That’s what I did last night, shuffled. I shuffled my half of my crafty crap from one corner of my room to put it all together in another corner. It’s all together now, and it is one heinous mountain of craftastic stuff. I need to go on holiday for a couple of weeks and just work on crafts. Or perhaps it would be better to send the kids on one of those Orlando vacations while I stay home and stitch. Less to haul that way.

Seriously, ya’ll, I am so…backed up and overwhelmed just now. Did I mention that? And then when I do have a block of time to do something, there’s so much to do that I just sit here and surf the internet because I am just too confused by all the choices. You reckon that’s gonna get better anytime soon? Seems like it’s been a couple of months now, yk?

Mine was mighty fine! Dh got up and got some of the children ready to go to the ball field on Saturday morning. They were still in the driveway at 7:30 when the phone rang, and it was one of the board members letting me know all the games were canceled. I do enjoy football season, don’t get me wrong. It’s busy, and exciting and frenetic and all that stuff, and it’s a very big deal for the whole family. But I do love the sound of “canceled”. It just feels good in my brain at this time of year, because it is literally found time, and in this case, it was about 12 hours of found time.

The fact that dh was still in the driveway was an extra bonus, and meant that no gas was wasted with him driving across town. Since he’s currently NOT employed (yeah, I know, I neglected to mention that), any savings is a good thing.

And it get’s even better! Mama saw my tweet about no games, and hopped on IM to ask me if I wanted her to come get me to go to her house and bead. I giggled, because I was already setting up to bead at my desk. Needless to say, I packed it back up and Country and I spent the day over at Mama’s beading and yapping. It was great! I made 7 pieces, plus there was shopping. Does anyone else run out of findings, go after more, and end up with new beads, too? Yeah? Thought so.

I totally need to update the bead stash pictures. Also, the jewelry store page and maybe the finished object page, too. Muhahahahahahahah

So, here we are with another Wednesday Bead report. I really had not intended to create a regular weekly segment the first time I typed that title, but I had great feedback on it, and it does keep me from talking about beading every day, so I guess it’s here to stay, at least for awhile.

First up, I need to show you some recent acquisitions:

I have plans for all of these, and I won’t go into them any further beyond saying that the blue set is mine.

I don’t have any finished things to show you, because that’s just the kind of week it’s been, so we can skip that, but I do have a book to tell you about. You know I love a good book, right? My mom recently joined a craft book club, and so she’s ordered a few things that I thought we might all enjoy. This week, I want to talk about The Beader’s Handbook by Juju Vail.

The Beader’s Handbook is a very thick book, with a plethora of detailed pictures. There are all kinds of techniques in here, from different stitches to to beaded pillows. The descriptions of the tools alone make the book invaluable, but she also tells you how to use them to make your own findings. And then there is a 60+ page photographic bead dictionary in the back!

It would truly take a year at my current crafting pace to work through this book and master each of the concepts in it, but I am surely tempted to try. I think I want to start with the memory wire bracelet on the credits page.

How many hits will I get off that, I wonder? You crafters know exactly what this post is going to be about, but the rest of the perverts don’t. Traffic is traffic, though, isn’t it? Sorry, Mama.

Mama and I squeezed in a trip to A.C. Moore yesterday. She’d been trying to whisk me off to town for several days, but it just didn’t work out, what with this appointment and that meeting and ALL. THAT. FOOTBALL. Oh my word, the football. Let me say that there is beat, and there is beat up, and at our last game, we were the latter. One bloody nose, and TWO possible concussions later, I was kinda glad my scrawny little Stuntman had not made weight! That is a heart in your throat feeling, to be standing there, toe just this side of the field markings, holding the first aid kit, while the player just lays there. And lays there. And still lays there. We all walked away, though, so it was a good day.

Now, back to that S. E. X., which we all know means stash enhancement expedition. Here’s the big picture, and I will be listing the individual shots on the stash page.

