The Beaded Pillow

The Beaded Pillow on Etsy

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 16:58:00 +0000

Here are some of the newest additions to The Beaded Pillow's shop on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/thebeadedpillow?ref=hdr_shop_menu

The Buddy System

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:04:00 +0000

This poor blog; it was lost for so long.
To be honest I was busy.
I forgot the password.
I got a puppy.

For those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook you know about the puppy. He has become a very big part of my life. We brought him home in February so I got to spend a couple of weeks in the worst Minnesota weather in recorded history potty training a tiny creature on the back patio. He's a smart one and he learned quickly and thoroughly. And the look on his face when the high snow banks behind our house melted was priceless ~ he had a whole new world to explore out there.

His name is Buddy. He is a Maltipoo, which means his mama is a Poodle and his papa is a Maltese. After 8 years of grieving the loss of Nikky, our Maltese; we decided to get another dog. No one in our area had Maltese pups but we found a very kind family in our area who raises Maltipoos. It is one of the best decisions we've ever made. Buddy is so much a part of our family. We were delighted this summer when he showed no fear of the boat or water. (Nikky was scared of everything.) Buddy is so proud when we put on his life jacket. He also loves car rides (in his crate, of course), children, all the neighbors and walks.

This brings me to the title of this post. The Buddy System. I have not walked so much in my life! Buddy is always up for walks. Always. And I need the exercise. I've lost several pounds since Buddy came along. It's wonderful! At first I was worried he might be getting too exhausted on these jaunts, but then I read that this breed is more than happy to trot 3 to 4 miles at a stretch once they reach adulthood. Buddy turns a year old on December 16th; he's right on schedule.

The pillows. Yes, I am still beading pillows. My mom has actually started listing in my Etsy shop and you can see her excellent work in the Quilts by Marno section ~ Marno

Buddy has his own Facebook page which you can like at Buddy

Autumn Walk

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 17:18:00 +0000

I have lived in Minnesota almost all of my life. It is a beautiful state. Some people complain about the snow and cold, but it's the real four seasons that make living here so special. Today is a lovely day: sunny and currently 65 degrees (appreciated more because soon that snow and cold will arrive!).

The walk begins on a nearby bike path heading south.

The neighbors.

Seems vacant at the moment.

Zumbro River near Mayowood mansion.

Canada geese gliding on the Zumbro.

The walk home. (My house is straight ahead.)

News from the Craft Room

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:24:00 +0000

With summer 2013 now only a string of special memories the craft room has kicked into high gear with a flurry of holiday activity! More fabrics of orange, brown, green and red are appearing. Seed beads of gold and glass beads of silver, red and crystal seem to be multiplying on the work table, too.

A couple of fall-themed pillows have already made their way into my Etsy shop and beyond. And it’s time, once again, to bead cardinals and pine needles. Plans are also in the works for me to “teach” a pillow beading class at a local fiber arts boutique in late October.

It’s an exciting, busy time of year. But when is it not? You may remember that I spent much of this year preparing for my daughter’s wedding – which was an awesome success on July 13. Post wedding I spent some relaxing time at the lake. I am looking forward to creating new and unique beaded pillows for the holidays.

Memorial Day Weekend at the Lake, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Wed, 29 May 2013 14:24:00 +0000

It was chilly, windy and a little rainy, but we still had a wonderful time!

Home is Where the Snow Is

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:48:00 +0000

Living in Minnesota this time of year can be very interesting. On Monday and Tuesday (April 29 and 30) we had sunshine with temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s. On Wednesday (May Day!) it poured rain. On Thursday, May 2^nd we had a record snowfall of 14.5 inches!

My backyard 5/2/13

The street out front 5/2/13

It’s no coincidence that I now live in the same town where I was born. I love Minnesota, and although I have lived in other states, this is where I am home. I enjoy our four seasons.

Old Man Winter is taking far too long to melt away this year, but it will make summer's arrival that much sweeter.

I Only Had One Bon-Bon!

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:40:00 +0000

I know, I know ~ I have not been very attentive to this blog. But I have not spent the entire time on the sofa popping bon-bons.

I’ve been busy in the craft room (see below), busy with bridal shower arrangements (the shower is tomorrow!) and busy with wedding details (programs are ready for Bride’s approval).

At this moment I am sipping a cup of Medifast cream of broccoli soup (stuck at 20 lbs. off but still optimistic) and must leave for the shower location to decorate in minutes. But I wanted to share some of my projects with you.

