Beaded Cork

I don't drink.  I just don't like the taste of alcohol.  That said, I think certain bottles are cool looking and now, I think some wine corks are pretty!  My cousin, Deanna and her fiancé, Burkley, visited with us and suggested a bottle of wine to go with supper one night.  Greg said the wine was good, but I couldn't see why people drink the stuff.  But the cork is pretty!

I was going to throw the cork away, but decided on a whim, to bead the sides.  I also put a few rhinestones on the middle.  Sorry, the glue is still drying.  Yuck.  But you get the idea.  If I were to do this again, I'd start with an embroidery piece at the ends and work up the sides.

Making Crosses

Around January, I started beading crosses.  At first I planned on only making a few and giving them as gifts for my mom and my mother-in-law.  Then I started making more, in all sorts of colors.  I thought about giving them to extended relatives, but realized some people might not want them.

Instead, I donated 21 crosses to the church where we attend service.  Below are some of the crosses.

I made this one for Holly's youngest daughter.  It was fun to work in the bright colors.

This one I made for my sister-in-law, Madelyn.  She requested the black and gold.

Shhhh Surprise for my Mom

My Mom's birthday is in September, but I started her birthday gift very early, because I knew this one would take a long time and with having a baby... time is a gift.

My parents will be going to China in the next year.  The necklace below is Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW) - both the necklace and pendant.

The pendant is the Chinese symbol for Longevity.  In China, the butterfly is the symbol of Love.  The "caged" beads on the necklace represent the Chinese lanterns.

Usually when I make a necklace that is this difficult of a pattern, I only attempt it once.  But I like it so much, I might make one for me as well :)