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.