1st Beadlust project completed Jun 07

Hi again. Just doing a bit of remo here in my blog and I decided to highlight my first work completed with the BeadLust online Group of Beaders. I was going to complete a total year of tribute to Walter Campbell (The artist from Uxbridge area). This turned out to be a more labour intensive piece of memory work than I had anticipated. So having made a tribute to the month and the artist, I moved on to other things. These are pictured partly below in a previous blog.

I might yet add some of the other beadwork I completed last summer.

Mostly I would like to place a picture here of my "Summer 2008" project called GIRLFRIENDS....so stay tuned for that next post.

Combining old BLogs into one

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

My ANGEL AROUND THE WORLD QUILT

Here is a picture of my ANGELS AROUND THE WORLD QUILT. There were 18 girls who participated by doing from 1 to 7 blocks each.
Linda in Nova Scotia not one did the blocks but also assembled and stitched the whole quilt together.
Then it was mailed to Shari in Saskatchewan who put the back on it. Then sent it to me as a huge surprise.
This quilt's theme was BEATING CANCER because that sumer (2002) I was told by my family Dr that my tests showed I had breast cancer. Lucky and very fortunate that I was, it didn't happen. There was a misdiagnosis. I still say it had something to do with my Angels working behind the scene sending healing and positive thoughts with them.
The girls came from
England (Doreen, Marian, Pam)
Austraila (Shirley, Dawa)
USA (Leslie-Colorado (who also made a most beautiful Angle Friend wallhanging) Sandy-near Paduka, Jackie-Illinois, Laurie-Hawaii, Kim-California, Rev Linda, JC
Canada (Shari-Saskatchewan, Linda-Nova Scotia, Kerry-Alberta, Ginette-Quebec, Mary-British Columbia, Catharine-Ontario)I will get a picture of the wallhanging ANGEL poem and post it here also.Everytime I display my ANGELS AROUND THE WORLD, my heart starts to sing as I can feel the love coming from every stitch.I believe, and I know I'm right, that when piecing it together for me I am sure Linda lost one of her Angel wings or did she really gain a 3rd one from the patience of putting velvet with cotton? And Shari. she made sure that everything was reinforced when it arrived so that nothing would remove itself from the quilt top. That in itself was a tremendous amount of work, even before she stitched the front quilt to the backing materia.This was truly a labour of love, but to my and my family, it has become a family Heirloom.Thank you again to all who participated.
LindaLeslieKerryCatharineMarianPamDoreenMaryLaurieKimGinetteShirley KJackieSandyRev Linda (Jammie)DawaJCShari
Posted by diamond at 5:45 AM 1 comments

A bit about catching up
For the past few months I've been trying to complete several long standing projects so here I am again to record and journal that journey.I will be adding pics as things begin to happen.I have reunited with such a great friend (Susan) and she has begun quilting as well. She is such an inspiration as she finishes what she starts. I am hoping that her GOOD HABITS will begin to rub off on me. Already it seems to be working in the coming months I hope to journal all that I have completed.At the same time I am still teaching embellishing so between my own projects I've been busy getting lesson plans put into action. I am enjoying so much sharing and teaching others. I hope to take my ANGEL QUILT FROM AROUND THE WORLD to the quilt guild on Monday and showing my "sane" quilting friends just what can be done with a few beads and things. Hummmm I should get a picture right here to show all of you what I mean. Eighteen of my friends in a cyber Embellishing group made this quilt for me. Some did one block, some did 7 or 8. This is a true gift of love and can never be replaced. At the moment on of my projects is to sew a sleeve on the back and get this quilt hung in my home for displaying the love that othes have shown me.
Posted by diamond at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Mar08 catching up again

Back again after a bit away.
Posted by diamond at 5:29 AM 0 comments
Monday, October 1, 2007


This is December's choice. I know, it is only the 1st day of October, but I am really moving ahead....what do I say? :) I decided to break the Jacobean beadwork pattern in order to make a little homewarming gift for a friend. This SAND DOLLAR was a memory she brought home for herself from the sunny, sandy shores of the ocean during a recent visit to Florida. What an inspiration that proved for me. I just loved working with this piece of nature. As you can see from the photo there is a little hole in the center of the shell. As I was sewing on beads I kept wondering where all the fine sand was coming from....then suddenly it hit me. All Sand Dollars worth their weight contains sand inside....so I guess in a strange way, I also had a little surprise from the shores of Florida as well. I wish Linda health, happiness and memories multiplied over the years as this little gift brings warmth to her home.
Now I know, back to the Jacobean Total Picture. Can't wait to get that one finished and move forward to my next BEAD LUST project.
Posted by diamond at 3:02 PM 3 comments
Friday, August 31, 2007

