Happy New Year everyone

Happy New Year everyone. It has been such an amazing year with our group and the beadwork. Thank you all.

I did not work on my December page at all and will be doubling up next month. I did post one Christmas gift as it reminded me so much of my pages. Link below.

http://nancybead-misc.blogspot.com/

Nancy K.

Big Beady Hugs to All!

At the count down for 2007,
I'm counting my most special blessings at about 242!!!
The inspirations and joys of beading
together with all of you since June
are so much more than I ever imagined it could be...
way beyond my wildest dreams!

I'm extremely proud of us all
for sticking with it
through the difficult times
and for our collective accomplishment!
It is truly beyond my ability to express
how grateful I am
to be a part of this,
to share mutual support,
to grow as an artist.

Warm beady hugs to each of you
and my wishes that
all the blessings of love, friendship,
peace and adventure
will be yours
in 2008!

Robin A.

BUON ANNO

qualche ora in anticipo (5:30 per la precisione) auguro a tutti uno strepitoso 2008

Dec project done

Hi all - just finished my December piece of my spiral. Check it out HERE and be sure to click on the last piece of the spiral so you can see the close up and what everything means. I wish you all a healthy and happy New Year. Have a beady great day. Karen

Best Wishes for the Coming Year

I haven't been in to say hello or anything in a long while. Been busy - but not necessarily with my BJP! Got stalled, then the holiday season started, family here for Christmas, now I have a cold courtesy of my daughter's two darling little petrie dishes. (That would be "grandchildren" for the uninitiated!) I'm very much looking forward to a return to my routine and getting caught up on my beading. In the meantime I'd like to wish everyone the very best for the new year :- )

Sue in western WA

http://sewingmagpie.blogspot.com

Finally starting December!

I know...it's almost January, but that "make everything hand made for Christmas bug" got to me! You can see my progress on December here.
Wishing everyone a peaceful, joyful & creative New Year!
With aloha,
CC

"Piggy" Barrette BJP

I have posted pictures of my new barrette here. It is called Piggy. which is for one of the heroes of the book that I read this month called Lord of the Flies.
Have a Happy New Year of Beading.
Sacredartist

December page finished

Despite the fact that my parents are visiting me (grin), I managed to sneak away long enough to post about my newest page. I did November's full moon, which is the "Beaver Moon". Lots of giggles and snickers in my juvenile mind while I was deciding what to stitch :-D

Here's the link

Cyndi L

Layers Upon Layers
Jewelry & Beading

Another December Almost Gone

Finished my december bjp here...

December BJP

I managed to finish my December page, it's a bit more simple, but I like the simplicity of it. Happy Holidays, and best of wishes for the New Year to you all!
Here's the link to my page.
Cheers,
Sarah

December journal page

Dear all

After a nice Christmas holiday I send you my best wishes and a link to my flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ullafr/?saved=1
Just now we enjoy a landscape white by snow and both December and January it inspires me very much.

Ulla

November Page Accompli!!

Just in time for the holidays, right here.

Happy Holidays, everyone - may all your wishes be fulfilled in every way that is good for you.

Here's to Peace on Earth. Cheers!!

Joy in the New Year!

Wishing all my beading buddies a Joyous New Year!

With warmest aloha,

CC

Merry Christmas

BUON NATALE A TUTTI

matilda

Merry Christmas to everyone!

I finished my December BJP and look forward to the January page.

Merry Christmas/Season's Greetings to you all!

You can check out my BJP on my blog, http://nightbeaderatlarge.blogspot.com

Beadily yours
Susan Feldkamp
Night Beader

Holiday Greetings!

May the peace and happiness of this holiday season be with all of you, dear friends, throughout the coming New Year.

Kathy V in NM

December

Here is my December piece. I wanted to use a cabochon. Sandy

http://focus-on-fiber.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas

I send warmest wishes to everyone from Downunder, hope those of you in the colder climates don't freeze over the holidays, and for us in warmer climates, lets hope we have a great sunny day on the 25th.
My December page is now on Flickr for your perusal, I didn't put the month on this one as I think the month will be rather obvious.
Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all
Merry Christmas
Nospoj - Dinah

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all :-)
I hope that Santa will bring you lots of beautiful beads.
See you next year.
Hugs
Caroll

Happy Holiday Wishes

to everyone here :) It has been a very busy holiday season around my house and I decided to do a number of gifts myself...you can see the crystal hearts I have been busy with on my blog here.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, joy filled holiday and takes some time for themselves during all the hustle and bustle.

Trilly

saluti a tutti

sono un po' latitante in questo periodo, ma siete sempre nei miei pensieri. sto lavorando al progetto, anche se lentamente...
volevo però segnalarvi una idea di un'amica italiana, Giovanna che ha pensato di scambiarci gli auguri in un modo un po' speciale. chi volesse può guardare qui e qui.

I am little a fugitive in this period, but you are always in my thoughts. I am working to the plan, even if slowly...
I wanted but to signal an idea of an Italian friend, Giovanna that has thought to exchange the auguries to us in a special way who wanted can watch here and here.
excuse for my ugly english...

ciao matilda

Happy Holidays to the Bead Journal Artists...

Holiday Greetings

I have enjoyed sharing these past months with all of you. I have come to look on you as another part of my family.

May these next weeks bring joy and happiness to all of you. Happy Holidays!

Arline

View My Card

I thought about posting a picture of my Christmas card here but since my husband said it was a bit preachy I decided to leave it on my blog. If you don't mind a Christian card that is still valid for everyone, you might come and see it here. I wish all of you an enjoyable holiday and happy new year. I look forward to being with all of you into the next year.
Timaree

Please vote!

I've been writing and beading samples for my new bead embroidery book! I'm stuck about the title, so have put a poll on my blog. It will be at the top of the side bar until New Year's Day. Please help me decide by voting!

In the meantime, I've joined the behinders... Christmas, BJP, commenting on all of your wonderful work, housekeeping... EVERYTHING is on the back burner while this book is being born. Please forgive me... I WILL catch up as soon as I can.

May your Christmas holidays be filled with the blessings of love, family and friendship! Love, Robin A.

my December

Wow.... December already and soon to be over.... I wish everyone very happy Holidays.... Seems like we are all a wee bit slower this month to post, or maybe it's my mood. Either way, here's my December BJP.
pam T. (Wisconsin)

Sept & October

I finally got the camera out & took pictures of September & October leaves for the Bead Journal Project. I have also got wire out & am going to start on the tree doll where the leaves will be hanging. Check out my blog, please.

thanks dot

btw...we got 4 inches of snow today & my Scotties were in heaven!

Surprise!!

It's a cold, grey Friday afternoon in Detroit, and I happened to get off 2 hours early today because my co-worker sent me home (I usually do the late shift, but she needed to make up hours today). I get home, am welcomed by my herd of rat/fox terrier(ists), and get the mail from the box. Hmmmmm? A package from Canada? I haven't joined a swap so what is it? Hmmmmm, about 90 yards (75.4 meters) of bubble wrap. Followed by some pretty blue tissue.... Return address - Ottawa? I don't know anyone in Ottawa. I know Paula in Leamington, and my co-worker in Tecumseh, but Ottawa??

