How to use this Page

No doubt about it, 2015 has been one of the best years of my life. And as I usually do around this time of year, I like to look back and see what events or turning points made the previous twelve months so special. Not that it's always been easy to do so. Some years the best I could say was, "Well, I survived!" Other years have been so filled with goodness it was difficult to keep my list down to a manageable number. 

2015 definitely falls into this last category, with the top twelve being (and in no particular order):

1. My trip to Taiwan. I can't say enough about how much fun this trip was, or what it meant to me: Life-changing, to say the least. I wrote several blog posts about my trip, starting here with my Taiwan Travel Diary, Days 1 and 2. For the holidays I recently was sent a link to this lovely little video about a group of young people traveling to many of the same Taiwanese sites I visited and I can't stop watching it. I hope you enjoy it too!

2. My trip to Portugal. I never really expected to travel to two countries in one year, but somehow I got there! Portugal couldn't have been more different from Taiwan, but in retrospect I find myself remembering the trip with an equal amount of fondness. In case you haven't seen them, my Portuguese blog posts start here.

3. Finding a new direction in my artwork. Until Taiwan, I pretty much was what you could call a major "dabbler." In other words, I rarely found an art supply I didn't want or a technique I didn't want to explore and experiment with. I had enough materials and sketchbooks and papers and brushes to open a small store. My only goal seemed to be "do it all!" Now, eight months later, I have donated 90% of my "stuff" to the library and an art center for the disabled. I've been left with what really speaks to my heart: a small set of watercolors and my favorite pencils in graphite and pastel, as well as limited sets of colored and water-soluble pencils. Pencils and drawing seem to be "it" for me and where I want to stay. I also discovered that I resonate the strongest to an Asian-Expressionist style, something I never would have know had I not gone to Taiwan and "found my art-self."

4. Keeping a daily sketchbook habit. Another great benefit of traveling. I took sketchbooks with me to both destinations and now I can't go anywhere without one in my purse. A day without a sketch of something is a day lost to me, and I've come to love daily sketching as much as daily writing.

5. Blogging. I wasn't as frequent a blogger as I had hoped to be this year, with long gaps in between posts, and many of my posts being about travel rather than writing (which is really meant to be the focus of this blog . . .) but, hey, I hung in there! I did have fun writing my posts when I had the time to sit down and write them, and it has been a pleasure sharing my adventures with you all. Thank you everyone so very much for reading and being there for me. Next year I'll try to get back on track with more posts on writing and creativity (although I must say it's gone through my mind how much I'd enjoy being a dedicated travel blogger, too! Maybe sometime in the future??)

6. My wonderful groups: writers, artists, sketchers . . . I don't know what I would do without my inspiring and helpful groups. I have a schedule of five to six meetings a month with all of these talented people and I couldn't be more grateful. 

7. Reading Paul Scott's entire Jewel in the Crown series, including the sequel: Staying On. For some reason in January, I became obsessed with this series and had to read every single word--sometimes twice. It dominated every minute of my limited reading time to the exclusion of not reading very much else this year. The particular volume I bought had ALL of the books in one gigantic paperback that just about broke my wrists holding it upright, but I was glad I stuck with it. 

8. Beading at last, with lots of new beads from Taiwan and Portugal. Last Christmas I was gifted some professional-quality beading tools and this year I made good use of them, resulting in some new and original jewelry for myself and others. I've still got a lot to learn, but it sure helps to have the right tools and supplies.

9. Finishing my novel, The Abyssal Plain 101% to my satisfaction and submitting it. In many ways this was probably my most important achievement. I had hoped to have had the manuscript finished last year, but then kept seeing changes I wanted and/or needed to make every time I thought I was through with editing. Well, now I am finished and I've even sent it out to some agents. Let's see what happens!

10. Our first year in the new house we spent all of 2014 renovating. Can't believe I lived through this episode, but here we are with nothing left to paint, repair, or replace. The back yard is still a bit of a work-in-progress, but we're regarding that as a "hobby for fun and entertainment" rather than "We can't move in until (fill in the blank) is fixed/finished." It feels good to now only have routine housework on the to-d0 list, as opposed to things like "buy new doors."

11. Cleared out my bookshelves to an absolute minimum. In the same manner I de-cluttered my art supplies, I emptied my bookshelves down to the bone. They're now very bare, very lean, and hold only some pottery and the books I refer to again and again. Anything else I want to read comes from the library. 

