Tag: #freeformbrickstitch

A Bead Muse Muses

Doodling Right Along: In a good way!

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I’ve been doodling right along, but in a good way for a change! Rest is needed, to re-charge your batteries, after any long, and complicated project. The Toho Challenge was certainly that for me! However, my mojo returned last weekend, and I was more that happy to stick around, and bead/stitch. It all started off with my Freeform Peyote Pin class, last Saturday. All I needed was a pile of beads, Fireline, one of my favourite Toho needles (I always buy the 25 pack), and a couple of enthusiastic students. We had a fabulous time! The pieces didn’t get finished …

A Bead Muse Muses

Moving Right Along: It’s a good thing!

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I’m moving right along, and that’s a very good thing! My Toho Challenge for 2024 is finished, and it just needs a great photograph from Dwyn (taken on her SLR), then perhaps a bit of social media! After that, it will get mailed off to the challenge coordinators. Later this week, or the beginning of next!! Over the weekend, we received notice that our 2023 challenge piece is in transit from Toho in Japan, to BeadFX, and will be back in our hands soon (we hope). The current plan is to have it on display in the store, so when …

A Bead Muse Muses

My Toho Challenge is Coming to a Close!

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My Toho Challenge for 2024, is coming to a close! It’s so close, that I can almost taste it! Whoopee! Am I happy, or sad? Or, could I have mixed feelings? I talked to you about transitions last week, but hadn’t firmed up my plans. I ended up using Freeform Brick Stitch. It goes with the frolicking, fun, free nature of the piece. But I wouldn’t want to make it serious, or calm it right down, would I? The piece is quite light, but with it coming to a close, I wanted to figure out a unique ending. I thought …

A Bead Muse Muses

Fascinated by Stitch: Brick, Peyote, and Bead Embroidery!

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I’m fascinated by stitch, especially brick, peyote, and bead embroidery! But what does that mean? Is it a hobby, an artistic vision, or just plain obsession? For the sake of argument, I’m going with something between obsession, and artistic vision. I just love stitching with beads, but I also love stitching with needle and thread. It does take time, but it’s time well spent. It all started with the Bead Journal Project. I learned everything I could about bead embroidery, then moved on to intuitive bead embroidery, and wire bead embroidery. I even bead embroidered buttons! In the early days, …

A Bead Muse Muses

Celebrate with the Colour Purple!

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Should you celebrate with the colour purple, if it’s not really your colour? No, you should embrace whichever colours you enjoy, then entertain yourself by connecting with friends, and family. I enjoy traditional colours, but there’s no need to restrict yourself to red, and green. Why are they traditional colours, and who decided we should use them? Bah Humbug! Let’s revolt! I like to work intuitively with colour, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t choose a certain one, if I’m giving a gift, or working in a theme. It’s good to restrict your palette, just to stretch your imagination. …

A Bead Muse Muses

Rocking, Rolling, Recycling, and Remembering!

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I’ve been rocking, rolling, recycling, and remembering, but that’s not all. I’ve also been reflecting on the work that I’ve been doing, then considering if I’ve been going in the right direction. It might be early, but it’s time to start contemplating 2024 classes, to stay on top of my game. What does rocking, rolling, recycling, and remembering have to do with this blog post? Probably not all that much, but you must admit that it’s a catchy title. LOL! I might have gone a little overboard with my October Bead-A-Long colour palette, but at least I have a nice …

A Bead Muse Muses

The Luxury of Choice! Beads, glass or paper?

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What’s this about the luxury of choice? Will it be beads, glass, or paper, or a combination of all three (with a little paint thrown in for good measure). My work is solely based on whims, and I feel like a whimsical journey coming on. Next year, I don’t plan to have any real plans, so I can follow my muse wherever it takes me. I suspect that long-term-projects might not be in my 2024 future. But I should never say never, because that traps me in never, never, land. That’s not good! I’m starting off the luxury of choice, …

A Bead Muse Muses

Flirting About with Art! But in a good way.

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I’ve been flirting about with art, but in a very good way! Variety is the spice of life, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t re-visit old techniques. Some of them are good enough for another round. Last week was full of techniques, and I’m itching to get right back to playing with them. I wonder what I will choose for next week? Who knows, but I’m certainly game to try? In my mind, freeform = artsy, so here’s my blended Freeform Brick Stitch/Freeform Peyote Kilt Pin. I showed it in last week’s blog post, but mentioned that I wasn’t …

A Bead Muse Muses

Sharing, Caring, Teaching, and Exploring!

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I’m in the mood for sharing, caring, teaching, and exploring! It’s also the beginning of fall, but the weather has been just the way I like it. Due to the cooler nights, some of the leaves have begun their colour change, but they’re definitely in the earlier stages of transformation. It looks like the weather is going to hold for a while, and that’s perfectly okay with me. Yesterday, we had an unexpected treat at BeadFX! One of our newer customers, Maria K. from Ukraine, dropped by with her family, to pick up a few more beads for some of …

A Bead Muse Muses

Where Did My Creative Summer Go?

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Where did my creative summer go? I always have such big plans, but it seems that I’ve been bogged down with a couple of ongoing projects. The Bead-A-Long has been consuming a lot of energy, yet there’s also my latest Bead Encrusted Orb taking up a lot of my time. I love my freedom, but somehow these two feel a little heavy on my creative palette. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t enjoyed beading them, but it’s August 30th, and fall is just around the corner. There are many things that I haven’t accomplished, but I guess that’s just par …