m o v i n !

B came home safe yesterday morning.

and now we are really busy moving!

moving in to a new place.

it is a juggle with a baby.

and even worse in this heat....

beading how-to - WIRE WORK BASICS #2

next:

WRAPPED LOOP

①repeat simple loop step①~③(if you forgot, refer this post),

but DO NOT cut off the end

②instead wrap the end around the stem wire using two pairs of pliers or one paie of plire and hand - one to hold the loop, the other to wrap the end wire around the stem

wrap it around a few times

then cut off the excess

it looks like this

③put a bead on, and bend the unfinished end at 90° leaving a few mm for wrapping

④repeat wrapped loop step ①~③ to finish the other end

taddaaaaa

⑤if you'd like to continue making links,

just do wrapped loop step ①, and open the loop like below and connect to the ready made loop

finish wrapping

taddaaaaaaaaaaaa :)

congratulations!

now you mastered both simple and wrapped loops!!

you can make yourself a new piece of jewelry, or fix up your broken jewelry :)

beading how-to - WIRE WORK BASICS #1

I had worked at a bead store for a few years,
and I thought it would be nice to share some knowledge and techniques with you!

so, I am going to start with the basics today :)

first of all, these are the basic beading supplies you need for wire work.

left pic: from the most left-designing board(not necessary), beading mat, pliers, and wire(and of course beads!)

right pic: from the left- needle nose, round nose, and flush cutter

for the basic wire work, a lot of people use 24gauge wire.

(the highter the number, the thinner/skinier the wire)

here I used 22g, mid soft craft wire.

it's good to practice with craft wire first, and then move on to sterling silver or gold/fill

so that you don't waste precious metal.

I will start with:

SIMPLE LOOP

①cut the wire in about 3" length with the cutter

as you gain experience, you'll know how much wire you need for that particular bead.

②using the needle nose, bend the wire at 90°

③switch to the round nose, roughly estimate how much wire you need to make a loop

and start 'rolling' the wire towards the 90°-stem

do not over-roll! you want to keep the nice 90° on the bottom of the loop

　

then cut off the excess

(make sure that the end doesn't go flying off! cover with your fingers or cut it under a table)

if it looks like a 'P' shape, you rolled it too far

④put a bead on the stem wire, and repeat ①~③ to finish the other end

tadaaaa

here it is!

now you mastered simple loop :)

looking for a perfect vest

I've been in search of a perfect vest forever.

I don't have any vests in my wardrobe at all when I think about it.

I found this pattern on Fitspatterns.

this looked like the one I always wanted,

-very simple and well fitted.

after I finished it, then put it on,

it didn't fit well on me...

:(

waist was well fitted,

but the bust was just too big...

my body shape is not a glamourous type...

I will probably post this one on my Esty shop,

then try making another one.

maybe alter the design a little bit.

feeling healthy

because my husband B is away for a week, doing an install in Alberta,

I had a list of things I wanted to do while he is gone.

I don't know why, but I get strong motivation to do things while he's not around.

he is not lazy or anything,

but I think it is sometimes easier to get stuff done while you are alone.

one of the things on my list was to get back in a habit of doing Yoga everyday.

it's been months since the last time I stretched.

I pulled out a yoga mat from closet,

and did some yoga for not even a half an hour.

that was all little L can handle playing all by herself.

although it was short, I felt really good :)

when I feel good and healthy,

I also crave for healthy stuff.

- green smoothie -

when we read this book, called Green for Life, a few years ago,

we got way into having green smoothie everyday.

the book was written by a raw foodist, Victoria Boutenko,

(well, the whole family is raw foodists.

and we called them the raw family when we lived in Ashland.)

B is a health freak, so he is still on it almost everyday,

but after a while, my interest faded away...

the truth is, I LOVE cooked food.

just like yoga, I had been out of it for a long time.

but today, after doing yoga,

I was actually craving for it.

so, I made some.

- banana, blueberries, orange, chard, lettuce, celery and yogurt-

sometimes we put nuts and seeds, and cod liver oil.

ahhhh

I feel super healthy today :)

inspired by...

tea bags