October: Getting Started

I have started my block for October, I am going out of town this weekend and wanted to have the painting part finished so I could take it with me to work on. If you want to see it you can check it out on my BJP blog. I want to thank everyone for all of the great comments and say once again that I am amazed at how we are doing and all of the wonderful diversity already showing for this year.

Angie

Lagging

I am ashamed to have to admit I am lagging behind already. For about the past month, I have gone through a beading slump. Didn't stop entirely, but seriously lacked motivation. However, I have now kicked myself in the B***, and will be beading regularly from now on. I should be caught up with my WIPs by the end of October, including my BJP pages. Hate when this happens.

I'm impressed by all the pages I have peeked at so far. Nice eye candy out there. Keep it up, and I promise I will catch up shortly.

Arline
http://sharedstuffbyarline.blogspot.com/

September Bead Journal Project -A Newbie Says Thanks

I want to thank all of you who have made comments to my September project. It is so encouraging to a new member of this wonderful inspiring group. The work presented on the various blogs is so inspiring and wonderful. Well I never have met a "bead" I didn't like, except those ones in the lot who get stuck on the needle. Aren't they always the ones on the bottom of the needle? I am checking out all the post that I have time for on the blogs. 2008 will be a wonderful year!!!!
www.nevertoolatetohavefun.blogspot.com/
Well I do need to find a new word - other than wonderful - put "awesome" in those spots.

September Page Is Mine!

Hi Everyone.

Thank you Robin for sponsoring this project. I hope you know how much you are loved and appreciated. I have just completed my first page and have really enjoyed the beading. I am also actually surprised at how creative my mind can be. And its been a wonderful experience meeting other beaders who are participating. Please visit my blog to see my first page.

September complete

Hello I have completed my September project. It has really been a blast so far. If anyone would like to see it It can be found at my livejournal.

http://mlmhm45.livejournal.com/

Thanks for looking
Michelle

September Bead Journal Project - Done

I just posted my completed September 2008 Bead Journal Project. It turned out better than I expected, except for finishing the edges. Since I have no idea yet where these projects are going, I am going to just wait for final edging. It finished 4 1/2 inches -I think I may be a little ambitious on this size to do it all year, we'll see! Being my first year - I hope to learn a LOT. If you want to see my project go to http://www.nevertoolatetohavefun.blogspot.com/
Thanks for looking. See you in October. There are some fantastic beaders on this journal.
Brenda

Not BJP related, but bursting to share!

Night before last, my oldest son called at 11pm to tell me that he and his wife were expecting their first baby-my first grandchild! I'm going to be a Granna!!!

We are very excited for them both-they will make wonderful parents, and I am very much hoping for a little girl (three boys, go figure) to spoil, and so are they.

I just had to share!

Anna

September page is done!

I have really shifted directions this year. Instead of working on techniques, I've decided to work on symbolism and expression. I've chosen a simple heart design and a phrase or verse from one of the Psalms to be the unifying themes for each month, and the size is tiny...just 4x4. And each page is very very simple. I like it...it's soothing to make them.

You can see the first one on Jewelry&Beading if you'd like :-)

Last Year's Beading Finished

I have finally finished my May page for last year. If you are interested you will find it here . I am pleased with it and have new plans for finishing the pages. Now I need to go get my pic on the web page.
Timaree

September beading done

There's an image of my September piece on my blog . I'm going to be doing a cuff bracelet each month, keeping the projects small enough to finish and have them be a nice collection at the end.

September page

I have completed my page for September. I enjoyed working on this one immensely, the colors are bright and happy and it allowed me to work through some stress from my job. If you would like to take a peek, you can see photos on my blog.

I'm thoroughly enjoying viewing all the pages to date and reading about the processes of others as they embark on their journey for the year.

Grace
GraceBeading

September page is finished!!!!

My September page is finished and I'm glad that I still have a few days left in September cause I still haven't finished all my pages from last year!

If you wish to see my piece visit my blog page

http:/nightbeaderatlarge.blogspot.com

Beadily yours
Susan Feldkamp
aka Night Beader

Sept page complete!

