Kalaya Steede

So what does that mean? Here in NOLA it means you best be sporting your Black and Gold Baby!!! I certainly am... This is a dual purpose shirt.   Half Saints (football) and half Hornets (basketball) but they are not the Hornets no longer.  I will not discuss that right now but anyway I am showing my love! I should go venture outside to see how much love our city is showing today but it is just too HOT for that! Anyhoo... what have you all been doing? It is my good friends birthday today.  She is flirting with thirty!  Hahaha...Flirty Thirty...who came up with that?   I found this cute diy tutorial on sisterstuff blog which had me asking, now why didn't I think of that? .  It is a bouquet of Blow Pops!!! Finding a box that would fit 30 Blow Pops was kind of a challenge.  At first it was becoming a bit overwhelming and then I said... self, just get on with it.  Stop over thinking this!!!  Once I did that everyt...

Here are my pictures on the process of making a tiara. I made this last Friday at The Bead Shop and the process was so meditative.  I absolutely enjoyed it!  Merci Sarah.   Starting with a simple tiara a frame was made (the big pointy loops on top).  The frame will be used to hold another set of beads. Next was adding the gold to a smaller gauge wire and mimic the frame. Voila!  The beads following the frame of the tiara.  The wire with beads was then secured on to the frame with small gauge wire. Now for the black and gold.  I had to decide on the pattern and how many beads I will need to go under the frame.  So here is my way of testing things out.  Of course I needed more beads then I thought. Using 26 gauge wire I added beads under the frame and secured it to the tiara and the frame. A close up. To finish it off I added a fleur de lis.  Now it's game time! Awww. ...

Saturday started off at The Bead Shop first thing in the morning.  It was nice to have the beads all to myself!  But they were all sitting there with their sparkly selves saying, "buy me, NO buy me, we can make your piece ROCK!".  I had to shut them all out and focus on my task at hand and set up for class.  It wasn't easy. Allow me to make the introductions...below are Carolina and Hatty.  Don't you just LOVE that water bottle picture? Look at them stringing away.   Carolina made a lovely jade bracelet using natural color leather with brown thread.  Hatty made a bracelet using lemon chrysoprase.  Lemon chrysoprase reminds me of mint chocolate.  I just want to eat them all!  Anyhoo we all passed a good time.   Carolina and Hatty were a blast to be with in the morning.    Merci Buttercup, Hatty, for that big wonderful carved bead. XO Now about those Tiaras... I was so lucky to take a tiara maki...