Spring in the Air

I am late with the BJP, therefore, I am posting the March project until mid-April and will post April’s project the second half of April. From therein I will be on track until June.

We are eleven days into spring today. Although the tree standing in front of my apartment window has not started budding, spring is in the air. It is almost time to don heavyweight winter things and bring in the lightweight spring things. Spring’s gentle and sometimes strong breeze sways or waves my sheer curtains across my futon and its breeze permeates my apartment with its fresh clean scent.

The green and white beads and the cutting from an overgrown philodendron plant seemed fitting for a short spring post. The beads green, yellow and white colors reminded me of olives and shiny granny smith apples purchased at a local grower or a farmer’s market and ready to be made into an apple pie with a homemade golden pie crust.

Things associated with the color green are restfulness, a part of growth, and a sign of harvest for efforts well done. Green is good for money-related symbolism, anything pertaining to nature, luck, fertility, confidence, healing, and hope.

Bead shapes and colors conjure up feelings, images, and story telling and is a wonderful way to express your immediate and distant surroundings.

HAPPY SPRING BEADING!!!

What is a bead? Random House Webster’s College Dictionary definition is a small round object of glass, wood, stone, or the like with a hole through it, often strung with others of its kind in necklaces, rosaries, etc. My definition is an object of various shapes and sizes (2m tiny seed bead to an 18mm large round beads). Beads are made of clay, paper, plastic/acrylic, and metal or iron. Some objects do not have holes in them but you use them as beads, if you drill a hole into them. Today many use coffee beans and the like to make beads. For centuries, people have adorned their bodies and clothing with beads for aesthetic and spiritual reasons using all types of materials.

Although I like to go to craft and bead stores occasionally to rummage through racks of colorful beads and findings, what I enjoy most is leafing through Fire Mountain Gems and Beads magazine that I receive through the mail every three months. Being able to order the 'Boss Bead Bag' is exciting because the bag contains wonderful assortments of gemstone, acrylic, glass, wood, bone and metal beads; findings; cabochons and different kinds of fun jewelry-making stuff. The stuffed bag has with many odds-and-ends as well.

Sometimes you just want to go into nature to find an object for a bead. I live near the University of Akron and shortcut through its parking lot to go downtown or to the public library. Along the way, covering the University of Akron’s landscaped grounds are beautiful stones that I collect and turn into beads using the wire wrap technique. I am always on the lookout for interesting objects to make into beads. Use marbles as beads. “Fried marbles” is a technique that I found on the Internet. This technique works well with clear round marbles. What you do is fry the marbles in a pan until they are hot and then submerge them into icy water, which causes the glass to expand then crack into wonderful patterns. Make a pendant, ring, or bracelet using these marbles. Do not look at things the way they are, but look at things the way they could be.

Not long ago, I was walking across a parking lot and found a single earring that had fallen off someone’s ear wire. The earring had an oriental pattern. Nearby was an oriental restaurant and I wondered if someone that worked there had lost the earring. Found beads, store bought beads, and beads you have made yourself are all endless possibilities for you to enjoy the beading life.

HAPPY BEADING EVERYONE!