For My Red Hat Friends

Happy New Year!! Hope everyone had a joyous Christmas! My celebration with family came and went all too quickly as usual. So many blessings that I'm thankful for this year!! I'm especially thankful for my friend, Rebecca. Be sure to check out her photography blog in my blog list. My daughter and I were featured in her blog recently!

I love this poem by Jenny Joseph. I'm sure most of you have seen it or heard parts of it before. This was my inspiration for my latest denim bead creation. Enjoy!

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple

with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired

and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

and run my stick along the public railings

and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

and pick the flowers in other people's gardens

and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

and eat three pounds of sausages at a go

or only bread and pickles for a week

and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

and pay our rent and not swear in the street

and set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Fa-la-la-la-Love This Denim Jewelry!

What's in your stocking?

The Candy Cane Story

Jesus Gentle Shepherd,
this cane of red and white
proclaims the sweet love story
born on Christmas night

This cane, you see, when turned around
begins your name of Love
and now becomes a symbol
of peace proclaimed above
The lively peppermint flavor
is the regal gift of spice
The white is your purity
and the red your sacrifice

And so this cane reminds us
of just how much you care
and like your Christmas Gift to us
it's meant for all to share

I had fun putting this necklace together using my white denim beads and big red beads. That along with all the snow we have on the ground really has me in the Christmas spirit!

Happy Holiday Shopping

I just had my first in-home, cash and carry show. I really appreciated all the tips from my fellow beaders on the BeadStyle Magazine forum. It was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to the next!

A Blessed Thanksgiving to Everyone!

A lot has happened since my last post!!! Shortly after my beaded Halloween inspiration, my grandmother passed away. She was 99-1/2 and totally fit the bill of loving grandma.

I remember a hat pin she had stuck in a vase on the corner of her kitchen counter. On the top of the hat pin was a beautiful piece of goldstone.

I really wanted to honor grandma with my next creation by including goldstone in with the beads. I was fortunate enough to find such a stone when I attended the bead show in Hopkins, MN last month.

Another new element in this creation are the white denim beads strung on this piece. I hope you like it, and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween Ghoul-friends!!!

Inspired by the beautiful Autumn weather we're having and all the fun Halloween decorations everyone has out, I had to bead with some bright orange beads today.

So many people embellish with Halloween lights on their houses now just like a Christmas lighting display--so very festive!

NEW Salvation Denim Bead Bracelet

Once I was dead in sin (black), but then I found out that Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood (red) to save me from my sin. He washed me just as pure as a crystal (clear), and I followed Him in baptism (blue) because that's what He tells us to do. I study my Bible and pray so that I can grow (green) to become more like Him, and one day I'm going to walk the Streets of Gold (yellow).

Tri-Strand Classic Fit Necklace & Earrings

This design was fun to create.

For the necklace, I used three strands of black elastic 1mm bead cord, and tied knots at various places to hold the denim beads in specific places. The pendant and main beads in the earrings are sapphire glass and wire beads.

Mixed Media Necklace and Earrings

I'm adding a new medium to my pieces. I've always been fascinated with Polymer Clay, so I'm just starting to work with it. I have a lot to learn, but I'm having fun playing! The pendant on this denim bead necklace is a tri-color, polymer clay experiment.

Casual Day Earrings

I just came from a shopping spree at Sea of Beads in Lakeville, MN. It gave me a "Sea" of inspiration for creating some new earrings.

Relaxed Amber Dangle Necklace

I'm inspired by the beautiful Iowa sunsets. The warm, rich glow of amber in the sky is captivating. The dangling amber beads on this "relaxed fit" necklace create a warm glow against the sky blue jean background.

Denim Jewelry is a Hit!!!

I just filled my first order!! I'm so excited to be able to share my creative idea with family and friends and even make a little money, too!!