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!

Not Quite Pink--October BJP

Here is my October Bead Journal Page, Not Quite Pink. It is in acknowledgment of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Technical Details:
Again I used Lacy's Stiff Stuff as a foundation. I sprayed it with some red Memories Mist so the Stuff would be somewhat not-quite-pink under the beads.

Most of the beads are 11/0. There are some 15/0, 8/0, 6/0 and bugles, plus a few hexes and triangles. Nearly all of it is worked in the back stitch. The little heart in the upper right is almost copper colored.

It is 2.75 inches by 2.75 inches.

I used Nymo thread. I started it with mauve thread and then somewhere along the line switched to light pink.

What I Was Thinking:
I chose a rosy peach color scheme instead of the pink usually associated with Breast Cancer Awareness. As a Survivor, I have mixed feelings about the relentless pinkness of October. You can see my October 1 post for the full rant.

The copper-colored heart is for my supportive friends and family. As a whole, I find the piece somewhat disjointed--I feel that unity and flow are missing. But that's what makes it a good journal entry for this month. It reflects my disjointed feelings. Although I finished September very early, I had a hard time getting started on this one. It was tough to get the needle moving through the beads until I knew I had "passed" my check-up.

Issues that Came Up: (Beading Issues)

• The size works well. After I did the September page, I wondered if it were too small. But this size gave me time to do some other things without feeling rushed.
• I like this color, and I certainly have a lot of beads left over. And most of them are sparkly.
• This would be a wonderful color for a spirit doll.
• But I need more not-sparkly beads.

Thanks to all who left supportive comments after my previous rant. The BJP has been good for me!

October BJP Page--Not Quite Pink

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and suddenly the whole world has turned pink. Ok, ok, ok, that's an overstatement. It wasn't suddenly. It has been building up for a while.

Several weeks ago there was an advertisement in our local newspaper for readers to (pay to) honor and remember those have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This weekend the newspaper insert from one of the big box office supply chains featured pink merchandise. There was another insert with lots of product coupons giving discounts for buying pink--soup, toothbrushes, toilet paper, shampoo, yogurt, and so on. The morning news shows all featured stories abut Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And when I went to the grocery store this morning, there was a "Think Pink" sign next to the green beans suggesting that I buy more vegetables and fruits.

I'm a survivor. But to be perfectly honest (and at the risk of coming off as a crotchety old biddy), I have mixed feelings about the entire event. Oh, sure, I understand the need to raise awareness and to remove the stigma of any kind of cancer. Times have changed since Betty Ford went public with her breast cancer. Education, screening, and treatment--even prevention-- have saved many lives. And we need to continue to find more ways to save more women (and men).

But as a survivor, I sometimes find the relentless pinkness of October just a little too much, especially when it coincides with various scary medical check-ups. I admit it, I'm a wuss. During my first couple of years as a survivor, I felt blindsided by the media's emphasis on the pink month. I was concentrating on getting my strength and my hair back, and there it was. It was a little like Jaws 2, "Just when you thought it was safe..." there would be another breast cancer story. Several survivor friends were also disconcerted, bothered, unsettled. I was surprised and relieved to find I was not the only one who felt that way. It's easier now because I know what to expect in October, and I know I am not so weird after all (at least in that way). I also wonder why we need a soup coupon to make a contribution to charity. What if I bought a less expensive kind of soup and contributed the difference? What if I donated a dollar for every pink story or advertisement?

I thought I "ought" to do a pink page for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ought, schmought! I don't want to do it. It just would not be relaxing. So I decided to make mine not quite pink. Here are the beads I will use:

They're a pinkish peach and salmon, an all together prettier color.

I would be interested to hear what other survivors feel about the pink month.

And has anyone participated in the Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer, the Bead it Forward quilt part?

Final note to others: Get your mamogram!
Final note to self: Embrace your inner wuss!