Peacock is done and waiting for its new owner to return from a winter in Florida. The others: Elephant, Fox, Garden and Chirping Bird are in various stages of completion.

March is in Like a Lion

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:45:00 +0000

I love snow days! They give me an excuse to put off errands and get things done around the house. I am very blessed that my “job” is right here at home, so I can just hunker down and enjoy. I’ve cleaned, done the laundry, finished up some inventory sheets and now I’m working on my newest elephant pillow.

Adding baby pink beads to Elephant.

Soon the mailboxes will be covered!

The trees in the backyard are so pretty.

News from My Craft Room

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:52:00 +0000

My craft room seems to be shrinking! Actually it is sharing space with wedding paraphernalia. In between beading pillows and other lovely things, I'm taking time to put together a bridesmaid bouquet or corsage. My first real job, at age 13, was working for a woman who created wedding bouquets and seasonal centerpieces. She taught me a lot. She also did the flowers for my wedding in 1981. She's been gone for many years now, but I am putting her lessons to good use in preparing for my own daughter's wedding in July.

I have been assigned: Flower making (we're using all silk), invitation addressing (huge box of invites are on my kitchen floor) and program creating (Please share your best ideas for these with me!)My daughter lives 3 hours away so I've also made numerous trips to the bridal shop 25 miles away. My last trip involved picking up the bride's shoes. They are a stunning purple, her favorite color. They're going to really pop peeking out from beneath her gown!

It's been busy, busy around here. Nothing makes time go by faster than preparing for a wedding! And it's all good. And it's all going to be just fine. And I'll get a massage.

Art by Golders ~ Complete with Beading

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:19:00 +0000

The last bead was sewn onto this beautiful wreath recently and it was returned to artist Golders DeWitt. What a beautiful project! I enjoyed working on it very much. Do you have art-on-fabric you'd like to have embellished with beading?

Art by Golders ~ WIP

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:39:00 +0000

Shortly before Christmas, artist and Facebook friend, Golders DeWitt (FB page), sent me a message: Would I be interested in beading one of her works of art? Tell me more, I responded as I gleefully rubbed my little hands together in anticipation. She sent me photos, approximate size and very few directions. (I liked that last one a lot.)

Earlier this month, the art-on-fabric arrived, in duplicate. Golders had included one for me to keep for myself! …. I have already discussed, at length, the possibilities for this second piece with my mother (master quilter lady). It may eventually become the centerpiece of a quilted and beaded wall-hanging…but I digress ….

Prepping fabric for beading:

1. Hand-wash with a mild detergent and dry flat

2. Iron with low heat and trim edges

3. Sew together with 100% cotton batting and linen backing

4. Lightly press again and hand-stitch opening closed

5. Select seed bead colors and 4mm glass pearls

I Resolve to...

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Remember my post from about a year ago? The one where I talked about getting unfinished projects done...something about a New Year's resolution....yeah...well, I finished them. Then I started more. Then I finished those. But as you know, there are always projects going on in our craft rooms. I walked into mine this morning and realized I am in the same boat as last year! And I felt a little twinge of guilt.

I began work on another very detailed peacock pillow. When a friend saw it she said "I'll buy that when you're done with it!" Fantastic. But now this friend is a snowbird. She's gone south until April. I immediately became bored sewing turquoise seed beads and gold pearls onto peacock feathers. That pillow's on the shelf in the closet....I have all winter, right?

And Hoot. He's a nice owl, but I'm not quite sure where I'm going with him yet so he gets set to the side.

Before Hoot there was Sun Fish. As you can see, Sun's almost (almost) completely beaded. Fish is another story.

I bought some new fabric the week before Christmas. Very pretty fabric for Valentine's. And it was calling my name yesterday. So I left Hoot again and whipped up some pillows for beading; aren't they pretty? I'm really excited to stuff and bead them!

This year's Resolution is going to be different. No more twinges of guilt! I'm my own boss. It's my craft room, they're my projects and they'll get done when I finish them. This year I resolve to lighten up! How about you?

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. ALL THE BEST TO YOU IN 2013!

The Beauty of Winter

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:05:00 +0000

From Cardinals to Peacocks

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 14:05:00 +0000

I have been working on Christmas items for my Etsy shop since September. Now the fabric is gone. Yay! Happily, sales are going well. I feel I can sit back for a few moments and enjoy the fruits of my labor. The other day I received a request to elaborately bead another peacock pillow. Because I bead all the feathers, these pillows are very time consuming...but...this wonderful customer has given me no deadline. I can work on this extravagant pillow at my leisure. Ahhhh.

