Sunday Funday, Week 4

Week of November 3 - 9, Beginning of November.

I have no beadwork to show for this week.  What, you ask?  How is that possible?!?  Well remember those ornaments I showed at the end of last week's post?  I had to dismantle my beading set up so that I could have a place to use my sewing machine and dye.  I finished 39 ornaments!

Just look at them all!  I've got to get The List finalized so I know how many more to make this week before I put the machine away and get back to beading.  So even though I haven't been beading, I've been keeping very busy.

I've also had a great bead mail week, thanks to my beadfriends!

Lesley Watt of THEA Elements and THEA Jewellery is one of my fellow writers over on the Art Jewelry Elements blog.  She makes lovely ceramic and bronze clay components, and sent me a swap package of both, all the way from her home in Southern England.  Just look at all these goodies!  I'm going to make Lesley a piece of jewelry using the bronze clay ammonite cabochons (below) in return!

Remember my friend Sherri that does the awesome micromacrame?  We seem to have a quite a bit of mail going back and forth lately.  I offhandedly mentioned that I would like to try one of her kits at some day, and this little selection showed up in my mailbox a few days later!

There is black/purple, and black/white cord for making wrap bracelets with my own beads, plus a kit to make an "Owl", and Sherri's "Leaves" bracelet.  I've already watched the videos over on Sherri's blog, and I hope to start experimenting sometime before Thanksgiving.

I also received a nice little surprise from Jenny Davies-Reazor, another AJE member, and someone who's work I've ogled for years.

I love all of the symbolism and history that Jenny puts into her pieces - you can tell that she is passionate about putting meaning into her components.  She also makes full-size ceramic art tiles that are spectacular!  You should check out her work!

I finally got some new pieces listed on Etsy, like I've been promising.  I had good luck with writing, so there are a few more that will go up this week.  Keep an eye out on my Facebook page - I will post updates when they go live.

Along with all the ornaments and typing that I've done this week, I'm in the middle of holiday gift making.  I was in the need of some inspiration (and needed to get out of the apartment) earlier in the week, so I went over to the yarn store across town.  I had been there years ago when we lived in Nashville before, but since that time the shop has moved and expanded, and is one of the BEST yarn and fiber shops I've ever been in.  The riot of color and texture was just what I needed, and I couldn't resist buying this awesome Japanese thread-like yarn - silk, twisted with stainless steel wire (as thin as spider-silk).  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!

Ok, so no surprise that I got the purple yarn, right?  The stainless steel wire is so fine that it only shows up when the light hits it just right.  But it still adds body to the silk, so rather than being limp, this tassel is almost fluffy!  Those little white "hairs" you see in the picture are actually the steel wire, reflecting the light.  I'm going to have to try some teeny tassels next, something earring sized.

Thanks again, for catching up with me this week!  Don't forget to check out my first post over at the AJE blog!  As always, you can keep up with my daily beading exploits on my Facebook page, and shop on Etsy!  As always, thanks for looking!