Coming out of hibernation ...

Well, here I am, slowly nosing my way out of hibernation, stretching, sniffing the air and gradually adjusting to Life After Mum.  I am picking up my needle and thread again, accepting all sorts of beady offers and blowing the cobwebs off the Midnight Garden - I am back in business!  Mr. and Mrs. Prickles have also come out of a long sleep in order to lend their support to York Beads who had to close for a whole week following hurricane Sandy due to a complete loss of power.  Mr. and Mrs. P. owe their very existence to York, as without them, there would have been no beautiful dagger beads to adorn them and then they would have looked like very different creatures indeed - have you ever heard of the naked mole rat?

When I was a 'hobby beader', if I had read the term 'wholesale' I would have immediately switched off, thinking that I would not be eligible to buy from them - but I have learnt that actually, York sell 'wholesale to the public' which means you do not need to be a business or have to do anything complicated or scary.  True they do have a minimum purchase amount, but that is only $100 (currently around £63/79Eur/97AUD) and as we all know, it is not hard to spend that kind of money and more on those must have beads, and there is nothing to stop you getting together with a group of friends to organise a bulk order.  So if you want to get your beady paws on some of the most innovative Czech beads around (such as the dagger beads, spike beads or the new gumdrop beads) go to the York Beads website, click on 'Sign In Here' and 'Apply For An Account' and if you have any difficulties, feel free to email them via the 'Contact us' page.  Oh and right now they have a very attractive sale on of 10% off all items with free flat rate domestic shipping and an international shipping rate of only $16.95.

So that's all from me and Mr. and Mrs. P. for now, but we will be back soon with news of new designs, tutorials and published projects, so if you don't want to miss anything, make sure you either click on the 'Follow by Email' button located on the top right of my blog or click 'like' on my Facebook page.

Bye for now!

Kerrie ♥

Goodbye Mum!

Sadly, Mum left us on Monday the 24th of September, but thanks to the fantastic support of the hospice, district nurses and carers, she was able to spend her final days peacefully at home, just as she had wished.  I used to call Mum my 'Rose Fairy' because with her beautiful blonde hair, soft pink skin and sparkly blue eyes she reminded me so much of Cicely Mary Barker's 'Rose Fairy' and she was happiest spending time pottering about in her garden tending to her collection of gorgeous roses.  I will miss Mum enormously but I am comforted by the belief that she will be watching me and cheering me on as I continue on my beady travels through life. Mum was my number one fan when it came to my beadwork and although I used to cringe with embarrassment when she would whip a magazine out of her handbag to show anyone who would stop and look at my latest published design, or thrust her wrist at a passing stranger to show them her bracelet saying 'Look, my daughter made that!' - I was of course very glad to be able to give her something to be proud of.  In the early days, I was lucky enough to share a table at several local craft fairs with Mum, she with her wonderful knitted creations alongside me and my beadwork and later, as things grew and I attended bigger fairs, she would help me out by setting up my display, talking to customers and carefully packaging sold items and of course helping to calm my nerves and bolster my confidence.

Mum was always coming up with ideas for new beadwork designs for me too and she was a constant source of inspiration - had it not been for Mum and her battles with cancer, I would never have designed my Awareness Ribbon Pins or the Pilgrims Cross both of which helped to raise a substantial amount of money for various charities.

There is so much more I could say about My Mum, but I think that you get the picture and although I have many photographs of her, I think that the one below is my favourite because it shows her 'under my wing' and captures the obvious love that flowed between us.

Mum and I used to speak about what might happen after this life and we thought that perhaps we may become flower fairies with important jobs to do.  Mum decided that she was going to wear a gown of softest velvety purple petunia with a fluffy bumblebee hat and she was going to dance through the sky painting sunsets and THAT is the image I am going to keep in my head forever.

Goodbye Mum.

Kerrie ♥

Gumdrops Galore!

Being a freelance designer sometimes means that I am asked to create designs using new types of beads or beading products that hit the market - and that is just what happened with the new Czech Gumdrop Beads designed by Perry Bookstein of York Beads.  These pressed glass beads have softly rounded tops and a flat base with a hole running from side to side near the base.  They come in a tempting array of approximately 15 colours with mouthwatering names like 'Magic Raspberry' and 'Peach Melba' - but of course, as I am currently immersed in moonlight I had to choose something that would fit into the Midnight Garden and so I chose 'Silver Bullet' and 'Orion'.  I thought it would be good to show that these new beads can be incorporated into designs as simple or as complicated as you want them to be and so first I made a straightforward pair of 'Galactic Gumdrops' earrings ...

