March BJP

Boy I feel like a wet rag after finishing this month's bead journal piece. I don't know what wrung me out more, the actually beading of the leaf, or writing about it. Probably both, as I've noticed as each month progresses in this project, I'm pulling out more emotion from myself and sharing it on my blog.

So this month's piece is dedicated to all the women artist who have touched my spirit this month. It is especially sent out to my fellow Sisters of the Guiled Lilies Doll Making Guild from Columbus Ohio, and to all my beading friends on Beaded Art Dolls on Yahoo Groups. With every stitch of this project, I had them in mind and how both groups had warmed my Winter starved Muse. You'll have to read my blog to see why post surgery Barbie dolls and the color yellow painted my bleak March warm & glowing.

do

Next BJP

The votes are in:

80 - want to do it again!
10 - are passing on doing for another year (I'll miss them)
4 - are undecided

Of the 80 ready to commit to another 12 bead journal pages, slightly over half want to begin right away. There were several comments regarding a September start date - midway between starting again right away and waiting until January of 2009.

We're going with the midway idea! The 2008 Bead Journal Project will begin with September this year. (In other words, your first piece will be for the month of September.) If you want to get a head start, that's fine. The slight delay will give current members time to complete all their 2007 BJP pieces and whatever finishing they decide to do (if any). I'll post more about this soon.

There will be some
VERY EXCITING NEWS
posted here in the next few days...
Be sure to watch for it!!!

Good work everyone! I'm so proud of us and so very pleased that most of us will be together for another year!

Hugs and kudos... Robin A.

March is finished

Hello fellow beaders :-)

I've finished my March page , just in time !

You can view it HERE

Happy beading to all
Hugs
Caroll

July - Can you believe it?

I was one of the many eager beavers when our group started up last summer even though I am relatively new to beading and did not have my own blog to feature my work. Well, a lot has happened since then -- first, I am behind with my BJPs (I know I'm not alone as a "behinder") and second (possibly more fun), I've just started my own blog! Eager to share what I have completed but unable to remember where I've put my first BJP piece, I've started with my 2nd BJP piece -- yes, the month of July -- which I feature in today's blog entry, "Key #1". Check it out here and let me know how I'm doing as a beginner blogger.

March BJP

My March page is finished and can be seen here. I am a pisces, and water is one of the symbols that can be found over and over in my work. The second piece I did for the bjp was of me floating in water. That piece led me to a bead cruise, which I took and loved. On another note, you may remember that I also did a piece on headaches. Well, I still have headaches, but I believe they are not as bad as they've been. And I've had migraines and headaches for many years. I am awed at the power of these beaded pieces!

March is finished!

My March journal page is the full moon for February...the snow moon. Very appropriate for us in New England this year, that's for sure! You can see it here if you'd like to take a look. It's sort of a minimalist piece this time.

Catching up with February

Check it out!

http://thebadliz.blogspot.com/

THE JUNGLE BARRETTE BJP for March

This Barrette was lightly beaded and heavily embroidered. I was inspired by Picasso art work Sue Dove's embroidery. This barrette was inspired by the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Reading the book will give more clarity to the images on this barrette.

You can view it here.

March BJP complete

I'm delighted to report that I've completed my March BJP page a bit ahead of schedule. This will give me a couple of days to focus on also getting the February page finished. This month's Contrary Journey took a look at "areas of gray" and, as usual, the more I focussed on the page, the more the theme revealed about itself. You can read more details and see the full page here.

Under the Sea for March is done

I have posted a picture of my page for March on my blog

I am still behind as I missed a few early on but hope to get them done before this project is over

Ellen aka DollyBead

February Completed

I have posted photos of my February BJP on my blog along with a sneak peek at my March page.

SueU in sunny, but cold, NW Ohio

I'm Done, for now

Hi Everyone! I have posted the last 3 months March, April and May on my blog. Yes, I'm done. I am so happy to say I have finished a year long journey commitment. You can see them here:
http://heidibeads.blogspot.com/

I'm ahead and behind.

I am ahead on my encrusted bead pages and behind on my silk fusion pages. I guess my emphasis now better be on catching up on the silk fusion ones. You can view my pages here

Jann

Aloha Friday Catching Up!