I've completed my first page with time to spare! How bout that! mariasangel --a big thank you to everyone who posted comments :) I am working on getting comments posted back to you ;)

Maria in Chicagoland

September Update from Madeline

I have made some changes to my blog and posted an update on my September piece. I actually was able to follow Diane's instructions and successfully added the project button to my blog. For someone who is new to blogging this is a huge success. Another way I am building skills by taking part in this project.

I have my September entry partially completed and have not even begun to prep for my October piece. I am thinking based on my theme that I will need to go and look for some fabric and beads since, if I stick to my theme, I will need to buy supplies since it is not a color palette that I normally work in (at least I can look forward to the supply shopping--maybe that will help to motivate me). I am usually drawn to the cool colors and this will require me to move to another warm color (the orange family) which will be a stretch for me. To see a more detailed note on my September piece go to my personal blog.http://maddiemibjp08.blogspot.com/

First BKP project Sept08

I am a BJP newbie. I am very excited about this project. I cannot wait to see how my work and other people's work changes over the course of a year. You can see my September project here. Please feel free to post a comment on my blog.
Belinda aka crazyartgirl
Aurora, IL

Introduction

Hi,
I'm Michelle M from Florida. I'm 46 a mother of 2 and Grandmother of 1. I was very inspired by last years BJP and am very excited to be a part of this years. You can see what I am up to at my journal.

Michelle

September Part 1 -To be Continued

Just so excited about working on this September project that I have posted a little preview and story to begin this journey. My goal is to improve my beading and creativity each month as we go along together.
The beading has been so peaceful - I recently purged my sewing room - it had gotten overwhelming. Now I have places to work on projects and know (well pretty much) where my things are and what I have. Actually I went from one room to two rooms so it is even better. My journey can be found on my blog at:
http://www.nevertoolatetohavefun.blogspot.com

Brenda

September BJP08

Yay. I have finished my September page. You can see it on my blog if you want. Now that I am done with that I get to take a look at all the postings on these three blogs. See ya.
Timaree

Hi from one of the Kentucky gals

All I can say is that it's amazing to be part of this project - how exciting! I've settled on a tag shape for my base and had my September almost finished. But my Dad's unexpected surgery last Monday sent me back to the drawing board (literally). You see, my dad is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's so my September BJP will be for him.
So I'll be stitching this weekend with a post soon to show my work in progress.
Diana Welte
along the Ohio River in Maysville

Intro and progress

BJP newbie here :) I heard about this project just days before the sign up closed and I knew I had to join! Luckily there were still a few spaces left!! I had some swap obligations to complete, so i had a late start on this month's project, but it is going well and I am happy with it so far. Please visit my blog for my intentions for the year and to see what I've done so far--suggestions welcome!!

I have really been enjoying visiting everyone's blog and seeing the beauty in the sheer variety of ideas!!

Maria from Chicagoland

Introduction and where I am going

Hello my name is Angie and I am a returning BJPer. I am afraid that in most of my life I seem to be behind except my beading (got to have priorities).

I kept meaning to post an introduction here but just didn't get to it. The photo is a close up from one of my pages from last year. I live in Southern Maryland and have beading since 2003. I love bead embroidery. Last year I combined photography and beading this year I am combining mixed media, painting and beading.

I started planning the background for this piece in May and started working on it in June. The background will probably take me most of the year to complete. I am working on each of the 12 blocks that will go onto this background in it's month. I have finished September's block and it is on my blog. I am including information on the techniques I am trying, symbolism and what my piece means to me.

For those who want to know what I have been up to I am including links below to my BJP posts in the order they were written and my web gallery and website.

