'tis nice to be back!

After losing my motherboard on my overworked and underappreciated Dell tower, I now have a lovely HP Pavillion notebook, and are back online!

And it was just when I was uploading pics to a new post that everything died, so here is a bit of catch-up.

I travelled with friends to Cindy's Crafts, over in Tennessee, and picked up some lovely pink beads for the pink turtle project. It doesn't do the hank of 15 AB gold lustre charlottes, but they are most gorgeous in person! The Swars speak for themselves, with their special sparkle. And we got to go to lunch with Cindy, at her fav place, so that was a treat in itself!!! I am already looking forward to returning.

And the Mask. What can I say about that Mask? Well, it has taught me plenty about deadlines, its own direction as an Art piece, and my own ability to either listen to my body and sleep, or suffer!

It began as a bit of Beauty, then morphed into the idea of representing the emotions one would find on the face. That wasn't good enough for the Mask, however, and it balked at getting any felt stuck down to it, probably in silent protest of that idea.

So, after much communing, It 'told' me that it loved the puzzle dolls currently being polled at BAD (beaded_art_dolls group at yahoo-see link at bottom side of my blog), and so I spent many hours cutting out puzzle dolls that would fit onto the Mask's face, in colors of wool felt that I found at Wool Felt Central online.

Now, you would again think that this was good enough for the Mask, but no, it wasn't. It had to have a name, and gave it to me in no uncertain terms "She's a Puzzle to Me", and it was to represent my youngest daughter and how certain qualities that make her who she is, puzzle me. Just like Life itself, some of these are pleasant, and some not so much so.

The different puzzle dolls began almost to bead themselves, though I was, and am, eternally grateful for the John James #10 curved beading needles! They made beading around the eyes and nose a reality.

Each 'doll' gets a word that represents her quality, and colors that I feel enhance the idea of that quality, as well as beadwork that supports the quality.

Here are a few examples; Angst/Drive/Sensitive/Flirt/Balance.

I am beading like crazy, in between the busy Summer hours at the store, and are looking forward to finishing the Mask next week, during vacation, in time to send it to join the others for the Gallery Show at The Beadin' Path, June 27!

Wish me luck!