Bead Ruckus - Kit 7 Reveal and Announcement!

Well, after a bit of a delay, it's finally that time again! 

What time?

Time for the Bead Ruckus - Kit 7 reveal! (And for an announcement, too, but that will show up at the end of the post.) If you need a refresher on what was in this particular kit, go here, or just scroll to see my previous entry.

And now! Without any further ado, here is what I made!

Well, one of the things, at least. I tried to branch out a little this time... I still made a hairstick, but I also made a bracelet.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, honestly... For some reason, I very, very rarely wear bracelets. This was an attempt to break out of that mold, and do something that I normally don't do.

Well, that, and the first four necklace attempts turned out horribly. 

Apparently, this was just meant to be a bracelet!

It's interesting to see that I've been on a multi-stranded kick recently. Not complaining! Just fascinated to see that tendency in myself.

And, of course, I didn't stop there. I'm me... and, as I've already alluded to, I also made a hairstick. It, too, uses all five of the kit components.

  
So, that is what I made with Bead Ruckus - Kit No. 7!

...And now, it's time for that Annoucement!

Well, life happens. It seems that the other members of the Bead Ruckus have been having quite a few eventful months--with new home searches, growing families, new graduate programs, and shifts in focus. 

As a result, Bead Ruckus is going to go on a hiatus for a bit. Not forever, mind you, but for the time being. (For the official announcement, see the Bead Ruckus website.) 

So, until then... It's been fun! I've been so excited to be a part of this challenge, and I wish everyone the best in their busy new endeavors! 

...And I'm sure I'll think of things to keep me challenged in the meantime. ;)

Happy Friday, everyone!

Coming Soon...

...The reveal for Bead Ruckus Kit Number 7!

It's been quite some time since this kit was announced (wow, all the way back in November), so here is a picture to jog your memory:

If you stop by in the next few days, you'll get to see what I made! 

And, of course, be sure to check out the Bead Ruckus website, too, to see what everyone else created! Personally, I'm pretty excited to see what everyone came up with.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Once More Checking In...

Truth be told, January has been rather exhausting. 

Faced with repeated illnesses, crazycrazy weather, and persnickety technology,* I can honestly say that the thought of a winter-long hibernation sounds wonderful right about now. Wake up and see you in May?

Yet, of course I realize life doesn't have a pause button. There are always things that need to be done, paperwork to be filled out... and, for some reason, dishes don't wash themselves (why-ever not?).

One step at a time.

Remnants of finished beading projects...
My life feels a little like my beading table.

Still, I really shouldn't complain too much. 

My creative endeavors have been almost completely channeled into bringing order to the chaos of my craft room... And I've been making great strides in that area.

Life is crazy, but life is good.

And now to go work on those dishes.

---
* - The persnickety technology is actually the main reason that I haven't been blogging that much. Why? Well, to start with, for the last few weeks, I haven't been able to use my desktop computer. Bleh.

Secondly, when I got my computer back up and running, my SD card for my camera decided to go wonky. As of right now, I've lost at least 40 pictures that I took while on Christmas break. We'll see if my husband is able to recover them... Until that gets straightened out, I'll be using ye olde Instagram photos.

And, thirdly, our internet has decided that it's fun to stop working randomly. I'll be working on a blog entry, and then the internet blips and I lose everything. Fun times.

And, since computer woes are not the most encouraging way to finish a blog entry, here, have a picture of the our most recent snow... It's like having Narnia right outside my bedroom window:

Have a great day, everyone!

Just Checking In...

So, Operation Craft Room Overhaul hit a bit of a snag last week… You see, the Crud caught up with me. 

Honestly, the weather here is being so wonky (going from -26 with windchill to 50 degrees in a matter of days) that practically everyone I know is getting sick. Bleh. 

I'm getting better--both my cold and my knee--but sheesh! Looking forward to being back to normal… So many things I want to do!

Anyway, just wanted to take a moment and wave, and say that I hope everyone is well. Stay healthy!

Current Project: Craft Room Overhaul

I've been saying it for awhile… my craft room needs help. 

It's messy, it's disorganized, and it's hard to find what I need. My interests have grown, I have acquired new tools and new materials, and my original organization just hasn't been able to keep up with me.

So! That's my project for the New Year. It's time to bring order to craft room chaos.

...And guess what I'm tackling first.

`

That's right: the beads. 

Originally, I sorted beads by project. 

But, as I've grown and stretched myself, I realize that's not working anymore. When I go looking for beads, I search by color. Not really size, not really material--color.

So, yeah. Time for epic bead organization overhaul.

I totally went through and sorted out all of the colors from this mix.
How many were there? Six.

I'm on day 3 of said epic overhaul, and have been making some awesome--albeit slow--progress. I'm taking my time to do it right--I've found that if I push myself to go too fast, I just drop beads everywhere.

I suppose I could complain that it's tedious, but there is part of me that really enjoys staring at pretty things and putting them in little containers.

So, if you're needing me, I'm going to be on the sofa surrounded by bead boxes, sipping tea and listening to music.

…Making my craft room beautiful, one bead at a time. 

The Stores Are Back Open!

I am excited to announce that both Wonder and Whimsy and Shining Silmarils are open for the New Year!

Bead shopping over the holiday break…
So many new possibilities! :D

…I may be nursing a sprained knee, but I'm super excited to have everything up and running once more. 

Hurray!

Hello, January… and 2014!

Happy New Year!

I want to write something that is deep and reflective, meaningful and inspirational... But, honestly, I am feeling about as introspective as a pile of rocks. And that's okay. Even piles of rocks have their place.

December Sunset

What I will say is that this last year has been amazing. 

Sure, there were bum parts of the year--having our car almost totaled, spraining my knee while on Christmas vacation, being sick with the Cold of Doom (both my husband and I, on and off), dealing with some extreme creative burnout… 

But, there have been so many beautiful things. 

I have created beautiful things. I have learned beautiful things. I have seen and witnessed and been a part of beautiful things.

And so, as I sit here like a pile of rocks--my excuse is that I'm letting my knee rest--I am happy and hopeful and excited to make this year beautiful as well.

Welcome, 2014!