Jules Beads

Feb 2010

2010-03-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

My theme right now is to work hard at taking another path then whats comfortable. I want to stretch myself even just a little past my comfort zone and risk change, newness, and the unfamiliar. I have so much fear that I carry around daily but I know how to do this and I know my tolerance level very well so I know just where to stop. I am feeling stagnant, and stuck I need to walk a different path, take some risks,do something different and have faith that I will still get there whereever "there" may be. A simple plan , yet very scary.

2010-03-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

2010-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

I started my BJP a little early(over the xmas holiday) because I was so happy to get all the snow we were getting. It was so beautiful. A Christmas just like the storybooks talk about. A white pristine blanket of snow, fluffy, sparkly and cold. I loved it so I got all my white, clear, and blueish beads about and started working eagerly. Well, that didn't last long because it then got so cold and icy here in MN. We have had a horrible winter so far, along with the rest of the country. So I lost my energy and I believe it shows. But I'm OK with that. Its pure survival here. The fabric is a swatch that Robin sent me. I thought it was perfect for the piece.

August

2009-08-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

With August I wanted to get all things I love in one scene. I still think of Yellowstone because it has mountains, water, flowers rock that all just fit together. Sometimes there is turbulence, sometimes there is calm. But there is always beauty. We have to stop and put some space between ourselves and the object so we can possibly understand it and not be so afraid. If we can remov ourselves from the muck we can see beauty. Im thankful for this. Im at a very early stage of understanding this so my writing isnt totally clear but Im moving forward and with this I can feel "The Sunlight of the Spirit".

July: The Wren

2009-08-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

Though I like the theme of my July piece I couldnt really figure out how to portray art wise so I feel its rather childlike. I decided to leave it though since simplicity is kind of my subject matter. I had a pair of wrens that were kind enough to nest in my front yard. We really had to readjust our front yard activities to avoid their house and not disturb them-believe me they let us know if we got to close. I became very vigilant every day to check on their progress. I saw how hard they work to raise a family. My ultimate thrill was going to be watching the babies fledge. One morning I went out with my coffee to watch and to my surprise they were all gone. It was totally quiet. I was really disappointed but also thought about how I was able to stop and listen to their song which is very powerful for a small bird, hear their chattered scolding, and just get out of my head for a time. I feel really honored that they chose my yard. I really learned from it.

June 09

2009-07-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

In keeping with my theme of feeling the "Sunlight of the Spirit" I was feeling huge respect and appreciation for rain, something we here in St. Paul have not had much of. I eventually decided to do a piece in green representing all things in my garden-fragrance, flowers , foliage and growth. As I was beading I started tuning in to feelings inside of me that felt calm, quiet, content, satisfied . ..It was strangely unfamiliar but felt it was very important to stay with it and not be afraid . So this piece is called GROWTH because I do in fact notice a change.

2009-07-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

2009-06-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

May 09 My May piece was an experiment for me. This tulip was in my garden this spring. It was one of the last tulips to bloom. I just loved the colors of this tulip. It just grabbed me with just the right shade of pink with just the right shade of yellow. I was just captivated by its beauty,stunning. I took pictures of it one day and became aware of how by looking at it I was able to think about just the flower, nothing else. I had a quiet mind for even a couple minutes. I have to work hard at being mindful so if it happens without trying I better pay attention. I decided I would do my May BJP on this tulip.. Because of this tulip I was able to feel the Sunlight of the Spirit . For this Im grateful. I dont usually like yellows so I had to shop for just the right yellow and just the right pink. I painted my fabric with the colors I needed and had a beautiful pink and yellow ribbon that I found in my stash of ribbons. Its not a tulip but a representation of something beautiful.

april 09

2009-05-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is my April piece. I felted the tulip onto some handdyed fabric. Its green but it shows blue. I love tulips and wait all winter for them. Here in St.paul, Mn they were very welcome to my eyes. we have not had a great spring. Its been cold, and not as wet as we'd like. We are already down on our moisture. The advantage of the cool though is the tulips have lasted so long. I am feeling excited to spend my summer in my garden. Julie

2009-04-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

March BJP I could not even sit to bead for a while..I sometimes struggle with intense anxiety so its hard to be still. I could not think of :the sunlight of the spirit". Then I was getting anxious because I was getting behind. Finally I decided to bead my anxiety. I hand painted some Lutradur that I bought from Quilting Arts on line store. Pretty fun. Then I melted it with a heat gun. I did some stamping as well. I tried to figure which colors radiate anxiety...Who knows. It may be a little orderly for anxiety but I think it may have put a space between my anxiety and my person. I messed around with some texture ,the ups and downs and arounds.

