website

Finally got a website up and running. Nothing fancy, just a free one from Go Daddy to see how it pans out. Hopefully I will generate some sales so I can make a little money before going to El Paso. Please check it out and tell me what you think. It isn't totally finished but I want opinions.

www.desertheartbeads.com

Have a good one y'all.

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felted celly purse

Another work in progress.  Actually, this is my beaded "frankenfelt" celly purse.  I'm just adding seedbeads and glass and crystal to it just to see what happens lol.

Used a snap on it...

With my celly inside...

By the time I am done, this may be one big beaded bag lol.

Again, opinions?

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a little beadin' for the feltin'

Got some beading done on the two clutches I felted.  This is just the beginning of what I would like to do, but beading on felting is not that easy to do :).

I used Agate donuts and seedbeads for a catch I guess you could call it.  Then I thought, why not just snaps instead, since the flap is long enough to drape over.  Eh, I don't know what I will do yet...

So.....whaddaya think?

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as if beading wasn't enough...

I like trying new stuff all the time.  After all, all the free time granted me as a homeschooling mom of three starting a home church means I should pick up a new hobby.  Don's aunt does felting (with the wool from her own sheep of course lol), and Stephanie learned it when at co-op.  Natural progression says it's my turn lol.

Here they are for your critique:

So, what do you think?  I already have a few smaller change purses in a pretty pinky red color that are in the works.  They aren't really finished just yet.  They need a clasp and, let's face it...BEADS!!  I will share them again when they are complete.

Cool?  Yes?  No?

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it's alive!!!!

Last year, when I went back to El Paso for my birthday, Naomi made a luscious spiral seedbead necklace for her mom.  It was just to die for.  After I got back, she talked me through how to make one myself, minus the bead accent she was able to put in it.  So I started making this spiral seed bead rope.  And making it.  Longer.  and longer.  and longer.  Put some green in it, and kept going.  Finally one day I looked at it and went, "hmm, what in the world am I going to do with this?"  It was too big to just make it into a bracelet the way it was, but too small to make it a necklace, so I played with it.  In the end, I doubled over one side and thought it looked pretty cool.  I grabbed my Fireline and started beading the sides of it together, and here you see the final outcome.  

*~*DISCLAIMER*~* If you are a professional beader, remember *I am not* lol.  Also, I did this design completely on a whim, no books or patterns.  If some one out there has done this same exact thing then kudos to you.  Just don't accuse me of stealing, k?

View from the top:

Views from the inside sitting first on one side then the other to show the curve of the beads:

Beauty shot:

On me wrist :):

The two balls on the ends are made from large pearls that I netted seed beads onto.  I first hooked the two sides together using the green seed beads, then went back over them in the same style as the fringe bracelets I have shown you before.  I think it is done.  It hasn't spoken as loudly as my rosary necklace still is, so I do believe this freakenstein is finito.

Can I be honest when I say, quite frankly, I am proud of this piece.  It really is pretty from up close.  Once again, as always and forever, thanks to Naomi for taking the time to show me how to do the rope in the first place.  You rock :)!

So, opinion time.  What do you think?  

Ta,

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a finished piece?

I am basically finished with my rosary necklace. Why basically? Well, I just don't think it is done *talking* to me yet. It's missing something, I just don't know what yet. I do want to get some of the crosses that Naomi used on the necklace she made, maybe adding a few to this one. I need to find out where she got them first lol.

Here is the pic of the "finished" necklace. I apologize for the washed out colors:


I used four different beads: silver grey and brown Swarovski crystals, Czech purple/clear rondells and lantern beads and silver grey round beads. I did all the wire work with 24 gauge craft wire. I'd rather used silver, but have you seen prices lately?? Holy moly!


This is the double sided pendant that Naomi made. One side is the heart of Jesus and the other is Jesus. She does such stunning work and makes the soldering look so easy. This is the reason I sent her a few pendants I made for her to do the solder work on. Maybe I will see them again some day...maybe...~wink wink~

If any one out there who happens to read this has an idea of how to make this necklace "shut up" as it were haha, let me know, k?

