Inauguration Day

Today is a new day... (my neighbor Laura's flag)


Today is a new beginning... (my neighbors John and Dottie's flag)


Today is a day of...(the sign in my window)

Winter blues

I have the winter blues. If you come by and read my blog, please leave a comment and say hello!

Bobbin lace

When I was in Mexico I had the great fortune to sit next to a lovely woman, Yumi Mutoh, from Japan. Yumi hand makes bobbin lace, and below is a photo she sent me of a piece she recently made. Isn't it absolutely stunning? People always ask us beaders how we have the patience to bead, well, I think that what Yumi does takes far more patience and skill than anything I have ever done. She will be entering this piece in an exhibition this spring. I look forward to seeing more of her work.

Arizona trip

I recently was in Arizona to celebrate my sister's 50th birthday. We had a great weekend, full of fun and eating. This first photo is a close-up of a peyote band I made her. I didn't really know whether to make it a bracelet or something she could hang up (I've made her a cardinal crystal ornament in the past), so I kind of improvised.

Here is the full piece. It covers the top of her wrist and a tiny bit of the side and looked good just with the ribbon tied in a knot.

And here is my family, in front of the lovely old hotel we had lunch at, I believe called the Royal Palm. From the left - Irving and my mother, Buddy and Toby (the birthday girl!), Sharon and me!

A beautiful piece in the hotel lobby.

And the fountain in front of the hotel. Such a lovely setting.

beaded jewelry

This first piece is freeform over a washer. My favorite colors!



I saw a photo on a blog (sorry I can't reference it) of a similar piece and made this set to go with a dress I wore in Mexico.

This beautiful lampwork face is by Sylvie Landsdowne, as is the beaded pattern for the mermaid. She hangs on a tubular right angle weave strap embellished with crystals.