A Whole Lotta Time Has Passed

Wowza! It's been a long time since I wrote in this blog! So much has happened since the last time a wrote. 

One of the most exciting things that happened was that I finished writing my first beading book. It took up a good chunk of my life- about a year. I'm excited to report that it is in the editing phase and is scheduled to be released this fall. Interweave Press is my publisher and the lovely and talented Michelle Mach is my editor, who has been so nice to work with. I can't wait to hold that baby in my hands! I really poured my heart and soul into the projects and I truly hope that they will inspire you. I will tell you more about it as the release date draws closer.

I'm heading to Tucson next month for the ginormous Gem, Mineral and Bead show that takes over the whole town. I will be helping my friend and Rock God,  Gary Wilson and his lovely wife Kathy at his booth in the GJX show. I'm looking forward to seeing many of my beady friends and drooling over gems and minerals. 

This Saturday I will be at Piecemakers in Costa Mesa, CA teaching my Oh Suzanna bracelet class. For details please visit: http://piecemakers.com/events/beaded.pdf

I also have several classes scheduled at Beadology in Huntington Beach, CA. during the upcoming weeks. For more information, please visit www.beadology.net

I promise to keep you posted on class information and the book! 

My Interview with Beads-Perles

I know it's been a while... sorry. But I have to share this with you: http://beads-perles.blogspot.com/. I was interviewed by Beads-Perles! The top of the interview is in Spanish but you can scroll down to read it in English if you'd like.
Thank you Beads-Perles!

It's Been a Long Time

I know that it's been forever and a day since I last posted but I've been really busy. Beyond busy- taking inventory, packaging new beads, writing my book, doing taxes (ugh). I'm trying to get all of my ducks in a row before the Bead Fest in Santa Fe which is rapidly approaching. The kits area all ready to go but I don't know if I am. I'm still unpacking from Tucson! Though, I am looking forward to returning to the southwest. I feel right at home in there, especially in Santa Fe. I love the cuisine, the artwork, the weather, the people. The city inspires me so much.

Ristras, or chili peppers hanging in the courtyard of the Santa Fe Museum

Above is a shot I took a few years back while visiting the Santa Fe Museum. I highly recommend taking the time see some of the museums and galleries while you are in town, if you are planning on going for Bead Fest. 

If you are going... why not take a class with me! I still have spots left in my Tempting Tassel, Happy-Go-Lucky Cuff and Bubble Ring classes. For details please visit: my class page on the Bead Fest Website.

You will need to scroll down past the text to view my classes. 

Tempting Tassel

Doesn't it temp you to take a class?

In the meantime, I dream of having some free time to dedicate to my poor, lonely and often neglected guitar. I miss her so. 

Photos As Promised

Here are some photos of my new seed bead set-up at Waterlily Studios in Florence, OR.

And...

Kelly's Korner

Plus...

More beady goodness

Kits & Specialty Beads

But wait! That's not all you get...

Heather~ Hard at Work Pricing New Beads

Beautiful Space

Lovely Baskets & Knitted Goodies

Security Team

Setting Up Shop

It's been way to long since I last posted. Forgive me. Sometimes life just gets in the way! 
I have been busy moving my seed bead shop out of the antique mall and into a beautiful bead store, Waterlily Studios & Beads. What a beautiful, inspiring space it is. It's a perfect fit for my seed beads. 
I had to buy new racks for my set-up and I think they worked out well. The most time-consuming part of the endeavor has been the inventory process. I've been counting tubes of beads for many days now and I'm still not done. I have even been dreaming about counting them in my sleep. 
I promise to post a picture ASAP! I brought my camera with me the day I finished my set up and the battery was dead. Doh!
For any of my local friends or people traveling along the Oregon Coast, here is the address and phone number of the store:


Waterlily Studios & Beads
1901 Highway 101 Florence, OR 97439-8712
(541) 997-7339

Trunk Shows & Classes in Sunny SoCal

I'm getting ready to head down south for Thanksgiving. I'm really looking forward to spending time with family and taking in some sunshine.
I will be teaching at Beadology in Huntington Beach, CA. On Fri. Nov. 25th I will be teaching my Bubble Ring where students will learn to combine Right Angle Weave with Peyote stitch to create a groovy, bubblicious ring for their beady little fingers. Previous experience with RAW is recommended and highly encouraged.