Thanks Denise!! It made my day. Denise was following the story of how my newest dog ate my wishbone that was beaded and sent me two wishbones! How fun to open a package that I wasn't expecting and receive something that will just make me giggle while I am beading. They arrived safe and sound. Although I would have loved to have seen the customs officers face if they opened a small package declared "art supplies" and found turkey bones!!!!! Thanks again!

(p.s. November is here!)

November BJP Complete

I have posted a picture of my November page on my blog. I have also posted about my lack of progress with my October page. Nothing like a good WHINE on a cold rainy day.

Still kickin!

Its the posting that's hardest for me...I can find time to bead, but its always a struggle to haul out the camera and compose words that make sense. Maybe its 'cause everybody else's work is so gorgeous - I'm constantly in awe of all the talent and originality!
Does anybody else have this problem?
Either way, I have September and October up, and a little something else I've been playing with, too. http://creedbeads.blogspot.com/

Whew...out of lurking

FINALLY! I'm caught up on all the projects that have been keeping me busy this Fall and have time to even log on & check out all the great work. Now, I don't feel so bad that I haven't done November yet seeing I'm in very good company. The work is all outstanding.

I've got to take a moment here to brag. My beaded doll Sparkle is on the back cover of the new Lark book "500 Handmade Dolls" I was so excited to see this. Also, in the new Feb 08 issue of Doll Crafter and Costuming, I had an article on beaded art dolls called " The Podlings". That one was so delightful for me to do & the staff were just great to work with. MOF, this is my first real PAID article!

Please check out my blog to see the pictures, and I promise to keep updates a bit better. Also my new website was launched. Hope to get more beaded dolls there too.

What kind of surface do you bead on?

Greetings to all my fellow beaders ~

A question...what kind of surface do you bead on -- what's on top of your work table, that is? The reason I ask is that I'd like to find a different solution from my current one. I copied what a friend of my does, but it's not working that well for me. Her solution is to use a rectangular piece of felt where she has little piles of beads scattered around. The beads don't roll at all and do tend to stay in one place. As she's working, she just dips her needle in to whatever bead pile she's choosing in the moment. When I do this -- and it must be the way I try to "scoop" them onto my needle -- the needle catches in the felt, sort of snags it, and beads get flung clear across the room!!! Not all the time, but enough to be really annoying now. So could some of you help me out here? What's a good solution for my work surface?

Thanks so much for any tips,

Christi, in WA state

no new progress for me, but some cool drawings...

my husband has made. They are on my blog. I haven't done much beading for the last couple of weeks because of work and what not, but hopefully, I'll be able to get back to it this week.

Kassie - The Beading Butterfly
http://beadingbutterfly.blogspot.com
www.beadingbutterfly.com

Just in the Nick of Time

We did get moved out of our old place and over to the new, with literally about 1/2 hour to spare. That morning we realized that we were in a World of Trouble and got movers to pack up the remaining household stuff and move us out. It cost a lot, but not as much as the contract penalty of NOT getting out on time, and we couldn't have done it without them. As it happened, there were still about 3 carloads of items that they forgot, but that was no big deal. Now we are trying to fit into this smaller space. I expect to have some kind of studio set-up by mid-week, and then... I can get back to beading!

September, October, November update

Hi all... I continue to be in awe of all the stunning work that is being produced by this group. I an catching up with my own postings, and you can now see my September, October, and November pages on my blog.

I just realized that this puts me half-way through this amazing journey...

December page finished

Hello fellow beaders,

I've just finished my December page.

You can view it on my blog HERE.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas time :-)

Hugs
Caroll

October in December!

I have finished my October page. I have it on my blog if you want to see it. I'll try posting it to flickr too.

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday season. I hope to read more of the blogs to see what everyone has been up to lately. Enjoying this group is like a present!

Timaree

FINISHED SEPTEMBER!

And I'm happy about that. It took me a while, but sometimes life gets in the way.

Please stop by my blog to see the page and let me know what you think. This time I used a piece of fabric that had a photo on it. I'm happy with it.

Maybe I can get October's done before the end of the year!

I'm also happy that I'm blogging - learning a lot about making the blog my own, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

Enjoy the holidays, everyone and no stressing over beading... That's my rule for this yule...

Christmas Greetings

G'day Everyone,
I'm rather proud of myself as I'm almost half way through my December page, can't beleive I'm ahead for a change! Having said that everything else is way behind. Don't think I'll have time to send out Christmas Cards this year so I resurrected my old web pages.
Come and see what an Aussie Christmas is like
http://designsbydinah.googlepages.com/lightsindex
Oh yes and the photo's are therefore old as well
Happy Holidays
Dinah - Nospoj

December page finished

Dashing through the snow...

If you want to read my post about it and see additional photos, please feel free to visit my blog.

Thanks,
Grace
aka GraceBeading

Beaded Houses

Hi BJP beaders!
This is my first post to this group (to any blog, actually.) So this is my introduction, my update on my progress, and my expression of gratitude to all you BJP beaders who have been posting regularly. I check this blog almost daily and I'm so inspired by being a witness to everyone's process. Thank you!
I have completed my first five pieces and I'm in the middle of November's BJP. I created a new page on my website titled, Houses-BJP, where I am posting my completed pieces. I am so excited about working in a series that has the structure of the format I decided to use. My biggest growth so far has been how I have struggled with being a behinder and now pulling out of that and feeling more or less on track.
Happy Beading,
Jennifer W.
Cleveland, OH
jenniferwhitten.com

November BJP finished!

I finished my November page today, Dec. 1st.

My camera isn't working so I scanned the piece doesn't do it justice but will get more batteries tomorrow.

Since we in the states celebrate Thanksgiving in November, I wanted my page to represent my biggest thanks. My daughter, Stephanie. I used a metal frame to hold a picture of her and then beaded around it in her colors of browns, blues and greens. I used some stick on letters from the scrapbook store to spell her name and cabochoned around each letter. The entire piece feels great to touch and I smile each time I think of the blessing of my daughter.

Check the page on http://nightbeaderatlarge.blogspot.com

Beadily yours
Susan Feldkamp
night beader

November page completed

I have created another water shrine - this time for deep water. My favorite part about this month was realizing that I was able to connect journaling themes and design elements to the influence of past pages. It's the first time I've had a sustained sense of the call & response that the pages create when they're viewed as a group. It really excited me!!! Have added an image to the Flickr group and also blogged about this page in greater detail.

My November page is done...

It's the "Hunter's Moon", which is the full moon in October. I have to say that this is the most minimally beaded piece I've done yet, but that's what the theme called for. I actually had plenty of time to do more...it just didn't call for it!

