Sunday, March 28, 2010

Mosiac Monday...Putting up our Cross

Happy Mosaic Monday to you! This is my third Mosaic picture that I've made now and I'm still loving it! I have to thank, Mary, at Little Red House! Also, if you would be so kind to visit Mary she'd love to have you, and while you're there to look at all the other mosaic pictures our friends here in Blogland have made, there's some gorgeous ones to for you to see!
I thought it would be nice if I made a Mosaic of us putting up our Cross at my Church on the 15th of April 2006, I remember it as if it were yesterday! It was a amazing day, a awesome feeling and something that I'll never forget in my lifetime!
If you want to read the other post that I had back on Monday, July 27, 2009 and see more pictures, here's the link:
Putting up our Cross



Today is Palm Sunday. It's a Christian moveable feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It is the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion. It is also called Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion.
In many Christian Churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses after receiving them) to the assembled worshipers that Sunday. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and of victory, in Jewish tradition, and is treated in other parts of the Bible as such (e.g. Leviticus 23:40 and Revelation 7:9). Because of this, the crowd greeted Jesus by waving palms and carpeting His path with palms has given the Christian festival its name.
Here's a picture of a couple of my palms that I had gotten a few years ago and tied into Crosses.


Thanks so much for stopping in today, I hope that you have a very Happy Easter and a wonderful new Spring!
Hugs...
Bobbi

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Pretty in Pink...

I'm happy to say that I'm up to my 6th cabochon now! Plus, I'm using up some of my Bead Stash, still learning more stitches and having a blast designing all at the same time! The colors in this cabochon make you feel like Spring! My favorite color is actually purple, however pink is next in line. So...I'd like to introduce to you:

"Pretty in Pink"





This cabochon is a Argentina Rhodochrosite Round Cab. I found the colors to be beautiful and vibrant. I just really had fallen in love with this cab! I used the Basic Bezel and the Two Bead Edge Variation and also the Pointed Edge.




On a different note...if you have the time to go and read this very interesting article on why we bead, I'm sure that you will enjoy it! It's:

HOW TO BEAD A ROGUE ELEPHANT...A Guide For The Aspiring Bead Artist, by Warren S. Feld

Thanks so much for stopping in today and I hope that you have a beadiful day! So...until the next time, Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Monday, March 22, 2010

I've been tagged by Marie at Art from my Heart...

My good friend, Marie Segal from Art from my Heart has tagged me. hmm I wonder if there's tag back's??? Okie dokie then, referring to the rules I have to go into my computer and go to the very first of my picture folders and open it and then find the 10th picture and post it and tell about it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a nice picture, one never knows though. Ok, here I go in my computer...scrolling, scrolling, scrolling...ta-dahhhh...the 10th picture is:

Beaded Easter Eggs!





Now I have to tell you about the story behind this picture, well... The actual story is behind the beaded eggs. I've never attempted anything like this before so I thought, how hard could this really be...Ha! I beaded my lil fingers off and was getting no where. I had wanted to make all of my sons and grand-kids some beaded eggs for Easter, and use some of my Bead Stash that I have at the same time. Well...the only one who's going to have beaded eggs for Easter is yours truly. Some that my sweet mother had made for me a few years ago, then these. Oh my goodness I've never before had that amount of troubles trying to make something in my life. So...the only Easter eggs my sons and grand children will be getting is ones that the Bunny himself brings. lol

I have to link the person who tagged me: Marie Segal at http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/

Now...according to the Rules I have to tag 5 other people. On your mark, get set...
1. Silke at: Metamorphosis

2. Lynda at: Swoopin'Along

3. Tobi at: Tobi Britton's LivingGreen

4.Sarah at: Bead The Change

5. Twyla and Lindsey at: Two Crazy Crafters


Now onto the Rules...

1. I have to open the first file in my picture folder

2. Scroll to the 10th photo

3. Post the photo and tell the story behind it

4. Link to the person that tagged you

5. Tag five more people and let them know


Tag...you're it!


Have a great day everyone! So...until the next time, Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Sunday, March 21, 2010

My 2nd Mosaic Monday...

First, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Spring! Then I 'd like to say that I'm really enjoying learning to make these mosaic pictures, and it's all thanks to Mary, at Little Red House! If you would be so kind to visit Mary she'd love to have you! Also while you're there to look at all the other mosaic pictures our friends here in Blogland have made, there's some gorgeous ones to for you to see! Happy Mosaic Monday!
My second Mosaic Picture...

So until the next time...Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Saturday, March 20, 2010

My 5th and counting...

I'm so excited about cabochons now they've even invaded my dreams! I love everything about them, learning how to bead around them, learning new stitches, the way they look, the way they feel...I've now realized that when you start one you don't know how it's going to turn out. You just go with the look of the cab, the beads and then with the different stitches that you are using it just seems to come to life!
Cabochons fascinate me and now I even have my very good friend who is like a sister to me, Beth making them now for me! (Thanks Sweetie, they're gorgeous!) You can take a peek at what she's made since last night at Bellesanbeaus Crafts. I have to say that Beth didn't even know what a cabochon was until I started working with them about a month ago and she's still not seen one in person! But I can't wait to be able to try to bead something with the ones she made, they're awesome! I'm actually thinking I'm going to attempt a Bead Embroidery piece with some of them. That's another project that I'll be self teaching myself, just like cabochons!
But...getting back to my 5th cabochon, I'd like to introduce to you, "Desert Sea".




Thanks so much for stopping in today and I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your weekend, Happy 1st Day of Spring! So, until the next time...Bead Happy everyone!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Awards

I would like to give these 2 awards to my very good friend and sister, Beth. She just started her blog Bellesanbeaus Crafts and makes mini pieces, furniture, food and so much more for doll houses and her pieces are just incredible!
She's a wonderful person who makes me laugh and smile alot and who has taught me so many things! We've been through the good, bad, ugly and hilarious together. Beth is the person who sat me down at her kitchen table and taught me how to make my very first beaded ornament cover! So please, visit her blog and I'm sure that you'll fall in love with he miniatures.
Sis, these Awards are for you, there are no specific rules except to pass it to your special blogger friends that make your heart smile as you do mine! Please wear these Awards proudly on your blog and thank you for being the wonderful you that you are!


Have a great day!
Hugs...
Bobbi

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day...


Some years ago before my mother had passed away she loved to bead and boy did she ever bead the most beautiful of pieces! I thought that today I would show you what she had made for me one St. Patrick's Day that I really treasure now.


Now here's a few St. Patrick's Day recipes for you to try today if you have the time.

Busy Woman's Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner (without the fuss)

3 1/2 to 4 lb. Corned Beef Brisket (include seasoning packet)
Head of Cabbage cut into 6 wedges (do not remove stem; cabbage stays together better)
6 medium Red Potatoes (or 1 med potato per person) Quartered
1 lb. Carrots (peeled and cut into 1 inch slices)
1 Onion (cut in half)
1 can of Beer
1 cup of water
Large crock pot (oval works best)

Layer as follows
Carrots
Potatoes
Meat (Sprinkled with seasoning packet)
Onion
Cabbage
Liquid ingredients

Cook on low 10 to 12 hours. Serve with Rye Bread




Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.

2. Using a pastry cutter or two knives (can also use your fingers), work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then stir in raisins.

3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so that it comes together. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.

4. Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet). Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.) Check for done-ness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.

If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.

If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice cube, or put a pot holder over it.

Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.



St. Patty's Day Shamrock Pretzels

Ingredients:

Canned refrigerated bread stick dough (Pillsbury Original Bread sticks work well)
Cinnamon
Green Colored Sugar

1. Line cookie sheet with foil and light cooking spray.

2. To create clover shape, mold 3 sections of bread sticks into hearts and press them together. Add a stem, decorate, bake as directed on package and serve.



Also, if you click on this link there's a free pattern for a Four Leaf Clover Peyote Stitch Earrings




I hope that you have a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you!
Hugs...
Bobbi

Sunday, March 14, 2010

My First Mosaic Monday...

I've made my very first Mosaic picture, and it's all thanks to Mary over at Little Red House and the tutorial that she made! I do also want to thank Brenda over Cozy Little House for giving me that info! Thank you both so much! Seeing how much I loveeee pictures I know what I'm going to be doing alot of.
Please don't forget to stop in at Mary's blog Little Red House, she's the hostess of Mosaic Monday and there you'll be able to view every ones beautiful mosaic pictures, maybe even enter yourself!
So until the next time...Bead Happy!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Saturday, March 13, 2010

A new learning experience...