Last but not least is a bracelet I threw together for fun. Turquoise (naturally), stamped silver, and a piece of Carnelian and green Garnet.

So, there you go. Thanks for taking a gander at my wares :).

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this one is for you gnome...

always love
xoxoxo

for your musical entertainment...

Fujiya and Miyagi- Knickerbocker

finally...something new!

I finally had an opportunity this past weekend to do some beadwork and this is what is starting to manifest itself in my bead cubby.

Naomi made a gorgeous rosary necklace a while back that I wear often. That is where I got the inspiration to start on this one. Some pretty czech glass beads, Swarovski crystal, one of Naomi's beautiful pendants (which I have now offically run out of *sad sad sigh*), and wirewrapping for miles. I hope it turns out as pretty in life as it is in my head.

When it is done, I will post pics of it again. Maybe I will wear it, maybe I will sell it (haha), maybe I will give it away, maybe it will live out it's life on my wall o' bling. Who knows? I just love making em :).

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back when i was just a wee beader

I remember clearly the day that I walked into Naomi's shop for the first time. My father had just decided, along with my half shi...uh, sister, to turn my world completely upside down. Finding her again, and walking into her shop, made me feel like maybe I could find a place to be okay. I had never done beading of any kind before, and no idea what the difference was between a crimp and a headpin. These are pictures of the first two things I ever made, and after 8 years, they are still in one piece, so that is saying something lol.
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I made this bracelet sitting at Naomi's kitchen table, absolutely fascinated by all the shiny baubles that were laid before me. That, and keeping a close eye on her two Cockatoos that still, to this day, make me nervous heehee. For the knowledgeable beader, you will see I used connecters and leather crimps as dangles. Even Naomi was too kind to laugh at me, instead saying, "Well, I would have never thought to use that *that* way!"
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These are worry beads that I made from glass and resin beads, bells and a kokopelli all strung "professionally" on white beaders string. I put these together while sitting on my bed in my childhood bedroom, listening to Shawna have a screaming fit about something while my father had my mother at the hospital. That was when I truly learned how calming beading can be.
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These pieces 8 years ago have morphed themselves into herringbone stitch bracelets and wire-wrapped rosaries that I, back then, would have told you I could never ever do. There is nothing you cannot do when you have friends to share their knowledge and time.

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desert heart gallery part one

Welcome to my little part of this beady world, Desert Heart Beads, or as I called myself before, Eye Of The Beadholder. When Michigan thaws out (around 80 days from now), I will be heading to the Oakland County Courthouse and registering my new name. Until then, I will take you through my artsy halls of beads...nothing remotely close to the Velvet Manatees abilities, but hey, I try lol.

First on our list, my beaded goddesses that will someday get finished. Found this pattern in Bead and Button and thought, "Hey! That can't be *that* hard!" HA! But they will be cool when they are done. What will I do with them? Probably hang them up on the wall with all the other stuff lol.
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I had a lovely string of amber chip beads, faceted garnet, big amber (or maybe poly?) round beads and silk string. Out of all that, this showed up: a neat little knotted necklace. I think knot work looks really cool with the right beads and colors and am happy with how this turned out.
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Remember the gorgeous bracelet that Naomi made me? She showed me how a few years ago, so the following two bracelets are what came out of the venture. Not too shabby, even for an amateur lol. These designs are not from my own little brain, but from another designer whose name I cannot remember. The last thing I am is a design thief because it is wrong. Had it done to me once, and it sucks. That being said, they are still cool, eh?
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Like I have said before, I love silver and turquoise and any combination thereof. This necklace was made with SS beads, chain and a really pretty turquoise nugget. This looks great when paired with a white linen shirt.

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So, there it is. I have more, but this blog only allows so many pictures per posting...silly people lol.

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See you soon :).