February A beginning

2009-03-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

Feb09-Im working on a difficult issue in my life. Somehow I need some help so...in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anoymous , page 12 it says "it was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. " I felt some relief while reading this so I decided to do my Feb piece on this. I found a fabric I wanted to use. I wanted to work in a color I dont love to push my comfort level a little. I used some gold angelina and felted it into the fabric. I just beaded on top of this. I didnt know what would happen, infact throughout most of it I did not have a plan. I did play with some stitches From Robins book. I used the small bugle beads in the lower left corner to make what turned out to be dahlis. I tepeed them. I really like the effect,though close up all you can see is the flaw of the thread between the beads. I want to work with this a little. My objective while working on this piece was to feel the presence of "something other then me. This was my exercise. It helped some but as they say progress not perfection. I need to become willing in order to allow in the Sunlight of the Spirit. This is a beginning for me.

ATCs

2009-02-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share what I did over the last month of this cold, cold winter. I made about 15 ATC's to give away to whomever. It was fun. It took me away. I have also been wet felting. This is the first bag I ever made. I added some vintage handles for it. I love the craft of felting but it is very timeconsuming.

2009-02-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

January Work

2009-01-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

This month my subject is on authenticity, or being" true to my heart".. The tip starts with the white -being my true self. As I go along in my day I get involved with all the negative self talk, or the shoulds or the shouldnts, or the too high expectations, or the Im so specials...I then find myself totally spinning out of control. Im agitated, anxious, angry...you name it. Eventually I become aware of what Im doing and make a decision to change what Im doing and take a deep breath, watch my thoughts and realize what my values are.I know I have learned the tools to get back to my authentic self which is the bottom part of the heart(the white section). I do not always do this but I try, try, try. Thats the beauty of a 12 step program-its a continuous process. I always have the option. So here is "be true to my heart".

2009-01-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hi there everyone. Ive finished my Dec. piece. Being that it was the xmas month I thought of giving -mostly of myself rather than an item. In Alcohlics Anonymous we have a pledge that many mtgs open or close to. Its called the responsibility pledge. It is"If anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hands of AA always to be there. For that I am responsible. Its really how AA works. We give to others and we get the benefit of helping others as well as helping ourselves by getting out of ourselves. In busy lives its hard to do this but in my opinion its what makes the world go round. Have a peaceful 2009 everyone. Julie

2009-01-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

November BJP

2008-12-20T11:15:00.000-08:00

To feel the Sunlight of the Spirit which is my theme this year I think of the word gratitude. In Alcoholics Anoymous November is gratitude month. So many readings are centered on service to others, which in turn serves us and also to be grateful for what we have no matter how little we may have. I have many things to be grateful for -though often I forget and feel overwhelmed with lifes demands. I attend AA mtgs twice a week so that I can be reminded of this. In the book As Bill Sees It (page 37) the reading is titled A Full and Thankful Heart and we read it at a recent mtg we took to a treatment center on Thanksgiving Day. It really grabbed me and I knew I had to do my Nov. piece on this topic. Bill says to try for a full inventory of my blessings and then for a right acceptance of my many gifts that are mine both temporal and spiritual. Here I try to achieve a state of joyful gratitude. When brimming with gratitude ones heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.I know my life will only improve if I try to live by Bills words.

2008-12-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

Description coming soon...

2008-10-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Some Close-ups for your viewing pleasure.

2008-10-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am finally able to have someone help me post. My pieces this year are a theme. I am a recovering alcoholic. I have 14 years of sobriety. This year I decided to focus on a line I really love that is in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous On page 66. It says that when harboring feelings of anger and resentment we block ourselves from the "Sunlight of the Spirit". So I am doing my pieces an things that I feel gratitude or appreciation for. I hope that this in turn will encourage me to feel more peaceful within.