July 1- A Seed Germinates
July 4- Goals For A New Year
July 7- A Sapling Takes Root In Purple Dirt
July 10- Trying New Techniques/Collaging my World
July 13- How Do I Do It/ It's A Secret
July 16- Like Leaves On A Tree: Plenty Of Ideas
July 19-Painting My World/A Tree Takes Form
July 21- Ever Tree Needs Leaves
July 24-Leafing Out
July 27- The Tree Is Planted And Gets More Leaves
July 30- A Secret Takes Shape
August 2- A Door Takes Form
August 6- Stitching Up A Fern
August 10- Ocean Waves
August 14- Getting To The Roots Of The Matter
August 18- Moss at the Roots of My Tree
August 22- Stitching Grass
September 7- A Mountain Of Strength
September 12- Honu Swimming (September block)
September 14- Honu in Beads (September block finished)

My Web Gallery- Includes photos of both of my BJP pages and Susan Plager's Graduation.
Artistic Kreations and Passions- my website

BJP Website (my 2007-8 pieces)

Done for Sept.

I've completed the September BJP, photographed it and finally got it on the computer. If you'd like to see it you can visit my Blog here.

I have to say, even with me being tramatized by my mistake, I really enjoyed it. I learned a valuable lesson (always good to learn) and am anxious to get going on October' page. This is quite relaxing, I must say.

If you do end up checking my page, please let me know what you think. Do you think it needs to have the edge finished or should I leave it as is?

September Rune Done!

Hi, fellow beadniks! I've finished my September piece & you can see it here if you're one of the lookies! I'm so glad I picked a smaller size this year as I have alot on my plate.
Been checking out everyone's blogs, & even if I haven't had time to comment on them, I just think everyone is doing incredible work! Yea for us!!!
Warmest aloha,
CC

Working out the Kinks!

I have been thinking about how to work my BJP the way I wanted to work it and today I finally decided that I just had to do a sample! I'm planning on doing a butterfly a month, with a different colour from the colour wheel for each month. This will be a 3-D piece when it is finished at the end. You can see what I've been doing at my blog.

I'm off to find beads.

Cindy Kuo
IL & Hong Kong

Getting Started

It's great to see so many people starting and even finishing their Sept. pages. If there are still people out there who aren't sure how to get going, remember that there are some tips in the FAQS section of the homepage. Check them out and see if any are helpful to you.

October 2008 BJP Finished

I know this is crazy, but tonight I finished my October piece.

I am so concerned that something will come up and I will fall behind in this year's project that I bead every minute I can on this so I am at least in good shape if something should come up. With DH being hospitalized and other health issues, I guess it is best to just bead when you can.

Anyway, as per my September post, my focus for this year are little birds -- each month a new bird and when all are completed they shall share nest space in a large grapevine wreath that will hang above our fireplace.

If you take to take a "peep", just click
HERE and I hope you will enjoy her.

Jackie Y in Illinois
My Blog

Change

September being my birthmonth has always been a time of reflection for me; to review the previous year - cherish the blessings and reaffirm the lessons of simply living life. It is also the progression of Alaska's "obscenely green" summer into the slower pace of winter, when we stop our frenetic pace and get some much needed rest. Autumn's rust slowly creeps down the mountain sides only to be replaced by a dusting of snow. Change is at hand, gladly welcomed by me (the one who's husband comes home to find the living room rearranged, yet again...).
As a first year participant, I look forward to raising my artistic & technical skills that this sort of project encourages; it is also a chance to create a physical, concrete representation of what my life held for me at this time last year, and what it currently holds. A blending of my emotional & physical naivete' last year with all the things that I've learned of human nature and the challenges of fighting breast cancer. This month's piece I've titled "Grief & Loss; Love & Redemption" and captures the essence of change, the overall theme I've chosen for this project. Live fully, love fiercely, laugh often, and bead happy!
:o) Jennifer J.

My September bjp

Hi all, I've been working away on my project for September. I have chosen 10" x 10" blocks which are done in "encrustation" the trapping of objects between muslin then embellishing with threads and beads.
Go to my blog to view my almost finished block. Still needs more beading.
http://threadsnfiber2.blogspot.com

Patsy

Been busy stitching!!

See my blog for TWO BJP pieces (still got to decide which is final size) & a semi-finished UFO.

Denise

Using Labels

So - it's me again. Now that we are in full swing, I'd like to repost some info from Robin:


Labels
For this BJP year, I've already determined the acceptable labels for your posts. Please stick with these labels. It will take a few posts to get them all in the index. In this post, I've added all the months. If you post about your work for a specific month, you can use the appropriate month label for it.

