Here is a bit of trivia for you. WAY back in the 1970's and 80's I was very active in the African Violet societies. For several years I wrote and edited the state magazine. My article was called "Ramblings of a Bloomin Idiot". I guess some things never change.
I'll start with my silly hair. The 'gray' continues to grow. First in the total lock down, the length got to me and I cut off (I really should say I hacked it off) about 5". I resisted cutting more. A month later, after salons opened, I went in with freshly washed wet hair and told her to cut. I said, un-tailored, uneven, messy, easy. She had fun. My plan was to have a few cuts and then decide if I can deal with the uncolored hair. This shelter in place with no gatherings time seems perfect for the grand experiment to see if I can tolerate how I look with total gray/white hair. I am enjoying the shorter wild look. It is so much easier to care for. Wash, brush, shake a bit, call it done. Since I don't go hardly anywhere except outside to walk my miles in sweaty Florida summer weather, short makes sense. This photo was taken not long after the stylish cut. The old lady hair was really just starting to come in. More hair in a minute.
Next bit of rambling is a sad note for the bead world. The announcement by Kalmbach publishing about the magazine, show and book division closing was very sad indeed. Bead and Button was for years the focus of my year. All else was planned around various timelines associated with the big show. It will be greatly missed. I can only hope that someone will take up the charge to have something for us to look forward to. We shall see. On a personal note, I was in the final stages of approval for a second book. I'm not sure where that will go, quite possibly no where. A future book is yet another thing that falls in the category of 'time will tell'. Finally, also in the Bead and Button saga, a bittersweet chance of fate results in my being published in the final issue of Bead and Button. I can still remember the thrill to see my first publication in the magazine which was Tila Token. Another bit of trivia, my final publication in the magazine also uses Tila beads. So I started with Tila and have ended with Tila. Is there a song there?
Zoom. Zooming. Zoomed. What the heck! Zoom is another form of communication which has quickly become common place. I've taken several beading classes, attended friends get together meetings, even hosted a sale or two as well as demos of how to do things. You just never know, maybe I will decide I really like it. But right now, today, I can honestly say it is just barely better than not doing these things at all. For me, I'd rather be able to be in person. While that is not a glowing endorsement, these are strange times, so I am recommending that others give it a chance. It is a way to help cope with this situation, learn from someone normally out of reach or well known, and enjoy beading with others - sort of.
Hair cut #2. Growing out. But still not a dramatic change. Probably another 2 or 3 cuts. That will have to come in a future blog.
You can see me wearing a "POP ART" necklace. The basic collage card available from Pamela Garbig on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/shop/PamelaGarbigArt I have a problem wearing anything heavy so I am now working to make necklaces lightweight. These little wood cut pieces are fun, work up very quickly, and are great for all kinds of projects. Fun things to make us smile right now are very good indeed. They make great gifts as well along a theme for a friend. My butterfly sample flew north.
More rambling with possibilities to come....
Here is a sneak peak of a few projects which will be coming out as kits or patterns as I get to it. Some were going in the "maybe" book. My topic was the name of one of my projects. Split Personality.
Why Split Personality?
Well, I have combined some bead weaving and bead embroidery
for several years. I taught several
classes that combined the two types of beading, including at Bead and
Button. After my husband passed, I was
kind of hung up creating for a long time.
Then when I started making Regina Payne’s Mountain Girl over and over for about a year,
it finally stimulated my creative juices and I made my first real “Split Personality”
design. I thought about it and it seemed
a natural transition from mostly bead weaving to the combination of bead weaving and bead embroidery as sort of my
before and after Jack died creative soul.
I had life with him before, followed by a different life after. So I have a split personality in that way for
me and for my art.
For Now, Stay Safe and BEad Happy.
