The Making of a Heart

A very nice customer has asked to me bead her some heart charms in red and pink.  I enjoy making hearts because hearts are sweet expressions of love yet they are relatively simple to make.  Here is how I make my hearts.

My supplies include:

1. My heart pattern.
2. FireLine thread, .006 (4lb. size B).
3. Size 11 Toho seed beads in silver lined ruby, silver lined pink plus a transparent crystal to form the "invisible" loop for hanging.
4. Size 12 bead needles.
5. A felt-like pad for holding my loose beads so the beads don't roll all over the place.

I also need:

5. My old lady reading glasses.
6. Nice Hawaiian sunshine for natural lighting.

The stitch I use to weave the beads together is the brick stitch technique and although I sometimes use quilting thread for stitching, I like FireLine because it is strong and does not stretch; therefore, my project keeps its shape.  FireLine is really a fishing line but it is a staple supply for many beaders.  I buy my FireLine from FusionBeads.com for its prices and free shipping to Hawaii (hooray!).

I'm lucky to live in Hawaii where there is an abundance of bright beautiful sunshine.  Natural lighting allows me to see the true color of the beads as well as my stitches.  Many times I have tried weaving throughout the night using a lamp or overhead lights only to toss my project away the next day because of mistakes.  I've learned my lesson!

Here are my finished beaded heart charms.

I have 2 more to go but the sun is setting so I'll continue tomorrow. 

Please visit me on Etsy at Handmade + Cute to see the rest of my beaded charms.

Jalopy Soup

I'm at my mother-in-law's house.  I smell soup...chicken, ginger and asian-ish things. I see a pot on the stove.  I peek inside.  Yes, soup it is! Looks like shredded bits of roasted chicken, cabbage, carrots, onions, a big chunk of beat up ginger and soggy macaroni that is way past the al dente stage.  I taste.  As usual, despite the unappetizing appearance, the soup is delicious!

My mother-in-law is famous for her mish-mash soups.  She keeps all her leftover food in the freezer until it'soup ready.  Sometimes the food combinations are strange but with her secret whatever it is, she transforms last week's dinner into another delicious meal.

Me:  How did you make this?
MIL: I don't know.  Just leftovers.
Me:  What's in the soup base?
MIL:  No salt.
Me:  What did you add?
MIL:  I don't know. 

I may never duplicate my mother-in-law's soup and will never get her recipe, if there ever is one, but I've managed to create my own strange but true hodgepodge soup from spare parts.  I dare you to taste...My Jalopy Soup!





Jalopy Soup

  

 - 1 can tomato soup + 1 can water (more if you want it soupier)

- Leftover chili with beans (I love Zippy's but I've used canned also)
- Portuguese sausage from breakfast
- Frozen french fries (cut smaller to look like real potatoes)
- Your choice of vegetables (like corn kernels, tomatoes...)
- Cooked macaroni for the kids' sake
- Sometimes I sneak in a dallop of salsa but the kids don't like it

I toss everything into a pot and bring it to a boil then I simmer my concoction until the frozen fries/vegetables are tender.  We eat this over rice or with crackers.  My husband likes his medley more soupy while I like mines thicker.

I do not claim to be a cook in any shape or form but tee-hee-hee, I've fed this to real people and they still live.

Oh...and no salt.

Fire Truck Charms

I have been working on these Fire Trucks and could not decide which one I wanted to list so I decided to list all three.

Here is my fleet of Fire Truck Seed Bead Charms. 

Come check these out at Handmade + Cute, Etsy