Thursday, November 6, 2014

This is the beginning phase of Prince Charming. In case you cannot read the note that will sit at his side in the exhibit "Shameless" it reads.
Meet Prince Charming
1. Give him an air kiss.
2. Life him up to see if he has turned into a Prince.

When one lifts him up his erect penis is visible. I hope he gives the visitors to the show a laugh.

While doing all of that ( I shortened the dildo by a couple of inches, and sewed it securely to to his bottom and added jewels to the crown) I got out the prototype for my summer version of the Frog Purse. Now being quiet, I had the nerves and serenity to redo the mouth of this frog. It is even better than ever and all the repeats of making frog mouths is paying off as I finally know what to do in the corners where life peeks through!  I will put this frog in CHAC in Point Arena as Barbara had asked for him even before I had his mouth fixed. I have things to make for Christmas but am finding that the tiny pieces for the puff star give me cramps in my hands to hold them in place while making them. I have found all the jobs for Christmas very invasive. All I want to do is bead on my frogs and anything else makes me jittery and unhappy.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

So Werner had his appointment at RCMS on Friday and remembered! (I would have forgotten) to make a trip to the B-room and picked up the last piece for Pinky. It is in her purse, her mouth. I do not know how familiar this brand is with you and how good your brand recognition is but that packet in her purse is a colorful, lubricated! condom.
Still making stars for the Christmas trade but do not know how many there will be as holding the tiny parts of one, gives me cramps in my fingers. I am doing one now in 8s and so far I have less cramping sessions with the bigger chunks. I got my shipment of 9 frogs for $10. at eBay so I am really eager to get to work on those instead of these fiddly stars.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

So here is Pinky the frog with her mouth in place. Wait until you see what will go in it. We have to make a trip to town for her special item. She will go into the "Shameless" show at Gualala Arts in December, so be prepared for a surprise. If my packages ever come I can make her partner for the show.
I found out, when I sat her up with the beads done on her chest that she has boobs. How great that she has been a 'sh'e all along!
Barbara Fast, at CHAC gallery in Point Arena, invited me to be in the Christmas jewelry show and requested that I make more of the puffed stars and sun prism balls. So I gathered all the stuff for each project before sending my Fire Mountain order off to Vicki. Last night I started on the puff stars and found it very comforting to do something so familiar.  Thank goodness I had two boxed of Delicas in eggshell colors so I am off and beading. I am hoping to extend the star theme by make sea stars too.

Monday, October 6, 2014

I started beading on this the pink frog I had gotten from BB Toys. You see them on his one foot. That was the result of my whole afternoon's work.
Yesterday I had stopped working in the evening on the monkey because I could see that sewing in his upper lip needed precise work and I felt I was too tired to do a good job. However when I sat down today to work, after a good nap, I still did not feel I was up to the job and all I really wanted  to do was bead. I immediately found the red/pink beads that were perfect for this frog and never got up the nerve to return to the monkey who goes on living with a loose upper lip.

I see I need to redo the backdrop. The sun is moving northward and I need to raise the whole setup. For this shot I was using the last ray of sun and got the edge in too. I wish I had my old Photoshop program. I could have fixed that right corner in two shakes.


Thursday, September 25, 2014

Yesterday while I was working on this, a ray of sun came through the clouds and made each bead a tiny light. I was completely enchanted. It was a good feeling to know that I was adding these tiny lights to the monkey.
That little strip down his back is the total work I got done in one afternoon. Was thinking about spending my evening beading instead of watching Youtube shows. Then the power went out and I could do neither! So I read e-books (the print is so much larger on the computer then in books) but still I was very sleepy by 10. Then WR set off the smoke alarm upstairs with too many matches used as a bathroom deodorant.
PS I am very happy with the results of using the professional backdrop again even though it takes up a big chunk of space in the studio. I may try to add a head lamp so the contrast is stronger.

Saturday, September 20, 2014


Jane REICHHOLD

707 884 9701

http://beadsnjane.blogspot.com


                                                                             
This looks almost as bad as the business card I tried to make with the new Word program!  I have spent three days and all morning trying to get the very minimum to work. The good news is that Doric took pity on me and offered to pick up my stuff so Werner does not have to make the trip and worry how to get up the stairs. I wanted to have the business cards ready for Doric and that is done. I have never designed such an awful card. Thanks Word!

