Ta-dah... Introducing... Bunny's BJP!

Bunny S. is a 2007 BJP member who lives in Bellingham, WA. She and two of her beady buddies have been doing the BJP all along. However, they aren't much into digital (except for cell phones)... no blogs, websites, flickr or even much into emails.

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of beading with them for a couple of days (a delicious retreat!) and took some pictures of their work. Since nobody in the BJP has seen it, I thought I'd show some of it here. (I'll show Tracy's work in the next post.) Sorry, I don't really know the stories or name that go with each piece. Yet, I think you can catch the drift pretty well!

I hope Bunny will finish and eventually get her work in the BJP Member Gallery, as it's really wonderful... I love the mix of fabric, fibers, textures, thread embroidery, bead embroidery and mixed media. Note that some of them are works in progress... To my eyes, she really nailed the concept of "visual journaling." Don't you think? I'll let Bunny know I've posted these pictures, so she can check the comments and possibly even respond. Here's her work.... and I think it's all clickable!

Bead Journal Project - April finished!

April's BJP (detail above) began as March. I don't know what happened to March... It flew by so quickly and I seemed always to have a staggering "to do list" sitting on my shoulders. So, when April rolled around, I'd only put a few beads on my fabric.

Although that dratted "to do list" is still a weight to be reckoned with, I've managed to carve out some time to bead this month. Gradually, the piece took shape. However, it didn't want to be March anymore. Nope, over and over it announced itself as New Beginnings, as April!

Three days ago, Tuesday, our weather took a nice little turn from being chilly, nasty, windy, rain-hail-sleet-snow to being mild and somewhat sunny. My husband and I, on a rather spur of the moment lark, decided to take the ferry to the mainland (sometimes we call it going to America) to see the Tulip Festival in nearby Skagit Valley (1.5 hours north of Seattle). You can see some of Robert's tulip pictures from previoius festivals here.

Once we got off our island, the weather didn't look quite so wonderful. Plus there was a chilly wind. I didn't really feel like taking tulip pictures (see one of the few I took at the end of this post). Fortunately, I brought my beads and found a sheltered table to work. Voila! Thanks to having that chunk of time, April is finished...


This one was totally improvisational... no theme, no plan, no pre-concieved concept at all. Now that it's finished, it seems to be all about rebirth, spring, a gentle movement toward something new... definitely transitions. What about my life is in transition? I don't know just yet. The bud is not open, yet I feel a wonderful sense of New Beginnings!



NEW BOOK UPDATE...

My new book, Heart to Hands Bead Embroidery, is on its way to me! It is shipping out from the printer today.

I feel like I imagine an expecting mother might feel as she's wheeled into the delivery room. Will it look OK? Will the cover flaps be folded correctly? Will people want to buy it? Will the color printing process handle all the color photos satisfactorily? Will I "get along with it?"

There's really quite a lot of angst along with the excitment and pleasurable anticipation... more than with previous books, probably because this one really has my heart and soul in it... it IS my baby.

To those of you who pre-ordered, thank you so much... your orders have kept me from tearing out my hair during this waiting time and helped to raise my positive expectations. The good news is... I should be packing orders and getting them out next week!

Symbols Revealed

If you haven't already read this post, you may want to do that first so you can draw and rank these symbols before I reveal the meaning. Otherwise, read on...

CIRCLE
The circle represents wholeness and completion.

CROSS
The cross represents relationships. In addition to relationships with other people, it may also represent relationships with animals, your work, your concept of a higher power, nature, etc.

SPIRAL
The spiral represents change and growth.

SQUARE
The square represents stability and security.

TRIANGLE
The triangle represents goals, dreams and ideals.

RANKING THE SYMBOLS
The rank you gave each of these shapes speaks to the importance and significance of the symbolic reference in your life at this time. As you will see, it’s not exactly what you might guess.

