Wednesday's Worktable: A Little Recalibration

I have to admit: I have not done a lot of beading this past week. 

I've worked a little bit on my Monthly Challenge, and that's about it. I'm not being nearly as prolific as I was last month... and that's okay. When I decided to revitalize this blog, I knew that there would be some weeks that weren't very bead-heavy.

I have been quite busy, though. Lots of fun life projects going on. Working on my novels. Working on a game design project with my husband. Working on getting in better shape and eating healthier. Working on building some friendships.

Working on stuff around the house, like getting our piano recalibrated:

No, I'm not the one who recalibrated the piano.
I just hovered and took pictures, because I thought it looked cool.

Life is continually busy... but that's not a bad thing. I'm remembering to look for beauty and joy, even in the mundane.

I promise there will be more beady things to show... and who knows? Maybe I'll even make some jewelry inspired by the piano. ;)

Thanks for stopping by today... Have a lovely week, everyone!

Wednesday’s Worktable: More Seed Beads!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! 

It’s been a busy creating week so far. I have three things on my worktable currently—but, sadly, not much to show for it. 

First, I have actually started making something with the pearls from last week. No pictures just yet… I’ve been working on it mostly at night, and the nighttime lighting is terrible for pictures. Ah well. I do plan on showing it off when I’m done, though!

Secondly, I have started working on something for this month’s challenge. I’m not going to show teaser pictures just yet—not until I’m sure the design is going to work. Still, I’m pretty excited! Here’s to hoping it goes the way I want it to.

And lastly, I’m back to poking at seed beads--hence the name of this entry. 

Up until now, I’ve been playing with Miyuki delicas and Toho 11/0s… So I thought I’d add some Czech glass Preciosa beads into the mix.

Aren’t they lovely? These are 10/0s. Preciosa seed beads tend to run a little small though… they seem to be on par with both the Miyuki and Toho 11/0s. 

With these beads, I’m currently attempting some tubular herringbone, and it seems to be going quite well. Yay!

This will probably become a necklace, but who knows. Right now, I'm just enjoying the process.

So, there you go. Thanks for stopping by today to see what I’ve been up to. Lots of ideas floating about in my head… lots of experimenting, too. And learning. It’s been quite delightful.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy June 2025 Challenge: Staring at the Ceiling

June is here, and it’s finally time to share what I’m going to be doing for this month’s challenge! Hurray!

So, like the one last month, June’s challenge has a rather mundane foundation. You see, in the last few weeks, I have dealt with a fair number of migraines. (That tends to happen when the seasons change, unfortunately.) During that time, all I could really do was sit on the couch and stare at the ceiling.

Lucky for me, the ceiling in our living room is actually quite lovely.

It's a combination of cream and white and gold, with touches of silver shadow, juxtaposed against the rich wood of the ceiling fan. When the light is on, it is more golden hued; when the light is off, it is more silver.

The people who lived in the house before us did not do much in the way of decorating. They did, however, go all out on painting this particular room. I think it was originally intended to be the dining room, but through a series of unrelated events, it became our living room. Which means that I sit on the couch, can look up, rest my head, and have fun getting lost is the gentle gradients of cream and white and gold.

So, that's what my challenge is based on this month: the ceiling. 

Yes, literally, the ceiling.

And not just the colors, but the soft hue changes and the juxtaposition of it against the brown and gold ceiling fan.

This is my way of not wasting anything… taking even the weather-and-allergy-induced migraines and being inspired to make something (hopefully) lovely. Trying to find the beauty in, quite honestly, everything. (And also amusing my husband greatly as I take pictures of the ceiling and mutter about finding the perfect shot.)

Thanks so much for stopping by to see what I’m up to. Come back on Friday, June 27th to see what I end up making!

Wednesday's Worktable: Monthly Fun Pack Edition

Hello, everyone! It's the first Wednesday in June. Can you imagine that--it's June already. This year is flying by!

On my worktable today, I have a package that just arrived from The Bead Place. Specifically, it's the Monthly Fun Pack for June... and yes, it just arrived in the mail yesterday! Yay!

Here are the lovely things in included inside it:

There are so many interesting things in this little bundle. I'm excited to try out the seed beads... just trying to figure out what new stitch I want to work on.

And I admit, I'm also quite taken with this collection of pearls:

I have two different ideas for what I want to do with them, but I'm not sure if either one will work. Heh. I will say, out of all the monthly bead subscriptions that I get, the Monthly Fun Pack is one that always pushes me to think outside my normal box. And that's precisely why I get it: it's always fun to be stretched!

So, there you go. Those are the beads that I'm poking at today.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

...oh, and P.S. Come by on Friday to find out what my Monthly Challenge for June is going to be. I'm pretty excited about it... although, once again, my inspiration is a bit off the wall!