For my next trick I wanted to create something a little more intricate and as the gumdrops vaguely reminded me of acorns (probably due to my recent trip to Sherwood Forest!) I thought I would try to make the kind of nuttily leafy bracelet that you would expect to find in my beaded garden.  So I bezelled the bottom of each gumdrop to make it look like the cup of an acorn and brick stitched some little oak leaves.  Next I wove everything together in a pleasing cluster and tied the bracelet with a soft grey ribbon to give me 'From Midnight Oaks Magic Acorns Grow' ...

 Bye for now!

Kerrie ♥

Deruta The Travelling Bracelet!

Have you read about The Amazing Adventures of the Traveling Bracelets project created by Sig Wynne-Evans?  While recovering from an operation, Sig had the idea of creating 10 bracelets and as she wove she thought only good positive thoughts before sending them out into the world.  Each gorgeous bracelet went to a different destination and the idea is that each recipient will spend a week with 'their' bracelet, absorbing some of the energy the bracelet has already picked up while adding some of their own.  They will then pass it on to a person of their choice who will also spend a week with the bracelet and so on.  Can you imagine the places these bracelets are going to go, the sights they will be shown and the adventures they will have?  Can't you already feel the special power that these bracelets will hold?  This project has apparently received a mixed response, but personally I think that this is a fantastic idea and so when my friend Maureen asked if she could pass bracelet number 7 (Deruta) on to me, I accepted enthusiastically and couldn't wait for the post to arrive.  Here is my report of my week with Deruta:

 

"When my lovely friend Maureen first contacted me to see if I would like to spend a week with Deruta, I jumped at the chance!  To be honest, this couldn’t have come at a better time for me as I had recently found out that Mum has cancer which has spread too far to be treated and when I read Sig’s blog and learned about her experiences and the philosophy behind the travelling bracelets, I really wanted to be a part of this and I also wanted to slide the bracelet onto Mum’s wrist so that she could feel the love that had gone into it.  I live 250 miles away from my parents and when Deruta arrived I had just returned home for a little break after spending 3 weeks with Mum at her home and in her local hospice and so I thought I would show Deruta some of our local sights before returning to help care for Mum.  I opened the box, marvelled at Deruta’s beauty, slipped her on and off we went!

 

This region has a rich history and although (even after 23 years of living here!) I am technically a foreigner in these parts, I feel a strong bond with this area - especially Sherwood Forest which, as legend has it, was the home of Robin Hood and Maid Marian.  My husband Simon and I often go for long walks in these ancient woodlands and we are occasionally lucky enough to spot a deer or a hare or a buzzard and there is always a feeling of quiet magic about this area which seems to bring us both a sense of peace – and so of course I really wanted Deruta to soak up some of this atmosphere!

 

After our walk in the woods, we stopped off for a cup of tea and a piece of cake in the pretty little village of Edwinstowe.  Robin and Marian were supposedly married in the local church and there is a beautiful bronze sculpture of Robin proposing to Marian in the centre of the village and so I popped Deruta onto Marian’s slender wrist for a few minutes so that they could connect.

After that it was back to work and the next few days went in a whirl of writing instructions, drawing diagrams and taking photos as Deruta sat quietly by my side.  Mum’s faith is very important to her and when she found out about her illness she asked me to make her a little beaded cross to help her through the difficult times ahead.  After having spent some time in the hospice with Mum and beginning to understand the work that they do, I thought that I would write up the pattern for the cross and donate the proceeds to the hospice to help them with their important work.  Those few days may not have been very exciting for Deruta, but I am sure that she absorbed some of my positive energy as I focused on my goal.

Towards the end of the week it was time for the trip back to Mum’s house (she is now out of the hospice and being cared for at home) and as this is where I grew up, I took Deruta for a little walk along the country lanes to imbue her with the natural beauty and the timeless tranquillity of Romney Marsh.

On the last day of my special time with Deruta I slipped her onto Mum’s wrist.  Mum and I held hands, closed our eyes and concentrated on sending Deruta energy, experience, kindness and love.

Deruta is now preparing for the next leg of her journey and I look forward to reading about her travels around the world.  I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to Maureen for filling Deruta with such positive and happy thoughts before passing her on to me and an extra special ‘thank you’ to Sig both for the beautiful beadwork and for turning her wonderful idea into a reality."

As you can see, I had a great time with Sig's travelling bracelet and I also enjoyed pondering about who she would like to visit next and where in the world she might like to go - keep a close eye on Sig's traveling bracelet blog to see what Deruta gets up to next ...

Kerrie ♥

Pilgrims Cross!