#1
The number 1-ranked attribute is your most conscious area of concern at this time in your life. It is the area to which you are paying full attention. Your awareness of this area is expansive and uncluttered.

#2
You are also consciously working, or you worked in the past, on this area. The work you are doing or have done in this area is related to and directly supports the work you need/want to do in your number 1-ranked area.

#3
The number 3-ranked attribute is the core of your unconscious attention. You are very absorbed in this area, but your efforts here are largely unconscious. Look for this area in your dreams.

#4
The number 4-ranked area supports the work of your unconscious attention (your number 3-ranked attribute). It may involve past challenges and tests or current issues. In either case, this area motivates and supports your current unconscious process.

#5
There are two interpretations for the number 5-ranked attribute. Either it is the area that interests you the least (possibly because it doesn’t apply to your life or you’ve already dealt with it) or it is something you are avoiding because you don’t want to deal with it. Examine your position regarding this area by asking “Is there something I might be afraid of here?”

PAINTING
As I mentioned in the previous post, my counselor used this exercise to open my awareness of what is important to me and how I might be dealing with the concerns I was facing at the time. It helped. It moved the therapeutic process along nicely.

She also suggested that I “play” with the concepts on my own time. So one day I made a bunch of paintings. I just tucked the shapes in the back of my mind and painted improvisationally. Below is one of the paintings I did that day.


It’s quite interesting to me that the triangle, although I ranked it third, appears frequently and in several forms in this painting. Along the top and bottom, the triangle encloses circles and spirals, my two areas of conscious attention. In addition the triangle appears… upside down!... in almost every one of my Bead Journal Project pieces. I need to give this some thought… Why would my subconscious attention to goals and dreams be upside down? I don’t know the answer. I sure hope my unconscious is working on it.


In my June BJP piece, I used all 5 symbols. I made the "patchwork" square first. It reminded me of the symbols, so I decided to add them all. The "string" connecting them was an improvisational addition. I like seeing them connected, as in all aspects of my life, each of them important at one time or another. Made me appreciate the square more, which was my #5 ranked shape.

Using symbols in our art

I’ve been thinking about Morwyn’s February BJP piece, called Imbolc/The Quickening Moon. She wrote this about the triangle shape in the center of her piece:

I have an emotional reaction to triangles. Something about a good solid base tapering up in a symbolic reach to the heavens. Aspirations, I suppose.

Her beadwork and her words made me recall a rather special appointment with a psychologist a while back. (I had about 10 appointments to work on my relationship with my husband and my changing career.) On this particular day, she brought out a large sheet of drawing paper and some thick markers. She asked me to draw the following shapes:

square
triangle
cross (like a + sign or an x)
circle
spiral

She asked me to pick the shape that seemed the most compelling to me at that moment and to write the number 1 under it. Then she asked me to pick the second most compelling and to write the number 2 under it. Then I picked the third, fourth and finally the least compelling shape, writing the number under each.

Then she interpreted not only the meaning of each shape, but also the position it held, the rank I had assigned to each. She spoke of this test as the culmination of years of research into archetypal symbols and their psychological associations in our culture. It was fascinating!

Want to try it?

If so, draw and rank the figures. When you finish, check back here (where I have posted about the meanings) so you can interpret your own response. I've also posted a picture of a painting I did in exploration of the concepts (small detail from it shown above).

Now you can pre-order my new book!

Here's the cover of my new book!


It will be sent to the printer March 22! (Finally!) It should be available to ship to you by May 1st, possibly a few days earlier.

All the information and printable pre-order form are on my website, or you can follow the specific links below.

Click here for more information about the book.

Click here to see a few pictures from the book.

Click here to find a printable pre-order form.

Yes, of course, I'll autograph all pre-ordered books! If you're a participant in the BJP, please make note of it on your order form.

Thanks sooooooooooo much for your support and encouragement along the way. You've been fabulous helpers, angels really!

Bead Embroidery - Bead Journal Project for February

Oh my goodness, this one was sooooooo much fun!

