December 30, 2012

Bead Buying in Tucson

 I've had an idea for a necklace made with a diverse selection of different beads for some time now.  Something like this photo grouping.


 However I really don't want 20 to 30 of each bead.  If  I got 12 to 15 strands, that's one heck of a lot of leftover beads (300?).  I was wondering if anyone else might want to join me in a sort of bead buying co-op?  The Gem show runs from the last week of January through the first two weeks of February.


I shop the Tucson Gem Show every year and here are three strands that I've picked up in past years.  Unfortunately the red beads are dyed MOP and I take them out just to play with every once in a while.  I knew they would fade if I used them, but they were so nice feeling in the hand that I couldn't resist.


I'm pretty sure I can find unusual and different beads for between $8 to $12 per strand wholesale.  I'm thinking that 12 people could split 12+ strands and have an eclectic mix of beads that nobody else would have. That is if you would trust me to pick the bead strands.  If there are about a dozen people who might have an interest, (click  to contact me)=email me and I'll figure out how this would work and what a total cost would be.

December 23, 2012

Greetings of the Season


We survived the end of the world,  no stockings are hung, the elves are all on strike, and I didn't make a Christmas pudding this year.  We may not be celebrating the holiday in grand style, but are sending warm wishes for a joyous day to all of you and your families.   I'm sure glad my neighbor decorated her yard so I could take this photo to post here.

December 20, 2012

December Blues



The beads are sitting on my work table, waiting to be put to use.  The colors are nice and bright in the sun coming through the back window.  However I've hardly been able to pick up a hook or needle for several months now. My joints have been rebelling, especially the hands and feet.  This is something that started in September and has been an on-again, off-again condition.
I started to work on a pair of snake patterns in bead crochet.  Here and there I've managed to crochet a couple of samples.  You see, I don't know when my inflamed joints will let me do something.  It comes and goes and can get rather painful.  The medical profession has ordered every blood test and x-ray they can think of. I'm coping, but that is about all. Getting an appointment with a specialist is proving difficult in Southern Arizona. So far all they have come up with is transient inflammatory arthritis.  


I wouldn't be mentioning this, except that I've been getting a lot of questions about what I'm doing, why I've been so quiet and when is the next String-Along.  All I can say is, "I don't know."  Some days even a keyboard is beyond my capabilities.


We have had a nice long run of delightfully warm, 70 degree sunshine.  However, the weather here in Tombstone AZ has now turned to winter.   It's been raining and it was snowing yesterday morning.  The woodpeckers and the curved bill thrasher are keeping me company. Every morning I watch them from my desk as they poke around the big dish.