Desert Raindrops -- BFAC Project

Here's my project for next year's Layne's Legacy -- Beading for a Cure auctions. I didn't add any beads to the kit this year, just a Muscovite cabochon that someone had sent to me as part of a birthday package, some coppery chain, and the supplies necessary for bead embroidery.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but included in the kit was a tube of those new-ish peanut beads. They were a challenge to figure out how to use, but I actually really like how they look laid out in a line for embroidery, so I might have to buy more for further experimentation.

Get your bids in!

My 2012 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure necklace "Orientale" is finally up for bids! Click here to visit the listing and possibly place a bid. As of the time that I'm writing the post, the current bid doesn't even really cover the cost of the LL-BFAC kit, Sandy Spivey cab, extra crystals and Green Girl shibiuchi clasp, not to mention the hours of time I spent embroidering and weaving beads. I'd really love for this necklace to raise a substantial donation for LL-BFAC. Remember, all of our proceeds go to the National Colorectal Cancer Research Association, in memory of my late friend Layne Shilling.

If Orientale isn't your thing, or it's out of your budget by the time you click the link, or even better, you'd like to buy multiple items, make sure to check out the rest of this week's auctions!

Go forth and bid!

The time has come, my friends! Salome's Dance is up for auction this week! This stunning crystal and seed bead necklace (with a few pearls) was lovingly woven by yours truly for Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure. If I were to sell this necklace in my Etsy shop, I'd have to ask at least $200 for it. The starting bid is only $35, so I expect you to bid it up closer to what its worth ;) And remember, there are many more beautiful beaded objects up for auction this week, so have a look at all of the BFAC Auctions and bid on as many as you love and can afford! The proceeds go to the NCCRA, in memory of my late friend Layne, who was a wonderful friend to me during some tough times in my life. Even when she was battling her own cancer, she was also there for me. Making and auctioning off jewelry is the least I can do to honor her.

LL-BFAC, Week Two!

Don't forget to check out this week's Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure charity auctions. There's plenty of unique jewelry, a beaded lamp, beaded windchimes and more! Something for everyone, and all proceeds go to the NCCRA to fund colorectal cancer research. Beautiful beadwork for a good cause -- what more could you want?

My necklace will be up the week after next, so make sure to save some money if you want a chance at Salome's Dance. Otherwise, bid til your wallet BLEEDS!!!!

Sparkly and complete

At last, it's done! I finished my 2011 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure necklace in the nick of time. I put the finishing touches on Sunday night, and it needed to be photographed and postmarked by today. Wow, was that cutting it close!

I decided to finish it out with a spiral rope, broken up by a few simple strung sections to use more of the larger beads (I actually hadn't used any of the pearls yet, after all). And I found the perfect button to use as a clasp, a pretty Czech glass one that almost matches the Crystal Golden Shadow rivolis.

As I neared completion of this necklace, I realized it didn't have a name. The wavy lines of the rivoli section reminded me of all the undulations we've been doing in belly dance class lately, so I felt it needed a dance-inspired name. Undulation doesn't sound very pretty, and naming it after one of my favorite Tribal Fusion dancers wouldn't work, since it is definitely not tribal. So instead I took my inspiration from a book I was reading with lots of vintage belly dance photographs, and named it Salome's Dance. Not that I think the original Salome wore anything like this, and not that I'm certain that she performed something akin to belly dance -- but a lot of early 20th century belly dancers and actresses portrayed Salome draped in gorgeous beads and pearls and chiffon, and this certainly fits that image. So there you have it.

Now to bead something GREEN!

More Progress

Don't they look so much prettier when they're all together, instead of spread out across my work surface? The two smallest rivolis aren't actually attached to the main piece yet, but they should be sometime tomorrow... then it's time to figure out the neck strap. No rush, it only has to be finished, photographed, packaged up and mailed by MONDAY! Oh yes, I've procrastinated quite a bit this year!

It's not quite as grand as I first envisioned, but I'm still pretty happy with this lovely grouping of rivolis.

Super sparkly progress shot

Here's a progress picture of my 2011 LL-BFAC project. I took it yesterday, so there's actually been more progress since then. I've finished the fringe on the big center crystal, which is the only one that will get fringe (I guess the little crystal picots could count as fringe, but I don't think of them as such because they don't have movement like long fringe). The next step is connecting them all!

My additions to the kit are the 7 Swarovski rivolis in Crystal Golden Shadow and Ultra Purple AB, as well as the Honey Opal Silver Lined Delicas that I used to bezel the crystals... Not that you can really see those, under the layer of bronze teardrops!