Valentine for Little Robin

My very first thought, as I went to my fabric stash to pick out fabrics for my February BJP, was "It's going to be a valentine for Little Robin!" And so it is!

Who is Little Robin? I don't recall exactly when the concept of having an innocent, playful, sweet inner-being occurred to me. Maybe it was around the time I first read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron in 1993. At that time I began writing morning pages (journaling) regularly.

Being a former psychology major and trained counselor, I knew the value of role-playing. Somehow, I fell into the practice of written role-playing in my morning pages. I write long conversations with Little Robin. Because she always wants to play, paint, bead and have fun, she has contributed much to my life and my art. I'm a serious and responsible person, who can easily spend too much time working and get too stressed about obligations. In our journaled conversations, she helps me to lighten up a bit!

What do you think? Does she like the valentine I made for her?

Bead Embroidery, Quilting by Brother Thom!

As promised, here are pictures of Thom's recent BJP creations! All of the pictures are clickable.


July - Bombs Bursting in Air


November - Can of Worms


December - Unconditional Love

I love the size and textural quality to Thom's embellished quilts. He has quite a thing going with these, don't you think?

Speaking of Thom (my brother)... He and Jennifer (his wife) are driving north from where they live in Santa Cruz (CA) to the Oregon Coast tomorrow. At the same time, Robert and I will be driving south. We'll meet in Reedsport, which is a town located in the heart of the Dunes. We have a vacation rental reserved for a whole week.

Thom and I will be stitching away on our bead and quilt projects for most of the week, while Robert treks through the Dunes with cameras in hand. Jennifer likes to walk on the beaches and read. We're all chomping at the bit to get past the packing stage and on the road.

Another perk for this trip, is that Thom and I will take a day to visit BeadBabe49 (Bobbi Kirk), also a BJP member... We get to visit with her, see her pages and shop at both her local quilt shop and bead shop! Wheee!

*****

New book news! I'm in the final stages of proofreading and expect to go to print on about March 15. Cross your fingers that it will be available April 15th! How 'bout that as a way to celebrate tax day!

The title is...

Heart to Hand Bead Embroidery
Fresh Ideas and Techniques for Creating Art with Beads

Thanks to all of you for all of your helpful suggestions regarding the title. As you can see some of them have found their way into my final decision. I'm beyond excited about how it's looking... Color pictures on every page... it's glorious!

Bead Embroidery – Subject of Jan. BJP Revealed!

Thanks to everyone who gave comments about my January BJP, an abstract portrait of a person. Many of you were right on target with your impressions! I feel good about my work, because it seems I was able to communicate fairly well about the characteristics and personality of this person.

For this piece, I chose four different batik fabrics, each to represent a specific aspect of this person’s character.


The pale pink represents her soft side. Most of the time she is a gentle, loving person… not exactly sweet, but kindly and generous with her time, knowledge and affections.

The flowered pink/red represents her playful, almost childlike, nature. She’s eager to discover, to learn, to have adventures and to be surprised. She also loves flowers, especially wildflowers… not to grow them so much, but to pick them and have them around her.

She’s also pretty grounded, especially in her mature years. She has an inner calm and sense of security. She also has faith in the fundamental good of the universe, herself and her husband, her family and her friends. Her creative and artistic expression derive from this source. The red/brown fabric on the right seems to convey these aspects of her personality.

She can be a bit prickly at times and sometimes given to bursts of temper (which generally subside quickly). During the winter months, she gets grumpy when dark days seem never to end. Perhaps she is afraid the sunshine will never return. Under her display of anger, there is always fear. I think the third fabric from the left has that feel to it. (Although you can’t see it, I used it for the pointed thorns at the top of the piece.)


The birds (two of them) have two meanings. On an everyday level, she is enchanted by all birds, loves to watch and hear them. On a spiritual level, birds represent freedom and innocence, also strength and resilience beneath apparent fragility. Both birds look inward on this piece because they are singing their song of love and acceptance to her.

