Dec 26

The new crew at my house...I am a lucky lady to have such wonderful people to share my home and life with



We had a wonderful Christmas.
I can't even begin to say how great it was to have my son and his girlfriend Mellanie here. They moved to New Mexico back in the fall and have been such an asset to our live.
When Michael was ill it was so great to have Jesse here to help out with all the things Michael wasn't allowed to do. Also it has been so many years since I have had any time with him that it has just been great being with him again.
Mellanie, my future daughter-in-law is just a joy. She is learning to bead so for Christmas she got beads and beading supplies. Also this little gal can cooooooook.
I adore her and she is such a wonderful addition to our family.
Heather moved in just a few days before Jesse and Mellanie. She also has become a major asset to our home, she bakes and cooks also. I taught her to bead back in the spring and she took first place in beginning beaders at the NM State Fair for amulet bags. The girl rocks with beading. She also received lots of beads and beading supplies for Christmas.


Ok now I have to show you all what Santa left for me...am I happy oooooh YESSS...


Last but not least..My happy feet...
I wanted these so much... they are so cozy and warm...
And here they are on my happy feet..
lol

Christmas Eve and Christmas Stockings

Above are the Christmas stockings I have been working on. I created my own pattern.. I know big jump there..lol. But I did enjoy doing them. I am very lucky to have an embroidery machine so all the names where done with my machine. Micheal's is made out of fabric with green chili peppers on it because he loves them so much, mine is Santa fabric because I collect Santa figures. Jesse and Mellanie both wanted snow men and Heather loves cats so hers is cats.

Its Christmas Eve and Michael is going to make ginger bread waffles and bacon for dinner other than that we are all home and relaxing. We have a little bit of baking to do for tomorrow. We have a couple of friends coming over tomorrow for dinner. Our menus is,
Baked Ham
Roast Beef
Mashed potatoes
Squash casserole
fruit salad
rolls
and pumpkin pie
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Regardless how you celebrate sharing it with the people you love is the most important thing.
I know if I could I would have all my kids, grand kids, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews here along with all of my friends. However that can't be but I am so happy to have the people that can be here.
Well it is time to go and enjoy dinner
Happy Holidays to all,
Sunni

Been getting ready for Christmas

I know I have been slack here but hey I have been beading insanely.
I can't tell and show everything until after Christmas but I can show all my finished ornaments.
Now a couple where already finished just packed away.
Some where half way there but not finished and some are still in the box to be finished but I want to share these with you.
However first I want to share with you about an incredible artist.
Her name is Paula Adams, when I first started beading I use to set and drool all over my keyboard looking at her work online. My dream was to be able to one day do the type of work she did.
Well life is funny and after about 6 years of beading I ended up moving to Albuquerque, NM. My husband suggested I go take a few classes at the local bead store just to get to know other people...hehehe..funny man... he had no idea he just opened the door to pure joy. Me in a bead store.
Ok back to my story. Well here I am in the bead store and there is a class in the back room. I asked the owner of the store who was teaching and what was she teaching and could I go look?
WELLLL low and behold, I have to say this would be better to me than meeting any ole movie star. It was Paula Adams and yes I could go look. Let me tell you I had to contain my goofy joy so she wouldn't think I was insane.
Well next thing you know I am taking lots of classes with this delightful lady.
I even got to go to her house one Christmas and view her tree. I was also so excited to do some proofing of a few patterns for Paula.
So with all this being said let me show you some of the work from the classes I have taken...oh and here is a link to her site Visions by Paula and I will be adding a link to my list on the side also. To the best of my knowledge all of these patterns are on her site for sale.

Russian Tower (this was the first one I ever did)


Angel front and Fantasia

Angel back

Christmas Tree ( I just finished this one)

Top view of tree

Nosegay

Top view of Nosegay

Star and one of my favorites Anastasia (I just finished this one also)

Ok these are Snowflake Earrings designed by Bobby Yokum but I just finished them and wanted to share.

One of my sons

It's one thing to make beautiful jewelry and stuff.
It's another to have kids to show off...lol..I sure love my kids and my grandkids.
One of my sons goes to school in Jacksonville, Fl. and they set this up about him.
http://www.fccj.edu/spotlight/2008/tschafer.html
Wow as a mom it sure makes me proud.