Friday, September 19, 2014

So you can see the monkey I am working on. If you look above the left paw you can see the sample of his other fur. I am very eager to do him as I have a little surprise in his "purse." I love his colors. Am really getting hooked on these bigger versions.
I packed up the pieces for the Upstairs Gallery and they are sitting on the counter waiting for me to find someone to cart them to Gualala. I woke in the night very nervous with nightmares about the job but did sleep again and got it all done this morning.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

I finally finished the Rooster! And I finally got enough beads on his feathers to cover up his funny pink skin. Now I am casting about for the next animal. . . I want to do something new that I have not done before. Have been looking at stuffed animals at BB Toy Store but there are still so many here that are new to me!  Keep tuned!

Friday, September 12, 2014

I had this chicken almost done with smooth rows of white for the feathers. When Ling-Yen stopped by and looked at the chicken I realize how uneven those rows were. One afternoon, without thinking I cut them all off. What a mess of beads and threads. Still I persevered. I cleaned up my tray by sewing all the beads back on in three-bead picots. Only today did I have the courage to photograph the results and now I see I must put the picots in more thickly or the chicken's feathers are as thin and see-through as my own gray hair is! Back to the bead tray. At least I know what to do! I suspect the camera angle makes a difference. See how good the beads look on the butt?

Monday, September 1, 2014

The tail was not finished but you can spot the progress. I was looking back at old photos and found a photo where the wings and tail were orange. I am working on a book of my blog. Now to get over the password bump! to fix some things in the book!

Saturday, August 30, 2014

I did stop beading long enough to photograph the chicken I am working on. I started him only because I found a white 11 bead that I thought would look good for his feathers. I had been searching for white, roundish beads with decent-sized holes. Here it was, on my table so I decided to strike while the iron was hot! or my mind had not forgotten.
I was pleased that I had the idea to make his waddle more rough looking with the three bead stitch. What you cannot see the left wing. It is nearly done but was on the shadow side. Was discombobulated by the coming holiday so did not work very long yesterday. Our fall weather has begun with sunny days so I was able to photograph later in the afternoon.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Found out today officially that "Frog Purse" did sell!
And there are photos on Facebook that anyone can see including this excellent one of
the Frog Purse.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152269325517967.1073741873.133390837966. Mark Hansen, PR person for Gualala Arts did a really great job with the frog photograph! Thanks Mark! so much.
Thanks for sharing all the photos you took to get the best one.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

So here are all the daisy necklaces I made in this session. Only the pink one used the too-tiny pearl beads. The other two used the better-made white beads which one can see are slightly larger. They were so much easier to use and actually were fun which is why I made the two extra strings.

Also today I got an email from a woman in the Bay Area wanting an elephant.She had seen my animals at CHAC in Point Arena. I searched everywhere for the many photos I know I have and then had to settle with pointing her to the blog. Thank goodness I did have the photos there. I will never forgive Windows 7 for being such a beast to find and use with photos.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Believe it or not, I am back to making necklaces!
When Harmony was here she mentioned that the daisy chain necklace she had gotten several years ago had sprung a leak. So I figured out a daisy chain that does not repeat passage through the 11s. This way I could use heavier thread. So the centers are 8s and the green leaves are 6s. Normally I could have made two or more such necklaces in a day, but instead this one took 2 days. I am making another in the same pattern with yellow centers. I am using some old white 11s and often the holes are too small so I have to take those out. This is taking much longer than the pink one.

Friday, August 22, 2014

I just wanted to report that the frog purse you have seen pictured here so often won a prize at Art in the Redwoods! It was given the "Beading Excellence" award of $100. and the scuttlebutt is that the purse sold! The check for the prize has already been received and the sale money should arrive soon.
Have gotten stories about it! How one of the arrangers of the show tried to pull the five dollar bill out and was shocked to find it sewed down.
One person asked me if the money in the mouth was a bribe for the judges!
So all and all it was a good experience! I would like to see the show before it goes down.

Friday, August 15, 2014

You can barely see the crystals here on the polar bear which is a good reason for NOT doing this animal. However I have so many crystals and they need to go somewhere. I am sure there are not enough to do the swan so I decided to put them on the bear. I am not inspired with this project so they go on very slowly. I do wish I could be fired up and inspired to bead something. I have what the Germans call 'null buck' which means no desire to do anything. Since it is hard for me to set aside any project I see myself slowly doing this one and as it grows becoming more interested in it.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

I took a good look at Gracie the swan and decided I would need a lot more beads for her and lost interest in the project. Still I wanted to use up those tiny crystals so started a small polar bear. Boring!