12. Discovering that I want to concentrate on writing short stories. This has been a very new discovery, like only about a month ago. And it's also been a "homecoming." When I first decided I wanted to be a writer, many years ago, I wanted to write short stories. Then I learned two things: a) I tended to write very long pieces. In fact, they were so long they weren't short stories at all. They were novels.  And, b) print magazines were disappearing at a rapid rate with very little openings to publish short stories. 

A lot has changed since then. Not only has the Internet provided hundreds if not thousands of new opportunities for publishing short pieces, but I have reached a point in my life where I'm ready to be more succinct. It may have something to do with the fact that I have four more novels in first-draft mode ready for editing and rewriting and I'm in no mood to write a fifth.  Yet I don't want to stop writing altogether just because I have manuscripts to edit. Short stories feel like the perfect answer: a good way to keep my creativity flowing, and a good way to stay in touch with publishing while I continue to revise one novel at a time.

So that was my year in review. How about you? Any special highlights you'd like to share? Leave a comment! In the meantime, Merry Christmas and I'll see you next year. Stay warm!

Add a Comment

Dharma words and stamps from our monastery stay.

I don't think my husband is as impressed with them as I am, but I thought they were cute. And they're definitely a fine example of "splash ink" technique.

After leaving The One, we headed back up toward Taipei and a village famed for its ceramic work. We were running a bit behind schedule so we decided to forgo a sit-down lunch in favor of exploring what the street vendors had to offer. They were especially plentiful thanks to the ongoing national holiday. My choices included a steamed spinach-green onion-and-cheese bun, a fried doughnut, and a huge cup of iced lemon tea that lasted me most of the day.

Loved this tunnel kiln! I need one at home.

Bought chopsticks for home, too.  Finally learned how to use them, LOL!

The afternoon took us further into Taipei:

Taiwan's "White House."

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial (unfortunately covered with scaffolding.)

. . . and the National History Museum. I thought this little pagoda was perfect painting material:


Before studying any artwork we needed afternoon tea in the museum cafe:


The view from the cafe windows:

Someone actually gets to live in this building.

These beads date from 403-221 BC. Still so modern. I'd buy them!

After the museum we found ourselves in a busy part of downtown where I had the opportunity to investigate some of the backstreet shops. Thanks to having bought the pig teacups I needed a larger carry-on. I found just what I wanted in a small suitcase store: bright pink canvas and made in Taiwan. A great souvenir for future travels.

Which store first??

Dinner that night was once again "family style" when we met up with some of Ming Franz's cousins, former high school classmates, and teachers in a downtown restaurant. It was a genuine reunion for them all, and wonderful for us to be part of such a special evening.

Then we were back to The Grand Hotel for our final night. By now we had traveled in a huge circle, seeing three coastlines and parts of the interior too. We also arrived back in time for  the start of "frog season." Right outside our windows: croak, croak, croak all night. As I noted in my journal: "These frogs are VERY disagreeable!"

A grand entrance, indeed.

Accompanied by the frog serenade, our packing lasted well into the early morning hours. We had become so spoiled in our big bus, a vehicle designed to sit 30-40 passengers when there were only 10 of us, that our daily habit was to load up the empty seats with our purchases from each stop and then forget about them. Now was the night of reckoning and everything had to find its place or get left behind. First to be discarded were all the beautiful shopping bags--so lovely but way too bulky. 

The next morning, packed and ready for our night-time flight, we still had a full day to spend in Taipei. First stop was a visit with Welsh paper artist, Tim Budden, now a Taiwan resident, who led us to his studio through this interesting neighborhood:

Hot spring water flows right through town.

Mr. Budden explaining the intricacies of paper art.

Following our studio tour, we were off to Taipei 101, regarded to be the world's highest completed building. We were booked for lunch on the ground floor at an Anthony Bourdain-recommended restaurant specializing in xiao long bao, steamed soup dumplings. Yum.





Before lunch we had 30 minutes to ride up to the 89th-floor. 


Next and final stop: The Eslite Book Store. The best bookstore in the whole world. Several stories high, filled with treasures I'll never see here in the USA, I could have moved in permanently. I bought more brush pens (black, forest green, gray, and rust red), a book on painting cats in the Chinese style, and a book on French shabby chic. In Chinese. Don't judge.