I love this year's kit, as I find the purple and bronze color scheme to be very elegant. All of the finished products that I've seen on-line so far have looked very rich and sumptuous. I hope they raise tons of money in the auctions next year!

Working on my BFAC

I know this post isn't much without pictures, so I'll try to have some in-progress shots soon. I finally started my 2011 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure project about a week ago. It's due at the start of August. It's been years since I procrastinated this much on starting one. Kind of odd, because I love the bead kit and I decided exactly what I wanted to do and what components to add soon after receiving the kit. I've just been so busy with dancing and the gym and such that I haven't wanted to tackle a large-scale beading project. Now with a looming deadline, I really have no choice.

Bezeled rivolis will form the focal point. Since almost every weaving project I've done this year has involved at least one peyote-stitched bezel (around a rivoli or a button), I'm really quite bored of them. Once I'm done with this it's time for some bead embroidery!

My BFAC necklace is finally up!

If you've been waiting anxiously to get your hands on Psychedelic Jellyfish, now is your chance! You can also check out the other auctions, because there are some very nice items waiting for your bids. Don't forget that there's only one week of Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure auctions left after this one! You don't want to miss your chance to win a nice piece of beadwork and help a good cause all at the same time (for those who are new to my blog and the whole BFAC thing, we are raising money for the National Colorectal Cancer Research Association).

Of course, you're probably sitting there saying "But AJ, what about the new car? What about your recital?" Well, in the interest of not writing novel-length blog posts, I'm trying to stick to one subject at the time. The short version is that the car is awesome, I had a safe drive up to my friend's birthday party, and the recital was chaotic but fun. More details as time allows this week.

This week in auctions!

Grace Danel's stunning beaded bag is just one of this week's beautiful auctions! Be sure to look at them all, choose your favorite(s) and bid as much as you can! You know you'll kick yourself if you let something that you love pass you by. And don't forget that your bid will help Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure make a generous donation to the NCCRA later this year.

Tomorrow I'll blog about the wonderful time that I had at the Renaissance Festival!

It's Auction Time! Get your bids in!

The 2010 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure auctions are up! Click Here to view this week's auction offerings. Please remember that as per eBay's draconian shill bidding rules, neither LL-BFAC board members nor their family members are allowed to bid on these auctions. However, their blog readers are, so if you don't fall into either of those two categories, you should be free to bid as often and as generously as you like.

The above necklace is by my friend Deb from Bead Indulgences. I have got to make one of these multi-strand woven necklaces some day. They have so much presence!

Once again, I've written all of the auction descriptions, though this is the last year that I will be providing that service.

Ear Goodies

There's a special benefit at Plaza de Anaya this weekend, and since I can't make it there, I decided I would make some jewelry to donate to the raffle. So today I took a little break from working on Cthulhu and made the above items.

One pair of earrings with jade from the Rings and Things show, bronze freshwater pearls, and some pyramid pendants that I bought in NY last week.

One pair of earrings with Mingo and Asho cane glass and Swarovski crystals.

One ear wrap thingie with a goddess pendant, moonstone pendant, and moonstone and Swarovski pearl beads.

To learn more about the benefit, donate, and/or attend if you're in the Phoenix/Tempe area, click the above link!

BFAC is back, baby!

BFAC auctions are back up!

I must apologize for them not being up on Sunday afternoon like they were supposed to be. I, er, sort of forgot that it was my weekend to list them, and made plans to hang out with my friend (and didn't bother setting up a delayed listing on Saturday like I normally do). When I got home and realized that they needed to be listed, I popped onto eBay only to learn that they had completely deleted the listings, instead of just deactivating them, so there was no easy way to relist them. They had to be completely redone from scratch.

Luckily I still had the descriptions, but I was just way too tired for 2 hours of auction-listing last night, so they got done earlier today.

Anyway, awesome items are up. Just remember that if you are a family member, roommate, or employee of anyone on the BFAC board, you're not allowed to bid! Luckily most of my readers don't fall into those categories ;)

The moment I've been waiting for!

Locked Away is finally up for bids on eBay! I'm so proud of this necklace. I hadn't looked at it for a while, until I had to get it out to measure when I wrote the description for the auction. Holding it in my hands reminded me of all the hours I spent beading it, all of the little changes I made along the way. I was so into working on this piece that I even worked on it in bed a few times, something that I rarely do because of paranoia about dropped needles (I've heard some horror stories). I could barely put it down. There's something so addictive about bead embroidery.

