I love making Christmas ornaments! I always have. My mom painted ornaments as a kid, and being an art teacher, she always had fun crafty things for us to do at Christmas time. She still has the salt dough ornaments we made when I was 4 or 5, and the wacky Fimo ornaments we made when we lived in Washington DC when I was 6. Every year there was something new to try. As an adult, I have kept up with this tradition by hosting an ornament making party every year. I love being able to make this a holiday tradition for my friends and their kids.
I set out a table full of supplies and let people go crazy. This year I set up a few ornament stations with the patterns and supplies for specific ornaments. This seemed to work well. Most of the adults made 1-2 ornaments of different types. The kids went bonkers and they all left with a paper plate full of assorted ornaments. I didn’t manage to snap any pictures this year. But I’m pretty sure fun was had by all.
As I was scurrying around trying to get the house decorated before the party, I took a moment to appreciate all the handmade ornaments I have accumulated over the years. This seemed a good time to share a few of my favorites with you. 
The cowboy snowman was made by me shortly after college, maybe 93-94. The flapper snow angel was made at the same time. I’m pretty sure my mom drew the face on her, since I usually avoid the eyelashes. 
This tiny snow baby was made about the same time. 
Her body is made from some leftover material from a pair of pants that I had made.
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In my first apartment I put up a tree and realized that I was going to need to make some of my own ornaments to fill things up. I made a bunch of these bees and ladybugs from a Better Homes and Gardens holiday issue. They still make me laugh when I pull them out of the box. The wings are made from shrink plastic. 
There are loads of other handmade ornaments on my tree. But those are a few of my favorites. What are your favorite holiday ornaments?
The internet can be a scary place full of nut balls and things that can’t be unseen. But it can also be a wonderful place full of inspiration, magic, opportunities, and friends you haven’t met yet. Today’s internet magic is brought to you by the lovely Karen Williams at Baubilicious. For several years now, Karen has organized a handmade ornament swap. I participated in the past and had great fun. So I jumped on the chance to do it it again. After a quick little quiz about what sorts of ornaments you like to make and receive, Karen matched up swap partners and sent us all the pertinent info to contact our person.
I got matched with Adrienne Hendricks. After a few quick emails we figured out what our likes/ dislikes were. My tree is always a hodgepodge of handmade ornaments and odds and ends of things collected over the years. It definitely reflects the tastes and hobbies of both of us here at the Conway-Broadie Consortium. If there is any overarching theme at all, it would probably be sparkles and birds… along with the rest of the animal kingdom for good measure.
Now it was time to get crafting. November was a whirlwind month of travel and craziness. The first order of business was to find a project that would travel well. Enter the knitting bag. Several years ago I had made some adorable gnomes out of wine corks. I dug out the pattern and got to knitting. Over the course of 3 weeks, I managed to make about 30 of the little guys. After being asked what I was knitting by several folks in my travels, I got some pretty strange looks when I said I was knitting outfits for corks… We all have our moments of crazy. But the completion of each tiny hat made me so happy. And the teeny pompoms made me giggle even more. It was the perfect traveling project. 
My assistant was an unwilling model. 
Once the gnomes were in hand, I decided I wanted to do a little beading. I’m not a huge fan of the big fancy beaded ball covers. So I did a little poking around out Pinterest for some inspiration. I found lots of cool stuff, but the thing that caught my eye was a little tree ornament that used two holed triangles and seed beads. Adrienne had indicated that she liked traditional Christmas things, so a tiny tree seemed perfect. I tracked down the pattern and was off to the races. I had all of the supplies on hand, I just had to pick colors. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Those little trees are addictive. 
I made a few custom hangers to match. I then boxed up my ornaments along with a few treats and popped them in the mail. A few days later I received Adrienne’s box and boy was I surprised. She had mentioned something about a mermaid to go along with my other sea creatures… But I wasn’t expecting this. 
I hit the swap partner jackpot! I love my little mermaid. I can’t believe all those 15s in there. That shibori ribbon and the tiny dragon scales give it just the right amount of shimmer. I hope Adrienne is a fast beader. That’s a lot of work in there and a wonderfully fun cabochon. I am in awe of all the great details. And here it is, smack in the middle of my tree. 
I had my annual Ornament making party on Thursday, and a friend plucked this off my tree and said “OMG, this is amazing! Where did it come from?” It’s definitely a show stopper. Thank you Adrienne! And thank you to Karen for organizing this holiday fun. Please check out the links at the bottom of this post to see what everyone else made. I’m looking forward to it.
