Z End

Mission accomplished. Today is April 30th, the last day of April and the final day of A to Z blogging. We made it. Let's have a big, collective pat on the back. To all the new bloggers I have met on this trip, Thank you for the many hours of happy blog reading. I learned so much this month and had a good time doing it. Thanks. So I do indeed have a Z post, but 1st there is the matter of announcing the winner of the giveaway I blogged about on G day.  Through random.org, The winning # was 2, but I am having trouble saving the widget on my blog showing that. 
Anyhow,  Looks like the winner of the beading book is commenter # 2, who just happens to be JoJo.  Congrats and enjoy.

Today's letter is Z and I want to tell you about Zibbett.  Most people have heard of Etsy which is the Grand Daddy of buying and selling handmade on line, but not too many people have heard of Zibbet, which is a younger, up and coming version of Etsy. There are many reasons to buy handmade, one being that you are supporting the livelihood of a single crafter, who makes stuff with love and care instead of lining the pockets of some sweat shop owning corporation. Another excellent reason to buy handmade is the fact that you can get some truly unique one of a kind gifts by shopping handmade.

Two of our fellow A to Z bloggers not only write extremely interesting blogs, but they are the owners of truly awsome Zibbet shops full of their gorgeous handmade creations. Sandra is the blogger behind A Writer Weaves a Tale  http://sandrasfiberworks.blogspot.com/ , and her blog has made me laugh, has made me cry, but always leaves me thinking about being a better mother and a better daughter. She also owns a Zibbet shop which is chock full of beautiful handwoven items such as this lovely purple and lilac shoulder wrap.

Here is the link to Sandra's shop to see more http://www.zibbet.com/sfiberworks

Another A to Z blogger with an awesome blog and Zibbet Shop is Barbra from All About the Buttons.  She is one of those who can effortlessly blog about any subject and her posts are always refreshing and honest and can be found here. http://allaboutthebuttons.blogspot.com/ . Barbra's Zibbet Shop is an entire craft show in itself.  She is an avid crafter who can make just about anything. And make it well, too.  Some of my favorite items in her shop are the fabric covered tape measures and the upcycled CD clocks, such as this one which is baseball themed.

Here is the link to Barbra's shop to see more http://www.zibbet.com/AllAboutTheButtons

Finally, saving the shameless self promotion for last, and the very end of A to Z blogging, here is the link to my Zibbet shop. http://www.zibbet.com/abracadebra

OK, mission accomplished, my final post all about Zibbet for the final day of A to Z blogging.

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

The Importance of being Yellow

So today for the letter Y, I decided to blog about yellow and how important the color yellow really is.
As an added bonus I am going to keep this post short and sweet while ultimately revealing the most valuable yellow thing ever built in the entire history of the whole world. (At least in my honest and humble opinion ;).

Yellow is used for the color of traffic signs in order to warn you of upcoming situations or obstacles in the flow of traffic.

As you can see this is an important use of the color yellow. But an even more important use of yellow  is that it is the color most often used to depict the Sun, which is needed to sustain all forms of life.

Vincent Van Gogh, Sower against the Sun, 1888

So of course the Sun is indeed important and it does look good in yellow, But moving on, it is now time to unveil the most important use of the color yellow, ever. Get ready for it..... This is important.

So as you can see by the pics, the most important use of the color yellow ever is the yellow brick road leading to Emerald City and the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. How else would Dorothy ever have gotten home? Where else on earth would Lion get his courage, or Scarecrow his Brain or Tin Man his heart? And how would they have gotten there without the Yellow Brick Road?

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

Chandra X-Ray Observatory

Hello  again Bloggy Buddies. So we are almost to the end of A to Z Blogging and so far you have learned that I am a blogger, I am a beader and I love anything to do with fashion. But I bet you didn't know that I am also a bit of an Astronomy Geek, did you? Well, I am and I spend a lot of time exploring NASA's website because I happen to be totally fascinated by all things celestial. But we are all a bit curious about our Universe and all that is unknown out there, aren't we?

