Angina...

I went to the doctor's today. After the big "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh" with the popsiclestick in my mouth she stated I had irritated toncils. No surprise, I haven't been able to speak nor swallow for the last couple of days. Fever comes and goes and everything is juk! I am living on apples, icewater, biscuits sogged in yoghurt (or cookies in yoghurt) and chickensoup. and I gotta say: enough with the chickensoup!



Christmas was very cosy, not the big dinnerparty we had the last 4 years, but 2 smaller ones. It was different, and I needed to adjust. But it was al good.

I am wishing you all a lovely New Year's Eve, and that 2010 may give you everything you wish for!

Ill, again...

Bleeech, I have a flu. Again... I am feverish and my throat feels very ouch. Eating and swallowing is a pain and I am not happy!!!
Dull is being very sweet for me, he really is taking care of me, which gives me a great feeling. And last night Mom came over to make me some chickensoup. I love her for that...
I'll leave my post like this, don't feel like telling anymore about how I feel...

Christmas is nearly here.

christmas arrangement
Originally uploaded by Chrystallinya

Brrrrr,
It's cold, our city has been covered in snow for the entire week and I've been busy. I finally finished all the jewelry for the party. I did get a new order when I delivered it at the host of the party, but I decided that I couldn't get it done before Christmas.
This month (and year!) has flewn by, I haven't had the time to sit down and enjoy our decorated livingroom, and now I am going to have to take it down in 3 days...
I haven't even decided yet what I am going to make for dinner!
But well, all is well!
Just one more week before the year is over...

Christmas

Christmas arrangement
Originally uploaded by Chrystallinya

For me, Christmas is all about the reds.... (and purple and orange, but these are the colours of our livingroom).
Because I work 40 hours a week (and these weeks maybe even a bit more) I really don't feel like dragging all the christmas stuff out. I am toooo busy to sit down and enjoy them and the work it takes to put everything out is better spent at doing some ironing and vacuuming...
However, you can't let christmas go by without some ornaments around the house.... This is one of the corners, looks quite cosy, doesn't it? I wonder how much time people spent at getting all the decorations up and out...? Do you spent an entire day at turning your livingroom to a winterwonderland, or do you rather spent a little time decorating each day?
Oh, and I told you guys about the crocheted stars and snowflakes right? Here is the result:

I am quite proud of these, it's the first handmade Christmas ornament from my hands, and I am planning on making much more in the folowing years!

bracelets with silver leather & a little anxious

Okay,
First let me start by telling you that getting the tripod out of the closet was a great thing for this blog. I have so much to tell, and it is so much more fun when I have pictures to show what I am talking about.
Second: I have been stalking "the beaders muse blog" all day, because today is the reveal of the muse and the announcement of the winners. Really, I don't think I won, but I am so anxious to see what everybody has made with the muse.
To keep us all posted, Scarlett asked some questions for us to think over. She wanted to know how expressing your creativity through beading has enriched our lives and what our goals are for 2010, beadingwise.
Now, making up goals for the new year is easy! There are so many things I would love to do, dreams to fullfill and plans to make. I want to restrusture, organise and clean up the studio/attic, start a bridalcollection, participate in more challenges and competitions and so on. These goals come up every year, and every year I say to myself: this year it'll really happen...
But the expressing-my-creativity-through-beading-and-how-it-enriches-my-life question was a bit harder to answer... I have been beading for a decade now, and it's so much a part of my life, that I can't imagine myself without my beads. And altough I picked up some knitting and crocheting this year, I will never leave my beads.
And maybe that's just my answer to this question: I can't think of a life without my beads. They make me: ME! So there you go....

And finally, a pic of the leather bracelets. I had a piece of silver leather laying around the attic for quite some time. The night before the jewelryparty I came up with a simple design; I cut the leather in strips and made a wavy band with beads between the waves. I made the purple/black version for the party and the black version is one of the orders. I really like it when something simple takes the spotlight, don't you?

bracelets with silver leather
Originally uploaded by Chrystallinya

our garden, covered in snow

our garden, covered in snow
Originally uploaded by Chrystallinya

I know, I know I said my next post would be about the leather bracelets. But we woke up this morning to this wintery wonderland, and I just had to show how our garden looked like this morning.
We don't get much snow around here, and when we do it will only last a couple of hours. Our country is so crowded that there aren't much places the snow gets untouched.
I really love how the world looks like, covered in snow. So soft and lovely!

tripod in the winter = pics to post! Pt 1!