Link to Hunter's Moon

I Just Start

I was reading the last posted and I wanted to express my gameplan. People haven't heard much from me but I'm still here.
I start my page each month. That's the goal. To start it. To have an idea that I can engage in.
If for whatever reason I don't finish it within the month, I don't wait to start the next months because I'll loose the feeling of the month. To that end, September's has been started but not finished, October's is finished and August just needs a few more beads. November is a very busy month for me and I am going to start it today - I have got the square, the idea and the beads, I just have to start, which I have time to do this afternoon and this evening after work.
I also don't feel compelled to fully bead a whole square, it can be anything, an image, or a design. October's is the top of a tree with leafs that are in full colour. There is lots of space to see the material and it just adds to the look.
I would like to suggest that we don't worry about the final product, and focus on the original intent. It will probably help you feel better.
I hope some of this helps, if all else fails, bead - 'Guilty' on the square, and then move on!!!
Cheers, Denise

feeling like I failed...

Am I the only one that is over whelmed with this... and now am feeling like a failure since my last block I finished was August.. I think I took on to big of a block to do each month with the other art items I need to do... Now, I don't know if I can catch up... I don't want to quit, that is just not a part of my makeup... it is just overwhelming and I feel like I am letting everyone down...
Is anyone else with me like this... and what are you doing about it... Is changing my size and shape to a smaller venue and starting all over, is that the way to go...
help!

Flicker Photo's Etc.

Yours truly admits that she is over 40...okay over 50....okay over 55....ack...could we have a link somewhere here on the main 2007 Bead Journal Project to our Flicker....I know it is somewhere here....but yours truly needs what is called "easy access"....oh purdy please darlin'....huggies JoTee from the lovely Land of Enchantment.

Fibula Pins and Bob Dylan Dream on Robin's Blog

I just posted pictures on my blog of 14 new fibula pins that I made for a Holiday Sale this weekend. It's been a real joy to make jewelry for two weeks, but I'll be glad to get back to my November BJP page when this gig is over. I know how busy and stressful the holiday season can be, so I hope we all remember how important it is to make time for our wonderful, meditative BJP pages!

Hugs to you all... Robin A.

My October Page is done

October and November were busy months as I prepared for a jewelry show I participated in. Now that is behind me and I've finally finished my October page. Interestingly, my bead journaling took me to a deeper place which helped me look at my "inner gremlin". You can see my page and read about my journey here.

Happy beading!
Karen

Way behind

Not done much beading recently but I haven't given up. Just got a lot of work on my hands at the moment but after the New Year should get back in the flow of things.

Just looked at the Flickr page and there is lots of exciting pages going up, can't wait to everyone's all compiled in the Spring.

November ending...but here is September

Fall is almost over & winter will soon be upon us, where has the time gone & yikes December starts on Saturday.
My September page flows with the colors that I enjoy the most, this piece also has "washi paper, fabric, fabric softener sheets, beads of course & a message"......SIMPLIFY everything!!!



http://beads4jody.blogspot.com/

Don't ya'just love it when you write here & it goooooes pooof!!! ack & ugh
Anyway my October page is started, then comes November & December...can't wait to start them all!!!

November page

Hi everyone, I have finished my November page. You can see it on my blog. The page is a departure from my last one and my other ones for that matter. I finally got some knitting in. I have also posted a lot of other pictures. And while I have not gone on to Flickr yet, I did put together all of my pages and took a picture and posted that too. It was an interesting exercise, I had not done that yet. I saw a lot more similarities between the pages than I expected. I like them all together, but I do still plan to put them in a book of some sort but have not decided just what yet.

Happy Beading everyone, Nancy K.

November page

I completed my page for November, it's a simple page, but certainly expresses my feelings for this month in particular.

Photos are posted on my blog.

Take care,
Grace
aka GraceBeading

Whee! November Page Done

No bracelet yet, but I've had other things taking up my time. You can check out my page here, and on Flickr. I'm hoping to get a bracelet done by the end of the month, though. I'm thinking it'll go fast, as I'm planning to use a lot of vintage lucite flowers I was lucky enough to get at half price this year. Hope everyone is doing well. What I've been seeing has looked fabulous!
Cheers all,
Sarah

The Cheshire Cat Barrette Finished!!

Well I have finished this sinister cat. There are three posts. The first one is the song that I was playing while I was working on the tear. The one under that is the finished barrette. The one below this one explains some of the things that I added as well as the construction.
Sacredartist

November's Done

My November piece is done! This one really felt good...did it really take 6 months for me to relax into this??? You can see her here!
Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving...for those who celebrate! I am so grateful for this group & all of the lessons I've learned along the way! And for hearing from so many talented people! Thank you all for your input! When you're working away in your studio alone, it sure helps to get some feedback! And thanks, Robin, for getting us together on this project! It really has been a challenge!
Warmest aloha,
CC

"Fire" Update - 2nd Quarter BJP

I've put an update of my second quarter BJP "Fire" on my blog. This quarter is progressing much faster than the first quarter went.

Kassie - The Beading Butterfly
http://beadingbutterfly.blogspot.com
www.beadingbutterfly.com

The Cheshire Cat Barrette

The cat is coming along. I am really pleased with how sinister he is starting to look. You can view him here.
Sacredartist

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi all,
Hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Teresa S.

Cheshire Cat

I have finished my eye. If you would like to see how I am progressing you can see it Here
Bead On!
Sacredartist

Swim between the Flags - November BJP

G'Day everyone,
I don't know about you all but as soon as I finish a BJP page I can't wait to get to the computer, scan it and upload it to show my 240 new friends!
I'm back to work tomorrow night as my 'beading' holiday comes to a close. It's been a relaxing and very productive fortnight. I've completed my orders, all my Christmas shopping has been completed and my November BJP. Lucky I'm going back to work I might get bored!!!
My Page this month is dedicated to a marvelous group of trained volunteers, the men and women of Surf Life Saving Australia. The Australian Government has declared that 2007 will be the Year of the Surf Lifesaver. It will also mark one hundred years since the formation of the Surf Bathing Association of NSW, the organisation which went on to become SLSA. If you'd like to know more visit this web site http://www.ysl.slsa.com.au
Oh yes the little blond surfie on there is my son,this was taken when he was about 2years old - now 17! Photo is also on our Flickr site
Bye for now
Nospoj
Dinah

October Completed

YAY! I completed October and have started my November piece, and it is still November :) This piece was the opposite of last months, but I really like it. You can check it out here October. I seem to kind of flip back and forth between heavily beaded and lightly beaded, but I am finding it just fits so well with where I am in my life.

I think one of the best parts of this project for me though has been a wonderful new friend I have made. We met when I walked into a shop to buy some beads for my first month and happened to mention why I was buying them and found a fellow BJP'er there. Well, one thing lead to another and she has become a true friend. I find we spend as much time just sitting and talking about anything and everything as we do beading or metalworking or anything else we are inspired by that day. I am so grateful for this group and the support that everyone offers. Thank you all for sharing this with me and thank you Robin for all your time and efforts.

