Felted Beaded Purse from Thrift Shop Sweater

I just finished making this felted sweater purse. I call it a "sweater purse" because I bought a wool sweater in December at the Goodwill store for $3.00. I first used the sweater to make the pin on the lower left. Then, I decided to felt the wool sweater. I made the pin on the upper left from the felted wool sweater. I still had plenty of the felted sweater left, so I started to think about what I could make with it. When I was in Florida in January, I saw a cute felted purse at one of the bead stores in Vero Beach that I liked. The purse was pink and purple and it had beads sewn onto the front of it. I knew I could make one like it. I decided to use the felted sweater I had here to make the purse. The purse came out a bit small and I might be able to get my wallet and keys in it and not much else. I still have plenty of the felted sweater left. Do you have any ideas of how I could use it? Maybe I will try making some beads!

ID Tags for NeeNee & CheeChee's Beaded Things Jewelry

This is a photo of my newest necklace I made that has our new ID tag on it. The tag has "N&C" on it for NeeNee & CheeChee's Beaded Things. It would have cost me more than I wanted to pay to have "NeeNee & CheeChee's Beaded Things" made on the stamp, so I shorted it to "N&C". I had never thought of signing our pieces of jewelry, such as an artist signs his artwork. I was talking to DeWayne, who is the recipient of Cavan's left kidney and liver and he told me that I needed to sign my jewelry. He is always interested in what I am doing with my jewelry. I told him there was no way to sign them and he said to use tags. Shortly after our conversation, I saw an ad in one of my beading magazines for these ID tags and the stamp. The stamp and tags cost a lot more than I was willing to pay, but Cindy said she would pay half of the costs, so I decided to order the stamp and tags. Then, I had to buy a steel bench block. Of course, there is a special hammer I should be using, but the hammer I already have is just fine. One thing always leads to another! I bought the brass tags, as they were the least expensive ones. This company offers sterling silver tags and also copper ones, but I won't be buying any of those, as they are definitely out of my budget! So, on my jewelry that has the gold plated beads, spacers and clasps on them, I will now add our new ID tag. If I run across some silver plated tags, I will buy and use them too. By the way, this necklace is made with a black lava pendant and lava beads. It is for sale.

St. Baldrick's

My niece Tarah who lives in Groton, MA, participated yesterday in an event called St. Baldrick's. This is an event to raise money for kids who have cancer. Tarah had a sister, Alexa, who died of brain cancer in November 1986. Tarah never got to meet Alexa, but she found a way of honoring her and to hopefully help other kids with brain cancer. If you would like to read more of Tarah's story, here is the link: http://www.nashobapublishing.com/pepperell_news/ci_17538331 If you would like to donate, here is the link for that: https://www.stbaldricks.org/donate/donationinfo/participantid/418206/nouser/1

Song Stuck In My Head and I Can't Get It Out!

Last Wednesday night Bob and I attended the Ash Wednesday service at our church, Emanuel Lutheran. During the Lenten season, we sing a lot of dreary songs and one of them has been stuck in my head ever since! And to make matters even worse, we sang that same song again on Sunday morning! I'm sure we will sing this song several more times during the Lenten season.

One time I saw this cartoon where a man was about to jump over a ledge that had no bottom and the sign at the top of it said, "Song Stuck In Your Head Leap". Well, I am about to take the leap! I went online to see if anyone had a suggestion for getting these unwanted songs out of your head and here is what one website had to say:

