Kumihimo for Kids

I taught Kumihimo classes for kids over the school holiday. Kumihimo is a Japanese braiding technique that is easy to learn and appeals to kids and adults alike. The classes were well attended by a range of ages that made it really fun, and challenged me to adapt my instructions on the fly! Although the minimum age suggested was 8 years old, a couple of 7-year-old boys snuck in. Self-assured in their desire to learn the technique, the boys swaggered in with their Kumihimo disks in hand. It didn’t bother them that they were the only two boys in the class – or that all the girls in the class were older than them. I admired their self-confidence as one of the boys said, “Oh, this is easy, I know how to do this.” And that was before we even started!

I’m smiling as I sit here thinking about how quickly all the kids caught on. I only had to give a couple of reminders about which hand is left and right - which I sometimes have to do at my adult classes! All the kids made more than one Kumihimo keychain to take with them, and the two boys were braiding as they walked out of the store! Thanks for sharing your kids with me – they made my day!

Don't Be Afraid to Fail

I was sitting in the hair salon last weekend watching my daughter have her 10-inch pony-tail cut off. She has been growing her hair for more than three years to get to the required length to donate to Locks of Love. This didn’t come easy…NO! There were lots of snarls and tangles and arguments along the way, but with that was the determination of a now 10-year-old girl focused on donating her hair to a child who needs it.

I’m not sure I had that fortitude when I was her age. In fact, sometimes I’m not sure I have it now! It reminded me of the introduction in Grant Diffendaffer’s book, Polymer Clay Beads, which I have been reading recently. Grant’s introduction hit home for me, as I have been experimenting with polymer clay for the past few months, learning a great deal about the medium, but with no finished pieces to show for it. I was considering giving up on clay - thinking perhaps it wasn't right for me - when I began reading the book. Grant suggests his book should “empower you to approach your own creative endeavors without fear of the outcome…Keep in mind the master potter who would every year smash his favorite pot to bits to remind himself of the importance of non-attachment. A crucial stumbling block to artistic creativity is over-attachment to the forms we have created. Don’t be afraid to fail.”

After thinking about my daughter’s determination and reading Grant’s book, I decided I would continue experimenting with polymer clay. I WON'T be afraid to fail! At some point I have to finish something, right? And then I’ll give it away.

What's in Your Attic?

Two of my friends came upon a small gold box while cleaning their mother’s attic. Inside they discovered a length of small ivory pearls crocheted on variegated pastel cotton thread. It was loosely crocheted, allowing the soft pastel colored thread in pink, yellow, baby blue, and soft green to show through between the pearls. Imagine their surprise when they saw it – their mother frequently crocheted with yarn, but they didn’t know she knew how to crochet with beads!

My friends’ surprising find is just one example of the timeless art of beading. We’ve come a long way since early people strung shells on vines and hung them around their necks, but beading in one form or another has been around nearly as long as humans*. Contrary to some men’s opinions (including my husband’s), beading is not a fad. NO! Beading transcends time. Beading is eternal. Beading is an art form, a craft, a hobby, a therapy for some. Most importantly, beading brings people together - people from different walks of life, different beliefs, even different generations. Celebrate this holiday season beading with (or for) someone you love. What’s in your attic…?

*A Brief History Of Beading, Karen Vertigan Pope

Inventory Your Projects This Holiday Season

The holidays are upon us and what better time to take inventory of all the bead projects we’ve worked on this year. We’ve all taken some classes, learned some new stitches, and started LOTS of projects. I’m not embarrassed to say that I have my share of incomplete projects in the drawer. Every artist has to experiment, right? You have to try new things, sometimes dozens of times, before finding just the right design. There are necklaces I started only to run out of beads before finishing, new designs that just didn’t work out, a new bracelet obsession started in every color…and then there’s that Crystal Cuff bracelet I started for my sister’s birthday back in March…three years ago!

This holiday season, I’m making an early New Year’s resolution: to finish all - no, most - definitely some - of the projects I’ve started this year before starting anything new. Well, maybe just a few new things... After all, they make great holiday gifts!

Welcome to The Beader's Blog!

Welcome to the first edition of The Beader’s Blog. What do beaders blog about, you ask? Beads, of course! All kinds of beads – in different shapes, sizes, & colors, really cool tools, findings, threads & fibers, and the latest in beading supplies you can’t live without. Join me each week for tips, techniques, and perhaps some interesting bead facts... I’ll share secrets I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) as I’ve discovered beading as a craft and an art.

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