The Lone Beader

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Gray Day
2008-03-08 08:51:00
Recently, I was contacted by a very successful bead artist who asked me a favor. I don't want to name the artist just yet, but I will say that she is a favourite of mine:) This artist would like to use a quote written by me which describes her new (soon-to-be-published) book. She provided me with a few draft pages to look over and ponder for a few days. She told me that she'd like to print my quote on the back cover or on the inside flap of the book. How exciting, I thought. My name would be written on/in the same book as one of the artists who inspired me to start beading!!While it may seem easy to write just a few sentences, it actually requires a bit of thought... Thinking about this also stirred up dreams of possibly writing my own book someday. I already know a possible title, but what would I write about? Would I describe my own basic bead embroidery techniques?? Would I document my own inspirations? Would I state my own philosophies? Or would I write my own children's boo...
More About: Gray

Rare Gray Whale
2008-03-06 18:53:00
Last night, I began to work on my fourth beaded whale. If you're a new reader, these four whales will accompany my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine in an underwater adventure. Measuring 6" wide, this particular whale is the largest of the family, and he will be 100% gray when I am finished. So far, I've used size 11 pastel gray and matte charcoal seed beads for the fins, and I plan to use size 15's in a variety of grays for his body.So what makes this whale so rare? He has a dorsal fin, which is the fin at the top of his body. Most other Gray Whale s in the sea do not have this fin. Perhaps we have just discovered a new species! Have a look and decide for yourself... ;)
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Whale of a Different Colour
2008-03-05 08:31:00
Gray is a pretty radical change from the green seed beads I was using before... but ya know, I think it's gonna be alright... :D(click to enlarge)Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.
More About: Whale , Colour

Time to Prioritize
2008-03-04 06:03:00
Here's a brief list of beading things I must do in the next month or so (or at least before I go to Prague 6 weeks from now): Hmmm... it seems like I'm starting to take my beadwork seriously! And in the midst of all that, I'm trying to research bead shopping in the Czech Republic, as well as a visit to the Museum of Glass & Jewellery and a possible tour of a bead factory in Jablonec!There are just not enough hours in the day... :0
More About: Time

Gray is the New Green
2008-03-02 18:22:00
Last night, I stayed up until 3am doing beadwork and watching DVDs! But, it was great because I finished beading my 2nd green whale, then I started working on the 3rd whale. If you're a new reader, these whales will accompany my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine in an underwater adventure when everything is all complete. (You can take a peek at my sketch HERE.) Above is a quick look at my worktable. As you can see, the chartreuse seed beads are gone, and many different grays have taken their place. I used size 11 matte transparent grey and green-lined yellow seed beads for the whales fins and tail. And, I plan to use a variety of size 15 seed beads for the body of the whale. Take a look at him up close: If these whales were in the original Yellow Submarine film, why do you think I chose grey??
More About: Green , Gray

Historical Letter
2008-03-01 08:25:00
Today, I was very surprised to find the following letter in my mailbox: My largest bead-painting, History Repeated, has been accepted into Dimensions 2008! This piece features my beaded Triumph GT6 and you can view it on my website. Dimensions 2008 is a national juried fine art competition & exhibition which is presented by the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, NC. This show was established in 1964 to 'showcase outstanding visual art in two- or three- dimensional media'. It takes place at the gallery from April 10- May 23, 2008. You can take a peek at last year's winners HERE. I am so thrilled! When I entered, I didn't think I had a chance of getting in. I guess you just never know until you try... :D
More About: Letter , Historical

Strawberry Coral
2008-02-29 08:18:00
(Beaded whale on the left: 4.5" wide.Semi-beaded whale on the right: 5.5" wide) Strawberry fields of coral forever :)
More About: Coral

