Beading Fun

I wanted a necklace to go with this shirt. So I placed poured beads of "matching" colors on top of the shirt. 

And then I created this necklace.

What do you think?

Back to Mosaics

Last week our "senior citizens" crafts activities resumed after a short summer break. We are still doing more mosaics than anything else. I'd love to find someone to help us with beading. I don't know enough about the finishing and the clasps etc. I guess I'll just have to bead at home and hope that I finish my work better. Also, I'm not crazy about the beads I've found so far. I need better sources. 

I now have two more mosaic "hot plates" to give as gifts.

There are also tissue boxes, picture frames and jewelry/"treasure" boxes which can be covered with mosaics. But somehow I just keep on taking the boards. The boxes also need to be painted in order to be really finished nicely.

My mosaics are very different from everyone else's projects. I only do abstracts. I let the colors speak to me and control me. Yes, I admit it sounds very flaky, but that's what I enjoy.

Craft Kit Rip-off

 You may have read my post from a few days ago about the lovely work, design and assembling, my not yet seven year old granddaughter had done with the beading supplies I had picked up in a Jerusalem Hobby supply store.  Not only had she chosen the beads I had bought for her teenage sisters, but I had looked forward to making necklaces from them, too. There was nothing at all childish in her taste and designs.

When I went over yesterday to spend time with the kids, I thought of bringing the bag of beads and clasps along with me, but since they have an arts & crafts supply closet at home, so I didn't.

I found a "necklace" kit, which had never been opened/used.

It wasn't quite as creative as the variety of beads I had purchased, but it looked interesting. So we opened it and checked the possibilities. We carefully followed instructions, and she used up all the usable* supplies making necklaces. We pasted what needed to be pasted with the enclosed glue and left everything to dry.

No surprise of course the glue didn't stick, and everything just fell apart. It did keep her busy for awhile, but that is all the kit accomplished. I just have to get more supplies from the regular hobby places. And while I'm there, I'll look for projects to suit her cousin, the young manicurist, too.

*One necklace clasp didn't work, glitter glue had dried out, and there weren't enough backings for the tiles.

Beading and More at "Camp Saba-Savta"

As my friend Debbie wrote, here in Israel it's very common for grandparents to conduct what are known as Kaytanat Savta, Camp Grandma to help entertain the grandchildren over the summer. When we do it, my husband also helps, so I'll call our camp "Camp Saba-Savta," Camp Grandpa-Grandma."

Even before my husband was retired from work, he had been working part-time and has been going weekly to be with the grandkids in Ofra, which is more than I'd managed the past few years while I was working in Yafiz and then teaching in Yeshiva Tichonit Ahavat Chaim. When they come to us in Shiloh for our "Camp Saba-Savta" both of us do things with the kids.

Of course, one of the big reasons is that our pool has separate swimming hours, male and female. That means that I take our granddaughters, and my husband takes our grandson. And when the females are at the pool, the "men" have to figure out something fun to do. I always look for a nice craft to do with the girls when the "men" are enjoying the pool. I must say that the three girls all swim well and absolutely love the water.

Two years ago my next door neighbor gave me soap molds to use, so we grated bars of soap and made fancy gift soaps. They remember it well.

This year I decided to do a beading project with them. That's how I ended up buying the nice red, black and white beads to make myself a new necklace. I set all the equipment up on the dining room table with a lot of plastic plates so the beads wouldn't roll all over the place. And the plates were also used for planning the necklaces.

I must admit that I was impressed at the speed, design-making abilities and how quickly the going to the 2nd grader caught on to the instructions. She ended up making two necklaces! My oldest granddaughter, who's about to enter high school, also had fun with the beading, though I think that I didn't buy the right style beads for her. None of the beads inspired the second one to even try. I have so many beads leftover... I guess I'll be doing more beading. Stay tuned.

I Bit The Bullet and Beaded Myself a Necklace

At the wonderful TU B'Av Micholilot Bacramim celebrations at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, early last week I ended up buying myself a couple of new necklaces. It's not that I don't have any necklaces. It's just that my necklace collection was inherited from my mother and is rather old-fashioned. I was getting awfully bored wearing them. I've been attracted to the funky ones you can see here to the right. I also got a simpler and less expensive one from a different crafts stand.

The more I thought about it, the more I knew that I had to start making them myself. A few years ago a friend had put together a little workshop one afternoon for some of us, and I had a great time. I'd even been trying to get her to do it again, but it hadn't worked out.

Then last Wednesday I found myself in Jerusalem with time to "kill," and I didn't want to go near my favorite clothing store. Also, I needed to plan a project for when the big grandchildren come to visit. I found myself near "Hobby," which is a craft store. I decided to take a look, and before I knew it, I had bought all the equipment needed to make necklaces with my older granddaughters. I also found beads in just the colors I wanted for myself.  Yes, the picture on the left.