Hi all & happy spring!
Just posted my progress here on my blog. Hopefully I'll be up to date by the end of the month! Woo hoo! I haven't had alot of time, due to family issues, so I haven't been able to check out everyone's blogs! I miss it! And I've had to answer folks on my blog due to the time constraints too! I wish I could tell you all how inspired I am by all your beautiful work! This has been a challenging & fun project! I've learned so much...and still am learning!!!
Warmest aloha,
CC

Finished Page

I finished the latest page, and you can see it here.

Finished Rejuvenating.

I have finished my January page.
It has a bit of whimsy to it that was unexpected.
Check it out here.

Now I have to backtrack to October, bit of a set back there.
And then on to March, and there are still 9 whole days left!

Now you can pre-order my new book!

Good news! My new book, Heart to Hands Bead Embroidery, will be sent off to the printer tomorrow! It should be ready to ship by May 1st, possibly a few days earlier. I decided to accept pre-orders starting right away. All pre-ordered books will be autographed, of course.

Click here for information, pictures and printable pre-order form on my website.

Also, I finally got a picture of my February BJP posted. Click here to see Valentine for Little Robin.

Huge thanks and hugs to everyone for your support through my book birth! Robin

February finished!

Finally I'm done with the February page and can start the March page before the end of March! Yay! Everyone is doing such great work! You can see my page here.

Cheers,
Sarah/beadnik

OT from a behinder...

I haven't beaded since New Years Day for a variety of reasons. Hopefully, after April 15th I'll be able to get back in the swing of things (I'm an accountant, as you probably guessed). I wanted to share a poem that my husband wrote that I've posted on my blog.

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

March

Here is March. The details are on my blog.
Sandy
http://focus-on-fiber.blogspot.com

March is done!

Yay - This one took a while - mostly because I lost track of where it was going and found myself scratching my head and saying 'okay - now what?' which is pretty much the way my life has been this month. In any event, it's done and it's here.

Final Polish for February

I finally updated my blog with my finished piece for February and I must say it is one of my favorites so far. I actually finished it 2 weeks ago but life got in the way a bit. I have also been busily working on my Pond necklace for Bead Dreams and once I get that finished I will get to work on March's page.

Robin, congrats!!! I can't wait to see the new book.

Angie

February Page Accompli

And here it is, warts and all, movie included: Imbolc.

Great news about Robin's book! Woohoo!

New Bead Embroidery Book!

Hi... Great news!!!

My new book is finished and off to the printer!!!!! The title is

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

I'll post a link to more information and ordering on my blog and website in a few days (after I receive a confirmed delivery date). The book should be available to you in about a month!!!!
This book was the longest pregnancy (4 years) and the most difficult labor of any so far. But it was worth all the effort as it's absolutely gorgeous. I'm so thrilled with all the pictures and everything about it. (Goodness, it's not even my first child... how could I be so excited?!)

Just had to share... Now I'm catching up on everything, starting with bookkeeping and taxes for 2007. Yikes... that will be a big job. As a reward for each boring bookkeeping task, I'm going give myself a little time to visit your recent blog posts and post my own February BJP. Yeah!

Here's Another Page Started

I've got a good start on my next page. You can see it here. I'm working to get it finished and the next one started before the end of the month, but since Bead Expo is in only two weeks, I have no idea how far my ambition will take me.

I am back!

I am back! I haven't updated my blog for five months.
I am almost done with my September project.
Please check my blog: http://jeansbeads.blogspot.com

Another Month Done!

Not quite sure which month this will be quite yet, but I think that it will be March's. That means that I'm only behind October, January and February. Not too bad for me.

I like the idea of continuing the project. I also think that beginning in January would give people ample time to figure out how to display/store their pages and give us a chance to push away from the table as it were.

I hope you'll stop by my blog and look at my page and maybe some of my other entries. I'd really like to hear what you think, so I appreciate comments! Your comments and opinions help me grow, just like looking at your work makes me try harder or take something I saw in your piece and make it my own and learn. Thank you all so much.

This project has built a community for beaders that wasn't there in this fashion in the past. We are ground breakers! I love to look at everyone's blog and I find it fascinating how different we all are, yet we come together to share a common passion.

Oops!

Forgot to put my blog name in previous post. Sorry. It is http://sharedstuffbyarline.blogspot.com/

Arline

Had to Laugh

If you want a giggle, check out my blog. There is a picture of my very first bead embroidery there. Not a clue what I was doing, but I did it anyway. Please note she is reading a bead magazine. LOL

So glad we are continuing BJP into another year. Wouldn't trade this aspect of this last year for anything. The beading community is tremendously supportive of its members, whether they be advanced beaders or rank beginners. That is what has made this year so special.

