Duh, Jill

I just had my second DUH moment of the day.

When I don't leave the house all day, I rarely bother to wear my contact lenses. Instead I just work with my ratty old glasses which are not fashionable, but are functional. For years and years and years they have provided the best close-up vision quality for beading.

Plus, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll remember about a 18 months or so ago when I finally figured out that I needed to start using reading glasses in addition to my contacts to be able to bead or see my student's beadwork up close in class. Bummer, getting old. And I figured if I was going to have to wear glasses anyway, I might as well wear the pair that gets me through the day. Because I'm lazy too.

Well I've been in a flurry of beading the last two days and it was all done with the contacts/reading glasses combo. When I just took out my contacts and reverted to my regular glasses I had an ephiphany. I CAN'T SEE! I tried to go back to beading and all of a sudden my focal point was dramatically changed and I've had to put the beadwork aside again because it was far too difficult.

So I wonder if this visual deterioration has been an unrecongnized reason for my lack of beading time??!! You would think I learned my lesson about this when I went through it with the reading glasses, but nope. Evidentally I'm not a quick learner.

Guess who's going to the eye doctor for a new prescription REALLY SOON??

I relay this story to remind you that perhaps you should make an appointment soon too if you're having trouble with focus. We don't need to suffer it when there's correction available.

Daily Beading

I think I probably do a lot less beading than y'all think. When I have something to design, it tends to be a focused short-term do it and get it done type of thing. Which is really a big shame! And so despite (and because of) my insane designing schedule for the rest of the year, I decided tonight that I am going to make a commitment to do a lot more beading - sometimes just to do it.

A lot of good ideas and imaginative designs come about through putting this piece with that part I made that one time that I have in a drawer over there... So I'm going to make let myself be a little more demanding of beading time.

Here's a little of the bits and pieces I've been working on this week. I'm pretty sure none of them are finished as projects yet, but they all have great potential, and I'm excited to see where they go...

The bottom is a  simple spiral rope, and the top is the same rope with extra embellishments. When the project is finalized, the instructions will include both variations.

The flower is made with a single piece of beadweaving - not several Russian Flowers stitched together like many would assume. Extra embellishment and a little chaton creates the center. The bottom may be a bracelet base for it. I'm not sure yet.

FREE projects from my book!

I'm not really sure where the last month went. I spent a lot of time designing. A lot of time planning and scheming on things you'll get to find out about this fall. Playing with our new puppy. Yep! New puppy!

So it's like this...Mom and I were sitting here on July 4th, and I must have uttered a bored sigh. She looked at me and said, "Well, we could go shopping for purses." We had discussed our mutual need earlier in the week. But that would require going out in the heat and crowds and ugh. So just as a funny line back I said, "We could go adopt a dog!" Whoops. Because next thing you know I was on Petfinders.com and looking at dogs and before you know it I was submitting an application and a few days later we brought home Poppy - a 7 month old (ish) Poodle mix who has become the darling of the family. She's brilliant (of course) and adorable (naturally) and so loving and affectionate it's hard to believe we're at least her fourth home in her short life. But every time she does something naughty, I remind her, "I could have had a purse!"

The other big thing that's been going on has been building excitement over the release of my book next month! I have plans to start blogging on August 1 and every day after with a preview of one of the projects from the book, and the story behind how and why I created it the way I did.

But I know that's two weeks away and you're really wanting to see something now now now!
Okay! How about two free PDF projects from the book? Head on over to Lark to download them now!

Flirtation Bracelet

Bohemian Earrings