Sailor's Delight

Ever heard that old saying, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning"? My dad (who served in the Navy in WWII) told me this when I was a young girl and it just sort of stuck.

While trying to think about summer themes for my next beading project, I kept imagining a hot summer night with hues of red, orange, and yellow flooding the sky. Dad's old adage popped (product back into my head and this little baby was off and running!

These fiery tones (particularly the beautiful Red Magma Starfish pendant and the Red Chinese Rhodochrosite round beads) are a departure from the cool blues and purples or beigy neutrals I usually use, making this piece quite fun and interesting to create.

Disclosure: The 28-mm Starfish Crystal Red Magma pendant (Product code 6721-RMM28), Orange/Yellow Roundelle Mix strand (Product code CR-RL116), 4-mm Yellow Druks (Product code DRUKS-YELAB4), 8-mm Light Topaz Stars (Product code 5714-LT08), 6-mm and 8-mm Faceted Round Fire Opals (Product codes 5000-FIRE6/FIRE8, respectively), and 10-mm Red Chinese Rhodochrosite Round Beads (Product code LTD-2794) were kindly provided free of charge by Artbeads.com as part of their Design Partners Blogging Program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from Artbeads.com and any posts about their products represent the author's personal opinion only.

Happy Easter!

I painted this in honor of Easter.

Happy Beading!

Beauty Just Outside the Window

Still recovering from this illness, I may not be beading but I'm not completely nonproductive! I saw this handsome fellow yesterday while looking outside my kitchen window and had to snap a shot of him. Maybe this will be inspiration for my next project?

I also submitted a design idea to Crafts 'n Things today. Fingers crossed I'll hear from someone soon!!!

Happy Beading!

Still Waiting on that Query Letter

I sent out the query letter to Kalmbach Publishing Co. on February 12 regarding my book proposal, yet still I've heard nothing. I know these things take time, but their guidelines specifically state that they usually respond in a few weeks...my baited breath is wearing out!

Itching to Bead!

Whoa is me! Still fighting this flu thing/sinus infection and feeling pretty sorry for myself as I haven't beaded in a week! I hope to have several pics for you soon because I've really got some making up to do!

A Note from the Trenches

Hello Everyone,

Although I know there's never an excuse for not beading, I've been quite ill this week and just wanted to blog my little heart out with apologies for not writing sooner. Wishing you all well and you'll hear from me asap!

Happy Beading!!!
PS: How about beading a few extra rows for me while I'm under the weather? :-)

The Gal Behind the Beads

Hello!

I figured it only fair that you get a glimpse of the person doing all of this beading and blogging business. I literally just snapped this photograph especially for you, my beading and blogging buddies. Notice the t-shirt?

Happy Beading!

The Beauty of Spring Part 2

Thanks again to Artbeads.com, I was able to create my vision of "The Beauty of Spring" with this piece called "Metamorphosis." Funny enough, as soon as I saw the blue cat's eye cabochons on their website, I immediately envisioned a beautiful flower focal piece.


As I worked on the flower, it somehow evolved into a butterfly. Just the transformation of my own creation, let alone the actual lifespan of a real butterfly, led me to the title "Metamorphosis" because, really, nothing else was right.

To complete this piece, I incorporated the cat's eye cabochons into a center focal piece by creating the basic bezel out of blue satin delicas. After much deliberation on how to situate the focal, I used the 4-mm porphyr sapphire cat's eye round beads as the basic foundation for the necklace. I had a great time with this project and thanks again to Artbeads.com for the opportunity.

As always, Happy Beading!

Disclosure: The 13x18 oval glass cabochons (product code GCOV-PSAP18) as well as the blue satin delicas (product code DB0831) and 4-mm round cat's eye beads (product code CATR-LTB4) were kindly provided free of charge by Artbeads.com as part of their blogging program. The author has not received any payment from the above and any posts about their products represent the author's personal opinion only.

Memories of Dragonflies in Baxter State Park

Hello, Fellow Beaders!
I'm in love with the chunky look (hmm, possible book idea?) and have a bunch of gemstone chips that I've been planning to use in such. Well, one look at my dragonfly pendant (below) and it all came together. Let me introduce "Sunset Hike in Baxter."


Below is the detail. This was pretty tricky to create, I must admit, probably because I didn't think through the attachments very well. Working with 10 strands of gemstone chips and beads proved difficult when all was said and done. It's a very heavy piece. I'm considering this a lesson learned!




Have any of you out in the beading blogosphere mastered the art of multi-stranding? I would truly welcome any tips.

Happy Beading!

