Bead auras?

Posted on April 22, 2008 by Valarie

I’ve heard talk of yarn “accidents” – of people going into a yarn shop for a darning needle, and getting home with 3 huge bags of yarn (and no darning needle) that they can’t really remember buying. They blame it on “yarn fumes” and talk about the intoxicating effects.

I’ve had several “bead accidents” in the past, sometimes I pull something out of the stash and have no idea when I got it. Sometimes I pull something out and wonder what on earth I was thinking when I bought it. Once I even wondered why someone would bother to dig up a rock that ugly and polish it on purpose. (And before you ask, yes, I still have it. I find it nearly impossible to get rid of any bead that’s not been made into something.)

So the other day I walked around the Artful Bead looking for some signs of bead fumes. I picked up a tray and started wandering. Ooo! Nice onyx! And some beautiful agate! And look at that fabulous brass toggle! And… wait. How is this tray so full? I mean, the bottom of it is completely covered up! How did those get there? I see no sign of bead fumes anywhere in here, all I smell is chocolate. (Before I forget – have you seen the new Cherry M&M’s?? Wheeeeeee!)

OK, can’t be actual fumes. Oh, new Swarovski colors!!! How pretty… Now the tray is so heavy I have to hold it in both hands. What the heck? How did all those beads get down from the wall and climb on my tray? Awww… look how pretty that coral looks next to that jade…

When I get home, I start putting my new goodies away. Soon after I start (it seems), I hear “are we eating tonight?” and realize it’s been two hours. I’ve been sitting on the floor fondling beads for 2 hours. But they’re nicely arranged, and nobody is getting scratched. And those two strands are absolutely wonderful together, where are those copper spacers? Huh!? Dinner? Oops, sorry, right.

Ah-HA!! It’s not fumes, it’s some kind of electro-magnetic field that beads emit! When you get a large enough concentration of beads, all the frequencies harmonize. If you’re susceptible, you fall into a light hypnotic trance, and pick up any beads that “speak to you” without conscious thought. I wonder if anyone can actually see their auras? Should we hire some of the Ghostbuster type people to see if they can track down the energy they emit?

Please tell me I’m not the only one affected by beads this way.

Teacher Profiles – Bridget Goodman

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Valarie

An avid arts and crafts person for several decades, Bridget stopped at a booth that had lots of beading kits at an International Quilt Show. Only one of those three purchased kits was ever completed because she found designing ‘on the fly’ to be her forte’. Intrigued by the beauty of these tiny beads, she started with a square stitch class at a nearby bead store and began to build her repertoire’ of basic stitches. Then she began to combine the stitches and/or explore ways to embellish them. For her, beads took over as the main medium used to play with color, texture, and design as well as offer an alternative for display. You can only put so many floral designs in a home and only so many things can be covered in mosaics, etc.…but there are 365 days every year to wear one-of-a-kind jewelry or adorn others by gifting!

Bridget comments, “Whether sitting by a ‘couch potato’ in the evening or whiling away hours in a hotel room during business travel, the rhythmic stitching of beads together into endless combinations of color and texture keep the hands and mind busy.” Or, she often says, “On first glance, you often think that beadwork is tedious or difficult, but it has unwound many a kink formed from work or commuting stress. I’ve often worked a 10 hour day along with another 2 hours on the road before coming home…then I pick up my beads and find I’m halfway through another bracelet by bedtime and totally relaxed.”

Now, Bridget gets to work from home traveling via internet while providing technical writing or instructional design to many Fortune 500 companies. She has taught several classes at her ‘alma mater’ bead store. Through a move to the Fort Worth area and connecting with us here at The Artful Bead, Bridget desires to continue teaching others. Her experience over the last decade is derived from the many skills she has learned through wonderfully inspired instructors, through the many books, magazines or websites she studies, and the thousands of hours and hundreds of projects completed.

Come and let her share with YOU!

Homework for Bead Crochet

Posted on April 5, 2008 by Valarie

If you’re taking the Bead Crochet class, you have homework to do before class day!

On your size 8 DMC perle cotton thread, string at least 40 INCHES of size 8 seed beads. For the sprial bracelet in 2007, string 5 in the main color, one in the accent color, 5 main color, one accent color, and so on. For the multi-color bracelet in the spring 2008 class, you can string any combination of beads, but if you want the stripey effect, string on groups of 6 or 12.

You won’t have time to do this during class.

We updated this for the bracelet class in April 2008. Sorry, before that there was a slight error in the amount of beads to string, I somehow got it in my head that it was 40 FEET. Sorry, please feel free to point out that there is a significant difference between 40 inches and 40 feet. Or you can try to sell me a bridge or a sailboat.