What A Four and 11/12-Year-Old Thinks

At Thanksgiving, my 4 and 11/12-year-old grandson very helpfully offered to name my beading. He thought that the November BJP (above), which I called Blue Abundance, should be Splashing in the Water. He's right, the texture does look like splashing.

He thought that the September page, which I considered to be Amber and Sand Dunes, should be either Sand Dunes at Goshorn Lake or Sand on Sandpaper. The extended family all-together week is centered at Goshorn Lake. And he was intrigued by the texture of the Stiff Stuff backing that reminded him of sandpaper.

My personal favorite of his suggestions was for the October BJP, which I called Not-Quite-Pink. His idea came as soon as he saw it. Piggy! How can you go wrong with Piggy?

And for those who were wondering, he was the one counting the days until his birthday. He insisted he was no longer four. He was four and 11/12. Precision in names and precision in numbers. That's him!

December BJP Completed!

The Longest Night of the Year Sparkles!

I finished my December BJP while we were visiting the World Center of Football for Christmas. The 6 3/4-year-old football player was interested in the different shapes of the beads. The now five-year-old football player again had a suggestion for the name: Waves. (For more of his suggestions see post above.)

But I think I'll stick with the wordier The Longest Night of the Year Sparkles! The title may be a little misleading as it was snowing, raining, or about to snow or rain nearly all of December. I think we had one day of sun.

Technical Details:

Again I used Lacy's Stiff Stuff as a foundation. To get a blue-toned dark color, I painted it with blue, black and purple Dye-na-Flow.

The beads are the usual mishmash of 11/0s, Delicas, 8/0s, and 15/0s. There are some hexes, large and small cubes, large triangles, a donut, and some nameless shapes. I found some long bugles to use as well. The colors are all variations of navy blue. Some lean toward the purple and some lean toward the green. Many are AB or iris. There are a few muted gold beads, too. Quite a few of the beads were from packages of mixed beads. They were the darkest ones in the groups. It's more fun than a reasonable person would think to sort through those packages.

Most of the page was done with the backstitch. I continue to find this the most comfortable stitch for me. I attached the donut in a way new for me. Look for it just left of the middle of the piece. I used four strings of 15/0s from the center of the donut to the outside.

The page is 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches.

I used navy blue Nymo thread.

What I Was Thinking:

I enjoy December. To me, it means getting together with the extended family for Christmas. We're a pretty laid-back, whatever happens happens crowd, and no one seems to get stressed out by trying to maintain a particular tradition. When the days are short and the nights are long, we see the sparkles.

Issues that Came Up:

• The 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches size is probably just right.
• Although I often think of all the other stuff I would like to add to the little pieces, I'm glad I don't feel pressured by the BJP. I have several (lots?) of other projects in progress.
• I was surprised by the variation within this limited color palatte.
• I'd like to do a similar dark piece, starting either from purple or from green. Maybe a doll...

Happy New Year!

Blue Abundance Completed!

I finished my November Bead Journal Project page this weekend. It is Blue Abundance. That seemed like a good theme for November. I chose to express abundance by “overbeading”–using more beads than there was room for on the page. Trying to make the work more three-dimensional was a challenge. But that’s a big part of the fun. Because I really love the color blue, I loved making this page.

Technical Details:

I used Lacy’s Stiff Stuff as a foundation. I painted it blue with Dye-na-Flow.

The beads are 11/0s, Delicas, 13/0 Charlottes, 15/0s, 6/0s, 8/0s, bugles, cubes, drops, and a few odd shaped beads.

There are several types of fringe, a ruffle, and some volcanoes. (What’s the real name for that stitch?) There are also a couple of stitches that came from a book written in Japanese that my daughter gave me. Neither of us could read the directions, but the diagrams were great!

It is 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches.

I used both Nymo and C-lon thread.

What I Was Thinking:
I am fortunate to have an abundance of wonderful family and friends. My material needs are met. I want to remember at Thanksgiving to be grateful for all I have and to remember to share with those in need.

Issues That Came Up:

• This page showed both the advantages and disadvantages of the small size.
• I had a few other things to do during November so the small size gave me time.
• But I wish I had had more space to include more beads and more stitches.
  
• I was surprised to see so many dark blue beads on the page when it was finished.
  
• I still have a rather abundant stash of blue beads, but I have identified a need for more 15/0 medium blue beads.

Now it’s on to Christmas projects!

Blue Abundance in Progress

I decided to focus on the theme of Abundance for my November BJP. I want to be thankful for the abundance that I have and I want to remember to share that abundance with others.

To show abundance, I decided to "overbead" the page--putting more beads on the page than there is actually space for. I've been a flat beader, and showing dimension and texture has been an interesting challenge. I've admired the work of the many BJPers who do so well with texture and dimension, and I just had to try it. I'm learning a lot!

I chose blue because I have an abundance of blue beads, as opposed to an abundance of "the blues." Ok, ok, ok, I hear the voices in the background. (You know who you are) I'll 'fess up. Blue is my favorite color and that's why I have so many blue beads. Blue makes me happy!

Like my other BJP pages, this one is 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches. It is on Lacy's Stiff Stuff that I painted with Dye-na-Flow.

I may not finish this by the end of November because we are expecting an abundance of fun and family next week. Our big job (besides the turkey) will be to babyproof the place. The 14-month-old Walking Man is coming !