This project has given me a great deal of pleasure! I started out trying to make the single beads according to the instructions. The originals used 15s at the 'joints' and no matter how hard I tried the various directions the beads needed to go, I could not get the five tiny beads to look good, and hide enough thread in the middle.

So I got the idea of using an #8 at the junction. This made starting the bead a totally different way. But in the end, it was a much easier method.

I tied the thread to an 8, strung a cystal and another 8, passed back through the crystal to the original 8. Passing through that I added a crystal and another 8 and passed back through the crystal to the original #8 bead. I repeated this process until there were 5 'ribs sticking out from the original #8. Each of the ends of the ribs had an 8. First I tucked the tail of my thread through one of the 'ribs' so it dangled at the outer edge. Then I passed through a cystal to get the needle at the outside edge of the ribs and through one of the #8s. Stringing on 1 cyrstal, the needle passed through the next 8, continuing this until all five ribs were joined. Pulling this tight and securing it with a knot made a complete unit.

From one of the #8s I repeated the process of stringing a crystal and a #8 and then passing back through the crystal to the original #8. This is repeated until again there are five ribs. These are then connected with crystals between them. Continue this process, drawing up the units tightly at each complition. At the end there is a unit with three connected ribs. Instead of adding ribs, one makes the connection back to the rib unit on the other side of the hole and the bead is complete.

I have surely just reinvented the wheel. The best part is how much I enjoyed doing it!

I seem to be on a binge of finishing up. That is a good thing because so often such UFOs are forever abandoned in my world.

The top piece is a cabochon I prepared and took to Japan because B said she wanted to learn how to do one. We were so busy there we never got around to beading and the Tennessee river stone came back home with me. All the tubes of pink beads were out on the trays so it was a 'natural' that I should find a way to finish this. I was pleased with my ability to stop the crystal spikes when I did. I was not pleased with the 'errors' in my peyote stitches.

The next one I had made while learning to do 'sparkly wheels' and used up one of the raviolis I had gotten for the hair barrettes I was doing months ago. I had cut up the bracelet for which it was like a watch without hands, for more bicones, and had the it left over. Was fiddling with the brooch findings, after doing the piece below, and inspired by that work, was able to attach and use bicones to anchor it. Again those pink beads found their way into this piece.

This reminds me that members of the group should remember to bring your extras and unwanted beads to the meeting on November 20 for Rhoda's 4-H group. Think 10 year olds and pink.

The bottom piece was an idea for using up the these marvelous green leaves I got from Debbe. The piece is much more exciting in the real than in this photograph. I will be adding it to the big velvet bird for The Dolphin.

Spent some time last night trying to learn how to make an icosahedron bead (BEADWORK Dec 2008/Jan 2009) but that did not go well. Will give it one more try with my daytime brain or maybe I will go out to the studio and actually get the rice pearls they recommend! Following instructions. . . how hard it is. (sigh)

It is not often that it takes me a year to make a necklace, but this one has been in the tray for at least that long. First of all I had to find the really fine invisible cord filament (at Legendary Beads in Santa Rosa I could touch it and see that it was fine enough) where I also got some crimp tubes. When I tried them they seemed too big so I ordered some from Fire Mountain and was able to start the piece.

Then I found out this necklace takes a lot of crimp tubes so I quickly ran out. I thought I knew which ones I had ordered previously, but when the package came, it contained the larger crimps.

Because I order through our bead group, that meant waiting another month for another order. Finally I got the right size, but again had not ordered enough Another month, another order using the inventory numbers from Fire Mountain. When I got all my ducks in a row I was no longer interested in the necklace. How often has that happened?

However, by doing the earrings the other day I was inspired to get this out to finish it. The work on the earrings had taught me the value of putting only a single bead between crimps and the necklace was done with combinations of pearls and crystals. So in a burst of confidence, I cup off the hanging part. Then I discovered that the invisible cord material stretches and now the necklace was too long. So I began all over and finally got this piece out of my UFOs. I like it so much I am thinking of keeping it - something I rarely do. Now I need a new dress and surely new shoes, and I can just see the purse it needs. . .