Bag of Magical Colors

Imagine a woman that wanders through the woods and fields and collects herbs for making wonderful things with. Healing potions and candles to smell wonderful, sachets to slip inside a drawer and dried herbs to spice up her cooking.
Imagine her weaving those together randomly so that she always has them with her.
She saves inside her Bag of Magical Colors all the colors of the years that have passed.
And on a cold winter night she holds the bag in her hands and pours out the warm rich colors and she remembers her quiet walks,the people she has loved in her life and the ones that loved her back and she remembers that life is filled with wonderful colors. She dreams of the spring to come and the new colors that will hold her captive, and suddenly she feels warm and cozy.
.....
When I started this bag I had an idea in mind.
However, my beads seem to have an idea all of their own.
I poured my mix of free form beads onto a work tray and I began to bead.
I started out with a two drop peyote, and soon it became something else.
It seemed that with each bead I added it became what it wanted to be.
When I was done the next evening.( I started it and finished it in two days. I couldn't stop)I knew the story. I could see it. I love when bead work does this for me.
Its like being a child and inventing wonderful stories.
But these take on life with the beads and they become my most treasured pieces.
So I share with you My Bag of Magical Colors and hope you enjoy it.
Hugs,
Sunni


Top View

Close Up

Enchanted Carpet and a Challenge

Last week I pulled out a very old Bead and Button(June 1995} and I came across this pattern by Jennifer Clement. There are several in this article and I chose this one.
It was meant to be a flat peyote bag and I made mine sort of oval shaped.
To me it looked like an enchanted carpet by the time I was done so that is the name I gave it. What I learned from this was, sometimes it really pays to go back and look at the old magazines and books we have collected over the years. We never know what treasure is hiding in there.
So I challenge you all to pull out something old you perhaps haven't looked at in years and see how it inspires you.
Let me know what you do.
Hugs to all,
Sunni

Top View

Bottom View

I have been tagged

Aryd'ell tagged me to tell 7 things about myself that are not well known.
Well I guess that will depend on who you are if you know these things about me or not.
However I will go with my online beady friends and what they don't know...
Lol.

Ok..
1. I love mayonnaise and banana sandwiches with a diet coke..
{My sister-in-law that is like 20 years older than me started me on those when I was a little kid)

2. I organize my beads by size and color except for beads that range from brown to any fall color, except orange and yellow....lol....and they all go under the label of harvest. and you might say..that mix is my favorite color.

3. Every time I go to a beading class at Poppy Fields, that is Margo Fields shop, and I do this way more than I should...I buy 3 packages of needles...10, 11, and 12... because I am certain that some day I won't be able to find beading needles..lol..

4. I have beads stored in my bathroom...ok let me explain...I have a biggggggg bathroom and one corner had nothing to put in it..soooo I ran out of places to store crafting supplies and I put up some Raffa Blocks in that corner and stored some of my beading supplies..

5. When my husband and I are riding down the road I pick out car colors that I like and say,"Oh I want beads in that color." He always says,"Oh honey I am sure you have them already".

6. I have a collection of cabs that rivals all the stores in Albuquerque put together.
And I can't bring myself to use them because I might come up with a better idea later...I know shame on me...ok I will work on this one.

7. Last but not least.....My beads get out of their cabinet all by themselves and congregate around my chair waiting to be used....I know this is true...It has to be you should see how many beads end up around my chair.....

Now I have to pick on 7 more people...this may take a few mins...
So I will post them in a few minutes

You know the rules- give up 7 facts about you that are not well known...and then tag 7 more friends on their blogs, using the comment section. Then post on your blog who you have tagged, with links to their sites..that way, we all get to know one another a little bit better!

http://nightbeaderatlarge.blogspot.com/ Susan

http://beaded-creations.blogspot.com/ Jackie

http://gracebeading.blogspot.com/ Grace

http://www.seriousbeader.blogspot.com/ Mary Tafoya

http://anothercountry-morwyn.blogspot.com/ Morwyn

http://beadingatthebeach.blogspot.com/ Bobbi

http://freebirdsings.blogspot.com/

Busy week

This week was busy for me in beading.
I finally finished up my puzzle doll.
Better late than never....
Because my sweet wonderful husband is always singing " You are my Sunshine" to me.
I named her "You are My Sunshine" and gave her to him. She now hangs in our living room.
And here she is for all to see....



Also this week I made a wedding for my friend Heather.
She got married this weekend and this was my wedding present for her. I am not happy with the pictures of this piece. They just didn't do it justice.

More of what I was doing while not blogging..lol

Well yesterday I said I would load more pictures today.
So here they are,
First is one I call Falling Into October.
It is my version of Margo Fields, Therapy Necklace.
I so enjoyed doing this piece as the air was getting crisper and life was getting back to normal around here.



This one I call Golden Roses, I am putting in a close up also,
This is a pattern that to be honest with you I am not sure how it ended up in my notebook. I had a friend that moved out of town a few years ago and she gave me a box of supplies that she wasn't taking with her, there where all sorts of things in it.
It may have been in that box. I found it this summer in my stuff and decided to try it.
I love it.
It is the same necklace I did for my granddaughter Kelly in red over the summer.





This is my lady bug necklace, I found the bug itself in a book I have had for years and now I can't remember where I put it so I can tell you who the author/designer is.
I will as soon as I find the book.
The way I put it together and the fringe was my take on it.
I loved doing this one. I drive a red VW bug so when I saw the bug in the book I just had to do it.
So here is the close up....


And here is the full thing..

