Website: http://gracebeading.com (directs to my blog)
Blog: http://gracebeading.blogspot.com/
Facebook Fan Page: GraceBeading (not yet active)
How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
Just about 6 years. I bead for fun and the pleasure it brings me. I do not teach classes and I have never sold my work for profit – I give most of it away to friends or to charitable fundraisers. At this point in my life – it is what works best for me since there is no stress attached to it. It is PURE joy!
Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
It sounds funs, involves great beaders and it keeps me connected to the bead world in a special way, not to mention beady surprises in the mail are the best!
Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes they have, they provide an escape from the grind and stress of everyday life and my job. It is my own private sanctuary!
Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Intermediate.
How did you get started working with beads?
It was a natural progression from cross stitch – which I did for years.
If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
A green charlotte/true cut – because of its subtle sparkle. You may see the sparkle, you may not – depending on the angle and which side of the bead is visible at the time.
If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why?
Charlottes/true cuts – see above (#6), that says it all for me!
What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
I have received a lot of good advice over the years; I am, for the most part, a bead embroiderer. The best advice has come from Robin Atkins by way of her books and through working on the Bead Journal Projects with her. I don’t recall her exact words, but it has to do with dealing with/silencing the inner critic. When I get to a spot where I don’t necessarily like my beading (it happens with most pieces), I don’t rip it out, I ignore the inner critic and keep beading. I rarely have a plan or pattern when I bead, I choose a focal piece, bead colors I like which compliment the focal(s) and go… and I have always been pleased with the results. Often the beading will take twists and turns I did not anticipate, but that just adds to the fun!
Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
Yes, it’s a long one by Walt Whitman as follows:
This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your bodyWhat was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
The best, most thoughtful beady gift(s) ever received can be found on my blog here: http://gracebeading.blogspot.com/2010/10/friends-do-nicest-things.html You must see the photos, as words do not adequately describe these gifts.
The best beady gift given – I think all the beady items I donate for charitable auctions are great, but the ones I would describe as the best are any that have raised money to save lives, such as the items donated recently to raise money for animal shelters/animal rescue groups.
Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
I enjoy photography and want to try working more with felting
What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Needs MORE storage!!!
Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.
Tough one! I’m including 2. One – my granddaughters hand won my only award to date, Margie Deeb’s 2007 Color Challenge winner.
Second one, a bag, was created for “Beading For A Cure” for 2010. Photos can be found in this blog post.
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