When you post, click on Show all at lower right of posting box, and choose appropriate label(s) from the list shown.

The reason to limit the possible labels is because it's easy to get too many labels (confusing) or ones that are too long (hide the down arrow).

Hope this is OK with everyone. If you feel it's important to add a label, please ask Diane M. (our blog master) about it. Thanks!

Please note... there are too many of us to label posts with our names. Instead, please sign every post with a link to your blog, website or email, as I have done below.

Robin A.

Blogging Tips

Hi - it's me again - the blog "angel". There are a lot of new folks joining us this year and it's been requested that I post some information about easy ways to post to Blogger, so here goes -

* If you want to add a link to your blog (or any other website) in your post: Click "New Post" Type your entry into the box. Highlight the words you want to link to by left clicking the words and dragging the cursor over them. They will turn blue. Then click the icon that looks like a green circle with a link on it. A window will pop up that says "script prompt". In that window type the URL of your blog. For example, the URL of blog #1 of the 08 Bead Journal Project is "http://www.08bjp.blogspot.com"

* If you want to add a photo to your post do the same steps to make a post but click on the icon that looks like a photo (the 2nd one from the right). From here you can either upload a picture from your computer by using the buttons that says "browse", finding the picture on your computer, the clicking 'upload the image'.

OR

to use the 'add an image from the web" feature, type the URL of the picture into the box and click 'upload the image'. The URL of the picture can be found by right clicking the picture and going to 'properties'.

* If you want to add the Bead Journal Project to your blog -

First 'right click' on the button and save it to your computer.
Then on your blog, go to 'edit layout'.
Pick "add a gadget".
Then pick "picture"
In the 'link' field type http://www.beadjournalproject.com
In the 'image' link chose "from your computer" and upload the graphic you've saved.
Click "save" and you're done.

I hope this helps - If you need help, feel free to email me.

Diane
http://www.mountainsaltstudio.blogspot.com

September Page is finished!!!

I'm so proud of myself! My September page is finished! I undoubtedly will get behind before the year is over but for now I'm done early! My page is not encrusted with beads, more of a mixed media book page, wish I could totally encrust it with beads like you all do, it's so beautiful, but my numb hands are giving me fits so I can't do that for now....... Let me know what you think. Hopefully it's not too off the wall for the BJP. :D Marva

I guess a link would help: (LOL)!
http://purplepaintsmuse.blogspot.com/

Finished September

I just posted my September "page" on my blog if you'd like to take a look.

http://heidibeads.blogspot.com/

Having fun trying to keep up with everyones post. I'm amazed. It's going to be a wonderful year.

Mounting/Finishing BJP pieces

I happened across a link I wanted to share with some cool suggestions on mounting fiber collages that may change my BJP plans, as it has opened up some new possibilities and ideas for finishing my BJP pieces.

A call for entries has gone out for next year's Fiberarts For a Cause project - Collage Mania 2009. "All materials are acceptable, but collages must contain some fiber (paper, fabric, or other fibrous material). There are no restrictions on content or style. Art quilts are, of course, acceptable." All entries must measure or be finished to a size of 10x8", but they provide a FAQ on acceptable mounting options if your collage is not 10x8".

By the way, I did finish my first Sept piece, plus two more (all different shapes and sizes, however...). No pictures, posted yet, either. plus the FAQ I've linked to may change things altogether. So, I'm really not very far along in the making-a-final-choice-in-the-size-department. I'll keep you posted.

On the Move

I am on the move! On my blog you can see the start to this year and how close to done I am on the last page of last year. I've been trying to get around to see everyone's blogs. There are a lot! I will get to yours if I haven't yet. I don't intentionally leave some un-looked at. We are in this together.
Timaree

Linked Hearts Cannot be Broken

Well, it seems as though my muse was with me over the weekend...I took a couple of days at a hotel, partly to regain my focus in the aftermath of the past 5 weeks, partly to meditate on what I need, what I want in and for my future, partly to draft, if you will, the ideas for my BJP. It was a successful weekend in all regards.

