ooops.... looks like im starting over!

After all my hard work im gonna have to re start my cuff.

I was finally given a cuff base by the lovely Jeri from FB  but i made my cuff an inch too long......!!!

I now have the cuff, and ive learned something...buy the cuff BEFORE i start beading in  future!

Will re blog in a while, when i gwet my head around re doing the whole thing :( 

What a difference a day makes........

Firstly a HUGE thank you to everyone on Operation Tackle that bead stash and beadbuddies groups on Facebook,….  these guys  have been very so supportive and given me the much needed kick up the backside to keep motivated after my major wobble at the weekend.

Today i feel I'm ready to crack on and finish it ... if this blog had sound now it would be blasting out  the theme form Rocky,.... Going The Distance - Bill Conti. ( Brilliant inspirational music) 

I just felt so out of my comfort zone yesterday and longed for my big beads, so i  found some "normal"  beads and made a "comfort" make or two. here's one piece, but the others are for a special challenge to be auctioned for charity which i will reveal  later on in the month. (its all done in secret until the big day) 

this was so much more in my comfort zone...beautiful copper and navy blue  , this is the usual things i like to make.  With  BIG beads and wrapping wires ... not stabbing thumbs with needle that are impossible to thread! 

With the cuff, i did have  a huge wobble and  wasn't sure if i liked it, but  
I will carry on as planned, and if I  hate it at the end… well, I have still learned something. I need to keep reminding myself I am learning something completely new and alien to me...

I am considering unpicking parts of it , and  already I'm thinking of how i would do things differently if i were to do another....so it hasn't put me off completely! 

I will not let those pesky little bleeders win :D 

Here is an update of where i am now ......its the orange bugle beads I'm not happy with mostly. 

 

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Mid cuff Crisis.........

Well, the good news is my backs healing quite well... and I've been able to bead a bit more.

The problem is I am having a bit of a mid cuff crisis.
I decided at the start i would not unpick and re pick this, and go with the flow.... but.............its a bit like Marmite


I honestly cant decide if i  love it or hate it right now.

I did want lots of bright colours  like a garden or nature itself, .... but am wondering if i have just overloaded with colours.  Only time will tell, I'm at that point where i may normally have unpicked it all and either restarted or simply given up....


also I didn't realize how this would feel, I feel like I'm  leaving myself open to peoples comments and criticism. and its more than a little scary to be honest. All those wonderful beaders out there,  and my feeble attempt, have i bitten off more than i can chew?

Here's where I am at now. I genuinely think this is the scariest thing I have ever done bead wise... both making it and blogging about it.

  

A Beady Friend is coming to stay........

A very  good FB beady friend Fiona, is paying me a visit this weekend, we planned it weeks ago  before i had the mishap with the back. I'm so looking forward to it. Shes very into seedies at the moment and I'm hoping she can inspire me.  We met earlier this year at  a bead retreat in  a delightful part of Wales with some lovely ladies.
(am also hoping she can  teach me a thing or two)
   The meds and rest have helped my back considerably,  i am able to do small amounts of beading now.  As i cant sit for long periods  at all, this is still proving tricky,  am trying to do small doses,  but its hard stopping when you are getting engrossed! You know what its like, you are just getting into it and before you know it an hour has passed.... i had to set a reminder on my phone to ensure I only did it in 30 minute spurts. then lying down for a few hours before another spurt. 
I've not made as much progress as i would like. and am  bit worried I'm in the deep end. I'm just making it up as i go along, i really haven't a clue about making cuffs, I just wanted to give it a go.
 I know which beads and colours i want ( well sort of, as it keeps evolving)  but I'm so used to big beads and  pretty much instant gratification, I'm very impatient and  find that I want it finished quickly!
I am worried its a bit immature and not as good as my usual jewellery making......  but then i suppose my early  stringing work wasn't great and i need to practise in order to improve. There's a part of me that feels I'm going backwards...... we shall see.

Another lovely FB  friend  Janet Sherret is a genius with the Fimo, made me some delightful little ladybirds for my cuff....  you can see more of Janet's wonderful creations here (http://www.facebook.com/fungiftsforwrists)

 I love them  they are prefect for what i had in mind. thank you Janet x 

I'm hoping to make it to bead club this weekend, to bead with some lovely people in Letchworth. Although its going to be tricky not sitting down for long.  but i believe Gary may be making muffins and i cant resist  cakes!  

not a whole lot of beading going on.......

Sadly my back is causing me more difficulty than i expected. Whilst I was using any excuse not to start on the pesky bleeders, this isn't what I had in mind! 

I think  the reorganising of my bead room last week triggered of the muscle spasms around my lower discs in my back.... ouch! 

I  saw my  GP this morning and she told me i need to lie down and walk around occasionly and absolutely not to sit for a few days at least.
I dutifully did as i was told, whilst getting very spaced out  on Diazepam and co-codamol    and had an idea (as you do) .  
Beads and tray with bead mat  were brought up to me.... i could bead whilst laying down.... in a few days i may get quite a bit done. (or so i thought) 

Not a good idea....  although the meds helps me not get stressed about the beads flailing around the room and under the bed covers.....oops! not very comfy getting seedies in you PJ's 


Slight progress from yesterday.....  but its going to be a lot slower than i  anticipated.   but i did use some Bugle beads!! 

AT LAST ... i started!

I finally started on my  cuff..........

I used Catseyes flat back petal shapes to make a flower, left it for 3 hours to dry and started to bead around it with my peskies and  disaster struck!! 

The petals promptly fell off!!! oops......
As the cuff bent they just worked lose.

Take 2


I used some delightful  Lampie flowers that i had purchased from Lampwork beads by jo 
(website here....   http://www.lampworkbeadsbyjo.co.uk/)
and i started again....

Here's where I'm up to right now.... i know its not much but I've been putting it off  and now its actually begun...... "aint no stoppin us now" as the song goes :D

Cats and Bead Mats

Well, the mini break from the pesky bleeders certainly did the trick.
Im back in love again.
This bracelet was created last night with Tila beads, fire-polished crystals and size 11 Miyukis 
Special thanks to my friend Fiona for inspiration 

Things are looking good, I found the "safe" place  my sketch book was hiding in. So I'm working on my nature cuff and hope to crack on with it .later today. 


Silly me left my bead mat out last night and its now covered in Ginger cat hairs.... It made a comfy bed for my cat, Tamla.  Off to find sellotape now and remove them before she jumps back on there. Just what is it with cats and bead mats..... both mine adore them!