Trilly/Lisa D

Pokey in the Palouse

I just finished my August page *cringe* but I already have a good start on September and some time off from work later this week to do more. I'll also add my pages to Flickr at the end of the week when I have time to figure it all out.

Here it is.

Updated photos

I have updated my blog and added photos for the last three months of my mandalas. I am enjoying reading and viewing everyone's posts and am just amazed (but not surprised) at all the wonderful work that is going on. I wonder what kind of energy we could create in the world if we all did a similar theme for one month - peace, health ...maybe after our year is done...

Susan
aka a2susan

October BJP - Completely Complete.

Here.

November is still in the planning stage, but if all goes well I should have some pics up soon.

As I start in on the half-way mark for this project I can't help but reflect on how much we've all managed to achieve at this point, the wealth of talent we have the privelege to be among, and the joy of sharing our passion with each other. How quickly these days have passed, and how much I'm looking forward to the days ahead.

Hooray for us all!

Morwyn

November Done

I just posted my November page on my blog. You can see it at:
http://sharedstuffbyarline.blogspot.com/

This was not always easy to work on, but I felt compelled to do it even so. I have discovered that while nothing ever makes the pain of losing your children go away, there are things that will help you. Working on this page helped me avoid what has become a yearly bout of depression.

I'm ready to start a new page now. Something a little lighter in spirit this time.

Arline

2nd Quarter BJP - Teaser

I've uploaded a teaser of Quarter 2 to my blog. :)

Kassie - The Beading Butterfly
http://beadingbutterfly.blogspot.com
www.beadingbutterfly.com

Air (first quarter BJP) Done!!

I have finally finished my June-Aug quarter. Check it out on my blog. I'll put it up on Flickr, too. :)

Kassie - The Beading Butterfly
http://beadingbutterfly.blogspot.com
www.beadingbutterfly.com

November Preview

Well it looks like we may finally be at peak color here in southern Maryland. My page for November is ready for beads although most of them have been shipped to Kentucky the first leg of my upcoming 6 week journey to share the holidays with both sides of our family. The really good news for me is that Wayne should be home shortly after I get back, less than 2 months left, yeah!

Although a bit busy with preparations for being gone so long over the holidays I finally made some updates to my blogs and my website.

AKP Bead Journal Project Blog
Artistic Kreations and Passions Blog
Artistic Kreations and Passions Website

November page

I've just put my November page on my blog

http://jannblock.blogspot.com/

Nov BJP

This month's piece is very spare, but I wanted to use the leaves a friend gave me. Sandy in La Center

Suspense, Nails & November Progress

Aloha!
You can see my progress here...as well as read about another lesson learned below my BJP post! Ack! I really need to write a book on what not to do! ;)
Happy Aloha Friday all!
CC

Chshire Cat

Well I have done a little more and added a lot more to my story. You can view it here.
My story is a little long...but I guess since these are journal pages the story is just as much a part of doing the page as the beading.
Sacredartist

November page is able to be seen on my blog along with the poem I wrote to go with it. I've only finished the beading and not the putting it on the journal page. I also tell you why I chose this piece for November on that blog.

October pictures finally posted!

Hope I get this posted before our power goes out again... bit windy here in the chilly Northwest...


Above is a little teaser from my October BJP, which is all about respect for my body... a radical change in attitude goes along with this piece, and it all started with Angela Plager's July BJP. There are links to her pages, the story behind my piece and pictures on my blog.

Everybody's work is so awesome! Checking this and member blogs and our Flickr page is such a pleasure.... Robin A.

November Spiral piece done

Hi all - finished up my November piece of my spiral design. Check it out here.

I also did 3 squares for the 2008 beaded quilt for Bead It Forward ; Check it out here. This is for monies for Breast Cancer so if you are not yet involved, you might consider it - all squares are only 1 1/2" so they don't take that much time. This year's theme is the rose.

Have a Beady Good Day! Karen

November for sure

Hi beaders.....
In keeping with what a journal truly is, I changed my mind about which of my (many) pages I want to use for November. You can see it here.... (wow, i have wayyyyy too much time on my hands)...
pam T. (madness)

November page is finished

Hello fellow beaders :-)

You can view my November page (and a lot of other artwork) on my blog HERE

Happy beading to all

Hugs
Caroll

September - revisited

Good Morn......ner...afternoon!! It's a sunny day in the Motor City - the first in quite a while. The weekend was cold and grey, and I did get a ton of beading finished. The first thing that I finished was my September page. Remember, when I posted that the "dog ate my homework"? Well, I did some stuff and it makes me remember the first weekend with the new dog. And to not put beaded bones where any of my terrierists can find them!! "September refinished" is complete and I like it. It's not stunning, professional or wonderful. But it makes me smile.

I also worked on my next square - which still needs a little work, so I haven't posted it.

I did another starfish - a friend wants me to write directions, which is a huge challenge for me. I'm now working on a little starfish, with only 2 inch arms, rather than the 4 inch arms. Are they arms or legs on a starfish, since the starfish uses them to move.....

Cheshire Cat

Well I have finished the mouth. You can view it here.

October page

Hi everyone, it has been a long time since I posted on the main journal. I have been reading and posting on the individual ones and my own. I continue to see drool worthy work!

I finally finished my October page today. I had finished September, at least for now. It may need more work, I hardly did anything on it.

You can see both pages and lots of other pictures on my blog. Link below. It may be slow if you have dial up as I posted a lot of pictures recently from some trips I have been on and my fall color changes. I don't get a lot of changes where I live in northern CA, but enough to remind me.

And Robin, I was in your neck of the woods, in Port Townsend, WA last weekend indirectly for the big knitting retreat at Fort Worden. It was a lot of fun.

Happy beading (and knitting) all. Nancy K.
http://nancybead-misc.blogspot.com/

"The Cheshire Cat" Barrette BJP

I have the idea for my Novembers BJP Barrette. I am going to do this a little bit different, and I hope it turns out. We will see.
You can view my beginnings here.
Sacredartist

Late but still kickin...

Finally figured out both the camera and its evil software! July and August are posted, September is on its way, October is finished and 'bout to be a picture too!
http://creedbeads.blogspot.com

relentlessly
Creed

September complete

september
Originally uploaded by jacqui126

Compared to last month, this is pretty simple.

The shield in the middle is my old school badge, St Michael and Michaelmas is celebrate on 29th September.

That date also happens to be the birthday of my sister closest to me in age. She is 13 months younger than me and as a child I hated in only the way a sister can.

You will notice that the background is actually a bandage. This was another thing we had in common, eczema. The treatment when we were young was be covered in this oily ointment and then the afflicted areas were covered in bandages. I was fortunate as its only affected me on my knees and elbows but my poor sister could quite often been covered from head to toe as if she was a mummy. The red and yellow stones/beads represent the blood and then the yellowing crust of eczema.

One of the reasons I hated my sister so much when I was younger was that she also had really bad asthma. She spend much of her younger life in hospital, fighting for breathe or her eczema was infected. Her shoulders were constantly hunched over like a little old lady, wheezing away. So the buttons in the background represent her with her shoulders squeezed really tight.

