You can see by the deep golden light that I finished the lion at the last possible sunshine moment. The way he stands on his toes makes him look as if he is ready to spring. I love that! Again I did the undersides first and that makes it so much easier to work in the tight places under legs and chin. It seems to also gives a lift to the chin that was missing in the previous version.
I will have a brand new animal for you tomorrow! I happened on an auction on Ebay that was selling Teenie Beanie Babies from 2009. There are over twenty of them. Many are smaller and the cats and dogs are made in a sitting position which is much more attractive than the normal sprawled position of the legged animals in 1996 - 1999. All were in bags and in premo condition so I was very happy with my win even though I paid about $1.25 for each animal instead of the 30 - 50 cents I normally pay

I would have finished Bushy the Lion last night if I had settled down earlier. All afternoon I was so antsy, so unfocused, so full of other things to do, that it was late in the afternoon before I could keep the beading tray on my lap. Usually I crash into the recliner, so glad to get my feet in the air, relieved to have my back perfectly supported that I grab the bead tray and relax. Not so yesterday! Perhaps it was the arrival of my old yearbook from 1955 that set so many images and memories whirling in my head. Now today I have looked at photos from the most recent class reunion and again my head is filled with other images. Now and then. The ghost of girls in adult faces! What a journey! I wonder if I will be able to see the beads at all this afternoon.

So this is Bushy the Lion. I see in the top photo I accidentally gave him pubic hair! whatever. I still have the tail to do. The last time I did this animal I felt his tail was too wide so I am eager to sew it smaller before I begin beading it. Slowly I am getting more courageous making changes in how the animal is sewn before starting to beading. I should have made some tucks in his legs so they do not spraddle out so much. I do like how the rows of beads give him pattern as is shown in the top photo. PS. I have made my peace with Picasa and it is easier to save and work on my photos than it was with Photoshop.

Bead Blog #600

Last night I finished the pink dragon. It looks a lot better here in the photo than in real life. I am really not good with pink! Was very glad to put all those pink beads away. I did find out that it takes exactly 2 1/2 strands of glass chips to do a dragon. I would have been forced to make the 'wing' a different color, even if I had not determined earlier the great contrast between the chips and the seed beads demanded that the wing color be lighter. At first I was thinking of purple wings. When I held the various stands of chips against the back of the dragon, I felt a 'click' inside of me, as if that color locked itself into the piece.
As soon as I cleared away the dragon-making beads I picked up the Lion that had arrived in a new win at Ebay. By midnight about 2/3s of his face was done. I am very happy to be working with warm golden amber beads - and to have a new animal in my hands. I gave my previous Lion to Heidi for Christmas so now I need to get a new one in my menagerie. Also Mike called from the CHAC to say Caitlin had picked the iguana as the silent auction item for the Charter School in Point Arena. Love thinking of making a new one!

I just could not let this go. Without thinking about it, I picked up the moose and did not put him down until he was done. At one point of thought of not doing his ears - just leaving the little felt flaps show, but when I finished the antler I still had a long thread on the needle and just did the ears, too. On the second photo you can see a bit of the rainbow belly that bothered me so much.

And here we are doing something pink again. This is my last seahorse and there are moments when I ask myself if I really want the last one to be pink? The pink on the belly looks very yellow. It is a transparent bead and I was hoping the actual pink would show through better. Maybe the very yellow feet/legs with change the color cast.

This may be one animal I fail to finish. I ran out of the brown beads even though I was so sure I had several tubes. Now they are all empty.

I've been substituting root beer for the brown, but in the light of day and the camera I am feeling this looks simply too awful. I do have enough to finish the other antler. There is something in me that really hates to give up on this. I can only see what happens when I take up the needle and space out.

The moose named chocolate! You can see why I am eager to get rid of those orange antlers! Normally I would do all the parts with a shared bead color, but for some squirrely reason, I just keep jumping from head to tail with this one. You can see the bit of green that will go up the legs. I simply could not bead that many brown beads without some color relief so I have him standing in a field. I do like how the gold knobby beads enhance the antler. I see from the photo there is a spot that needs one tiny bead yet.