A belated Happy Thanksgiving...and best of luck as you head into the hectic Christmas season.

Little Dog, Big Mission

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:55:00 +0000

You may have read past posts about my late 4-legged friend Nick the Maltese. Ask anybody who knew him, he was the BEST little dog in the world. I miss him every day but am happy to say he's still doing his doggie best to be a good little canine...and he's on a mission!

At this point I must thank two special people: Melody Lea Lamb fab artist and Inspired by Ian Ian for making Nikky's mission possible. From my favorite photograph of Nick, Melody lovingly painted an ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) and had it printed onto fabric, which I then made into a pillow and beaded.

Beaded Pillow and Melody's ACEO

Now this unique little pillow is available for sale on Ebay Nikky's mission in order to raise funds for furry and feathered friends who may one day need the services of a very special house ~ here

I'm asking you to take a few moments to learn more about the good works being done at Inspired by Ian, including Salvatore's Boarding House, and check out the Ebay auction that can help. Please share this information with your friends.

Thank you!!

What's New

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:07:00 +0000

New things are happening at The Beaded Pillow! I've created several new patterns and have been busy turning them into pillows, decorations and ornaments for the holiday season. I've also gone on a few fabulous fabric junkets around the Midwest (a couple of these in conjunction with working on wedding plans with my daughter). I've found some wonderful new fabrics, which you'll see below...and all plans for the wedding are right on track. My daughter has an app for her smart phone that lets her know when to do what. Quite convenient most of the time, a bit annoying at others. Who can relate?

A sample of "grunge" fabric. Wonderful colors and a little texture. A joy to work with.

This year I found a variety of red cardinal fabric.

These cute pillows came about after deleting one segment from the pumpkin pattern.

Girls Weekend 2012

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 01:10:00 +0000

Each year our girls weekend at the lake has a "planned" activity: horseback riding, pottery painting, shopping...this year we threw a surprise bridal shower for my daughter. Her wedding is set for July, 2013, so needless to say she was very surprised. We had a blast...ate too much, slept too little and laughed a lot.

Front row: bride-to-be Sarah, me, friend Rhonda. Back row: mom, aunt Patty, friend and bridesmaid Connie.

Autumn Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:13:00 +0000

Remember me? I have been away too long with no good excuse other than I have been in the craft room and back and forth (and back and forth) from the lake. This is such a beautiful time of the year in SE MN and NW WI. The leaves are changing and the “tourists” have gone home. The drive to the lake is a blessing and I do not mind traveling the 140 or so miles there and back as often as my life allows.

On my way down Salem Road.

Giant pumpkins in Wabasha, MN.

Beautiful sumac along Highway 53 in WI near New Auburn.

No, I do not have enough pictures of the moon rising over the point at the lake!

Bountiful fields of corn near Plainview, MN.

These road trips have inspired me to create a new beaded pillow: Pumpkin pillows! Some are already available in my Etsy shop and others have been created for a local boutique (look below). These pumpkin/gourd pillows are another excellent way for me to upcycle my fabric scraps.

Scenes from My Labor Day Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:29:00 +0000

I cannot believe we've closed out another summer, can you? When I was little my mom would say, "The older you get the quicker time goes." Moms are usually right.

Here are a few photos from our last big family weekend at the lake:

Blue Moon over Lake Chetek

The first day and already tired puppy!

Trapped together on a boat; we'll need more beer.

Keeping watch.

Backseat driver.

Burning calories.

Adding calories.

My name is Lexus and I just turned 2.

My family.

She Kissed a Frog

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:19:00 +0000

And found her Prince.

After 2 years of dating a very nice young man, my daughter and he got engaged last month. The wedding is set for next July; plenty of time to get things in order. I'm very excited and not at all anxious ~ My one and only baby girl has always been very smart, confident, opinionated, headstrong and marches to the beat of her own drum. In other words: she knows exactly what she wants for a wedding and has it nailed down. I just smile, nod and get out the credit card.

In the last couple of years she'd ask me how I knew her dad was my Mr. Right. Oh. Um. Gee, how does one know...for sure? It's a leap of faith. It truly is. But what did I say? "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince charming." Yeah, I said that.