I have basic sketches of each of the twelve hearts I will be beading over the course of this project..each will begin with a hand formed copper wire heart frame...within each frame will be suspended a beaded heart, most likely bead embroidered...attached to the copper framework with red threads.

These twelve hearts will be connected, or linked, together at the end of the project for a neck piece...one which I pray will never be worn...a symbol of healing, a symbol of hope, a symbol of love conquering all.

I'll be posting images on my personal blog, www.annasplaceofholding.blogspot.com , and will begin with sketches of each heart.

I've found that there is hope at the bottom of Pandora's box, and I embrace that hope.

Anna

I finally made up my mind

Okay, I finally made up my mind on the size of my BJP pieces, 6" x 6". I decided not to do the crazy quilt squares because my carpal tunnel is giving me fits, maybe next year. :) If you'd like to take a look at the start of my project it's here:

http://purplepaintsmuse.blogspot.com/

I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!
Marva

September

I've completed my piece for September. I was struggling with so many ideas and thoughts, as well as size and material. It's funny how things just fall into place just when they are needed! I settled on a finished piece of approx. 4.5 X 4 ... a little more information on my blog, http://faeak.blogspot.com/
There is also a photo on there.

Have a wonderful, beady week!

Bobi

Stumped even before beginning...

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the beautiful creations of last year's BJP. I am thrilled to be a part of it this year.
So many things are going through my head right now-too many things, maybe? Here it is, Sept. 6th and I STILL don't know what I want to do! I'm trying not to panic---hoping some fabric and beads will clue me in. But right now there's a lot of static going on in my brain and the reception is hazy!

A Huge Mistake and a Do Over

Over at my blog I am trying to keep an update of my learning process and my journal pages. If I could just remember to grab my camera....

I explained, painfully, of the mishap I had with my first page. I wasn't happy with the bezel I had done, but had decided to leave it anyhow so you could see it and hopefully, share tips for my next time. I finished beading my design (it didn't take as long as I thought) and was all ready to trim the excess and put the backing on. I know you are supposed to be careful here and I really thought I was. But....I did trim the thread. In a few places it seems. Loose beads everywhere. I ended up pulling out the stitching and will have to redo most of my stitching. While I was at it, I pulled out the bezel stitching I didn't like too. Turns out, I didn't need to bezel anything, according to a book I looked at, which was probably why it was floppy.

I considered scraping the whole thing and starting over with a new page, but this was my first one and I wanted it to be the first page. So after letting it sit for a couple of days out of sight, I am going to re-work it. It will be a tad smaller than my stated size, but that really can't be helped at this point.

Lesson one I learned: Do NOT trim your piece in the evening without great lighting.

getting started

I've decided to do a monthly cuff bracelet, each piece will be about 1.5 or 2 inches by about 6 inches long. I want to keep it small so I don't go all off the deep end and overwhelm myself each month, but I challenge me to finish each piece so it's wearable. Then, of course, I elaborated by writing a note that said "snap each bracelet to a back ground so it can be wall art"and "rubber stamp a title" Yeah..you can see why I need to keep it simple.

I'm excited to be a part of this very cool project, I followed last year's BJP and really enjoyed seeing the bead art!

The Dreaded "D" Word....

I'm thinking about one of my BJP pages and of all colors, I would really like to use a nice bright fuchsia and lighter tones, but of course, aren't nearly all pink to fuchsia beads dyed? Horrors! Who wants to put all that work into a project and have the color change right before their very eyes? So my question is for all the experienced bead embroiderers out there - have you dared to use dyed beads in your work, or even galvanized (not the new Toho permanent finish) for that matter, and did the color/finish hold up or did you regret the choice? Has anyone found a pink to fuchsia bead (preferably size 15/0, Japanese manufactured) that is color fast? Have you ever dyed your own beads? Does anyone have a not-too-complicated technique or bead treatment that aids color preservation that they are willing to share? Any advice would be dearly appreciated....

