New Wearable Art Section at Beady Eyed Women®

I am proud to announce that the Wearable Art section on my website just went live. I am doing some shows this year to sell my finished pieces. They will also be available at BeadyEyedWomen.com!

Some of my favorite wearables are the new Dragonfly Earrings. They sell out at every show.
Check them out!

The earrings are made with Basha Beads to add a beautiful muted glow to the dragonfly bodies.

A Surprise From Japan

Last week I had a phone call from a woman named Meg. She grew up here in San Diego and she and her husband moved to Ashland, OR in June. When she was in school, her family hosted an exchange student from Japan. Keiko and Meg became lifelong friends. Visiting each other and sending their children to visit each other as they grew up. Meg called because Keiko and her daughter Mari were here in San Diego for a visit. Meg was flying down that night to join her friends. Where do I enter the picture?

Mari, Keiko and me on the couch. Jasmine wouldn't be left out of the picture!

Keiko had been taking beading workshops at home in Japan. She is signed up to take a class on Freeform Sculptural Peyote when she gets home to Japan. The teacher uses my book in class. They searched the web for the book and only found one copy on Ebay. The seller wants $70! Hey, that's way too much. My book sells for $14.95.


They wanted to find out where to get my book. Meg called to ask and I said right here. Please come to my studio. What a delight! I love Japanese people. There's a corner in my living room dedicated to Japan. Wood block prints from 1953 when my parents lived in Yokohama, Gifts from my students, a photograph of a Japanese garden. I went to teach in Japan in 2007 and didn't want to leave. My students there were wonderful. Generous, fun, talented!

The "Japan Corner" in my living room.

Speaking of generous, Keiko and Mari brought me gifts from Japan. Delicious snacks and for my two granddaughters, folders from Mari's college book store.
Keiko and her daughter are so generous!. And Meg is warm and lovely. I am now invited to Japan and Ashland. I say yes! Someday I am going back to Japan and will surely visit Meg in Ashland, OR. These are two of my favorite places on earth and I will get to see these great women again and get to know them better. Keiko left with 7 Sculptural Peyote Primers for her fellow students, 1 Beading With Peyote Stitch and some tubes of beads and a couple of kits. I am honored that my work will be going to Japan. I wish I could accompany it this time, but someday I will go back. By the way, Keiko lives near Disneyland Tokyo. Thank you Meg for calling out of the blue.
Every day can hold such surprise!

Making Dragonfly Earrings!

Preparing for shows where my finished work is the main feature has kept me very busy.  Two shows are on the horizon. The first is the Coronado Art Walk September 17 & 18. Coronado is a very special place. A little island of beauty across the bay from downtown San Diego. If you are in the area, this show is one of the best in town! I will be at the Talmadge Art Show November 20. This is a one day show and the artists are extraordinary! I am proud to participate in this show.
Bead Fest Texas is coming up in October. I will have my kits available as well as some of my finished work.
I am on a roll with the dragonfly earrings and have 12 pairs! They are so beautiful. I use Basha Beads for the body on a brass Queen Dragonfly with a little Princess Dragonfly dangling from crystals at the bottom. A photo session to capture each one is on the priority list. Meanwhile, they are temorarily hanging from velvet boards.

 The morning is my favorite time to create. Wandering out to the back yard is always inspiring. It is August and the Passion Vines are bursting into bloom. This is always an exciting event for me. These flowers are so otherworldly! The vines are full of little closed buds ready to open as the days get warmer.

Looking up to the sky first thing this morning I was delighted to see the crescent moon captured in the curl of the Wisteria vine. It is going to be a very special day indeed! Full of wonder and possibilities.

Create something beautiful today!

San Diego Children's Museum

Take your kids or grandchildren to the San Diego Children's Museum!  Located downtown at 200 Island.
My Granddaughter, Alori turned 8 yesterday. She is one of 5 granddaughters. (I also have a grandson.)
We had a splendid day at the newly finished Children's Museum. What a wonder of artwork and play! Three stories of fun visual delights. Below is a pictorial of some of the great activities for kids. The chariots and climbing wall were a favorite. I loved the giant fabric monsters hanging from the ceiling.

Alori and Amaya Climbing the Wall

Rope Swinging

The Chariots were a favorite!

Working in Clay

A huge Fabric Monster by Amy Mayfield

I love this Monster!

The Giant Trojan Horse. You can to inside from the second floor level. Cool!

Fur Fabric artwork with ever changing pictures.

Night Blooming Cereus!

Yesterday evening I was sitting out on the verandah having a salad and a glass of wine when I glanced over at the multitude of buds on the night blooming cereus plant. I swear, I could see the buds opening ever so slightly. They seemed to move as I watched them. The buds were changing before my eyes. This is the night they will open! I got my camera and took a few shots of the closed buds. 

5:30 pm the buds are still closed

Well, I thought, I can't sit here for hours to watch them open, so back into the bead studio to continue working on my new earring design. I popped back out around 7:30 pm for another shot of the flowers.

The flowers are beginning to open

 Back out to the garden to check on the blooms. It is 9:30 pm and they are all wide open. So exciting!

So many beautiful blooms.

Huge, hand sized blooms. Fabulous!

7:00 am it's all over. The blooms are closed and drooping downward.
Such a miracle to catch this process in a matter of a few hours.

Patchwork Collage Cuff Class This Saturday!

I am excited to be teaching at The Bouncing Bead in La Mesa! Laura and the staff are such great people to work with. Classes for the Fall season are beginning. Come peruse the great selection of beading supplies along with many other wonderful jewelry making components

 Patchwork Collage Cuff

Saturday, August 13 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

I will be teaching one of my all time favorite classes. It has been very popular with all levels of beaders. Beginners will especially love this class. If you want to learn basic Peyote Stitch and create a beautiful bracelet at the same time, this is the class for you! Whether you prefer the understated, monochromatic palette, or a crazy quilt style this cuff you will love this project.

Cream and White Cuff

Crazy Quilt Cuff

Don't forget to check out the very nice selection of seed beads in 

several sizes and shapes to satisfy your bead addiction!

Family Time

My Granddaughter, Amaya turned 10 last week and we went to Night Time at the Zoo for dinner and adventures. Albert's Restaurant at the Zoo is a great place to take the family for dinner. The food is great, service excellent. The menu has wonderful food and there is a kid's menu of course.

Amaya & Alori at Albert's Restaurant

Alori being goofy on Skyfari with her sister Amaya

The seal caves at Polar Bear Plunge

 We had a nice sleepover after the Zoo closed, then returned the next morning to see the animals that were asleep the night before. Here are Amaya and Alori with the tiger cubs in the background.

 Behind the scenes at the Sychuan Takin enclosure.

The girls get a lesson in feeding the Takins!

I am looking forward to the next sleepover. Alori's Birthday is in 8 days. This time we will go to the Children's Museum downtown.