I'm actually pretty excited about this week's BFAC auctions in general. There's a lot of stunning items up for bids, so you should really check them out. Beautiful jewelry, a doll, a vessel, and a suncatcher! Don't hesitate to bid -- remember that all proceeds, minus our small operating costs, will go to the NCCRA! Help us make this our biggest donation yet.

Flaming Teeth now on eBay!

Flaming Teeth, my 2008 LL-BFAC project, is currently up for auction! Go, look, bid! Remember that all proceeds (minus our small operating costs) go to the National Colorectal Cancer Research Association. You're not just getting a gorgeous and unique piece of jewelry, you're helping a good cause.

Please be sure to check out all of the other auctions, too. We have some great items going up this week, including necklaces with polymer focals by both of my parents. This was their first year participating and I'm very proud of them!

I know that in today's economy, money is tight for a lot of people, and luxuries like beadwork are hard to budget in. But if you've got a little spending cash, please consider bidding on a Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure auction this week.

Ok, ok! I'll stop before this turns into a pledge drive!

Tomorrow's going to rock!

I'm late in posting, because I've spent much of the day working on my latest project -- a bead-embroidered bracelet. I think I'll take an in-progress picture tomorrow when I'm doing all of my other photography. The bracelet is pretty cool. Among other things, it includes vintage sequins. Spangling is a very addictive technique. I found myself wanting to cover the entire bracelet with sequins, but that wouldn't have been a very good way to practice my various embroidery skills.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that tomorrow is going to be awesome, because it should include new jewelry on the site and Etsy, a picture of the BFAC bead kit, and uhm, I can't remember what else. Maybe I'm thinking of the cool things that will happen to me, namely, going out for Indian and then watching a Chinese movie.

While I'm here, I'd also like to mention: AUCTIONS! Yep, the 2008 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure auctions have begun, and YOU should be bidding. Trust me on this. I know.

It's leap day... yay?

I'm not feeling very enthusiastic about Leap Day or anything else right now. I'm still sick, and I'm at that point where I'm tired of it. I want to be better and be beading, darn it! I feel like I've wasted this entire week, when I could have been making cool stuff. I was going to make a cuff bracelet and everything.

I shouldn't consider the week a total write-off, though. I did meet some nice people in the USO voting chat, and I've decided to join the little group of my friend's friends who move from worthy cause to worthy cause, voting for it until it wins. It's a nice thing to do and a cool way to meet interesting people. Yesterday I was talking to someone who does Sanskrit chanting.

Also, I did a lot of behind the scenes BFAC stuff. That's one thing that I can't ignore when I'm sick, because it really piles up! Our auctions start this weekend, so there were lots of last-minute things to take care of, plus making decisions on next year's challenge. I am really excited about the auctions! You can expect me to go on and on and on about them starting Sunday. You have been warned!

While we're speaking about BFAC, the vow of silence about the kit is lifted on Monday, so I hope to be able to post an image then. Yippy!

Something to click on.

If you are at your computer, and can spare a few seconds every two minutes to help a good cause, then please come join me and my friends at Vote4Cause. My friend and editor Sheryl has recruited me to help USO take the number one spot, and we're currently lagging behind by over 700 votes.

http://www.vote4cause.org/USO-21/chat_vote

If you have more than a few seconds to spare, there's also a built in comments/chat feature. I'm there under the clever and unique name "AJ" and will be for most, if not all, of the day. Hey, if I don't have the energy to bead or take photographs, at least I can click to donate money to charity!

I hope you'll join me!

Jewelry for Kidneys!

Ok, I know, bizarre header, but hopefully it will get your attention!

Elijah Wyman is a musician and indie shop owner who is trying to raise money to cover the medical expenses to get a new kidney. Many other indie shop owners are trying to help him in his goal, because they're awesome like that. One such good-hearted person is Jen of Tilting Swiftly/Indie Fixx. You can see her necklace auction here! I love the beautiful combination of wood, peridot, and silver, so I have the current high bid. As much as I love to have gorgeous jewelry, I love it when charities make lots of money even more... So please feel free to attempt to out-bid me! And spread the word!

Today's Cool Thing is jrosebud's Indie*Galore Blog. Of course, I'm a little biased as to the coolness due to being an advertiser there... But I'm allowed to be biased! Indie*Galore is a great source for nifty items. I like how she posts a lot of adorable nature-themed goodies.