Anyhow, today for "X" day, I decided to blog about NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory. But don't worry, I won't bore you with a bunch of Rocket Science. Instead I want to show you some amazing pictures.  First though, I will tell you what the Chandra X-Ray Observatory is in as few words as possible, ok?

Chandra X-ray Observatory

Chandra is an x-ray telescope which was launched by the space shuttle Columbia in 1999 to further study the Universe via X-Ray Astronomy.  It would take an entire book to explain X-Ray Astronomy so lets just say it is the study of extremely hot and energetic light and is classified as major physics.  The Chandra X-Ray Telescope can obtain x-ray images of exotic environments to help understand the structure of the Universe. Its increased clarity helps scientists answer fundamental questions about the origin, evolution and destiny of the Universe. So that's enough Science for one day, not so bad right? Now on to the amazing pics.

The Tarantula Nebula, 16,000 light years from earth contains thousands of young massive stars making it an excellent place to study the birth of stars.

These are the stars in the center of the Constellation Orion, 1,500 light years away.

This is a Supermassive Black Hole at the center of our galaxy, 26,000 light years away.

And that's the end of show and tell, because if I don't end this right here, I could go on forever! That's how fascinated I am with this subject.  Anyhow, I hope you liked the pics and didn't find the text too boring, but there you have it in a nutshell, Astronomy 101 brought to you by Abracadebra, the letter X, and The Chandra X-Ray Observatory. If you did find this post to be interesting, here is a link to Chandra on NASA's website.  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/main/index.html.

TTYL and make it a good day,

Debbie

What A Wonderful World

OK, today you get a lucky break from my usual A to Z rambling, thanks to my job.  Ten hours work yesterday, Twelve hours work today and Ten hours work tomorrow, means you get to watch this cool video I found on You Tube. And you are lucky, because otherwise I was going to blog about Willy Wonka and his inspirational but silly quotes ;)  I have always loved Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World and whoever did this video, did an excellent job with it. Enjoy.



TTYL and make it a good day,
Debbie

Valentino Red / Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum

Hey there fellow bloggers,  by now you may have figured out that I am a huge fan of fashion and fashion design? So of course I had decided that for the letter "V" I just had to blog about the King of Couture himself, Valentino.  But with five decades of amazing contributions to the fashion industry, where would I begin, where would I end? After much editing I have narrowed the post down to two subjects, Valentino Red and the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum.

Valentino first started using the color red alot in the seventies after attending an opera and becoming enchanted with a red costumed diva. Soon after, his trademark shade of red was actually given a name, "Rosso Valentino" (Valentino Red). Here's what Valentino has to say about the color red:

"Red has guts... deep, strong, dramatic. A Geranium red, A Goya red... to be used like gold for furnishing a house...For clothes, it is strong, like black and white."  "Woman usually prefer to wear black at events because it is safe, however, if there is one woman wearing red, she will be the eye-catcher of the evening. Its as if the room is suddenly illuminated. Simply perfect for a grand entrance." 

Ann Hathaway, on the Red Carpet, in Valentino

In December, 2011, Valentino's long-time partner, Giancarlo Giammetti unveiled his brainchild, The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum which houses all 5 decades of Valentino's work. This revolutionary virtual museum contains 5000 images of Valentino's dresses, photos and drawings, and 180 fashion show videos. I have downloaded it and it is a truly amazing retrospective of fashion from the 60's into the 2000's and there is even a "Masterclass" with Valentino, where he discusses how he created some of his most famous dresses.  If you are into fashion as much as I am, you NEED to download this virtual museum. I can not count the hours I have already spent in this amazing 3D museum just wandering around in amazement and awe.