Ps... to get the bag to puff up I just tucked a little polyfill in it.

Well I think I am going to rest awhile now. I have been up since 4:30 this morning as we we out to the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta this morning.

It's been forever

It seems it has been forever since I posted to my blog.
Life around the Wolf house has been exciting and changing and scary.
We stayed home most of the summer except for a trip to Utah for a week.
After returning home a friend of ours moved in to one of our spare bedrooms.
A few days later my son and his girlfriend moved into the other one.
Now to go from a home of just Michael, myself and Duke the dog, to a house filled with young people was interesting, fun and lots of work.
We had to revamp my beads and move them all to the sewing area. So now all my craft stuff is in one room. However our friend Heather that moved in is an excellent organizer and between the two of us we have order.
A week after everyone moved in Michael had to be hospitalized because 2 arteries in his heart are 100% blocked and the other one was 95% blocked. Because of other health issues they could not do a by pass. So they took a big risk and did a stent instead.
He was awake for this and went through with flying colors. He is doing great and as I type this he is out for a walk with Duke.
Also the last of June and the first part of July we had two of our grand kids here.
We had so much fun with them. Kelly and I read and I beaded some pieces for her for school this year and Daniel and Michael played video games. We went to movies and out to eat and just generally enjoyed being together.
These are the pieces Kelly went home with.
One I had already done but it was so cute on her I just had to give it to her.



Kelly's Twilight Set, to wear to the opening of her favorite set of books new movie coming out this winter.



This one we strung together in colors she liked. I call it her Spring Necklace.


This was a Hand Bracelet I had made several years ago but it was so perfect for her.



Last but not least the butterfly bag. She chose the design and it turned out so pretty for her. The earrings I had made earlier this year and the just looked so pretty on her. So off they went with her also.

Well trust me that isn't all the beading I have been doing.
Tomorrow I will post some more. First I have to take the pictures.
But I am back.

Its a Cinch

Over the weekend my friend Cheryl and I took another class at Poppy Fields.
Margo Fields has once again shown us her never ending ability to create with beads.
Normally her pieces are very floral. This one isn't but my goodness it was interesting to create. Once I had my bracelet finished I decided to use a small amount of the design to create earrings to go with it.
We are very fortunate here in Albuquerque to have so many wonderfully talented artist here. We have Margo, Paula Adams, Mary Tafoya, Leah Redding and so many others I can't even begin to name them. In Margo's shop there is also a woman named Bobbie Yokum.
She teaches classes also and she is a wonderful artist also.
Well all of that said and done, here is my "It's a Cinch" and honestly once I got the hang of the design it was and lots of fun.



Here is a picture of it closed.

Puzzle Doll

Well here I am back again. It is funny, I get so busy in life and then I realize I forgot to post stuff on here. I am having so much fun in the two bead groups I joined.
And on the doll group there is a fun challenge to create a puzzle doll. Well today I got mine started. With Michaels help the body was created. He also made the face for me and then I detailed it. I colored in my piece with Sharpies. I have never tried doing it that way before. I LOVE THAT. This afternoon we went to the movies and then to Jo Ann's Fabric where I bought a yard of thick interfacing because I was so excited with the technique that I want to do more designs. I also found the cute swirly fabric to put on the back of my doll and I think I will make a bag with it also.
Well with all of that said and done here is a picture of the beginning of my doll.
Her name will be "You Are My Sunshine" because that is what Michael sings to me all the time.

My first cuff

One day I went to Creeds to go to lunch with her,she had made some beautiful cuffs and she gave me a few blanks to bead on. Finally I have finished my first one.
I have to admit it has been a challenge. I enjoyed it. At the same time I wanted to pull my hair out at times. I hope I learned from this one and that the next ones won't be so much of a challenge. There sure is a lot to learn about constructing a cuff for sure.
Anyway, here is is my cuff.

My Take on it

Tomorrow night is my last night of the Class with Margo Fields.
I love the necklace we are working on, but the base just begged me to play with it.
So I added a few of my own ideas and another color to the mix.
When I am finished with the one from class I will post that.
But in the mean time, this is my take on just the base turned into a necklace all by itself.

Jan Night Sky Bag... Repost

Well it took me a long time to decide how to make my bags.
I gave this lots of thought. Most likely too much thought.
But I wanted this to be something I knew I would enjoy doing 12 times.
I am determined (call me insane) to catch up. Anyway, I finished the first one.
I call it January Night Sky. I love the night sky in the winter, it always seems so clear and I always feel so clear and clean standing there looking up at it.
The stars sparkling, the world around me seems to grow quiet no matter where I am.
So that is why a sky for Jan.
To make the bag I chose my cloth fabric. It was pieces from a piece I still have to finish from July. Shame on me. I know.
I put the sides together with beads which is how I plan to do them all. I like that technique. Then I just started letting it tell me where to put more beads and stars.
I am adding a picture of the bag and then a view of the top.
I am calling these Vessel Bags.