Finished up one cuff last night and started on another bracelet. Right now I've got 4 projects in the works and I've been switching back and forth between them, depending on what I feel like working on. I had every intention to work on them today, but I've been dinking around in front of the computer instead, getting some work done for my real job. Granted, that entails stuff like surfing the web and printing up things that I've already got saved on my computer, but it's still massage-related stuff and not bead related. Now if I could just find some time to get my taxes done (no thanks to TaxCut) then I'll be set and I can get back to playing with beads.
No pictures yet of the new cuff, I hope to have some either tonight or tomorrow. It's a peyote cuff with a twisting ribbon pattern in citrus colors on black with a beaded toggle. Turned out better than I expected, especially since I wasn't sure how to finish it when I got started on it. Sometimes you learn as you go, lately it seems I've been doing that alot.
The other projects I'm working on include another peyote cuff in a tumbling cubes pattern, a double spiral rope bracelet in purple, lavender and silver and a netted, draped bracelet in pale and medium pinks. The pink bracelet is based on a pattern I got at Bead Culture. Some of their patterns don't interest me (I'm kinda beyond basic stringing) but I do like some of their woven and stitched stuff. At the very least, I can use their patterns as a jumping off point and deviate from them somewhat. Or use bits and pieces of different patterns and combine them to make my own pieces. I think that's what a lot of designers do. There aren't that many things that are new and different anymore, the truly great designers are the ones that reinvent classic designs or the ones that add their own interesting twist on it. Once I get some of these pieces finished up, I'd really like to try my hand at making some 3-D stuff, like the ones in the new Bead and Button magazine. I just don't want to copy someone else's work and it seems like every time I have an idea that I'd like to run with, someone else has beat me to the punch. One of these days I'll come up with something TOTALLY different. But I'm still building my skill toolbox, so to speak.
Ooh, and I stopped off at my local bead store, Got To Bead, today and got invited back after hours to play with the owner. She's such an amazing lady. I swear, if I ever win the lotto, I'm going to just give her a bunch of money to invest in the store. It really pisses me off when people come in and talk about where else they've bought their items. And then expect her to help them make something with them! I know NO ONE out there buys EVERYTHING from one store. There's too much good stuff out there, it would cost a fortune for one store to stock everything. But here's the thing: if we don't support our local stores, they won't be there for long. Yeah, I can get a lot of things cheaper on the internet. But by buying local, I know that she'll be there for those times when I want something NOW. It's okay to spend a few dollars more. I think it's worth it in the long run. Anyhow, I'm going to pack up a few things and go spend a lovely evening with a truly terrific woman who is probably one of the best cheerleaders a bead weaver could ask for.
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