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Yesterday was so much fun! I beaded all afternoon!
My friend Beverly came over with all her bags of beads, I got out my stash, and we cranked out the jewelry! Five hours worth! Can you imagine anything more fun?
I did a wire wrapped bracelet. This consumed most of my time. Anyone know where to buy base metal wire on a spool? I think I could have gone much faster if I had longer wire to work with.
Another wire wrapped ring.
A soldered charm for myself. Reversible.
I don’t know about you, but when I make stuff it usually is for someone else. I decided that it was high time for me to have a necklace of my own. This time the soldered charm went smoother because I had the queen of charms there to guide me. I think I am getting the hang of it. It still takes two people to do the jump ring, but Bev and I did pretty well together.
By the time we wrapped up it was time for dinner. I invited her family to stay, but I guess the mention of zucchini pretty much killed that one. Sorry Scott! We’ll plan for next time to be meat and potatoes night! I am blessed to have friends who are good enough friends to tell me they don’t like what’s for dinner!
Weekend in review . . .
Friday – Caspian was great! Sometimes the second in a series is a let down, but this one was not! The boys liked it even better than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (Lot’s of fighting and swordplay!!! The only thing they didn’t care for was the kiss at the end. Oh, yes! A kiss in Narnia . . . was that in the book? Ha!) I highly recommend this movie.
Saturday – Craft day with the girls. Our group got together and crafted for hours!!! Thanks for hosting, Michelle! I have been wanting to learn how to make wire wrapped rings for a while. Michelle found a great tutorial and we tried it out on Saturday. My first attempt was not so successful. The bead was too big and my wire skills were rusty. It looked clunky and tangle-y.
The second one was much better. I used a smaller bead and wrapped the wire a little tighter and neater. Viola!
Sunday - AWANA award ceremony. I was so proud of my kids! The director has been making a paper chain for every verse the kids have said this year. Noah had the longest paper chain in his group, and Landon got the Timothy Award (very prestigious in AWANA). Good job guys!
This embroidered one’s to go along with the outfit I made for my niece. ‘Cause a real bird in hand is very hard to accomplish for a three-year-old! Shoot! I’m in my 30’s and haven’t accomplished that one yet.
I also made her a simple stamped necklace with her initial on it. 
I gotta stop!
Saturday was a complete success. Not only did we manage to craft, but we also threw a birthday party in the mix as well. Nothing like crafting, cupcakes, and good friends.
I decided to work on the beading project. I found the necklace design in Simply Beads magazine. It was a simple design using chain and beads. The original design called for using fluorite chips. They are a pale blue color, but I wanted something more dramatic. I used a mix of carnelian, turquoise, and agate chips. I used smoky colored glass beads as well. They take on the hue of what ever color you put them with, be it black, brown, or gray, which makes it very versatile.
For the pendant, I used a large turquoise piece, though I had to tweak the way it was hung. It was supposed to be free floating on the chain, but when the necklace shifted, it made it look cockeyed. Who wants that! I made a slight change and hung the pendant permanently in the middle of the chain. Much better! I have several other variations that I want to try with this necklace, including a stamped metal pendant.
Future fun guaranteed!
Saturday is craft day!!! It is so much fun to do crafts with friends. Our group gets together periodically, and we each bring what we are currently working on. There is a lot of laughter, good conversation, and just plain old fun!
So what am I working on? Well, let’s just say that I went shopping today to gather my supplies.
I have a hard time narrowing down which project to tackle first, so I always bring a variety to craft day. We’ll see which project calls out to me on Saturday.
Have a good weekend!