Firebox
2008-02-28 08:36:00
Today, I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled blog to show you the custom frame for my beaded 1943 Chevy fire truck, Engine Co. 6. In case you don't remember, I took my fire truck to Stanhope Framers in Boston on January 12, and it is finally finished! It took 6.5 weeks to complete the framing! But, it was well worth the wait...One of the reasons it took so long was because they had to order a custom piece of plexiglass to create a shadowbox with. The plexiglass has rounded corners, which costs a bit more, but it is easier on the eyes when you're looking at it from all angles. The glass and my fire truck were then shipped to Stanhope Framers' Somerville store where they do all their fine art framing. My piece required special care because they had to hand-stitch the truck to a floating linen background. I believe this was done by just stitching through the truck's Ultrasuede backing. After close inspection, and the only stitch I could see was the one below. All other stitches ...

Whale Watch
2008-02-27 07:22:00
(click to enlarge)Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.
More About: Watch , Whale

World's Smallest Whale
2008-02-26 06:24:00
(2.5" x 4.5"w)This semi-beaded baby green whale is also the smallest piece of my Beatles Yellow Submarine underwater adventure.Isn't he cute?? :D
More About: Whale

Six Quirks
2008-02-25 08:59:00
A couple of days ago, Judy from Cheery Tomato Productions tagged me. She asked me to share six non-important things/habits/quirks about myself. Only six?? I thought about it for a bit, and I came up with the following:1. I never sleep. Well, I do a little, but I feel like if I sleep too long, I'm wasting valuable beading time.2. I have a subscription to 2 beading magazines (Bead & Button & Beadwork) but I hardly ever make time to read them. And, as a result, I think I've let my Beadwork subscription run out!3. I'm always snacking on something while I'm doing beadwork. Usually popcorn, nuts, or dried fruit. Gotta keep up my strength!4. I almost never go to bead shows, in fact I haven't been to one in 3 years. :05. When I go bead shopping, I usually just go in, get the colours I need, then leave. I usually don't hang around the store looking at things I don't need.6. Even though my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine is nowhere near complete, I'm already thinking about my ...

Sunday Blockbuster
2008-02-24 08:23:00
Pass the popcorn... please? :0
More About: Sunday , Blockbuster

Pearly Whites
2008-02-23 01:48:00
Today, I did a little preparation for the second phase of my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine. I looked in my bead stash, and realized that I only had one small bag of size 11 chartreuse seed beads. That's not nearly enough to bead four smiling whales. So, this afternoon, I did a little bead shopping. In addition to Opaque Chartreuse, I also picked up some Matte Silver-Lined Chartreuse, Opaque Green, and Matte Transparent Yellow.When I returned home, I began to create some felt whale shapes. I did this first by re-sizing my sketches and printing them out (see photo below). Each one varies in size from 4.5" to 6.5" wide. After I cut out each whale, I traced around them on a piece of felt with a fabric pen. Then, very carefully, I cut each one out. After doing that, I realized that I can't start doing beadwork until the whales' teeth are in place.So, on each paper whale, I partially cut out each set of teeth. Then, I traced the shape of the whale's teeth onto the back of a piece ...
More About: Whites

Whale of a Sketch
2008-02-21 08:08:00
(click to enlarge)Above is my drawing of what will eventually be a sea of green grinning beaded whales... Ya didn't think I was just gonna finish beading my Yellow Submarine and be done with it, did ya?? ;)
More About: Whale , Sketch

Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes
2008-02-20 06:17:00
(18"w x 12" tall)Nina in the sea with vintage Swarovski crystals:)(click to enlarge) Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.
More About: Eyes , Girl , Kaleidoscope

Anti-Circles
2008-02-18 18:25:00
Over the weekend, I did a lot of beadwork! I worked on smoothing out the circular windows on my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine. If you remember, the Magatamas crowded the red seed beads, and distorted the shape of the borders around the windows.Using a new piece of thread and some matte transparent red seed beads, I did one row of peyote stitch around each window to see if it would help. Below, you can see the first one I did:In the next photo, the four windows on the left are peyote-stitched, and the second four are not. Can you see the difference??And, here are all eight:I think it helps, although they are still not perfect. But, what is, really? The original image of the Yellow Submarine is very childlike, so maybe a little imperfection works. Also, in the above photo, you'll also see that I've done a little layering on the upper-half of the sub with Delicas. I think it helps the eye to differentiate between the two cream colours.Now, back to beading. I still have some more la...
More About: Anti