The ruffles are the loving and accepting energy that flows from and within her big heart. Yellow bubbles (sequins) are laughter and fun, again offered from her heart to the world around her.

The blue spirals are the source of creativity and the branch fringes represent roots. She is framed in blue, which represents sky, calm and spirituality.


Who is she? This is a self-portrait. During January of 2008, this is how I saw myself.

What an interesting challenge it was to do this piece. I had to remove my intellect, lock out my thinking (and critical) mind, which wasn't easy. Yet it was really fun to work on it! I'm wondering if any of you are curious to try it?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

HELP!!! I need a good wholesale source for a bulk order of gold-color and silver-color stick pins (hat pins) and clutches. I've been searching online for an hour and can't find anything at all.

Bead embroidery ~ bead journal project ~ January finished

I'm excited to show you this piece! It's an abstract portrait. About 15 years ago, I beaded several abstract portraits of people who are very dear to me. It was fun to try it again for my Bead Journal Project piece for January. Here it is...


I'm very curious about what might be evident about the subject of this portrait to the viewers of my work. Will you help me out by giving me your impressions?

First of all, is this a male or female? Secondly, is the person a child, young adult or older adult? And, finally, what does the portrait suggest about the character of this person to you?

Please give me your best guesses and don't be concerned about right answers, as all answers will have true relevance. For example, even the eldest among us still has an inner child... and even the most feminine person has masculine elements to her personality. By the way, the image is clickable... click on the picture to see more detail in a slightly larger version.

I will reveal everything about the subject of this portrait in a few days. Thanks soooo much!

Bead Embroidery ~ December BJP Finished!

As promised, I'm back again today with another finished Bead Journal Project piece!

December was a challenge for me because I get a little unglued at Christmas time. Thinking about it, the word upside-down comes to mind. I was avoiding working on December's BJP until I read this post by BJP member Acey. It took guts to get by the trepidation of "what people would think" and write about her unpopular attitude toward Christmas. I took courage from her, and decided to attempt to show how it is for me. It's like this...


And here is the poem I wrote while working on it:

I am darkness
looking at Christmas,
pointing dark thoughts
at Christmas,
especially at all the hype,
the production
and the requirements
at this time of year.
I am supposed to be happy,
merry and bright.
But I am not.
I am darkness.

I want to change.
I want to hear
the sweet songs
of Christmas birds.
Where is my big heart
at Christmas?
Follow the birds.
They will help me.

You can see that the tree is surrounded by darkness and is upside-down. Yet, the tree itself (which represents Christmas) is very bright and cheerful. It seems to repel the darkness. I think the many hearts on the tree represent what I'd like the real meaning of Christmas to be. The birds and the golden star must be hope, spirituality and the possibility of change. Notice that the bird songs and star are not confined by the dark beaded edge.

December darkness has been with me for a long time... probably since my 20s. Mom has it too. Hers is Depression Era related. Her mom died when she was 11 during the Depression years. None of her relatives wanted an extra mouth to feed, so she was shifted from family to family, always with resentment toward her. I don't imagine she had much fun at Christmas. Both of us probably suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which doesn't help. Other than Mom's influence on me, SAD and my aversion to marketing hype, I don't really know why I get so down. Maybe the birds, making this journal page and realizing that I really want to change my attitude will help next year. I hope so.

Pam Troug, another BJP Member, also used her December piece to work through some dark thoughts. One fabulous thing about being in the BJP and this blogging community is that we find kindred spirits, whether in the light, the dark or the twilight. I am so grateful for the opportunity to stitch my thoughts and feelings in the company of understanding and supportive souls.

Thank you!

Bead Embroidery ~ November BJP Finished!

Oh goodness, it's been such a long time with very few posts. My appologies all over the place. I've been missing the whole blog scene so much. Today I read all of the January posts on the BJP blog, and followed many links to blogs showing recent work by members... a totally awesome way to spend the day!!!!!!!

