Beads! beads! beads! everywhere I look there are beads! Sundance Beads, Miyuki Beads, Toho Beads and Aiko Beads. Wait I am not finished yet! Japanese and Czech seed beads, Charlottes, bugles, delicas, hex, triangles, tila beads, berry beads, super duo, twin beads (the last 2 are my latest addition) and so many more. They can come in sizes 11, 14, 15, 8 and 6.

Beads come silver lined, crystal lined, sparkling, translucent, galvanized, aurora borealis (ab), opaque, gold lined in all shades and colors such as garnet, root beer, galvanized gold, crystal lined silver, Ceylon… and this is just the beginning. Change the color of your  translucent bead and thread as it can be like a chameleon when you play with the thread colors.

I really don’t know when my love of beading on my needlepoint started. I don’t know exactly what sparked it, what got me going. I remember dabbling in it years ago and wondering why bother? and now…how things change.

I pretty much stitch every day, not all day long but anywhere from about 3-6 hours and on Sundays it can be a marathon day. It is hard for me remember the last piece of needlepoint that I did that has no beading. What? no beads? I don’t think so!

I had been stitching along the last week on a few different pieces without needing to do any beading! I was having bead withdrawals…I needed to bead. Am I crazy or what? To me it is very relaxing, very soothing and settles me in. So Wednesday night I took Bastet out and re-beaded her amulet. I wasn’t pleased with my choice of the gold beads. On top of that I didn’t like the way they were laid in…just not sitting purr~fectly straight. I am so much happier with it now. There isn’t too much more beading left on her after that. I am already thinking ahead to my beading ahead of me.

A dear friend of mine asked me a few weeks ago to shop for orange Delica Beads that she needed for a project that she is working on. A Halloween witch by Melissa Shirley. As always she says no hurry, whenever…but I knew that I wasn’t headed to my favorite bead store for a 2-3 weeks, so I pulled out 1 of my bead containers. If she is like me and she is thinking about that piece, she wants to bead it NOW, not next week, not next month So I selected an array of orange beads and sent them to her and said select what you like and then return the rest when I see you next. I had to laugh when I got a text from her saying “your package arrived” and “did you send me every orange bead you had?” “well actually no I didn’t!”

In my working thread closet there are 3 containers such as this. One is for size 11 beads, one is for Sundance Beads that I go to first when stitching shop models and this one you see here is for my size 15 beads. As you can see it is getting very full, so I have started another one for the 15’s. Remember too then there is the beading threads, beading needles, a tube of E6000 (which I haven’t used yet) Swarovski Crystals, pailettes, sequins and so much more.

Note to self: your bead containers are way too heavy now to handle them 1 handed! Use 2 hands next time.

AlleyCat woke up on the wrong side of the bed today as she was rather cranky and sassy for most of the morning. She was full of ‘tude, attitude that is. and until next time…keep on stitching

p.s. someone left a nice comment about beads and stitching on Bastet which fell into the spam folder…when it really wasn’t. I was going to answer it and publish it, but oh well! If you read this, please comment again!

Bastet, the Egyptian Goddess of Cats has been languishing in the waiting for me to stitch on you pile. I could hear her tiny faint meows saying “pick me tonight, please stitch on me tonight!”

Yes I know that I should be finishing the bicycle or the other canvases that I am working on for stitch guides, but I sorta kinda needed a little fuel for the soul and some beading.

I wasn’t happy with the beads that I selected the last time that I worked on Bastet’s amulet, so out they came. I am starting to redesign her amulet after searching through my beads for just the purr~fect color. I found them and settled in for an evening of beading.

It just needs the turquoise beads and the center ruby…okay work with me here. I also experimented with some other beading techniques for the collar. I was also practice stitching the background to make sure I get it before I waste too much of this beautiful therad that Ruth sent us… and I am thrilled to say that I got it!

If you just love her as much as I do, you too can get the stitch guide from the completed mystery class at Bedecked and Beadazzled. Ruth has finished hers and is with her framers. I will be anxious to see what she selected as I finish mine up.

This is one of my very first orchids that was given to me as a gift a few years ago. It had not re-bloomed for ages…and well now all that TLC has paid off as look at me now!

Neither one of my kids is very good at hide ‘n seek…

I see you! and until next time…keep on stitching

I had a great long weekend…how about you? I did allot of nothing, along with a whole lotta stitching, chillin’, watching baseball, writing stitch guides, giving my plants lots of TLC and stuff around the house.

I was going to title the blog post today “A day in the life of AlleyCat” or “it’s all about the cats” but really it is just her and just a little snippet of what Miss Busy Body’s Day is all about.

I was dusting and rearranging the cat pictures on my wall under the close supervision of you know who?!

She was convinced that the nail on the wall was a fly and she wasn’t taking no for an answer! AlleyCat was sure talking up a storm to that nail that she thought was a fly.

So after closer inspection, she FINALLY realized it wasn’t the fly that she thought it was!

May I hang my picture now?