Arline

80 Percent Favor Another Year of Beading!

Hi and thanks to everyone who took the time to think about another BJP, to vote and to write comments!!!! Since most of us are wanting to make a commitment for 12 months more, you can consider it a sure thing! We'll be back!

The question is when and what are the particulars?

My situation is this... I totally enjoyed being the glue for the 2007 BJP, although it took a great deal of extra time, especially in the first couple of months. I still get numerous emails wanting to know how to do this or that. I've dropped the ball a bit on follow-up and record keeping. I'd like to work toward getting a publisher interested in a book of 2007 BJP pieces/stories (more on this in my next post). Also, I'd like to organize a show of the work.

All that is to say... I need a few extra days in each week just to keep from drowning. Part of me wants to be the organizer for the next BJP. And part of me wants one of you to take the ball for a year. If I am the organizer, it will have to start January, 2009. If somebody else takes on the responsibility, it can begin again right away in June, 2008 (or September, or whenever). Is there anybody out there with organizational skills, patience and a little time? I'll be glad to help if you like.

Whoever organizes it, there are two things regarding the second year that I feel strongly about... First, I'd like it to be open to new members. Actually, I'd like it to be a whole new thing, new blog, new name (2009 BJP), etc. Secondly, I'd like returning members to have the freedom to change their direction, size/shape, theme... to start fresh. However, I still think it is important to keep the size/shape consistent within each year. So, you'd be able to change your size/shape, but you'd be using your new size/shape for all 12 pieces next year.

This isn't my wrap-up speech... but I must say, this has been bigger, better and happier than I ever imagined it could be. I'm thrilled with all the creativity and beadwork done as part of this project! Equally thrilling (and somewhat unexpected for me) is the internet friendships and support we've shared this year. It's amazing! I had no idea so many of us would actually DO it... My best guess is that about 150 of us will finish 12 pieces... That would be a total of 1800 beaded journal "pages..." WOW!

Love to you all! Robin A.

February done & March begun!

Aloha all! Didn't get to post on my regular Aloha Friday, so today will just be Aloha Saturday! :)
Anyway, got done with February, & started March. I've run into a couple of problems with transferring a drawing/sketch onto Timtex. If anyone has any ideas, please LMK! Check out my blog here if you'd like! Thanks!
Happy Weekend!
CC

February page - way behind

Hi everyone, it has been a long time since I posted, or even stopped by. I spent some time today looking at all the pages and they are all great. Kudos to all. I also voted to continue the project, but to start in 2009. I already have a plan for next time. I will make it smaller than the current one, that is for sure.

I just finished my February page today. I still have December and January, then of course March and forward. Still some time to get done!

Here is my blog if you would like to stop by. Please scroll down a couple of posts to get to the Pay it Forward post (or as I called it, Bead it Forward.) I haven't had any takers yet!

Have a great night everyone and happy beading (and knitting) Nancy K.

Finishing and Continuing...

We had 5 cm of snow overnight and we are expecting 30 more cm today. I can't image where we are going to pile this much snow when we venture out to shovel - again! But it is a perfect day to stay indoors and do some beading.
I just finished my January piece and you can read about it here. I hope it reflects the windy snowy winter we are having here in Ontario, Canada. In the newspaper this week it said that there has been snow- even if just a trace- every two days out of three days since Dec. 1, and more than half of the days have seen less than an hour of sunshine! My husband and son are loving it since they ski/snowboard. I have enjoyed the time I have had to do beading and quilting. But the novelty of all the snow wore off long ago!! We want to see the sun! Maybe that will be in my March BJP!
Re: continuing the BJP - I have enjoyed reading the various responses and have thought about my vote. I am big on commitment, so I want to make sure I can fulfill everything I commit to.
I know I will continue to work in this beading format as I have enjoyed every single moment. It has really stretched me and I can see the ways in which I have grown. I will definately sign up for another year, and I am having fun dreaming and journalling about what I will change for the next series. For sure I will make a smaller size (I am doing 8.5" x 11" which is too big!).

