dillman - one of the members of our beading group. This is the second member in our tiny group whose husband has died in the last month. We are all hoping this 'rule of 3' is not applicable to us!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010


In my planning on what to take to Japan (only a day and a week away!) I had bought of a new black straw hat. When I got it out to add to the pile of stuff, it seemed rather bare and plain. So I got the idea of adding a beaded band. I wanted to use a certain netting technique I used to know, but no matter how hard I looked I could not find the instructions nor remember how it was started. Finally I found this interesting Chevron stitch and was able to do it. Then it seemed the hat needed flowers so I began making my usual brick-stitched flowers. Before I even got this first flower done, I began to realize how heavy my suitcase already was, how far I would have to drag it over the next two weeks and the hat with its beaded trim seemed too much to bear.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Already the trip to Japan is cutting into my beading time. By the time I get off the computer I am too tired to bead. I never thought I would hear me think that!
Today I packed up some of the beaded necklaces to take as gifts in those little organza bags. I hope this is fancy enough. How grateful I am to have made those necklaces in July. I see that if I had left the job until now it probably would not have gotten done.
I picked up the beaded branch at GAC on Tuesday. Naturally it did not sell so I am now trying to find a place to hang it. They took very good care of it so it came home with all the twigs intact. I was prepared with my glue bottle but they did such a good job of hanging it high and out of the traffic patterns that I did not get the disaster I was expecting.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010


I make a lot of jewelry but wear very little of it. When I do wear a piece, I then keep it as 'mine' and never offer it for sale. Last night, when the Readers Theater Group, at Gualalal Arts Center, read my play "Banana Skies" I wore this piece and it felt very special and very good. I am thinking of taking it to Japan with the hope that the big hollow silver bead will encapsule the good feelings of last night and carry me through whatever awaits me across the waters.
In my suitcase I think the weight of beaded jewelry will just about balance out the many books and papers that need to be crowded in with the clothes. We will see, when push comes to shove, if there is room for it. But this morning I am feeling happy and relaxed and very gratified and I want to hang on to that attitude!

Sunday, September 5, 2010


This is a necklace that started out as a bracelet. Friday afternoon, on the way to the dentist's office to see why my cheek was hurting so much after the temporary crown work yesterday, I had a vision of the big silver bead (from Debbe -THANKS) and the lampwork beads as a bracelet. I did the spiral stitch as 'chain' but the big bead and lampwork beads were too wide to lie properly on the wrist.
Yesterday, after baking a batch of brownies, I got this idea for making the bracelet into a necklace. Today I finished up the connections and right now am feeling fairly happy with the results.
Am thinking of the several jewelers in the area having Studio Tours today and would like to go but still have too much pain in my face. It seems to get worse when I get warm or bounce around. Maybe next weekend!

Friday, September 3, 2010

The first thing I ever beaded!

The other day while curling frosted 11s into a beard on Santa Claus I got the idea that I should take a portfolio of my bead work to Japan. Who knows who I will meet? Maybe someone to sell my 'creations'- or at least find a new audience. Out in the studio I looked through the stack of old photo albums trying to find one that would fit into my suitcase. They all looked so big and bulky. I hated printing out all those photos.
Only when I had gone back to beading did I realize that it was easier to carry them on the web! So I stopped beading and started to make a website for my beads alone. Well, that did not work. Somehow working on the computer in the afternoon does not go well; probably because my inner child would rather bead.
However, by evening and several more Santas, I saw how to make the site using the template I use for my other pages. Then it began to work. There were a few fistfights with Dreamweaver but when I gave up trying to import photos and first ran them through Photoshop the cussing was quieter.

So now I have a section just for my beadwork. You can go to AHApoetry.com and scroll down on the left side to 'Bead Art' or go directly to http://www.ahapoetry.com/jrart/beadhmpg.html I hope you will take a look and be inspired to get your beaded creations out there in bytes and lights.

The greater good of this job was finding things I had made that I had forgotten about!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010



A beader's autumn starts with Christmas! Yesterday I moved on to the Santa earrings. I had no pattern so I simply started. Used 6s instead of 8s for the hat and wondered why they looked so wrong. They do not look half-bad here but in real-life, if there is such a thing, the 6s seemed too big. I was surprised at the feelings of peace that came over me as I worked on these. It was like a visit with old friends. Very companionable day.