Beady-eyed

Well, I'll be(ad). I didn't realize I had already blogged about the Meetup. My B(e)ad.
I'll write about something else I did recently, then.

A week ago Friday, I helped my co-worker, Bonnie, with a bracelet project during our lunch hour at work. She was with me last August when we attended the Pasadena Design and Bead show, and she bought one of Donna Palmer's bracelet kits. Well, it was a little tricky to get going, and Bonnie had twisted things around a little. So I cut off the end of what she had started and made her start it again. And voila! After a little bead sex (put it in, take it out, repeat) she had it!

The kit that Bonnie got had two sizes of Swarovsky glass pearls in mocha and cream, and gold size 15 charlottes. It worked up really pretty but I was surprised to hear the following week that she had run out of beads before finishing it. Bonnie's wrist size is 7-1/2" and there were only enough beads to make maybe 6 to 6-1/2" of bracelet. We will have to be sure to advise Donna of this so that she can advise people of this fact.

Anyway, it looked like a fun pattern, so I went home and made two for myself over the weekend. (I will post photos soon.) Donna also sells the kits with Swarovsky bicone crystals, and those looked very sparkly and bright. I made mine with Czech crystals just to see how they would work up. It was a fun pattern.

San Diego Beadwork Meetup

I meant to post this right after the meeting but life got in the way. I went to the monthly Meetup meeting at South Sun a couple Sundays ago. The group organizer, Teresa, really puts a lot of time and effort into lining things up, and is a very welcoming hostess. I brought along a tube of seed beads (one of Donna Palmer's mixes that I bought from her last August in Pasadena) and the instructions on how to do a spiral herringbone stitch. After one false start, I had it. I know I need to post a photo of it (and plan to do so), especially because the colors are wild. (Orange, purple, lime... Very Donna-like.) Watch for it.
Anyway, the meeting was small this time, but I was able to meet three new friends. It is interesting to see what each person is into, and what materials they are most comfortable using. I was the only one working with seed beads that day. Teresa made two necklaces in the time she was there (prolific!). I had a good time and really enjoyed being around other jewelry-making addicts like myself.

Beadwork Meetup

I went to the San Diego BeadworkMeetup on Sunday. I hadn't been since last fall, due to a busy schedule. I knew one person (Teresa, the group leader) and met three new friends. We all brought projects to work on, and Teresa actually finished two necklaces that afternoon. I taught myself spiral herringbone stitch (with a size 11 seed bead mix I bought from Donna Palmer at the Pasadena Design and Bead Show). After backtracking only once, I got the hang of it and stitched about eight inches during the time I was at the Meetup. I enjoyed the company and the opportunity to meet other beaders, and even though the turnout wasn't as large as other meetings, we had fun. (We always do.)

Virgin Blogger

Hmmm. It's about time I tried this. Today is the first time I have attempted a blog, but after seeing my friend, Dawn's, and noticing blog urls on other designers' websites, I thought it was time to give it a go.My first entries will be short as I explore how this thing works. After time, though, you should be able to see what this shapes into, and watch my progress (blog-wise, and bead-wise).Thanks for stopping by.