After last month's Big Announcement I recalled the kiss a lot of frogs comment and remembered I had the frog and turtle panel by Julie Paschkis somewhere in my craft-room closet. I'm taking a break from Christmas items to work on it. Perhaps it'll be a gift to the bride, or her Prince.

Sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs, but what about the turtle?

138 Days, 12 Hours, 35 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:32:00 +0000

…and the clock is ticking.

Do you create items especially for holidays? I have always found it very hard to prepare ahead of time, perhaps because there are not enough hours in the day … I seem to always miss out on beading anything for Halloween. That’s okay, but I want to have plenty of merrily beaded pillows, coasters, hangers and ornaments done in plenty of time for Christmas.

(Cue “12 Days of Christmas” music) … It’s Christmas in my craft room! I have jolly fabrics, red and green beads, jingle bell charms and colorful ribbons everywhere in there! My main issue is staying focused. One look out the window at all the sunshine and green grass makes beading a little Christmas tree seem less appealing, but with my Etsy shop, two “real” stores and custom orders I don’t have time to waste.

How do you schedule your holiday crafting?

Back to Beading

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:43:00 +0000

I am just back from my little jaunt to the Florida Keys and Everglades. Since I had never been to Key
West I am happy to now be able to say "I've been." I am also happy to say "I am home." I think the best thing about vacations is coming home, don't you? Tomorrow I'll get back into my craft room and create another pillow. That sounds lovely.

Postcards from the edge...

Proof I made it all the way.

This was taken on my birthday. My little bro and I spent the entire day on the beach. Pretty nice way to turn a year older.

Next to the door of the Mel Fisher Museum, Key West.

The only wildlife I saw in the Everglades.

Something Old is New Again

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:53:00 +0000

What do you do with 4 antique glass doorknobs found in the basement of a house? You give them to your most talented father-in-law and he makes something really cool for you.

That’s what I did.

In 2005, when we purchased our little house by the lake the inspector told us we’d need to demolish the basement due to vermiculite, which could contain asbestos. In the process a set of doors was discovered with four matching beautiful glass knobs. The first question was why were these gorgeous knobs on doors leaning against a wall in the basement? I grabbed them and headed upstairs to replace the metal knobs on the bedroom doors with the glass. And they didn’t fit. The second question was now what do I do?

I have blogged about my wonderful father-in-law before. (http://thebeadedpillow.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-father-in-law-hes-best.html) His name is John, or Jack…Jack of all trades. A while ago I designed my dream bead rack and he built if for me. He put my craft room work station together, too. More recently he, with help from my mother-in-law, recovered the bed bench to match my new room at the lake. (Together they watched a “how to” video by Nate Berkus to make sure they “did it right.” )

One of the projects at the lake house this summer was dividing the master bedroom in half creating another bedroom. By making this change, however, the new room does not have a closet. (Do weekend guests at the lake really need a closet?) As it turns out this is the bedroom my in-laws stay in when they visit, and although they don’t need a closet, they like to hang their jackets up, at least.

I had given Jack the glass knobs on Mother’s Day along with some suggestions on creating something functional yet pretty. Here is what he made:

Look closely and you'll see that he even covered the screw holes with tips of a dowel rod that he painted white.

Now, I said there were 4 glass knobs. Well, on the other side of that sconce light there is a little door that leads into an attic. It had a small plastic knob. Now it has a very fine glass one.

My Room is Complete

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:20:00 +0000

After many weeks of tearing out walls, building a wall, painting and cleaning up the remodeling mess, my room is done. Yay! The finishing touch was the wall hanging my mom and I made to match the quilt.

The pattern for the quilt is called County Lines.

I painted the walls a new color: Crepe by Behr. I bought one gallon of paint with primer mixed in and it went on beautifully. It only needed one coat, but there is very little paint left in the can!

Several members of our family came to the lake house this past weekend. They all admired the new look and ooohed and awwwed over the quilt and hanging.

The new bedroom, which used to be the south end of our bedroom was a big hit with company, too. My in-laws stayed in that room and coming up in the next post I'll share the amazing gift my father-in-law made for me just to have in that room.

Awesome Awnings

noreply@blogger.com (The Beaded Pillow) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 01:02:00 +0000

The final phase of “fix-up at the lake house” is complete and I am thrilled with the results! From the day we bought this little house 8 years ago I have wanted to add awnings to the west side (street side) to improve the curb appeal. Mission accomplished!

Boring before.

Awesome after.