This is my fourth cabochon now that I've completed and I'm so happy with myself about this one because I learned 3 new stitches along my way! I love to bead and I'm just loving these cabochons! I'm also using up some of my bead stash that I have here at home to!
I've found out that you can do just about anything with a cabochon, the sky seems to be the limit! They seem to take life once you start to work on them. In all four of the cabs that I've made so far I really had no clue of what they might turn out to look like in the end. I just went with the cabochon itself and let it speak to my heart. So, I'd like to introduce to you, "Earthbound".



Thanks so much for stopping in today and I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your weekend! So, until the next time, Bead Happy everyone!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Introducing my 3rd cabochon...

A couple of days ago I had teamed up with Sarah at Operation Tackle that Bead Stash and I had gone thru just a small part of my "Bead Stash". Our goal is to clean up, organize and use our "Bead Stash" in useful and beadiful ways, instead of having all those gorgeous beads just stashed away somewhere. Well, when I started looking I had come across various red beads and a red cabochon that just seemed to be calling to me. So this is what I came up with, my 3rd Cabochon. I named this, The Red Sea.





So, until the next time, Bead Happy everyone!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Until we meet again...


With great sadness a wonderful, loving, caring and devoted friend has passed away. She's now a Angel. Renee, I'll miss you, you've touched my heart and the hearts of so many. My friend, now I know your pain is over but your flight, your love, your patience, your understanding, your unselfishness, your tenderness and your kindness will live forever. You've helped me in times of sorrow and sickness and held strong and steady with open and loving arms. Thank you and I'll never forget you and your love you have for everyone. May our precious Lord bless you, your family and friends now and for always. Until we meet again Renee...I love you...

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

I'm Teamimg up with Sarah, for Operation Tackle that Bead Stash...

Hi, If you're a beader like I am you seem to buy more beads then you actually seem to use. Then what happens to all these beads, you stash them away and then before you know it, you're looking for beads to make something with and you go and purchase new beads.Here you see just a small part of my bead stash that I'm willing to admit to. The rest of my stash is part of the unknown in my home.
This can really apply to any art that you're interested in, not just beads. I know sometimes we stash things away because we don't want out hubbies to know how much money we spent again, of course in my case, I think I stash mine away to make my home look like it's clean, when in fact, if I'd try to be a lil bit more organized I would really have a clean home. But in any case of the "why we stash our things away" I found that we do and because of that I if no one else, have a big mess on my hands. So I thought I'd team up with Sarah, at Operation Tackle That Bead Stash
So if yous would join us or at least stop in from time to time to see how we're doing with our bead stash we'd be so happy. Our goal is to clean up, organize and use our bead stash!
So, until the next time, Bead Happy everyone!
Hugs and happy beading...
Bobbi

Joyous Waters...

Hi, I didn't post yesterday, I had a play day with my youngest grandson, Aden. He's going to be 4 years old in April and he comes here to his Maw-maw's when I 'm not in the hospital while his mommy and daddy are at work and college. I was so happy to see him, he's such a joy to my heart!
While lil Aden was here I started my second Cabochon. He wanted to help his "Maw-maw" bead. He had to know what color everything was that I was going to be using and why I was using those colors instead of yellow and orange that are his favorites colors. But in the end I had lil Aden's total approval on my beading, he said to me, "Maw-maw, you bead is so pretty Maw-maw, I help you?" Out of the words of a child, how wonderful! Okie dokie, now onto my second Cabochon. I'm really having fun learning some different stitches with these and can see where I'm going to love making these and that the sky is the limit with these wonderful Cabs!
A friend of mine, Kate who lives in England had sent me some very beautiful beads. Some I had used in that gorgeous peyote Angel Ornament that I made and now I made in this Cabochon. I used some of those fabulous beads in the fringe and the necklace.
I named this piece Joyous Waters. First because of my sweet grandson, Aden that is a joy to my heart. Second because of my dear friend, Kate who lives over the waters. Next because of it's deep and rich colors. Thus...Joyous Waters!