Here is the link, if you want to dowload the museum: http://www.valentino-garavani-archives.org/

 

TTYL and make it a great day,

Debbie

Ugly Necklace Contest

Here's an amusing thought, what if you could win a prize for creating a truely ugly piece of jewelry? What if you could submit your worst work and take 1st place?  Wouldn't you love to turn your "Ugly" into a major shopping spree?

For the past decade, The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts in Nashville, TN has been sponsoring the extremely successful and popular Ugly Necklace Contest, which is more of a design challenge than one may think.

An Ugly Necklace from Land of Odds Website

Here's What Land of Odds, another sponsor has to say about the contest. "It is difficult to design an ugly necklace. A designer's mind and eyes want to take them away from "ugly" towards good principles of jewelry design. While a good deal of perceptions about what is ugly is subjective, there is a strong underlying, objective grammar of good jewelry design which steers even the weakest designer away from "ugly". Because of this any jewelry designer who attempts to achieve "Ugly", has to have enough control and discipline to override, perhaps overcome, intuitive, internally integrated principles of good design. Thus the best jewelry designers will be those artists who can design the ugliest necklaces.  

Talk about reverse psychology. I am so getting this. It is too late to enter this year, but I am pretty sure that this is something I would love to do next year. It sounds like a lot of fun as well as being a different type of exercise in creativity. How about you would you do it? Would you create an ugly piece of jewelry or ugly artwork for prizes. Would you find it challenging? Or how about the writers following along for A to Z blogging? Would you consider writing a bad story an exercise in creativity? Would you do it for prizes?

Here is a link to the 2010 finalists page. http://www.landofodds.com/store/ugly8contest.htm . There is some amusing stuff here and as an extra challenge, they had to write a poem to go with the necklace.

TTYL and make it a good day,
Debbie

Tangerine Tango

Thanks to A to Z blogging, I  recently conquered a major phobia that I didn't even know existed within me until December of last year. When I decided to do A to Z blogging, I also decided that I would finally face this fear of mine head-on and blog about it when the time came. Well folks, the time is now and I can not only call what I used to fear by name, but I can also look at it and like what I see.

So by now I am sure you are wondering just what it is that I used to fear and why I was so afraid of it.
It all started at the end of December when Pantone ( The world-wide authority on color for the fashion and home decor industries) announced that the color of the year would be Tangerine Tango.  Upon hearing this I immediately flashed back to the awful neon of the 80's. I like to think of my self as fashion-forward, but I wouldn't be caught dead in neon. Not again. No way in h-e-double hockey sticks. So I was prepared to be unfashionable for the upcoming year of 2012. As I was getting used to the thought of actually being unfashionable, the inevitable happened and every where I went, both in public and on-line I was assaulted by the awful, in-your-face, oranger than orange, Tangerine Tango. And let me tell you, it wasn't the neon I expected, but an even more repulsive shade of orange. Kind of like Halloween every day. How Gruesome.  I was being smothered with it, I couldn't breathe.

It was hard, but I decided that I needed to find a way to just ignore this awful orange all around me if I wanted to survive so slowly but surely I became indifferent to it and then actually blind to it. That is until I started viewing the runway shows on line and there it was again. Good grief, there was no end to it. Tangerine Tango was all over the runways. Even my favorite designers were using it. By this time I was beginning to think, well if it's good enough for top designers, surely it can't be that bad?  Maybe I could learn to at least tolerate tangerine tango in small doses? So I decided to get a paper bag to breathe into and go window shopping online until I found something in this color that I actually liked.  Being a shoe lover, I decided to start with shoes, and I didn't have to look very long before finding these Jimmy Choos. I was looking at them and liking them and I could actually breathe!!!