Surrounding the badge, is the Harvet Moon. I loved this time of year in the UK when I was younger, the turning of the seasons. We would have a harvest festival celebration at the church and all the kids would bring some gift of food which was stacked at the altar.

The border is embroidered with my very poor stitching in "wheatear" to symbolise the harvest festival with its corn dollies and the crop from the fields. The colours are green and white of our school tie.

On the outer edge I grouped 6 red beads, knotted the thread and then put on more beads, always 6 to symbolize my family - 4 sisters and my parents. I used 3 threads, only one was beaded and then I plaited them together. I have learnt over the years that although I hated my sister when we were younger, despite all our differences, blood ties us together forever. We may have our disagreements, our falling outs (frequently) we will always be family.

November done

Finally, I've made up my mind...I'm done with November, and you can see it here
pam T - madness

November Page Completed

My November page is completed and blogged here. It gave me a good chuckle while I was working on it.

Diane

A Little Late, but started!

Had to skip a week of blogging...lots going on...not to mention all the elves busy in Santa's workshop getting in the way! So I got a chance to post to my blog just about my November BJP!
You can see what I've decided so far here!
Happy Aloha Friday & Happy Veterans' Day to all you vets...including my DH!
With warmest aloha!
CC

October 'Under the Sea'

I have finished my October page & you can see it & read about my inspiration for it here

I am out of order with my pages but they will all come together in the end which is what counts I hope ;9

I've added the page to Flickr as well

Enjoy
Ellen aka Kiwi Ellen/Dollie Bead
http://dolliebead.blogspot.com/

Oooops

I have been setting up my own blog and gradually putting my bjp pages onto it. I mistakenly put my August page on the BJP blog instead of on my own. I have no idea how to take it off, so when you visit my site you will again see the August page.
You can visit my blog at http://jannblock.blogspot.com/

August encrusted page

For August I decided to continue the hot theme and beaded this piece in red-oranges. I tried a slightly different swirl, but in transparent beads they do not stand out as much. The center eye is a stack of beads that stand up from the page.
I also found that I was comfortable not completely filling the page to the edges.

Another Month Completed

I was so happy last night, I completed my September page. You can see it on my blog, click here. As I was finishing it up last night, I was thinking about the last couple weeks and how much I wanted to move on to my October and November pages, as I have their materials all picked out. Yet I made myself stick with finishing this one before moving on.

Are many of you doing the same thing? Making sure that you complete the current month before moving on? For me, I decided that part of the challenge of this project would be requiring myself to finish each month in order, as I often start, and never complete projects.

Happy Beading Everyone,
Trilly/Lisa D.

September Done

I have finshed with my September page. I find I am still a month behind-where does the time go? You can see it here . Now, I will try to put it on flickr- I've been having trouble uploading my pictures but I'll give it a shot.

Timaree

November bjp finished

Another november finished here....gee, hard to believe we're half way through...of course, for me that's a glass still half full...lol! You can also see it at the bjp flickr site if you don't want to read about what all the embellishments mean.

Tiny Vintage Seed Beads

Ok, I know they aren't for everyone, but if you LOVE itty-bitty vintage seed beads (the ones from the early 1900's or before, such as I showed here on my blog), you'll want to check out these auctions on eBay. At least look and drool!

I would have been smarter to keep these auctions to myself, so there wouldn't be any competition.... guess I have to sign out as: Robin A, the dunce.

Bead Quilt

Anyone interested in supporting a cause and owning a fabulous bead quilt? See my post about it here. Even if you're not in buying mode, it's eye candy. Robin A.

Making web pages better for indexing with the search engines

Some of you post your webpages and when I look at them, I also usually look at the internals of the page (View->Source) to see how the page is set up for the search engines. Frequently, I find that although a Title might be there, the other internal info needed for the search engines is missing.

This post is some tech info for those of you having web pages, whether you develop them or have someone do it for you. I'm writing this becuase many people (even some people that you pay to do this for you) don't know how to set up the site's home page for proper indexing by the search engines and I have developed a theory. Of course, this is "just my opinion" so take it for what it's worth. But if you google "cloisonne" or "enamel jewelry" I come up in the top 3 so something here is working. To give some credibility to my theory, I'm a beader, enamelist, metalsmith and author, but I have a masters in Computer Science and made my living programming new data networks for AT&T Bell Labs. I work on my own website and do volunteer work for others like the Enamelist Society.

My notes on how to get better indexing with the search engines are at:

http://www.kcenamels.com/HTML_Info/index.html

Feel free to email me if you have questions on this. I hope it helps someone. Karen

New Page Begun

Go here: http://mybeadjournal.blogspot.com/ to see the latest. It's what... August? October? I have given up assigning months at this point, but it's clearly the next in line.

The Tortise Strikes

This is September.

This is August.

Hi Everyone,

I just posted my August and September BJP. I'm catching up like a tortoise. I'll post the pictures here but if you want to read about them you can go to http://www.heidibeads.blogspot.com/

Hugs to all I'm really enjoying the creativity that happpens. I do have to tell you that both of these pages were not supposed to look like these. I had something entirely different in mind but once again, Spirit moved in and took over!

November start

I've posted the start of my November page on my blog. You can find it at:
http://sharedstuffbyarline.blogspot.com/

It's a difficult page for me to work on, but I feel like this will help me resolve some feelings I can't seem to put aside.

Arline

Flickr

Just a couple of points about Flickr:

1. Add a tag "BJP" on all your uploads (Tags are like keywords or labels that you add to a photo to make it easier to find later.). If someone clicks on that tag, all your bead journal photos will be grouped together. If you have already uploaded your photos, there is a tag column at the side where you can add tags.
2. When you upload your pics try to use the largest pixel size you can. I generally use 1600, I have noticed that some pictures are very small and just don't do your work justice.
3. Flickr is not a photo storage site. If you want to keep the original size of your photograph, back it up on a CDR or an external hard drive.
4. I am working on a Wordpress blog where I am putting each person's work grouped together on a page. This was in response to Robin's question on the Flickr group discussion page:

'The pictures seem to be ordered according to when they were added to the site. Does anybody know if it is possible to set the order alphabetically rather than by date added?If they were alphabetical by artist, then we could continue to notice how each of us is developing a unique voice.'

I have informed Robin of this page and she seemed keen on the idea. I am now asking the group if that is OK. Thus far I have only used the Flickr pages, by copying and pasting. Its that basic but it is good to see all of one person's work grouped together on one page. If you don't post to Flickr but would like to have a page on this Wordpress group, please send me your attachments via email. I have broadband so large files will be ok.

time and weather change...

