"New" Lamp

We have one corner of our living room that can be dark--especially at night.  It is in the corner by two windows which during the day is wonderful.  However, at night it just needed more light...especially since I have decided to do some stitching there in the evenings.  Because of where it was, it needed to be somewhat small and discrete yet give off good light.  The *perfect* lamp was spotted at the local antique mall, but I just couldn't summon the courage (nor the money!) to spend $149 for it.  So, thankfully the thrift store came through with a $5 baby.  The lampshade was wonky and stunk.  What to do about a lampshade?  Well, this lampshade that I beaded years ago and never sold, has now been put into use!  True, the beads, though beautiful, are not the right colors for my living room. I had taken a plain lampshade and stitched pretty glass beads randomly all over it.  I love how glass beads look with light coming through--so vibrant and colorful.  I'll change the beads eventually.  However, I was quite pleased with the result, and now I can stitch away in the evenings and actually see what I'm doing. 

Little Mitten Earrings

Just added these to my shop. 

They are little--1 inch or less in size--and are made of felt and pearly white glass beads. 

They are fun to make, and I can do custom colors if I have the materials to do so.  These could certainly be worn from now until the beginning of March around here--the snow can last that long.  Hope you like them!

Felt and Bead Heart Pins

Been playing with pretty beads and felt and finished these two heart shaped pins this weekend.

A New Year to Come

So thankful for God's blessings in the past year and looking forward to the year ahead.  I hope to please and serve Him better. 

There are new projects in the works, and I'm excited to work on them...if only I had more time!  I ordered these beads recently from a man in China.  They were expensive, and I was a little anxious about spending the money...not certain they would come...not able to track them in any way.  However, thankfully they DID come...in good time too.  They are just beautiful.  I'm pleased and can't wait to create with them. 
Thank you for following me and taking the time to read what I say and for your sweet comments.  They are appreciated more than you know.  I'm thinking of a giveaway soon, so keep an eye out for a future post. Happy, blessed 2012 to you all. 

Sandal Clips Custom Order Done

It was a great opportunity to work with a lady who asked me through my Etsy shop to do a special order for her.  She had some white sandals (t-straps with a toe strap as well) that she wanted me to hand bead clip pieces for.  I'm assuming these are for a wedding, but I'm not sure--a special occasion at least.  She was just super to work with in every way.  How nice it was to work with someone not only very, very pleasant but also quite clear in what she wanted. 

I was able to buy some sweet little vintage, faceted, tangerine-colored nailhead beads and some pretty, light orange freshwater pearls (oh, and the actual clips) from fellow Etsy sellers.  I love to support other Etsy shops when the chance arises.  I already had the vintage rhinestone beads from an estate sale as well as the rhinestone and leaf vintage jewelry bits. These beads and jewelry pieces were sewn onto silvery strips--triple and quadruple stitched for security. One of the hard parts for me was not to over-embellish--you know how I like to embellish sort of "over the top".   

I then finished the underneath parts with the small clips and a piece of felt for comfort should the pieces overlap the sandals at all.  These certainly do sparkle and are trendy.  It was a fun challenge, and I'm thankful to my customer for the chance to work with her on this. 

Globe Beads

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
I can't help but think of this verse when I see these beads. Perhaps this is how big the world is to God...yet He is concerned about each one of us.
The darker one was given to me as a gift, and the two lighter ones I found this past week while visiting a new...yes, a NEW, bead shop. I have no idea what I'll do with them. They just "spoke to me", and I bought them. I guess they appeal to me because they look like the real thing only in miniature, and the different stones used as the inlaid continents are pretty. Anyway, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to TWO bead shops this past week, and one of them was this new shop close to Milwaukee. Talk about inspiration overload! I'll be posting soon about a recent creation from a beautiful new bead I bought this past week. Stay tuned!