In Japan, in one of the myriad shops we visited that day, I saw a grand display of at least 75 different purse closures. I was so overwhelmed by the huge selection that I got none of them but today I feel I could walk in that store and find the perfect one.

Just could not give up and put away all the pink beads, so I tried this idea also for the Circle of Hope Project from Fire Mountain. Now I am thinking this could be an interesting (to me) necklace with many small beads strung together. Dread thinking of having to fill out the form two more times, but I suspect I will be having a moment when nothing else interests me and I do it.

Am cleaning up all the trays and putting things away.

Started sticking stuff on the big velvet bird to take to The Dolphin and still have some spots to fill. I suspect that my immediate future projects will be ones that will fill in the gaps on the hips. Still might add the amulet bags to the hips (like human saddle-bags).

About a year ago I had an idea / image of not buying any more beads but using up what I have on hand. I had a vision of not buying another bead until I sewed the last two together!

Anyhow I was trying to finish the necklace that matches the Peterson catalog earrings when I discovered I was running out of the clear crystal bicones. I solved the problem by yanking a bracelet off the bird and cutting off the crystals. I had never liked how that one bracelet had turned out and now it no longer bothers me.

I had been thinking that after the Christmas sales are over I would recycle the left-overs. But now I think I will only do any recycling when I have a need for the beads in the project.

Just as I get back to beading and able to post something here, our cable internet connection went out for two days, so I am doing catch up here.

These earrings, $49. a pair in the Peterson catalog, were the first thing that sparked my interest. I was surprised that I had to search for my clip-on magnifiers and found them in a tray with the unfinished white flower I had started to make for the hat to take to Japan. (The hat did not go with me - instead I used a less fashionable one that collapses and I did use it)

Anyhow! it felt so great to be beading again. In two days I had whizzed through all of these. Think I can add them to the crystal bearing Christmas tree for the Festival of Trees. Tomorrow night is a meeting of The Janes* and I am planning what I can wear that will go with my earrings from this batch.

*At the opening of Heidi Endamen's art opening, six of us discovered our names were Jane. They put our picture in the paper and tomorrow night we are having a potluck. Will lose an evening of beading but hope to be able to strut my stuff instead.

I got an annoucement from Susan at Fire Mountain about their Circle of Hope project to raise money for breast cancer research. I sent it along to the rest of the bead group and already Debbe has responded that she was sending off beadSSS (plural).
I made a list of the kinds of beads that I could make and came up with 6 or 7. However the longer I thought about my feelings for people and families who have faced this or any other cancer, I felt the rainbows that come from these prisms best illustrated my idea of hope. So I embellished the biggest prism crystal ball I had. It has pink roses on it, but in the scan the one ivory one shows up.
I just downloaded the entry form - ten pages of questions! I am glad to do that work too for my bead, but I wonder how many more I will make.

With the trees done and decorated for the Festival of Trees, I found I had enough pieces left over to take to The Dolphin, the artists' co-op Gualala Arts maintains in downtown Gualala (behind the post office). I got out the big bead bird I had made a couple of years ago and started decorating him. I think this will make an interesting display, but I have been wrong about this before.

Usually the things taken to The Dolphin are arranged, always artfully, by the staff, but for the Christmas bash each is on his own. With over 20 artists in one tiny room it takes some doing to get oneself noticed.

Almost every month I get a check for items sold at the The Dolphin. By the way, this is the only store I leave things on consignment. The place is so well run and Liz does such a good job of keeping books that I can depend on them to track and pay for every piece. This is the only place I have found in over 40 years that makes consignment work properly. Hats off to the volunteer staff! and thanks!

Last year they sold one of the other large stuffed birds, so maybe if the jewelry doesn't go the bird will find a new home.

I opened his throat and added a stick of wood to make him more stable. Also this year I sewed his wings to his toes and that too helps balance him. It is surprising how much all that jewelry weighs.