Still taking pics. But I'm getting a little faster. Maybe it just takes practice. Check out my setup.

Photography sucks

I've decided to be an online jewelry seller.  To do that, I have to take pictures of my jewelry.  That sounds easy?  Well, it isn't.  At etsy a seller can post up to five pics of each item.  OMG, I can't get five pics that are in focus and well-lit. Click on the etsy graphic to see my site. http://queenofbeads.etsy.com

Wordle

There is a website called Wordle.net.  It takes all your words and makes a word cloud of them.  You can also make a word cloud of all the words in a blog.  So here is the wordle of my blog.

Just because I love it...

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike blew through my hood.  We were without power for four days.  One would think that I would bead but I was obsessed with listening to 24/7 news radio.  The Christmas in September vendor event that I've been preparing for since June was canceled.  If it's not rescheduled soon I'll send my inventory to Barefoot Artist Gallery.  I need more bead money.  LOL  The International Gem and Jewelry Show is coming to Houston again in October so I want to be ready to buy more beads.  It's amazing how dependent we as a society has become on electricity.  I need internet, news, refrigeration and most importantly, air conditioning.  We are fortunate that a cool front blew through and the weather is uncharacteristically cool.  It's beautiful outside today--cool breeze and bright sunshine.  We are blessed.

Bead Show stash

Stash from the International Gem and Jewelry Show, Houston Texas.

Getting organized

I was looking for some matte black seed beads. I had all my seed beads in one plastic box. That worked for me when I had like five tubes of beeds. But now, not so much. So a trip to Wal-Mart later I had a seed beed organization system. But, I still didn't find any matte black seed beads so I'll need to make a run to the beed store. What a shame. LOL

Cats and Photography

I've been using up my bead stash making ankle bracelets and more necklace sets. My first month of sales at Barefoot Artist Gallery were promising. I made more than I spent at the bead show. LOL

This morning I've been photographing some of my new pieces. I'm getting entries ready for a beading contest. Well, photography with cats is a challenge. Princess thinks that the white drape and extra lights are perfect for HER. I mean she is photogenic but sometimes she is NOT the focal point. Try telling her that...

Stash

Here is a pic of the stash I bought at the Gem and Jewelry Show last weekend. My favorite vendors were the ones with $2 stone strands and the 25 strands for $20 glass strands. I spent this weekend making ankle bracelets and several necklace sets. I'll post pics later. I need a white background.

I'm considering entering a beading contest. More on that later.

Houston Gem and Jewelry Show

The Houston International Gem and Jewelry Show is this weekend! WOO HOO! It's a beader's paradise. All sorts of beads. All prices. My favorite is the $1 strands. They are usually all piled together by the time I get there so the hunt is part of the fun. I have a list of stuff I need to look for--lobster clasps, itty bitty spacers, bead caps, phone leashes--but the most fun is finding things I'm not actually looking for. The fantastic bargain. The unexpected treasure. It's a rush.

Bead puddle

At one of the local bead stores, Bella Beads and Beyond, there is a bead puddle. The bead puddle is a container about 8 inches deep and 36 inches in diameter. It's filled with beads and findings. I think the intent of the bead puddle was to entertain kids while their moms shopped. However, it has become therapy for older kids, like me.

There is a certain zen about running your hands through the beads and then selecting the ones that catch your eye. I like to go to the bead puddle with no particular bead or color in mind. Just let the beads select themselves.

I went to the bead puddle yesterday and it was marvelous. I came home and started designing. I'll post some pics soon.

How I started...

Bead collector or jewelry designer? Not a whole lot of difference. LOL. I started beading about three years ago. I needed a sedentary hobby due to rheumatoid arthritis. I first tried drawing but I stunk at that so I moved on to beading.

I started with bracelets. Mostly elastic. Then I learned how to use crimp beads so I moved on to using toggles. After bracelets, I moved on to earrings and finally necklaces.

Here is a slide show of some of my work