Some of this was purchased to go with stuff I already had, and some are complete sets in themselves. Umm, not sure that last sentence was completely necessary, LOL, but there it is. And with this mega purchase, bead buying stops until we get some stuff made. Yes, we. Mama has about this much, too! Her stash is all different black, red, white, clear and frosted beads.

Well, okay then. I did kinda tease you just a little bit yesterday, I know. But it was needful! Today, I will deliver the rest of the goods, ok? OK!

Um, Beads. Black, white, frosted and clear. Not sure what else to say about these. I have what I want, and Mama has what she wants, so, umm. Guess I better get stringing, right?

Pinks. I do have a definite plan for these, and I probably have enough to do two of what I see in my mind. The little tube of seeds and bugles is in the colorway Mardi Gras. Is it still a colorway when applied to beads instead of yarn? I think so. Anyway, I love the colors in that, and I will probably be looking at replicating them in fiber. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy knowing that ten bucks of materials can buy me a few hours of creative fun and years of pleasure in the wearing, PLUS the chance to recoup the original outlay? Well, I do!

Purples. Saw these and just had to have them, including the little spools. I already know what I am going to do with these, too. Sorry about the glare, but the picture I took without flash left the stones looking flat. Bleh.

Some silver beads. not quite sure what I am going to do with these. They are too fancy for spacers, that’s for sure. But not quite enough for a necklace as they are.

Ok, that is all the bead stash except for some spacer balls and findings. Time to quit talking about them and use them. Except not today. Today, I have to find my bare naked yarn so I can post a dye slot or 12.

Well, I finally finished that Log Cabin Scrap blanket, forever to be known as “Belle’s Blankie”. And I want to talk about some bead stash. I am so glad that my host offers huge amounts of storage, because I never go in and delete old pictures, LOL. It allows me to be lazy! let me give one little piece of advice: if you are planning to start a knitting blog, make sure that you get a host who offers generous bandwidth, and copious storage. My last host did not, and I did not realize it until they were trying to force me into a very expensive package, claiming my blog was too big. And that was 2 years ago, people! Make sure that you read review and look at web host ratings, because it really can mean the difference between your blog being there one day. Or not. Here are some tips on choosing a domain name to help you get started.

Now, onto the pictures that started this whole diatribe. First, Belle’s Blanket:

And some bead stash. I decided that just having a picture on the stash page of the white basket was totally un-fun, and that I should proudly show off the little gorgeousnesses, so! I took pictures of the beads in their pre-necklace forms. There are a bunch of them, but I am not going to put them all in this post. Not because of my host, mind you, but because my kiddos are seriously needing some focused attention just now.

This is a kit that Mama bought me in that first batch of beads. I should totally make it up, and I will. I think it is going to look fabulous with the cardigan I plan to make myself from that Dublin Tweed. Do you hear me, SisterInLaw? If you don’t send me your measurements before I finish the two sweaters in my knitting basket, I will use that yarn for my stingy, greedy self. (I’ve been waiting at least three years, just so the rest of you know.) I have no idea what I will wear with the sweater and beads, mind you, only that they will look great together. Perhaps nothing. If I make a really LARGE sweater. *evil grin*

These pink beads were also purchased in the first batch, and they are for my mother. I came thisclose to stringing them last Saturday, but I needed to ask her something first, so I didn’t. Soon. Very soon.

These are newer beads, purchased Saturday and Sunday. I can make several necklaces from this, and I am pretty sure you will see something in the sidebar made from part of these eventually. I plan to make at least one before I next wear my blue and green dress. Which I plan to do in Orlando.

Okay, that’s it. Must go play mom. There will be more pictures later!

Woohoo! Dh handed me 20 dollars this morning as I headed out with the cheerleaders so they could serve pancakes for a fundraiser. I went next door to Wal-mart and spent it in the bead section. I have enough stuff here for at least 2 necklaces, probably 4. And I bought a magazine, too.

Yes, I did. And I woke up this morning with a wild hair up my behind to get it all sorted and stored and see what I felt like finishing and what was a wash and so forth. So I pulled it all out. Here’s the rest of it.

Now that you’ve seen the whole dirty business, I think I can get on with the sorting.