Having conquered looking at Tangerine Tango, I got brave and went to the bead store and actually brought some orange beads. I was still a bit apprehensive about actually taking them out of the containers for fear that if I touched the orange my fingers would fall off. So they just sat on my table for a while, glaring at me,  until I decided that I would blog about Tangerine Tango for A to Z blogging.  It was tough getting started, but I said to myself, "Okay, they may be scary orange but after all they are only beads and won't hurt you". With that said, I fearlessly beaded on until my odd orange phobia was nothing more than a fading nightmare.  And guess what? Now I can't wait to go out and buy something orange to wear with it. :)

TTYL and make it a good day,

Debbie



Swarovski

Hi there fellow Bloggers, Thanks for all the well wishes while I was a bit down and out. I am happy to report that I am now feeling much better and am ready to play catch-up with A to Z Blogging. Still a bit behind, today is S day for me, and being a beader, what better subject than Swarovski.

Vintage Swarovski Crystal beads

Daniel Swarovski was born on October 24, 1862 in the Czech Republic. His father was a glass cutter who owned a small glass factory. In 1892 Daniel invented a revolutionary machine designed to cut crystals more precisely than ever before. In 1895 Daniel founded the company now known as Swarovski in Wattens, Tyrol (Austria). His vision was simply to bring joy to people through crystal. His guiding principle, "to constantly improve what is good", is still followed by the company today.

Here is a brief timeline of Swarovski innovations throughout the decades:
1931: Sew On Crystal studded ribbons are launched
1937: Glass reflectors are developed, increasing safety on the roads
1949: Swarovski Optic is founded
1956: Swarovski with Christian Dior develop the shimmering Aurora Borealis effect
1965: Crystals for chandeliers and lighting are launched
1977: The first line of Swarovski jewelry is launched
1993: Crystal Mesh is launched for the Fashion Industry
1995: Swarovski's theme park is opened
1999: Signity, Precision cut Gemstones is launched
2003: Swarovski develops Crystal Fabric
2004: Swarovski increased the brilliance of crystal with the Xilion cut
2009: Swarovski launches its 1st watch collection

Swarovski studded gown at Harrod's London by Ralph & Russo

 

Today the Swarovski crystal range includes glass sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture,  home decor and chandeliers.  The Swarovski group also includes Tyrolit (makers of abrasive and cutting tools),  Swareflex (maker of reflective road markings),  Swarovski Optic (binoculars, rifle scopes, etc), and Signity (synthetic and natural gemstones).

In 1995 Swarovski opened a crystal themed indoor theme park called Swarovski Kristallwelton, in Austria to celebrate 100 years of Swarovski.  I, personally, can not wait to see what they come up with in the decades to come.  "Evolution never ceases. Reforms in one area lead to further reforms in other areas. One must,  however, always be alert to the opportunities.  - Daniel Swarovski

TTYL and make it a great day,
Debbie

Peace & Quiet and Rest & Relaxation

Hey there blogging friends, seems I have fallen a bit behind in A to Z blogging :(
Also seems I have come down with my annual head cold, flu-like illness that I seem to get every year at this time:(  As usual, my Dr. has prescribed some meds and plenty of fluids along with a little rest and relaxation. As I am sitting here typing, my head is feeling like it is going to explode while simultaneously a giant monster is bashing it with a huge sledge hammer.  Thankfully, the Teenager named Miss Thang Tammy, who is on school vaca this week, will be staying over at her bff's house for the day and over night :) Yay, Peace and Quiet.

Being the persistent little blogger that I am, I decided to catch up by quickly posting P and Q together, and just in case, also posting R a bit ahead. If this headache ever goes away, I will try to catch up on reading all of your excellent blogs a little later or maybe even tomorrow.

Peace and Quiet

Right now I am wishing I could actually be this boat!!

Rest and Relaxation

Heading back to bed but wishing I was here.

TTYL and make it a good day,

Debbie

Optical Illusions

Being a very visual person, I decided to blog about Optical Illusions for the letter O in the A to Z blogging challenge. 

