What the Heck is a Z Box?

Hi there Blogland. Sorry I've been missing in action for a while. All I can say is that sometimes life gets in the way of blogging (and beading). Anyhow, it's all been good. Happy to say that I have been busy finding a better job. More money, more advancement, etc. Just a little further to travel and longer hours. Also been busy with family stuff and connecting with an old friend, who I just happened to turn into a beader. O.k., so now that we're more or less caught up I can answer the question in this post's title.
Q:   What the heck is a Z Box?
A:    A Z box is a sampler of great items from many different Zibbet shops. We are talking variety here. These boxes are on sale at Zibbet and contain samples of items from a great pool of  artistic and crafty talent.
So not to leave you pictureless, here is a sample of my contribution. I have made 15 pairs of earrings. One pair will go into one each of 15 different sample boxes.

You can learn more about the Z boxes here http://www.facebook.com/#!/samplezbox . If you would like to purchase a Z box, you can purchase one here target="_blank" http://www.zibbet.com/SampleZBox . O.k, so that is the most recent project I have been working on. Now we are all caught up. So hopefully, I can  get back to my beadweaving which I haven't had much time for lately. Like I said earlier, sometimes life just gets in the way. Looking forward to showing you new goodies soon, so as usual, I hope you'll stay tuned for more.

TTYL and make it a good night,
Debbie

Snuck one in for Halloween

So I told you that I really enjoyed learning Bead Embroidery, right? Well did I also mention that I have been very busy buying up cabochons and cameos all over the Web? So one of the first ones I ordered was a little something for Halloween. Now please be warned that this cameo is not half as pretty as the cabochon that I worked with last time. In fact the cameo is down-right grotesque and hideous. That's right, I did say grotesque and hideous, but I meant it in a good way. Now that I've peaked your curiosity, Here is my latest:

Now I finally have something Halloweenish in my Zibbet shop, without a moment to spare. At first I thought it would be too big for a necklace and was going to make a brooch. But the teenager known as  Miss Thang Tammy insisted that it was not too big for a necklace. For some reason I took her advice and after seeing her model it, I am glad that I did. So, I will say it now for all of blogland to read and to record it forever - "Thank you Tammy. You were right." Oh well, just wanted to blog it here first, before listing in Zibbet. But first I have to go prepare dinner for the very helpful (and hungry) Miss Thang Tammy. Gotta Run.

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie

I Finally Did It

O.K., So as promised, Here I am posting my latest project. Remember?-, the new technique I should have tried years ago. I really don't know why on earth I waited so long. Maybe because, I've become very comfortable with the beadweaving that I already know how to do. Maybe because I'm a perfectionist and was afraid to mess up. Oh well, all that doesn't matter now. What matters is that I finally got off my lazy butt and did it. O.K., so with out further ado, here is my first bead embroidered pendant:

Can you believe that I have had the beautiful vintage glass cabochon for about a year, and hadn't done anything with it until now? So, for my first stab at bead embroidery, I decided to keep it simple. But now that I have finally tried, I can't wait to try more with it. I really could kick myself for not digging in and learning this earlier. From now on, I am not going to be such a wimp about trying something new. I believe there is a lesson to be learned here. So in closing I'll leave you with a few inspirational quotes on learning.

"One of the greatest and simplest tools for learning more and growing is doing more." - Washington Irving 

 "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."    -   Abigail Adams

 
TTYL and make it a good night,
Debbie

Busy Learning Something New

Hello Blog-Land,
Haven't had time to blog yet this week, because I have been keeping very busy learning something new. Something that I should have had the courage to try years ago, because I just love this technique and have adapted well to it.  So now that I have gotten your curiosity, I have to tell you that I can't post my project yet, because it is still incomplete. I am just trying to decide how I want to finish it off  and what kind of findings to use. Don't worry, I think it will be well worth the wait.

So in the mean-time, I decided that I don't have enough earrings in my shop. So here is what I did complete this week:

Just a simple pair of earrings that I came up with while playing with beads. These are really quick to make, so I decided to whip up a second pair.