Early Bud Under a March Frost

Hello, Fellow Beaders!





This is the piece I produced for the Artbeads.com blogging program. Here in Maine, we're more than ready for some sunshine, so "The Beauty of Spring" was a theme I could definitely relate to!

The 22-mm peridot Swarovski Cubist focal piece was such a wonderful source of inspiration that I had great difficulty in deciding what to do with it. This focal piece was very easy to work with because of the way the hole was drilled and the size of the hole, accommodating a number of attachment options. My original plan for this piece evolved and I couldn't have been happier with the result.

As you will see in the detail below, I complemented the Cubist focal piece with both 6-mm faceted peridot Swarovski cubes and 4-mm faceted peridot Swarovski cubes to balance the look and highlight more "early buds." As with the focal piece, I adored working with the Swarovski cubes and due to the versatility of these little darlings, any number of combinations could have been achieved.

I'm really into the use of color right now and I love color transitions. That's why I wanted this look to invoke a feeling of early spring by using medium-dark green on one end and crystal-white on the other. The crystal faceted bicones on the "winter end" of the necklace remind me of the late winter frosts that try to sabotage beautiful early spring buds. As you can tell, I had a great time with this piece. Thanks again, Artbeads.com!

Happy Beading!

Disclosure: 22-mm peridot Cubist (product code 6650-PER22) as well as 6-mm/4-mm peridot faceted Swarovski cubes (product codes 5601-PER6/5601-PER4, respectively) were kindly provided free of charge by Artbeads.com as part of their blogging program. The author has not received any payment from the above and any posts about their products represent the author's personal opinion only.

Every Bead Has a Home

Serendipity!

Yesterday was my 37th birthday and lo and behold...I received my first shipment from Artbeads.com! What a treat!

I'm working on a Spring-themed project with those materials (to be posted) but I found that I had some leftover blue cat's eyes. With Spring still in mind, I thought about bright blue skies and the sense of renewal this particular season has to offer. With that, here's what evolved:

Happy Beading!

Disclosure: Round 4mm Cat's Eye Bead - Light Blue Product Code: CATR-LTB4 - Was kindly provided free of charge by Artbeads.com as part of their blogging program. The author has not received any payment from the above and any posts about their products represent the author's personal opinion only.

Please Help Me Come Up With a Name!

Hello All!

I'd love your help in coming up with a name for this work of blue stones. It was a lot of fun to do, but nothing is coming to mind as to a title for this piece yet. Help!

I really liked the top photo because of the way the light shines through one of the stones. However, I realize that it's a bit shadowy so here's a better photo:

Happy Beading!

Nice but Needs a Tutorial

I worked up this project a day or so ago from an online tutorial which, to be frank, wasn't very instructive.

I'm thinking about tweaking the project a bit and rewriting the instructions much more clearly and posting as a tutorial here on this blog. I'd like to provide you with several tutorials in fact, so bear with me please.

What's In A Name?

I've been asked..."Why ReeBeader?" so I figured it was time to explain this odd name. It started with my real name, Marie, being shortened by my nieces and nephews to Auntie Ree. As they got older, it became Ree or Ree Ree. With this nickname and a (then) freelance writing background, I adopted the username ReeWriter. Although I'm still doing a bit of writing, beads have sort of consumed my life (and I know you know how that goes) so ReeBeader only seemed appropriate!

Happy Beading!

Cabin Fever 2010

My second home, Beads on the Kennebec in Augusta, ME, and I are working on a contest to beat the late-winter blues in Maine. It's called "Cabin Fever 2010" and the theme is "What does winter in Maine mean to you?"



I happen to like winter (although admittedly I'm more than ready for spring and I write this as it's snowing like crazy outside) so I designed an inspiration piece that reminded me of the beautiful first snow where the entire world seems to be white and blue. I just so happen to be a cabochon fiend so this was truly pleasurable to work up. I'd welcome your comments and if you live in Maine, stop by and sign up for this fun contest with some fantastic prizes!



As always, Happy Beading!

Don't forget to check out http://www.beadsonthekennebec.com/

Easy Project

Hello!

I'm into the habit of creating, photographing, posting, creating, photographing, posting now so I figured I'd share this little project I did over the weekend. I love ceramic focal pieces so this was quite fun to work up.



I hope everyone had a great weekend. I just received an email that my Artbeads.com order had been shipped, so I'm waiting patiently...well, sort of patiently...for it to arrive so I can begin!

Spring is Soon Arriving!

I just placed my very first Design Partners order with Artbeads.com in a "Beauty of Spring" theme. My palette is a light sapphire and peridot. I can't wait to create! Stay tuned for photos of my finished piece/s.

