Saturday, September 10, 2011

Beading Buddy

Living on a remote island in the Pacific makes you really value the connections you make with people. It can be a bit tricky being a beader out here, since there are no bead stores or workshops to be had. While the Marshallese do make amazing handicrafts, it's not quite the same as being in a community of people who do what you do. That said, I'm always looking for ways to reach out that are sort of out of the box. So, about a month ago I posted on beading daily that I was looking for a beading buddy that would be kinda like a pen pal for beads. A lovely woman, who I'll refer to as  M., took me up on my offer. We decided we would go with a fall theme for our first exchange. When I received her package in the mail, I was so excited.


Goodies!
I can't wait to get into the goodies that M. sent. Expect several posts of new stuff made with my new stuff :) I'm even more excited since many of the items she sent are things that I would never have bought for myself. Such a lovely challenge this will be. Thanks again M.!

How many of you out there have done a bead exchange before? What's your take?

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Crafting In Public

This Saturday I attended my first crafting in public event. I was joined by a knitter and a pastel artist. We had chocolate cake, lots of laughs, and got down to the business of creating. We got a fair amount of attention from the waitstaff, who couldn't believe the creations that were coming together before their very eyes. I forgot my camera, so wasn't able to get any shots of the first day, but we'll be meeting up again next week for more public displays of craftiness. Here are two pieces I finished during the event.

These labradorite half mandalas were commisioned by a co-worker. I love the pop of blue.

Sodalite, labradorite, and pearl drops for a poet friend. It took me a while to figure out the colors, but I really like how they turned out.

What did you do this weekend?