Grandma B

No new beadwork that I can show you so I thought I would do a tribute to my grandma, I credit her with getting me started down this bead path.

The thing I remember the most about her was her cooking, she made the most beautiful almond cookies, it had a little almond right in the middle of this perfect circle cookie, and she made mashed potatoes with cream cheese, my favorite! Every one of her grandkids, and there where many, would get $2 for their birthday, this was from a woman on social security. How she ever did it is a marvel. She would take us kids to the Museum of Natural History in Waterloo, Iowa, that is where I grew up.

One of those trips we went to see an exhibition of Native American crafts, beadwork being included. Even as a small child I remember standing there with my mouth gaping at the headdresses and cradles and moccasins. I always wondered if I would have had the patience to do beadwork like that with the primitive tools they used. For most of my early beading years I copied the patterns that I saw in the historical pattern books. I can't remember when for sure but I ended up with one of those small child beading looms. I still have the first piece I did on it, it was going to be a guitar strap, now I am trying to think of a way to include it on my BJP from last year. It has only been in the last four years, since I closed my aromatherapy shop that I have had time to expand on my beadwork. First I started with freeform, which really made me think outside the box, then with the start of the Bead Journal Project I have been focusing on bead embroidery.

Many times while I sit and bead I feel her looking over my shoulder with that same beautiful smile.