Wonderful Beach House Retreat!!!

Felting & Beading & Shopping and that View!


What a great time we are all having at the 2011 Beach House Bead Retreat. The View out our window in the work area is just one of the best reasons to be here. To the left is the sunset on the ocean side and above is the sunrise.






Below are Sharon and Madeline shooting the sunset pictures looking north on the boardwalk in Mission Beach.



The retreat began with Arlene Watson's Nuno Felting Class.



Then Marcia DeCoster's Bedazzled Button Class.








Sunday was our free day to explore the area or do whatever anyone wants. Half the class booked a day at Arlene's Studio for a Nuno Scarf Class. The other half of the class hopped into my car and we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway through La Jolla and Del Mar, past Torrey Pines State Beach and on to Solana Beach and Encinitas. We stopped at the Solana Beach Farmer's market for shopping and lunch, then to The Black Sheep in Encinitas. One of the most amazing yarn stores in the country! It has been here since the 1960's and has an astounding inventory! Two of my students are taking a little field trip with Arlene today to shop there. A must since they were in her class while the rest of us shopped. I can't wait to see what they buy!
There will be more pictures of the beaded felt after today's class.

New Year, New Perspective

Falling In Love With My Home Again


Happy New Year! Wow, 2011. Here we go into an brand new year. My promise to myself is more gratitude. Working out of my house is great in many ways, but there is a down side. Isolation can be tough sometimes. My home environment is so lovely and yet it gets pretty old when you work in the same place you live. My vintage 1959 house is little, 968 square feet can close in on you after a few days inside at the computer. I like to say it is small but mighty! Friends have described it as a little jewel box. With inspiration from some of my artist friends, it is with new eyes that I am looking at my little house. Kate McKinnon and Marcia DeCoster are great bloggers. I love their photography! Reading Kate's book on the airplane ride home from the Bead & Button Show a couple of years actually changed how I look at my surroundings. That perspective fades now and then and must be recharged. So out came my camera and I went through my little home and took a few photographs. I am a beginner and realize I need lessons, but not too bad. So bear with my photography skills while I give you little views of my little world. I walked into the bathroom this morning and noticed the sun shining in through the window lighting up this shell. Beautiful! Time to get the camera out while the light is just right. Then, looking to the left of the window, the jewelery I took off before bed the night before piled on the sink. Spirals are a recurrent theme for me. The Nautilus shell vase and the spiral of my La Femme Spirit necklace carry out that theme for me once again. Yep, that's a Kate McKinnon ring on the sink. It is one of my favorites!
Then, walking into my work studio, I noticed that I had placed my finished and unfinished ZoTz Brooches on the desk next to the new buttons I just purchased online a few days ago. The TACtile Gallery postcard to the right just happens to reflect the circle within a circle of color theme. Hmmmm.A Limited Edition Kits Sale

By the way, there is a sale going on right now with limited edition kits from my stash. The Mardi Gras Medallions Earrings, (4 kits left), are a reconfiguration and new color theme on an old class sample bracelet. I taught the Third Eye Pendant, (4 kits left), at the Bead & Button Show a couple of years ago and still have some class kits left. Then, I had 5 Cream colored Patchwork Collage kits from my last show, (2 kits left). There is a discount on each kit and I am paying the shipping! They are selling well, and today is the last day of the sale, so check it out if you wish to do some fun and fabulous beading this year. Limited Edition Kit Sale

My wish to all of you is that 2011 is full of Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness and Prosperity. Don't forget to open yourselves up to forgiveness and tolerance.
Happy New Year!
Jeannette

My Little World at the Holidays & The Best Little Bead Box

Welcome To My Home!

I just love this time of the year. It is the gathering of friends and family to enjoy each others company that I like best. I am not a religeous person, more spiritual. I honor every person's path and feel there is room for all of our spiritual belief systems. Peace to everyone!
My little house in Lemon Grove is so serene and lovely. It is a joy to put up lights and decorations. Candles have always been a favorite way to add warmth and light during the dark evenings this time of year. In my living room is a very old, ugly non functioning heater from 1959 when the house was built. It is disguised with a mirror and a big star. On the floor are several jars and glass oil lamps. Originally these were in the corner windows of my living room behind my purple chase. When I changed the corner, I put them on the floor near the hall until they could go into boxes to be stored. Well, they looked so good they have been there since. Here is that living room corner. Tomorrow I will have my granddaughter over and we'll get a small Christmas tree for this table. That's Jasmine the Wonder Dog relaxing on the rug.

