She Finally Flew!!!

This day has been a long time coming and *today* is finally here!!! I am so excited that I can finally share with you something I have worked on, on and off, for a long time. I started beading my first doll, almost one year ago, for a sweet friend whose heart is as big as her talent. Her energy and zest for life spills forth in all she is, everything she does, and all she creates. When you swing by and visit, you can't help but smile and leave with a warmed heart. This doll was made for Monica, from one heart to another. When she arrives in *Sweet Home Alabama* and Monica finally gets to see her, my biggest hope is that it will have made the wait worthwhile. If this gift brings a smile to her face, I will be happy!

Her doll is about 7" x 7" and 11" long including the chain and fringe. I made the face from a commercial mold with copper polymer clay, sealed it three times, and stitched the heart form with black wool felt. It is beaded with 15/0, 11/0, 8/0, and 6/0 seed beads. I used black vintage diamond-cut seed beads, two antique french faceted glass sew-on's, vintage nailheads, vintage disc? (I believe) beads, copper beads and leaves, teardrop beads, bugle beads, pillow beads, a hand-crafted copper art deco heart pendant, sequins, and copper chain. I used many Swarovski crystals that were 2 mm round, 6 mm bicone, and 9x6 mm drop beads in copper, olivine, and amethyst.


I have learned so many lessons on this journey! Notes to myself. . .

1) Do not tell your friend you are making her a gift. . .let it be a surprise!
2) Do not pick the biggest doll you've made in your tote box and think you can "whip one up in no time" like Grace can!!! ;-) A doll form that is a bit smaller in size would be just as thoughtful!
3) Remember that beading an entire doll with a curved needle is a 'scosh' slower than stitching with a straight needle!
4) Do not begin your doll with thread catchers again, i.e., leaves around the face, etc.!
5) Remember that crystals really can cut your thread!
6) Remember to quit crowding the beads. It really is okay that a 'smidgen' of fabric is showing!
7) Remember that you are not so sure how you feel about 6/0 beads because they seem to have a mind of their own and flop around. Next time you'd like to use these beads, remember the slight conniption fit you began to have when they weren't all lined up nice and straight like they had been and that overwhelming feeling that maybe you should just rip-it-out!
8) Remember that you can not say *yes* to every fun thing you see in blogland when you have prior obligations!
9) Remember to start another (smaller) doll immediately and keep on practicing! ~wink~

Even with some lessons learned...I hope this doll will always bring a smile, be happy in her new home, and 'sparkle' in that southern sunshine!!!
















I shared a few different views for you to see. The best shots, again, seemed to be those taken outside. I did share one from the light box.

I also want to share a beautiful gift that I was so fortunate to receive from the talented and thoughtful Recca girls...Cathie and Sabrina! Cathie made *the coolest* peace sign tote bag and Sabrina told her mom that she felt they needed to make a journal to go with the bag too. Cathie made the bag using a giraffe print batik and the peace sign and lining is a beautiful red Kaffe Fassett fabric. Sabrina made and stitched the heart journal! I absolutely LOVE and adore them both! I know they will get rave reviews! Thank you both for sharing your beautiful heart art with me!

Back to stitching and catching up on the BJP. Whatever your plans, I hope you have a great weekend! ~Lisa

OWOH Winners...

Thank you to everyone that stopped by to visit and left a comment! Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected so many greetings. I appreciate each and every one of you that took the time to say hello! It has been a fun and exciting ride on the gypsy caravan. This was my first year to participate and I would love to join again next year.

So many thanks to Lisa Swifka, of A Whimsical Bohemian, for all the time and energy she has given to host One World~ One Heart for us all! What a wonderful idea to bring people together from all over the world.

I decided to use the random sequence generator to find out who won the two pins. The first number generated would win the face pin and the second number would win the dragonfly pin.

The winners are:

The Face Pin - #22 - Carolyn H. of Mindless Wonders
The Dragonfly Pin - #79 - Chris P. of Evidence of An Artistic Life

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the pin/brooches! ~Lisa ;-)

One World One Heart. . .

*COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR OWOH GIVEAWAY*

I will be using the random sequence generator to see who will win the pins. I will post the winners on February 12th, 2009!

If there was ever one week in the year to host this One World One Heart event...this is the week!!!

I decided to jump on board and participate in this event. One World One Heart was started by Lisa Swifka from A Whimsical Bohemian in 2007. The idea behind the event is to make connections and meet new bloggers from all around the world. The event is open to everyone, even if you don't have a blog. Click the logo button to find out more and you will find a list of all those that are participating.

