#aimeebishop - BeadFX

Hello Dolly – and a few other things!

By Anne Marie June 29, 2022 June 28, 2022 0

Hello Dolly was a theme of sorts, when I was teaching my “Natures Garden”, Beaded Art Doll class at BeadFX, several years back. I always had a fascination with Beaded Art Dolls (BAD), stemming back to an old Yahoo group of the same name (which eventually morphed, kicking and screaming, over to a Facebook group). I lurked on there for years (and am still lurking), before stitching my very first doll. Of course, after the first one, I had to create a workshop, then ended up designing, stitching, and stuffing countless BAD’s, for my students. Including the wool doll form …

A Bead Muse Muses

UFO to Go!

By Anne Marie February 23, 2022 February 23, 2022 3

When I say UFO to go, I mean it! Last week was quite productive on the UFO front, but there’s still room for more work. My oldest UFO in this grouping, is a pearl necklace that I started in a class with Angela Peace, many years ago. I was going through my stash, and stumbled upon a project box that I had forgotten about. In it, was an almost complete necklace, with just one end left unfinished. So, I finished it! Take that, you UFO, you!! In my defense, the holes in the final two pearls were pretty tight, and …

A Bead Muse Muses

Just Moseying Around – at least part of the time!

By Anne Marie February 15, 2022 February 15, 2022 2

I’m just moseying around, minding my business, and creating a little something, something. Not all bead related, but what else would you expect? A collection of Bead/Stitch Meditation Twinchies (2” x 2”), that I made a few years back. It was supposed to be the start of a series, but it ended up being a very short series. I don’t remember why it stalled, but I was either engaged in something else at the time, or wasn’t fully invested. I really do love these little pieces! I promised that I was going to finish another necklace this week, so instead …

A Bead Muse Muses

Working on UFO’s!

By Anne Marie February 9, 2022 February 9, 2022 0

Three of my knotted necklaces-to-be, are showing in the above photograph. They are definitely UFOs, but I’m determined to finish at least one of them, before next week’s blog post. However, I’m happy to say that I finally finished my torch enameled, copper bead necklace on Monday, and I’m happy with the results. It’s shorter than the other necklaces, but it’s so colourful that it still packs one heck of a visual punch!! I’ve been attempting to organize my stash, but I must say that it’s a slow process, and not really one of my favourite things to do. It …

A Bead Muse Muses

Off the Rails Again – But I am productive!

By Anne Marie January 26, 2022 February 2, 2022 2

I’m off the rails again, but still having fun playing around with my new projects. My beading has mostly fallen by the wayside, but I have some new ideas in my head, so keep watching this space! I did add a few more beads to my Venus Jasper, and Enamel necklaces. You won’t notice much of a difference, but I do. I’ve added more beads to both, and now all that’s really left to do is figure out how to end the silk, then add a clasp. The No. 10 Griffin silk does not fit into either a clam shell, …

A Bead Muse Muses

Rocking the New Year – Mixed in with a huge dash of snow!

By Anne Marie January 19, 2022 January 20, 2022 3

I think that I’m rocking the new year, despite a few challenges! How about that massive snow storm yesterday? The last time Toronto got hit with this much snow, was in 2008, and I was actually here to witness it! I’m originally from Vancouver, but was transferred to Toronto in 2008, then back to Vancouver a year later. Oh, I was transferred back to Toronto again, a while later, but that’s a story for another time. Anyway, I worked at Finch and the 404 area (Gordon Baker Road). We got hit with a huge amount of snow. People panicked, and …

A Bead Muse Muses

My Anatomy of a Project: Or should I say projects?

By Anne Marie November 10, 2021 November 9, 2021 0

Anatomy of a project, is just another way of saying, that all I seem to do these days, is work on large project(s). They eat up most of my discretionary time! First up in my anatomy of a project, is my free-form peyote ‘Dancing’ piece. It’s my pandemic project, and it’s not over yet. It’s all about texture, movement, isolation, evolution, change, using my stash, and glorious colour! My second project is even older. It’s a folly, because I wanted a tea cozy, but ended up with a cup cozy. I didn’t understand how much it would shrink. I saved …

A Bead Muse Muses

Crank Out the Ideas: Because the time is drawing near!

By Anne Marie November 3, 2021 November 2, 2021 0

It’s time to crank out the ideas, or crank up the volume, or whatever it takes to get it in gear, and start on your holiday making! I haven’t yet, but I’m never a good example at this time of the year. I start late, then work like crazy, until my parcels are in the mail. Then I relax. How do you crank out the ideas, if you’re not sure what you want to make? I get flashes of inspiration, but if I don’t write them down, they get lost somewhere between now, and never. That shouldn’t ever happen! This …

A Bead Muse Muses

October 2021 Bead Mat Update: Spooky, freaky, creepy, scary!

By Anne Marie October 27, 2021 October 26, 2021 0

My October 2021 bead mat update is spooky, freaky, creepy, and even eerie! I’m not really serious, but it sounds good, and it’s certainly the perfect time of year for bad jokes, foggy nights, delicious treats, and scary movies!! I know that we’ve had some witches in the store (because they like beads too), but certainly no ghouls, or goblins. One spooky afternoon in the past, I was talking to a couple of my co-workers, and the door slammed closed, for no particular reason. Was it the mischievous ghost of beaders past, or just a sudden gust of wind, from …