I pulled out my tripod and took some pictures... Not of everything I've been promising over the last weeks, but just some pics to keep you informed about everything.

Now, I don't want to overflow you with my pics, so I'll post one at a time:

This is the first:

It's blurry and shaken, but I like the feel you get from this pic. It's an up close pic of our tree...

Tomorrow I'll make you guys happy with the pic of the leather bracelets that were a hit at the jewelry party...!

I know you can't wait!

Pic-less Posts

Well hello! I think we can finally draw the conclusion that I am not much of a social person during winterseason… In person I am – or at least I hope so -, but this little blog of mine have been neglected quite a bit. This is mainly due to the fact that it’s dark when I get home. I love blogging, but I really feel that a blog needs pics to be interesting enough to make people read it, let alone come back for it. And taking pics of my jewelry in artificial lighting is really hard!
I know I promised to show some pics of my work, but I’m honest to say I haven’t had the lighting, nor the time. So I apologise.
Did manage to make a lot of new stuff! I even had a jewelryparty 2 weeks ago, I didn’t sell as much as last year, but everything that gets sold is worth a happydance, right?!
The biggest hit at the party were leather bracelets, 4 people ordered one! I also made some necklaces… But no pics yet. (again, I apologise…)
So, now I am still working on some orders from the party, one bracelet in particular has been eating my time. The girl who ordered it saw a black/pink version on the party and decided she wanted it in black/ruby. So I happily wrote down the order, searched around for the right sized and coloured beads, started the thing and after 3 minutes I remembered what a lot of work it takes… But I can do it in front of the tv, so that makes up for it, and I am happy that the colours work up great.
In addition, the Christmas tree is UP! It’s feathery, purple and twinkly and it makes the livingroom cosy! (again, maybe I’ll manage to take some pics). I did get crafty on Christmas as well, I stumbled upon Lucy’s blog recently and fell in love with her blogposts about stars and snowflakes. So I made a couple and added them up to a lovely string of red and white wintery goodness. (again, I will take pics Ah, you get the idea, right?) I really love to make my own Christmasdecorations, there is so much junk being sold, it’s good to make your own quality-stuff!
Oh, and do you remember the Muse? The winners will be announced in 2 days, so that’s pretty exciting! Can’t wait to see what everybody dreamed up about the Muse, and also, I can finally show you guys what I’ve made with it. I bet you’re all very eager to see, right?
I reaaaaaally loved participating in this event. It triggered all my creative juices and gave me a chance to try some new stuff. Usually, when I get an idea I start out with one thing and it evolves to something completely different, usually with totally different materials then I pulled out in the first place. For this event, I wanted to stick to the kit and see if I could guide my creative juices between these borders. I think it worked out, and although I added some extra materials, I also used the entire kit. Please keep posted, because after the Big Reveal, I’ll put some pictures here.

Yeah! You finished this post, even without pics! It does work! Woohoo!

I am still here!

Nonono worries, I didn't disappear or anything.. It's just that I had a jewelry party last night.
My mom was stalking her neighbors to get them into action and book a party with me. So, one finally collapsed 2 weeks ago and said she would like to have it on the 30th of November. Mom called me to tell me the 'good' news and I just dropped everything and ended up in a blurry wirl of beads, necklaces, making booklets, earrings and such... I completely panicked. I always tend to do that, and I am sooooo glad that Dull knows this. I am very happy that he can cope with the wild stare in my eyes, the beads scattered all over the house, daylightbulbs on all evening and me wanting nothing else to do then bead.
"Honey, let's go to the movie tonight," "Uuuhm, sorry babe, but I really need to finish this piece." This went on for the entire 2 weeks.
And then, finally, it was the 30th of November. I put all the jewelry in a bag, got giftwrapping, change and a happy face (and lots of concealer on it to hide the dark circles under my eyes) and I went for it.
In the end, I worried for nothing. It wasn't a very very good party, but I did make some sales, got a few orders and some e-mailadresses and phonenumbers from girls who are interested in giving a party. So all in all, it has been a good night.
I love to do these kind of parties, it usually is a very good way to make some sales and have a nice night. But I really don't like the bewildered type of girl I get during the preparations of these events. I know it gets better when you do more of them, but I just don't seem to be able to persuade people to organise a party. Yesterday was not different. It feels a bit like begging to me. "Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaase will you book a party with me, because I neeeeeeeed the money" That's how it sounds in my head when I start promoting myself, another thing I have to get past, I guess.
So it has been a very educational 2 weeks. The lessons I learned are:

1. Try to get more parties to get used to the preparation-part
2. Keep it together during the preparations
3. In the end, it will all come together.
Now I am off, to take some pictures of the work I didn't sell and to buy Dull a new PS game to thank him for his patience with me during the past two weeks (or 5 years).

