BeadArtOrigianals Specials for the week!!

Don't miss the wonderful specials this week!

BAO Item of the week

Each week different members of the Bead Art Originals team, offer different specials. Check out the team blog at http://www.beadartoriginal.blogspot.com
This would be a great time to start your Christmas shopping.

Justing sitting on the window seal

Sometimes is nice to just take a step back and watch life around you. I'm enjoying watching my kids grow into wonderful teenagers. They are fun to be around and have a great group of friends. As John Orr, our high school minister, always says .... you're only only as good as the average of your friends. I think that my kids have chosen wisely!!

this little bracelet was sitting on the window....
just watching..

Stop and watch those around you this week... and enjoy!

Bead Art Originals Trunk Show

I'll add more about this tonight but I did want to let you know that the BAO team was having a trunk show online Thursday Evening from 7:00-9:00. Stop By Etsy to check it out.I'll try to post the links this evening.

Tuesday - Hope you have Gas!

Hope the title made you giggle!
Some of the gas stations have gas here and some don't. I passed 5 yesterday before I went home and called around. I filled that tank up full.

On to Happier topics. I'm working on a couple of cool fall colored necklaces, almost finished with a colorful funky fish and have a pair of special mother of the Bride earrings to finish.

Have a blessed day.

Bead Art Originals offer Items of the Week

The Bead Art Originals team offer items of the week. Each week the items change and the special that goes with it changes weekly. Check out each item this week for some great deals!!
http://www.beadartoriginals.blogspot.com

Plum Yummy!

Newly finished piece!
This spunky little necklace highlights a beaded bead in the center. It was beaded around a wooden ball using a seed bead mix of pinks, lavender. and oranges. There is an orange resin bead on one side and a brighter melon on the other side. To finish off this fun is vintage beads on each end in a wonderful purple. These are strung on a gold tone cable choker!!Great to welcome the fall colors in.

The Day Before Labor Day

I thought that I'd go back and do a little freeform beading.
I had gotten hooked on the beaded bezel pendants that work up so easily.
I needed to get the other side of my brain working.
I decided to go with some fall colors since the weather is starting to change.
Hope you enjoy!!
Check out the Bead Art Origninals Blog for articles about some amazing bead artists.

BAO Team

I am a member of a fantastic group of artists on Etsy. It is called Bead Art Originals. I'll talk more about some of the individuals in other posts. Each week we will feature items that come with a little extra! could be free shipping, earrings, a pendant...who knows, you just have to check each out to see what is there. Take a look at the BAO blog to read more about each item. http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com

Exhaustion!

I am exhausted!! We started back to school Wednesday, and then of course I am an official home bound cheerleader for the Olympics!! Great title, yes! I love the Olympics, the lives that these people live, to do what they do best is incredible. my throat is a little sore from yelling for my swim team last night!! The most unbelievable relay I think that I have ever seen.
Needless to say beading has take second place this last week.
Check out the team blog for great specials from the BAO team.
http://www.beadartoriginals.blogspot.com
I'll even add to it from my store...a special that you will only read here...
Free shipping and confirmation ..on any item this week!!!

Working on the Beads and Back to School

Well, we are almost there. Back. to School. That means back to "real" work for me. I'm a Kindergarten Assistant so I'll be meeting a room full of 5 year olds next Wednesday. My own children will both be in high school this year. One will be a Jr. and one a freshman. It should be an exciting year!!
Once school starts I have less free time to just play with beads so my goal this week is to get several projects bagged up and easy to grab to work on at tennis practice or lunch.
I love doing beaded beads.
This is my newest piece. It features one beaded bead and two ceramic beads on a cable necklace.
We were in Macon last weekend for the State Jr.s Tennis Tournament. Jordan played with the Summit team. They did great, and we had a blast.This is a picture of Jordan and Taylor waiting for his match.

Happy Birthday to You!

It happens every year. And, its a good thing, otherwise we'd be dead, BUT ....
Man my kids are growing up SO fast!!
Jordan had his 15th birthday last week.
Of course we have been celebrating for a week,
Everything we do he says "I get to choose, I'm the birthday boy"
the thing that is so crazy with him is that he is growing so tall!
I'm really short, Keith is Average height but my grandaddy and Keith's grandad were both 6 ft. I've got several uncles that are tall and one of my brothers got that tall gene.
So, were looking for a little height here for the tennis game.

I've just finished the most adorable necklace.
It has 3 beaded beads.
Then it has 4 vintage flower pom pom things made out of rick rack!
Straight from Mayberry!!
My friend Natalie found them for me and they were too cool not to use.
This is all linked together with silver tone chain.

Fast

Ever have that weird dream about being on the 6 flags ride that goes out of control and your left spinning all over the place?

That's how the summer feels.
It seems that now its here, it is passing by all too quickly.

As most of you know that read my blog or know my jewelry, I love to use odd things, thrown away bits, junk actually, in my jewelry. This is a little medallion that I found in the bottom of a junk bag. I hope that I did it an honor. After I had the medallion finished it was quite a process to finish the piece. I lie the way it turned out. Not too delicate and a little Gothic I think.
I've got a new piece started - a little something I found on my walk the other day!

This is a picture of the tiger lilies in my back yard. I got these years ago from my mother who got them from my grand mother.I think that they are one of my favorite flowers..

Have a Blessed week!

Thanks A Million...

We had a wonderful 4th of July!