My name is Lisa and I'm a native Oregonian. I started my blog almost one year ago as a way share and meet kindred spirits and to support others that inspire me. Creating has been in my heart and soul forever. I think I was born with a needle in my hand because I love to stitch. I enjoy most needle arts but my latest passion has been learning bead embroidery. I am a wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend. My other interests include nature, gardening and photography.

If you would like the chance to win one of two prizes below, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. This giveaway is open to everyone who leaves a comment. However, if you don't have a blog yourself, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are a winner. This event will end at midnight, February 11th, and I will post the winners on February 12th.

My first giveaway is a bead embroidered pin/brooch. The focal piece is a copper color Czech glass button. The pin measures approximately 1-3/4". It is embroidered with 11/0 and 15/0 seed beads and is stitched and backed with Ultrasuede.





The second giveaway is another bead embroidered pin/brooch. The focal piece is a resin face cabochon. The pin measures approximately 1-1/2". It is embroidered with 11/0 and 15/0 seed beads, Czech flower beads and a Swarovski crystal butterfly. It is stitched and backed with Ultrasuede.

Good luck and thank you for stopping by...I hope you'll come back and visit! I'm off to visit other participants and hope you enjoy doing the same! ~Lisa ;-)

Happy New Year!

Hi friends...Happy New Year! I hope 2009 will be filled with inspiration, creativity, good health, peace, and the love of family and friends for us all!

I've missed making a few posts that I would have liked to have made because I have been sick since Christmas day. What I thought was a sinus, sore throat, coughing-thing for days...is a sinus infection and bronchitis. I am finally beginning to feel better, think clearly and have some energy again! It has been a whole month of sickness in this house. My oldest got it first, then my husband and finally me.

I wanted to share some photos of our snow and freezing rain event that we had for two weeks and through Christmas day. We had more snow than anyone's seen here (Portland) in forty years. When it does snow, it usually only lasts for a day or two and we may get 2-6". Mother nature certainly put on a show that was truly amazing and beautiful too. However, with that beauty came the other events. We lost electricity twice, have lots of broken branches and plenty of trimming to do in our yard, and many trees fell in our neighborhood. I really felt bad for all those trying to get somewhere for Christmas though. So many plans were changed for so many people. A lot of the highways were closed, trains and buses were not running, and hundreds were stranded at the airport and other terminals for days. It was just as bad in Washington and I know we in the Northwest were not alone in being snowed in. It was quite the event for us in Portland. It has since thawed and we've had a lot of rain. Now the rivers are cresting and flooding and landslides have begun.

Black bamboo is not happy with ice and snow!

Digging out and getting some weight off the deck. See the aqua line in the snow...it is the ice layer from the freezing rain.










Friends out and about. . .














On our way to the store we pulled over and took a picture of Johnson Creek flooding. It was roaring! I feel so sorry for all the people who are being flooded by our rivers and creeks.

This last picture is tracks of a visitor we had in our yard when we woke up this weekend. And, yes, it's still been snowing on and off per the temperature. There were actually two sets of prints. The two sets of prints meet up and then disappear at the fence. Mark thinks they are raccoon prints.

Well, I'm off to make tracks of my own! I'm catching up with you and finishing up a few pieces that I have been working on. Thank you all for your thoughtful comments over the past year, they are so appreciated. The wonderful friendships I have made in ten months...mean so much! ~Lisa

Baby, It's Cold Outside...

Talk about getting into the spirit! Last Sunday, we awoke to snow and got about 4" and it has definitely stuck around. I LOVE SNOW...it's so exciting and beautiful. Every time it snows, I'm still like a little kid in a candy shop! We don't get snow very often and when we do, it's a big deal here! Usually our snow is very wet and doesn't stick around for too many days and we often get freezing rain. But we've had an "arctic blast" hit us since Sunday, and other than the temperature warming up to a balmy 37 yesterday afternoon and this morning, we are back to cold weather tonight through Tuesday next week with more snow in the forecast. Our highs will be back in the 20's again starting this evening. I was beginning to wonder if we might have a white Christmas this year or a very cold one, but they are saying we will warm up on Christmas Eve. Well, you never know!

Thought I'd share some snowy pictures with you. The first two are shots off the deck. They were taken Sunday, and some snow still remains in the yard and on roofs.

This is a shot into the far corner of our backyard. You can see the squirrel feeder in the corner and the wind chime on the ginkgo tree.