Moving into the last stretch with my Jacobean Tree of Life

Well well, the end of August fast approaches and my planned deadline is almost met. You can see that the needle and thread has been working its magic for me over the past few weeks.
It has been great sitting out on the deck under the gazebo while summer sun has heated our world to new record hot temperatures. As long as the breeze blew a bit I was able to sit there and stitch many afternoons away and think of all the remaining projects that are waiting for me to complete.
I had great fun designing the two leaves, well actually one leaf (on the left side) and one grandouis flower (on the right).
I have to tell you that both ideas came from a little loveseat that is in Lou's Aunt's nursing home. It was placed in the ladies washroom. You should have seen me going in and out with sketch pad in hand several times as I tried to capture new placement ideas. I didn't want to stay in the room too long incase others needed the respite. So I made about 3 trips and each time brought out a new sketch. I will try to scan and include them here for future references, or in case one of you other gals decide to take up beaded jacobean projects. It never hurts to get too many ideas floating around.
Well since last picture I have added the tree trunk. Believe it or not, these are brown oval shapes from a necklace I was able to acquire at a garage sale last year.
On the left leaf I have used all purples and soft maulves to make this leaf look a bit like a fall leaf. But oh my, does it ever sparkle in the full sun shine. I found the larger round maulve and almost seethrough beads from a child's hair band this summer. The darker maulve beads were from Mill Hill. The two just fit together like a hand and a glove so I'm delighted that I had both here to work with. I outlined it all with shiny black beads. I found these in a magnetic healing necklace on one of my travels with DH this past summer. There were just enough to fill in the outline of the leaf and the veins inside. After all I did have to remind myself that this block is to illustrate that winter is coming and all the flowers etc will be going to sleep shortly.
Now my lovely flower on the right side of the work. I had so much fun with this. I'll try and describe it to you. There are pale pale blue teardrop centers in the bottom 3 petals of this flower. There were the icy blue that you could almost see in frost that lines the plants on those really cold autumn mornings. Then from there I surrounded the empty space directly around the teardrops with a vibrant blue...yes, we do have vibrant colours in the fall also.
Going from there I made one outline in bright gold and one in a darker gold....early fall tones and then later in the season when the glow has gone and only the dull shades remain.
After that, seeing as I knew snow would follow I decided to make a bed of white beads. This is now holding the remains of the flower for the coming months.
Have you ever noticed that pale winter sun shine that brings us a little bit of warmth in the cold winter days. I call it my Winter Sunshine. Well, the next round is to represent our winter sun. You can see very pale almost orange shaded beads there.
Following that, I chose the colour of winter ice. You can almost see through it with its blue transparency look. These beads (both the orange and the blue ones) were purchased this summer from a Farmer's Market stall in a town about 25 minute drive from here. They fit perfectly into my imaginary Fall/Winter season Jacobean Tree of life.
The last part I have to do is the last flower of summer. They are usually the most beautiful of all. I am thinking of something sparkly yet dark to bring out their lasting beauty even once fall has tiptoed into their lives.
Stay tuned for this last step of my Bead Lust Project for Oct, Nov and Dec.
HugsDee
Posted by diamond at 8:46 AM 0 comments
Sunday, July 29, 2007

Can you see the changes

Hi Everyone, well, here I go again, moving forward with the latest BJ work. I have decided that in this whole piece will be broken down into 3 months, just as I just finished the corresponding 3 months work earlier.
I hope when these 4 pieces are completed they will hang in sequence together. I haven't decided as yet to make them one hanging, or 4 seperate ones. I can tell you though that I'm having a great time working my way through these projects. To date I have decided on several more which I will begin after this one is done. I hope my next project to be a very detailed rose pattern. A friend gave me the piece of material and the rose is so lovely that I just thought what a wonderful beaded piece it will make also.....so for now, I'll pull back the reins a bit in order to finish this work before I go galloping ahead in my thoughts to the next piece.
Soon I'll be adding another picture after this one for the 4th Jacobean BJ because I plan on getting busy once again and showing you all the results.
Enjoy our new beaded journey, I certainly am.
Posted by diamond at 5:39 PM 2 comments
Labels: Jacobean Bead Lust Journal 4 of 4 continued
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

My 4th in the series of Jacobean challenges

Jul 17 and now moving forward. This is going to be my last Jacobean work at this time. I have begun the 4th of 4 blocks and I'm having such a great time working these pieces.
I feel I'm getting a lot bolder in my bead choices and the adventure of discovery is very pleasing indeed. This block has already a history and I'm only beginning. Do you notice the green beaded vines and leaves. Thanks Catharine for your gift of Mill Hill green beads. I'm using them in this block to remind us that spring and summer both follow the coming winter months. I found some real treasure beads for this interesting look. Top right are multi-faucetted beads removed from a necklace found in a garage sale....and if you notice the larger white beads in the center section they also were found treasures. Didn't quite know where I'd ever use them but today I found a place. These beads are covered with a sparkly, gritty type of covering...yet in spots there is a smooth section showing through. These beads make the best ever seed pods covered richly in snow and frost.
I have more plans for this block but I'm sure if you stay tuned you will see them all eventually.