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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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. . . 

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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!