And then we were off to the airport. Our superb and talented tour guide gifted us all with special little items to remember our trip. For me it was a wooden key-ring carved into the shape of horse complete with saddle, bridle, and tons of intricate detail. She told me she had chosen a horse so that I "may keep traveling, and go far." She also gave me a postcard of a Taiwanese kitten, "Because you love cats!" 

On the way to the airport . . .

After dinner on the plane I think I slept more soundly than I did at the monastery. I don't remember much about the flight home except for the movie I watched before falling asleep: The Crossing--a recent film set in Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War. It was excellent, and a real tear-jerker, but then it suddenly ended with the words 'To be continued." Apparently Part II comes out this summer, but I wanted to keep watching!

Along with two of my travel companions, I had decided earlier to stopover in San Francisco before going home to Albuquerque, and I'm glad I did, but it sure seemed strange (and lonely) to be on our own without the group or my roommate.

A room of my own. New pink Taiwan travel bag in the back there.

My version of my cat postcard: "This kitty is sad to leave Taiwan."

And then we flew into Albuquerque, and . . .  that's all, folks, 12 unforgettable days of Taiwan. I hope you've enjoyed reading my trip diary; I certainly enjoyed sharing it with you. May you one day travel far and wide, too!

(Next post: A review of my travel sketch supplies, what worked, what didn't. Stay tuned.)

Add a Comment

Dawn breaking over Taipei's Grand Hotel.

Hello, Everyone! Where do the weeks go? Despite my best intentions, it's been nearly two whole weeks since my last post. I need to catch up, so let's just start with Day 3 dawning over Taipei:

Tamsui Bay--looking forward to painting this.

Scooters!

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2015 be a fantastic and inspired year for all of us. This morning I woke up to snow, a beautiful and refreshing sight, especially on a day off. The "blank slate" symbolism of seeing vast fields of white outside my windows has also been the perfect backdrop for reviewing the past year as I gear up to experience the new. Some of my 2014 highlights included:

1. After a long absence, I rejoined the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. This time I enrolled myself as both a writer and as an illustrator, a rather bold step, but one that has opened many new possibilities for the future.
2. I must have been in the mood to join groups, because I also became a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America.
3. April found me blogging every day for the 2014 April blog challenge. A fun exercise, but it also taught me how hard it is to be a "daily blogger."
4. I moved into a new house! We're still in the middle of remodelling, but every day we get a little bit closer to being "finished" (whatever that means . . .).
5. Following through with my goal of illustrating, I took a fantastic summer class on "Drawing Cats and Dogs." I learned so many valuable tips, especially on the importance of keeping a reference notebook I can take with me wherever I go (no excuses not to draw).
6. October found me at the SCBWI Albuquerque conference,  having a grand time meeting editors and fellow writers.
7. Which then prompted me to write my first picture book for submission--a task I'll be starting this month.
8. For some crazy reason I signed up for NaNoWriMo again, and actually reached 50K!
9. At long last I obtained jewelry tools and supplies and can now officially call myself a "beader." 
10. I started taking a Saturday morning drawing class--which means I have to get up on Saturday mornings (brrrr.) But I love the weekly discipline of joining other artists and focusing on a set project.
11. My writer's group continued to meet regularly and happily at our new home: the Albuquerque Museum. What a treat it is to go there for writing, friendship, and coffee every other week!
12. I finished all my edits on my new novel, The Abyssal Plain, preparing it for 2015 submission. Whew.

Reading through this list makes me both happy and already a little nostalgic. The year was imbued with such a sense of new beginnings and creative purpose. I have yet to set my goals and plans for 2015, but they're something I'll be working on this afternoon. As soon as I narrow them down to a do-able list, I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks again for visiting--Happy New Year!

Tip of the Day: New Year's Day is such a great time to make notes and road-maps for the days ahead. Several years ago I decided to turn the whole idea of  "New Year's resolutions" into one that's more about goal-setting rather than being overly-strict (and restrictive) with myself. This year I'm going to limit myself to just three goals--anything else after that can happen, or not, depending on my time, energy, and circumstances. With that I'm inviting you to join me--what are your three goals for 2015? Feel free to list them under the "comments' section. And have a cup of cocoa while you're there--that's what I'll be doing.

