2/3/2003

Here's the first creation!

I made myself a birthstone ring.... and a pair of earrings.

They're pretty close to actual size (on my screen, anyway).

I made the earring findings, and the ring itself, with 22 gauge gold filled wire, and Amethyst, sterling, and gold filled beads.

It took me about an hour, from start (I already had everything out) to actual posting.

M-8, C-1, F-5

2/4/2003

Today I got up and, first thing in the morning, made this little "Magic Book" about my trip to Kauai. Those of you who were at the Island Bead Getaway saw me traipsing around with my digital camera, getting pictures of this beautiful island. Figured I should do something with them!

The book is 2 3/4" square, and made from 1 sheet of cardstock, that is cut and folded to make 16 pages. Because I had to print it out several times, until I got the front and back sides to print in alignment, I also have a tiny set of photo cards. I'll eventually figure out something to do with them.

The cover is cereal box cardboard, covered with nubby paper that's been in my collection for awhile.

I find myself thinking about and looking forward to what I'll make tomorrow as I go to sleep. It's harder to take the picture and actually post it. I'm wondering how long it'll be before I skip a day (or two!), but I hope I don't...

M-5, C-1, F-5

2/5/2003

OK, today this was hard. I worked for my sister all day (She's just started her own catering company, Sweet & Savory. E-mail me if you need an event catered in the San Diego area...) and I so needed a nap when I got home at 8pm. I didn't wake up until midnight, and now I'll probably be up all night.

Anyway, I needed an instant gratification project. I made a zipper pull for my purse from 16 gauge copper wire, rutilated quartz, amethyst, and a gold star spacer bead. It's wrapped right on the zipper tab. It took me about 15 minutes of playing with beads (Always good!) and 5 minutes to put together.

M-6, C-1, F-5

2/6/2003

I love boxes! Here's a Pyramid Gift Box, using a photo of a brilliant Cactus Flower from Jeannette's back yard, printed on cardstock. This little bear wanted her picture taken, too! The box is about 3 1/2" tall, the bear about 2 1/2". She's made of Ultrasuede, with Onyx eyes.

I got up early and made the box, then went back to bed! I look forward to making these goodies. I'm glad I'm doing this thing. Guess I'd better go do all that paperwork that I've been avoiding!

M-4, C-2, F-3

2/7/03

Similar to my zipper pull, this key fob is a birthday gift to an Aquarius friend. I "wrapped" it in the box from yesterday.

I'm still getting used to the idea that I HAVE to make something. I'm enjoying it thoroughly, though.

M-8 C-1 F-6

2/9/03

Variation on a theme... This sparkle wheel has raindrops on it. They made it just a little wavy around the edge, but it's still pretty!

Last day of work for my sister until next month. I'm feeling grumpy and tired today, and this little project was something to look forward to when I got home. For some reason, I couldn't get a picture that I liked. This one will have to do!

M-6 C-2 F-3

2/10/03

More variation... I really like this one. It's actually the smallest of the 3. When I'm happy with exploring the possibilities here, I'll take a picture of all of them together.

Working on my taxes today, so this was a welcome break...

M-6 C-2 F-3

2/11/03

I made 2 smaller wheels, and a necklace for them. These are the standard amethyst color crystals, the same as in the above pic. I'm having a little trouble getting true color with my camera. I keep trying different lights and settings, and then I play with levels and hue/saturation. It's another thing to learn!

I'm in a really bad mood today, but PMS does eventually go away.

M-2 C-2 F-4

2/12/03

Here's another box... It's just over 2" square. The background is a photo of moss on lava-rock that I took in Kauai, the bugs are from a coffee table book of beetles.( I got the book from the library and took photos of the bugs. So It's just for me - It'd be a copyright infringement if I used these for resale. I'll have to take my own bug photos!)

I have a book called "The Packaging Designer's Book of Patterns" by Lazlo Roth and George Wybenga, that's chock full of every box design you can think of. It's so inspiring! So many possibilities! I love possibilities, and have a hard time finishing things, because then you've closed off all the possibilities for that project.

M-5 C-2 F-4

2/13/03

Today I made 3 of the same technique beads out of different beads. Does that make sense? :) The first uses 5mm flat bicone Czech Crystals, the second is 3mm Swarovski crystals, and the third is color-lined teardrops. The drops were tricky - they kept spinning around, and pointing to the inside. I think I made a mistake on this one, but it's hard to tell...

M-2 C-2 F-4

2/14/03

Happy Valentines Day! Here are 2 slightly different heart charms, made with peyote stitch.

I'm not really happy with the placement of the white beads. I could make a graph on the computer, and try out different placements, but these are so quick to make, that I could just make a few more and try it out that way. I think they'd make nice earrings, or a pretty little necklace.

I'm still kind of depressed and crabby, but a friend took me out to dinner, and gave me a really nice v-day card, so the day is ending up a lot better than it started out.

M-2 C-2 F-4

2/15/03

Some days it's really hard to force myself to make something before I go to bed.... so tonight I made these little wishing stars. They're folded from a strip of paper, and you write a wish or fortune on it, before you fold it up.

M-4 C-2 F-6

2/16/03

A Guardian Angel for my Computer.... He's got a quartz crystal inside him to help protect. He's hanging from a hook I fashioned out of copper wire.