Carrie Johnson and Therese Frank
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Jasvanti Patel and Becky Clay
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Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending a fun evening hosted by Susan Baroncini-Moe and Kelly and Wendy of KW Style. It’s not my usual scene, but I thought I would push myself out of my comfort zone a bit and see what there was to see. I had a great time chatting with other women in business and learned about some new (to me) products.
Kelly and Wendy of KW Style are currently carrying the Agnes & Dora line of clothing as well as Stella & Dot jewelry. I’ve seen a few people selling the Stella and Dot line, but I hadn’t seen the Agnes & Dora line in real life. They have a lovely selection of items in Kelly’s basement shop. I was pleased to see it was size inclusive ranging in sizes from XXS to 3XL. There were lots of cozy sweaters and long swingy tops as well as some super stylish jeggings. I came home with two cute tops. Neither of which I took photos of. But here’s a peek at the behind the scenes set up of the live feed. 
I got a quick hair consult and curl from Dakota from the Dragonfly Salon in Fishers. She offered some great advice for managing my new-ish curls.
I had a lovely chat with Dania Whittey a consultant for SeneGence cosmetics. I had heard about Lip Sense before, but hadn’t had a chance to see it in action. I am super sensitive to fragrances and weird chemicals in my lipstick so I was hesitant to try something new. But Dania insisted it would work for me, and wouldn’t you know, she was right. I ended up buying the starter pack. I have now worn it 3 days in a row and the color has lasted a full day! I am really impressed. And now I’m pondering what color to buy next…
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In addition to the vendors, there were also super tasty treats from Sweetie’s in Fishers, and scrumptious smelling candles from Unplug Soy Candles. 
In addition to all of this awesomeness, we were also sent home with a swag bag full of nice stuff. I’m super psyched to have received a copy of Susan’s book. It’s going on the top of the pile. 
All in all it was a great evening. I’m glad I managed to overcome my usual hermit-y ways to step out for the evening and meet fun new people. I’ll have to remember to do that again.
Disclaimer: This post is a review of a product that I was sent for reviewing purposes. Opinions are my own.
A few months back I was contacted by the lovely folks at Facet (Bead and Button,) to see if I would be willing to test out their new subscription bead box that they planned to launch in the new year. I have been itching to try a crafty subscription box for a while, and couldn’t decide where to start. How could I say no?
Time passed, and I had almost forgotten about it, when low and behold a beautiful teal box appeared in my mailbox last week. 
With a squeak of delight I ran inside to open it right away. The Facet folks had promised two projects in each box. And indeed there were the supplies for two complete projects all clearly labeled with a shiny, full color instruction booklet. 
I dug out my pliers and got started right away. I made the earrings first. They came out a bit wonky, but wire wrapping is not my forte, and I forgot to follow the wire work rule of making the proper bends on each piece before moving to the next step. So they don’t quite match, but they are definitely still wearable. 
If you wish to solve your impotence without taking medications, garlic free sample of cialis is one of the best natural cures for impotence. So it is essential to first take proper knowledge about the medicine that has to be used plus the issue or the disorder. levitra prescription http://downtownsault.org/sault-community-pharmacy/ Each prescribed levitra sale http://downtownsault.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/11-13-13-DDA-Minutes.doc form is available in different forms of consumption like jellies, tablets and soft tablets, the medicine is available at any authorised pharmaceutical store. The court granted bail to them and the procedure to make the patient viagra samples canada downtownsault.org comfortable. The Pearl Cascade necklace was fun to put together. I separated out all the beads and got to work popping them on to headpins. I was happy to see that there were extra headpins in the kit. I had a few misfires and definitely needed a few extras. 
The overall quality of the beads was great. There was one pearl where the finish was chipped, but that’s pretty much par for the course with glass pearls. No one will ever see it in this project. 
It was definitely a treat to have two projects appear in my mailbox. The instructions were easy to follow and the quality of the supplies was very good. I ended up with two fun, very wearable pieces . I was perfectly happy with my experience. Then the next day there was another teal box in my mailbox. I thought it might be a shipping mistake, and assumed it was just a double shipment, but no! They also have a bead weaving box. And I got to try that out too!
In this box there was a bracelet and a necklace kit both designed by Anna Elizabeth Draeger. I think my favorite part was the adorably tiny spools of Fireline. Those will definitely be going in my travel bead box. 
I whipped up the pendant right away. It went quickly and will be going in my future gifts box. 
The chain bracelet is still in progress. I have made my fair share of beaded chain, and this one has the same challenges that they all do. They are time consuming. But it’s going to be lovely when it is finished. Again, the instructions are well written and nicely illustrated. The seed beads are Miyuki, which is nice. 
All in all I would say a big thumbs up for the Facet Jewelry Box! And as an added bonus, the shipping boxes are the perfect size for project storage if you are into that sort of thing.
