Challenges

I am a member of the Beading Forum and each month the Brisbane & Surrounds members meet up.  We have a wonderful day of beading, eating and chatting.  What more could you want?  A day out with friends and the chance to bead to your heart's content.   Quite often we set a "Meet Challenge" and members can learn a new technique or use a medium not familiar to them.  One such challenge was freeform peyote using wire and seed beads.   We each meandered along the wire with our seed beads creating very individual bracelets.  Magazines such as Beadwork and Bead & Button provide the inspiration for these challenges.  A few samples are below.

Building the Empire

Just a quick look at some of the seed/crystal stock.  Hmmmmmm,  there are still some empty spots there!

 

My Journey Into Beading....

My journey into beading has been up and down.  I watched my sister string a necklace one day and thought "I'd love to do that".  Not seeing myself as creative in any way, I asked her to show me how to do it.  The words, tigertail, crimps, flat nose pliers etc were alien to me.  I was all fingers and thumbs but after ruining a number of crimps and tigertail lengths I finally got it!  I had an illusion necklace in front of me and was beaming from ear to ear.  


Not having the money and, I suppose the knowhow,  I haunted the op shops looking for old necklaces I could pull apart, another suggestion from my sister.  I found it impossible to walk passed an oppie without going in and checking out their beadie wares.  Soon, however, I needed more.  


Totally obsessed by this stage I found a wonderful site www.beadingforum.com.au
It opened up a whole new beading world.  I suddenly realised that stringing was not the only thing I could do with beads.  I could weave them too.  With a lot of help and advice from fellow beaders I launched down a new path and into another world.  The world of seed beads!  I am still totally obsessed with them.  Next came crystals.  Such beautiful sparkly little things.  I can't live without them.


I have since dabbled in wirework and polymer clay but my heart will always lie with beadweaving.
Over the last 7 years the bead and I have become one.


Thank goodness I have a patient husband although sometimes I think he must tear his hear out with my obsession. 

Venturing out......

I've finally ventured into the world of blogging.  My New Year resolution is to be more visable on the web.  Here's hoping I live up to it.....