This is a shot of our black bamboo holding its own in the frigid weather and our three graces fountain filling with snow. No water from the fountain for the birds or squirrels now. Only what they can get from the two bird baths. As a matter of fact, yesterday I witnessed one of our squirrels sitting on the fountain bowl where she normally comes to get a drink of water and sat there at ate the snow...I never have seen that before! Mark pulled the pump out of the fountain this year because we lost our last pump due to the freezing weather.

The Christmas lights are shining outside, the tree is decorated, the house is decorated, and the stockings are hung. I'm all done shopping and have begun to wrap some gifts. It's been a great few days with snow falling, music playing, and feeling more in the holiday spirit.

I haven't completed anything to share with you, but I have been beading and doing a few other things. I have been paying most all my beading attention to an art doll that has been sitting far too long and being neglected. Since this is a gift, I shouldn't show this but I sure didn't want you to think I'm just sitting around and sipping hot chocolate!!! So...I thought I'd share another sneak peek with you. It will be the last peek before she flies to her home. I will share pictures in full (front and back) when I'm done and I know she's arrived to her destination.


She is getting lots of texture right now with moss stitch and is finally really filling in and coming alive. She is getting that nice weight to her and I just love that!

I have started beading on my November BJP and December is laid out and ready, but they've both taken a backseat of late. I'm not too worried, as my bead journal pages are fairly simple. The holidays, of course, have been the other focus lately.





Thought I'd share another project that I have been working on occasionally. It has been sitting around in a zip-lock bag for at least a year now and I thought it was time to get it done. I have two antique beaded purses that are in sad shape that I've wanted to harvest the beads from. The bags each have holes and the threads are disintegrating. Every now and then I go sit for awhile and cull through the pile of beads, selecting and sorting the beads by color and remove any that are not healthy. This bead pile is one side of one of the purses. The beads that are in bags are what I already sorted from the other side. I don't know why I enjoy doing it, but I do. In a way it's like shell or treasure hunting to me. They are valuable little beauties and it's wanting to save them. Soon it will be another thing checked off my to-do list!

Well...the temperature has dropped while I have been writing this post and it is 10:15 a.m., and it is snowing!!! Big, lush, beautiful flakes!!! The cold air wasn't suppose to be here until this afternoon or evening! It's going to be an interesting five days! I hope you are well, staying warm and feeling the spirit!!! ~Lisa ;-)

Stitched with Love and Hope...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Thoughts and actions have turned toward Christmas and the lights and decorations have begun here. It's hard to believe Christmas is in 23 days...it has come so fast this year!

A few months ago, I received a package from Monica containing some squares that were leftover from the Pink Artist Project. We were asked to make a 10" x 10" art quilt out of the squares we received. When done and sent back to Monica, she is going to do her 'MAGIC' and stitch the art quilts together and make one large wall quilt. The quilt will be sold with the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I was honored to be able to help with this project and enjoyed stitching love and hope into this quilt. It was such a thrill to see and hold the art squares I received. You certainly could feel the love in each and every one! I can only imagine how Monica felt when she received hundreds of heartfelt art squares!!!

I had sketched and decided exactly how I wanted to do the quilt. My intentions were to do needle felting on each side. Intentions don't always work out! ~wink~ The needle felting worked out fine on the pink side but when it came to the red side, the shade of red roving did not go with the square nor the red and blue wool felt I had bought. What to do? I finally realized to just do what I had intended to do but with the felt only. So it evolved. I used a variety of 8/0 and 11/0 seed beads, triangle beads, and bugle beads. I added Antique French red flower/clover sequins, Vintage French sky blue white-heart seed beads, Antique French sky blue white-heart tile cylinder beads, 2 mm Swarovski crystals, and mother of pearl fuchsia heart buttons. I did 3-bead picot stitch around the red side and attached the white side to the back with 3-bead picot stitch also.


I hope I honored each artist and their squares that were sent to me. I'm looking forward to seeing all the art quilts stitched together! I know it will be just beautiful and will raise more money for such a worthy cause! Thank you Monica for including me in this project! I really enjoyed working on this piece!!!


"Keep Hope Alive" ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.





I received a wonderful package in the mail from my friend Tammy! Awhile back we decided to do a swap. Tammy created this beautiful book thong made with a bamboo tile. It is so light weight. She decorated the tile with birds on one side and bees on the other. Does that not have my name written all over it?! It is embellished with gold leaf around the edges, braided silk ribbon, and beautiful beads. I just love it! It immediately went into one of four books that have been sitting and waiting for me.