Optical: of or pertaining to sight or vision; visual
Illusion: something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression or reality

Scientists believe optical illusions are possible because our brains are so good at recognizing patterns and seeing familiar objects. Our brains are quick to make whole images from separate pieces. Therefore our eyes and brains can be quick to see things which aren't really there.

A very simple optical illusion would be this one.

The different arrow points, make the 2nd line appear larger, which it is not.

Here's a picture of Albert Einstein.

Now walk away from the computer, turn around and look at it from afar. Who is it a picture of ?

And saving the best for last, I was actually introduced to the artwork of Julian Beever by my daughter who discovered his work on Tumbler.

These 3D sidewalk drawings are absolutely amazing! It's no wonder he has been nicknamed "The Pavement Picasso". Here is the link to his website, if you want to see more of his mind boggling art  http://www.julianbeever.net/.

TTYL and make it a good day,

Debbie

Netted Necklaces

A to Z Blogging's letter for today is N, so what better subject for a beading blog than netted necklaces, right?
Here is the definition of netting from dictionary.com: Netting: Open-meshed material made by knotting together twine, wire, rope or thread.

Netted bead weaving works up quickly, creates  an airy lace-like look, uses fewer beads, and makes great necklaces because it drapes very nicely. The basic technique is simple enough for a beginner and advanced  beaders can easily find ways to switch up the bead sizes and bead counts in the netting to create an endless number of designs.

Here is a picture of a necklace I have just completed, worked up with seed beads, bugle beads and two different sizes of glass beads. This was actually done in Chevron stitch, which is a quick and simple netting variation.

And to show you  an example of the many different looks you can achieve with netting, here is a pic of a vertically netted necklace, which I stitched up using only seed beads.

So, as you can see, netting is indeed a very versatile stitch in bead weaving. There really is no limit to the designs one can come up with.  If you want to try netting yourself, here are a few beginner tutorials. 

Chevron Stitch  http://beadwork.about.com/od/beadingstitchtutorials/ss/Chevron_Stitch_Tutorial.htm

Vertical Netting  http://beadwork.about.com/od/beadingstitchtutorials/ss/Vertical_Netting_Tutorial.htm

Actually if you are considering taking up bead weaving, About.com/beadwork is an excellent site to get you started. Here is the link to their very informative Getting Started page.  http://beadwork.about.com/od/beadingstitchtutorials/u/user_path_basics.htm .

So, there you have it, Letter N and Netted Necklaces. Thanks for stopping by tonight for show and tell.

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

Mixing it up

Thankfully Sunday is a day off from the A to Z blogging challenge, but for me it is catch up day. So today for M, I couldn't decide which of two subjects I wanted to blog about and was having a hard time choosing, but then realized that I could mix it up and  blog about them both.  One is a method of jewelry design and the other is someone I have a secret crush on, who's name just so happens to start with the letter M. ;)

Mix: verb- Combine or put together to form one substance or mass
        noun- Two or more different qualities, things or people placed,
        combined or considered together

Mixed Media in visual arts refers to artwork in the making in which more than one medium has been employed. Although I love working with my tiny seed beads and weaving them together, I would also love to explore creating mixed media jewelry. Here are a few awesome examples,  created by Caroline Fung who's work I so totally admire.

She does beading, wirework, metal clay, polymer clay, enameling, lampwork, silversmithing,  digital collage, and that is just a short list.  Here is a link to her blog, which is truly a feast for the eyes.

http://carolinefung.blogspot.com/

So now it's time to let you in on my little secret. But promise not to tell anyone, o.k.? So, here it is, I have a secret crush on Mondo! So if you watch Project Runway at all, of course you know that Mondo is a master of mixing materials and pattern on the runway. Besides loving his designs, I also find him to be an extremely likable person and he dresses with such personality, and is so well presented all the time. Oh well, too bad I have more than a few years on him and I get the feeling I am not his type at all ;) Anyhow, here are a some examples of his talent for mixing it up on the runway.

