Bolo Tie Finished

I finished the bolo tie. I gave it to my uncle and he said "Now I need somewhere to go so I can wear the matching set", so we are heading out on Friday. My next project is to make a pair of Hello Kitty beaded earrings for my niece's birthday. I didn't bead on the 3rd (because I was at work for 12 hours), but I did glue them down, so I consider that still working on beadwork. I just printed them on regular paper and used a glue stick to glue them to a piece of pellon. The pellon I use is the thickest one they had at the store and it has a heat-sensitive adhesive on the back. I haven't actually utilized the adhesive, but it is good to know that it is there if I ever need to. I need to have these done by Saturday, so I am glad that I have committed to working on beadwork every day. I think I might do something new, then finish a project, then something new, and alternate through the year. I think that most people I speak with about beading have several unfinished projects. I tend to put something down if I get tired of looking at the same bead color, or if it doesn't look the way I thought it would, or if I run out of the bead I'm using. I'm sure I quit working on them for other reasons too. *Your Next Muse*

I Resolve

I resolve to bead every day, even if it is for only 15 minutes. What happens when you commit to at least 15 minutes of beading each day? You end up doing it for more than 15 minutes. This is what I am hoping. I will be blogging about my beading projects this year with pictures as well as sharing my tips and tricks to how I choose my designs, colors and techniques. My first project for this year was to finish a bolo tie I started for my uncle last year. I tried to finish it for his birthday in July, but didn't finish, then I never picked it up again. It was a bolo tie to match his favorite belt buckle that I fixed for him. At the New Years Powwow he was wearing the belt buckle, and I had the unfinished beadwork with me. I showed him how it matches and it made me feel guilty, so it was the first project I worked on in my effort to bead every day. Here is the bolo with the edging in progress.

The Bolo Tie has porcupine quills, and is done in size 13/0 charlotte cut beads. The colors are light red, dark red, black, lime green, turquoise green, turquoise blue, capri blue, and dark blue. Of course, these colors are called something different depending on the bead store you go through. I beaded this on canvas, which was two layers heat-and-bonded together. I backed it with white buckskin (my personal favorite). I don't like using canvas to bead. The little grooves where the fabric is woven gets tricky to work with. Canvas is thick, durable and recommended by some beaders for a fully beaded traditional women's yoke. I personally don't like using canvas for small items. *Your Next Muse*

Olive Luster beads

When I first saw Olive Luster beads were available, I thought "no one will want these". I thought about avocado green appliances and wondered what colors would go good with this shade of green. I could see it being used for leaves, but not much else. I was wrong. I started seeing it available at other bead stores and when I bought some to sell, I quickly sold out. I met a Yakima beader who used this color as the main color for a barrette. Her choice of colors to go with it were beautiful as well. Overall, the effect is stunning. (Click the picture to get a larger image) A friend purchased the barrette for me because I kept commenting on it and going to the other beaders booth to look at it again. I have these beads in size 11/0, true cut, available on my site and I carry them to the powwows I attend. I have most of the bead colors that are in the barrette as well (the red iris is hard to find, so that one is not available in size 11/0). This color is also available in size 13/0, but I currently do not carry this color in this size. So if you have this bead and are looking for a good way to use it, here it is. I also like this color with dusty rose (cheyenne pink, crow pink), eggshell, pale blue, and dark red. *Your next muse*

Eggshell Beads

One of my new favorites is the Eggshell colored bead. It is a cream color, or bone color, with a pearl finish (almost a luster). I really like this as a neutral bead that looks so good with so many other colors. It is a good alternative to white as it is light colored and goes well with almost any other color. I really like this with pink (cheyenne pink, crow pink, or dusty rose). The other colors it looks good with are darker colors like dark red, Montana blue, dark amethyst, and olive luster. One beader I met at the Muckleshoot Powwow used these beads in her feather designs, instead of white. I liked it. In the future I will include pictures of finished beadwork using the "bead of the day". I have these beads available in size 8/0 charlotte cut (true cut), 11/0 charlotte cut (true cut), 13/0 charlotte cut (true cut) and in size 9/0 3-cut. They are also available in 12/0 3-cut, but I don't have these in stock right now. *Your next muse*.