Thank you to all of our men and women that serve in our military so faithfully day after day.
Thank you to all of the families of those in the military.
Thank you to all of the government leaders that support a strong military.
Thank you to all of our Founding Fathers that fought so hard for our Freedom.
Thank you to God our Father for protecting our Country, and for keeping His hand of protection on our Country.

These are a few of the pictures from our 4th of July Parade.
Still a small town...
still safe...
still thankful.

July 1 - Summer time at its best

I love summer!
Could be because I was born and have lived my whole life in the south.
The sounds are different,
there is nothing like hearing those crickets and cicadas.
the smells are different,
grill out anyone?
fresh cut grass,
chlorine from the pool!
My summer has been filled with beading,
working in the yard a little,
and keeping the tennis player on his game!!

Here are pictures of Jordan at GA TECH for tennis camp.
Wilson trying to stay cool in my flower beds.
The newest beaded pendant.

New Photo

I decided to retake some of my pictures of items I had listed on Etsy. This is the first one. It is named Rachel Ruffled. It is a funky little fish, hand stitched in peyote stitch around a fishing lure. This isn't one of my son's lures, its new without the fishy smell!

I love using unusual items in my beadwork. If it isn't nailed down, I'll bead it!

Looking for the Small things

Working with very small beads and then using the macro on my camera to photograph them has allowed my focus at times to be small. I look for little things, I break thinks down into their smallest pieces. I really do like 1, 2, 3. I like for things to fall off the frame of the camera. I thank God daily for small things that He brings into my day. Today I'm thankful for hearing the birds as I woke up, the smell of coffee (it wouldn't taste the same without the smell!),and that my kids can sleep safely (and late!)

This extremely small bird's nest and 4 tiny eggs is at my parents house. Dad was going to get the grass off the bush and realized that it was there for a reason..
Take a look at what was in the bush!!Surprise ...Small things.

This is the newest piece I'll list in my Etsy shop today. It's a freeform bracelet in pinks and browns with fresh water pearls.

Look for the small things today and be thankful!

Front Page and I missed it!

Thanks to my wonderful friend Carol Dean Sharpe, I made it on
the front page of ETSY.
Of course if you read my post from yesterday, I was working in the yard and thus missed the event!
But The wonderful friend sent me a screen shot ......
so here it is.
Thanks Carol Dean!

One before Two

Number one today is to finish my front flower garden. I started reworking it last Friday and haven't gotten back to it. The perennials were going crazy and looking too Snakey.
Number Two is BEADING. I can't do number two until I finish number one.....
I've got a couple of new ideas in my head and can't wait to get those beads strung.
Here is a little taste....
This necklace I finished yesterday.
I was pleased with the mix of bead work along with the metal.
I always struggle to make wearable pieces, not just the art!!!
Going to the yard!!!

Back to the Beginning

Way back when, I'm not so sure how long ago,
I finally figured out how to do the Peyote stitch by doing beaded beads.
I created a great necklace with 3 large beaded beads, then attached them to other glass and vintage beads with wiring.
Mom loved it, my brother and sister in law bought it for her, my cousin saw it....now I'm doing another.
Actually it is finished, photographs to prove it!
I surprized myself that I was faster and neater than on the other necklace.
It was a nice little surprize to my self that I had progressed.
Now if I could every get RAW, or right angle weave as they call it. It has simply alluded me!!
Jordan is at GA Tech this week for tennis camp. He is LOVING it!

Summertime Fun

I finished this adorable pendant and Listed it in my etsy shop this morning http://www.dawnchastain.etsy.com
I love the fun lime green color
Its just like the plants look in the morning after a light rain.
I finished East of Eden last night, It is one of those books that you hear about but I'd never read before, I enjoyed it!!
I'm working in my side garden today, with the rain we've had, it has gone CRAZY! My brother is coming to get some plants so I thought I'd get a start on it.

Happy Summertime Fun!

Freedom in Freeform

It has been a while since I've done any freeform peyote stitch.
I wasn't real sure I could flow with it like I had done previously.
So...last night I started a bracelet and it was like riding a bike, once you've done it you never forget how.
The colors in this bracelet are so peaceful.
I used green and aqua and let it flow.
I also added a beautiful vintage bead for the closure.
Hope you enjoy!

WISH

I love the beading that I'm currently stuck on.
It is very freeing going round and round these little shapes,
and then creating something so cool.

I've had the dilemma of creating some of the big beaded collars that are incredible works of art...
but the practical side of me says - NO
It isn't practical, it really isn't wearable
who in the world would wear it

We live in such an impossible casual area

so I guess I'll stick with the more wearable brooches and pendants.
Here is the newest creation, hope you enjoy and wish a wish today!

Sweet Joy....

I have a lovely neighbor,I am incredibly blessed to have her living beside me. A couple of weeks ago we were chatting and she told be about a book she was implementing into her life and Gave me a copy. The book is - THE 4:8 PRINCIPLE by Tommy Newberry.It is life changing book! IF you can apply it and live by the principles that GOD had laid out for us. I'm on my second time through, I can tell that my thought process is better.It is sure hard to retrain an old dog!! GO get a copy of this book for your summer reading, you'll be glad.

Loving Me Some Summer!

Not much is better than laying by the pool,

soaking up the rays

sipping on a shave ice...

except new beads..

a broken plate...

and creating a cool piece of jewelry!

Enjoy!