Hi everyone! Not only did we have to change the clocks early this morning, but I'm looking out my window to definite white stuff falling from the sky. O joy! Nothing major yet, but there is a definite white tinge to the green grass and trees.... We cannot possibly be the first throughout the country here in northern Wisconsin???
Everyone's BJP work is absolutely gorgeous... I think everyone is getting better and better and more creative as we go along.
Happy time change/weather change to everyone... good days for beading...
pam T (madness)

A little more progess on the first quarter...

Here's my latest update. :)

Kassie - The Beading Butterfly
http://beadingbutterfly.blogspot.com
www.beadingbutterfly.com

October Page Progress

I've been busy organizing and getting ready for the annual arts and crafts show I participate in every year. So, the progress on my October page has been slowly coming along. You can see what I've done so far here.
The wind and rain are whipping against my windows today so it's a perfect day for staying inside and beading! I'm continuing to enjoy and be in awe of everyone's beautiful work.
-Karen

October page posted

I finished my page for October yesterday. This is the first time I can remember working with raku pieces and enjoyed it immensely. I am on a quest to find more.

Click on the link in my signature below and you will be taken to my blog for a full page photo.

Take care,
Grace
aka GraceBeading

September's Page Finally Posted

Finally! I've been taking an on-line class in web design (CSS & XHTML)... comprehensive, but way too geeky/technical for me to learn easily... all text-book, not much hands on... study and memorize. Yesterday I took and passed the final exam, so today I finally got time to post my September BJP here. Above is a little section of it showing my latest bead embroidery invention: ruffles!

October is also finished, but I still have to take a picture of it. Dare I promise to get the camera out this weekend??? Ok, yes, there's Flickr to be done as well. Crack the whip, start November... move along little doggie....

Been LOVIN' everybody's work!!!! Robin A.

The time has come . . .

Received word last night that all six semi-finalists for the All Dolled Up: Beaded Art Doll Competition are up on the Land of Odds website and ready for voting. My Galilea has some fascinating competition. Please remember you can vote only once -- all votes will be checked at the end of the voting period for duplicate isps which will be disqualified.

If you know anyone else who would be interested in voting in this competition, by all means please forward the link to them.

Go to http://www.landofodds.com/store/alldolledup2007contest.htm and check out all the shapes and beads and wild imagination . . .

Kathy V in NM

Photos for display

Hi all - I'm just starting my November piece, but this post is about something else... I teach at an arts camp in Maine (medolark.com) during the summer. I teach both enameling and beading. To decorate the studios, I collect photos from various artists. Sooooo this email is to ask if any of you would be interested in sending me photos for our walls! I'd prefer professionally printed photos like a postcard or regular photo, but I'll take .jpg files (I"ll bring them on my printer). If you can email me a .jpg, please send it to karen@kcEnamels.com. If you can mail me something, my address is 145 Dwarfskill Court; Milford, PA 18337. As camp is not until next June, there is plenty of time, but I thought I'd put this one out into the net. So, please send me photos! thank, karen

October page completed

I finished my 'things that go bump in the night' page last night while watching silly old horror movies and waiting for trick or treaters that never arrived. This page was lots of fun because I got to use odd beads I'd had around for a very long time but had no other use for as well as some new lampwork beads made by my friend Pam. Now it's on to November and I think I even have a notion of what I want to do.

The October page is here for your viewing amusement - it really is a fun and light hearted page, despite all the skulls.

October's page is finished!

October's page features a beautiful set of fossils I purchased in Old
Town San Diego this summer. It also has Heshi beads, 2 different
types of wood beads (all 3 my dad left me) bronzy square pearls, size
11 & 15 seed beads as well as 2mm bronzy/coppery sequins. I didn't
realize how small 2mm sequins were until they came in the mail. Size
15 seed beads almost cover the sequins. I finished the piece at 12:09
am November 1st just a teeny bit late!

It was fun to do but I think the 2mm sequins will be better glued onto a collage page.

Beadily yours
Susan Feldkamp
Night Beader
nightbeaderatlarge.blogspot.com

Bead Embroidery class

I have posted an update on my bead embroidery class on my blog. You can see it at:
http://sharedstuffbyarline.blogspot.com/ These kids are absolutely awesome.

Arline

Publish vs. Save Now

I've noticed that there are many saved drafts (un-published posts) in the list of BJP Posts. Most are published later, but the draft remains in our system. Why is that I've wondered?

Think I've got the answer... maybe...

When you write a post and are ready to make it official, you must click Publish Post (not Save Now).

If you start writing a post and get interrupted, you can click Save Now, which saves it as a draft. To get back to it, click on Edit Posts which is one of the tabs above the posting window. Read down the list to find the post you started. Click on edit to re-open your posting window with the original draft. When it is complete, click Publish Post.

Also, in case you didn't know, you can always edit one of your posts, either immediately after writing and viewing it or any time later. Follow the steps above.

Hope this may help a little. Robin A.

No Moving Pictures, Please

With apologies to those who enjoy moving pictures, I'm requesting that we do not post them on the BJP blog. Please feel free to post movies on your own blog and then put a link on the BJP blog.

The most important reason for this is that we are a HUGE blog with 892 posts already. Movies take up a lot of the limited space allowed by Blogger. I wouldn't want us to get cut off by Blogger.

The other reason is that many of our member do not have high speed Internet. For those of us who don't have this luxury, movies cause the blog to load very slowly, which is frustrating when you want to check for new posts on a daily basis.

Thank you for respecting this request. Robin A.

Very Small beads

Was it here that someone posted earlier about being especially interested in very small beads? I have just been given quite a lot and am looking for a good home for them. These are much smaller then 15's - in fact, they look maybe half the size?

A Month of Sundae's

G'Day Everyone,
I have finished my October page and here is a teaser shot, the full pic is on our Flickr site. No I haven't forgotten August and have been working on it along with this one but it's still not ready. I have a two week vacation coming up in November, four more work days and counting! Have every single day of the fortnight planned. Beading, beading, a concert - A tribute to Lennon and McCartney - and of course a 'girls night out'and then more beading.
Cheers Nospoj
PS Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it - BOO!

Journals, Keeping Track of the Journey

I have been making cards to go in pockets on the back of each of my pieces and making journals to go along with them. I just finished my journals for August, September, and October and posted photos of them on my BJP blog if you would like to check them out. The photo is of the 5 finished journals side by side. Angie



www.angelaplagerbjp.blogspot.com
www.angelaplager.blogspot.com

Journal Quilt

I have posted pictures of my Journal Quilt that is in the Houston IQA Special Exhibit on my blog if anyone would be interested in taking a look and making a comment.
Thanks,
SueU

October page completed

Have added a pic to the Flickr group and blogged about this page here.

butterfly wings

One of our members asked about the stories behind the butterfly wings. After 32 of living in central NH my husband and I will be moving in 2008. The wings represent "change" and the inspiration for each was as follows: Feb. - snow and ice; April - forsythia and hyacinths; May - tulips; June - princess roses; July - day lilies and impatients; August - the beach; September - blue skies and yellow mums; October - fall foliage; November - gray skies and brown leaves; December - snow on the pine trees.

