Tuesday's Weather and a Triangle

This is how my day started:

The monsoon season has definitely arrived in southern New Mexico! We've had more rain in the last week than (I believe) we had had all year before that.

Since the day began on a rainy note, I thought it only appropriate to end it on a sunny one with today's Tuesday's Triangle:

Petite Summer Simplicity

As the name implies, this one is meant for a tiny wrist: 5"

Be well, stay dry, and get going!

BAO Item of the Week and Sterling Silver Nights

First, thank you to those who left such sweet and caring comments on yesterday's post about Kyra's death. Every one of them means so much!

And because Kyra was my sunshine, I chose You Are My Sunshine for my BAO Item of the Week.

If you purchase this before midnight on July 5 AND mention BAO (or Kyra) in the Notes to Seller, I will send you a refund of $10. Not a bad deal, if I say so myself ;)

And here are the other eight BAO Items of the Week. You can find details on the Bead Art Originals blog:

You probably know by now that, if I make a custom order with results I really like, I often decide to offer that piece as a made-to-order selection in my shop. Sterling Silver Nights was just such a piece. Now up and listed:

Be well and get going, my friends ;)

Sweet Kyra

My sweet, sweet Kyra died yesterday. She waited for Terry to get home from work, said good-bye, and died in the car, in the driveway. She made sure that we would not have to face that horrible "did we put her to sleep too soon" question that so often weighs heavily on the hearts of pet "owners."

Thank you, Kyra, for all the love you brought into our lives. We all miss you terribly already: Terry, me, Callie, and Tatum, poor Tatum who has actually been crying off and on since yesterday evening. Her entire life has revolved around you, where you were, what you were chasing, whether your ears needed cleaning . . .

I Should be Ashamed of Myself!

And I really, really, really am :( It has taken me a month and a half (yikes!) to get the prizes for the Name That Line contest made and mailed. Granted, I did tell the winners it would take a week or two, but not that it would take a week or two TIMES THREE! Melody and Summer have been great sports and I thank them doubly: for a wonderful name for my line and for their patience.

Melody's Transitions: Coloring Outside the Lines

Summer's Transitions: Coloring Outside the Lines

Coincidence that both of these ladies requested green and purple?

Be well and get going!

Thursday's Treasur(i)es

Once again I almost let this day go by without preparing my Thursday's Treasur(i)es post. This is becoming a habit I must break!

I was fortunate to find my work in two beautiful treasuries this past week. The first was windyriver's Robust Reds in which she featured my Dramatic Abstract Peyote Cuff

Visit her shop for some great jewelry, including some beadweaving like these Deco Chandelier earrings which would have fit right in with her treasury.

The second treasury I was in this week was thebeadedlily's you'll never know in which she included my You are my Sunshine 3-in-1 Necklace

Please take a few minutes to visit this wonderful jewelry artist's shop. I covet so many things she creates, like this magnificent new piece - siren-- long necklace-- collections II

And, yes, I did actually get something new up in the shop today: Ambrosia Transitions - Coloring Outside the Lines

I have several more of these in various stages of production, so you will be seeing them over the next few weeks.

Be well and get going, my friends!

Tuesday's Triangles and Bargello from HELLo

While Tuesday's triangles truly were posted on Flickr and mailed out to their intended recipients on Tuesday, I didn't get a chance to create this blog entry until this morning.

Last week, I saw this incredible necklace on my etsy friend Tresijas' Flickr photostream.

Tresijas has been working with damaged vinyl records to create some incredible pieces lately. I just really really had to have this one, which she so wonderfully titled Hot Asphalt. We decided on a trade. Tresijas picked one of my triangle pendants, but this left her on the "short side" of the deal, so I told her I would make it up to her. She has three little girls, but only two are old enough to appreciate these (made in their favorite colors!), my Tuesday's Triangles for this week:

Another trade, this time with my Bead Art Originals colleague Dee of Malodora, has had me working on a custom version of my Bargello Hearts design. Dee chose pink and olive.