This is my September piece. My husband and I went to Yellowstone and I was just in awe of its beauty...I found this piece of hand dyed silk in my stash and it reminded me of yellowstone. So off I went with my theme. Im really happy with it. I found myself feeling excited to work on it each day. .

Below is my October piece. We took my motherin law on a long drive of the leaves 2 weeks ago and it was so beautiful. The reds were spectacular. Ferne was just so thrilled to see the beauty on a sunny day. The sun filtered through them. I have found that hearing her reactions to things I take for granted helps me appreciate them. I learn a lot from her. She is 91 and fairly housebound so she loves getting out with us to see even the every day of the world. This is why I decided to work with only autumn colors. There isnt really a shape to it but it did turn out to resemble a cottonwood leaf. Funny how that works.

This is a piece I did for my sister Wendy.

My sister wanted me to do three pieces for her. This is it finished and I backed it on a piece of wet felting that just asked for it. So here it is finished.

November

2008-06-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is an early piece. It came out looking like a bird so-its a bird, a very colorful bird. Really not much meaning for me.

2008-06-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

I found a fabric with the word "rejuvinate". I put it in this piece but it got covered up. I just had fun with the colors. I used ruffles again.Again with the orange.

July

2008-06-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

This was an early piece and again was just playing. I have this way of cleaning up my bead tray. I pick up whats on it from other projects and just go. This is what happened with it. It reminds me of a brain. I do not have any deep thoughts on this. It just helps me escape from the committee in my head.

April

2008-06-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

I have just been playing with colors that make me feel good. Orange is pleasing me and I also was experimenting with ruffles and the green swirls. I like where the dragonfly landed accidentally.

2008-03-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

February

This is something Ive been working on personally for some time now. The 2 Gingko leaves represent the 2 sides of me. The upper leaf being the young,playful part. The lower leaf being the tough,layered dense texture that you cant possibly get to. Very protective. Im feeling like I dont need that as much anymore. I could remove the spikes certainly. But one step at a time, right? I really like this piece,I think its my favorite.

January

2008-03-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

I was just really feeling like doing a piece with orange and blue. I love that combination. I started with the orange curve and it grew from there. I was walking to my car one day and found this bottlecap in the street. thus the title A Little Blue.

Three additional pieces

2008-03-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

October

I did this right after my son got married. I felt so relieved that I finally had time to bead something that wasnt for the wedding. I quickly found a scrap and just got beading. I think it reflects freedom. Unfortunatly it was short lived (time that is).

September-Turbulence

2007-09-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is the first piece I was actually thinking of a topic. I am working on some personal issues around surrendering. I am not very fond of blues so I figured I should do a piece with all blue so I could stretch my comfort level. My husband was looking at it and saw turbulence-hence the name. I wish I could say "there,I surrender" . I need to do more on this topic-but it is a start right?

August

2007-09-30T13:15:00.001-07:00

July

2007-09-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is also a piece that I had unfinished. I am happy to be finishing these works. I feel like I am putting things in order.

June piece

2007-09-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is my first piece. I was kind of loose about it because of time restrictions. I found some silk from a kimono that I used,and a bracelet that I made that I didn't like. I was kind of cleaning house in my bead stash since I never throw anything away and this is what I came up with.

Improv Bead Embroidery

2007-09-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

These are some earlier pieces that Ive done. They don't have a purpose yet but I have them in a special place for when there purpose comes up. They could be a card, purse, box.

Some of my Bead Embroidery work

2007-09-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have always liked purses ever since I was small, so it was only natural that when I started to bead I would use them on purses. I like vintage cloth and often use it for the lining of them. I don't use patterns and they are pretty simple in design. The focus is on the bead work. They are getting more collage like now and this is so exciting to me because the sky is the limit as to what I can put in the design.

Necklaces

2007-09-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

I was in an art show last spring and these are a few of my pieces that I had for sale.

This is one of my collage necklaces,using several different colors and shapes.

My first post

2007-09-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am just learning to write a post. Here is a free form peyote bracelet I made a couple of years ago.

I really like the gold beads with the coral . I have made several free form pieces because I never know how they will turn out.