To make amends, I plan to write one post every day for the next 4 or 5 days. First I'll show you Nov, Dec and Jan BJP. Then, I'll post pictures of Thom's (my bro) recent BJP quilts. The last post will be about my new book. Guess I'm sort of an all or nothing kid, eh?


My November BJP (above) is a bit unusual for me, more representational... fallen leaves of deep red color, rain, snow, harvest moon. At the same time, it was an odd month for me. Although there is much beauty in this season, the encroaching darkness and winter chill got under my skin a bit. Also I felt rather isolated and lonely, perhaps like the way the last leaf on a tree might feel.

Technically, it isn't a big deal. Yet I'm rather fond of it, especially of the sequin snow flakes.

New Book About Bead Embroidery + A Little of This & A Little of That!

I Work for Stickers!

Amazing what I will do for the pleasure of pasting a sticker on a calendar page! It started with walking two miles... every day I walked, beginning the middle of last August, I gave myself a sticker. You should see my calendar! We won't go into the other benefits, but I will confess to having one perfect month (November) and several months with only one or two un-stickered days. I've just GOT to earn that sticker each day!

Ok, so on Dec. 16th, a little light bulb flashed regarding motivation to work on my new book. More stickers! Another calendar page and more stickers! Every day that I work at least two hours on my book, I earn a sticker. Of course, once I get going, I'm on a roll and can work for many hours. The stickers get me going.

Here's a little secret... shhhhhh..... when I finish the book and get it sent to the printer, there will be a huge sticker reward... I'm going to buy myself.... shhhhhh..... a sticker factory!!!! It's a toy for kids, and the kid in me will just LOVE it!

Book Title Suggestions

Thanks to all of you who voted and made comments about the title for my new book. I agree with so many of the things you said, and appreciate your time and thoughtfulness in responding.

Although the book is progressing very well, I still haven't made a decision about the title. Right now the working title is:

Creating Art With

Bead Embroidery

New Inspirations and Techniques

How does this title grab you? I wish it were a little more snappy. Any ideas? I'm wondering about the words "Creating Art" vs. the words "Making Art." What do you think?

Girl of Fall commented on my previous post about the word "New," suggesting that the techniques may not be new. I want to assure her and you that the 20 techniques in this book are not in any other books as far as I know. So, it should be a very exciting book with lots of fresh ideas. I just wish I could think of a title that would convey that excitement, while still telling what the book is about.

Sabine made these suggestions:
A Fresh Approach to Bead Embroidery
Expressive Bead Embroidery
Surface and Beyond

I like these ideas... Do you have any suggestions that might key off of her ideas?

Happy New Year!!!!

May the year ahead be filled with the blessings of love, friendship, peace, good health, adventure, beads, fibers, creativity and play for each and every one of you! This world is a better place for our shared time through blogging. Thanks and big, beady hugs to all of you! Love, Robin

New Book about Bead Embroidery ~ Please Vote for Title and Sub-title

You may have noticed my "absence" here and on the BJP blog for the past few weeks. Sorry 'bout that...

I've been writing and beading samples for my new book!!! Oh man, it's looking good and feels so great to be making progress on it! Everything else is suffering... you don't even want to visit my house right now, and of course I'm getting behind with the BJP and not spending much time on the web. Christmas? Is it really that time of year already? All that will get caught up once the book gets to the printer.

Please Help!

The cover design is pretty well set, but I can't make up my mind about the title. Will you help me please? I've added two polls to the side-bar. The first poll is for the main title, which will be laid out like this:

The Joy of

Beading on Cloth

or like this:

The Joy of

Bead Embroidery

The second poll is for the sub-title, which will appear below the cover art in a smaller size font. Will you please vote on both polls? Also, I'd appreciate ANY and ALL comments about this. You can tell me why you voted as you did and/or give me alternate suggestions for either title or sub-title.THANK YOU so much!