Craft-fair part 2 and a move.

Pheeeeeew! Man, am I busy!
We've been moving office this week; nothing but boxes, boxes and boxes... Putting stuff in them and getting out of them at the new place. Pretty heavy work! Monday we'll be starting at the new place and give everything the right spot and such. It's a nice office, but it's a little bit sad, because we moved further from the rest of the offices, so we're all feeling a little bit banished. But we will grow out of it, eventually.
On Thursday (I was a very lucky girl to get the day off, whilst moving), I went to the Kreadoe with Irma. The Kreadoe is a craftfair, with all sorts of crafts. And a lot of beads! I scored a lot of goodies, but I am waiting for some proper (sun)light, so you can all see all the lovely luster and sheen on these babies.
It was a great day! Irma and I talked about making at a yearly event for us to go to. It's good to make plans, right?
I am a bit in a seasonal rut. The falling of the leaves can be pretty nice, but it also gives me a gloomy felling, and I am constantly tired. Bleeeeeech. But it will pass. Come December!

And the earrings keep on swapping...

I am getting on a serious roll with all the earring-swapping… And having serious fun with it as well! The latest swap I am participating is on Swap-Bot (Yes, I know I said I would quit Swap-Bot, but this swap had good guidelines, so I guess I will receive something nice this time). My Swappartner mentioned she’s a redhead, and I just absolute adore olive green and burgundyred on redheads… So I made two pairs, one copper wireworked pair with olive green Czech glass and one woven piece with purple and red firepolished Czech glass. I really hope she will love them…

Fall colored bead-challenge on Beading Daily

Besides the earrings and bracelet swaps, there also is a bead-challenge swap on Beading Daily. For this swap you'll have to make each participant a baggie of beads that suits the theme. Put these baggies in a envelope and ship it to the swapcoordinator, and she makes from all those baggies a challenge package for every participant. Since the gal who hosted this swap lives in Italy, I was the first to receive the package...

I think the mailman hurt his back on this one, 'cause this package was filled with lots of beady-goodiness! Lots of large glass beads, seed beads, semiprecious rounds, copper wire, some findings, ribbon, paper beads, wooden beads, pearls, some focals, and pendants. And the colors! Ah the colors, so lush and well ehm, autumn-y....

I have lots of ideas dancing around in my head... But no designs yet

Swap earrings received!

Joining swaps is so much fun! Not only because you get to make something for someone based on their profile, but also because you get to receive something that is made especially for you....

When I checked my mail a couple of days ago I found a rather large envelope, filled with some lovely gifts! I didn't receive 1 pair, nor 2, no; I received 3 pairs of earrings, a phone/pursedangle, 5 fun beads and some small extra's in one package! It felt like Christmas!

These are copper, swarovski and blue frog beads

The package came from Gipsy Mary, and she did an amazing job on these gorgeous pairs!

These cowgirls are stitched in very very small 15/0 beads, the detail is amazing!

These are stitched with 11/0 beads, red & white

These froggies also came from her, aren't they the cutest?

Amazing eeh!

The creativity continues

Past weekend was a busy one. My best friend and a cousin celebrated both their birthdays on Friday. I made something for both of them. I bought a sterling silver bracelet link bracelet for Irma and added some Swarovski and silver beads as charms. I used Jet, Golden Shadow and Clear 10mm rounds. It's a very bold design, but I really love how it turned out!

For Wes I made a travelpillow, because he's going to Thailand in January. I'll post pictures later on.

I also made a bracelet for a swap on Beading Daily, for Kia.

It's a wirewrapped flower made with Celestial Crystals... the findings are silverplated copper.
She wrote on her profile page she love girly, glitters and glamour and I thought this design would be just her thing. Thankfully she was really happy with it!