Steps

1. This is simple so try it first. Sing “Walk Like an Egyptian” (by the Bangles) a few times. Sing just the “Walk like an Egyptian” part and maybe the “ay oh whey oh” since that’s the only words you know anyway. This works because it is too short to get stuck in your head.
2. A similar way to get rid of a song in your head is to sing "I'm a Little Tea Pot" in your head curtly, like you are speaking it instead of singing it. Don't concentrate on it too much, think of it as routine, like taking a shower.(This way helps a lot more with phrases of a song that play over and over) This song is so ridiculous that it should hold your attention long enough to let that other song wiggle out through your ear . Now if that gets the "I'm a Little Tea Pot" song stuck in your head than you should try the longer but more efficient way as follows.
3. Start writing a list of songs that get stuck with in your head. They can be good, bad and the ugly. You will find that some you like more than others. Some you may hate. Some you may love.
4. As this list grows, you will find that some are "stickier" than others and will force their way to the top of the "sticky" playlist in your head. Make a note of which tunes are the "stickiest".
5. Pick the "stickiest" tune that you really like, and when you get stuck with a song you need to get out of your head, play one of the tunes that are the "stickiest" songs that you like. This should push the bad "sticky" tune out of your head.
6. If the bad song comes back, play another good "sticky" song. Eventually it will be overwhelmed and will stay out.
7. Do something active or noisy. Go and play a round of hitting a ball against a wall, kicking the soccer ball or watch a noisy sports game. You'll soon be thinking of other things.
8. Go to the nearest computer or CD and play that song OVER, AND , OVER, AND , OVER, AND OVER and then it will get out of your head.
9. Turn down the mental volume of the song until it is sung in a whisper.
10. Think about a song that you do like, and one that you enjoy singing. Anytime the annoying song pops into your head, start singing or humming the better song.
11. Concentrate your thoughts on something else. Try a riddle, mental math, or reciting a poem.
12. Get involved in physical exercise.
13. Shout in your head.
14. Go someplace no one will hear and shout out loud. If such a place is unavailable, just talk to someone.
15. Play a CD that has international music while doing math facts.
16. A lot of times, you may find that you can't even remember all the lyrics of a song that is stuck in your head. one slightly strange method of getting it out is to either listen to that song, and pay attention to the lyrics, then immediately play another song you like, or you could try looking up the lyrics, and read them while listening to another song. Figuring out what the next few words in a song are may get it out of your head if it's stuck because you don't know some words.
17. Think of other songs that annoy you and sing it out loud, even if you can't sing.
18. Play a video game or watch a movie that has a good story that you don't know about. (Video games are more effective because you get to interact.)
19. If you're trying to get to sleep, listen to the sound of your breathing.
20. Write down the lyrics to a completely different song and read (but don't sing) them out loud a few times. Then read a book or a magazine.

If any of you have any other suggestions, please let me know what works for you.

Found Objects in Bob's Desk Drawers

I went searching for some Post-It notes in Bob's desk drawer the other day and I not only found the Post-It notes, I found several other items that I thought I could use on my Dizzy Discards jewelry! "Found Objects" are really "in" right now in jewelry. There was this AR-2ax plaque and the brass bell (on the right on this photo) among other objects that I found in his desk drawer. I asked Bob what this AR-2ax plaque was and he told me that it was off of an old speaker that he used to have. Why he was saving it is beyond me, but I'm glad he did! It made a unique base for my new pin! I attached the brass bell, a metal thingymabob and a little red metal car that I purchased at a bead store. I also added some metal gears and a pin back. I might take this to the Walleska store for her to sell on consignment, or I might just keep this one for myself. If you have any "found objects" that you might find in your drawers, on your work bench or elsewhere that you don't know what to do with, send them my way! Cindy and I use old jewelry and watches that you might want to throw out too!

Best Friends

This morning I received one of those Internet generated emails that proclaims that this week is "National Girlfriend & Sister's Week". I've seen it many times before from various friends who have sent it to me, so there must be more than one "National Girlfriend & Sister's Week". Anyway, it reminded me of a photo contest I entered in September 1990. You were to photograph what you thought were "Best Friends" and send your photo in for the contest. I decided to invite four six-year-old girls from my neighborhood over for a tea party and I would photograph them as they played. I went to a thrift shop and bought some dress-up clothes -- dresses, hats, purses, shoes, jewelry -- for the girls to wear. They had their tea party and I took pictures of them. This is my favorite photo that I took that I entered in the contest. Actually, I missed the best shot! Molly, the little girl in the shawl, fell off of her shoes and ended up on the floor. All of the girls were full of giggles! That would have been the contest winner, I'm sure! This photo was taken after Molly put her high-heeled shoes back on and got posed for the picture. If you would like to see the other photos that I took that day, here is my Shutterfly link -- share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EbMmLJq3aKNMg

"Heart Instead of Head" Gallery Showing at Clique

From March 25 to April 25, there will be a gallery showing at Clique Custom Jewelry & Fine Art Gallery at 3513 Oak Lawn in Dallas. This showing is titled "Heart Instead of Head". These six pieces of the NeeNee & CheeChee's Beaded Things jewelry will be in the art showing. There will be a reception to meet the artists on April 2nd from 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. If you are in the Dallas area, please put this date on your calendar and come by to see the gallery, this special showing and ME!