So there you have it: mixed media jewelry, The mixed up designs of Mondo, and oh yeah here's an added bonus: My fave mixed drink, a frozen Mudslide. Get the recipe here  http://thisbottleofvodka.tumblr.com/post/3086664755/completelybackasswards-frozen-mudslide-recipe         

TTYL and make it a good day,

Debbie

                                

Leather and Lace

Hey there Bloggy friends, for today's A to Z blogging challenge I have once again borrowed my theme from a song title. And today's letter being L, my post is all about Leather and Lace, which happens to be one of my favorite looks and also one of my favorite songs.

Leather and Lace together are edgy yet feminine,  dangerous yet romantic, naughty yet nice, and extremely sexy, even erotic.  And best of all, always in style.

Leather and Chantilly Lace Trench Coat by Valentino

Christian Louboutin Lace Peep-Toe and Patent Leather Pumps

These are gorgeous, but expensive examples of  leather and lace together.  I really do love the look, but unfourtunately Valentino and Louboutin aren't an option for me until I win the lottery. ;)  In the meantime, I could probably design some jewelry incorporating leather and lace, but for right now, I kind of feel like listening to some music. Enjoy, and make it a good night.- Debbie

I haven't got a Klew

So I was all set to blog about Kumihimo for K day of the A to Z blogging challenge, but I discovered that another Beady Blogger beat me to it. It is a darn good post, too. You can check it out here. http://amybeads.blogspot.com/2012/04/blogging-from-z-k-kumihimo.html .

So after reading Amy's post, I decided that I should probably find another subject to blog about today. I was sitting there, in a panic, worried because I didn't have a clue as to what I should blog about today. And then it hit me (like a ton of bricks) that I REALLY DON'T have a "Klew", but would like to have a Klew, and that's exactly what I should blog about today.

Now I know  you are wondering " What the heck is a Klew?" Well a picture speaks louder than words, so I will show you exactly what a Klew is.

                                                       

A Klew bead is a bead created by polymer clay guru, Karen Lewis who discovered polymer clay in the eighties and has been creating miniature works of art ever since. She is a master of the technique called caning which is a slicing and layering technique borrowed from Venetian glass workers. She is also a master in creating vibrant color in clay.  I swear she has the uncanny ability to make polymer clay beads appear to be just as smooth and shiny as lampworked glass beads.  Just look at the luminosity of some of these beads, absolutely amazing! Not only has she mastered the art of creating gorgeous polymer clay beads, she has also mastered the art of teaching others this skill. Now that is what I call talent!

So now you know what a Klew is and why I wish I had a Klew. If you would like to learn more about Karen Lewis and Klew beads, here is a link to her website. http://klewexpressions.com/index.htm .

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

Juxtaposition

Moving on to the letter J in the A to Z blogging challenge, tonight's word is a fun one. For the letter J, I have chosen to blog about "Juxtaposition".  The meaning of juxtaposition is: an act or instance of placing close together, or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

A good example of juxtaposition in literature would be John Milton's Paradise Lost. A contrast has been drawn between the characters God and Satan , where the goodness of one is played off of the badness of the other and vice versa. 

Another popular example of juxtaposition is the Yin Yang Symbol from Chinese Philosophy. The Yin Yang symbol represents two fundamental principles, one negative, dark, passive, cold, wet and feminine (Yin) and the other positive, light, active, dry, hot and masculine (Yang). The balance of these forces in nature and human beings influences their behavior and fate. Another yummier example of juxtaposition which also comes from the Chinese is Sweet and Sour Chicken ;)

Here is a fascinating example of juxtaposition in art.  This lithograph by artist Rene Magritte plays with the ideas of reality and illusion through a bouquet that is also a window to the outside, where perhaps the flowers in the vase came from.

In the world of fashion, Alexander McQueen was the King of Juxtaposition, especially on the runway.