You Make My Day
2008-02-17 15:32:00
Yesterday, Caroline from Crafted Gems in Scotland was kind enough to give me the You Make My Day blog award! Thanks, Caroline! That made my day! :DNow, I'm supposed to pass the award on to 5 other bloggers who make my day, so here goes (in no particular order):1. Ruela from Portugal makes my day with his rockin' art. It is influenced by rock music, pop art, and goth. Be sure to stop by and check it out. And, not only that, but his comments make my day, as well... Kisses, Ruela! :)2. Beate from Germany makes my day with her fabric 'Gang of Happiness'. Perhaps someday she'll make a fabric gangster car for them to ride in... or perhaps they need a beaded one! (hint hint) :D3. Triz from Israel makes my day by documenting the progress of her beautiful bead- embroidered collars and cuffs. I recently discovered her blog, and her intricate work inspires me to perhaps create something wearable again someday... :)4. Jay in Arkansas makes my day every time he posts one of his vlogs. It's...

@#*&!
2008-02-16 08:08:00
This is what happens when you snip the wrong thread in an attempt to fix something:Next thing you know, you're swearing because you just spent the last two hours doing beadwork, and now, you're ripping out seed beads left and right. Not fun! I'm surprised this happened to me on the small tail piece of my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine. I had absolutely no problems beading the 18" wide body of the sub... And, believe it or not, this happens a lot more often than I blog about; I just don't like to admit it. The fact is, I'm not perfect - at beading or otherwise. I just do the best I can. Hopefully that will be tomorrow... :/

Emergency Bead Run
2008-02-15 07:14:00
Here's a quick glimpse of my beading work space. Currently, I'm working on the tail piece for my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine. But before I began this part, I had to make an emergency bead run to Beaucoup Beads in Scituate, MA. I almost ran out of shell-coloured seed beads! Luckily, the shop still had some in stock...(click to enlarge)If you took a closer look at the photo above, you noticed that I also picked up a few new colours! I purchased some Sparkling Bronze Magatamas, Light Caramel Ceylon Delicas, and Opaque Cream Aurora Borealis Delicas. I don't usually buy many Delicas because they're pricey, but they come in so many beautiful colours that it's hard to resist. I'm going to use the Delicas for layering over the shell color on the upper half of the sub, and tail piece. I think it will add some much needed sparkle.Then, I'm going to mix the bronze-coloured Magatamas in with the rest of my yellows to bead the bottom edge of the submarine. Since this piece is 1'', ...
More About: Emergency

Valentine Crush
2008-02-14 07:13:00
Hey Cutie! I sure wish you were ridin' in my beaded submarine...Imagine the places we could explore together in the deep blue sea...;)(click to enlarge)Happy Valentine 's Day!!Luv, The Lone BeaderXoXo
More About: Crush

Octopus's Garden
2008-02-13 07:51:00
16. Octopus's Gard...I'd like to be under the seaIn an octopus's garden with you:)Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!View More Wordless Wednesday Participants.
More About: Garden

Strictly Business
2008-02-12 06:44:00
Believe it or not, I didn't do any beadwork yesterday, because I was stuck in the office all day - Microsoft Office! I bought it the other day because I needed Excel on my computer, and yesterday, I spent a good portion of the afternoon installing it. This also included upgrading my email to Outlook 2007, and that took some time, as well...I know that change is generally a good thing, but I cannot stand the things you have to go through to upgrade softwares. It can be really time-consuming and frustrating!After I did all that, I decided to try out Word 2007. I wanted to see if it would open my Microsoft Works documents that I had previously saved. It opened a couple of text documents, but for most of them, it said that the file was corrupted. Thankfully, I don't save a ton of documents, but that is really annoying. I didn't really expect a brand new programme to have the capability to read the files from an old programme with the same basic functions, but it would have been n...
More About: Business , Strict