Greetings from the Pineapple State!
I'm so excited to be a part of the project this year and to see all the wonderful ideas and creativity of everyone come to life. I have been studying Hinduism lately, a culture and religion so joyful and rich with wonderful symbols, that these studies have now become the inspiration for my BJP. I haven't had a chance to read all the posts yet, so I hope I'm not duplicating anyone else's ideas, but there is so much to explore I'm sure many of us could choose this subject and still create many unique pieces. Warmest good wishes to all for a prosperous year of beading and creativity!

I've laid out my new plan for BJP 2008 and posted it on my website for blogging at http://beadfluff.blogspot.com/ if you'd like to come and take a look here.

Hi, I'm new to BJP. When I found it last year, I knew I wanted to do it. I still have no idea what I'm going to do, so I think I'll just pick a size square or rectangle and start on my September page.

Blogger Troubles?

It appears that quite a few people did not receive their invitation to become authors on the BJP blogs that were sent last month. If you did not receive your invitation, or if you know someone who did not receive theirs, please email me and I'll fix you right up.

Diane
diane.moore at gmail dot com

New To A Challenge

How exciting to try to join such a talented group of beaders. I hope when this project is through that I will make my original beading teacher - Nancy Eha- proud of my efforts. As some of the others I am also new to blogging and hope to keep a record of my efforts as part of my blog - http://www.nevertoolatetohavefun.blogspot.com .
Happy beading.
Brenda

GraceBeading - returning participant

Hi fellow beaders!

I am a returning participant and very excited about the coming year. It is so nice to see so many returning and very inspiring to see new names and to visit the blogs that go with them.

I don't know what came over me this year, but I decided to do something a bit different that what I usually do when I bead. For my pages last year, which were approximately 4 inches by 6 inches, I started with heavy duty Pellon and basted my fabric of choice for each month as they came. I backed each piece with ultrasuede (adding a bit of fiber fill) and finished the page with either a picot or pointed edge stitch so each one is a finished piece on it's own and can be displayed independently on my wall. I came to really like that method and the process. I became very comfortable with it. So that means... time for a change!

Now I'm stepping way outside my comfort zone. This time around I chose and pre-cut all the fabric pieces for each month. They are all 3 inches by 3 inches. I decided to go back to the way I first learned bead embroidery via Robin and Amy's book "Beaded Embellishment". I have attached my fabric to a piece of paper to act as the stabilizer for my beading.

I had forgotten how much I love the way it feels in my hands. The fabric drapes more and feels wonderful and heavier as more beads are added.Once I have all 12 pieces completed, I'm going to attempt to sew them all together. I don't sew and I'm not sure how I will pull this off. I did have the forethought to at least allow a small margin of fabric around each piece in order to sew them together.It looks GREAT in my head and I did manage to transfer the idea to paper, but I'll just have to see if I can move the image in my head through my hands and into the beads.

If nothing else, I know I will learn something (or lots of things) and I'm sure I'll have a blast along the way.

It's such a privilege to be included in a project with so many talented folks!

Grace
aka GraceBeading

Newbie checks in

Hi, I'm Paula T. and am one of the many new people this year. I'm not very experienced, but expect after this year that will change. I haven't started September's piece yet, but have an idea that I think will work. Reading the posts here helped a lot, thanks!

Flickr Group

A lot of people participated in the flickr group last year and it was a lot of fun so I've set up one for this year.

- HERE IS THE LINK -

Come and join in the fun!

Diane

here we go!

Have started my BJP page for September. Also made an introductory post about it and my overall goals for this year. It's very cool to be back into the spirit of things with some shifted goals and aspirations for what I hope to accomplish. The more time passes the more special and invaluable BJP becomes ...

Fixed Blog Link ~~~~

Sorry link didn't work in the previous post ---

Hope it will here.

Beadingram's blog

Jackie/IL

BJP ~ September 2008

Gosh, it is only Sept. 1st and I am actually finished with my Sept. piece and almost done with my October one.  

DH has been hospitalized a lot the past month and while it was a stressful time, my beading kept my sanity -- and I was able to finish many pieces including Sept. BJP while spending many hours at the hospital.

I have posted photos of it to  my blog if you care to take a peek. 

http://beaded-creations.blogspot.com/

Jackie/IL