While I like a good creative frenzy, there's a lot to be said for organization, too. I wanted to give him hair, but my yarns are in a box that's too far back in the pile. I just couldn't get to it without hours of rearranging. I need to clean out my beadroom!

M-3 C-2 F-4

2/17/03

This is my version of a paper purse I got as a vendor at the last bead & Button Show. It was filled with snacks to keep us happy. I collect unusual boxes, etc., so I can make my own. The original was 7 x 10", while mine is (of course!) tiny - only 2 1/2 x 3 1/2". Hey - It's gotta fit on a sheet of cardstock... I could reduce the pattern and make it smaller if I really wanted, but it's a good size for a jewelry gift box now.

I know I have some little Velcro dots with sticky on them that I wanted to use on the closure, but couldn't find them, so I used a pretty pin, for now. Ah, to be organized!

M-4 C-2 F-4

2/18/03

Here is a "cage" for the bead I made on the 13th. I love the raku-look twisted bugles, but I'm not really happy with the cage itself. It needs to be redone, and the tension kept more even, but at least I figured out how to make one.

I wanted to make something "instant" this evening, as I started at 11:30 pm. OK - so I spent an hour looking through my book collection for ideas. I got really inspired, but rejected all the projects (for tonight anyway) because they'd take too long. I figured the cage would be fairly quick, but here it is almost 2:30 am, and I'm just finishing up. Time flies! It sure didn't seem like it took that long, while I was actually beading.

M-5 C-2 F-3

2/19/03

I really resisted, today.... I wanted to say "I made myself something to eat - doesn't that count?" I want to make something that's fabulous and different, and most of the ideas I have right now are for 2 or 3 day projects, not an hour or so.

OK - so I tried a star using these lovely matte gold twisted hex beads. They seemed to get dull and dirty looking as soon as I touched them. Maybe the oil from my hands reacted with the finish somehow. The star does keep itself pretty flat (round beads have a tendency to flop and fold) and might be pretty on a Christmas tree, but it's too bulky for an earring. Oh well, at least I did something...

M-3 C-2 F-3

2/20/03

I asked my good friend what I should make today, and she asked for a dragonfly out of beads and wire, in light blues and greens. I like it! The technique could use some improvement... Can you tell I'm a perfectionist? I used 28 gauge wire, so it won't hold up to wearing as a pin, but it'll look pretty sitting in a potted plant. ( I wrapped his legs around a recycled chopstick.)

M-2 C-2 F-4

2/21/03

This is a zipper pull for my camera bag... It's fun to decorate all my stuff. It marks it as mine, and allows me to look at all the beads I've collected,instead of hiding them in a box.

M-3 C-2 F-3

2/22/03

I've been collecting these amethyst briolettes in different sizes, shapes and qualities. I love them, but haven't used them yet in anything, so I made a couple of quickie necklaces, to see how they hang. They're strung on Nymo B doubled (the only thing I had that would fit through their holes) with size 14¼ 22k gold-lined seed beads. I was tempted to save one necklace for tomorrow's project. Would that be cheating?

M-4 C-2 F-3

2/23/03

This bead is inspired by Laura Shea and her "Archimedes Beads". I'm fascinated by any of the geometrical mathematical shapes, especially if they make stars!

I'm amazed at all the different goodies I've made so far, but I'm starting to feel frustrated by having to finish the project in one day.

M-5 C-2 F-4

2/24/03

Here's a simple wire bracelet, made with a lampworked dichroic star bead and gold filled wire.

M-5 C-1 F-4

2/25/03

Mom asked for a pair of earrings to go with her jade necklace. I just happened to have these that almost match.

I had to force myself to make something this evening. Some days it's easy - but this wasn't one of them. It'll be interesting to see if any patterns develop, depending on how I eat, time of month, and so on.

M-6 C-1 F-3

2/26/03

This box is called a "Casket Box". I scanned in the pattern a long time ago from a book - don't remember which one, sorry! I resized it to fit on one sheet of cardstock, then printed one of my photos of bamboo on the other side. The box is 2 1/2" x 1 3/4" x 1 1/4" tall. It would make a nice presentation box for a special bead or bear...

I'm still resisting getting started on each project, but really enjoy doing them.

M-7 C-1 F-5

2/27/03

Here is an attempt at making a crystal fairy. I really don't like it and was going to make something else, but decided to go ahead and post it anyway. I'm such a perfectionist! It's a lesson for me, it was a learning experience, and now I know about a few more things that don't work. I'll probably cut it apart and use the crystals in something else.

M-7 C-1 F-5

2/28/03

Since the crystals were already out, I threw together this bracelet. Some things have to be forced - this one kind of put itself together... and I like it!

M-7 C-1 F-4

3/01/03

I liked the color combination on the bracelet above, so I made another... they're really the same size and colors, but I didn't get the scale or the color levels the same in the photos. I used the same settings, and the same light - guess I still have much to learn when it comes to photography!

M-6 C-1 F-5

3/02/03

For many years, I've been keeping a notebook... it's a combination budget planner, to-do list, idea book, journal - you get the idea. It's time to start a new one, and I always have fun decorating and personalizing it. I glue postcards along 3 edges to make pockets on the inside divider pages, add stickers, and this one even has it's own bead charm.

This entry marks the completion of one month of my "Daily Creation" commitment to myself! Granted, February is a short month... but I did it! Thanks to all of you who've taken the time to write me a note and give me encouragement. It means a lot to me.

M-7 C-1 F-4