The Bead Spot

Before my daughter was born, I used to set up a tray table in front in front of the couch and work on my beads. For nearly a year after she came along, I was able to continue to bead this way. But when she became mobile, that became harder and harder to do. She would walk up, shake the table and scatter beads everywhere.  So I put the tray table away. Finding time to work on projects has been quite a challenge over the past year or so. But now I think she's old enough -- at age 2 -- to learn to occupy herself within my eyesight while I get some work done. The take tray table is coming back out, and hopefully she'll let me work. Here's hoping.

This past week, I tried my hand at a different type of craft -- cake decorating -- for my younger sister's baby shower. I have decorated cakes only once before, just this past August for my daughter's birthday. Then, I decorated cupcakes to look like Elmo. For the baby shower, I chose something a little more complicated. I bought a Wilton cake pan in the shape of baby carriage, and chose pink and green colors. To make sure there was enough for all shower guests, I made three cakes. (I told my sis it looks like she's having triplets.) When the cakes were finished, I wasn't all that happy with the way they turned out. There were gaps in the icing in places, and the end result, I thought, looked sloppy. If I could do it all over again, I'd give myself more time. However, my sister was happy with them, which is what matters most.  In the end, I learned to allow myself more time next time. And now, back to the beads.

I have an idea for a Halloween-themed bead project, but in order to get it to look right, I'll have to map it out on paper and create a pattern. That means a lot of time with colored pencils and graph paper, coloring, erasing and redrawing until I get it just right. It occurred to me, though, that perhaps there is software that could automate part of the process. So I did a Google search, and it turns out, there is. I have no idea why I never thought to look for this sort of software before. I like to hear from other beaders who use software to create patterns. What do you think of Easy Bead Patterns ,  Bead Tool , Bead Creator , Bead Canvas or Bead Wizard ? I'm mostly interested in Easy Bead Pattern, Bead Tool, Bead Canvas and Bead Wizard because of cost (Easy Bead Patterns is free; Bead Tool costs $45; Bead Wizard is $50; Bead Canvas costs $40; and Bead Creator ranges from $150-$250), but I'd like to hear opinions on any program. Is it useful? Is it worth the cost? ...

Fire Mountain Gems Giveaway Because of a tweet, I found out Fire Mountain Gems is having a giveaway. You enter through the shop's  Facebook page for free supplies. The first giveaway is today. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be among the winners, but I still wish good luck to everyone else who enters, too. Stretchy String Not Good I made some children's necklaces out of wooden beads and stretchy string one day last week and gave one to my toddler. Within minutes, she had the stretchy string stretched out so that there are now some huge gaps between the beads. I think next time, I'm going to use monofilament. Deer Skin Project On Hold A few months ago, I mentioned  that I was stitching beads onto deer skin for the first time. I got into a rhythm with attaching the beads, but it was slow going and the further along I got in the project, the more I wished that I had used a different color. The brown of the skin and of the beads is just too close. I th...

I made this bracelet on a loom a little over a year ago. Overall, I like the way it looks, but I think it needs something on the edges. I'm thinking a black fringe might be just the thing. Putting it on, though, is easier said than done. When I worked the warp threads back through it, I wound up passing through the edge beads several times on both ends. As a result, I cannot fit one more thread through the beads at the far ends. I've tried several times. This was my first loom project of this type in several years, so I had forgotten just how crowded the edges can become. Lesson learned. Next time, I'll try to better plan where I weave the warp threads to prevent this problem. The only questions I have are: Is this bracelet hopeless? Should I just break it down so I can save the beads? Or do I see if anyone one Etsy might be interested in buying it without the fringe? Any thoughts?

As I am with most social media, I am a late comer to Pinterest . I set up an account a few years ago, surfed the site a little, pinned a few things, but ultimately decided I just didn't get it. So I stopped visiting the site. Over the past month, I've been spending time on Google+ and through a few connections there, I've found my way back to Pinterest. This time around, though, I have a much better understanding of how the site works, and I've learned that it has a wealth of information and inspiration, and not just for beaders. I found projects that incorporate resin and needled felt and even a few my toddler and I could do together. On the home decorating front, I've also found a clever and stylish tips such as using a wine rack to hold towels, tea cups as shades and turning a dresser into a bench. Readers on Pinterest who would like to connect with me there can find me at  http://pinterest.com/catie70 . I'd love to see what inspires you, too.

Magnifying Glass and Twin Two-Hole Beads I've been away from blogging for a few weeks while I work on a freelance project, but now, finally, I have the bulk of the work behind me. On Monday, feeling ready to shift my focus back to crafts, my mom and I stopped in at a bead shop we had never visited before. It's  Whimsy House of Beads  in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and we just happened to see the sign for it as we were driving past. To add to our happy coincidence, the shop is normally closed Mondays, but the owner decided to open her doors as she waited for UPS to make a delivery. The store isn't huge, but it's full of beads and beading supplies without being cluttered. The photo above shows a couple of my purchases -- a magnifier-chain holder and twin two-hole beads -- that have long been on my wish list. I also found a lot more products I didn't even know existed, such as boards for creating beaded macrame bracelets. I just bought beads, the magnifier and some spac...