Friday, December 18, 2009
Some Like It Hot!!
4 C Pecan halves
Tequila Glaze
6 T Tequila (I don't need to tell you to not use crappy tequila, right?)
3 T Unsalted butter
1 T Brown Sugar
Spice Mix
3 T Sugar
1 T Kosher Salt
1 t Cinnamon
3/4 t Ground Cumin
3/4 t Ground Coriander
3/4 t Cayenne (less of you're a bit timid...more if you're a freak like some of my family members!)
3/4 t Garlic Powder
Follow instructions below for Rum Spiced Pecans.
Rum Spiced Pecans
(lean over pot and take a deep breath! It is amazing!)
Now make another batch to share with someone as you've just eaten most of this one!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thanks Santa!
Thank you for the time off! I made some beaded leaves. The process
was more about enjoying the colors than what the final outcome
would be, but I had beautiful dreams last night on what I can
do with these leaves, so they may end up becoming a piece of jewelry.
The therapeutic process of beading never ceases to amaze me!
I've shared with many of my friends in the beading community,
the story of my Grandmother beading. It fits here so well.
When I was young I would spend my summers with her. My parents
both worked full time and it was easier to just send me to stay
with her. I didn't mind. She taught me so many crafty things
as well as how to cook with bacon grease! ;o)
She knit, crocheted, did paper quilling, made knick-knacks out
of seashells, made apple faced women, made toilet seats out of
resin with seashells and other inclusions, whittled, you get the
picture, right? But most of all she beaded with seed beads!
It was when she would pick up her seed beads that I would notice
a calm come over her. As is evident from all the crafts she dabbled
in, her mind was restless and she was always striving to occupy
it with busy work. It was only with the beading that I would
notice this change in her.
So, being a curious eight year old, I asked her once, "Nana,
how come when you play with your beads you get so quiet?"
She called me over to her side and said, "Look down here
at these beads. See those little tiny holes?" I remember
leaning over her arm and looking down as clearly as if she said
this to me yesterday. She had on a blue shawl and I can still
smell her if I close my eyes and breathe deeply. I nodded and
said, "Yes, I see the little holes". She said, "When
I am beading, I climb inside that little tiny hole and there is
no room in there for anyone else, or anything else. It is just
me and the beads, nothing to bother me or worry me, no noises,
no cares."
It was at that very moment that I fell in love with beads and
my love has only grown as I've gotten older. There was no greater
gift she could have passed on to me.
And now, when my life becomes too stressful, I reach for my seed
beads. I sprinkle them into a dish, gaze into the little tiny
holes and climb in. There is not another place more peaceful
and comforting to me.
To me it explains a LOT about why beading can be so addictive. Who wouldn't want to find that place of peace!
Thank you Nana!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Can I please have a day off? How about 1/2 a day?
I am feeling over worked, under paid and frustrated. That is no way to enjoy the holidays!
Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the colors of my tree (Burgundy & Gold), the food, the smells, the smiles on my families face when they open a special present. But right now I am just feeling stressed out. I need that feeling to go away!
Maybe I need to bead! Yes, that is what I need to do! I think I'll go to work this morning and get the ball rolling and then just sneak out and head back home. Maybe build a fire, put on some comfy slippers, make a cuppa tea and BEAD! If I accomplish this wish, I'll post my results!
In the meantime, I hope your holiday season is much less stressful than mine!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Autumn Inspirations
And a few years ago, I created this necklace, also inspired by that same image and also beaded in the Fall:
I ended up making this project into a kit and it has sold very well for several years now. But just recently I looked at it again and thought it would be fun to make similar leaves (and maybe even in those same colors because they are so freakin' beautiful!) and make a new necklace...maybe a lariat style with the leaves falling down one side that twines around the other side?
I think I need to get a pot of soup on...maybe a nice crusty loaf of bread in the oven? Light a crackling fire and GET THOSE BEADS OUT!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Bay Area Bead Extravaganza!