Add a Comment

Vintage Czech crystal beads, freshwater pearls,  silver rosettes.

Season's Greetings, everyone--and Happy Boxing Day, aka as the day after Christmas, a holiday I grew to love while I was living in New Zealand and the UK. If anyone is confused about the term "boxing" let me assure you it has nothing to do with Queen's Rules and fisticuffs, but rather it's a traditional day to give a "box" of gifts or cash to the people who help us throughout the year, the people who make our lives that little bit easier. Think Downton's Abbey or Upstairs, Downstairs. Although we technically don't celebrate the day here in the US, it's still a great way to say "thank you" to co-workers, charities, or the service industries we rely upon.

For me, it's also a day off, one I'm using to play with my Christmas presents which this year were all about: beading! Tools, supplies, free rein at the bead store . . . I'm having more fun than a kid with a new coloring book. My interest in beads and bling began three years ago with the beading class I took from Continuing Ed. Before that I couldn't have told you the difference between an awl and a crimper, but now I've even got my own pair of diagonal wire cutters and I'm not afraid to use 'em. Watch out, craft shows.

Starting the minute I got my hands on my chain nose pliers, I got down to business. Shown here (above and below) are my first efforts of the day, necklaces I made in between serious holiday cake-eating and movie-watching. (My kind of hobby, I can tell you.)

Recycled: glass beads with gold accents.

More reasons I love beading:

• Instant gratification. What a change from writing or drawing, LOL!
• Good excuse for an artist's date: bead stores, hobby stores, thrift stores (yes, thrift stores--some of the best places on the planet to find vintage and unusual beads, pendants, and clasps).
• New jewelry! For me, my friends--even for sale!
• It's something I can do while watching TV or listening to the radio. I get antsy just sitting around.
• It's a good way to experiment with color palettes and combinations for visual art work.
• Working with my hands seems to help me think of character, plot, setting . . . all the necessaries for writing.
• I could even add a few chosen pieces to my main character's wardrobe. How fun is that?
• Designing the strands and placing the beads in various combinations on the bead board is ultra-calming and stress-reducing. It's so peaceful.
• It's a great jump-starter for lagging imagination. Just like working with found poetry or pottery, each piece can be based on a randomly chosen theme or title.
• It's a quick fill-in for the days when my energy levels are low yet I still want to do something fun and creative.
• The possibilities are endless: so many beads. SO MANY BEADS! 
• And when I get bored with a piece, I can cut the cord and start all over--recycling it into new designs and patterns. 

I think this is going to be a very restful and meditative hobby for the New Year, something I'm going to need with all my plans to start submitting manuscripts next month. Until then, though, I think it's time for another piece of cake. 

Tip of the Day: Is there some creative pursuit you've put on hold for a while, waiting for the "perfect" time to start? How about starting right now by making a list of dreams and intentions? Choose one item on the list--just one--and gather whatever supplies, books, or information you need to make your dream a reality. (Hint: Youtube.com is an excellent place to find free classes and demonstrations on just about any subject you have in mind.). Plan to start working on your new project on January 1, 2015 and make it a daily or weekly habit. Good luck, enjoy the season, and remember to think outside of the box!

Add a Comment

Although there’s something of a holiday / celebration at the end of this month to enjoy first (!), I’m already thinking about next year, planning projects, drawing dreams and envisaging adventures, not least of all here on Playing by the book (do let me know if there’s something you’d particularly love to see here in 2015).

This forward and full-of-hope looking at the future, with plans for play and learning, is also found in the latest offering (in English) for fans of two of my very favourite book characters: Findus, Food and Fun – Seasonal crafts and nature activities is a calendar of craftiness from my long term Swedish sweethearts, Findus and Pettson, or rather from their creator, Sven Nordqvist, assisted by Eva-Lena Larsson, Kennert Daniels and translator Nathan Large.

Findus is a cheeky, cheerful cat on the ramshackle farm owned by grumpy but loveable Pettson. Stories of their life together are full of mishaps, mysterious little creatures called muckles, kindness and compassion. The illustrations are scrumptious, drawn with delicious humour and attention to detail. I don’t think there is another series of books which I’ve dedicated so much time to on Playing by the book. Perhaps that alone tells you how wonderful I think these books are and how much I want to press them into the palms of everyone and anyone who stumbles upon my blog.