Monday, August 11, 2014

Finally started to work on Gracie the Swan. I had forgotten all about her until I was showing Harmony some of the animals in the cedar chest and found her. I am afraid the white crystals are too small (you can barely see them at the edge of the beak) but will add another day of trials. The black crystals are too small and the beak crystals are too big! I already have over $300 in these mistakes. I do not know if I can finish this in time!

Friday, August 8, 2014

Last evening I did get this frog done just as the sun was moving off the photo-shoot area. As I look at this frog I am not happy with the black metal clasp and chain. I was telling myself it matched the eyes, but looking at the piece as a whole the black looks heavy and out of sync with the furry fuzz. While at the table I looked all 5 frogs and still  felt the one for AIR was the best.
 So this one will go Sunday to Gualala Arts to get into AIR. Now to go to clean out my closet to see if I have anything to wear. I started to work on the crystal swan.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Pro-Ana Braclets

These bracelets are made of coral dyed red with AB 8s in between. I got the idea from a pro-Ana website, made one and found it so helpful to wear a red bracelet to remind myself I am dieting (lost another pound today so my wedding ring fits!) It seems all my children are on diets so now I have made a good assortment of sizes so I can send one to each or to whoever wants one. I find the idea of wearing a "brace" "let" is a kind thought to support me on this journey. On my wrist it reminds to cut back on whatever I am eating. The big coral beads with the little 8s reminds me of the ups and downs of dieting. I wish for the help whichever anorexic person needs help, but they are the masters of losing weight and having been a fatty all my life I figure I have much to learn from them.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Here is the photo I searched for yesterday and couldn't find. So today I took it again. I can see the photo in my computer but evidently it is not ready to be moved. I am wondering if I am too fast?
I did put this credit card and money in the mouth of the larger frog
and surprise it is here. Now today blogspot is saying this is not my site being snotty about handling the photos. I will go back to beading! 
Ha! Then Blogspot insisted a new password and would not publish this. After much bouncing around I got to my drafts and was able to find this. 


Monday, July 28, 2014

I think this purse is done until I look at it and then I find things I need to finish on it. Even Harmony noticed yesterday that I had put in so much stuffing it was impossible to use this as a purse. Today I notice that I have sewed into the mouth while adding the outside skin. Those threads will have to be clipped and then fastened down again. Maybe I am having a bad day - I have nothing I really want to do - or it could be Phyllis is hollering in my ear! Picked up the idea and name from Harmony's visit yesterday.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

After 10 minutes of punching all the right buttons, I hit the wrong one and this picture appeared. As you can see I am using the graduated colored backdrop. What a difference!
I still have one more eye to white bead and fill in some holes. I have to see if I have some chain to add. If not I may have to send in another order! So glad I ordered the new crystals as they give me the 'pop' the purple failed to show. Surely to I will start a new frog purse.

Friday, July 25, 2014

I am trying to keep up this side of beading also so there is now a photo of the legs unfinished. It only took me about 5 minutes to find the photo and get it up here.
I did get the two new crystals from Fire Mountain yesterday and should have glued them in the for the photo but got carried away by other thinking. . . I need to do gluing at the last minute, when I am ready to quit so it can dry while my day spins around. With a very good day today I might get the legs finished.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Part of my disinterest in blogging about the animals has been my poor work in beading. For some unknown reason my beading skills really tanked when I broke my tailbone. I was ashamed to show you what I was doing. I did keep trying to bead on pieces that didn't interest me much or ones I felt were already ruined - like the guy below. Last week I began work on this nine inch frog with the idea that if he turned out well I would enter him into Gualala Arts "Art in the Redwoods." I thought I had missed the deadline for the entry forms but decided to work on him anyway.

On Sunday, as I finished the underside and tried out various topside treatments, I got the urge again to show him off. So I checked the GAC website and saw the deadline was a Monday postmark. I could do that! So I downloaded the form and filled it out. Then I had the idea to come to this site and return to keeping a record of my work again.

Sunday I went through my crystal collection to find some amethyst drops to use as eye pupils but after I glued them in, the color did not bounce enough among all that green. So Monday I cut off the purple ones and ordered golden orange zirconian ones from Fire Mountain. They are already on the way here, so they will arrive before I get the topside beaded. Oh, I am using 8's frosted green with gold 11s between. I load the needle with 5 beads at a time so it goes fast and adds to his mass.