All that work on her part pays off in the long run not only for those of us who have the honor of vending there, but also for the attendees who get the cream of the crop in beady related vendors to shop from.
I try to thank Trarie often for the energy she puts into this, as few shows go to these extremes. You can thank her, too, by attending this year! You'll always find her out and about on the show floor, she's the redhead!
There is also an amazing lineup of classes offered at the BABE! show! I'll be teaching my Intro to Fine Silver Metal Clay again, it seems popular enough each year to repeat once again, and I certainly LOVE teaching this class. I'll never tire of the amazement I see on peoples faces when they see the magic of Metal Clay.
And this year I have a brand new 2-day class, An Intro to BRONZclay & COPPRclay! You'll get to learn how to create with both of these new great mediums in one class!
I hope to see you at the show!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Beadwork from Bead & Button 2009
I had a great time! And I really enjoyed seeing all of the entries of beadwork this year, too. The Bead Dreams competition, the ISGB Convergence, and entries from the ToHo competition were all on display.
I sent Shawn off with the camera, and while he managed to get an image of every single item in each of the glass cases, I am not able to retrieve everything off the disk. =o(
However, I did get a lot of them! Some with the artists name included in the photo, some without. Sorry about that! I guess I didn't send him off with explicit enough instructions. LOL
Please enjoy these lovely creations! And if you know who created something that does not include the name, let me know and I'll add a credit to them by the photo. (Click images for an enlarged view)
Created by Tatiana Van Iten
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Too much plastic!
So, I am blogging about this issue, I've posted about it on my Facebook, I'll post about it on All About Beads....wherever I think I can get anyone to pay attention.
Is everyone taking the time to recycle all those ziplocs?
The Planet Archives
Friday, May 1, 2009
Bead Unique Tahoe Mountain Bead Retreat
All of the products for these Free workshops are sponsored by some fabulous suppliers in the beading industry. TierraCast™, Parawire, Out On A Whim (hey! that's me!) , Alacarte Clasps™ WireLace®, Vintaj Natural Brass Co, and CRYSTALLIZED™—Swarovski Elements.
Then classes will be taught on Friday, Saturday and Sunday by Sherry Serafini
and me! (Yay!)
If you're interested in joining us, go get your reservation in now! The seats are selling really quickly! Check out the Bead Unique Tahoe Mountain Bead Retreat website for complete details!
See you there!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Beading For A Cure Auctions
Go look http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/beadingforacure and bid, bid, bid!
New auctions are listed every Sunday at Noon Pacific Time. You can see which items will be up for auctions next from this link:
http://beadingforacure.org/auctions.html
The kits for the 2010 BFAC auctions have all been spoken for. I'll be posting an image of the kit here soon. Check back!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Tucson & More Bead Away Project Colorways!
I have been having so much fun creating samples of different colorways for my Bead Away classes! What a great excuse to get out of housework. "Sorry, kids, Mom just HAS to finish these projects. I have no time to mop so it looks like you'll be doing it!"
And this one, that did not photograph well at all...(what is with camera's not liking these shades?) is Volcano and Chili Pepper.....hot, hot, hot! It still needs one more layer of fringe.....I ran out of beads! Can you imagine!
Two more colorways in the Sparkle Links bracelet. This are so comfy to wear, btw!
Purple and Silver...
And Green & Gold..
Here is one of three new colorways in the Beaded Beads. Turquoise & Black with Bronze seed beads. I may just need to make myself an entire necklace out of these. They're like potato chips, you cannot make just one!!
In addition to more images of the Beaded Beads coming, I also have 6 new colorways in the Sunflower Pendant. Sadly, photography of beadwork doesn't look so good with just one light and one of our bulbs broke last night. =o(
I ordered a replacement and as soon as it arrives I'll chain Shawn to the camera again. So be sure to check back over the next couple of weeks for more images!
And most importantly, DO NOT delay in signing up for this Retreat! Seats are filling up quickly. Don't miss out!