You never knew what kind of odd contraptions the models would be sporting with their beautiful gowns. A gorgeous lace gown worn with antlers is just one example of the surreal juxtaposition of the late, great McQueen.

OK, so that is enough juxtaposition for one night, don't you think?  I really enjoyed learning about juxtaposition for this post though, and I plan on finding ways to use it in my jewelry designs because I think it might be a fun exercise in creativity. 

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

A to Z Blogging Day 9 Letter I

OK, so you can call me lazy or you can even call me a cheater, but I didn't write my own post for day 9 of the A to Z Blogging challenge.   Today's letter is "I" and I could not have chosen a better word or written nearly half as eloquently about that word as the late, great Mr. John Lennon did. 



So there you have it. Short and sweet:  Day 9, Letter "I" and one of the greatest songs ever written.

TTYL and make it a great night,
Debbie

Hana-Ami

 I made it to yet another night of A to Z blogging, and I also managed to get some beady show and tell done for tonight's post. So the letter is H and the word is "Hana-Ami". According to the Denshi Jisho (online Japanese Dictionary), the word hana means flower; blossom; bloom; petal and the word ami means pattern or stitch. 

In Japanese beadwork, triangle weave is used to create the motif called Hana-Ami. The motif is very simple and quick to stitch , so I decided to whip up a  pair of earrings using light green fiber optic cats eye beads, Caribbean blue colored bicone crystals and some silver colored seed beads for a bit of bling.

If you would like the pattern for the Hana-Ami Motif, I found it on Deborah Roberti's website, Around the Beading Table. She also has lots of other great patterns based on the Hana-Ami motif.  Here is a link if you want to check it out.  http://www.aroundthebeadingtable.com/Tutorials/Hana-Ami.html .

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

My First Give-Away

I am very excited to finally get to the letter "G" in the A to Z blogging challenge, because from the very beginning I had decided that if I did indeed make it all the way to G, I would hold my first ever give-away. I also knew from the beginning exactly what I would be giving away.

So last night, immediately after I clicked on the Publish Post button, I headed on over to Amazon to order the prize, which should be arriving early next week. So you have probably guessed that if coming from Amazon, it must be a book.  And now you are probably wondering which book I have chosen.  Well, the book I have chosen to give away is "Getting Started with Seed Beads" by Dustin Wedekind. Here is the link to Amazon for a look inside and some reader reviews.  http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Beads-Dustin-Wedekind/dp/1596689757/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333857254&sr=1-1#_

I have chosen this book due to the fact that when I speak of beadweaving or show pics of beadwoven jewelry, lots of non-beadweaving people will make comments stating that they would never be able to do work like that, or that they wish they could create stuff like that, or that they wouldn't even know how to begin something like that, etc, etc,etc. Well my answer to comments like that is, "Well, I beg to differ, but YES YOU CAN." :)  And for the accomplished bead weavers out there, you can never have to many beading books, right?

Anyhow, to enter the give-away, just leave a comment letting me know you would like to be entered. As with most give-aways earn extra entries by posting to Facebook, Twitter, your own blog or where ever you socialize and leave me the link in another comment. The contest closes at 12:00 am on April 30th and the winner will be chosen at random and announced later that day in my last post of this A to Z challenge. Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you if you are the lucky winner.

Ok, so there you have it, my first ever give-away brought to you by the letter G  and thanks to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2012.

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

Free-form Crafting

Hey there bloggy friends. Made it to another day of A to Z blogging and for "F" I have decided to blog about free-form crafting. Here are a few definitions of free-form via dictionary.com.

Characterized by free form: free-form sculpture.

Not organized or planned in a conventional way.

Encouraged to function or evolve without advance planning; spontaneous.