NeeNee & CheeChee Jewelry to Be in Art Exhibition!

A friend of mine, Mary Tomas, owns an art gallery in Dallas -- http://www.marytomas.com/studiogallery/ It is a beautiful gallery! Go visit it if you are in Dallas! Mary sent me an email telling me about an upcoming art exhibition for jewelry and fine art at a gallery in Oak Lawn. She encouraged me to contact the owner about entering the exhibition. I did contact the owner of Clique Gallery and I was accepted! I will be very busy this week getting my jewelry together to take to Clique next Monday. The art exhibition will run March 25 - April 25 at:

CLIQUE
Custom Jewelry Fine Art
3513 Oak Lawn Avenue
Dallas, TX 75219

If you are in the area, please stop by. Also, there is an artist reception on April 2nd from 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. I'd love to have all of my Dallas friends come by to see me, my jewelry and the other fine art and artists.

My First Check from Walleska!

Today I received my first check from the Walleska store in West Village for my jewelry that I have on consignment there. I am very excited! Cindy and I (a.k.a. NeeNee & CheeChee's Beaded Things) took several pieces of our jewelry that we made to the Walleska store the middle of January. I took four pieces of jewelry to start and I have taken another fifteen pieces of jewelry for them to sell. Walleska sells clothes, purses and jewelry made from recycling. Cindy has been making jewelry from old watches and watch parts. I have been making jewelry with rusty, smashed bottle caps that I pick up from a parking lot in Deep Ellum. Who would have known in April 2004 when I first started making jewelry just for fun that I would be making jewelry from rusty, smashed bottle caps and selling them in an upscale store in West Village, Dallas, TX? Not me, but it sure is fun!

New Photo Scanner

I am an organized person and I don't like having STUFF around that takes up space -- precious space since we are in a small, two-bedroom apartment. Since we have moved three times in the past three years, I certainly don't want lots of STUFF to move! I am trying to get rid of STUFF that we do not need or items that we can do without. I have always enjoyed taking photos ever since I was a young kid and I have saved all of my photos since I got my first camera around the age of ten. In 1985, I took some photography classes and I started taking semi-professional photos of a few weddings and portraits in the park. I have saved all of these photos. When I worked at Apache Corporation from 1985 - 1996, I became their photographer and took photos of all special events -- Christmas parties, Corporate Challenge, Open Houses, etc. And I have kept all of those photos. And this was during a time when there were no digital cameras. All of my photos were done with film and I had prints made of all of them. I have these photo boxes that hold 1,000 photos in each box and I have 10 boxes. I also have about 10 albums of photos. And, a HUGE box of photos that were taken when I was a young kid, prior to 1970. And, I have photos still in frames sitting in boxes because we have no space on our walls for them. So, as you can see I have a LOT of photos! I happened to mention to Bob that I wanted to scan all of the hard copies of photos that I have and put them on CD's and in Shutterfly albums. I am a huge fan of Shutterfly! I have 231 albums on it now before I have even started scanning any of these photos! I wasn't sure how to go about scanning all of these photos since it would take a lot of time with my scanner that is hooked up to my computer. I asked Bob if he knew a better way to scan these photos. I happened to ask on just the right day! (He calls me a witch sometimes since I have a second sense about these kinds of things.) Every morning, Bob looks at WOOT.com for the "Deal of the Day" and on the day I asked him about scanning all of my photos, he had seen this 4x6 photo scanner selling for $24! This scanner is still selling on WOOT, but it now is selling for $67. And I priced them at Office Depot and the cheapest one was $149! Needless to say, Bob ordered the 4x6 photo scanner for me and he said this was the best investment of his money he has ever made! I received the scanner and so far I have scanned three boxes of photos. This isn't a project that will get done overnight, but a little at a time and I can then throw out all of these boxes of photos and make room on my shelves for more STUFF!!