Inside the box were two more beautifully wrapped packages! She totally stunned and surprised me with this beautiful beaded doll!!! Isn't she wonderful? I just adore her!!! She is tiny, standing 3 inches tall, and Tammy made her face too. Check out the cute ruffle around her body! She certainly has Tammy's heart art written all over her. She also shared some lovely beads with me and not one that she shared do I have. They are beautiful and I'm looking forward to using them soon.


Tammy is a sweetheart and I always enjoy visiting her blog. She is a talented and fun gal who is always experimenting and trying something new. She is making soldered pendant/charms right now and I'm looking forward to seeing what she does with those. She shares wonderful pictures of 'Mom Nature" in Connecticut...her part of the world. If you have a chance, swing by and visit her!

Thank you Tammy!!! You are so generous and I am honored to own your heart art. I will treasure them always.








Isn't she a doll!!!








Well...back to beading and all that comes with the season! I hope you are finding the time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays! ~Lisa

Bead Journal Project...October

I have really enjoyed working on this page other than her insisting she needed more leaves than I had started with. I've been a little hard on myself for not being done by the end of October (which has been my biggest BJP fear all along), but I decided I'm not going to rush just for the sake of getting it done by the end of the month. This project is just for me and I want to cherish all my pages at the end of the year.

I named my October page "October Glory." Every October, I always think of Nana, my maternal grandmother. I have so many wonderful memories of her. Her name was Marion, and she was born on October 31st, 1906, in Mandan, North Dakota. She married Papa on March 16th, 1931. She died March 19th, 1981, three days after their 50th Wedding Anniversary. She was a lovely person and always a "lady" in the truest sense of the word. The tree in the first picture is one of three maple trees we planted in our yard years ago. It is one of two in our front yard and it is a beautiful tree called October Glory.

The picture I chose is one of my favorite pictures of Nana when she was young. I don't have very many pictures of her, but this one was most appropriate for fall. Forgive some of my photos, as I took pictures of the original snaps I have. We had a fire in our home years ago and the heat and smoke damaged most of our older pictures. The tree is stitched with vintage brown Charlottes and 15/0 bronze and moss green seed beads. The glass pressed leaves are small, 6 x 10mm, and the pebbles in the road are stitched with smoky quartz chips.
She was a mother to a son and daughter, and a Nana to two grandchildren...my sister and I. We were always close and spent a lot of time together. We became even closer after my parents divorced when I was 12.

I REMEMBER...

* how beautiful she was inside and out
* how she lived her life with compassion, kindness, and love
* she always had a dress and apron on when Papa got home from work
* she was a wonderful cook and loved to entertain family and friends
* she loved to garden, loved roses and flowers, and was President of the Alameda Garden Club
* she was a Daughter of the Nile and volunteered time to many charities
* she loved to sew, knit, and needlepoint
* she was a wonderful wife to Papa




I REMEMBER...

* hugs and kisses
* being spoiled by her
* games (Tiddlywinks & Candy Land), story books, and color crayons
* loving her home and how it always smelled so good
* getting to spend the night
* watching Lassie, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, & The Jolson Story
* walks to the park and dime store
* baking cookies
* her candy dish and a little bird in a cage that when wound up would move and chirp
* hamburgers at Yaw's and Green River's, ice cream at Farrell's, and shopping at Lloyd Center
* loving to snoop at all the old stuff in the attic and basement
* dressing up in her clothes and jewelry
* trips to the beach



I REMEMBER...

* her unconditional love
* her being always gracious and fun
* cereal or a warm baked chicken sandwich in the evening for a snack
* two trips to Palm Desert, swimming, and long walks picking huge grapefruits & lemons
* many dinners at Ringside
* being so grateful to have both Nana & Papa at my wedding (Papa lost 40+ lbs so he could fit into his old tux and walk me down the aisle)
* Mom, Sissy, and I throwing Nana a big 70th Birthday party
* helping them move from their one and only house to an apartment in Portland
* surgery and hospital visits when Nana found out she had uterine cancer that had metastisized to her bones
* helping Nana shop and run errands when she was sick in my VW bug
* being at her home, by her side with my Mom when she left us


In reflecting, I realize these memories and her love are the legacy she left and it is something precious to me. Her strength and values ran deep. While she was beautiful on the outside, she was full of love and passion on the inside. I am grateful for the memories I treasure and the love and patience she always showed me. I loved and adored her and miss her dearly.

She is a fragment of my life that lies within my heart...