I am headed out the door for some threads to finish my bicycle, some Aileen’s tacky glue for another piece and pick out a few threads for the next new project to stitch for a model. I am almost finished with a few must stitch projects, so I will reward myself and work in some stitching time on Bastet. and I promise back to stitching stuff next time

and until next time…keep on stitching

Okay so you are saying…where is the red thread? well it’s there, I promise! Reds in Neon Rays, floss and so much more.

This was the start of a new project after the thread collecting, the stretcher bar search and the note taking. This canvas needs a  23″ length. I don’t do Evertites as they are way too heavy and why don’t they make this length bar anymore? What the hey?

The canvas is on bars and I have spent many a hour working on the background and…

beading the fireworks.

This canvas along with the stitch guide by Susan Portra will be in the July/August issue of Needlepoint Now. Actually it will cover 3 issues! Originally Elizabeth, Joanne C and myself planned on stitching it ahead of what comes out in the magazine. This way we can make sure that it is just right for you. Since that first decision, we now have 2 more that are joining in on the stitching party! Pat and Joanne L.

Elizabeth and I shopped for threads and care packages have been going back in forth in the mail amongst us. Since our first shopping trip we have now found out that there is no more Anchor #12 pearl to be had. Elizabeth worked the phone lines the other day and tracked down some beautiful tatting thread that is a perfect substitute!

It too was challenging finding more of the right color ThreadworX for Pat that is for the fence, but I have already called Newport Needlepoint to get more of that same dyelot. I have stopped working on mine until my bicycle is done…but as soon as it is, I will start with the stitching that is for part 2 for the magazine.

As to what the canvas is…well stay tuned!

I moved my cactus inside now that they are finally blooming so that I can enjoy the flowers

I think AlleyCat is giving me that look “are you taking my picture again? yes AC, your adoring fans await you!

The kids and I are going to take the weekend off. Lots of stitching, baseball and my plants need some attention. and until next time…keep on stitching

How could I be so lucky to be stitching yet another canvas that I love, love, love…did I say love? I am having way too much fun with this canvas!

I was in the pursuit of a bicycle magnet to fit in with the theme of it all, but haven’t found one yet…so I select the sunglasses instead. Well you would probably be wearing shades if you were on your bike, wouldn’t you?

This is a canvas by Alice Peterson called “Red Bicycle” and it is just a fun light hearted canvas. I am enjoying working through all the hearts with beads, French knots, sprats head’s hearts, Rhodes hearts and even a few with tent stitch. The basket on the front of the bike is beaded, as is the bird and the seat of the bike has been padded to make it comfy for that long ride.

I will finish stitching all the hearts and then my plan is to work on the bicycle itself. I have some ideas in my head and I hope that they will work out as well on the canvas as they have in my mind!

How do you like my new canvas tape? Thanks to Elizabeth of Needlepoint Now who came up with this brilliant idea. Under the bicycle is another one of my WIP’s…that would be “works in progress”

Stitching this canvas was inspired by the other bicycle canvas by Alice Peterson and Suzie of The Enriched Stitch. I will be teaching this on July 21rst at her shop! I am so excited to get to see her shop and the new classroom that she has created upstairs. Suzie I love you too, so much so that I will totally forgive you for not being a cat person!

Some of the threads and beads that I have been stitching with. Some were shopped from what I have in the house and then I always add more newly purchased threads. I shopped again the other day for some #16  Kreinik for the bicycle.

The cactus are so close to finally opening their blooms! I discovered that I had been watering them just a little too often, so I have been making sure that they are living in the sun all day long. That has helped and they both need to be re-potted.

AlleyCat was very curious as to what was all the goings on downstairs. and until next time…keep on stitching

Wouldn’t this just be the cremé de la cremé for your holiday decorating? These were quite the showstopper at Dallas! I can only dream that I would have the time to stitch these…one of these, let alone all 3!

These are designed and stitched by Jane Eidman. Her canvas line is known by the name of Fiori.

Dream House Ventures is her distributor. You know, gets her name out there by exhibiting for her at shows, showing her canvases on their website and just making sure that you see these beautiful works of art!

Dream House Ventures is also known for canvases By Georg! and Elements just to name a few of them. You might recognize their thread lines Pure Palette, Soy Luster and Baroque Silk.

These are beautiful, aren’t they? You can see some cloesups of the work in progress on Joan’s blog Needlepoint Design by Joan Eidman

Just in case you are thinking about doing some stash enhancement with these beautiful canvases, there is a stitch guide for them!

Let’s see what were the feline children up to yesterday while I spent the day stitching and watching baseball? Well they both disappeared into the deepest recesses of the house as I didn’t see hide not hair of them for hours! Well until I opened the refrig late afternoon for a piece of cheese. It’s amazing how fast that I saw the white of their eyes… and heard their little meows of feed me! feed me!

After I filled their tummies, AlleyCat did grace me with her presence! and until next time…keep on stitching

The magic that my framers worked with the latest piece that I dropped off to be framed is just purr~fect! Nancy of New Creations Picture Framing was kind enough to share a picture on Facebook since it is a 2 hour drive for me. Didn’t this come out wonderful?

