#rustdyeing – BeadFX

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

September 2021 Bead Mat Update: The bead goes on!

By Anne Marie September 29, 2021 September 28, 2021 0

My September 2021 bead mat update is going to get a little nostalgic, so be prepared to see that the beat goes on! The reality is that I’ve been busy with non-beading/stitching activities, so I really don’t have much new to show you. However, I do have some ideas that I’d like to explore, that relate to past projects. I’m back working on my free form peyote ‘Dancing’ piece, but that’s all the current beading that I have to show this week. But, remember this Butterfly and Ladybug piece from a while back? It still needs a pin back, and …

A Bead Muse Muses

Waiting for Tomorrow: Because today is a pain!

By Anne Marie August 11, 2021 August 10, 2021 0

Waiting for tomorrow is quite the exercise, because today is a definite pain! Wait a minute, but tomorrow is actually today, for the purposes of this blog post. Okay, I’m waiting for today, because it’s actually Tuesday that was the pain. I can handle the heat, but the humidity is a killer. Plus, we’re expecting unsettled weather, so that means the possibility of weather-related headaches, is always in the forecast. Yesterday’s pain was a doozy, so all I really wanted to do was to lie down, turn the lights out, and wait for tomorrow (which is actually today). But I …

A Bead Muse Muses

Have a Heart – Give creativity a chance!

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

Have a heart, because believe me, this post is not all about flowers and candy! I won’t regale you with sappy stories, because creativity is my true love! Do you believe me? If not, you should! Let’s start with one of the oldest hearts in my stash! Made years ago, for no particular reason, except that I loved everything about it! My bead embroidered heart doll! Not tall, not elegant, but certainly delivers the have a heart feeling. A heart from my Bead Journal Project “Leaf” series. Yes, believe it or not, this is the shape of a real leaf. …

A Bead Muse Muses

Collecting Collections: But that’s not all!

By Anne Marie September 23, 2020 September 22, 2020 0

Collecting collections, seems to be my way of life! I make no apologies, because it’s something that I love to do. I’m not only collecting collections, I also make collections, because I love to work in series. So, this blog post is going to be a little bit of everything, but don’t worry, it will be over fast! Much faster than the actual work, the collecting, then figuring out what to do with it all! I worry that my collections will eventually come to an unhappy ending. But let’s not talk about that!! I really don’t have enough space for …

A Bead Muse Muses

What’s she up to now?

By Anne Marie September 9, 2020 September 8, 2020 0

What’s she up to now, you say? Nonsense of course, but not all beading related. I’m writing a couple of articles, but it’s consuming a lot of my energy. My deadline is looming, so I really do need to get the lead out! My beading adventures continue, with my freeform peyote, quartz piece. I’m still working on it, but hope to have it finished soon. I made another mask chain! A butterfly, a heart, and 6/0 seed beads. Simple stringing, but geared toward something a little girl would like. I converted my Talisman pendant, to a mask holder, but only …

A Bead Muse Muses

Stitching and Straying!

By Anne Marie June 10, 2020 June 9, 2020 0

Stitching and straying is a pretty funny title for a blog post, but is it? My creative spurts seem to be going in many different directions, so is it any wonder that I’m straying from the beading path? I guess that I should show you the only beading that I’ve been working on, my “Dancing” pandemic piece. As I’ve mentioned before, this piece came to me in a dream, has no end date, yet doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up. But it is a welcome distraction, uses up stash, and definitely serves to keep me …

A Bead Muse Muses

What is Artistic Fear? Plus other ramblings!

By Anne Marie June 3, 2020 June 2, 2020 0

Artistic fear is just like any other fear, but it’s still a paralysing emotion, that can cause a ripple effect in your life. Let’s start with the definition of fear, but I don’t intend to leave it at that, because fear is not always a bad thing. Definition of fear: “An unpleasant emotion, caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. If you are an artist, then you have definitely experienced artistic fear in your life! It’s that blank page, or canvas syndrome, fear of opening tubes of beads, or even …

A Bead Muse Muses

Playing Around and Finishing Up: True or False?

By Anne Marie May 15, 2019 May 14, 2019 0

I’ve been playing around, but not finishing up all that many projects. It’s not because I don’t have any U.F.O.’s (unfinished objects), but rather that my mind has been occupied with other things. I do have stash enhancing projects! That’s what you call making stuff, that you add to your stash, to prepare for making other stuff, at some later date!! I’ve been doing that a lot! When spring calls, and I’d rather spend time out of doors, I tend to work on simple things. Like Gelli printing (mono-printing with a commercial gelatin-type plate), paper decorating, fabric altering, and all …

A Bead Muse Muses

August 2018 Bead Mat Update: Just playing around!

By Anne Marie August 29, 2018 August 28, 2018 0

I almost hate to write my August 2018 Bead Mat Update, because that means that the summer is almost over. It’s still stinking hot in Toronto, but I wonder how long that will last? Kids go back to school, adults breath a sigh of relief, traffic jams increase, and the bead goes on!!! BeadFX customers start gearing up for the holidays (I can’t believe that I just wrote that), and the workshop season shifts into high gear (our Back To Class Open House is on September 8th)! It’s still warm outside, but we’re all itching for a change of pace. …