BeadFest Wire is Coming !!!

I buy beads any and everywhere I find them but my favorite place to buy is BEADFEST!!! BeadFest Wire is coming to my area May 1st for three days. This time I plan to go at least two days. The first day, alone, the second day I am planning to go with beadie friends. Hopefully we will stay for the Moonlight Bead In after the show. At the bead in, you can bring a project to work on and get a chance to mingle with other fellow beaders, the Interweave Editors and BeadFest staff.

The first time I went to BeadFest, I was overwhelmed. There were so many vendors, so many beads and so many customers. I spent too much on impulsive purchases and did not really realize how much money I wasted until I got home. The silver beads I used in these earrings were $15.00 a tube. They are sterling silver lined. I cannot believe I paid that much for the beads. They look exactly the same as metallic silver beads that cost half as much. That is why I have decided to do my homework before going this year.

This time I am planning for BeadFest early on. First, I will write down all of the colors of wire and beads I need and the ones that I have so as not to buy what I do not need. I will also note the sizes of beads and wire.

Second, I will calculate my budget as follows:

Decide on the amount to spend with specific vendors. These are vendors I have purchased from before and I love their items or need additional beads to complete a specific item. These include my favorites for seed beads and wire. Make a list of these vendors and as soon as I get the show floor plan, then highlight their location.

Allocate an amount for miscellaneous supplies, i.e. findings, threads, needles and any hard to find items. Try to keep this amount in the $20.00 range.

Next, allocate the amount for new items. Look for items that are trendy but stand out.

Last, allow a little extra for items I cannot pass up.

I prefer to go the very first day of the show. It is not as crowded as on the weekend and I can take my time. I plan to do a preliminary walk through of the entire show. Take a pen and pad and write down the vendors and items I want to buy. Keep a running total of purchases to stay within budget.


On the second walk through, make purchases.

Hopefully, there will be a little left in the budget to spend when I go back on the second day with my beadie buddies.

Either way, I'll have lots more beads to make lots more jewelry!!!

Happy Sunday !!!

I love a quiet, relaxing Sunday. I am having a very quiet day. Back to work tomorrow after a week off, a nice stay at home vacation. I had lots of plans to do lots of things but got very few accomplished, still happy with those that I did finish.



Seamless peyote cuff beaded with elastic cord and 8.0 beads.

I made this cuff for myself. It took forever to complete. It fits slightly snug and I can't wait to show it off in the warmer weather.








Golden Pagoda Earrings

Beautiful earrings made with golden African Opals and 11.0 seed beads.

In between beading and relaxing, I've been Twittering and reading blogs. I see that I have been tagged by Beautifully Chaotic.

I am supposed to list 8 random things about myself and then tag 8 other bloggers. 8 Random things about me:

1. I have been sewing, knitting, crocheting or crafting since I was 3.
2. Potato Chips are my biggest weakness.
3. I will soon be buying a new car - can't wait.
4. I have a 30 year old daughter and a 7 year old son.
5. I am a streamlink member of Coast to Coast AM.
6. My sewing room is a mess.
7. I have too much fabric and too many craft supplies.
8. I don't know how I survived before the internet!!!

OK - now I have to tag other bloggers.

1. Painting Pam and Paper, too
2. DeeJayPhotography
3. Jessica C.
4. Cat Productions
5. The Josie Girl
6. Gifted Designs
7. Thyme2Dream
8. My Hiding Place in Cyberspace

I LOVE LOST !!!

The wait is over. LOST returns tonight. I am a HUGE fan - a true fanatic. LOST first premiered on September 22nd, 2004 (my birthday). My former husband and I were shopping for furniture for our son's room and we did not make it home by 8:00 to see the begining of the show. I remember listening to the plane crash scenes in the car. I was immediately hooked and I was not even actually watching the show. After the first episode, I would tell people about it and they would say something like, "Oh, thats just another 'Survival'" No way. LOST is the most thought provoking show on TV ever.



I cannot wait for season 5 to begin. Can't wait to see Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Kate, Sayid, Dezmond and Richard (the oh so handsome Richard). There are a plethora of theories but the most probable is that they are stuck in a time loop. As much as I do not want the series to end, I want to know what the secret of the "island" is. I want to know what the "black smoke monster" is. I want to know why Richard never ages. I want to know what the four toed foot is and who put it there. I think he and his people are from the Black Rock and have been on the island over 200 years. That's my theory.