If you haven't yet, you've GOTTA check out Artbeads.com. Terrific website and amazing products!

Hooray for Duchess & Artbeads.com!!!

Great news! I just heard from Duchess over at Artbeads.com and I'm now enrolled in their blogging program! They have a terrific website and products and now I'm going to have the chance to blog about them! Check back in the near future for some more reviews and thanks again to Artbeads.com!

Be sure to visit them at http://www.artbeads.com/

Product Review--Beadsmith Bead Tube Tower

Hey All,

After teaching a beading class this weekend, Linda at BOTK turned me onto a "portable bead-tube storage system" by Beadsmith called the Bead Tube Tower. It's a portfolio of sorts that measures 8"x16" when closed, folds for storage and includes a clear plastic travel pouch. This tower holds 13 small tubes (2-3"), 69 large tubes (5-6") or an assortment, up to 9/16" diameter. I was so excited for this find because, perhaps like many, I've been throwing my bead tubes into bags after finishing a project and when I next start something, my beads are organized in no rhyme nor rhythm so I'm left sorting through my many bags yet again!

THE GOOD: What I loved about this tower is the fact that it holds so many tubes. A beader could easily have 3 or 4 of these things hanging around and it wouldn't take up nearly the same amount of space as several bags or storage boxes would. I love that it is portable and includes it's own carrying bag.

THE BAD: While this product holds lots and lots of bead tubes, I did find that it was difficult squeezing the tubes in next to each other as the tower began to get filled. I also thought it was a very tight squeeze trying to get my filled, folded bead tower back into the plastic carrying case. I was worried the whole time I'd rip the zipper from the plastic.

THE UGLY: Perhaps it's just me, but I couldn't get this thing to close properly! I was able to sort of trifold it down after filling it with tubes; however, the velcro closure only seems to be useful when the tower is standing upright. Once it's folded flat, there's no way to hold it together so you must put it back into the travel case in order to make it portable.

Overall, I really do like this product despite my negative points above. I guess we can't have everything! I do recommend this bead tube tower and it retails for $10 to $12 in most places. If your local Michaels, AC Moore or Joann's carry this, you could always print off a coupon and get it for a better price.

Visit the Beadsmith site at www.helby.com

Please share your comments about this product if you've tried it. Thank you and happy beading!!!

Waiting with Baited Breath

Still no news from my book query as to whether or not they'd like to see my proposal package, but then again I don't really expect to hear anything for another month or so...can't hurt to cross my fingers, though!

My favorite place in the world

I taught a Beading Basics class here today. Beads on the Kennebec is the "best little bead shop in Maine." I would consider this my second home at times. If you haven't been by the shop yet, do come if you are in the area!

http://www.beadsonthekennebec.com

Beaded jewelry make great gifts!

My coworker is a licensed cosmetologist and colored my hair for me last weekend. Well, she also gave me a haircut and I was so impressed with the outcome that I felt paying her for the materials alone wasn't enough. Here's what I made to give her as well:

Some of my work this weekend

While my fiance was snowmobiling this weekend, guess what I did? You bet! Here's what I made yesterday.

Would Love Your Input

Hello, Fellow Beaders!
As you'll see, I've made some additions and changes to this blog and would love your input as to what you'd like to see (or not see!) here. Please take part in the poll to your right. I've been photographing my beadwork and hope to have those pics up very soon. Happy Beading!

PHOTOS yet to come!

Hello Beading Friends,
I received some terrific tips from Duchess on how to make this blog a better one and I'm working on it. Stay tuned for some yummy photos and more!

Finished My Query!!!!

I finished my query for Kalmbach Publishing Co. over the weekend and let it stew. I revised it a couple of times and sent it out this morning. Fingers crossed!!! I'd be happy if they just requested to see my book proposal, let alone bought it! Any progress is good progress. I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I find out anything whether or not they're interested. Wish me luck!

Thank You New Friends!

I was thrilled to see that I have some friends on this blog! I appreciate your taking the time. Stay tuned...this little blog is on its way to big stuff!

To Query or Not to Query...

Well, I'm going to query of course! My hope is to submit my beading book to Kalmbach Publishers and my pledge to myself (and to you, to make it official) is to have that darn thing out to them by February 15, 2010. Let's see what happens...

Hello, Fellow Beaders!!!!!

Welcome, welcome, welcome all to my Beading & ReeBeading blogsite. Here, you will find (mostly) beading information of all types, including photos of my work and those who wish to share theirs, product reviews, and updates on the beading book I am currently writing. I look forward to sharing and learning with you!