I also thought that if I was going to do good animals again I should make better photographs. After I took this picture I tore down the winter set up and rehung the professional backdrop with the graduation from white to black. It was a job but I was proud of myself for attempting it and getting it done.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

I finally got this frog done! It seemed to take forever! I call him my "stroke frog" - working on him about 6 weeks evidently tipped me over into the strange new life that causes me to list to the left. The situation is improving - thank goodness!. So the frog contained beading that was not my usual standard. I debated about just leaving this piece unfinished but I wanted to get back to beading. So I decided to finish this one as I practiced to start something new. If you look closely you will see he has a mouth that is open. Using the clasp it is possible to close it.

Friday, May 23, 2014

So today I finished the giraffe. Felt so sad when he was done. Just a sad day. Am feeling very down. Am having so much trouble walking. Maybe it is time to go to bed tonight and to hope for a better tomorrow/

Thursday, May 15, 2014

I had the idea of making beaded images for the new national monument for the Stornetta Point Arena Park. This took me five days and I am not happy with the result. I need to simplify the design  but am too weak to figure out how to do it. Maybe if I look at this for a while I will see what needs to go and by then I will have the energy to try this again. In cropping the dark part at the top  I see I lopped off the the top of the lighthouse.

Monday, May 5, 2014

That is all I have to offer for one week of beading. Of course my days are much shorter now. I bead only after my afternoon nap - about 2 o'clock until 5 when I quit to rest up before dinner time. I am very happy with his colors. And I am thankful that I could find the photo! It took some searching but at least I am more courageous and am able to locate it.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

I see my last visit here was on April 2. That evening I fainted in the dining room, fell to the floor and fractured S1 of my Sacra.  Each day I try to pick up one strand of my former life. I am still not able to bead so I have been crocheting potholders. On Easter day I felt so bad that I had not decorated anything, that we dug out a marzipan bar and I used old cake decorating stuff to get some color on the eggs. That wore me out in a hurry. Later I downloaded the photos into the computer and then could not find them before my tailbone got tired and wanted to lie down again.
Today, with more new energy I finished off the last of the potholders and truly hope to get back to beading soon
I was just about to start typing that I could not find the potholders and suddenly a screen swam into view and there were the photos I was looking for. Glad that worked. Now to rest. . . 
.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

While I had camera things working and before I forgot how I got to my previous success today I tried it again and this time I was able to repeat the process. Progress and success!
Late yesterday I began the alterations on Legs, the frog. I cut away the beads around the eyes and mouth. Made new eyes by cutting the feet off the unicorn (Maybe too big? I am not totally happy with the whiteness.)
Then I made the purse which turned out well and was easier to make than I feared it would be. Now I need to repair the lost beads. When I was this far I looked into the price of Beanie Babies and found Legs
was available on eBay for $1. I could have left him as he was originally (see above) and bought another to make into a purse. It would have been so much easier! The next time I will make the alterations BEFORE I bead it.

Am eager to get into stash to see if any of the frogs I have  will fit the purse clasps  and to get the order into BBToy. So thankful W7 allowed me to show you this!

Monday, March 31, 2014

There is a god! Today I found this image still on my camera and was able to download it, and greater surprise! was able to find it. I had planned to put flowers inside the cape but when I was ready to start that, something stopped me by saying, "sequins." It was a  good suggestion.
This is not a very good piece. The Ty Co. put the nose on crooked, the ears are not identical and in many places my lousy mood left gaps in the bead rows. But it is done and the record is there of what a rough time I was going through. The bat IS a good representative of those days.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

For four days now W7 has hidden my photos from me.   Yesterday it gagged up my photo program all day. I cannot do my blog without the photos. So I am giving up this pleasure because it is too frustrating to try to use such a flawed program. It has been lots of fun but I prefer a peaceful existence so am pruning off the blog. And to think you will never  get to see the bat with his magical wings.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Yesterday's lost picture was found today to be in the file. This is a different photo. The nose is not done and I have not yet started on the cloak. In the file the bat was lying on his side but when I found it and popped it into the blogger  program, some saint entered it upright. I AM blessed!
This is today's photo! I never did find the one from yesterday.
All the black beads are on one side of the cloak. I am getting very tired of black and am planning a surprise when I get the other side down. So do I give up in celebration of finding this  photo or go, with the halo of  good luck to look for the lost bat!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