It's not too late to get in and catch up. ABC has the seasons 1 - 4 online.



Incidently, I just realized why Richard is my favorite character. He looks like the young Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone. See my blog post January 1st, 2009.

It's almost time for me to get LOST!!!

!!! CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT OBAMA !!!

On November 4th, 2008, America took a quantum leap on the journey to racial equality. Today we celebrate the inaugural of the first African-American President. The consciousness of our country has shifted. We must now surround our new president with hope, prayer, love and support as he embarks on this very difficult task of leading our country out of war, financial conflict, the disparity in our healthcare system, the rescue of Social Security, the threat of global warming and the ever looming energy problems.

Stay informed and up-to-date with President Obama's progress at:

WhiteHouse.gov
Change.org


!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO CAST THEIR VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008 FOR BARACK OBAMA, THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA !!!



!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA's FIRST FAMILY !!!





















!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN and FAMILY !!!

A Great Day for Beading

Cold, snowy days are the perfect days for beading. It's been snowing off and on all day. Although its just a dusting, its absolutely beautiful outside. I was inspired to make something new. I've been beading all day and just completed these earrings I call "Hoop Dreams". These beauties are made with brickstitch.















I also finished a bracelet I began before Christmas. I used blue and red 8.0 beads in a swirl stitch with a magnetic clasp closure. I think it came out very nice for my first attempt with the swirl stitch.



Hooray for me!!!! I'm on vacation all this week. A well deserved vacation I might add and I hope to work on lots of projects. Stop back to see what new items I showcase later this week.

More Craft Books

I have so many craft addictions, beads (No. 1), yarn, fabric, (fabric is really No.1) clay (and I never seem to do anything with this clay), candle supplies, you name it. I've got a ton of magazines, I literally mean that, a ton. Now I've progressed to buying craft books. I used to buy a craft book here or there. I even was a subscriber to Crafter's Choice years ago but my new addiction is Amazon.com. They have a plethora of craft books. I can hardly believe how many I've purchased in in 2008. Below are a couple of the newest additions to my stash.

2012 - Galactical Alignment - Armageddon???

December 21st, 2012. I first learned of this date from The Bible Code II in 2003. The Bible Code predicts earth's annihilation by a comet. I was so intrigued by this code that I searched the date online and I will never forget the moment that the Mayan Long Count Calender date of December 21st, 2012 end of the world as we know it was at the top of the search engine. I clicked the link and received an express education on the Mayans, the dark rift, the galactic alignment and how the Mayans learned the charting of the stars and calculating time far more accurately than our time is kept today.

As we get closer to this date, I notice that there are more and more television programs focused on 2012. It is Armageddon week on the History Channel. As I update my blog, I am watching Nostradamus: 2012. It is very interesting but at times, I find the predictions of Nostradamus far reaching.

As we get closer to this date, I think the hype will grow and soon we will see 2012 survivor conferences, dvds and kits springing up everywhere. I remember so well all of the preparation for Y2K. I hope it will be exactly the same, a non event - just another day.

After all, in my heart I know that no one knows the day or the hour, except the Father.

!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Happy New Year to everyone!!! I feel so happy about the arrival of 2009. Saying good-bye to 2008 was very easy for me. New beginnings and all that stuff are just what I need. We are about to have a new president that hopefully will undo this economic mess, pull our troops out of Iraq and eventually out of Afghanistan and not allow the US to be pulled into the war with Israel and Hamas.

I spent my New Years doing what has become a tradition for me, watching the Twilight Zone on the Sci-Fi Channel. I never get enough of this show. I saw three episodes that I had never seen before; that was a real treat. This surely tells my age, but I grew up on the Twilight Zone and it certainly helped to shape my interests. I admit to being in love with Rod Serling, even though I was a wee little girl, I just loved his style. He was the epitome of cool. I'm looking for the Twilight Zone theme song to download as a ringtone for my cell phone. My son says the music creeps him out.

This year I decided not to make any resolutions. I've made them all before and they seem to happen in their own time, not necessarily in the year proposed. This year I decided to set goals instead. Specific yet attainable goals. Things I need to accomplish this year rather than changing things about myself. I finally love myself the way I am, not perfect but lovable.

A special thank you and Happy New Year to my blog followers. I will be announcing a new contest very soon.