fibulae

Wikipedia says, "A Fibula (Latin "to fasten"[1]) is an ancient brooch. Technically, the Latin term fibulae refers specifically to Roman brooches, however, the term is widely used to refer to brooches from the entire ancient and early medieval world. Unlike modern brooches, fibulae were not only decorative, they originally served a practical function: to fasten clothes, including cloaks. Fibulae replaced straight pins that were used to fasten clothing in the Neolithic period and Bronze Age. In turn, fibulae were replaced as clothing fasteners in the Middle Ages by buttons. Their descendant, the modern safety-pin, remains in use today.

Fibulae, thebeadedlily style---

time flies whether you're having fun . . . or not

It's been another long while since I've updated.

That's kind of rude isn't it? You get all involved in someone's life and then one day they're just not there . . . and it's human to worry and wonder what happened to them.

After about a year of almost daily blogging, I decided to only blog if I had something to say. And here's the result. An inactive blog. When I was blogging daily I found something to say, but it took so much energy . . . a commodity I frequently run short of.

So yet another apology, a thank you to all those of you who've been thinking about me, a double thank you to each of you who have actually written and asked about me. Those are precious thoughts and actions. And an update!

We're DIY'ers and we just refloored and repainted hald of our home . . . it looks like we're just going to trip on stacks of flooring for a while, before we get around to the other half.

My bedroom is in the done half, and I'll have to take some pictures at some point. It's very me, which is to say, I think it's wonderful-- though certainly not everyone would.

My studio corner is in the undone half . . . more on that later.

My shrink upped my Prozac dose and suggested a vitamin regimen and a beady buddy over at MannyBeads (who daylights as a shrink) made arrangements for me to get my hands on a sunbox for light therapy.

These things seem to give me more energy than I've had for a couple of years.

An artist friend of mine from California has moved out to Georgia for awhile and we've had a lovely time getting to know each other better-- that includes going to art supply and bead stores, on nature walks where she brings her camera and shoots mushrooms and I keep an eye out for bones, feathers and dead bugs, and planning a trip to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History while I hold still enough for her to sketch. Well-- I have to have something to do with all of that wonderful energy and I'm very much looking forward to getting to know Da Vinci and Van Gogh a bit better!

On my mind has been fibula design. Diana of DyeDianaDye asked me about pins for a new line of Kestrel Vests and I've been fiddling with those. On aforementioned bead store run I laid my eyes and hands on some fabulous African recycled glass beads that will make an appearence in these pins!

On the 12th I'm headed to Hawaii for the first time. There will be pictures!

All in all my quiet time has been a scene of melancholic lethargy punctuated with bright sparks of joy more intense than I've had since this particular episode started. I moved my g-mail status from Level Red to Aftermath and I'm grateful to be on an upswing.

new mucha collection from thebeadedlily

Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) produced a flurry of paintings, posters and illustrations, as well as designs for jewellery, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what became known as Art Nouveau (French for 'new art').


He has always been a favorite of mine and this collection focuses on him and another current obsession-- the use of color.

I have plans to enlarge the collection with earrings and then I'll just see how it's received before I expand it farther.

Innocence, from the Sweet Figments giveaway left for it's new home today and we're about 50 tweets from a winner on my Twitter giveaway-- as outlined below!

giving still more away

The Twitter giveaway is still on! Going slower than I expected actually and I've contemplated awarding the necklace to the 500th tweep to tweet it instead of the 1000th. Then I woke up to a flurry of activity this morning, and decided to stick with 1000-- now I'm thinking 500 may indeed be better.

If you're on Twitter please enter to win and help me spread the word!

Just tweet this message: Please retweet! *WIN THIS CHOKER* from thebeadedlily http://bit.ly/9SCTt 1000th RT wins, max 1 RT per hour

Also though I'm offering this pretty purple concoction through Sweet Figments. Please go check out the short article and leave a comment there one the Sweet Figments blog to win!

giving it away

more pictures

If you're on Twitter and you'd like to enter to win it tweet this message: "*WIN THIS CHOKER* from thebeadedlily http://bit.ly/9SCTt 1000th RT wins, max 1 RT per hour"

I hit 2000 hearts in my Etsy shops today!

customer appreciation shot

I love it when my friends buy my stuff and it's not because of the money. It's because if a friend buys it I get to see it again every now and then.

The same thing applies to pieces I give as gifts.

One of the best parts about home parties and craft shows is seeing someone put something on and wear it when they walk walk away.

Selling online, I do miss that.

So I was excited to hear from the fabulous (and fabulously dressed) Sam!

Her photo adorns the the front page of The Small Studio where one can purchase insanely incredible custom-made tribal-style belly dance raiment, *sigh*

The nose ring she's wearing is one of my Rajasthani pieces-- and doesn't it look wonderful on her?

Hanan of Smoke Tribal Bellydance

Photo Credit: W. Eugene Slowik

I've worked with several dancers on naths as well-- and begged for pictures-- but this one was the best surprise! Even better when she gave me permission to share!

I love to look at the customer appreciation pictures on Etsy too, when folks find the time to leave them!

rajasthani rings

wonder and rainbows- traveling dreamcoat #1

She sings of freedom, said one of the artists who worked on her, Kay of On Slender Threads.


After my journey with RubyFruit I had only anticipation for Wonder-- no anxiety. I wasn't worried that I would ruin her but had confidence that we'd work something out.

I pulled her out of her box and admired the fabulous lining and the perfectly dyed and draped ribbons and delicate scrollwork of beading. I slipped her on and admired the unstitched sides and the dyed-paisley patterns. I took a page from Mara's book and found a piece of work that hadn't panned out. Long story short, I had a custom order and the customer changed her mind and exchanged the piece for a different piece leaving us both quite happy and me with a strip of beadwork. I didn't quite know what to do with it-- a two drop peyote strip 13 1/2" x 3" in purples, bronzes and pinks. Like Mara's silk, this matched Wonder perfectly. As if it were made for her.

I began stitching it on with no hesitation then changed my mind about the placement, pulled out the stitching with no hesitation and restitched it elsewhere-- again no hesitation. Freedom indeed!

Saturday I had a jewelry party-- a pretty big event for me as it may be the first time in almost a year that I've ventured into a crowd for social purposes.

Amazingly, my anxiety level was nearly on par with my normal-facing-a-crowd level-- which is quite high, but far below the I'm-going-to-go-mad panic attacks that have been dogging me for awhile now.

On the way home it was pouring! When went back outside after the rain stopped there was the most amazing rainbow I've ever seen adorning the sky. It was a perfect arch, fully formed, from one horizon to the other and the color was prismatic-- amazingly intense and saturated.

According to Genesis the rainbow is a symbol of God's promise to not destroy the world by water again. I've always associated rainbows with freedom from fear.

Sunday I needed something rhythmic to do.

I picked Wonder up. The panel drapes beautifully along the back edge, not showing from the front very much at all. I would have slid her in her box confidently enough, but she's destined to wait with me for her journal. So today I stitched beads along the rest of the edge I embellished with the strip.

I have the freedom to go on, if I choose, and embellish other edges. I have the freedom to stop. I have the freedom to not worry about it tonight!

I think we're done. But I thought we were done Thursday and I'm enjoying the freedom of changing my mind.