The Changing Seasons

One of the things I love about living in Chicago is being able to experience the change of seasons.  In a mere ten weeks, Chicago goes from this . . .

and this . . .

to this . . .

and this . . .

I've noticed that as I anticipate the changing seasons, the color palette of my beadwork changes.  By September, I'm ready to use bronze, olive, rust and dark teal beads.  Come November and December, I find myself using black, steel and silver colors.  And in February, I'm ready for the primary colors often found in spring (with winter in Chicago, spring can never come too quickly!)  Are your bead color choices influenced by the changing seasons?

I was stuck in traffic this morning . . .

and what did I see?  

                             City Beads!!

Beading With Friends

I'm a very lucky lady.  Something that started as a "crafty past time" has become a passion and business through which I've met people who I know will be friends for life.  One of those people, NanC Meinhardt, has a group of bead artists over to her studio on one Sunday every month to share their work, thoughts and inspiration.  Today was such a day.  I often look at the men and women who surround me on these Sundays, and think to myself, "What am I doing here?"  Certainly my work is no where near their caliber.  The art that comes out of our "Beading With Friends"  Sundays is mind boggling.  However, I've come to be less intimidated by these artists, who I now call friends.  I've found that these Sundays force me to stretch myself, stretch my imagination -- and I always leave these wonderful afternoons full of new ideas and the energy to create new, exciting things.  Now, I just need about 10 more hours a day to do everything. . .   

Itty Bitty Bugle Beads

Just on a lark, I ordered some bugle beads.  I'm not good at judging the size of things, particularly when length is described in the metric system, but I ordered #1's, which turned out to be about 3mm long.  They're itty bitty little things, and I can see a great application in bead embroidery.  They'll provide good coverage and detail at the same time.  I can also see their application as an interesting element in the Ndebele stitch.  C'mon in and check them out.  How would you use itty bitty bugle beads?

I Can't Believe I'm Blogging!

OK. So if anyone would have told me 6 months ago -- no, even 4 months ago -- I would own a bead store, I would have told them they were nuts.  Now I'm thinking I'm crazy!  But I must say, it's been interesting so far.  First, I have no time for "dull moments."  Second, I'm forever changing hats.  Am I Mom? Accountant?  Lawyer? Artist? Business Owner?   Things are starting to run into each other.  But the best part?  Every day during my lunch hour, I get to walk over to the store and see all the pretty beads, open the new shipments and see all the goodies people are sending from all over the country.  How lucky can one girl get?