TWO MORE PAGES

I told you I'd be done with my October page and if you go here, you'll see picture of it.

Mary Timme

http://beadfluff.blogspot.com/

Hi - just wanted to let you know that I've added photos of my beaded pages to the group Flickr site. It has been wonderful seeing what everyone is doing.

September BJP Finished

I posted pictures of my September page on my blog tonight. The earlier entry posted on the blog tonight was also bead related, but not necessarily BJP related. I will post my September page to Flickr tomorrow.

Behinder Beader in NH

My September page is 98% done and I like the simplicity and symmetrical nature of the Harvest Moon.

However, August languishes 3/4 finished and October isn't even a plan yet. Maybe I should do a tongue-in-cheek October page with just one bead sewn to the center with a single fringe tail and call it "catch up"!
Judith,
who is getting ready to head to AZ for the winter

October Done

Finished my October page this morning. Would have been done a long time ago, but my friend (not) arthritis decided to pay a visit. I've barely been able to bead for the past three weeks. This is the first time I've incorporated fibers in my work. I've been inspired by all the wonderful beadwork I've seen over the past several months. I love that each one of us brings our own thoughts and feelings to these pages. This has been a major change for me. I've always done a lot of bead weaving and right now anyway it hold little appeal to me. All I want to do is embroidery.

You can see my latest page at: http://sharedstuffbyarline.blogspot.com/ I will also post it to Flicker sometime this weekend. On to November.....

Arline L

NEW PICTURES ON THE FLICKER PAGE AND ON MY BLOG!

I've posted new pictures on my blog for the first 4 months in chronological order. They are the ones done--well a little trimming and last minutes finishes--but essentially ready to go.

I've also added my pictures to the Flicker group page, and Oh, my I hope there is a button on the side to push for that.

Mary Timme

http://beadfluff.blogspot.com/

Oct. BJP

I was asked to show the art quilt that my Oct. piece is based on, so here it is. SAndy

October Done Early!

Aloha all! Got October done early. You can see it here. Now I can get busy with those Christmas presents! Aaack! :D
Have a great weekend & fun Trick or Treating!
Hugs,
CC

Oct. BJP

This month I decided to do a completely beaded one again. It is based on an Art Quilt I made and is the underside closeup of a leaf. Sandy

October Bead Journal Project.....

I'm okay, even though the dog ate September. I am working on fixing it - but it might be after Thanksgiving!! Gee can you guess why?

October is dedicated to one of my doctors who married another of my doctors: Maria Cristina Segovia and Deep Ramachandran.

http://thebadliz.blogspot.com/2007/10/october-bead-journal-project.html

My October page is done

Yay!! My October page is the September full moon

First time posting...

Hi everyone! I am very bad........... I have not posted yet but I have been working on my journal. I have many excuses (choose one)

1. I live in Alaska and go like crazy during the summer only to crawl into my bead cave during the winter (which is here now!)
2. My computer died (no, it really did!)
3. I am a procrastinator except when it comes to beading.

Here is my website with photos. I am still working on writing the descriptions etc.

www.dancingravendesigns.com

I look forward to seeing what everyone is doing and hearing from you.
Cheryl Lacy

Finding Peace within myself.....by beading

Lately I've had some real beading time & am taking advantage, I completed a few NEW beading projects & finally started my September page. October is finding its way on to my art table also, but I am taking everything slow & proceeding when the creative muse says "BEAD"...& so I happily sit at the art table & do just that "BEAD"!!!

http://beads4jody.blogspot.com/

Beading is allowing me to find

my center, which is PEACEful

Flickr how-to's

Now, I may have gone about this the long way around, but I figured out how to post my pics to the BJP Flikr today. The first thing I did was go to www.flickr.com and sign up. This was easy for me, since I already had a Yahoo membership, and I think that's a must for signing up to Flickr. After I signed up, I clicked on the Upload Pictures link and followed the directions to upload my pictures. Again, not hard. Then I couldn't figure out how to add the pics to the bead journal page. OK, the FAQ's covered that! First I had to join the bead journal project group. I did that by searching for beadjournalproject, clicking on the link, and clicked on the Join this Group button. Then I went back to my Flicker page, found my pictures and double clicked each picture in turn and clicked on the send to group link that appears beneath the title and above the picture. Flicker then gives you a choice of what group to send your picture to (assuming you belong to more than one group), if you just belong to Bead Journal Project, you only get one choice, but you need to highlight it and click it, then click OK when prompted. The picture is then shared with the Bead Journal Project page. Cool!
Cheers,
Sarah/beadnik

Update BJP Flickr + Help!

I know... all this computer stuff can take a lot of time... But just now I visited our BJP Flickr site, and had a fabulous time slurping up all that luscious BJP beadwork. OMG!!!! It's soooooooo fabulous!

Five months into the project, and some have already posted pictures of all 5 of their pages. When you click on any one of them, it takes you to their Flickr home page which shows all of their posted work so far. Pick a few you like and try it... Awesome!!!

And, while I'm here, may I encourage each of you to take a few moments to update your Flickr page (if you're already there) or join the group and add your photos (if you're new to it).

HELP!!!! Would someone please write a brief post about how to get started with Flickr and how to put images on our BJP Flickr group site???? Please!

OK, I admit it... I'm behind too... I haven't posted August on Flickr, and I haven't posted Sept. on either my blog or Flickr. Yes, it's on the list....

Robin A.

October Finished!

Now all I have to do is mount the bracelet and place my page in my journal. So far, so good, and I like this month's work better than any of the rest. You can see it here.
Cheers all,
Sarah/beadnik

august complete

august complete
Originally uploaded by jacqui126

My August page is finally complete.

As I said before the theme was my 50th birthday. On the day I was born, Elvis was number one in the charts. When I was 10, the hippies and the peace movement were to the fore. By the time I was 20 and at college, the punk movement had arrived. When I was 30, I was a mother of 2 and the Simpsons had been created for the Tracey Ulman show. In 1997, a bright new world was opened up to me with the arrival of our first PC and the Tellytubbies arrived, acknowledging the fact even babies were not immune from the effects of TV. Now 2007, the world is dying beneath our feet and very cause has a ribbon.

A little more progress...June, July, & August

I posted another progress photo on my blog. Now that my latest tax deadline is past and I've hired a part-time assistant to replace the one who quit last month, I feel like I have some spare time again for beading!

Kassie - The Beading Butterfly
http://beadingbutterfly.blogspot.com
www.beadingbutterfly.com

Which WIRE for seed beads?

Another technique question: which wire would you recommend I use if I want to wire up some seed beeds and turn them into coils on a Journal page? Should I go with something like a sterling silver jewelry wire, or can I get away with something less expensive and maybe even in colors??? Also, could you please tell me what size of wire I need to look for.

