Bead Soup Collection on Etsy

A batch of Mouse Pads orders just came in and this one looked fabulous with some bead soups on my table! Bead Soup Collection - Velvet Cloak

Bead Soups on Etsy

Two New Bags of Color

Bag of Color 12

Bag of Color 11

Filled with Beachy Inspiration!

Getting ready for the Bead & Button Show

Packing up bead soups and fiber bouquets for the Bead & Button Show.
Creating new colors along the way!

Hope to see you in class, at Meet the Teacher, and at Beading Across America book signings!

Book Signing and Trunk Show

Book Signing & Trunk Show
Ben Franklin Crafts in Redmond, WA
Saturday, April 9
11:00 - 4:00

Bringing lots of books to sign, including the new Beading Across America!


I'll have my new eBook available on disk (special show price too!):


Some yummy greeting cards


And of course lots of bead soups...

Hope you can join me!

My On-Line shop is OPEN

Come on in!
Bead soups, books, color tools and more
A new look to the store front
I've added a shopping cart feature
lots of HTML, which is a stretch for this girl,
so if you find any quirks please let me know!

Want to add some color to your weekend?
Come by and see me at Ben Franklin Crafts, in Redmond WA
Saturday, October 23
10:00 - 4:30

p.s. I'll start processing on-line orders after my trunk show (when I know what I have in my inventory).

Adorn Me! in Houston

Packing boxes of soups, fibers and books for this exciting new show put on by Art Unraveled diva Linda Young.


I hope you join me for the following classes:

Eye For Color
Tuesday evening, March 2 6:30-9:30

Wander with Flair

Wednesday, March 3 9:00-4:30

Cornucopia of Gems
Thursday, March 4 9:00-4:30

Whirlwind of colorful beads and women

Beachcomber Pendant by Betty
(using Hydrangea Bead Soup)

Beads on Metal Pendant by Adrienne
(using Autumn Leaves Bead Soup)

Wander with Color Necklace by Adrienne
(using Grass, Spring Rain, Deep Teal, Dark Chocolate, Olive Grove Bead Soups)

Wander with Color Bracelet by Kerstin
(using Dark Chocolate, Grass, Tropical Punch, Fuchsia Bead Soups)

Beachcomber Pendant by Dini
(using Twilight Bead Soup enhanced by Dini)

Start of Wanderlust Bracelet by Joie
(using Spring Rain Bead Soup)

It all began with Adrienne from Wales... Our conversations last winter snowballed into an Autumn Festival with 5 days of classes, food and wine and even a bit of massage on the last day.

What amazing, creative, fun women! Some came for a day, others for the whole week, all were a joy to have in my home.

Colorful, prolific Dini joined in for all 5 days!

Turns out Carol lives in my home town right next to my old high school!

We beaded in the 'barn'

and ate downstairs - Kristi and Pam from Bellingham Washington, Adrienne from Wales, Dini from southern Oregon, Betty from North Carolina, Carol from Gig Harbor.

Dini and Joie (co-publisher of EYE FOR COLOR, did I mention college roomie and dear friend?)

The 'gang' from Tacoma - Jacquie, Candace, Lynda Janeen - friends for decades (we heard lots of good stories)

Kerstin from Bellingham joined for the weekend - so good to meet her in person after long admiring her amazing photography. See her photos from the workshops here.

I didn't capture a photo of Charron from Winnepeg - she hopped out early to travel up to Vancouver for Canadian Thanksgiving.

Nature's Palette

Evening rays of sunshine
touched the cherry blossoms out my window
casting long shadows
and spinning delicate white petals into gold


I'm surrounded by bead soups and color wheels and getting ready for my upcoming shows. I can't help being inspired by nature's every changing palette on this gorgeous spring day.

Bead Soup GIVE-AWAY!

Samples from my Bead Soup Collection

To mark my 2nd month of blogging* and to thank all of you who have commented on my blog either directly or via e-mails through my website:

I'm celebrating by giving away 1 bead soup from my Bead Soup Collection to a special reader!

To enter to win a bead soup of your choice, simply enter a comment. The winner will be chosen in a highly technical manner: I will ask my family to choose a number - that comment number will win!

And while I'm at it, here is a Double Bonus! If your name is chosen and you happen to be a 'follower' of my blog, then you can choose 2 bead soups!


My bead soups have been used in everything from beadwork (of course!) to quilting and felting embellishment, collages and encaustic to a customer who displays them in dishes around her home. Are the creative juices flowing?!

Samples from my Bead Soup Collection

You can see more of my Bead Soup Collection on my website - they are now for sale on-line.


*On New Year's Eve a dear friend convinced me I had to 'get with the times' and start blogging. Okay... sounds good, but to be honest, I was very nervous. What would I write about, would anyone read it? How personal should it be - would I feel vulnerable? Was it hard to set up? How would I find the time to create a blog between writing a new book, teaching classes, raising kids, making kits and working on new class ideas for next year?

Well, the set up took all of 30 minutes (most of that time was in deciding which format to go with) and half way through my first entry I came to the conclusion that my blog will serve 2 purposes:
1. It is for me - a diary, a forum for expression, a way to document what is going on in my life and how my family, my art work, mother nature, food etc. is all tied to who I am; and
2. It is for you - hopefully giving you ideas, inspiration, and ultimately confidence in your artistic voice.

So sometimes my blog is personal, sometimes not. Sometimes I may strike a cord with my readers, and sometimes not. And that is okay. Because along the way, I am learning to write. I am growing with my blog.

... of course I could always use more time! But who couldn't?

Added on 3/17/09: I am still getting some wonderful comments! However, the bead soup give-away was given away (check the next post for the winner). Stay tuned, there will be another!