My February Page is Finished

Hello kindred beading spirits,

I just completed my February page this week. You can see it on my blog here.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the National Polymer Clay Guild's first Synergy Conference in Baltimore. I had a marvelous time and am still catching up from being away. This morning I took the time to catch up on about 40 BJP posts and am in awe of all of the amazing work everyone is creating. I'm honored to be part of this fabulous group!

I also saw that we are thinking of going another year with the project. I will have to give that some thought because it is a big commitment. That said, I have learned so much from being a part of this group and my confidence has grown in cultivating and expressing my artistic voice. This has changed my life in such a wonderful and positive way and it sounds like there are many others who feel the same way.

Happy Beading,
Karen (artandtea)

January Page finished!

I'm almost caught up. Whoopee! Finished my January page finally. You can see it on my blog: http://sharedstuffbyarline.blogspot.com/ I have to finish some work on an older page and then I'll be done through March.

Arline

another year

Initially I thought another year would be too much. But then I love seeing all this wonderful bead work and regardless of whether the group continues, I will still bead. So, why not go for another year.

YAHOO!

I am so jazzed! I have finished February and March! Since we started this project, I have never been done early!
But here I am! See my new pages here!

Another Page Done!

I finished my green page, and you can see it here.

So, shall we do this again? I'm one of the Great Behinders, and yet, I say, "YES!' 2007 was a year fraught with trials and disasters of all kinds for me, yet I still managed to keep on working, although slowly, throughout. Maybe I'll get all caught up, maybe I won't, but I'm very curious to see what I can do without all those distractions and huge events. Of course, there may be new huge events to distract me. :- ) We'll see. I definitely want to continue, though, and I will on my own, regardless of what is decided here.

Playing catch up

I have finished another page, which you can see here

Funny but now I am working & have less time I am more productive.. I seem to focus more when I am pushed for time LOL at myself but hey I'm finally seeing the end & there really will be 12 beaded pages on my wall

Ellen aka Dolly Bead

Reflections on the Poll

My response to this is a bit too long for this space. I've posted it on my blog here.
Cheers!
Morwyn

March page is finish and you can go here.

Mary Timme
http://beadfluff.blogspot.com

New pieces

I finally have posted 3 more pieces. They are not in monthly order,but thats not important. Take a look here.

http://julesbeads.blogspot.com

Another Year Comment

This experience has been a real inspiration and shot in the arm for my work this past year. If we continue, I will change the format and the theme, as this year's theme of Facing Forward allowed me to use some of my many face cabs to carry it and I want to do something different for next year. I will continue to make pieces that come from my heart...I want to use different fabrics though and more fabric manipulation and perhaps a tiny bit less beading...my growing stash of fabric seems to be leading me in that direction. I've always said I'd never make a quilt (too much of the dreaded "sewing" on a machine) and this may be the year I have to eat those words as I already have had to eat the ones about never doing bead embroidery...sigh....

Another year....

I have to vote yes. Even though I've found myself falling behind at times,this project has always been working its way into my subconscious wanting to make me expand. I've looked through the pieces I've done so far & they just seem to chronicle the month's passage by using events. Then February took me totally by surprise as it didn't have anything to do with Valentine's Day or Mardi Gras which I originally planned, but it was about something & someone that I had been thinking about for while. Emotions poured through my needle & onto the surface. I finished it all in one sitting. I was stunned that my fingers moved so fast, but the work needed to be completed. I was drained when done, but very pleased. Now I think I've figured out that I want the rest of my leaves to be more me & not just a name on the calendar. I want to go on, challenging myself with small projects every month so I voted yes to continue. I think I'll pick some other form as the center of my yearly challenge, but I want to keep doing this even if no one else wishes to go on. I've found the road, and it looks very enticing with lots of twist, turns and new discoveries. I shall not run down the pebble strewn road, but meander looking down, looking up, and always touching hands with my friends who walk with me.

dot

A little closer....

I finished my December page.
But it is not as bad as it sounds.
I have February done.
But October and January still need to be tackled.
Back to beading!

Poll - Undecided

I am so far behind, that it seems inappropriate to try and jam all the pages into the end. So I am willing to join in another year. Journaling is not something I have done much of in print or other forms, this seems to be part of the stumbling block for me.

But after saying that, a strong feeling came over me to not participate. That I should stay committed to finding my artistic voice and not pressure myself to find it through a monthly bead journal page. Sounds contrary to me.....

Thanks for sharing all of your beautiful work and a special thanks to Robin for inspiring us all!

Denise