Beading Buddies

One of the things that I find that inspires me the most is being able to share the beading experience.  I'm very fortunate to have two sisters (Cindy and Lori) who share the love of making jewelry with me.  We've spent countless hours together putting together creations, bouncing ideas off of each other, and just enjoying time together beading.  Unfortunately Lori moved to Denver a couple years back and we haven't been able to get together to bead much since (however we do get together to go to the Denver Bead Show in March - now that is fun!).  Last weekend I was able to spend almost the whole day Sunday together with Cindy beading - and it was amazing how the inspiration and creativity kept flowing.  I lost track of how many pieces I made, but it was quite a few.  What follows are a few of the pieces that were created during our "beading party."

The Bead Whisperer?

Sometimes the beads speak to me.  Not in the maybe-she-should-be-locked-up-in-a-mental-hospital way, but I can just look at them and know what I should do with them - just as if they themselves know what their final form should be.  This was very true with this strand of faceted citrine nuggets I had stashed away.  I always have the bad habit of saving the beads I really like "for something really special" - as was the case with this strand.  In all reality, I'm probably scared of making something not worthy of the beads themselves.  But these beads spoke to me the other day, and I knew what to do with them.  What they chose is shown below.

I'm Jumping In

Well, I guess I've held off long enough on the social media thing and have finally decided it is time to jump in with both feet.  I'm sure everyone has that initial fear of "what will I say", "will people care", etc.  I've been totally obsessed with making jewelry for so long now that I can't even remember.  I find inspiration everywhere, and have been referred to as a "prolific designer" - I'd like to share some of my inspiration, tips and hints, and designs.  But this is my start - my dipping the toes in the water.