I swear I select the most color challenging pallette that is out there with my choice of canavses and threads. Thank you for having the patience to go through just about every single possible color combination that you had in the shop and just nothing was working. I mean nothing! I was getting very discouraged…

Until they pulled out a box of these Lucite tiles. This is it! You make several selections and the piece is sent out and a frame is created according to your choices.

I have to thank Ruth Schmuff of Bedecked and Beadazzled for finding this framing for her Pear Collage mystery class…and the rest is history!

As Ruth describes it, you pick the pattern color, the background color and design, even the lip color and it is molded as a single piece. Amazing engineering indeed!

I will take you backwards in time…this was piece all finished and ready for the framers… or did I want a bag? or did I want it framed?

Selecting the background stitch with the help of Meredith at The Blue Bonnet Stitching Studio earlier this year.

The stitch charted out as I had so many people ask me, what stitch is that?

The canvas before I started stitching. Peacock Alley was kind enough to send me a magnet along with my canvas. One can never have too many magnets?

Sylvester I believe was sticking out his tongue at me as he was saying I am keeping your spot warm. and until next time…keep on stitching

Buddha…how old are you? yes I know that it is very impolite to ask your age….

Lotus lanterns have been hung in preparation for Buddha’s birthday in Seoul, Korea. Buddha’s birthday was actually yesterday.

A man prays under lotus lanterns that have been tagged with prayer petitions in a Buddhist temple in South Korea.

This canvas is a Sandra Gilmore design. The words have been beaded and next I will work on the lotus flower, which too will be all beaded. The rest of the canvas will just have some light stitching… that is when I am able to get back to this as it has been moved down to about 6th in the stitching order.

Even Mooch and Earl are in the Buddha state of mind…

I did spend my day yesterday between charting for the July/August issue of Needlepoint Now and stitching on the Alice Peterson bicycle. Got to watch allot of wonderful baseball too. I really lost myself in the charting and asked Elizabeth is something was wrong with me? I was enjoying working on the charting so much and drawing the stitches instead of stitching. Okay no more work this weekend, only stitching! and for me at times my stitching is work, but fun work!

and here is my Buddha kitty sitting in a box that is way too small for her! but she does look cute. and until next time…keep on stitching

Really it is! I kid you not! Today is the national ride your bike to work day. These days I don’t have far enough to ride my bike to work, but I love the idea. It is a great way to exercise, diminish the traffic and a way to help the environment by diminishing the emissions.

This new canvas by Alice Peterson was quite the hit at the Dallas Market! Even though I have already showed you this canvas…it is so wonderful that I am using it again. I am anxiously awaiting my canvas as I have put this on my must need to stitch sometime in this lifetime list. There was another new bicycle too and as soon as I have it in my hot little hands, I will share it with you too…but my picture of it was not ready for prime time publication!

So instead I am stitching on this one! canvas by Alice Peterson. I swear I think I have every teal, aqua, fuchsia, red/pink thread and bead out of my stash and strewn about in my stitching area…and I bought several new threads too. I was convinced that Kreinik 024 Fuchsia was the color, but there really is more red in it, but yet not a true red, so I am going to try 421 Azalea. You know it is scary when you talk in Kreinik numbers! I have Silk Lame´ Braid to try, the new Sulky Holoshimmer and ooh so much more.

This will get all of my stitching attention this weekend as I am getting this ready for a very special date! A date to teach this bicycle at the Enriched Stitch in the latter part of July along with the Trick or Treat piece of Raymond Crawford’s.

Another great bicycle to ride to work would be this wonderful one by Melissa Shirley Designs. I love this…now just change that canvas to a little black kitty in the basket and I would stitch this in a heart beat!

AlleyCat was the great escape artist and looks like she was just craving the sun, so I let her be for a moment or two. By the time I came back to the front door…guess who was waiting for me?

Such a silly girl! and until next time…keep on stitching

I’ve been up for a few hours already since my “silly cat” as Joanne C calls Sylvester, woke me up at 5AM! He just wouldn’t take no for an answer that it was way too early for his breakfast. What am I to do with him? Now he is back to sleep and I am wide awake and raring to go!

So what does me being up for hours already have to do with this canvas? Well honestly, absolutely nothing at all. Most days I know what I am going to blog about, and sometimes I have the entire week planned out, pictures are cropped, framed and ready to go….but for today I really didn’t have a clue. No ideas, no thoughts, but I still do have allot of pictures yet to share with you from the Dallas Market.

Have you seen this canvas designer? Annie Lane is her name and her work is just wonderful! I love the big areas and the simplicity of the designs. There are a limited number of colors in each canvas…but oh what you could do with these canvases with stitches and thread selections. Check out the May/June issue of Needlepoint Now and look at the ad on page 66 with more pictures of their designs.

Look at some of the canvas names…they are so clever!

I discovered these designs at the Dallas Market and instantly fell in love with them! As I would say I am leaving…”ooh just one more picture, please. I need to get a picture of this one, that one” I think you get the idea. So many pictures that I will have more to share with you yet.

The very first canvas that you saw of the great screen door did come home with me. I have it on bars and look at it often as I gather ideas in my mind how to stitch it.

Sylvester, move over as I think I too am ready for a little cat nap! and until next time…keep on stitching