Gail Nettles

Are you like me -- you have beaded jewelry projects all around, in various states of completion?  I hope I'm not the only one, who half-way through a project gets another idea that I just have to start!

Anyway, I'm sorry I don't have the peyote stitch beading project ready for prime time yet.  I'm done except for the clasp.  Right now I'm struggling to find a cool button to use for my clasp.  I thought I had a ton of them.  Well I do, but they are all in shades of gold and white and pink and black...not colors I can use for this bracelet.  So, it will be another day at least until I can get the button clasp finished.

"Autumn Winds" PMC Pendant With Man-Made Ruby

But all hasn't been lost!  In my hunt for buttons, I came across some projects, supplies and items that I totally forgot I had (has anyone else had that happen?).  Even the infamous beaded shoe project!  (More about that later.)

But quickly, here are two of my PMC projects; I really like the one with the dichroic glass cab.  But the one with the ruby (man-made) has a funny story.

I had made a pendant that I really liked, but unfortunately, I didn't make it strong/thick enough, and part of it broke off.  Grrr.

So, I took part of the pendant and went back to the drawing board.  I added more PMC and the ruby.  Finally, fired it and lo and behold...something very organic looking.  But when I brought it to class, people oohed and ahhed.  Moral of the story -- never throw anything away, you never know how it can be recycled.

(It really is prettier than the photo shows -- for the life of me, I can't get the ruby to sparkle in a photo like it does in real life.)

Now, onward to more of what I found. Like the shoe.

Beaded Jewelry Projects and "The Shoe"

I found tons of beaded necklaces, mostly peyote with bling added. They were made back when I was learning beading, so they're fairly unusable "as is". Unusable mainly because they are so darned heavy! But I'm confident that I can re-make them. One for sure I can re-do as a bracelet. The others...well, I have to keep at least one the way it is. Why? So when I get depressed because the beaded jewelry isn't going well, I can see how far I've come.

"Sea Lights" PMC Pendant With Dichroic Glass

Now to my shoe project.  Yes, a real shoe (size 6) that I am covering in beads.  I got the idea after taking a bead embroidery class.  I decided to cut out some suede in the shape of the shoe (in parts, naturally).  Then, I would bead embroider each piece, and eventually piece it all together onto the shoe itself.

It's all done up in shades of red.  From fire engine to deep garnet, I have all kinds.  Some are seed beads, some bugle, some gemstone beads, all in a joyful melange of textures.

Am I done?  Of course not -- maybe half way.  I was originally making it for a contest, but ran behind and missed the deadline (and stopped working on the project).  Guess I'll have to start it back up again.

OK, let me go so I can get the peyote bracelet done and get a photo for you.  Catch you later!