Subscription boxes are all the rage these days in the crafting world. It seems like there is one available for every sort of hobby. Some seem to be better deals than others. The Facet Jewelry Box is available in two formats as I have learned. You can get a Bead Stringing box or a Bead Stitching box. Prices start at $24.95. The price goes down a bit the more months you sign up for. Each month you will receive a box with all the supplies and instructions to make two projects. The only thing you need to supply are the tools. I think this is a great service for anyone who loves to bead and likes surprises. And if you sign up right away you can use the code FACET to receive 10% off your first box.
Fancy photos were taken before sending the piece off to the TOHO folks. We even took a few of me wearing the piece. Then the piece was boxed up and sent off 2 day air. All set to arrive in plenty of time for the deadline. Or so I thought…
I checked in a few days after sending the piece to make sure it arrived safely. I never received a response. Life got busy and I just assumed that all was well. A few weeks later I checked again. This time I received a response saying that my piece hadn’t been received! ACK! Insert all sorts of expletives here. A tense 15 minutes of googling found that my piece had been sitting in the Boise post office for the last 28 days. ARGH! A few panicked emails, and my piece was picked up by the Starman folks the next day. Less than a month before it is to be displayed at the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee.
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I was greatly relieved to finally see it on display with it’s counterparts. Everyone else’s pieces were delightful, and I was clearly not the only one who found the color selection challenging. The other entries can be found on the TOHO facebook page here.
Well, that mostly concludes the saga of how to make a challenge piece. Now the pieces will be on display at the TOHO Glass Village/ Glass Museum for the next year. I won’t see it again until next year’s Bead and Button Show, unless someone wants to send me to Japan… 
All in all it was a great experience. It certainly stretched me out of my comfort zone in many ways. I learned a lot, and look forward to making some more big show pieces in the future. Hopefully I will be invited back again some other year.
This piece is finally coming together. It’s looking like it’s actually going to work, but the deadline keeps looming. In the mean time, other obligations keep sucking up my beading time.
Now it’s time to start on the forehead panel. You might remember that my initial sketch didn’t include this piece… Time to start designing again. 
This piece also came with a structural challenge. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get my needle in the space between the wires to whip stitch this portion as I had the other sections. The easiest solution was to add a bit extra to the top of the panel and thread the vinyl through the gap, and attach it to the back side of the piece. A little extra trimming was necessary in the end, but it worked out well. 
Things are getting close now. The forehead panel is attached and everything is looking good, but it still needs a little something.
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At this point I had used all but one of the types of beads in the kit I really wanted to work in those big gold melon beads. And I wanted to cover up that bit of ultrasuede that could be seen from the front. Thinking back to those Brazilian headdresses, they all had some sort of fringe or swags to bring some movement to the piece. Time to make more tiny flowers…
Swags added to both sides, and now it’s time for some glamour shots.
With the fabric problem solved, I sat down to some serious bead time. The first step was to transfer my design to tracing paper. 
The paper then gets stitched to the vinyl and from then on, it’s like coloring with beads. Fill in the areas with the right beads, and remove the paper as you go. My super pointy tweezers are one of my favorite tools. This is a great technique for all sorts of bead embroidery. I filled in all of the parts, then added the lizards last, since I knew they would be sneaky thread catchers. 
The side panels went quickly compared to the center panel. 
Now comes the tricky part, attaching the panels to the frame. I backed each piece with ultrasuede, and stitched a row of beads along the two side edges to join them, leaving the bottom edge open. Now another issue arises.
It looks ok, but needs a bit more oomph. Enter my beady/quilty friend, Carol with a fabulous heat sensitive batting/interfacing. I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called at the moment. But you can cut it to size, then heat set it to harden and shape it. I put a small bit of that in each of the panels and it added just the right amount of stiffening. I then slid them over the frame, and pulled the ultrasuede to the front and whip stitched it as close to the wire as possible. 
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The backing for the front piece was made in two pieces that overlapped. A small horizontal cut was made to accommodate that support wire. A little wire bending and a little creative sewing worked to attach the center panel without undoing the work I had already done. 
Now the problem becomes the forehead panel. There is no longer room to wrap that panel around the frame. The back wire of the forehead panel is removed and reattached a bit lower.
So now I had a skull and two lizards, but no real plan other than a head piece of some sort. Another trip down the Pinterest wormhole provided tons of inspiration, and lead me to wire frames for Brazilian Carnival Headdresses. Well there was no time to order one, but through the magic of the internet, I found tutorials for how to make your own!
The first order of business was to find an assistant. 
I busted out the heaviest gauge aluminum wire that I had on hand and got to experimenting. I made a basic headband out of wire, and then started experimenting with paper shapes before deciding on the final design. 
