Back to Beads

It has been a rough week. There were a couple of toxic episodes and then yesterday I strained my back when I picked up one of the Darling Granddaughters. They had been to the county fair and stopped in for a quick visit before returning home. How I wish I could have gone with them to the fair! I would so have loved to have seen their encounters with rabbits and pigs and who knows what else. Their reactions would have been so pure since the girls are only four and not-quite-two years old. {sigh}

I don't say these things to cultivate your pity. I want to put anyone who reads my words on notice: Enjoy what you have, revel in your opportunities, make the most of your health and vitality!

And now, having said that, let me show you what I've managed to accomplish these past several days. First off is a little ornament. Silk tie scraps pieced onto a foundation and then embellished just a bit:

The foundation had been cut some years ago; I only just came across it in my search for something else. I have an opportunity to put some of my little things out for sale in the not too distant future so I'm happy to have found a project I could finish off so easily.

The next piece is a bit of bead embroidery I'm doing as an experiment. I found a picture of a pair of Major Mitchell's cockatoos and thought it would be fun to use them as inspiration for a small beaded piece. I've long admired the heavily beaded embroideries of people like Larkin Jean Van Horn and Robin Atkins but have never been able to go that far with beads myself. I'm hoping to get a lot closer with a series of pieces based on pictures of parrots. We shall see.

I tried out several sizes and formats before settling on this one. If I keep to the original plan it will finish at 2.25" x 3.25", slightly smaller than a standard ATC. I've allowed an extra inch for finishing purposes so it could end up being an ATC afterall. You may be able to see the yellow basting thread I'm using to keep my beads within the proscribed area. I have no idea where I'm going with this - I'm stitching it intuitively. I'm actually sort of stuck at the moment. In my opinion the pale pink beads need something next to them to make them pop out more. I just haven't figured out what.

And now I have to go lay down again...