Another pair of earrings for a swap...

I have been crafting my ass off this weekend... (sorry for my language, but it just feels like that...) I finished the knitted scarf for Dull, I will take pictures when the sun is out. It actually is the very first piece I finished knitting. I felt very proud. I also started to crochet a hat, but again, no pictures yet.

But I do have some pics to show: a pair of earrings I made for another swap on Beading Daily.

These are quite small, but I like how they turned out, I used brickstitch and herringbone stitch, and used 11/0 and 15/0 beads. I made up the design myself.

Inca was very happy with these, I hope she'll wear them often!

Choker

Being sick at home gives you time. I am sneezing my butt off, but still, I hate sitting on the couch doing nothing. I've tried reading, but the letters keep dancing, and I've seen some movies. Yesterday I watched "The Duchess" with Keira Kneightly. She wears the most beautifull jewelry in this movie, which inspired me to create this:

It's funny, but beading really calms me down. And the herringbone stitch I used for this choker is easy to me, I can do it with my eyes closed. I used Chinese seed beads, which are the most irregular seed beads in the world, but I just love the effect they give the piece. Regularity is sooooo overrated. I gave it a leather strap which closes with snap closures, it gives it a really goth appearance. I think this will be my new fave...

Now I guess I'll continue my knitting... or not.

Flu-ish

I have the flu... I don't get the flu very often, but when I do, I seriously do. I am sniffing, sneezing, coughing, blowing my nose and all those other stuff that comes with the flu (I will spare you the yukkie details). I went to work today, did all the important stuff and left at noon. Dull was leaving for work when I got home, so I was lucky enough to get a hug (YAY).

Now, about the weekend. Altough I felt crappy already on Saturday, mom and I still went to the craft-fair. It has been a long time since I've been at one. We arrived at the start of the thing, and there were lots of elderly women, even my mom lowered the average age there... But later on the crowd got a bit younger (they probably were a little late because of all the party-ing they did on Friday). It was a good fair. Only 3 booths with beads, but I knew that. There were lots of quilting boots, which really isn't my cup of tea. I mean, quilting in the Netherlands is a bit muffy, lots of dark colors and depressing prints used. I only saw 2 or 3 boots that had quilts in lovely young colors.

Altough there weren't much bead-booths I managed to score a bag full of crafting goodies!

The score: 2 big balls of yarn to knit a vest (already casted on, and knitted 20 needles), two cones of yarn for a scarf for Dull (allready started and 2/3 done), and when it's finished I am planning on knitting a hat for myself, 2 crochethooks - 0,6mm (for beading) and 12mm (for rugknitting), a big bag and 2 smaller bags of wool and needles for needlefelting, 6 cards of ribbon/lace/ricrac and 5 baggies with beads.... I never did any needle felting, but it looks like fun. I gathered some info and stuff and I am going to give it a go this week. The knitting is going well. I started with an easy-peasy 'pattern': knit 2-purl 2. So you really can't call it a pattern, but it's a good excercise in repairing lost stitches and faulty stitches. And I am having fun, that's what counts right?

Well, I have to get back to my pot of tea and the blanket on the couch. Take care!

Non crafty period closed

Boy, have I been busy the last couple of weeks. And I am very sorry to say that it hasn’t anything to do with beading…. Nor knitting, crocheting or anything else that involves crafty skills. School, household chores, running errands, bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech. But things are about to change...
This weekend I am going to a craft-fair in our city, together with Mom. I am looking forward to it! Not for beads, because I’ve got plenty, but because I am looking for different things to do. There are so many crafts I would like to give a go, and a fair always give you good ideas on how to get started. Kumihimo, needle felting, plush felt toys making, freehand embroidery… It all looks so interesting. I hope to get some good info on these things. And maybe I will pick up some beads as well. And ribbon, chain, yarn, fabric and such. I guess it’s a good thing they don’t accept credit cards at these events. I would be maxed out in an hour.
I am planning on bringing my camera…

The Ardennes

This weekend we had a familyweekend in the Ardennes in Belgium. We've organised the entire event, because it was such a succes last year. We had a nice time, but it wasn't as nice as last year. But well, those things happen, right? The weather wasn't working along, but on Saturday we went to La Roche en Ardennes. It's a small village that's really turistic, but it really is a sweet village... There's a castle which we've visited.

