Me Bad - Not Blogging Again

I know, I know, I should spend more time with my blog to promote my work, but I always seem to forget after spending hours surfing the web with my Etsy stores, Facebook pages, team pages, twitter feeds, team blog posts and now Pinterest (what did I get myself into) the day just flies by and I find that I have not done any beading which is my passion.

This year I also have the added excuse in that we spent the summer refinishing our home Angelique of Vancouver our 34' Coast sail boat.  She got a new paint exterior, new paint interior, new fabric and cushions, new black out curtains for the windows and hatches, refinished flooring.  But that is not all, still to come is new headliners, new electric windlass (for setting the anchor and then for hauling it up, hubby says he won't manually do this anymore as he is getting old), new canvas enclosure, new hard biminy top, new main sail traveler (this helps us control the main sail) new boom vang (controls the boom when jibing and tacking), new standing rigging (this is the wire that steadies the main), new running rigging (these are the lines that raise and lower sails as well as controls the shape of the sail when sailing). and the list goes on!!!!!

Did I have time even to bead you ask, well indeed I did, I participated in the Battle of the BeadSmith 2013 challenge - "Angelique" bead embroidered necklace.  Angelique reflects the new paint job on our 34' coast sail boat.  Our boat was originally Aqua Mist for the hull with a Kelly Green Top Strip and White decks.  The colours of the necklace are a reflection of the month long work in refinishing our love and home. 

Angelique made it into round 2 of the battle, one more round than my entry last year which did not make it past round one.  I am looking forward to next years battle.  I used only Czech Preciosa Ornela seed beads, Silver Metallic and White Pearl in size 11o.

Bring on BOTB2014!!!!

I also made several pieces for Etsy Beadweavers monthly challenges the latest was for the "September Challenge - My Favorite Song"  I chose the song "Knee Deep by the Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet as my favorite song mostly because the lyrics really speak to me about sailing in Mexico, having no worries in the world and letting the ocean be our meditation.  You can read more about my inspiration at https://www.etsy.com/listing/160525057/knee-deep-zac-brown-band-sept-challenge?ref=shop_home_feat

I was able to set the theme for this challenge as my July entry won the team vote!!! This was a real surprise as my July challenge Chrysanthemum Hair Band was started and finished within the final days prior to the entry deadline.

 I was very lucky that I actually finished it in time to post for the challenge and then happily surprised when my team mates choose it to be the winner.  The July Challenge was "Beautiful Summer Flowers" Challenge


On the Right is the photo for " Chrysanthemum Hair Band.  I had the pleasure of selling this piece at the Artisan Farmers Market in Burnaby.  The Chrysanthemum is complete made of Czech Preciosa Ornela Seed Bead in various shades of orange, red, gold brown, black.  I picked one of the Chrysanthemums one morning during our walk along the sea wall towards Granville Island.  In the summer the city maintains a beautiful garden along the sea wall in this location and I just couldn't resist.


Some of my other challenge pieces were the Pacific White Sided Dolphins for the August challenge "Sea Adventures"   The two dolphins are having a great Sea Adventure frolicking in Georgia Straight  (the ocean water piece between Vancouver and Vancouver Island.  It is always good luck for a passage if you find these dolphins playing in your bow wave or if you see them when you are on the ferry.


I also created this Easter Faberge Necklace for the April Challenge "Faberge"  The central focal cab was one that I purchased in Vegas the year of my 50th birthday some years ago.  I finally was inspired to use it for this necklace.

I have also been busily adding to my Hair Accessory Line as well as my Bead Woven Earring line.  The hair accessories seem to be doing very well and I have sold several of them on Etsy recently (one went to Finland) and many have been sold at the Artisan Farmers Markets in the summer.  I am still in the process of making several more for all the Christmas Craft shows that I will be attending.  The schedule I will post in a separate post.

Left is Day of the Dead and Chalk Turquoise

Right - Snow White, Black Beauty and Aqua & Silver Barrettes with "Made in France" Barrette clips


Then there are the new bead embroidered earrings that I started making the first was to match the Chalk Turquoise barrette and are also called of course "Chalk Turquoise" earrings.

Below is Green Moss Earrings made as a set with the Green Moss Necklace on the left.

All of my creations are made with Czech Preciosa-Ornela seed beads, I really love the texture that these beads create within the project.  My bead stock on the boat mostly consists of hanks and hanks in a range of colours (cause I hate to run out mid project)  If hubby new the weight of beads on the boat he most like would have a fit.

Want to "Do it yourself"  I also created some Basic to Intermediate Peyote PDF patterns - Honu Sea Turtle Odd count Peyote, Hungarian Flowers, Honu Plumeria Flowers, Plumeria Flowers, Eye of Ra and Greek Key (River of Life).  These patterns are available for instant download on my Etsy site at https://www.etsy.com/shop/AngelqueCreations?section_id=10220799  The patterns are designed with Delica seed beads, but I have also provided a bead chart with an alternate Preciosa-Ornela color palette so that you can create them with these great little beads.

So although I have not posted in a while on my blog (I will try to do better, I promise) I have been a very busy girl. Who said retired people are bored, I just can't seem to find enough time in the day to accomplish all the things that I have set out for myself.