MEMORIES

This turned out to be a very special blog hop for me.  

January is the birth month for my dad

 James R Hitch (1912-2000) 

and

 my mom's little sister,

 Norma June Christiansen Morris Maiers (1919-2001)

Using red beads was a must
 one for Dad and one for Aunt Norma.

They say that life happens while you're making plans.  

Well, so does death.

On December 12th, 2012 my cousin June was in a serious motor vehicle accident and critically injured.  Two days later, my uncle (my mom's little brother) and his younger daughter Norma  made the heart wrenching  decision to cease the life support.  June passed within a short time.  She was the first of the cousins (ages 74 to 51)to leave this world for a better place. 

June was 53 years old.  She was an amazing woman.  Tall (6'3" - that's not a typo), smart and caring - very much so as she was a nurse.  She had a great sense of humor (she'd tell you she was 5'15"), had a wonderful laugh and was as beautiful as her mother Beverly.  

Our family is great for nick names.  

June's was JuneB and JuneBug.

The next part of the bracelet involves Bees and LadyBugs.

She was born in the month of June so pearls were also needed.

While the magnets I used aren't pretty, they are incredibly strong and tiny,

 and not very noticeable.  

I will be sending this to my cousin Norma as a memory bracelet in honor of her sister

June Bliss Christiansen Wilson (1959-2012)

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

  

and the link to the rest of the memory and thanks blogs
http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2012/11/participants-for-memories-and-thanks.html

http://www.prettythingsblog.com/2012/11/memories-and-thanks-blog-hop.html

This blog hop is both for Marianna and for those people in our lives who mean a lot to us -- a mom, a friend, a brother -- anyone who has meaning to us.  Create a piece of jewelry that tells that story.

For instance, Marianna loved red and cardinals, so if you would like to make something in honor of her, you could use red, or you could use beads of birds, leaves, trees, nests, eggs -- things like that.  If you have a friend you want to remember and thank and she's a painter, you could make a necklace full of the colors she often uses in her paintings.

If you would like to join this Blog Hop please click on the "blog button" above and it will take you to Pretty Things to sign up.

Lori Anderson ( creator of this blog hop) creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack.  Visit her shops by clicking here.  She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party®   and author of the book Bead Soup.

PS. You need a blog to participate in this hop.


...as usual am hoping I did this correctly... 

from Beading Daily

Make Your Beadwork More Spiritual

The one thing that Native American beadwork techniques and stitches have in common is the belief that the time spent doing them to create beautiful objects is a way to honor the spirit world. So, take a deep breath and relax before you sit down to bead. Light a candle and focus your intentions before you pick up your needle and beads, and most of all, remember to enjoy your journey.

* * *

I so understand the above and agree with it. 

Ok - family and friends - I am asking for a bit of help.
Follow link to site, scroll down and please vote for me - it would be great to win this.

http://www.mirrixlooms.com/winamirrix.html 

For my beading friends, I will be glad to vote for you if you have a different item than mine that you want to win. 
  

What a nice gifting for one of us who beads:

http://flyviewsandreviews.blogspot.com/2012/10/huge-beadweaving-book-giveaway.html

I might be lucky. 

Tain't Fair - but that's the way it is

My favorite crafts are beading and ceramics.  The beading goes back to 1970 and I started ceramics in 1982.  This week and next is the Fair.  I judge the pottery & ceramics that are entered for adults, handicap and youth.  My fair entries are beaded items (7 categories).  Yesterday, I was doing ceramic judging and endured listening to the Beading Judge (who shall remain nameless) making disparaging remarks about various entries.  My mentor, Bonnie S. taught me that in judging you always make a positive comment about the item and politely point out an error if there is one.  The short version of this tale is that my following piece received a white (ribbon) which is 3rd place because "it is not symmetrical".  Nothing in the rules states pieces have to be symmetrical, only that it is beading.  This is an asymmetrical necklace:  

I should order a copy of the Lori's book and give it to the Building Supervisor who can pass it on to next year's judge especially if it is the same Bead judge as this year.  As my Gram used to say - "Anything worth doing is worth doing well".  Right now, I'm just laughing - especially when I consider the source.  I'm just glad I wasn't awarded a 'participation' ribbon.  It takes all kind and we're not missing a one of them. 

Our fair uses the Danish system:

The Danish system is a method of evaluation where a product or process is evaluated against a
set of standards, and recognition is awarded based on each competitor meeting those standards. In Danish system, the exhibitors are not judged against each other. 

And that is the lesson for today.  Still laughing and shaking my head. 

Bead Soup VI reveal

First, I have to apologize to Amy, my partner in this bead soup.  We had company for most of July and my beadroom is also a guest room and the clasp that Amy sent has been misplaced ... sigh.   I don't use gold very much, one of the many reasons I liked what Amy sent.  I used a clasp from my stash and of the three choices I had it was the best match for the necklace.   Company no sooner left and I came down with a 'summer cold' and have been miserable until now.  So here is the necklace with a very lovely focal.  I think the focal looks like a woodsy scene in the fog (or maybe it's the cold the has me fogged).  Amy - - thanks so much for the pieces.  This is being posted at Midnight Eastern Time - I'm on Pacific Time, but I'm not staying up that late.

And now the link (hopefully) so that everyone can go to the other blogs and see the wonderful jewelry that was created.  Bead Soup VI
 
Lori - thanks so much for hosting Bead Soup - you did a great job organizing this complicated Bead Soup.

~cryssT