Caught my Breath....now Catching Up

It's been a long while since I've contributed anything to Perles and Life. Summer is in full swing here in the Pacific Northwest as it's a very warm here today. The cat is an indicator of how warm it is....totally stretched out and laying by the fan.

To catch up on all the happenings let me begin back in March. I was so very lucky to attend the Portland Bead Expo. I attended with three other gals and we not only had beading in common but we also enjoyed experiencing some of Portland's cuisine and some fine wines, too! We all had signed up to attend classes during the four days of the Expo in which there was a wide variety to choose from. We all seemed to pick different classes so between the four of us there's lots we can learn from each other. "Meet the instructor" evening was a great opportunity to meet people that you've read about or seen their works in magazines. There were vendors attending that I had never had seen at other bead shows and fairs.

I attended Tracy Stanley's Viking Knit class. She loves what she does and shows it through her enthusiasm to teach her students. This was a very fun technique to learn and I was able to incorporate a beautiful lampwork bead made by a friend of mine, Alana, from Flameboyance Glass.

My second class was also taught by Tracy and it was Riveted Earrings. Having 20 students with hammers in their hands and pounding on copper sheeting was too much fun. I learned several different techniques for texturizing sheet and was able to purchase some beautiful texturizing hammers. I knew coming to the Expo that I wanted to concentrate on wire arts and also in obtaining some quality tools.

My last class was Freeform Wirework taught by CR Radding. The techniques were taught and practiced and then our creativity took over from there allowing us to go in our own direction to create a wirework piece.

As I left Portland it was such a gorgeous spring day, I felt that a little side trip to the coast was in order....visited with the owner of a LBS and caught up with her and then had a wonderful lunch at a place with a gorgeous view of the ocean. What an ending to an unforgettable few days! Beading and the Ocean.....they go great together!


In April, I was part of a show called Primrose Lane. There were 11 jewelry artists who participated. The absolute best part of the show was that we all knew and encouraged each other. We all do different kind of work so we weren't competing with each other. I was thrilled to have sold several pieces of my jewelry. There will be another Primrose Lane show this fall in which we are all hoping to participate again.


In May another Day of Creativity was held. There was a lot of serious business going on with our quilter's this get-together as they were creating a quilt for someone who was retiring at work and the deadline was fast approaching. The beader's were more laid back and it seemed like each of us were trying to finish projects that we had started and put aside except for two gals in which one was teaching the other some form of freeform stitching with seed beads. We had 13 in attendance which was a wonderful. While planning the May get together, I announced that I would not be hosting another Day of Creativity for awhile....that I needed to take a break. Unfortunately, we will be hard-pressed to find another venue in town that only charges a small fee to use. We are looking at paying a substantial amount of money to rent space somewhere. One gal volunteered to check with her church to see if we would be able to have our Day of Creativity there. I will be checking in with her towards the end of summer to see if that will be a possibility. It's a wonderful group and a wonderful time and I would hate to see it end. Our Day of Creativity group has grown over the last two years mainly by word of mouth. If anyone in the Eugene/Springfield OR area is interested in becoming part of the group, just contact me and we'll get you on the distribution list to notify you when the next one will be taking place (I just know someone in the group is going to step up and keep our Day of Creativity alive!!!)

I submitted a necklace to BeadingDaily.com and it was accepted for publication on their site as a free project. Once it was accepted, I was required to write detailed instructions. After I sent in my directions, a contract was signed, and I actually was paid for my work. It was pretty exciting for me. It's called Southwest Desert.

I am continuing to work on my wire working skills and have been able to discipline myself through Year of Jewelry 2008 (YOJ2008). You can sign up to particpate through the Creative Wire Jewerlry forum. We are currently in Week 28 and I have managed to submit a piece of jewelry each week. I've gotten some wonderful feedback on some of my pieces which I have appreciated. I love to go into YOJ and look at all the beautiful work everyone does. Take a trip to YOJ......you won't be disappointed! I've also gotten into Copper Tubing, thanks to Sharilyn Miller. I've made necklaces and bracelets with the tubing. They're fun and add a surprise element to your basic bangle. I'm also working on fine-tuning my wire weaving skills.

Here's a few examples of what I've been up to..................

Until then............HAPPY BEADING!!!! Kitty