Pocket Tiaras

Flower Basket Princess of God Pocket Tiara, photo by Emily Miller

A dear friend was recently diagnosed with a brain lesion. My first reaction was to make a healing prayer star for her, each bead a prayer. I felt sad for a couple of months after my friend Brenda passed away and I couldn't get up much creative juice. Every evening I sat and made a simple prayer star, praying that I'd get my energy back. About 25 stars later, I did. Prayer works.

I also got samples of how all my new beads work up, which is useful.

I gave her the star. I wanted to remind my friend that she is a Princess of God, a concept that she brought home from a women's religious retreat a few years ago. I wanted to make her such a glorious tiara that she would never forget that she is a true Princess of God. However, she was having compression headaches, and a tiara that fit around her head was obviously not the thing. And so...

The Pocket Tiara was born, and went with her to visit a neurosurgeon in Honolulu. It beeped the machine at the airport! The first one was small and pretty simple, but absolutely packed with prayers.

The very good news is that she is ever so much better, no headaches, on a good health regimen.

The flower basket was the second one I made, and may still be my favorite. All of these tiaras are bead embroidered onto Nicole's BeadBacking, which is great stuff. Really easy to sew through, softens up with beading but doesn't go limp. I can't rave about it enough. Check it out at Nicole's BeadBacking.

Matt decided that he would rather be a Duke of God, instead of a Prince. Voila! He will put it on the bridge of his guitar.

Duke of God Pocket Crown, photo by Emily Miller

 

 

 

Beadwright: BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY

Beadwright: BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY

Nicole's having a great birthday giveaway! Look at all the goodies she's sharing.

Happy New Year!

It's my usual resolution - write in my blog more often! I need to put more energy on my own creative projects and manage my time better. Less Zuma and mahjong, more doll-making and beading!

2011 was an interesting year.

1. I quit my "day job" and Peggy in Paradise is in full swing. 
2. I got really sick and ended up in the hospital. As a result, I figured out that the anti-acid drug I was on to control my GERD was probably causing 95% of the symptoms I was having - this after 5 years of being sick on an almost daily basis. It's great to feel well!
3. I lost 2 dear friends - my oldest best friend Brenda, and our cat Blackie - within one week of each other. I miss them both. I realized today that I'm still sad. I haven't gotten used to the new pattern yet.
4. I made a lot of fairies last year! And beaded a lot of snowflakes.
5. I started a new garden, which is still not completely planted. Many things intervened. For example, we had to cut down a big palm tree right in the middle of the garden because it was growing into the cess pool. I plan to hang upside-down grow bags from the trunk and grow tomatoes and beans.
6. I learned so much! Social media marketing, more about Quickbooks, how to publish a book, cascading style sheets. SQL programming to come!

I can feel 2012 shaping up to be a great year. There are so many interesting things to do and learn!

Peggy and the Begonia Stalks

I always water the begonias last, and not as often, because they sit on my old garden bench and I don't want water running out on it. It's plastic, it can't be damaged at this point, but it's a habit to conserve it and a habit to water them last.

As I slowly drip water into the pots, I have a chance to really look at them and they are showy indeed. There is a rex begonia so dark it's almost black, and an angelwing begonia that shines red on the back of it's speckled green leaves. The leaves are serrated and partially turn themselves over when the sun hits them.

4 feet tall and still growing

Angelwings were one of my first houseplants and good friends for many years. Then I didn't have houseplants for a few years, too much bother, I had a big garden outdoors.  I have no plants inside my home on Kauai. Many people do, but I find that they usually end up housing ants and the occasional centipede. I'd prefer to have those critters living outdoors where they belong, and there are plenty of plants right outside the screen door.

When the begonias sat on the ground, they were always being munched on by slugs and didn't thrive. Once I moved them to the bench, they put on a growth spurt that has gone on for months. Right plant, right place…

The center stalks grow so straight and tall, like Jack's beanstalk, reaching up and up through the filtered shade. They are full of potential, and hidden jewels.

Secret begonia world

When I look at them through the eyes of a professional gardener, I think "I should top these guys and then they'd bush out and have more flowers, and I could start the tops mixed together in the yellow pot." But then I hear them say quietly "Why? Why limit our upward growth? We have side shoots that will grow out naturally and make us bushier, we already have flower clusters. We are in balance."

Why indeed? Why limit our upward growth?

New Combinations for Linda

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

 When I started cleaning Linda up, her drawers were stained and sad, bloomers that couldn't be salvaged. I have so many lovely books to choose from on just about any subject to do with dolls, embroidery, tassels, or beads. I went to my library and picked out "The Doll's Dressmaker: The Complete Pattern Book," by Venus A. Dodge.

I particularly like this collection of patterns because it includes both old-fashioned patterns for vintage dolls and simple, easily adaptable patterns that can be used with any doll. She also offers 3 sizes of the same patterns and clear instructions about how to make them. Many line drawings inspire variations with tucks, lace, ribbon, and embellishment.

No fine lawn combinations for Miss Linda! No, she wanted fancy gold printed cotton, and red ribbon facings.

What Miss Linda wants, Miss Linda gets! This is the inside-out view.

Finished close-up and beaded edges. I had to put some 24K somewhere!

Now if I can just get her to stop rolling up her skirt and showing off!

I like this casual still life with dish drainer in background and Linda leaning against a roll of paper towels. I simply must get a proper photo area set up. And one day I will! In the meantime, Linda loves her new combis and will not be embarrassed when my nosy friends lift up her skirt to see if she has panties on. They'd best be careful! Linda goes commando without notice.

Cheery New Blog Theme

I haven't spent much time wandering through the design features until tonight. I chose my last design because it reminded me of the wide open spaces of Eastern Washington, where I was born and grew up. I like this one because it reminds me of crisp spring skirting fabric, and our lovely tidy-bowl blue ocean that surrounds Kauai.

Desks on the Way

Custom-fit for my plastic tubs and file boxes

Matt has started the first of 3 desks for the beadio. Two will go along the far wall and one on the side under the blue shelves. The two on the far wall will be joined by an 8x3 foot sheet of plywood, forming a seamless top that will be big enough (and sturdy enough) to hold my single futon. They are all pine, so that will be a lot of pine in one room! I love the way they're put together in a honeycomb for stability, and all the cubbies measured to fit my tubs and office file boxes.