On Sat. Nov. 26th I will be teaching my freeform embroidered cuff. Students will learn embroidery techniques including peyote bezeling and finishing off with ultrasuede.

Both days I will be having a trunk show featuring my kits. Yep, you too, could spend Black Friday at a Beadology with Beadologie!

For more details or to pre-register:
www.beadology.net
714-841-8242
16085 Goldenwest St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Portland Bead Society Bead Bazaar

It's that time of year again, folks. Time for the annual Portland Bead Society Bead Bazaar, which really is a fantastic show. The show is held inside an old Montgomery Wards building at Montgomery Village, right near the Silver Cloud Inn, which is where I stay. It's conveniently located within walking distance of many cool shops and great restaurants. I look forward to it every year. Plus, with the season changing, there are always lots of leaves to crunch through along the walk!

I will be selling seed beads, kits and supplies. I've got a nice supply of new colors and specialty seed beads so, be sure and check 'em out!

The hours are Sat. 10-6 and Sun. 10-4.

Montgomery Park
2701 NW Vaughn St.
Portland, Oregon

P.S. Click photos to bigify.

Do You Want the Good News First or the Bad News First?

Let's get the bad news out of the way first: Due to low enrollment, my classes have been cancelled this weekend.   But now for the good news: Instead, I will be a doing a trunk show!
The trunk show will be held at the same venue-Dancing Beads in Medford, Oregon. For details on how to get there please click on the link above or call 541.690.1376.

The show will run from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Come check out my kits and samples!

Dancing Beads
1100 East Main Street, Medford, Oregon.

Classes This Weekend!

What are you doing this weekend? Will you be in the Medford, OR area? I will! And I will be teaching classes at Dancing Beads. For details please visit: Dancing Beads
One Sat. Oct. 15th, I will be teaching my Better With Crystals Bracelet:

Then, on Sun. Oct. 16th I will be teaching my Bubble Ring:

Exciting News!!

Yes, it does require two exclamation points!! Guess who officially had her book proposal approved... give up?
Me! It's officially official.
Join me in a happy dance?

Handbag For Janice

An embroidered bag I did several years ago. I'm posting it now because it depicts the Hand of Fatima which represents good fortune and right now I'm feeling pretty darn fortunate.

Dancing Beads

I think I've finally recovered from my trip back east and the darn cold I picked up along the way. I began a new project yesterday and I'm really excited about it. I will show you pictures as I progress.

In the meantime, I'm pleased to announce that I will be teaching a few classes at Dancing Beads in Medford, OR! Click on the link and be sure to watch the cool video that takes you on a tour of the store! I can't wait to meet Carol in person and see her beautiful space.

On Sat. Oct. 15th I will be teaching my Better With Crystals Bracelet:

Then, on Sun. Oct. 16th I will be teaching my Bubble Ring:

Both projects focus embellishing upon a base of Right Angle Weave. For more details on the classes please visit: http://www.dancingbeads.com/classes.html

Home

After a series of cancelled flights, delayed flights, missed connections, annoying air travel and even more annoying fellow travelers, I am finally home. This is a good thing.

goodnight irene

We survived Irene and are just fine. Thank you for all of your concerns!

Like a Hurricane

I'm sitting on a front porch in Onset, MA waiting for Hurricane Irene to hit. Our flight has been cancelled out of Boston. So... we sit and wait. We are in a flood zone so, my fingers and toes are crossed. I've never witnessed a hurricane before and I'm a little nervous. There's a band playing in the park across the bay and I can hear them butchering covers of Dylan and Pearl Jam. Appropriate soundtrack for the ominous clouds rolling in at the moment. Wish me luck.