Very rough, but I love it. I really like ruins and remains of buildings that used to be huge and proud.

In the Beans

Last week was a very dreadfull week, nothing went as I wanted it to go. My feet moved as if they were in a big box of cement and I had a terrible temper... I wrote 3 posts, but dismissed them all, because they were angry, sad or somewhat depressing.

I have these kind of moodswings on a regular basis, and I really don't like them. Actually, I don't like myself when I am in such a downside of a moodswing. But I just don't seem to get out of it at that moment... It'll pass, it always will, but sometimes it takes a liiiiiiiiiittle too long. Sometimes it helps to get a hubbiehug, or to wallow with a very sad movie (because that makes your own life sunnier), or to eat a big can of icecream. But usually it just takes time. Time to gather my toughts, to go through the darkest sides of my inner being, and to collect myself. I sometimes think that people with creative interests have larger moodswings than people that don't care to sit down and create something altogether. When I go through a swing, I get very creative, I need to do stuff to get through it, my hands need repetitive work to give my mind a chance to straighten my thoughts.

So, last weekend, I gave a wall in our bedroom and our hallway a new wallpaper. I also cleaned up the attic.

And now, I am a happy girl again, with a lovely new papered hallway and bedroom...

Earrings for a swap

I have joined the swaps on Beading Daily a while ago. The first one I've joined is the Secret Santa's V Earringswap. (cool name, eeh?!). My swappartner was Rachael who is fond of the beach. So I sat down, thought about the beaches I've seen and what colours in my stash would reflect those beaches. This is what I've come up with.
This first pair was made in less than a minute, these are silverplated stampings, with Swarovski channels. I've had these little thingies forever, and I thought about them when I was reading Rachael's Bio. Now this second pair was different, I used Pacific Opal and Golden Shadow Swarovski's and seafoam colored 11/0's and ivory 15/0's. I've made up the design myself, and I've had so much fun making them! I hope Rachael will wear them!

Playing with 15/0's

Don't worry, I am talking beads here.... To all the non-beading-enthusiastics: 15/0's are the smallest seedbeads known to mankind. I have putting off working with them as long as I could. The 11/0's were satisfying enough. But now things have changed. I have been beading for a long time and my techniques have shifted quite a lot. Where I started with stringing large beads, I now find myself stitching beaded beads. I use a lot of techniques, and now, with the 15/0's these techniques will evolve more. Especially combined with larger seed beads (11/0 of even 8/0's), you can get intricate designs... But for now I am just playing around, and having a fabulous time!

I'm going to Use the Muse!

Oh dear....
I did it, after a month of thinking, weighing and wondering if I could do it, I finally purchased a Use the Muse III kit. Now the idea of this kit is that you create a piece of jewelry with it, you can use extra beads from your own stash, and you do not have to incorporate every single bead that's in the kit. There is a secret muse in the kit, you only get to see it when you order the kit. You HAVE to use the muse! And that's it. You can do whatever technique you like, and make whatever kind of beaded jewelry you like. Off course you can win prizes... but I am not really up for the prizes, I just want to join such a wonderfull group of artistic beaders. Last 2 competitions had such amazing entries, that it scares me a bit. I hope I will fit in...
It's going to be a challenge, and I am up for it!
Now off to bed, I just came home from school... (Funny thing to say when your 28 years old....)

Our first...

This weekend was our anniversary... Our FIRST anniversary. To celebrate we went to Trier, Germany for 4 days.

We had a lovely time, the weather was working with us and the hotel was nice. The weekend contained everything, we did a little shopping (I guess I'm one of the happy few with a husband who likes shopping, as long as the store has a malecollection..), a little sightseeing the Porta Negra and

the amfitheater,

a little (or a lot) schnitzel and bratwurst eating and of course we celebrated our marriage. When we got married the wheater wasn't that great. But we didn't had any problems with it. The day went by really fast, but not in a blur. We had such a fun day! And now, one year later, we have our pictures to look back at this fabulous day!

Have a nice week everybody!