TIA for any advice,

Christi in WA state

Storage and Organizing

I just had to ask after reading all the posts about storage and workspaces. Does anyone else get almost as much satisfaction out of sorting and organizing their beads and supplies as creating their art? I find sometimes when I just can not get a spark to be creative, I re-organize or sort my beads, and when seeing something I had not looked at or noticed in months, it is as exciting as when I purchased it the first time. I am like a little kid on my birthday, excited and happy and puttering away in my space :)
Trilly (Lisa D.)

Bead Storage

Hi all - this is not really a BJP entry, but I'm so passionate about my bead storage, I wanted to share it with you. I've tried a lot of storage containers - bags, those round screw tops that stack, the round flip top that have a few attached in one piece and more. But for seed beads (and drops, daggers, smaller stone beads and pearls), I find the best storage is from Out On a Whim - WhimBeads.com. These are rectangular flip top, soft plastic, containers that come in 4 sizes. They fit into a 4x6" plastic box that Whim also sells. When I buy tubes to have around for not-yet purchased beads, I buy more of the largest size as these can be cut to fit your needs.

I like them so much because I can rearrange them according to the project I'm working on, easily take any ones with me when I travel and they take up very little space. Because the 4x6 box is clear, you can put your boxes out and look at all your colors easily. I store in boxes by color, but that's easily changed if you want to store by size or some other characteristic - that's the rearrangeability issue.

24 of these 4x6 boxes fit in the bottom section of the Jewelry Tote from Joann's - on-line or at stores - but wait for a Joann's coupon to get it as it's not cheap.

Okay, so now some info (more than you need?) on my labeling system... I don't label the 11s, but I put a Blue dot for 15s, a red dot for 8s and a green dot for 6s. You can get a box of dot labels at Walmart or other stationery places. On the side of the tube, I put a small rectangular label for where I got the beads and the re-rorder number so I can get them again. Lastly, I put a "more" label on them if I actually have more than fit in the tube (I think the largest tube home 30 grams). I label the boxes, Blue 1, Blue 2, Blue 3, etc. on both edges of the box and keep them stacked on my shelves. In box 1 of each color, I put the non-size 11s so that I always know which box holds the 15s or whatever (but I am spilling over to Box 2 with these!). Now, the only thing I have left to organize is the list of bead numbers I have so I don't keep buying the same beads again! This is TOO much for me to organize now, but one day I hope to have this list.

So, for those of you looking for a stoage system, I hope this is a good tutorial. But again, it's just my opinion and the way I like to work. Hope it helps someone out there. One more thing... there are rip offs of this storage system out there so beware - the one I know about is at Walmart - their tubes are hard plastic, only come in one size and are not fully rectangular as they taper at the bottom and thus don't fit into the box nicely (you have to store every other one upside down).

Two quotes from my local bead store to make you smile:

Just let me bead and no one will get hurt.

I didn't cause your addition, I only support it.

Have a Beady Good Day. Karen, the bead hearted babe

Meaning of Stones

Someone asked me where I get the meaning of stones. I didn't want to respond in the comments section because it could be missed so for all of you who want to see this, here are the three places I go.
* http://www.greenleesforest.com/meanings_of_stones.htm

* http://www.neatstuff.net/avalon/info/gem-remedies.html

* http://www.crystal-cure.com/gemstone-meanings.html

here's a site for meanings of animals:
* http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/animals2.htm

Who knows if they are accurate, but I use them! it's good to have them on-line so you can do a browser "find" on what you might be looking for.

Good luck. Karen

Just a quick question - not about BJP

This is a photo of my work desk, that often slips over to my dining table. The question is:- is it messy or a creative space?
My family and friends think it's messy but every time I "tidy it up" I can't seem to find anything and therefore creativity flies out the window.
Dinah(Nospoj)Jopson

Sept. BJP

To answer some of the questions about my Sept. piece. I haven't put anything on Flickr-didn't think about showing it twice. The fusing wasn't hard to sew through with the short beading needle. In fact, I back the wool with a knit fusible to stabilize it. The plain background probably is why I'm not as fond of this one. I tend to embellish everything I work on.
Thanks for your comments. It's great to be able to interact. Sandy

Falling in a Beading Vortex

This last week+ I have definitely fallen into a Beading Vortex. I have spent a lot of hours beading and have gotten little else done but with that I have have managed to finished both of my October and August pages. I have finally gotten my blogs updated. My BJP Blog has my updates on those and my Artistic Kreations and Passions Blog has a picture of all of the first 5 pages hanging together.

Angie

Signing posts and photos

I'm wondering if folks could sign both their posts and their photos with their name? I'm trying to remember to do that myself as I'm listed as beadbabe49, which is my main web name and with bobbi (kirk) which is my actual name.
I'm seeing some artists' work that I'd love to see more of, but that's impossible without a name or at least their blog or website.
thanks!
bobbi (beadbabe49) kirk

Sept. BJP

This is the piece I stitched in September-not my favorite, but I wanted to try fusing floral print motifs to the background and beading them. When I do the book of pieces, it will probably in a spring item. Sandy in La Center.

Task lighting: for beaders and for reptiles?

The other day Christi (sweetpea path) wrote a post about task lighting/OTT lamps. I asked the same question a couple of years ago when I began looking for better lighting as my eyes got older not quite as discriminating.

After experimenting with full-spectrum incandescent bulbs and finding they were not the same as sunlight, the color was off a bit. I got a OTT lamp (the foldover desk kind) and was disappointed with the illumination but not the ability to see color correctly. I even got the lamp on sale but still cringed at the price because it's not really used for general purposes and the replacment bulbs are expensive too. Because the illumination isn't the greatest for my failing eyes (and I wear bifocals too) I end up using a regular lamp as well as my OTT.

I feel totally wasteful using 2 lamps and I continue to search for the perfect lighting.

This morning I looked at a FM link that Kathy V in NM posted and yes, still cringed at the price because I can't really justify buying a second lamp. LOL and I guess I have issues with spending money!

I decided to search for comparions between OTT bulbs and other kinds of bulbs and reptile lights/bulbs came up. Hmmmmmm. I found this article discussing the differences between full-spectrum and wide-spectrum bulbs. and Scroll down to item #3 So, what lights do produce UVB?

this one discussing UVA/UVB needs for reptiles and the differneces between bulbs. Scroll down to the chart that shows the illumination between the different bulbs. Btw, both webpages show OTT lights in comparison with other bulbs.

Mary Timme said *In her book Prescription for Quilters, a physician who keeps up on these things write about the amount of light we need to use as we age. As we age say in our 50's we need nearly twice as much light as we needed at 20. At the age of 70 we need 75% more light than we needed at 20.*

From this I get that humans need the same spectrum as reptiles and I noticed that a lot of the reptile lights have more LUX or illumination than the OTT light. And they are way cheaper in terms of price. I do believe that specialty lamps such as the OTT light for crafters are priced higher, it's a marketing thing and there is a difference between a fluorescent desk lamp look and a fluorescent fixture. Although in terms of style beaders lamps leave a lot to be desired.

Soooooo, has anyone experimented with reptile lights? Is there a difference (besides style) between a bulb/lamp marketed to beaders and one for reptiles?