This latest book isn’t a story book, but rather a compilation of crafts and activities very much in the spirit of Findus and Pettson, with lots of outdoor exploration, tinkering, making, pottering, discovering and being resourceful. The crafts are themed by calendar month and richly illustrated with Findus, Pettson, chickens and muckles getting involved and trying out the projects at hand. The choice of crafts is wide ranging and includes the unusual; from propagating succulents, to using ants to dye bluebells, to making your own weather station to weaving a rug, there’s a mixture play and exploration driven by interacting with the natural world and/or being inspired by the farmstead on which Findus and Pettson live.

I suspect many readers will come to this wonderful book because they are already solid fans of Nordqvist’s lovely world where problems are solved with kindness. cooperation and respect. However, if you’ve not met Findus and Pettson before there’s still an enormous amount to enjoy in this book; the crafts are quirky, sometimes a little bit crazy, and ideal for anyone who wants to encourage natural play and exploration.

The first project my girls chose to try was making necklaces out of dried beans; first you have to soak them overnight and then you can thread them onto thread (as the book advises, dental floss is good because it is extra smooth and slidey). One packet of mixed dried beans meant for soup were sorted into bowls and left to soak:

Next morning the girls were intrigued to see how the beans had changed, and were soon up and running with threading them into necklaces.

With lots of opportunities for learning about science, plant life and even maths (via patterns on the necklaces), this project – like so many in the book – could be used for more structured learning, as well being simply an enjoyable experience. These lovely chains of beads could be used as alternative Christmas decorations too – perhaps alongside popcorn strings.

Whilst making our necklaces we listened to:

Black Bean Soup by David Soul

Beans In My Ears by Serendipity Singers

Oats and Beans and Barley – there are loads of versions, but I like this one for its melodeon

Findus, Food and Fun: Seasonal crafts and nature activities is so packed with activities I won’t suggest any more here, other than to also point you to another craft book from the same publisher, Making Woodland Crafts by Patrick Harrison, a trainer of Forest School leaders. Many of the activities in this book are ones I can imagine Findus, Pettson and kids and families who love the outdoors relishing.

What nature crafts have you enjoyed recently? When did you last take a book outdoors to read under (or up) a tree?

Don’t forget to leave me a comment if you’ve any ideas / suggestions about how you’d like Playing by the book to develop in 2015

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of Findus, Food and Fun: Seasonal crafts and nature activities from the publisher.

Display Comments Add a Comment

Writer's Group friend Elaine Soto choosing something wonderful from Blue Bead Designs.

I'm a true believer in Julia Cameron's concept of the artist's date, something I've been lucky enough to take advantage of in the last few weeks. But sometimes I like to tweak it up and break the rule of "go somewhere by yourself." Which is exactly what I did with my writer's group last weekend when we went on the Tanoan Studio Tour here in Albuquerque. 

Tanoan is an exquisite gated community of custom homes built around a golf course and country club. Walking through the immaculately landscaped neighborhoods as we made our way from studio to studio was almost as much fun as seeing the artwork! 

Altogether we visited nine home studios:

1. Margaret Ferrer makes necklaces and earrings with an ethnic flair. Her company is Blue Bead Designs LLC, and she can be reached at (505) 301-2661.
2. Sandy Miller-Lastra and Diana Swanson work in fused glass. Their imaginative designs range from kitchen cupboard pulls to delicate jewelry pendants. Contact Diana at [email protected] or (760) 601-4417.
3. Carolyn Poole is an artist working in oils as well as other mediums. She paints portraits, landscapes, still life, and . . . pets! Her business postcard features a bull terrier who I swear could double as Swatch of Project Runway. Carolyn's contact info is (505) 828-3909 or [email protected].
4. Brenda Bowman makes contemporary jewelry with semi-precious gemstones and glass beads. One item she had for sale that really stood out for me were her beaded wineglasses. She had wire wrapped the stems in a variety of colorful beads and patterns, an excellent way to know whose glass is whose at parties. Brenda can be contacted at www.brendasjewels.com. 
5. Debi Housley, Heather Housley, Marie Torres Cimarusti. Debi and Heather made beaded and felted crosses and hair ornaments, and Marie has a series of children's picture books. More info about her books can be seen on Marie's Amazon Page.
6. Jessica Bonzon is a quilter. Besides traditional bed quilts, she also has home items such as place-mats, wall hangings and pot holders for sale. She can be reached at Pieces and Patches, (505) 828-1066.
7. Karen, Kirsten, and Jenn Swanson had modern paintings, drawings, and decorated bags for sale. The tiny drawstring bags are perfect for storing jewelry purchases!
8. Rachel Nelson, the organizer of the tour, was selling wreaths, notecards, and paintings based on her photographs of the Tanoan community. She also very kindly gave visitors drilled pine cones ready to be made into bird feeders. Just smother the cones in peanut butter, roll in birdseed and hang in the garden--how cute is that?
9. Gloria Dial Hightower is a local author writing mystery and adventure novels. Her titles include The Cotton Rope Strangler, In Total Darkness, The Shadow Mountain Murders, and her latest, Simon of Cyrene. The first three, a trilogy, are set in a Country Club community--a lot like where we took our tour, LOL! Books can be ordered from [email protected], or by phone, (505) 345-7192.

