Month: August 2022

beadazzled.

Short story: I found a bead store and bought a bunch of beads. I hope Bebe doesn’t eat them. Owned and operated by Lilian Leung, this Solano Avenue (Berkeley side) shop – Beadazzled – boasts two rooms of beads and findings, handmade jewelry (by Lilian!), and a space to create. On this visit I reupped my collection of Miyuki beads, memory wire (love this stuff!), and nylon jewelry cord (which I actually use for making garlands). I also learned that kids like to put stuff up their noses – Lilian shared that her grandchild once put a bead up their nose. D’oh! As far as crafts go, Bebe and I have drawn together, painted (more on that soon!), and he’s seen me work on a couple macrame pieces. I hope one day we can craft together with tiny materials, hot glue, and scissors. 🙂 Hurry, name some toddler-friendly (beaded) craft projects!

dream big!

It’s been quiet on the felt crafting front, but I’ve managed to work on a few projects over the last few months inspired by customers who dream big! I worked on a giant wall hanging for a school auction. A class of second graders shared what giving means to them and I made a collage with their responses. What a joy to cut these words out! All the students got to sign the back, too. I made a duo of metallic felt garlands for my friend – one said Happy Birthday! and the other Congrats! The goal was to make something in neutral-ish colors to match any celebration. Metallic is neutral, right? 🙂 This is the biggest word garland I’ve made yet! Each flag is 6 inches by 12 inches. And lastly, I made another happy birthday sign for a friend. They wanted something colorful that they could use every year for Henry’s birthday. This banner was so big it barely fit my craft table! I used tape to line up my letters and make …