Morning Commute
2008-02-11 08:02:00
"Oh, why is there so much traffic in the seaway?? I hate Monday mornings... Anyways, as I was saying, Stephanie, I wouldn't be so into this beading thing right now if it weren't for you. Five years ago, you were the one who told me to make a beaded flamingo. And now look at me! Thank you so much for the inspiration. I am very grateful that I've found something I really love to do... Now, after I take you to work, I'm headin' back home. I took the day off to do beadwork." :D(click to enlarge)
More About: Morning , Commute

Boring Beads
2008-02-10 08:37:00
(click to enlarge)Funny. Before I took the above photo, those two shades of shell-coloured size 11 seed beads looked almost exactly the same! The darker colour is Shell, and the lighter colour is Matte Opaque Dark Cream. The camera flash can work wonders, sometimes - can you see the difference?? If I ever finish beading this section of my beaded Beatles Yellow Submarine, I'll probably layer the darker shade of beads to help differentiate between the two. Of course, I'll probably run out of beads before that. After I become completely bored of beading the same colour for hours upon hours... :0
More About: Beads , Boring

Fanatical Facebook
2008-02-09 16:01:00
I'm probably one of the last people on the planet to join Facebook . For some reason, I've been resisting it for a long time. But, of course my friend Jimmy talked me into it. He said that it was better than Myspace. So, I finally did it. I think it will be a fun way to promote my website, as well as connect with more people who enjoy beading & art. So, if you're on Facebook, check out my Visual Artist page, become a fan, and write something on my wall. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!! :D

Across the Ocean Floor
2008-02-08 08:17:00
(click to enlarge)Across the Universe
More About: Ocean , Floor

News Brief
2008-02-07 06:01:00
Yay! I am so happy to announce that now this blog is being published on a custom domain, blog.thelonebeader.com. Please update the link in your bookmarks or on your website.Also, remember when I told you about my work being in Upstream People Gallery's current exhibition?? Well, the gallery actually took my real name out of the exhibition like I was hoping, and listed my work under under 'L' for The Lone Beader. Cool!!! And, two of my pieces received Special Recognition which means that the gallery sends out a Press Release to my local newspaper! Today, they sent me the following copy of the press release they sent to the Boston Globe:Attn: REBECCA OSTRIKER(Assistant Arts Editor for the Boston Globe)IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASETHE LONE BEADERRECEIVES SPECIAL RECOGNITIONArtist THE LONE BEADER of QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS has received two Special Recognition Merit Awards for her artwork in the "10th Annual Realism Juried Online International Art Exhibition” hosted by Upstream People Ga...
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Shark Attack
2008-02-06 19:22:00
"HELP!!""Oh, Colleen!! Thank goodness you're here!! What would I do without you?? Please help me steer clear of this one...":0The Beatles - Help...(click to enlarge)
More About: Shark , Shark Attack , Attack

Sub Domain
2008-02-05 08:37:00
Just a quick note to let you know that soon I will be publishing this blog on my new domain name, thelonebeader.com. The new address will be blog.thelonebeader.com. The purpose of this is to help optimize search engine results. My blog will still be hosted by Blogger, so there's no need to change your bookmarked link. Blogger will simply redirect to the new subdomain, if all goes well. However, it may take a day or two before the new server takes to my blog. So, if you check my blog later on today or tommorrow, and the page does not display properly, this could be why. Just wanted to let everyone know ahead of time. Wish me luck! :D
More About: Domain , Sub domain

Shark Attack
2008-02-04 19:22:00
"HELP!!""Oh, Colleen!! Thank goodness you're here!! What would I do without you?? Please help me steer clear of this one...":0The Beatles - Help...(click to enlarge)
More About: Shark , Shark Attack , Attack