This piece has been fraught with frustration for me since the onset and so my pet name for it has become Bargello from HELLo. First, it took some time to get the right olive beads; those in my (rather extensive) delica stash were all too dark or too harsh for the pinks. Then, it took me more than twice as long as it should have to do the actual beading because I had to frog stitch (rip it!) as much as I had to stitch. And I would always find my mistakes an inch or two AFTER making them. Some mistakes can be fixed "inline" without unbeading; these could not.

And then, as the parting insult, I wove in my final thread, ready to make the closure...only to find that I had mismeasured and stopped a half inch short of where I needed to be. LOL

But this has been worth it! I received my part of this trade a month ago (I am never this late!!! but Dee has been incredibly patient and knew there were a few other things on my plate that came first!) and LOVE IT! I want you to know this is the only charm bracelet I own; THAT's how much I love this wild and crazy piece.

May your Wednesdays be as perfect as Wednesdays can be :D Be well and get going!

BAO Item of the Week and Some Fun!

Summertime and the living is easy ... :)

After spending hours working on the published pattern last week, this week's BAO Item of the Week for me had to be

Silver Hugs and Kisses on Purple

Purchase and pay for this by midnight on Sunday, June 28, AND leave "BAO" in the Notes to Seller, and I will include a special SandFibers-created gift in your package. You won't be disappointed.

Speaking of not being disappointed...none of these items will leave you disappointed. Check out the details on the Bead Art Originals blog!

This post is a little later than usual on a Monday because I spent the middle part of my day meeting a new friend in person: Jennifer of BlestBeads and TocadoraLeather. I don't think I've ever had such fun meeting with a stranger who just really wasn't a stranger. The internet makes unusual and wonderful friends!

I had teased Jennifer about not having cuffs that fit "us larger gals" and, wouldn't ya know it!, look what she had in her bag of (wonderful, fantastic leather with metal) goodies today:

Triangles? Copper? Who would expect me to resist? LOL

Jennifer and I have plans to collaborate on some exciting new cuffs, so stay tuned!

I hope your Monday was as exhilarating as mine. Be well and get going.

Respect Copyrights, PLEASE!

Here's another sad tale of copyright violation. Heck, outright theft! Please read this blog post by the wonderful, talented Theresa Buchle and, if you're in Texas and can figure out which store (three locations in the state) she's talking about, boycott that store. Theresa's too much of a lady to come right out and name them, and so I won't do it either.

Comment on her blog and show her the moral support that is the least any artist in this situation deserves. Thank you!

Hot Off the Sand Fibers Presses!

There really is something rather satisfying about crossing off items on a To Do list. These have been on mine for a few days now, but now they are off my list and on Etsy:

The next patterns up for publication are Log Cabin Braid and Pop Art.

~~~

And I'd like to share some goodies with you. I drove up to Las Cruces to visit with Jack Shaver, creator of amazing cabochons, spend a gift certificate to Unravel (my favorite yarn shop), and get some seed beads at Western Traders (stash house for beaders). This is what I brought home.

From Jack Shaver, opalized wood, cut from a piece mined from the site the Hatch, New Mexico, airport was built on.

From Unravel, various wonderous balls of fiber:

And from Western Traders, my eyes would only rest on seed beads (an act of amazing restraint!):

My $120 take in one glimpse:

Is it any surprise that I really really really enjoyed my Wednesday morning in Las Cruces ;o

Thursday's Treasur(i)es

I can't believe I almost let this day go by without preparing my Thursday's Treasur(i)es post. Such a slacker I am!

Once again, I was fortunate to find my work in two beautiful treasuries this past week. The first was


dibabeads' ...Some Dots To Discover... in which she included my Autumnal Dots Peyote Cuff

Visit her shop for some great vintage jewelry, like this great Vintage .. Signed Dotted Scarf Clip which would have fit wonderfully in her own treasury.

The second treasury I was in this week was teaandsweets' And I'm feeling blue ... in which she included my Zircon Blue Jacquard Peyote Cuff

Please take a minute to visit this wonderful little bakery. I can just imagine how delicious these Cookies - White Chocolate Toasted Macadamia Nut Cookies are!

And lest you think that I have been a complete slacker, here's a glimpse of my current work in progress:

Be well and get going, my friends! ;D