Fabulous days

Weekend has flewn by again! The weather is cooling down so quickly, I've allready changed the duvet on our bed, since I've woken up cold twice last week. I really like the warmth in bed when it's getting colder. Weatherforecast is telling us temperatures will rise by the end of the week, so I guess we won't be happy with the thick bedcovers by then, but we'll see.
This weekend was really laid back, we did a little shopping, went to the market on Saturday and cleaned the house a bit. Yesterday the family came over for a familydinner and we had a nice time. It was quite a challenge to cook 10 kilos of mussels all in one time, but with the big pans of both moms, I managed it. I've cooked 4 kilos in water (and veggies), 3 kilos in dark beer and 3 kilos in white wine. I've baked 10 baquettes and 2 kilos of fries. We had applepie with vanilla icecream for dessert and lots of wine before, during and after dinner. And now I'm at work, with a light buzz in my head... But who cares, after a nice weekend?
I finished some necklaces for the co-worker, I'll try to post some pictures this evening. I am also working on earrings for a swap on beadingdaily. But I can't post pictures of them before the swap-date.... I hope (and I know this hope is not futile) that the stuff I'll receive in Beading Daily swaps will be of better quality then the ones from swaps on Swapbot. I have received some real bad things there. And when I say bad, I really mean bad. I usually spent a lot of time on my swaps, I've send some lovely beadwoven pieces, with crystals and such, to receive some simple strung plastic-elastic pieces in return. (not plastic-fantastic...) I have been disappointed too much, so I quit Swapbot. Hope Beading Daily Swaps will turn out better!!!

Fall's creatures

This weekend Fall really kicked in, I've woken up early because I was cold, and the wind was blowing around our house.... I haven't smelled it yet, but I'm positive it's just around the corner. The grapes in our yard are almost ready to be eaten, and the roses are being eaten...
Now I haven't got a macrolens for my camera, but I managed to take a picture of these little basterds, eating all of the leaves of our roses. It's been a hard year for the roses, they have been sick, and I had to trim them very short, in order to get them healthy again. They managed to grow some new leaves and flowers, and now they're being eaten. Sad...
I also took a picture of a spider, but it isn't a very good picture... I am one of those girls that isn't afraid of spiders. I really like watching them weaving their webs and catching their preys. Amazing how they manage to survive on those very thin threads, with winds blowing around. And the early morningdew on those webs is stunning!

We bought some new pillow cases for our livingroom, I really love them, the colors are very Autumn and I love the print. The red one shows the colors of our livingroom; red, orange and purple.

Tomorrow the family is coming over for dinner. I'm cooking mussels for 10, hope I'll manage. Looking forward to it, I love it when everybody gets together!

Have a good weekend, all!

AutumnGirl

August has come to an end…. And days are shortening really fast. I came to realise this weekend, that I am more of a Autumngirl than a Summer-type. Don’t get me wrong, I love the long days, the Sun, and the mood Summer seems to bring people in. But I don’t like the high temperatures and the fact that friends leave the country for a couple of weeks, for their vacation. My birthday is on the 4th of July; when I was younger this sometimes meant that my familymembers were on holiday, and my birthday wouldn’t be as big of a party as I hoped for. My 16th birthday was great, everybody was there because the summer holiday was late that year. But my 17th, everybody was away, and I spent my birthday (which actually was on Saturday) going out alone….. I felt so sorry for myself…. My 18th birthday made up for it though, so all was well again. But to get back to my point: I am an AutumnGirl. I don’t know many people who like the fact that Summer is over, but I am one of them. I love a lot about Autumn;
1. You can finally wear the clothes you bought in August,
2. You can pull your boots out of the closet,
3. Cosy nights indoors with candles,
4. The food,
5. The approaching of the holidays,
6. Planning a nice weekend in the country
7. And since this year; our anniversary…
We got married on 12 September 2008, so this year will be our first. We haven’t planned anything yet, but we’re both taking the week before it off, to do some things in the house. Maybe we’ll go away for the weekend, we’ll see...

I need a little headrest!

I am in a weird state of mind, it truly is going crazy (my mind, that is). I can't get my attention to focus on anything longer then 10 minutes. I've got a beading table full of WIP's to show for it. And if this state of mind lingers on me a little longer, I swear, all this WIP's will become UFO's, and who likes UFO's on their attic? I'm sure I don't. I've tried a lot to get my mind tuned down, listening to all kinds of music; from Linkin Park to K's Choice to Norah Jones, Joss Stone, Nickelback and so on. Nothing helped. My mind just bounced along with the uptempo (it didn't get tired, whatsoever), and wandered along the downtempo music...

My beading table, just the way it is....