All of the studios generously provided us with snacks, water, and juice (much needed and appreciated by the time we arrived at each stop. The Albuquerque sun becomes pretty hot after an hour or two.). Heat aside, though, it was a glorious day, indeed, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to share it with my writing friends. Thank you everyone for the fun and hospitality! Looking forward to our next adventure.

Yay! Earrings!

Fused glass from Sandy Miller-Lastra and Diana Swanson All that color was just luscious.

Blue and orange--always my favorite pair of  complementary colors.

Fall is in the air with Pieces and Patches.

Tip of the Day: Taking the time to see what other artists, writers, and craftspeople are creating in their individual fields is just as important as setting aside time for your own work. Whether you take your artist's date on your own, or make it an event to share with friends, just make sure you go. Now is a particularly good time for exploring as there are so many shows and exhibits planned with the holidays in mind. (P.S. Shows make great places to find those holiday gifts, too!)

Add a Comment

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]-->

• Bookmarks.
• Writing my name and contact info on the back and then using them for business cards.
• Turning them into price tags for when I do make some real jewelry and am ready to sell it.
• Same for my other artistic endeavors: pottery, wall art, etc.
• Gift tags for birthday or other presents.
• Mini-collages for an art journal.
• Add-ons to larger collage pieces.

Add a Comment

Last Saturday I took a bead stringing class, something I've wanted to try for years.  It was super fun--and super exhausting.  I don't think I've ever been quite so focused on such a (deceptively) simple task in my life; after I got home I fell asleep for three hours straight. 

Up above you can see the results of my efforts after 7 1/2 hours of class instruction:  1 wire-strung bracelet; 1 "floater" necklace using knotted silk cord; and 1 wire-strung necklace.

Unfortunately the class was too successful and I now have a new obsession:  beads in all shapes, forms, sizes...  Like I really needed one more creative outlet.  But now that it's too late and the damage is done, here are some of the great things I learned:

• Don't point the awl (a sharp and scary little tool) toward your eye or the person sitting next to you.  Of course with my typical inability to follow instructions, as soon as the teacher said, "Be careful!" I dropped the pointed end right onto my leg.  And continued to do this for the rest of the day.
• On a more positive note:  Keep a bead journal.  I liked this tip very much.  The goal is to create a sketch/scrapbook of ideas, colors, photos of your various creations, sales, and anything else you want to put in there.  I thought this was a lovely idea, and I plan to buy a special journal just for this purpose.
• Find beads at yard sales and thrift stores.  I never thought of this, and it's an excellent suggestion.  Even the most unattractive piece of old jewelry might have one or two interesting beads well worth the price of the entire necklace.
• Use a bead board template.  A wonderful tool for measuring, laying out, and rearranging pieces until you get them just the way you want.
• And finally--just do it!  By the end of the day I had learned to use my awl correctly (small miracles), make a variety of knots (intentional ones), "crimp" beads onto the end my wires, bend "clam shell" end-holders together, and feel confident enough to continue bead stringing on my own.