I wanted to show you the progress I have made on the bat. But again the Big Window is closed and I cannot find the two photos I took this morning. I was even going to show you the necklaces I made when I gave up beading animals. I tried, I really did, but the necklaces were SO boring  I decided I preferred the agitation of trying to make the animals. So last night I returned to the bat and I tried to show how much better he looks with more beads on him.
I refuse to let this program get me down. I will make my animals, photograph them with the hope that someday the computer will gag and bring them all out.
Today I can even show you the necklaces. Progress!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

I  think picking the bat and those black beads was a bad idea! Also getting windows for my computer was an even worse one. I am, as you see, still fighting with the program. Today (not yesterday) I was able to find this photo but as you see the ability to upright it are still beyond my capabilities  It is utterly amazing. When I can get my computer to do what I want, when I want it, I feel good, adequate, capable. Days like this when I have to accept things I know should be changed but a machine defies me, I feel like the Alzheimer's poster child! Or maybe a funny colored bat!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Either my computer is learning what I need and giving it to me before I get lost or I am sharper today and can figure out how to direct it better. I was able to send the photo where I wanted it to go. Maybe it is the relief that Heidi has said she will take over the website for me is clearing my brain..          
  Instead of joy to have that worry calmed I am feeling that giving up the website means I need to try to hang on to what I can do with more energy so I am  fiddling with the puzzles.
Last night I finished (or quit on the little monkey.) I had beaded the brown part of his face and then decided it did not look good (the eyes were too deeply sunk in) and cut it all out. My hands strayed to the bat and I am trying that. Maybe it has something to do with "bats in my belfry."

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

I had an emotional meltdown this morning when I could not find any file I  wanted, all favorites had been removed from the web connections. The fixes I had planned to use on the web page were impossible because I could not find the  files  I was working on yesterday - so I cleaned house as much as I can. When I opened the computer there were 876473 updates, meaning Microsoft or someone was in my computer again. No wonder I cannot find anything. How can I keep Microsoft-in-the-head out of my computer? I do not want updates, to try their new internet horror or buy flowers.
Looking on the bright side, today I was able to steer this photo through the jungle and find it again and get it here. Yesterday Heidi was a huge help (even from her desk) and I got the new web page UP (today I cannot find it in my computer). I felt so good last night that I could manage this. Today I feel I am a complete idiot overnight.

Monday, March 17, 2014

From one day to the next all my files are again arranged as they were in Windows 8 (which I hated and could not find anything! Is this the result of an "update" on my machine?  I feel as if I am back to square one and one thousand dollars poorer. And my monkey can not be straightened up!

Sunday, March 16, 2014


Now we are getting somewhere! I even figured out why the photos would not download and what to do about it.
Here is the full-sized frog. Half- way through I got the idea of making him (her?) into a tiny purse. Because I already had the beads on the body it stayed shaped even when I removed the stuffing. Yesterday with a computer again I ordered little purse frames so the new butt will look like a purse clasp.
While I wait for that I started a tiny monkey. At first it seemed SO small  but after a good day yesterday (when my computer works I can bead better!) the skill came back into my hands. Happiness and joy and Thanksgiving
If you are getting tired of seeing this penguin, imagine how I feel!  However the good news is that I was able to get this far today! Things seem to be going a lot better with Windows 7. Now I just need to figure out how to manage the photos. Wish me luck! Even Irish luck would be welcomed/

Thursday, March 6, 2014

The puffer bird getting his underarm beads (already containing anti-deodorant). It was so hard last night to sew black beads on black fabric with black thread. I tore it all out about 4 times. I hope it goes better today in our almost-it-is-raining light.
Gave up the job of doing the CHAC website to Jack O'Rourke. I simply cannot do the web site. I found out he has made an excellent one Facebook. Am feeling old and useless this afternoon. I need the cheery colors of the puffer bird.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

After six tries of fumbling around I got the puffer bird to sit still so I could grab in this file. At last sight he was still flying around my pictures, this computer and once I saw him up in a cloud. Perhaps after a day of good beading I will have more to show you. I am determined to keep this blog going even if my photos fly all around my computer just out of reach. Maybe I should be beading rocks! Maybe they would hold still?

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Now the disorganization on my computer is so bad I cannot find the file of the photo I took today. It truly feels like dementia. What I could do yesterday is not possible today because I cannot put things where I can find them. Other libraries open. Stuff I shuffled around. I try to do what I found worked yesterday but now today is not possible.

Friday, February 28, 2014

The best photo has the tip of the dragon's nose cut off. The only glory in this photo is the fact that I found it, got it saved and found it again when I needed to put it in here. Today I am working on "Puffer." Slowly but surely I am finding my way around.