Whew!

Lots of snow, lots of great times with family, plenty of good food, and a whole sh#tload of snow! To me, that is the recipe for a perfect Winter Holiday!

But yes, I did bead- a bit.

Here is a pair of earrings I made to go with the Holiday Donut- that went to a friend who fell in love with it, and whose birthday is generally ignored by her family(Dec 28- she gets 'Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday' all in the same sentence!).

Here is a few photo of the early snowfall- we ended up with 8-12 inches, depending on which side of the house you walk.

May the Love in your Life ever grow, your thread remain free of knots,

your beads sorted, your Muse happy, and your tree always upright!

Best of the Season to you all!

Another 'donut', or perhaps a fritter??

Donuts have holes in the middle, fritters are bumpier, but both are delicious!

This just cried out for a rivoli in the back, and the 3mm Czech FP held it perfectly with a bit of netting.

Now, what kind of strap should I make????

SO much better now

After culling the size 8 beads as I went, beginning with the thinnest, then adding the wider on the outside rows, I get a nice, stable, flat donut beginning!

Hooray!!

Whoa, where HAS the time gone?

I could have sworn it was only a week or so since I last posted, but there I go again, beading away and not paying attention!
We have a new challenge at Beaddreamz http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beaddreamz which will run for a year, ending December 31, 2011. Those who wish to take part will bead either one or two pieces every two months, and use either current or older Bead & Button magazine patterns or Beadwork patterns, if they subscribe or buy those magazines. Free links to patterns that both magazines offer are to be published at Beaddreamz in the Files section, for those who do not get the magazines, to use. It promises to be fun, and I have to admit, I was one who never made any of the projects. Now I not only use them as inspiration to jumpstart my own creations, but enjoy making some of the patterns just as they are.
Well, for those who know me, as close as I can come!!



As you can see by these photos, I ended up accidently taking liberties
with Laure's free pattern, offered by her on her blog
http://laure@canalblog.com . My donut's two sides did not match up,
so I zipped them up nonetheless, added the inside components
as best I could (if you try this, make sure your size 15s have large holes!),
and love the result. It will do double duty as both ornament on the tree
and as pendant, hanging from silk ribbon.
Thank you, Laure, and I hope you forgive the changes! I hated to tear the
beadwork apart, but are
already working on another that will be correct, as well as translating from
the French to American English. I will be happy to share that translation, if you want it!
Click on either photo to make full-size.