I have to say that I'm sorry that the pictures aren't the best that they should be, lately, I'm taking them with my cell phone. I hope that you have a fantastic day! Until next time, Bead Happy!
Hugs...
Bobbi

Sunday, March 7, 2010

My very first cabochon...

Hi, I hope that everyone has had a wonderful weekend! I've been attempting something new. Beading around a Cabochon. First of all I had ordered a wonderful book, Beading with Cabochons by Jamie Cloud Eakin. This book has fantastic instructions, perfect photography, and teaches and shows the basic techniques and unique stitches that Jamie herself, after a decade of beading shows in this amazing and very well written book.
I gathered all my materials that I need for this project. Making sure to have the right needle, thread, backing material, glue, seed beads, and naturally a cabochon. The cabochon stone that I choose to make my first one with is a Leopardskin Jasper. Then I did take a couple of pictures and off I was on a new adventure.
Next, I cut a piece of under backing and glued my cabochon to that and let it dry. Then, I started the bead base row. This is actually the second row from the center when the cabochon is complete. I used a bead embroidery stitch called the "four-six back stitch" I continued this until I was all around the cab. Then I started my Bezel row. This row is the actual row that holds the cabochon in it's place. It sits slightly above the first row that had already been completed. This Bezel row is made with smaller size seed beads. The stitch I used this time to complete this Bezel row is the "four-two back stitch" variety. I then continued to make this stitch until I was around the entire cab. Then, with my trusty and very sharp small scissors I cut around the under backing making sure not to cut to close and not to cut thru any previous used threads. Then I cut the backing material which I choose to use faux ultra suede because it doesn't ravel. I then glued my cab onto that and let it dry. Making sure again not to cut to close or any previous used threads I cut the backing material around the cabochon. Now I made the basic edge stitch which Jamie says that it's similar to the blanket stitch used in bead embroidery. I did this stitch all the way around the cabochon. Then I found the middle, made the fringe and the used a direct attachment to connect my necklace. When it was finished I was very pleased but thought it might need something else to be complete. I thought about it and looked thru this outstanding book and found a Pointed Edge that I would have loved to have been able to add. However, when I tried, the fringe was getting in the way. So next time, before I do any fringe I'll be making another edge around the cab. But I want to introduce my very first attempt at a Cabochon and I titled this:
"The Enchanted Leopardess"











I know the pictures weren't that great, they actually came from my cell phone, but I tried. I hope that you have a awesome rest of your evening! Thanks so much for stopping in, till next time, Bead Happy!!!
Hugs...
Bobbi

Friday, March 5, 2010

I'm back home again...

Hi, I had just started posting again and so happy to see my friends and special family here in Blogland and yep, you guessed it, back in the hospital I was, admitted again this last Saturday! I can see now that I need to invest in a laptop and then home or hospital I'll be able to talk to everyone! Although I really don't see this happening anytime in the near future.
Now I have even more to catch up with but that's alright, it'll give me something to do while I'm recovering again. But so good to see all of yous today! I really have missed yous so much!
I'll bet yous are wondering the reason I had to go to the hospital this time, well.. the reason I had to go in the hospital this time was a bad infection from 2 new ports that I had just gotten. So, the Dr. had to remove them and now I have a pic line in my right arm, that's for my IV meds I give myself here at home. I'll need another surgery in about 4-8 more weeks once the infection is gone and I heal up from the surgeries. My poor chest isn't to sure on what's been going on here with it these last couple of months now, so many surgeries again. Don't worry though, I'm hanging in there and trying to deal with everything in a positive way. Plus, I have so many wonderful friends and family that are sending their love, healing thoughts and prayers my way that I can only get better and have the best attitude I can! I want to thank all of yous for being here for me and doing everything that yous do...it means so much to me! From the very deepest and bottom of my heart...thank you! You all have a spot in my heart that will be and is treasured and very special to me!
Now..I've gotten a few new things in while I was in the hospital to bead, the big question is am I able to bead again so soon after another surgery. Well, the answer to that we'll all find out right after dinner this evening. I'm going to be giving it my shot shot though! Sometimes it's so hard for me to jump right back in and resume all the things I was doing before and use to doing. But beading is a passion of mine and it's something I love to do! So...I sure hope I'll be giving yous good news about my new beading adventures! Till then, I hope that you have a great evening and a wonderful weekend!
Hugs...
Bobbi