I've pulled out the Wii Fit, off course I didn't recognise it at first because of all the dust on it. I had to search for the Wii remote, had to change the batteries in both the remote and the board. Then I had to search for the cd, because it wasn't in it's tray. Had to search for the nicest training pants and finally, after 35 minutes of setting up I managed to do an hour of Wii-fittingthingies. I even broke a little sweat. After that I hopped into the shower, to relax and unwind. Put on my pj's and went to the attic for another go. Results: 3 more WIP's. I've given up.

Some firepolished glass beadies

Maybe I'll just have to let the beads be for a while..... But I'll miss them..

Some of my crystal beads....

August endings...

Time just flies by! Again a fabulous weekend. Yesterday we went to Antwerpen in Belgium. We did a little shopping and a little sightseeing. There is a store that sells more than 7000 magazines, from all over the world. I allready got subscriptions to both Bead & Button and Beadwork. In the past I had subscriptions to Step by Step beads and Beadstyle, but ended them because they weren't interesting enough to me... But when I stepped into this store I saw so much more magazines. I picked up Beads (a UK magazine), Bead Unique and Handcrafted Jewelry (special issue). I couldn't wait to get home to dive into them! Beads is a totally different magazine than the ones I've read so regularly. Really refreshing. I also like that, when there are announcements for shows and such it doesn't require a worldtravel to go to them. (Not that I think it's likely for me to take the boat to go to a beadshow in the UK, but it is easier to accomplish than a trip to the States!) Bead Unique is also different than the mags I have, and they had some lovely interviews and projects in it. I would actually consider to subscribe... The Handcrafted Jewelry is more focussed on making your own pendants, with stamping, claywork, resin, fabric and metalwork. I really like the projects in it, but it requires a lot of new tools and stuff to try them out. I'll keep them for later....

Dull bought new inlineskates. I really love to skate, but he had never done this and was a little scared to try it. But he did want to try, so that's why we bought them...

When we drove home, we stopped by my sister in law, and watched their holidayhomemovie. We had a nice time, but I was really tired, so we went home at a reasonable hour.

Today I've worked on my kit. I am nearly finished and planning on making it in Dutch for a local store, and jewelryparties, and I'll make an English version to sell trough Etsy/Artfire. I love doing this, this first kit will be a beginner-kit, but I guess I can try to make some advanced kits later on.... Also, Dull tried out his skates today, I had a bit of a laugh, but he looked adorable with his arms all around and the unbalanced positions he got himself into. But he's getting there...

I harvested some tomatoes today! They taste just like the sun... Lovely! Next year we will try and grow some more vegetables in our backyard.

Well, this is another collection of loose messages, but it gives you an idea about my weekend, I hope yours was as wonderful as mine!

Hot! And awaitment rewarded...

Finally, my beads arrived yesterday! The shipment was checked and billed by customs, so I had to pay extra. Not fun! But the beads are fun! I didn't take a picture of them, because they are seedbeads, so nothing much to see there.

As always, new things make me want to clean up the old ones, so the attic is one explosion of beads. I decided to switch the tubes that hold the beads, making one giant shuffle-hassle-fuss, and making me wonder why I started doing it in the first place. So I decided I could continue tomorrow and left the attic as I created it: One giant beadsoup!

Wheater is extremely hot, so I took the afternoon off to enjoy it. When I sat in the garden I wondered why I did take the afternoon off, because we got airco at the office and our backyard is south-oriented, so extremely hot! And I am not really a sunbathing-type of gal... Oh well. It was a good afternoon, and I got the chance to read some backissues of beadmagazines, so I am up to date again.

I got some orders from a co-worker who is going on a cruise in 3 weeks. She wanted some basic designed chokertype necklaces in summery colors. I love getting orders with a bit of freehand. I find it easier to design something with the person who's going to wear it in mind, than designing from scratch. I've started a couple of things, but haven't finished anything yet. And with the beadsoup-explosion-attic warmed up by the sun, I guess it will take a couple of days for me to finish them up.

Last night I went to the gym with my sis for a Zumba-lesson. It's a fun lesson, with a lot of bootyshaking. And that booty has a lot to shake nowadays.... Don't know yet if we're going to make it a weekly thing though... I am going to take a course in Bookkeeping in September, and I don't like to have my week entirely filled up with things-to-do.

Well, nothing more to tell here, I am off to bed.