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the velvet manatee gallery

Greetings and salutations from the Velvet Manatee Gallery.

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I know what you are thinking. What in the world is a "Velvet Manatee Gallery"? You have often heard me speak of a very special friend I have in my life, and I'm not just talking about the short bus kind of special. She is Naomi, and she has been my best friend for 20+ years. As a matter of fact, she is the reason I got into beading in the first place. After not seeing her for I don't know how many years, I walked into what was at the time her store "Bead Dreams" in El Paso. From there, well, the rest is history. Now Bead Dreams isn't there, and neither is Naomi. She lives with her wonderful (and cute might I add) hubby, Russ, in beautiful San Antonio. Without going into the whole sordid story, she said if she ever had another business name, it would be "The Velvet Manatee". So here, I am paying homage to a woman who's artistic ability is my muse.

The following pictures are of her creations she either made and I begged for or she made for me. You will notice that we both share a strong love for turquoise, silver and coral :).

These two necklaces were ones that were in the bead boxes she gave me for my birthday present last year. I love these pieces.
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My bracelet. My lovely, lovely blingy bracelet. She designed this for me as a Christmas/birthday present. I *love* it so much and wear it as often as I can. This baby is one-of-a-kind, just like it's creator.
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Although I am not Catholic, I simply adore rosaries and the religious icons. This is a rosary she made with Mother of Pearl, freshwater pearls, silver and Mother Mary pendant she made herself. I love wearing this.

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This necklace she gave me because I'm guessing she didn't want it back after I got done drooling on it lol. It did, at one time, have a stunning Jesus and the Lamb pendant she made on the bottom, but one day I went to put it on and the glass was broken on the pendant. I still have the pendant in a safe place, and wear the necklace a lot. She would always ask me if people were offended by the necklace, but they never were, and even if they were, that is their problem, certainly not ours. I have recieved so many compliments on this particular piece.

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Last, but not least, my gold Peruvian frog necklace. Again, the drool factor was a bit over the top, but you can plainly see why. It is beautiful. Gold and coral just go so well together, don't you agree?
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That is it for the Velvet Manatee tour for now. I have other pieces to show off, but will do that another time. Naomi is a godsend in my life, and I am truly blessed that she is my friend.

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inside the beadhouse

Up-to-date photos of the place where all the infamy takes place: the beadhouse...(insert eerie music and Vincent Price laugh here). It used to be called the bead cubby, but I have expanded it, at least in my head. Descriptions are *above* photos, not below, so don't confused lol.

The full on view from the closet/clothes rack:
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My mini art gallery if you will. It contains all the goodies I got from my cyber friend Rae of Four Ravens (www.fourravens.com), an awesome place to purchase handmade mandalas, altercitos, etc. I also have the drawings from my Texas momma, Wiley. She is also the one who drew the heart used in the title of this blog. She is *amazing*! You will also see the huge stack of magazines that I covet: Su Casa and Bead and Button. Bead and Button always has cool projects and Su Casa takes me back home with its beautiful pictures and commentary about all things Southwest.
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My bead creation lab. It is also called "the desk" to keep away unwanted icky people. The pretty plaque on the right is one of the altercitos I mentioned earlier. It is titled "Walk In Peace". If it wasn't for the unbelieveable gift of bead from Naomi for my birthday last year, there wouldn't be any boxes full of shiny goodies sitting here. I am so indebted to her it isn't even funny.
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The wall o' stuff. Yup, there it is...

I realize that to the untrained eye, it may seem crazy and cluttered, but no no no. A place for everything...everything in it's place, believe me. This is home.

Hope you liked my mini tour :).

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welcome to the beadhouse

If you are here, you know I have a regular blog where I go on and on about stuff that normal people avoid talking about, but locura people like me live for.
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I am creating this blog to show you my beady attempts and mistakes, to get feedback and just to share something sparkly with the world.
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I will still talk about my love of Texas and hate of snow, so there lol.

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Hope you enjoy what you see :).

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