Pre-Philly, Post-Calexico

I'm getting all packed and ready for Bead Fest Philadelphia. Will you be there? I still have a few spaces left in my classes. Care to join me?!
Last night I had an amazing time at the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugene, OR. We saw Calexico and Amos Lee. I just love Calexico! Here are a few pics:

Barry doing a bit of pre-concert preperation.

Calexico~ Oh Yeah! Si!

Amos Lee & the band.

Allegory Gallery Fundraiser

Many of my beady friends are familiar with talented artist and super cool all around human, Andrew Thornton and his family at Green Girl Studios. He is opening a new bead store/gallery which should be an amazing space. He needs a little help getting started so that he can open this fabulous art space. Click here to read about it: Allegory Gallery Fundraiser.

Does My Tassel Temp You?

As promised, here is a picture of one of my newest creations. I call it "Tempting Tassel." This was a fun one to create. I've enjoyed playing with the new peanut shaped beads.
I just returned from California on Saturday night but I'm not quite settled in yet. I have so much to do before I have to leave for Bead Fest Philadelphia, which I'm really looking forward to.
I'm off to go do something productive... like maybe clean the house. Wish me luck!

Oh Em Geeee

Artwork by Darrin Brenner

Last night was amazing! I went to see Cubensis play at the Golden Sails in Long Beach and properly had my mind blown. Cubensis is a Grateful Dead tribute band that I've been seeing play since I was a young lass back in the early 1990's. I was fortunate enough to be able to see these guys play every week, sometimes more, for several years. I got to witness the transitions and evolutions of the band and various band members as they came and went. While, they have always been fantastic, I have to say that they have certainly reached new heights.

Now that I live in Oregon, I only get to see the band a few times a year. I realize how much I took the whole experience for granted and how lucky I am when I get to see show now and again. With the long periods of time in between shows, the incredible growth of the band is apparent every time I do get a chance to see them. As a budding guitar player, I'm always blown away by Craig Marshal's other-worldly solos. Last night he did not disappoint. And then there's Nate LaPointe. Sometimes I think he does Bobby better than Bobby does Bobby. Nate's a guitar player's guitar player. He's conservative with his notes but the ones he chooses to play really mean something. Know what I mean? And he plays a purdy gee-tar. What kind of guitar is that anyways? I tried to figure it out but couldn't quite see...

For those of you in the OC area, Cubensis plays the Orange County Fair on Thurs. night along with Delta Nove and Moon Alice. I plan on being there. Will you?

On a bead-related note, I got my Bead & Button 2012 class proposals all completed today and I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief! I even got them packed and ready to ship for Monday. Would you like to see a wee bit of a sneak peek?

Los Ojos Del Sol

That's your sneak peek for the day. More to come... Stay tuned.

The Continuing Tales of a Slacker

Yes, I am still around! And I am still a blog slacker. I'm in Southern California enjoying the weather and getting lots of beading done. I'm currently working on submissions for next year's Bead & Button Show and I've been beading so much that my wrist is killing me!
I'm spending time visiting with family and friends which is making me a really happy camper! I really don't want to go home. But, alas, I must get ready for teaching at Bead Fest Philldelphia. Will you be there? Here's the link.
Stop by Meet the Teachers and say "hi" or come by Gary Wilson's booth where I will be helping out. See you in Philly!

Puget Sound Bead Festival

It's that time of year again, folks and I'm looking forward to it. I will be at the Puget Sound Bead Festival in Tacoma this coming weekend. Unfortunately, there will not be any classes this year so I won't be teaching. I will, however, have a booth where I will be selling my kits, samples and some specialty beads. Please stop by and say hello if you're at the show. It runs Fri. July 9th -Sun. the 11th.

My table at Meet the Teachers Bead & Button. Ignore the suitcase.