Perhaps the most interesting lesson for me was how I chose my beads.  The pre-class material list said to "bring lots of beads."  I wasn't sure what "lots" meant as I had no idea what we would be making, or how much of any one type of jewelry item.  Going to the bead store didn't make the task any easier.  Seeing walls and walls and cases and cabinets filled with glowing, sparkling, amazing beads in every shape and color had me stumped; where to start?  In the end I gave up and purchased two "grab bags" of random, mismatched beads; one in green and the other in purple.  It turned out to be the best decision I could have made.

Stringing necklaces from random beads is exactly, I discovered, how I write, especially when I use writing prompts or magazine cut-outs.  One of my favorite things about writing is making connections between apparently unrelated events.  I like quirky, unusual, and different approaches to story problem-solving, and this is how I had to tackle my beads, especially when I didn't have enough of any one color or style of bead to make a perfectly matched set. 

1 Comments on Lessons From a Bead Class, last added: 6/18/2011

Display Comments

Charlotte Fairchild said, on 6/17/2011 6:34:00 PM

Valerie! The jewelry is beautiful! I would even wear those pieces of jewelry in a heart beat! And it goes along with the Polyvore hobby you have of matching things so beautifully!Today I deactivated my Facebook page so I could edit and get two books on Kindle, and work on another book.

Add a Comment

I've been very busy getting ready for City of Craft! Here's a sneak peek..
I sold my last crocheted pincushion at Crafternoon Tea, so I decided to make some new ones. These are crocheted from my own handspun wool yarn combined with vintage feedsack floral fabric tops and vintage buttons with wool flowers or leaves underneath. They come with their coordinating pins! They're all stuffed with 100% wool fleece.
I've also embroidered lots of new brooches. These are made from thick white felted wool circles embroidered with crewel wool with a brooch clasp sewn on the back. I love making these! I generally just make up each picture as I go along.
And lastly I have some new necklaces. These are based on a new idea I had last year but I didn't have time to make more than one. I've added wool felt flowers to the usual beads and silver charms I use. I love the textile element and I've used lots of my favourite aqua and mustard. I'm just not tired of this colour combination! p.s. I only bought one pony charm (why? why?) so there is just the one pony necklace.

I hope I've tempted you to visit my table at City of Craft! I'm going to be inside the theatre in front of the stage steps close to my spot last year. If I have time this week, I'll show you another sneak peek. In the meantime, here's all the info:

Add a Comment

‘Ello, sweets!  I hope all of you in the Northern Hemisphere are able to enjoy some warmer weather this week.  I have been so inspired by the change I have updated my Etsy shop (fable*) with a ton of vintage (and some new) goodies!  Really, really wonderful things that I can scarcely believe I’m parting with.  I know these pretties will find their way to good homes so that makes it okay.  (Psst - I have also listed items at very reasonable prices too.)

There are lots of sewing patterns, millinery, beads and a couple of lacy, floaty wearables.

Special for blog readers this week: Buy any 2 millinery items, beads or sewing patterns and get the 3rd millinery item, beads or sewing pattern for free (equal or lesser value; through midnight Friday, March 26th, PT).  Just leave a note in the “Message to Seller” box when you checkout letting me know what free item you’d like.

Non-U.S. Peeps: Please convo me the item you are interested in, plus your city/country, and I’ll get back to you with a shipping quote.

» Visit the shop here.

Thanks for looking!

Add a Comment

Decided to start drawing in a new moleskine ... I'd forgotten how much I like the surface of the paper for my colored pencils, it's so lovely and smooth.

I'd been to the markets in Aix-en-Provence and discovered a stall that sold hundreds of glorious beads in all shapes and colours. HAD to buy some ... and then of course I HAD to draw them, so here's a selection. They're like glittering glowing pieces of candy in real life, quite delicious --

Once I'd finished the sketch I scanned them in, cleaned them up, added a bit of a shadow in photoshop and here's the cleaner, finished product ready to be placed on cards online:

Beads card and products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle

And finally, here's another play on my previous text design, done especially for Clara!

 

Clara cards and products at Floating Lemons Typography

Add a Comment

The sketches above are from my sketch book. The lamps are down the street from me, every year my neighbor fills up his window with vintage lamps and takes it down at epiphany. My wife took the picture.

P.S. I've added a web comics link list above my archives and I'll be keeping any new comics there.

Display Comments Add a Comment

Play Pen: New Children's Book Illustration (Paperback) by Martin Salisbury

Add a Comment