Yes, the second ones are definitely for Christmas. I wasn't smart enough to plan ahead in order to make up some Halloween items for my shop, so I am trying to get a head-start on Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I also downloaded a "Days Til Christmas" countdown widget for my shop. I know it's kind of early, but at least now I won't forget to do it later.

Well, just wanted to let you all know what I've been up to and I do hope you stay tuned to see what I have created with the new technique I've been learning. Hopefully, I'll be right back here blogging about it in a few days.

TTYL and make it a good day,

Debbie



Beads of Many Colors

I don't think that I have kept it a secret that I like Czech Glass beads. Well, actually that is an under-statement. I absolutely Love Love Love Czech Glass beads. Especially the multi-colored ones. Lately I've been posting alot about wanting to explore color. What better way to explore than with my all time favorite beads. So here is my latest creation. It is so colorful that I can't even pinpoint what color it is!!!!

Here's the long view.

The bracelet is embellished right angle weave made with multi-colored purple and green Czech Glass cathedral style beads. I also used a seed bead mix of coppery browns and metallic purples for the embellishment. When you are wearing it, the second you move your wrist, the colors seem to change right in front of your eyes. The play of light is also quite interesting with all the iridescent beads in this piece.

You can plan on seeing lots of multi-colored Czech Glass embellished with seed bead mixes from me in the future.  After all it is a no-brainer for someone wanting to play with color without having to spend a fortune on beads. In closing, I'll leave you with another pic. This time a close up. And by the way did I mention that I Love, Love, Love Czech Glass beads?



TTYL and make it a good day

Debbie

Is it Autumn yet?

Just now, as I'm writing this post, I am realizing that I really need to get outdoors more. My favorite season has got to be fall. You know, not too hot and not too cold. So as I'm typing, I'm wondering to myself, " Is it even really fall yet?" So I'm trying to picture what colors the leaves on the trees are. Then I realize, that I really don't have a clue!! Anyhow, I just now went to ask.com and got my answer. The fall equinox happens at 11:09 pm on September 22. So, now that I know, I can't wait for it to officially begin.

I'm sure you heard the saying that there is no where quite as beautiful as autumn in New England. Well, that saying happens to be true. Here is a video to prove it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_QaXZiLhro

Hope you enjoyed the video. Anyhow, here is my latest project. It is a netted choker in autumn colors. The colors in the Czech glass beads, honey and Sapphire, and the gold bugle beads remind me of the Autumn sky line here in New England. Specifically before it gets too dark, when the sky is a very dark blue and the moon is gold and the trees are full of amber colored leaves.

Yes, Autumn in New England can be very inspiring. Now I just need to get out there more, after all it is my favorite season!! OK, seeing as I've been blogging a while now and you still don't know much about me, I'll let you in on a little secret............One of the reasons I love fall so much is because I sneak most of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups out of Tammy's and my nephew's Halloween candy. After all, chocolate can be inspiring too, right?

TTYL and make it a good night,
Debbie

The Color Purple

Ok, so I fnally beaded something which to me, is in fall colors. I have always thought of dark purple as kind of a fall color. Not dressy enough for winter holidays, and not the light purple you see all spring and summer long. Anyhow I beaded up some earrings in a dark purple and mettalic gold. Golden Glow is also a color on the Pantone fall color chart I posted a while back. So, here they are, another pair of brick stitch earrings. This time I also designed the pattern myself. 

According to Margie Deeb (The Beader's Guide to Color), this is a luxurious color pallette. I tend to agree, as this dark purple and mettalic gold together remind me of royalty. I think the best thing about the earrings is that I made them with a small amount of beads that I already had in my stash, left over from other projects. You will probably be seeing a lot more earrings from me, since it has become a recent goal of mine to seriously play with color without spending a small fortune on new beads. As usual, I hope you'll stay tuned for more. In closing,  I'll leave you with a few color pallettes I found on the web. The first is royalty and the second is luxurious. TTYL and make it a good night, Debbie.