I knew that the skull would be front and center, and since the piece would be somewhat heavy, it would need a forehead panel to balance the weight. There is also a piece of wire that runs down the back of the head for balance.
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Now that I had the bones of the piece in place, it was time to start sketching. By now I had made a few more components and it was time to play. 
A lot of people ask about my design process and if I sketch things out ahead of time. The answer is not always, but sometimes it is definitely necessary. This was one of those times. Next I made some paper templates, curving the bottom edges so that they followed the shape of the frame.
The next challenge was discovering that the fabric I had initially decided to use wasn’t going to work. I have been making pieces with marine vinyl for a while. Diane Fitzgerald introduced me to this fun surface a few years back. It’s great because the edges don’t fray, and it comes in great colors. I had some lovely gold, but it was way too stiff. Experiments showed that it wasn’t going to do what I needed it to do. I did have a roll of fashion vinyl on hand, but it was silver. It was the perfect thickness and had a nice hand to it. Enter Lumiere paints. I cut off a piece of vinyl and got to work painting. 
I wanted a mottled look, and I wanted to pull in a bit more color in a subtle way. Thank goodness the colors held. I heat set it with my heat gun for extra insurance.
The lizards sat for a while, and I moved onto other projects for a bit. Then I went on vacation, and the time crunch set in. I decided to definitely head in the desert direction, but I figured that everyone else would probably be making a necklace, so I should make something else to help my piece stand out. I had been thinking about crowns. My grandmother and her sister, Pauline made beautiful fabric crowns from vintage trims and embroidery. They were soft, and elegant. But a full on crown is a lot of real estate to cover in a short time. I was still waffling between a crown and a necklace.
A fortuitous trip to Target yielded an unexpected meeting with my lampworking friend Camille. Camille and I worked on another challenge piece together several years ago. We had a nice little brainstorming chat, and I was convinced to head down the crown/ head piece route.
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Thinking of my grandmother reminded me that she had several bleached cow skulls hanging on her porch for years. This sounded like just the thing to go with my piece, so I started thinking about how to bead a cow skull. It could work like the lizards, but I would definitely need an armature. I thought about asking Camille to make me a glass one, but decided that since I was short on time, I should figure out how to do it myself. Enter a trip down the Pinterest wormhole. I found a tutorial for making them out of polymer clay, but in the interest of keeping it light, I made a few with Crayola Model Magic which is an air dry foam clay. 
They came out a wee bit wonky, but since they were going to get covered with beads, I didn’t worry too much about it. The clay is not super sturdy. I definitely wouldn’t use it on something that was going to get heavy wear and tear, but it worked fairly well for this job. I did have to re-attach the horn after a small incident. 
I went ahead and painted the eye sockets to give it some depth. I had to go back after this shot and touch it up a bit more so no white bits were showing. Getting the jaw close to right was tricky. I ended up having to break off part of the jaw and create the shape using just beads. Not exactly anatomically correct, but you get the right feel from it. 
I also added a few tiny flowers for good measure. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.
Back in November I was contacted by a representative from TOHO Beads asking if I would be interested in participating in their bead challenge. Having seen all of the magnificent pieces through the years at the Bead and Button Show, of course I said yes. TOHO makes beautiful beads, and I am always up for a challenge. Right before Christmas I received my box of beads. I opened it up and marveled at the sheer quantity of beads. I knew the quality would be great. I expected seed beads, but I didn’t expect the extras – crescent beads, and melon beads in two sizes. The demi rounds were a surprise as well. I had been hoarding some that I bought last summer, but hadn’t had a chance to use them yet. The colors were the biggest surprise and the biggest challenge of the whole piece. Beige, Cream, Electric blue, and Eggplant. Not the colors I am used to working with. 
In the rush of holiday excitement, the beads got put aside, and my brain had time to percolate.
The rules stipulated that you could add one focal piece, and whatever findings were necessary, but that the focus should be on the beads. They also said that the contents of the kit and progress photos should remain secret until the unveiling at the Bead and Button Show in June. I was so excited about being asked to participate, it was hard not to share.
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The more I looked at the colors, the harder the project got. I am a bright color gal, and a nature girl. These colors didn’t work for either of my comfort zones. I started thinking about deserts and sand, and I started doing research. My first thought was to make a desert necklace full of lizards and succulents. But I couldn’t quite get past the lack of green. I decided to make a few lizards anyway. Lizards are definitely in my comfort zone. I ordered some bags of tiny lizards from Amazon and got to work. 
I was hoping to make a bunch of lizards, but there weren’t enough 15s in the box to make more than two. 
The lizards sat on my bead mat for a while and things got a little silly.