In case you're wondering, the projected release date is spring or early summer, 2008. Guess that means I'd better get back to it right now... Thanks again...

PS (on 12-17-07)

Thanks to everyone who is voting and commenting! What wonderously wise beaders you all are!!! I am getting lots of insights from your comments, and appreciate them very much. The interesting vote for me is about the sub-titles. The last one ("...making art...") was a spur of the moment thought while writing the post. Who would have thought it would earn so many votes? Anyway, this is very helpful!

Bob Dylan in my Dream Last Night!

Dream:

I am on the street outside of a cafe, milling around with a group of people who are attending a beading conference. I get tired of waiting, leave the group and enter the cafe, where all the tables are empty.

After taking a seat, I look up and see Bob Dylan entering the cafe. He's young, looking like he does on his Freewheelin' or Blond on Blond album cover. Dual emotional response: 1. Wouldn't it be cool if he sits with me! And, 2. OMG, I wouldn't know what to say to him if he did!

I'm so shy that I put my head down and wait. He comes and sits kitty-corner from me at my table. Slowly I look up at him. Bob Dylan smiles slightly and asks, "What are the important influences in your life?" I freeze with shyness. I don't respond, and the next thing I know I'm back outside with the crowd.

End of that segment of the dream. However, I wake up soon, envisioning Bob and his question. A one-word answer snaps into my mind: teachers! My teachers are the most important influences in my life. All kinds of teachers (not so much the ones from my formal school years)...

Let me name, honor and thank a few of them here:

Andrew Dale ~ My tai chi teacher during the early 1990s, Andy taught me about physical balance and it's correlation to emotional balance. He taught me to walk with my weight back about 1/4th inch (I had been leaning forward slightly). This saved my feet and enabled me to walk normally again!

Shelley Tucker ~ My poetry teacher during the same period as above, Shelly taught me how to by-pass my controlling and frightened brain, and allow words to flow from my heart. I was already doing that with bead embroidery, but this was an entirely new thing to be able to do it with words. I still use her wonderful writing models, and have shared one of the best with you, here. If you want to introduce poetry writing to young children, Shelley's books are super!

Ferne Cook ~ My mother, Ferne, taught me many wonderful life skills, including strong work ethics, ethics in general, how to sew, the value of quality craftsmanship, and good grammar.

Robert Demar ~ My husband, Robert, teaches me significant things nearly every day, including the most valuable lesson of all... that it's only money... you can see my progress with this concept here. He opened the door for my recent insight about respecting my body, by taking my legs (the heavy ones I've always hated) out to dinner one night in appreciation for all they've done for me over the years. He has changed my habit of swearing when thwarted or frustrated, by showing me how it creates a negative aura. There's lots more.

Liz Chenoweth ~ How can I pick just a few things to mention about what I've learned from my best friend for 34 years? Among many other things, from Liz, I've learned that under anger there is fear, that love is all there is, that acknowledging love is hugely important, to give time and money, and to honor commitments.

Mary Oliver ~ Although I've never met her, poet Mary Oliver taught me an extremely important lesson... that I do not have to be perfect. The powerful healing medicine of her poetry is beyond compare. On Monday, Feb. 4th, thanks to a gift from Liz, I get to hear Mary Oliver read her poems, live at Benaroya Hall in Seattle!!!! OMG, I'm so looking forward to it!

Bob Dylan ~ I've listened to Dylan's music since the 1960's. The man can write! And through his songs, he taught me to investigate everything, to look beyond the surface of people, and to care.

Lori Talcott ~ Metalsmith and friend, Lori taught me about how flat is boring, especially with wireworking. I used to make fibula pins with loops and spirals that were flat... pounded metal, but flat. Thanks to Lori, I now use my fingers to curve and shape the loops and poke out the spiral three-dimensionally. There's an example at the top of this post and several below.