Following on from my previous post at the end of June, I can tell you that the reason I had to postpone or cancel so many beady engagements is that my lovely Mum has cancer and it has spread too far to be treated.  Mum would like to be able to end her days at home - in her garden, surrounded by flowers and holding my hand.  Friends and family are all doing their best to make it that way but at one point at the beginning of July the pain became intolerable and Mum had to go into the Pilgrims Hospice .  Up until then, I had no experience of hospices and I had no idea of the wonderful work they do - they worked hard to get Mum's pain under control and to make her comfortable while respecting her wishes and they continually supported the family, patiently explaining the situation to us and answering numerous questions.  Some nights I slept in a chair by Mum's side and the staff would tip-toe in and out to check on us, sometimes using a torch rather than switching on the electric light so that they didn't disturb us.  Often I couldn't sleep and I padded down the corridors in my slippers to make a cup of tea or to spend a few minutes watching the rabbits nibbling in the garden in the moonlight - those quiet times, seeing things, hearing things - that's when I understood the work of the hospice and the angels that work/volunteer there.  After a 2 week stay Mum went back to her beloved house and garden and the hospice arranged for a hospital bed to be delivered to the house together with all the medical paraphernalia she requires and she is still there now, with nurses and personal care staff popping in throughout the day to make sure that she is as comfortable as possible.  Mum's faith is important to her and when she first found out about her illness she asked me to make her a little beaded cross so that when times got tough, she could either look at it or hold it in her hand.  I did this gladly and as soon as I understood the work of the hospice I decided that I would make the pattern for the cross available and donate 100% of the proceeds to the hospice.

I am telling you my story, but I am very much aware that it is my story and that everyone has their own stories.  I have spent my time designing this cross and writing this pattern because I want to donate something to the hospice that has done so much to help us - but if you buy this pattern you are free to raise money for the charity of your choice.  Make as many of these simple little crosses as you wish - sell them, donate them, auction them and use the money you raise for whatever purpose you see fit.  All I ask is that you do not copy this pattern, do not share it and do not teach it because every penny I manage to raise from the sale of this pattern will be going to help the Pilgrims Hospice continue their amazing work.

The pattern for the Pilgrims Cross is available to purchase HERE

Thank you;

Kerrie ♥

Into each garden some rain must fall ...

Of course I have corrupted a line from Longfellow's 'The Rainy Day' in the title of my post today, but it perfectly expresses my feelings.  Due to family illness the Midnight Garden exhibition has had to be cancelled - but that does not mean an end to the Midnight Garden!  Unexpected and disappointing things happen.  In my real life garden a cheeky little mouse has made a tasty meal of my baby carrots and voracious slugs and snails have made short work of my runner beans - I was looking forward to eating those homegrown vegetables myself, but it was not meant to be this year and it does not mean I will not plant new ones.  The walls of the Midnight Garden are still firm,  the twisting twirling leaves and vines are still thriving and the owls, hedgehogs and turtles are still watchful and waiting for a time when new creatures will join them.  The garden was already beginning to take on a life of its own and new ideas were starting to take shape, so perhaps this change of direction was always on the cards - the gardener just wasn't aware of it!

So, although I cannot go through with the physical exhibition in September, I will continue with my personal colour challenge (albeit at a slower pace), I will still be the caretaker of the Midnight Garden and I will carry on with my freelance work.  Talking of which - I have just managed to complete a couple of new Thorn Flower bracelets in different colourways!  These will join the existing bracelet at the York Beads booth at Bead Fest in Philadelphia from August the 17th to the 19th.  And don't forget that you can purchase the pattern for the Thorn Flowers via this page of my website!

 

To round off today's post I would like to thank everybody for the wonderful support the garden has received so far.  I would also like to reassure you that although my work will no longer be displayed at Stitchncraft in September, I will still be working hard on creating this body of work and I will of course keep you updated with all news on my blog or Facebook page.

Bye for now!

Kerrie

From the office to the garden!

I used to have a normal 9 to 5 job - it paid the bills but it made me miserable and every day I would gaze out of the window longing to be on the other side.  So now I work from home and nearly every day is different.  Some days I work from 7am until 11pm and weekends are very often cancelled to enable me to meet a deadline, but other days I can skip off into the sunshine and go and talk to the trees.  Some days I spend quietly beading, lost in my own thoughts and not talking to a single person until Simon comes home.  Other days are a flurry of non-stop calls and emails with my mind whirring as all sorts of possibilities and ideas unfold - a far cry from my old life and most days I can hardly believe the transformation.  The last few weeks have been particularly surreal and as I made the collage below I had to pinch myself to check that I really was looking at pictures of NanC Meinhardt and Marcia DeCoster holding my work at the Bead & Button show in Milwaukee.

Of course I wasn't at the show in person, only Midnight Garland and The Thorns got to travel and to meet all those amazing beady people while basking in the limelight.  I stayed at home, quietly tending to the Midnight Garden and gradually four flower pins with four different petal shapes and four different centres, bloomed from my fingers ...

 Bye for now!

Kerrie