Okay, this pic has nothing to do with my post, but I love looking at it when wheater is this hot...

Planning on making a kit...

A lot of people around me are starting with or picking up all sorts of crafts. I don't know if it's got to do with the ending of summer, the financial situation in the world or just because they feel like it. Now, I love my crafts! I have been beading for ten years, almost non stop, and in addition I have put some attempts at sewing, knitting and crocheting (all with and without beads). I find I can empty my mind while beading a repetitive structure, or while sorting my beads, it gives me the chance to order my thoughts. Because of the effect it has on me I have tried to put other people to the crafttable, sometimes with lovely results.

My sister however, hates beading. I have tried to put the beadingvirus on her, and sometimes I got her to sit down with some beads and wire. She has made a charmnecklace once, but all other attempts results in a lot of sighing and in the end she would go watch TV. My mom does love beading, so I can sit down with her and bead, but I am really disappointed that my sis won't bead with us.

Now, about spreading the beadingbliss... I have found that a lot of people don't know where to start, there are so many beads, so many stitches, so many supplies and so many styles. Well, you've got to ask yourself: Am I a teeny-tiny seedbead person, or the chunkybead kinda gal? I have given some workshops and found out that working with seedbeads scares the most of people. So I have written instructions for a pretty basic bracelet and am planning on selling it as a kit. I think that a kit makes it easy for people to try a new craft without buying a lot of stuff to find out that it's not for them...

The bracelet didn't do well on the pics, because I used a white background... But you'll get the idea.

So what do you think? Is this a good idea? I am making the kit in different colorcombo's, with the needle and conditioned thread in the package. So when you get the kit you can start straight away.

Waiting and anticipating

I am waiting.... waiting for the mailman to bring me some goodies! But he isn't running fast this time. I am waiting for some beads and a book. The beadorder is a result of a previous bookorder; I received 'Shaped Beadwork' a couple of weeks ago, and it's packed with things I want to try, but I figured I needed some delica's. So I ordered them a little bit over a week ago. And now I'll have to wait. And wait. And. Wait.....
I am not very good at waiting, can you tell? But do you know what the thing is about waiting? While you wait for your stuff, you make up in your head how it's going to be. F.I., when you are little and know that your birthday is coming up, you just can't wait. I literally counted the days until it was The Day. The Day always was a great day. However, when I got older it shifted. The waiting was sometimes better then the fulfullment of the anticipation. I have ordered books, waited and waited, dreaming about all the things I could learn. And then the doorbell rang... And the books were a disappointment... But I like the dreaming, and okay, the waiting as well. A wee little bit that is....

A winner!

Allright everybody, 10 people participated in my give-away.... My First Give-Away! Not bad... not bad at all, I think. I thank you all for the great replies. The winner is:

annaelizc said...
I love that turquoise/purple combo!A personal fave combo of mine is lime green and chocolate (!) think it must come from the sweets! LOL!I have linked you on my blog roll :)Anna

So Anna, please mail me your adress and I will send you the pendant!!!

For the ones who didn't win, please keep folowing me, because I am planning to do another give-away in two weeks or so! And now I am off to see if I can make anything in limegreen and chocolate. Beaded, that is... However, I would love a piece of chocolate...

Augustweekend

Welllllll, I just came out of the shower, realising our house needs a big clean-up. But I really don't feel like scrubbing, vacuming and mopping.... I think I'll go blowdry my hair, put on a nice outfit and go to the market with mom. Cleaning up can wait, right? RIGHT! Well, it's not that bad anyways.

Dull is working today and I really need some new ribbons and buttons.... Don't know for what, but I do need them, I sometimes wake up with such a feeling: I need it. And as long as it doesn't involve Manolo's or Porsche's I guess it's okay to give in. Ribbons and buttons are cheap, so a few bucks to make me feel happy are well spent bucks, right? RIGHT!

Weekend will be laid back, since soccer has started again and the first game was not a bad one, guess we will stay home to watch the second game on the television. Nice and quiet, NOT!

I got inspired by the banglebracelet I made, and took the design to make a choker with it. I like how it turned out, don't think I am a warm-metal kind of gal (copper, gold and brass). I like the cold metals better (silver, steel). But maybe it's just a getting-used-to kind of thing....

Have a good weekend and get back tomorrow for the drawing for the Give-Away!!