The Final Bead Round Robin Block

I mentioned that I had received the last two blocks from the Bead Round Robin shortly before Christmas. The first one is back with its' owner now. I added some buttons and beads to it but neglected to get pictures before sending it off. I've done better with the second one! Here it is as I received it:



And this is how it looks now:



I have to admit that I had a lot of fun shopping for beads for this one. I bought pink coral pieces, blue glass diamonds that glow in the dark, some pink flower beads I didn't use and purple flowers I did use. There were two other tubes of purple beads I ended up not using but that's okay, I'll use them eventually. I wanted to put a mermaid on the block, maybe to fill the empty space right in the middle, but I was afraid to try a big motif. When I saw that mermaid charm I had to have it!


The mossing of the beads to create a grotto for the mermaid's swing to hang from didn't develop quite the way I had imagined it would but I'm happy with the results. A couple of pieces of the coral broke while I was working with it. Some of the holes were too small for the straw needle I was using.

I turned the blue gow-in-the-dark beads into the bodies of a pair of fish:


Give me the opportunity to be whimsical and I'm good to go! I could easily do more to this block but I'm going to send it on its' way so the owner can finish it up in a way that suits her.

Brrrr!

The clouds (and rain) have lifted for the time being. Without that blanket covering us it suddenly got cold outside!

I want to thank those of you who left your thoughts about time/project management. And if anyone else wants to put in their two cents worth I'm still open to suggestions. I just get frustrated that there's so much I want to do and it seems to take so long to get any one thing done. (I've always been an impatient soul!)

I can't remember a time when I didn't have more than one project in the works. Well... maybe in the very beginning, back when I was a pre-teen! Nowadays, however, I'm trying to finish quilts I started many years ago and at the same time I'm exploring new territory with beads and improvisational piecing. My UFO pile has been weeded out over the course of 2007; it's smaller than it has ever been. The quilts/tops that remain are the ones I really do want to have as completed quilts. Maybe this is the year I focus less on finishing old pieces and more on the new work. (Whoa, that looks suspiciously like a New Year's resolution!) I will definitely continue with the Bead Joural Project until its' completion in the middle of 2008. I have committed to the Take It Further challenge for the year. Because of my experience with the BJP I'm thinking very seriously of doing small, postcard-size pieces for the TIF challenge. The essence of the challenge is to develop an idea or color scheme into a "resolved design." Smaller can be harder to do; maybe I'll work at making them simple as well as small. There's more pondering to do on this whole topic, more goals or guidelines to establish for the coming year.

I have come home from DD's with a cold. Actually, I think little Miss M gave it to me for Christmas when they were here. Oh well. At least she's a cute petrie dish!

Happy New Year Everyone!

A Quiet Day at Home

Another block, another quickie post. Thank goodness we are not snowed in like the homes in this block!

My sister was here for about 24 hours. We talked and shopped for all we were worth! I was pleasantly surprised at how well I held up during our shopping expedition. Even better, I hit the jackpot in terms of purchases. Two pairs of slippers, a new purse, two calendars, a postcard book of rainforest images (if you can buy or borrow the book the pictures were taken from do it!), and a tin heart from Mexico that I intend to use as a focal point on a wall or journal quilt. Seems like there might have been something else as well but it escapes me at the moment. Today I am tired but feeling well. Tomorrow I go to my daughter's to tend the babies while she runs errands.

We had a lovely Christmas. DD had to drag little Miss M out of bed to see what Santa had brought for her. The adults were more excited than she was! She quickly got into the swing of things though :- ) I didn't even turn the computer on for a couple of days so I don't have any pictures downloaded yet to share with you.

I have done a little stitching during the course of the week. First I put some beads and buttons on a Bead Round Robin block that is now on its' way home. Then I started embellishing my December journal quilt. I have beads picked out for my October/November journal quilt and a second Round Robin block that I get to work on. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to get a good picture of the Round Robin block. There's some gorgeous embroidery on it but I'm afraid it won't show up well. We'll see.

Over the course of the next few days I hope to spend some time thinking about my goals for the coming year. Mostly in the area of my creative endeavors. I have to find a way to "just say no" to all of the enticing opportunities I find on the web! I think I'm already over-committed as it is. At the same time, however, those rainforest images are calling to me. I want to use them as a jumping off point for new work. How do you cope with all the ideas you have vs. the time/energy you have available?

Hole in the Barn Door

We're still waiting for Santa's visit here and that gives me the opportunity to share one more block with you...

Hope everyone has/had a peaceful and satisfying Christmas Day.

Wear A Raincoat Santa!

So, the closer we get to Christmas the wetter it gets around here. Typical. Santa needs to don his waterproof poncho before heading over the Pacific Northwest! (This block is "Waterwheel" by the way.)

I figured I'd better take a couple of minutes to do a post before these two arrive 'cause I'll be busy doing other things once they get here!

The fun thing is that I happen to have a Christmas stocking that Baby Susan can use this year. One of her aunts has been making stockings for every new member of the family as they are added in. This year she finds herself very pregnant, due a few weeks after the holidays, and has taken a pass. Understandable! My mother was a knitter and made a Christmas stocking for each of her four children. Mine was the first, done in real wool. Some time ago we noticed that it had been chewed on by a moth or two. By that time she was knitting stockings - from the same pattern - for her sons-in-law and grandchildren so she replaced my wool stocking with one made of acrylic yarns. Obviously I kept the original stocking, and now I'm glad I did! (The wool stocking is the one on the left.)

The pillow was a gift from the quilt guild gift exchange a couple of years ago. It's hand embroidered with all sorts of seasonal words and images. I love it!

And, just to make it official, here's our tree:

Merry Christmas Everyone!