Newsish, Pay it Forward and a Book Review

Good Saturday, all!  I hope everyone is having a gorgeous Columbus Day Weekend here in the States, and a wonderful Thanksgiving in Canada, and a lovely regular Saturday everywhere else!

I've been busy embroidering with my beads... and not, surprisingly, on a piece of jewelry.  A group that I am a part of on Facebook, Operation Tackle That Bead Stash (don't you love that name??), is hosting a round robin for a piece of bead embroidery 6" x 6" and my first attempt to put something together for it was a little too much; many of the participants are in the UK and elsewhere, and the dichroic cabochons that I chose for focals were just too heavy, in hindsight, to be mailing around, especially as we aren't paying the shipping costs for our own piece's stops along their way back to us.  So I put together another square, this time with smaller, polymer clay cabochons, to take its place.  I'm left with my all-set-up square with cabs glued down... could I resist?  Ha!  Noooo... so I'm embroidering this one by myself.   I have been having so much fun and it's very freeing to be able to put anything anywhere without worry that it must conform in some way to a person's neck or wrists.   I am, of course, also feeling mega guilty that I'm not producing tutorials or jewelry for sale, but I think I need the break.  I'm realllllllly looking forward to when I receive the next person's square to work on, though - what a challenge to work with their colors and their design!!  I can't wait!

I made a beaded rock before this project. :)  I present Froggy Rock:

Froggy Front 

Froggy Butt

I was gifted with a pair of gorgeous polymer clay cabochons, as well, from my friend Mary Marshall.  I started working on them immediately because they were just so inspiring to me.  I made these earrings up, and although they seem HUGE to me, my friend Mary really liked them... and she's a wonderful friend too, so her cabs are going to go home to her.  :)

Dancer Earrings

On to the Pay It Forward part now...  I entered in to win something handmade from a wonderful blogger I follow, with the stipulation that I then must make something handmade for three other people.  You have to make the things within 365 days, and they must be handmade, and each person who enters to win your item must agree to the same.  So if you decide to enter mine, you have to keep in mind that you also will need to make three somethings which are handmade and mail them on to the people who win your giveaway, and so on.  :)  It does not have to be jewelry, it can be anything from a handmade greeting card to an ornament or a handmade art bead.  I'm not saying ahead of time what I'll make, but if you enter in, I will make you something; it may or may not be jewelry.  The first three people who leave a comment here saying they would like to participate will be my three 'winners.'

This weekend, I want to do a short review of Sonoko Nozue's Japanese Beadwork.

I honestly think this is a lovely book, and she has some fabulous projects in it, and uses stitches that aren't often focused on these days.  For example, I am tempted to go back to doing something with Chevron Chain after seeing her projects, because there are several that look scrumptious!!   Her Midnight Necklace is made with chevron, and it's gorgeous and lush looking.  

Her Cheerful Midafternoon necklace is based on Zulu stitch, and although she has placed it in a chapter titled "Casual" I think it is anything but; how elegant is this!  Fit for a princess.

The Crystal Rose Necklace is stunning, and unfortunately beyond my reach, as try as I might, I just can't get the hang of bead crochet.  (I REALLY want to, though, so that must count somewhere.)

I highly recommend this book for those of you who want to branch out and try some new stitches out in some really elegant jewelry.  Although the diagrams are a bit different, and the steps are laid out in a way I haven't seen before, I think the patterns are easy to follow and the results are glorious.  I truly haven't decided if I should do a giveaway, or keep it for myself... but I'll let you know soon!!   :)  Leave me a comment so I can see how many of you would like a giveaway  on it, and I'll muse on it some more.

That's it for now, but next blog post I have some fabulous Blogger Awards to hand out, possibly a book giveaway, and hopefully something concrete on the embroidery to show you.  Off to BEAD!!!!

(Disclaimer; I was given this book to review by Lark, and these are my honest opinons, I am not paid for this nor do I receive any compensation save the book itself.)