The Best Little Bead Box
I was one of the people chosen for The Best Little Bead Box project! It is very exciting to me to be able to contribute to Beads of Courage, a very worthy cause! A couple of months ago, while I was in the waiting area at the tire store, the man next to me started talking to me. His elementary school aged daughter was in recovery from cancer. While she was in the hospital, she received beads from Beads of Courage. She is now hooked on beading, makes lots of jewelry to sell at school and donates the proceeds back to Beads of Courage. I told her dad I was in the bead business, have lots and lots of beads and would love to contribute. So, The Best Little Bead Box is the perfect opportunity. I have a great abundance of beads in my studio. It will be an honor to share. Just one view of a rack of beads in my Studio.

Talmadge Art Show November 21

The Talmadge
Art Show
is a premier San Diego art show! I am honored to be among the very fine artists at this one day show. Do come see what is new!

Be moved by the creative spirit. November 21, 2010 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Produced by The Talmadge Company • talmadgeartshow@cox.net • www.talmadgeartshow.com


Location: 2557 3rd Ave. 92103
Between Laurel & Maple in Hillcrest
at the San Diego Women’s Club
Questions: 619-559-9082
Free admission • Free street parking
www.talmadgeartshow.com




Artists on front listed clockwise from upper left: Arlene Watson, Karen Hung, Vaughn Nelson, Shelia Schwede, Kathleen Mitchell, Lane Patterson, Vicki Leon, Dani Dodge

Winner! Random Acts "La Femme Spirit" Necklace

We have a Winner!!!
Susan Brown of Carrollton, TX placed the highest bid at $452.00. I will ship the "La Femme Spirit" Necklace to her today.

Susan deposited the money directly into Andrew Thornton's PayPal Account. He is so grateful for the help and you are an Angel, Susan. Thank you and enjoy your new treasure!

There are some wonderful works of art and beads and other great treasures you can bid on at Andrew's website. Click on his name above to go directly to his Blog.

Warmly,
Jeannette Cook
Beady Eyed Women®

Random Acts & La Femme Spirit of Giving

We have a Winner!!!
Susan Brown of Carrollton, TX placed the highest bid at $452.00. I will ship the "La Femme Spirit" Necklace to her today.

Susan deposited the money directly into Andrew Thornton's PayPal Account. He is so grateful for the help and you are an Angel, Susan. Thank you and enjoy your new treasure!

There are some wonderful works of art and beads and other great treasures you can bid on at Andrew's website. Click on his name above to go directly to his Blog.

Warmly,
Jeannette Cook
Beady Eyed Women®

Bead Fest Santa Fe 2010

I love Santa Fe, NM so much. Especially when it snows there. The contrast between the browns of the adobe and the white of the snow is wonderful! This year was the second year of the return of Bead Fest Santa Fe since the new Santa Fe Convention Center was finished. The show location is at the La Fonda Hotel as well as the new Convention Center. The photo above is of the back of the La Fonda Hotel from my hotel room across the street.

Preparing for a bead show is a lot of work, traveling to the show is a lot of work as is setting up the booth. But I love being at my booth, greeting customers and getting to know fellow exhibitors. I had most of Wednesday before the show to walk around and take pictures of this special city. I passed by a church yard where lots of wind sculptures were planted. Wonderful to see on an early morning walk.

My booth neighbors, sisters, Susan and Dawn of Whoop! With Julie from Tierracast,who was visiting for a bit of laughter. Great neighbors. The brown of the adobe buildings almost always have brightly colored window and door frames

and doors. This shop has a very colorful painting on it's outer wall. So cool.

Breakfast at Pasqual's is a must! I had the Chorizo Breakfast Burrito the day I had to set up my booth and work until 9:00 pm. Look how colorful it is in Pasqual's Restaurant! Nice way to start the day.

One of the best things about shows is reuniting with old friends. Pat is a lovely person and one of my favorite students from so long ago. She is such a special person. It is always a joy to see her! We had to get at least three hugs from each other before she moved on to shop.

I had to get a shot of this customer. The minute she came in the door I thought, "What a great look she has

! I must take her picture."

I so look forward to next year's trip to Santa Fe.

More later about my post-show vacation in Taos.

I hope to see you at one of this year's upcoming Shows

This month is the Rocky Mountain Bead Society Bazaar in Denver, Colorado. April 24 & 25. I will have a booth this year with my friend, Hannah Rosner.

Then The Bead&Button Show in Milwaukee, WI
June 6 - 13. I have two classes and a booth this year.

July see me at the Puget Sound Bead Festival in Tacoma, WA
July 8 - 11 where I will have a booth
Then The Teton Bead Retreat
for Mastering the Curl with the PoP Bead Toggle Classes
July 24 - 28
October:
Bead Unique Taho Retreat October 7 - 10
I am working on a special new project for this retreat.

See my Calendar at BeadyEyedWomen.com for more class offerings throughout the year.