Somehow on Friday before Shabbat I just couldn't resist making myself a new necklace. It took me just a few minutes. I was rather shocked that I bought exactly the right amount of black and white beads necessary. I didn't measure anything except to count the six red beads. And I debated with myself whether to make it symmetrical or asymmetrical.

The clasp had me most nervous. I was terrified that I wouldn't remember the salesperson's instructions, or it just wouldn't work right. It pays to be a remedial teacher, because I kept repeating the instructions putting it into clearer and more simplistic language. I found a logic in it, too, which helped me remember.

To save money I didn't buy a special tool to close all the parts of the clasp insisting that a tweezer that doesn't grab the hairs well could do the trick. It was a risky gambit for sure.

I also only bought one type of string, even though I had chosen a number of different types of beads. I think they called it fishing line. It's stiff enough as to not need a needle.

First you tie a knot at the end, and then you somehow get the smallest of those three parts on the knot. Make sure there's at least an inch, a few centimeters of line; it helps to control the knot. Squeeze with tweezers.

Then put the middle-sized piece, close it with the tweezers. Maybe I should get stronger reading glasses just for this fine work.

I got "screws" instead of "hooks." They were recommended and look nicer, especially on the thin string. The last step is to attach the clasp and close it well with the tweezers. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised that it was easier than I had expected.

From beginning to end, making this necklace only took a few minutes, and remember that I had never done a complete one before including clasp. Of course I knew exactly what I was going to do with the beads. They had been bought in the exact quantity needed.

What do you think?

Now I have to find better places for buying beads, since I wasn't all that impressed with the selection at Hobby, though I like beading as my new hobby.

Should I Start a New Hobby?

It's not like I have oodles, or any, spare time, but I had so much fun and felt so good beading last week. And I got so many compliments on my necklace that I've been wondering if it's a good idea to branch out and be craftily creative.

my very first necklace, if you don't count the noodles and spools from thread I had strung as a kid

The friend who brought all of the equipment, cutters, wires, beads, claps etc charged me very little for the "ingredients," things I used to make this necklace, and mine was one of the more expensive projects.

My friends insisted that my necklace was like those sold in stores.  So, I began to wonder if could make jewelry as gifts or even sell my handmade jewelry for money/profit.  I certainly don't get anything from writing, blogging etc. And my work salary is the pits.

I'd have to set up shop in one of the unused bedrooms.  We've had an empty nest for years.  One of the bedrooms even has a large desk which could be emptied off and made into a "beading workshop."

To check out this new idea, I went into a popular Jerusalem craft supply store.  I did see a number of beads that inspired me, but I also realized how quickly one could spend money one doesn't have on these items. What first seems to be an inexpensive craft hobby when you think of how much it cost to make one gorgeous necklace can be full of expensive surprises.  I didn't even check the prices of the cutters and wire. The necklace I made also needed glue and other things.  Those who bead a lot also have boards to keep the beads in place while planning, designing and beading, since the beads can easily roll away.  I have to think very seriously about it.

Like photography, beading is an artistic medium that doesn't require a talent at drawing.  When I was young, it seemed that the only criteria for artistic talent was drawing, which I could never do all that well.  I was always drawn to art, and there's a lot of talent in my family, but it always seemed that it had passed me by. Then I discovered photography, which is a great medium for my talents.  Now it seems like I can also develop a different aspect of it by beading.

Nu?  What should I do?

I Bead Like I Cook

This week my fb group friends and I got together for an afternoon of beading in Jerusalem.  I had never done that before, though I do remember stringing noodles and some "Indian crafts" at Jones Beach which required making things out of tiny beads of bright primary and secondary colors.

I found it very difficult to get started, but once I figured out exactly what should go in the center.  I had a theme, at least a color theme.  Then I began gathering beads to fit the colors.  I piled them all up in a plate making sure I had even numbers of all of the really nice ones.

Everyone else seemed to have an easier time making these decisions. After I finished the center of my symmetric necklace I slowly chose what would surround it.  Bead by bead, first one side and then the other, so they'd match exactly. Once I had all my ingredients, then I began the real work.  I couldn't envision the necklace before getting the beads, and I decide what to cook according to the food in the house.

Every once in a while someone would finish their new jewelry and happily show it off.  Of course some patterns, or lack of them, made the work easier.  Why did I choose such a complex idea and such tiny beads?  I had to keep my reading glasses on all the time!

We were even joined via Skype by a member who lives abroad.  Finally we all completed our new jewelry.

And that includes mine!

Thanks to Hadassa for bringing the beads, clasps etc and teaching us how to make the gorgeous and fun jewelry. (The pictures of me were taken by Jessie.)