Without restrictions or preconceptions: The children were allowed to paint free-form

Mind-Boggling free-form crochet by the International Freeform Artists Guild

Amazing free-form knitted sweater by Jane Thornley

Beautiful free-form quilting by Shirley Barter

Drop Dead Gorgeous free-form beadwork by Ibolya Ingesne' Barkoczi

I am so envious of those blessed with the skill and courage to fearlessly create such beautiful free-form designs. I hope you enjoyed the pics. Gotta go exercise the right side of my brain now.  ;)

TTYL and make it a great night,

Debbie

A to Z Blogging. Letter E

So today, for the letter E, I am going to introduce you to one of my fave blogs.  The blog is called "Everyday Inspired" and can be found here:  http://additionsstyle.blogspot.com/ .  The blog's owner Valerie describes it as: A daily dialog of inspiration, creativity, business, and style. An opportunity to motivate each other on our personal journey of creative discoveries."

She always has something inspiring to show or tell and includes features such as Motivational Monday, DIY Friday, and Be Inspired.  I can't wait to read her new monthly series "Inspired Success Week", which will be starting April 16-20.

Along with great content, I also enjoy this blog for its pictures. She sure does have any eye for spotting all things beautiful, unique, creative, and sometimes even mind boggling.

Valerie has chosen the perfect name for her blog, as reading it daily leaves me feeling "Everyday Inspired".

TTYL and make it a great night,
Debbie

Day 4 A to Z challenge. Letter "D"

So it is now day 4 of the A to Z blogging challenge and I came across so many great "D" words that I had a hard time choosing which one to blog about today, so I decided to use them all.

Do you remember the Aesop fable "The Tortoise and the Hare"? If not here is a short summary.

One day the quick but boastful hare was loudly bragging about how fast he is. The Tortoise who was sick of hearing it all the time challenged him to a race. The race began and the hare was leading, so he decided to take a nap. While the hare was napping, the tortoise slowly plodded on, never giving up.  By the time the hare woke up, the tortoise was so close to the finish line that the hare didn't have a chance.  The slow but steady tortoise won the race.

What was the tortoise that the hare wasn't?
The tortoise was:
Daring
Dynamic
Devoted
Dedicated
Determined and
Disciplined

TTYL and make it a good night,
Debbie

A to Z blogging Days 3. Letter C

For day 3 of A to Z Blogging I decided to blog about an admirable woman who's name we all know. Just for fun I'll give you a few hints before naming her.  Both her first and last names start with the letter "C". She was born in France but is no longer with us. She became famous for her little black dresses, suits, costume jewelry and perfume.

Here are a some of her more famous quotes:
“Adornment, what a science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance!”   
“A Girl should be two things: CLASSY AND FABULOUS!”   
“A woman should wear perfume wherever she wants to be kissed.”

So by now I am sure you have guessed who I am talking about.  Here is a short video-biography I found on biography.com which I thinks sums of this legendary woman quite nicely.







So there you have it, day 3, letter C and a woman I truly admire.
TTYL and make it a good night,
Debbie

Beadwoven Bracelets

O.k. So I made it to day 2 of A to Z blogging. Well actually, it's 12:03 a.m. on the 3rd day as I sit here typing. I guess I'm a bit late, but what is time but a number, anyhow?  Today's letter is B, so I decided to do a show and tell with my latest beadwoven bracelets.

The first one is a peyote woven cuff. The pattern came from Fusion beads and is free on their website. I couldn't decide on what colors to do all the flowers, so I settled on a simple, sophisticated palette with just a pop of playful purple . I plan on doing another one over the summer based on all the wonderful colors that are bound to be growing all around me very soon.

The second bracelet is done in double St. Petersburg Stitch and makes good use of one of the many vintage buttons I purchased a few years ago at the Brimfield Antique Show. For those of you who follow my blog and were wondering which stitch I was learning a few posts back, it was indeed the St. Petersburg stitch. Remember I hinted that it was also the name of a place? 

So there you have it - a B post for day two of the blogging challenge and my beady show and tell all in one quick post. May I please go to bed now?

TTYL and make it a good day, or should I say a good night? ;)

Debbie