OK, these are just a few examples of teachers and their important influences in my life. It's still November, the month of thanksgiving, and so I am giving my huge thanks to these and other teachers.

For the past two weeks, I've been making jewelry like crazy for a Holiday Sale this Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, I took pictures of some of the fibula pins I just made... thought you might like to see some of them...

Improvisational bead embroidery - October Bead Journal Project

One picturesque sea-side town (with more neat little shops, galleries and eateries than just about anywhere) is La Conner, WA! Plus, they have a fabulous Quilt Museum! On September 29th, a couple of my quilt-sisters and I went there to see the annual Quilt Festival shows. WOW! Especially awesome was the exhibit of "Blue Ribbon Winners" from around the country, with only quilts that had won numerous awards in shows... the best of the best. And they were!

Besides that, there were vendors... which brings me to my October BJP page... Until then I didn't have a clue what to do for October. But in one vendor's stall, I spied some lovely, carved-bone buttons and pendants. Picking up a goddess figure pendant and a heart, I said quietly to myself, "I love my body."

This, of course, has never been true. I've always struggled (rather lamely) with my weight, plus I have naturally heavy legs. I've hated my body for as long as I can remember.

In July, Angela Plager was working on Threshold (her July BJP piece) and making a determination to change some of her habits... making a commitment to exercise and healthy eating. Both her beadwork and her commitment resonated with me in a huge way. We had some email correspondence, and I decided to join her from a distance.

As of August 1st, I've given up eating sugar in the form of pastries and deserts. I still eat fruit and occasionally sweetened sauces, but no other sweets. Also I've started to walk every day. I live at the top of a 500 ft. ridge. Nearly every day since August 1, I've walked up and down that hill. On the second day of walking, I found a feather, thought about setting my body free from its extra load, and saved it. This isn't about loosing weight, although I have lost 10 pounds... It's about RESPECT... respect and love for the body that was dealt to me by the hands of birth. Thank you, Angela, for this amazing wisdom!

Back to October's BJP... So, I'm at this Quilt Show, I buy the goddess and heart pendants, and another vendor gives me a little sample of batik fabric. Immediately I know that I will use the pendants, the feather and the fabric sample for my October piece, which will be a respectful tribute to my body. At the top of the post, you can see the key components. Below is my finished October page.


Below is a close up picture of the bottom of the piece. See the three dark pieces surrounded by beaded bezels? They are ancient, fossilized, pieces of turtle shell, given to me by a friend who found them excavating a river-bed in Florida. I don't know why I used them or what is their relevance to this piece, but I love that they are here!



Here is the poem I wrote while working on this piece. I was teaching a 2-day improv. bead embroidery class, and always write poems on the second day with my students:

I am celebrating my body today!
My bones, the feeling of age –
memory aids and breath mints –
rulers and good light –
earthy colors, spiral, curve of a feather –
all of these (and more)
are celebrating my body right now!
Even constant and irritating fan noise,
snippets of thread and technical difficulties
contribute in some way
to joyful celebration and respect
for the goddess within my body.

* * * * * *
My one and only husband, Robert, besides being the man of my dreams for the past 10 years, is also quite an exceptional photographer. He's been snapping pictures since he was a child, getting better and better with the wisdom of age and the practice of gazillions of photos. Initially, he worked in black and white, always doing his own darkroom work. Now, with his digital cameras and Photoshop CS3, he's a big color fan.

Here are two of his recent photos to tempt you to take a look at his NEW blog, started just a week ago... no words... just lots of eye candy!



* * * * * * *
Out of the blue a few weeks ago I got an email from Tatiana, a young and passionate beadworker from Russia. She said she was starting a new website, Magic Beads, and wanted to interview me for an article. Yup, I said, sure I'll answer your questions. Well, what a pleasure it was to see the interview (here) and read the English translations of the interviews she did with other well-known bead artists. I'm sending her a copy of One Bead at a Time... maybe if we do a BJP next year, she will join us!