cheap charms: November 2014

http://myworld.ebay.com/glassaddictions ART CHARM AUCTION ON EBAY!!

4 blue charms

A while back, B.P. I signed up for the art charm exchange run by Jennifer Cameron for Beads Of Courage. This was in my old life, before Puppy. Then I got the puppy and in a wink, my life changed, I became a mother again and little things like beads had to be slotted in between my rambunctious new baby. Somehow two new things added on to my life is , well, not overwhelming but I’m pretty busy right now
The most amazing part of the Art Charm Excjhange for me was the way I had an idea. I don’t feel creative. so when I actually get an idea, ONE whole idea, its cause for me to celebrate.
I like the idea of Beads of Courage. I like the idea of telling a story using beads. Prayer beads are an old tradition in the religion I was raised with. Andr recently I met the bead artist Joyce Scott. All her beads had stories attached, stones that had significance, old necklaces made by her mother, its and pieces made by artists and craftswomen around the world.
When I was a little girl I was seriously religious. My experience of beads was the rosary where we said the lovely words in order, hail mary, full of grace, blessed art thou amognst women. Growing up I provided myself with necklaces by doing daisy flower chains. I loved the colors, pristine white, blue for sanctity, sunshine yellow. I learned that the concept of prayer beads existed long before Christianity. In the telling of the rosary one practices a meditation. In the telling of a Beads of Courage a child learns better ways to tell a story .
I decided to make my charms as little tiny necklaces on the warped squares from Kate McKinnons book Contemporary Geometic Beadwork part 1. The blue warped squares fulfilled the concept of soaring as they looked like little kites or bits of sky. I put many colored beads around them, as I went I made up a story for each charm, here were the doctors visits, then yellow for chemotherapy, white for medicines that worked. I tries to add a brown bead to symbolize hair falling out and a black bead was to mean someone dying. So each charm was like a little story in itself. Then I branched out and made necklaces all one color and others with white cloud picots.
Photographing the beads was not easy, I used many new strategies; a new tripod from RobinShowstack at Besd Hoarders destash; a big art pad; the zoom and flash, and I put the puppy in his crate, much to his distress, or it would have been Beads for Busy Dogs. Slow and steady, I photographed the beads and listed them. I also drew some sketches. If I knew how to do it, I would ornament this page. Since I don't, her